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

by Denise Grover Swank

  “I think you’re onto something,” Skeeter said. “But how would Kate know all of that?”

  “Does it matter?” I asked. “Murder has no statute of limitations. J.R.’s murder weapon will be a lot more useful to us than a ledger full of twenty-five-year-old crooked deals.”

  “The statute of limitations is pointless since he’s not goin’ back to jail,” Skeeter growled. “Not to mention that the chain of evidence has been destroyed.”

  “Maybe so, but Kate doesn’t care about that, does she?” Or did she? Was she protecting him or trying to bring him down? “So we meet her?”

  “Yes, but wait for me. Let me move my men into position before we strut in.”

  “Are you gonna be there in time?” I asked, my stomach in knots.

  “She can wait,” Skeeter said, then called out, “Jed.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Wait for me behind the Sinclair station.”

  “Got it.”

  We drove the rest of the way in silence. I was fretting over the unknown threats looming over us. I was sure Neely Kate was worrying about the same, not to mention dwelling on her new family tree. Jed . . . well, he was his usual stoic self.

  He parked in his spot, and as soon as he stopped, I opened the car door and bolted out, needing the cold night air to help me calm down. Leaving the car running, Jed followed me.

  “It’s all gonna work out,” he said.

  I spun around to face him. He was resting his butt against the side of the car, watching me. “You don’t know that. My vision told us nothing.”

  “Maybe we’re not supposed to know. Maybe we’re just supposed to prepare the best we can and let the chips fall where they may.”

  “And that might mean one or all of us die.”

  “Rose,” he said softly, “sometimes you just have to accept your fate.”

  I shook my head. “No. I refuse to believe that. My momma used to want me to accept my fate. Do you know what that was? Working at the DMV all day, then coming home to wait on her hand and foot while everyone in town thought of me as the weird Gardner sister. I was purposeless and alone . . . and then I had the vision of myself dead. I decided I didn’t want to die without livin’ first. So I made my list, thinkin’ I was on borrowed time.”

  A wry grin lifted his lips. “And you completed that list and a hell of a lot more things after that.”

  “But I’m not ready to die yet, and I’m not ready to lose anyone I care about.”

  “Sometimes we don’t have a choice in the matter.”

  “Not tonight.” I marched over to him and grabbed his hand, squeezing tight as I closed my eyes, focusing on what would happen during the meeting. I could see we were inside the Atchison factory, but the rest was shrouded in a thick fog.

  I dropped Jed’s hand. “You were in a haze.”

  “Still murky?”

  I nodded. “But I’m pretty sure it was Atchison.”

  “It’s a lot more than Skeeter and I would normally know. We have to be happy with it.” But he couldn’t look me in the eyes. His gaze darted into the trees.

  “You weren’t so accepting last week.” In fact, they had both asked me to use my ability again and again. I put a hand on my hip and scowled. “What are you up to?”

  “Why in the hell would you ask that?” he asked.

  But I knew him well enough to know he wasn’t telling me the entire truth. Before he realized what I was doing, I grabbed his hand and focused on his plan with Skeeter. This time the vision burst into view with surprising clarity. Skeeter stood beside me, but he pushed Vision Rose to the floor and covered her with his body as gunshots rang out. I ducked behind a metal desk, firing into a dark area full of rusted equipment. I looked down at my chest, surprised to see blood seeping through my shirt. I was shoved just as violently back to the present.

  “You’re gonna get shot in the chest,” I said, staring into Jed’s confused face.

  Sadness filled his eyes. “Rose . . .”

  I dropped my hold on his hand and took a step back. I had absolutely no idea how to change the outcome. There was nothing in the vision to help me steer things in a different direction. “No.”

  “I’m prepared to face what comes,” he said.

  But I wasn’t. How many times had this man protected me? He was going into a situation that had nothing to do with him other than his connection to me.

  I grabbed his hand again and focused on what would happen to my friends at the meeting. I was plunged into a vision and found myself lying on the floor, my chest on fire with pain. I heard a gurgling sound when I tried to breathe. Although I was behind a desk, I could see around the edge, and anger and frustration brewed at the sight in front of me.

