“Screen her for what?”
“Her approval?” I asked, my brow lifted.
Neely Kate bit her lip. “What if she didn’t pass?”
“How could she not pass? She’s super smart, and you said she comes from a loving family. She’s not a drug addict and doesn’t even drink.” I leaned closer. “And we both know that Kate didn’t need her in-person interview to find out any of that. She knew every bit of it and more before she walked up to the counter.”
“So why talk to her at all?”
“It’s Kate,” I reminded her. “I think she’s still trying to prove she’s worthy of bein’ your big sister. Maybe she knew it would get back to you and Jed, and in her weird, warped way, she thought it would prove to you that she has your best interests in mind.”
Her eyes widened. “She’s dangerous.”
“She is,” I agreed. “I’m not implying that I trust her. I’m only telling you what I think her reasoning is.”
Nodding, she pushed out a sigh and sat back on the cushions.
I switched Hope to the other side, then glanced over at Neely Kate. “Why don’t you call the baby Daisy?”
She glanced up at the ceiling. “Because she’s not mine yet.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Do you think the birth mother will change her mind? Because I know you passed your home study.”
“I don’t want to get my hopes up,” she said quietly. “I don’t want to jinx it.”
I could have told her everything would be okay, but I couldn’t guarantee that. Not with everything else going on. “I get it. But I sure hope you’re holding her next week.”
She gave me a soft smile. “Me too.”
Why was I worried that was never going to happen?
Chapter 13
I needed to focus on what was in my control. “So when and where are we meeting Jed and Dermot?”
“He said he’d let us know, but he’s hoping for sooner rather than later.”
“Good,” I said. “I want to do this while Joe’s busy with the barn and the murder investigations.”
“I don’t think it will be long. Jed’s anxious to get Dermot’s perspective.”
“I am too.” Hope lost interest in nursing and stared up at me, a smile lighting up her eyes. I smiled back, my heart bursting with love.
I picked her up and rested her on my shoulder, patting her back. “I’ll burp her, and then she’s all yours.”
Neely Kate sat up and reached for her. “I’ll burp her.”
I laughed. “Deal, but fair warning, she’s been spitting up a lot more lately. You got hit earlier.”
“I’ll take my chances again,” she said as she placed Hope on her shoulder and began to speak in a higher pitch. “Aunt Neely Kate can deal with more spit-up, can’t I, Hope?”
Hope’s answer was a loud belch.
“You might want to grab a towel off the coffee table,” I said as I got up and headed to the kitchen. “Come on, Muff. Hope’s safe with Neely Kate, and you need to go outside.” It was true, but I also wanted to check on the horses. The commotion likely had them spooked. It was doubtful they’d be able to stay in the barn tonight, which meant I needed to figure out what to do with them, especially since Margi wouldn’t be around to make arrangements anymore.
It hit me again. Margi was dead. Someone had killed her.
What had she been messed up in? Had she dated Randy to get information about what the sheriff department knew? Who was she affiliated with? Hardshaw? The Collards?
Both?
I grabbed two apples from the fruit bowl, then clipped Muffy’s leash to her collar, just in case she decided to take off for the barn. My phone buzzed in my back pocket, and while Muffy sniffed the bushes and peed, I set the apples down on the back steps and took it out.
Dermot had sent a text. Things are progressing. We need to chat again.
My heart skipped a beat. Was he talking about my barn and Margi, or did he have other information?
NK said Jed was setting up a meeting.
He responded immediately. In 30 minutes at Carlisle’s garage.
I shot a glance over at Joe, who was standing on the perimeter of the crime scene tape. As though he sensed I was watching, he turned to look at me, and even from this distance, I could feel his love and concern.
It would take fifteen minutes to get there, and I still needed to pack up Hope’s things, but I had to talk to Joe first.
I grabbed the apples, then led Muffy toward the edge of the field where the horses were kept during the day. In the beginning, they’d had a smaller corral, but then Margi had asked permission to fence a larger area so they’d have room to roam. All expenses paid.
Why hadn’t I questioned where all the money was coming from? Although I’d been wary of her in the beginning, I’d dismissed my own concerns…and Joe’s. Had she and Randy broken up because he’d become suspicious too?
The horses seemed skittish—and so did the deputies in the barn. They kept shooting me looks, so I headed toward the field, turning about halfway between the house and the barn, to make everyone more comfortable.
Buttercup wandered over first, not that I was surprised. She’d been the first horse to arrive on the farm and had taken to me right away. I rubbed her nose. “It’s a crazy day, isn’t it, Buttercup? But you’re okay. I’ll figure out what to do with you tonight.”
“I already called Madison,” Joe said as he moved in next to me. “She says she knows someone who can take them in tonight.”
I gave him a grateful smile. “Thanks.” One less thing to worry about.
“Of course I asked her whether she’d noticed anything this morning. She said everything was in its place, and she closed the barn door but didn’t lock it. She feels terrible.”
“Shoot,” I said, glancing over at Ninja, the second horse we sheltered. He was still about twenty feet away, watching me cautiously. “Half the time I don’t lock it.”
