“And he bought it?”
“Enough that he’s not gonna come rushing home.”
She nodded, then went back to work. The three of us worked in silence for the next half hour, although I could hear Jed talking in a low voice on his phone from time to time in the back. When it was about time for us to leave for our appointment, Jed got up and moved to the edge of the screen. He cast a glance toward Muffy, who was still curled up on her bed.
“Is she okay?” he asked, pointing toward her.
I leaned over and stroked the top of her head. “She will be.”
“What do you plan to do with her when we leave? Are you sure you want to leave her here alone?”
“I’ll stay with her,” Neely Kate said, still looking at her computer.
“Not an option,” Jed said dryly.
I cast a glance at Neely Kate. “I’ll see if she can spend the night with Maeve. Since we don’t know what’s going to happen with our deadline.”
“Good idea.”
I handed Jed a list of the places we planned to go in case we got separated for some reason.
Jed slipped out the back door, then texted when he was in his car and ready to follow us.
“This is ridiculous,” Neely Kate mumbled on the sidewalk as she locked the front door. “No one’s gonna bother with me.”
When she turned around, I looked her square in the eye. “You matter, Neely Kate.”
She blinked in surprise. “What does that mean?”
“It means you’re important—to me and to Joe. And to Maeve and Bruce Wayne and Jed, for that matter.”
Anger washed over her face. “I don’t mean a hill of beans to Jed Carlisle.”
I shook my head. “I have no idea what’s going on with you two, but the fact that he’s insisting that you come despite being frustrated with you is proof that he cares.”
She pressed her lips together and headed toward the truck, obviously done talking about it.
After we dropped Muffy off with Maeve, who was more than happy to watch her, we spent a half hour at the first house, talking to the owner and making suggestions.
We were on our way to our next client when I got a call from Jonah.
“Hey, Jonah.”
“Rose,” he said, sounding uncomfortable. “I hate to ask, but is there any way you could bring by the money you owe the two guys who worked at the Hendersons’? They usually get paid the day they do the work.”
“Oh my word,” I said in horror. I’d forgotten all about it. “I’m so sorry! Of course! I have an appointment and then an hour-long break. How about I bring it then?”
“That will work. I hate to bring it up . . .”
“No! I’m sorry I haven’t paid them already. I’ll be by in an hour or so.”
When I parked in front of the next client’s house, I sent Jed a text telling him about the change in plans.
“We won’t have much time to get lunch,” Neely Kate said. “Maybe we should move our one o’clock appointment back by half an hour?”
“Then we’ll have to move the two o’clock. How about we go through the drive-through at the Chuck and Cluck?”
“You hate that place.”
“Hate is a strong word.”
“Jed hates that place.” A grin lit up her eyes. “Sounds great.”
She started to open her door.
“Neely Kate,” I said, grabbing her wrist. “What’s goin’ on with you two? You started to tell me earlier, but tell me now.”
She looked over her shoulder. “Mrs. Benson is peering out her picture window at us.”
“Then let her look. Talk to me.”
Inhaling deeply, she sat back in her seat and looked out the windshield. “When you were in Houston, I went out one night.”
“Went out? You mean out to dinner?”
“No, to One Eyed Joes.”
“Oh.” That shocked me. “By yourself?”
“Yeah.” She shrugged. “You were gone, Joe hadn’t come back yet, and . . . I was in a weird mood. So I went to the bar, and several guys started hitting on me. It felt good to be wanted, you know?” She looked over at me with pleading eyes.
“Oh, honey. I do know.” I knew all too well, and I feared how this story would end.
Her mouth twisted as she looked away. “In any case, I drank way too many beers—too many to even think about drivin’. I’d been hanging out with one guy, and he offered to take me home.” She cast a worried glance at me. “To his home.”
“Oh.”
She looked down at her lap. “When we got there, we were makin’ out, and he was givin’ me the hard sell to sleep with him. I mean, I went home with him, right?” she asked in a self-deprecating tone. “Of course he expected it.”
