Thirty-Six and a Half Motives: Rose Gardner Mystery #9 (Rose Gardner Mystery Series) (17 page)

“Did you have housekeepers?” Neely Kate asked. “This summer, Joe used to talk nonstop about his housekeeper. What was her name? Rowena?”

“Roberta,” Hilary said softly, looking away.

My stomach clenched, not only at the prospect of finding information, but also at the pain in Hilary’s voice.

“Yeah, that’s it. The way he talked about her made me think she took more care of him than his own momma.”

She placed her hands in her lap and laced her fingers tightly. “Betsy was a hands-off mother, just like mine. Only I didn’t have a Roberta at home. I spent most of my time at the Simmons house, and Roberta took me under her wing just like she did Joe and Kate. She treated me the same as she treated them. She protected me more times than I can remember.”

“Protected you?” Neely Kate asked in surprise. “How?”

Hilary just shook her head.

Neely Kate stayed silent for a moment. “Joe said Roberta just up and left one day. He has no idea why. I told Rose that it was a wonder she lasted so long with J.R. Simmons as her boss.”

Hilary’s face paled. “What are you talking about?”

Neely Kate shook her head. “I’m surprised she didn’t quit sooner. Doing the cookin’ and the cleanin’
and
raisin’ the Simmons kids. That’s too much for one person, especially if the house is as big as Rose described it.”

“She didn’t do it all alone,” Hilary said in a quiet voice. “She had help, but they came and went. Only Roberta stayed. She always stayed.”

“Until she left, right? How long did Roberta work for the Simmons?

“Um . . . I think she came on when was Joe as a toddler, so about fifteen years.” Her tone turned suspicious. “Why are you asking about Roberta?”

Neely Kate shrugged. “Like I said, I’m curious. Joe talked about her so much, and it’s obvious you loved her. It sounds like she loved y’all, too, so it’s weird that she would stay for so long, only to up and leave without any warning.”

Hilary’s face paled and her eyes filled with tears.

Her reaction caught me by surprise. It wasn’t the behavior of a grieving woman. She looked like she was scared.

Neely Kate pressed on. “What do
you
think happened?”

Hilary stood, starting to cry.

“She loved us. She would have done anything to protect us.” She pushed back in her chair, her fingers shaking. “I have to go. Tell Jonah I don’t feel well and that I’ll come back tomorrow.”

With that, she ran out the door.

I had nowhere to hide, but she ignored me as she hurried down the hall toward the front doors.

I walked into the kitchen, unsure whether to be happy that we had new information or upset that Hilary seemed so distraught. I went with both.

“I didn’t mean to make her cry, Rose,” Neely Kate said, rising from her chair. “I had no idea she’d get so emotional.”

“I need to call Joe,” I said, digging out my phone.

“Why?”

“She’s really upset, Neely Kate.” I shook my head. “Not just upset. Scared. If you felt like that, you’d turn to me, but Hilary has no one. Plus, there’s the baby to think about. I need to tell him.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t stop me.

Joe was raging when he answered.

“If you’re in some kind of trouble and expect me to come bail you out, you’ve got another think coming.”

“No,” I said. “This is about Hilary.”

“Oh, God. What has she done now?”

“Nothing, Joe. I’m worried about her. Neely Kate and I told her we wanted to try to get along, let bygones be bygones. She seemed fine with the idea. In fact, she and Neely Kate were getting along really well, but then Neely Kate asked her about Roberta.”

“Roberta?” he asked in surprise. “What brought that up?”

“Well . . .” I hedged. “There might have been an ulterior motive,” I confessed.

“What on earth could be her motive behind asking about my old housekeeper?”

“Because the nursery’s new employee—Anna Miller—is Roberta’s granddaughter.”

“
What?
”

“I just found out last night.”

“What? Wait. Start at the beginning.”

There was no way I could tell him the entire story, so I kept to the bare minimum. “She moved to Henryetta around the first of the year, and she applied for a job at the nursery. She said she moved from Mississippi, but we had no idea who she was or why she was even in Henryetta. Violet and I joked that it was a big mystery.”

“Violet told me she hired a new employee and cleared it with you. I honestly didn’t pay much attention, since I was knee-deep in shit with my father. How’d you make the connection to Roberta?”

