Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies (8 page)

“Beats me.” He shrugged, worry lines creasing his forehead.

“He’s obviously here now. So what’s he got his thumb in? Other than the obvious?”

“Dunno. There’s not much to be had here. Not anymore. The county had a lot more money twenty-five years ago. It would have made sense for him to get out after the factory burned down.”

“The town thrived back when they were drillin’ oil. Maybe he’s got information that one of wells is profitable. Could be he wants to take it over.”

Bruce Wayne shrugged again. “Doubtful. Only a few wells are producing anything to sneeze at, and that’s not very much. Especially considerin’ all the trouble he’s goin’ to.”

“So this is mostly personal. But even so, he’s the type who’d want some sort of financial gain out of it.”

“I don’t know, Rose. All that’s here in Fenton County is moonshine, drugs, and a small amount of gun trafficking. Crocker was branching out with his stolen car parts ring. I can ask around, but everyone’s all riled up over the charges against Skeeter. A good number of them want Gentry to move in as the crime boss.”

“But that makes no sense. Gentry’s facing charges of his own.”

“Rumor has it that they’re about to be dropped.”

I leaned forward in my seat. “What?”

“Mason’s not in the courthouse to put a stop to all the bribes and other nonsense.”

“And apparently, the sheriff’s department is part of it too.”

“Yeah.”

It made me sick. All the good Mason had done for our county had been wiped away in a matter of days. “So is Gentry still in hiding?”

“For the moment.”

But if the charges were dropped, we both knew he wouldn’t be in hiding for long. And all hell was gonna break loose when he resurfaced.

A thought occurred to me, and I started pacing as I chewed on it. “Relatively speaking, my arrest was probably easy for him to arrange, and J.R. had the right people in power in the right places to steal Mason’s job out from under him. But that double homicide south of town … that was set up to look like Skeeter’s work. That had to take some major planning, especially if Humphrey and his guy were working with Mick Gentry. Why would he go to that much trouble?”

Bruce Wayne gave me a blank look.

Then it hit me. “Oh, my word. Maybe J.R. plans to make it look like Skeeter killed Mason. That’s why he planted Skeeter’s knife in his desk drawer in our house.”

“And you? Where do you fit in?”

“Me? I’m just a side dish for Joe.”

The office door opened, and a blast of cold air rushed in as I heard a voice I recognized all too well. “Exactly. You are a side dish, Rose Gardner. You need to remember that and move on.”

I spun around, preparing myself to face my third hostile woman of the day. I was really on a roll. “Hilary, what are you doin’ here?”

Looking like he’d seen a ghost, Bruce Wayne took a step back. Smart guy.

She stood in the still-open door, wearing a pair of cream pants that showed her growing baby bump and a pale pink blouse topped with a stylish cream leather jacket. Her auburn hair was long and curled, and the cold wind had given her a rosy glow. There was no denying that Hilary Wilder was a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, her inside didn’t match her outside. “I wanted to check on you. A sweet little girl like you in prison for two whole days and three whole nights. You were probably scarred for life.”

“Well, sorry to disappoint, but I’m just fine, so don’t let the door hit you in the butt on the way out.”

She ignored me and shut the door, still on my side of it. Crinkling her nose as she looked around, she said, “A very quaint place you have here. You should let Violet decorate. She’s really very good, you know.”

I watched her as she made her approach, wary of her real purpose for being here. “So you told me when you said you wanted to hire her to decorate your nursery.”

She glanced up at me, plastering on the brightest fake smile I’d ever seen. “We met yesterday, and she was bursting with ideas of how to decorate for a boy. We just need confirmation that I’m carrying little Joseph the third before we can get started. Joe needs a little boy, don’t you think?”

Violet wasn’t with Hilary this morning? Then where had she been? “What Joe does or doesn’t need is none of my business. Not anymore.”

She gave me a condescending grin. “You’re not holding the fact that he had you arrested against him, are you?”

“Hilary, between you and Kate, I’m exhausted of the games. Just tell me what you want and go away.”

That made her pause. “You talked to Kate recently?”

“Oh, yeah. We’re besties now. In fact, you just missed her. She stopped by for a friendly chat. You two should pool your money on a ‘welcome home from jail’ basket. It would be more welcome.”

“You do not want to be friends with that woman.”

I cocked an eyebrow at her. “Because I’d rather be friends with you?”

She looked exasperated. “Believe it or not, I’m trying to help you by helping your family. I’m giving Violet a job, which will help support her children once you’re in prison. In spite of everything you’ve done to me.”

I gasped. “Everything I’ve done to
you?
How deluded are you?”

She moved closer, her smile disappearing. The mad look in her eyes scared me. “You were warned to back off, and now, Rose Gardner, you are going to pay the price.”

