She had a point.
We were silent for a moment. “Did you really know Chad Manchester as well as you insinuated?” I asked quietly.
She hesitated, then said, “Yes.”
“Why do you think he was in Henryetta?” I asked. “Why was he looking for his brother?”
“Truth?” she asked. When I nodded, she said, “He was more interested in getting his hands on that damn bag of money.”
That money was going to haunt me until the day I died.
Chapter 21
“No more games,” I said as Kate pulled out of the parking lot. “What’s so special about the money? You said you’d tell me.”
“We have another field trip.”
I reached over and grabbed her arm. “No more field trips, Kate. Just tell me.”
“Not yet. We need to get to Tulsa first.”
I let go of her arm and sat back in my seat. “Tulsa?”
She turned to look at me. “Ronnie.”
I took several breaths, feeling lightheaded. “Am I going to see him?”
I no longer needed to, not really. You couldn’t divorce someone you’d never married in the first place, and I doubted he had the funds to pay back the money he’d stolen from me. And yet, part of me wanted closure.
Her hands gripped the steering wheel. “You want to confront the lying, cheating bastard, don’t you?”
I did, right? Suddenly it all seemed too real. “Yeah…”
“Well, there you go. Ronnie’s next.”
“Does he know I’m coming to see him?”
She laughed. “Do you think he’d stick around and wait if he did?”
Would he? Didn’t he think he owed me an explanation? But he hadn’t given me one when he left, so I doubted he’d be upfront now. “Where is he?”
“Shackin’ up with his wife,” she said with a hint of Arkansas twang.
“You know why he did it, don’t you?”
She cast me a glance. “You’ll have to be more specific. Ronnie Colson’s done a lot of things.”
“Why he pretended to marry me. What was the point when he could have just ‘shacked up’ with me?”
“I guess you’ll just have to ask him yourself.”
“He might not want to tell me.”
“I have ways of making him talk,” she said with her eyes on the road.
I’d seen her handiwork. I was good and pissed at Ronnie, but I didn’t want Kate to get her hands on him. My throat tightened and I struggled to take a breath. “I don’t want you to hurt him, Kate.” This was one more reminder that Kate was a dangerous murderer—one who would likely murder again. I needed to seriously consider turning her in to the authorities at the end of our little road trip was complete.
So why did the thought make me feel like I was betraying her?
Maybe I was getting Stockholm syndrome.
“Then I guess he’ll need to be cooperative,” she said in a nonchalant tone. “But before we go to Tulsa, we have a pit stop to make.”
“Are we going to have tea with Pearce Manchester’s first-grade teacher?”
Kate chuckled. “No, but that might not be a bad idea.”
“You really knew these people?” I paused, then added, “Did you know Pearce Manchester, too?”
She scrunched her nose. “He was before my time, but I’ve heard plenty about him. He and Carson knew each other through their fathers, but there was no love lost between those two. Then again, Pearce couldn’t get along with anyone and he was much too lazy to suit Carson, even if Carson has his own special brand of laziness.” After a moment, she added, “Pearce stole from Carson.” She thumbed to the trunk. “That money belongs to Carson Roberts.”
“Why does he want it back so bad?” I asked. “Is it the principle? It can’t be a lot of money to someone like him.”
Only to someone like me.
She laughed. “No. Carson needs that bag of money for his own peace of mind.”
How in the world could a measly ten grand give a millionaire peace of mind? Obviously Jed had missed something about the money, but he was a bright guy, so what could it be?
She shot me an ornery grin. “I could have given you and the money to Carson at any point in this trip, and it would have ironed out things between us, but I’d like to point out that I haven’t.”
“Just because you haven’t yet doesn’t mean you won’t. You could be waiting until after you’ve toyed with me.”
“Oh, NK. What’s it gonna take for you to trust me?”
“We’re getting’ there, Kate. But don’t double-cross me.”
She laughed. “Or you’ll what?”
What could I threaten her with that would devastate her? “Or I’ll never speak to you again. Ever. I’ll pretend like you never existed.”
Her face fell into disbelief and she started to get angry, but I interrupted her.
“If you’re being honest and truthful, then you have nothing to worry about,” I assured her. Then I offered her a smile of my own.
She was quiet as she continued north toward Tulsa. When we reached a suburb, she used her phone to find a Home Depot near us. She parked in the lot and pulled on her ball cap. “Wait here.”
“I don’t think so,” I said, reaching for the door handle. The fact that we were here was making me nervous. What in the world did she need in a Home Depot? I’d either been involved in too many criminal activities or watched too many episodes of Law and Order because my mind immediately jumped to rope and blunt objects that could be used as weapons. “I’m coming with you.”
She reached over and grabbed my arm. “That’s a bad idea. If they go back and search the surveillance video they might recognize you.”
That stopped me short. “Why would anyone be looking for us in a surveillance video?”
“Just trust me on this.” On that dubious note, she released her grip and got out of the car.
I watched her walk toward the entrance with a flounce she never used, and it struck me that she’d be unrecognizable as Kate Simmons, what with her blonde hair, girly clothes, and her ultra-feminine gait. She looked a lot like me. Was she setting me up?
