She hung up the phone, keeping a suspicious eye on me as the door opened behind her and J.R. appeared in the opening.
“Ah . . . James. You found me.”
I gaped. Not only did he remember me, but he knew my real name.
And so began my career with a man I grew to love and hate. But if I thought J.R. was my ticket to escaping Henyretta for good, I had another think coming. When I was twenty-five and firmly entrenched in his service, he called me into his home office. I’d only been there a couple of times, and usually when the family was away, but this was on a Wednesday afternoon in the middle of June.
His butler let me in and led me into his office. His son Joe was coming down the stairs, but he ignored me after giving me a cursory glance. Not that I was surprised. J.R. Simmons’ employees were meant to remain in the background.
J.R. was at his desk, leaning back in his chair. A wide smile lit up his eyes. “James, I have a very special job for you.”
I nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“It’s time for you to go home.”
I shuffled my feet in confusion. “Home? Have I done something wrong?”
He shook his head, still smiling. “No son, on the contrary. You’ve done everything right. I have nothing left to teach you. It’s time for you to go back to Fenton County and become the man you were destined to be.”
Go back to Fenton County?
He slid an envelope across his desk. “Seed money to start a business.”
I picked up the envelope and shuffled through the bills, then looked up at him slack-jawed. “There’s over thirty thousand dollars in here.”
“Fifty thousand, to be exact. Choose a business wisely, James.”
I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”
He gave me a patient look. “Surely you knew I couldn’t keep you here forever.” When I continued to stare at him in confusion, he chuckled. “Do you remember what you said to me the day I pulled into the Sinclair station and you pumped gas into my car?”
“I said I wanted to be like you.”
“Exactly.” He beamed. “And you’ll never reach your goal working for me. It’s time for you to build your own kingdom.”
I looked in the envelope again. “So this is a loan?”
“No. It’s a gift. Call it severance. Call it an investment. I’ll still need you from time to time, but for the most part I’ll leave you be to build your empire.” He leaned forward. “Make me proud, James.”
I nodded, a lump in my throat, equally honored, terrified, and devastated.
So I went back and spent my money wisely. I’d always been good with numbers, so I opened a pool hall and became a bookie, quickly growing my income and buying respectable property under a dummy corporation in Texarkana, all while working on building illegal businesses across the county. I asked Jed to help me build my empire, promising him a share of the profits. He was several years younger than me, but we’d grown up together. I knew I could trust him to have my back.
When I came back to town and people asked where I’d gone, I lied, saying I’d run off to Memphis to earn my fortune before returning home.
Working for J.R. as one of The Twelve was like Fight Club. You never talked about it. Not if you were smart.
Not even Jed knew what I’d done, and he was smart enough to know that if I wasn’t volunteering, he shouldn’t ask.
My businesses grew, and sure enough, J.R. still called upon my services from time to time. But the more distance I got from him, the more I began to resent his disruptions. His business always pulled me away from my own—often for days at a time—and the absences were hard to explain.
Most had to do with the messes his son had created. There was a reason Joe Simmons got out of all those charges for his misdeeds: J.R. always sent in the cleanup team to either pay off officials or convince the victims to drop charges. The convincing part was easy enough with money and, if necessary, physical violence.
My resentment continued to grow. Then, five years ago, he came to me with a completely different sort of job.
He’d summoned me to his business office in El Dorado on a Monday evening. He was waiting for me at his desk when I slipped in through the back door. He handed me a folder and waited for me to scan the contents. Once I was done, I gave him a leery look. “I don’t understand.”
But I did. I understood all too well.
“Do you have a problem with this, James?”
I tossed the file onto his desk in disgust. “Hell yeah, I have a problem with it. I’m not doin’ it.”
“You are.”
“Is this some kind of test?”
His voice hardened. “No, it’s an assignment.”
I took a step back. “No. I’m not doin’ it.”
“No is not an acceptable response. Let me explain the rules to you, James. They’re very simple. I tell you to jump and you ask how high.”
I released a low growl. “You sent me back to Fenton County—the very place I was trying to escape when I first came to you. You told me to build my own empire and that’s what I’m doing. Do you answer to someone? Do you jump at their beck and call?” I shook my head in disgust and pointed to the folder. “I am not doin’ that. I can’t believe you’re askin’ it of me or anyone else for that matter. I’m done.”
J.R. stood, his eyes cold and hard. It was a look I’d seen many times, but never once directed at me. “You’re done when I say you’re done.”
“It’s time for me to cut the umbilical cord, J.R.”
He pointed his finger at the exit. “If you walk out that door, you will regret it for the rest of your life.”
I shrugged, my heart divided between grief and relief to finally be done with this man. “Then I’ll just have to learn to live with it.”
I drove back to Fenton County, straight to the pool hall. Since it was a slow Monday night, Jed was tending bar. I took a seat at the counter.
He gave me a sideways glance and handed me a beer. “You back from your business already?”
“Got a problem with that?” I asked with more irritation than was warranted. I took a drag of the beer. I shouldn’t have been so surprised by his inquiry. I always left Jed in charge when I went to do Simmons’ bidding, although Jed never knew where I went or why. But this unfinished business with J.R. had left me justifiably anxious.
