“Yep. Wednesday afternoon.”
I wrote down Wednesday afternoon. “I hate to be nosy, but what did she say?”
“You’re not bein’ nosy,” she said. “It’s always good to keep up with what Stella’s up to. She wanted to know where you were livin’ now and if I had an address or phone number.”
“Did you give it to her?”
“I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck, young lady. I knew she was up to no good. I told her I didn’t know.”
“Did she say anything else?”
“She told me that a social worker had been comin’ round to check on the baby. She thinks you had something to do with it.”
I sure wasn’t confessin’ Jed had been responsible. “How did Crystal look? Was she clean?”
“Clean enough,” Zelda said with a sigh. “But Stella’s been usin’ again. I could tell. I have no idea how she’s gettin’ that past the social worker, but then maybe she works at pretendin’ more with the social worker than she does with me. She knows I’ll tolerate crap I wouldn’t tolerate before on account of that poor baby.”
“Did she say anything about Crystal’s father?”
“As a matter of fact, she did. She said he’d come back from wherever he’d gone, and they were about to come into some money.”
My gaze lifted to Joe’s concerned face. That didn’t sound good. “Did Stella mention where that money was comin’ from?”
“She said the two of them had some deal in the works.”
“Did she say how soon this deal would go through?”
“Just soon.”
I felt the blood rush from my head. “Did she say anything else?”
“She complained that her mother’s not helpin’ with the baby. And that her sister won’t have anything to do with her. She asked me to watch her baby so she could do a few bartender shifts.”
“She got a job bartendin’?”
Zelda let out a loud snort. “She ain’t bartendin’. She’s strippin’, although I asked her why she’s takin’ on a new job if her ship’s comin’ in. She said it had something to do with the deal.”
What would stripping or bartending have to do with Chad Manchester or Neil Franken looking for me? “So are you watchin’ Crystal for her?”
“Of course I am. I wouldn’t put it past that fool to leave that sweet baby alone in that apartment while she takes her clothes off for dollar bills.”
I couldn’t help cringing. I’d taken my clothes off for dollar bills. “If I was closer, I’d help take care of her.”
“I know you would, sweet girl, and I could use your help. She dropped her baby off last night, and she won’t answer her phone today,” she grumbled. “She’s probably gettin’ high somewhere.”
Sadly, I suspected Zelda was right.
“Is everything okay?” she asked. “You in some kind of trouble?”
I forced a laugh. “I’m not in any more trouble than usual, Miss Zelda.”
She laughed too. “And that handsome young man who was with you… how’s he doin’?”
“Jed’s great.”
Crystal started crying in the background. “This baby girl is ready for her bottle, and after this one, I ain’t got any more formula,” Zelda said. “I guess I’ll have to go buy some if that fool doesn’t come back soon.”
“I’m sorry. I really wish I could help.”
The baby’s cries became more insistent. “That child has a set of lungs on her like her mother. I gotta go, Neely Kate. It was great talkin’ to you, girl. Be sure to keep in touch.”
The baby’s cries ripped up my insides. Stella didn’t deserve that sweet baby, but when I did a quick examination of my own life, I wondered if I did either. Maybe God knew what he was doin’ when he took my babies from me.
Tears filled my eyes, but I blinked them back and forced myself to sound cheerful. “I will, Miss Zelda. You too.”
Chapter 15
Joe studied me, and I knew he had to have a dozen questions, so I answered the less personal ones before he could ask.
“I suspect Stella’s strippin’ at the place we worked at together, although she can’t be makin’ much based on how awful she looked when I saw her over a month ago. She’s a meth addict and she looks the part.”
“You called family services on her when you saw her?” he asked.
“No. Jed did. Crystal was filthy, and Stella was in no hurry to clean her or feed her. Jed could see that it was killin’ me to leave her there, but he told me Stella could and would have me arrested for kidnappin’ if I tried to take the baby. I knew he was right. So as soon as we walked out the door, he called them. Then we sat out front, watchin’ her door until the social worker showed up.” I frowned. “Not that it did much good… obviously. Stella still has her.”
“Carlisle called family services to appease you?” he asked in a neutral voice.
“I’m sure he would have done it anyway. He was furious Stella was treatin’ her baby that way, but he knows about my babies. He knows how much I wanted them. So yeah, part of it was to help me deal with the guilt of leavin’ her with Stella.”
Joe was quiet for a moment. “So Stella and Branson think they’re comin’ into some money. Did they make a deal with Franken, or do they know you and Carlisle dug up the bag with money?”
“I’m not sure how they’d know…” A new fear hit me. “Unless Beasley found where we buried the body.”
“He forgot?”
“He was drunk, so I drove us there. He was passed out but roused around enough to help me dig the hole and move the body. While we were diggin’, he saw the nearby light pole that had a cross made out of silver nails. If they drove around the country roads long enough, he might have found it. We buried the guy behind some wild azalea bushes. If they found them, they’d see that it had been recently dug up.” Dread sank deep into my bones. “They’d think we have the money.”
“The good news,” Joe said, “is if they think you have the money, they won’t tell anyone else who might be lookin’ for it. They’ll keep it to themselves.”
“Unless they were threatened,” I said.
“True, but Stella thinks they’re comin’ into money.” He was quiet for a moment. “What if Stella wasn’t strippin’ last night?”
I narrowed my eyes.
He leaned forward. “What if Branson and Stella told Franken just enough to get him off their backs, but they found out you were in Henryetta? Stella hasn’t picked her baby up because she and Branson are on their way here.”
My chest tightened, and I struggled to take a breath.
“I’ll have Randy watch the farm. Kate bein’ on the loose is reason enough, and he can report directly to me what he sees.”
“You think they’ll figure out I live with Rose?”
“Someone told Franken to come to Fenton County to look for you, so that someone could have told Branson and Stella.”
I nodded. It made sense, but who?
Joe got to his feet and began to pace. “So if Branson and Stella come lookin’ for you, it stands to reason they’ll look for you in one of three places. Your granny’s farm, Rose’s farm, or the landscaping office. I suspect your granny can take care of them if they show up there.” He gave me an ornery smile.
He wasn’t wrong. Granny was one tough lady.
“We’ll warn your granny they might come lookin’ for you, and she can tell us if they show up. Randy can watch the farm, and you and I can sit in the landscapin’ office.”
“You think they’ll just waltz in?” I asked.
“They’re desperate for the ten grand, and if they think Franken suspects you have it, they’re gonna want to get it before he does, and based on what Stella told Zelda about movin’ away, they’re plannin’ on gettin’ the money and runnin’.”
“What about her baby?” I asked. “She left her with Miss Zelda.”
Joe gave me a grave look. “How much does she love that baby?”