I grabbed her hand and squeezed, worried over what she was about to tell me. “No means no, Neely Kate. You didn’t owe him a thing. Even if he drove you to Little Rock and back.”
She didn’t look me in the eye. “I couldn’t go through with it, and he got so pissed I thought he was gonna hit me. So I grabbed my phone and locked myself in the bathroom and called Jed.”
“Then what happened?”
“Jed made me stay on the line while he drove to get me. The guy kept beatin’ on the door and callin’ me names, and Jed heard everything. Then he hung up. The next thing I knew, there was a lot of banging and shouting, and within less than a minute, Jed knocked on the bathroom door to tell me it was okay to come out.” Her voice broke. “I was only wearing my panties, and the guy was such a pig he didn’t even have towels in his bathroom. Only a couple of hand towels and washcloths. I opened the door, trying to cover myself with my hand, but Jed slipped off the jacket he was wearing and helped me into it, all while avertin’ his gaze. Then he put his arm around me and led me out to his car. But I saw the guy’s apartment as we left.” She turned to me with tears in her eyes. “Jed had busted down the door and beaten the crap out of that guy.”
“Was he angry with you? Is that why you two are fighting?”
She shook her head. “No. He asked if the guy had hurt me and looked me over. When he saw the red mark on my arm, he told me to stay in the car and he went back inside for a few minutes. When he came out, he had my clothes. Then he got in the car and took me home.”
“Then what happened?” I prodded again after she was silent for several seconds.
“He walked me into the house and insisted on spending the night on the sofa. I told him the guy didn’t know who I was. I didn’t give him my real name. But Jed said while he doubted the guy would dare to come near me, he was gonna make sure he was there if he did.”
“So he stayed all night?”
She nodded. “He was asleep on the sofa the next morning when I went let Muffy out, but he woke up when the stairs creaked.”
I shook my head. “I still don’t understand why you two are angry with each other.”
“I was terrible to him. I started yelling at him, telling him that he shouldn’t have beaten the crap out of that guy for me. That all I’d wanted was a ride home. Then I asked him why he had done it.”
“What did he say?”
She swiped at her cheeks. “He didn’t say. He tried to pull me into a hug, but I pushed him away and kept saying awful, hurtful things. He just stood there, until I finally pushed him too far and he stomped out. Now he won’t even look at me.”
I wanted to remind her that he’d gotten an eyeful of her yesterday, but it didn’t seem like the right time.
“Neely Kate,” I said quietly. “Why did you call Jed? Why not Witt?”
She just shook her head. “Why did he even come? Why did he spend the night on our sofa?”
“Because he obviously cares about you.”
She shook her head, and a tear spilled down her cheek. “Why?”
I wanted to find her mother and shake the snot out of her for destroying her daughter so much she didn’t believe anyone could love her. I pulled her into a hug. “I really wish you could se
e yourself as we do.” I leaned back and cupped her wet cheeks. “You’re fun and witty and so, so smart. You have a good heart, and you’re the most loyal friend a person could have. Even when you’re going through hell, you’re like sunshine on a cloudy day. You’ve made the past year bearable, even when things were so bad I felt like I was drowning in sorrow. And if Jed or any other man sees even a fraction of what I see when I look at you, he’d trip over himself to help you.”
Her lips twitched into a tiny smile. Then she got out of the truck and walked toward our waiting client.
As I watched her, I couldn’t help thinking that if we were really going to start investigating cases, maybe I needed to add tracking down Jenny Lynn Rivers to my own personal list.
Chapter 24
We pulled into the parking lot of the New Living Hope Revival Church a little after noon, and I was surprised to see six or seven cars in the parking lot.
“Is something goin’ on I don’t know about?” I asked Neely Kate.
She studied the front of the church. “No. I don’t think so, but it’s probably guys from Jonah’s work program. I think some of them ride together to jobs.”
