“Santa?” I asked hopefully.
“Yeah, right.”
I started to open the car door, but then stopped. “Jed, I think you should stay out here.”
“I already figured that part out. I doubt Teagen or Marshal are gonna be helpin’ at the food pantry. I plan to make a few calls while you’re inside.”
I climbed out and followed Neely Kate, who was already halfway up the steps to the front door.
“Neely Kate! Wait!”
She kept going until she reached the top step, then turned to stare down at me with a determined look in her eyes.
“Look,” I said as I climbed the last few steps. “You know her. We can’t just waltz in there and ask her anything we want. We have to warm her up.”
“Hello.” She lifted the small cupcake box. “That’s what this is for.”
“But shouldn’t we at least have some kind of plan?” I asked, starting to panic.
She pushed out an exasperated breath. “I let you take the lead when we questioned that kid at the Burger Shack last week. Trust me to do it this time.”
I studied her for a second. While she seemed to be pushing boundaries lately, she’d always had good instincts, and she’d done most of the interrogating up to this point.
“Of course I trust you. You haven’t led us astray yet.”
A warm smile lit up her face. “Thanks.” She handed me the smaller cupcake box and said, “Let’s do this.”
I sure hoped she didn’t expect me to be the one to butter up Hilary.
I opened the door for her and let her take the lead. She headed straight for Jonah’s office, moving with all the confidence of someone who’d been invited. His secretary and now girlfriend, Jessica, gave us a bright smile from behind her desk in the outer office. Jonah’s office was through a door to the left.
“Neely Kate! Rose! How wonderful for you to stop by. We haven’t seen you here in a few weeks.”
“We’ve been busy,” I said. I didn’t add that entrapping a criminal mastermind took more time than most people thought.
“Is Jonah here?” Neely Kate asked, leaning to the side, trying to get a view of the interior of his office.
Jessica flinched and her smile became forced. “Actually, he’s down at the food pantry.”
“I’d completely forgotten about the new food pantry,” Neely Kate said. “What a great idea. Have you had many volunteers?”
“A few . . .” The look on her face made it clear she wasn’t happy with the volunteers. “I’m worried the ones we have takin’ charge will scare everyone else away, but as Jonah says, everyone is welcome in the Lord’s house.”
That sounded like Hilary all right.
Neely Kate’s smile beamed sunshine. “Ain’t that the truth. And if anyone can lead them onto the straight and narrow, it’s Jonah.”
I knew that wasn’t just a platitude. Neely Kate and I both knew Jonah worked with ex-cons to help them turn their lives around. The fact that Jonah was a semi-popular televangelist led many people to discount him as a grandstander—his good looks and charm didn’t help. To my shame, I’d fallen into the judging camp before I took the time to really look and see his compassionate heart.
Neely Kate stepped closer, holding out the bigger cupcake box and opening the lid. “Would you like a cupcake? We wanted to bring a little treat to you and Jonah to show y’all how much we appreciate you and everything you do for the community.”
“Isn’t that so sweet of you?” Jessica asked as she grabbed a strawberry shortcake cupcake. “Thank you, Rose and Neely Kate.”
“You’re welcome,” Neely Kate said.
I was feeling guilty. I really did appreciate everything they did, so I hated lying about why we’d come here.
But Neely Kate had already moved to the door and waved to Jessica, “We’ll go find Jonah. Good to see you, Jessica.”
“You too,” she called after us. “Let’s do lunch soon.”
“We’d love to,” I said before we reached the hall.
When we were several feet from the doorway, I lowered my voice so Jessica couldn’t hear. “This doesn’t feel right, Neely Kate.”
“We might not have bought those cupcakes for them,” she whispered back, “but we do appreciate what they do, so there’s nothing wrong with offering them.”
She had a point, but it still felt wrong to be so devious in the Lord’s house.
Neely Kate continued down the hall, moving past the church hall and toward the kitchen.
We heard Hilary before we saw her. Her tone was sharp and bossy, and she was arguing with someone else whose voice I also recognized.
