Thirty-Six and a Half Motives: Rose Gardner Mystery #9 (Rose Gardner Mystery Series) (23 page)

“We’ve talked to Hilary, and we’ve talked to Joe,” I said. “We need to talk to Kate.”

Her eyes flew open. “What? Are you crazy? That witch tried to kill you!”

“Kate doesn’t know we’re onto her.”

“That’s not true. If Teagen knows you were in the shed, he surely told her.”

“I still want to talk to her. We really have nothing to lose.”

Neely Kate studied me for several seconds before nodding. “This is crazy . . . but I’m game.”

I slipped my phone out of my pocket. “I have her number from when she called me after the warehouse incident.” I looked up her number and pressed send.

Kate sounded surprised when she answered. “Well, well, well . . . little Rosie’s calling
me
. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I have a few questions to ask.”

“Do you now?” She sounded amused.

“I want to know if you—”

“Stop right there.”

I tried to quell my disappointment. “So you refuse to talk to me?”

“No. Not at all. I just want to be able to look at you while we chat. Meet me at Merilee’s at four, one minute late and I’m leaving. Bring Neely Kate with you, but be sure to leave your bodyguards behind. Otherwise, no conversation,” she said. Then she hung up.

My mouth dropped open.

“So she wouldn’t talk to you?”

“She wants to do it in person.” I glanced at the clock on the wall. “At Merilee’s in thirty minutes. But just the two of us.”

“If we’re gonna make that, we need to leave soon.” She gave me a dry look. “Which one of us is going to tell Skeeter?”

I twisted my mouth as I considered. “He’s in the shower, and I’m not gonna interrupt him.” I paused, thinking it through. “We’ll leave and then call him on the way into town. He can catch up.”

“You’re forgetting that we don’t have a car,” Neely Kate said.

I grinned. “But we
do
have a car.”

“You want to steal Skeeter’s car?”

“Not steal it. Borrow it. Besides, Jed’s already on his way.”

Grimacing, she shook her head. “For the record, I think this is a bad idea. How do we know she won’t kill or kidnap us?”

“Because J.R. wants me to show up of my own free will. He wants to see me slink in and beg him to spare Bruce Wayne. It would be far less rewarding if he has to capture me first.”

“Unless he does it to make Skeeter show up.”

“No, he knows Skeeter will walk in with me. I don’t know why she wants to meet us, but I’m not gonna pass up the chance. Maybe we’ll get something we can use to help us tonight.”

“Or she’s looking for something to use against us.”

“Then we’ll just have to be smarter than she is.” I grinned. “We’re pretty smart.”

G
etting away was easier
than I’d expected. Skeeter had left the keys in his ignition in case we needed to make a quick getaway.

Muffy and I climbed into the backseat. I had no idea when I’d be back, and I couldn’t bear to leave her behind.

As soon as I closed the door, Neely Kate put the car in reverse and the car sped backwards before she hit the brakes. “Whoa. Skeeter’s car has some serious horsepower.”

Then she put it in drive and shot down the driveway.

“I suppose he needs it for his getaways,” I said, looking out the back window. I hadn’t sent Skeeter a message yet to let him know where we went. I wouldn’t put it past Skeeter to strut around my house in a towel, which meant if he heard someone taking his car, he could be chasing us out the front door at any moment. Maybe even naked. “He’s gonna be livid when he realizes we left without tellin’ him first.”

“Good thing he can’t run as fast as his car,” Neely Kate said as she turned onto the highway. She looked in the rearview mirror. “Maybe you should call him and try to butter him up.”

I grabbed my phone. “I have to figure out what to do with Muffy.”

“You want to take her to the safe house?”

I looked out the window at the passing landscape. I had no idea how tonight was going to turn out and no idea when I’d be back to the safe house. What if I never came back at all? What would happen to Muffy then? “No,” I said quietly. “I’m gonna ask Maeve if she’ll look after her.”

“Do we have time for that?”

I glanced at the speedometer, stunned to see she was driving over eighty miles per hour. “If you keep driving that fast, we’ll end up in town five minutes before we left. I think we can make the time.”

She shrugged, but was grinning ear to ear. “I can’t help it. I love me a fast car.”

I still needed to send Skeeter a text.

Neely Kate and I went to Merilee’s to talk to Kate. We’ll meet you and Jed later. She says no bodyguards or she won’t talk
.

I called Maeve before he could respond, and she answered right away. “Rose! Have you heard the news?”

I blinked, nearly choking on fear. “What news?”

“Deputy Miller has woken up and is doing well. They’re moving him out of ICU. He’s going to be just fine.”

I pushed out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God. We could really use some good news right now.” I looked up front. “Neely Kate. They’re moving Randy out of ICU. He’s going to be fine.”

She smiled. “Well, of course he is.”

“Maeve,” I said, feeling guilty, “I have a favor to ask.”

“Of course, Rose. You know I’ll help you in any way I can.”

“Can you watch Muffy for me? Overnight?”

“Of course. You know I love that little dog,” she said. “She helps keep me company. Are you up to more investigating?”

