“I made a splash.”
A slight smile tweaked the edges of her mouth. “A bit of drama always has a way of catching the media’s eye. Why don’t you come in?”
Rachel stepped into the marbled hallway, daring a glance up at a crystal chandelier that reflected a thousand points of light. Mrs. Stevens moved from the foyer into a room on the right decorated with whites and grays. Rachel wiped her feet before stepping onto the carpet and taking the seat that Mrs. Stevens indicated.
Rachel sunk into a plush couch as Mrs. Stevens took a seat at her diagonal. A large portrait hanging over the fireplace featured Mrs. Stevens wearing a lush full wedding dress. Time had been kind to Joanne Stevens who still looked remarkably as she had on her wedding day.
“I was surprised you called,” she said as she crossed her legs at her ankles.
“I’m trying to learn as much about Annie Rivers Dawson as I can and you were one of her closest friends.”
She shifted as she folded her hands and placed them in her lap. “We were roommates. I’m not sure if I’d say we were friends.”
“How did you two meet?”
“Annie was singing at a party on campus. She really was wonderful and made the evening a hit. I came up to her after the show to tell her how much I loved her work and we got to talking. My friend Beth and I were looking for a third roommate and she needed a place to live. Seemed romantic to have an aspiring singer live with us. Within a couple of days, we’d signed an agreement and she moved into the house. Initially, it was great. She was always singing and the friends that came to see her were different. I felt a bit like a rebel, living with someone in show business.” A slight grin hinted to the girl she’d been. “My dad was not thrilled, which made living with Annie all the more appealing.”
Rachel had worked her way through college and had never had the luxury of rebelling because she’d been busy working. “Did she date anyone while she was living with you?”
“Men loved Annie. She had an energy and a vitality to go with those stunning blond looks. When she walked into the room men couldn’t think. I was dating my husband at the time and I resisted bringing him by our house when I knew Annie would be there. I didn’t want him falling under her spell until he knew me better.”
“And did he meet Annie?”
“He did. In fact, I warned him that he’d fall for her the minute he saw her and he laughed. He said I was the girl for him. And then he met her. She was coming out of the house, her blond hair flowing and her skirt skimming her signature red cowboy boots. His mouth dropped open as if he’d been hit in the back of the head with a two-by-four. He saw me watching and recovered but he’d been caught in her net. She also had the same effect on our other roommate’s boyfriend.”
Rachel glanced at her notes. “Beth Drexler.”
“Right. Beth’s boyfriend was really taken by Annie and made a pass at Annie while Beth was in the shower. He claimed to be religious.” She shook her head. “I happened to see it. Annie said no in such a way that didn’t make him mad. Later she asked me not to tell Beth because she didn’t want a fight.”
“Did you tell Beth?”
“No. She had a temper and a jealous streak and I didn’t want to stir that pot.”
“And you are sure Annie and Beth’s boyfriend didn’t have a relationship?”
“No. I think he was terrified of Beth.”
“I haven’t been able to find Beth.”
“She married that boyfriend but she was killed in a car accident about ten years ago. I saw the notice in the alumnae magazine that her younger sister had written.”
“So Annie wasn’t dating anyone?”
“She was private about her personal life. And though she never talked about it, I had the sense she was dating someone. I could hear her in her room late at night talking on the phone. She kept her voice low so I never made out what she was saying.”
“This guy never came by the house? You never met him?”
“Never. Not once.”
“But she got pregnant and then married.” Rachel flipped through her notes. “She married Bill Dawson.”
“That caught both Beth and me by surprise. We had never met the guy.”
“But you said that you never met the guy she was dating.” Joanne hesitated and then leaned forward, a conspirator’s glint in her eyes. “I never thought he was the guy who fathered her baby.”
“Why would you say that?”
“I saw them together at their wedding. One day she’s single and the next we are invited to a small wedding at the New Community Church. Beth and I were both blown away but we went. We saw Bill for the first time. He was tall, good-looking, the kind of guy you’d expect Annie to marry. And he was like all men. He had fallen under her spell.”
