Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies (17 page)

“Joe,” Neely Kate said. I hadn’t realized she’d walked up behind me. “You need to go.”

Joe started to get into his car and stopped. “Neely Kate, I’m serious. If you’re gonna start shooting guns, let me know unless you want me to come back again.”

“Fine.” But the word lacked any bite.

As he drove off, Neely Kate put her arm around my shoulders. “You okay?”

“I don’t know.”

“Fair enough.”

I sucked in a deep breath and pushed it out. I didn’t have time for this. I had to save everyone. God knew, I’d probably end up having to save Joe too. “We need to get back to practicing.”

Her forehead wrinkled with worry. “Maybe we should take a break.”

I shook my head. “Nope. We need to do this before Mason gets home.” I suspected he wouldn’t disapprove, but I wasn’t sure he’d be thrilled either. Besides, the less I called attention to my alternate life, the better.

A
half hour later
, I’d improved, but that wasn’t saying much. I still couldn’t adequately protect myself from someone at any distance. Crappy doodles, I only had a one in five chance of saving myself from a can of lima beans. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be an issue.

Neely Kate and I ate a quick lunch and then headed into town to talk to Maeve. We brought Muffy since she was ticked off about being left inside all morning. She curled up at Neely Kate’s feet, facing away from me, as we drove. Neely Kate was unusually quiet too, and I felt liable to choke on the tension in the truck cab. I figured it was as good a time as any to add more.

“Have you heard from Ronnie?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light and breezy.

“No.”

“Are you goin’ to call him?”

She turned to look at me, her eyebrows arched. “And why would I call him? He’s the one who left me!”

“I know, Neely Kate, but I think Ronnie’s in some kind of trouble and needs our help.”

She shook her head and turned away. “He doesn’t want my help. I know all about his boys in his poker group, but when I tried to talk to him about it, he told me to mind my own business.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that?”

“You don’t need to know everything.”

I pinched my lips together as I tried to figure out what to do next. Neely Kate might be hurt enough to let it go, but I wasn’t. When we pulled up in front of Maeve’s, I grabbed my phone and texted Bruce Wayne.

I know you’re upset with me right now and you have every right. I’m not insulting you, BW, I’m protecting you even if you don’t see it that way. But you and me aside, I’m worried about Ronnie. He left NK and supposedly he’s thick as thieves with a group of guys at his garage in Pickle Junction who are loyal to Mick Gentry. Can you do some digging?

I was starting to put my phone back into my pocket when it vibrated.

Are you sure I can handle it?

I was tired and cranky enough to consider sending a retort. Instead I sent:
Of course.

After several seconds, he sent:
Okay. I’ll do it for NK.

“Who are you texting?” There was a suspicious look on her face.

“Bruce Wayne. He’s working at the nursery today. With Anna,” I added brightly, hoping she’d want to talk about the possibility of their relationship. Neely Kate normally thrived on gossip.

Instead, she opened her truck door and climbed out.

Sighing, I grabbed my purse and Muffy and followed her out of the truck. I set my little dog down in the yard to sniff around and do her business, but Neely Kate had already knocked on the door. Moments later, Maeve appeared in the open doorway, holding her worn bulky cardigan across her chest.

“It’s my three favorite girls. Come in! I just pulled a coffee cake out the oven.”

Muffy heard her voice and made a beeline for the front door, jumping up on Maeve’s legs in excitement.

Maeve laughed and scooped her up, leaving the door open for Neely Kate and me to follow.

“It sure smells good in here,” I said, my stomach suddenly growling, even though we’d just had leftover soup and bread.

“How do you not weigh five hundred pounds?” Neely Kate asked as we followed her into the kitchen. “You’ve always got so much good food.”

Maeve laughed. “I have plenty of people stopping by to eat it.” A smile lit up her face, but I saw the worry lurking in her eyes. “Moving to Henryetta was the best decision I ever made, save for marrying Mason’s father, of course.” She winked. “I’ve made more friends here than I ever could have imagined.”

“How could you not?” Neely Kate asked, smiling as she leaned over to look at the still-steaming coffee cake. “You’re the sweetest person I know, and you feed everyone you meet.”

“Well, thank you, Neely Kate.” Maeve patted her arm. “You know you are always welcome here.” Something in her voice let me know that she knew things weren’t right with my friend.

