Hell in a Handbasket: Rose Gardner Investigations #3

by Denise Grover Swank

  “Then where’s Calvin’s never-ending supply of girls coming from?” Witt asked as he picked up his third piece of chicken.

  “Somebody needs to pay Clydehopper another visit,” I said.

  Jed gave me a dark look. “I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”

  “It’s gonna look suspicious if you’re askin’,” I said. “Besides, you’re supposed to find Becky with Neely Kate.”

  “I don’t like the idea of you quizzing Clydehopper on your own.”

  “I’ll go with her,” Witt said before he took a bite of his biscuit. “I can put Marshall down in your safe room for a little while.”

  “I don’t need a babysitter to visit Calvin,” I protested. “He’s as harmless as they come.”

  He shrugged. “I’ve got nothin’ goin’ tomorrow besides watching the kid. I can meet you there and we’ll go in together.”

  Jed nodded. “I like it.”

  “Thanks, Witt,” Neely Kate said, stifling a yawn. “I’ll feel better if you’re with her.”

  “No problem,” he said. “Rose and I need to catch up anyway.” The look he shot me let me know exactly what he planned for us to catch up on.

  Chapter 15

  Jed and Witt discussed guard duty, and in the end they decided Witt would sleep downstairs on the sofa, and Jed would stay in Neely Kate’s room, which happened to be at the top of the stairs.

  We got bedding for Witt, and it was well after midnight by the time I headed to bed. I called Muffy to come with me, but she refused to budge from her spot at the end of the sofa.

  “What’s up with Muffy?” Witt asked.

  “I think she wants to pull guard duty too,” I said. “She’s pretty good at it. She’s the one who alerted me to Kip Wagner and his cronies showin’ up.”

  Witt ruffled the fur on the back of Muffy’s neck. “Then it looks like I have company.”

  A quick check on Marshall told me he was sleeping and his fever had broken. One less thing to worry about.

  When I got to my room, I plugged my phone in. I noticed that I’d missed a text, and I sucked in a breath when I saw who it was from.

  Mason.

  I should have let you know I was coming to town. I’m sorry to have blindsided you and even sorrier for how things went. I’d really like to see you again, Rose. You decide the time and the place. Even if it’s only to tell me you never want to see me again, I don’t want to leave things like we did. I’ll be staying with my mother until Thursday morning.

  Did I want to see him again? I was too exhausted to think about it.

  I had trouble getting to sleep without Muffy curled up at my feet. I rolled onto my side to face Mason’s old spot, placing my hand on top of the covers. Getting over Mason had been ten times worse than getting over Joe, and truth be told, I wasn’t sure I had completely recovered. But part of it was undeniably that I missed spending my life with someone. There was no denying the feelings James stirred inside me, but even if he and I were in a relationship, I doubted he would sleep over at my house. The risk of people finding out would be too great. I’d have to stay over at his house, and even then, it would likely only be a few nights a week.

  Was that really what I wanted?

  I finally drifted off to sleep, but my dreams were troubled. I dreamed of Jeanne telling me that I’d killed her, and of Kip Wagner and his men shooting their way into my house and killing Marshall in front of my eyes. And then Merv was standing in front of me once again, my hand firmly in his as a bullet pierced the side of his head. We fell into darkness until he crashed into me and a thick, warm liquid spilled over my body. Merv’s blood. I kicked and thrashed as I tried to get free, but it only made more blood pool around me, rising higher and higher. I began to scream as the blood started to cover my face.

  I bolted upright in bed, my body drenched in sweat.

  “Rose,” Neely Kate said, stroking my arm. “It’s okay. It was only a dream.”

  I gasped for breath as I turned to see her sitting beside me. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

  “It’s okay,” she said, running her hand over the side of my head.

  I shook my head. “No. It’s not okay.”

  She pulled me into a hug, my chin resting on her shoulder as she rubbed my back.

  “I think you should talk to Jonah,” she said in a soothing tone. “Maybe he can help you work through this.”

