Thirty-Six and a Half Motives: Rose Gardner Mystery #9 (Rose Gardner Mystery Series) (25 page)

“Rose was your revenge,” Neely Kate said.

Kate shook her head. “You couldn’t just go along with it, could you?”

The hate in her voice was shocking.

“How close were you to Roberta?” Neely Kate asked out of the blue.

Kate’s head swung to face her. “Who?”

“Roberta. Your housekeeper.”

Her face scrunched in disgust. “Why in the hell are you asking about
her
?”

“Her granddaughter is working in Rose’s nursery. Why is she there?”

Her eyes widened in mock surprise. “Do I look like I’m in charge of the personnel at my brother’s pet business project? Ask
him
.”

“You didn’t answer the question,” Neely Kate said. “How close were you to Roberta?”

“She was a great nanny, but she had a soft spot for Hilary, which made me distrust her.”

“Why?” Neely Kate asked.

Kate’s eyes filled with rage. “Because I hated Hilary. She spent nearly as much time at our house as we did. She and Joe were allies, leaving me out of everything. Do you have any idea what it was like growing up in that house?”

“No,” Neely Kate said softly. “None at all.”

“I didn’t wish Roberta gone, but I wasn’t sorry to see her go either. Hilary was devastated, which made it all the sweeter.”

I stared at the woman in front of me in disbelief. How could someone carry so much hatred?

“But Hilmonster’s about to get what’s comin’ to her,” Kate said with a grin.“ And she’s going to be plenty surprised.” Kate stood. “I think we’re done here.” Then she walked out the door without a backward glance.

W
e sat
in silence for nearly half a minute. I was trying to process everything Kate had said, and I was sure Neely Kate was doing the same, only through a slightly different lens. She had to be thinking she’d dodged a bullet by not growing up in that house. I know I sure would have felt that way.

“I think she just threatened Hilary,” I finally said.

Neely Kate laughed. “That’s your takeaway from that conversation?”

“It seems the most pressing.”

“Your upcoming date with
my daddy
seems more pressing to me.”

Pain shot through my chest. How much more could Neely Kate take? “Oh, honey.”

Neely Kate waved me off. “I’m fine. Just a bad joke. But I still say tonight takes priority. We don’t have time to worry about
Hilmonster
.”

I turned in my seat. “Kate just admitted that she hates Hilary and that she’s about to get what’s coming to her.”

“She’s hated her for years and hasn’t done a thing. What’s one more day?”

Neely Kate had a point, but something still nagged at me. I just wasn’t sure what.

The waitress brought over the bill. “Your friend said to put it on your tab.”

“Of course she did,” Neely Kate grumbled. “I can’t believe I’m related to that psycho.”

“Maybe you’re not—” But the look on her face told me not to argue. And I could see her point. The evidence was pretty damning.

I grabbed some cash out of my wallet and tossed it on the table. “We need to get some paying jobs soon. Mason was the one paying the bills, and now I’m down to fifteen dollars.”

While we had jobs lined up, the deposits covered the expense of the plants. But the real profit didn’t come until we finished the job and collected the balance.

Neely Kate stood. “Maybe I can collect on back allowance. How much do you think the Simmons kids made?”

“Not enough,” I grumbled as I followed her out the door, surprised she could joke about it. Then again, what else was she going to do? I’d never seen anything really get her down with the exception of her miscarriage.

“I think we should stop by the courthouse first,” Neely Kate said as we started across the street. “None of my friends have gotten back to me yet, but if they’re busy, we can just look for information on Thaddeus Brooke ourselves.”

“And Nick Thorn?” I asked.

She frowned. “I suspect what we’re looking for isn’t in Fenton County. Good call goin’ down that rabbit hole, by the way.”

“It just made sense to follow my instinct.”

We hid our guns in the car, then went through the courthouse security. I couldn’t help wondering how smart it was to just waltz into the courthouse, but Neely Kate was right. J.R. wasn’t going to do a thing to us. Not until later tonight.

While Neely Kate headed to the records room to look for her cohorts, I made my way to the deserted staircase and sat on a step. I needed to call Skeeter and fill him in on what we’d learned.

I told him everything with the exception of Neely Kate’s discovery, which seemed too personal to share with him. This needed to be strictly business, and Neely Kate’s parentage had nothing to do with this mess.

But after I mentioned Kate’s ominous threat, I said, “I’m worried about Hilary.”

I was dead wrong if I’d hoped to find a sympathetic ear.

“That bitch is like a cat,” Skeeter said. “She always lands on her feet and has nine lives. She’s fine.”

“But she’s pregnant. There’s a baby to think about.”

“Not my problem and not yours either. What are you two doin’ now?”

