“Why him?”
“Because I talked to him last night and he was antagonistic.”
Mason sat up straighter. “Why were you talking to him?”
Oh, crappy doodles. I couldn’t tell him about Bruce Wayne. “I took Muffy on a walk and his friends were sitting on his car drinking beer.”
“Rose, if you feel unsafe in your neighborhood, you need to call the police.”
“Yeah,” I snorted. “Officer Ernie will come running to protect me.”
“He’ll do his job.”
I didn’t want to discuss the loyalty or lack thereof of the Henryetta Police Department.
“Did you at least call the police to file a report?”
“No. We both know what little good that would have done.”
Mason sighed and leaned forward. “If you really feel that unsafe with the Henryetta police, perhaps you should consider moving out of the city limits. To the sheriff’s jurisdiction. Maybe you’d feel more protected.”
“And leave my house?” But the truth was that it was really Violet’s house. We’d both grown up in it, but Momma had left it to Vi in her will. I paid Violet rent to live there. Maybe moving really was a good idea. “I’d never considered it.”
“There are some condos close to here, just outside the city limit but in Fenton County. Your commute wouldn’t be much longer. Maybe ten minutes.”
But I wasn’t sure if I could live in some cookie-cutter condo like Violet’s house. I liked older houses with character. Not that it mattered. Momma’s house was Violet’s and all my available cash was tied up in the business. I couldn’t afford to buy a new house even if I wanted to. Unless I decided to sell the farm. One more reason to strongly consider it.
“You’re probably right about the vandalism being the work of some teens. It doesn’t seem likely that Crocker would break out of jail then swing by your house to smash pumpkins on your front porch when half the law enforcement officers in Arkansas are hot on his tail. But humor me and file a report, okay? Especially since we know Thomas has ties to them.”
“Okay.”
“Until Crocker’s caught, you should lay low.”
I grimaced. “That might be difficult. The Gardner Sisters Nursery is part of a press conference today and I have to be there.”
“What press conference?”
“The small business administration is giving us a grant. It’s big enough for us to expand our business onto the empty lot next to the nursery.”
“Rose, that’s wonderful.”
“Yeah, well…it comes with strings. They contacted her on Monday and said they were giving us the check as part of a campaign stop.”
Realization drained the blood from his face. “Joe?”
I nodded with a sigh. “Yeah.”
“Did you agree?”
“I did, but only because it could make a huge difference to our long-term goals. I can suffer through this for the good of the business.”
“Why’s he coming to Henryetta? This isn’t even his district.”
“His father has ties to the Arkansas SBA. Joe is including it as part of his platform. They’re highlighting successful small businesses.”
“So Violet takes care of the press conference and you get the check.”
I shook my head. “No. They said we both have to be there.”
Mason cursed under his breath, then reached across the table and took my hand again. “Sometimes the money is tempting, but the cost associated with it is too much. I urge you to give this more consideration.”
My blood turned cold. “You think I shouldn’t do it.”
“No, Rose. Only you can decide what you should or shouldn’t do. I’m just asking you not to be blinded by all the zeros on a check.”
I nodded. He was right.
“On the other hand, it could be empowering for you to see Joe again and let him know you’re doing okay without him, that you’re moving on. But don’t feel like you have to do that, either. You don’t have to prove anything to him…or me. If you decide to do it, do it to prove it to yourself.”
“How’d you get so smart?’
He winked. “Let’s just say I’ve made plenty of mistakes of my own.”
I took a sip of my coffee and studied Mason’s face. Something was different—in a good way—only I couldn’t figure out what it was.
Mason’s eyebrows lifted in derision. “You do know that this has Joe’s father’s stink all over it?”
“I know. I just can’t figure out why he’d want us together.”
Mason leaned his elbow on the table. “Why does J.R. Simmons do anything? To get Joe out of trouble or keep him in line. The question is how could this situation take care of either one of those things?”
I closed my eyes. Mason was right. Joe was being punished somehow and I was just a pawn for his father to use in his game of manipulation.
“What time’s the press conference?”
My stomach knotted. “One.”
“And when is Joe getting there?”
“I don’t know. Violet said to be there around noon.”
“I’d like to come.” He hesitated. “If that’s okay with you.”
“Oh, Mason. I’d love for you to be there.” I was amazed at how true my statement was. I worried how I’d react when I saw Joe, and I couldn’t count on Violet to be supportive. Mason had proven in the past that I could always count on him. “But I thought you had court.”
“I’ll get a postponement. With Crocker loose, I’ll just worry about you all day anyway. If you don’t mind having a shadow today, I’d like to be there to support you.”
The thought of spending the day with Mason made me happier than I’d expected. “You don’t have to, Mason.”
“I know, but I want to. There’s a difference.”
“Okay then.” As grateful as I was to have Mason by my side, I couldn’t neglect the fact that Bruce Wayne probably had no one. I needed to figure out where he was and all the evidence was pointing to the one place in town where I definitely wasn’t welcome. “I have an appointment with Jonah later this morning. At the church.” I hated lying to him, but it couldn’t be helped. Bruce Wayne disappearing within twenty-four hours of Daniel Crocker’s escape from prison was too big of a coincidence to ignore. And while I still wasn’t ready to tell Mason, I felt safe telling Jonah, especially since he ran a program for troubled youths who were mentored by rehabilitated criminals. Jonah had access to resources I didn’t.