Like the one I hadn’t paid them for. I hope they didn’t tar and feather me when we walked inside.
My phone rang, and despite the fact that I could see his car, I wasn’t surprised to see it was Jed.
“There’s a lot of cars here,” he said, parking a couple of rows in front us. “This doesn’t follow your typical daily schedule, so I doubt anyone would know you’re coming unless the reverend spouted it off, but he does run an ex-con program. It might not be a bad idea for me to go in ahead to scope it out.”
While he had a good point, we really didn’t have time for that. “Give it to me in percentages. What are the chances someone who’s intent on hurting me is gonna be in there?”
“Twenty-eighty.”
“Then I’m runnin’ with those odds.” I hung up and told Neely Kate about our exchange, not surprised she agreed with me. She’d been itching to use her pink, bejeweled Taser, especially after watching me zap Homer a couple of days before.
When we walked through the front doors, we didn’t see anyone until we reached the church offices. The door opened to an office for the church secretary, and a door to the left led to Jonah’s office. His door was closed, but Jessica, who was both his girlfriend and secretary, greeted us with a warm smile.
“If it isn’t two-thirds of the RBW Landscaping company,” she said. “Jonah’s with someone right now if you want to wait.”
“Actually,” I said, “I need to leave Jonah some money. He’s expecting it, so he’ll know what it’s for. But it’s in cash.”
“Not a problem.”
I turned to Neely Kate, who had the remaining cash from our exchange with Raddy, and watched as she counted out the hundred in twenties.
“I hear your landscaping business is flourishing,” Jessica said. “Bruce Wayne calls a couple of times a week asking for help.”
Jonah’s office door opened, revealing a man who looked vaguely familiar. “Thanks, Reverend.”
Jonah appeared behind him, smiling wide enough to show his sparkling white teeth. His hair was as coiffed as always, and it looked like his streaks had been recently highlighted, although I hadn’t worked up the nerve to ask him who he’d found in Henryetta to do them. I hadn’t heard word of him showing up in Beulah’s Nip and Clip on the square. I couldn’t fault Jonah Pruitt for being more put-together than me—shoot, three-quarters of the county looked better than me lately—especially given that Jonah was a semi-famous national TV evangelist. Perfection was expected of him.
“Newton, my door is open any time,” Jonah said in his warm baritone voice. “Whether you’re a parishioner or not. The Good Lord doesn’t care where his children go to church. He has enough love for everyone.” Jonah put a hand on his shoulder. “And please, call me Jonah.”
“Thank you, Reverend Jonah. I know my brother wasn’t a good person, but I still loved him.”
My ears perked up.
“Of course you did, and the fact that he was suspected of murdering his wife will make your grief more complicated. But I’m here to talk if you need it.” I almost gasped. Newton was Radcliffe Dyer’s brother.
Jonah glanced up at me and smiled before he returned his attention to Newton. “I’ve counseled quite a few of Henryetta’s citizens since I came to town last year, and I offer my services free of charge.”
“Newton,” Neely Kate said as she walked over to him. “I heard about your brother. I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you,” he said, swiping at the corners of his eyes.
“We’re about to go to lunch,” Neely Kate said. “Would you like to go with us?”
He shook his head. “I gotta get back to the plant.”
“Can we walk you to your car?”
“Sure.”
“You two go on ahead,” I told Neely Kate. “I’ll catch up in a minute.” I knew she would try to get information out of him, and he was far more likely to talk to her if I wasn’t around.
I turned to Jonah as they walked into the hall. “I’m sorry that I forgot about the money.”
“Rose, you have a lot going on right now. I wasn’t worried. I just thought you might need a reminder.”
“Do you have a moment to chat?”
“Of course!” He gestured into his office, and I took a seat in the chair in front of his desk.
He took the chair next to me and studied my face. “Is everything okay?”
