Thirty-Two and a Half Complications
Page 15
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Whenever I got pregnant, I was going to keep it to myself until they wheeled me into the delivery room. “I’m sorry you’re feeling so bad.”
She patted my hand. “Not to worry. She says I’m gonna have a healthy boy. Now tell me about that bank robbery. I had to hear it second-hand, and I was worried sick.”
I cringed. “I’m sorry.”
“Well the least you can do is tell me what happened. Do you have any idea who the robbers were?”
I moved closer. “Officially? No. They wore ski masks. But unofficially, I saw one of their faces in a vision.”
Neely Kate got excited. “Oh! You had a vision on purpose to help solve a mystery? Finally!”
“No!” I squirmed. “And I’ve had visions on purpose before.”
“But not enough of them.”
I frowned. “Well, this one just popped into my head right before the robbers ran off.” I paused, my stomach twisting again. “Mason’s going to have me look at some mug shots.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Why do I hear a but in there?”
“We can’t tell the Henryetta police why I need to look at mug shots, so Mason is going to call the one person we know in county law enforcement who will understand my need for secrecy.”
Comprehension washed over her face. “Joe.”
“Yeah.”
“I know you’ve been worried about seeing him since he moved back to town, but you can face him, Rose. You already have. Multiple times…and you’ve put him in his place too.”
I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Neely Kate. He moved here for me.”
She studied me for several seconds, and my face heated under her scrutiny. “Does that have any impact on your decision to be with Mason?”
“No!” I hissed. “Not one day has gone by that I’ve regretted being with Mason. I just feel guilty. I never gave Joe any indication that I’d change my mind, but he uprooted everything to move here anyway.”
“Rose Anne Gardner, you have nothing to feel guilty about. You have no control over where that man chooses to live. If he moved here to get you back—well, that’s all on him. Not you.”
I reached over the counter and pulled her into an awkward hug. “That’s why I love you, Neely Kate. You’re my voice of reason.”
A smug smile spread across her face. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Okay.” I tilted my head. “How about this: did you know that Samantha Jo Wheaton is working at the Henryetta Bank and Trust?” Even though Neely Kate wasn’t much of a gossip, she somehow knew just about everything about everyone. I was hoping I’d scooped her on this one.
“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “She started working there three weeks ago. It was quite the promotion for her after working behind the electronics counter at Wal-Mart for six months. She only got the job because she’s the second cousin of the bank manager. It ain’t gonna help her though.”
“What do you mean?”
“Her scumbag ex racked up a ton of credit card bills with her name on them. She’s about to declare bankruptcy. So while she’s bound to be making more money at the bank, it’s too little too late. She’s already lost her house.”
“Oh.”
“When are you going to figure out that I know everything?”
“Not quite everything,” I gloated. “I found out what happened in Little Rock to force Mason to leave his DA job there and come to Fenton County.”
She shrugged, trying to play it off. “Everyone has an off day now and then.”
“Okay, how about this?” I asked, giving her an ornery look. “Norman Sullivan, the loan officer at the bank, didn’t come in to work today, and all his family pictures were missing from his desk.”
She lifted her eyebrows and gave me a mock bored look. “His wife left him last month.”
“Oh.”
She sat on the desk-height counter and scooted closer to me. “She started seeing a guy from El Dorado who owns a chain of Waffle Houses. Now she lives with her new boyfriend.” Neely Kate waved her hand in a sweeping arc. “She said she was looking for a man who would allow her to live the life she was meant to lead.”
“So Mr. Sullivan might have robbed the bank to get his wife back.”
“If he did, that was pretty stupid. He’s gotta be suspect number one. Even the Henryetta Police couldn’t miss that one.”
“Mason said they were going to check it out.”
She nodded, but I could tell I was losing her attention. She looked a little green around the gills. “Are you doin’ okay, Neely Kate?”
“My cousin had a bunch of miscarriages and the doctor told her that morning sickness is actually a good sign. It means all your hormones are strong and protecting the baby. So I’m happy—mostly—I’m feeling sick. Besides, Grandma read my tea leaves.” She sat back, her face taking on an even greener tone. “Speakin’ of which…” She hopped off the counter and dashed around the counter without another word.
“Bye,” I called after her as I followed her into the hall, but she’d already ducked into the bathroom.
Bruce Wayne was still working when I got back to the job site, but the wind had picked up, bringing a cold bite with it. We’d removed all but a few bushes, so we spent the next hour digging the rest out so that we’d have empty beds to get started on the next day. Just as we were packing up our tools, Violet called me. I hesitated before answering, but I knew she’d hound me until I did.
