None of this made any sense. My voice broke. “I don’t understand. Why did he leave?”
“I don’t know for sure. He was gone when I got home from work last night. I called you this morning to cover for him. In case he came back. If his parole officer finds out…”
“I know,” I said, the words full of worry.
David squared his shoulders. “Are you goin’ to turn him in?”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t want him to get into trouble. I want to help, but I can’t do that if I don’t know where he went and why. He wasn’t sick, was he?”
“No.”
“So where was he instead of working?”
“All I know is that for the last few days he’s been leavin’ early in the morning and only coming home to sleep. And then last night, he didn’t come home at all. The other day I asked him where he was goin’, ’cause I knew he was calling in sick to work, but he insisted that I didn’t want to know. I could tell he was scared.”
“Scared of what?”
Pressing his lips together, he shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“If you hear from him, promise to call me immediately. Okay?”
He hesitated.
“Please, David. I’m worried sick.”
“Okay.” He nodded. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was worried too, which only made me feel worse.
“Thanks.” I headed out to my car and called Neely Kate. When she didn’t answer, I left a message telling her what I’d found out. I was deep in thought when I pulled up to the nursery, unsure what to do about Bruce Wayne. I grabbed my drawings from the truck and headed for the back to work up some estimates.
Violet was standing behind the register, but she came around the end of the counter when she saw me. “Rose, I need to tell you something.”
I stopped and blinked. “Okay.”
“I got a phone call yesterday, from the Arkansas Small Business Administration. They’ve presented us with a wonderful opportunity.”
“Oh, that sounds great.” I swiped some loose hairs from my face, my mind still stuck on Bruce Wayne. “What is it?”
“Well…” She twisted her hands in front of her, looking at the floor. “They want to feature our business. We’ll be part of a press conference and they’ll post a story about us on their website. And they’ve promised to give us that grant I applied for, the one that will let us expand into the lot next door like we’ve been talking about.”
I dropped my defenses and gave her my full attention. The grant meant I wouldn’t have to come up with the extra cash. “That sounds great, Vi. Why didn’t you tell me yesterday?”
“Well, there’s a catch.”
My back stiffened. “What is it?”
“The presentation is part of a campaign stop.”
“Joe’s?” A band constricted around my chest and I fought to take a breath. It couldn’t be.
She cringed and her words rushed out. “When I agreed, I told them you wouldn’t be here. That’s why I didn’t mention it yesterday. I didn’t want to hurt you. But they called back today and said we both had to be present. And if we’re not, we won’t get the grant.”
“I don’t understand. We’re not even in his district.”
“They said the small business administration is part of his platform; that it’s a great opportunity for both sides.”
Feeling lightheaded, I leaned against the counter. “When is it?”
“Tomorrow at one. They need to have it done as soon as possible since the election’s a week from today.”
Joe was coming to the nursery. I was going to see Joe.
“The press will be here. Joe will hand us the grant check. They’ll interview us, and that will be that.”
I didn’t know if I could stand with him in front of cameras and pretend nothing was wrong.
“Rose.” She sounded worried. “Say something.”
“I need to sit down.”
She dragged a stool from around the counter and I perched on it, resisting the urge to put my head between my knees to keep from passing out. I will not faint. Thankfully, all the recent shocks in the last few months had helped me outgrow that reaction. But apparently some shocks were still strong enough to bring it back.
“How much is the grant?”
“Large enough to build a greenhouse. We’d be two years ahead of our business plan and you wouldn’t have to get a loan or sell your farm.”
I closed my eyes.
“I’d tell them no, Rose, but it’s a grant. We don’t have pay it back.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
She released a soft groan. “I’m gonna tell them no. It’s not fair to you. Not after what that man did to you.”
I looked up into her clueless face. She had no earthly idea what he’d done to protect her and her children.
I stood up. “No. We’ll do it.”
“Are you sure?”
I headed to the back room. “I have to work on some estimates.”
She followed me to the doorway. “I’ll tell them no, Rose.”
