Thirty-Six and a Half Motives: Rose Gardner Mystery #9 (Rose Gardner Mystery Series) (6 page)

My chest tightened, and I tried to hide my shock, even though I knew he didn’t mean a single word of it. Just like Jed had warned me, he was lashing out. The problem was that he always knew exactly where to strike.

“And second, I should kill you where you stand for insinuating I’m stupid. I’ve done a helluva lot more to men for lesser insults.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “If you don’t care about me, then why are you having Jed and Merv watch out for me?”

“You are still my property,” he said, walking back to his desk. “You agreed to pose as the Lady in Black for six months.”

My mouth gaped. “You can’t be serious.”

He sat in his chair, lifting his face with a cold, hard stare. “Have you ever known me to joke?”

I put my hand on my hip. “You think you can parade me out as the Lady in Black after everything that happened? What about Mason?”

His eyes narrowed into slits. “Deveraux won’t say a word.”

“Why not?”

He turned to his computer and started typing.

“Skeeter, why won’t he say anything?”

An ugly sneer spread across his face as he lifted his head. “We’ve reached an agreement, and I’m sure he’ll keep his word.”

A cold chill washed over me. “What did you do?” He turned back to his computer, and I stomped toward his desk, my hands fisted. “What did you do, Skeeter?”

He turned to me, his eyes so cold I would have been frightened of him if I hadn’t known better. “I took care of my business and my
property
. Now get the hell out. I’ll call you when I need your services.”

I wanted to shake some sense into him, but I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I turned around and stomped to the door. He was vastly mistaken if he thought I was going to play the Lady in Black ever again.

“Lady,” he said, his voice just as chilly as before.

I spun around to look at him.

“Don’t come back here again. If you do, I’ll have you forcibly removed.”

“Don’t you worry, Skeeter Malcolm. I’m never comin’ back here.” Just before I spun back around, I saw a wave of emotions wash over his face—pain, then triumph, followed quickly by a mask of indifference.

As I walked out and slammed the door behind me, I realized I’d played right into his hands.

Skeeter may have won this round, but I wouldn’t be so easily dissuaded.

Though part of me wondered why I even cared.

J
ed was sitting
at the bar when I emerged from the back, and he jumped up from his stool. I shot him a scowl.

“I warned you,” he said, following me as I made my way toward the door.

I shook my head. “I know. But I still had to see him.”

“So who called you out in the parking lot?”

Well, crappy doodles. “I never got a chance to tell him.”

“Then tell
me
. Who called you?”

“J.R.”

“
What?
” he shouted loud enough to garner the attention of two guys shooting pool. One of the guys had been setting up his shot, but he stood upright at Jed’s outburst, pulling the pool cue back and stabbing his buddy in his oversized belly.

Jed grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the door. “He called you right before you came in? What did he say?”

“Oh, the usual,” I said, trying to play it off. “That he was coming for me . . . and Skeeter.”

“Why the hell didn’t you tell Skeeter?”

“I was goin’ to,” I said defensively. “Then he started calling me his property, and he ticked me off.”

“I warned you that he was gonna lash out at you, so you’re going to march right back in there and tell him about that call.”

“I’ll do no such thing. He made it very clear I’m not allowed to darken his doorstep again.”

“You know he didn’t mean that.”

“He looked very serious to me.”

“Trust me. He’s gonna want to know about this.”

“Fine,” I said in a huff, rolling back my shoulders. “If you think it’s so damn important,
you
go tell Skeeter. But as far as I’m concerned, it’s not new information. We already knew J.R. would have it out for me, and he’s been playing the long game with Skeeter for a while now. J.R. only called to confirm his mission hasn’t changed.”

“But now we know for certain. We’ll step up surveillance.”

“Why? So Skeeter doesn’t lose his valuable property?” I asked, feeling like a witch. Jed hadn’t done anything to deserve my attitude, and Skeeter had only acted out of self-preservation. But I wasn’t ready to see Skeeter right now—his words still stung. “You go tell him. I need to call Joe.”

Jed grabbed my arm before I could make it out the door.

I jerked against his hold. “Jed. Let me go.”

He snorted. “You think tellin’ Baby Simmons is a good idea?”

“And why wouldn’t it be?”

“Who would you rather have watchin’ over you? Me and Merv or Simmons’s merry band of fools? Because you can’t have both.”

I pushed out a frustrated sigh. I hated to admit he had a point. “Then I need to talk to Mason. He was the one who called Skeeter in the first place. I’ll let him decide.”

Jed’s eyes narrowed. “You’re going to let the man who left you make your decision for you?”

