Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies (6 page)

I narrowed my eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

He shrugged. “I would rarely have to go to court, and it’s good money with more regular hours.”

“And you’d be bored to tears in ten minutes, and only because you’d spend the first five getting a cup of coffee.”

He didn’t answer, so I leaned closer and rested my hand on his arm. “You love what you do, crappy hours or not. And our relationship is only going to work if you’re happy with your career. I say we get this mess cleaned up, and then we work on getting your job back.” I sat up straighter. “Which means little or no criminal activity for you.”

“And no criminal activity for you, either. If you get caught doing something illegal, Joe won’t waste a second before tossing you back in jail.”

I purposely didn’t agree. There was no way I was going back there, but I’d do whatever I had to do to fix this mess.

“I have another idea for how we can get the key figured out.” He sounded hopeful.

“Oh?”

“I’ll go talk to Henry’s widow.”

“I’m not sure she’ll talk to you. She’s a grumpy old woman who makes Miss Mildred look like Mother Teresa. Besides, her daughter Beverly’s funeral is tomorrow. You might want to wait.”

“Dammit,” he grumbled. “So we’re back to square one.”

“No. Just delayed a few days.”

“We don’t have time to waste,” Mason said. I was surprised when he pulled up to the farmhouse—the drive had passed in a blur. “Your trial is in three weeks.” He cursed under his breath, then said, “You think they’d make
some
attempt to make this case look like it hasn’t been railroaded.”

He was right. Three weeks hardly seemed like any time at all. The situation suddenly felt hopeless.

Mason turned the car off and started to get out, but I grabbed his arm and held him in place. “Mason. Wait.”

He turned to me with an expectant look.

“I want to have a vision of you.”

He looked surprised. “What brought this on?”

“I’m scared. I want to have a vision telling us that everything’s gonna be okay.”

He smiled softly. “That’s actually a good idea.”

“Okay.” I grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together and squeezing.

“Your hand is shaking.”

I looked into his worried eyes. “I’m scared of what I’ll see.”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“But I do.” I took a deep breath, then closed my eyes, thinking about where Mason would be in three weeks. A dark shadow swept in, and I saw … nothing. Icy blackness sunk its hooks deep into my head. The cold seeped into my veins, pulling me down into a pit of nothingness, and I started to panic.

Calm down
.
You can get out of this
.

I needed to try thinking about something more generic. Like what Mason would be doing tonight. That would take me away from this black, blank space. Sure enough, the next moment I found myself in our home office, studying Mason’s computer screen. The webpage for Crane Industries was on the screen.

“You’re gonna investigate Crane Industries,” I whispered, then slumped back against the seat, weak and lightheaded.

“Rose?” Mason asked, worry in his voice. “What happened? What did you see?”

My mind was sluggish, but I realized what I’d seen and started to cry.

“
Rose
.”

I needed to hold him. I needed to know he was here with me. Alive and okay. Gathering all of my strength, I sat up, threw my arms around his neck, and tried to slow my racing heart.

Mason grabbed my upper arms and pulled away a bit to study my face, his eyes full of fear. “Rose, you’re scaring me. What did you see?”

I forced myself to calm down. “I had two visions.”

“Two?”

“I’ve learned that if I try to force a vision of something that won’t happen, I get stuck. When that happens, I have to redirect my mind somewhere else.”

“What did you redirect it to?”

“The second vision was of what you’ll be doing tonight.”

“And I was investigating Crane Industries?”

I nodded, my heart still racing. “You were in the office, working on your laptop.”

“That was next on my research list. What did you try to see the first time?”

I started to shake, fear washing through me. “I wanted to see where you would be in three weeks.”

He looked so solemn as he nodded. “And what did you see?”

“Nothing.” I took a deep breath, trying not to cry. “I saw absolutely nothing. It was so cold and dark, and there was
nothing
.”

He grabbed my face and gently wiped an escaped tear with his thumbs. “Calm down. We don’t know what that means. Maybe the future’s just too uncertain for you to get a clear picture.”