I spun around. “No, you will not. I’m not gonna hide and pretend like I’ve done something to be ashamed of. Now I have to get to work on these estimates if we’re hosting a press conference tomorrow.”
The bell on the front door dinged and guilt covered Violet’s face.
I sighed, weary of the conversation. “I’m fine, Vi. Go.”
I spent the next two hours trying to concentrate on my work, a difficult task given all the worries weighing on my mind. I tried to call Bruce Wayne three times. The first call rang with no answer, but the other two times it went straight to voice mail. I left messages all three times, begging Bruce Wayne to call me and let me know he was okay.
I struggled to come up with an explanation for why he had fled. After all, he hadn’t run after witnessing a murder while robbing the hardware store. He’d gone to David for help. Of course, that hadn’t turned out well, and as much as I loved Bruce Wayne, I’d be the first to admit he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. He’d been a pothead for years, notorious for making the same mistakes over and over again. It stood to reason that he’d repeat his earlier behavior by seeking help from David. So if he hadn’t gone to David with his problem this time, where was he?
I was lost in thought when Violet came back and told me that it was five and she was closing the shop.
“Are you still comin’ over?”
“Yeah. I just want to get Muffy.” I felt guilty enough about leaving her home alone all day, and although our neighborhood didn’t get a lot of trick-or-treaters, I didn’t know how well she’d do if people were knocking on our door all night.
“Okay, get Muffy and come on over. The kids miss you.” She sounded wistful and I wondered if she was implying that she missed me too.
But I couldn’t bring myself to say it back.
I smiled as I pulled into my driveway, pleased by what I saw. I’d neglected my own yard most of the year, but I’d gone all out for Halloween and Thanksgiving. My front porch was decorated with hay bales and corn stalks, pumpkins and squash.
I went inside and took a short shower then changed into a clean pair of jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. Last year I’d dressed up as Red Riding Hood—I’d had to sneak out of the house past Momma—but I didn’t feel like putting on a costume tonight. Bruce Wayne’s disappearance had stolen what little joy I’d found since losing Joe.
Although I had decided not to dress up, I still wanted Muffy to have a costume. It was her first Halloween with me and I knew Ashley and Mikey would love it. My usually good-natured dog had other ideas. When I started to pull the bumblebee costume over her head, she tried to escape, but I managed to get it on after some wrestling. I put her on the ground, and she shook her body like she always did after a bath, tipping her head up to look at me, as if to say, “Are you kidding me?”
Since I didn’t have any children and none were in the foreseeable future, Muffy would have to bear the brunt
of my overzealous desire to participate in all the holidays. And while she might not like this costume, I was sure she wouldn’t protest the Christmas presents I planned to get her.
My eyebrows lowered as I took in the yellow-and-black-striped stuffed costume that covered most of her trunk and the short gauzy wings that stuck out from its sides. The plumpness made her spindly legs look even skinnier, but her dark fur blended perfectly with the color scheme. My mouth twisted to the side as I debated whether it was worth my trouble and Muffy’s obvious reluctance to try to get the cap with the antennae fastened on her head. Ultimately, I stuffed the little hat in the bag I’d packed to take along. No sense pressing my luck.
“Okay, girl. Let’s go.”
As I let Muffy outside and turned to lock up, Heidi Joy’s four older boys came piling out of their front door, shoving and shouting, each of them clutching an orange plastic pumpkin. Muffy usually ran right to them, but this time she bolted into the front yard, throwing herself to the ground and rolling onto her back.
“Muffy! Stop that right now! You’ll mess up your costume!”
The boys ran over and stood in a semi-circle around her, their mouths hanging open. Andy, Jr. grabbed his belly and burst out into laugher. “What in the world happened to your dog? Did she jump into a hill of fire ants?”
The other boys giggled.
“No.”
“What’s she wearing?”
“She’s wearin’ a Halloween costume, just like you. What’s it look like?”
His eyes narrowed. “She looks like a hot dog with mustard stripes.”
