Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments: Rose Gardner Mystery #7 (19 page)

His eyes softened. “But while you’re a natural, you’re not part of this world. For you, this game is about survival, and you happen to be damned good at it. That’s no reason for you to feel ashamed, so don’t let my asshole behavior convince you otherwise. Got it?”

I nodded, but mostly because I knew it was what he expected of me.

“Tell me what you saw and maybe we can figure out where they are.” His tone was still gentle, which caught me off guard. “If he left to go meet Gentry, I can send some men to intercept them.”

I wasn’t sure that was necessarily a good thing—what if innocent people got caught in the mess?—but it was better than sitting around waiting for Gentry to strike. Especially if Mason was one of the names on his list.

Skeeter pushed on. “How big was the room? What did the tables look like? Could you see the bartender?”

“Um…” I closed my eyes to bring back the memory. “It was dark and they were sitting at the bar. I think the seats were wooden, but I didn’t look down at mine. There were bottles of liquor on the shelves behind the counter, but above those were decorations—a Mexican hat, some maracas—”

“That’s Pedro’s,” Jed muttered.

My eyes flew open as Skeeter glanced over his shoulder. “I think you’re right. Send Merv and Tig on over, but tell them to be discreet. I want information more than I want blood. We need to know how deep this thing runs.”

Jed nodded and pulled out his cell phone.

Skeeter turned back to face me. “Did they say anything else?”

“Gentry wanted to know about me—the Lady in Black. He’s wondering about my end game.”

“And?”

“Humphrey believes I’m here as an investor.”

“Did he say anything else about you?” He seemed on edge. “Think carefully.”

“I did something in here that made him suspicious.”

“What?”

I swallowed. How was Skeeter going to take this? “I told him I knew that he was playing sides. And I told him to ask Gentry to set up a meeting with me.”

“
You did what?
”

I cringed, the boom of his voice hurting my ears. “It was before I had my vision. I needed to know more about Gentry’s involvement.”

He was beyond furious. “
Now he thinks you’re a damned traitor!
”

I squared my shoulders. “No, I told him you’d given me full leeway to do anything to expand your business. I said I wanted to see about a negotiation.”

He released two heavy breaths, shaking with anger. “I don’t negotiate.”

I fought to stay calm. One of us needed to keep a clear mind. “I know that. And so did he. But it’s a moot point now. In my vision, Gentry said he wouldn’t meet with me until after you were dead.” I glared at him. “And that’s not gonna happen, so there won’t be a meeting.”

“You’ve made it look like I can’t control my people!”

“Skeeter.” I was proud that my voice didn’t shake with fear.

His blazing eyes met mine.

“Everyone knows that a ruler who won’t budge is soon toppled by his own arrogance. But a ruler who changes his stance as frequently as he changes his underwear is no better.” I swallowed, relieved he was still listening. “A smart ruler has people who do the negotiating for him. He has emissaries who test the waters and work out deals for him so he doesn’t lose face.” I tilted my head forward, imploring him to listen. “That’s
me
.”

His chest continued to heave, but the anger in his eyes faded some, so I moved on. Skeeter wasn’t the only one at risk. For all I knew, that list could be a mile long. “Humphrey is evil, Skeeter. Just as evil as Gentry, if not more so. Humphrey said he’d take out the town if he was paid enough.”

He pursed his lips. “I’m not surprised.”

“You have to stop them.”

His eyes flew open. “
Me?
”

“Who knows who’s on that list, but I don’t think Humphrey would hesitate to kill anyone for a profit. Innocent people could die. For all I know, I could be on there too, either as Lady
or
as Rose. And we both know that Mason’s probably on there too.” While Skeeter didn’t give a flip about Mason, he saw me as an investment and I knew he wouldn’t risk losing something so valuable.

His jaw set. “And Humphrey had no clue who else was on the list?”

“No. Only Gentry seemed to know. And he wouldn’t say a word about who was hiring him. Do
you
have any idea who it is?”

He cast a glance at Jed, who had ended his call, then back at me. “Yeah, but it doesn’t make a lick of sense.” He shook his head. “You did a good job.” He looked pained to admit it.

“So I’m done? I can go home now?”

