Thirty-Six and a Half Motives
Page 53
“What?”
“That she’s the one who kidnapped him.”
I gasped and took a step back. “Oh, my word.”
He looked grim. “Maybe she was sent to spy on you. You have to consider it.”
That actually relieved some of my anxiety. “She likes Bruce Wayne. If that’s true, surely she won’t hurt him.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. What does Joe think?”
“Oh, you know Joe,” I hedged. “He’s not very forthcoming with information.” Time to change the subject. “But that brings us back to Hilary. Can you help?”
His eyes were guarded. “Let me guess. You want me to go find out more information from her.”
“Believe it or not, I mostly just want you to go make sure she’s okay. She really has no one to turn to here. I think she needs someone. The fact that she picked this church means she’s open to lettin’ you help her.”
A grin tugged at his lips. “Or that she wanted to join your church to spy on you.” He laughed. “Don’t look so surprised. I work with criminals. I know how devious minds work. But don’t worry, I’ll still go check on her. I believe that everyone has the ability to change and seek forgiveness.”
He paused. “And speakin’ of forgiveness. What’s really goin’ on with you and Mason?”
My stomach cramped. I might as well tell him the truth. “I broke up with him.”
His eyes widened. “Rose.”
“I knew I was only goin’ to hurt him,” I said. “Workin’ with Skeeter is the only way I can bring J.R. down, I’m sure of it, but it was making Mason uncomfortable to work outside of the law. I hated putting him in that position, so I told him it was over. That way I don’t feel obligated to tell him what I’m doin’, and I don’t feel guilty about hiding it from him. It’s better this way.”
“How did he take it?”
“Not well.” I shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, even though my heart ached. “Who knows? Maybe when this is all settled, we can get back together and lead normal, boring lives. So boring that there won’t be a single thing I would even consider hiding from him.”
“You really believe that?” he asked, sounding dubious.
“I’d like to.”
He gave me a kind smile. “Rose, I suspect chaos will find you wherever you go—and unfortunately for you, that chaos tends to be criminal in nature.” He paused. “Would you like my two cents?”
“Always.”
“You and Neely Kate always seem to find yourselves in these crazy situations, and I have no reason to believe that will change. Not everything you’ve been through the last year has been related to J.R. Simmons. If anything, most of it hasn’t been. So while you may hope your life will calm down after Simmons is caught, it might not be what fate has in store for you. What good is a relationship you’re tip-toeing through? Hidin’ parts of your life? I worry that you’ll feel caught in the middle.”
Tears stung my eyes. “But you like Mason.”
“I do. Very much. And I think he’s a much better match for you than Joe. But given the nature of Mason’s job, I fear you’ll always be forced to keep secrets from him. You see what happened when the Lady in Black blew up.”
I pushed out a breath, trying not to panic. He was right.
“I’m not telling you not to get back together with Mason, only that the possibility needs more examination. Otherwise, I worry you’ll be back in this same situation in the near future—Mason feeling hurt and betrayed by your secrets, and you resenting him for feeling that way.”
“I don’t resent Mason for being hurt and angry.”
He gave me a sad look. “Are you sure about that?”
Neely Kate came bustling over, shaking her head. “Can you believe that Miss Mildred is in the process of getting a group of picketers to stand outside Dena’s Bakery and protest that it’s a health hazard?”
I was still reeling from Jonah’s question. “Uh . . .no one will believe it. Even if they did, Dena’s cupcakes are like crack. They could be dropped in dog poo and people would still eat them.”
“Fair enough.”
I turned to Jonah and gave him a hug. “Thank you for your help, my friend.”
“There’s no need for you to make any big decisions about your future right now, but I care about you, Rose. You’ve made great progress over the last year. I’d hate to see anything interfere with that.”
I nodded, not sure if I could speak past the lump in my throat.
“And I’ll let you know how it goes with Hilary,” he said. “I’ll share what I can without jeopardizing Hilary’s confidence.”
“That’s all I would ever ask of you.”
He nodded and headed back to his office as I made a beeline for the front door, Neely Kate trailing behind.
“What was Jonah talking about?” Neely Kate asked.
“A lot of things. But he said one thing that I want to run by Jed and Skeeter. What if Anna wasn’t kidnapped? What if she’s the one who snatched Bruce Wayne? She did move up here around the same time as Kate . . .”
Neely Kate stopped on the stairs. “Oh, my stars and garters!”
“Come on. Let’s go talk to Jed and Skeeter.”
Jed looked relieved when we climbed into the car.
“I need to call Skeeter,” I said, leaning over the front seat. “Jonah gave me something else to think on.”
He nodded and pulled out his phone and placed the call.
“I’m putting you on speaker,” he said as he pressed the button and held out the phone.
Skeeter answered within seconds. “What’s the latest?”
“James, it’s me,” I said. Jed’s eyes widened in shock, but I ignored him and continued. “I found several things I think you need to know about.
“Okay.”
“First, Neely Kate talked to Hilary. She looked really upset when Neely Kate brought up Roberta.”
Neely Kate leaned forward, resting her hand on the seat. “If she was acting, then she should be in Hollywood. She was shaking like an unbalanced washing machine.”
“Did she say anything we can use?”
“She said Roberta protected her,” I said. “What does that mean?”
