Thirty-One and a Half Regrets (24 page)

When I stood in the doorway, he glanced up at me and smiled. “Hey. Did you come to visit? Do I get to greet you like you greeted me when I came back tonight?”

He reached for me as I walked past him, and I swatted his hand away.

“You may be a self-proclaimed patient man, Mr. Deveraux, but I am not. So I’ve decided to keep my distance from you until this impasse has been resolved.” I scanned the shelves, finding mostly medical journals and non-fiction books.

He leaned back in his seat and belly-laughed. “I hope to God you aren’t a patient
man
.”

I shot him a glare and fought to keep from giggling.

“I never took you for a cruel woman, Rose Gardner.”

“It’s not about cruelty. It’s about self-preservation.” I found a section with classical fiction but kept moving. I needed something lighter than a leather-bound copy of
Moby Dick
or
Anna Karenina
.

He turned back to his work but kept sneaking glances at me.

I found a section of romances dating from the seventies and eighties and picked one up to read the back blurb.

“I take it that you’re looking for something to read.”

I put my hand on my hip and turned to face him. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

His eyes darkened. “You’re far too distracting.”

While I loved this game, Mason was working on something important and I didn’t want to take his attention away from it. I headed for the door, still holding the old romance novel.

“You can read in the chair in the corner,” he suggested, nodding toward it.

I turned back to him with a grin. “I’ll read in the living room so you’re not
distracted
.”

I plopped into an overstuffed chair, but it wasn’t very comfortable. In fact, none of the furniture in the living room looked all that cozy. I suddenly imagined my own furniture in here and how I would arrange it.

I jerked upright. Was I really considering this?

Maybe so, but I’d been through too much in the last forty-eight hours to make a big decision.

I read for fifteen minutes and was just starting to get sucked into the plot when my phone rang again. I pulled it out of my pocket expecting to see Joe’s name.

But when I saw the number on the screen, my heart leapt into my throat.

The call was from Violet’s home phone.

She had to know she wasn’t supposed to call me, which meant it must be important. Then I remembered she wasn’t even supposed to be at home. Hoping it wasn’t a mistake, I answered. “Violet, are you okay?”

Silence greeted me on the other end.

I held my breath for a couple of seconds. “Violet?”

The voice that answered turned my blood to sludge. “Long time no see, Rose. I’ve missed you.”

Daniel Crocker.

“How did you get into my sister’s house?” I asked, trying to control my panic.

“Aren’t you going to tell me that you missed me too?”

“No.” Tears welled in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “Why are you at Violet’s house?”

“Baby, I’m the one who’s supposed to be asking the questions. Then I’ll tell you about Violet.”

“No, tell me about Violet first.”

“Violet is somewhere safe and sound. For now.”

I forced myself to take a deep breath.

My voice must have sounded panicky because Mason appeared in the doorway, worry in his eyes. He reached for my cell phone and turned on the speaker, holding it up between us.

“Why are you hiding from me, Rose? I just want to pick up where we left off before we were interrupted by the state police last June. Good call on dumping Joe McAllister, by the way.”

I wanted to ask Daniel Crocker how he knew about me and Joe, but Joe was all over the news. “What do you want?”

“You.” His raspy voice sent terror searing through my body. “I’ll meet you tonight at ten at The Trading Post, just like old times. Be sure to bring the tequila bottle I left on your front porch.”

“That was you?” I whispered.

“I’m hurt that you didn’t get the reference. I’m beginning to think I care about us more than you do, Rose.”

“I just never thought you’d break out of prison…or that you would come smash pumpkins on my front porch if you did. It seems like there would be other things you’d want to do. Like flee the state.”

“And leave you? Not happening, baby. I’m not going anywhere until we’ve finished our business. Besides, I wanted to give you a gift. Did you like the rose petals?”

I couldn’t find enough air to respond.

“It was so hard to watch you lying there so peacefully when I wanted nothing more than to climb into bed with you. But we both know it’s all about the chase and the anticipation. You weren’t ready. You needed to prepare yourself.”