I groaned.
Neely Kate grinned ear to ear. She had obviously chosen to keep this piece of the puzzle a secret.
“A little advance notice would have been nice,” I grumbled as we came to a stop in the hallway outside the storeroom.
“Now what would be the fun in that?”
“Ladies,” Jonah said in exasperation. “Can’t we just compromise on this one? It seems logical to keep the canned goods sorted by food category—beans, soups, vegetables, and the like, instead of arranging them alphabetically.”
“I told you so,” Hilary said smugly.
“Maybe that’s how you do it in the big city of El Dorado,” Miss Mildred sneered, “But that’s not how we’ve been doing it around here. This ain’t my first food pantry, missy, so I know what I’m doin’. And shame on you, Reverend Jonah,” she added. “Siding with an outsider. She’s not even plannin’ on stayin’. She’s only dropped in to get her baby daddy to marry her. Then she’s gonna grab him by the collar and flit on out of here.”
It was like watching a duel between two supervillains, and I had no idea who to root for. While I would have loved to keep listening from afar, I felt the need to save Jonah from accidently instigating World War III.
I turned to Neely Kate and lifted my eyebrows, tilting my head toward the storage room. She rolled her eyes and let her shoulders sink, signaling that she’d wanted to stay there and listen, too.
Then she lifted her chin and stepped into the room. “Jonah! There you are. We heard you were hard at work, and look at this room. You sure are getting it organized.”
I followed behind and almost asked if she’d learned her version of “organized” from Hoarders, but wisely kept my mouth shut. The large storage room—previously the choir robe room—was filled with floor-to-ceiling metal restaurant shelving, but food was scattered everywhere, making it look like a bomb had just exploded boxes and canned goods all over the place.
Jonah’s eyes filled with desperation. “Neely Kate! Rose! How wonderful of you two to stop by for a visit.” His head swiveled from Hilary to Miss Mildred and back. “How about we take a short break?”
“But we just got started,” Hilary said, planting her hands on her narrow hips. I had no idea how she’d ever push a baby through that tiny pelvis.
“I need to talk to Neely Kate about something important,” Jonah said, scrambling to climb over a huge pile of instant macaroni and cheese boxes and packages of ramen noodles. “This will only take a minute or two.”
“Leave it to Rose Gardner to go stirrin’ up trouble,” Miss Mildred grumbled.
“Something we actually agree on,” Hilary murmured.
“Hey, he needed to talk to Neely Kate,” I said as Jonah hurried past me. “I’m just following my friend around.”
The glare on Miss Mildred’s face assured me she wasn’t buying it.
I was only going to make things worse if I stayed, so I followed Neely Kate and Jonah twenty feet down the hall into the kitchen.
“I really could use a little something extra in this today,” he said as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He took a sip, and his gaze wandered between the two of us. “Do you either of you have anything on you?”
“Like a flask?” I asked in disbelief.
Neely Kate reached into her purse, pulled out a mini bottle of Jack Daniels, and then
handed it to him. “Here you go.”
My mouth dropped open as if it were on a hinge.
“Before you judge”—Jonah said, dumping the entire contents of the bottle into his coffee before burying the bottle under a stack of paper towels in the trash— “you spend an hour with the two of them. You’d either need a shot of whiskey or a Xanax.”
He had a point.
Neely Kate set the cupcake box on the counter and opened the lid. “Maybe this will help.”
“You’re just full of wonders today,” Jonah said, reaching for a chocolate cupcake. “I love Dena’s cupcakes.”
“Who doesn’t?” she asked.
Let’s hope they’ll work as well on Hilary.
“So what are you two doin’ here?” he asked, then turned to me. “I thought you’d be hiding, with J.R. Simmons on the loose.”
“Well, we could use a favor . . .” Neely Kate said.
His gaze shifted between the two of us. “I would think you’d need more than a favor with J.R. Simmons running loose. You need divine intervention.” He swung his attention to me. “I can’t believe Joe’s just lettin’ you walk around.”
