“But…”
“You and Rose need to find somewhere else to stay until we figure out what to do. You can stay with me—Kate escapin’ is a good excuse—but Rose…”
“Rose already has plans for the weekend. After the stress of Violet dyin’ and our case goin’ sideways a couple of weeks ago, she’s goin’ out of town to get away.”
“By herself?” he asked in surprise.
Torn between lying to him and finding a way to evade his questions, I was relieved when his phone began to ring.
He pulled it out and frowned.
“You’re up early, Deveraux,” he said in a sarcastic tone as he answered.
Mason. Why was Mason calling him so early? But my question was almost immediately answered.
“Yes, I’m well aware that my sister has escaped, and no, I saw no reason to notify you. I was more concerned about Neely Kate’s welfare.” He paused and rolled his eyes. “She’s fine, but I ran over to see her for myself. I would have informed you after I dealt with my family business.” He paused again; then his face hardened. “No. You do not need to come over to her house.”
What? Why would Mason be concerned about me? But as soon as the thought popped into my head, I felt guilty. Mason had been a good friend while he was with Rose, and even before. I wasn’t surprised he was worried about me, but the real question was how he found out so soon.
Joe pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the screen. “Dammit. Mason’s on his way over. He says he’s been trying to call both you and Rose, and since neither one of you answered, he started heading your way.”
“We need to get back and warn Rose,” I said.
He nodded, and we walked back at a quicker pace than we’d started out. Mason’s car pulled down the driveway as we walked out of the path in the field, the opening about twenty feet from the back of the house.
“We can’t let him know about the broken window in the basement,” Joe said. “Otherwise, he’s gonna insist on searching the house, and there’s no way I can hide the body then.”
“I don’t expect you to, Joe. Maybe we should just come clean.”
“No.” His response was terse. “We’ll discuss this after he leaves. Let’s go try to keep him on the front porch.”
We hurried past the side of the house, toward the front yard, as Mason got out of his car and started to walk toward us… which would take him right past the broken window.
I was starting to sweat it, but then I heard Rose call out from the porch, “What the Sam Hill do you think you’re doin’, Mason Deveraux?”
He stopped and turned to face the front door. “Checking on you.”
“Then why are you snoopin’ around the side of my house?”
I truly believed that Mason was here out of concern for our safety and not for devious reasons, which was why I felt compelled to intervene. “He was comin’ to meet me,” I said as I reached the front corner of the house, trying not to show my relief.
Rose was standing at the top of the front steps with sopping wet hair, a tank top, and a pair of jean shorts, cradling a shotgun in her arm.
“The real question is why you’re greeting me with a gun,” Mason said.
“Haven’t you heard?” she asked in a hard tone. “Kate Simmons has escaped. The last time the two of us met, she tried to kill me. I’m not getting caught off guard this time.”
“Well, I don’t have her in the backseat of my car, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he said in a dry tone, “so you can put your weapon away.”
“Rose,” Joe said in warning.
She lowered the gun barrel. “Sorry for overreacting when you turned onto the property. I’m nervous.”
Mason’s face softened. “And that’s why I’m here. I wanted to make sure the two of you are okay.”
“We’re fine,” I said in a friendly tone. “Joe told us about Kate, and we’ll be on the lookout.”
“Lookout?” Mason asked in disbelief, then turned to Joe. “They need to be protected.”
Joe’s chest puffed up like a bantam rooster. “Are you tryin’ to tell me how to do my job, Deveraux?”
“If protecting them wasn’t obvious to you, then yeah, I am.”
I pushed out a breath of frustration. “Mason, Joe has this covered. Your job is at the courthouse, not Rose’s farm.”
His jaw tightened. “Need I remind you that I was part of Kate’s plot? She kidnapped and planned to kill me too.”
I walked over to him and wrapped my hand around his upper arm. “You’re right. I’m sorry we haven’t been more understanding.”