My breath caught in my throat. “What does that mean?”

“J.R. Simmons doesn’t believe in mercy.”

That
I had no problem believing. The question was why she’d felt the need to enlighten me.

A ghost of a smile lifted her lips. “Luckily for you,
I
do. It would be inhuman of me to watch you languish. You may find this hard to believe, but I do
have a heart. I hate to see those less fortunate than myself suffer longer than necessary.”

Crappy doodles. I knew I was desperate, but not enough to accept help from this woman. “Gee, thanks, Hilary. I appreciate that, but I’m goin’ to pass.” I grabbed my coat off my desk. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to pay a visit to my attorney.”

She moved in front of me, blocking my path. “Stay away from Joe.”

“Here’s an idea: Why don’t
you
tell him to stay away from
me?
Because the next time I see him, I’m not going to be responsible for what I do to him.”

A sad smile spread across her face. “Poor, poor, Rose. Caught up in a game you don’t understand and aren’t clever enough to figure out. Fate has a funny way of choosing our paths for us, don’t you think?”

She didn’t wait for an answer, not that I had one to give. She spun around and walked out the door, leaving me speechless.

“What just happened?” Bruce Wayne asked several seconds after she shut the door behind her.

“I’m not exactly sure.”

“Do you really think she’s gonna help you?”

“No. She just likes to hear herself talk. Plus, I suspect she’s convinced herself that her vague warning was actually helpful.”

“This town’s got more than its fair share of nuts.”

“You aren’t kidding,” I murmured, shaking my head. “We sure don’t need any more imports like Hilary and Kate.”

“You really going to see Carter?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna run my theory about J.R.’s end game by him. Maybe he’ll see something we’re missing.”

But I knew it probably wouldn’t be that easy. Nothing ever was.

“
Y
ou need
to let sleepin’ dogs lie,” Carter said with a groan. “You’ve got no business diggin’ around in Mick Gentry’s business. Gentry is wild, uncivilized, and dangerous. You need to leave him to Skeeter while you and Deveraux focus on Simmons.”

“Skeeter ran off. Mason’s hit dead end after dead end. I have Joe’s sister givin’ me cryptic messages and his pregnant ex-girlfriend doing the same. I’m not just gonna wait around to let someone else figure this out. I’m doin’ it. Besides, Simmons and Gentry are a package deal.” I was pacing his office floor, too anxious to sit still. “What I need to know is if J.R. Simmons has any ties to Fenton County other than supporting Mick Gentry and backing that contract at Atchison Manufacturing twenty-five years ago—rumored or otherwise.”

“Well, there are always rumors …”

“Spill it.”

He sat up in his chair. “You do realize that I’m supposed to be interrogating you, not the other way around.” He waved his hand back and forth between us. “That’s how this attorney-client thing works.”

“You’re hidin’ things from me.”

“I’m telling you everything I know that will help your case.” I glared at him, and he lifted his hands in self-defense. “God’s honest truth.”

I stopped and put my hands on my hips. “Don’t you go trying to invoke the Lord’s name in this, Carter Hale. I suspect it’s been so long since you set foot in a church that a choir of angels would burst into a hallelujah chorus if you did.”

He chuckled. “Be that as it may, I am a God-fearin’ man, and if you’re smart, the fear of meetin’ your maker will keep you from embarking on this foolishness.”

“You said there had been rumors of J.R. bein’ here. What are they?”

“Simmons’ name has never come up.
Not once
. But there have been rumors of a rich businessman who has been backing certain illegal activities.”

“Such as?”

“Daniel Crocker’s drug business.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I saw the guys who were Crocker’s business partners. J.R. Simmons definitely wasn’t one of them.”

He snorted. “You think J.R. Simmons is going to show up at a drug deal? He’s too high class to get his hands dirty. J.R. would send one of his Twelve to do his work.”

I shook my head. “Wait. One of his Twelve?”

He folded his arms in front of him. “Rumor has it that J.R. Simmons has twelve men spread across the state to do his bidding.”

“His enforcers?”

“No. Not ordinary criminals. These guys are special. Kind of like his inner circle, his equals.”

“J.R. Simmons has equals?”

“Okay.” He shrugged and unfolded his arms. “Less than equals, but still in high regard. They’re powerful in their individual kingdoms. It’s said that the state is sectioned off into twelve separate areas. Each of The Twelve has their own empire, but they all answer to J.R.”

“Do you think Daniel Crocker was one of his Twelve? And that’s how he got his money?”

“No. I think Crocker was just a pawn.”

“So none of The Twelve is in this area?”

“On the contrary. I think
Skeeter
is one of The Twelve. Or used to be.”

“
What?
” The blood rushed from my head, and I sat down in a chair in front of his desk. “
Skeeter?
”

“I don’t know for certain, but I wouldn’t be surprised. He left Henryetta when he was eighteen. He came back at twenty-five with enough money to open his pool hall.”

