“What do you plan to do to protect them?” Mason asked again.
“I’ve barely had time to put anything together, Deveraux,” Joe said in exasperation. “Neely Kate was my priority. Now that I’ve helped her calm down, I can give it some thought. Do you expect me to give you protection as well?”
Mason’s eyes darkened. “The state police are sending a detail.”
“Well, now that you know it’s being handled on this end, we’ll let you get on with your day,” Joe said.
Mason took a step toward his car, then turned back to Joe. “Has she contacted you?”
Some of Joe’s antagonism fled. “No. The first I heard of her escaping was when the hospital called me.”
“What about you?” Mason asked in a softer tone as he glanced down at me.
“My phone died overnight, and there was nothin’ from her when I got it charged to turn on.” Not a lie.
“Rose?” Mason asked.
She put a hand on her hip. “Are you investigatin’ this too?”
Mason groaned. “Rose.”
“She didn’t contact her,” I said. “But you can’t blame Rose for not wanting to be forthright with you after you threatened her.”
His stiffened in frustration. “Rose, I said things I now regret. I know you don’t want to hear that, but it’s true.”
Her only answer was a glare.
He continued, “In light of the danger we’re all in, I can set aside my differences. I’m genuinely concerned for you and Neely Kate. We all know that Kate’s unhinged. You two aren’t safe out here alone.”
“We won’t stay here alone,” I said. “Joe and I were making plans for where we’re gonna stay, so don’t you worry.”
“You can stay with Mom,” Mason said. “I stayed with her when I first got back into town, but I’ve since found an apartment to rent.” He paused, his gaze locking with Rose’s. “I guess what I’m doin’ a poor job of saying is don’t let me stop you from stayin’ with Mom.”
The hardness in Rose’s eyes softened. “Thanks.”
Mason turned back to me. “I know Joe will make sure you’re okay, but I’m here for you too, Neely Kate. Just because Rose and I are out of sorts doesn’t mean you can’t come to me for anything.”
“Thanks, Mason,” I said, giving him a hug, and feeling like a traitor to Rose, but I truly believed him. “That means more than you know.”
He hugged me back, holding me longer than I’d expected. “Kate’s up to something, Neely Kate. I can feel it. I’m worried about you.”
I forced a laugh as I pulled back. “Listen to you talkin’ about premonitions. If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect you of hangin’ out with my granny.”
He forced a laugh too. “Sometimes I have gut instincts too. Just be safe.” His gaze lifted to Rose and pain filled his eyes. “Both of you.”
Then he stepped away from me and got into his car and left.
Chapter 9
As soon as we saw Mason’s taillights, Joe said, “Mason’s right. You two need to be protected and you shouldn’t stay here.”
Rose gave me a slightly panicked look.
I smiled up at Joe. “Rose and I need to talk about it,” I said. “Can we let you know?”
His face hardened. “I’m not leavin’ until we come up with a plan.”
“Then we need to discuss this alone,” I said. “How about you sit out here with Muffy?”
Surprisingly, he agreed.
As soon as we opened the front door, Muffy shot out the door, running straight for Joe. We walked into the kitchen and Rose put the shotgun on the kitchen table.
“I need to cancel my weekend,” Rose said as she leaned her butt against the edge of the kitchen counter. “I can’t leave you with Kate running around.”
“Going away is the absolute best thing you can do,” I said. “And goin’ with Skeeter Malcolm to boot. You know he’ll stop anyone who tries to hurt you.” When she looked just as determined, I added, “Kate planned to kill you before, Rose. Get out of town while they’re lookin’ for her.”
“She was goin’ to kill you too.”
“She won’t now. Things are different between us. She might try to hurt me, but she won’t kill me.”
“You don’t know that for certain,” she scoffed.
“But I do.”
“You still can’t be alone,” she protested.
“I won’t be. Tonight I’ll be with Jed, and tomorrow I’ll be with Joe.”
She gave me a look of disbelief. “Are you still goin’ to that dinner?”
“I don’t know,” I said with a frown. “I suspect Kate knows about it, so it might be a good way to draw her out.”
“I don’t like the idea of you acting as bait.”
“You know that Joe won’t let anything happen to me, and for all I know, he’s gonna cancel. My point is that I’ll be safe here. You need to go, and you need to see if Skeeter can get away sooner rather than later.”
“What about Joe?” she asked. “He’s gonna want to know where I’m goin’ and who I’m goin’ with.”
I cringed. “I already told him you were goin’ out of town for the weekend, but I didn’t tell him who with. I just told him you needed a break. Maybe tell him you’re meeting a friend from high school.”
“Did he ask where I was last night?”
“No. I changed the topic.”
She gave me a worried look. “I’m sorry I didn’t come home. I intended to, but I fell asleep until Joe called.” She gave me a light slap on the arm. “You scared the crap out of me when you wouldn’t answer your phone.”
“Sorry.” I almost told her about hearing someone come in during the middle of the night but stopped myself. She’d never leave if I told her about the break-in.
“I can’t leave you, Neely Kate,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Not with that insane woman on the loose.”
“Strangely enough, I think I’m fairly safe. After our visit yesterday, I think she really does want to have some kind of relationship with me. But you’re not safe. Call Skeeter right now and ask him how soon he can get away.”
Thankfully, she was caving. “What am I gonna tell Joe? He’ll never believe I’m meeting a friend from high school. He knows I didn’t really have any of those.”
“What if you tell him you’re going to a landscaping convention or a garden show or something?” I twisted my lips to the side. “But he’d likely check on that.”
“There’s actually something going on in the botanical garden at the R.W. Norton Art Gallery.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You’re really goin’?”
Her cheeks flushed. “Well… yeah. That’s why we planned on goin’ this weekend.”
I put a hand on my hip and stared at her in disbelief. “Skeeter Malcolm’s goin’ to an art museum.”
She scowled. “Is that so unbelievable?”
I gave a slight shake of my head. “Not when you’re involved.”
“We’re gettin’ off track here,” she said. “We need to figure out what we’re gonna tell Joe so he’ll let me go and not be suspicious.”
We pondered for a second; then I snapped my fingers. “I’ve got it. Tell him you’re goin’ with your Aunt Bessie.”
Her eyes lit up.
Rose’s aunt lived the next county over. She and Rose’s uncle had a farm that kept them busy, so Rose didn’t see them much. It was clear Joe trusted Rose’s aunt because he’d sent Violet and her family to Bessie’s house several times when he’d thought they’d been in danger before. It could work.
“What if he mentions it to Violet?” she asked.
“Then we’ll get her to cover for you.”
“Are you crazy?” she whisper-hissed. “Violet?”
“She already knows you’re seein’ someone, and even though she doesn’t know who it is, she approves. When I saw her yesterday, she wanted me to tell her who it was, so she won’t be surprised when you call her. And crazy enough, she seemed just fine not knowin’. She said she’d wait until she died, then peer over the edge of Heaven to see who it was.”
Tears glistened in Rose’s eyes even as she smiled. “I’m not fallin’ for that for a split second—but if she wasn’t upset, she’ll likely go along. I’ll call her. But now that I’m taken care of, what about you?”
“I already told you, Joe and Jed won’t let me out of their sight.” Then I added, “Now run upstairs and finish packing. We’ll tell Joe you’re leaving right away to meet your aunt.”