saying, 'Be careful, Lizzie. Be careful.'
'I really won't take up too much of your time,' Elizabeth said. 'like Mr. Stanton told you, I'm a psychic, and I've had several visions concerning B. K. Stanton's death. I am convinced that Reece Landry is an innocent man.'
'I agree,' Claire said. 'I've never, not for one moment, thought Reece capable of murder.'
'Who are we to say?' Kenny balled his meaty hands into tight fists. 'After all, Reece was convicted of Daddy's murder. He was the only real suspect. The only one with a motive. Everyone knew he hated Daddy, that he hated our family.'
Ignoring Kenny, Elizabeth turned all her attention on Claire. 'You were present when B. K. Stanton and Kenny had a terrible argument the day Mr. Stanton was killed, weren't you?'
'How did you-' Claire gasped.
'This is utter nonsense!' Kenny's baritone voice sounded overly shrill in the stillness of Claire Roberts's living room. 'Don't say another word, Claire.'
Elizabeth glanced at Kenny. 'By threatening Mrs. Roberts, you make it appear that you have something to hide.'
'Why the hell did you have to show up?' Kenny's hound dog cheeks, so similar to his mother's, sagged. His thin lips drooped at the corners. 'Everything is as it should be. Reece Landry is a worthless bastard. He hated Daddy.'
'But he didn't kill him.' Elizabeth's voice was a mere whisper, but the conviction of her words filled the room.
'Yes, he did!' Glaring at Elizabeth, Kenny walked toward her slowly. 'Landry killed Daddy. He killed him!'
'You may hate your brother, Mr. Stanton, but you know he wouldn't have been the only suspect if your family hadn't bribed and threatened witnesses to keep quiet. Somehow you persuaded Mrs. Roberts to lie about an argument you had with your father.' Elizabeth sensed the fear and anger building to a boiling point within Kenny Stanton. 'You... you threatened to kill your father that day, didn't you?' Elizabeth was as shocked by the realization as Kenny was by her pronouncement. The memory had been crystal clear in Kenny's mind.
'He might have threatened to kill his father,' Claire said, 'but he didn't any more kill Mr. Stanton than Reece did.'
'No, you mustn't!' Kenny's eyes glazed over, his vision unfocused as he stared off into space. 'We've always been good to you, Claire. Why would you betray us?'
'I'm not betraying anyone anymore.' Claire slumped down on the sofa. 'I lied in that courtroom because I was afraid, but I can't keep quiet any longer if I can help Reece by telling the truth.'
'What are you saying?' Kenny staggered about as if he were drunk.
'I'm going to the sheriff in the morning and tell him what I did.'
'You can't!' Kenny turned quickly, his eyes fixed on Elizabeth. 'This is all your fault. You and your damned visions. No one is going to do anything to help Reece. I won't allow it. Do you hear me? I won't allow it!'
'Did you kill your father?' Elizabeth backed away from Kenny, slowly but surely easing toward the front door.
'Did I... Is that what this is all about?' Kenny opened his clenched fists, then reclosed them. 'Is that what your crazy visions showed you? That I killed Daddy?'
'Mr. Stanton.. .Kenny...' Easing herself up off the sofa, Claire held out her hand. 'No one is accusing you of anything.'
'She is!' Kenny pointed at Elizabeth. 'You're no psychic. You haven't had any visions. You're in this with Reece, aren't you? You're just another stupid woman who fell for his tough-guy image, aren't you?'
Sensing Kenny's deep frustration, Elizabeth backed up against the door, uncertain how close he was to losing control. 'You're talking about your wife, aren't you? Reece Landry didn't have an affair with Tracy, despite what you may think or what she might have said. Don't let your jealousy blind you to the truth about your brother.'
'That man is not my brother.' Kenny reached out for Elizabeth, grabbing her by the shoulders, jerking her forward. 'You're as big a fool as every other woman I know when it comes to Reece Landry, but you've made a big mistake trying to help a convicted murderer.' Grabbing Elizabeth around the waist with one fleshy hand, Kenny circled her neck with his other hand, pressing his fingers against her windpipe.
