It All Falls Down: Rose Gardner Investigations #7 (Rose Gardner Investigatons)

by Denise Grover Swank

  Dermot’s eyes beamed. “Agreed.” He adjusted his hands on the wheel. “I’m takin’ you both back to the nursery. Simmons, your job is to watch over your family, and I’ll take someone with me to pick up the vet. If he checks out, we’ll take him to your place, and we can figure out where to go from there.”

  I started to protest, but it wasn’t a bad plan. Besides, I wanted to get back to Hope. And I also wanted to be home in case today was the day Bobby showed up.

  “Let me at least call Levi and warn him,” I said.

  “Okay,” Dermot said, “but put him on speakerphone.”

  I tried calling him back, but it went straight to voicemail. “Maybe his phone’s about to die,” I suggested.

  Joe gave me a pointed look.

  “It’s possible! He’s been in the middle of nowhere for a day.”

  “Fine,” Dermot grunted. “Text him and tell him I’ll be comin’ to get him.”

  “I’m not sure he’ll trust a stranger if he’s runnin’ for his life, Dermot.”

  “Then make sure he knows you trust me,” Dermot barked. “The rest is up to him.”

  The look on Joe’s face suggested he one hundred percent agreed.

  I sent Levi a text telling him that I was sending a trusted friend to bring him to my house. Levi didn’t respond, but hopefully he’d check his phone sometime before they arrived.

  Dermot dropped us off at the nursery, and Joe and I picked up Hope and Muffy. Maeve and Anna gushed that they’d loved every minute with her, and Witt had apparently watched her whenever they had a busy spell with customers.

  As we were leaving, Joe asked Witt to come home with us in case he needed backup, and Witt didn’t hesitate to agree. Turned out Jed and Joe had already had a conversation about it, and Witt’s schedule had been cleared at the garage in case we needed him.

  Hope started crying halfway home, so I brought her in to the sofa to nurse as soon as we got home. Joe headed to the kitchen to make us an early lunch, and Witt stayed outside with Muffy and let her get a good romp around the yard.

  As I nursed my daughter, I studied every feature of her face, from her chubby cheeks to her small chin. Her slate-gray eyes stared up at me, and she clutched my finger in her hand. I cradled her tenderly and asked her about her morning and if Nana Maeve had spoiled her rotten and if Witt had gotten any better at holding her. She watched me intently as though listening to every word, occasionally stopping to just stare. I marveled once again that I had created this perfect, beautiful baby. That God had given me such a blessing.

  When I studied her, I sometimes saw glimpses of James. Her eyes had already started changing color, and I suspected they’d turn dark brown like his, and her hair was closer in shade to his than mine. Still, it was more than her physical characteristics. The way she observed things with so much intensity reminded me of James when he was in a situation that made him uneasy. My baby was a combination of the two of us, and no matter how much I wanted her to be Joe’s, she would always carry parts of James in her. He and I were forever linked because of her, and I couldn’t help wondering if she was the reason I still cared about him.

  After I finished nursing, I changed her diaper and then went to check on Joe in the kitchen. He was standing at the back window, typing on his phone. His gaze lifted to meet mine. “Dermot says Levi wasn’t there.”

  My stomach lurched. “I knew I should have gone to meet him.”

  “Did Levi text you back?”

  “No.”

  “It was a trap, Rose. Levi himself might not have set it up, but someone did. They were after you.”

  I wanted to argue with him, but I suspected he might be right. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to believe that Levi would intentionally hurt me. If he’d set up a trap, I suspected he’d done it unwillingly…and I hated to think what might have happened to him.

  We sat down to eat, and Joe took Hope, telling her that when she got older and had teeth he’d make her grilled cheese sandwiches too.

  I watched him, my heart overflowing with love. If we could survive the week and run Hardshaw out of town for good, I could have this all the time. I wanted that. I wanted it badly.

  “Rose,” Witt called out from the front door. “You’ve got company.”