“She’s a bumblebee, not a hot dog.” I knew I sounded defensive and I was. I didn’t like it when people made fun of her.
“Where’s her stinger?” four-year-old Keith asked.
“She doesn’t have one.”
He shook his head and mumbled, “If she don’t have a stinger, she’d be dead. She don’t look like a dead bumblebee.”
Muffy continued to roll around and let out a loud fart, the smell permeating the air.
A chorus of giggles and “Ewww…” erupted from the boys.
“But it smells like she’s dyin’!” Andy, Jr. waved in front of his face and burst out laughing again.
I gave the boys a frown before scooping Muffy into my arms. “Y’all are gonna hurt Muffy’s feelings.” I looked down at Andy, Jr. “What are you supposed to be?”
“I’m a pirate.” The six-year-old tugged on the patch covering his eye. His three little brothers crowded around him, dressed as Spider-Man, a dinosaur, and a cowboy. Heidi Joy came out her front door with the baby, who was dressed as a puppy, on her hip. She was wearing a long-sleeved black T-shirt with a baby-sized skeleton overlaying an adult-sized skeleton.
Andy, Jr. held up his plastic sword and spoke in a growl, “Give me your buried treasure or I’ll make you walk the plank.”
I considered telling him he wasn’t getting anything after making fun of Muffy, but decided I could be more mature than a six-year-old. “I left you some treasure on my front porch, but it’s not buried. It’s hiding behind my pumpkins.”
The boys ran onto the porch while I shifted Muffy’s costume back into place and put her in the truck with my tote bag, hoping she wouldn’t hurt herself by trying to get the costume off in there. The boys’ squeals of delight made me smile.
“We each have our own bag!” four-year-old Keith shouted.
“You spoil them, Rose.” Heidi Joy shook her head with a smile as she transferred the baby to her other hip.
“They’re not bags full of candy, I promise. I put coloring books and a puzzle in each of them. I figured they’ll get enough sugar tonight.”
“Like I said, you spoil them.”
“I’m headed to Violet’s. Can you keep an eye on my house? After all the craziness in the neighborhood over the last few months, I’m worried about what the older kids might do, especially Thomas and his friends.” Thomas was a high school senior who seemed determined not to graduate and had gotten mixed up with Daniel Crocker’s friends. He’d made no secret that he didn’t like me and had insinuated that Crocker’s men were upset with me for helping putting their boss behind bars.
I suddenly wondered if Bruce Wayne’s disappearance was somehow tied to Daniel Crocker. When the police threatened to arrest him for the murders committed by Jonah’s mother, he’d sought refuge at Weston’s Garage, the former headquarters of Daniel Crocker’s drug and stolen car parts ring. Bruce Wayne had worked for Crocker a year ago, before he was arrested for the hardware store manager’s murder, and Crocker’s men were loyal to their own. But if Bruce Wayne had sought help at Weston’s Garage, what had scared him in the first place?
Horror spread across Heidi Joy’s face, and I realized that all the drama in our neighborhood had nearly toppled her over the edge. “Oh, don’t worry.” I tried to look comforting. “I don’t expect anything to happen. It’s a just-in-case type thing.”
She nodded, worry furrowing her brow. “Sure. Of course.”
My head tingled with the tell-tale sign of an oncoming vision. I saw a moving van outside Heidi Joy’s house, her husband Andy and his friend carting furniture into it. Autumn leaves littered the yard.
“You’re moving.” I said.
Her eyes widened and her tongue seemed tied. Finally she said, “How did you know?”
I glanced at the baby skeleton on her belly. “Call it a hunch?”
“I love having you for a neighbor, Rose. You know that. But now that it’s getting colder, it’s harder than ever to entertain these boys in that tiny house. I told Andy when we moved in that it was too small. A two-bedroom house with five boys? And another on the way…” Her voice broke.
I didn’t want to confess that I’d had those same thoughts when she’d moved in months ago. Instead, I pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry.”
