Thirty-Two and a Half Complications
Page 55

I stood to go inside, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back. “Stay with me for a bit. It’s beautiful out here. And I miss you.”
“Okay.”
He stood, tugging me over to the edge of the porch and sat down, his leg extending over the steps. I sat next to him and he snaked an arm around my back. I snuggled into his side, grateful he was still with me. His cheek rested on the top of my head and we sat in silence for several minutes before he finally spoke.
“So what did Neely Kate call about?”
“She was irritated she had to hear from her second cousin that I found Mr. Sullivan’s body this morning.”
He chuckled, the sound warming my insides. “I can see how that would upset her.”
“She also said she found information indicating he owned a gold Charger.”
“She’s correct.”
I jerked my head up to look at him. “You knew? How?”
“I’m the ADA, Rose. There was a murder of a bank employee who owned a car similar to the getaway car. They’re going to tell me.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked in disbelief.
“You didn’t ask.”
“Mason!”
His hand on my waist tightened, tugging me against him again. “I just found out about forty-five minutes ago. Sullivan’s been missing since the morning of the robbery, which is highly suspicious. And seeing how there wasn’t much money taken, besides yours, of course, we were sure he wasn’t off sipping Mai Tais in the Cayman Islands. Other than his disappearance and his boss suggesting uncorroborated embezzling, finding out he owned the make and model of the getaway car has been our first strong lead.”
“So you really think he was in on it?” I still had a hard time believing it.
“Official opinion or personal?”
“Both.”
“Officially, we have nothing beyond circumstantial evidence to tie him to this crime. But your vision leads me to believe there was an inside man, and he fits the bill. But of course, there’s nothing I can do about that.”
“Are the Henryetta police doing anything?”
“Chasing their tails, like they usually do. But the fact that the body was found outside of city limits means the sheriff’s department can officially come on board. At least for the murder. And then with any luck at all, they’ll find evidence to tie it in to the robbery.”
“Do you still think I’m in danger?”
His arm tensed. “No. If the robbers were going to come after you, I think they would have done so already. And with your permission, I’d like to call the sheriff’s department and cancel their watch.”
I squeezed his waist. “Sounds good to me.”
“It sucks that Joe’s the chief deputy sheriff and has a whole department at his beck and call. But he’s an outsider brought in to replace a guy most of the deputies loved. They hate me for busting Chief Deputy Dimler, but they also resent Joe for taking his place. They may be accepting his arbitrary orders about you at the moment, but they’ll grow tired of it before too long.” He shifted his leg. “What were you and Neely Kate doing in the bar last night?”
“The truth?”
His grip tightened. “Always.”
“Neely Kate saw Toby Wheaton in the bar and decided we should go interrogate him.”
“Should his name be significant?”
“His ex-wife, Samantha Jo, was the bank teller during the robbery. We thought she might have been the robbers’ informant. Joe told me he’d questioned him earlier that day. I don’t suppose he told you.”
“No.” Mason’s hold loosened and he shifted to look at me. “But why would you think she might be an informant?”
I gaped at him. He really wanted my opinion. “Well, she was divorced from Toby. Neely Kate heard she was hurting for money after he racked up debt on all her credit cards before their divorce, and she’s only worked at the bank for a couple of weeks.”
“Huh,” he said. “Anything else?”
“Yeah.” I sat up straighter, starting to get excited. “Samantha Jo always wanted to go to Hollywood. She was in all the school plays, and she did some summer theater stuff after graduation. She thought she was destined for greatness. It occurred to me that she might have agreed to help them by playing the part of the frightened bank teller.”
Mason’s eyes bore into me, deep in concentration. “And how was her performance?”
“I only caught a glimpse of her. When I looked up at the counter, she did look genuinely scared. Her face was red and blotchy.”
“And what did you find out from her ex-husband?”
I shook my head. “You really want to know?”
“Of course I do. Look at all the people you’ve helped apprehend.”
I scrunched my nose. “I’m not sure those count. A lot of it was accidental.”
“Accidental or not, you’ve played a major role in the apprehension of multiple criminals. I’d be a fool not to listen to you.”
I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the lips.
A slow grin lit up his face, although I sensed he was still holding part of himself back with me. “What was that for?”
“For believing in me.”
His mouth parted as though he was about to say something, but then he stopped himself. “What did you find out?” he said instead.
“Toby says she’s not smart enough to plan a bank robbery, but in his opinion she’d be willing to play a part in it for money.”