Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons
Page 33

“Suzanne! I got picked. I swear it. We just got let out today because most of the jury got food poisoning.”
“Uh-huh.”
I had to admit, it sounded like a lie. “I can call the courthouse if you want. They’ll excuse me. Or I can get a letter when I go back tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Rose Gardner, if you don’t come into work tomorrow then don’t bother coming back next week.”
“What? You can’t do that!”
She put a hand back on her hip in an exaggerated motion. “Just watch me.”
I knew for a fact that she couldn’t. Joe had said so. But if she tried it, maybe she’d be the one fired and the DMV would be a happier place. It’s a sad day when you miss your old boss, despite the fact she tried to kill you.
Suzanne went out of her way to make my life miserable all morning. She took difficult customers from the other clerks and handed them off to me. When a customer with complicated paperwork showed up, she tossed the documents on my counter with a wicked grin. The only good thing about the day was that I was too busy to dwell on Bruce Wayne Decker’s situation. In the rare moments I did, I hoped Joe had made some progress.
I’d planned on eating lunch in the break room, but Suzanne had worked herself under my skin like a raging case of scabies. I wasn’t a violent person, in spite of my previous rolling-pin reputation, but I was dangerously close to snapping Suzanne’s head off.
When I announced that I planned to leave the building for lunch, the other employees released sighs and relaxed in their chairs. I felt as welcome as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman.
“You better make sure you’re back on time! Not one minute late!” Suzanne hollered as I hurried out the back door.
The afternoon was sweltering, but thunderheads loomed on the horizon. With any luck at all, we’d get a good storm to cool things down, but if my morning was any indication of my luck, there wasn’t much chance of that happening. I climbed in the car and turned the ignition over, waiting for the air blowing out of the vents to turn cold. Joe was right. While my car was reliable to get around Henryetta, I worried about driving it to Little Rock. I briefly considered asking Violet to borrow her car, but knew I had a better chance of Mildred waving hello the next time Joe left.
My lunch break was a half an hour, which meant I now had less than thirty minutes before I had to face Suzanne again. If I’d done nothing else in the last month and a half, it was learning to stop squandering my life. Why didn’t I just quit my job and move to Little Rock with Joe? I had to admit, the idea was tempting. I missed him. An overwhelming wave of sadness washed over me and I decided to call him. I figured I’d leave a voice mail so it surprised me when he answered on the second ring.
“How’s your day goin’, beautiful? I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon, not that I’m complaining.”
My stomach fluttered. How could he do that to me with just a phone call? “I miss you.”
“I miss you too. I’m counting the hours until I see you again.”
My voice lowered. “And how many hours is that, Detective Simmons?”
“About thirty more hours before I get to see your naked body again.”
“Joe!” I protested, even as my body tingled with anticipation.
“When you asked me to help you with number fifteen on your list—do more with a man—did you think it would turn out like this?”
“Never in a million years.”
“Thanks for asking.” Wickedness laced his words.
My face burned, and I was unsure what to say. I cleared my throat. “Did you find out anything about Bruce’s case?”
“Bruce?”
“Bruce Wayne Decker. You know, the innocent man who’s bein’ railroaded into a life time in jail.”
“I know who you’re talking about. I just didn’t know you two were on a first-name basis.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, have you?”
He paused. “About that.”
My breath stuck in my chest, making me regret thinking my day had gotten better. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“Well…” He paused for several seconds. “That’s because it’s not.”
“What? But how can you know that already? You just got back to your office only a few hours ago.”
“Right, but…I may have had a head start.”
“What are you talkin’ about?”
He cleared his throat. “I actually started making some inquiries yesterday when you wouldn’t answer my calls. I wondered if you were onto something and decided to do a little diggin’.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I didn’t want you to get your hopes up.”
“But you don’t know all the facts. I didn’t tell you everything I know about the case.”
“There’s more?”
“Did you dig up the fact that Frank Mitchell owed people money?”
“Who did he owe and how much?”
I bit my lip before I answered. “Well, I don’t know that part.”
“What do you know?”
“Anne in the paint department at the hardware store said he didn’t have a lick of sense, and he owed money to people.”
“How did she know this? Were they friends?”
“I don’t know…”
“It’s gossip, Rose. You can’t trust it.”