Neely Kate pulled her into a hug, not saying a word, and Maeve rubbed her back in small circles. After a moment, she pulled back and cupped Neely Kate’s cheek. They stared wordlessly into each other’s eyes for a long moment, some secret and meaningful exchange passing between them, and then Maeve dropped her hand.

“Would you girls like some coffee cake?”

“That’s got to be the silliest question I ever heard,” Neely Kate said.

“Well, then I’m putting you to work.” Maeve handed her a bowl of icing and a spatula. “You take care of that, and I’ll start the coffee.”

I sat at the table, basking in the warmth and love and acceptance I always felt when I walked into this house. It was the same way I always felt when I was with Mason.

Thinking about Mason made my stomach cramp with anxiety, and I was overcome with the familiar fear that I was going to lose him. One way or the other.

Maeve put a hand on my shoulder. “Rose, are you okay?”

I looked up at her, my mouth flapping like a fish out of water.

“Neely Kate, could you keep icing the cake while I show Rose a photo album I found the other day?” Maeve asked.

Neely Kate glanced over her shoulder. “Are there photos of Mason as a little kid? Bring them out. I want to see them too.”

“We’ll bring it right out. I just need some help getting it down from the shelf.”

I followed Maeve into her bedroom, and she shut the door behind her, the smile sliding off her face. “Have you had a vision?”

I pulled her over to the bed, and we both sat down. “I did, but I’m doing everything in my power to change it.”

The color fled from her face. “You saw him die?”

I grabbed her hand and squeezed. “No. When I got out of jail, I forced a vision of Mason three weeks into the future, hoping to see there was no trial. Instead, I saw absolutely nothin’ and this icy darkness started to spread through my body. Mason tried to blow it off, but I told him I knew he was dead.”

“What’s he doing to prevent it from happening?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“Nothing,” I said, guilt seeping through my blood. “He says he refuses to hide away and do nothing when there’s a chance I might be locked away for good. He’s in Little Rock right now at the secretary of state’s office, trying to get them involved. But I’m scared.” I squeezed her hand harder. “I want him to be more careful, but he won’t listen to me.”

She gave me a weak smile and cupped my cheek, just like she’d done minutes before with Neely Kate. “I know you do, sweet girl. He loves you. He’d move heaven and hell to save you. He wouldn’t dream of doing it any other way. And it would be wrong to force him to do otherwise.”

“I can’t let him get killed because of me.”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t think it’s because of you …” She looked down. “Do you know who the other person tied into this is?”

She was referring to the premonition she had told me about last week—how Mason and another man were in mortal danger.

“Yes.”

She nodded. “It’s dangerous.”

“Very.”

She looked up at me, unshed tears in her eyes. “It feels wrong to ask you to keep doing whatever you’re doing.”

“You haven’t asked me to do a thing I hadn’t already decided to do. If anything, your feeling has given me the confirmation I need to move forward, even if it feels a little nuts.” I struggled to catch my breath. “But I’m gonna lose him, Maeve. Either way, I’m gonna lose him.”

“Mason?” she asked in disbelief.

“Have you had a feeling about what will happen after I save him?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m sorry.”

I nodded. “Promise me something.”

She swept a few stray hairs away from my face. “Of course.”

Tears stung my eyes. “When he hates me, please tell him I did it all to save him. I’ve dug myself deeper and deeper into this hole to save him.” A tear rolled down my cheek, and I brushed it away with my fingertip. “When it’s over, please make sure he knows that.”

Confusion swept over her face. “Rose. Why would Mason hate you? What are you doing?”

I stood. “I’m sacrificing everything.”

I started for the door, but she stood and grabbed my hand, pulling me back. “Rose?”

I leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I’m gonna try really hard to keep it from him, but he’s a smart man. He’s gonna piece it all together. He’s already started. Just promise me you’ll tell him.” I started crying harder. I didn’t want to think about life without Mason.

“Okay. Okay.” She pulled me into a hug. “This is my fault. I’ve pushed you into something because I confided my premonition.”

I pulled back and wiped my face. “No. I was on this course months before you told me about that.” I opened the door. “I need to get back into the kitchen. Neely Kate’s gonna ask questions.”

I headed back to the kitchen to join my friend before Maeve could respond. She followed seconds behind me, carrying a photo album. “You girls can look this over while I scan that paper you brought me.”

“Oh. Yeah.” I had forgotten all about the photo album. I sat down at the table, hoping it wasn’t too obvious I’d been crying. Neely Kate gave me a weird look, but then turned back to the cake. She had finished icing it and was now slicing off three pieces. She set the plates on the table as I pulled the paper out of my purse and handed it to Maeve.