  I had to wonder if she was right. My friend Jonah Pruitt, who also happened to be the pastor of the New Living Hope Revival Church, had helped me work through my breakup with Joe, not to mention the lingering trauma from years of my mother’s abuse.

  “Just consider it, okay?” she asked.

  I nodded.

  “Let’s lie down,” she said, tugging me down to the pillows. “Try to get more sleep.”

  I did as she asked, and to my surprise, she lowered herself down next to me, over the covers, resting her hand on my arm.

  “Go back to bed, Neely Kate. I’m fine. I’m sorry I woke you.”

  “Let me just stay here for a few minutes, okay?” she asked. “Jed’s downstairs, pacing the living room floor, and I can hear him. I might get some sleep if I’m in here with you.”

  I didn’t totally believe her, but I was grateful that she was here. My breathing slowed down, and I felt myself begin to relax.

  “Do you ever look at your life and wonder how you got here?” Neely Kate whispered.

  I rolled to my side to face her. “You mean because of what happened tonight with Kip Wagner?”

  “Not just that.” She gave a tiny shake of her head. “I’m not explainin’ it right.” She paused. “I mean like me and Jed. Never in a million years did I think I could get a guy like him. Sweet. Devoted.” She grinned. “Sexy as hell.”

  I grinned back.

  Her smile faded. “Sometimes I think he’s too good to be true. That any minute he’s gonna come to his senses and change his mind.”

  “Oh, Neely Kate,” I gushed. “I’ve seen the way that man looks at you. He’s not gonna change his mind.”

  “But he still won’t sleep with me. Maybe he just feels sorry for me after . . .”

  “After?”

  “What he found out about me in Ardmore.”

  “Well . . . ,” I said. “I’m not sure what he found out about you in Ardmore, and I know you’re not ready to tell me, but he looks like he’s more smitten with you every day. I suspect he’s just old-fashioned.”

  “I hope so.”

  “He cares about you, Neely Kate. I can see it plain as day. That’s not pity. It’s . . .” I almost said love, but as far as I knew, they hadn’t exchanged the L word yet. I was going to let her find that one out on her own. “He likes you.”

  She was quiet for several seconds before I said, “I saw Mason today . . . Well, I guess yesterday.”

  She jolted in shock. “What?”

  “Shh!”

  “Don’t worry about wakin’ Marshall,” she said. “I peeked in on him before comin’ in here, and he was out cold.” She grabbed my hand. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “There wasn’t a right time.”

  “When? What happened? I need details!”

  “I was at the Piggly Wiggly pickin’ up Marshall’s antibiotics, and before I knew it, he was standin’ beside me, helpin’ me get the prescription like he was ridin’ in to save the day.”

  “What’s he doin’ here? When did he get back into town?”

  “Yesterday. He said he’s here for work. He wants to see me again before he leaves on Thursday.”

  “Do you want to see him?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. Our conversation didn’t go well . . . I’m not proud of the way I behaved. I think maybe I’d like a chance to make it right.”

  “I don’t know how you reacted,” she said, “but if you told him off, he totally deserved it.”

  I grinned. “I did, but that’s not the part I’m ashamed of.”

  “What on earth did you do?”r />
  “I cried.”

  “Oh, honey . . . ,” she said, squeezing my hand. “That’s nothing to be ashamed of. You had to be in shock. And he hurt you.”

  “He told me he wants me back, Neely Kate.”

  “What?” she whisper-shouted. “You’re kiddin’ me.”

  I didn’t say anything.

  “Do you want him back?”

  I closed my eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. There’s no denyin’ that I loved him, but he hurt me, and I’ve changed. I’m not the woman he fell in love with. I’m not even the woman he left.”

  “What about Skeeter? Are you gonna tell him no?”

  “I know you’re right, and I’ll never get what I want in a relationship with James. There’s so much stacked against us.”

  “So you’re gonna tell Skeeter no?”

  I hesitated. “I suppose I should.”

  “That’s not a no, Rose.”

  I grimaced. “It’s not a yes either.”

