Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies
Page 69
“Listen to you,” Neely Kate said, sounding snippy. “Gettin’ all sassy.”
He glared at her. “I’m not the one makin’ deals with criminals.”
“Both of y’all stop.” I rubbed my forehead, feeling a headache brewing. “We need to focus on what we just discovered. Neely Kate, will you send me the photos?”
She stuck out her tongue at Bruce Wayne, then pulled out her phone. “Sure.”
I shook my head. My heart rate was returning to normal, and I felt like I was thinking more clearly. “We need to figure out why Kate was so interested in Mason’s Little Rock cases and the police reports from Little Rock.”
“What in Pete’s sake are you talkin’ about?” Bruce Wayne asked.
“Did you know that Joe’s sister Kate is living in the apartment over the antique store?” Neely Kate asked.
“No.”
Neely Kate gave him a smug grin. “Well, I figured out that it’s directly across from the DA’s offices. So I convinced the store owner to let me look at the apartment. When we got up there, we found binoculars by the window and all kinds of papers proving Kate’s been spyin’ on Mason. She’s got a stack of papers about his court cases from when he was a prosecutor in Little Rock. One case in particular seemed to catch her attention—something from five years ago. She’d highlighted it like crazy. In fact, she’d highlighted it so much I couldn’t read the defendant’s name because it was covered in blue. He was charged with a hit and run for plowing into some guy crossing the street. An eight-year-old boy was the only witness, but he drowned before the trial. They ended up dismissing the case.”
Bruce Wayne’s forehead furrowed. “Why would Kate be interested in a five-year-old hit-and-run case?”
“Why is she obsessed with Mason at all? She’s got tons of photos of him too,” I said, feeling a goose walk over my grave. “I’m not buying that it’s because she wants me to get back together with Joe. This goes a lot deeper.”
Neely Kate leaned to the side in her chair. “She knew about what Mason was doin’ in Little Rock a year ago. She was the one who told you that he and Hilary had history.”
“Yeah, but she blew it out of proportion.” I stood, wringing my hands. “Besides, she couldn’t have been in Little Rock at the time. She moved to California two years ago. How’d she know what Mason was doin’? How did he even fall into her radar?”
“I don’t know,” Neely Kate murmured.
Figuring I could at least share this with Bruce Wayne, I explained about the slips of paper and what they said. “What’s weird is they were all folded up. Like someone was passing her notes.”
“That is strange,” Bruce Wayne said.
Neely Kate picked up a pen from her desk. “Obviously Kate thinks Mason is doing something wrong. She stole his phone. She’s spying on his office. She’s going through his files. The question is why would she think that?”
“It sounds likes she believes Mason was taking bribes from Mick Gentry,” Bruce Wayne said. “His phone disappeared before the fire. Maybe she was trying to get information about Gentry and Gems from the phone. That would explain the note about the fire too—maybe she thinks the information linking him to the whole debacle burned up in the fire.”
“But why does she think that? Sure, Mason and Joe were doing that sting operation on Gems, but how would she know?”
We were silent for a moment, then Neely Kate said in a quiet voice, “She’s looking at his old files too. She must think he was taking bribes in Little Rock first.”
I shook my head. “There is no way on God’s green earth Mason would take a bribe.”
“Maybe not, but Kate thinks so,” Neely Kate said.
“Why does she even care?” I asked, my anger growing. “It’s none of her business.”
Bruce Wayne sat on the edge of his desk. “Maybe she’s doin’ it for her daddy.”
I shook my head. “She hates her daddy.”
“So she says,” Neely Kate said. “What if she’s lying to cover her tail?”
“No,” I protested. “Even Joe says she hates him.”
“Joe had you arrested. On his daddy’s orders,” Bruce Wayne said. “Do you really think you can trust him?”
I looked him in the eye. “Maybe not. But this still doesn’t make sense. Surely she knows she’s not gonna find any dirt on Mason.”
Neely Kate’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, my stars and garters. She’s not lookin’ for evidence. She’s plantin’ it.”
“What?” I asked.
“Think about it. J.R. planted evidence that you paid Daniel Crocker to kill your mother.”
“But she’s been here for weeks. What’s takin’ her so long?”
“She told you herself she wants to see the show,” Bruce Wayne said. “Maybe she’s gettin’ everything in place so she can watch it all unfold.”
“It’s all a game to her,” I said, starting to pace again. “She called and left me that cryptic message before I was arrested. Then she gloated about how she tried to warn me.” I stopped and spun around to face them. “She gave me another message. She said something I’m looking for is under my nose.”
