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

by Denise Grover Swank

  That surprised me. Why would J.R. care whether he did or not? “Did he threaten Skeeter?”

  “He didn’t have to.” When I gave him a questioning look, he added, “You’re Skeeter’s threat. Simmons knows he’ll go to great lengths to protect you.”

  “Thus Skeeter’s test.” I pressed my back against the car. “Would he have told me?”

  Jed opened his mouth to answer, but my phone started to vibrate in my pocket. I lifted my hand to hold him off, then pulled out the phone, not surprised to see Skeeter’s name on the caller ID.

  “Hey, James,” I answered, my heart heavy.

  “Jed told you.” His voice was stone cold.

  “Not everything, but enough. I forced it out of him.”

  His grunt implied he wasn’t entirely convinced.

  “What did J.R. say? Who is he going to hurt?”

  “He didn’t specify. But he says you’ll regret not goin’.”

  “Bruce Wayne,” I said.

  “Maybe. Probably.”

  “So what do you propose we do?” I asked. “Callin’ his bluff isn’t a good idea, but I’m not fond of the idea of just handin’ myself over to him.”

  “That is not an option,” he said tersely. “We’ll track the bastard down and get to him first. You head out to that garage, and I’ll work on some things on my end.”

  I knew he was about to hang up, so I called out, “James. Wait.”

  He paused, waiting.

  “How’s Merv?”

  “He’ll survive.”

  I felt a load of guilt roll off my back. “Tell him thank you.”

  “You tell him yourself the next time you see him,” Skeeter said. Then he hung up.

  We had a timetable now, but we weren’t much closer to finding J.R. It was time to bring in reinforcements. We’d focus on our end of the investigating and hand another piece off to someone else.

  I called Joe on the way to Big Bill’s, not giving Jed the chance to stop me.

  “Rose,” Joe said when he answered, “You can’t keep calling me. I’m ass-deep in shit.”

  “A half hour ago, you were only knee-deep, Joe.”

  Jed’s eyes were dark as he jerked around to glare at me. This was why I hadn’t warned him about who I was calling.

  Joe sighed. “Well, the shit just keeps pilin’ up.”

  I cringed. “I’m about to make it deeper.”

  “What now?”

  I needed to tell him what I knew, but the less he knew about my collaboration with Skeeter, the better.

  “Your father has my number, Joe. He called me yesterday before he escaped.”

  “Why the hell didn’t you tell me that before?” he demanded.

  “It didn’t seem important.”

  “Don’t bullshit me, Rose.”

  “Okay, fine. Because I knew your answer would be to put me under some type of police custody. Your deputies need to focus on catching him, not babysitting me.”

  “Then for God’s sake, go sit with Mason.”

  “No. I’m not hiding anymore.”

  “Rose!”

  “Listen to me, Joe. I’m being careful. Believe it or not, I feel safer right now than I would tucked away in some safe house like a sitting duck. I’m on the move, and he has no idea where I am. You need to focus on finding him. I may have a lead for you.”

  Jed looked furious.

  I paused, then pushed out a breath. I was about to piss Jed off even more, but we really did need to pool our resources to stop J.R.

  “You need to be looking for Sam Teagen.”

  Jed jerked his head around to glare at me.

  “Who the hell is Sam Teagen?” Joe barked.

  “The man who kidnapped me.”

  “What? Why are you just now telling me?”

  “I just figured it out.”

  “How?”

  “Never mind about that part. You need to look for Teagen and work on figurin’ out where your father is going to make his move.” I hung up before he could ask more questions.

  “Why’d you tell him about Teagen?” Neely Kate asked.

  “Because we need all the help we can get. It didn’t feel right keepin’ it from him.”

  “But not Marshal?”

  “Jed and Skeeter don’t know who Marshal is. I highly doubt his name would be helpful to Joe.”

  “So why not tell him about Kate and the shed?”

  “I told him about the files in her apartment, and he pooh-poohed the whole thing after he didn’t find anything when he dropped in. Do you really think he’d believe me?”

  “No.”

  “Exactly, so no use tipping our hand. We’ll play it close to the vest until we have more information.”

