“We have a lunch appointment,” she said, keeping her gaze on the TV. “It’s not time to go yet.”
A lunch appointment in the middle of Nowhere, Oklahoma? “I want my phone.”
“I’ll give it back to you when you need it.”
“And when’s that?”
“Not now.”
I had no choice but to watch TV with her…that or read the Gideon Bible in the nightstand drawer, so I sat cross-legged on my own bed. I’d seen this episode before, but I didn’t mind—it was one of my favorites.
“Who would eat that crap?” Kate asked in disgust when the chefs made their presentations. One of the three ingredients they’d had to use was cotton candy. After watching this episode, I’d made Jed shrimp and grits with cotton candy croutons.
I cocked my head to the side. “I think it’s refreshing.”
She turned to me, wide-eyed. “You think serving spun sugar on a steak is refreshing?”
I turned slightly to face her. “Well…yeah. It’s a fresh take.”
She sat up straight, swinging her legs off the bed as she narrowed her eyes. “Is this the kind of thing you like to cook?”
My face flushed. “Well…yeah.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
She shook her head, lying back on the bed. “No wonder everyone hates it.”
I leaned forward. “What?”
Propping her hands behind her head, she crossed her ankles and turned to look at me. “Everyone hates your food, Neely Kate.”
“No, they don’t!”
“Yes. They do. How many people ask for seconds?”
My face was burning now. Jed had been so insistent Carly didn’t need help fixing dinner the other day, and there was no denying Rose had brought enough chicken for everyone at the garage last week, despite knowing I’d sent in turnovers with Jed. As I thought about it, a dozen other incidents came to mind. My mint macaroni and cheese, my chicken caramel pot pies, and my peanut butter hot wings—all had gone mostly uneaten. “Well…I…”
“Hey,” she said, turning her attention back to the show. “At least they tried to spare you. My mother would have mocked me for days.”
“And Joe?” I couldn’t help asking.
She went still, then said, “He wouldn’t have cared one way or the other.”
I sat in my embarrassment for several minutes, wondering how I’d missed something as obvious as the nose on my face.
A commercial about motorized wheelchairs came on and Kate sat up again. “I can’t believe no one told you.”
I made a face. “I guess they didn’t want to hurt my feelings.”
“By letting you cook food no one wants to eat?” she asked incredulous.
“Well…” I couldn’t help but be a little annoyed. I’d told Rose I was hoping to open a food truck, and she hadn’t said a word. Then again, I’d noticed she was acting a little strange that day. I’d put it down to the situation.
She leaned forward, catching my gaze. “I’m never gonna lie to you.”
That pissed me off. “But you have no problem keepin’ things from me. Isn’t this the same thing?”
She started to say something then stopped, a perplexed expression stealing over her face. She must have realized I was right.
“Tell me about the money, Kate.”
She flopped back on the bed. “Sorry, sis. It’s not time.”
I stewed for another hour, grateful when Chopped was over and a new show came on.
Finally Kate said, “We need to get ready to go. Dress up for this lunch. Nothing fancy but look respectful.”
I put my hand on my hip. “Respectful?”
She rolled her eyes. “We’re meeting an older woman who’s not so sure she wants to see us. Look nice.”
“So something nicer than a T-shirt.”
“Exactly.” She got up off the bed and stripped off her T-shirt and yoga pants, standing in front of me in her bra and panties.
“Kate!”
“What?” she said, digging into her bag and pulling out a dress. “Isn’t this what sisters do?” She glanced back at me with raised eyebrows. “Isn’t this what you and Rose Petal do?”
“No,” I said, turning my back to her and digging out a nice shirt to wear with my jeans.
“You’re not wearing that, are you?” she asked.
“It’s the nicest thing I brought.”
She grunted as she dug through her bag. “Wear this,” she said as she tossed me a dress.
A few minutes later I emerged from the bathroom, and she gave me an approving look. “You look better in that dress than I do.”
I wasn’t sure that was true, but the light blue dress wasn’t as revealing as I’d feared it would be.
