Thirty and a Half Excuses
Page 78
“That’s not true. I know you’re not involved. You were confused and horrified.”
“Can we keep this from happening?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Not everything I see happens, so there’s a chance we can stop it. I just don’t know how to at this point.”
“Lord help us.”
I needed to clear my head and think straight. I cast a glance at Jonah. “Why did the person in my vision call you Jonas?”
His face paled even more. “That’s my real name. I changed it to Jonah when I became a minister because of my record. The biblical Jonah needed a big wakeup call to do God’s work. It seemed fitting.”
“Who around here knows your real name?”
“No one. I made sure of it.” He paused. “Some people don’t believe in rehabilitation.”
“But you do. That’s why you started the support group to give those kids a chance. Who shows up for it?”
“Teens and rehabilitated criminals who become mentors to the kids.”
“How do you know they’re rehabilitated?”
He shrugged. “They have to provide references. Like employers.”
“Does anyone in the group work at Weston’s Garage?”
His eyes flew wide at the mention of the business name, and then he tried to cover his reaction. “I’m not at liberty to tell you. All participants are guaranteed anonymity.”
I grabbed his arm. “This is important, Jonah. Do any of them work at Weston’s?”
He grimaced. “Several.”
My fingers pinched his arm. “Define several.”
He pulled loose from my grasp. “Rose, I’ve sworn to give them protection.”
“Jonah, this could be the difference between life and death.”
He rubbed his temples. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” He swallowed. “Five, maybe six.”
“Is there a bald guy that comes? With snake tattoos on his neck?”
Jonah tensed. “How did you know that?”
My chest felt like an elephant had sat on it. “I don’t think you’re running a support group.”
“Of course, I am. You don’t believe me?”
“I believe that you think that’s what you’re doing. But it sounds like your group is using it to recruit kids for Daniel Crocker’s gang.”
“What? No! I sit in on the meetings myself. They never discuss illegal activities. We have a Bible study.”
“What happens after the meetings?”
He looked bewildered. “They leave.”
“Do they hang around in the parking lot and talk?”
“Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes they just leave.”
I didn’t know what Bruce Wayne had seen at the church, but I was sure it involved the support group. “Did Bruce Wayne go to your support group last Friday after I left?”
Jonah stood and began to pace, looping his hands around the back of his neck. “Rose, I can’t tell you that. This group is supposed to be anonymous.”
“Jonah, do you understand the enormity of this? Telling me whether he went or not could mean saving his life!”
He closed his eyes and shook his head in frustration. “Yes. He came.”
I jumped off the bench and headed to the park entrance. “I have to go.”
“Wait!” he called after me. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t know yet, but if you see Christy Hansen, run the other way. She has a gun, and I have no doubt she plans to shoot you with it.”
“Wait!”
Exasperated, I turned, putting my hand on my hip. “What?’
“Does this mean you’re going to help me?”
Was I? I didn’t owe Jonah Pruitt anything, but if helping him meant preventing the death of the woman in my vision and finding out who killed the other women, how could I refuse? “I’ll help you as best I can. I have to find Bruce Wayne first.”
As I half-ran to my truck, I knew where I needed to go next.
Weston’s Garage.
Chapter Twenty-Three
When I got into the truck, I tore the charger cord out of the package and plugged in my phone. The thing was so dead I’d have to wait a while before I could make a call.
Mason was bound to wonder where I’d disappeared to, not to mention he was probably worried if his secretary hadn’t given him my message. Had he figured out that I’d been kidnapped from the sheriff’s office? I needed to tell him what I’d learned since leaving with Christy that morning.
Bottom line, I had to talk to him, and the sooner the better. But could I risk going to the courthouse? It was either that or call him. If I went to my house to use the home phone, Christy might be at her aunt’s house, waiting for me. I could go back to the nursery, but I honestly didn’t want to deal with Violet again. I also didn’t want to wait for my cell phone to charge. What if Mason had news about Bruce Wayne?
The courthouse it was.
I parked my truck several blocks away. I worried about getting through security since both guards knew me, but Ol’ Matt was on duty, and he greeted me with a big smile. “Second visit today, huh, Rose? Didn’t you leave with Mr. Deveraux this morning? Here to see Neely Kate this time?”
“Nope, I’m here to see Mason Deveraux again. Do you know if he’s come back?”
“I’ve been at this post since you all took off this morning, and I haven’t seen hide nor hair of Mr. Deveraux since.”
