Come Rain or Shine: Rose Gardner Investigations #5 (Rose Gardner Investigatons)

by Denise Grover Swank

  Why hadn’t I thought of that sooner?

  “You should change to a different doctor,” Joe said, his tone hard. “Your privacy was violated. Gary is adamant that we should consider a malpractice suit.”

  “I don’t want to hurt Dr. Newton,” I said wearily as I sat in a chair. “It wasn’t her fault. In fact, I suspect she’s cursing the day she agreed to buy Dr. Arnold’s practice. And I don’t feel like drivin’ to Magnolia or El Dorado to the doctor either.”

  “You’re gonna have the baby at Henryetta Hospital?” Joe asked in disbelief.

  I momentarily froze in place as it hit me that I still needed to figure out where I was having my baby.

  So many decisions… I was starting to feel overwhelmed.

  “Most women don’t figure that out until much later,” Carly said in a soothing tone as she walked behind me and rested her hands on my shoulders. She started to knead my stiff muscles. I nearly cried out from the initial pain, then moaned when my muscle aches began to ease. “You’ve got time.”

  “Is there anything we should be doin’?” Jed asked, sounding unsure of himself.

  Joe glanced back at him in surprise but remained silent. Those two had come a long way, all right.

  “Nothin’ that I know of,” I said, then bolted to standing with a gasp. “My prenatal vitamins. I never got any prenatal vitamins.” What kind of mother was I if I couldn’t remember to get vitamins to keep my baby healthy?

  “I picked some up for you,” Joe said, getting to his feet. “I knew that’s why you were at the pharmacy last night. I’ll go get them now.”

  Tears flooded my eyes, which seemed stupid. They were just vitamins, but it was so thoughtful. Joe was dealing with Mason, the FBI, and the shooting the night before, yet he’d thought to get me prenatal vitamins.

  “You got me vitamins?” My voice broke.

  “It’s no big deal.”

  “Did anyone say anything when they saw you with them?” Jed asked.

  “I got some congratulations from people in the pharmacy,” Joe said, giving me a sly grin. “I said I’d be sure to pass them on to you.” He headed for the back door. “I’ll let Neely Kate know I'm taking the kids home soon.” He stopped on the threshold of the door, hesitating before he turned to Jed. “I don’t want to leave Rose here alone very long while I’m gone. Will you stay until I get back?”

  Jed’s shoulders tightened as he stood straighter. “I would have stayed whether you asked or not.”

  “I figured,” Joe said with his hand on the doorknob. “But I had to ask.” He walked outside, closing the door behind him.

  “Joe’s right. You should go to bed,” Carly said. “Get some sleep. We’ve got things covered down here.”

  I caught Jed’s eye. “I need to talk to Jed first.”

  We had to finish the conversation we’d started earlier, the one we couldn’t have in Joe’s presence.

  Joe brought me the bottle of vitamins, then headed into the living room to pick up Mikey, followed by Neely Kate and Ashley. Violet gave each child a long hug and a lingering kiss on the forehead. Mikey was too tired to deal with it, but Ashley clung to her mother.

  “I love you,” Violet told her. “To the moon and back. There is no end to my love for you.”

  “I love you too, Mommy,” Ashley said into her neck.

  Violet held her a few minutes longer, then glanced up at Joe to take her. I gave Ashley a long hug goodbye.

  As soon as Joe left with the kids, Jed scooped Violet into his arms and easily carried her upstairs, with Carly going up ahead of him to make sure her bed was ready, and Neely Kate and I following behind. Muffy came too, pacing anxiously like she knew something was wrong.

  We got Violet comfortable and made sure she took her meds. Everyone else left, but Violet reached for me with both arms, pulling me into a long hug. We sat like that for what seemed like forever, yet it felt like it hadn’t been long enough when she finally pulled back.

  “You go get some rest,” she said with a smile. “You’re cookin’ my niece or nephew and you need rest to let him or her grow.”

  I kissed her cheek, then looked deep into her eyes. “I love you, Violet. I wouldn’t trade you as a sister for anything in the world. You were the only one who loved me for so long.” My voice caught. “I’ll never, ever forget that.”

