I forced a small grin. “We’ll talk about it later. Then I’ll tell you why I’m goin’.”
“Okay, you go on about your day and let me know if you run into any trouble. If this call has to do with that…situation, I suspect they’re just taking tentative steps. We still have some time.”
My stomach dropped to my toes. Jed thought it was them too. He was just trying to protect me.
For the past few months, my half sister Kate had been dropping hints that she knew what I’d done in Ardmore. I would have blown it off, but some of the people involved had admitted to talking to her last fall. It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that she knew I’d murdered a man. And it definitely wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that she’d hand me on a silver platter to the people looking for him. In fact, she’d threatened as much, but not in so many words.
“Kate told them,” I said. “She does know.”
His hand squeezed around mine. “We don’t know that, NK. I still think that Kate is mostly bluffing.”
“Mostly means she’s got part of it right. Which part?”
“I don’t know.”
We sat in silence as I mulled over my last three trips to visit Kate in the psych ward. There was no doubt she was mentally ill, but she was also psychotic. She liked to toy with people, and I was her current prey.
“Come here,” he said softly, tugging me from my chair and hauling me onto his lap. He cupped the side of my face and tilted it up to look into my eyes. “I’ll take care of it, NK. Try not to worry.”
“But why should you have to?” And even more importantly, why was I letting him? I was usually a take-charge kind of gal. It stuck in my craw that I was letting him take point, but I was also rational enough to realize I wasn’t necessarily thinking clearly right now and Jed always seemed to think clearly. I couldn’t afford to screw up.
He started to say something, then stopped himself. “Because I’m involved too.”
Not because he cared about me. Because he was involved.
He gave me a soft kiss and pulled my cheek to his chest, holding me close. I let myself savor his touch before I pulled away.
“I have to go,” I said, sitting up. “I need to talk to you about this weekend. I might need your help with something.”
“Anything.”
“Good,” I said with a soft smile. “I’ll tell you all about it later. If I start explainin’ now, I’ll definitely be late for my meeting.”
He searched my face with a worried look. “Are you okay, Neely Kate?”
“I’m fine.”
“I’d come with you or trail you, but I have something I need to do.”
I started to ask him what it was, then stopped. What with all the mystery meetings he had, I was beginning to think he’d gone back to work for Skeeter Malcolm. What would I do if he had? Was it a deal-breaker?
Secrets and more secrets. I was sick to death of them. Only one more reason to come clean with Rose. That stupid phone call might have been the tipping point.
Rose and I had arranged to meet for lunch at a new sandwich shop on the west side of town.
When I walked in, she was already sitting at a table, tapping on her phone. She glanced up at me and smiled. “Thanks for meeting with me. I know you sometimes eat lunch with Jed.”
“I wanted to come. Besides, he’s busy today,” I said.
She narrowed her eyes. “What’s goin’ on?”
“Nothin’. Let’s go up to the counter and order.”
She gave me an inquisitive look but followed. We ordered our sandwiches and drinks, then sat down.
She grinned. “I hear we have plans tonight.”
“Violet called you.”
“She did,” she said with a laugh. “She also said we have a date with her closet tomorrow afternoon. Joe asked you to attend a fundraiser dinner?”
“I was going to tell you at lunch,” I said defensively. “I wasn’t keepin’ it from you.”
“I know you weren’t,” she said, her smile fading. “And I’m excited for you, but I’m also worried. The newspapers and press can be so cruel. I just want you to be careful.”
“What’s there to be careful about?” I asked, conveniently overlooking the murder I’d committed and the fact that I’d been whored out for drugs and money two times in my life—first by my mother and then by my ex-boyfriend. All of those secrets were locked up as tight as a steel drum, but maybe I was foolish to think they’d stay that way. What would I do if the press found out about any of it? Or if Kate fed the information to them? Maybe this was a bad idea after all.
An employee brought out our food, and as soon as he walked away, Rose picked up her sandwich. “We need to decide what to wear to this etiquette class. I’d call Violet and ask her, but she’d hold it over my head for years.” Her voice trailed off as she realized what she’d said.
“I had a nice chat with her this morning,” I said, trying to make it easier for her. “She took me out to the greenhouse and started quizzing me about the plants.”
Rose looked horrified. “She did what?”
I waved my hand. “She actually taught me quite a few things.”
“What on earth was she up to?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but it was fun. Plus, she set up the etiquette class, and she’s giving me a dress. It sure beats shopping with Dena.”
“What? Why would you shop with Dena?”
I told her about my coffee date with Joe and how Dena had crashed it.
“The nerve of her,” Rose said, getting angry. “I never in a million years would have expected her to behave this way. I encouraged him to go to the carnival with her. Why is he puttin’ up with it?”
“I don’t know, but I told him I’m not goin’ to the dinner if she goes. I’m not gonna spend all night competing with her.”
“I don’t blame you one bit.” She paused, looking worried. “I guess I need to ask someone else to watch Muffy. I’d ask Maeve, but with Mason back in town…”
Mason was Rose’s ex-boyfriend. He worked for the attorney general’s office and had been sent to Fenton County to wipe it clean of corruption. Meaning Rose’s new boyfriend was his main target. Worse, Mason had vowed to destroy anything, and anyone, that got in his way.
Rose and Skeeter had bad timing, but at least they were discreet. If I hadn’t already known about them, and Rose and I hadn’t been living together, I never would have guessed. She was careful not to talk or text him during the day, and she usually waited until later at night to go to his place. He’d asked her to go to Shreveport this weekend, but she wasn’t telling people she was leaving town and neither was he. It wouldn’t be hard to hide—Rose was a homebody when she wasn’t working—but she was still paranoid Mason would put things together.
“No, don’t ask Maeve,” I said. “I think Jed will watch her.”
“Jed?”
“He already knew we were supposed to take care of her and he likes her. I’m sure he’ll watch her.” So long as his secret activities weren’t keeping him busy…
I hesitated, then shot off the question I’d been longing to ask her for days. “Do you know if Jed is working for Skeeter?”
“What?”
“It’s just that Jed’s been kind of secretive the last week or two, and he knows I don’t want him going back to work for Skeeter. And with you two goin’ out of town…”
She shook her head. “No. He’s got Reacher takin’ over things while he’s gone. He’s worried he can’t handle it, but James has some backups built in if need be.”
“Is Jed one of them?” I pressed.
She gave me a sympathetic glance. “No. He would have told me.”
My tension in my chest released and I felt like I could breathe again. “Violet seemed a lot stronger than she was two weeks ago.”
Rose smiled. “Yes, she does, thank goodness. That’s the only reason I’m going out of town.”
“Are things still weird between you and Mike?” Violet’s husband had turned against Rose, which had hurt her something fierce, especially since they’d been close for years.
“Yeah. But he’s never around when I’m there, so I can’t help thinking he’s purposely avoiding me.”
“What if he’s not upset with you?” I said. “What if he’s hidin’ something from you?”