“Remember those files Neely Kate and I found in Kate’s apartment?”

He groaned. “Not that again.”

“Well, I found a file on Roberta. I just thought of it last night, but before I could go ask her about it today, Maeve told me that she and Bruce Wayne had disappeared.”

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“You knew about them disappearing before I did.”

“Not that. About the file.”

I knew I should confess where I’d found it, but I wasn’t ready to tip my hat yet.

“I guess I forgot,” I said.

His “hmph” told me he didn’t quite believe me.

Then he asked, “Are we sure they didn’t just run off together? Two kids in love just wanting to spend the day together?”

“First of all, Bruce Wayne is older than you, and second, I can’t see Bruce Wayne doin’ that. At least not without some kind of notice. Not since I made him part owner.”

“It sure would have made my job easier if he had.” Then he quickly added, “Sorry. That was a piss-poor joke.”

“Any news about your father?”

“Nothing.”

“Do you think he’s still around?”

“Yep. He’s got unfinished business, which is why you need to let me put you under protection.”

“Tell you what—when Randy gets out of the hospital, I’ll let
him
watch over me. Until then, not a chance.”

“Well, at least quit gallivanting around the county. You’re making it easy for him to find you.”

“I doubt it.
You
haven’t managed to find me.”

That pissed him off. “Goodbye, Rose.”

“Wait!” I’d almost forgotten why I’d called him.

He paused. “I’m waiting.”

“I really meant it when I said I was worried about Hilary. She got really upset when Neely Kate asked her about Roberta leaving. She looked close to passing out.”

“Well,” he said, “she did take the news pretty hard when she found out Roberta left, come to think about it. She locked herself in her bedroom and wouldn’t let anyone in until I stopped by.”

I hadn’t expected to get answers from Joe—this had been a call to alert him to Hilary’s distress. But, now that he’d opened the door, I figured I might as well walk on through. “And you were both seventeen? Doesn’t that seem excessive considerin’ Roberta wasn’t even her housekeeper?”

“You didn’t know Roberta. She was like a mother to all of us. Even Hilary.”

“Even so, isn’t it weird she got so upset about it all these years later?” I asked.

“Maybe it’s pregnancy hormones,” Joe said. “She’s been pretty weepy the last week or two.”

“You’ve been talkin’ to her?”

He hesitated. “I’m trying to make an effort. Planned or not, she’s pregnant with my baby. So we’ve been spending some time together and . . . she’s different. It’s like the baby’s calmed her down.” He sounded guilty.

“That’s great, Joe,” I said, surprised I meant it. “That baby needs you, and things will go so much better if you two are friends.”

“Yeah . . .”

“Nevertheless, I think there’s more to it than hormones. She didn’t just act upset. She seemed scared.”

“Scared? Why would she act scared?”

“I don’t know,” I said, feeling wary. I couldn’t help thinking it all tied back to J.R., but I just couldn’t figure out how. “But she’s never gonna tell us. Can you talk to her?”

“Rose.”

“You know that Anna didn’t just accidentally show up in the same town you and your sister are now living in. Kate showin’ up at the same time is more than fishy. Something’s goin’ on.”

“
Fine.
I’ll ask.”

“And text me so I know she’s okay.”

“Are you really worried about her? Or are you just snoopin’ into something that doesn’t concern you?”

Part of me was offended, but after everything I’d been through with his ex-girlfriend, I could understand his skepticism.

“Yeah, I’m worried enough that I’d follow her home to check on her if I didn’t think it would upset her more. I’d send someone else, but as far as I know, there
is
no one else.” But as soon as I said the words, I knew that wasn’t quite true.

“Fine, if you’re really worried, I’ll check on her,” he said, not sounding as sympathetic as I would have liked—but then, he’d lived through a lifetime of her manipulation. I could see how he’d think this was just one more chapter.

For all I knew, it was.

I stuffed my phone back into my pocket. We hadn’t found out much, but we’d found out something. Hilary knew more than she was letting on. We just had to figure out what that something was.

Which was why I was going to turn to Jonah.

I
found
Jonah trapped by the water fountain close to his office, Miss Mildred peppering him with questions.

“I think the church lawn needs to be mowed more often. What do you plan to do about that?”

He stared at her as if an alien had popped out of her chest. “Uh . . .”

