The woman’s gaze darted to Neely Kate then back to me. “He’s been in trouble with the law more times than I can count. Robbery. Assault. Drug possession.”
“Has he been convicted?” Neely Kate asked.
“No, that’s just it. He always gets out of it. At first his mama said he was misunderstood and wrongly accused, but now she knows no one gets wrongly accused that many times, and she’s washed her hands of him.”
“Do you know who he’s deliverin’ drugs for?” Neely Kate asked.
She shook her head. “Not a clue. I’m not involved with any of that, and if you girls are smart, you won’t get involved with it either.”
“You make it sound like he’s dangerous,” I said. “What exactly has he done?”
“He reacts with his fists,” the woman said, “and his mother and sisters have taken the brunt of it. If a man stoops low enough to beat up the women in his family, Lord only knows what he’s capable of doin’ with a stranger.”
She had a good point.
“Thanks for the warning,” I said.
“Yeah,” she said, glancing behind her. “I didn’t want to mention it in there. I don’t want people knowin’ that I know so much.”
“I understand,” I said, “and I promise, no one will know that you spoke to us.” I pulled a card out of my purse and handed it to her. “If you think of anything else, could you give us a call?”
“Sure thing,” she said as she took the card and glanced at it. “You girls mind what I said.”
“We will,” Neely Kate said. “Thank you again.”
The woman stuck the card into her purse, then hurried down the sidewalk.
Neely Kate and I exchanged glances as we got into her car. When Neely Kate had the engine started, she turned to me. “We need to find out more about Emmitt Lincoln.”
“You should call Jed,” I suggested. “Or I can call James. I suspect they both know something about him.”
She mulled it over for a moment. “James might know more. Especially if things have changed over the last month or so.”
Drawing a deep breath, I pulled out my phone. I hadn’t talked or texted with James since I’d seen him yesterday afternoon. Several weeks ago, that wouldn’t have been a big deal, but we’d taken to texting or talking to each other at night when we weren’t together. James was usually the one to initiate our communication and he hadn’t reached out. I knew we’d left things unsettled the day before, but I’d thought we were still good. Now I was worried. Was he trying to distance himself to protect me? Was it too late for that?
Was it better for us both if he did?
I texted him first. Neely Kate and I came across a person of interest I want to run by you. Can you talk?
Neely Kate shot me a glance but didn’t say anything. After thirty seconds, I said, “He must be busy.”
“I still think we need to look into Emmitt.”
“And so do I,” I said, “but if he’s attached to Denny Carmichael at the hip, I’m not so sure that’s smart with everything else goin’ on.”
“We could still ask questions,” she prompted.
“We could also get ourselves into a pickle.” I turned to her. “Oh, yeah. I almost forgot to give Imogene that note from Molly, and Imogene acted all weird about it.”
“Weird how?”
“Like she was pissed Molly had given it to us.”
“Huh,” she said, staring out the windshield at the insurance office. “I wonder what that was about?”
“I don’t know, but now I feel bad about not takin’ it by yesterday.”
Neely Kate’s mouth twisted. “Yeah, me too, but Molly shouldn’t have given it to us to pass along if it was important. She doesn’t even know us.”
“True.”
“It’s strange to be sure,” Neely Kate said, “but we’ve got enough mysteries on our hands, like the fact we have another suspect in Sarah’s disappearance. I know we haven’t found a way to connect Emmitt to Sarah, but he’s hurt women before and he likely has large sums of money.”
“You think she found Emmitt’s money?”
“That woman said Emmitt has property on Shute Creek. What if Sarah stumbled upon a big drug buy and thought she could get the money? Those people are definitely capable of murder.”
“Surely she wouldn’t be so naïve as to think she could just steal their money,” I protested.
“She might have been desperate enough to try.”
No disputing that. “Let’s list our suspects,” I said. “We have Conrad, whose motive could be that Sarah pissed him off or maybe threatened to tell her mother that he was abusing her.”
