Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies
Page 65
“Hmm. I’m not sure that works with my theory that she might be here to kill Mason or set him up.”
A vein in my temple began to throb. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s into games. She is a Simmons.”
“True.” She gave me a long look and then walked into the store directly below Kate’s apartment without another word.
“Neely Kate!” I murmured, but she was already inside the Henryetta Found Treasures Antique Emporium.
Calling Henryetta Found Treasures an antique emporium was like calling a rusted 1972 Cadillac a luxury car. And that was being generous. The entire store was basically a thrift store. The items were supposed to be antiques, but the majority of the merchandise only looked old.
Neely Kate made a play of browsing. When I moved up behind her, she picked up a chipped blue pottery bowl and held it out toward me. “Didn’t you say you were lookin’ for one of these?”
I tilted my head to the side. “Hmm … I think I need one in tangerine.”
A woman stood behind a small counter, watching our every move as though she suspected Neely Kate might stick the bowl in her purse and run out the door.
Neely Kate turned to her and smiled. “Do you have this in tangerine?”
She shook her head, her mouth puckered in disapproval. “All we have is what you see. And if you drop that bowl and break it, you buy it.”
Neely Kate turned her back on the sour woman and put the bowl down, then glanced at me and rolled her eyes. I had no idea what she was scheming.
I followed her as she made her way to the back, past a wooden high chair with three legs, an old-fashioned phonograph like my grandma used to have in her parlor, and a whole host of junk. Neely Kate stopped in front of a velvet-covered chair with dark wooden arms and legs.
“Is this Victorian?” She turned to me. “This looks Victorian.”
I wouldn’t know Victorian if Queen Victoria rose up from the dead and hovered in front of me. “Maybe … ?”
“Is this Victorian?” Neely Kate called over to the woman.
“Yeah … sure it is.”
Neely Kate looked at the price tag. “Two hundred? Would you take one-fifty for it?”
My eyes bugged out. Surely she wasn’t really gonna buy that rickety chair for that much money. The thing would collapse if Muffy sat on it, let alone her.
“I don’t know …” the woman hedged. “It’s pretty valuable. It came over on the Mayflower.” She circled the corner and limped toward us, moving as stiffly as if she had come over on the Mayflower.
Neely Kate’s eyelashes fluttered, and she touched a hand to her chest. “Oh, my stars and garters. You don’t say?”
I turned my back to the saleswoman and mouthed to Neely Kate, “The Mayflower?” I wasn’t a history buff, but I was fairly certain the Mayflower predated the Victorian era by a couple hundred years.
But Neely Kate ignored me. “Wow. Here in Henryetta, Arkansas? I think I’m gonna have to have it.”
The saleswoman laughed, but it sounded more like an evil cackle. “Will you be taking it with you?”
Neely Kate’s smile faded. “Can you hold onto it? I’m lookin’ for a place first.” She lowered her voice. “I’m leavin’ my husband, and I haven’t gotten everything arranged just yet.”
A burst of shock jolted through my body. I knew she was play-acting, but something told me there was a truth embedded within the lie.
First Violet and her husband Mike had split up, and now Neely Kate and Ronnie seemed like they were on the verge of a divorce too. Two marriages I’d previously thought were perfect had been shot to heck. In hindsight, I had to admit I’d seen the cracks in my sister’s marriage, but this trouble between Neely Kate and Ronnie had blindsided me. Would I feel the same way when Mason left me?
I fought the rising panic, shoving it back down into my chest of locked up feelings. Mason loved me. We were gonna be fine. Mason would never know about my deception. I’d pull off my last performance as the Lady in Black, and then I’d burn all my hats in a roaring bonfire.
While I was all wrapped up in panic and self-doubt, Neely Kate had moved on with her story. “It’s hard for a single gal, you know? Rent’s pretty doggone expensive. But it’s just me—not even any pets—so I don’t need anything too big.” Her face lit up. “Say! Henryetta Found Treasures! Don’t you have an apartment over your store?” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I work down the street at the landscaping office, so I’d love to live close to work, you know?” Then she winked. “I’d be willing to pay a little extra on the deposit.”
The woman shook her head. “Yer two weeks too late. I done rented that apartment to someone else.”
Neely Kate waggled her eyebrows. “Is it a single guy? Is he cute?”
“Nah. It’s a woman. Kind of surly. But she’s only staying for two months. If you can hang on for another month, it’s yours.”
“You don’t say?” Neely Kate said. “Any chance I can see it today? If I like it, I’ll leave a deposit.”
“Well, I’m not supposed to let you in on account of that other woman’s things.”
“Oh, come on,” Neely Kate egged her on. “I bet you have a key. I’ll just pop in to take a peek and then pop right back out. I’ll only be a few seconds.”
