Thirty-Six and a Half Motives
Page 63
She shook her head and looked away. “I don’t know what to believe anymore.”
We were silent for a moment, and then I said, “I think we should stick together for now, and since we have no other leads to follow, we need to find the Pelgers and have a chat.”
“My friend sent me their address,” Neely Kate said. “It’s only a couple of blocks from their store. So we have a starting place to look for them.”
“Jed,” I sighed. “Those sleaze balls think I’m Lady. How long do you think that secret will be kept under wraps?”
His gaze held mine. “We can make sure it stays a secret.”
“And kill those men to do it? No,” I said, although I had to wonder how much longer Tiny and Big Mo had left on this earth considering their crappy attitudes and their association with Sam Teagen. “So I said I was working on Skeeter’s behalf, so what?”
“It could mean trouble for your boyfriend. It could ruin his integrity.”
“I think Mason would prefer for the truth to come out than to always be lookin’ over his shoulder, waiting for it to catch up to him. Even if it means losing me in the process.” But I couldn’t help thinking I should warn Mason.
I gave Jed a weak smile. “If it gets out more widely, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure people know he had nothing to do with it.”
“I’ll pay a visit to the Pelgers.” Jed announced, his tone suggesting it wasn’t up for debate. “I’m dropping you two off at the pool hall. All three of us ganging up on them might make them less chatty. Beside, Skeeter thinks you two should lie low for a bit and come up with a plan for where to go from here.” Jed glanced over his shoulder. “Neely Kate? You good with that?”
“Yeah,” she said, sounding distracted as she watched the passing landscape. I could tell she was tangled up with her own demons.
That was the thing about demons. They never wanted to let you go.
Chapter 22
I told Neely Kate to call Carter and fill him in on her reasons for filing for divorce so he’d know the entire story—without telling her about my chat with Carter. Then I sent Mason a text while she was tied up on the phone.
Some of Gentry’s men are figuring out my connection to Lady. I wanted to give you a warning . . . in case you get caught in the backlash.
He responded within a minute. Rose, it’s bound to come out. Do what you need to do and don’t worry about me. Be safe.
Was it bound to come out? What would be the repercussions for Mason? I reminded myself that was part of the reason I’d broken up with him—so I didn’t have to worry about things like that. But I was fooling myself. There was no way I could stop worrying about him. Love wasn’t the kind of thing you could just turn off.
Not surprisingly, the pool hall was fairly empty on a Thursday afternoon. Jed followed us inside, and I was shocked to find Skeeter at the bar, nursing a glass of clear liquid.
Skeeter set down his glass and turned to Jed. “Feck and Hodges got the three turncoats under control, so I can spare one of them to meet you after your social call to the couple who owns the antique store. You sure you want to go out there afterward?”
Jed nodded.
What on earth was he talking about?
Skeeter shook his head. “There’s little chance of finding anything. It’s probably been trampled or taken as evidence.”
Jed’s jaw set and a fire filled his eyes. “I still want to look.”
Skeeter gave him a quick nod.
“Where’s he going?” I asked Skeeter, not bothering to keep the suspicion out of my voice.
“The barn where Humphrey and Tilton were killed.”
“Why?”
Skeeter shrugged. “Beats the hell out of me. I think it’s a dead end, but Jed insists. It’s not like we have many other leads.”
Jed took off without a backward glance.
Skeeter chuckled. “You’ve had a busy morning and an even busier afternoon. I really should put you girls on the payroll.”
I sat on the empty stool next to him. “Do you serve food here? Because I’m starving. We left all those good wings at the garage.”
Neely Kate scowled. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Skeeter waved a hand. “Live and learn, NK. Let it go.”
I had to wonder how much he knew about what had just happened at Ted’s Garage. Probably all of it.
“And yes,” he said with a grin. “We serve food.”
“Good. I want a hamburger and fries.”
He looked over at my friend. “NK?”
She scowled. “The same.”
He flagged down the bartender and gave him our orders, and then he said to me, “I heard you outed yourself.”
I picked up the glass of water the bartender had just set in front of me. “I never admitted to anything, but they made suppositions.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
I shrugged. “What’s done is done.” I took a sip and set down my glass. “Am I sorry we questioned those guys? Not one iota.”
Looking down at his drink, he grinned.
“But we’re not too much closer to finding Teagen,” I said. “Tonight—”
“You will not be going to that barn tonight,” Skeeter said in a tight voice.
“I don’t want to. But I might not have a choice. What if they hurt Bruce Wayne?”
He turned and looked into my face with darkened eyes. “I can assure you that you won’t have a choice in goin’. I’ll lock you up if I have to.”
“James,” I groaned. “Don’t pull that chauvinistic crap on me.”
“I assure you it has nothing to do with you being a woman and everything to do with you being hunted by a psychopath. If the bastard wanted Jed, I’d lock him up to keep him from goin’, too.”
“You expect me to let them hurt or kill Bruce Wayne?”
“You don’t even know if he has Bruce Wayne. He only said he’d hurt someone you care about,” Skeeter countered. “He never said who.”
“And you didn’t think to ask him?”
Skeeter’s eyes narrowed. “It wasn’t exactly a chatty conversation.”