“And the ushers are much too slow when they are passing out the communion plates,” she continued. “I’m sure it’s due to those flimsy wicker baskets. There’s no reason not to use the silver ones.”

He gave Neely Kate and I a puppy-dog look as we approached.

“Hilary had to leave,” Neely Kate said. “She says she’ll be back tomorrow.”

“What?” Miss Mildred screeched. “She’s done for the day already?”

Neely Kate shrugged. “She wasn’t feeling well.”

Miss Mildred looked suspicious. “She was feeling just fine when we were goin’ toe to toe. What did you do to her?”

Neely Kate lifted her hand to her chest. “I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about. We were just chatting, and she was eatin’ her cupcake, and the next thing I knew, she said she felt poorly and was goin’ home.”

“I knew it!” Miss Mildred half-shouted. “It’s those blasted cupcakes! Now I’m glad I didn’t eat one of those health hazards.”

Neely Kate’s eyes widened. “Oh, no! It wasn’t the cupcake! I’m sure it was her hormones. Maybe some lingering morning sickness.”

A fire lit up the older woman’s eyes. She had a new cause to fight for. “Jonah,” she said, turning to the minister. “If that hussy can leave, then I’m gonna do the same. I have work to do. I’m gonna put that woman out of business.”

Miss Mildred hurried to the front entrance as quickly as her cane would allow, which turned out to be surprisingly fast.

We all stood in stunned silence until Neely Kate muttered under her breath, “Oh, my stars and garters. What have I done?”

“You know Miss Mildred,” I said. “She’s not happy unless she’s fighting some kind of evil. But usually the evil is me.”

“I’ll call Dena and warn her,” Neely Kate said, digging in her purse for her phone.

“Good idea,” I said, grabbing Jonah’s arm and dragging him aside. “Jonah, I’m really worried about Hilary.”

He looked surprised—not that I blamed him. Practically everyone in Henryetta knew about our rocky history.

“She and Neely Kate were having a good conversation. Then the topic turned to Joe’s old housekeeper, Roberta.” I told him what little Joe had told me about her, then added in Hilary’s reaction. “We both know that’s not normal. Even if we take her pregnancy into account.”

“Why the interest in Joe’s old housekeeper?”

I considered fibbing my way through it, or more like fibbing by omission, but I wanted Jonah’s help. “Anna, Violet’s new employee at the nursery, is Roberta’s granddaughter.”

“Oh.” He looked as stunned as I had felt when I came to the realization.

“We didn’t know. She didn’t tell us, but it’s pretty odd that she came to town around the same time Kate did. Plus, we found out some suspicious information about Kate. Then Anna and Bruce Wayne disappeared from behind the nursery this morning.”

“What?”

“We think they were kidnapped by J.R. Simmons’s guys.”

“Why?”

“We’re not sure. Maybe the kidnappers think she knows something. Or maybe they were trying to keep me from figuring out why she’s here.”

Jonah studied me for a moment, then said, “You’re forgetting a possibility.”

“What?”

“That
she’s
the one who kidnapped
him
.”

I gasped and took a step back. “Oh, my word.”

He looked grim. “Maybe she was sent to spy on you. You have to consider it.”

That actually relieved some of my anxiety. “She likes Bruce Wayne. If that’s true, surely she won’t hurt him.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. What does Joe think?”

“Oh, you know Joe,” I hedged. “He’s not very forthcoming with information.” Time to change the subject. “But that brings us back to Hilary. Can you help?”

His eyes were guarded. “Let me guess. You want me to go find out more information from her.”

“Believe it or not, I mostly just want you to go make sure she’s okay. She really has no one to turn to here. I think she needs someone. The fact that she picked this church means she’s open to lettin’ you help her.”

A grin tugged at his lips. “Or that she wanted to join your church to spy on you.” He laughed. “Don’t look so surprised. I work with criminals. I know how devious minds work. But don’t worry, I’ll still go check on her. I believe that everyone has the ability to change and seek forgiveness.”

He paused. “And speakin’ of forgiveness. What’s really goin’ on with you and Mason?”

My stomach cramped. I might as well tell him the truth. “I broke up with him.”

His eyes widened. “Rose.”

