Twenty-Nine and a Half Reasons
Page 62

We spent the rest of our time talking about her wedding. She pulled out a silvery, glittery invitation and handed it to me. Rose and Joe was written in elaborate curlicues. “I hope you can come,” she gushed.
“Oh! I haven’t told you my big news,” I said, studying the invitation.
“Bigger than gettin’ arrested?”
I nodded. “I’m goin’ to move to Little Rock!”
Her eyes were as wide as her hooped earrings. “He asked you to move in with him?” Then she squealed so loud that everyone in the café turned to stare.
“Neely Kate! Shh!”
“That is so xcitin’!”
“Yeah, we’ll see what Violet says.”
“You haven’t told her yet?”
I filled Neely Kate in on what happened Saturday night.
Neely Kate’s mouth pinched in disapproval. “I’d love to get my hands on your sister.”
“She didn’t do it out of meanness. She really thinks she’s doin’ what’s best for me.”
Shaking her head, she frowned. “I’m not so sure about that.” She glanced down at her watch. “Oh my stars and garters! I’m late.” She jumped up out of her chair.
“Neely Kate. Wait a second.” She turned around.
“Can you look something up for me?”
She sat back down, resting her chin on her hand. “Of course!”
“But you don’t even want to know what I’m going to ask before you agree?”
She shrugged. “No. What do you want me to do?”
I leaned close and lowered my voice. “I found out that someone was trying to buy Frank Mitchell’s house before he died and he was trying to keep from selling. But his neighbor said the house got sold by his son soon after his death, then sold again not long ago. I think the second time was to a developer who’s wanting to put in a super store, but I wonder who bought it the first time. Can you find out?”
She winked with a grin. “Pleaaase. I can find that out in my sleep. I’ll call you with the info later.”
“Thanks, Neely Kate.”
“What are friends for?”
I was grinning when I went back to work, which perplexed Suzanne. The afternoon flew by and I grinned even bigger when I handed her my letter at the end of the day.
“What’s this?” she asked, squinting at the paper. “Your jury letter?”
“Nope, it’s my two-week notice. It’s your lucky day!”
The vinyl of my car’s seat burned my legs when I climbed in, but I was so happy, I didn’t care. I was actually quitting the job I’d hated for years.
Checking my cell phone, I noticed Neely Kate had left a message.
I called her on the way home, the air blasting so hard from the vents I had trouble hearing her. “Hey, Neely Kate.”
“Rose! I found something out!”
Her excitement made my stomach jittery. “What?”
“Hyde Investments, a company in Louisiana, bought the house from Frank Mitchell’s son.”
“But shouldn’t it have gone to probate?” Even though Momma had left the house to Violet, we still had to go through probate to sell it.
“No, his son’s name was on the deed.”
“Oh.” I wished Momma had thought to do that and save us all a lot of hassle.
“Then just a few weeks ago, another corporation bought it. The company that owns the superstore.”
“Hmm…”
“What do you make of that?” she asked.
“I don’t know. Do you know anything about Hyde Investments?”
“Nope, not a thing other than it’s based in Louisiana. I couldn’t find out much about them from my search on the internet. If it’s based out of state, could it be owned by the bookies that Frank owed money to?”
“I don’t know, but it seems unlikely that an investment company in Louisiana would kill Frank Mitchell.”
“Rose, there’s something else.” She sounded nervous.
“What?” My tongue tripped on the word.
“They’re expecting to wrap up the trial on Wednesday.”
The way she said it told me this was important information. “What does that mean?”
“It means you have to hurry. You can still save Bruce Wayne if you find evidence to keep him from being convicted, but if you find it after he’s convicted, he’ll have to go through an appeals process that could take years.”
I sucked in my breath. “Oh no.”
“What are you gonna do?”
I needed to accelerate my investigation. “Neely Kate, what are you doin’ tonight?”
“Paintin’ my nails and watching TV. Why?”
“I feel like playing pool.”
“Um, I think it’s shootin’ pool.”
Oh, crappy doodles. I had a lot to learn in a few hours.
Chapter Nineteen
Neely Kate had agreed to meet me at the pool hall at eight o’clock. I was glad for that, since it would give me a chance to take Muffy on a short walk. I’d neglected her lately with all the excitement involving my jury duty. I wondered how she’d like Little Rock. Joe didn’t have a yard.
After our walk, Muffy and I shared a dinner of Joe’s leftover Chicken Parmesan. Thinking about him made me miss him like crazy. I reached for my phone, debating whether to call him or not. It seemed silly to worry about calling him too much. I hadn’t called him since last week, and in the meantime I’d agreed to move in with him. Surely, we were past the worrying-I’d-look-like-a clingy-girlfriend stage. Before I could dial, the phone rang and I expected it to be Joe. Instead, it was Violet. I hesitated before answering, deciding I had to talk to her sometime.