  “I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard on this earlier. The thing is, I’m not really sure what to tell you. I want to tell you to follow your head, be smart, but following my head is what got me married to Ronnie. I want to tell you to follow your heart, but that’s what convinced me to go to Ardmore after I graduated.”

  “But you think I should walk away from him, right?” I asked.

  “It was wrong of me to try tellin’ you what to do. All I can tell you is that I listened to my instincts with Jed. He makes me a better person. He makes me believe I’m not worthless.”

  “Oh, Neely Kate. You’re not worthless.”

  “Jed helps me believe that.” She took a breath. “I think a good man loves you for who you are, but isn’t threatened when you grow.”

  “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” So where did that leave Mason?

  “Roll over and I’ll scratch your back,” she said. “That’ll help you go to sleep.”

  I did as she suggested. When I felt her sharp nails scratching through my thin T-shirt, I nearly sighed with contentment. “Thank you,” I whispered, already getting drowsy. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  “Good thing you’ll never have to find out.”

  * * *

  I woke up a few hours later, surprised it was a little before seven. Neely Kate was still sleeping, but she’d gotten under the covers at some point. I slid out of bed and took a shower and changed into a pink sundress with tiny pink rosebuds.

  Neely Kate was awake when I came out of the bathroom, and she looked surprised when she saw my dress. “Are you canceling your appointment this morning?”

  “I figured I’d focus on Patsy Sue and Marshall today. I don’t think the client will mind. She seemed pretty flexible.”

  I walked over to my dresser and dug out my small handgun and leg harness from my underwear drawer.

  Neely Kate sat up in bed and watched me. “You hate wearin’ your gun.”

  “After last night, I think it’s a good idea, don’t you?”

  “Yeah,” she said reluctantly.

  “Did you and Jed come up with a plan to look for Becky?” I asked as I propped my left foot up on the bed.

  “We’re goin’ to canvas the apartment complex. If we don’t find her, hopefully we’ll find someone who knows her, then take it from there.”

  I nodded. “You take as long as you need.”

  “I know you don’t trust Becky.”

  “Neely Kate,” I said as I started to strap the holster on my left thigh, “you have to admit it’s suspicious that she’s the last person Marshall contacted both times he was ambushed.”

  “For all we know, her abusive boyfriend was eavesdropping.”

  “I realize that’s a possibility,” I said as I buckled a strap. “But even if that’s the case, we still need to be careful.”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Look,” I said, holding her gaze, “it’s easy to see Becky’s tugged at your heartstrings, but we don’t know for certain that she’s innocent.”

  Anger flared in her eyes. “We don’t know that she’s guilty either.”

  “Agreed. We don’t know enough to make a decision one way or the other. We need more facts in both cases.”

  “I know that, Rose,” she said, getting irritated.

  I glanced up from tightening the strap on my thigh. “Neely Kate, I’m not the enemy here. I just don’t want you to get hurt if it turns out Becky’s been selling Marshall down the river.”

  Contrition washed over her face. “I know. I’m sorry. It’s just . . .”

  “You knew someone like her?” I asked.

  A sad smile twisted her lips. “Yeah.”

  “Well, I hope she’s who Marshall thinks she is.”

  “We just have to find her,” Neely Kate said.

  Marshall was still sleeping when I checked on him. Then Neely Kate and I headed downstairs together.

  Jed and Witt were in the kitchen, each with a cup of coffee, and Muffy was curled up at Jed’s feet. She hopped up when she saw me and came running over. I squatted and rubbed her head. “Any trouble after I went to bed?” I asked.

  “None,” Witt said. “You headed to work?”

  “Yeah. I have some plans I can work on until I go to meet Patsy’s mother.”

  Jed turned his seat to face me. “Don’t forget to call Witt so he can go see Clydehopper with you.”

  I stood and moved to the coffee maker, grabbing a travel mug from the cabinet. “I’m not sure when I’m going to go see Calvin, but I’ll give you a heads-up when I know, Witt.”

