Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies (11 page)

Crap. If I hadn’t known she was on my side, I would’ve been scared spitless.

“Last summer. It has a star on it.”

She shoved the phone in her pocket. “Thank you, Eugene. Now where’s my ice cream?”

Poor Eugene couldn’t keep his hands steady, so he ended up drizzling chocolate on the side of the cup before he added the three cherries to the top, counting them out loud for Neely Kate’s benefit. He set it on the counter and cautiously slid it toward her.

She picked it up and gave him a hundred-megawatt smile. “Thank you,” she said in her sweetest voice. “You have a nice day now, ya hear?”

He looked like he’d just witnessed the detonation of an atom bomb. I supposed he had.

She spun around, still grinning. “Let’s go.”

I picked up my sundae and followed her out the door and into the truck, trying to process everything we’d just figured out. But first I had to address Neely Kate’s performance.

“You were … That was …”

Her eyes twinkled. “Amazing? Awesome? Awe-inspiring?”

“All of the above.”

“Any more doubts about bringing me along tonight?”

“No.”

She took a big bite of her ice cream and made a sound of pure contentment. “This is really pretty good. I should get my ice cream made this way every time.”

I laughed. “You mean with fear and terror mixed in?”

A smug grin spread across her face, and she gave me a half-shrug, then took another bite and said, “Okay, let’s focus on what we learned.”

“First we have to address the fact that the guy who hired Eric to run Mason off the road is the same guy who posted my bail.”

She frowned. “Yeah. That is, if the guy he met actually hired him to do it.”

“The timing is pretty coincidental, but I agree. We can’t jump to conclusions. But we do know it wasn’t Mick. Eric said his new plan was with someone else, someone more powerful.”

“I can’t see J.R. Simmons workin’ with someone as dumb as a stick.” She cringed. “No offense to the dead.”

“Yeah, I agree. But this guy he met had to be some kind of middleman. Someone who could show his face in public. It’s obvious he’s not the power guy because otherwise he wouldn’t have shown up at the courthouse. They have cameras there.”

“They do, although not too many. Whoever this guy is probably turned his face away from the cameras … well, except for Nita’s. But I think you’re right. This isn’t the guy who’s behind it all. We still need to find him, though. Let’s head to your house and see what we can find out about last summer’s rodeo winners.
The Henryetta Gazette
will have a photo with names.”

I pulled out of the parking lot and pointed the truck toward home, feeling more hopeful than I’d felt in ages.

A
fter we got home
, I texted Mason to let him know we had some helpful information. He responded:
In a meeting. Will call you later.

I let Muffy out and told Neely Kate she could pick out whichever room she wanted upstairs. I hurried Muffy along, which made me feel bad, but we had work to do. And in the scheme of things, I figured she could deal with a shorter romp now if it meant she’d get to spend the rest of her life with me and Mason.

After a few minutes, I headed upstairs with my backpack full of Lady in Black clothes. I found Neely Kate in the front bedroom, sitting on the end of the bed and staring out the window toward the road.

“It’s a pretty view, huh?” I asked, sitting next to her.

“Yeah. I like it here. It’s peaceful.”

It had its moments of chaos and danger, but I wasn’t going to ruin the illusion for her. “I meant what I said, Neely Kate. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want to stay, although for your sake, I hope it’s not too long.”

She kept her gaze focused out the window but gave me a lopsided grin. “What’s Mason gonna say about that?”

“You seriously have to ask that? You know what he’s gonna say. He’s your friend too.”

Tears filled her eyes, hanging on her lower lashes, but they didn’t spill out.

“Do you want to take a rest? We’ve had a busy afternoon, and we have an even busier night ahead. You’re still recovering from your surgery.”

“Yeah. That might be a good idea.” She turned to look at me. “But we need to look up that rodeo guy.”

“Send me his photo, and I’ll see what I can find while you nap.”

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and sent me the photo in a text.

“Now you get comfortable,” I said, pulling an afghan off a chair in the corner.

She kicked off her boots and scooted back on the bed. She lay on her side, her long blond hair spilling over her shoulder and onto the pillow, and I tucked the afghan around her. She glanced up at me, looking sadder and lonelier than I’d ever seen her. “Do you know how long it’s been since someone took care of me like this?”

My head jutted back in surprise. “What about Ronnie?”

“He sits with me and holds my hand, but … this is a different kind of affection. You know?”

I sat on the bed next to her. “No, I don’t know.”

She took a deep breath. I worried she was going to brush me off, but instead she stared at a spot on the wall and said, “Ronnie
does
take care of me, but it’s because it’s his job as my husband.”

“I’m sure that’s not true, Neely Kate. You’re just confused after all the turmoil and pain of losing your babies. He loves you. I saw it with my own eyes when you were in the hospital.”

“I know he loves me. That’s not it …” I could see she was getting frustrated. Her head turned slightly, and her blue eyes locked onto mine. “He does things for me because he loves me as my husband. It’s like a contract or agreement between us. He takes care of me, and I take care of him.”