She was wearing a floral dress, obviously planning to use her Andrea persona.
After we loaded up the car, Kate drove us through the small downtown and parked in front of a diner that reminded me of Merilee’s back home.
A wave of homesickness washed through me. I missed Jed. I missed Rose. I missed Joe. I missed the life I had built back home, but I reminded myself that I was doing all of this to ensure I got to keep that life.
When we walked into the restaurant, Kate headed toward a booth where an older woman was seated. The white-haired woman saw us and stood next to her bench seat. “Andrea?”
Kate beamed. “That’s me. Thank you so much for meeting us, Mrs. Milken.”
“Call me Rita,” the older woman said, then gave me a leery glance. “Who do we have here?”
“This is my sister Mindy,” Kate said. “She knew Chad too.” Then she shot me a wink.
I froze in disbelief, not only because Kate hadn’t warned me about the alias she’d chosen for me, but because she’d so casually mentioned my connection to the Manchesters.
Kate gave me a tiny push, and I realized the older woman was returning to her seat. I slid in opposite her, with Kate pushing in beside me, and I couldn’t help wondering if she’d planned this seating arrangement so I couldn’t escape.
“Was the drive difficult?” Rita asked.
“Not at all,” Kate said. “Muskogee isn’t all that far.”
“It’s a wonder you moved to Muskogee after growing up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area,” Rita said.
“I’m staying with my aunt. I needed a break after Chad’s death,” Kate said, glancing down at the table as though she was being bombarded with bad memories. Then she looked up. “And I do love to spend as much time as possible when the azaleas are blooming. The azalea festival is my favorite time of year.” She shot me a dazzling smile. “Mindy loves it too.”
Rita’s gaze turned to me. “Is that right?”
“Oh, yes,” I lied, a cold sweat breaking out on the back of my neck. Kate toying with me again. I’d buried Pearce under azalea bushes.
“They’re her favorite,” Kate added.
“I love it too,” Rita said. “I’ve tried to grow them, but I just can’t seem to get them to bloom no matter how much I fertilize them.”
“It’s probably too much fertilizer then,” I said before I could stop myself. All that training from Violet was itching to get out. “It encourages foliage growth and stunts the flowers. Try usin’ less and see if they bloom better next year.”
Rita’s eyes widened. “I will. How do you know so much about them?”
Kate grinned. “See? I told you they were her favorite. She knows all kinds of secrets about azaleas. Isn’t that right, Mindy?”
What in Hades was she doing? I swallowed and forced a smile. “Yeah.”
The waitress walked over and we ordered drinks. Kate stayed in character, asking for a sweet tea, but I opted for water. After the waitress handed us menus and told us the specials, she headed to the next table.
“I’m surprised it’s not more full with the church crowd,” Kate said, glancing around.
“They’ll be here soon enough,” Rita said. “Most go the Nazarene church down the road, whic
h gets out about ten minutes from now.” She tapped the side of her head. “Gotta plan ahead.”
“Chad had told me that about you,” Kate said. “That you’re a planner.”
Her eyes lit up. “He talked about me?”
“Many times,” Kate said sweetly. “He thought the world of you.”
“I tried so hard to raise those boys right.” A frown twisted her mouth. “God rest their souls.”
She’d raised Chad and Pearce? Was she their grandmother? Their nanny?
Kate seemed shocked by her statement. “Have they found Pearce’s body?”
My chest squeezed my lungs as panic set in.
“No, unfortunately for his parents’ sake,” Rita said, fussing with the napkin that was wrapped around her silverware. “But he’s been missing so long he’s presumed dead.”
“Of course,” Kate murmured, resting her left hand on my leg. I expected it to squeeze tight in warning, but it seemed to be a comforting gesture instead.
I cast her a guarded look. What game was she playing now?
The waitress came back to take our order. I’d lost my appetite, but I knew it would look odd if I didn’t order anything, so I ordered the soup of the day and a side salad. Kate ordered a salad with dressing on the side and grilled chicken, while Rita ordered the chef’s special—pork chops and scalloped potatoes.
