Rich Blood (Jason Rich #1)(84)

“Yes,” Daniels said. “We wanted to at the very least rule out Mr. Cowan as a suspect, which we did.”

“He didn’t have an alibi for where he was at the time of the murder, did he?”

“He said he was watching the fireworks on the Sunset Trail. We weren’t able to corroborate his story. This all became irrelevant when Waylon Pike confessed to killing Dr. Waters at the direction of Ms. Waters.” She snapped the words off like a machine gun, and it was all Jason could do not to take a step backward.

“You would agree that you hadn’t ruled Cowan out at the time Pike came forward.”

“I would.”

“You also hadn’t ruled out Colleen Maples, had you?”

“Actually, we had. She had a corroborated alibi for the time of the murder. She was with friends on the lake.”

Jason looked at the jury. “Of course, that corroboration becomes irrelevant once Pike came forward.”

She cocked her head. “I don’t understand.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter where Maples was if she paid Pike to kill Dr. Waters, does it?”

There were several murmurs from the gallery, and Judge Conrad banged his gavel. “Quiet!” he screamed.

“Sergeant?” Jason pressed.

“Mr. Pike confessed that Jana Waters paid him to kill Dr. Waters.”

“And there’s no witness to that other than Pike, correct?”

“Correct.”

Jason walked over to the jury railing. “Sergeant, were you aware that Trey Cowan and Waylon Pike were friends?”

She squinted at him. “No.”

Jason spoke directly to the jury, though his question was for Daniels. “And were you aware that Colleen Maples and Trey Cowan were romantically involved?”

This time, Sergeant Daniels chuckled.

“Something funny, Sergeant?”

“This is ridiculous.”

“Is it? You haven’t answered the question. Were you aware that Trey Cowan and Colleen Maples, both of whom your office investigated to rule them out as suspects in the murder of Dr. Braxton Waters, were romantically involved?”

“I fail to see—”

“Yes or no, Sergeant?”

“No.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Jason glanced at the jury and then back to the witness stand. “No further questions.”





67


The final witness on Tuesday wasn’t a surprise, but the calling of the name still sent a jolt of fear and adrenaline through Jason. He figured his reaction paled to that of his sister.

“State calls Ms. Nola Waters.”

She came through the double doors and walked down the aisle. When she was in view, Jason heard the sucking of air next to him. He didn’t look but placed his right foot over Jana’s left. It was a signal they’d worked out anytime he was worried that she might lose it.

Nola took her seat and was sworn in. After she stated her name, Shay Lankford walked to the end of the jury box. “Ms. Waters, please tell the jury how you found your mother the morning of July 5, 2018.”

“She was passed out on the floor in the den.”

“Why do you say ‘passed out’?”

“Because it was noon, and she still had her clothes on from the day before. And she was on the floor.”

“Had you ever seen your mother in this condition before?”

“Yes.”

“How many times?”

Nola sighed. “At least five.”

“What happened when you arrived?”

“I shook her awake and asked her where Dad was.”

“And what did she say?”

“That she didn’t know.”

“What happened next?”

“I heard music coming from the boathouse, and we walked down to the dock.”

“What was playing?”

“Darius Rucker.” Her voice was beginning to shake. “Th-th-that was D-D-Dad’s favorite.”

“Are you OK, Ms. Waters?”

She wiped tears from her eyes. “Fine. I want to get this over with.”

Jason glanced at the jury. Each person was staring at Nola with rapt attention. She was the daughter of the victim and the defendant. Closer to the situation than even Jason. He forced himself to breathe, hoping that Nola would get through this but also hoping that her testimony wouldn’t hurt Jana too bad.

“Nola, what happened next?” The move to first name was subtle, but Jason thought it was brilliant, a signal from the prosecutor to the jury that this was a teenager. A signal to Nola that a friend was asking the question, someone who only wanted the truth.

“We walked around. Saw that dad’s golf clubs were down there and a club was laying on the ground. Then I saw some blood on the dock . . .” She fought back the tears and continued. “ . . . and I saw his Gunter’s Landing cap floating in the water.”

“What did you do then?”

“Mom called 911.”

“Then what happened?”

“The police came and started dragging the lake by our boathouse. An hour and a half after they started, they found the body.” She put her hands over her face.

Next to him, Jason heard sniffles, and he put his hand on his sister’s shoulder to console her. He was relieved to see her tears, knowing that this was a spot where genuine emotion was welcomed. What mother wouldn’t cry with her daughter having to testify to such a scene?