Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments
Page 6

I quickly slid the manila folder off the desk and spun Mason’s chair around so I had my back to the door, hoping it would keep Kaylee from realizing what I was doing. Holding my breath, I opened the file, but I instantly realized there was very little information inside. He’d found a photo of her somewhere—it looked like an employee ID photo—and paper-clipped it to the front flap of the folder. She was staring at the camera with a serious expression on her face. I had no idea when the photo had been taken, but her hairstyle and youthful appearance led me to believe it had been taken a few years before my birth.
A yellow legal pad sheet was in the folder, covered in Mason’s neat handwriting. That surprised me. He kept most of his case notes in files on his computer. And anything he needed a hard copy of was printed out. This didn’t look like an official file after all, which helped me feel less guilty when I picked up the paper and started to read.
Dora Colleen Middleton, died December 10, 1986
Born in Shreveport, LA on March 13, 1960. Parents Ned and Barbara Middleton, Shreveport.
Parents died when she was five.
Raised by maternal grandparents John and Rose Forester, Fenton County.
Attended Eastern Fenton County High School
Fenton County Community College 1978-1981
Moved to Shreveport 1981-1983 employment unknown
Employed by Atchison Manufacturing February 1983-September 1986
Employed by Pierce Construction September 1986-December 1986 (death)
Small life insurance policy ($25,000)
Farm and small inheritance from grandparents went to Rose (approximate worth $200,000 at time of death)
Seeing Harrison Gardner from ??? until death
One known child, Rose Anne Gardner November 8, 1986
No known living relatives
Part of possible extortion scheme in the summer of 1986
I gasped. Extortion? What did that mean? Had she been extorted or had she been the one doing the extorting?
Mason’s secretary’s voice shook me out of my stupor. “Hi, Mr. Deveraux. Rose is waiting in your office for you.”
“Thanks, Kaylee.”
My head was still whirling from shock, but I gathered my senses enough to slap the folder shut. I spun around in the chair and slipped the file under another one. It looked innocuous enough, but fear made my heart stutter as Mason’s broad shoulders filled the doorway. Had he seen me?
A smile spread across his face, mischievousness filling his eyes. “You look like you belong in that chair, Ms. Gardner.”
I laughed nervously, thankful my covert actions appeared to have gone undetected. “I won’t be fightin’ you for it, if that’s what you’re worried about.” I gave him a mischievous grin of my own. “I have something for you.”
“Kaylee, hold my calls,” he said as he shut the door and moved toward me.
A warm flutter replaced my nervousness. Mason Deveraux was a strikingly handsome man. Before I snatched him off the market, he was considered the second most eligible bachelor in Fenton County, after Brody MacIntosh, the Henryetta mayor. Staring into his hazel eyes and his gorgeous face framed by dark blond hair, which was currently in need of a trim, I had to wonder why they hadn’t pegged him as first. Even now, months into our relationship, he still took my breath away, reminding me that I trusted this man. It took away some of the sting that he was so obviously withholding information about Dora from me. “From the look in your eyes, I suspect you’re going to be disappointed.”
He placed his hands on the arms of his chair and leaned over, his face inches from mine. “If it’s from you, never.”
I gave him a soft kiss, then murmured against his lips, “This isn’t it.”
He kissed me again before he lifted his head. “I suspected as much. But it’s a good substitute for now.”
I pushed on his chest and he captured one of my hands in his, pulling me up with him. “So what’s this surprise you brought me?”
I walked over to the window. The partially obscured file on Mason’s desk caught my eye and I considered pulling it out and confronting him now, but I still felt caught off-guard. It would be wiser to sit on the information for a spell so I could think of the best way to broach the topic. I picked up the pastry bag instead.
“Do I see Dena’s Bakery on that bag?”
I laughed. “Nothing gets by you, Mr. Assistant DA.” I pulled out the cardboard box and a plastic fork. “Not even apple crisp pie.”
“You sure know how to spoil me, Rose,” he murmured as he took the pie from me and sat down at his desk. He opened the box and grinned.
I carefully sat on the edge of his desk, trying not to disturb his papers. “Actually, I’m trying to butter you up.”
Something in my tone caught his attention and he looked up, worry in his eyes. “Why?”
I glanced down at my lap. Oh, crappy doodles, this was hard. It would have been hard to ask him for money at any time, and it was even more so now. Why hadn’t he told me he was investigating Dora? But I wasn’t ready to let him know what I’d seen, so I forced myself to focus on my original task. I took a deep breath and looked up into his face. “I just gave Violet approval to hire someone to help her at the shop. I think she’ll start soon.”
His eyebrows lifted in a hopeful expression. “That’s a good thing, right? The shop’s busy enough to warrant hiring her.”
“Yes, of course.” I glanced down at his desk again. Out with it. Squaring my shoulders, I faced him again. “But the shop is the only thing making money right now, and I’m sinking it all back into the business. I’m currently losing money with the landscaping business.” I shook my head slowly. “Maybe I was too hasty decidin’ to open it this soon.”