Thirty-Six and a Half Motives
Page 52
“You didn’t know Roberta. She was like a mother to all of us. Even Hilary.”
“Even so, isn’t it weird she got so upset about it all these years later?” I asked.
“Maybe it’s pregnancy hormones,” Joe said. “She’s been pretty weepy the last week or two.”
“You’ve been talkin’ to her?”
He hesitated. “I’m trying to make an effort. Planned or not, she’s pregnant with my baby. So we’ve been spending some time together and . . . she’s different. It’s like the baby’s calmed her down.” He sounded guilty.
“That’s great, Joe,” I said, surprised I meant it. “That baby needs you, and things will go so much better if you two are friends.”
“Yeah . . .”
“Nevertheless, I think there’s more to it than hormones. She didn’t just act upset. She seemed scared.”
“Scared? Why would she act scared?”
“I don’t know,” I said, feeling wary. I couldn’t help thinking it all tied back to J.R., but I just couldn’t figure out how. “But she’s never gonna tell us. Can you talk to her?”
“Rose.”
“You know that Anna didn’t just accidentally show up in the same town you and your sister are now living in. Kate showin’ up at the same time is more than fishy. Something’s goin’ on.”
“Fine. I’ll ask.”
“And text me so I know she’s okay.”
“Are you really worried about her? Or are you just snoopin’ into something that doesn’t concern you?”
Part of me was offended, but after everything I’d been through with his ex-girlfriend, I could understand his skepticism.
“Yeah, I’m worried enough that I’d follow her home to check on her if I didn’t think it would upset her more. I’d send someone else, but as far as I know, there is no one else.” But as soon as I said the words, I knew that wasn’t quite true.
“Fine, if you’re really worried, I’ll check on her,” he said, not sounding as sympathetic as I would have liked—but then, he’d lived through a lifetime of her manipulation. I could see how he’d think this was just one more chapter.
For all I knew, it was.
I stuffed my phone back into my pocket. We hadn’t found out much, but we’d found out something. Hilary knew more than she was letting on. We just had to figure out what that something was.
Which was why I was going to turn to Jonah.
Chapter 19
I found Jonah trapped by the water fountain close to his office, Miss Mildred peppering him with questions.
“I think the church lawn needs to be mowed more often. What do you plan to do about that?”
He stared at her as if an alien had popped out of her chest. “Uh . . .”
“And the ushers are much too slow when they are passing out the communion plates,” she continued. “I’m sure it’s due to those flimsy wicker baskets. There’s no reason not to use the silver ones.”
He gave Neely Kate and I a puppy-dog look as we approached.
“Hilary had to leave,” Neely Kate said. “She says she’ll be back tomorrow.”
“What?” Miss Mildred screeched. “She’s done for the day already?”
Neely Kate shrugged. “She wasn’t feeling well.”
Miss Mildred looked suspicious. “She was feeling just fine when we were goin’ toe to toe. What did you do to her?”
Neely Kate lifted her hand to her chest. “I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about. We were just chatting, and she was eatin’ her cupcake, and the next thing I knew, she said she felt poorly and was goin’ home.”
“I knew it!” Miss Mildred half-shouted. “It’s those blasted cupcakes! Now I’m glad I didn’t eat one of those health hazards.”
Neely Kate’s eyes widened. “Oh, no! It wasn’t the cupcake! I’m sure it was her hormones. Maybe some lingering morning sickness.”
A fire lit up the older woman’s eyes. She had a new cause to fight for. “Jonah,” she said, turning to the minister. “If that hussy can leave, then I’m gonna do the same. I have work to do. I’m gonna put that woman out of business.”
Miss Mildred hurried to the front entrance as quickly as her cane would allow, which turned out to be surprisingly fast.
We all stood in stunned silence until Neely Kate muttered under her breath, “Oh, my stars and garters. What have I done?”
“You know Miss Mildred,” I said. “She’s not happy unless she’s fighting some kind of evil. But usually the evil is me.”
“I’ll call Dena and warn her,” Neely Kate said, digging in her purse for her phone.
“Good idea,” I said, grabbing Jonah’s arm and dragging him aside. “Jonah, I’m really worried about Hilary.”
He looked surprised—not that I blamed him. Practically everyone in Henryetta knew about our rocky history.
“She and Neely Kate were having a good conversation. Then the topic turned to Joe’s old housekeeper, Roberta.” I told him what little Joe had told me about her, then added in Hilary’s reaction. “We both know that’s not normal. Even if we take her pregnancy into account.”
“Why the interest in Joe’s old housekeeper?”
I considered fibbing my way through it, or more like fibbing by omission, but I wanted Jonah’s help. “Anna, Violet’s new employee at the nursery, is Roberta’s granddaughter.”
“Oh.” He looked as stunned as I had felt when I came to the realization.
“We didn’t know. She didn’t tell us, but it’s pretty odd that she came to town around the same time Kate did. Plus, we found out some suspicious information about Kate. Then Anna and Bruce Wayne disappeared from behind the nursery this morning.”
“What?”
“We think they were kidnapped by J.R. Simmons’s guys.”
“Why?”
“We’re not sure. Maybe the kidnappers think she knows something. Or maybe they were trying to keep me from figuring out why she’s here.”
