The Anyway Clause

Black Box

TJ

I dressed for dinner. Reece insisted. Nan was wearing her usual dressy attire that made you wonder if she was going out. Normal people didn't dress like that for dinner but Nan wasn't like normal Americans. She was basically a British aristocrat. She grew up on an estate and they dressed formally for dinner that was served on silver platters by a host of servants. She didn't live that way but some things stuck with her. And Reece liked it. Noah did too. Growing up it was one of the few things Nan required of her boys; they had to dress for dinner. My dad was never a fan. And I understood why. I felt a bit overdressed so I refused to wear a full suit. Instead I wore dark jeans, a white button up with a fancy Armani blazer. It was dark blue with black silk lapels to match the silk black Italian skinny tie I wore per Reece's instructions. I even brushed my hair since I'd finally gotten it trimmed.

I felt a little more susceptible to Reece's pleas because I was more vulnerable than normal. There was a blanket of sadness over the house. Even though we were all trying to stick to our normal routines it was still there. Sissy had left with my car and by dinner she still wasn't back. Nan told me not to worry but something felt wrong. I'd been dismissive of her before because she looked like she was in her head and so was I but that had been hours ago. And as I sat at dinner looking dapper for no reason, I couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. Then, promptly at eight twenty-nine I was sat on the front porch looking at a picture of me wearing this exact outfit two weeks ago when I was in New York on business with Nan and had decided to have a smoke. Sissy would be pissed if she saw it. I stared at the picture of me finishing the last of a cigarette and fingered the lighter in my hand. I had another one resting on my lips waiting to be lit when a pair of police cars made their way down the drive. One was a cruiser and the other was an unmarked Crown Victoria. A man I remembered as the investigating detective when Jane was arrested, stepped out of the Crown Vic while Scott accompanied a blond from the cruiser. The trio strode towards me and I wanted to upchuck the lamb I'd just eaten. I stood as they approached.

"Scott." I nodded in reference to his company but he just motioned for me to escort them inside.

Nan and Noah were sharing tea in the family room while I could hear Reece moving around in the kitchen on the phone. When I appeared with two law enforcement personnel and Scott the conversation between Noah and Nan ceased. And, with her impeccable timing, Reece walked in laughing but immediately ended her phone call. Since we were all gathered I turned to address our company. I was on edge but being in Nan's presence made me behave like her well-mannered Charming. I offered them seats and beverages but thankfully they declined. I didn't really feel like prolonging whatever was going on.

"So, not to be impolite but what is this?" I asked bluntly.

Scott looked to the blond and she nodded. He stepped forward, took a deep breath and looked me in the eye in a way that told me the next words out of his mouth were about to kill me. There's a look people give you when they're about to deliver bad news and it was all over Scott's face.

"Jane was in a car wreck. She's in emergency surgery right now. I don't know the exact extent of her injuries but I was able to talk to her a moment before she lost consciousness at the hospital," Scott said in an emotionless tone that told me he was mentally a million miles away. He was hiding something.

"What's the rest?" I demanded despite hearing Nan beginning to cry behind me.

"TJ," Scott said.

"Scott, the rest." Reece held my hand and gripped my bicep but I didn't flinch and neither did Scott.

"Possible brain trauma. Her speech was slow, her breathing labored, a lot of contusions but with the superficial lacerations I couldn't be sure of anything. And I'm not a doctor, I haven't seen her scans or the MRI results. She's broken and it looks bad and I need to get back so I can donate blood if necessary."