“I assured her that it didn’t matter if the doors were locked or not; they were gettin’ in one way or the other.”
I nodded, rubbing Buttercup’s nose with one hand and holding Muffy’s leash with the other, but my dog tugged on the leash to show me she didn’t approve of being restrained.
“Why’s Muffy on a leash?” Joe asked.
“I was worried she’d run into the barn. You know I worry about letting her off-leash after what happened.”
For a few days, I’d been terrified we’d lost her. Without Levi, we probably would have…and now he was missing.
Joe took the leash from me and bent down next to her. “Are you gonna be a good girl, Muff?”
She responded by licking his nose.
He laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.” He unhooked her and held her gaze. “I need you to stay here with your momma and me, okay?”
Muffy licked his nose again, then wandered a few feet away from us but stayed next to the fence.
“Did you tell Madison that Margi was murdered?” I asked as he stood upright.
“No. We’re still keepin’ that under wraps.”
Quiet enough that even Mason didn’t know. “Do you have any suspects?” I asked, holding up the other apple so that Ninja could see it.
“It’s too early to be namin’ anyone,” Joe said, “and even if I had anyone in mind, I wouldn’t be at liberty to tell you.”
A year ago, I might have been pissed at that—especially since Mason, of all people, had been more forthcoming—but the last thing I wanted to do was get Joe in trouble. He took enough risks being with me. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t feed information to him. “Do you want to know my thoughts?”
His brow lifted in surprise. “Always.”
“In my mind, there are two possible suspects. One is Hardshaw. Margi showed up in town around the same time they did. What if they gave her the guns, and she hid them so the weapons would be ready when they wanted to make their big move?”
“I have a similar suspicion,” he
said. “And the other?”
Ninja moved up next to Buttercup, and I handed him the apple before glancing over at Joe. “Denny Carmichael. He’s my number one suspect for Rufus Wilson’s murder as well.”
His eyes narrowed. “Wilson’s name hasn’t been released yet.”
I leaned closer and lowered my voice. “Why do you think we were havin’ that conversation earlier?”
He frowned.
“Joe, the sooner you accept that I know things, the easier this will all be.”
“I don’t have a problem with you knowin’ things,” he said without heat. “It’s how you came by the information that has me worried.”
I pressed a kiss to his lips. “I need you to trust me, Joe.”
He studied me for several long seconds, then asked, “Why do you think Carmichael’s responsible for Rufus?”
“This remains between the two of us?” I asked.
“Of course,” he said, wrapping an arm around my back and tugging me to him.
“I know Rufus worked for James.” I held up a hand. “Don’t ask me how I know.”
His lips pinched together, but he didn’t look pissed.
“I think Carmichael killed him to start a war.” I wasn’t ready to tell him about Rufus’ background with safe opening. Joe had enough on his plate, and I still suspected Bobby was more likely to talk to me than someone official. I wasn’t willing to take chances, not when my ability to see Violet’s kids again was on the line.
He frowned. “A war between Carmichael and Malcolm, or Carmichael and Hardshaw?”
“If I had to guess, Hardshaw, which includes or included James. And if Carmichael’s plannin’ for a war, he’s gonna need weapons.”
“The guns in the barn.”
I hesitated, then said, “Let’s just say you’re on the right track suspectin’ guns.” Maybe his intelligence and Mason’s had come from the same source, but if not, the validation might help.
He gave me a wary look.
“Again, don’t ask me how I know, and I’m not one hundred percent certain, but I’d bet good money on it.”
“So where did Margi get the guns?” he asked.
“That I don’t know. But again, we have our two main players. Hardshaw and Carmichael. They’re behind this, one way or another.”
He released me and ran a hand over his head.
“Of course there’s someone else around who is interested in weapons and pissed as hell,” I said, lifting my brow. “The Collards.”
“How would the Collards connect with Margi?” he asked. “They don’t even have any animals other than chickens.”
“I don’t know, and even if I did, I can’t give you everything.” I gave him a teasing grin, but in truth, I had given him everything, or near enough. The information about Rufus was all I’d held back.
He lifted a hand to my cheek and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’re pretty good at this sleuthin’ stuff.”
I smiled. “I learned from the best.” I rested a hand on his shoulder. “Remember when I was investigating the murder Bruce Wayne was on trial for? You told me not to presume someone was guilty without lookin’ at the clues.” I leaned closer. “So while those are all working theories, I wouldn’t hang my hat on any of them without evidence.”
Pride filled his eyes. “Smart woman.” But his gaze quickly turned inquisitive, worried. “You’ve spent some time thinkin’ this through.”
“I’ve got to think about something while I’m nursin’ our daughter.”
“Are you plannin’ to act on these cases?” he asked carefully.
“They’re on my radar,” I said. “I’m workin’ on a couple of somethings.”
He studied me.
“I want to be as honest with you as I can, Joe. I truly believe we can work this out, but you have to trust me.”