  J.R. Simmons was standing in an open space in the Atchison plant. Candles lined the room, and I saw two men lying on the floor to my left, blood pooled around them. Skeeter knelt at his feet with his hands zip-tied behind him, while Vision Rose stood in front of him with a defiant look in her eyes.

  “It didn’t have to be this way, Rose,” J.R. purred, brandishing a gun. “If you’d only left my son alone.” Then he placed the gun to Skeeter’s temple as an evil grin spread across his face. “I was going to let you watch me punish Rose, but I think it will hurt her more to see this.”

  The gun fired, and Skeeter slumped to the ground as Vision Rose screamed.

  J.R. turned his attention to Rose. “Now it’s just you and me. The way it was always supposed to be.”

  The vision faded, and I was jerked back into the cold night air. “He wants it to be just him and me.”

  “What?” Jed asked in confusion.

  “Nothing.” I shook my head, trying not to panic. “Neely Kate wasn’t there. Where was she?”

  A soft smile lifted his lips, and then he said softly. “She won’t be anywhere near there.”

  I nodded. It was better that way. Especially since she’d just found out J.R. Simmons was her father. I couldn’t stomach the thought of him hurting her any more than he already had. Jenny Lynn had gone on the run to escape him, so in a roundabout way, he’d stolen Neely Kate’s childhood.

  “Do you have a plan for where to leave her?” I asked.

  “No. We were going to play it by ear. We always suspected the location would be changed.”

  Looking around, I sighed. I was scared to face that man alone, but I had to try to save my friends. “This is as good a place as any.”

  He considered it for a moment before nodding. “Agreed.”

  “We’re gonna have to trick her. I have an idea. Will you help me?”

  “Yeah.”

  I opened the back door and found Neely Kate on her phone.

  She glanced up. “I called Granny to make sure she’s okay.”

  I’d wondered what she was still doing in the car. “Is she? I hate that we traumatized her.”

  “Witt took her back to his place, not that she’s happy about that.” Fear flickered in her eyes. “I’ve never seen her that scared before, Rose.”

  “I know. We’re gonna put a stop to that tonight.”

  Tears filled her eyes. “That monster is my father.”

  “No. He’s not. He’s the pervert who took advantage of a teenage girl and happened to get her pregnant. He is not your father. But something good may have come from it.”

  “What on earth could that possibly be?”

  I smiled. “I think you have one of the best brothers a girl could ever hope for. Once Joe knows the truth, he’s liable to annoy the dickens out of you, callin’ up all the time to make sure you’re safe.”

  “What if he hates me because of it?”

  “Hate you? Impossible. Who could hate you? Besides, Joe knows his father. I think he’ll feel lucky to find out he’s related to someone as amazing as you. Now come here.” I beckoned for her to come out of the car.

  She climbed out. I shut the door behind her and pulled her into a hug, hanging on a little longer than I’d intended. “I love you
, Neely Kate. You’re an amazing person. Don’t let anyone let you think different.”

  She chuckled in my ear as she squeezed tight. “You sound like you’re buttering me up for something.”

  I laughed as I let her loose. “I mean every word. I know better than to try to pull something over on you.”

  Jed stood to the side, looking serious.

  I cast a glance inside the car, relieved to see the engine was still running—that fit with my plan.

  Then I pointed behind the service station. “Would you believe I chucked a diamond bracelet in those bushes a few weeks ago?”

  Neely Kate gave me a skeptical look. “Where’d you get a diamond bracelet?”

  “It was a gift to the Lady in Black,” I said, looking over at Jed for confirmation. “One of Skeeter’s frenemies was trying to buy my good graces.”

  “Skeeter was none too happy about it,” Jed added, playing along.

  “I wore the thing,” I continued, “but when I got back here and changed, I ripped it off and threw it into the bushes.”

  “Why on earth would you throw it away?” she asked in dismay. “We could have sold it and used the money for the landscaping business.”

