The door swung open, and a woman stood in the opening. She was almost as tall as he was with her father’s strawberry-blond hair and mother’s blue eyes.
“Uncle Jason?” she asked, creasing her eyebrows.
“Nola?” Jason figured it had to be Nola because Niecy had darker hair.
She brought her hands to her mouth. “Oh my God. It’s . . .” Tears came to her eyes, and Jason stepped over the threshold and put his hands on her arms.
“I’m so sorry about your dad.”
She leaned into him for an awkward hug. “Thanks. It’s . . .” She didn’t finish. Instead, she looked down at the marble floor and stepped out of the way so that he could enter the grand foyer. It was a little past noon, and Jason could see Lake Guntersville in all its glory straight ahead through the full-length glass window. Buck Island was situated right on the main channel, so the view was breathtaking. To his left, there was a windy staircase with framed photographs of the two girls adorning the wall as the steps ascended to the second floor. Past the stairs was an archway into a huge kitchen that opened into a family room with more spectacular views of the lake from each of the windows. Nola walked toward the kitchen, and Jason followed, taking in the mansion and wondering how anyone could be unhappy living in such a palace.
It was the cliché of all clichés, but Jason knew it was true: money can’t buy happiness. But, as he looked out the window at the sunshine and saw the sailing vessels moving up and down the waterway, Jason couldn’t help but think of the Chris Janson song “Buy Me a Boat,” which he enjoyed blaring in his Porsche.
As he entered the family room, his other niece was gazing at her phone. She wore cutoff jeans and a white tank top, and her brown hair was covered by a black-and-gold Birmingham Southern baseball cap. When she looked up, she didn’t stand. “What’re you doing here?”
Jason straightened and glanced at Nola, who was peering at the floor again.
“Well?” Denise Catherine Waters had been called “Niecy” since she was born, a nickname bestowed on her by her father.
“I just wanted to see how y’all were doing.”
She snorted. “Well, let’s see here. Our dad’s dead. He was murdered about a hundred feet from where we’re sitting.”
Jason glanced out the window at the boathouse and saw the yellow tape blocking the path to the dock.
“And, as luck would have it, he was apparently killed by our precious mother, who’s been in jail for the last week.”
“You don’t know that,” Jason said. “She’s innocent until proven guilty.” The words sounded so lame coming out of his mouth that he almost gagged.
“Oh, whatever, Uncle Jason. Oh, that’s right. You’re a lawyer. You know all about this stuff. You have a bunch of billboards. We should definitely listen to you.”
Jason was flabbergasted by Niecy’s tone and rough words. He’d never shared a cross word with Jana’s eldest daughter.
“All I was trying to say is that she hasn’t been convicted.”
“Waylon Pike confessed to killing Dad, and Pike said that Mom paid him to do it. Why would he lie about that?” Niecy spat the words.
“To get a deal,” Jason said. “He’s caught with his pants down, and he’s giving them a bigger fish.” He immediately regretted how crass he must sound to his nieces as he tried to explain the case. “Putting an ex-con like him in jail is nothing, but nabbing the doctor’s wife? A much bigger get for the district attorney.”
Niecy’s face softened, but not by much. “You don’t know that.”
“No, I don’t,” Jason said. “But you asked why Pike would lie, and I gave you a reason.”
“Why did it take you over a week to get here?” Niecy challenged. “Dad was killed on July 4. It’s July 13. Where’ve you been?”
“I sent you a text,” Nola said, her voice tentative. “A few days ago.”
Jason felt like he was a foot tall as he turned to Nola, his face becoming flushed. “I’m so very, very sorry. I, uhm, I was in rehab until yesterday without any access to my phone. When I got out, I had several messages from your mother.” He froze, trying to cope with the guilt and shame that bloomed in his chest. “I came as soon as I could.” He looked at Nola. “I’m sorry I didn’t respond to your text. I . . . I should have. I just needed to see your mom first.”
Niecy’s lips had started to tremble. “How about the last three years? When everything around here was going to pot, why’d you disappear? Right after Paw Paw died, you might as well have died too.”