He shrugged. “Your business is your own.”
J.R. Simmons didn’t see it that way.
So I waited for my punishment. Days turned to weeks. Weeks turned to months. Months turned to years. When it never came, I managed to convince myself that my previous loyalty had granted me safety.
And then last spring, Mason Deveraux showed up in town, a bulldog for the law if ever I’d seen one. I knew deep in my gut that J.R. Simmons had somehow arranged it as a reminder of my disobedience. But then nothing happened for months. I figured I’d been paranoid.
Instead, I’d been a fool.
But I had an advantage most of J.R.’s adversaries didn’t—I’d spent seven years learning at the man’s knee. I knew his strengths and I knew his weaknesses.
I wasn’t going down without a fight.
7
Skeeter
I usually spent Friday nights out in public view in the pool hall and the strip club. It was good to make a statement that these were my establishments, especially since there was so much unrest in the underworld.
But on this Friday night, I was holed up in my pool hall office. I’d been on edge since my phone call with Rose earlier in the evening. Now that I’d finally admitted to myself that J.R. was moving against me, I needed to come up with a plan. Or at least beef up the one I’d already set in motion.
Even after receiving Deveraux’s warning, I had been in partial denial. J.R. Simmons had treated me like a son for years, and the task he’d assigned to me was so vile there was no way he could have expected me to carry it out. He knew I had a soft spot for kids. Still, I didn’t get where I was today by sitting on m
y ass, waiting for things to come to me. I had given Jed a special assignment in case Deveraux’s tip held weight. Now it was time to take the offensive.
My office door opened and I jerked up my gaze to see Jed enter the room. His arm was in a sling, his mouth taut from pain. He’d been shot earlier that afternoon while serving as Rose’s backup. I’d watched him endure more pain than most men could handle while the nurse I had on call for these kinds of injuries dug the bullet out of his bicep with only lidocaine as an anesthetic. I’d told him to go home, but he’d ignored the suggestion. Not that I was surprised.
“Any news?” I asked, swinging my legs off my desk and onto the floor.
He shook his head with a grim smile. “No. Our source in the sheriff’s department doesn’t know shit about the murders. The higher-ups are being more tight-lipped than usual. They could be coming to arrest you or they could be looking into Gentry.”
Gentry was J.R.’s puppet, so I doubted he’d be hung out to dry for this. The fact that a sheriff’s deputy hadn’t come calling to ask for my alibi was troubling. Especially since my alibi was Rose herself, which I obviously couldn’t use. I suspected they were building a case against me and planned to ask their questions after my arrest.
I pushed out a breath. “They’re coming for me. I can feel it. Gentry’s behind it all.” And behind him, J.R. Simmons. I slammed a fist on the desk. “Goddammit.”
“They’re bound to have plenty of suspects. Scott Humphrey made more enemies than friends. We don’t know for sure that they’re gunning for you.”
But I did. This had the stench of J.R. Simmons’ manipulation all over it.
I jumped out of my chair and began to pace. “How’s that extracurricular project coming along?”
“You mean looking for that guy in Pine Bluff?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
He gave me a hard stare. “He has something to do with J.R. Simmons, doesn’t he?”
I clenched my jaw. “The less you know, the better.”
“That’s a bullshit answer if I ever heard one.” He released a loud groan. “Why would Simmons be interested in you? And if he is, why are you wasting your time having me hunt down this guy?”
“I have my reasons.” Even more so now that I knew he was gunning for Rose too. “What have you found?”
He ran a hand over the top of his head in frustration. “Pete Mooney is a hard man to find. It would be easier if you let me send one of the other boys to check into it. With all this nonsense involving Gentry and Lady . . . I haven’t had much spare time to run off to Pine Bluff and dig around in person.”
I scratched my chin, then shook my head. “No. Discretion is of the utmost importance. You didn’t find anything?”
“I have a lead that he might still be alive, but no location.”
I nodded and pushed out a loud breath in frustration.
“Why’s the guy so important?”
“He just is!”
Jed moved closer and lowered his voice. “Skeeter. What’s goin’ on? I have a right to know.”
I gave him a deadly glare.
“Does Mooney have anything to do with all those times you used to disappear for days?”
I pinned him with a dark gaze. “Maybe you should go home and rest, Jed. Merv can take care of anything that pops up.”
He shot me a scowl. “You damn well know I’m not going anywhere.” While it was obvious he was in pain, I knew his pride had been hurt more. It would take some time before he got over being bested in a shootout with the daughter of the local bakery owner.
I was about to suggest he take more pain medication when my phone rang. I considered letting it go to voice mail, but there was too much shit going on to let something slide. I was glad of my decision when I saw Merv’s name on the screen.
“What’s up?”
Merv’s voice was tight. “Something’s goin’ down, Skeeter.”
Goddammit. “What?” I barked.
“Deveraux’s been kicked out as ADA. He was fired in a secret meeting in the courthouse a couple of hours ago.”
An itch tickled the base of my neck. “On what grounds?”