She patted my hand. “Not to worry. She says I’m gonna have a healthy boy. Now tell me about that bank robbery. I had to hear it second-hand, and I was worried sick.”
I cringed. “I’m sorry.”
“Well the least you can do is tell me what happened. Do you have any idea who the robbers were?”
I moved closer. “Officially? No. They wore ski masks. But unofficially, I saw one of their faces in a vision.”
Neely Kate got excited. “Oh! You had a vision on purpose to help solve a mystery? Finally!”
“No!” I squirmed. “And I’ve had visions on purpose before.”
“But not enough of them.”
I frowned. “Well, this one just popped into my head right before the robbers ran off.” I paused, my stomach twisting again. “Mason’s going to have me look at some mug shots.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Why do I hear a but in there?”
“We can’t tell the Henryetta police why I need to look at mug shots, so Mason is going to call the one person we know in county law enforcement who will understand my need for secrecy.”
Comprehension washed over her face. “Joe.”
“Yeah.”
“I know you’ve been worried about seeing him since he moved back to town, but you can face him, Rose. You already have. Multiple times…and you’ve put him in his place too.”
I lowered my voice to a whisper. “Neely Kate. He moved here for me.”
She studied me for several seconds, and my face heated under her scrutiny. “Does that have any impact on your decision to be with Mason?”
“No!” I hissed. “Not one day has gone by that I’ve regretted being with Mason. I just feel guilty. I never gave Joe any indication that I’d change my mind, but he uprooted everything to move here anyway.”
“Rose Anne Gardner, you have nothing to feel guilty about. You have no control over where that man chooses to live. If he moved here to get you back—well, that’s all on him. Not you.”
I reached over the counter and pulled her into an awkward hug. “That’s why I love you, Neely Kate. You’re my voice of reason.”
A smug smile spread across her face. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Okay.” I tilted my head. “How about this: did you know that Samantha Jo Wheaton is working at the Henryetta Bank and Trust?” Even though Neely Kate wasn’t much of a gossip, she somehow knew just about everything about everyone. I was hoping I’d scooped her on this one.
“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “She started working there three weeks ago. It was quite the promotion for her after working behind the electronics counter at Wal-Mart for six months. She only got the job because she’s the second cousin of the bank manager. It ain’t gonna help her though.”
“What do you mean?”
“Her scumbag ex racked up a ton of credit card bills with her name on them. She’s about to declare bankruptcy. So while she’s bound to be making more money at the bank, it’s too little too late. She’s already lost her house.”
“Oh.”
“When are you going to figure out that I know everything?”
“Not quite everything,” I gloated. “I found out what happened in Little Rock to force Mason to leave his DA job there and come to Fenton County.”
She shrugged, trying to play it off. “Everyone has an off day now and then.”
“Okay, how about this?” I asked, giving her an ornery look. “Norman Sullivan, the loan officer at the bank, didn’t come in to work today, and all his family pictures were missing from his desk.”
She lifted her eyebrows and gave me a mock bored look. “His wife left him last month.”
“Oh.”
She sat on the desk-height counter and scooted closer to me. “She started seeing a guy from El Dorado who owns a chain of Waffle Houses. Now she lives with her new boyfriend.” Neely Kate waved her hand in a sweeping arc. “She said she was looking for a man who would allow her to live the life she was meant to lead.”
“So Mr. Sullivan might have robbed the bank to get his wife back.”
“If he did, that was pretty stupid. He’s gotta be suspect number one. Even the Henryetta Police couldn’t miss that one.”
“Mason said they were going to check it out.”
She nodded, but I could tell I was losing her attention. She looked a little green around the gills. “Are you doin’ okay, Neely Kate?”
“My cousin had a bunch of miscarriages and the doctor told her that morning sickness is actually a good sign. It means all your hormones are strong and protecting the baby. So I’m happy—mostly—I’m feeling sick. Besides, Grandma read my tea leaves.” She sat back, her face taking on an even greener tone. “Speakin’ of which…” She hopped off the counter and dashed around the counter without another word.
“Bye,” I called after her as I followed her into the hall, but she’d already ducked into the bathroom.
Bruce Wayne was still working when I got back to the job site, but the wind had picked up, bringing a cold bite with it. We’d removed all but a few bushes, so we spent the next hour digging the rest out so that we’d have empty beds to get started on the next day. Just as we were packing up our tools, Violet called me. I hesitated before answering, but I knew she’d hound me until I did.
