“Rose.”
A black and white streak on the highway caught my eye, and I realized it was Homer’s Jeep heading west. I’d almost missed it. “That’s Homer.”
Neely Kate’s gaze moved to the road. “He’s early. Are you sure that was him?”
“Yep, I recognized the white front fender. Let’s go.”
I started the car and pulled out onto the highway.
It was time to start getting real answers.
Chapter 26
I was nervous as we drove down the Dyer driveway. Were we crazy to expect Mable to tell us anything? I cast a glance at Neely Kate and wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or worried that she looked just about as nervous as I felt.
The barking dog greeted us as we pulled up, and I wasn’t surprised to find Mable was standing in the doorway.
“You know,” I said, “There’s one possible problem to our plan.”
“What’s that?”
“What if Homer told Mable he was going to meet us at the factory?”
“Well, crap . . .”
“Yeah.”
She shook her head. “No. We’re safe. Homer firmly believes his business is his own. If he stumbled upon the necklace and sold it, there’s not a chance in Hades he’d share the money with his wife. He wouldn’t tell her he was goin’ to get it.”
“I hope you’re right. This is a long shot as it is.”
“Just let me take this one. I know her, so she might be more inclined to tell me.”
“I’m good with that.” Although it didn’t seem like a good time to remind her it hadn’t mattered much last time.
We climbed out of the car, and at the last minute, Neely Kate grabbed the box of her half-eaten Chuck and Cluck lunch.
What in the world?
Mable walked out onto the porch. I saw it as a step in the right direction that she was holding a broom instead of a shotgun this time.
“What are you girls doin’ back here?” the older woman asked, shouting over the frantic barks of the dog. “You still tryin’ to get that recipe?”
Neely Kate gave her a sad grin as we sidestepped the dog and approached the bottom of the steps. “Well, you can’t blame a girl for tryin’, but we’re here for a different reason.” She paused, lifting the chicken box in front of her. “We’re here to pay our condolences.” She mounted the bottom step and handed the woman the box.
“Oh.” The woman’s hard exterior seemed to crumble a bit as she took the box.
“Raddy was so full of life,” Neely Kate said, shifting her weight. “I just can’t believe he’s gone.”
“Radcliffe Mussleman Dyer was a fool. It’s a wonder he didn’t get himself killed sooner,” the older woman grumbled, and while her words were shocking, the tears gathering in her eyes softened them.
“As you know, he’d hired us to find his grandmother’s necklace, and we’ve vowed to complete the mission in honor of his memory. Of course we’ll bring it to you straightaway,” Neely Kate said. “I’m sure he would have wanted his momma to have it.”
She nodded and wiped her eyes.
“But we’re tryin’ to track down the last person to have seen it before it disappeared. We think it might have been you.”
Mable didn’t answer.
“We know you got all the jewelry from Rayna, but we think there was a necklace in there that didn’t come from your momma. Do you remember seeing it? It had big, yellowish-clear stones.”
The woman pursed her lips. “No. I don’t rightly recall. I just grabbed the jewelry and brought it home.”
“And you gave it to Leah?” I asked even though I knew that wasn’t true.
The older woman pressed her lips together.
The frenzied dog made a forceful lunge, and Neely Kate flinched and jumped a foot to the right. “Has Leah been out to see you since you brought the jewelry home?” Would she admit to the truth?
“Yeah. She and Newton came over a couple of days later.”
“Newton was with her?”
“Yeah. She said her car was broke down, and he gave her a ride.”
“Did you see Leah the entire time, or did she slip away?”
“She said she was goin’ to the bathroom, but I caught her comin’ out of my room,” Mable said. “When I called her on it, she said she was lookin’ for the picture albums.”
“What do you think happened to the necklace?” I asked.
Her eyes turned hard. “I think that hussy Rayna hid it somewhere good where no one’s ever gonna find it. You’re on a fool’s errand. You need to give it up.” She opened the box, and confusion flickered in her eyes as she lifted the mostly eaten chicken thigh.