“How about you talk to Jonah, and I’ll meet you at the nursery around noon. But tell Bruce Wayne what’s going on and make sure he’s with you at any job sites today. You really shouldn’t be alone.”
Mason was right. The fact that Daniel Crocker was running around loose freaked me out more than I cared to admit. “That might be a problem. Bruce Wayne has called in sick every day since last week.”
He paused. “Is he okay?”
“I don’t know. David told me that he thinks it might be bronchitis.” Technically, it wasn’t a lie.
“So you’re working alone? That’s not a good idea.”
“I know. But there’s nothing too pressing that can’t wait. We were supposed to start building a retaining wall today, but I’d barely have time to get started before I’d have to leave to get ready for the press conference.”
“Good.” He glanced at his watch and grimaced. “I’d love nothing more than to spend the morning with you, but if I’m taking the afternoon off, I need to get some work done.”
I nodded, hating the fact he was taking off work because of me.
“Rose, don’t feel guilty.” He laughed when my eyes widened. “What? You think I don’t know how much you hate inconveniencing people? Just remember this: It’s not an inconvenience for me. I’m grateful for an excuse to spend the afternoon with you. Even if the situation is less than ideal.”
He walked me to my truck and stood in front of me, pushing my back against the driver’s side door. Being this clo
se to him made my heart beat faster.
“Be careful, Rose,” he murmured, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. “I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.”
“I don’t intend to let anything happen to me.”
A grin lifted his mouth. “You’re like a cat with nine lives, but don’t press your luck. You have great instincts. Listen to them. If you feel like you’re in a dangerous situation, call 911. Even if you don’t think the police will help, they’ll do their job. I promise.”
“I will.”
He reached around and opened my door. “I’ll see you at the nursery around noon.”
As Mason took off for the courthouse, I checked my cell phone for any missed calls and tried calling Bruce Wayne again, getting his voice mail. “Bruce Wayne, I know Daniel Crocker escaped from prison. If you’re in some kind of trouble, please just call me so I can help.” I hung up, feeling like my pathetic efforts were a waste of time. Maybe it was time to tell Mason. After all, Bruce Wayne could be in real danger. But Mason had just told me to listen to my instincts, and they were telling me not to let the police know just yet.
At the moment, my best hope for an ally was in the pastor’s office of the New Living Hope Revival Church.
Chapter Five
Every time I walked into the main office of Jonah’s church, I always stopped and blinked when I saw the secretary who looked nothing like Miss Rhonda, aka Wanda Pruitt. His new secretary was much younger than the older women who loved to flock to him. Jonah definitely had a way with the grandmothers of our town, but the scandalous rumors had no truth to them. The older women were lonely and Jonah spent time with them, actually listening, which came as no surprise to me. He’d listened to me for weeks before we officially called it therapy.
“Hi, Jessica. Is Jonah in his office?”
The young woman looked up at me with a fake smile. Her bleached blonde hair was big and curly and her shirt was tighter than necessary and slightly inappropriate for a church office. She’d arranged little knick-knacks around the office, and a candle burned on her desk, filling the room with the scent of snickerdoodle cookies. “I’ll let him know you’re here.” But she didn’t look happy about it.
She pressed her intercom button and Jonah’s office door opened within seconds.
A toothy, too-white smile spread across his face as he leaned against the door jamb. “What’s the wonderful smell?”
Turning in her seat, Jessica beamed. “That’s my candle, Jonah. But I brought you some cookies. Would you like some?”
He rubbed his stomach. “I’m gonna gain ten pounds if you keep bringing in those delicious baked goods.” He turned his attention to me. “Rose, what’s the pleasure of this visit? I thought we were seeing each other at my house tomorrow afternoon.”
The young blonde woman shot me an ugly glare. She obviously liked Jonah and thought I was trying to steal him from her, especially since we spent so much time together.
Were all secretaries destined to hate me?
“Something important came up and I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to talk. Do you have time now?”
He held his door wider in invitation. “Of course. Come on in.” He leaned out the door after I brushed past him. “Jessica, hold my calls, please.”
I sat in one of the wingback chairs in front of his desk. Rather than sitting behind the desk, he sat next to me, crossing his legs, looking very much like the televangelist I’d first met. He’d updated his hairstyle from its former eighties pompadour, but though it was shorter and more stylish, he hadn’t been able to resist adding highlights. “What’s going on?”
I gripped the chair arm. “Bruce Wayne is missing.”
He paused. “What do you mean, missing?”
“You know how he’s been calling in sick? Well, it turns out he’s not. David says he was leaving in the mornings and coming back late at night, but when David asked where he was going and what he was doing, Bruce Wayne told him it would be better if he didn’t know.”
He sank back in his chair, his shoulders slumping. “Oh dear.”