He glanced down at me, then flicked his gaze to Joe. “What were you two doin’ in the field?”
“That’s none of your business, Mason,” Rose said, sounding pissed.
While I understood her animosity—he’d threatened her if she got in the way of his investigations—we didn’t need to antagonize him. Only she didn’t know that.
“It’s okay,” I said, tightening my grip. “I was upset, so Joe suggested we take a walk to help ease my anxiety.”
“What do you plan to do to protect them?” Mason asked again.
“I’ve barely had time to put anything together, Deveraux,” Joe said in exasperation. “Neely Kate was my priority. Now that I’ve helped her calm down, I can give it some thought. Do you expect me to give you protection as well?”
Mason’s eyes darkened. “The state police are sending a detail.”
“Well, now that you know it’s being handled on this end, we’ll let you get on with your day,” Joe said.
Mason took a step toward his car, then turned back to Joe. “Has she contacted you?”
Some of Joe’s antagonism fled. “No. The first I heard of her escaping was when the hospital called me.”
“What about you?” Mason asked in a softer tone as he glanced down at me.
“My phone died overnight, and there was nothin’ from her when I got it charged to turn on.” Not a lie.
“Rose?” Mason asked.
She put a hand on her hip. “Are you investigatin’ this too?”
Mason groaned. “Rose.”
“She didn’t contact her,” I said. “But you can’t blame Rose for not wanting to be forthright with you after you threatened her.”
His stiffened in frustration. “Rose, I said things I now regret. I know you don’t want to hear that, but it’s true.”
Her only answer was a glare.
He continued, “In light of the danger we’re all in, I can set aside my differences. I’m genuinely concerned for you and Neely Kate. We all know that Kate’s unhinged. You two aren’t safe out here alone.”
“We won’t stay here alone,” I said. “Joe and I were making plans for where we’re gonna stay, so don’t you worry.”
“You can stay with Mom,” Mason said. “I stayed with her when I first got back into town, but I’ve since found an apartment to rent.” He paused, his gaze locking with Rose’s. “I guess what I’m doin’ a poor job of saying is don’t let me stop you from stayin’ with Mom.”
The hardness in Rose’s eyes softened. “Thanks.”
Mason turned back to me. “I know Joe will make sure you’re okay, but I’m here for you too, Neely Kate. Just because Rose and I are out of sorts doesn’t mean you can’t come to me for anything.”
“Thanks, Mason,” I said, giving him a hug, and feeling like a traitor to Rose, but I truly believed him. “That means more than you know.”
He hugged me back, holding me longer than I’d expected. “Kate’s up to something, Neely Kate. I can feel it. I’m worried about you.”
I forced a laugh as I pulled back. “Listen to you talkin’ about premonitions. If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect you of hangin’ out with my granny.”
He forced a laugh too. “Sometimes I have gut instincts too. Just be safe.” His gaze lifted to Rose and pain filled his eyes. “Both of you.”
Then he stepped away from me and got into his
car and left.
Chapter 9
As soon as we saw Mason’s taillights, Joe said, “Mason’s right. You two need to be protected and you shouldn’t stay here.”
Rose gave me a slightly panicked look.
I smiled up at Joe. “Rose and I need to talk about it,” I said. “Can we let you know?”
His face hardened. “I’m not leavin’ until we come up with a plan.”
“Then we need to discuss this alone,” I said. “How about you sit out here with Muffy?”
Surprisingly, he agreed.
As soon as we opened the front door, Muffy shot out the door, running straight for Joe. We walked into the kitchen and Rose put the shotgun on the kitchen table.
“I need to cancel my weekend,” Rose said as she leaned her butt against the edge of the kitchen counter. “I can’t leave you with Kate running around.”
“Going away is the absolute best thing you can do,” I said. “And goin’ with Skeeter Malcolm to boot. You know he’ll stop anyone who tries to hurt you.” When she looked just as determined, I added, “Kate planned to kill you before, Rose. Get out of town while they’re lookin’ for her.”