“And we have Digger, who might have killed her because he was pissed over their breakup,” Neely Kate said. “Then there’s Stewie, who might have killed her because she wanted to take Nina away.”
“Or the both of them could have done it together,” I said. “Stewie tryin’ to keep Digger quiet was suspicious.”
“True. And last there’s Emmitt Lincoln, although there’s no direct connection between him and Sarah.”
“Gut feeling,” I said. “Who do you think did it?”
She pressed her lips together. “If I had to pick, I’d say Stewie. If nothing else than because of how he acted when he went home to Nina Sunday night.”
Because she suspected Stewie had gotten sexually excited from committing violence. It horrified me to think any man could be so animalistic. But then, the bitterness in her tone confirmed she was speaking from personal experience, and the disappointment in her eyes confirmed my dismay had bled through again.
I pushed out a breath and glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard. “It’s almost eleven. What do you want to do?”
“Check out Emmitt Lincoln,” she said as she put the car in reverse.
“And we both know that’s a terrible idea,” I protested, but not surprised she wasn’t willing to let it go. “He’s tied to Denny Carmichael, and we know Denny views Jed and Skeeter, and maybe even me, as a threat. He’s a dangerous man.”
Neely Kate said, “We’ve faced off with some nasty men and we didn’t think twice. Remember when I went to that meeting with you as Lily?” Lily was the name she’d used when she’d helped me in one of my Lady in Black meetings. She’d loved wearing the outfit—tight black clothes and boots along with a short black wig.
“We did so think twice,” I countered. “We thought about it three or four times before we went through with it, and then we only did it because of the dire consequences if we didn’t. And,” I added as she was about to say something, “don’t forget we had Jed front and center for backup.”
“We were tough on our own,” she said in a smug tone. “And we faced Buck Reynolds and Kip Wagner along with Skeeter and Jed—on our own terms.” A grin spread across her face. “You know Skeeter was none too happy you turned the tables on him, and Jed was downright pissed at me for takin’ the necklace and stealin’ his car, leavin’ him in a muddy pig pen.”
“True, but—”
“No buts about it,” she said emphatically. “We’re even more badass now. You’re getting better and better with your gun, and I’ve been brushin’ up on my self-defense moves.”
I squinted at her. “When have you been brushin’ up on your self-defense moves?” The grin on her face told me she’d been working with Jed and that some of those lessons may have been with her clothes off. “Oh.”
“The fact is that you’re right. We need to be able to take care of ourselves.”
“Agreed,” I said, “but there’s a difference between investigatin’ a case and purposely courtin’ danger. And if we continue to pursue Emmitt Lincoln, we’re askin’ for trouble.”
She was silent for a moment, then said in a less antagonistic tone, “But what if we can get information that helps Skeeter? We’re less likely to cause an all-out war than he is. For all people know, we’re nothin’ more than two girls who like to gossip.”
Letting out a loud sig
h, I leaned back into the seat. “We need to think about this. It’s a huge decision, and Jed and James will be furious when they find out.”
“Do you really care if Skeeter’s furious with you?”
That was a good question. With Joe and Mason, I’d walked on eggshells, hoping to keep my secrets locked up in the closet, but there were no secrets with James, and the fact that our relationship was temporary meant I was free to do as I pleased. While I didn’t like the fact that he would be upset, I wouldn’t let it get in my way either. Either he’d get over it or he wouldn’t. And yet…
“You have a good point,” I said, “but as someone wisely pointed out to me yesterday morning, just because I can do something doesn’t mean that I should.”
She gave me a confused look. “Who said that?”
There was no way in Hades I was going to admit it was Mason. “Never you mind. We’re going to table lookin’ into Emmitt Lincoln for now and focus on Sarah. I say we stop by the grocery store and try to find Karen, then maybe check into Emmitt Lincoln, although the best way to do that is probably to ask Jed or James about him.”
“Then you call Skeeter.”
I wasn’t surprised by the suggestion. I suspected Jed would pitch a fit.
