Dirty Money

by Denise Grover Swank

  We drove to a gas station, and like before, Kate left me to pump gas, only this time she grabbed her bag out of the trunk before she went inside.

  I finished before she did, so I decided to search the car for my phone. I’d looked through the glove compartment and under both seats by the time Kate walked out. I’d expected her to change—why else would she need her bag?—but she was still in her Andrea persona. Then I realized why I hadn’t found the phone. It had been in her bag the whole time.

  “Why don’t you go inside and get yourself a drink,” she said with a sly grin as she pulled out her own phone. “And get me a large-ass coffee. As big as you can get. Black.” Then she handed me a twenty-dollar bill. “Come out when you’re done.”

  I went inside and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, keeping my eye on her through the window. I wished I had a way to call Jed, but even if this place had a pay phone, I didn’t have change to make a long-distance call, and I wasn’t sure you could make collect calls to a cell phone. As I filled a large cup with coffee, a woman carrying a cell phone started to get her own cup.

  “Can I use your cell phone for a moment?” I asked her, trying not to sound desperate and scare her off. “I lost mine and I really need to let my boyfriend know I’m okay.”

  She was about my age. Her expression wavered, but something in my eyes must have convinced her I wouldn’t snatch her phone because she handed it over. “Only if you stay right here with me and keep it short.”

  “I promise,” I said, setting my drinks on the coffee bar counter and taking her phone. I quickly punched in Jed’s number and prayed he’d answer the unknown number.

  “Hello,” he barked after one ring.

  “Jed, it’s me,” I said in a rush.

  “Neely Kate,” he said in relief. “I’ve been trying to call you and it’s goin’ straight to voicemail. I’ve been worried.”

  “Kate stole my phone.” I cast a glance at the woman next to me to gauge her reaction, but she seemed unfazed. “Listen, I don’t have much time, but we’re not in Oklahoma and I’m not sure where we’re goin’ next.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Waco, Texas, but I’m pretty sure we’re movin’ on. I just don’t know where.”

  “How are you callin’ me right now?”

  “I’m at a gas station and a very nice woman is lettin’ me borrow her phone. I just wanted you to know I’m okay.”

  “Kate’s not with you right now?”

  “No,” I said, glancing out the window. Kate was sitting in the driver’s seat, still on the phone. “She’s makin’ a phone call because she thinks one of Hardshaw’s head guys double-crossed her.”

  “She what?”

  “She told me how they got started,” I said, lowering my voice. “Kate was behind Hardshaw comin’ to Fenton County. She convinced them to partner with Skeeter to take over the county.”

  “Why in God’s name would she do that?” he asked in disbelief.

  “To get even with J.R. for killin’ Nick and her baby.”

  “That woman is unstable, Neely Kate. You need to run.”

  “I need to stay and see this through.”

  “Do not get caught up in her mess. She’s a ticking time bomb. If she’s left you alone, run and hole up somewhere. I’ll come get you.”

  It looked like Kate had ended her call, but I still had a few minutes. She couldn’t see me through the glass. I knew because I’d tried to see her while I was pumping gas. If Jed wanted me to run away from her after what little I’d told him, I could only imagine what he’d say if I told him she’d drugged me.

  “I’m not leavin’ yet,” I said. “There’s still too many questions left to answer.”

  “It’s Kate you’re dealing with. She strung you along all summer. She’s stringin’ you along now. She’s a psychopath and a cold-blooded killer. You need to cut your losses and run.”

  “She’s promised to tell me why they want me, Jed. I need to be free of this. If she can help me get Hardshaw off my back, I have to stay.”

  “She might not tell you what you need to know for two more months, Neely Kate. This is not a good bet.”

  I leaned the side of my head against the end cap, trying to figure out what to do.

  “I love you, Neely Kate,” he said, his voice breaking. “I don’t want to lose you to her madness.”

  “I can’t leave, Jed,” I said, with tears in my eyes. “I have to see this through.”