“You think he was with J.R.?”

“Not that he’d tell anyone, and I mean
anyone
, even Jed, his best friend.”

“Skeeter says he doesn’t have friends.”

“Skeeter can’t see what’s right in front of him.” Carter kept his gaze on me. “If Skeeter has a critical flaw, it’s that he looks too far into the future. He doesn’t always give the immediate present the attention it deserves.”

“That doesn’t sound like Skeeter at all.”

“I’m talkin’ about people, not about situations.”

I didn’t like where this conversation was going. “If he left for seven years, where did he say he went?”

“Memphis. He said that’s where he made his seed money. But I know for a fact he started that pool hall with cash. So I don’t buy it.”

“What did he say when you asked him about it?”

He snorted again. “I’m not stupid enough to ask.”

I
was definitely going to ask him the first chance I got. If Carter was right, it sure would explain why Skeeter had been so interested in my connection to J.R. Simmons. And also why J.R. wanted Skeeter dead. And maybe—just maybe—Skeeter had a shot at digging up the information that would bring J.R. down.

But I wasn’t about to tell Carter Hale any of that.

“So the only thing you have that makes you presume Skeeter was part of J.R.’s secret circle is that he disappeared for seven years and came back with money? That seems like a stretch.”

“No. That’s not it. For the first few years after he came back, he’d run off for several days to a week at a time with no warning. And he never told anyone where he went. Not even Jed. Then about five years ago, it just stopped. No more trips.”

“And you think he quit?”

“Yeah, although from what I can tell, that’s damn near impossible. You don’t retire from The Twelve. You are eliminated.”

“So how is Skeeter still alive? Doesn’t that fact negate your theory?”

Carter shrugged, but the answer had already come to me.

“J.R. Simmons waited until Skeeter had something worth taking.”

Carter narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“Skeeter just got his kingdom, right?”

“Yeah …”

“Mason said J.R. likes to make people suffer, and Joe didn’t disagree. Wouldn’t it be much worse for Skeeter to finally get control, only to see it stolen from him?” I’d told Skeeter the very same thing a few hours before my arrest. But now I was even more certain of it.

Carter pursed his lips, not looking happy. “If you’re right, that’s not the only thing Simmons will want to take from him.”

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. “The Lady in Black.” But I knew that too. My plan to force J.R. to meet me was undoubtedly the most foolish thing I’d ever considered, but it might just work.

“You need to keep a low profile,” Carter said, shifting behind his desk. “As both Rose
and
the Lady in Black.”

“No,” I said, already shaking my head. “I can’t do that.”

“Maybe you should trust Skeeter to take care of the situation.”

That made my blood boil. “With all due respect, Mr. Hale, I have no earthly idea what Skeeter Malcolm is up to since he hasn’t deemed it necessary to tell me. For all I know, he’s holed up in a shack with blonde twins with big boobs, waiting for everything to die down.”

Carter tried to hide the grin tugging at his mouth.

“Your reaction tells me it’s not outside the realm of possibility.”

He stood. “Rose, I can assure you that’s not the case. Skeeter was genuinely upset when you were arrested. There’s no way he’s enjoying his time out of town with a couple of playmates while he thinks you might be going to jail.”

“I would hope he’s also trying to save himself.”

He grinned. “I believe it was you who told me, ‘Save one of us, you save us all.’”

“
I
was talking about
me
.”

He laughed. “I had no idea you had such an ego, Rose Gardner. Skeeter’s fascination with you becomes clearer and clearer every minute.”

I was about to offer a retort, but my phone started to ring. It was Neely Kate’s tone, and as I pulled it out, I realized I was late for my lunch. I turned off the ringer and glanced up at Carter. “I have to go, but before I do, I got a burner phone—at Jed’s suggestion. I’ve texted Skeeter and Jed the new number. Do you need it?”

“No. I want to keep everything between us above board, but
theoretically
it’s better to restrict any conversations that carry a hint of criminal intent or association to an untraceable phone.”

I nodded and started for the door.

“Rose.”

I stopped and turned to see what he wanted.

“You and I have discussed several topics that shouldn’t be tied back to me.”

“You mean your theory about Skeeter’s past.” I cocked my head. “You weren’t even practicing law ten years ago. How do you know so much about Skeeter’s behavior before he hired you?”

His expression hardened slightly, and his good old boy persona faded. I suspected this was the real Carter Hale, lurking under the surface. “I make it my business to know as much about my clients as humanly possible. And believe me, I’m good at my job.”

With one hand on the doorknob, I narrowed my eyes at him. “If you’re so stinkin’ good, tell me what you found out about Glenn Stout.”

