Thirty and a Half Excuses
Page 83
“Rose.” Mason frowned as he realized the seriousness of what I’d told him. “You said you never do that.”
Closing my eyes, I rested my forehead in my hand. “I know. But he was desperate for help, and I didn’t know if I could trust him. So I forced a vision. I touched him and thought about the murders and wanting to know if he was innocent.”
“What did you see?”
Biting my lip, I took several breathes. “I was Jonah, of course. I was in his bedroom, and it was dark. He heard a noise in another part of his house and went to investigate. Someone was in his kitchen, but they were wearing a hood so I couldn’t see their face.” My voice broke. “There was a woman tied to a chair.”
His hand found mine, and his voice softened. “You don’t have to tell me now.”
I looked up into his face. “Yes, I do.”
He nodded. “Okay, but take your time.”
I pushed my plate to the side. I’d lost my appetite, and I’d hardly had anything to eat. “I couldn’t see her face. I think she was unconscious because her head was hanging forward.”
“Do you remember anything about her clothes? Her shoes? What color hair she had?” he asked softly.
“Um.” I rubbed my temple. “She had on a white nightgown, I think. It was kind of shiny. She didn’t have shoes. She was barefoot.”
“Any polish on her toes?”
I lifted my gaze in surprise. “I don’t know.” I closed my eyes trying to remember. “No, I don’t think so. But it was dark. The only light was the moon streaming in from the window. It made the diamond ring on her hand sparkle.”
“That’s okay. This is good. What about her hair?”
“Dark and long.”
“Do you remember if she was dark skinned or light?”
I shook my head, in frustration. “No, I don’t remember.”
His thumb stroked the back of my hand. “It’s okay. You’re doing great. You saw something really frightening so it might take a bit of time to remember it all. Take a deep breath and relax.”
“I saw someone murdered, Mason. He shot her in the head. How can I relax?” I started crying and hid my face behind my hands in embarrassment.
Mason slid out of his seat and into the booth next to me, wrapping an arm around my back and pulling my head to his chest. “I’m sorry.”
“It was so awful, Mason. He just shot her. And her head…” I sobbed harder, while he held me and let me cry. The terrible image just wouldn’t go away. When I got ahold of myself, I took several breaths so I could talk. “The murderer told Jonah it was a present.”
“So Jonah was involved?”
“No, Jonah was horrified and scared. And totally clueless. I was in his head, so I know that’s how he really felt. He had no idea who the murderer was or what the murderer meant when they handed the gun to him and told him it was time to get to work.”
“What did you do after you saw the vision?”
“I knew I had to save Bruce Wayne. And that I had to see you. I went back to the courthouse, but you weren’t there.” I decided to keep my conversation with Neely Kate to myself. “So I went back to Jonah to ask him if anyone had a grudge against him.”
“Quite a few people have grudges against Jonah Pruitt,” Mason muttered. “He’s ticked off most of the ministers and church boards in this town. And a lot of those church boards are filled with the more affluent Henryetta citizens. Trust me, I’ve heard quite a few complaints.”
“You can’t file charges for stealing their church members, can you?”
“No, that’s not a crime. But coercing elderly women out of their inheritance could be. Dorothy Thorntonbury wasn’t the first time this happened. The Henryetta police were starting to watch him, but I called the state police after you told me Joe warned you about Pruitt, and they said there were two instances in Homer, Texas, where Jonah Pruitt last established a church.”
My heart stopped. Had Jonah lied to me? He claimed not to have known that Miss Dorothy had willed her money to his church. Maybe he didn’t know about the instances in Homer either. For the moment, I had to go with my instinct that he was innocent. “Maybe so, but Jonah ticked off a guy named Sly who works at Weston’s Garage. Sly used to be involved with Daniel Crocker.” I looked up at Mason. “Sly is a big bald guy with snake tattoos on his neck.”
Mason tensed. “Shit.”
“But there’s more. The part you can’t tell anyone. And if you can’t promise me, I can’t tell you.”
Mason dropped his arm and rested it on the table as he leaned down to look me in the face. “Rose, you can’t expect this of me. You’re putting my job on the line.”
I cringed, my hopes sinking. “I hadn’t considered that.”
“You need to tell me anyway. People’s lives are at risk. What you know might save them.”
“He asked me to help him.” My eyes pleaded with him. “He asked me not to tell.”
“You don’t owe him anything, Rose. Why are you doing this?”
I didn’t answer.
Mason groaned, leaning his head back on the seat. “But you didn’t owe Bruce Wayne anything either, did you?”
“I suppose not.” I answered softly.