  The woman next to me could easily hear my side of the conversation and was looking uncomfortable, so I swiped at my eyes and stood up straight. “I have to go, Jed,” I said firmly. “I love you.”

  “Promise me you’re comin’ back,” he said, his voice tight. “Promise me that you’ll take care of yourself.”

  “I swear it,” I whispered, then I hung up before I could change my mind and handed the woman her phone. “Thank you.”

  “Are you in some kind of trouble?” she asked, scouring my face as though looking for bruises.

  I flashed her a smile. “I’m fine. Thank you for lettin’ me use your phone.” Then I snatched up the drinks and carted them to the counter, growing frustrated when the customer in front of me took nearly half a minute to dig change out of her purse.

  I’d expected Kate would be antsy and suspicious, but when I climbed back into the passenger seat, she was staring out the windshield, seemingly deep in thought. I handed her the cup of coffee. “You resolve things with your call?”

  She didn’t look at me. “No.”

  “What do you need to do?”

  She turned to me with a suspicious look.

  “I’m not a fool, Kate,” I said, opening my bottle of water. “This is a fire you need to put out, so how are you gonna take care of it?”

  “I’ve got it under control.”

  “Cut the bullshit. What do you need to do?”

  She hesitated, then said, “I need to go to Dallas.”

  That scared the crap out of me, but she obviously needed to take care of the situation. If Carson was her in with Hardshaw, this affected me too. “Then we better get goin’.”

  Suspicion filled her eyes. “What are you up to?”

  “I keep tellin’ you that I’m here willingly, but you don’t seem to believe it. Maybe this will help prove to you that we’re in this together.”

  “Why?”

  “You said you were helpin’ me, so I’m helpin’ you. That’s what sisters do, right?”

  She released a bitter laugh as she started the car. “We’re not real sisters.”

  “What’s the definition of real sisters, Kate?” I asked in all seriousness. “My definition of family has changed in the last year.”

  “Because of that bitch who’s leading our brother around by the nose,” she spat, jamming the car into gear with more force than necessary. “Your loyalty is to her.”

  Rose.

  She tore out of the gas station like a rocket, rushing out into traffic.

  The sound of screeching brakes and car horns filled the air as Kate hit the gas and started weaving in and out of cars.

  “Do you think this is a good idea?” I asked, trying to keep my tone free of accusation. “You’re on the run from the police and they’re sure to pull you over.”

  “Scared of getting into trouble?” she asked with a sneer.

  “I haven’t done anything wrong,” I said evenly. “Not that anyone knows about, anyway. They’re not lookin’ for me, but they are lookin’ for you, Kate. This is a sure fire way to put you back in custody. Pull over and let’s talk this through.”

  “You only care about getting your answers. If I get arrested, you won’t find out why Hardshaw wants that money,” she said with a bitter laugh, speeding up even more as she wove in and out of cars on the four-lane undivided highway.

  “I’m not gonna lie,” I said, trying not to panic. She was about to wreck the car and kill us both, Thelma and Louise style. It struck me that she might be pl
anning to do just that. “I want that information really bad, but I also want to get to know you better. DNA binds us, but it’s love that’ll make us sisters.”

  “You could never love me.”

  “I used to think the same thing about myself,” I said. “That no one could really love me. But Rose, Jed, and Joe proved me wrong.”

  A dark look filled her eyes. “Joe loves you more than he ever loved me.”

  “You knew Joe when he was a stupid, self-centered kid. He’s grown up over the last year,” I said. “He’s changed.”

  “Because of her.”

  Rose again. This wasn’t good. “I’m not gonna lie to you,” I said again. “Rose likely started the ball rollin’, but they haven’t been together for over a year. He did a lot of growin’ up on his own. Especially last spring after our father died and the FBI took everything.”

  “He’s not over her,” she seethed. “He’s the father of her kid. He got her pregnant and then she kicked him out.”