“I don’t know …”
A vein in my temple began to throb. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s into games. She is a Simmons.”
“True.” She gave me a long look and then walked into the store directly below Kate’s apartment without another word.
“Neely Kate!” I murmured, but she was already inside the Henryetta Found Treasures Antique Emporium.
Calling Henryetta Found Treasures an antique emporium was like calling a rusted 1972 Cadillac a luxury car. And that was being generous. The entire store was basically a thrift store. The items were supposed to be antiques, but the majority of the merchandise only looked old.
Neely Kate made a play of browsing. When I moved up behind her, she picked up a chipped blue pottery bowl and held it out toward me. “Didn’t you say you were lookin’ for one of these?”
I tilted my head to the side. “Hmm … I think I need one in tangerine.”
A woman stood behind a small counter, watching our every move as though she suspected Neely Kate might stick the bowl in her purse and run out the door.
Neely Kate turned to her and smiled. “Do you have this in tangerine?”
She shook her head, her mouth puckered in disapproval. “All we have is what you see. And if you drop that bowl and break it, you buy it.”
Neely Kate turned her back on the sour woman and put the bowl down, then glanced at me and rolled her eyes. I had no idea what she was scheming.
I followed her as she made her way to the back, past a wooden high chair with three legs, an old-fashioned phonograph like my grandma used to have in her parlor, and a whole host of junk. Neely Kate stopped in front of a velvet-covered chair with dark wooden arms and legs.
“Is this Victorian?” She turned to me. “This looks Victorian.”
I wouldn’t know Victorian if Queen Victoria rose up from the dead and hovered in front of me. “Maybe … ?”
“Is this Victorian?” Neely Kate called over to the woman.
“Yeah … sure it is.”
Neely Kate looked at the price tag. “Two hundred? Would you take one-fifty for it?”
My eyes bugged out. Surely she wasn’t really gonna buy that rickety chair for that much money. The thing would collapse if Muffy sat on it, let alone her.
“I don’t know …” the woman hedged. “It’s pretty valuable. It came over on the Mayflower.” She circled the corner and limped toward us, moving as stiffly as if she had come over on the Mayflower.
Neely Kate’s eyelashes fluttered, and she touched a hand to her chest. “Oh, my stars and garters. You don’t say?”
I turned my back to the saleswoman and mouthed to Neely Kate, “The Mayflower?” I wasn’t a history buff, but I was fairly certain the Mayflower predated the Victorian era by a couple hundred years.
But Neely Kate ignored me. “Wow. Here in Henryetta, Arkansas? I think I’m gonna have to have it.”
The saleswoman laughed, but it sounded more like an evil cackle. “Will you be taking it with you?”
Neely Kate’s smile faded. “Can you hold onto it? I’m lookin’ for a place first.” She lowered her voice. “I’m leavin’ my husband, and I haven’t gotten everything arranged just yet.”
A burst of shock jolted through my body. I knew she was play-acting, but something told me there was a truth embedded within the lie.
First Violet and her husband Mike had split up, and now Neely Kate and Ronnie seemed like they were on the verge of a divorce too. Two marriages I’d previously thought were perfect had been shot to heck. In hindsight, I had to admit I’d seen the cracks in my sister’s marriage, but this trouble between Neely Kate and Ronnie had blindsided me. Would I feel the same way when Mason left me?
I fought the rising panic, shoving it back down into my chest of locked up feelings. Mason loved me. We were gonna be fine. Mason would never know about my deception. I’d pull off my last performance as the Lady in Black, and then I’d burn all my hats in a roaring bonfire.
While I was all wrapped up in panic and self-doubt, Neely Kate had moved on with her story. “It’s hard for a single gal, you know? Rent’s pretty doggone expensive. But it’s just me—not even any pets—so I don’t need anything too big.” Her face lit up. “Say! Henryetta Found Treasures! Don’t you have an apartment over your store?” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I work down the street at the landscaping office, so I’d love to live close to work, you know?” Then she winked. “I’d be willing to pay a little extra on the deposit.”
The woman shook her head. “Yer two weeks too late. I done rented that apartment to someone else.”
Neely Kate waggled her eyebrows. “Is it a single guy? Is he cute?”
“Nah. It’s a woman. Kind of surly. But she’s only staying for two months. If you can hang on for another month, it’s yours.”
“You don’t say?” Neely Kate said. “Any chance I can see it today? If I like it, I’ll leave a deposit.”
“Well, I’m not supposed to let you in on account of that other woman’s things.”
“Oh, come on,” Neely Kate egged her on. “I bet you have a key. I’ll just pop in to take a peek and then pop right back out. I’ll only be a few seconds.”
“I don’t know …”