  Her mouth tipped up into a tight smile as she looked at me with a gaze full of love. “Go get some rest,” she said, giving my chest a gentle push.

  I kissed her forehead, then left the room, my chest aching. If it already hurt this much, how would I handle losing her?

  Muffy refused to leave Violet’s room, instead hopping up onto an overstuffed chair in the corner, so I left her to keep watch over my sister while I went downstairs. Jed and Neely Kate were waiting on the porch with steaming cups, but Carly was nowhere to be seen.

  “Where’s Carly?” I asked, seeing a third cup next to one of the empty chairs.

  “She said she was going to bed early,” Neely Kate said. “But she made us tea before she went up. She made you green tea—no caffeine.”

  I sat down, more weary than I cared to admit. “I honestly don’t know what I would do without her. She knows more about taking care of Vi than I do.”

  “She loves it,” Neely Kate said. “She needs to feel needed. This is her way of earning her keep.”

  I was lifting my cup to my lips but stopped midway. “She feels like she needs to earn her keep?”

  “I doubt she thinks of it that way,” Neely Kate said. “She just wants to belong.”

  “She’s been opening up more about her past,” I said, taking a sip of the tea, then cupping the mug with my hands as I turned to Jed. “Do you think she’s still in danger?”

  “Hard to say,” he said with a thoughtful look. “I find it hard to believe that she’s this worried about her father tracking her down if all she did was ditch her fiancé and leave the family fold. I think she saw something.”

  My eyes flew wide. “Like what?”

  “Her daddy’s hardly clean, but I can’t help thinkin’ there’s something I don’t know.” He set his mug on the table. “I suspect he has ties to Hardshaw, but I don’t have any concrete proof. Just a gut feelin’.”

  My defenses went up. “You think Carly’s here to spy on us?”

  He gave me an amused grin. “No. I’d bet my right eye she’s clueless to the connection, but I think she ran from more than just a family squabble. Which means if Hardshaw is still snoopin’ around, they’re likely to discover her. Especially given her close proximity to you girls.”

  My heart skipped a beat. “We’re putting her in danger.”

  “Possibly.”

  My mouth dropped open to respond, but I wasn’t sure what to say.

  “I’ve tried to get her to tell me what she saw,” Jed said quietly, “but she refuses to discuss anything to do with her family. I’ve warned her that the Hardshaw Group is lookin’ for Neely Kate.” He paused. “I’ll be honest, I think part of the reason she’s holed up here at the house with Violet is to hide, though there’s no doubt she loves Violet. It’s been a win/win situation for everyone, you included, but she’ll need to leave the house sooner or later. And I suspect we won’t have the Hardshaw Group issue resolved by then.”

  “So what do we do?” I asked, starting to panic. “We have to protect her.”

  Jed leaned toward me, holding my gaze. “We will. And we’ll have a backup plan, just in case they find her.”

  “What backup plan?” I asked.

  “I’m creating a new identity for her,” he said. “A new life.”

  The impact of what he was saying hit me full force. “We’ll have to send her away.”

  “If she won’t tell me what she saw so I can figure out a way to help her, it seems the next best solution.”

  I sat back as the horror of the situation washed through me.

  “But it’s only an option of last resort, Rose,” Neely Kate said. �
��We don’t want her to go, and it’s clear she doesn’t want to leave, but we need a plan to keep her safe.”

  I nodded slowly, but it felt like another blow. I didn’t want to lose her too.

  “I know you’re bone-tired,” Jed said softly, “but we need to discuss Skeeter.”

  I nodded, resting my head on the back of the chair.

  “You need someone with you at all times,” Jed said. “I mean it, Rose. You need someone guardin’ you every time you go out your front door. When you go to the courthouse tomorrow, I want Joe to take you.”

  I sat up. “Joe?”

  “And I’m gonna try to talk him into gettin’ another sheriff’s car as an escort.”

  “Doesn’t that seem like overkill? I’ve worked out deals with just about every major player I’ve had a connection to over the last year. I seriously doubt any of them will touch me.”

  He was silent for a moment, and when he spoke, his voice was strained. “It’s not them I’m worried about.”