  Chapter 24

  Joe was out of his seat in an instant, pulling his gun from its holster as he moved to the back door. He tested the deadbolt to be sure it was locked and glanced out the window. He strode through the living room toward the closed front door, with me and Hope trailing behind.

  When he reached for the doorknob, he shot me a dark look. “Stay inside.” But I saw Bobby through the crack as soon as he opened it. She stood on the front porch with Witt, and from her body language, she was just as likely to run as to come inside.

  “Let her in, Joe.”

  “Not yet. Wait here.”

  He went out, shutting the door behind him, and I was tempted to open it. But if I wanted him to trust me, I needed to trust him too.

  It was hard to wait, knowing that she might have the answers I’d desperately wanted for months—answers that might help me see Ashley and Mikey again and could give us the upper hand with James and Hardshaw. But I did it, and the door opened a few seconds later, Joe escorting Bobby inside. Muffy slipped through with them and stood by my legs, watching suspiciously.

  Bobby was wearing what she had on the day before—a blue polo shirt with the Stop-N-Go logo and khaki pants. Her hair looked like it hadn’t seen a hairbrush in a few days, and mascara was smeared under her eyes. She looked too bedraggled to be the answer to my prayers. I was more likely the answer to hers.

  “Stay back, Rose,” Joe said. “We checked her for weapons, but you still need to be careful.”

  I did as he said, because while I wanted to trust her, I had to protect Hope. We didn’t know anything about this woman other than that she had the information we needed. It didn’t mean she planned to share it or had anything but her own self-interest at heart.

  “Bobby,” I said, offering her a warm smile. “I’m so glad you came to see me. I’m sorry if you feel harassed, but I’m sure you understand.”

  “Yeah,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself. “I get it.” Her gaze landed on Hope. “You have your baby to protect.”

  She could just be a woman fascinated with babies, but the way she watched Hope unnerved me. Maybe I was being paranoid. “Are you hungry?” I asked. “Thirsty?”

  She shook her head. “No. I’m too antsy to eat anything.”

  “We’re gonna protect you, Bobby. You don’t need to be worried.”

  “Sure,” she sneered. “You’ll protect me, but only if I help you.”

  “No,” I said, shifting Hope up to my shoulder. “We’ll help you either way, but if we protect you, I would hope you would want to help us too.”

  She gave me a haughty look. “I think you overestimate me bein’ a nice person.”

  I shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out. I was eatin’ lunch when you showed up. You might not be hungry, but I am. Come with me. Let’s have a chat.” I turned and headed into the kitchen and sat down at the table. I considered putting Hope in her bouncy seat, but I wasn’t sure if Bobby was here to stir up trouble. So I cradled Hope in one arm while I picked up my sandwich with the other.

  Bobby walked over and sat at the end of the table while Joe stood in the doorway.

  “Have you been hiding?” I asked.

  She nodded. “I went to my granny’s, but I worried they’d look for me there. So I drove her car to Shute Creek Park last night and stayed there overnight.”

  “In her car?”

  “Yeah, with the windows rolled down. I stayed there until a sheriff cruiser pulled into the parking lot this morning.”

  I shot Joe a look. Was the sheriff’s department looking for her too?

  “Likely a routine check,” Joe said. “Drug deals are known to go down there.”

  I nodded, then turned my attention back to
Bobby. “If you had a car, why didn’t you leave town?”

  “That takes money,” she said in disgust, her gaze taking in the room. “Money I don’t have.” Her tone insinuated that I did.

  My kitchen didn’t reek of money, but I supposed it was more than a lot of people had. She knew I was the Lady in Black, too, and probably had the misperception the role came with some money.

  Still, I wondered why she was so broke. Sure, she didn’t make much at the convenience store, but what about Rufus? How much did James pay his men? Funny, I’d never thought to ask. I decided to table that line of questioning for now.

  I reached for my glass of water. “Do you know who was in the parking lot at the Stop-N-Go, watching you yesterday morning?” Although Jed had seemed fairly convinced her observer was from Hardshaw, I wanted to know her opinion on the matter.