I wasn’t sure I agreed with her assessment, but I decided to keep that to myself for now.

She looked away again, her cheeks turning pink. “My momma didn’t do a good job raisin’ me. And while I love my granny, she’s not a soft woman. That’s part of the reason I love Maeve so much. She’s everything my momma wasn’t.”

I picked up her hand and held it in mine. “I know exactly what you mean. I worry I’ll lose her too if Mason finds out the truth about the Lady in Black and leaves me.”

Neely Kate’s gaze found mine again. “No. She loves you for you, Mason aside. I can see it. You’d still have her.”

I gave her a tight smile. I sure hoped she was right.

“But Rose, what you just did … what you’ve been doin’ … I’ve never had anyone do things for me without expectin’ something for it. You, though, you take care of me just because.”

“Not just because,” I said with a lump in my throat. “I love you. I’ve told you a dozen times this side of Sunday. We’re closer than friends. It’s like we’ve got this invisible thread tying us together. And you’re right; it’s different than what we have with Ronnie and Mason or what I had with Joe. What you and I have is unconditional. I can’t think of a single thing that would make me turn from you. I might get angry enough to spit, or you might disappoint the bejiggers out of me, but I’m not going anywhere. I’m here for you no matter what. I’ve told you that before, but
you
have to believe it.”

A tear slid out of the corner of her eye and rolled over the bridge of her nose before sinking into the pillow. “I asked you if you knew how long it’s been since someone had taken care of me like this, but it was a trick question.” She closed her eyes. “The answer is never. No one has
ever
taken care of me like this.”

I had a million and one questions about Neely Kate’s life. I had always known her to live her life loud and large, which she did, but she also hid pieces of herself from the people around her—even me. She’d confessed that her mother had abandoned her, leaving her with her grandmother, who had reluctantly given her a home and raised her. But I knew little about her teen years and even less about her life with her mother. She was sitting on a powder keg of pain, and when this mess was done, I was going to make her share it with me.

I leaned over and smoothed her hair off her cheek. “Well, I hope you get used to being spoiled, Neely Kate Colson, ’cause I’m only just gettin’ started.” Then I stood and moved to the door. “You rest and I’ll have some soup ready when you get up.”

“Thank you, Rose.”

“You’re welcome.”

I closed the door behind me, my heart heavy with Neely Kate’s pain. First her babies, and now Ronnie. I wasn’t sure how much more she could take.

My phone started vibrating in my pocket when I reached the bottom of the stairs. I pulled it out and was relieved to see it was Mason.

“I have so much to tell you,” I gushed.

“Me too,” he answered in excitement. “You go first.”

I headed into the kitchen and grabbed a bag of potatoes out of the pantry and began to chop them for a pot of potato soup. As I worked, I told him about Witt opening the safe and finding the folder, the key, and the cash.

“How much money was in there?” he asked, sounding worried.

“I don’t know. I’m guessing several thousand dollars. What should I do with it?”

“Put it in the desk drawer in the office for now. I’ll give it some thought.”

“Any ideas about finding a translator for the page from the journal?”

“I was thinking Mom might be able to do it. She was a secretary when she met Dad. I remember her saying she knew shorthand. Why don’t you ask her?”

“That’s a great idea. I found out something that might be even more helpful.” I told him about our visit to Burger Shack and Eric’s tie to the guy who’d posted my bail.

“I fought like hell to get them to do a more thorough investigation of his death,” Mason said. “I knew there was more to it. Let me know if you manage to figure out the guy’s name. I’ll have Randy run a background check on him.”

“Okay.”

“But promise me you and Neely Kate won’t go looking for him on your own. He could be the guy who killed Eric Davidson, which means he’s dangerous.”

“Okay.” I shuddered. “But why would someone who tried to have you killed want me out of jail?”

“I don’t know,” he said, his voice fading as he tried to puzzle it out. “I still wonder if it’s safe for you to be out and about.”

“It’s safer for me than for you. Now tell me your news.”

“I met an assistant in the secretary of state’s office that sent the investigator to hear my evidence against my boss last Friday. According to her, the investigator received a mysterious phone call right before he left for Henryetta.”

“Mysterious. How?”

“She stayed on the line after she patched the call through.”

“So she overheard the call? Can you trust the testimony of an employee who snoops on her boss?”

“Ordinarily I wouldn’t, but she’s questioned his integrity for the past few months. She started taking notes on what might be construed as inappropriate activity on his part.”

“Can she do that? Is it admissible in court?”

“It is if it’s sanctioned by his boss.”

“What?”

“Rose, she took her preliminary suspicions to her boss’s boss, and he told her to start logging anything suspicious for them to investigate.”

“And this is one of those suspicious things?”

“Yes. The call was from a blocked number, which is why she stayed on the line. The man told Ted—the investigator—to proceed with the plan or else.”

