Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments
Page 69

“You were blackmailing Henry Buchanan, weren’t you?”
Neely Kate gasped.
Dirk’s mouth dropped open and terror filled his eyes. “What are you talkin’ about?” He tried to jerk out of my grasp, but I held on tight.
“How does Beverly fit in?”
He pulled free with enough force to fall off the stool.
As Dirk recovered and regained his balance, Jed walked over to us, crossing his arms and making a very imposing presence. “Are you done with him?”
I could press the Beverly issue, but that would include getting Jed involved. And while that was tempting, I wasn’t ready to blur the line between the Lady-in-Black world and my real world. I’d find another way. “Yeah,” I nodded. “He can go.”
Dirk ran for the entrance and I looked over my shoulder to watch him. I was surprised to see Skeeter perched on one of the stools at the bar, his arm draped on the edge of the counter, his gaze directly on me. He certainly didn’t look happy.
“We need to go,” I said to Neely Kate, getting to my feet. “We have to follow him. Maybe we can find Beverly.”
“Who’s Beverly?” she asked as she tried to get down, but she swayed like a sailor on shore leave. “Why’s the room spinning?”
She was in no shape to be chasing after him. I swallowed my disappointment and pushed her back onto the stool. “I’m gonna get you a glass of water. Wait here.”
I walked over to the bar, worried about how Skeeter would react to me showing up in the pool hall, but I was too irritated to take any crap. I ignored him as I asked the bartender for two waters. When he walked out of earshot to get them for me, Skeeter leaned his forearms against the counter. “What are you workin’ on?”
“Something personal. Nothing that concerns you.”
“Anything you do concerns me. Why are you interrogating Dirk Picklebie in my pool hall?”
I turned to face him, putting my hand on my hip. “Because that’s where he happened to be.” I lowered my voice. “Believe me, I’m not very happy about bein’ here either.”
Jed walked over, keeping his gaze on the front door. “Skeeter, he mentioned J.R. Simmons.”
Skeeter’s eyes hardened. “Now it is my business.”
My mouth dropped open. “You have business with J.R. Simmons?”
His eyebrows rose, but the rest of his face was expressionless. “Do you?”
There was no way I was going to tell him about my issue with J.R., although part of me wondered if maybe I should. But what was Skeeter’s association with Joe’s father? I knew he’d never offer the information willingly, especially without getting anything in return, so I decided to change tactics. “What do you care about something that happened twenty-five years ago?”
“What happened twenty-five years ago that’s piqued your interest?”
“The Atchison Manufacturing fire.”
He studied my face. “Why are you diggin’ into that old business?”
I took a deep breath and pushed it out in frustration. “I already told you. It’s personal.”
“Her father had something to do with it,” Jed murmured.
I shot Jed a look that hopefully said stay out of this.
The bartender handed me the waters, clearly confused by all the attention Skeeter and his right-hand man were showing me. First Neely Kate and I had been hitting on a drunken derelict and now I was in an intimate conversation with his bosses. I winked at him. “Thank you.” Then I shot Skeeter a dirty look and stomped back over to our table with the glasses.
If I’d thought I could dismiss Skeeter so easily, I was dead wrong. He slid into the seat Dirk had vacated as I set Neely Kate’s water on the table. As soon as she realized who was sitting across from her, she froze.
Skeeter’s head lowered and his eyes glittered with anger. “I’m not done talkin’ to you.”
I glared at him in defiance. “Well, I’m done talkin’ to you. How many times do I have to say this is none of your business? It doesn’t concern you, Skeeter Malcolm. Leave it alone.”
His face turned red and he shot Jed a glance I couldn’t decipher.
Neely Kate picked up her glass of water and took a sip, her hand shaking. Her attention was on Skeeter.
“You’re scaring my friend, Skeeter,” I added. “Mind your manners.”
His jaw worked, then he took a deep breath as though trying to keep his cool. “We can avoid that if you’ll just answer my questions.”
Jed pulled up a fourth stool between Neely Kate and me. “Rose, you have to know that since you help Skeeter, he’s more than happy to help you. I think he’s frustrated that you didn’t ask.” He looked up at his boss and raised his eyebrows. “Isn’t that right, Skeeter?”
Skeeter ignored him. “What the hell are you doin’ questioning Dirk Picklebie in my pool hall?”
I threw up my hands. “So we’re back to that, are we?”
“You didn’t answer my question!” he shouted and Neely Kate cringed.
I heard movement behind me, followed by the racket of the front door slamming shut.
Now I was well and truly ticked. I pointed my finger in his face and lowered my voice so the teens playing pool couldn’t hear, which was a moot point when I realized they’d run out of the place. “You may own me as the Lady in Black, Skeeter Malcolm, but what I do when I’m not wearing that hat and veil is my business. I’ll question whoever I want!”