Anger washed through me. “I’m trying to do the right thing here, Jed! I’m trying to keep from losing Mason.”

“At the cost of your own life?”

“Dammit, Jed!”

But a grin spread across his face. “You know I’m right.”

“Fine. You’re right. But I’m still going to call Mason. J.R. threatened him, too.”

He gave me a hard stare. “I could take your phone. I could drag you back there to tell Skeeter in person.”

“But you won’t,” I said, pressing my lips together. “Because you don’t think of me as Skeeter’s property. You know I have a brain in my head that I’m capable of using.”

He released a grunt and pointed to the empty bar. “Sit there and wait for me.”

I lifted my eyebrows in defiance.

“
Please
sit there and wait for me. But before you consider walking out that front door alone, use that brain in your head to think about J.R.’s threat and how easy it would be for him to send someone to get you.”

Shaking my head, I walked over to the bar and sat on a stool.

Jed pointed a finger at the bartender. “Keep an eye on her. If she leaves, you get your ass back to Skeeter’s office to tell me.”

The bartender swallowed hard, his face pale. “Yes, sir.” His gaze followed Jed as he disappeared into the back. “Can I get you something?” he finally asked me.

“Water,” I said, pulling out my phone.

He looked worried about what I might do with the phone, but he grabbed a glass and filled it with ice.

I considered sending Mason a text, but I was certain this fell under the
acceptable phone calls when you’re taking a break
category.

Mason answered before the second ring. “Rose, are you okay?”

At least he didn’t think this was a pathetic attempt to garner his attention. “I’m fine, but I received a phone call about ten minutes ago that I think you should know about.”

“Was it from Joe?”

“No. But it
was
a Simmons.”

“J.R.? How’d he get his hands on a phone?”

“I have no idea, but he called to tell me he’s coming for me. And you.”

“Where are you?” His voice was tight.

I hesitated, but I’d sworn there would be no more secrets or lies between us. “At Skeeter’s pool hall. I came here to ask him to call Jed off for tonight.”

“So Jed’s still pulling surveillance?” I was surprised by how relieved he sounded.

“Yeah.”

“We need to cancel dinner in Magnolia. It’s not safe.”

That was no surprise, but I was still disappointed. “Yeah, I suspect you’re right.” I hesitated. No secrets. “There’s something else you need to know.”

“Okay . . .”

“When J.R. threatened to kill me, he said he was going to make Skeeter watch before he killed him, too.”

He didn’t speak for several seconds. “I see.”

“It’s probably because Skeeter helped arrange the whole thing.”

“Rose. Don’t.” His harsh tone made me wince. “We both know that’s not why.”

I couldn’t deal with Mason’s jealousy right now. “Jed doesn’t think I should tell Joe. He says Skeeter’s men can offer me better protection.”

He was silent for several seconds. “There’s no denying that the Fenton County Sheriff’s Department isn’t great at protecting people. I agree that Jed and his associates are better equipped to keep you safe from Simmons. Which means we can’t tell Joe. And once again, I’m in a precarious situation.” He sounded professional at first, as if he were talking about a case, but he was openly furious by the time he finished.

“Why are you getting so angry with me?” I demanded. “You’re the one who called Skeeter in the first place!”

“But you’re the one who put us both in this situation!”

I gasped. While he was right, he sounded so angry, so bitter that I knew in my heart he would never forgive me. I sucked in a breath and forced myself to sound strong. “Then let me make this easy for you, Mason. We’re over.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. You have someone watching you, right? The sheriff’s department?”

He sounded confused. “Yes, but that—”

“So the only person whose safety you’re concerned about right now is mine, right? And that’s why you were forced to do something you didn’t want to do—legally and morally—by calling Skeeter and asking him to protect me. Am I right?”

“Rose, you can’t pigeonhole it like that. You have to—”

“True or false,” I said, surprised at my cold tone. “The only reason you called Skeeter Malcolm was because of my safety.”

“Rose,” he said. “There was no way I could sit back—”

“
True or false?
”

“True.” I heard the defeat in his voice, and it took everything in me not to cry.

“So the only reason you’re still entangled in the underworld is because of me.” I paused. “True or false?”

“Rose.” The pain in his voice brought tears to my eyes.

“Answer the question.”

“
Rose.
”

“I need you to answer, Mason. Just answer the damn question.”

“True.” In all my life, I’d never heard so much defeat in one word.

I took several breaths, trying to keep myself together. I had bigger issues to deal with than my silly love life. “Given everything goin’ on right now, I think you should wait to get your things.”