“She was goin’ to kill you too.”
“She won’t now. Things are different between us. She might try to hurt me, but she won’t kill me.”
“You don’t know that for certain,” she scoffed.
“But I do.”
“You still can’t be alone,” she protested.
“I won’t be. Tonight I’ll be with Jed, and tomorrow I’ll be with Joe.”
She gave me a look of disbelief. “Are you still goin’ to that dinner?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a frown. “I suspect Kate knows about it, so it might be a good way to draw her out.”
“I don’t like the idea of you acting as bait.”
“You know that Joe won’t let anything happen to me, and for all I know, he’s gonna cancel. My point is that I’ll be safe here. You need to go, and you need to see if Skeeter can get away sooner rather than later.”
“What about Joe?” she asked. “He’s gonna want to know where I’m goin’ and who I’m goin’ with.”
I cringed. “I already told him you were goin’ out of town for the weekend, but I didn’t tell him who with. I just told him you needed a break. Maybe tell him you’re meeting a friend from high school.”
“Did he ask where I was last night?”
“No. I changed the topic.”
She gave me a worried look. “I’m sorry I didn’t come home. I intended to, but I fell asleep until Joe called.” She gave me a light slap on the arm. “You scared the crap out of me when you wouldn’t answer your phone.”
“Sorry.” I almost told her about hearing someone come in during the middle of the night but stopped myself. She’d never leave if I told her about the break-in.
“I can’t leave you, Neely Kate,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Not with that insane woman on the loose.”
“Strangely enough, I think I’m fairly safe. After our visit yesterday, I think she really does want to have some kind of relationship with me. But you’re not safe. Call Skeeter right now and ask him how soon he can get away.”
Thankfully, she was caving. “What am I gonna tell Joe? He’ll never believe I’m meeting a friend from high school. He knows I didn’t really have any of those.”
“What if you tell him you’re going to a landscaping convention or a garden show or something?” I twisted my lips to the side. “But he’d likely check on that.”
“There’s actually something going on in the botanical garden at the R.W. Norton Art Gallery.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You’re really goin’?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Well… yeah. That’s why we planned on goin’ this weekend.”
I put a hand on my hip and stared at her in disbelief. “Skeeter Malcolm’s goin’ to an art museum.”
She scowled. “Is that so unbelievable?”
I gave a slight shake of my head. “Not when you’re involved.”
“We’re gettin’ off track here,” she said. “We need to figure out what we’re gonna tell Joe so he’ll let me go and not be suspicious.”
We pondered for a second; then I snapped my fingers. “I’ve got it. Tell him you’re goin’ with your Aunt Bessie.”
Her eyes lit up.
Rose’s aunt lived the next county over. She and Rose’s uncle had a farm that kept them busy, so Rose didn’t see them much. It was clear Joe trusted Rose’s aunt because he’d sent Violet and her family to Bessie’s house several times when he’d thought they’d been in danger before. It could work.
“What if he mentions it to Violet?” she asked.
“Then we’ll get her to cover for you.”
“Are you crazy?” she whisper-hissed. “Violet?”
“She already knows you’re seein’ someone, and even though she doesn’t know who it is, she approves. When I saw her yesterday, she wanted me to tell her who it was, so she won’t be surprised when you call her. And crazy enough, she seemed just fine not knowin’. She said she’d wait until she died, then peer over the edge of Heaven to see who it was.”
Tears glistened in Rose’s eyes even as she smiled. “I’m not fallin’ for that for a split second—but if she wasn’t upset, she’ll likely go along. I’ll call her. But now that I’m taken care of, what about you?”
“I already told you, Joe and Jed won’t let me out of their sight.” Then I added, “Now run upstairs and finish packing. We’ll tell Joe you’re leaving right away to meet your aunt.”
She made a face. “I hate lyin’ to him.”
“I do too, but we sure as Pete can’t tell him you’re goin’ to have a sexy-times weekend with Skeeter Malcolm.”