  I shrugged. “Skeeter was there, and I was trying to prove my loyalty . . .” I lied. “But I got to thinking about how much it might be worth. While we’re waiting for Skeeter, maybe we should look for it. If we can find it, we can take it to the pawn shop tomorrow.” I pointed to the leafless bushes several feet from the back of the building. “I tossed it in that section. Jed, maybe you could shine your flashlight out there so that Neely Kate can look for it while I check my phone. I want to see if Mason called or left a message about his search.”

  Neely Kate looked suspicious, but Jed dug out his phone and turned on the flashlight to support the ruse. He gave me a slight nod when Neely Kate turned her back to us and moved deeper into the thicket.

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “I don’t see a thing.”

  “Yeah,” I said, moving toward the front of the car. “But I chucked it pretty good. Maybe look a little deeper inside the thicket.”

  As Jed leaned over with his flashlight, I tried to inch my way to the driver’s door. I didn’t want Jed to catch on that I was leaving him too. My nerves felt like jumping beans, but if I acted too twitchy, I’d catch their attention sooner than I’d like.

  They seemed intent in their search, so I used the opportunity to sneak into the driver’s seat and shut the door carefully behind me. I’d just shifted the car into reverse when Jed caught on to my plan. He bolted for the car, but I hit the gas pedal hard enough to send it shooting out onto the empty highway. I slammed on the brakes and shoved the gear shift into drive, tearing off as Jed ran after me.

  Seconds later, my phone rang. I grabbed it out of my pocket and turned on the speaker phone.

  “What in the hell do you think you’re doin’, Rose?” Neely Kate demanded.

  “Doin’ what needs to be done. This is between me and J.R. Simmons. It doesn’t involve you or Jed.”

  “Bull honkey!” she shouted. “This has just as much to do with me as it does you. He’s my father.”

  “There’s no need for all of us to show up to the meeting. Only me and Skeeter,” I said. “So I’m goin’ alone and hopin’ I can get this resolved before he gets there.”

  “Skeeter’s gonna kill you,” Jed said in disgust. “You’re gonna wish for J.R. to finish you off.”

  I released a nervous laugh as I tore down the county road. “I’ll take my chances.”

  Jed’s voice tightened. “He’s gonna kill me.”

  There was a greater likelihood of that happening. “No, I’ll make sure Skeeter knows I tricked you.”

  “I don’t see that happening if you’re dead,” he said, still seething. “Come back here right now. You’re a sitting duck without me or Skeeter.”

  “No. I’m gonna end this.” I still had the gun in my pocket. I’d figure out a way to finish him off.

  “You don’t even know if J.R.’s gonna be there,” Jed countered. “It could just be crazy Kate.”

  “No,” I said quietly. “He’ll be there.” My vision confirmed it.

  “Rose!” he shouted, sounding angrier than I would have thought possible. It sounded strange coming from the man who had dedicated himself to protecting me and who treated me with nothing but kindness and compassion. “Stop this fool nonsense right now!”

  “Thanks for everything you’ve done, Jed,” I said, tears burning my eyes. “This is me repaying you for all the times you’ve put yourself in danger on my account.”

  Before he could respond, I hung up. I was about to toss the phone to the passenger seat when I saw I had two missed texts.

  You are cordially invited to The End. When? 8:00 tonight. Where? Atchison Manufacturing. Sincerely, Kate.

  Seconds later, she’d sent: Come . . . or else.

  Or else what? Was she sending me the information directly because she was worried Skeeter wouldn’t do it? Or did she really not know I was the Lady in Black?

  I tried to calm down and come up with a plan, but it was hard given all the unknowns. Things tended to go my way when I winged it. It was probably my best option, so I sure hoped it worked out this time.

  I pulled into the parking lot with two minutes to spare. A single car was parked in the lot, and I wasn’t sure whether to be worried or relieved. Had Kate and J.R. come to the plant together? Since I had no desire to walk through the equipment graveyard like I’d done the time Hattie and I met here, I searched through the glove compartment for a flashlight. Instead, I found a gun—a big shiny silver pistol that must have been Jed’s backup piece. I popped open the clip of the bigger gun to verify that it was loaded. Then I got out of the car, thankful I still had my smaller gun in my coat pocket.