  She shook her head. “Coulda been Skeeter, worried about what I was gonna say. Coulda been Carmichael. I know that bastard was the one who killed Ruffie. His men snatched him from our front yard, threw him into a van, then hauled him away.”

  “What makes you think it was Carmichael?” Joe asked from the doorway.

  She turned to look over her shoulder. “I recognized one of the guys. I went to high school with him, and I know he’s makin’ money workin’ for Carmichael. Makin’ more than my poor Ruffie was with Malcolm.”

  “So which one do you think was watchin’ you?” I asked. “Skeeter or Carmichael?”

  “Hard to say,” she said, her gaze landing on Hope again. “Probably Carmichael, depending on what Ruffie told ’em. Or it coulda been Hardshaw.”

  “So you know about Hardshaw?”

  She released a sharp laugh. “I thought you was supposed to be smart.”

  I gave her a pointed look. “Let me make something perfectly clear: you are welcome in my home, but only if you treat me and my people with respect. If you can’t do that, you are more than welcome to leave.” My brow rose. “After all, you’re a guest here, not a prisoner.”

  It was a risk, but I had to take it. She knew three other groups were looking for her, and this was about the only potential safe space available to her. She needed me. I couldn’t let her see how much I needed her.

  She leaned her forearm on the table. “I thought you knew about Hardshaw.”

  “I do, but I have no idea what everyone else knows.” I pushed my plate away, my appetite gone. “From what I know, Rufus was employed by Hardshaw and they sent him to work for Malcolm.”

  Wariness filled her eyes. “How’d you know that?”

  “Maybe that reputation of me bein’ smart has some truth to it,” I said. “Did they send him here for a specific reason, or just because Hardshaw was lookin’ to increase their numbers?”

  She gave me a wary look.

  “I know they’ve been slowly infiltration’ the county. Heck, they’re tied up with Sonder Tech. I also know that Denny Carmichael’s been rootin’ them out like a terrier after weasels,” I said nonchalantly. “He killed one of their employees and her boyfriend. Did you know them? Calista Johnson and Patrick Nestle?”

  She swallowed hard, staring at my glass of water.

  “Would you like a drink, Bobby?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  “Joe.” I leaned over to look at him. “Can you get our guest some ice water?”

  “Yeah.”

  He headed to the cabinet, keeping an eye on her while he filled the glass.

  I remained silent until he set it in front of her, keeping my gaze on her and letting her squirm.

  She reached for the glass and took a couple of gulps before setting it down.

  “What do you know about the safe break-in at the Gilliam law office last October?” I asked.

  She stared at me with wide eyes.

  “I know that Rufus was part of the break-in. He checked out the contents of the envelope he stole before he handed it over to Skeeter Malcolm.”

  A panicked look washed over her face.

  I sat back and tilted my head. “I think you know what was in that envelope too, and what’s more, so does Denny Carmichael. He is actively lookin’ for you right now because he’s pretty desperate to get his hands on that flash drive, or rather the knowledge of what was on it, because we both know Rufus would have been killed months ago if he didn’t hand it over to Skeeter.”

  She lowered her gaze to the clasped hands in her lap.

  “I’m not gonna lie to you, Bobby. I want to know what was on it too, but I have a more specific reason, which I suspect Rufus knew about. That envelope was bequeathed to me by my dead sister. I hear my name was even written on it. So I ask you, who do you think has more of a right to it? Me, Malcolm, or Denny Carmichael?”

  “He was just doin’ what he was told,” she said, her gaze still lowered, but her hands shook and her voice trembled.

  “I’m sure he was,” I said evenly. “I’m not fool enough to think Rufus wouldn’t have faced consequences had he dropped the contents off with me and told Skeeter he’d changed his mind and given the envelope to its rightful owner. But now you have to make a choice. Either me or Denny Carmichael.”

  Her head popped up, her eyes large with fear.

  “Like I said, Carmichael’s lookin’ for you. He told me so face to face just a couple of hours ago.” I leaned closer. “I can help you, Bobby, but that level of help will depend on how much you help me.”