“Or else what?”

“It sounded like he was being blackmailed. That’s probably why he agreed to come in the first place. The person insisted Ted see to it that I was removed from office before he left Fenton County.”

“So this came from J.R.?”

“Most likely. But even better, Betty—that’s the assistant’s name—thinks she’s seen the guy who threatened Ted. He showed up at the office a few times without an appointment, and even though her boss never seemed happy to see the guy, he’d always change his schedule to accommodate him. He stopped coming after a while, but that’s when the blocked calls started. The great thing is that Betty swears she remembers what he looks like. So I talked to a detective in the state police department, and he’s agreed to have Betty meet with a sketch artist today. With any luck, we can identify the guy. The detective and I are going to take Betty’s evidence and the sketch to someone higher up in the secretary of state’s office. We have an appointment at nine tomorrow morning.”

“Wow,” I murmured, stunned. “That’s good news, right?”

“It’s great news.”

“Can you trust the state police detective? What if he’s friends with Joe?”

“He can’t stand Joe. He was more than happy to jump on board when he heard about Joe’s role in getting me fired and arresting you on trumped-up charges. He’s determined to take out Joe, J.R.,
and
my boss.”

“Mason. This is too good to be true.”

“I know, and I confess, it almost seems too easy.”

Threads of anxiety wrapped tight around my chest. He was right. He’d searched for months for evidence to use against J.R. without finding anything, and this was happening so fast. It almost seemed too perfect. “Do you think it’s a trap?”

“No …” He sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t see how it could be a trap, but I’m more worried it’s a distraction. Like what I’m looking for is so close they’re throwing me this bone to get me off the right track.”

“So what’s the right track?”

“Damned if I know.” He groaned. “I’m probably just being paranoid.”

“I don’t think so. You have great instincts, Mason. I think you should listen to them.” Even when they told him I was keeping things from him. “Do you think you’re safe up there?”

“I can’t stop looking, Rose. All I can do is be careful, and I promise you that I will be.”

“I’m just scared.” My voice broke. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“And I’m not going anywhere, okay?”

“Okay.”

“But that being said, I need to stay up here in Little Rock tonight. I have that meeting in the morning, and I need to spend the night gathering my thoughts into a convincing argument. I’d feel a whole lot better about leaving you alone if you and Muffy would go stay with my mom.”

I took a breath. “Actually, there’s something else I need to talk to you about.”

“Okay,” he said in a gentle tone, obviously noticing my hesitation. “What is it?”

“It’s about Neely Kate. She and Ronnie are still havin’ a rough patch, and it’s worse than ever.”

“What’s goin’ on?”

I glanced toward the door, then moved closer to the sink. “I need you to promise that you won’t take what I tell you and use it to press any kind of charges.”

That perked up his attention. “Is Neely Kate in some kind of trouble?”

“More like Ronnie.”

“
Ronnie?
”

“Yes. I need your word.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m currently out of a job.”

“And the key word there is currently.”

“Rose, Neely Kate’s cousin just broke into a safe on private property at my suggestion. I think I can overlook some minor infraction by our friend.”

“That’s just it. I’m not sure it’s minor. Well, I’m not sure he’s done anything at
all
, but Witt insinuated that he’s involved in something shady.”

“Maybe you better start from the beginning.”

I told him what Witt had said about Ronnie’s poker buddies shifting their loyalty from Skeeter to Mick Gentry.

Mason heaved a sigh. “It kills me that you’re being forced into this world. Last July you didn’t even know who Skeeter Malcolm was. Now you’ve been forced to listen to me talk about all kinds of criminal turf wars, and you know a whole lot more than most law-abiding citizens. I just hate that you’re exposed to all of this.”

I felt guilty about hiding things from Mason, but as soon as he, Skeeter, and I were safe, the Lady in Black could become a distant memory. Maybe I would finally confess as we bounced our great-grandkids on our knees.

“I’m a big girl, Mason. And I’m more worried about Ronnie. Witt said he’s getting all kinds of pressure from his buddies to do something illegal, and they’re takin’ Mick Gentry’s side. That’s gonna be nothin’ but trouble.” Then I told him about his strange behavior with Neely Kate—how he’d forbidden her to go to the courthouse, how he’d left her alone in the house, and how he kept calling in sick.

“You don’t know that you’re the real excuse for his behavior,” Mason said. “If his men are loyal to Gentry, then they might have it out for me. And if Ronnie knows that, it would be natural for him to want to protect his wife.”

“He didn’t have any problem with her comin’ out to the farm to see you on Saturday. And if he’s really that worried, why on earth would he leave her? You’d think he’d want to stay to protect her.”

“I don’t know. That part is worrisome.”

“Neely Kate isn’t handling it very well, Mason. In fact, she’s staying here tonight and possibly indefinitely. She can’t stay in that house, not when Ronnie’s gone and the nursery is still decorated for her lost babies.”