Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies
Page 9

He shook his head, looking even unhappier. “I know all his business names, and Glenn Stout isn’t one of them.” He leaned forward and handed me his cell phone. “Call your boyfriend. He’s jumping through more hoops than you can imagine right now to get you loose. Tell him to come pick you up, and then you and I can have a discussion before he gets here.”
I took his phone and called Mason. He answered in his no-nonsense voice, “Mason Deveraux.”
“Mason, it’s me. I’m in Carter’s office.”
“They let you go?” he asked in disbelief.
“Someone posted bail.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know and neither does Carter. Can you come pick me up?”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
He hung up without saying goodbye, and I handed the phone back to Carter. “We have ten minutes, and I suspect we have a lot to talk about.”
His mouth twisted into a half-smile. “I take it there are things you’d prefer to keep within our circle of attorney-client privilege.”
“Yes. Like the fact that Skeeter Malcolm convinced you to take my case. How’d you explain it to Mason?”
His grin became more genuine. “You can thank your feisty friend for providing me with that plausible explanation. If Skeeter hadn’t asked me to take it on, Neely Kate would have convinced me anyway.”
I shot him a look of disbelief.
“God’s honest truth. I swear. Like I told you, she can be very persuasive.”
That part I knew to be true, but I didn’t appreciate the gleam in his eyes as he said it. “Did Skeeter tell you why he hired me?”
“No, but I’ve strung a few theories together.”
I had a pretty good idea of what he was getting at. Part of me wanted to put a pin in this, but I was protected by our attorney-client confidentiality. He couldn’t tell anyone without my permission, and he was never going to get that.
“A few?” I asked.
He shifted in his seat, skewering me with his gaze. “You could be his secret girlfriend, although that’s not likely. For one thing, Skeeter doesn’t do girlfriends, and even if he did—” he gestured to my jeans and green sweater “—you’re too prim and proper.”
“And your other theories?”
“You have something he wants. The question is what? Does it have to do with Deveraux? Is he using your association with him for something? But Deveraux’s out of a job, and everyone knows it.” He shook his head and leaned forward. “You know, I asked him about the Lady in Black before. About a month ago. I’m a curious guy, and it’s an intriguing mystery. But he refused to discuss it. In fact, he seemed flat-out irritated by my questions.”
I remained silent.
“So his connection to the Lady in Black is both business and personal, and his concern for your safety is intriguing …”
“Just spit it out, Carter,” I grumbled.
“The question is, how did Rose Gardner become the Lady in Black, and why would Skeeter use you? No one would ever suspect she was you, of course, your boyfriend included. He seems pretty intent on unmasking—or rather unveiling—her.”
“He still is?” He hadn’t mentioned it for weeks.
Carter grinned, waiting for me to continue.
I heaved out a sigh. “Surely you can figure out the why of it. Skeeter found out about my visions and decided to use them to his advantage.”
“So he blackmailed you?”
I sighed again. “Not exactly. I helped him with the auction as a barter of sorts. Then he told me that Mason’s life was in danger, so I joined forces with him to find out who was behind it.” I paused for a beat. “They saved Mason’s life. He was unconscious in Gems when the fire started, and Skeeter and Jed got him out of the place before it burned down.”
“Skeeter saved the pain in the ass ADA?” Then he seemed to remember my personal connection with Mason. “No offense.”
“I had to agree to continue to pose as the Lady in Black for six months. And I know what Mason does … or did. Helping Skeeter aside, I approve of Mason getting the horrible people who do horrible things off the street.”
“But isn’t that hypocritical? On the one hand, you support Deveraux’s work, but on the other, you’re helping the current king of the Fenton County underworld.”
And that was the crux of it. My guilt spelled out in a simple statement. “I’m not proud of what I’ve done.” I looked down at my lap, twisting my sweater between my finger and my thumb. Then I glanced up at him. “And I could have made a better choice when I first approached Skeeter in November, but I’m not sorry I made that agreement with him in the parking lot behind Gems. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. And the truth of the matter is, there are a lot worse things goin’ on in this county than Skeeter’s crime ring. J.R. Simmons is up to something bad, and by posing as the Lady in Black, I’ve been able to help ferret out who’s involved and what they’re doin’. I’m getting information Skeeter can’t get on his own. J.R. Simmons is out to get Skeeter—even if I have no idea why—and he wants to bring Mason down with him. I’ll do anything in my power to save Mason.”
He watched me for a moment. “Seems to me you should put more energy into saving yourself.”
“We’re all tangled up in the same ball of yarn, Carter Hale. I save one of us, I save us all.”