“Rose. Don’t do this.”

“Don’t do what? Advance the time table on the inevitable?” I choked out the last words. “You and I both know how stubborn you are. I broke us. We might try to put us back together, but we’ll never be the same.”

He didn’t answer.

“I love you, Mason”—my voice cracked from my tears,— “and I’m
so
sorry.”

“Rose, please, sweetheart.” He sounded so broken, I could hardly stand it.“Just think this through. Don’t make such an important decision at a time like this.”

I suddenly had a newfound respect for Neely Kate’s decision. Somehow I’d landed myself in the same place. “You know I’m right.” I could do this. I would survive this. But I had to set him free. I leaned forward, resting my forehead on my hand. “From this moment on, I am no longer your responsibility. I will no longer call you with information or requests, unless they are completely legal in nature.”

“Rose!” he pleaded, panicked.

“I have only myself to blame for this. I know that, but I can’t undo it. I wish you a happy life, Mason,” I sobbed. “I want you to be happy.”

“Rose! Sweetheart. Please, just listen to me! We can—”

But I hung up and held the phone to my chest, knowing I’d done the right thing.

Even if it had ripped my heart to shreds.

“
W
hy the hell
didn’t you tell me about that phone call?” Skeeter shouted as he barreled around the corner toward me.

The bartender jumped at the sound of Skeeter’s voice, his eyes widening in fright. He ducked behind the counter, grabbed a laminated menu from the counter, and held it over his head. One of the guys at the pool table in the corner froze while his buddy jerked his shirt sleeve, trying to get him to take cover under the pool table.

Taking a deep breath, I wiped my face and turned to look at him. My phone vibrated in my hand, but I stood and shoved it into my pocket.

“Because you were too busy treating me like your
property
,” I said.

He paused in front of me, his upper lip curling in a sneer. “Have you been sitting out here crying?”

“Cry over you?” I asked. “Don’t flatter yourself. I have far bigger issues than your PMS.”

The exasperated look in his eyes told me that he wanted to counter my insult, but instead he motioned to my pocket and growled. “Did Simmons call you back?”

“No. I called Mason—not that it’s any of your business. I wanted him to know about J.R.’s threat.” I could see a tantrum brewing, so I cut him off at the pass. “Calm down. He’s not going to tell Joe.”

“How can you be sure of that?”

“Because he won’t. He knows Jed is more qualified to protect me, so he doesn’t feel he can risk it. You know I’m right. Mason came to you last week.”

He studied me for a moment before nodding his head. “We shouldn’t be discussing this out here. Come back to my office.”

“What?” I demanded, putting my hands on my hips. “And risk getting thrown out?”

His eyes darkened. “Rose.”

I pointed my finger at him. “Don’t you
Rose
me. There’s nothing more for us to discuss, so I’m going back to work.”

I started to spin around, but he snagged my arm and lowered his face to mine. “We’re not done,” he said.

“Says you.” I shook off his hold.

He tilted his head and gave me a look that told me he expected me to fall in line. “I’m taking you under my protection. I don’t give a rat’s ass what the D.A. says.”

My mouth dropped open. “Wait. You discussed me going into hiding? With Mason?”

His forehead furrowed. “We need to have this discussion in my office. Anyone can hear us.”

I wasn’t sure who he thought was listening. The only patrons at the moment were the statue in the corner and his buddy, who was about to tip him over if he kept pulling on his shirtsleeve. “Answer the question, Skeeter!”

“Yes, we had that discussion last week. He wouldn’t even consider it.”

“Oh, my word!” I groaned. I spun away from him and shook my head in disbelief.

Thinking better of it, I turned back and poked my finger into his chest. “Let me make something perfectly clear, Skeeter Malcolm.”

He took a step back, his eyes wide in surprise. But I kept jabbing as I spoke. “I am my own person.
You
do not own me.
Mason Deveraux
does not own me.
I
own me. Do you get that?”

A sly grin spread across his face. “If I say yes, will you stop poking me with your scrawny finger?” he asked.

I gave him one last poke for good measure. “I expected better of you.”

He rubbed his chest, wearing a smirk that made him look like a cat who’d caught a barn full of mice. But when that grin faded, it was replaced by a seriousness I’d only seen a few times. This was the real Skeeter Malcolm, the man hiding behind the bravado, and I was fairly certain he didn’t show it to many people.

“You’re right. I should have discussed this with you, not him.”

I nodded sharply, then pushed out a breath. “Thank you.”

“But I really do think you should let me put you up in a safe house.”

“For how long? J.R. could be a threat for years.”