Mason’s hand clenched so tightly around the phone I couldn’t believe he didn’t crush it.

“Tell your DA friend—who I’m sure is rudely listening to our private call—that he’s not welcome to our party. In fact, I’ve got my own surprise for him for taking what’s mine.”

“Leave Mason out of this.”

“I’ll be more than happy to. If he lets us have our party of two. Come see me tonight, my sweet Rose. You know where to find me. Don’t forget the tequila.”

The phone went silent and Mason lowered it to the coffee table. “Why did you answer the phone?”

“He called from Violet’s house, Mason. I knew she wouldn’t call unless it was important. Does he have Violet? I thought she was safe.” My voice rose in panic.

“She is. Jeff told me that she and the kids are with your aunt and uncle.”

“But he’s in her house.”

“Because he wanted to talk to you and he knew you’d answer if he called from her number.”

“What if he has her? He wants me to meet him tonight at The Trading Post.”

“He didn’t say it was a trade. He’s bluffing. I’ll have Jeff check on Violet, but I’m sure she’s fine.”

“You don’t know that! You’re just trying to keep me from getting more hysterical.”

He grabbed my shoulders and looked into my face. “Take a deep breath. He’s trying to spook you and it’s working. We’ll make sure your family’s safe, okay?”

I nodded. It was all I could manage at the moment, but I couldn’t stop myself from crying.

He dug out his phone and called his friend, filling him in on what he’d heard.

“One more thing, Jeff.” Mason’s voice was tight. “Crocker threatened me personally.” He paused. “Could you ask the state police to check on my mother?”

I gasped, new tears coming to my eyes. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to his mother. Not after the way he’d lost his sister.

Mason frowned in response to something Jeff said. “Just get back to me as soon as possible. Rose is pretty worried about Violet.” Mason hung up and took my hand in his.

“If Violet’s missing, I’ll have to go meet with him,” I said after several seconds.

“Like hell you will.” His voice was deceptively calm. “He knew I was listening and he’s bound to know the sheriff’s office is protecting you after the Henryetta Police Department’s failures yesterday. There’s no way he’s going to announce where he’s headed. He knows he’d be arrested on the spot.”

What he was saying made sense, but I could never live with myself if something happened to Violet and I could have prevented it.

The chief deputy called back twenty minutes later and Mason began to pace as he told him that Violet and the kids were safe, but her house in Henryetta had been broken into and vandalized. Mason knelt in front of me. “Rose, I need to know if there’s anything in Violet’s house that could lead Crocker here. Did she have the address or any papers relating to the farm?”

I shook my head. “No. Nothing.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Jeff’s going to send deputies to The Trading Post, but there’s no way Crocker will show up. He doesn’t expect you to be there either, but when he calls back, he’ll try to use the fact that you weren’t against you.”

“
When
he calls back?”

“This isn’t moving fast enough for him. And it’s only going to get worse. He’ll call again to try and flush you out.”

My stomach twisted.

“Don’t answer your phone. It will just encourage him.”

I had no desire to talk to him again. “If he finds me and you’re with me, he’s going to hurt you, Mason.”

He grabbed my hand and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. “He’s not going to find you.”

The sense of foreboding from earlier returned, this time twice as strong. “I think you should go somewhere else. It’s too dangerous for you to be here with me.”

His face softened. “Rose, where would I go?”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’d be worried sick if I wasn’t with you.” He stood. “I found a bottle of wine in the pantry. I think we need some.” He disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a bottle and two wine glasses. He poured some for each of us and handed me a glass before sitting next to me on the sofa.

I took several gulps, then spun the glass in my hand, staring at the scarlet liquid. “If he finds me—”

“He’s not going to.”

I jerked my head around to look into his eyes. He had to listen to me. “If he does, he’s going to kill me. He’ll torture me first, and then he’ll kill me.”

He turned to face me. “You can’t think about it. That’s why he called you. He wanted to make you worry. By dwelling on it, you’re letting him win.”

“No, Mason. I
have
to think about it. If he finds us, you can’t let him get me.”

