Thirty-Six and a Half Motives
Page 93

Taking a deep breath, I told myself to calm down. I’d been in situations just as bad as this one, and everything had turned out fine.
I tromped around the back of the building, hoping that climbing through the window would give me an element of surprise. A soft glow flickered as I approached the broken-out windows. I peered around the corner and saw Kate sitting on top of a metal desk with her back to the opposite concrete wall. She’d shoved the other desks to the side walls and covered them in lit candles. There were also candles flickering on the floor on the opposite side of the room, a hundred or more of them in all.
Just like in my vision. A chill ran down my spine. Maybe I would die, but at least I saved Jed. Now I had to figure out how to save Skeeter.
From what I could tell, she looked to be alone. That was undoubtedly a good thing, because I caught her attention before I could make my surprise entrance.
She looked up and smiled. “Rose Petal, you’re the first to arrive. Come join me while we wait.”
I was fairly certain I could make it back to my car before she ever caught up, but what good would that do? Besides, for all I knew, J.R. could be pulling into the lot even now.
“Expectin’ other guests?” I asked, then stuck the bigger gun into the back of my jeans. Straddling the window, I climbed in.
Her grin spread. “I always did love a party, but I’m used to my guests using the front door.”
“Well,” I drawled, trying to decide where to stand. I really had no desire to play right into Kate’s plans, which meant I was going to have stay as far away from her as possible. “I’m not sure if you noticed, but I tend to do things a little different than everyone else.”
“I’ll say.” She sat with her denim-clad legs draped over the edge of that desk, her palms flat on the surface. I saw no evidence of a gun or any other weapon, but there was a crazed look in her eyes. She was wearing the same black, long-sleeved T-shirt as earlier, but there was a diamond ring I’d never seen before on her left ring finger.
“Who else is comin’?” I asked.
Her response was a smirk.
I took a few steps forward, trying to figure out her setup. The factory equipment—and the usual front door—was to my right. Henry Buchanan’s office was to my left, but the door was closed tonight, with a path between the desks to the center of her stage. I wasn’t too fond of having the window to my back, so I took a few steps toward the office wall. “What’s with all the candles? It looks like a cheesy episode of Supernatural. Havin’ a séance?”
She propped her arms behind her and leaned back her head, laughing. “I think we should wait until later for the séance . . . to connect with the newly departed.”
“Who are you planning on killin’?” I asked, deciding to take this head-on. Better to know a snippet of her plan going in, even if I was the one she planned to murder—something I highly suspected.
But where did the vision I’d just seen fit into all of this?
She leaned to the side and tried to look around me. “Where’s Neely Kate?”
My back stiffened, worried about what logical jump had led her from my question to my best friend. “Neely Kate couldn’t make it.”
She shook her head and tsked, then grabbed her phone and started tapping on the screen. “That just won’t do. I expected her to be your plus one. You two are like peanut butter and jelly.”
“We don’t do everything together.”
She glanced up and grinned. “Not to worry. I’m sure she’ll join us soon.”
I sure hoped not. I knew Jed would call Skeeter, but would he take the time to stop and pick them up? I was hoping for Skeeter to come alone. “Stop playin’ games, Kate, and just spit out what you want.”
“Now, now, Rosie.” She spread her hands out at her sides. “Games are what make life fun. Haven’t you learned anything from my family yet?” She winked. “We’re about to take this particular game to a whole new level tonight.”
How much did she know about Neely Kate’s parentage? Was she planning to hurt her? “What did you do with Anna and Bruce Wayne?”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Please.”
I steeled my back and used my most authoritative voice. “I want to know where they are, Kate.”
She shrugged. “I haven’t the foggiest idea, nor do I care.”
“Why did you kidnap Hilary?”
Shaking her head, she laughed. “You really are clueless, aren’t you? How did you ever manage to solve all those crimes?”
A clicking sound, like heels on concrete, echoed to my right, and I backed up toward the wall with the desks, my heart beginning to race.
“Did I hear my name?” Hilary asked, emerging from an aisle of equipment. She had changed into a pair of cream-colored pants, a flowy pale-blue silky shirt, and a low pair of cream leather pumps. Her auburn hair hung loose, but the sides were pulled back with clips decorated with clear stones. She stopped just outside the opening, her gaze fixed on Kate. Surprise filled her eyes as she shifted her attention to me. “Rose.” She turned back to Kate. “What is she doing here? When I got your text, I thought this was just you and me.”
“But . . .” I spat out in shock. “He put you in the car . . . I saw you get kidnapped.”
Confusion washed over Hilary’s face, but Kate chuckled. Then Sam Teagen moved out from behind Hilary, and I realized how wrong I’d been. My head swam as I took all the pieces I knew and tried to make them fit with this new realization.
Hilary laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you speechless before, Rose.”
“Sam Teagen . . .” I shook my head. “He works for . . . you?”
She walked closer to Kate’s setup, staying outside the ring of candles. “You know his name? Oh, dear. That is unfortunate.”
“Maybe I know more than Kate thinks I do.” Although I worried I didn’t know much at all. I was in big trouble. “Where’s J.R.?”
Hilary laughed, but it sounded bitter. “If I were you, I wouldn’t be in such a hurry to see him. He’s not too fond of you, and trust me, that’s not a situation you want to be in.”
I looked over at Kate to gauge her reaction, but she kept her attention on her newest guests.
“What is all this, Kate?” I asked.