I pulled out my phone to see if James had messaged me. “He hasn’t texted back. I’ll ask him when he responds.”
The smug grin she gave me suggested she thought I was scared to tell him.
Maybe she was right.
Turned out the grocery store at the corner of Grand and Monroe was a Piggly Wiggly. I crossed my fingers, hoping my ban from the local store didn’t extend to any other locations. The lot was surprisingly empty for a Friday morning, but then again, Sugar Branch wasn’t that big of a town. When we walked into the store, we stood by the entrance and surveyed the two cashiers in the checkout lanes. One couldn’t be a day under eighty while the other looked only slightly younger.
“I know we shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but I’m guessin’ neither one of them is Karen,” I said. “How do you want to handle this?”
“I think we should ask around for her. If they say it’s her day off, we’ll tell them we found her wallet and ask for her phone number so we can return it.”
“What if they say to just leave the wallet with them?”
She turned to face me with a look of mock outrage. “And how irresponsible would we be if we left her wallet with someone else? We’ll give it to Karen herself.”
As far as our schemes went, it was simple but solid.
She marched up to the oldest cashier, who currently didn’t have anyone in her line. “Excuse me,” Neely Kate said in a cheery tone. “Can you tell me if Karen Peasly’s working today?”
The woman scrunched up her face. “Huh?”
“Karen Peasly,” Neely Kate repeated.
“Okay, dearie,” the older woman said, leaning a hip against the counter and pointing a gnarled finger to the other side of the store. “The canned peas are in aisle seven, but those things are disgusting, so steer clear of them. The fresh peas are in aisle one, although they ain’t that good today, so don’t be bringin’ those nasty things through my checkout line.”
“Bertie!” a man shouted from the customer service counter opposite the checkout lanes. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop bad-mouthin’ the produce?”
Bertie went on as though she hadn’t heard a word. “If I was you girls, I’d go straight for the frozen ones on aisle six.”
“Thank you,” Neely Kate said with a friendly smile. “But we’re not lookin’ for peas. We’re lookin’ for Karen.”
“Herrin’?” she asked, scrunching up her face. “Why on earth would you want herrin’? Those fish are disgusting. You’d do better headin’ out to Lake Fenton and catchin’ yourself some nice bass.”
Neely Kate spun at the waist and gave me a pleading look.
I walked over to the other cashier. She was busy checking out a young mother who was balancing a toddler on her hip.
“Excuse me,” I said, standing by the plastic bags. “Is Karen Peasly working today?”
The cashier didn’t even give me a backward glance. “She’s in the back stockin’ shelves.”
“Thanks.”
Neely Kate rolled her eyes as we headed toward the back of the store. “In the back where?” she asked.
“I guess we’ll just walk around and check out name tags, although that shouldn’t be too hard since there doesn’t seem to be many people working or shopping here.”
“No kidding,” she muttered under her breath.
We found a girl who looked like she was barely old enough to drive let alone be working a full-time job on a school day. She had long straight black hair and a diamond stud in her nose.
“Excuse me,” I asked as we walked up to her. “Are you Karen Peasly?”
Her eyes narrowed, and she gave us an appraising look. “Who’s askin’?”
I smiled brightly. “I’m Beth Ann and this is Nancy.” I motioned to Neely Kate.
Neely Kate gave her a cheerful hello.
“Okay…” Karen sounded bored.
I inserted a fake eagerness into my voice. “We both know Digger Malone and we just had to meet you.”
Suspicion filled her eyes. “Why?”
I made my eyes look huge with surprise. “You two are seein’ each other, right?”
Karen glanced from me to Neely Kate. “Who told you that?”
I would have thought we’d gotten the wrong information if not for the tiny beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead. “Several people.” I glanced back at Neely Kate. “Ain’t that right, Nancy?”
“Sure is.”
“They saw you two together at Walgreens,” I said.
“And drivin’ out on 22,” Neely Kate added.