“We’re at the courthouse looking up information about Thaddeus Brooke and Nick Thorn.”

“By the time Kate left for California, I hadn’t worked for Simmons for years. I’ve never heard of Thorn. But I suspect you’ll be able to find something with an Internet search. We’ll do some diggin’ on our end, too. Keep in touch. Let me know if you find anything else.”

“Okay.” I hung up and closed my eyes, needing a moment to decompress after all the news I’d been bombarded with throughout the day. I needed to get my anxiety under control. I was so focused on the breathing exercises Jonah had taught me that I didn’t hear him approach.

“Rose,” Mason asked quietly. “Are you okay?”

My eyes flew open, and I saw him standing in from of me, worry on his face.

I hopped off the steps and threw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck before I could remind myself I wasn’t supposed to do that anymore.

But Mason didn’t seem to remember either. “Sweetheart, what’s going on?” he asked, holding me against his chest. “What are you doing here?”

I blinked back tears. I couldn’t deny that Mason made me feel stronger, but was that a good thing? Shouldn’t I be able to stand on my own? But I didn’t have time to dwell on my weakness. I only knew that I needed him right now. Any lingering suspicions over his character flittered away. This man loved me, of that I was sure.

“Rose?”

I leaned back and looked up into his face, cupping his cheeks. “I’m fine now.”

He kissed me. His lips were gentle but firm, giving me the courage I needed to stay focused on this crazy task. Giving me the hope that I’d find the happiness I so desperately craved at the end of the tunnel.

When he lifted his head, I looked into his eyes. “Promise me—no matter what,” I said, “that you’ll never let that witch Kate Simmons reverse cowgirl you.”

“What?” he asked in horror, jerking back.

But I held him in place. “Promise.”

A soft grin lit up his face. “That’s an easy promise to make.”

I pressed my flushed cheek to his chest, letting the sound of his heartbeat in my ear fill me with reassurance.

“Rose, what’s goin’ on?”

“I’m not sure what I can tell you.”

“Because of my job?”

I nodded.

He pulled loose and grabbed my hand, then led me to the stairs, where we sat side by side.

“It kills me that you’re doing this alone,” he said. “Tell me what’s going on, my job be damned.”

I sat up and shook my head. How on earth was I going to tell him there was a dead body in my barn? But I knew there was something I could tell him. The thing I couldn’t stop thinking about. I had no idea how Neely Kate was scouring files for information while I was sitting in a stairwell, still reeling in shock. I knew it wasn’t my secret to tell, but this was the man I’d planned to marry, my best friend other than Neely Kate. I needed to confide in someone, and I knew he’d give me the support I needed.

“We figured out who Neely Kate’s father is.”

Mason shook his head. “I had no idea she was even looking.”

“She wasn’t. It just fell into our laps.”

“Where? How?”

“I had the shorthand page transcribed. Your momma got part of it wrong. It wasn’t a shed. It was a barn.” I watched him closely to gauge his reaction.

“
Your
barn? You found something?” he asked in surprise.

I nodded.

“I searched that barn high and low last week and never found a thing.”

“We found another journal from Dora. Under the feed trough in a horse stall.”

“How’d you think to look there? Those things were bolted down.”

I grimaced. “I had some help.”

He turned somber. “I see.”

“Dora wrote about Neely Kate’s momma. I guess Dora knew her from church. Jenny Lynn was pregnant.”

“She told Dora who her father is?”

“Kind of.” I looked into his face. “He was a powerful businessman from El Dorado who came to town every few weeks to handle his business at Atchison Manufacturing.”

His eyes widened. “Oh, God.
J.R.?
”

I nodded.

He took a moment to recover from the shock.“How’s she dealing with the news?”

“She’s kind dazed and stunned, but she’s ignoring it to focus on other things.”

“Yeah. I can see her doing that.”

“We also talked to Kate.”

He looked worried, but he forced a grin. “Hence the cowgirl comment.” When I nodded, he said, “Did she admit to having the files?”

“I didn’t even try that tactic,” I said. “I took a different route.”

“And what did you find?”

“Kate’s out for revenge, but maybe not entirely as we suspected. I thought she was working with J.R., but now I’m pretty sure she’s trying to get even with her father. She had a boyfriend, and J.R. offered him several hundred thousand dollars to leave her, but her boyfriend refused. Kate says her father had him
eliminated
. I was only allowed a few questions, so I don’t know many details. His name is Nick Thorn, and my gut says he’s the reason Kate left Little Rock two years ago.”

“Why’s she here now?”

“Me.”

“She admitted she wants to hurt you?” he asked in alarm.

“No. She wanted me to get back together with Joe because she thought I was the one who’d stand up to her father. But she realizes that won’t happen, so now I think she’s goin’ after Hilary.”