“What’s that mean?” Neely Kate asked.
He glared at her. “I’m not the one makin’ deals with criminals.”
“Both of y’all stop.” I rubbed my forehead, feeling a headache brewing. “We need to focus on what we just discovered. Neely Kate, will you send me the photos?”
She stuck out her tongue at Bruce Wayne, then pulled out her phone. “Sure.”
I shook my head. My heart rate was returning to normal, and I felt like I was thinking more clearly. “We need to figure out why Kate was so interested in Mason’s Little Rock cases and the police reports from Little Rock.”
“What in Pete’s sake are you talkin’ about?” Bruce Wayne asked.
“Did you know that Joe’s sister Kate is living in the apartment over the antique store?” Neely Kate asked.
“No.”
Neely Kate gave him a smug grin. “Well, I figured out that it’s directly across from the DA’s offices. So I convinced the store owner to let me look at the apartment. When we got up there, we found binoculars by the window and all kinds of papers proving Kate’s been spyin’ on Mason. She’s got a stack of papers about his court cases from when he was a prosecutor in Little Rock. One case in particular seemed to catch her attention—something from five years ago. She’d highlighted it like crazy. In fact, she’d highlighted it so much I couldn’t read the defendant’s name because it was covered in blue. He was charged with a hit and run for plowing into some guy crossing the street. An eight-year-old boy was the only witness, but he drowned before the trial. They ended up dismissing the case.”
Bruce Wayne’s forehead furrowed. “Why would Kate be interested in a five-year-old hit-and-run case?”
“Why is she obsessed with Mason at all? She’s got tons of photos of him too,” I said, feeling a goose walk over my grave. “I’m not buying that it’s because she wants me to get back together with Joe. This goes a lot deeper.”
Neely Kate leaned to the side in her chair. “She knew about what Mason was doin’ in Little Rock a year ago. She was the one who told you that he and Hilary had history.”
“Yeah, but she blew it out of proportion.” I stood, wringing my hands. “Besides, she couldn’t have been in Little Rock at the time. She moved to California two years ago. How’d she know what Mason was doin’? How did he even fall into her radar?”
“I don’t know,” Neely Kate murmured.
Figuring I could at least share this with Bruce Wayne, I explained about the slips of paper and what they said. “What’s weird is they were all folded up. Like someone was passing her notes.”
“That is strange,” Bruce Wayne said.
Neely Kate picked up a pen from her desk. “Obviously Kate thinks Mason is doing something wrong. She stole his phone. She’s spying on his office. She’s going through his files. The question is why would she think that?”
“It sounds likes she believes Mason was taking bribes from Mick Gentry,” Bruce Wayne said. “His phone disappeared before the fire. Maybe she was trying to get information about Gentry and Gems from the phone. That would explain the note about the fire too—maybe she thinks the information linking him to the whole debacle burned up in the fire.”
“But why does she think that? Sure, Mason and Joe were doing that sting operation on Gems, but how would she know?”
We were silent for a moment, then Neely Kate said in a quiet voice, “She’s looking at his old files too. She must think he was taking bribes in Little Rock first.”
I shook my head. “There is no way on God’s green earth Mason would take a bribe.”
“Maybe not, but Kate thinks so,” Neely Kate said.
“Why does she even care?” I asked, my anger growing. “It’s none of her business.”
Bruce Wayne sat on the edge of his desk. “Maybe she’s doin’ it for her daddy.”
I shook my head. “She hates her daddy.”
“So she says,” Neely Kate said. “What if she’s lying to cover her tail?”
“No,” I protested. “Even Joe says she hates him.”
“Joe had you arrested. On his daddy’s orders,” Bruce Wayne said. “Do you really think you can trust him?”
I looked him in the eye. “Maybe not. But this still doesn’t make sense. Surely she knows she’s not gonna find any dirt on Mason.”
Neely Kate’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, my stars and garters. She’s not lookin’ for evidence. She’s plantin’ it.”
“What?” I asked.
“Think about it. J.R. planted evidence that you paid Daniel Crocker to kill your mother.”
“But she’s been here for weeks. What’s takin’ her so long?”
“She told you herself she wants to see the show,” Bruce Wayne said. “Maybe she’s gettin’ everything in place so she can watch it all unfold.”
“It’s all a game to her,” I said, starting to pace again. “She called and left me that cryptic message before I was arrested. Then she gloated about how she tried to warn me.” I stopped and spun around to face them. “She gave me another message. She said something I’m looking for is under my nose.”
“What’s that mean?” Neely Kate asked.