I shook my head. “No. That’s not it. If that were a possibility, I would have seen lots of empty visions after Momma died. Things were changing so much, my visions wouldn’t have been able to keep up.”

“Sweetheart, it’s probably not what you’re thinking.”

“It’s
exactly
what I’m thinking, and you know it.” I looked into his eyes. “You were dead, Mason.” More tears fell down my cheeks. “It was the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced. It wasn’t just dark, it was
cold
. The cold sunk into my head and started spreading through my body.”

“Your hand turned to ice while you were having your vision.”

It was only further confirmation that I was right.

“I’m okay.” He grinned. “I’m too stubborn to let something happen to me before I see this thing through.” He gave me a kiss. “Let’s go inside.”

“We have to fight this thing, Mason. We have to stop it from happening.”

“We will. We
are
. Let’s go inside and let Muffy out. She’s about to have a stroke from all that barking.”

He got out of the car, and I opened my car door, but my knees buckled when I tried to stand. Mason was by my side in seconds, wrapping his arm around my waist and holding me up. “This has never happened to you with a vision before, has it?”

“No, but I haven’t seen death very often, and I’ve never experienced it like that—like a blank slate.”

He helped me up the porch steps. And when we reached the front door, we stood there for a moment, his arm wrapped around my back. I pulled free of his hold. “I think I’m okay now.”

He studied me for a second. “I’m really worried about you. When you were having that vision, you turned ice cold and as white as a sheet. In fact, you’re still pale. I think you should go inside and lie down for a bit.”

“I’m feeling better. I’ll take Muffy out, then I’ll rest, okay?”

“Okay.” He unlocked the door and pushed it open, heading straight to the kitchen to turn off the alarm, and I bent down and rubbed the top of Muffy’s head. Her response was to make me wish I had a gas mask.

I frantically waved my hand in front of my face. “Let’s go outside, girl.” We went out onto the porch, and I shut the door behind me and sat on the steps as I watched my dog romp in the yard.

Seconds later, Mason came out and sat down next to me.

I grabbed his hand and held it tight. “Do you believe what I saw?”

“I’d prefer not to, but I trust your judgment.”

“This changes everything.”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t change anything. You’ve had multiple visions of people dying that haven’t come to pass—me. You. Even Joe. You changed it somehow. Besides, I’ve been at risk for months. And Joe’s not going to give me protection now. He wouldn’t have let the ADA get killed on his watch, but I’m not the ADA anymore.” He paused. “Maybe that’s why he let me get fired. To make things easier.”

I wanted to argue that Joe wouldn’t purposefully leave Mason unprotected, but I no longer knew what to believe about Joe. “Don’t be so callous, Mason. We’re not discussing the weather. Someone’s trying to kill you. I don’t think you should be out investigating
anything
.”

“Rose,” he sighed. “What are my choices? To either hide away until your trial or to try to stop J.R.? I think you know which one I’m going to pick.”

“That doesn’t seem like the prudent choice.”

“I’m always aware of my surroundings. Even now.” He pointed to the trees in front of the house. “In theory, someone could be out there, hiding in the trees with a long-range rifle.”

I gasped and turned to face him. “Is that supposed to make me feel
better
?”

“
Yes
. Because no one’s out there with a long-range rifle. Not in Fenton County, Arkansas. If someone wanted to kill me right now, they’d come down the driveway and do it. No hiding. But we have an advantage here at the house. We can hear any vehicle on our drive long before we see it, which gives us plenty of time to prepare.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think you should have a gun with you at all times.”

“I’ve been wearing this one since I was fired.” He took my hand. “What I’m saying is that I’m always watching for potential danger. I’m being as careful as I can be.”

“Okay.”

He leaned over and gave me a kiss. “Come on inside. Apparently I need to start researching Crane Industries.”

He had his task, and I had mine.

It was time to call Skeeter.

U
nfortunately
, Skeeter Malcolm was a hard man to reach.

Mason headed for the office, and I told him I was going upstairs to take a bath. My physical reaction to my vision had really shaken him, so he looked relieved.

