“I don’t know. Give me a moment.”
The more I thought about Skeeter’s cryptic words, the more I realized what they meant. He thought I was going to lure these men with my exposed cleavage, lead them on, have a vision, and then send them away before anything could happen, using Jed to make them leave if necessary. Based on the outright leers and stares I was receiving, I knew it would work in the short term—if I could bring myself to pull it off. But in the end, I’d look like a slut, and I’d never gain their respect, which was what I’d tried to do from the moment I climbed out of Skeeter’s car at that auction.
“I need a quiet place to talk to them.”
“Okay,” Jed said without hesitation. “Here or somewhere else?”
If I took them somewhere else, it could be misconstrued, but I didn’t like the thought having multiple visions here, in full view of everyone. “I’d like to remain in public view, but with enough privacy for no one else to hear what’s being said.” I pointed to a seating area in the dim back corner of the room. “That would work if we can keep the others away.”
“We can arrange it.”
“I want to meet with them one by one, but I want to do it as the Lady in Black, Skeeter’s business partner. Maybe they can be introduced and I can talk to them for a minute or so and then have a vision. It’s how they’ll react after my visions that worries me.”
“If we wait another hour or so, we can start with the ones who are drunk already and work our way up from there. If they’re drunk, we can play it off somehow.”
I nodded. I hated to be here longer than need be, but it was a great idea. “Okay.”
Jed motioned to a guy who hurried toward us. “Tell Skeeter that Lady would like him to formally introduce her to the men in an hour or so, one by one, starting with the ones who are the most drunk. In the meantime, I’m going to keep them away from her.”
The man made his way through the crowd and leaned into Skeeter. Several seconds later, Skeeter turned his gaze to me with a slight smile before returning his attention to the man across from him.
“That was smart,” Jed said behind me.
I shrugged, wondering how in the world I was going to spend the next hour. “It gives me authority and Skeeter as well. I worry about looking like I’ve usurped him, though. I don’t want anyone to think I’m the one with the real power.”
“I think you can pull it off as an equal pairing.”
For the next hour and ten minutes, I watched the men in the room, trying to figure out which one might have tried to kill Mason. The men lounged around, playing pool, drinking and talking. “It looks like Skeeter holds regular meetings here,” I whispered to Jed. “The fact that he owns this place has to be the best-kept secret in Fenton County, given the fact so many people clearly know about it.”
Jed leaned close. “Over in the corner, the guy with the beard is Bear Stevens.”
I studied the burly-looking bearded guy who’d spoken out at the meeting. It was easy to see how he’d earned his nickname. The guy he was talking to caught my attention. Though he was pretty average looking, his eyes were cold and hard. He looked like the kind of man who would do anything to put Skeeter out of business. Including kill Mason.
“Who’s he with?” I asked.
“Rich Lowry. He’s a sadistic bastard. He wouldn’t think twice about screwing you while he was trying to kill you. Hell, he’d probably get off on it. Stay as far away from him as possible if Skeeter and I aren’t with you.”
“Could he be the one we’re looking for?”
“He’s a two-bit player. Any money he gets, he loses on bets. He might be gunning for Skeeter’s position, but he can’t afford it. We’ll follow Skeeter’s lead when it comes to him.”
I was bored out my mind, and my stomach was a mess from worrying, so when Skeeter made his way toward me, I was equally thankful and alarmed.
“Okay, Lady,” he whispered in my ear. “Let’s catch a would-be killer.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Skeeter took the empty glass from my hand and gave it to Jed. “Go refill Lady’s drink.”
Jed nodded and headed for the bar.
“You have the men all abuzz. The fact that Jed’s been angling his deadly stare at them has both kept them away and kept them intrigued. Some are drunk enough that they’ll come on pretty strong when they’re alone with you.”
“I can handle it.”
“I’d prefer you let Jed handle it. It shows more authority that way.”
“Don’t they wonder why your guy is watching over me?”
He grinned. “Yeah, but it’s another thing to keep them on their toes.”
I watched Jed open the cabinet and pull out the bottle Skeeter had used.
“You don’t trust Jed?” He chuckled.
“You told me not to let my glass out of my sight. I’m only following your wise advice.”
“Wise?” He laughed. “You make me sound old.”
“How old are you, Skeeter Malcolm?”