Chapter Eighteen
Nikko owned a tiny mobile home on the side of a county road. There was an astounding assortment of them, spanning from nice trailers with potted plants to absolutely trashy ones.
Alaina pulled off the road in front of a faded white and loam-green trailer, and I pulled in next to her. As she unlocked the front door, Alaina looked over her shoulder at us. “Nikko gave me a key, but I haven’t been in here since last week.”
“Okay,” I said. That meant we had no idea what we’d find.
Alaina pushed the door open, and we followed her into the dark living room. All the curtains were drawn, so it took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust, but the stench of something rotten hit me first.
“Oh, my stars and garters!” Neely Kate gushed, looking at the mess. “They’ve totally ransacked the place!”
There were clothes strewn everywhere—on the floor and covering the sofa and recliner. Along with the laundry were empty beer and pop cans, discarded chip bags and cracker boxes.
“This?” Alaina asked in surprise. “This is how Nikko lives. That boy never did learn to pick up after himself.” She leaned over and picked up a T-shirt, took a whiff and cringed, then tossed it in a chair.
Neely Kate put a hand to her chest. “Oh.”
“What exactly are you lookin’ for?” Alaina asked, stepping over a pair of jeans.
Neely Kate glanced over at me, her eyes wide. We had no idea what we were looking for, and the fact that the place was totally trashed didn’t help.
“We were hoping to figure out what Mud’s guys were looking for,” I sighed as I walked past her into the kitchen. The trash was overflowing, and the smell was worse near the container.
“Honestly, we’re grasping at straws,” Neely Kate added. “Can you look around with us and tell us if anything looks out of place?”
“Sure,” Alaina said.
I was curious how she was gonna figure that out, but we followed her as she made her way down the hall, and I noticed the back door was cracked. I pushed it open and saw the doorframe was bent and splintered.
“Has it always looked like this?” I asked. After seeing the state of the living room and kitchen, I wouldn’t put it past Nikko to have broken the back door in if he’d misplaced his key.
“No,” Alaina said, her voice tight.
“Then Mud’s guys must have broken in when they came to look for them,” Neely Kate said.
Alaina continued into the bedroom. The bed was unmade, and the whole room smelled musty. Drawers were partially open, and clothing hung over the sides. A pile of clothes filled the open closet.
“This is Nikko’s room.”
“This is hopeless,” Neely Kate whispered in my ear. “How can we tell if they looked for anything, let alone found it?”
I had to admit she was probably right. “Did Nikko have places where he hid things? Like if he didn’t want anyone to find them?”
“No,” Alaina said. “He didn’t have anything worth hiding.”
“Well, thanks,” Neely Kate said, disappointment heavy in her words. She headed down the hall with Alaina, but I looked around the room, trying to figure out where Nikko might have hidden something.
On closer inspection, I realized the top mattress had been shifted. Nikko might be a slob, but I couldn’t imagine anyone willingly sleeping on a crooked mattress.
I took two steps and stopped.
Mud’s men had been searching this space for something other than Nikko.
I wasn’t sure how skinny he was, but there was no way he could hide under the mattress or even under the bed for that matter. The box springs were on a frame that was barely six inches off the floor.
“Neely Kate!”
She was back in the doorway in seconds. “Did you find something?”
“I don’t know.” I showed her the mattress and told her my theory. “This confirms they were looking for something.”
“I think you’re right,” she said. “But what on earth were they looking for?”
Alaina had followed Neely Kate and stood behind her.
“Alaina,” I said. “What did Nikko do for Crocker?”
She shook her head, her eyes getting hard. “He never worked for that looney tune. My brother’s smarter than that.”
“Okay,” I drawled. “What did he do for Crocker’s men? I know his car parts ring was pretty well done by the summer.” Which meant all that was left were some drugs and fencing stolen goods.
She grimaced, and I could tell she didn’t want to tell me.
“I’m not gonna judge him,” I said in a soft voice. “I know two people who worked for Crocker—a guy I work with and my ex-boyfriend. And I don’t hold it against them. They both got out. Just like Nikko.”
Neely Kate shot me a look of surprise, but didn’t correct me. Technically Bruce Wayne and I did work together. And Joe had worked for Crocker. He just happened to be undercover for the state police at the time.
“Nikko told me they had expanded their drug business into meth. Nikko helped deliver it.” An angry look filled her eyes. “But he wasn’t a dealer, so don’t you be thinking that.”
I held up my hands. “I don’t doubt you.”
Tears filled her eyes. “He’s really done it this time, hasn’t he?”
I gave her a sympathetic look. “I don’t know.” I paused. “You said Nikko and the sheriff’s department didn’t get along. Did they know about his association with Crocker? Or was it something else?”
She started to cringe, then stopped herself. “Nikko’s always liked to stir up a little trouble. But nothing really bad,” she insisted. “Just some cow-tipping and TPing the high school principal’s front yard. Mischief.”
Neely Kate shifted her weight. “What about Mud?” she said. “I mean maybe Nikko really did try to go the straight and narrow and thought his job at Gems was really a bartending job. But what if Mud found out he worked for Crocker’s guys? Maybe he wanted information on how the whole racket was run.”