  Jed still looked furious, but he didn’t say a word on the drive to the restaurant.

  Just like I’d suspected, Neely Kate didn’t have enough money to cover the wings from Big Bill’s. Jed grumbled and pushed her to the side, then paid for the entire order. She grinned at me, but wisely kept her mouth shut.

  Ted’s Garage was on the south side of town, so I had plenty of time to stew about how much we had riding on this random drop-in visit. If we didn’t get any useable information about Teagen or Marshal, we were at a dead end.

  Jed parked in the lot but left the car running. Turning around to face us, he said, “I’d like to go in there with you, but as Rose pointed out, if those guys have turned on Skeeter, they’ll clam up at the sight of me. Doesn’t matter that their ring leader showed up at the pool hall this morning to pledge his allegiance to Skeeter, claiming none of them never wavered in their loyalty.”

  Neely Kate rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”

  He paused and searched my friend’s face. “I agree. They’re saving their skin, which means they can’t be trusted. I’m gonna ask you straight, Neely Kate. Do you feel safe goin’ in there? I know you’re separated from your husband right now. Does that mean they’ll turn on you?”

  “No. Ronnie would kill anyone who dared lay a finger on me.”

  He nodded, looking grave. “What about Rose?”

  Her mouth twisted as she cast a glance at me. “Rose is a bit trickier.”

  My back stiffened. “I’m goin’ in there with you.”

  Jed turned his attention to me. “You might need to use the gun Deveraux gave you to get yourself out of there.”

  “We both have guns,” Neely Kate said. “I doubt they’ll be brandishing weapons in a mechanic shop with customers coming and going. If they try to take Rose, they’ll use brute force. If it comes to that, we’ll use our weapons.”

  “I’d rather try my Taser first,” I said. “It’s less lethal.”

  “Don’t try it if you’re outnumbered,” Jed said. “Keep your gun in your coat pocket, safety off. I want you to call me and stay on the line like you did with Skeeter last night. If I can hear what’s goin’ on, I’ll know if you need me to come in or not.”

  “Okay,” I said, trying to steady my nerves. I transferred the gun to my coat pocket, then set up the call like Jed had suggested, tucking my phone into my jeans pocket with the microphone end sticking out. “Let’s go do this.”

  “At least we’ll have the element of surprise,” Neely Kate said as she slipped out of the backseat.

  “Rose,” Jed called after me.

  I turned back to face him, my hand on the door handle.

  “Be careful.”

  I was sure going to try.

  Chapter 20

  “We’re going to play this like we have no idea anyone here might have it out for you,” Neely Kate said, leading the way with the bags of chicken wings.

  I trailed a step behind. “Yeah. That’s good.”

  “And let me do the talkin’.”

  “I’m not gonna fight you for this one.”

  She gave me a tight grin and then, bold as brass, walked under an open garage door, ignoring the customer entrance. The garage had six bays, each one occupied by a car, several of them up o
n lifts. I could see four men spread out around the garage, all of them wearing gray coveralls stained with various amounts of grease. One of the cars was being fitted with a set of air intake pipes just like the ones described by Maeve.

  We were at the right place, all right.

  “Good afternoon, boys,” Neely Kate called out in a semi-confrontational tone.

  A middle-aged man stepped out from behind an old station wagon, its hood gaping open, and wiped his hands on his coveralls.

  “Neely Kate, what in tarnation are you doin’ here?” His eyes grew even wider when he saw me.

  “I’m lookin’ for my husband, Vern.”

  A look of disgust covered his face. “Your lazy-ass husband hasn’t bothered to show his face here in darn near a week.”

  “Well, you can’t blame a girl for tryin’.” She hefted the two paper bags. “But I still have a mess of wings that I can’t eat. Mind if I take them back to the break room?”

  “You know we ain’t gonna turn down Big Bill’s wings, but you must be desperate if you’re pullin’ out the big guns.”

  “Well . . .” Her voice trailed off as she walked around a newer model pickup truck. “I guess maybe I am.”

  I followed her down a short hall to a square-shaped room with a rectangular table and chairs on one side, and a sink, microwave, and fridge on the other. Two windows were centered on the wall to the right, overlooking a gravel parking lot full of cars.