In the past, I’d had multiple informal counseling sessions with Jonah. I’d always trusted his advice, and I could definitely use some wisdom now. I considered going through some pleasantries but decided to cut to the chase. “I had dinner with Maeve last night. While we were there, I asked her about Mason.”
“Oh.”
“She says he likes his new job and that he’s working even more than he did here.” I paused. “But she also said he’d been on at least two dates that she knows of.”
“How did you feel when you heard that?”
“It hurt. A lot. But I feel like I’m ready to move on. I don’t think about him as much. I can go days. I still love him. I think part of me will always love him, but I’m confused. I have feelings for someone else too.”
He was quiet for a moment. “Do you remember when you realized that you had feelings for Mason? You were getting over your breakup with Joe. Part of you still loved him, but you were ready to move on. You decided you didn’t want to be with Joe anymore.” He folded his hands on his leg. “If Mason walked through the door right now and asked you to take him back, would you do it?”
My mouth parted as I gaped at him. I’d never considered that. Would I?
“Rose, I don’t know who you have feelings for, but if you really care about him, you’ll make sure that he’s not second choice. Otherwise, it’s not fair to him.”
Considering James’ reluctance to talk about us having a relationship, let alone to give it a try, it was probably a moot point. But he was right. I gave him a grin. “How’d you get so smart?”
“After that two-day-old ham on rye I had for an early lunch today, I’m not so sure about my intelligence, but I do know people, and I know their hearts.” He smiled at me. “You have a good heart, Rose. You’re going to be okay.”
I stood. “Thanks, Jonah. You always know the right thing to say.”
When I reached the parking lot, Neely Kate was standing next to a beat-up old car with Newton. Jed was still in his car on the other side of the parking lot, talking on his phone. He shot me a glance that told me he wasn’t happy.
I considered joining Neely Kate, but I needed a few moments to think about what Jonah had asked me. If Mason drove back to town, knocked on my door, and told me that he wanted to be with me again, would I go back to him? It surprised me that I couldn’t immediately say yes. But I couldn’t say no either.
Neely Kate gave Newton a hug, and he got
in his car while Neely Kate walked toward my truck. When she got in, she gave me a wicked grin. “Well, that was interesting.”
“Why do you look so happy? That poor man’s brother died.”
“Because I found out all kinds of information about Raddy’s family.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Leah was ticked as all get out that Rayna still had their grandmother’s jewelry after she kicked Raddy out. When she found out her mother had taken it from Rayna, she demanded that Mable give it to her.”
“So did she?”
Neely Kate gave a look that suggested I’d lost my marbles. “Remember? I saw it all in her drawer. Leah went home last week right after Mable picked it up.”
I shook my head. “But that necklace wasn’t part of their grandmother’s collection in the first place.” I gasped. “Raddy told me that he stole the necklace and hid it with the jewelry he gave Rayna. When she wouldn’t return it to him, he nagged Mable until she agreed to get it back. But then Mable wouldn’t hand it over, so he broke in to steal it. But it wasn’t there.”
“So what if Leah did the same thing?” Neely Kate asked. “She’s the type who wouldn’t let a simple no deter her. I can see her going and getting what she thinks is hers.”
“Why didn’t she take the other jewelry?” Then it hit me. “What if she knew that one necklace was real?”
“How would she know?”
“Maybe Raddy let it slip. Or maybe she was familiar with her grandmother’s showpieces and realized it wasn’t one of them. She might have taken it to see how much it was worth.”
My phone rang with an unknown number. Neely Kate and I exchanged a look, and she nodded. I answered, putting it on speakerphone.
“Hello?”
“I found out some interesting things from Raddy before he died.” I recognized the man’s voice.
My eyes flew open. I looked at Neely Kate and mouthed, “Buck Reynolds.”
Her mouth turned into a surprised ‘o’.
“So you’re the one who killed him?” I asked. “He turned over the necklace?”
“No necklace, but he had some things to say about you.”
Family Jewels: Rose Gardner Investigations #1 Page 25