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

by Denise Grover Swank

  Muffy sat in my lap the rest of the way into town, a pretty short trip given Neely Kate’s lead foot. I continued to read the journal, getting increasingly frustrated—it was interesting, but interesting wasn’t going to keep us alive.

  Neely Kate pulled into the nursery parking lot, and Muffy jumped off my lap and planted her front paws on the window, excited to see Maeve inside the building. I was just about to close the book when a name caught my eye.

  Thaddeus Brooke.

  “Whoa. Neely Kate. Wait.”

  She had opened her car door and closed it again. “Did you change your mind about dropping off Muffy?”

  “No. Dora wrote about the guy in the barn.”

  “What?” She leaned over the seat back to see.

  I held up the book. “Look, right here. Steyer sent a man named Thaddeus Brooke to see me today.”

  “Who is Steyer?” Neely Kate asked.

  “I don’t know. But this says Thaddeus Brooke threatened her if she continued to make waves.”

  “Did she say how he threatened her?”

  “No.”

  Maeve was waiting at the door of the nursery now, and Muffy began to bark her head off.

  “Let’s drop off Muffy. I’ll look at it more on the way to the restaurant,” I said, opening the door and picking up my little dog. I stuffed the book into my purse, which I slung over my shoulder. I sure wasn’t letting it out of my sight.

  Muffy didn’t want any part of being carried, but I didn’t feel like putting on her leash. She practically leapt out of my arms the moment we walked through the door.

  Maeve laughed when Muffy jumped up on her legs, begging for attention.

  “I guess I don’t have to worry about her being upset that I’m leaving her,” I said, trying to keep the hurt out of my voice.

  “She’s just used to staying with me now,” Maeve said as she squatted to rub Muffy’s head. “That and the homemade dog biscuits I make her.” Maeve stood and smiled. “She knows who her mommy is. Besides, you’ll see her tomorrow.”

  But what if I didn’t? What if tonight didn’t go well?

  “Maeve,” I said. “If anything happens to me—”

  “You stop that right now,” she admonished. “Nothing’s going to happen to you.”

  “But if it were to . . .” I looked down at my dog, who had begun to sniff around.

  “I would be honored to take care of Muffy. But that’s something we don’t have to worry about for a very long time.”

  I gave her a smile. “Thanks.” I looked out into the parking lot, wondering how Bruce Wayne and possibly Anna had been snatched in broad daylight.

  “I’m sure they’re just fine,” Maeve said softly behind me. She wrapped her arms around my front and gave me a hug. “I’m sure everything’s gonna be just fine.”

  “Is this a feeling?” I asked hopefully. Maeve occasionally had feelings that were more like premonitions, and they often came true.

  “No, I just have to believe everything will work out.”

  I sure hoped so, but my usual optimism had been jaded by the impossible situation we were in.

  Neely Kate could see me tearing up, so she tugged on Maeve’s arm and hugged her. As soon as she set Maeve free, Neely Kate grabbed my arm. “We’re going to be late for our appointment.”

  Maeve kissed my cheek, and a warm smile lit up her face. “We’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

  When we got to the car, I sat in front with Neely Kate, starting to get nervous about meeting Kate.

  “See if you can find out more from the journal,” Neely Kate said. “You have about five minutes to search.”

  I grabbed the book out of my purse and quickly got to work, skimming the text until I came across something several pages later.

  “Oh. This is different than everything else. It’s much more personal. Like her diary.” I started to read out loud:

  One day in September, I had just gotten off work and was heading to my car when I saw a teenage girl I knew from church. She was sitting on the hood of a beat-up car, staring at the factory like it held the secret to life. She was so intent on her staring that she jumped when I asked her if she was okay. She said no, and when I asked her if she needed any help, she said it was too late. So I said, Jenny Lynn Rivers, it’s never too late. I’m proof enough of that.

  Neely Kate jerked upright. “What?”