“Take your time, sweetheart. I’ll check on you in a little while.”

“I think I’ll call Neely Kate and have a nice chat,” I said as I started up the stairs.

“Good idea.” He gave me a warm smile. “Let me know what she found out about Glenn Stout.”

When I got to our room, I started the bathwater and then pressed Skeeter’s speed dial, which sent me direct to voice mail.

“Skeeter, this is Rose,” I said in a hushed tone as I wandered out to the sun room nursery, momentarily stunned by the state of it. I’d ransacked it while looking for the journal, but in the stress of everything that had happened since, I’d forgotten. “I’m out of jail, but we need to talk as soon as possible. Call me.”

I hung up and called Jed.

“Rose, I got your message.”

“Did Skeeter have something to do with getting me out?” Carter had denied it, but there was still a chance it was true.

“No. Skeeter was ready to do it, although one million would have been tough. We had the hundred K in cash, but we were trying to come up with the full cash amount so we could skip the bail bondsman. Hale was frazzled from trying to pull it all together, but he had strict instructions from Skeeter to get you out as soon as possible.”

“So do you know anything about Glenn Stout from Little Rock?”

“No. But Hale is on it, and you can bet that Skeeter will track the guy down himself the minute he gets back.”

“He’s got other problems to fix.” I bent down to pick up a drawer and put it back in the dresser. “I forced a vision of Mason three weeks from now to see if this thing went to trial, and Mason was dead.”

“What?”

“Someone’s definitely still out to kill him, and I have to stop it.”

“That’s secondary to what’s goin’ on.”

“Like Hades it is. I started this whole association with Skeeter to save Mason’s life.”

“You started it to save your business. Now you’re trying to save your own life. You won’t last in prison, Rose. J.R. Simmons is countin’ on it.”

“I’m tougher than I look, Jed. You of all people should know that.”

“You could be the toughest woman in the world, but you still wouldn’t make it long. You’d be goin’ to McPherson, and Deveraux sent quite a few women there during his time in Little Rock. Hard-ass women who would love to make him suffer the way he made them suffer.”

“Well, crap.”

“If this thing goes to trial, you have to run.”

“I can’t do that! Glenn Stout, whoever he is, will lose all his money.”

“Then he shouldn’t have posted your bail. I don’t give a shit about the finances of some guy who doesn’t exist. And you can bet your ass Skeeter won’t care either.”

I sat down in the rocking chair. “Hopefully, it won’t come to that. Where is Skeeter anyway?”

Jed was quiet for several seconds. “He’s taking care of some personal business.”

“Does it have to do with J.R. Simmons? If so, he needs to pool his information with ours. We all need to team up.”

“We
are
teaming up. What the hell do you think we’ve been doing?”

“No. With Mason.”

“You think we’re gonna work with the Fenton County ADA? Have you lost your mind?”

“Jed—”

“No.”

I needed to choose my battles, and I had a bigger one to wage at the moment. “Fine. I can accept that. For now.” I took a deep breath, ready for a fight. “I need to set up a meeting as the Lady in Black.”

“Who with?”

Goodness, he was awfully grouchy. I was about to make him even more so. “Mick Gentry.”

“
What the actual hell, Rose?
” His voice boomed out so loud I had to hold the phone a few inches from my ear. “Now I know you’ve lost your mind. Get some sleep and call me tomorrow.”

“
Jed
. Think this through. Mick Gentry had to be the one who set Skeeter up for those murders. Not to mention the fact that I
know
he wants to kill Mason.”

“Which is why you can’t meet with him! He’s dangerous!”

“Jed! I’ve already set this up. I told Scott Humphrey that I wanted a face-to-face with Mick. And in my vision, Mick was open to meeting with me after Skeeter was out of the picture.”

“What excuse could you possibly use to see him?”

“What if I play it like I want to be on the winning side? I’ll meet him, show him I’m serious, and then insist on meeting J.R. What if I record J.R. saying he wants to kill Mason? And get him to admit to other criminal activity as well?”

