Rich Blood (Jason Rich #1)(42)



Seeming to sense his thoughts, Kisha smiled big. “I came out a couple years after college. We met at the mullet toss down at the Flora-Bama. You ever been to that?”

Jason nodded, not really thinking about the famous festival held every May at the beachside saloon but instead dwelling on the untouched Corona bottle that he’d left sitting at the table after taking Jana’s call. He found himself wondering what happened to it. Did the waitress with the Auburn cap throw it away? Put it back in the fridge to be enjoyed by another patron? He took in a deep breath, realizing that his visit to the Flora-Bama was just over thirty hours ago.

“Earth to Jason.” Kisha interrupted his reverie.

“The mullet toss,” he managed. “How romantic.”

They all laughed, and Kisha described her meetup with Teresa at the bar of the Flora-Bama. They’d both been there with friends and ended up avoiding the iconic tossing of the fish and taking a long walk on the beach, “where one thing led to another.” They were married six months later.

“I’m happy for y’all,” Jason said. When the waiter, a nice woman named Susan, asked for their drink orders, Kisha ordered a cosmopolitan, Teresa a martini, and Jason a club soda with lime.

“Not partaking of the spirits tonight?” Kisha asked with a tease in her voice.

“No,” Jason said. He thought about mentioning rehab but changed his mind. Kisha was a reporter after all, and it wasn’t the best of ideas to be a complete open book to the press.

“So have you decided whether you’re going to take Jana’s case?” Kisha asked, the tease in her tone gone.

“Not yet. I was kinda hoping that my old high school friend might fill me in on what she knows.” Jason chortled. “Go Raiders,” he said, mimicking the cheer for Randolph High.

Kisha shared a brief glance with Teresa and then peered at Jason. “Well, I know that the sheriff’s office has arrested Waylon Pike, a handyman who did odd jobs for your sister and some others on Buck Island. And I know Pike confessed that Jana paid him to kill Dr. Waters.”

“I’ve heard that as well,” Jason said. “Was there some sort of announcement?”

“Press conference couple days ago. Right after Jana was arrested.”

Great, he thought. The whole county knows.

“I’ve also heard that Jana took out a lot of money either the day before or two days before the murder,” Kisha continued.

“How much?” Jason obviously knew the answer but was curious if the amount had become public.

“Fifteen thousand dollars,” Teresa added, leaning forward to make eye contact with Jason. “I’m a bartender at the Brick downtown, and that’s the scuttlebutt around the bar.”

Great, Jason thought again. He twisted in his chair so that he could face them. “Have either of you heard anything that might suggest that my sister didn’t do it?”

Kisha winced and glanced at Teresa, who shook her head. “I’m sorry,” Kisha said.

“What about other enemies? Did Braxton have anyone gunning for him that you’re aware of?”

Kisha opened her mouth to say something, but stopped and rubbed her chin.

“What?” Jason asked.

“Well, I was about to say that Dr. Waters was probably the most beloved physician in town, which is true. He was. But . . .” She trailed off and took a drink.

“You thinking about that malpractice case?” Teresa chimed in.

“What malpractice case?” Jason asked.

Kisha scrunched her face. “Don’t tell me you don’t know. You’re a lawyer. I would have thought Braxton or Jana would have said something to you about it.”

“I hadn’t talked to either of them in years. Can you fill me in?”

“Well . . . ,” Kisha began, leaning closer to him. “Trey Cowan, quarterback of the football team, broke his leg in the last game of his senior season. Had offers from everyone. Ranked a five-star prospect by Rivals and 247Sports. Anyway, Dr. Waters did his surgery, and something happened after the procedure. A complication. Trey wasn’t able to play ball again, and his family sued Dr. Waters. The case took two weeks to try, and the jury came back with a defense verdict.”

Jason wasn’t surprised. “Has there ever been a medical malpractice plaintiff’s verdict in Marshall County?” he asked.

“No,” Kisha said, her eyes wide. “And that was one of the big talking points heading into the trial—whether the Cowan case was going to break that streak.” She took a sip of her cosmo. “It didn’t.”

“Those cases are hard to win,” Jason said. “Especially in small counties that revere their doctors.”

“You really didn’t know?” Kisha asked.

“No,” Jason said.

“Well, Trey went from being a town celebrity to an afterthought. He walks with a limp and works for the city. His family . . . is kind of rough.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean Sand Mountain.”

“Ah,” Jason said.

“The mom, Trudy, lives out on Hustleville Road right in the heart of meth country.”

“You mean Sand Mountain SlimFast?” Jason asked, remembering the colloquial expression for the illegal Marshall County export.

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