  I was relieved to see she believed Joe was the father. “I’m not gonna try to convince you of anything regardin’ Rose,” I said. “But I am gonna tell you that Joe cares about you. I know there’s a lot of bad blood between you two, but if you wanted to start over—start fresh—I swear to you, Kate, you could be close to him too.”

  She shook her head, some of her anger fading. “No. He blames me for what I did to Hilary. He blames me for his baby dying.”

  “He’s never said any such thing to me, but I know it killed him, Kate, just like losin’ your baby killed something inside of you and losing my babies killed something inside of me.”

  Sirens sounded in the distance.

  She cast me a long look, one that was unsafe given her speed and erratic driving, then hit the brakes and skidded around the corner onto a side street, heading toward an office building and parking in the back lot, facing the street. The car idled as she watched the road.

  “I know you’re hurtin’,” I said quietly. “I’m hurtin’ too. I think I’ll grieve my babies until the day I die. Joe understands that. His baby was older than either of ours. He got to feel him kick. I’m sure he was thinkin’ of names. He may not have carried that baby in his belly, but he loved that boy all the same.”

  To my shock, she started to cry.

  I wasn’t sure what to say, so I remained silent for a few seconds, looking away to give her some semblance of privacy. I knew she could be faking, but I sensed this was real. This was a glimpse of the real Kate buried under layers of make-believe, which seemed ironic since she was in her blonde wig and flowery shirt, but then again, maybe that was the real Kate after all. She’d never given me the opportunity to find out.

  “I wanted that baby,” she finally said, her voice breaking. “My friends told me such stupid shit like I’d have more and it was too small to even be a real baby, but it was Nick’s baby.” The last two words sounded strangled.

  I turned to face her. “People say stupid things tryin’ to make it better, but there’s no makin’ it better. And it’s doubly hard for you. You loved Nick with your entire being. I didn’t love Ronnie, not really. I loved the idea of marriage and babies and havin’ somebody love me.” My own voice broke. “I just wanted to be loved. And I think Joe wants the same thing.”

  She turned to look at me, mascara streaming in lines down her cheeks. “We Simmons kids are a fucked up mess.”

  I took a chance and reached for her hand and squeezed. “Then let’s be a mess together.”

  Her body tensed and I was sure she was going to pull her hand from mine, but instead she searched my face and her hand relaxed. “I think you really mean that.”

  “I do,” I said, surprised it was true. Kate was a bigger mess than me and Joe put together—our father had destroyed the one person who’d truly loved her, and it had broken her. She’d done horrible things, but deep inside she was a woman who just wanted to be loved.

  Just like me.

  Chapter 18

  The sirens faded, but we stayed there in the parking lot until Kate finished crying. I handed her a couple of tissues from my purse, then a package of makeup wipes to clean up her face.

  “How much trouble are you in?” I asked.

  She took a last swipe at her face and lowered her hand, the wipe covered in makeup and mascara. “Which part of my life are you referring to?”

  “Hardshaw. Carson.”

  “I’m not sure yet.”

  “Who are you meeting?”

  “Paula Manchester’s personal assistant.”

  My body locked up at the sound of that name. “The woman Carson met at the diner is related to Pearce?”

  “She’s his stepmother.”

  “Why do you think they met?”

  Her back stiffened and her face seemed to harden into a mask—the face I’d come to know all too well in the psych ward. Which meant the Kate I knew was starting to return. “I don’t know. But I intend to find out. Tara thinks we’re friends. She had my back.”

  “So let’s head to Dallas,” I said.

  Her brows shot up. “I’m surprised you’re so eager to head up there. Aren’t you afraid I’ll turn you and the money over?”

  “No,” I said softly. “You told me you wouldn’t, and it’s like you keep saying, you haven’t lied to me yet.”

  “All it takes is one little lie for it all to blow up,” she whispered, picking up a strand of my hair and rubbing it between her fingers. “Did you notice our hair is nearly the same color? I told the stylist to make sure we matched when he replaced my extensions.”