  Her jaw tightened. “I knew you weren’t gonna help me for nothin’.”

  “That’s not true. We’ll be more than happy to give you a room to stay in and three meals a day until this blows over, or you can tell me what I need to know, and we’ll give you five hundred dollars so you can run hundreds of miles away. Or,” I added, “you can always go to the sheriff’s department and tell them you saw Carmichael’s men take Rufus. If they know Carmichael’s after you, surely they’ll help you. ”

  “Only if I cut a deal,” she said with a sneer. “But they couldn’t protect me. Just showin’ up there would put me on two men’s hit list.”

  “Why are you so convinced Skeeter Malcolm is after you?” I asked.

  Her chin trembled. “He knows.”

  “He knows what?” I asked.

  “That I have this.” She reached into her purse, which made Joe tense and rest his hand on the butt of his gun. But then she pulled something small out and placed it on the table.

  “Ruffie copied the flash drive onto one of his own.”

  Chapter 25

  I looked up at Joe, and he walked over and snatched it off the table. He glanced from me to Bobby, then back again. “Rose, come with me.” He gave Bobby a direct look. “Stay at that table.”

  I got up and followed him into the living room. My hands shook with nerves, so I tightened my grip on Hope.

  “I’ll get the laptop,” he said, ducking into his office. He came out with it a few seconds later and set it up on the coffee table. After booting it up, he inserted the flash drive into the USB port.

  I stood in the doorway, staring at Bobby. “How do we know it’s real?” After all, Joe had handed off fabricated evidence to Denny Carmichael just that morning.

  “Look at it,” she said, sounding exhausted. “See for yourself.”

  I glanced over at Joe as he typed on his keyboard. “It’s an assortment of files…a lot of files. Some pdfs. Some audio clips.” His gaze lifted to mine before dipping back to the screen. His eyes widened. “This is a floor plan of the courthouse.”

  A few seconds later, Mike’s voice burst from the computer.

  “Mike Beauregard,” he said hesitantly.

  “Just checkin’ on your progress,” a male voice said.

  “This isn’t something that can happen overnight,” Mike said, sounding frustrated.

  “Malcolm thinks you can manage it,” the man said.

  My eyes flew wide, but Joe kept his focus on his screen.

  “If he thinks it’s possible, then maybe he should do it,” Mike grunted.<
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  The recording ended, and Joe immediately tugged his phone out of his pocket and started tapping on the screen. He lifted it to his ear, waited a few seconds, then said, “You need to come over to our house. Rose found the missing flash drive, and it’s gonna take more than just me to dig through what’s on here.” A pause. “Thanks.”

  He lowered his phone and looked up at me. “This appears to be real, and I suspect all these audio files are recordings from phone calls Mike made with Hardshaw.”

  “Why would he record his calls?” I asked.

  “Insurance is my guess,” Joe said, frowning as he cast a glance at the kitchen. “Maybe he got sucked further into this than he would have liked, and he wanted to make sure he had the leverage to work out a plea deal if he got caught, or if he decided he’d had enough.”

  “How did Violet get a hold of it?” I asked.

  “I know for a fact that she used Mike’s laptop,” Joe said. “It was givin’ her fits while she was in Houston. I sent her an iPad, but she told me she preferred a computer. So when she came home, I took her old one to the store and got it fixed.”

  I stared at him in disbelief. She’d told me about the iPad, but she’d never mentioned that Joe had given it to her. “You did? I didn’t even know you two were talking.”

  “She was my friend,” he said firmly. “I talked to her every week or so while she was gone.”

  I’d known that, to some extent. Joe had moved back into his old rental house for a while after returning to Henryetta, and Violet had been living next door at Momma’s house. They’d hung out as neighbors and spent time together with the kids. But I hadn’t realized their friendship had run so deep. “That was really sweet of you to do that for her,” I said softly. “You should have told me.”

  “I think I’m gonna puke,” Bobby called out from the kitchen. At first I thought she was being sarcastic about my conversation with Joe, but her face was pale and she was clutching her stomach.