“Neely Kate!”
“Well, it’s true on all counts. Now get goin’.” The sooner I could get her out of this house, the better.
She hurried upstairs, already calling Skeeter as I headed out to the porch.
Joe was sitting in a wicker chair, throwing a ball to Muffy in the front yard. He glanced up at me. “What did you two scheme together?”
“Scheme?” I asked, trying to act like he asked the most ridiculous question. “We were calling Rose’s Aunt Bessie seein’ if she could leave early. Rose is gonna meet her at Violet’s house.”
His brow lowered as he watched Muffy run toward the porch with the tennis ball looking ginormous in her mouth. “Where’s she goin’?”
“Shreveport. There’s something goin’ on at a botanical gardens at an art museum.”
“Huh.”
“Why do you sound so suspicious?” I asked with plenty of attitude.
“It’s because I’m always suspicious when it comes to you two.” Muffy bounded up to him and he tugged the ball from her and threw it again. Muffy took off running.
“Well, she’d already planned to leave this afternoon. I just convinced her to leave sooner. Kate wouldn’t think to look for her there. Besides, after discovering my present, I think Kate will likely be sticking close to Henryetta.”
Joe scowled. “I suspect you’re right. Which is why I need to figure out what to do about you.”
“You don’t have to do anything about me. I’m going to be investigatin’ what happened to the man in the basement and why he’s there.”
He turned to face me, his eyes blazing. “If you think I’ll agree to that, then you—”
“I’m a grown woman, capable of makin’ my own decisions. You can’t make me do anything.”
“Neely Kate. Be reasonable.”
“I don’t plan on bein’ stupid, Joe, but I need to make a call before I decide what to do.”
“Let me guess who you’re callin’.” He didn’t sound happy about it. He lifted his glance to the porch ceiling as though asking the good Lord for patience, then lowered it to me. “I need to go back down to the basement and see if that guy has any ID.”
“You’re really gonna le
ave him down there?” I asked in disbelief.
His face hardened. “Yeah.”
He didn’t like it, but he was doing it anyway. For me. The guilt was suffocating, but I couldn’t bring myself to make him change his mind.
“Go make your call,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll wait here with Muffy.”
I stared at him, sure I’d heard him wrong.
“Go on before I change my mind.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice. I ran inside and saw Rose heading down the stairs with a bag in her hand.
“Is everything a go?” I asked.
She shifted the strap on her shoulder as she reached the bottom of the stairs. “Yeah, but this still doesn’t feel right, Neely Kate.”
“That part of the discussion is done.”
She gave me a worried smile. “You could come with us.”
I chuckled. “I’m gonna take a pass on that. Besides, I have two men who will treat me like a china doll, and I’ll bristle at every second of it.”
A grin tugged at the corners of her lips. “They love you.”
One of them did. The other… I wasn’t so sure. But that was a discussion for another time.
“And I love you, Rose,” I said. “Be safe and have fun.” I pulled her into a tight hug. “Don’t worry too much. They’ll find her.”
She squeezed me back. “I love you too. If you change your mind, call or text me and I’ll come runnin’ back.”
“I know you will.” I broke loose. “Are you goin to… your friend’s house?”
She flushed. “Yeah.”
“Let me know when you get there so I don’t worry.”
“Okay.”
I stood in the doorway and watched her snatch up Muffy to tell her goodbye. Joe stood and followed her down the steps, telling her something I couldn’t hear, but he must have been on his best behavior because she kissed the top of Muffy’s head and handed her dog to him. After she got into her truck, she gave me a long look.
I waved, then she started her engine and headed for the country road.
As soon as she left, Joe turned and bound up the front steps. “Okay. Time to get to work. Have you called him yet?”
“No.”
“Get to it. I’m headed to the basement.” He brushed past me and strode toward the kitchen and the door downstairs.
In High Cotton: Neely Kate Mystery #2 Page 9