We were quiet for several moments before Mason sat up again, resting his arms on the table and not looking at me. “Can you just tell me the part you think is important?”
Closing my eyes, I rested my forehead in my hand. “I know. But he was desperate for help, and I didn’t know if I could trust him. So I forced a vision. I touched him and thought about the murders and wanting to know if he was innocent.”
“What did you see?”
Biting my lip, I took several breathes. “I was Jonah, of course. I was in his bedroom, and it was dark. He heard a noise in another part of his house and went to investigate. Someone was in his kitchen, but they were wearing a hood so I couldn’t see their face.” My voice broke. “There was a woman tied to a chair.”
His hand found mine, and his voice softened. “You don’t have to tell me now.”
I looked up into his face. “Yes, I do.”
He nodded. “Okay, but take your time.”
I pushed my plate to the side. I’d lost my appetite, and I’d hardly had anything to eat. “I couldn’t see her face. I think she was unconscious because her head was hanging forward.”
“Do you remember anything about her clothes? Her shoes? What color hair she had?” he asked softly.
“Um.” I rubbed my temple. “She had on a white nightgown, I think. It was kind of shiny. She didn’t have shoes. She was barefoot.”
“Any polish on her toes?”
I lifted my gaze in surprise. “I don’t know.” I closed my eyes trying to remember. “No, I don’t think so. But it was dark. The only light was the moon streaming in from the window. It made the diamond ring on her hand sparkle.”
“That’s okay. This is good. What about her hair?”
“Dark and long.”
“Do you remember if she was dark skinned or light?”
I shook my head, in frustration. “No, I don’t remember.”
His thumb stroked the back of my hand. “It’s okay. You’re doing great. You saw something really frightening so it might take a bit of time to remember it all. Take a deep breath and relax.”
“I saw someone murdered, Mason. He shot her in the head. How can I relax?” I started crying and hid my face behind my hands in embarrassment.
Mason slid out of his seat and into the booth next to me, wrapping an arm around my back and pulling my head to his chest. “I’m sorry.”
“It was so awful, Mason. He just shot her. And her head…” I sobbed harder, while he held me and let me cry. The terrible image just wouldn’t go away. When I got ahold of myself, I took several breaths so I could talk. “The murderer told Jonah it was a present.”
“So Jonah was involved?”
“No, Jonah was horrified and scared. And totally clueless. I was in his head, so I know that’s how he really felt. He had no idea who the murderer was or what the murderer meant when they handed the gun to him and told him it was time to get to work.”
“What did you do after you saw the vision?”
“I knew I had to save Bruce Wayne. And that I had to see you. I went back to the courthouse, but you weren’t there.” I decided to keep my conversation with Neely Kate to myself. “So I went back to Jonah to ask him if anyone had a grudge against him.”
“Quite a few people have grudges against Jonah Pruitt,” Mason muttered. “He’s ticked off most of the ministers and church boards in this town. And a lot of those church boards are filled with the more affluent Henryetta citizens. Trust me, I’ve heard quite a few complaints.”
“You can’t file charges for stealing their church members, can you?”
“No, that’s not a crime. But coercing elderly women out of their inheritance could be. Dorothy Thorntonbury wasn’t the first time this happened. The Henryetta police were starting to watch him, but I called the state police after you told me Joe warned you about Pruitt, and they said there were two instances in Homer, Texas, where Jonah Pruitt last established a church.”
My heart stopped. Had Jonah lied to me? He claimed not to have known that Miss Dorothy had willed her money to his church. Maybe he didn’t know about the instances in Homer either. For the moment, I had to go with my instinct that he was innocent. “Maybe so, but Jonah ticked off a guy named Sly who works at Weston’s Garage. Sly used to be involved with Daniel Crocker.” I looked up at Mason. “Sly is a big bald guy with snake tattoos on his neck.”
Mason tensed. “Shit.”
“But there’s more. The part you can’t tell anyone. And if you can’t promise me, I can’t tell you.”
Mason dropped his arm and rested it on the table as he leaned down to look me in the face. “Rose, you can’t expect this of me. You’re putting my job on the line.”
I cringed, my hopes sinking. “I hadn’t considered that.”
“You need to tell me anyway. People’s lives are at risk. What you know might save them.”
“He asked me to help him.” My eyes pleaded with him. “He asked me not to tell.”
“You don’t owe him anything, Rose. Why are you doing this?”
I didn’t answer.
Mason groaned, leaning his head back on the seat. “But you didn’t owe Bruce Wayne anything either, did you?”
“I suppose not.” I answered softly.
We were quiet for several moments before Mason sat up again, resting his arms on the table and not looking at me. “Can you just tell me the part you think is important?”