  “Jenny Lynn Rivers.” Realization washed through me. “Oh, my word. That’s your mother.” I turned to face her. “What do you know about her life before she moved away?”

  “Not much. She ran from Henryetta when she was seventeen and never came back until she dumped me on my grandmother’s doorstep.”

  I hesitated before asking, “And your father?”

  Her face paled. “Absolutely nothing.”

  “What do you want me to do? Would you rather read this yourself? What if it’s personal?”

  “No. Your mother wrote it. Keep going.” She paused. “Besides, you know I’d probably turn around and tell you anyway.”

  I nodded and continued reading out loud, but I felt like I’d landed in my best friend’s business.

  She seemed thinner than usual, so I told her I’d buy her dinner if she met me at the diner. She met me there—which surprised me considering she’d looked liable to bolt with fright. I bought her a cheeseburger and fries and watched her inhale her food, wondering when I should broach the way she’d been sitting in the factory parking lot.

  But she beat me to it. She looked up at me and asked, “Have you ever struggled with doin’ the right thing?”

  I started laughing until tears ran out of my eyes, but she was getting downright angry. If she hadn’t been waiting on her dessert, she probably would have walked out then and there.

  “Jenny Lynn,” I said, putting my hand over hers. “I’m smack dab in the middle of doing the right thing myself.”

  She looked down at my huge belly and asked, “Is it hard? Having a baby all by yourself?”

  I smiled. “I don’t know. I haven’t had one yet.”

  She grinned at that, then looked down at her plate. “But is it hard not being married? The women in this town don’t take to sinnin’ much. And they sure don’t approve of unwed mothers who don’t claim the father.”

  I hesitated. I wasn’t surprised she knew all that about me. I was the best scandal to hit Henryetta in years. “That’s a complicated question.”

  The dessert came, but before she started eating her cake, she said, “I think he’ll kill me if he finds out.”

  “The father of your baby?” I asked. She looked surprised since she obviously wasn’t showing and clearly didn’t suffer from morning sickness based on the way she inhaled her dinner. “Surely you’re exaggerating.”

  “He’s killed people before,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m pretty sure he don’t want this hangin’ over his head.”

  “But that’s so drastic.” Surely I’d misunderstood her.

  She shrugged, concentrating on her cake.

  “Have you gone to the police? They could protect you.”

  She laughed. “The police won’t care about a Rivers. We stir up too much trouble. They’d probably be happy to have one less of us messin’ up their pretty town.”

  That seemed drastic, too, but the Rivers family did have a reputation. And while the police chief seemed fair, a good portion of the officers were judgmental pricks. “Have you thought about . . . ending it?”

  She looked up at me with big blue eyes. “You mean stop seeing him?”

  “That too, but I was talking about, you know, the baby.”

  “Oh.” Her eyes flicked down before rising again to meet mine. “No. Have you ever wanted someone to love you for you? A baby don’t know any better. They just love you. You’re their everything and they don’t leave.” She shook her head and took another bite of her cake. “No. I want this baby.”

  “How old are you, Jenny Lynn?”

  “Seventeen.”<
br />
  “Are you still in school?”

  She nodded. “I’m a senior.”

  “What about your hopes and dreams?” I asked. “Don’t you want to go to college?”

  She released a bitter laugh. “I can’t afford no college. He says he could pay for it, but I’m too stupid to go.”

  I gasped. “He? Your boyfriend? Jenny Lynn, don’t let any boy get away with telling you something like that.”

  “He’s a man, not a boy,” she said defensively, lifting her chin. “And he’s a successful business man. So he knows what he’s talking about.”

  I took a moment to glance over at Neely Kate. She was twenty-four with a birthday coming up, which made the timing right. She’d already pulled into a parking spot in front of our landscaping office. Her hands gripped the steering wheel, and her face was pale.

  “Go on,” she said, her chin trembling. “Finish it.”

  I took a breath and tried to quell my nausea as I continued reading, knowing this wouldn’t end well.

  A successful business man. A shiver ran down my back, but I forced myself to ask, “Does he live around here?”