“Uh . . .” It was a simple question, but my friends’ seeds of doubt had me feeling paranoid. Still, this was Maeve, and if I couldn’t trust her, I couldn’t trust anyone. “Let’s just say I’m busy. I’m not sure when I’ll be back to get her.”

“I can keep her as long as necessary. In fact, I can bring her back to the nursery with me in the morning if need be. She loves greeting the customers.” She paused. “I was thinking about going over and telling Violet goodbye in the morning. I know she’s leaving at eight. Will you be able to see her off?”

A lump filled my throat. Would I? What if it was the last time I ever saw my sister? Or worse, what if I didn’t survive the evening to see her off? But I swallowed my grief and worry. I was going into this with a positive attitude. Fretting was wasted energy. “Yes.” I nodded even though she couldn’t see me. “I’ll be there.” I wiped away a tear that escaped the corner of my eye. “Are you still at the nursery?”

“Yes. It’s been a long day with Anna missing.”

More worry churned in my gut. “No word, I guess.”

“No.”

I expected as much, but the disappointment still stung. “We’ll be by in a bit.”

I hung up and told Neely Kate to stop by the nursery, then said, “I have to go see Violet tomorrow before she leaves. She’s taking off at eight.”

Neely Kate kept her eyes on the road, but her face tensed and her hands tightened on the steering wheel. “That shouldn’t be a problem.” Her gaze flicked to mine in the mirror. “I know you’re not typically an early riser, but surely you can be up and about to make that.”

I put my hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Thank you. For everything.” I heaved a breath. “I couldn’t do this without you.”

She covered my hand with hers. “I told you,” she teased. “We were meant to do this together.”

“Try to escape a psychopath?”

“Live a life of adventure and mystery.”

“Well, I want peace and quiet, thank you very much.”

“You’d be bored to tears.”

That’s what I was afraid of.

My phone rang, and I cringed when I saw Skeeter’s name.

“Hey,” I answered, putting the phone on speaker as I prepared to be chewed out.

“What the hell do you girls think you’re doin’? How did this meeting with Kate get set up?”

“I had a call with her.”

“Kate called
you
?”

“No . . . I called her and told her I wanted to ask a few questions, but she suggested an in-person meeting—just me and Neely Kate. No one else.”

“And you’re on your way
now
? Have you lost your mind? Why didn’t you wait for me or Jed?”

“She said we had to be there by four or she was leaving. I sure wasn’t walking in on you in the shower, and we had no idea when Jed would show up.”

“Here’s an idea,” he said, his voice tight. “You could have called him.”

“It was all so spur of the moment,” I said. “I didn’t want to lose the chance to talk to her.”

He was quiet for several seconds before he said, “What do you hope to get from her?”

“Anything that will help us tonight. Maybe get her take on Roberta.” Getting her to confess her and her father’s scheme would be great, but I’d take what I could get.

“She’s gonna figure out you know about Anna if you do that.”

“Does it really matter?”

“No,” he said slowly, as though he was thinking out loud. “I’m not sure it does at this point.”

“No lectures?” I asked in disbelief. “No threats and ultimatums?”

“You’re a grown-ass woman, not a five-year-old.”

I was momentarily stunned by his pronouncement, and then I grinned. “You’re only okay with this because I pointed out all the reasons I’d be safe.”

He chuckled. “Plus the fact that you’re not really alone. Jed’s been tailing you for a few minutes.”

“What?” I spun around in my seat to look out the back window. Sure enough, I could see Jed’s car two cars behind us. “We can’t have anyone with us, Skeeter.”

“You’re insulting me with your insinuation that my associate’s an amateur.”

“I just don’t want to screw this up.”

“She’ll never know anyone is there. Call me when you’re done.”

Neely Kate glanced over her shoulder. “That went better than expected.”

“Yeah, I agree.”

“Let’s hope our chat with Kate goes equally well.”

Muffy sat in my lap the rest of the way into town, a pretty short trip given Neely Kate’s lead foot. I continued to read the journal, getting increasingly frustrated—it was interesting, but interesting wasn’t going to keep us alive.

Neely Kate pulled into the nursery parking lot, and Muffy jumped off my lap and planted her front paws on the window, excited to see Maeve inside the building. I was just about to close the book when a name caught my eye.

Thaddeus Brooke.

“Whoa. Neely Kate. Wait.”

She had opened her car door and closed it again. “Did you change your mind about dropping off Muffy?”

“No. Dora wrote about the guy in the barn.”

“What?” She leaned over the seat back to see.

I held up the book. “Look, right here.
Steyer sent a man named Thaddeus Brooke to see me today.
”

“Who is Steyer?” Neely Kate asked.

“I don’t know. But this says Thaddeus Brooke threatened her if she continued to make waves.”

“Did she say how he threatened her?”

“No.”

Maeve was waiting at the door of the nursery now, and Muffy began to bark her head off.