  Jed watched me with narrowed eyes. “Don’t forget to call him, Rose.”

  I poured the creamer into my mug and put it back, looking down at Muffy. “I can’t take you with me today, girl. You get to stay with Uncle Witt today.”

  “Rose . . . ,” Jed warned.

  “I said I’ll call him,” I said with a groan as I got the creamer out of the fridge. “I’ll let him know when I know.”

  “Uncle Witt?” Witt groaned in disgust, but Neely Kate and Jed chuckled.

  I gave Witt the evil eye as I screwed the lid on my mug. “You better be nice to my dog today. If she tells me you were anything but, there will be hell to pay.”

  “Like your dog’s gonna tell on me . . .”

  “You’d be surprised what that dog’s capable of,” Jed said

  Neely Kate was still standing by the door to the living room, so I kissed her cheek as I walked past her. “Be careful today,” I whispered. “Be careful with your heart.” Both of us knew I wasn’t talking about Jed.

  * * *

  I liked working at the office in the early mornings. There was hardly anyone milling around the square, and it was quiet enough for me to get plenty done.

  I’d already worked up a landscaping plan for one of the clients I’d interviewed the previous day when the bells on the door chimed. I glanced up, half-expecting to see Joe with another peace offering for Neely Kate, so I was surprised when I saw Maeve Deveraux.

  “Maeve,” I said in astonishment as I got out of my seat. “Hey.”

  “Good morning, Rose,” she said as she walked toward me with a look of hesitation. “Sorry to just drop in like this. Am I interrupting?”

  First, I was constantly dropping in on her at the nursery, and on more than a few occasions, she’d watched Muffy for me. And second, Maeve might be Mason’s mother, but I considered her a dear friend. Still, there was no getting around the fact that the breakup had affected my relationship with Maeve in a negative way. Mostly, we didn’t know how to spend quality time together without reminding each other that we had lost the same person. I wasn’t the only one Mason had left behind when he moved to Little Rock. Maeve had moved to Henryetta to be near her son, and now she was alone.

  “Don’t be silly,” I said, pushing my chair back from my desk. “You’re never interrupting.”

  “I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about seeing me after you ran into Mason yesterday
.”

  I grimaced. “He told you what happened?”

  “Not everything, so please don’t worry about him breaking any confidences, but he told me enough for me to know it caught you by surprise, and for that I’m terribly sorry.”

  “Maeve,” I said. “Why on earth are you sayin’ you’re sorry? This has nothing to do with you. It’s between me and Mason.”

  “I had a day’s notice that he was coming. I should have warned you, but what with Violet and the nursery bursting at the seams with business . . . well, it just slipped my mind. I’m sorry.”

  I stood and walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. “It’s not your job to warn me. Besides, I’m a big girl.”

  She gave me a tight squeeze before releasing me. “I know, but it might have made things easier.”

  I thought about it for a moment, then said, “You know, I’m not sure which would have been better. If I’d known he was coming to town, I probably would have been paranoid about running into him. So maybe it worked out better this way.” I glanced at the clock on the wall. “What are you doin’ downtown this early?”

  Her face flushed. “Mason took me to Merilee’s for breakfast.”

  My stomach clenched. “Oh.” I forced a smile. “That must have been lovely for you, Maeve. I know how much you’ve missed him.”

  She nodded, tears filling her eyes. “That’s part of the reason I stopped by. I don’t want to worry you, but I thought you should know that I’m at least considering something.”

  I resisted the urge to stiffen my back, but I suspected I knew what she was going to say . . . and it hurt. “Considering what?”

  “Moving back to Little Rock.”

  I nodded, trying to keep my emotions at bay as I backed up and sat on the edge of my desk. “I see.”

  “I’m not sure you do,” she said, wringing her hands.

  In all the time I’d known Maeve, I’d only seen her this anxious one other time, and that had been over the threat to Mason’s life. “Maeve, I understand. Truly I do. I haven’t been very good at keeping in contact with you. I know Neely Kate and Joe have been better, but they’ve both been distracted lately . . .”