Thirty-Six and a Half Motives
Page 58
“Did you work with Crocker?” John Paul asked in a quiet voice, eyeing me as if I were a sideshow oddity. “Did you hire him to kill your mother like they said you did?”
“No,” I said, turning to him. “But I killed him.”
“And you shot J.R. Simmons,” Tiny said, pushing his plate away with a wary look. “You’re working with Skeeter Malcolm, ain’t you?”
I was standing at a crossroads. I didn’t have my veil to hide behind, but I needed all the bravado it gave me. And watching these two, I suspected I was going to have to out myself. I wished I had more time to think about how this was going to affect everyone else in my circle, especially Mason.
“I am,” I said in a direct voice, holding eye contact with him. I felt naked and exposed, but I reminded myself that it was the same me. Lady and Rose were the same. Besides, it was no secret that I’d helped Skeeter and Jed entrap J.R. “Do either of you know Sam Teagen or his buddy Marshal?”
Neely Kate shot me an exasperated look, but it was clear her idea of buttering them up wasn’t going to work—these guys had only two settings, mean and meaner.
“And who wants to know?” Big Mo asked with a humorless laugh.
“Skeeter Malcolm. I’m here on his behalf.”
Both men laughed. “Skeeter sent you?” Tiny asked. “Yeah, right.”
I glanced at Neely Kate, and she nodded her head, giving me her blessing. I was risking a lot, and I knew it, but we needed answers. Besides, I was pretty sure they weren’t going to share out of the kindness of their hearts.
“She’s right,” Neely Kate said. “And as you can imagine, Skeeter’s madder than a wet hornet at your betrayal, so you ought to do yourself a favor and cooperate.”
Tiny burst out laughing. “Her? She’s with Malcolm?”
Neely Kate put down her food, wiped her fingers on a napkin, and then rested her forearm on the table. “You can believe me or not, but I can guarantee you that she has his ear.”
He snorted. “Yeah, right.”
I slid my chair away from my untouched plate and crossed my legs, staring Tiny down. “I’m not sure why you’re so surprised. Skeeter and I teamed up to get J.R. arrested.”
Tiny pointed a greasy finger toward me and started laughing. “Maybe she’s the Lady in Black.”
“She’s not the Lady in Black,” Big Mo protested, glancing at me for confirmation. “She ain’t rich enough.”
I shrugged, forcing myself to look bored. “I don’t really care who you think I am, but I do know one thing. You will tell us what we want to know.”
Tiny started laughing, but Big Mo and John Paul eyed me with new interest.
“The Lady in Black wears a black dress and a black hat. She’s got a big scar on her face,” Tiny grunted.
“As I said, it doesn’t matter if I am or not. All you need to know is that I’m here as Skeeter’s representative right now. You will give me your cooperation, or Skeeter Malcolm will not be inclined to show you mercy when you go crawling back to him, beggin’ for his forgiveness.”
Tiny gave me a look of disgust. “Like he cares what you think.”
I turned my attention to Big Mo, suddenly realizing where I’d seen him before. “You know I’m right. And I know that your loyalty twists in the wind like a broken kite. You were with Crocker’s men. Y’all came to my farm to hunt me and Mason down. Then you turned your loyalty to Mick Gentry.” I didn’t add that I’d also seen him in the warehouse where I’d met Mick Gentry the week before. I cocked my head. “I suspect you’re a terrible gambler, Big Mo. You have a tendency for picking the losing side.”
Big Mo’s face turned red, and he looked like he was about to climb over the table to wring my neck, but I held his gaze, calm on the outside even though my heart was racing faster than a jack rabbit’s.
“I would take a seat if I were you, Mr. Mo,” I said in a deceptively calm voice. “Skeeter’s quite protective of his assets, and I can assure you that if I go back to him with one hair out of place, you will face a wrath the likes of which you have never seen before.”
“If you’re the Lady in Black, where’s Carlisle?” Tiny asked, still looking skeptical. “I hear the Lady don’t take a shit without him at her side.”
“I never said I was the Lady in Black, but I can call Jed if you like. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to come in and say hello.” I gave him a tiny smile. “Although he probably won’t be nearly as friendly as Neely Kate and me.”
“What do you want?” Big Mo asked.
I turned to face him. “Like I said, we want to know about Sam Teagen and his friend Marshal.”
“How can we tell you shit when we’ve never heard of ’em?” Tiny asked, wearing a smart-ass grin and holding his hands out to his sides.
“See,” I said, resting my hand on the table, “I don’t believe that. I know for a fact that Teagen brought his van here, not to mention that he picked the wrong side like you did. Only, you two fellows seem like you might have wised up and seen the error of your ways, and Teagen and Marshal still believe the Easter Bunny’s bringin’ them a giant basket full of chocolate eggs. So why don’t you help your case with Skeeter by tellin’ us what we want to know?”
The four of us had a staring match for several seconds. Big Mo was the first to break. He cursed under his breath and said, “You swear you’ll put in a good word for us?”
“Mo!” Tiny growled.
Big Mo turned to him, his jaw set. “I’m tellin’ you, Tiny. I saw the Lady once, and she’s her.”
“How can you tell?”
He waved his hand toward me in exasperation. “I just can. She might not be wearin’ the hat and the clothes, but it’s her—the haughty attitude, the stare down. Veil or no veil, it’s her.”
Tiny stared at me in open awe. “How the hell did the girlfriend of the assistant district attorney become the Lady in Black?”
I gave him a cold stare. “I’m the one asking the questions here. Now are you going to tell us what we want to know, or do I need to call Skeeter?” I pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket and set it on the table, facedown. How much had Jed heard? It was a wonder he hadn’t burst in yet. I could only imagine how Skeeter would react to my stunt.