“Listen to me, belly-aching. We’re lucky to have somewhere to live after Andy lost his job and we lost our house. But he’s been working all this overtime to try and save enough money to move us into a bigger house before the baby’s born.” A lopsided grin lifted her mouth, her eyes shiny with tears. “Especially since it’s a girl.”
Heidi Joy was going to move. I wasn’t sure why that surprised me. It was probably the most logical decision they’d made in the few months I’d known them. I’d miss our chats, but I had to push my selfishness aside. “A girl! How wonderful! I know how badly you wanted a little girl.” I forced myself to sound happy. “Have you found a new place yet?”
“No. But we’re looking at a few options in a couple of days. The baby’s due in three weeks.”
“Well, that’s wonderful news. And if I can help at all, just let me know.”
“Thanks, Rose. I’ll miss you.”
“Well, it’s not like you’re leaving Henryetta, is it? We’ll still see each other.”
“Yeah.” But she sounded sad. We both knew it wouldn’t be the same.
The boys ran off the porch. “Mommy! Let’s go trick-or-treating!”
I grabbed her arm and squeezed. “It will all work out, Heidi Joy. I promise.”
She nodded then herded her boys into a group, forcing the bigger ones to hold hands with the little ones. I climbed in my truck and watched them walk down the street, a lump in my throat.
Change was the way of the world. Only it never seemed to work in my favor.
I shook my head, irritated with my wallowing. I had more blessings I could count. I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself.
Ashley was waiting at her front door dressed as a pink princess.
“Muffy!” she shouted as we walked up, Muffy still trying to shake off her costume. “You’re so cute!”
At least somebody appreciated her costume.
Muffy jumped into her arms and licked her face, making the little girl giggle.
“Hello there, princess. Have you seen my favorite niece, Ashley?”
Giggles erupted. “It’s me, Aunt Rose!”
“Oh, my goodness! It is you!”
“And I’m your only niece.”
“When’d you get so smart?”
She put her hand on her hip and cocked her head. “I’m in kindergarten now.”
“Well, no wonder then.”
Violet was in the kitchen trying to get Mikey stuffed into a dragon costume. She twisted her head to look at me. “I thought you’d be here by now.”
“I was dressing Muffy.”
She just gave me a look.
I put a hand on my hip. “Well, she can’t go trick-or-treating without a costume.”
Her mouth pursed. “Hmm.”
“Daddy’s here!” Ashley shouted, running from the room.
Violet made an ugly face. “Yippee.”
A few moments later, Violet’s estranged husband walked into the room with Ashley on his hip, Muffy trotting behind them. He set his daughter down on the floor, laughing. “I stumbled upon this beautiful princess and her valiant mosquito.”
“Muffy’s not a mosquito, Daddy,” she giggled. “She’s a bee.”
He bowed low, sweeping his hand wide. “Excuse my mistake, my royal insect. No insult intended.”
Ashley covered her mouth, still giggling.
“I heard there was a fire-breathing dragon in the bowels of the kitchen, and as the princess’s knight in shining armor, it’s my duty to save her from the beast.”
“I don’t know about fire breathing,” Violet muttered. “But he’s passing enough gas that we could light his farts on fire. I have no idea what on earth your mother feeds him for lunch, but I wish she’d stop.”
“Violet!” I hissed.
Mike shot her a glare and snatched up Mikey. “I’m not afraid to wrestle a dragon,” he laughed as he carried the toddler into the living room, Ashley trailing behind. Muffy gave me a long look then ran after them.
Traitor.
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Violet Mae Gardner Beauregard, but you stop it right now!” I whisper-shouted.
Her eyes flew open in shock.
“I don’t care how angry you are at Mike. You be nice to him in front of your children, and you sure as tarnation should not speak badly of his mother. That woman loves them more than life itself. Not to mention that she watches your children without pay.” Unleashed, my bitterness spread through my body, saturating every word. “You have no idea how lucky you have it.”
Thirty-One and a Half Regrets (Rose Gardner Mystery #4) Page 3