Thirty and a Half Excuses

by Denise Grover Swank

  I sat on the step next to him. “It isn’t your fault, but I think you’re right. Someone is killing them because of you.”

  He released a moan and leaned over his knees.

  “Can you think of anyone who has a grudge against you? Either here or back in Homer?”

  He rubbed his mouth with his fingertips. “I don’t know, Rose. My church isn’t exactly conservative. I’ve ruffled a few feathers along the way.”

  “I’m gonna need specifics, Jonah. Anyone in particular come to mind?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Think. This might help Bruce Wayne too.” I gasped, an idea coming to me. “Could you have upset one of the guys in your troubled youth group? Could they be killing these women to try and make it look like you killed them?”

  “Why would they do that? I give them a safe place to come and talk.” Jonah’s head rose, and he took in a deep breath. “Wait, there was an incident that turned ugly.”

  “What happened?”

  “About three weeks ago, Sly, one of the older guys, a mentor, showed up to a meeting drunk. I told him that he was a negative influence on the teens, and he had to leave. He wasn’t very happy with my request and started to throw chairs around.” Jonah sighed. “I tried my best to calm him down, but I finally had to resort to calling the police. Sly went even crazier. He was shouting about how everything had turned to crap when Daniel Crocker got locked away.” He lifted his eyebrows with a shy grin. “Only he didn’t say crap.”

  “I bet.”

  “The police threw him in jail for destruction of property. I didn’t press charges but he got into trouble with his parole officer. He blamed me for it, and I haven’t seen him since.”

  “Was it the bald guy with the snake tattoos?”

  He nodded.

  This was good. A solid lead I could actually take to Mason. “If it happened a few weeks ago that was right before Miss Laura died. The only problem is how would Sly know about the deaths in Homer. Did you know him there?”

  “No. And even if I did, no one—and I mean no one—pieced those murders together. Maybe it’s just a coincidence.”

  “Do you really believe that?”

  He didn’t answer me.

  “How did the women in Homer die?”

  “They were poisoned.”

  Could the women in Henryetta have been poisoned? One more piece of information for Mason. “I think Bruce Wayne saw something here at your church last Friday, something that scared him. After we left your house this morning, Bruce Wayne stayed at Merilee’s while I went to get Mason. But when we got back, Bruce Wayne was gone, and the waitress said that he’d left with two guys. One matches Sly’s description and the other sounds like Thomas.”

  “Do you think they made him go with them?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. The bald guy could have been his friend from when Bruce Wayne did some odd jobs for Daniel Crocker. Before he was arrested for murder last year.”

  Jonah shook his head. “No, Sly isn’t anyone’s friend. And if Thomas is with him, that’s bad.”

  “I bet they took him to Weston’s Garage.”

  He squeezed his eyes closed. “This is all my fault. What am I going to do?”

  “You’re going to pretend like you don’t know anything, and you’re going to have your revival tonight.”

  He shook his head, wild eyed. “I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can. I’m going to go find Mason and tell him everything.”

  “Everything?”

  “As much as I can without getting you in trouble.”

  “Okay.” He sounded defeated.

  I grabbed his hand. “Everything’s going to work out. You’ll see.”

  “Thanks, Rose.”

  I stood. “You coming out?”

  “I think I want to just sit here and pray for a few minutes.”

  The church grounds were still bustling when I headed for my truck. Rhonda stood outside the tent with her clipboard pressed against her chest as she talked to several workmen. She shot a glare in my direction before she turned back to her task.

  I needed to talk to Mason before I did anything else, so I decided to head back to the courthouse. I’d camp out in his office until he came back if need be.

  Halfway to the courthouse my cell phone sprang to life. Before I could look Mason’s number up, the phone began to ring, and I wasn’t all that surprised to see who was calling.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The moment I said “hello,” Mason let loose.

  “Where the hell have you been? Why did you leave the sheriff’s office? You didn’t even tell me you were going. I’ve been worried sick.”