“Shh…” He pulled my head against his chest. “Crocker was at Violet’s house. There are bound to be witnesses. He’s getting sloppy. They’re going to catch him. We have to believe that.”

“I think you’re underestimating Daniel Crocker.”

“If he knew where you were, he’d already be here. You’re safe.”

I closed my eyes and sank into him. “I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here with me. I’d go crazy.”

“That would make two of us, so no more talk about sending me away.”

My silence was my agreement, but it still felt selfish. Selfish or not, though, Mason was here to stay.

Shortly before nine, Deputy Miller knocked on the front door and poked his head through a crack. “Mr. Deveraux?”

Mason and I were still on the sofa. He had an arm around my back and I was curled up against him. “Yeah,” he answered.

“I’m about to leave. I know you don’t want Ms. Gardner outside after dark so I thought I’d take Muffy out for her.”

Mason glanced at me for permission.

I nodded and turned to the door. “Thank you, Deputy Miller.”

“Do you want me to put a leash on her?”

My vision worried me, but I didn’t have a leash. “No. I think she’ll be okay.” Muffy was on the sofa next to me, so I looked down at her and rubbed her behind the ears. “Go outside with Deputy Miller, but don’t run off.”

She hopped off the sofa and ran to the front door.

The deputy opened the door wider to let her out and gave me a smile. “I’ll take good care of her, Rose.”

“Thank you.”

Mason’s arm tightened around me. “The two deputies who are replacing Deputy Miller for the night should get here soon.”

“And they’re here all night?”

“Yes, until nine tomorrow with their replacement shows up.”

I stood up. “I’ve taken up too much of your time. You need to get back to work.”

He got up and took my hands. “You haven’t stolen my time, Rose, so please don’t feel like you have. I was exactly where I wanted to be. Hearing Crocker threaten you was hard for me to take. I couldn’t have just gone back to work after that. I needed to be with you.”

I gave him a kiss, wanting to show him how grateful I was to have him here.

He leaned back and cupped my cheek. “You look exhausted. Do you want to go to bed soon?”

The thought of going upstairs and sleeping alone freaked me out, but I wasn’t going to tell Mason that. “Maybe in a bit. I want to wait for Muffy. I had a vision of her with Deputy Miller today. She was lost and he found her in the woods.”

Mason’s mouth twisted with worry. “Then we shouldn’t let her out without a leash.”

“The deputy who brought her didn’t bring one.”

“Tomorrow I’ll find some rope in the barn you can use. We’ll figure something out, okay?”

“Thank you for being so concerned.”

“Of course I’m concerned. She’s important to you and she’s growing on me. I don’t want her running off.”

“Thanks.” I picked up our empty wine glasses and the bottle and started for the kitchen. “I found some tea bags with the supplies, and I think I’m going to make some tea. Do you want some?”

He smiled softly and gave me a gentle kiss. “Yeah, sounds good.”

I was pouring hot water into our mugs when Deputy Miller walked through the back kitchen door with Muffy.

I looked up and smiled. “Would you like a cup of tea?”

“No thanks, ma’am. I’m going home to get a good night’s sleep before I come back in the morning. I wanted to let you know that Muffy did both kinds of business—” his voice lowered “—if you know what I mean.”

I grinned. “Thanks, and I’m glad to hear you’ll be back.” And I was. Muffy trusted him so I did too.

“You have a good night, Rose.” He started for the door and stopped. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. I noticed Muffy didn’t have any dog food here, so I’ll bring her some tomorrow.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

I finished making the tea and carried both cups into the living room. The front porch light was on and through the windows I could see Mason talking to two men on the porch. I set his mug down on his desk and headed upstairs.

I hadn’t taken a shower for two days, so I took a quick one in the bathroom off the master bedroom. Muffy stayed close, as though she could sense I was nervous.

While Mason had grabbed my toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, he hadn’t included any makeup, not that I expected him to know what to pack. It wasn’t like I needed it for the morning anyway. I didn’t usually wear any when I was working on job sites, but now that Mason and I were beginning something, I wanted to look my best.