Thirty-Six and a Half Motives
Page 71

“Yeah, but Hilary didn’t seem to recognize her.”
Neely Kate was quiet for a moment. “Hilary was pretty upset over Roberta leaving. It was obvious from the way she acted earlier, and Joe even said as much. What if Hilary had something to do with it? What if Anna is here because of that?”
I shook my head. “That seems like a reach, but we don’t have any idea why she’s here.” I tapped my pen on the table and flipped the legal pad page over. “We’re gonna write down everything we know and try to tie it all together.”
“Good idea.” She grabbed the notebook and pen from me. “Let’s start with Kate. She disappeared from Little Rock two years ago, right around the time Roberta died in Memphis.”
“Yeah.”
“Then she says she went to California, but she dropped off the face of the earth when she left. She didn’t even tell Joe how to find her.”
“Right.”
“But we know she’d been keepin’ tabs on Mason since July—she has photos of him outside the courthouse with you and Joe.”
“Right.”
“She showed up in town right after Christmas. But why?”
I nodded my head. “Good question.”
She sighed. “Okay, let’s move on to Hilary. She showed up pregnant with Joe’s baby in November . . .”
I jumped in. “And Kate showed up a month later, eager for me to get back together with Joe.”
“Hilary and Kate seem to hate each other.”
I paused for a moment. “We know how Joe and Hilary felt about Roberta leaving, but what about Kate? How did she react?”
Neely Kate released a loud groan. “This seems pointless.” Tears filled her eyes. “That monster is going to hurt Bruce Wayne or worse. And we’re sitting here talkin’ about a housekeeper who worked for the Simmons family thirteen years ago!”
I stood and began to pace. “We know why J.R. is here—revenge against Skeeter. I’m collateral damage. And Mason . . . Why Mason?” I stopped and looked at her. “The fact that Mason’s name was on J.R.’s hit list proves he’s not involved.”
“Unless he’s on the list to throw you off.”
I shook my head and pulled out my phone. “This is ridiculous. Why would J.R. go to so much effort?”
“Because it would be quite the reveal at the showdown, wouldn’t it? I don’t want to believe that Mason’s part of this, but after Ronnie, I don’t trust anyone but you, Skeeter, and Jed. But think about it—Mason standing by J.R’s side. How much drama would that be? And you’ve said it before—J.R. Simmons loves a big show.”
I gaped at her. I couldn’t believe she would turn on Mason so easily. “You really believe Mason would do that?”
“Did I think Ronnie would be part of a plot to kill you? Hell, no.” She took a breath, then lowered her voice. “Look, I’m not saying Mason’s part of it. I don’t want to think he is. But you can’t ignore some of the red flags. Just like I’d ignored them with Ronnie.” When I started to protest, she held up her hand. “All I know is that we can’t trust anyone, Rose. Only each other.”
I could see why she’d say that. She’d been used and lied to for years, so in her eyes, this was just more of the same. But I had plenty of trouble believing either man was capable of such a thing.
“We’ve talked to Hilary, and we’ve talked to Joe,” I said. “We need to talk to Kate.”
Her eyes flew open. “What? Are you crazy? That witch tried to kill you!”
“Kate doesn’t know we’re onto her.”
“That’s not true. If Teagen knows you were in the shed, he surely told her.”
“I still want to talk to her. We really have nothing to lose.”
Neely Kate studied me for several seconds before nodding. “This is crazy . . . but I’m game.”
I slipped my phone out of my pocket. “I have her number from when she called me after the warehouse incident.” I looked up her number and pressed send.
Kate sounded surprised when she answered. “Well, well, well . . . little Rosie’s calling me. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I have a few questions to ask.”
“Do you now?” She sounded amused.
“I want to know if you—”
“Stop right there.”
I tried to quell my disappointment. “So you refuse to talk to me?”
“No. Not at all. I just want to be able to look at you while we chat. Meet me at Merilee’s at four, one minute late and I’m leaving. Bring Neely Kate with you, but be sure to leave your bodyguards behind. Otherwise, no conversation,” she said. Then she hung up.
My mouth dropped open.
“So she wouldn’t talk to you?”
“She wants to do it in person.” I glanced at the clock on the wall. “At Merilee’s in thirty minutes. But just the two of us.”
“If we’re gonna make that, we need to leave soon.” She gave me a dry look. “Which one of us is going to tell Skeeter?”
I twisted my mouth as I considered. “He’s in the shower, and I’m not gonna interrupt him.” I paused, thinking it through. “We’ll leave and then call him on the way into town. He can catch up.”
“You’re forgetting that we don’t have a car,” Neely Kate said.
I grinned. “But we do have a car.”
“You want to steal Skeeter’s car?”
“Not steal it. Borrow it. Besides, Jed’s already on his way.”
Grimacing, she shook her head. “For the record, I think this is a bad idea. How do we know she won’t kill or kidnap us?”
“Because J.R. wants me to show up of my own free will. He wants to see me slink in and beg him to spare Bruce Wayne. It would be far less rewarding if he has to capture me first.”
“Unless he does it to make Skeeter show up.”
“No, he knows Skeeter will walk in with me. I don’t know why she wants to meet us, but I’m not gonna pass up the chance. Maybe we’ll get something we can use to help us tonight.”
“Or she’s looking for something to use against us.”
“Then we’ll just have to be smarter than she is.” I grinned. “We’re pretty smart.”