“That’s for Zeus,” Neely Kate said, reaching for it. She snatched it from the older woman, and then before I could stop her, she tossed it sideways toward the tree where the animal was chained up.
The dog pounced on it like a hammer in a whack-a-mole game, making scary gnawing sounds.
“Miss Mable,” I said hesitantly. “You mentioned you had five children. I know about Raddy, Newton, and Leah, but what about the other two?”
“They’ve moved off.” She waved the chicken box in a sideways motion. “My boy’s not comin’ home for Raddy’s funeral.” Tears filled her red-rimmed eyes, and I felt terrible for asking.
Neely Kate pulled a card out of her back pocket. “If you think of anything else to help us find the necklace, I’d appreciate it if you’d call.” She handed Mable her business card.
“Yeah.” Mable fingered the edges of the card, then looked up at us with tears in her eyes. “Do you think that’s why my boy was killed? Because of that daggum necklace?”
“I don’t know, Miss Mable,” Neely Kate said softly. “Maybe.”
Her jaw quivered and she put her hand on her stomach as she watched the dog. She gave a brisk nod, then turned and started to go into the house. Zeus began to make gagging noises, and Mable whipped around to face him. “He’s chokin’ on that chicken bone!”
“Oh crap,” Neely Kate mumbled.
“Don’t just stand there,” Mable shouted, pointing her broom toward him with one hand while still holding the box of chicken. “Go give him the Heimlich.”
Neely Kate’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t be serious.”
“My boy died this morning. You gonna let my dog die too?”
Neely Kate gave me a look of panic. I stared back at her in shock. Then, for the second time within minutes, she lunged toward the dog.
Well, crappy doodles. This would not end well.
I snatched the broom from Miss Mable and followed Neely Kate, hoping the dog would just cough it up already. But he was leaning down on his front legs with his butt in the air, coughing and hacking like a twenty-year, three-pack-a-day chain smoker.
“You’re not really gonna do this, are you?” I asked.
“I have to,” she grumbled in exasperation as she stepped behind the dog and slowly reached for his sides.
I lifted the broom, ready to put it between my best friend and the dog’s sharp teeth. I wasn’t sure it would work, but it was my best option at the moment.
Neely Kate reached under his belly with both hands, then delivered a sharp push to his gut.
He released a growl and started to reach his head around. I stuffed the broom in front of his face, and he coughed again, which quickly turned to wheezing. A giant stench filled the air.
“You made it worse!” Miss Mable shouted at us.
Neely Kate started gagging into her arm.
“I’ll say,” I said, frantically waving a hand in front of my face. “You squeezed a fart out of him, and it smells worse than Muffy’s.”
“I’m doing the best I can!” Neely Kate shouted as she squatted down, pressing her chest to the dog’s back. She gave a couple of hard thrusts, and noises came out of both ends of the dog. My eyes burned and Neely Kate looked like she was holding her breath while Zeus made a gagging noise that didn’t sound so good.
“Look in his mouth!” Neely Kate said.
“I’m not looking in his mouth! Are you crazy?” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and pulled up my recent calls.
“You’re making a phone call right now?” Neely Kate demanded.
I ignored her and prayed the person on the other end picked up quickly.
“Henryetta Animal Clinic,” the receptionist said in an annoyed tone.
“Mary, this is Rose Gardner and I have a medical emergency. I need to speak to Levi right away.”
“Sure you do . . .”
“Mary!” I said in a panic as Zeus collapsed onto his belly, his feet sticking out on his sides. “A dog is dying!”
I must have sounded halfway convincing because she called out, “Dr. Romano. I think this is a real emergency.”
Seconds later, Levi picked up the phone. Sounding like a consummate professional, he said, “This is Dr. Romano. What’s the problem?”