“What do you think she has planned?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t trust her. Maybe I should tell Joe.” That idea sparked another. “He might know more about Kate’s boyfriend, too.”

Mason gave me a hesitant grin. “Maybe you should have Neely Kate talk to him. You’re not his favorite person right now.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea either. I was worried she was going to lose it talkin’ to Kate. For all I know, she’d break the news that she’s Joe’s half-sister over the phone.”

Mason cringed. “She’s that much of a loose cannon?”

“I don’t know. I love her, but I’m not sure I trust her to let this sit.”

“Okay, so maybe
you
call him. In the meantime, I’ll focus my attention on finding out everything I can about Nick Thorn.”

“Really?” I asked in surprise.

“How much time do you have left on your ticking clock?” he asked.

I blinked in surprise. “What ticking clock?”

He tucked a stray hair behind my ear, a soft smile lifting his mouth. “I can read you, Rose. You’re tense, which tells me you’re working with a deadline.”

“Maybe I’m just worried about Bruce Wayne.”

His smile turned sad. “I suspect the deadline has something to do with him.”

He’d always been pretty perceptive. With everything other than the Lady in Black. “You’ve told me before that the courthouse is like Fort Knox. Do you still believe that’s true?”

“Yes. I’d say this is a good place to hole up.” He looked down at me. “You want to stay here? You and Neely Kate are both welcome to hang out with me in my office tonight.”

“No, but I need
you
to stay here tonight.”

“Why?” he asked suspiciously.

“Because. It’s safe.”

“What time is your deadline?”

“Ten.”

“I take it you expect me to hide in here until after everything goes down. Has J.R. threatened me?”

I gave him a hopeful look. “He hasn’t threatened you
today
. But it doesn’t hurt to be too careful.”

He lifted his hand to my cheek and lightly stroked my jaw with his thumb. A soft smile lit up his eyes, but I also saw his sadness. “I love you, Rose. When this is over, please remember that.”

I turned serious. “I love you, too.” When it was all said and done, I still wasn’t sure we would work, but there was no denying that I loved him.

He stood and tugged me up, pulling me flush against his body. He pressed a hand to the small of my back while his other hand cupped my cheek. He leaned forward and kissed me gently, but then it turned hungry and demanding. “Let me come with you.”

“You can’t,” I murmured against his lips, then gave him one last kiss before stepping back and pushing him away. “You have your job to do, and I have mine. I need you to find out what you can about Nick Thorn. You’re more important to me here.”

I could see he wanted to protest, but then he nodded, solemn and serious. He studied me with a deep sorrow. “I’ll let you know when I find something.” Before I could respond, he bounded up the stairs, leaving me on the stairwell landing.

I found Neely Kate in the records room, digging through a filing cabinet. She looked up at me and rolled her eyes. “I really wish Fenton County would digitalize their records.”

“No luck?” I asked.

“Actually, Lori had already found a few things, but I’ve added more. Thaddeus Brooke had several prior arrests—breaking and entering, larceny, assault.”

“Sounds like a nice guy,” I said. Skeeter had said the photo on his license made him look rough, and apparently he wasn’t far off.

“Exactly. He was reported missing right after Thanksgiving twenty-five years ago. Around the time of the factory fire.”

“Anything else?”

“I looked up anyone with the name Steyer from that time period.”

“And?” I asked.

“Allen Steyer owned the fertilizer plant and several other businesses.”

“Why would he be involved with Thaddeus Brooke?”

“I don’t know, but he died around the same time. I found his obituary.”

My eyebrows rose in surprise. “What? Why didn’t someone from the state come investigate if all these people died or went missing?”

“You know the answer to that.”

“J.R.”

She nodded, then leaned her head closer to mine and whispered, “Rose, think about it. Steyer was rich and powerful and obviously dirty.”

The answer hit me like a ton of bricks. “Oh, my word. Allen Steyer was one of J.R. Simmons’s Twelve. Skeeter didn’t know who he was, but he said he thinks the man who covered this area disappeared around the time of the factory fire. Instead, he died. It fits.”

“Yeah, I think so, too.”

“Find out anything about Nick Thorn?”

She shook her head. “No record of him here, but I suspect he’s from Little Rock anyway.”

“Agreed.” I had to confess that I’d just seen Mason, but I didn’t want to upset her. “I have someone looking into him. Someone with the resources to get information fast.”

“Skeeter?”

I shook my head. “Although I suspect he’s lookin’.”

“Joe?”

“No. But he’s next on my list for a chat.” I paused. “I saw Mason.”

“
What?
”

The two women working in the room looked over at us, so Neely Kate grabbed my arm and dragged me down a short, empty hall. “You told him about Nick Thorn? Are you crazy?”