Alaina shook her head. “That’s crazy.”
I wasn’t so sure Neely Kate was far off from the truth. “Alaina, you said someone besides Mud runs Gems, right?”
“Yes, but I don’t know who.”
According to Skeeter, the person who’d opened the place did it to try and put him out of business. “There’s not enough clientele to support two strip clubs. So why would the owner of Gems open it? Why go to all the trouble?” I asked.
Both women looked at me with blank expressions.
“They came here looking for something. I bet they think Nikko had something from his time with Crocker’s guys, something that might help them take down Skeeter Malcolm. He’s the new king of Fenton County, and he got there by acquiring Crocker’s business. There’s a bunch of people who are unhappy about that, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were trying to take him down.”
Neely Kate’s eyes pinned me with a steely gaze. I was gonna catch hell when we left.
Alaina shook her head in confusion. “I don’t know how that helps us.”
“I don’t know yet either, but can you think of any hiding places Nikko might have?”
“No.” She sounded disappointed.
“Well, if you think of something, will you let us know?” Neely Kate asked.
“Sure.”
We looked around for another ten minutes, turning up nothing. Digging through Nikko’s filth made me feel guilty for bothering Mason about leaving his dirty socks on the side of the bed. After the break-in last night, I had the sudden urge to talk to him.
We went outside, and Neely Kate and I walked around, looking for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Not that either one of us had a clue of what to look for. We were woefully out of our league.
When we reached the front of the trailer, Neely Kate talked to Alaina, who’d trailed silently after us, while I climbed in the truck and sent Skeeter a text.
I need to talk to you. Text me.
Neely Kate got back into the truck and shot me a glare. “You have some explaining to do.”
I tried to look innocent as I started the truck and pulled onto the county road. “What are you talking about?”
“All that Skeeter nonsense. How do you know about that?”
I tried to look irritated. “You know I was at the auction.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it.”
“What?” I looked at her.
My cell phone rang just then, and I wanted nothing more than to throttle Skeeter. I’d told him to text me. Now how was I going to explain talking to him to Neely Kate? In my haste, I reached for my phone more quickly than usual, and Neely Kate sensed I was trying to hide the call from her and snatched it from me.
“Neely Kate!” I shouted, reaching for the phone.
“What are you hiding from me, Rose?” she said, looking at the phone. “It’s Joe.”
Chapter Nineteen
Neely Kate looked up in surprise. “Why are you hiding a call from Joe?”
“I’m not,” I said, snatching the phone from her. “I didn’t know it was him.”
Why was he calling?
“Hey, Joe?” I answered.
“Rose, are you driving?”
I cast a weird glance to Neely Kate. “Yeah, why?”
“I want you to pull over.”
My heart started racing. “Why?”
“Rose, darlin’, just do it. Please.”
“Okay,” I said breathlessly, panicking over what Joe needed to tell me. It had to be bad if he wanted me to pull over to the side of the road.
“What is it?” Neely Kate asked.
“I don’t know.” I pulled the truck onto the shoulder as I tried to catch my breath. “Okay, I’m pulled over. What is it?”
“Mason’s been in a car accident.”
“Oh, God. Is he okay?”
“They’ve taken him to the hospital. He hit his head pretty good, so they want to do a CT scan.”
“What happened?”
“He’d just left the sheriff’s department and was on his way back to the courthouse. He ran off the road and hit a pole.”
I shook my head. “But he’s such a careful driver. How did it happen?”
“I don’t know. We’re investigating the accident now.”
“Why isn’t he calling me? Oh, no.” A new wave of panic hit me. “Is he hurt really bad?”
“Rose, calm down,” he said in a low, soothing voice. “I spoke with him after the accident, and while he was dazed for a bit, he seems better now. He cut his forehead and there was a lot of blood, so I’m sure he needs stitches. I think they just wanted to be safe.”
Something didn’t feel right. “I’m on my way,” I said, my voice breaking.
“Rose, just stop and take a deep breath. Wait a few seconds to let this sink in, okay?”
“Okay.” Tears burned my eyes. “Do you think he’s going to be okay?”
Joe chuckled. “Mason Deveraux’s too hard-headed to let a light pole seriously injure him.”
I laughed through my tears. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“I’m sorry to be the one telling this to you, and I didn’t want you to hear it from someone else.”
“Thank you.”
“Is Neely Kate with you? Maybe she should drive.”
I took a deep breath. “No. I’m fine. I’ll be at the hospital soon.”
“Rose.” He hesitated. “Call me if you need anything, okay? I’m here for you.”
“Thank you.”
I hung up and turned to Neely Kate.
Her eyes were wide with fright. “Is Mason okay?”
I nodded. “Joe thinks so. He was in a car accident, though, and he hit his head. Joe said he needs stitches, and they’re going to do a CT scan to make sure nothing’s wrong.”
“Do you want me to drive?”
I took a deep breath, feeling calmer as I slowly let it out. Joe assured me that Mason was fine. My feeling of foreboding was just an overreaction. “No, I’m okay. I’m sorry we can’t try to find Billy Jack, but I have to see Mason.”