“Then yesterday morning, David called me before seven a.m. to tell me that Bruce Wayne wouldn’t be in, that he was still sick, but it made me suspicious. I doubt David Moore even knew seven a.m. existed before yesterday morning. So after I ate lunch with Neely Kate at Merilee’s, I stopped by their house and brought him some chicken noodle soup. Only Bruce Wayne wasn’t home and half his clothes were missing. When I asked David, he told me Bruce Wayne never came home the night before.”
Jonah squeezed his eyes shut. “This isn’t good.”
“It gets worse.”
His eyes flew open and his back stiffened.
“Mason told me this morning that Daniel Crocker escaped from the county jail last night.”
Jonah jumped out of his chair and started pacing. “What? How?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t give me details. But I got to thinking that Bruce Wayne worked for Crocker before he got arrested for murder. And he still has a connection to Crocker’s guys. It seems too coincidental for Bruce Wayne to disappear twenty-four hours before Crocker’s prison break.”
“Agreed. This is bad.” He stopped pacing. “What does Mason think?”
“I haven’t told him.”
“Why not? He can help you.”
I twisted my hands in my lap, questioning whether I’d made the right decision. “Jonah, if I tell Mason, he’ll be obligated to report it. And what if Bruce Wayne took off for something stupid? He’s on parole! They’ll toss him in prison. I just need a day or two to see if I can figure out where he went and why he’s gone. I’d go out to Weston’s Garage—”
Jonah released a heavy sigh. “You and I both know that’s a terrible idea. Especially in light of Crocker’s prison break.”
“Well…if it makes you feel any better, the sheriff’s office and the state police think Crocker has left for Louisiana.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s safe for you to go out there.”
“I know…” My voice trailed off as I looked up at him.
He rolled his eyes and groaned. “Rose.”
I sat on the edge of my seat. “Jonah, Bruce Wayne is in trouble. I know it and those guys out there like you.”
He shook his head with a grimace. “I’m not sure I’d call it like. They come to my group for the community service hours. They only do it to stay on the right side of the law and their parole officers. Honestly, some days I question how effective it is. I’ve probably only turned around one boy since starting the group a few months ago.”
I stood and put a hand on his arm. “Maybe it’s only happening one boy at a time, but at least you made a difference to that one boy. I suspect you’re making more of an impact than you realize. And those guys from Weston’s Garage don’t have to come here. They could do something else.”
He released a wry laugh. “You were the one who suggested—quite rightly, I might add—that those guys from Weston’s Garage were probably using my group to recruit boys like your neighbor Thomas.”
I turned and leaned my butt against the desk. “I’m desperate, Jonah. I really care about Bruce Wayne and I know in my gut that something’s wrong. I can’t just sit around and do nothing. I’m open to suggestions.”
He was silent for several seconds. “One of Crocker’s former guys really seems to be trying to turn his life around—Scooter Malcolm.”
My eyebrows lifted. “The brother of Skeeter Malcolm, the bookie at the pool hall ? Their momma must have trouble coming up with names.”
“Yep, that’s him. And we both know that no one wants to get on Skeeter’s bad side.”
I knew that from personal experience with Skeeter when I was looking for evidence to clear Bruce Wayne’s name. I shivered. I hated to think what might have happened if Mason hadn’t shown up. “I didn’t know the Malcolms had ties to Crocker.”
“Rose, everyone in this town had ties to Crocker one way or the other.”
“Oh.” But it wasn’t surprising I didn’t know. Before Momma’s murder, I had lived a completely sheltered life. I went to work at the DMV each morning, went home and took care of Momma, then got up the next day to do it all over again. With Violet’s backing, I’d convinced myself that I was the town outcast, but I’d recently begun to question how much of that was caused by my own isolation, which had perpetuated the idea that I really was strange and different.
“Scooter’s been trying to turn his life around, just like Bruce Wayne, but he has a harder road ahead of him because his brother keeps trying to pull him back in.” He shifted his weight. “In any case, I’ll find Scooter and ask him if he’s heard anything. But don’t get your hopes up. If Bruce Wayne’s disappearance really does have something to do with Daniel Crocker, I’m not sure Scooter will help us.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. Jonah was trying to help, which was more than I should have been asking. “We’ll just hope that he knows something.”
“But if I don’t find anything, you need to tell Mason.”
I sucked in my lower lip.
“Rose.”
I stood and moved to the window, looking down at the church grounds. I had hired Bruce Wayne and David out of desperation when Jonah commissioned us to landscape the entire church grounds in less than five days. But it turned out that Bruce Wayne loved it. He’d been working for me for a little over a month and I couldn’t imagine the Gardner Sisters Nursery without him.
“Rose.”
“I’ve been leaving Bruce Wayne messages on his cell phone. Maybe he’ll call me back and tell me that this has all been a big misunderstanding.”
Jonah’s mouth pursed as his eyebrows rose.
“When do you think you can talk to Scooter?”
“I’ll track him down as soon as we’re done here.”
“Okay,” I groaned. “If Scooter can’t help us, and if I haven’t heard anything by the end of the press conference, I’ll tell Mason.”
“What press conference?”
Thirty-One and a Half Regrets (Rose Gardner Mystery #4) Page 5