Thirty and a Half Excuses
Page 82

“We weren’t going very fast. And I knew I had to get away. She’s crazy. I have no doubt that she would have shot me.” I pulled the truck into a parking lot since I didn’t need to go to the courthouse.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“My cell phone was dead, and I didn’t have your number. I ran to the nursery and used the business phone to call your office. I told Cecelia to call 911 about Christy running around town with a gun looking for Jonah. I also told her to tell you I was okay and would explain it all when I talked to you.”
“Well, someone just spent her last day as a Fenton County employee, because she didn’t breathe a word of any of that,” he said. He paused, sounding worried again. “How in the world could you get kidnapped at the sheriff’s station at gunpoint without anyone noticing?”
“The receptionist saw Christy come into the waiting room, then left to go to the back before she noticed the gun, and the guy sitting with me had his eyes closed and was wearing headphones.” My voice hardened. “You told me I was perfectly safe sitting out there.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve never heard of anyone getting kidnapped in the Fenton County Sheriff’s waiting room before. Leave it to you to be the first.”
“Did you find Bruce Wayne?”
“No. I came up with a dead end.”
“Did the sheriff deputies even go out there?” I asked, irritated.
“Yeah, they did. They questioned the guys in the shop, but they said they hadn’t seen Bruce Wayne since he was arrested last year.”
“Like they’re going to admit they forced him to go with them.”
“We don’t know they forced him, Rose.”
“True… I found out that Bruce Wayne used to do some jobs for Daniel Crocker before both of their arrests.”
“How did you find that out?”
“I asked David. And I know a whole lot more than that.”
“Where are you right now?”
“In the parking lot of the China Paradise Buffet.”
“Do you have time to meet me somewhere and talk?”
The smell of Chinese food wafted out of the restaurant, making my stomach rumble.
“Sure, if you meet me here. I’m starving after I lost my lunch.”
“I’m sure there’s a story there. Go through the buffet without me. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Fifteen minutes later, I was fumbling with chopsticks and dropping lo mein on the table when Mason sat down across from me. I was the only customer in the restaurant so I knew he hadn’t had trouble finding me. He’d lost his tie since I’d last seen him and his blue dress shirt was unbuttoned at the collar. His blond hair was rumpled like he’d run his hand through it and hadn’t thought to fix it. Looking at him now, I could see why all the women in Henryetta were after him.
He grinned. “There’s a trick to those.”
“A trick I can’t seem to master.” I tossed down my chopsticks and picked up a fork. I was too hungry to eat one noodle at time.
He stared at me for a moment. “After you told me you were in an accident, I was worried about what you’d look like when I found you.”
“My stomach and shoulder are a bit sore from the seatbelt, but no worse for wear.”
He put his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his clasped hands. “I take it you’ve had a busy afternoon?”
“You have no idea.” I put down my fork and searched Mason’s eyes. “I’m about to tell you a secret about Jonah Pruitt, and you have to promise not to tell anyone.”
His playfulness fell away. “Rose, you know that I can’t do that.”
I straightened my back in defensiveness. “I thought you were my friend, Mason Deveraux.”
His face hardened. “You know damn good and well that I am.”
“You also told me I could tell you if I saw something bad.”
Leaning forward, he lowered his voice. “You had a vision?”
Tears filled my eyes, and I nodded.
“Was it about you?”
I took a deep breath. Crying wasn’t going to help anything. I needed to save my tears for the funeral of the poor woman if I didn’t figure out a way to save her. “No. I saw someone being murdered.”
“You saw it happen?” Mason leaned forward. “Are you okay?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’m better now.”
“What happened?”
“After I left the nursery, I went to the Piggly Wiggly to talk to David. I was buying a cord to charge my cell phone when I ran into Jonah. I warned him to watch out for Christy, and he asked me if we could go somewhere and talk. I thought maybe I could get some answers from him, so we picked up some lunch and took it into the park.”
Mason looked concerned. “Do you really think that was a good idea? He’s a murder suspect.”
“He seemed desperate. And I told you, I thought I might be able to get some answers.”
“So did you?”
I nodded. “He told me he needed me to help him like I’d helped Bruce Wayne.”
“Did he know about your visions?”
“He didn’t before, but he does now.”
Mason was silent for several seconds, and then he said matter-of-factly, “You had your vision with him.”
“Yes, but I did it on purpose.”