“That’s a whole lot of what-ifs. You have no idea if Simmons would agree to meet with you. Or if he’s even directly involved.”

“We both know he’s involved. And who knows, maybe I’ll get all the information I need from Mick Gentry.” When he was silent, I knew I had him. “We just need to make sure it’s admissible in court.”

“You should ask your boyfriend,” he said, his voice laced with sarcasm. “I’m sure he’ll think it’s a great idea.”

“Or maybe we can ask Carter Hale,” I added, trying to sound cheery.

“I already know the answer,” he grumbled. “We would need a court order for it to be admissible, and seeing as how no judge in this county is going to issue one to the Lady in Black, it’s a moot point.”

I had worried that might be the case, but if I could actually get J.R. to meet with me as the Lady in Black, then I’d deal with the logistics later. “We can still use whatever we find out to save Skeeter and Mason. It’s a good idea, and you know it.”

“Skeeter will skin us both alive.”

“Skeeter Malcolm’s not here,” I retorted, working myself into a snit. “He ran off to do God knows what. It’s up to us, and
I
say we do this. You know it’s a good idea.”

He didn’t argue.

“I gave Humphrey a fake number to call. Will that piss off Mick?”

“Maybe, maybe not. But not enough for him to refuse a meeting.”

“So you think he’ll want to?”

“I think he’d sell his grandmother to a traveling circus to meet the Lady in Black.”

“Can you set it up? Do you guys have some sort of a bat signal to let each other know when you want to talk?”

He chuckled. “No. But we have other ways.” There was a pause at the other end of the line, and when he spoke again, his tone was more serious. “I can’t believe I’m asking, but when do you want to do this?”

“As soon as possible. I have no idea what I’ll tell Mason, but I’ll come up with something.”

“Like you said, Mason is still on someone’s hit list. You’re both in plenty of danger.”

I took a breath. “I know.”

“I’m stayin’ at our safe house. I’m sending Merv to bring you here too.”

I snorted. “You know I’m not gonna do that. I have too much to do, and I’m not leaving Mason.”

“If things keep heatin’ up, you may not have a choice.”

“I’ll deal with that if the time comes.”

“But in the meantime, pick up a burner phone tomorrow and send me the number. Skeeter should have gotten you one weeks ago.”

“Okay.” I waited a beat. “Jed, about the factory … I’m sorry you got hurt on account of me.”

“I failed you, Rose. I was there to protect you, and I put you at risk. I should have just taken the bitch out without showing myself, but I knew you’d never approve of that.”

I smiled. “Well, thank you for that. It means a lot to me, Jed.”

“Don’t be expecting it to happen again. Next time I’ll just shoot first to avoid any unnecessary risks.”

I hoped to God there wouldn’t be a next time, but I was in so deep that it was probably a pipe dream.

“I’ll put out feelers for Gentry,” he said, sounding gruff. “I’ll let you know when I hear anything.”

“Thanks.”

I hung up and realized the water was still running, so I went into the bathroom and turned it off. The steaming water was tempting. I’d told Mason I was going to talk with Neely Kate while taking a bath. No reason not to follow through on both. I stripped and climbed into the warm water. Resting my head against the high back of the tub, I grabbed my phone off the floor and called Neely Kate.

“Hey, Neely Kate. What did you find out?”

“Nita worked the desk today. She said a courier brought the paperwork and the check.”

“Didn’t the guy who paid it need to sign anything?”

“Technically, yes, but Nita was so overwhelmed from holding a cashier’s check for a million dollars, she just pushed it on through. In fact, I had a hard time tracking her down because she got suspended for three days because of it. She was out at the Trading Post drowning her sorrows … although she didn’t look too sorrowful. She just got three days off.”

“Oh dear. Did she remember anything about the courier?”

“A young guy, maybe mid-twenties. He said he was from Little Rock, and he was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. When she was going through the paperwork, he kept waving the check at her. Like he was trying to push the process along even though he knew he was missing some steps. She says he stayed there until she got it all uploaded to the system. The second she confirmed you were as good as free, he thanked her and took off.”