I pushed out a sigh. “He’s not too happy, but I’m tired of sitting around, waiting for the officials to take care of business. So I’m”—I glanced at Neely Kate— “we’re trying to find out more information to bring him down for good.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea?” he asked, worry wrinkling his brow. “He’s capable of anything, and you two . . .”
“Are protected,” I said quietly.
His eyes rounded with understanding. “Skeeter.”
When I didn’t respond, he asked, “And Mason. . . ?”
Since that was a complicated answer, I gave the simplest one I had. “Mason isn’t an issue at the moment.”
His gaze softened. “Rose, I’m sorry.”
I shook my head vigorously, trying to settle my grief back into place. While Mason said he wanted to work things out, I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. But now was not the time to think about our relationship.
“It’s for the best this way.” I rolled my shoulders. I needed to focus. I could fall apart later. “We’re here because we need to talk to Hilary.”
“Ask and you shall receive,” a voice said from behind me.
I spun around to stare into the annoyed face of Hilary herself.
Chapter 18
How long had Hilary been standing there? I went back over our conversation, looking for what she could have overheard.
But Neely Kate didn’t look fazed in the least. “Hilary, you’re gonna spoil our surprise. We brought you a peace offering, and we were just beggin’ Jonah to let us steal you for a few minutes so we could give it to you.”
She remained expressionless. “Well, isn’t that quite the surprise.”
Neely Kate picked up the small box and held it out to her. “We got you Dena’s cupcakes. We asked her for your favorite flavor.”
“Why would you do that?” she asked in a guarded tone, her hand resting on her small belly as if she were protecting her baby from us.
“Because you and I are more alike than you seem to think,” Neely Kate said. “And you’re alone in this town. We haven’t treated you very well, and I’d like to make it up to you.”
She cast a wary glance at us.
“She’s right,” I said, meaning every word. “We’ve all said some ugly things to one another, but I’d really like to put that behind us. If you’re stayin’ in Henryetta, we should all try to get along, if only for the poor baby’s sake. You don’t want all this animosity around him or her.”
“Havin’ a baby should be a joyous occasion,” Neely Kate said quietly. “It’s bad enough the way Joe is treatin’ you. You don’t need any more ugliness in your life.”
To my surprise, Hilary’s eyes filled with tears.
“How can I trust you?” she asked.
I took a step forward. “I mean every word.” I glanced back at Jonah and nodded to assure him I did. “I hate bein’ enemies with you. Maybe we can’t be friends, but all of this turmoil with Violet and my birthmother has made me realize the importance of family. Your baby needs Joe—and you do, too. Maybe we can help you make things right with him.”
“I still don’t understand why you would help me after everything you’ve said and done.” She sounded wary and I didn’t blame her. I’d certainly be suspicious if I were in her shoes.
Truth be told, she’d always been the instigator, but pointing that out now wouldn’t help with our quest.
“Why can’t we let bygones be bygones?” Neely Kate asked, holding her hands out at her sides.
“Even after you went around town telling everyone that I’m eighty-five years old, and only keep my youth by drinking the blood of baby raccoons?”
Neely Kate grimaced. “Well . . .”
“Or that I dance in the woods—”
Neely Kate shrugged. “There’s not a doggone thing wrong with dancing.”
“In Dark Hollow Grove. Naked and under a full moon?”
Neely Kate pointed her finger at Hilary. “I never said Dark Hollow Grove. People tend to make things up as the story goes along.” Then a guilty look spread across her face. “So I might have said a few things I regret . . . but maybe you have, too.”
Hilary didn’t answer, yet her anger seemed to have faded.
“Let’s just start simple. With cupcakes,” Neely Kate said, gesturing to the box. “Why don’t you sit down and take a rest, and maybe we can have a chat?”
Tears filled Hilary’s eyes, and when she blinked, two streams rolled down her cheeks.
Damn her. She was even a pretty crier.