Irritation burned in my chest. “What kind of conversation was it?”
We were silent for a moment, and then I said, “I think we should stick together for now, and since we have no other leads to follow, we need to find the Pelgers and have a chat.”
“My friend sent me their address,” Neely Kate said. “It’s only a couple of blocks from their store. So we have a starting place to look for them.”
“Jed,” I sighed. “Those sleaze balls think I’m Lady. How long do you think that secret will be kept under wraps?”
His gaze held mine. “We can make sure it stays a secret.”
“And kill those men to do it? No,” I said, although I had to wonder how much longer Tiny and Big Mo had left on this earth considering their crappy attitudes and their association with Sam Teagen. “So I said I was working on Skeeter’s behalf, so what?”
“It could mean trouble for your boyfriend. It could ruin his integrity.”
“I think Mason would prefer for the truth to come out than to always be lookin’ over his shoulder, waiting for it to catch up to him. Even if it means losing me in the process.” But I couldn’t help thinking I should warn Mason.
I gave Jed a weak smile. “If it gets out more widely, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure people know he had nothing to do with it.”
“I’ll pay a visit to the Pelgers.” Jed announced, his tone suggesting it wasn’t up for debate. “I’m dropping you two off at the pool hall. All three of us ganging up on them might make them less chatty. Beside, Skeeter thinks you two should lie low for a bit and come up with a plan for where to go from here.” Jed glanced over his shoulder. “Neely Kate? You good with that?”
“Yeah,” she said, sounding distracted as she watched the passing landscape. I could tell she was tangled up with her own demons.
That was the thing about demons. They never wanted to let you go.
Chapter 22
I told Neely Kate to call Carter and fill him in on her reasons for filing for divorce so he’d know the entire story—without telling her about my chat with Carter. Then I sent Mason a text while she was tied up on the phone.
Some of Gentry’s men are figuring out my connection to Lady. I wanted to give you a warning . . . in case you get caught in the backlash.
He responded within a minute. Rose, it’s bound to come out. Do what you need to do and don’t worry about me. Be safe.
Was it bound to come out? What would be the repercussions for Mason? I reminded myself that was part of the reason I’d broken up with him—so I didn’t have to worry about things like that. But I was fooling myself. There was no way I could stop worrying about him. Love wasn’t the kind of thing you could just turn off.
Not surprisingly, the pool hall was fairly empty on a Thursday afternoon. Jed followed us inside, and I was shocked to find Skeeter at the bar, nursing a glass of clear liquid.
Skeeter set down his glass and turned to Jed. “Feck and Hodges got the three turncoats under control, so I can spare one of them to meet you after your social call to the couple who owns the antique store. You sure you want to go out there afterward?”
Jed nodded.
What on earth was he talking about?
Skeeter shook his head. “There’s little chance of finding anything. It’s probably been trampled or taken as evidence.”
Jed’s jaw set and a fire filled his eyes. “I still want to look.”
Skeeter gave him a quick nod.
“Where’s he going?” I asked Skeeter, not bothering to keep the suspicion out of my voice.
“The barn where Humphrey and Tilton were killed.”
“Why?”
Skeeter shrugged. “Beats the hell out of me. I think it’s a dead end, but Jed insists. It’s not like we have many other leads.”
Jed took off without a backward glance.
Skeeter chuckled. “You’ve had a busy morning and an even busier afternoon. I really should put you girls on the payroll.”
I sat on the empty stool next to him. “Do you serve food here? Because I’m starving. We left all those good wings at the garage.”
Neely Kate scowled. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Skeeter waved a hand. “Live and learn, NK. Let it go.”
I had to wonder how much he knew about what had just happened at Ted’s Garage. Probably all of it.
“And yes,” he said with a grin. “We serve food.”
“Good. I want a hamburger and fries.”
He looked over at my friend. “NK?”
She scowled. “The same.”
He flagged down the bartender and gave him our orders, and then he said to me, “I heard you outed yourself.”
I picked up the glass of water the bartender had just set in front of me. “I never admitted to anything, but they made suppositions.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
I shrugged. “What’s done is done.” I took a sip and set down my glass. “Am I sorry we questioned those guys? Not one iota.”
Looking down at his drink, he grinned.
“But we’re not too much closer to finding Teagen,” I said. “Tonight—”
“You will not be going to that barn tonight,” Skeeter said in a tight voice.
“I don’t want to. But I might not have a choice. What if they hurt Bruce Wayne?”
He turned and looked into my face with darkened eyes. “I can assure you that you won’t have a choice in goin’. I’ll lock you up if I have to.”
“James,” I groaned. “Don’t pull that chauvinistic crap on me.”
“I assure you it has nothing to do with you being a woman and everything to do with you being hunted by a psychopath. If the bastard wanted Jed, I’d lock him up to keep him from goin’, too.”
“You expect me to let them hurt or kill Bruce Wayne?”
“You don’t even know if he has Bruce Wayne. He only said he’d hurt someone you care about,” Skeeter countered. “He never said who.”
“And you didn’t think to ask him?”
Skeeter’s eyes narrowed. “It wasn’t exactly a chatty conversation.”
Irritation burned in my chest. “What kind of conversation was it?”