Kate folded her hands neatly in front of her and said, “Thank you so much for meeting with us, Rita. I know this is out of the ordinary.”
“Of course,” the older woman said, “but I’m not sure how much I can actually tell you.”
“You have reservations?” Kate asked quietly.
“Yes and no,” Rita said, pursing her lips. “I’m just not sure how much I can add to what you already know.”
Kate reached over and patted her hand. “Don’t you worry about that. You just tell us what you can.”
Rita started to say something, then stopped. “I hate to speak ill of the dead.”
“It’s possible to love someone yet detest what they do,” Kate said, her voice breaking. She reached into her purse and pulled out a tissue and dabbed her eyes. “Trust me, I know.”
“Pearce was always a difficult boy,” Rita said, rolling her knife from side to side and refusing to make eye contact. “He liked to hurt things.”
My guts twisted and I started to panic, but Kate grabbed my hand under the table and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
“He was like that when I knew him too,” Kate said barely above a whisper. “He had a dog… Chad and I kidnapped it because he treated it so poorly. Pearce was livid, but he never figured out it was us.”
I couldn’t help staring at Kate. Was that true or had she made it up? Either way, it rang true. Pearce had likely been the kind of kid who pulled ripped off butterfly wings. He was long dead, buried and burned, yet I was still scared of the memory of this man.
The lines of Kate and Andrea were beginning to blur. How did she keep it all straight?
Rita nodded. “They couldn’t keep pets. Pearce would find a way to hurt them and convince his mother he hadn’t done it. Poor Chad took the blame for more incidents than I care to recall. I knew he hadn’t done anything wrong, but their mother was certain Pearce could do no wrong. I ultimately was fired for it.”
So she’d been their nanny.
Rita gave Kate an awkward smile. “I’m still not sure what I can do to help. I thought the police were handling Chad’s murder and they’ve never asked to speak to me.”
“Which only proves someone else needs to look into it,” Kate said with an insistent tone. “I know everyone thinks Pearce is dead, but I’m not so sure. Chad was looking into Pearce’s disappearance for their mother’s sake. What if Pearce simply left his life behind and killed Chad because he was getting too close for comfort? Pearce would kill to keep himself from being found.”
Rita gasped. “Even his own brother?”
“You raised him,” Kate said. “What do you think?”
She opened her mouth to speak again, then quickly closed it. “I don’t know.”
“Come on, Rita,” Kate cajoled. “You know it’s possible.”
The older woman’s eyes filled with tears. “Yes. It’s possible.”
Kate pushed out a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I really needed someone to support my theory.”
“I’m not sure what good it will do,” Rita said. “No one is asking my opinion…other than you.”
“You let me take care of the rest,” Kate said. “I have friends in the Arkansas State Police and an in with the Fenton County Sheriff’s Department. We can get this reopened.”
“But I thought they were sure that PI killed poor Chad.”
Kate lifted a well-manicured eyebrow. “How convenient he’s dead too.”
Of course, Kate had killed him, but she didn’t seem inclined to share that piece of information.
What in Hades was she up to?
“If Pearce killed him, where’s he been all these years?” Rita asked.
Kate leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I’ve been looking into that. Rumor has it he’s been in Bolivia, but I have someone down there looking for proof even as we speak.”
And then I realized her plan.
Rita made a face. “That sounds very expensive.”
“I can afford it,” Kate said. “And no expense is too great to find out who really killed Chad.”
“He was blessed to have a good friend like you,” Rita murmured.
Kate’s face turned blank and guilt filled her eyes. “I wasn’t there when he needed me the most. I intend to make up for it as best I can.”
The waitress walked up with our food and the two women started swapping stories about Chad in his youth. Chad had kept in contact with Rita through emails and Facebook and had mentioned Andrea a few times. Kate had kept busy.