  “I didn’t see Witt,” I whispered. I knew Neely Kate’s cousin worked at Ted’s Garage, and I was hoping I’d have at least one other ally there.

  “He’s off today since he’s workin’ Saturday.”

  Well, crap.

  Three men sat at the table, and they all looked up when we entered. While Vern had seemed harmless, two of these three men didn’t.

  Neely Kate set the bags on the table with a loud thud. “Tiny. Big Mo. Fancy seeing you here. Seems to me you’d be hiding under the same rock as my husband.”

  The two scary-looking men scowled, and I had to wonder which one was Tiny and which was Big Mo. Both were muscular and tall. The bald one had a goatee and a hoop earring in his left ear while the other guy had tattoo sleeves and hair cropped so close I could see his scalp. The one with the tattoos looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t figure out how I knew him.

  “What the hell are you doin’ here, Neely Kate?” the bald guy asked.

  “What’s it look like?” she asked in a condescending tone. “I brought lunch.”

  “Why would you do that?”

  “Because I was hopin’ to find my husband and eat with him. The leftovers were for the rest of you.”

  “And what about her?” the other guy asked.

  “She came along to keep me company.”

  “We ain’t stupid, Neely Kate. That’s Rose Gardner,” the bald guy said. “Hangin’ out with her is likely to be bad for your health.”

  Neely Kate’s eyes narrowed, making her look all kinds of scary. “Are you threatening me, Tiny?”

  He lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. “Just statin’ the facts.”

  “I suppose you’re entitled to your opinion.” She moved over to the cabinets and curled up her nose as she grabbed paper plates from a shelf thick with dust and crumbs. “You boys ever think about cleanin’ up after yourselves?”

  “That’s a good one, Neely Kate,” Tiny laughed.

  “We ain’t doin’ women’s work,” Big Mo chortled.

  The third guy, who was tall and skinny and looked like he’d fall over in a big gust of wind, wisely kept his mouth shut.

  Neely Kate handed me a plate, kept one for herself, and then tossed a small stack on the table. “Seeing as how there are no women around, I guess you all like to live in filth.”

  “We ain’t livin’ here,” Big Mo said with a gap-toothed grin as he leaned over and grabbed a couple of plates. He handed one to his friend, but the skinny guy was left to fend for himself.

  “Vern hires someone to clean up,” the skinny guy said, hesitantly reaching for the stack of plates.

  Neely Kate grabbed one and handed it to him. “Why’s he have to shrug that off on someone else, John Paul? What? You’re not responsible enough to clean up after yourself?”

  His face reddened. “No, ma’am. I mean, yes, ma’am. I am.”

  I expected Neely Kate to go off on him for calling her ma’am, but the boy looked like he was about to pee his pants, so maybe she decided to take mercy on him. Either that or she was too busy going after her real targets.

  She grabbed several wings and plopped them on my plate, then added a couple to hers before sliding the bags over to John Paul.

  Tiny reached for the bag, but Neely Kate slapped his hand away. “You wait your turn. John Paul’s the only one with manners around here, so he gets first dibs.”

  John Paul grabbed a few, then hurriedly pushed the bags toward the other guys.

  Neely Kate sat in a chair opposite Tiny and Big Mo, motioning for me to sit next to her.

  I hesitated. These two men intimidated the bejiggers out of me. But then I reminded myself that I’d faced far scarier men in my role as the Lady in Black. The only difference was that this time I’d left the hat in my bedroom closet. I suspected I was going to have to force a vision. The fact was I should have probably forced half a dozen by now, but for some reason I couldn’t fathom, I was scared to do it. Maybe I was worried my luck with J.R. had run out.

  “I hear things are a mess around here,” Neely Kate said, taking a bite from one of her wings. “And I’m not talkin’ about the kitchen.”

  “Things are always a mess,” Tiny said.

  “They have to be pretty bad if Ronnie and Al are both missin’.”

  Rather than answer, they devoted their full attention to their wings.

  “You givin’ your allegiance back to Skeeter Malcolm?” Neely Kate asked.