  Taking a deep breath, I told myself to calm down. I’d been in situations just as bad as this one, and everything had turned out fine.

  I tromped around the back of the building, hoping that climbing through the window would give me an element of surprise. A soft glow flickered as I approached the broken-out windows. I peered around the corner and saw Kate sitting on top of a metal desk with her back to the opposite concrete wall. She’d shoved the other desks to the side walls and covered them in lit candles. There were also candles flickering on the floor on the opposite side of the room, a hundred or more of them in all.

  Just like in my vision. A chill ran down my spine. Maybe I would die, but at least I saved Jed. Now I had to figure out how to save Skeeter.

  From what I could tell, she looked to be alone. That was undoubtedly a good thing, because I caught her attention before I could make my surprise entrance.

  She looked up and smiled. “Rose Petal, you’re the first to arrive. Come join me while we wait.”

  I was fairly certain I could make it back to my car before she ever caught up, but what good would that do? Besides, for all I knew, J.R. could be pulling into the lot even now.

  “Expectin’ other guests?” I asked, then stuck the bigger gun into the back of my jeans. Straddling the window, I climbed in.

  Her grin spread. “I always did love a party, but I’m used to my guests using the front door.”

  “Well,” I drawled, trying to decide where to stand. I really had no desire to play right into Kate’s plans, which meant I was going to have stay as far away from her as possible. “I’m not sure if you noticed, but I tend to do things a little different than everyone else.”

  “I’ll say.” She sat with her denim-clad legs draped over the edge of that desk, her palms flat on the surface. I saw no evidence of a gun or any other weapon, but there was a crazed look in her eyes. She was wearing the same black, long-sleeved T-shirt as earlier, but there was a diamond ring I’d never seen before on her left ring finger.

  “Who else is comin’?” I asked.

  Her response was a smirk.

  I took a few steps forward, trying to figure out her setup. T
he factory equipment—and the usual front door—was to my right. Henry Buchanan’s office was to my left, but the door was closed tonight, with a path between the desks to the center of her stage. I wasn’t too fond of having the window to my back, so I took a few steps toward the office wall. “What’s with all the candles? It looks like a cheesy episode of Supernatural. Havin’ a séance?”

  She propped her arms behind her and leaned back her head, laughing. “I think we should wait until later for the séance . . . to connect with the newly departed.”

  “Who are you planning on killin’?” I asked, deciding to take this head-on. Better to know a snippet of her plan going in, even if I was the one she planned to murder—something I highly suspected.

  But where did the vision I’d just seen fit into all of this?

  She leaned to the side and tried to look around me. “Where’s Neely Kate?”

  My back stiffened, worried about what logical jump had led her from my question to my best friend. “Neely Kate couldn’t make it.”

  She shook her head and tsked, then grabbed her phone and started tapping on the screen. “That just won’t do. I expected her to be your plus one. You two are like peanut butter and jelly.”

  “We don’t do everything together.”

  She glanced up and grinned. “Not to worry. I’m sure she’ll join us soon.”

  I sure hoped not. I knew Jed would call Skeeter, but would he take the time to stop and pick them up? I was hoping for Skeeter to come alone. “Stop playin’ games, Kate, and just spit out what you want.”

  “Now, now, Rosie.” She spread her hands out at her sides. “Games are what make life fun. Haven’t you learned anything from my family yet?” She winked. “We’re about to take this particular game to a whole new level tonight.”

  How much did she know about Neely Kate’s parentage? Was she planning to hurt her? “What did you do with Anna and Bruce Wayne?”

  Kate rolled her eyes. “Please.”

  I steeled my back and used my most authoritative voice. “I want to know where they are, Kate.”

  She shrugged. “I haven’t the foggiest idea, nor do I care.”

  “Why did you kidnap Hilary?”

  Shaking her head, she laughed. “You really are clueless, aren’t you? How did you ever manage to solve all those crimes?”