I put the phone on speaker. “Levi, this is Rose Gardner. I’m at Mable Dyer’s home, and her dog Zeus was choking on a chicken bone. Neely Kate tried to give him the Heimlich. It sounded like it almost cleared, but now he’s layin’ on the ground making weird wheezing noises.”
“How far are you from here?”
“I don’t know. Maybe fifteen minutes.”
“Too far to get here in time. Has she tried the Heimlich since it got worse?”
“Yeah, it sounds like it’s stuck.”
“Okay, try lookin’ in his mouth.”
“We can’t look into his mouth,” I said, glancing over at Neely Kate. “He’s vicious.”
“He’s not right now,” Neely Kate said as she pulled her hands free.
Levi continued, “You could try hitting his back with the palm of your hand.”
Neely Kate maneuvered in front of Zeus, whose eyes looked unfocused, and pried his mouth open.
“Be careful, Neely Kate,” I said.
“What’s she doing?” Levi asked.
“Zeus is practically passed out, so she’s checkin’ in his open mouth.”
“Tell her if he starts to revive to back up and put something between her and the dog,” Levi said.
I held up the broom, ready to act.
Neely Kate tipped his jaw up and looked in his open mouth. “I see something.”
“Can you put your hand in his mouth and pull it out?” Levi asked.
“I’ll try.” She jammed her hand into his mouth. “Oh, my lord.” She cringed and turned her head to the side. “I think I’ve got it, but it seems kind of stuck.”
“Give it a good yank,” Levi told her.
She got a look of concentration on her face and pulled hard, then fell backward and landed on her butt with her hand full of something that didn’t look like a chicken bone.
“What in the world is that?” I asked.
She held it closer and her face turned a pale green. She made a gagging sound as she tossed it to the ground in disgust. “It’s a slimy tube sock.”
“Where’s the cotton pickin’ chicken bone?” I asked.
Neely Kate’s eyes grew wide, and she started crab-walking backward. Now that the sock wasn’t blocking his airway, Zeus was coming to.
I stuffed my phone in my pocket, wielding the broom with one hand as I reached for Neely Kate’s arm, pulling her back as the dog started to get to his feet.
He shook his head, sending his spit flying all over us, and released a warning growl.
“Neely Kate!” I shouted. “Move!”
She scrambled faster, but Zeus was on a good fifteen feet of chain and we’d started out at ground zero. I stepped between her and the dog, holding the broom out in front of me. He lashed out and grabbed the broom bristles in his mouth. I held tight as he started to tug, looking over my shoulder to make sure Neely Kate had backed up far enough. Then I released the broom and took off running, Zeus hot on my heels. I’d just reached the area outside of his reach when he made one last leap toward me. I let out a yelp as he took a chunk out of the bottom of my jeans.
Neely Kate pulled me to the side of the car, and we leaned against it as we caught our breath.
“Your dog was choking on a sock, Miss Mable,” Neely Kate shouted at the older woman. “How’d he get a sock?”
“That’s his damn toy,” the old woman grumbled. “And you ruined my damn broom.” Then she disappeared into the house without another word.
“You’re welcome!” Neely Kate called after her.
I heard someone calling my name—although it was muffled—and then I realized I’d put my phone in my pocket.
“Sorry,” I told Levi as I pulled it out. “I had to act fast.”
“So the dog was choking on a sock?” he asked.
“Yeah, it wasn’t our fault after all.”
He was silent for a second, then said, “I take it there’s never a dull moment with you.”
I could deny it, but what would be the point? “I have a knack for finding trouble. Sorry to bother you.”
“I helped you and Neely Kate save a life. I think that makes us superheroes. We should get ourselves some capes.”
Neely Kate laughed, although it was shaky.
“Feel free to call me anytime, Rose Gardner. My life could use a little excitement.”
I was beginning to think I could use a whole lot less.
Chapter 27
We pulled out of the Dyer driveway and were headed back to town when I saw Homer’s Jeep in my rearview mirror. I was worried he’d realize it was us, but he turned onto his drive.