“Let’s drop off Muffy. I’ll look at it more on the way to the restaurant,” I said, opening the door and picking up my little dog. I stuffed the book into my purse, which I slung over my shoulder. I sure wasn’t letting it out of my sight.

Muffy didn’t want any part of being carried, but I didn’t feel like putting on her leash. She practically leapt out of my arms the moment we walked through the door.

Maeve laughed when Muffy jumped up on her legs, begging for attention.

“I guess I don’t have to worry about her being upset that I’m leaving her,” I said, trying to keep the hurt out of my voice.

“She’s just used to staying with me now,” Maeve said as she squatted to rub Muffy’s head. “That and the homemade dog biscuits I make her.” Maeve stood and smiled. “She knows who her mommy is. Besides, you’ll see her tomorrow.”

But what if I didn’t? What if tonight didn’t go well?

“Maeve,” I said. “If anything happens to me—”

“You stop that right now,” she admonished. “Nothing’s going to happen to you.”

“But if it were to . . .” I looked down at my dog, who had begun to sniff around.

“I would be honored to take care of Muffy. But that’s something we don’t have to worry about for a very long time.”

I gave her a smile. “Thanks.” I looked out into the parking lot, wondering how Bruce Wayne and possibly Anna had been snatched in broad daylight.

“I’m sure they’re just fine,” Maeve said softly behind me. She wrapped her arms around my front and gave me a hug. “I’m sure everything’s gonna be just fine.”

“Is this a feeling?” I asked hopefully. Maeve occasionally had feelings that were more like premonitions, and they often came true.

“No, I just have to believe everything will work out.”

I sure hoped so, but my usual optimism had been jaded by the impossible situation we were in.

Neely Kate could see me tearing up, so she tugged on Maeve’s arm and hugged her. As soon as she set Maeve free, Neely Kate grabbed my arm. “We’re going to be late for our appointment.”

Maeve kissed my cheek, and a warm smile lit up her face. “We’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

When we got to the car, I sat in front with Neely Kate, starting to get nervous about meeting Kate.

“See if you can find out more from the journal,” Neely Kate said. “You have about five minutes to search.”

I grabbed the book out of my purse and quickly got to work, skimming the text until I came across something several pages later.

“Oh. This is different than everything else. It’s much more personal. Like her diary.” I started to read out loud:

One day in September, I had just gotten off work and was heading to my car when I saw a teenage girl I knew from church. She was sitting on the hood of a beat-up car, staring at the factory like it held the secret to life. She was so intent on her staring that she jumped when I asked her if she was okay. She said no, and when I asked her if she needed any help, she said it was too late. So I said, Jenny Lynn Rivers, it’s never too late. I’m proof enough of that.

Neely Kate jerked upright. “
What?
”

“Jenny Lynn Rivers.” Realization washed through me. “Oh, my word. That’s your mother.” I turned to face her. “What do you know about her life before she moved away?”

“Not much. She ran from Henryetta when she was seventeen and never came back until she dumped me on my grandmother’s doorstep.”

I hesitated before asking, “And your father?”

Her face paled. “Absolutely nothing.”

“What do you want me to do? Would you rather read this yourself? What if it’s personal?”

“No.
Your
mother wrote it. Keep going.” She paused. “Besides, you know I’d probably turn around and tell you anyway.”

I nodded and continued reading out loud, but I felt like I’d landed in my best friend’s business.

She seemed thinner than usual, so I told her I’d buy her dinner if she met me at the diner. She met me there—which surprised me considering she’d looked liable to bolt with fright. I bought her a cheeseburger and fries and watched her inhale her food, wondering when I should broach the way she’d been sitting in the factory parking lot.

But she beat me to it. She looked up at me and asked, “Have you ever struggled with doin’ the right thing?”

I started laughing until tears ran out of my eyes, but she was getting downright angry. If she hadn’t been waiting on her dessert, she probably would have walked out then and there.

“Jenny Lynn,” I said, putting my hand over hers. “I’m smack dab in the middle of doing the right thing myself.”

She looked down at my huge belly and asked, “Is it hard? Having a baby all by yourself?”

I smiled. “I don’t know. I haven’t had one yet.”

She grinned at that, then looked down at her plate. “But is it hard not being married? The women in this town don’t take to sinnin’ much. And they sure don’t approve of unwed mothers who don’t claim the father.”

I hesitated. I wasn’t surprised she knew all that about me. I was the best scandal to hit Henryetta in years. “That’s a complicated question.”

The dessert came, but before she started eating her cake, she said, “I think he’ll kill me if he finds out.”

“The father of your baby?” I asked. She looked surprised since she obviously wasn’t showing and clearly didn’t suffer from morning sickness based on the way she inhaled her dinner. “Surely you’re exaggerating.”

“He’s killed people before,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m pretty sure he don’t want this hangin’ over his head.”

“But that’s so drastic.” Surely I’d misunderstood her.

She shrugged, concentrating on her cake.

“Have you gone to the police? They could protect you.”

She laughed. “The police won’t care about a Rivers. We stir up too much trouble. They’d probably be happy to have one less of us messin’ up their pretty town.”