  “I’m sorry.” I didn’t blame him for his anger. “I can explain.”

  Mason took a deep breath and replied much more calmly. “I’m listening.”

  “Did Cecelia give you my message about Christy Hansen?”

  “What message?’

  I groaned. “She told me that she did. I called her around lunchtime, as soon as I could get to a phone. Christy Hansen came into the sheriff’s office with a gun, demanding justice. She was high as a kite. She saw me and remembered seeing me at the church. Somehow she came to the conclusion I was Jonah’s girlfriend and took me hostage to go find Jonah.”

  “Oh, God.” He sounded panicked. “Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I got away from her after we wrecked into the back of an SUV. I distracted her with the hope that she’d run off the road or something.”

  “That was good thinking, although you could have been hurt in the crash.”

  “We weren’t going very fast. And I knew I had to get away. She’s crazy. I have no doubt that she would have shot me.” I pulled the truck into a parking lot since I didn’t need to go to the courthouse.

  “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “My cell phone was dead, and I didn’t have your number. I ran to the nursery and used the business phone to call your office. I told Cecelia to call 911 about Christy running around town with a gun looking for Jonah. I also told her to tell you I was okay and would explain it all when I talked to you.”

  “Well, someone just spent her last day as a Fenton County employee, because she didn’t breathe a word of any of that,” he said. He paused, sounding worried again. “How in the world could you get kidnapped at the sheriff’s station at gunpoint without anyone noticing?”

  “The receptionist saw Christy come into the waiting room, then left to go to the back before she noticed the gun, and the guy sitting with me had his eyes closed and was wearing headphones.” My voice hardened. “You told me I was perfectly safe sitting out there.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I’ve never heard of anyone getting kidnapped in the Fenton County Sheriff’s waiting room before. Leave it to you to be the first.”

  “Did you find Bruce Wayne?”

  “No. I came up with a dead end.”

  “Did the sheriff deputies even go out there?” I asked, irritated.

  “Yeah, they did. They questioned the guys in the shop, but they said they hadn’t seen Bruce Wayne since he was arrested last year.”

  “Like they’re going to admit they forced him to go with them.”

  “We don’t know they forced him, Rose.”

  “True… I found out that Bruce Wayne used to do some jobs for Daniel Crocker before both of their arrests.”

  “How did you find that out?”

  “I asked David. And I know a whole lot more than that.”

  “Where are you right now?”

  “In the parking lot of the China Paradise Buffet.”

  “Do you have time to meet me somewhere and talk?”

  The smell of Chinese food wafted out of the restaurant, making my stomach rumble.

  “Sure, if you meet me here. I’m starving after I lost my lunch.”

  “I’m sure there’s a story there. Go through the buffet without me. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

 
; Fifteen minutes later, I was fumbling with chopsticks and dropping lo mein on the table when Mason sat down across from me. I was the only customer in the restaurant so I knew he hadn’t had trouble finding me. He’d lost his tie since I’d last seen him and his blue dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar. His blond hair was rumpled like he’d run his hand through it and hadn’t thought to fix it. Looking at him now, I could see why all the women in Henryetta were after him.

  He grinned. “There’s a trick to those.”

  “A trick I can’t seem to master.” I tossed down my chopsticks and picked up a fork. I was too hungry to eat one noodle at time.

  He stared at me for a moment. “After you told me you were in an accident, I was worried about what you’d look like when I found you.”

  “My stomach and shoulder are a bit sore from the seatbelt, but no worse for wear.”

  He put his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his clasped hands. “I take it you’ve had a busy afternoon?”

  “You have no idea.” I put down my fork and searched Mason’s eyes. “I’m about to tell you a secret about Jonah Pruitt, and you have to promise not to tell anyone.”

  His playfulness fell away. “Rose, you know that I can’t do that.”

  I straightened my back in defensiveness. “I thought you were my friend, Mason Deveraux.”