Why would anyone even think to check the footage?
The car had to be stolen.
She’d taken the keys with her, but I realized I had access to the trunk with the release button. A good half minute after she entered the store, I reached over and popped the button, hoping I didn’t need the key to release it. Thankfully I didn’t.
I’d never been so happy to hear a clicking sound in all my life.
Keeping the cameras on the store in mind, I grabbed a hair tie from my purse and put my hair up in a loose bun, then kept my head down as I got out and made my way around to the trunk.
Kate’s bag was next to mine, and it didn’t take much searching to find my phone near the top. It was powered off, but it turned on without any difficulty, and I was relieved to see the battery was at fifty-five percent. Once it had booted up, I saw I had dozens of voice messages and texts from Jed, Joe, and Rose, but it was Jed that I called, and he answered right away.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice tight.
“I’m fine. Kate’s taking me on a discovery tour and we just met with Pearce and Chad Manchester’s old nanny.”
“You what?”
“I’ll explain later, but first, we’re at a Home Depot outside of Tulsa. Kate made me stay in the car, but I popped the trunk and found my phone in her bag.”
“So she hasn’t given it back?”
“No,” I said, casting a glance around the trunk lid to watch for Kate. “I’m going to put it back when we’re done, but I’ll leave it on and turn on the location feature so you can find me.”
“No. Just get the hell out of there.”
“I can’t. She’s about to tell me what’s so special about the money. She said Pearce took it from Carson Roberts and he needs it back for his peace of mind. She hasn’t gotten to the ‘why’ part yet, but ther
e’s more to the story. He sure as Hades doesn’t need ten thousand dollars.”
“Who the hell is Carson Roberts?”
“He’s one of the leaders of Hardshaw. His father, Tony Roberts, started it with Arthur Manchester, then added Randall Blakely—Carly’s father.”
“Shit.” He paused, then said, “How does Kate know all of this?”
“She’s been sleeping with Carson for the past two years. That’s how she took charge of the Fenton County takeover.”
“Neely Kate, just run. The risk isn’t worth it. These people are dangerous, but Kate may be the most dangerous of all.”
“I’m so close to knowing what’s special about the money, Jed. I need to know. She says she accidentally got me into this mess and she’s trying to get me out of it.”
“That’s what she wants you to think, NK. She’s playing mind games with you. She doesn’t know how not to do that.”
“She really wants a relationship with me,” I said quietly. “I’m using that to my advantage, so if you look at it, I’m playing games with her too.”
He was silent for several seconds before he said, “I’m gonna trust your judgment, but I’m still gonna track you down.”
I closed my eyes and smiled. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”
“Which part?”
“Both.”
“Be careful, Neely Kate. If things get dicey, just run, okay?”
“Okay.” I glanced toward the entrance again. “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll turn on the location finder when I hang up.”
“I’ll see you soon. I love you.”
“I love you too.” I hung up and quickly altered the settings before silencing the phone and tucking it back into Kate’s bag. Then I closed the trunk and got back into the car a full two minutes before Kate emerged with two bags and a couple of shovels.
My heart stopped. She’d agreed not to hurt Ronnie, so why had she bought shovels? Was she planning to hurt someone else?
She sashayed to the car and popped the trunk with her key fob, placing everything in the trunk just so before she got back into the car. “Are you hungry?” she asked as she started the engine.
“We just ate a couple of hours ago.”
“You hardly touched your lunch. You must be starving.”
“I lost my appetite the moment I saw you walk out with those shovels,” I said. “What do we need shovels for?”
“All in good time, sister mine,” she said in a cheerful tone. “We can get something to eat now or keep going. I want to get a hotel room before the next part of our trip. We’re about to kill two birds with one stone.”
The word “kill” stuck out at me. I had a sinking feeling she might not mean it metaphorically. “What are we doin’ with the shovels, Kate?” I asked in a more direct tone.
She turned to look at me, her eyes pleading. “Trust me.”
“I want to,” I said quietly, “but those shovels are makin’ me nervous.” Since nothing was going to come to light if we were both cagey and withholding, I decided it would be better to be blunt. “Are you plannin’ on buryin’ a body?”
“Just trust me,” she said, which wasn’t encouraging.
I remained silent as she pulled out of the parking lot then took a loop around the city and turned west. She pulled off in a town called Shady Springs and stopped at a motel that looked like it charged by the hour.
“You couldn’t get more different from our Dallas hotel if you tried,” I said in disgust as she turned off the car.
“You have to be adaptable to survive,” she said, not seeming to take offense. She cast me a weighing glance. “You’ve already learned that lesson.”
“True enough.” It was obvious we were hiding, but why? I was sure it had to do with those shovels in the trunk. “Are we seeing Ronnie here?”
Her eyes lit up. “You want to meet your bigamist husband at a cheap hotel?”
If she was really out to protect and avenge me, she might have a devious plan. “You’re not gonna kill him, are you? You’ll let him go if he talks?”
She looked amused. “Don’t you want me to kill him?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“A serious one. Murder is serious business.”