At least one thing was going our way.
We made it to our three o’clock consult, but it took longer than I’d expected. We were quickly running out of time and were no closer to finding the necklace.
“What are we gonna do?” Neely Kate asked, sounding worried.
“I don’t know. Maybe we should confront Leah.”
“She’s not gonna admit to havin’ it. Maybe we should just tell Buck she’s got it. Then he can worry about the recovery.”
“But what if she doesn’t have it?” I asked. “He could hurt her. Or worse. We can’t do that. Rayna might have kept it, and if she did, I don’t think anyone knew. Trixie sure didn’t, and I think she was Rayna’s closest friend.”
“Should we break into Leah’s house?”
I turned toward her. “Do you know where she lives?”
“She was livin’ with her boyfriend, but I think she moved out over the weekend. She’s stayin’ in a house with her cousin and two of her friends.”
“So there’s probably someone there,” I groaned. “It’s gonna be a little weird if we show up and start searching her room.”
“Then what are we gonna do?”
I thought about it for several seconds. “I think we should talk to Hugh Wagner.”
“What on earth for?”
“I don’t know. Maybe we can convince him to help us. In my vision, he was upset with his brother for stirrin’ up trouble. Or maybe we can find out something about Kip we can use to negotiate. We have to do something.”
“I know.” She patted my hand. “It actually might not be a bad idea. But you’re not plannin’ on goin’ there, are you?”
I ignored her question while I dug out my phone from my jeans pocket. I still hadn’t figured out the answer myself. “I should give Jed an update,” I said as I pulled up my speed dial numbers. “But we’ll never be able to negotiate without that necklace.”
“Finding that necklace was a long shot,” she said sadly. “How are we gonna stop them now?”
“Let’s pray Hugh gives us something,” I said as I sent Jed a text telling him we’d come up with a big fat nothing. “I think goin’ to his shop to see him is too risky. Let’s call him.”
We were still parked in front of our potential client’s house, and she was watching out of her front door and giving us strange looks. I decided to head toward the office until we figured out where else to go.
Jed sent back a reply
as I pulled away from the curb.
You tried. Now tell me where you are. We need to get you out of the line of fire.
Jed and James were preparing for battle. I had to put a stop to this.
Neely Kate took my phone and read the message. She glanced up at me and said, “Like Hades we will.”
Relief washed over me. We had to put a stop to this. This whole scheme could crash and burn, but at least she and I were united.
“I’m gonna look up the number for Ripper Pawn,” she said, huddling over my phone. When she found the number, I pulled over in the parking lot of a strip mall. Then she placed the call and put it on speaker.
“Ripper Pawn.”
It was Hugh’s voice. I pushed out a sigh of relief and nodded to Neely Kate.
“Hugh?” Neely Kate asked in the higher-pitched voice she’d used when we’d visited the store while undercover. “This is Nancy, and I’ve got Beth Ann with me.”
As she uttered those words, my stomach sunk. I should have warned her.
Buck knew about my alias. And so did Kip.
“Hey!” he said in a strained voice. “If it isn’t my two favorite customers of the week, Nancy and Beth Ann. Only, I know your names are Neely Kate Colson and Rose Gardner.”
Neely Kate’s eyes widened with shock, but I was too distracted by a sudden worry to comfort her. We’d asked Hugh about his business when we were at Ripper Pawn. What if he thought James had sent us? “We weren’t there spyin’ on you, if that’s what you’re thinkin’, Hugh. We were only tryin’ to find the necklace for Raddy.”
“You two work for Malcolm.” While he sounded less friendly, he didn’t spit out James’ name the way an enemy would.
“No. We don’t,” Neely Kate said. “We’re PIs. We run Sparkle Investigations.”
I shot her a glare, but now didn’t seem like a good time to protest.
Family Jewels: Rose Gardner Investigations #1 Page 27