Thirty-Two and a Half Complications
Page 68
- Background:
- Text Font:
- Text Size:
- Line Height:
- Line Break Height:
- Frame:
“I brought some here to Carla’s. She was having a party and a bunch of people took them.”
“Like who?” Neely Kate asked.
He shrugged. “I dunno, I was kind of out of it that night.” He gave me a wobbly smile.
“Moose took a bunch,” Carla piped up. “He said he could use them out at the ranch.”
“I didn’t think he was working at the ranch,” I said.
Carla shrugged.
“Speakin’ of Moose,” I said, taking a sip of lemonade. “I saw Samantha Jo at church with him today. He looks like quite the catch. How long have they been dating?”
She looked lost in thought for several seconds. “I don’t know—she’s been dating Moose two, maybe three weeks.”
“So about the same time she started working for the bank?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“How’d she meet him?”
“Who knows how Samantha Jo meets her guys. It’s a wonder guys still go out with her after what happened with Toby’s boat. They stick around until she goes all psycho, and then they dump her like a hot potato.” She grinned. “Now that I think about it, I’m kind of surprised Moose is still puttin’ up with her. She’s flipped her shit more than a couple of times with him.” She rolled her eyes in disgust. “From what I’ve heard she’s not that good in bed.”
“Good to know,” I murmured.
Neely Kate looked pale and a few drops of sweat dotted her forehead. “I don’t think those wings are agreeing with me now.”
“We better get going.” I stood. I couldn’t think of any more questions to ask and I was eager to get home and check on Mason.
Carla stood when Neely Kate did and pulled her into a hug. “Don’t be such a stranger, little miss!”
“You too, Carla. We should get together and have lunch someday—when I can keep it down.”
“Yeah, sounds good.” She opened the front door to let us out. As we were descending the steps—Carla and David following us out the front door—an old car slowed to a stop and Samantha Jo hopped out of it, moving faster than a toad on hot pavement. Moose climbed out of the driver’s side a second later.
“I can’t believe you!” Samantha Jo screamed. “I was right there, you pus-covered boil!”
“I swear to God I wasn’t lookin’ at her!”
“I saw it with my own eyes, Moose! You wanted to screw that bitch.”
“You have to believe me, baby. You’re the only bitch I want to screw!”
Neely Kate and I stared at them in disbelief.
Samantha Jo started to stomp right past us when she stopped next to me. “Hey, I’ve seen you before.”
“Samantha Jo,” Carla said, “this is Rose Gardner.”
“We went to school together,” she murmured, looking down her nose at me. “But you weren’t cute then and you were definitely weird.”
Neely Kate’s hands tightened into fists. “Well, at least she’s not incredibly rude, which can’t be said for you.”
I grabbed Neely Kate’s arm and pulled her back. “Neely Kate, it’s okay. She’s right.”
Neely Kate’s face reddened and she looked like she wanted to hit someone, preferably the woman in front of me. But we needed information from her, and Neely Kate punching her wouldn’t help our cause.
“Samantha Jo, I was at the bank last week. During the robbery.”
Her eyes widened with a fear that quickly faded. “Oh, yeah. That’s why I remembered you. You don’t look anything like you used to back in school.”
“I was actually hoping to ask you a couple of questions about the robbery.”
She blinked. “Why?”
I hadn’t been prepared for that, but it made sense that she wouldn’t want to talk about it if she was in any way involved. “Because I thought you might like to talk with someone who was there and understands what you went through.”
She looked at Moose, then shook her head. “Well, you’re wrong. I don’t want to talk about it. Especially with you.”
She turned to leave. We hadn’t gotten any information from her, so I decided if I was actually going to try Neely Kate’s crazy idea about forcing visions to solve the case, it was now or never.
I stretched out my hand and grabbed her arm, closing my eyes to concentrate.
“What the hell?” Samantha Jo shrieked, trying to jerk her arm free.
“Rose?” Neely Kate asked, but she must have figured out what I was doing because I felt her move closer. “She’s trying to comfort you through prayer, Samantha Jo. Just give her a moment.”
Samantha Jo didn’t seem to appreciate my comfort and jerked on her arm again. The distractions were making it hard to concentrate, so I tightened my grip. Finally, the darkness behind my eyelids gave way to a stained ceiling.
Moose stood naked at the bottom of the bed. “I know how you like it, baby.”
“You know it, tiger,” I said.
He lowered to the mattress and it sank in the middle as he started crawling on his hands and knees toward me.
Pure panic rushed through me as I realized what was about to happen, and I fought the vision, trying to escape. But escaping a spontaneous vision never worked and it turned out it didn’t work for voluntary ones either. Seconds later, just before Moose was about to make the big plunge, I was finally freed, my eyes flying open as I blurted out, “You and Moose are gonna have sex.” My hand dropped her arm like it was on fire.