“That she’s the one who kidnapped him.”
I gasped and took a step back. “Oh, my word.”
He looked grim. “Maybe she was sent to spy on you. You have to consider it.”
That actually relieved some of my anxiety. “She likes Bruce Wayne. If that’s true, surely she won’t hurt him.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. What does Joe think?”
“Oh, you know Joe,” I hedged. “He’s not very forthcoming with information.” Time to change the subject. “But that brings us back to Hilary. Can you help?”
His eyes were guarded. “Let me guess. You want me to go find out more information from her.”
“Believe it or not, I mostly just want you to go make sure she’s okay. She really has no one to turn to here. I think she needs someone. The fact that she picked this church means she’s open to lettin’ you help her.”
A grin tugged at his lips. “Or that she wanted to join your church to spy on you.” He laughed. “Don’t look so surprised. I work with criminals. I know how devious minds work. But don’t worry, I’ll still go check on her. I believe that everyone has the ability to change and seek forgiveness.”
He paused. “And speakin’ of forgiveness. What’s really goin’ on with you and Mason?”
My stomach cramped. I might as well tell him the truth. “I broke up with him.”
His eyes widened. “Rose.”
“I knew I was only goin’ to hurt him,” I said. “Workin’ with Skeeter is the only way I can bring J.R. down, I’m sure of it, but it was making Mason uncomfortable to work outside of the law. I hated putting him in that position, so I told him it was over. That way I don’t feel obligated to tell him what I’m doin’, and I don’t feel guilty about hiding it from him. It’s better this way.”
“How did he take it?”
“Not well.” I shrugged, trying to look nonchalant, even though my heart ached. “Who knows? Maybe when this is all settled, we can get back together and lead normal, boring lives. So boring that there won’t be a single thing I would even consider hiding from him.”
“You really believe that?” he asked, sounding dubious.
“I’d like to.”
He gave me a kind smile. “Rose, I suspect chaos will find you wherever you go—and unfortunately for you, that chaos tends to be criminal in nature.” He paused. “Would you like my two cents?”
“Always.”
“You and Neely Kate always seem to find yourselves in these crazy situations, and I have no reason to believe that will change. Not everything you’ve been through the last year has been related to J.R. Simmons. If anything, most of it hasn’t been. So while you may hope your life will calm down after Simmons is caught, it might not be what fate has in store for you. What good is a relationship you’re tip-toeing through? Hidin’ parts of your life? I worry that you’ll feel caught in the middle.”
Tears stung my eyes. “But you like Mason.”
“I do. Very much. And I think he’s a much better match for you than Joe. But given the nature of Mason’s job, I fear you’ll always be forced to keep secrets from him. You see what happened when the Lady in Black blew up.”
I pushed out a breath, trying not to panic. He was right.
“I’m not telling you not to get back together with Mason, only that the possibility needs more examination. Otherwise, I worry you’ll be back in this same situation in the near future—Mason feeling hurt and betrayed by your secrets, and you resenting him for feeling that way.”
“I don’t resent Mason for being hurt and angry.”
He gave me a sad look. “Are you sure about that?”
Neely Kate came bustling over, shaking her head. “Can you believe that Miss Mildred is in the process of getting a group of picketers to stand outside Dena’s Bakery and protest that it’s a health hazard?”
I was still reeling from Jonah’s question. “Uh . . .no one will believe it. Even if they did, Dena’s cupcakes are like crack. They could be dropped in dog poo and people would still eat them.”
“Fair enough.”
I turned to Jonah and gave him a hug. “Thank you for your help, my friend.”
“There’s no need for you to make any big decisions about your future right now, but I care about you, Rose. You’ve made great progress over the last year. I’d hate to see anything interfere with that.”
I nodded, not sure if I could speak past the lump in my throat.
“And I’ll let you know how it goes with Hilary,” he said. “I’ll share what I can without jeopardizing Hilary’s confidence.”
“That’s all I would ever ask of you.”
He nodded and headed back to his office as I made a beeline for the front door, Neely Kate trailing behind.
“What was Jonah talking about?” Neely Kate asked.
“A lot of things. But he said one thing that I want to run by Jed and Skeeter. What if Anna wasn’t kidnapped? What if she’s the one who snatched Bruce Wayne? She did move up here around the same time as Kate . . .”
Neely Kate stopped on the stairs. “Oh, my stars and garters!”
“Come on. Let’s go talk to Jed and Skeeter.”
Jed looked relieved when we climbed into the car.
“I need to call Skeeter,” I said, leaning over the front seat. “Jonah gave me something else to think on.”
He nodded and pulled out his phone and placed the call.
“I’m putting you on speaker,” he said as he pressed the button and held out the phone.
Skeeter answered within seconds. “What’s the latest?”
“James, it’s me,” I said. Jed’s eyes widened in shock, but I ignored him and continued. “I found several things I think you need to know about.
“Okay.”
“First, Neely Kate talked to Hilary. She looked really upset when Neely Kate brought up Roberta.”
Neely Kate leaned forward, resting her hand on the seat. “If she was acting, then she should be in Hollywood. She was shaking like an unbalanced washing machine.”
“Did she say anything we can use?”
“She said Roberta protected her,” I said. “What does that mean?”
