Jason gazed at her. He knew he couldn’t suborn perjury, but he wasn’t sure what the truth was anymore. He wondered if Jana could even tell the difference.
Jason stood and walked to the door before knocking three times.
“What are we going to do?” Jana asked.
Jason let out a ragged breath. “You’re going to take the stand.”
77
At 8:30 a.m. the following day, Jason met Izzy and Harry in the courtroom. With thirty minutes to spare, the room was empty, but in a half hour, it would be full to capacity. Everyone expected this to be the last day of the trial.
Jason filled Izzy and Harry in on his plan.
“How do you think Cade’s going to react?” Harry asked.
“Chase has the girls at Mill Creek,” Jason said. “The front and back of the place are being watched by security. I have officers surrounding the courthouse, and the by God Tonidandel brothers will all be in the courthouse. Have you met them yet?”
“Just heard the stories,” Izzy said.
“They’re all true.”
“I hope so,” Harry added, “because the stories about Cade are also true.”
Jason put his hands on their respective shoulders. “Jana isn’t stupid. She won’t implicate him.”
“If you say so,” Izzy said.
“Keep your eyes and ears open, partner,” Jason said. “We’re about to get on the roller coaster.”
78
“Mr. Rich, call your next witness,” Judge Conrad announced.
“The defense recalls Ms. Beverly Thacker.”
The elderly nurse trudged into the courtroom and took her seat on the witness stand. After she was sworn in, Jason got right to it.
“Ms. Thacker, you told the jury yesterday about witnessing Dr. Waters having sexual contact with his CRNA, Colleen Maples.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Did you ever witness Dr. Waters have an affair with any other woman?”
“Yes, sir, I did.”
“And who was that?”
“Well, for the longest time, I couldn’t remember her name, but when I saw the car dealer yesterday, it clicked. I saw Dr. Waters making out with Mr. Burns’s wife on a Friday after work. I was working late and went into his office to file something, and I saw them on his desk. Her shirt was off, and they were kissing and grinding on each other.”
Murmurs filled the courtroom, and Judge Conrad banged his gavel.
“Who exactly are you talking about, Ms. Thacker?”
“Shandra Burns.”
Jason looked toward the jury and saw the expressions of surprise that he’d hoped to see. “No further questions.” He glanced at Shay Lankford, who stared back at him with a look of bewilderment.
“Cross-examination, Ms. Lankford?” Conrad asked.
“No, Your Honor,” Shay said, still gawking at Jason.
“OK, Mr. Rich, call your next witness,” Judge Conrad instructed.
Jason turned to Jana. “Ready?” he whispered.
“As I’ll ever be.”
Jason’s heart was pounding. “Your Honor, we call the defendant, Jana Rich Waters.”
His sister took the stand and was sworn in. After having Jana state her name for the record, Jason didn’t waste any time.
“Ms. Waters, did you hire a man named Waylon Pike to kill your husband, Dr. Braxton Waters?”
Jana looked directly at the jury. “No, I did not.”
“Ms. Waters, where were you on the night of July 4, 2018?”
“I went to Fire by the Lake, a restaurant on Highway 69.”
“What did you do there?”
“I had two vodka drinks, and then I left.”
“What did you do next?”
“I drove around for a little while.”
“Why?”
“My marriage was ending. I was . . . upset. I’d taken out $15,000 from my and Braxton’s joint account the day before, and I was worried what Braxton was going to say.”
“Why’d you take out the money?”
“Because Braxton had said he was going to divorce me, and I was afraid I wouldn’t have any cash.”
“Did you stop at a strip mall south of Fire by the Lake?”
“I might have. I don’t really remember.”
“What do you remember?”
“I remember not wanting to go home. The kids were both with friends, and I didn’t want to be around Braxton.” She put her hands on the wooden bench in front of her chair.
Jason approached the witness stand and clasped both of his hands over his sister’s. “Jana, what did you do next?”