“Can we keep this from happening?”
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Not everything I see happens, so there’s a chance we can stop it. I just don’t know how to at this point.”
“Lord help us.”
I needed to clear my head and think straight. I cast a glance at Jonah. “Why did the person in my vision call you Jonas?”
His face paled even more. “That’s my real name. I changed it to Jonah when I became a minister because of my record. The biblical Jonah needed a big wakeup call to do God’s work. It seemed fitting.”
“Who around here knows your real name?”
“No one. I made sure of it.” He paused. “Some people don’t believe in rehabilitation.”
“But you do. That’s why you started the support group to give those kids a chance. Who shows up for it?”
“Teens and rehabilitated criminals who become mentors to the kids.”
“How do you know they’re rehabilitated?”
He shrugged. “They have to provide references. Like employers.”
“Does anyone in the group work at Weston’s Garage?”
His eyes flew wide at the mention of the business name, and then he tried to cover his reaction. “I’m not at liberty to tell you. All participants are guaranteed anonymity.”
I grabbed his arm. “This is important, Jonah. Do any of them work at Weston’s?”
He grimaced. “Several.”
My fingers pinched his arm. “Define several.”
He pulled loose from my grasp. “Rose, I’ve sworn to give them protection.”
“Jonah, this could be the difference between life and death.”
He rubbed his temples. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” He swallowed. “Five, maybe six.”
“Is there a bald guy that comes? With snake tattoos on his neck?”
Jonah tensed. “How did you know that?”
My chest felt like an elephant had sat on it. “I don’t think you’re running a support group.”
“Of course, I am. You don’t believe me?”
“I believe that you think that’s what you’re doing. But it sounds like your group is using it to recruit kids for Daniel Crocker’s gang.”
“What? No! I sit in on the meetings myself. They never discuss illegal activities. We have a Bible study.”
“What happens after the meetings?”
He looked bewildered. “They leave.”
“Do they hang around in the parking lot and talk?”
“Yeah, sometimes. Sometimes they just leave.”
I didn’t know what Bruce Wayne had seen at the church, but I was sure it involved the support group. “Did Bruce Wayne go to your support group last Friday after I left?”
Jonah stood and began to pace, looping his hands around the back of his neck. “Rose, I can’t tell you that. This group is supposed to be anonymous.”
“Jonah, do you understand the enormity of this? Telling me whether he went or not could mean saving his life!”
He closed his eyes and shook his head in frustration. “Yes. He came.”
I jumped off the bench and headed to the park entrance. “I have to go.”
“Wait!” he called after me. “Where are you going?”
“I don’t know yet, but if you see Christy Hansen, run the other way. She has a gun, and I have no doubt she plans to shoot you with it.”
“Wait!”
Exasperated, I turned, putting my hand on my hip. “What?’
“Does this mean you’re going to help me?”
Was I? I didn’t owe Jonah Pruitt anything, but if helping him meant preventing the death of the woman in my vision and finding out who killed the other women, how could I refuse? “I’ll help you as best I can. I have to find Bruce Wayne first.”
As I half-ran to my truck, I knew where I needed to go next.
Weston’s Garage.
Chapter Twenty-Three
When I got into the truck, I tore the charger cord out of the package and plugged in my phone. The thing was so dead I’d have to wait a while before I could make a call.
Mason was bound to wonder where I’d disappeared to, not to mention he was probably worried if his secretary hadn’t given him my message. Had he figured out that I’d been kidnapped from the sheriff’s office? I needed to tell him what I’d learned since leaving with Christy that morning.
Bottom line, I had to talk to him, and the sooner the better. But could I risk going to the courthouse? It was either that or call him. If I went to my house to use the home phone, Christy might be at her aunt’s house, waiting for me. I could go back to the nursery, but I honestly didn’t want to deal with Violet again. I also didn’t want to wait for my cell phone to charge. What if Mason had news about Bruce Wayne?
The courthouse it was.
I parked my truck several blocks away. I worried about getting through security since both guards knew me, but Ol’ Matt was on duty, and he greeted me with a big smile. “Second visit today, huh, Rose? Didn’t you leave with Mr. Deveraux this morning? Here to see Neely Kate this time?”
“Nope, I’m here to see Mason Deveraux again. Do you know if he’s come back?”
“I’ve been at this post since you all took off this morning, and I haven’t seen hide nor hair of Mr. Deveraux since.”