“He thought the world of you,” Rita said. “I think he would have been inclined to form a romantic attachment to you if you hadn’t been involved with his friend.”
Kate’s eyes widened. “His friend?”
“Carter?” Confusion filled Rita’s eyes. “Chad only mentioned his name once.”
Kate shook her head with a big smile. “Carson. And that was just an inside joke. Chad always knew we were better as friends then lovers.”
We were silent for a few moments while we ate, then Rita turned to me. “Mindy, did you meet Chad through Andrea?”
I’d just taken a spoonful of soup and nearly choked. “Yes,” I said, suppressing a cough. “One of Andrea’s big Fourth of July parties.”
Rita smiled. “Chad surely did love those.”
Kate had actually hosted Fourth of July parties? That had been a reach on my part—something a true Texas woman would do. Kate must have considered that too.
“I didn’t know him well, but he will definitely be missed.”
Rita nodded, then concentrated on her food. As we finished, Kate paused with her fork in her salad.
“Rita, if an investigator came to your door asking if you think Pearce was capable of killing Chad, what would you say?”
Rita’s eyes grew huge. “It would hurt their mother something fierce if I told them yes.”
“What about their stepmother?” I blurted out, catching the other two women by surprise. Up to this point, I hadn’t uttered a single voluntary word.
Rita blinked. “Uh…”
Kate cast a quick glance at me, her eyes sparkling, then shifted her gaze to Rita. “Could Paula have been in on it?” She lowered her voice. “Rumor had it Paula and Pearce carried on behind Art’s back.”
Rita looked dazed by the suggestion. “I don’t know anything about that. I only met the new Mrs. Manchester once…at Chad’s college graduation from Baylor. She couldn’t be bothered by the help and hardly gave me the time of day.”
Kate nodded. “As I expected. Paula always thought she was better than those beneath her.”
“I know she favored Pearce too. M
y poor Chad never had a chance with either of those women in his life.”
Kate put down her fork and rested her forearm on the table, lowering her voice as she leaned closer to Rita. “Why do you suppose Chad was looking for Pearce to begin with? Everyone just presumed he was dead.”
“I don’t know,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “Chad always wanted his mother’s approval. Maybe he thought he could gain it if he found out what happened to his older brother. Now he’s dead too.”
More tears filled her eyes and Kate patted her hand again. “I’m so sorry to stir up so much pain.”
“No,” Rita said, dabbing her eyes with her napkin. “It was good reminiscing about Chad when he was a boy. Thank you for that.”
“Thank you, Rita,” Kate said, pulling out her wallet. She placed three twenties on the table. “Mindy and I need to get back to Muskogee—we’re headed back to Dallas tomorrow so our aunt wants to spend as much time with us before we go as possible—but we’re grateful you took the time to meet with us.”
“Like I said, it was my pleasure.”
“If you think of something else, I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d email me,” Kate said as she stood.
I scooted across the seat toward her. “It was nice to meet you, Rita.”
“You too, Mindy. You girls take care.”
“Thanks,” I murmured as I got to my feet and followed Kate out the door.
As soon as we were in the car, I turned to Kate. “What was the point of that?”
“Which part?” she asked as she started the car.
“All of it,” I said, “but more specifically bringing up azaleas while we were talkin’ about Pearce Manchester… I nearly had a heart attack, Kate.”
She turned to me with a serious expression. “Good. You need to desensitize yourself to the triggers if you have any hope of keeping this under wraps. Especially if the state police come to question you.”
“Why would they come to question me?”
She pushed out an exasperated sigh. “You’re asking the wrong questions. You need to press me about the point of our visit.”
“I know what you’re trying to do. You want it to look like Pearce killed Chad and ran off with the money.”
“Very good, NK,” she said with a snide grin. “And I suspect you’re wondering why I dragged you here to be part of this setup.” She turned to me, all smugness gone. “You said you’re tired of everyone taking care of things for you. Well, you got to see the start of this new web. Now you know firsthand what I’m doing to clear your name.”
Dirty Money Page 15