He was silent for a good five seconds, just staring into space before he said, “No, not yet.”

Jed shot Skeeter a look of surprise.

“Do you want me to read someone else?”

“No,” he said, still tense. “I want you to have a drink with me.”

I shook my head. “I already swiped some of your good whiskey, so there’s no need. I should get home.”

His eyes narrowed. “We have an agreement and doing what I say is part of it.”

I glared at him. “Fine. One drink. Then I’m goin’ home.”

Skeeter moved toward the console. “Jed, you can leave us.”

Jed’s mouth dropped open and his gaze turned to me, almost as if he were asking me for permission.

My heart began to race. Why would Skeeter want to be alone with me?

“Jed,” Skeeter barked as he grabbed a fresh glass for me and began to pour.

Jed didn’t move an inch. “Skeeter, we need to follow up on this Gentry lead. If we can get him now, it’ll save us a lot of trouble later.”

“Merv and Tig are following up. It can wait.
Leave
.”

Jed moved to the door, casting one last glance at us before closing it behind him. If Jed was nervous, I had every right be terrified.

Skeeter turned around, holding the two glasses. “Come sit.” He motioned to the seating area.

Trying to keep my breath even, I sat in the seat Humphrey had vacated.

Skeeter chuckled as he handed me a glass. “Why do you look so nervous? Are you afraid I’ll bite?”

I studied him for a long moment. Less than five minutes ago I’d given him just about every reason to whip out his gun and shoot me execution style. Yet here I sat, about to drink whiskey with him. Skeeter Malcolm was many things, but he was no immediate threat to me. “No,” I finally said.

He sat in the chair next to me and held up his glass. “To a successful partnership.”

I raised my glass and clicked it against his. We both took a sip, his more generous than mine.

“You’ve surprised me, Rose. When we started this endeavor, I never expected you to be so adept at this business.”

Again, I felt a pang of guilt and fear. It wasn’t Skeeter who frightened me; it was my own startling aptitude for his business. “I thought we’d already established my feelings about that.”

“If you were anyone else, I’d offer you a paid position.”

I laughed despite myself. “If my landscaping business goes belly-up, I might take you up on it.”

“Rumor has it you need money.”

My mouth dropped open. “How do you know that?”

He grinned and took a sip before answering. “Your trip to the Piggly Wiggly has already become Fenton County legend.” Then he watched me for a second, turning uncharacteristically serious. “I know we made this arrangement as a barter.” He rested an arm on the chair and leaned toward me, lowering his voice. “But if you need money, I would be more than happy to put you on my payroll. You’re worth it.”

I scowled. “And what would you have me do, Skeeter Malcolm?” There was no way I’d take money from him, but I couldn’t help asking.

He laughed. “I’m not offering you money to sleep with me, Lady, if that’s where your mind is goin’. I have plenty of women who are more than happy to accept that offer free of charge.”

My cheeks burned with embarrassment.

He turned serious again. “Our arrangement only requires you to show up when I call you. But tonight you took initiative I hadn’t expected, and while you caught me off-guard, your risk paid off.”

“Even though I asked to meet Gentry?”

“
Especially
since you asked to meet Gentry.”

“I thought you were furious.”

“I was.” He paused. “But what you said makes sense.” His gaze pinned mine. “Where’d you learn something like that?”

“Watching
Marco Polo
,” I said. “On Netflix.”

He burst out laughing.

I scowled. “What’s so funny about that?”

“You never cease to surprise me.” He shook his head, wearing an amused grin.

“I was doin’ my job. A deal’s a deal.”

“No. You could have just sat back and bided your time until Jed took you home.”

He was right. So why hadn’t I?

Skeeter set his glass on the table and shifted his chair sideways. Leaning over his legs, he clasped his hands together. “Rose, I know this is hard for you. You’re working for a criminal.” He smiled slightly when I started to speak. “I know what I am. It’s not a secret.”

“I entered this particular arrangement of my own free will, Skeeter. I gave my word. My feelings have no bearing on the matter.”

“I disagree. Your feelings do bear on the matter.” He paused. “Rose, there will always be bad guys in the world. There will always be theft and murder. But there are varying levels of evil.” He looked into my eyes. “Do you agree?”