  She was back to creepy Kate and I wasn’t sure which statement to react to—her implicit threat or the fact she’d tried to match our hair color.

  “That’s not a wig?” I asked, trying to remain calm. Maybe this was another test. She’d made herself vulnerable to me, and now she was rolling out her creepy side to see if I’d run. I could go with it…and hope I hadn’t made a major miscalculation.

  She laughed. “I think Carson would have figured that out the first night I returned.”

  “So you wore a wig last winter?”

  Her face scrunched in disgust. “Why are you so fascinated with my hair?”

  I sat up straighter. Kate kept telling me she liked my spunk, so I’d give her plenty of it. “Sounds like you’re obsessed with mine.”

  She laughed, amusement filling her eyes. “No, I cut and redyed my hair when I came back home. I knew it would piss off Mommy Dearest. And I needed a different look in case Carson decided to actually pay attention to what was going on here.”

  “He really didn’t figure out that you’re Kate Simmons?”

  “Fenton County was my project,” she said with a shrug. “He indulged me. But Paula became interested in the county after her other stepson was found dead there. Carson took notice, because he was certain Pearce had taken his ten grand and he suspected Chad had gone off in search of his brother.”

  “Ten grand means nothin’ to people with that much money. Why was he so obsessed with it?”

  She turned to restart the car. “All in good time, sister mine.”

  Her answer pissed me off, especially after our bonding moment, but I wasn’t surprised. I would have been suspicious if she’d suddenly acted forthcoming.

  Kate grabbed her phone and sent a text, then studied her screen as though waiting for an answer. Her shoulders relaxed and she tossed the phone into a niche in the console before shifting the car into gear. “Okay then. Let’s get this taken care of so we can get on with the story.”

  With a delay from construction traffic, it took us two hours to reach downtown Dallas. Kate pulled up in front of a posh hotel and parked. She reached behind her seat, grabbed a stylish ball cap, and pulled it over her head, presumably to help hide her face. She was already sporting a pair of oversized sunglasses.

  She popped the trunk but left the keys in the ignition before she got out. I climbed out too. A valet walked toward us as Kate pulled her bag out of t
he trunk and handed the bag of money to me, then reached for my personal bag.

  “We’re checking in,” Kate said, barely giving him a glance as she headed for the entrance, leaving me to follow.

  The lobby was marble and had crystal chandeliers hanging from the one-story ceiling. Kate sashayed up to the marble-topped counter and dropped her designer purse on it. “I need a room.”

  The clerk nodded and hunkered over his computer. “Yes, miss.”

  I tried not to let my jaw drop. It wasn’t even ten in the morning and they were allowing her to check in without a reservation.

  “We only have a corner suite on the twentieth floor with one bed.” He shot me a quick glance, then looked back at Kate.

  “That’s fine,” she said with a wave of her hand, then dug her wallet out of her bag. She handed him a silver card and he swiped it. He handed her a paper form to fill out, which she did in less than a minute. He returned her card along with a packet of room keys.

  “The room number is inside the envelope,” he said. “Have a good stay, Ms. Peabody.”

  Ms. Peabody? She had another alias? I wasn’t sure why I was surprised.

  “Thank you,” Kate said, almost as an afterthought, as she headed toward the elevator, leaving me to follow again.

  When we got inside, Kate didn’t acknowledge me, simply stared at the brushed stainless-steel doors. The elevator stopped on the twentieth floor and she got out, heading down the hall, then stopped at the end to swipe her keycard. The door chirped and she pushed it open, walking inside as though I wasn’t with her. I caught the door before it shut, then set the bags on a table by the door, my mouth gaping at the size and extravagance of the room.

  The living room area in front of me had a green velvet sofa and two cream-colored leather side chairs, a Carrera marble-topped table between them. The seating was set up in front of two walls of windows overlooking the city.

  “I need to take a shower and get ready to meet Tara,” she said from the doorway of another room, then shut the door.