“Like who?” Neely Kate asked.
He shrugged. “I dunno, I was kind of out of it that night.” He gave me a wobbly smile.
“Moose took a bunch,” Carla piped up. “He said he could use them out at the ranch.”
“I didn’t think he was working at the ranch,” I said.
Carla shrugged.
“Speakin’ of Moose,” I said, taking a sip of lemonade. “I saw Samantha Jo at church with him today. He looks like quite the catch. How long have they been dating?”
She looked lost in thought for several seconds. “I don’t know—she’s been dating Moose two, maybe three weeks.”
“So about the same time she started working for the bank?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“How’d she meet him?”
“Who knows how Samantha Jo meets her guys. It’s a wonder guys still go out with her after what happened with Toby’s boat. They stick around until she goes all psycho, and then they dump her like a hot potato.” She grinned. “Now that I think about it, I’m kind of surprised Moose is still puttin’ up with her. She’s flipped her shit more than a couple of times with him.” She rolled her eyes in disgust. “From what I’ve heard she’s not that good in bed.”
“Good to know,” I murmured.
Neely Kate looked pale and a few drops of sweat dotted her forehead. “I don’t think those wings are agreeing with me now.”
“We better get going.” I stood. I couldn’t think of any more questions to ask and I was eager to get home and check on Mason.
Carla stood when Neely Kate did and pulled her into a hug. “Don’t be such a stranger, little miss!”
“You too, Carla. We should get together and have lunch someday—when I can keep it down.”
“Yeah, sounds good.” She opened the front door to let us out. As we were descending the steps—Carla and David following us out the front door—an old car slowed to a stop and Samantha Jo hopped out of it, moving faster than a toad on hot pavement. Moose climbed out of the driver’s side a second later.
“I can’t believe you!” Samantha Jo screamed. “I was right there, you pus-covered boil!”
“I swear to God I wasn’t lookin’ at her!”
“I saw it with my own eyes, Moose! You wanted to screw that bitch.”
“You have to believe me, baby. You’re the only bitch I want to screw!”
Neely Kate and I stared at them in disbelief.
Samantha Jo started to stomp right past us when she stopped next to me. “Hey, I’ve seen you before.”
“Samantha Jo,” Carla said, “this is Rose Gardner.”
“We went to school together,” she murmured, looking down her nose at me. “But you weren’t cute then and you were definitely weird.”
Neely Kate’s hands tightened into fists. “Well, at least she’s not incredibly rude, which can’t be said for you.”
I grabbed Neely Kate’s arm and pulled her back. “Neely Kate, it’s okay. She’s right.”
Neely Kate’s face reddened and she looked like she wanted to hit someone, preferably the woman in front of me. But we needed information from her, and Neely Kate punching her wouldn’t help our cause.
“Samantha Jo, I was at the bank last week. During the robbery.”
Her eyes widened with a fear that quickly faded. “Oh, yeah. That’s why I remembered you. You don’t look anything like you used to back in school.”
“I was actually hoping to ask you a couple of questions about the robbery.”
She blinked. “Why?”
I hadn’t been prepared for that, but it made sense that she wouldn’t want to talk about it if she was in any way involved. “Because I thought you might like to talk with someone who was there and understands what you went through.”
She looked at Moose, then shook her head. “Well, you’re wrong. I don’t want to talk about it. Especially with you.”
She turned to leave. We hadn’t gotten any information from her, so I decided if I was actually going to try Neely Kate’s crazy idea about forcing visions to solve the case, it was now or never.
I stretched out my hand and grabbed her arm, closing my eyes to concentrate.
“What the hell?” Samantha Jo shrieked, trying to jerk her arm free.
“Rose?” Neely Kate asked, but she must have figured out what I was doing because I felt her move closer. “She’s trying to comfort you through prayer, Samantha Jo. Just give her a moment.”
Samantha Jo didn’t seem to appreciate my comfort and jerked on her arm again. The distractions were making it hard to concentrate, so I tightened my grip. Finally, the darkness behind my eyelids gave way to a stained ceiling.
Moose stood naked at the bottom of the bed. “I know how you like it, baby.”
“You know it, tiger,” I said.
He lowered to the mattress and it sank in the middle as he started crawling on his hands and knees toward me.
Pure panic rushed through me as I realized what was about to happen, and I fought the vision, trying to escape. But escaping a spontaneous vision never worked and it turned out it didn’t work for voluntary ones either. Seconds later, just before Moose was about to make the big plunge, I was finally freed, my eyes flying open as I blurted out, “You and Moose are gonna have sex.” My hand dropped her arm like it was on fire.