Maeve headed for the coffee maker, but I motioned for her to sit down. “I’ll do it.”

Once she was settled, she leaned over the paper and heaved out a sigh. “Rose, there’s a small notebook and a pen in that drawer by the refrigerator. Can you hand it to me?”

“Of course.”

I gave her what she needed and then poured three cups of the coffee.

When I sat back down, Maeve groaned and looked up at me. “I’ve forgotten quite a bit.”

“You can’t read it?” Neely Kate asked.

Maeve made a face. “I’m getting bits and pieces. It’s just been so long.”

“Do you have a shorthand dictionary or something?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I can try to order a book, but it will probably take a couple of days to get here.”

A couple of days? I knew I was being impatient, but we were so close …

“Rose, I’m so sorry.” Maeve must have seen the dismay on my face.

I forced a smile. “What’s a couple of days? I’ve got plenty to do to keep me occupied in the meantime. Can you make out
any
of it?”

“There’s something about a bank account. It looks like it says $35,000. But I can’t tell where the account is or why it’s important.”

I nodded. “Okay. Anything else?”

“It looks like there are a few times listed. I think they might be appointments, but I have no idea who they were with or where or
anything
.” She sounded frustrated.

“It’s okay, Maeve. It was a shot in the dark.” But I was sure it had to be important. J.R. had gone to great lengths to ensure no one saw that diary. “Do you see anything about a key?”

“A
key?
”

“Yeah, like a house key?”

Her lips pressed into a thin line of frustration as she scanned the paper. “No, but I’ve forgotten the mark for key. I’m sorry.” She sounded close to tears. “Can you take it to someone else?”

“We’d rather give it to someone we know we can trust. Can you think of anyone?”

She shook her head. “No. Shorthand is a lost language.”

I hated putting this pressure on her, so I turned to Neely Kate and lifted my eyebrows. She grimaced and shook her head. “I only know a few people who’d be able to do it, and they’d blab about it everywhere.”

I released a huge sigh. “Okay. It’s only a couple of days. It can wait.” But that meant I’d still have to go through with my meeting with J.R. If he called. It had been nearly eighteen hours.

What if he didn’t call? What if J.R. Simmons wasn’t even Mick Gentry’s backer?

My phone vibrated in my pocket, making me jump. For one brief moment, I thought I’d conjured a call from the devil himself, but it was the wrong phone. I pulled my cell out of my pocket and checked the screen before answering. “Mason! How did it go?”

“Well … good and bad. They’re going to look into a possible misuse of office by the investigator, but there’s no obvious tie to J.R. At least not yet. The state police detective ID’d the guy in the sketch, the one who kept coming to see the investigator. His name is Pete Mooney. He has a checkered past. He’s had a few charges brought against him, but he’s always managed to get off. He’s from the Pine Bluff area, so they’re gonna send someone to pick him up and ask a few questions.”

“But none of that really helps me, does it?”

He was silent for a moment. “No, sweetheart, but we’ll figure something out.”

I chose to ignore the fact that he sounded desperate.

“I’m sorry it took so long to call. I’ve been in meetings all morning.”

“That’s okay. I knew you’d call when you could.”

“Have you had an eventful day?”

“Oh, I’ll tell you about my morning later. Right now Neely Kate and I are with your momma, eating her delicious coffee cake.” I gave Maeve a warm smile.

“So no luck?” he asked, sounding more defeated than I’d ever heard him.

“She’s gonna order a book to brush up on her shorthand, but there’s a few things that sound promising. I can tell you about it later. When do you think you’ll be home?”

“I’m about to leave now. I should be there a little after four. I made an early reservation for Jaspers. Does that still sound good?”

“It sounds perfect.” For some reason tears sprang to my eyes. Then I realized what was bothering me. This could be one of my last dates with him. “I’ll see you when you get home.”

Both women were watching me as I hung up the phone. I forced another smile. I seemed to be doing that a lot today. “Mason’s on his way home, and he’s taking me out to dinner. Isn’t that wonderful?” My voice broke and I pushed away from the table, the chair scraping the floor, and stood. I couldn’t pretend anymore. I needed to do something productive—
now
—and this was currently a dead end.

“That sounds lovely,” Maeve said, looking distraught herself.

“I think I’m gonna go see Carter Hale.”

Maeve and Neely Kate both eyed me as if I were about to sprout horns.