  Neely Kate’s gaze remained on her tea, and it was obvious she didn’t want to look me in the eye. They’d talked about this, and she knew I wouldn’t like it.

  I realized what he was saying and set my mug on the table. “You said earlier you didn’t think James would hurt me. Besides, he told me to tell the truth.”

  “Exactly, and we’ll circle back to that crucial detail in a minute,” Jed said. “But what if he caught word you’re arrangin’ deals?”

  He was only asking me what I’d been asking myself.

  “Do you really think he’d care? I’ve made deals with the players before. I don’t need his permission for what Lady does. I tell him after the fact and he deals with it.”

  “This is different, and you know it, Rose,” Jed insisted.

  I stared at him in amazement. “You’ve changed your mind? You think he might hurt me?”

  “I’d like to think he wouldn’t…”

  “But,” I prodded.

  “You don’t know him like I do, Rose,” Jed said emphatically. “Word’s spreadin’ like wildfire that you’re pregnant with Simmons’s baby. I’ve already fielded three calls of my own askin’ for confirmation. I can only imagine the flack Skeeter’s gettin’.”

  Which lined up with what Dermot had told me. People would think him weak.

  “James and I never confirmed our relationship,” I said. “And Joe’s been livin’ with me for almost two months. Why would anyone care now?”

  “Whether you had a confirmed relationship or not, it was no secret that Skeeter had a thing for you. He considered you his and everyone else knew it, even if you were playin’ the neutral card.” He paused, lowering his voice. “He’s losin’ face, Rose, at a time he can’t afford to.”

  My chest tightened. “Is he in danger?”

  “Rose,” he said, leaning forward. “Listen to me. You’re in danger.”

  “From James?” I asked. Something had changed. Earlier, Jed hadn’t seemed to think it possible. “You spoke to him, didn’t you?”

  He held my gaze, his intent eyes urging me to take him seriously. “I reached out to him today, told him I needed to talk to him, that it was urgent, and he told me to fuck off. He said that I was dead to him.”

  My eyes narrowed in confusion. “No. He wouldn’t do that.”

  “Rose, he did. And there’s more I haven’t told you yet.”

  I sat back in utter shock. Something clicked into place, stealing my breath. I took several long, slow breaths, fighting panic.

  “He’s done this before?” I finally asked. “Killed people who made him lose face?”

  His answer was immediate. “Yes.”

  I knew he was capable of murder, but I’d always thought it was a last resort for him. Something he’d do in self-defense, certainly, but not in cold blood. And never to someone who was innocent of any wrongdoing.

  It struck me again that those men he’d sent to the pharmacy had been willing to kill an innocent witness.

  “But he told me he loved me,” I insisted. Hoping he’d take it all back. “He told me just yesterday. I know he meant it.”

  “Did he tell you he loved you before or after you told him you were pregnant?” Jed asked.

  “Before, but—”

  “And he was cold and calculated when you saw him last night, right?” he asked. “Did he tell you that he loved you then?”

  “No,” I said, refusing to freak out. “But he was in shock.”

  “And then his men nearly killed you less than an hour later.”

  “It’s not like that, Jed!” I protested. “You know him! He wouldn’t do that!”

  “I knew him,” Jed said quietly. “But the things he’s doin’ lately.” He shook his head. “Things like buyin’ a police department… that’s not the man I know. The men he’s hiring from out of state… that’s not him either. You need to keep the deals you’ve made with the criminal elements and leave Skeeter out of the equation. This is self-preservation, Rose, for you and your baby.”

  His words shook me, especially because I knew how close he and James had always been. Like brothers. His judgment of the man he’d known much longer than I had mattered. It counted. Although I still couldn’t believe James would hurt me, he’d made it clear he was at best indifferent about our baby. I hoped he might come around, but I sure wouldn’t bet my baby’s life on it.

  “For what it’s worth, Dermot is worried too. He says he’s cookin’ something up.”

  “What?” I asked. This was all so surreal I felt like I was out of my body watching everything unfold.

  “He wouldn’t say, but he claims it’ll protect you. Protect the county.”

  “Protect the county from what?” I asked. “James?”

