Neely Kate shook her head. “I think you’re giving him far too much credit. Sure, he cares about you, but he cares about himself a whole lot more. It’s what makes him a ruthless criminal.”
“I suppose.” But I didn’t believe that. Sure, he was ruthless, but he cared about other people. My vision had proved how much he cared about me. He just didn’t want to admit it.
A knock on the door scared us both enough to jump. We grinned at each other, and I got up. “I’ll get it in case it’s Jed.”
But Joe was waiting on the other side of the door. I’d expected wrath; the resignation on his face scared me. “Sounds like you two have had a busy night.”
“Hey, Joe. Come in.”
Neely Kate had gotten up, and she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. “I’ve missed you.” It made my heart twist to see the two of them together.
“I missed you too.”
Neely Kate fixed him a cup of tea, and he took our statements about our run-ins with Homer. He looked grim the entire time, but he kept his questions professional. When we finished, he said, “You should have called me. What was so pressing you couldn’t call immediately after you tied him up?”
Neither of us answered, but we exchanged a look.
Joe leaned back in his chair, pinning me with a glare. “I heard some crazy rumors tonight.”
“Is that so?” I asked.
“I heard that the Lady in Black is back and she took a meeting tonight.”
“What?” I asked, trying to sound like it was the craziest thing I’d ever heard. “That’s impossible.”
“That’s what I thought too. Because I can’t think of a single good reason she would make an appearance now that my father’s no longer a threat.” He continued to watch me. When I didn’t break, he turned to Neely Kate. “You told me you were talkin’ to Rayna on Raddy Dyer’s behalf, but it sounds like you two were actually lookin’ for this necklace. Even after it got the two of them killed.”
Neely Kate lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “Like I told you. We were just helpin’ out a friend.”
His mouth pressed into a frown, and he looked dubious. “It’s a good thing that that’s all it was, because I know you wouldn’t be going around calling yourselves private investigators. You need to have a license to do work as a PI; otherwise, it’s a felony offense.”
I tried to hide my shock, but Neely Kate didn’t look all that surprised. “Well, it’s a doggone good thing we were just helpin’ a friend then, isn’t it?” Then, presumably in an effort to change the subject, she said, “So tell us about your trip. What kept you in El Dorado for three days?”
Joe shot me a worried glance, then shifted his gaze to his sister. Leaning his elbows on his knees, he said, “I wasn’t in El Dorado, Neely Kate. Not the entire time.”
“Where were you?”
“New Orleans.”
“What kind of family business took you to New Orleans?”
Joe waited a beat before diving right in. “I got a tip that Ronnie was down there, so I went to check it out.”
I expected her to be angry, but she just looked confused and anxious. “Oh. It was a false alarm, right? No one else has found anything.”
Joe remained silent for several seconds, then said, “Neely Kate, I think I found him.”
The color left her face, and I thought she was going to pass out. “What?”
He leaned forward and grabbed her hand. “It took me two days. I needed to head back home for my shift tonight, but I followed one last lead to the bus station and saw him. I’d intended to make him sign your divorce papers, but he got on a bus headed to Memphis. It took off before I could reach him.”
“Memphis?” She shook her head. “No. You must have seen someone else.”
He grabbed his phone from his pocket and pulled up his photos. “You tell me. Is this him? There are several photos on there, but . . .”
“But what?”
“You might not like what you see.”
She snatched the phone from him. The photo was of a couple standing next to a bus in a tight embrace. They were kissing, and the next several photos portrayed them in escalating stages of groping. Then there was a photo of the man looking down at the blonde woman. I had to admit that his profile looked a lot like Ronnie’s. But when Neely Kate swiped to the next photo, I gasped.
Ronnie was facing the camera full-on, his arm wrapped around the small blonde woman. But the biggest shocker was the ring on his left ring finger. He was wearing a wedding ring, and it wasn’t the one Neely Kate had given him less than a year ago.
Ronnie Colson had married someone else, and he wasn’t even divorced yet.
***
TRAILER TRASH: Neely Kate
Rose Gardner Exposed Novella
April 18, 2017
***
FOR THE BIRDS
Rose Gardner Investigations #2
July 11, 2017
Acknowledgments
Authors will tell you that writing is a solitary venture, but that’s not entirely true, at least not for me. I have a team who support and encourage me throughout the process.
First, I couldn’t do this without Angela Polidoro, my developmental editor and friend. I count on her for advice and support when I feel like I’ve hit a wall. She reminds me that the story will come, and often gives me a nudge to get me going again. She plays a significant role not only by editing my books, but helping to plan my future books and career. I’m grateful to have her in my corner.