His eyes clouded, and I snorted. “That’s what I thought. Goodbye, Mr. Hale.”

Greta shot me a questioning glance when I walked into the waiting area, and I waved goodbye as I walked through the door in turmoil. I was certain Carter was the best attorney to help me, but I couldn’t rely on him to save me.

I was gonna have to save myself.

I was taking the lead on this, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I was totally in control. False murder charges and a possible incarceration aside.

Neely Kate was sitting at a table at Merilee’s Café with a glass of tea in front of her and a glass of water in front of my seat. She lifted her eyebrows in reprimand. “You’re late.”

“I was talking to Carter Hale.”

“Oh.” She seemed contrite, which made me realize she had been genuinely upset with me. That was totally unlike her, so something was definitely going on.

“Bruce Wayne said Ronnie asked you to stay home with him yesterday.”

She picked up her glass of tea. “Yep.” The word, delivered as crisp and as sharp as a tack through a sheet of paper, told me a whole lot more than a lengthy explanation.

“He’s just scared, Neely Kate. And worried about you.”

“Last week I would have agreed with you. On Friday, he was smothering me, yet I knew he was only worried about how I was reacting to losing the babies. But yesterday … I have no idea what
that
was about.”

“What are you talking about?”

“He was upset when I went to see Joe after I found out you were arrested because he was worried I’d get into trouble with the sheriff’s department. But he seemed to deal with it, especially since we stayed home the whole weekend, other than me takin’ Mason his casserole. Ronnie was acting weird, but I didn’t take much notice. Then yesterday he said he was staying home again and insisted that I do the same. He blew a gasket when I told him I was goin’ to see you at the courthouse for your arraignment.” Her eyes bugged wide. “He actually
forbade
me to go! Can you imagine?”

I cringed. I preferred not to let my mind wander to how
that
had played out.

She whipped her hair over her shoulder, fire in her eyes. “I put that man in his place right then and there. No one forbids me to do
anything
.”

“Did he say why?”

Anger filled her eyes. “Yes.”

“So?” When she didn’t say anything, I prodded. “Are you gonna tell me?”

“Wouldn’t you rather hear about breakin’ into the safe?”

I gasped. With everything that had happened this morning, it had slipped my mind. “Did you get it open?”

“No. My nitwit cousin didn’t have the right tools. He says he can try again in about an hour. Which is why we need to hurry lunch along.”

Mason and I had agreed to stay out of this part, but my meeting with Carter had left me unsettled. I needed to do something or I would burst. Besides, in the scheme of unlawful things to do, this was on the low end of trouble. Probably. “I’m goin’ with you.”

She gave me a pointed look. “You sure that’s a good idea?”

“Is Witt gonna tell anyone I watched him commit an illegal activity? I don’t think so. I’m goin’.”

The waitress came to take our order, then left us in silence.

“Was it awful getting arrested and being in jail?”

“Yes. And no.” I told her everything about the weekend, even about my near-miss with Janie. “I can’t go to prison, Neely Kate. I just can’t.”

She patted my hand as our lunch showed up. “Don’t worry. We’re gonna make sure that doesn’t happen.” Then she gave me a grin. “Speakin’ of getting out of jail, I have a surprise for you.”

I gave her a leery glance. “What is it?”

She dug her phone out of her purse and opened an app before handing it to me. I looked down at a photo of a guy wearing a red ball cap, a T-shirt with a logo for a small brewery, and a pair of jeans with a ginormous belt buckle. He was standing on the opposite side of a counter, and even though he was looking to the side, it was easy to see he was a very good-looking man. I leaned closer and realized there was a light brown birthmark on his cheek.

I glanced up at her, lifting my eyebrows in question.

“It’s the guy who posted your bail. I convinced Nita to send me the photo she took.” Her grin spread. “So now we don’t have to try and find a mugshot.”

When we finished lunch, we got into my truck and headed toward the factory.

“Do you really think Paul Buchanan is your father?”

I shook my head. “I’ve had lots of time to think about it. Dora wasn’t sure which of them was my father, although it sure sounded like she was hoping it was Paul. But how could Harrison Gardner not be my father? My daddy’s mother had the same visions I do.”

“I wonder what would have happened if Paul had left his wife and married your momma,” Neely Kate said.

I stopped her musings. “It won’t do any good to think about it. All it does is make me sad. What’s done is done.”

Neely Kate grabbed my hand resting on the seat and squeezed it. “You’ve got friends and family who love you now, Rose. I know you think all those years were wasted, but they helped make you who you are today.”

Tears stung my eyes. “And I’m so grateful. But it doesn’t take away the hurt of what Momma did to me. And what makes it worse is how many people just stood back and watched—Aunt Bessie and Uncle Earl, Daddy, and Hattie.” I shook my head. “I just can’t believe it.”