“No,” I said, turning to him. “But I killed him.”
“And you shot J.R. Simmons,” Tiny said, pushing his plate away with a wary look. “You’re working with Skeeter Malcolm, ain’t you?”
I was standing at a crossroads. I didn’t have my veil to hide behind, but I needed all the bravado it gave me. And watching these two, I suspected I was going to have to out myself. I wished I had more time to think about how this was going to affect everyone else in my circle, especially Mason.
“I am,” I said in a direct voice, holding eye contact with him. I felt naked and exposed, but I reminded myself that it was the same me. Lady and Rose were the same. Besides, it was no secret that I’d helped Skeeter and Jed entrap J.R. “Do either of you know Sam Teagen or his buddy Marshal?”
Neely Kate shot me an exasperated look, but it was clear her idea of buttering them up wasn’t going to work—these guys had only two settings, mean and meaner.
“And who wants to know?” Big Mo asked with a humorless laugh.
“Skeeter Malcolm. I’m here on his behalf.”
Both men laughed. “Skeeter sent you?” Tiny asked. “Yeah, right.”
I glanced at Neely Kate, and she nodded her head, giving me her blessing. I was risking a lot, and I knew it, but we needed answers. Besides, I was pretty sure they weren’t going to share out of the kindness of their hearts.
“She’s right,” Neely Kate said. “And as you can imagine, Skeeter’s madder than a wet hornet at your betrayal, so you ought to do yourself a favor and cooperate.”
Tiny burst out laughing. “Her? She’s with Malcolm?”
Neely Kate put down her food, wiped her fingers on a napkin, and then rested her forearm on the table. “You can believe me or not, but I can guarantee you that she has his ear.”
He snorted. “Yeah, right.”
I slid my chair away from my untouched plate and crossed my legs, staring Tiny down. “I’m not sure why you’re so surprised. Skeeter and I teamed up to get J.R. arrested.”
Tiny pointed a greasy finger toward me and started laughing. “Maybe she’s the Lady in Black.”
“She’s not the Lady in Black,” Big Mo protested, glancing at me for confirmation. “She ain’t rich enough.”
I shrugged, forcing myself to look bored. “I don’t really care who you think I am, but I do know one thing. You will tell us what we want to know.”
Tiny started laughing, but Big Mo and John Paul eyed me with new interest.
“The Lady in Black wears a black dress and a black hat. She’s got a big scar on her face,” Tiny grunted.
“As I said, it doesn’t matter if I am or not. All you need to know is that I’m here as Skeeter’s representative right now. You will give me your cooperation, or Skeeter Malcolm will not be inclined to show you mercy when you go crawling back to him, beggin’ for his forgiveness.”
Tiny gave me a look of disgust. “Like he cares what you think.”
I turned my attention to Big Mo, suddenly realizing where I’d seen him before. “You know I’m right. And I know that your loyalty twists in the wind like a broken kite. You were with Crocker’s men. Y’all came to my farm to hunt me and Mason down. Then you turned your loyalty to Mick Gentry.” I didn’t add that I’d also seen him in the warehouse where I’d met Mick Gentry the week before. I cocked my head. “I suspect you’re a terrible gambler, Big Mo. You have a tendency for picking the losing side.”
Big Mo’s face turned red, and he looked like he was about to climb over the table to wring my neck, but I held his gaze, calm on the outside even though my heart was racing faster than a jack rabbit’s.
“I would take a seat if I were you, Mr. Mo,” I said in a deceptively calm voice. “Skeeter’s quite protective of his assets, and I can assure you that if I go back to him with one hair out of place, you will face a wrath the likes of which you have never seen before.”
“If you’re the Lady in Black, where’s Carlisle?” Tiny asked, still looking skeptical. “I hear the Lady don’t take a shit without him at her side.”
“I never said I was the Lady in Black, but I can call Jed if you like. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to come in and say hello.” I gave him a tiny smile. “Although he probably won’t be nearly as friendly as Neely Kate and me.”
“What do you want?” Big Mo asked.
I turned to face him. “Like I said, we want to know about Sam Teagen and his friend Marshal.”
“How can we tell you shit when we’ve never heard of ’em?” Tiny asked, wearing a smart-ass grin and holding his hands out to his sides.
“See,” I said, resting my hand on the table, “I don’t believe that. I know for a fact that Teagen brought his van here, not to mention that he picked the wrong side like you did. Only, you two fellows seem like you might have wised up and seen the error of your ways, and Teagen and Marshal still believe the Easter Bunny’s bringin’ them a giant basket full of chocolate eggs. So why don’t you help your case with Skeeter by tellin’ us what we want to know?”
The four of us had a staring match for several seconds. Big Mo was the first to break. He cursed under his breath and said, “You swear you’ll put in a good word for us?”
“Mo!” Tiny growled.
Big Mo turned to him, his jaw set. “I’m tellin’ you, Tiny. I saw the Lady once, and she’s her.”
“How can you tell?”
He waved his hand toward me in exasperation. “I just can. She might not be wearin’ the hat and the clothes, but it’s her—the haughty attitude, the stare down. Veil or no veil, it’s her.”
Tiny stared at me in open awe. “How the hell did the girlfriend of the assistant district attorney become the Lady in Black?”
I gave him a cold stare. “I’m the one asking the questions here. Now are you going to tell us what we want to know, or do I need to call Skeeter?” I pulled my phone out of my jeans pocket and set it on the table, facedown. How much had Jed heard? It was a wonder he hadn’t burst in yet. I could only imagine how Skeeter would react to my stunt.