He shook his head. “No. Simmons will be dealt with sooner rather than later. The real question is whether or not your boyfriend will let you go.”

I narrowed my eyes. It was easier to mask my pain with anger. “In case you haven’t realized, this is the twenty-first century. This is
my
decision, not his. And I’m not going. I could be there for years. I don’t have time for that nonsense.”

He leaned closer again, his voice low. “I could protect you better there.”

I looked up into his dark eyes. “Are you going, too?”

Skeeter snorted as if I’d asked him if he were joining a mime troupe. “Hell, no.”

I shook my head and took a step back. “Then neither am I.”

He let out an exasperated sigh. “You don’t make things easy for me, do you?”

“No one asked you to watch over me.” When he started to protest, I scowled. “
I
never asked you to watch me.”

“If you think I’m leaving you alone, then you’ve got another think coming.”

The fact that he cared made me feel better, a little less broken, like spackle over a gaping hole, and when I spoke again it was in a softer tone.“I really do need to get back to work.”

He looked like he was wrestling with something, then said, sounding gruff, “Now that you know we’re watching, it would be helpful if you gave Jed your schedule.”

“Fine,” I said in an angry huff, even though I agreed that it was a good idea. Right now it felt easier to be adversarial.

Skeeter shot Jed a laser-focused stare, then disappeared into the back. The bartender’s head poked up from behind the counter like Punxsutawney Phil, the menu still lifted over his head. The man frozen in the corner looked like he’d actually turned to stone, but his friend, who was staring at us with a mouth like a guppy’s, had finally stopped pulling his sleeve.

“What was that about?” I asked, walking to the exit.

“Nothing,” he mumbled. “So are you really going back to work?”

“That’s my plan. After that, I’m heading to the farm with Neely Kate.”

“No dinner?” he asked smugly.

I narrowed my gaze, my jaw set with irritation. “You might want to rethink that gloating, or I’ll make it ten times harder to follow me for the next few days.”

I wouldn’t, not really. I was scared to death of J.R., and knowing that Jed had my back made me feel a whole lot better.

Jed seemed to ponder my threat, then nodded as we walked out the door and toward our separate vehicles.

Now that I was alone, the knowledge that I’d broken up with Mason hit me square in the face. Somehow I’d just ended my relationship with the man I’d planned to marry. Where did I go from here?

All I wanted to do was go home, crawl into bed, and cry my eyes out. But I wouldn’t give myself that luxury. I needed to focus on neutralizing J.R. Simmons.

The only strategy that came to mind was to check on the progress Maeve had made in decoding the shorthand on the lone remaining page of Dora’s secret journal, recovered from the warehouse where she’d worked with Daddy and Paul all those years ago.

When I stopped at the next stoplight, I grabbed my phone out of my pocket. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I ignored the three missed calls from Mason and called his mother instead.

“Rose,” she said, her voice warm and soothing.

Oh, mercy. A new thought hit me. Was I going to lose her, too? While I hadn’t doubted she’d stick by me if Mason left me for good, the situation had changed. Would she change her mind when she found out that I was the one who’d broken up with him?

“Maeve,” I said, my voice breaking. “Can I come over for a few minutes?”

“I’m at the nursery,” she said, sounding distracted. “I’m filling in for Violet.” Distantly, I heard her say, “The few pansies we have left are outside on the right.” Then she said, “Sorry about that, Rose. I was helping a customer.”

“It sounds like you’re busy,” I said, my voice tight. “I’ll talk to you later.”

“Rose, are you all right?”

“No.” I said, choking on the word. I glanced in the rearview mirror at Jed in the sedan behind me. Now that I knew about my protective guard, he clearly didn’t feel the need to hide any longer. But I looked away, not wanting him to see me upset. There was only one person I wanted to talk to about my breakup—it was the real reason I’d called her.

“I broke up with Mason.”

“What?” She sounded dismayed. “Rose, what happened?”

I took a deep breath, fighting back my tears. “I’d rather talk about it in person, but I’m guessing Anna’s there, right?”

“Yeah . . .”She sounded worried. “How’s Mason?”

“I don’t know,” I said, fighting the urge to break down. “I did it over the phone.”

“Rose.” I heard the disappointment in her voice.

“I hadn’t planned to do it, Maeve, but he was upset.” I didn’t want to drag her into the specifics. “Let’s just say my ties to the criminal underworld are still very much in place, and Mason is upset at the position I’ve placed him in.”

“Does he have any idea—”

“No, Maeve. Please don’t be upset with him. He’s a man of principles, and it’s unfair to ask him to bend them, especially given his position.”