  His face hardened. “You know damn good and well that I am.”

  “You also told me I could tell you if I saw something bad.”

  Leaning forward, he lowered his voice. “You had a vision?”

  Tears filled my eyes, and I nodded.

  “Was it about you?”

  I took a deep breath. Crying wasn’t going to help anything. I needed to save my tears for the funeral of the poor woman if I didn’t figure out a way to save her. “No. I saw someone being murdered.”

  “You saw it happen?” Mason leaned forward. “Are you okay?”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’m better now.”

  “What happened?”

  “After I left the nursery, I went to the Piggly Wiggly to talk to David. I was buying a cord to charge my cell phone when I ran into Jonah. I warned him to watch out for Christy, and he asked me if we could go somewhere and talk. I thought maybe I could get some answers from him, so we picked up some lunch and took it into the park.”

  Mason looked concerned. “Do you really think that was a good idea? He’s a murder suspect.”

  “He seemed desperate. And I told you, I thought I might be able to get some answers.”

  “So did you?”

  I nodded. “He told me he needed me to help him like I’d helped Bruce Wayne.”

  “Did he know about your visions?”

  “He didn’t before, but he does now.”

  Mason was silent for several seconds, and then he said matter-of-factly, “You had your vision with him.”

  “Yes, but I did it on purpose.”

  “Rose.” Mason frowned as he realized the seriousness of what I’d told him. “You said you never do that.”

  Closing my eyes, I rested my forehead in my hand. “I know. But he was desperate for help, and I didn’t know if I could trust him. So I forced a vision. I touched him and thought about the murders and wanting to know if he was innocent.”

  “What did you see?”

  Biting my lip, I took several breathes. “I was Jonah, of course. I was in his bedroom, and it was dark. He heard a noise in another part of his house and went to investigate. Someone was in his kitchen, but they were wearing a hood so I couldn’t see their face.” My voice broke. “There was a woman tied to a chair.”

  His hand found mine, and his voice softened. “You don’t have to tell me now.”

  I looked up into his face. “Yes, I do.”

  He nodded. “Okay, but take your time.”

  I pushed my plate to the side. I’d lost my appetite, and I’d hardly had anything to eat. “I couldn’t see her face. I think she was unconscious because her head was hanging forward.”

  “Do you remember anything about her clothes? Her shoes? What color hair she had?” he asked softly.

  “Um.” I rubbed my temple. “She had on a white nightgown, I think. It was kind of shiny. She didn’t have shoes. She was barefoot.”

  “Any polish on her toes?”

  I lifted my gaze in surprise. “I don’t know.” I closed my eyes trying to remember. “No, I don’t think so. But it was dark. The only light was the moon streaming in from the window. It made the diamond ring on her hand sparkle.”

  “That’s okay. This is good. What about her hair?”

  “Dark and long.”

  “Do you remember if she was dark skinned or light?”

  I shook my head, in frustration. “No, I don’t remember.”

  His thumb stroked the back of my hand. “It’s okay. You’re doing great. You saw something really frightening so it might take a bit of time to remember it all. Take a deep breath and relax.”

  “I saw someone murdered, Mason. He shot her in the head. How can I relax?” I started crying and hid my face behind my hands in embarrassment.

  Mason slid out of his seat and into the booth next to me, wrapping an arm around my back and pulling my head to his chest. “I’m sorry.”

  “It was so awful, Mason. He just shot her. And her head…” I sobbed harder, while he held me and let me cry. The terrible image just wouldn’t go away. When I got ahold of myself, I took several breaths so I could talk. “The murderer told Jonah it was a present.”

  “So Jonah was involved?”

  “No, Jonah was horrified and scared. And totally clueless. I was in his head, so I know that’s how he really felt. He had no idea who the murderer was or what the murderer meant when they handed the gun to him and told him it was time to get to work.”

  “What did you do after you saw the vision?”