I silently applauded Neely Kate for the safe detail. County Road 22 was the main road in and out of Sugar Branch, which made it fairly unavoidable for anyone who lived there.
Karen’s cheeks started to redden. “Why are you askin’ about me and Digger?”
Why indeed? We really needed to start thinking these things through before we jumped into the middle of them. I glanced at Neely Kate and inspiration struck. “Because Nancy has a thing for Digger, but she heard that you two were together and she didn’t want to put the moves on him if he was already taken.”
Karen hesitated, then said in a rude tone, “She’s a little old for him, ain’t she? What is she, a cougar?”
“A cougar?” Neely Kate demanded, taking a step forward.
“Nancy,” I said sternly, then turned my attention to Karen. “How old’s Digger?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Nancy here’s not much older than that. Besides, she’d have to be really old to be a cougar,” I said, trying to stay in the character I’d basically created on the spot. “Like at least thirty-five. How old are you?”
“Old enough,” she said defiantly.
“Under eighteen?” I asked.
“Old enough to cut a bitch,” she snarled.
Neely Kate grabbed my arm as though to pull me back, but I held my ground.
“So I take it you two are together and you’ll do whatever it takes to hold on to your man,” I said.
Karen gave me a withering glare. “Let’s just say the last girl who tried to come between me and my man ain’t gonna try that again.”
“And who’s that?” Neely Kate asked.
“Sarah,” Karen said, curling her upper lip in a sneer.
My heart spasmed. Had Karen just admitted to killing Sarah?
Neely Kate pushed past me and got up in Karen’s face. “I think you’re bluffin’.”
Karen stooped and pulled a six-inch blade out of her boot. “How about you and me go out back and we’ll let my switchblade show you how much I bluff.”
“Is that what you did to Sarah?” I asked as I tugged Neely Kate back a step. “Introduce her to your switchblade?”
An evil grin
spread across her face. “Sure did. What’s it to you?”
“You killed her?” I asked, too shocked to temper my surprise.
Karen shot a wicked grin at Neely Kate. “I messed her up good, and I’ll do the same to you if you try to get between me and Digger.” She waved an arm toward us. “Now get the hell out of here before I start slashin’.”
I grabbed Neely Kate’s arm and practically dragged her out of the store. When we reached her car, I started to pace, feeling like I was about to be sick. “I can’t believe she just admitted that she hurt Sarah.” I turned to Neely Kate. “She’s proud of it!”
“I know,” she said, her face looking paler than usual. “We have to call Joe.”
“Agreed.”
When we got inside her car, Neely Kate called Joe using the car’s stereo system.
“Joe,” she said with a shaky voice once he answered. “A woman just confessed that she attacked our missing person.”
“Whoa!” Joe said. “Hold on there. You had a woman do what?”
“She told us she attacked Sarah Freestone with her switchblade.”
“Where are you now?” he asked, sounding panicked.
“We’re in my car,” Neely Kate said. “We’re safe.”
“Who confessed?” he asked.
“Her name’s Karen Peasly,” I said. “Someone in Sugar Branch saw her with Sarah’s boyfriend a few weeks ago while he was still with Sarah.”
“Okay…” He sounded uncertain.
“They were buyin’ a box of condoms,” Neely Kate said. “And gigglin’ about how soon they were gonna use them. We found out she worked at the Piggly Wiggly in Sugar Branch, so we stopped by to ask her about Digger. She said the last woman to get between the two of them met her switchblade.”
“Did she say anything else incriminating?” he asked.
“I asked her if she killed Sarah.” I took a deep breath to collect myself. “She said she messed her up bad.”
“There’s more, Joe,” Neely Kate said. “We found Sarah’s purse in the woods in a recreation area by Shute Creek.”
“What did you do with the purse?” Joe asked.
“We used gloves when we picked it up,” Neely Kate said. “It’s in a plastic bag in my car.”
Up Shute Creek: Rose Gardner Investigation #4 Page 25