“I knew I was only goin’ to hurt him,” I said. “Workin’ with Skeeter is the only way I can bring J.R. down, I’m sure of it, but it was making Mason uncomfortable to work outside of the law. I hated putting him in that position, so I told him it was over. That way I don’t feel obligated to tell him what I’m doin’, and I don’t feel guilty about hiding it from him. It’s better this way.”

“How did he take it?”

“Not well.” I shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, even though my heart ached. “Who knows? Maybe when this is all settled, we can get back together and lead normal, boring lives. So boring that there won’t be a single thing I would even consider hiding from him.”

“You really believe that?” he asked, sounding dubious.

“I’d like to.”

He gave me a kind smile. “Rose, I suspect chaos will find you wherever you go—and unfortunately for you, that chaos tends to be criminal in nature.” He paused. “Would you like my two cents?”

“Always.”

“You and Neely Kate always seem to find yourselves in these crazy situations, and I have no reason to believe that will change. Not everything you’ve been through the last year has been related to J.R. Simmons. If anything, most of it hasn’t been. So while you may hope your life will calm down after Simmons is caught, it might not be what fate has in store for you. What good is a relationship you’re tip-toeing through? Hidin’ parts of your life? I worry that you’ll feel caught in the middle.”

Tears stung my eyes. “But you like Mason.”

“I do. Very much. And I think he’s a much better match for you than Joe. But given the nature of Mason’s job, I fear you’ll always be forced to keep secrets from him. You see what happened when the Lady in Black blew up.”

I pushed out a breath, trying not to panic. He was right.

“I’m not telling you not to get back together with Mason, only that the possibility needs more examination. Otherwise, I worry you’ll be back in this same situation in the near future—Mason feeling hurt and betrayed by your secrets, and you resenting him for feeling that way.”

“I don’t resent Mason for being hurt and angry.”

He gave me a sad look. “Are you sure about that?”

Neely Kate came bustling over, shaking her head. “Can you believe that Miss Mildred is in the process of getting a group of picketers to stand outside Dena’s Bakery and protest that it’s a health hazard?”

I was still reeling from Jonah’s question. “Uh . . .no one will believe it. Even if they did, Dena’s cupcakes are like crack. They could be dropped in dog poo and people would still eat them.”

“Fair enough.”

I turned to Jonah and gave him a hug. “Thank you for your help, my friend.”

“There’s no need for you to make any big decisions about your future right now, but I care about you, Rose. You’ve made great progress over the last year. I’d hate to see anything interfere with that.”

I nodded, not sure if I could speak past the lump in my throat.

“And I’ll let you know how it goes with Hilary,” he said. “I’ll share what I can without jeopardizing Hilary’s confidence.”

“That’s all I would ever ask of you.”

He nodded and headed back to his office as I made a beeline for the front door, Neely Kate trailing behind.

“What was Jonah talking about?” Neely Kate asked.

“A lot of things. But he said one thing that I want to run by Jed and Skeeter. What if Anna wasn’t kidnapped? What if she’s the one who snatched Bruce Wayne? She did move up here around the same time as Kate . . .”

Neely Kate stopped on the stairs. “Oh, my stars and garters!”

“Come on. Let’s go talk to Jed and Skeeter.”

Jed looked relieved when we climbed into the car.

“I need to call Skeeter,” I said, leaning over the front seat. “Jonah gave me something else to think on.”

He nodded and pulled out his phone and placed the call.

“I’m putting you on speaker,” he said as he pressed the button and held out the phone.

Skeeter answered within seconds. “What’s the latest?”

“James, it’s me,” I said. Jed’s eyes widened in shock, but I ignored him and continued. “I found several things I think you need to know about.

“Okay.”

“First, Neely Kate talked to Hilary. She looked really upset when Neely Kate brought up Roberta.”

Neely Kate leaned forward, resting her hand on the seat. “If she was acting, then she should be in Hollywood. She was shaking like an unbalanced washing machine.”

“Did she say anything we can use?”

“She said Roberta protected her,” I said. “What does that mean?”

“Did she say who she protected her from?”

“No, but it was related to what I . . .” Neely Kate paused, looking uncomfortable. I covered her hand with my own.

“Neely Kate shared that her mother’s boyfriends showed more interest in her than she would have liked. Hilary alluded to having experienced the same thing.”