“Rose.” She leaned over and rubbed my arm. “Mason comes first right now. It’s okay.”
Neely Kate talked to me all the way to the hospital. I was glad she was there to keep me company, because my mind was racing with all kinds of worst-case scenarios, despite Joe’s insistence that Mason was okay. If he was okay, why hadn’t he called me himself? What if Joe had pretended Mason was in better shape than he was because he was worried I’d have my own accident on the way to the hospital? Neely Kate could tell I was a bundle of nerves by the time we got to the hospital twenty minutes later.
“You know that Mason’s too bullheaded to let anything bad happen to him, right? His run-in with Daniel Crocker proved that to be true.”
I nodded, but tears stung my eyes. Something was really wrong. An ache filled the back of my head, reminding me of the feeling I’d gotten with two of my recent visions. What did that mean?
As soon as I parked, I raced through the emergency room entrance up to the counter. “I’m here to see Mason Deveraux.”
The receptionist, a woman who appeared to be in her forties or fifties, looked up at me with mild interest. “Are you family?”
“I’m his girlfriend.”
Her gaze returned to her computer. “Then you’ll have to wait in the waiting room,” she said, sounding bored.
I splayed my hands on the chest-high counter and leaned forward. “And if we were married? Would I have to wait then?”
“No,” she said as though I’d asked the stupidest question in the world.
“Can you at least tell me if he’s okay?” My voice rose in frustration.
“We only give that information to family members.” She glanced up at me with disdain, then said, “But you’re welcome to sit in the waiting room.”
I wasn’t about to take no for answer. “Will you at least tell him I’m here? He’s been a patient here before, and I sat with him in his exam room. Just a couple of months ago.”
She shook her head, looking irritated. “Sorry. I can’t relay messages from the waiting room to patients. You’ll just have to stay where you are.”
I walked away from the counter and pulled out my phone, dialing Mason’s cell phone. My anxiety grew when it went straight to voice mail. I considered calling Maeve, but I didn’t know if anyone had informed her yet. I didn’t want to scare her, since I didn’t know anything other than what Joe had told me.
I stared into Neely Kate’s face, pulling back my shoulders. “I’m not gonna wait. I’m goin’ back there.”
She gave me a slight nod, a determined glint in her eyes. “Don’t worry. We’ll get you in to see him. Just wait until the receptionist is distracted enough, then run back there.”
“What are you gonna do?”
She laughed. “Create a distraction.” She started moaning and grabbing her stomach. “Oh, I feel like I have the flu.”
There were about twenty people gathered in the waiting room, and a few looked up at her.
She coughed several times, spinning around in a circle, spreading her “germs.” “Hypothetically, if I had just gotten back from Africa a few days ago, and I might have been on a bus with some people who were throwing up blood, what do you suppose they had?” she asked, wide-eyed and innocent.
A couple of people jumped out of their seats in panic.
“Ebola!” one of the men shouted, pointing at her.
The waiting room became deafening as people screamed and scrambled to grab their things.
The receptionist stood up, looking over the counter. “What’s going on in there?”
“She has Ebola!” an elderly woman shouted.
The whole room was soon in an uproar, and the receptionist started for the door to the reception area.
“Someone call security!” a man shouted.
Neely Kate leaned close to me. “When that receptionist gets
out here, you make a beeline for the back.”
“Thank you,” I murmured. Neely Kate was bound to get into a lot of trouble for this, but she was grinning ear to ear.
The receptionist waddled next to Neely Kate, clearly irritated. “What is the meaning of this?”
I edged back to the door, slipping through the opening. I would have made a clean getaway except a woman pointed at me and shouted, “She was with the girl who has Ebola! She must have it too!”
I knew I didn’t have much time, so I hurried down the hall to the first exam room. I peeked through the window in the door and saw a little boy with his mother.
The receptionist burst through the doors, flinging them open so hard they bounced off the walls. “You can’t be back here!”
I looked into the second room and found it empty, then quickly moved on to the next room. “I’m sorry, but I have to see Mason.”
She was shorter than me, but she had to outweigh me by a good seventy pounds. Still, she was faster than I’d expected. “You are in a lot of trouble. Security is on their way.”
I moved to the next window. An older couple looked up at me with alarm, not that I could blame them. Shouting was still streaming in from the waiting room, and now some crazed woman was playing Peeping Tom.
The receptionist had quickly gained ground and was several feet away. My desperation grew. I wasn’t leaving until I saw Mason with my own eyes.
“Mason!” I called out. But what if he was in a coma hooked up to wires and IVs? He wouldn’t be able to hear me, let alone find me.
“Miss,” she hissed, her fingers digging into my arm as she caught up with me. “This is a hospital filled with sick people. You are being disrespectful by shouting like that.”
“I don’t want to make trouble, really. I just have to see him, then I’ll leave. Please!” I shouted.
I put up a good fight, but she started tugging me back up the hall.
Just then a door at the end of the hall opened, and Mason appeared in the opening. “Rose?”
Thirty-Three and a Half Shenanigans Page 19