He sucked in a breath, then glanced back to the barn. I knew I was asking a lot of him, but he’d also come a long way. Finally, he turned to face me, wearing a serious expression. “I trust you, Rose. And to answer the question you asked earlier.” He wrapped his arms around me again and pulled me flush to his body. “If I had the power to help you or Hope or the citizens of Fenton County, I would do so. I’m not sure anything could stop me. I wouldn’t be much of a man if I tried to prevent you from doing the same.” But even as he said the words, I could see that it cost him. He’d love nothing more than to lock me up in the house to keep me safe, but he respected me too much to consider it.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he said in a husky tone. “When’s your doctor’s appointment again?”
I laughed. “It’s the day after tomorrow. And you already know that.”
“Just checkin’,” he teased. He gave me a soft, lingering kiss.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, not caring what the deputies saw or thought. “There’s one more thing you need to know.” I paused. “Kate texted Neely Kate this morning, and they think she reached out to Jed and Neely Kate’s birth mother.”
He dropped his arms and took a step back. “What?”
“Shh…” I murmured with an upturned brow. “You can’t tell anyone, Joe.”
He started to say something but cut himself off.
“We’re agreed?” When he didn’t answer, I said, “Are you going to keep this to yourself?”
“It depends on what you tell me.”
I slowly shook my head. “Then I can’t tell you anything else. In fact, I shouldn’t have mentioned it at all. It’s not my information to give.”
“Don’t you see that you’re puttin’ me in a difficult position here?” he asked. “Both as the chief deputy sheriff and her brother?”
“Yes, Joe,” I said softly. “I can see, but Neely Kate doesn’t seem to be in any danger, and the birth mother is safe and doesn’t appear to be any the wiser. There’s really nothing for you to do, and you know Neely Kate will be furious with both of us if you intervene without being asked. You need to focus your resources on Margi and the break-in.”
He remained quiet for several seconds, then said, “About that…I need to head over to Margi’s house, and I don’t feel comfortable leavin’ you and Hope here.”
I forced a grin. “Even with all these deputies milling around?”
He shrugged. “It’s not a logical fear.”
“Well…I was just about to run an errand with Neely Kate,” I said.
His brow lifted. “An errand?”
“I’m gonna go hang out with Neely Kate and Jed. Neely Kate’s feeling a little freaked out about Kate, part of her reason for possibly leavin’ town—and she’ll feel better with Jed around.”
He glanced toward the house. “Maybe I should talk to her before I go.”
“As long as you don’t interrogate her.”
He gave me a long look. “Okay. But I’m telling her I know Kate sent her a text and contacted the birth mother. I’m not pretendin’ I don’t.”
“That’s fair,” I said. The horses had wandered off and seemed fairly content, and I’d talked to Joe. I’d set out what I’d hoped to accomplish. “I need to get goin’.”
He reached out and took my hand, squeezing tight. “We’re good, right?”
“Joe,” I said, my voice breaking. “We’re better than good. We’re damn near perfect.”
He pulled me to him, wrapping me up in his strong arms as he buried his face into my hair. “Something feels off,” he whispered, “like I’m about to lose everything.”
I considered forcing another vision to see if anything had changed after my encounter with James that morning, but I always felt unsettled after witnessing Joe’s death—and now I’d had two totally different visions of his demise. It would only make both of us feel worse. It was easier to dismiss the vision when everything was going well, but things were quickly turning to crap, and suddenly it felt all too real.
“You’re not losin’ me,” I said through the sudden lump i
n my throat, “and you’re not losin’ Hope. In fact,” I said, leaning back slightly so I could see his face, “I was thinkin’ maybe we could make our family more official.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, looking confused. “I’m already on Hope’s birth certificate, and I don’t want you going anywhere near Malcolm to get him to sign those paternity papers.”
Little did he know…
I smiled up at him despite my guilt over not telling him about my encounter with James, which would only piss him off. I needed him to focus on Margi’s death and who’d dug up our barn. And what I was about to propose. Literally.
“Not that,” I said. “Something more sentimental.”
He still looked confused.
I laughed. “I’m askin’ you to marry me, Joe. I want to be able to call you my husband, not just my boyfriend, which feels incredibly lacking.”
He stared at me with a blank look. “You’re askin’ me to marry you?”
“Well, don’t act like you’d rather lick the bottom of my boots after I’ve helped Madison clean the horse barn.”
A huge smile spread over his face. “It’s not that, it’s…” He swallowed and suddenly looked unsure of himself. “Rose, I bought an engagement ring three days after Hope was born.”
“You did?” My chest filled with butterflies, a feeling that reminded me of when Joe and I had first gotten to know each other, and he was Joe McAllister, my mysterious next-door neighbor.
“Yeah. I love you and Hope, and I love our home and this farm, even when there’s trouble in the barn…and everywhere else.”
He gestured to it, and I wondered if now was a bad time to tell him there had been so much more trouble out in that barn than he knew about.
It All Falls Down: Rose Gardner Investigations #7 (Rose Gardner Investigatons) Page 11