Rachel was adept at reading between the lines. “But.” Joanne shook her head. “It was clear he loved her a whole lot more than she loved him. And she sounded stiff and formal around him whereas when she’d spoken to whomever on the phone at night it was clear she was excited and happy.”
“She was unhappy at her wedding?”
“So much so that I asked her about it. She said she wasn’t feeling well. That’s when she told me about the baby. Not the first stressed-out shotgun marriage, I suppose.” She shrugged. “She came by the house days later, paid the balance on her rent and moved out. That was the last I saw her.”
“How did you hear about her death?”
“On the news. I was getting ready for my own wedding and was half listening to the television when the newscaster said she’d been murdered. I didn’t know she’d had her baby.” She shoved out a breath. “Beth and I did take time to go to the funeral. So sad. I think most of the music community in Nashville was there.”
“Do you remember seeing her husband at the funeral?”
“I do. He was stoic and showed little or no emotion. Everyone, even the pastor overseeing the funeral was sad, but Bill looked resolute.”
“What about her baby?”
“She wasn’t there from what I could tell.”
“What happened to the baby?”
“I honestly don’t know. I didn’t know Bill and it never occurred to me to check in with him after the funeral. My life was hectic then.” Regret threaded through the words.
“What do you remember about Jeb Jones?”
Ice sharpened her gaze. “I saw him when he came by the house for maintenance. I didn’t like him and told the landlord so. Very creepy man.”
“What did he do to upset you?”
“He lingered a little too long. Asked too many personal questions. Always smelled of booze. He was particularly interested in Annie.”
“You testified at his trial.”
She sat a little straighter. “I did. I wanted the jury to know about the man who killed Annie.”
“And you are certain he killed her?”
“He was the one that lurked around. A couple of times I caught him parked outside our house watching. I called the police on him.”
Rachel glanced at her notes. “He wasn’t arrested for loitering according to his record.”
She fingered the pearls around her neck. “He should have been. And maybe if he had she’d still be alive.”
“Did he ever threaten her, you, or Beth?”
She moistened her lips. “No. Never in words. But his presence was threat enough.” She crossed her legs. “Why on earth would you defend someone like that?”
“He has maintained his innocence for thirty years and has been asking for DNA for five years. He deserves to have his DNA tested.”
“As far as I’m concerned he doesn’t deserve a second of anyone’s time. He got what was coming to him and he’s trying to worm his way out of jail.” Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t strike me as naïve, Ms. Wainwright. Why would you fall for a sob story like the one Jeb’s spinning?”
How many people said that about me! Luke’s anguished retort rattled in her head. “What if he’s telling the
truth?”
“He’s not telling the truth. He’s looking for an out. Men like him know how to play the system.”
Rachel’s irritation grated under her skin. “I’ll leave it up to the DNA test.”
“So what happens if the DNA test comes back and proves the blood on the murder weapon is not his?”
“Then he has grounds for a new trial.”
She traced her fingertips over her collarbone as if breathing grew more difficult. “I’ll have to testify again?”
“Perhaps.”
Her fingers curled into a fist. “I won’t change my story.” “No one is expecting you to. Tell the truth.”
“The truth can be manipulated.”
“Yes, it can.”
Eyes narrowed. “What do you hope to gain from all this? Is this about getting publicity?”
“No. I was hired to do a job and that’s what I’m going to do.”
“But you are trying to set a convicted murderer free.”
Rachel hesitated, sensing the tension in the room growing. “Have you considered that the real killer may still be out there? What if the person that really killed Annie is still walking the streets?”
That idea robbed a bit of color from Joanne’s face. “Out there now?”
“If Jeb is proven innocent then there’s a killer to find.”
She glanced toward the window as if she expected to see someone out there lurking, waiting and watching.
Rachel closed her notebook. “You don’t have to worry, Mrs. Stevens.”
Her gaze shifted back to Rachel. Gone was the calm. “How can you be sure about that? What if you’ve stirred up a hornet’s nest and innocent people like me get hurt?”
“Why would you be hurt?”