Momma always saw the world in black and white, but not me. I realized very early on that most everything in life was some varying shade of gray. “Yes. I think there are.”

“Daniel Crocker was a power-hungry maniac. He was insane and this county suffered for it. Mick Gentry is a sadistic bastard. You’ve met the man, so you’ve seen that for yourself.” He shifted in his seat. “While I might be a criminal, I believe in fairness. No matter what the sheriff does to stop it, there will always be criminal elements in this county. So if the underworld is here to stay, wouldn’t it be better to have someone run it who actually has a code of ethics?”

What he said made sense, but we were talking about criminal activity, which made it hard to condone no matter who ran it.

“I think we can both agree that there are two men vying for control of Fenton County right now. Me and Gentry. If you could pick, which one would you choose?”

“Of course, you.”

He shook his head. “No, think about. Which of us would you choose to succeed?”

I waited a few moments before answering, but I didn’t have to give it more than a millisecond of thought. “You, Skeeter.”

He nodded and swallowed, looking nervous. “I need you to help me, Rose. When Crocker ran things, quite a few of us didn’t like it, but we had no choice. Crocker knew the men who weren’t one hundred percent behind him. Things have changed. Gentry has infiltrated my organization. I don’t know who I can trust anymore. What’s worse, there’s someone higher up directing him. Someone who wants me dead.”

“I already told you that I’ll help you, Skeeter.”

“But what I need from you isn’t just help. I need your loyalty. Tonight you showed me that you’re capable of it. But I need
you
to believe in it.”

I sighed. “Skeeter…”

“Deveraux and I are enemies, but I wouldn’t consider killing the man. Even before I started using you. Gentry wouldn’t bat an eye at eliminating him. If he were in control, he’d eliminate him out of sheer principle after that sting operation at Gems.”

I knew Skeeter was right, but it still made me light-headed to think of it.

“So by helping me thwart Gentry, you’re protecting your boyfriend. And not just him. The citizens of Fenton County. Believe it or not, I meant what I said. I
do
have a code of ethics. No one hurts kids and gets away with it. I don’t condone rape. And while I’m responsible for the deaths of more than a few men, it wasn’t without just cause. Gentry doesn’t give a shit about any of that. You yourself said Humphrey would wipe out the town if his check was big enough.”

“So you’re your own judge and jury?”

“Are you suggesting I hand them over to the bumbling Henryetta Police Department? And let them spill my secrets while they’re at it?”

“Yes.” I closed my eyes. “I don’t know.”

“For argument’s sake, let’s say Gentry eliminates me and gets caught. Do you think the crime situation is goin’ away?”

“No, I’m not that naïve.”

“The chances of someone more just than me takin’ over are slim to none. That’s why I’m having a hard time getting a foothold. Some men see me as weak.” He clasped his hands together. “In that meeting tonight, you didn’t come across as an investor, Rose. You came across as a partner.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shook his head and sat up. “I won’t deny I was pissed as hell, but after you dressed down Humphrey, those other two men respected you. Together we make a united front. They want to be a part of that.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“That I utilize you more. More meetings. More face time.”

I shook my head, dread seeping into my bones. “No, Skeeter. I can’t.”

His eyes hardened. “Why? Because you don’t want to help me?”

“No, because I have a business—I have
two
businesses. I have friends and family and a boyfriend. What you’re suggesting means I’ll be spending a ton of time with you. How can I explain that away?”

“Okay, then answer me this: Do you trust me to be in charge of this county?”

He was asking me to condone his criminal activities, which went against everything I believed. But there was some sense to what he said. And at the auction that snagged him his place as the king of the Fenton County underworld, he would have killed the men who’d robbed the bank if I hadn’t coerced him not to use violence. I had a chance to have a positive influence on him, but at what cost?

“Yes, I trust you,” I finally said, “but it’s not that simple. Mason and the sheriff’s department are dyin’ with curiosity over the Lady in Black. All that talk was settlin’ down, but if I start makin’ more appearances, their curiosity will perk up again. You can wander the street a free man, but if I show up in a public place as Lady, someone’s bound to question me. I can’t risk it.”