Skeeter was quiet for a moment, and when he spoke, I could hear the fury in his voice. “The fucking bastard.”

“What?” I asked.

Neely Kate looked down, her face expressionless.

“J.R. often had closed-door meetings,” Skeeter said. “I have no idea what went on behind those closed doors, but I could guess on some of them.”

“Do you think he . . .” My voice trailed off.

“After Roberta left? Yeah.”

“So Hilary got upset because her protector left, making her fair game?” I asked.

“Seems likely,” Skeeter said. “But that still doesn’t tell us why Roberta left. I suspect Hilary knows. And if Anna is in town, then she probably knows, too.”

“Which brings me to my next point,” I said. “What if Anna wasn’t snatched? What if she kidnapped Bruce Wayne?”

“Why would she do that?”

“I don’t know,” I said in exasperation. “Maybe he was askin’ questions and got too close to the truth.”

“Maybe . . .” He didn’t sound convinced.

“If Anna’s workin’ with Kate, it would explain why she doesn’t seem to like me.”

Skeeter remained silent.

Jed shook his head. “We don’t even know what part the housekeeper plays in all this.” His voice was heavy with irritation. “I think we should focus on finding Teagen and Marshal. They’ll lead us to Simmons, which is our ultimate goal. The housekeeper is a moot point as long as we get him.”

“Not necessarily,” Neely Kate countered. “We can’t forget Kate in all of this.”

“Well, Kate’s nowhere to be found,” Skeeter said. “I decided to pay her a visit, but her apartment is toast due to the fire, and no one knows where she is.”

“Well, in all fairness,” Neely Kate said. “It’s not like she has a lot of friends in this town.”

“So we focus on Simmons and hope his daughter is there when we catch him,” Skeeter said.

It wasn’t ideal, but he and Jed had a point.

“We spent more time than planned at the church,” I said. “We’re gonna miss lunchtime at the garage.”

“What are you talkin’ about?” Skeeter asked.

I cringed. I wasn’t sure what he’d think about this part. “I got a better description of the van that drove past the nursery. It had air intake pipes, so we’re going to stop by Ted’s Garage and see if anyone knows anything. We thought we’d butter ‘em up with some chicken wings from Big Bill’s.”

“The shop where Neely Kate’s husband works?”

Jed gave me a pointed look. “Don’t look so shocked that he knows,” he said. “You think Neely Kate would be here if we didn’t know all about her?”

She lifted her chin in defiance. “Not
all
about me.”

Jed held her gaze. “More than you probably think.”

I glanced between the two of them. “What does that mean?”

“It doesn’t mean shit,” Skeeter barked. “We need to stay on task. My bookkeeper is waiting for you. Just drop the photocopy off with Mellie before you head over to the shop.”

“What are you doin’?” I asked.

“I’m doin’ my own real damn job,” he snapped. “The whole damn county is fallin’ to shit.” Then he hung up.

“Someone’s crabby,” Neely Kate grumbled.

“He’s under a lot of stress.” Jed pocketed the phone and started the car. “He’s not only dealing with Simmons’s breakout, but with all the men who had sided with Mick Gentry. They’re crawling back like the cockroaches they are, begging for mercy.”

My breath caught. This was the side of Skeeter I liked to pretend didn’t exist. “Will he give it to them?”

“Skeeter’s in a tough spot. He hates to dole out harsh discipline, but if he lets them off scot-free, he’ll be seen as weak and some upstart will try to take over.”

“So he needs a punishment harsh enough to discourage disloyalty,” I said. “But not harsh enough to make them hate him even more.”

He looked at me in the mirror. “He was right to choose you.”

I didn’t know what to say. I could take the intended meaning of his statement a half-dozen different ways, but I was pretty sure he was referring to Skeeter’s offer to make me a partner in his business.

Neely Kate gave me a strange look but didn’t say a word.

The bookkeeper’s office was on the west side of town, which happened to be in the area of Big Bill’s Barbeque. As with most businesses around town, Mellie’s Accounting was in a repurposed house off County Rd 24.

Jed pulled into the gravel parking lot, which had replaced the front yard, and got out of the car. “You ladies go on in,” he said, pulling out his phone. “I’ll stay out here and place some calls.”