'If the police don't catch Landry, then Harry Gunn will,' Kenny said. 'And that old man's crazy enough to kill anyone who gets in his way. You know how crazy he is? He's been taking turns following Chris and then Tracy all around Newell. Ever since he heard Reece was back in town, he figured Chris or Tracy would lead him to Reece.'
'Kenny, please let Ms. Mallory go.' Claire took a tentative step forward. 'She may want to help Reece, but that doesn't mean she wants to harm you.'
Kenny tightened his hold on Elizabeth, his fingers biting into her neck. She tried not to panic, but she felt Kenny's desperation, all his pain focused on her because she was Reece Landry's woman.
'Kenny, please...' Elizabeth said. She knew what was going to happen, and wished she could prevent the inevitable. Reece would never allow Kenny to harm her. At this precise moment she sensed Reece preparing himself to attack. And when he did-
'I was Daddy's only son,' Kenny said. 'Everything was mine. Daddy, Stanton Industries and Tracy. Then Reece came along.'
'I know how difficult it must have been for you, but surely you realize that your father played you and Reece against each other for his own perverse reasons. You mustn't blame Reece-'
Kenny roared with laughter, the laughter of a man on the edge of a breakdown. 'Don't blame Reece for sleeping with my wife, for taking my father away from me, for stealing part of my inheritance.' Kenny shoved Elizabeth up against the wall. 'When I found out about Tracy and Reece, I should have killed her. I should have killed them both.'
Kenny's fingers closed around Elizabeth's throat, choking her. She grabbed at his shoulders, shoving him, at the same time kicking his leg. If only Reece would stay put, she could handle this situation. Kenny didn't have a weapon, and she felt certain she was strong enough to fight him off.
Just as she raised her leg, aiming directly for Kenny's groin, he released her. Reece jerked Kenny away from Elizabeth, tossing him to the floor as easily as he would have thrown a pillow. Kenny glared up at his brother, pure hatred in his eyes. Elizabeth slumped against the wall, coughing several times, then gulping in air.
'You slimy little son of a bitch!' Reece stared at Kenny, at his father's firstborn, at the soft, pampered, weak and spoiled heir to the throne.
Lying flat on his back on the floor, Kenny looked toward Elizabeth. 'I was right, wasn't I? You're just one more of Reece Landry's conquests.' Then Kenny grinned as he stared up at Reece. 'What's the matter, Landry? You don't want me to touch your woman? That's not fair, is it, since you've done a lot more than touch my wife?'
Reece, his legs spread apart, clenched his hands open and closed as he stood over his brother, wanting more than anything to beat the hell out of Bradley Kenneth Stanton, Jr. 'You're too blinded by hate to see the truth. God, I feel sorry for you. To think I envied you all my life.'
Elizabeth grabbed Reece by the sleeve of his jacket. 'Don't do what you're thinking. He's not worth it.'
'You'd better listen to your lady friend,' Kenny said, shoving himself up into a sitting position. 'Unless you intend to kill me and Claire both. After all, she'd be a witness to my murder.'
Elizabeth tugged on Reece's sleeve. He glanced at her quickly, exchanging a brief message of understanding, then looked back down at Kenny. 'Claire is going to tell the sheriff the truth about your fight with B.K.,' Reece said. 'And the man Tracy was with when B.K. was killed is going to blow your alibi, so, big brother, you'd better be prepared to do some explaining.'
'You think you're so damned smart, don't you?' Kenny's mouth widened into a self-satisfied smirk. 'Well, I didn't kill Daddy. And Claire isn't going to tell the sheriff anything, and neither is that muscle-bound twenty-year-old Tracy was screwing the night you murdered Daddy.'
Elizabeth saw Claire pick up from the end table a heavy brass flower vase filled with an arrangement of silk roses. Elizabeth glanced at Reece, and knew he was aware of Claire's movements.
'The Stantons own this town,' Kenny said. 'We make the rules. Nobody goes against a Stanton and wins. You should know that, Landry.'
Claire Roberts walked up behind Kenny, who sat on the floor smiling at Reece and Elizabeth, a cocky glint in