  “I knew I had to save Bruce Wayne. And that I had to see you. I went back to the courthouse, but you weren’t there.” I decided to keep my conversation with Neely Kate to myself. “So I went back to Jonah to ask him if anyone had a grudge against him.”

  “Quite a few people have grudges against Jonah Pruitt,” Mason muttered. “He’s ticked off most of the ministers and church boards in this town. And a lot of those church boards are filled with the more affluent Henryetta citizens. Trust me, I’ve heard quite a few complaints.”

  “You can’t file charges for stealing their church members, can you?”

  “No, that’s not a crime. But coercing elderly women out of their inheritance could be. Dorothy Thorntonbury wasn’t the first time this happened. The Henryetta police were starting to watch him, but I called the state police after you told me Joe warned you about Pruitt, and they said there were two instances in Homer, Texas, where Jonah Pruitt last established a church.”

  My heart stopped. Had Jonah lied to me? He claimed not to have known that Miss Dorothy had willed her money to his church. Maybe he didn’t know about the instances in Homer either. For the moment, I had to go with my instinct that he was innocent. “Maybe so, but Jonah ticked off a guy named Sly who works at Weston’s Garage. Sly used to be involved with Daniel Crocker.” I looked up at Mason. “Sly is a big bald guy with snake tattoos on his neck.”

  Mason tensed. “Shit.”

  “But there’s more. The part you can’t tell anyone. And if you can’t promise me, I can’t tell you.”

  Mason dropped his arm and rested it on the table as he leaned down to look me in the face. “Rose, you can’t expect this of me. You’re putting my job on the line.”

  I cringed, my hopes sinking. “I hadn’t considered that.”

  “You need to tell me anyway. People’s lives are at risk. What you know might save them.”

  “He asked me to help him.” My eyes pleaded with him. “He asked me not to tell.”

  “You don’t owe him anything, Rose. Why are you doing this?”

  I didn’t answer.

  Mason gr
oaned, leaning his head back on the seat. “But you didn’t owe Bruce Wayne anything either, did you?”

  “I suppose not.” I answered softly.

  We were quiet for several moments before Mason sat up again, resting his arms on the table and not looking at me. “Can you just tell me the part you think is important?”

  “Yeah. I think maybe I can.” If what I told him wasn’t enough, then I’d tell him the rest.

  He nodded. “Okay, let’s give it a try.”

  “Do you know how Miss Dorothy died?”

  “We’re not releasing that information to the public yet.”

  “Was she poisoned?”

  Mason’s eyes narrowed. “No.”

  “What if I told you something like this happened before, but the women were poisoned?”

  “Hypothetically, it could be very important.” He studied his hands as he absently rubbed his thumb across the back of the knuckle on his index finger. “Were they all older women?”

  Taking Mason’s cue, I leaned in closer to him. “Hypothetically, there were two women. One older and one younger—much younger. The younger one had dated a certain someone a few times.”

  He tensed, his fingers splaying on the table. “Only two? Did it stop without an arrest?”

  “Yes. But someone moved.”

  “To Henryetta?”

  I didn’t answer.

  Mason turned to face me, his eyes pleading with me. “You have to tell the police, Rose.”

  Indignant, I jerked away from him. “I’m not telling the police anything.”

  “Rose, listen to me. There could be a serial killer on the loose.”

  “I don’t care.” I pushed at him to let me out of the booth. “I’m not telling the police diddly squat.”

  Mason refused to budge. “You have a responsibility to tell them.”

  More responsibility talk. I was sick to death of it. “Mason, what am I going to tell them? That I saw someone murdered? In a vision?”

  “You can tell them about what happened to Jonah Pruitt before he moved here. That’s enough to help them with their investigation of this case.”

  “You and I both know the Henryetta Police are a band of imbeciles who look at a person’s past and decide they’re guilty before they know all the facts. I’m not putting someone else in that situation. No one should have to go through what…” My voice trailed off.