  “No,” she said. “He lives in El Dorado, but he comes here every few weeks for business and I stay with him then. He has an apartment.” Tears filled her eyes. “He gave me money for birth control pills, but I used it for something else. He doesn’t want to use condoms. And now . . .”

  “How far along are you?” I asked.

  “Not far.” She shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, but I could see the fear in her eyes. “Maybe two months.”

  “It’s not too late to—”

  “No.” Her tone made it clear she wouldn’t tolerate discussing it. “I’m keeping my baby.”

  “Okay,” I said quietly. “He’s gonna find out eventually. What’s your plan?”

  “I know a guy. He’s in a band and he’s about to go on tour.” She looked up at me with a sad smile. “He has a thing for me. He asked me to go.”

  “Do you like this guy?”

  She sighed, looking indifferent. “They’re all the same. That’s why I like being with him.” A wicked grin lit up her eyes. “He ain’t no boy. He’s all man. And he’s powerful.”

  “But he’ll kill you if he finds out about the baby?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So why not just leave this man? What’s his name?”

  She shook her head. “It’s a secret. I’m not allowed to tell anyone. He likes his women young, and he says people just don’t understand.”

  “But you stay with him when he comes to town? You skip school?” When she nodded, I asked, “What if you just stopped going to his apartment when he comes to town?”

  Fear filled her eyes. “No one tells him no. He’d have one of Steyer’s men hunt me down. I’ll have to run far away if I want to stop seeing, J—” The horror in her voice as she cut herself off broke my heart. “I didn’t tell you his name.” Her eyes were wide with fear.

  I tried to keep calm now that I was 99% certain I knew the father of her baby. “Jenny Lynn, you didn’t tell me anything, but I think I know who it is. I’m trying to get him arrested. Let me help you.”

  “No!” She shook her head violently. “You’ll only make it worse.”

  “You can’t just do nothing.”

  She took a breath and her eyes hardened. “Dustin’s leaving at the end of the week. And I’m going with him. He’s heading out to Virginia. He’ll never think to look for me there.”

  I considered trying to talk her out of it, but I knew it was wasted breath. Besides, if I was right about her baby’s father, running was probably for the best. “So what were you doin’ in the parking lot at the factory?”

  Tears filled her eyes. “I wanted to see the place that changed my life. I never would have met him if it weren’t for that place.”

  Then she got up and left. I heard at church the next Sunday that she’d run away with Dustin Hargrove. And her momma never even tried to hunt her down.

  I swear I’ll do better by my baby girl.

  But I can’t stop the wave of guilt swallowing me whole. Jenny Lynn Rivers is just one more casualty from the mess I created. And I’m clueless about how to fix it.

  I stopped reading and looked over at Neely Kate. Tears were streaming down her face.

  “Neely Kate, you don’t know that he’s your father.”

  “I’m not sure we need much more proof,” she said. Then she wiped her face and opened the car door. “We don’t have time for this. Let’s go see my half-sister.”

  Chapter 26

  I hurried to catch up with Neely Kate, who seemed remarkably calm after hearing such earth-shattering news. Like she’d just stepped into her next role.

  “Neely Kate, I think you goin’ in to meet Kate right now is a bad idea.”

  She stopped in her tracks. “Why?”

  I sighed in exasperation. “Because you just found out something life-altering. When I found out about Dora, I fell to pieces.”

  “With all due respect, Rose,” she said in a tight voice, “I’m much stronger than you were then.”

  I gasped.

  Her eyes softened. “You have no idea what my life has been like. I’ve hardly told a soul any of it, especially the two years I left after high school, but I promise you that finding out that boll weevil is my father changes nothin’.”

  I didn’t believe her for a second. “Do you think Kate knows?”

  It was her turn to gasp. “Why would she know?”

  “Think about it. Whenever we see her, she’s really taken with you.”

  Neely Kate looked stunned.

  “Plus, she insisted that you come to this meeting.” I studied her face. “Are you planning on saying something to her?”