“Dunno. Some special state prosecutor came down from Little Rock. They kept it all super secret. Word has it Deveraux took off home in a hurry. He didn’t even bother to clean out his office.”
Shit. I knew why he’d taken off in a hurry.
Rose.
My stomach clenched with anxiety. “Let me know if you hear anything more.”
“Will do.”
“And keep an eye on the sheriff’s office. If they’re coming to arrest me, they better not show up at my door unannounced.”
I hung up and immediately called Rose. I wasn’t surprised when she didn’t answer. She often waited until she could get somewhere private to call me back, but I had a bad feeling about this one.
“What’s goin’ on?” Jed asked.
“Deveraux just lost his job.”
Jed watched me for several seconds. “Why does that have you on edge? You yourself said he was an inconvenience because he can’t be bought. Is this because he’s Rose’s boyfriend?”
“I could give a fuck if her boyfriend lost his job!” I shouted. Everything was spinning out of control.
Although Jed knew Rose was interested in Simmons’ involvement in the factory fire twenty-five years ago, he had no idea the extent Rose was in J.R.’s scheming either. Now I was wondering if I should tell him everything.
I nearly jumped out of my skin when a sharp rap landed on the door. I needed to pull myself together.
“This better be important,” I growled, jerking the door open.
One of my lower-ranking men cowered in front of me, looking like he was about to shit his pants.
“Sorry, Skeeter. I know you said not to disturb you, but there’s a woman who insists on seeing you. She says it’s important and that you better let her in.”
I was about to ask who she was, but there was no need. A woman with long blonde hair and pink and purple highlights turned the corner in the hall, one of my other men trailing helplessly behind her. He reached for her arm, but she maneuvered out of his grasp and shot him an angry glare.
“Keep your hands off me! I’m not leaving until I see him myself.” Then she glanced up and caught my eye and anger washed over her face. “Skeeter Malcolm! You call off your goons. I need to talk to you.”
My chest tightened. Why was Rose’s best friend here to see me? It couldn’t be anything good.
“Let her be.”
The eyes of the man trailing her widened with fear. “She snuck past me—”
“I don’t care!” I shouted. “Leave her here and get the fuck out front. And if one more person gets back here, don’t even bother coming in with them to try and explain. Now go.”
Both men tucked tail and ran off. I held the door open wider for Rose’s friend. “If what you have to tell me is so damn important, get your ass in here and say your piece.”
The fear in her eyes told me that my tone had been harsh. But my nerves were too strung out for me to care.
Jed walked up behind me. “Neely Kate, it’s okay. Come on in.”
Her eyes widened in alarm. “You know who I am?”
Jed chuckled, then stiffened, probably jarring his arm.
I didn’t have time for this. “Of course we know who you are. I make it my business to know who Rose is with and what she’s doin’. Besides, you were here just a couple of days ago, drunk as a skunk after your three-beer lunch. Now what’s got you so worked up to see me that you had to barge into my office?”
My words seemed to shake something loose in her. Her eyes filled with fire, and she shook a finger at me. “Don’t you take that tone with me, Skeeter Malcolm. Contrary to what Mason said, I suspect you’re partially to blame for this mess.”
“What mess? Deveraux losing his job?”
She stood on her tiptoes, trying to get into my face. “Did you have something to do with
that too?”
“No!” I pointed to the now-closed door. “If that’s why you’re here, you can get the hell out.”
She poked her finger into my chest, pushing me back a step. “Don’t you even think about getting rid of me! You got her into this mess. Now you’re gonna get her out of it.”
My mouth dropped open. “I just told you I didn’t have a damn thing to do with Deveraux losing his job! What the hell do you expect me to do about it?”
Without any trace of fear left in her, she punched my arm. “I’m not talking about Mason’s job, you imbecile! I’m talking about Rose getting arrested!”
“What?”
She put her hands on her hips. “Don’t you play stupid with me, Skeeter Malcolm. You make it your business to know more about what’s going on in this county than I do. There’s no way in hell this could have slipped past you.”
Panic crept up my spine as I shot a look over my shoulder. “Jed.”
He was already digging his phone out of his pocket. “Already on it.”
Neely Kate had to be mistaken. I forced myself to stay calm. I needed all the facts. “I just talked to her around five. When did this supposedly happen?”
She shook her head, some of her fire dying out of her. “There’s no supposedly about it. It happened at Rose’s farm right in front of Mason. He told me about it himself. And as to the when of it, I don’t know. Maybe an hour? As soon as Mason called me, I made a beeline for the sheriff’s office so I could give Joe Simmons a piece of my mind.”
“Simmons arrested her?” I found that hard to believe. She might be with Deveraux, but Simmons was still in love with her. Everyone knew it.
“It doesn’t matter if he did it himself or had someone do it for him. What matters is that he let it happen, and now he refuses to let her go.”
“What are the charges?”
“They’re accusing her of hiring Daniel Crocker to murder her mother.”
Son of a bitch. J.R. Simmons had set things in motion, all right, and not just for me.
“What do you plan to do about this?” she demanded.
Rage filled my head and I fought to regain control.
Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments Bonus Chapters: Rose Gardner Mystery Page 5