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knew the mishap was only the tip of the iceberg.
"Something happened that first night. After the wake for
Bobby Ray."
Zach was quiet a long time. Finally he straightened on the
barstool. The normally clear blue eyes were flecked with ice.
"I was suicidal," he said, emotionlessly. "Bobby Ray he
was my responsibility. I'd let him die."
"It wasn't your fault."
Zach held up a protesting hand. "I let him die, Tanner, and
I was glad he was dead."
75
That Voodoo That You Do
by Ann Yost
The words nearly shocked Luke sober. Zach Reeves was
the most honorable guy he knew. What the hell was he
saying?
"He'd been with her. Francine." The words were spoken in
a deep, husky voice. "All the time I was overseas. They were
in love. Gonna get married."
"You believed him?"
The response was automatic. Luke knew about betrayal
but he'd have bet his last dime on Francine and Zach.
"He showed me proof. Letters and stuff."
"What'd Francine say?"
The icy eyes narrowed. "What the hell could she say. I saw
proof."
"She didn't admit an affair with Bobby, right? It was all
circumstantial."
Zach's jaw tightened. Anger replaced the pain radiating
from him.
"She was in love with him in high school. He dumped her
for Crystal."
Crystal Wetherington Tanner. Ruining lives for more than
ten years.
"Francie got over him years ago. Besides, she'd never have
cheated on you. If she wanted Bobby Ray, she'd have told
you. Don't you know the woman at all?"
"Bobby made her his beneficiary."
Luke shrugged. "Looks like she's gonna need it. She's
alone in the world. All she has is you and your family."
Zach didn't say a word but his rugged features hardened
into Mt. Rushmore.
76
That Voodoo That You Do
by Ann Yost
Luke couldn't believe the conversation. Was this really
happening? Zach and Francie broken up by Bobby Ray?
Maybe he was asleep in the soft, creaky bed at Blanche's
house. Maybe this was a nightmare. He gripped the can of
beer more tightly. It felt cold, moist, real.
A tense silence hung in the air like the last drifts of smoke
from Zach's cigarette. The ash had burned nearly to his
fingers but he didn't seem to notice. There was still
something unexplained in the story. Luke struggled to figure
out what it was.
"The other night, the first night you broke in to Francie's
house, something happened, right?"
Zach's face twisted, briefly. "She wouldn't let me leave. I'd
already told her it was over but she knew the kind of shape I
was in."
Luke's heart squeezed. Francie must have been in despair
over the death of her childhood friend and the defection of
her longtime love but she'd protected Zach from himself. It
was like her.
"So I'm guessing the inevitable happened."
Zach was staring back at the ashtray. "Three times." He
tried to take a drag on the cigarette that was ash. "I haven't
been alone with her since."
"Until tonight."
He nodded. "And I put her in the hospital."
Booze had fogged his brain but Luke knew there was
something else. He struggled to think back through the
conversation. There was an element missing. What? And then
he knew.
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That Voodoo That You Do
by Ann Yost
"You didn't tell Francie why. You just told her it was over.
After ten damned years you broke up with no explanation."
Zach shrugged his big shoulders. "I didn't need to hear
any lies."
"Was it lies you were afraid of? Or the truth?"
Luke thought his friend would get angry but his voice was
low, controlled.
"I saw proof. Case closed."
"You're making a mistake, Z. Talk to her. Give her a
chance to explain."
Zach straightened on the chair. He glanced around the
roadhouse. Luke saw him make eye contact with a woman at
a nearby table.
"I'm goin' back to my unit," he said, with finality. "But first
I'm goin' upstairs with that redhead."
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78
That Voodoo That You Do
by Ann Yost
Chapter Six
Luke awoke in a rose-colored haze. It took him a minute to
realize the glow was caused by the sun's penetration of a red
curtain. He patted the blanket-covered butt next to him,
hoisted himself to his feet and scouted the room for his
clothes. His teeth felt mossy. Shoulda packed a toothbrush
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