Hilary glanced back at Jonah for confirmation, and I decided this bridge we were building was too important for us to blow it up. Especially when there was little chance of her knowing anything about Joe’s housekeeper. I just needed to tell Neely Kate.
I motioned to the table. “Why don’t you two have a seat, and I’ll take this other box to Miss Mildred to see if she wants one.”
Neely Kate gave me an odd look, but I picked up the box and slipped out into the hall.
I pulled out my phone and quickly sent Neely Kate a text: We need to think long term here and not blow it with H. If the opportunity comes up to bring up Roberta, do it. Otherwise, let it be. I meant what I said about getting along.
She texted back moments later. Got it.
Was that just an acknowledgment, or did she agree?
“What in the Sam Hill is takin’ so long?” Miss Mildred grumped behind me.
I stuffed my phone into my pocket and turned to face my perpetually grumpy ex-neighbor. “Hilary is takin’ a break. We figured she might need one with the baby and all. But I was just heading back here to find you.”
“Back in my day, you kept on workin’ until it was time to have the kid. Then you got yourself to the hospital where they knocked you out, and when you woke up, you had a kid.”
I wasn’t sure what any of that had to do with Hilary and her break, but I just nodded and opened the lid of the box.
“Would you like a cupcake?” I asked.
She leaned forward and peered into the box. “Those don’t look like Ima Jean’s cupcakes.”
“That’s because they’re Dena’s.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t eat her cupcakes.”
“Why not?” I asked. “They taste a whole lot better than Ima Jean’s.”
She pointed her bony finger at me. “And that’s precisely why. Too much of a good thing is bad.”
“Okay . . .” I had to wonder if Miss Mildred was turning senile. In what world were good cupcakes a bad thing?
I closed the lid. “Miss Mildred, have you talked to Violet lately?”
“Of course. I saw her the day before last.”
“Did she tell you that she’s gonna be gone for a while?”
“Of course. Something about a gardening class in Texas. A month or s
o. Who would have thought up such a thing? I offered to teach her everything I know, but she refused to take any more of my help.”
I gave her a weak smile. Miss Mildred had always loved my sister.
“Well, you know Violet.”
She nodded, and then her eyes turned glassy. “You tell your sister not to worry about the house. I’ll be watching. She needs to devote all her energy to her . . . class.”
My eyes widened.
“She’s been looking under the weather lately. I hope that Texas sunshine helps her while she’s down there.”
I tried to swallow the lump in my throat. She knew.
“I hope it does, too,” I choked out.
Then to my surprise, Miss Mildred put her hand on mine and patted it. “Violet comes from good stock. Both of you girls do. You’re fighters. You can overcome anything. Even a cantankerous old woman.”
Then, before I could say anything, she pushed past me and continued down the hall. “Jonah! If that new woman is takin’ a break, then you and I can discuss the offering plates,” she shouted into the empty hallway, although we both knew he likely heard her.
I was fairly certain that the figure I’d seen darting out of sight at the end of the hallway was him.
“I do not approve of passing around wicker baskets like we’re some poor church. I know darn good and well you have some perfectly usable silver-plated ones in the closet,” Miss Mildred continued.
Her voice faded as I started to slip back into the kitchen, surprised to find Neely Kate and Hilary deep in conversation. They were sitting at the table, and of both of them had cupcakes and bottles of water in front of them. I decided to stay put in the hall, peering around the corner. Hilary was more likely to spill things to Neely Kate if I wasn’t around.
“Dena’s Bakery is better than Ima Jean’s ever was,” Neely Kate said.“Dena is the first person brave enough to take Ima Jean on.”
“I made the mistake of eating a brownie from Ima Jean’s once,” Hilary said, looking embarrassed. “My pregnancy hormones didn’t give me constipation problems for days. I think I lost a pound or two.” Hilary cringed. “Oh, Neely Kate. I’m sorry. That was so insensitive of me. How are you doing?” She lowered her voice. “Really.”
Thirty-Six and a Half Motives: Rose Gardner Mystery #9 (Rose Gardner Mystery Series) Page 17