  Jed made a pained face. “He didn’t elaborate, but I got the impression it included Hardshaw.”

  I pushed out a breath slowly, taking a second to wrap my head around all of this. “I know Hardshaw’s after Neely Kate—and possibly Carly—but what are we looking at if they get a foothold in Fenton County?”

  Jed held my gaze. “They’ve moved into several towns in Oklahoma. Violence increased at drastic rates—robbery, rape, murder—and not from the people livin’ there. Outsiders.”

  “From Hardshaw?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  “What do you think Dermot’s plan is?” Neely Kate asked.

  “I have no idea,” Jed admitted, “but I told him I’d hear him out.” He paused, making sure he had my full attention. “But if it involves you, it’s your call. I’m just your co-second.”

  That caught me by surprise. “What?”

  “Neely Kate is your second, but I would prefer to take on the enforcer part of the role. So co-seconds.”

  I shuddered. “Let’s hope it never comes to that.” But truth be told, they’d both been backing me up for months. “Can we trust Dermot?”

  Jed was silent for a moment. “You’d be in a better position to know that than me.”

  “You can trust him,” Neely Kate said, sounding thoughtful. “He helped you with Marshall when he could have walked away.”

  She had a point, but still… “Why do I have a feeling that whatever Dermot’s cookin’ up will require me to betray James?”

  “Rose,” Jed said. “Skeeter’s already betrayed you.”

  I shook my head. “He was upset last night. He’ll come around, even if he doesn’t want anything to do with the baby.”

  “Rose, that’s not it.” He paused, worry in his eyes. “You think he’s workin’ with someone to break free from this world, and he is, but it’s not who you think.”

  I wasn’t sure I could take any more shocks. “What are you talkin’ about?”

  “I’ve had my suspicions for a few weeks, and I had it all but confirmed this afternoon. Skeeter’s workin’ with someone all right, and it’s not law enforcement. I’m worried that he wants you to tell the truth to incriminate yourself.”

  I shook my head, trying to clear it. �
�That makes absolutely no sense, Jed! I’d be incriminating him too.”

  “I have no idea how he plans to get out of that,” Jed admitted, “but I know for a fact he’s workin’ with a bigger outside player, and he’s pavin’ the way for them to move into Fenton County. The Sugar Branch police force was part of it, although I’m not altogether sure why. But I do know part of the big plan is to take out Carmichael.”

  Terror filled my head. “Who’s he workin’ with?”

  Jed held my gaze, looking more serious than I’d ever seen him. “Rose, Skeeter is workin’ with Hardshaw.”

  CHAPTER 26

  “What?” I could hardly breathe. “No! He knows they’re after Neely Kate. He would put a stop to it.”

  “Rose.” Sympathy filled his eyes. “Skeeter’s workin’ with Hardshaw, and as far as I can tell, he’s been workin’ with them for three years.”

  “No,” I insisted. “You would have known.”

  “Rose, he was workin’ for J.R. Simmons, and I never had a clue.”

  “No. I can’t believe he’s in league with Hardshaw.”

  He looked at me with compassion, but in his eyes, I saw pain there too. I wasn’t the only one James was betraying. “I didn’t want to believe it either, but a few of his new men worked for Hardshaw. I found out this afternoon. But that’s not all.” He hesitated, as though determining if I could handle more.

  “Go on.”

  “There’s another link that makes me think Skeeter’s cozying up to them—rumor has it the police force of the towns they’ve moved into have ended up in Hardshaw’s back pocket.”

  I sucked in a breath. “Like the Sugar Branch police.”

  He gave me a grim nod. “Makes me think Skeeter’s tryin’ to ease their transition into the county.”

  So that was Jed’s proof. I had to admit it didn’t look good, but I struggled to believe it could be true. I couldn’t reconcile the man I’d spent so much time with over the past year with this ruthless, lawless portrait Jed was painting, but I’d be foolish to completely ignore his warnings.

  “He knows about Carly,” I said, my heart sinking. “He’s suspicious and doesn’t like her livin’ here.” I turned to Jed. “Doesn’t that mean he’s not part of them? Wouldn’t he have turned her in?”