  “I don’t see how it’s any business of yers,” Big Mo grunted while gnawing on a wing like a starving dog with a bone.

  “It’s my business if my husband’s caught up in the middle of it.”

  Tiny released a short laugh. “You really think we’re gonna tell you anything in front of her?” He pointed a greasy, sauce-covered finger at me while still holding his wing. “She’s just gonna go tell her boyfriend, the D.A.”

  “In case you hadn’t heard,” Neely Kate said with an air of nonchalance, “she’s not with the D.A. anymore. They split up.”

  The two men studied me with narrowed eyes.

  “It’s true,” I said, feeling my Lady persona slipping into place like a well-worn glove. “Difference of opinion. I tend to think the rules aren’t so black and white.”

  “Did you work with Crocker?” John Paul asked in a quiet voice, eyeing me as if I were a sideshow oddity. “Did you hire him to kill your mother like they said you did?”

  “No,” I said, turning to him. “But I killed him.”

  “And you shot J.R. Simmons,” Tiny said, pushing his plate away with a wary look. “You’re working with Skeeter Malcolm, ain’t you?”

  I was standing at a crossroads. I didn’t have my veil to hide behind, but I needed all the bravado it gave me. And watching these two, I suspected I was going to have to out myself. I wished I had more time to think about how this was going to affect everyone else in my circle, especially Mason.

  “I am,” I said in a direct voice, holding eye contact with him. I felt naked and exposed, but I reminded myself that it was the same me. Lady and Rose were the same. Besides, it was no secret that I’d helped Skeeter and Jed entrap J.R. “Do either of you know Sam Teagen or his buddy Marshal?”

  Neely Kate shot me an exasperated look, but it was clear her idea of buttering them up wasn’t going to work—these guys had only two settings, mean and meaner.

  “And who wants to know?” Big Mo asked with a humorless laugh.

  “Skeeter Malcolm. I’m here on his behalf.”

  Both men laughed. “Skeeter sent y
ou?” Tiny asked. “Yeah, right.”

  I glanced at Neely Kate, and she nodded her head, giving me her blessing. I was risking a lot, and I knew it, but we needed answers. Besides, I was pretty sure they weren’t going to share out of the kindness of their hearts.

  “She’s right,” Neely Kate said. “And as you can imagine, Skeeter’s madder than a wet hornet at your betrayal, so you ought to do yourself a favor and cooperate.”

  Tiny burst out laughing. “Her? She’s with Malcolm?”

  Neely Kate put down her food, wiped her fingers on a napkin, and then rested her forearm on the table. “You can believe me or not, but I can guarantee you that she has his ear.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, right.”

  I slid my chair away from my untouched plate and crossed my legs, staring Tiny down. “I’m not sure why you’re so surprised. Skeeter and I teamed up to get J.R. arrested.”

  Tiny pointed a greasy finger toward me and started laughing. “Maybe she’s the Lady in Black.”

  “She’s not the Lady in Black,” Big Mo protested, glancing at me for confirmation. “She ain’t rich enough.”

  I shrugged, forcing myself to look bored. “I don’t really care who you think I am, but I do know one thing. You will tell us what we want to know.”

  Tiny started laughing, but Big Mo and John Paul eyed me with new interest.

  “The Lady in Black wears a black dress and a black hat. She’s got a big scar on her face,” Tiny grunted.

  “As I said, it doesn’t matter if I am or not. All you need to know is that I’m here as Skeeter’s representative right now. You will give me your cooperation, or Skeeter Malcolm will not be inclined to show you mercy when you go crawling back to him, beggin’ for his forgiveness.”

  Tiny gave me a look of disgust. “Like he cares what you think.”

  I turned my attention to Big Mo, suddenly realizing where I’d seen him before. “You know I’m right. And I know that your loyalty twists in the wind like a broken kite. You were with Crocker’s men. Y’all came to my farm to hunt me and Mason down. Then you turned your loyalty to Mick Gentry.” I didn’t add that I’d also seen him in the warehouse where I’d met Mick Gentry the week before. I cocked my head. “I suspect you’re a terrible gambler, Big Mo. You have a tendency for picking the losing side.”