A cold chill washed through me. “How many people have you killed?”
Her eyes darkened. “Not nearly enough.”
“That doesn’t answer my question,” I said.
“And you never answered mine,” she countered.
“No!” I shouted. “I don’t want you to kill him! I don’t want you to hurt or maim him either. That’s not the way to solve problems, Kate.”
“He ruined your life, Neely Kate. Don’t you want to destroy him for that?”
“And you ruined mine, Kate, but I don’t want to destroy you. Not anymore.”
Her face hardened. “Then maybe you’re not a Simmons after all.”
“Why?” I demanded, turning sideways in my seat to face her. “Because I don’t want to murder you? That would make me like our father. You wanted your revenge against him, and you got it. But if you keep this up, you’ll be just like him.”
“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” she said, her anger simmering below the surface.
“No,” I said. “You don’t actually believe that. If you did, you wouldn’t be helpin’ me now. You’d be set on destroyin’ me.”
“And how are you sure I’m not?” she asked, then got out of the car and headed for the lobby.
She was right. How could I be so sure? Was it safe to bet everything on her? The answer was obvious—it was downright foolish.
So why did I get out of the car and follow her inside?
Chapter 22
We checked in and the first thing Kate did was look in her bag and check to make sure my phone was near the top. I held my breath, hoping the screen didn’t wake up, but she must have been satisfied because she dropped it back inside and zipped the bag shut.
“I’m feeling like pizza tonight,” Kate said, suddenly in a good mood. I wondered if she’d left me in the car with her bag as a test. She thought I’d passed. What would she do if she figured out what I’d done?
It had been nearly two hours since I’d called Jed and I knew Tulsa was at least five or six hours from Henryetta. Would he get here before we moved on to the next stop?
Would there be a next stop? What would she do to Jed if she caught him?
“I want to know what you have planned next, Kate,” I said in a no-nonsense tone. Those shovels hadn’t once left my mind.
“I plan to order a pizza,” she said with a huge grin. “I’m thinking something with lots of meat.”
“Kate, I’m serious.”
She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I am too. I’m starving.” She found a pizza chain on her phone and placed an order. When it arrived a half hour later, she was thoroughly engrossed in an episode of the HGTV show I’d been watching in Dallas. At least she hadn’t picked the Food Network.
“You need to eat,” she said when I didn’t take a slice. “You’ve got a busy night ahead.”
That’s what I was worried about.
Kate had gotten a room with two beds, so I lay down on the other bed and closed my eyes. The next thing I knew, Kate was calling my name and telling me it was time to leave.
I sat up, blinking the sleep out of my eyes. “What time is it?”
“Does it matter?” she asked. “It’s time to go.”
I could see that it was dark outside, but that didn’t narrow things down much, and there wasn’t a clock in the room.
“Are we coming back?” I asked.
“You need to bring your bag of money,” she said in a cheery tone.
“I wasn’t planning on leaving it behind,” I said. “Not in this place.”
She laughed. “Who said blondes are stupid?”
“You’re a blonde now,” I reminded her.
“Like I said, who said we’re stupid?”
/> “Is this about Ronnie?”
“All in good time. You’ll get your chance to question him.” Having worked up enough drama and mystique for the moment, she walked out the door.
I followed her, pausing in the doorway. If I went with her willingly, it would likely make me an accessory to any murder she might commit. But I was playing with fire. If I didn’t go and Ronnie showed up, she might decide to kill him despite what I’d said. Or maybe she’d castrate him like she had Branson. Staying in the hotel room would mean giving up even the pretense of control, and I didn’t trust her not to hurt anyone.
“Come on,” she called out to me, standing next to her open car door. “You’re not gonna find out the secret about the money standing there.”
She knew the right carrot to dangle under my nose, and part of me wondered if I’d sold my soul the minute I’d taken that bag of money. But I told myself my main reason for going with her was to protect Ronnie and any other innocent people who might be in her crosshairs. The money was secondary.
I tried to pry her plans out of her, but she remained tight-lipped as we got into the car. The clock on the dash told me it was nearly ten o’clock, which meant Jed had to be getting close.
A sense of foreboding sank into the pit of my stomach as Kate drove down a dark two-lane road out in the middle of nowhere, featureless but for a few trees and some low rolling hills. We were heading west, out into the country. After about half an hour, she turned down a single-lane road, and after driving far enough that we couldn’t see the main road, we came to a rundown farmhouse which was next to a newer metal building that looked like an oversized six-car, two-story garage. It appeared innocent enough, but I knew Kate had something special planned.
“What are we doing here?” I asked.
“Patience, sister mine. It’s a surprise.”
“Ronnie’s coming, isn’t he?”
“What part of ‘surprise’ do you not understand?” She pulled to a stop in front of the garage, then got out of the car and walked around the car to the trunk. I hesitated. This trip had been fairly low key until now, but Jed was right. Kate was violent and dangerous, and she left horrible messes and ruined lives in her wake. If Ronnie was coming, she likely had some type of violence planned. Which meant I needed to come up with a plan to stop her.
Dirty Money Page 16