Jonah studied me for a moment, then said, “You’re forgetting a possibility.”
“Even so, isn’t it weird she got so upset about it all these years later?” I asked.
“Maybe it’s pregnancy hormones,” Joe said. “She’s been pretty weepy the last week or two.”
“You’ve been talkin’ to her?”
He hesitated. “I’m trying to make an effort. Planned or not, she’s pregnant with my baby. So we’ve been spending some time together and . . . she’s different. It’s like the baby’s calmed her down.” He sounded guilty.
“That’s great, Joe,” I said, surprised I meant it. “That baby needs you, and things will go so much better if you two are friends.”
“Yeah . . .”
“Nevertheless, I think there’s more to it than hormones. She didn’t just act upset. She seemed scared.”
“Scared? Why would she act scared?”
“I don’t know,” I said, feeling wary. I couldn’t help thinking it all tied back to J.R., but I just couldn’t figure out how. “But she’s never gonna tell us. Can you talk to her?”
“Rose.”
“You know that Anna didn’t just accidentally show up in the same town you and your sister are now living in. Kate showin’ up at the same time is more than fishy. Something’s goin’ on.”
“Fine. I’ll ask.”
“And text me so I know she’s okay.”
“Are you really worried about her? Or are you just snoopin’ into something that doesn’t concern you?”
Part of me was offended, but after everything I’d been through with his ex-girlfriend, I could understand his skepticism.
“Yeah, I’m worried enough that I’d follow her home to check on her if I didn’t think it would upset her more. I’d send someone else, but as far as I know, there is no one else.” But as soon as I said the words, I knew that wasn’t quite true.
“Fine, if you’re really worried, I’ll check on her,” he said, not sounding as sympathetic as I would have liked—but then, he’d lived through a lifetime of her manipulation. I could see how he’d think this was just one more chapter.
For all I knew, it was.
I stuffed my phone back into my pocket. We hadn’t found out much, but we’d found out something. Hilary knew more than she was letting on. We just had to figure out what that something was.
Which was why I was going to turn to Jonah.
Chapter 19
I found Jonah trapped by the water fountain close to his office, Miss Mildred peppering him with questions.
“I think the church lawn needs to be mowed more often. What do you plan to do about that?”
He stared at her as if an alien had popped out of her chest. “Uh . . .”
“And the ushers are much too slow when they are passing out the communion plates,” she continued. “I’m sure it’s due to those flimsy wicker baskets. There’s no reason not to use the silver ones.”
He gave Neely Kate and I a puppy-dog look as we approached.
“Hilary had to leave,” Neely Kate said. “She says she’ll be back tomorrow.”
“What?” Miss Mildred screeched. “She’s done for the day already?”
Neely Kate shrugged. “She wasn’t feeling well.”
Miss Mildred looked suspicious. “She was feeling just fine when we were goin’ toe to toe. What did you do to her?”
Neely Kate lifted her hand to her chest. “I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about. We were just chatting, and she was eatin’ her cupcake, and the next thing I knew, she said she felt poorly and was goin’ home.”
“I knew it!” Miss Mildred half-shouted. “It’s those blasted cupcakes! Now I’m glad I didn’t eat one of those health hazards.”
Neely Kate’s eyes widened. “Oh, no! It wasn’t the cupcake! I’m sure it was her hormones. Maybe some lingering morning sickness.”
A fire lit up the older woman’s eyes. She had a new cause to fight for. “Jonah,” she said, turning to the minister. “If that hussy can leave, then I’m gonna do the same. I have work to do. I’m gonna put that woman out of business.”
Miss Mildred hurried to the front entrance as quickly as her cane would allow, which turned out to be surprisingly fast.
We all stood in stunned silence until Neely Kate muttered under her breath, “Oh, my stars and garters. What have I done?”
“You know Miss Mildred,” I said. “She’s not happy unless she’s fighting some kind of evil. But usually the evil is me.”
“I’ll call Dena and warn her,” Neely Kate said, digging in her purse for her phone.
“Good idea,” I said, grabbing Jonah’s arm and dragging him aside. “Jonah, I’m really worried about Hilary.”
He looked surprised—not that I blamed him. Practically everyone in Henryetta knew about our rocky history.
“She and Neely Kate were having a good conversation. Then the topic turned to Joe’s old housekeeper, Roberta.” I told him what little Joe had told me about her, then added in Hilary’s reaction. “We both know that’s not normal. Even if we take her pregnancy into account.”
“Why the interest in Joe’s old housekeeper?”
I considered fibbing my way through it, or more like fibbing by omission, but I wanted Jonah’s help. “Anna, Violet’s new employee at the nursery, is Roberta’s granddaughter.”
“Oh.” He looked as stunned as I had felt when I came to the realization.
“We didn’t know. She didn’t tell us, but it’s pretty odd that she came to town around the same time Kate did. Plus, we found out some suspicious information about Kate. Then Anna and Bruce Wayne disappeared from behind the nursery this morning.”
“What?”
“We think they were kidnapped by J.R. Simmons’s guys.”
“Why?”
“We’re not sure. Maybe the kidnappers think she knows something. Or maybe they were trying to keep me from figuring out why she’s here.”
Jonah studied me for a moment, then said, “You’re forgetting a possibility.”
