Thirty-Two and a Half Complications
Page 96

“Rose. Bruce Wayne.” He lifted his glass, which contained an amber liquid. “Welcome to the party.”
The scene was set up to intimidate and the way Bruce Wayne’s footsteps faltered slightly told me it had worked with him. But I was done with the theatrics.
“I never agreed to go to this thing, Skeeter. I’m supposed to be cooking Thanksgiving dinner.”
“I need you, Rose. We still haven’t found the men who robbed the bank.”
“And our agreement was that you’d get my money back for me. So far you haven’t come through.”
“I can get you the money.” He shook his head. “That’s nothing. But this means those guys are still coming today. I need you. If you keep me safe, I’ll make sure you get everything you lost, with a generous bonus besides.”
“I don’t want your money. I want my own.”
Confusion washed over his face. “Money’s money. What difference does it make where it comes from?”
“It makes a difference to me.”
He leaned forward. “All the more reason for you to come. If they show up, they’ll have your money and then some. You can have it all. As a thank-you gift.”
“I only want what’s mine. The rest belongs to the bank and the barbeque.”
“And the Piggly Wiggly,” one of the guys on the sofa added. “It got robbed last night.”
Skeeter shot him a look that said shut up in no uncertain terms.
I blinked in shock. “The Piggly Wiggly got robbed? Then they probably got a buttload of money from all the Thanksgiving shopping.”
“And they knew just when to rob it too,” the other guy said. “Right before they made their night deposit.”
Excitement washed through me. “They must have had an inside guy, just like they had Mr. Sullivan at the bank.”
No one said anything.
I put my hand to my temple. How could I have been so stupid? “I saw the guy in the Batman mask at the Piggly Wiggly twice. He works there.” I looked up at Skeeter. “Actually, I’m pretty sure he’s the assistant manager.” My excitement over finally piecing things together spurred me on. I turned to Bruce Wayne as I continued with my explanation. “This guy fired David because he took the ski masks home instead of throwing them away. The ones used in the robbery. He probably thought it couldn’t be tied back to him if they were all gone. Anyone could have taken them out of the trash, but he used a Piggly Wiggly bag in the robbery.”
All four men in the room watched me with a mixture of amusement and shock.
“Oh!” I exclaimed as something else hit me. “The guy, I think his name is Merrill, used to be David’s friend until he moved away. He recently came back and is in dire need of money after a divorce. He needs the money and he’s been out of town, so he wouldn’t know that Big Bill’s is off limits.”
“She figured out in less than a minute what we couldn’t figure out in three days,” the guy who’d volunteered the Piggly Wiggly information said.
The look on Skeeter’s face was murderous, but whether it was for his minion or Merrill, I couldn’t be sure.
Oh, crappy doodles. What if I had inadvertently just gotten Merrill killed?
“You can have all the money we recover, Rose. If you help me stop them, you can keep every penny.”
I could see how a lesser person would be tempted, but I’d be putting those other businesses that had been robbed in the exact same position I was in now. “I told you I don’t want it. I want what’s mine, and then I want you to give the rest back to the places that earned it.”
Skeeter laughed. “Someone with integrity. That’s cute.”
I was so in over my head. Instead of figuring out how to get out of this, I needed to switch to self-preservation tactics. “I don’t want anyone to know I’m helping you.”
He looked amused. “I already claimed you, Rose. What difference does it make?”
“Claimed me? I’m not some discarded item to be picked up and owned, Skeeter Malcolm!”
“You’re a valuable asset and I need to make sure you’re protected.”
“All you’ve done is taken a nobody who no one paid any mind to and painted a bull’s-eye on her back. Everyone with half a brain is going to figure out that I’m special for some reason.”
“Oh, Rose Gardner. I can assure you that people in my circles have taken notice of you, if for no other reason than that you bested Daniel Crocker twice. If you’re worried about the secret of your ability getting out, put your fears to rest. It’s in my own best interest to keep it quiet. People will assume I’m making a claim on you to protect my own personal safety—the saying keep your enemies close comes to mind. But as long as I’m top-dog in Henryetta, you’ll be safe.”
The full implication of his words settled in. “So it’s in my best interest to make sure you not only remain alive but as top-dog.” I sighed. I’d always known he was smart, but I hadn’t planned on him being so calculating. He’d set me up, and I’d walked right into it.
“I’m happy you catch on quick.”
“What do you want?”
“I want you to see my future again.”
“That’s it?”
“For now.”
I groaned. “Fine. Let’s do it. I have a turkey I need to get into the oven.” Maeve was taking care of it, but no need for him to know that.