  She sucked in her bottom lip, suddenly looking more vulnerable. “I don’t know yet.”

  I pulled her into a hug. “Just think about it for a spell, okay? Don’t rush into anything. Let this sit for a bit.”

  She backed up and looked me in the eye, her mask of indifference back in place. “We have far bigger things to worry about than who provided half of my DNA.”

  “Maybe or maybe not, but you’re entitled to your feelings.”

  She ignored me, hustling across the street and leaving me to trail behind her.

  “Neely Kate!”

  “We’re late.” She didn’t slow down until she stepped into the restaurant.

  Kate was already sitting at a table for four by the window, wearing her trademark sarcastic grin. Her dark hair had grown since she’d come to town, but she’d touched up the blue streaks. She was dressed in a long-sleeved black T-shirt, jeans, and boots. Her canvas jacket hung on the back of her chair. A plate with half a sandwich and some chips sat in front of her, along with a glass of water. “You two were having a heartfelt moment out there.”

  “It’s called friendship,” Neely Kate spat out as she sat across from her. “You might want to try it sometime.”

  Kate’s grin spread, and she made a scratching motion with her curled fingers. “Someone’s feeling bitchy today. I like it. It’s a good look on you.”

  “Cut the shit, Kate,” my friend said with more venom than I’d ever heard in her voice. “Why are we here?”

  She leaned back in her chair and slightly tilted her head, her smile gone. “We’re here because your friend said she has questions. So I’m letting her ask them.”

  Neely Kate started to say something, but I grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed. I could only imagine what was going through her head right now. I should have made her stay in the office.

  A waitress walked over with her order pad. “What can I get for you two girls?”

  “Water for me,” I said, then glanced at Neely Kate before adding, “And a sweet tea for Neely Kate.”

  When the waitress walked away, I turned my attention to Joe’s sister. “Why did you come to Henryetta?”

  Kate laughed and sat up. “No beatin’ around the bush
for you, Rosie. Just get right to it. Good for you.”

  “Answer the question.”

  She gave me a pouty look. “I missed my brother.”

  “You expect me to believe that?”

  “Am I supposed to care that you don’t?”

  Crap. This was going to be a waste of time. I had to figure out why she was interested in me. I thought it was because of my past relationship with Joe, but what if she was trying to get to Neely Kate through me? What if her sudden appearance in town was really all about Neely Kate? I had to be smart with my questions. It was best to start with the obvious. “Do you really want me and Joe back together?”

  She burst out laughing. When she settled down, she asked, “Of all the questions you could come up with, that’s the one you ask?” She shook her head. “Maybe I pegged you wrong. Maybe you’re just like that cow after all.”

  “Hilary?”

  She rolled her eyes. “How many cows do you know?”

  Neely Kate narrowed her eyes. “I’m looking at one right now.”

  Oh, crap on a cracker. This was going downhill fast.

  But Kate just laughed. “What’s eatin’ you today, NK? You upset about your man leavin’ you?” She laughed at Neely Kate’s look of surprise. “Yeah. I know about that. Chin up. No man’s worth the grief.”

  “You ever been in love, Kate?” I asked.

  She groaned and placed her palms on the table with a bang. “What is your obsession with love, Rose Gardner? This isn’t some damn romance novel.”

  “You said I could ask anything I wanted. So I’m asking.” I leaned forward. “Have you ever been in love?”

  Her eyes softened for a split second, and she sat up taller in her seat but didn’t answer.

  I pressed on anyway. “What happened?”

  “Who said anything happened?”

  “It’s obvious you’re a free agent,” I said, sweeping my hand over the table. “No man in sight, but you’re obsessed with your brother’s love life. Trying to live vicariously through him?”

  “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” she spat out.

  “What’s your obsession with Mason?” I asked.

  She released a short laugh. “Who said I’m obsessed with your ex-boyfriend?” She gave me a mocking grin. “Yeah, I know about that, too.”