Shannon Page is often the second person to read my book after I incorporate Angela’s suggestions. While Shannon’s job is to copy edit my story, she also gives me much needed reassurance that my readers are going to love the book.
Carolina Valdez-Schneider gives my book a thorough read-through, looking for proofreading errors. She’s a true professional, but also a friend. I’m thrilled she’s part of my team.
Next, I’d like to thank my children, especially Jenna, Ryan, and Emma. I often work long hours. They take it in stride and hang out in my office so we can all work together. The moments when I’m working at my desk while they tackle homework on the sofa and my office floor are some of my sweetest memories.
And finally, I’d like to thank you, dear reader. Your enthusiasm gives me the spark I need to keep up this crazy pace. There are over three million books available for you to read, and yet you chose mine. That is never lost on me. Thank you.
Trailer Trash: Neely Kate
Neely Kate Coulson’s life is a carefully built house of cards, but now her newly discovered half-sister is threatening to destroy it all. While everyone thought Kate Simmons had been neutralized when she’d been incarcerated in the psych ward, Neely Kate knows better. Her sister is sending her letters threatening to expose her past, only Neely Kate has stuffed so many secrets into every crack and cranny she has no idea which ones her sister plans to drag into the light.
Growing up with an abusive, drug addicted mother has taught Neely Kate to play the game—be whoever she needs to be in whatever situation she finds herself in. But she’d begun to let down her guard when her best friend Rose came into her life, and now she has an adoring half-brother who happens to be the Chief Deputy Sheriff of Fenton County. How will he feel when he finds out his new sister has a criminal past?
The clock’s ticking and Neely Kate is racing to make sure all her secrets are truly hidden, the question is where to start? She knows she needs help, but when she turns to Rose’s body guard, Jed Carlisle, she has more to worry about than her past.
TRAILER TRASH: Neely Kate
Rose Gardner Exposed Novella
April 18, 2017
Also by Denise Grover Swank
Rose Gardner Investigations
FAMILY JEWELS (November 29, 2016)
FOR THE BIRDS (July 11, 2017)
Rose Gardner Exposed Novellas
TRAILER TRASH: Neely Kate
April 18, 2017
(Rose Gardner Investigati
ons #1.5)
Magnolia Steele Mystery
Center Stage
Act Two
Call Back
(February 28, 2017)
Rose Gardner Mysteries
Novellas are bonus material
TWENTY-EIGHT AND A HALF WISHES
TWENTY-NINE AND A HALF REASONS
THIRTY AND A HALF EXCUSES
FALLING TO PIECES (novella)
THIRTY-ONE AND A HALF REGRETS
THIRTY-TWO AND A HALF COMPLICATIONS
PICKING UP THE PIECES (novella)
THIRTY-THREE AND A HALF SHENANIGANS
ROSE AND HELENA SAVE CHRISTMAS (novella)
RIPPLE OF SECRETS (novella)
THIRTY-FOUR AND A HALF PREDICAMENTS
THIRTY-FIVE AND A HALF CONSPIRACIES
THIRTY-SIX AND A HALF MOTIVES
SINS OF THE FATHER (novella)
The Wedding Pact
(Humorous contemporary romance)
THE SUBSTITUTE
THE PLAYER
THE GAMBLER
THE VALENTINE (short story)
Bachelor Brotherhood
Spinoff of The Wedding Pact series
ONLY YOU
UNTIL YOU (May 30, 2017)
ALWAYS YOU (October 2017)
Young adult contemporary romance
ONE PARIS SUMMER
Off the Subject Series
(New adult contemporary romance)
AFTER MATH
REDESIGNED
BUSINESS AS USUAL
The Chosen Series
(Adult urban fantasy)
CHOSEN
HUNTED
SACRIFICE
REDEMPTION
Complete CHOSEN Box Set
Curse Keepers Series
(Urban fantasy)
THE CURSE KEEPERS
THE CURSE BREAKERS
THE CURSE DEFIERS
CURSE KEEPERS COLLECTION (box set)
On the Otherside Series
(Young adult sci fi romance)
HERE
THERE
About the Author
Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became a nomadic gypsy, living in five cities, four states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty Facebook comments (in own her mind) and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.
@DeniseMSwank
DeniseGroverSwank
denisegroverswank.com
Family Jewels: Rose Gardner Investigations #1 Page 32