“Once again you’re saving him,” she said, sounding sad.

I took a deep breath, hoping to soothe my frazzled nerves. “I did the right thing.”
No matter how much it hurt.

“I can see why you think so—”

“Maeve. It’s done,” I said, with a firmness I never used with her. “I wanted to talk to you for two reasons. The first is I wanted you to hear it from either me or Mason. I had no idea if he would tell you, so maybe you should reach out to him.”

“Of course . . .”

“But second, I need to know what progress you’ve made on the journal page.”

“I confess, I haven’t gotten very far. It’s not coming back to me as quickly as I’d hoped, and I’ve been covering for Violet.” She paused. “How did your talk go earlier?”

“Do you know?” I asked, my voice breaking.

“Only that she’s very sick and has to go to Houston.”

“She’s going to be okay,” I said with determination.

“Of course she is,” she said, as if there shouldn’t be any doubt. “And we’ll make sure we keep the store in great condition for her until she gets back.”

“Will working at the nursery be too awkward for you?” I asked. “Because of me and Mason?” I hadn’t even considered the ripple effect of our breakup, but I didn’t want Violet to worry about anything other than getting better.

“Of course not, Rose. I still love you whether you’re with Mason or not. I’ll always be here for you.”

My voice cracked. “Thank you.”

“But don’t rush into any snap decisions, okay? Give this some thought. You and Mason truly love each other.”

She was right. We did love one another. But I had to wonder if love was enough.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Maeve.”

“Okay.”

I parked in front of the office, and Jed parked around the corner. I noticed him get out of his car and head toward the square.

The door chimed when I walked in the office, and Neely Kate looked up with a questioning glance.

“How did it go?” she asked.

“As well as could be expected,” I said, heading toward my desk.

Bruce Wayne gave me a sympathetic look, but to his credit, he never even hinted at an
I told you so
.

At around five o’clock, I still had several estimates to prepare, so I handed Neely Kate the keys to my truck.

“Why don’t you take my car home, and I’ll stick around and get these plans done?” I asked.

I also needed to look at the finances to see about paying Maeve something for her work at the shop. Knowing her, she’d do more than she’d agreed to. We would also need to hire more help for our landscaping business soon. I’d expected the landscaping business to get off to a slow start, but it had exceeded our expectations.

Neely Kate’s mouth dropped open. “What about your date with Mason?”

Oh, crap. I’d forgotten to tell her. I’d been too busy worrying about Violet and trying to figure out how to stop J.R.—anything to avoid thinking about the end of my relationship. And I sure didn’t want to bring it up now.

“We’re not goin’, but I’ll tell you about it later, okay? When I get home.”

Neely Kate narrowed her eyes. “How about I stick around to keep you company?”

“You deserve a night off,” I said, pulling her out of her seat and pushing her toward the exit. “Besides, Muffy’s probably dying to go pee.”

She broke free and turned around to look at me. “What’s goin’ on, Rose? What did Skeeter say? Did he threaten you?”

“Skeeter? Hardly. He’s full of a lot of bark and little bite.”

Bruce Wayne grabbed his coat off the coat rack, harrumphing. “Tell that to the guys who’ve gotten on his bad side.”

He had a point. “Fair enough, but that’s the way he is with
me
. I’m fine. I just need some time alone, okay? I’ll explain it all when I get home.”

Neely Kate sure didn’t look happy, but she took the truck keys from my outstretched hand. “If you’re not eating with Mason, then don’t stay in town too long. I’ll make a big pot of chili and some homemade cornbread.”

“Is this one of your special recipes?” She’d been experimenting with the most God-awful combinations of foods lately, like peppermint meatloaf and French onion cheesecake. None of us had the heart to tell her how bad they were, but I wasn’t sure I could choke down whatever she came up with tonight.

“No. I didn’t have time to come up with something original, so I’m using my granny’s recipe.”

I tried to hide my relief. “I won’t be too long.”

“But if I leave you, how are you going to get home?”

“I’ll have Jed bring me. He’s tailing me anyway.”

When her eyes bugged out, I added, “It’s all out in the open. I don’t see any reason for him to hide in the shadows.”

“True.” She wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. “Don’t stay too long. You need to be with the people who love you.”

I watched her as she headed for the front door. Did she know I’d broken up with Mason? Did she suspect?

Bruce Wayne stayed back, saying he’d forgotten something in the backroom that he needed to bring by the nursery the next morning.

I figured it was an excuse to grill me more about my encounter with Skeeter, so I wasn’t prepared when he gave me a sad look and said, “I heard about your sister.”