Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments
Page 52

After a while, his voice rose loud enough for me to hear him. “Are you going to do something about this or not?”
Who was he talking to? Most likely Joe, but why would they be arguing over the lead? Maybe Joe decided not to follow up on it when he heard it came from my vision.
Mason stormed out of the office and into the kitchen.
I ran after him. “Where are you goin’?” I asked when I saw him opening the door to the basement.
“To get my rifle.”
I stopped in my tracks in the middle of the kitchen. “Why?”
“To keep us safe.”
I heard him stomp down the basement stairs, heading toward the cabinet he’d bought to house his guns. When Daniel Crocker had escaped from jail and come after me, Mason had brought several rifles and handguns to the farm. Had it come to this again?
I ran back to the living room and grabbed my own phone to call Joe, who surprised me by actually answering. “Rose?”
“Are you really not gonna follow through on the lead Mason just called in?”
“He’s telling you official county business?” he shouted in my ear.
“He didn’t have to.”
Joe groaned. “Rose, it’s a vision.”
“Seriously, Joe? You’ve followed up on my visions before. Do you think I made it up?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why won’t you do anything?”
“It’s not that easy, Rose. There are rules. I have to answer to my boss.”
“Those are a whole bunch of poor excuses and you know it.” Why would he be dragging his heels on this? “You’d really stand back and let Mason get killed?”
He was silent for several seconds. “You think I would do that?”
Did I? Joe was capable of a lot of things, but I didn’t believe he’d resort to that. Especially considering all the changes I’d seen in him. But I’d taken too long to answer.
“You believe I’d knowingly put a man in danger because of my love life?”
“Joe—”
“You never knew me at all,” he said in disgust.
His statement dredged up more pain than I expected, so I didn’t rush to correct him. “And whose fault is that?”
I was greeted with silence, and when I glanced at my phone, I realized he’d hung up. I felt terrible. I knew deep down Joe was a good person who’d never let someone kill Mason. Why had I let him believe otherwise?
Mason came back into the room several minutes later with his gun bag. He took one look at me, and the anger in his eyes shifted to concern. “Rose, I’m sorry. I’m sure I scared you storming off like that.”
I shook my head. “I’m a terrible person, Mason.”
He put the bag on the floor and sat on the sofa next to me, pulling me into his arms. “What on earth would make you say that?”
“I called Joe.”
His arms stiffened slightly before tightening around me and pulling me closer. “I take it that it didn’t go well.”
“You’re not gonna ask me why I called him?”
“You’re an intelligent woman. I’m sure you put some of the pieces together. Besides, it was your vision.”
I rested my head in the crook of his arm. “I had to know why he wasn’t following up on it.”
“I gather you didn’t like the answer any more than I did.”
I leaned back to wipe the tears off my cheeks. “I don’t understand, Mason. His reason was a crock of cow manure. What’s really goin’ on?”
Indecision flickered in his eyes. “Joe’s under a lot of pressure. I’m sure he thinks he made the right call.”
“By letting Mick Gentry get away?”
He sighed, but his arms were tense. “His reasoning is that his men are stretched thin right now, and there was no way of knowing if your vision took place tonight, tomorrow, three days from now, or even at all. Pedro’s is close to the Columbia County border. He claims he can’t spare the manpower to investigate an unlikely lead.”
Anger quickly overcame my guilt. “So he’ll leave you as a sitting duck?”
He lifted my chin and looked into my eyes. “Rose, he’s sending Deputy Miller over to watch the house tonight.”
“Oh, Mason.” I cringed. “I asked him how he could stand back and let you get killed.”
He cupped my cheek. “Oh, sweetheart. It’s no secret that Joe Simmons and I have history, and a year ago I might have accused him of the same thing. But we’ve worked together a lot over these last few months, and I realize now he’d never knowingly let someone get hurt. Even me.”
“I know. But I was too slow to tell him that and he assumed I believed it.”
Mason sighed.
“I have to call him to apologize. I have to set him straight.”
He gave me a soft smile. “Give it a few minutes. I’m sure he’s not feeling very charitable at the moment.”
Fresh tears filled my eyes.
Mason pulled me close and rubbed my back. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. I’m sure Joe’s feelings were hurt, but he’ll get over it.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “Why do you care if Joe gets over it? Wouldn’t you prefer for him to stay angry with me?”
“Not if it hurts you in the process.” He looked into my eyes. “I love you, Rose. I have to trust you and respect your choices, including which friends you choose.” When I started to protest, he added, “Do I want you to be Joe Simmons’ friend? No. Do I feel threatened by it? Hell, yes. But I trust you.” His eyes hardened slightly. “I don’t trust him, but I trust you enough to know how to handle it if he gets out of line again.”