“She broke the rules because she was distracted by a check?”

“Well, between you and me, I think she was distracted by some
cash
. There were several hundred-dollar bills in her wallet when she bought me a drink, and Nita is known for being cash-poor.”

“That makes more sense.”

“She got a photo of him on her camera phone. She refused to send it to me, but I got a good look at it.”

“Could you pick the guy out of a lineup?”

“I’ll say. And let’s just say that the check and the cash probably weren’t the only things distracting her.”

“Maybe Randy can get some mugshots for you to look at.”

“Who?”

“Deputy Miller. He’s helpin’ Mason and spying on Joe.”

“You’re kidding. Are you sure we can trust him?”

“He seems pretty doggone mad at Joe, so yeah. I think so.”

I told her about our trip to the factory, the key we’d found there, and our need to get into the safe. Then my vision of Mason and my phone call with Jed.

“Oh, my stars and garters. You sure haven’t let any grass grow under your feet.”

“I can’t afford to.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Are you sure you want to get mixed up in this?” It was a stupid question on my part, but I had to ask it anyway. “This isn’t the same as you and me pokin’ around about a factory fire.”

“I’m
dying
to get mixed up in this. And besides,
everything
we’ve done has turned dangerous. This time at least we’re goin’ into it with our eyes wide open. Now what do you want me to do?”

“How about you take the safe job? See if Jonah or Bruce Wayne know someone who’s willing to open it?”

“I don’t even need to go that far. My cousin Witt should be able to get it open easy enough. He’s an expert at gettin’ into all kinds of things, from pickle jars to women’s panties. Just tell me where it’s at.”

I wasn’t sure that was the ideal résumé for breaking into a safe, but beggars can’t be choosers, so I gave her directions on how to find the office and the safe. “Do you think you’ll get to it tomorrow?”

“I don’t see any reason to wait. I’ll call Witt to see if he can do it tonight.”

“Will Ronnie be okay with that?”

“Ronnie’s not an issue.”

Something in her voice caught my attention. “Is everything okay?”

“It will be eventually,” she said, but her voice broke. “It just means I have more time to work on this little project.”

Now I was really worried. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Maybe tomorrow.”

“How about we meet for lunch? I’ll run by the nursery and check on Violet, then meet you at eleven-thirty at Merilee’s?”

“Sure. I’ll let you know what happens with the safe.”

“Okay. I’ll have Mason send you the photos he took so Witt knows what he’s dealing with,” I said, my stomach knotted with nerves. “Be careful, okay?”

“Don’t you be worrying about me. I’ve got this covered.”

“Uh, Neely Kate? One more thing. Did you get my message from Carter?”

“Yeah. I took care of it on Saturday when I brought Mason his dinner. I made him a tuna and peppermint creole casserole. The poor thing was so upset he couldn’t even eat it, bless his heart. He took a few bites and headed straight for the bathroom. That’s when I ran upstairs to get your things.”

“I’m gonna need it back.”

She was silent for a moment. I expected her to blast me, but she said, “Okay. Talk to you later.”

As soon as we hung up, I texted Mason to let him know Neely Kate was using her own resources to open the safe. I asked if he could text the photos to her so her source knew to bring the right tools. To his credit, he didn’t ask questions, simply texted:
Okay. Enjoy your bath. Muffy and I are out at the barn.

What in tarnation was he doing out at the barn? Deciding to ask him later, I put my phone on the floor next to the tub and sank down into the water. My mind was like a whirligig, but for the moment, Neely Kate’s marriage took top priority in my thoughts. I knew she and Ronnie had been going through a rough spot after her miscarriage, but it sounded like things had gotten a whole lot worse in the short time I was in county lock-up.

My mind spun around to Skeeter—where was he, and why was J.R. Simmons so determined to destroy him? J.R.’s motive for wanting Mason dead was a mystery too, though I understood why he’d arranged for him to lose his job.

I would do everything in my power to protect them both, even though I knew the price would be steep.

With any luck, J.R. Simmons would be the one to pay it.