Jed hesitated and swallowed. “Skeeter’s never been a here-and-now kind of guy. He’s a lot more far-sighted than most people realize. Skeeter waited a year for Daniel Crocker to self-destruct, and he was ready to make his move once it happened. He was the one who suggested that Bull hold an auction to sell the business. He also created issues that may have made Bull want to sell the business.”
None of that came as a surprise to me. “That still doesn’t explain why he’d put me as top priority tonight.”
“You’re an investment, Lady. Especially after the last few days, he sees the potential you have for him and his business. He’s going to protect that at all costs.”
While I should have been reassured, I didn’t like the implications. Any hope of ever cutting our ties to him had gone the way of the wooly mammoth.
“But my boyfriend is the Fenton County Assistant DA. How can he trust me? How can you trust me? How do you know I won’t run off and tell him or Joe Simmons everything?”
“Skeeter can read people. It’s kind of a gift. He can usually tell who’s going be loyal or not, and he rarely gets it wrong. After the auction, he pegged you as loyal. Very loyal.” He paused. “Merv and I didn’t agree with him. Merv is still suspicious of you, but I’ve become a believer.”
I shook my head. “But Skeeter barely knows me.”
He grinned. “There are all kinds of gifts in this world, Lady. You can see the future. Skeeter can judge people. It shouldn’t be all that surprising, especially for you.”
I supposed he was right. “But sometimes he gets it wrong?”
“Just like you can change what you see in your visions, sometimes people change, although most people don’t ever really change, so it’s rarer. But the possibility’s there, so he’s always reevaluating everyone.” His eyes turned serious. “That is not public knowledge, so you can’t tell anyone, and I mean anyone. Not even your best friend, Neely Kate.”
A shiver ran down my spine. “How do you know about Neely Kate?”
“I told you that Merv and I didn’t agree with Skeeter’s evaluation of you at first. So I’ve watched you.”
I was starting to have second thoughts about Jed. “You’ve been stalking me?”
“I had to make sure you weren’t a threat,” he said unapologetically.
I crossed my arms, suddenly creeped out.
“My job is to protect Skeeter. At all costs. After the auction, I knew he’d call you again. It was only a matter of time. I had to check you out for myself to make sure you wouldn’t betray him.” He gave me a sheepish grin. “But if Skeeter ever found out . . .”
I shook my head, and against my better judgment I said, “He won’t hear it from me. But if you’re worried about him finding out, why are you telling me at all?”
“Because I can judge people too. Nothing like Skeeter, his is a true gift, but I know people. You have a good heart, Rose Gardner. You are loyal to your friends and the people who help you. If you give Skeeter a chance, he can help you far more than you know.”
I released a breath. “While I thank you for your compliment—really I do—I have no intention of getting mixed up in Skeeter’s underworld any more than I already am.” I lifted my chin. “And I’m not stupid. I know that any gift from Skeeter comes with a whole assortment of tangled strings. Not that he’d have anything I want.”
Jed’s face turned serious. “Don’t be so sure about that. He’s trying to save your boyfriend.”
“He’s trying to save himself. Saving Mason just happens to be part of the deal.”
Jed remained silent.
I shifted in my seat, my anxiety returning as we entered Henryetta. “So I’m still not sure what I’m doing tonight.”
“After you arrive, Skeeter will start his meeting. At some point he’ll have you read the men, one by one, but it won’t be until he gives you the go-ahead.”
“I’m supposed to walk around and have visions of everyone there? Because that won’t look suspicious . . .”
“Skeeter’s trying to set up a way that it will work. Which is why he’ll give you the signal when it’s time for you to start. The three guys he’s most worried about are Seth Moore, Bear Stevens, and Neil Winn.” He turned a corner to avoid driving downtown. “Moore runs a pawnshop up by Sweet Briar.”
I cringed. “Given who I know, do you really think I should be hearing this?” I could only imagine what illegal activities Seth Moore was up to with his pawnshop. “Maybe the less I know, the better.”
Jed’s mouth pursed. “This situation is far from ideal, but Skeeter’s determined to make it work. He only wants you to know the barest of facts, but hopefully it will be enough to help you find what you need. It won’t do anyone any good if you’re searching blind.”
I had to admit he had a point. “What do I need to know about the other two?”
“Stevens owns a marina on Fenton Lake, and Winn . . . we’ll file everything else about him in your ‘the less you know, the better’ folder.”
I decided to take him at his word. “Do you think the guy who’s trying to kill Mason will even be here?”