It All Falls Down: Rose Gardner Investigations #7 (Rose Gardner Investigatons)

by Denise Grover Swank

  He took a breath. “What I’m tryin’ to say is…” His eyes filled with warmth and heat. “I’ve spent my whole life lookin’ for a place where I fit. Where I belong. You’re it, Rose. It’s you. You’re my home.”

  Tears filled my eyes. “Joe…”

  “I’ve known it since I helped you paint your livin’ room to cover the blood from your mother’s murder. I tried to let you go, because when I was finally able to pull my head out of my ass, I realized that while you fit me, I didn’t fit you. You needed someone worthy of your love, so I became a better man. And I confess, I gave up on you a few times. And when you and Mason broke up…I didn’t make a move because I knew I wasn’t worthy of you yet.”

  “Oh, Joe,” I said, closing the distance between us and cupping his cheek. “Don’t say that.”

  “No,” he said. “It’s true. I had a lot of soul searchin’ to do, and I know I’m not perfect, but—”

  I covered his lips with my fingertips. “I’m not perfect either. Far from it. We’ll just work on it together.”

  He laughed, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “I was planning on proposing to you when I thought you were ready.”

  “So I beat you to it,” I said, then pierced him with my gaze. “We’re never gonna be a normal couple, you know. We’re always gonna do things backward. Maybe you want something else.”

  “No, Rose. As long as I have you and Hope, that’s all I want or need.” He pulled me close again, staring down at my face. “I love you, Rose Anne Gardner. It will make me the happiest man in the world to be your husband.”

  I laughed. “I feel like I should be on bended knee, puttin’ a ring on your finger.”

  He laughed too. “The only ring I want is the one you’ll put on my finger at our weddin’. But I need to give you yours.”

  My mood turned somber. “I want to wait.”

  Pain and confusion filled his eyes. “Why?”

  “Because the moment you put that ring on my finger, I want to make plans for our weddin’, and we both have other things to deal with right now.” Plus, it could put Joe in danger. What if James saw me wearing Joe’s ring, and that was what pushed him over the edge to shoot him?

  Joe nodded, and relief filtered through me. “So you want a weddin’?”

  “Of course I want a weddin’, but not a big one. Something small, with just our close friends and family. Like Neely Kate and Jed’s.”

  He smiled. “I like the sound of that.”

  “Then we’re in agreement?” I asked. “No ring yet, and a small wedding soon after this mess is wrapped up?”

  “That sounds perfect to me.”

  “Good.” I gave him another quick kiss, but his arms held me close, and his mouth claimed mine in a slow, seductive kiss that made my toes curl. Heat filled me that had nothing to do with the rising temperatures. I wanted this man in every way.

  “Wow,” I said when he lifted his head. “If I’d known you’d kiss me like that, I would have asked you to marry me long ago.”

  He leaned back his head and laughed, a merry sound I felt all the way down to my marrow. I wanted more of that.

  I’d finally found happiness and a family of my own. Now it was time to protect it.

  Chapter 14

  Neely Kate had already started restocking Hope’s diaper bag.

  “Did you pack some extra clothes and diapers?” I asked.

  “There were eight diapers left, so I only grabbed a couple. Surely that’s enough.”

  “I’ll just go grab a few more,” I said as I headed for the door to the living room. “Who knows if I’ll need to go somewhere else and how long I’ll be gone.”

  She started to protest, but I ignored her and went up to Hope’s room to gather what I needed, then went into my room and opened my underwear drawer to get my gun and ammunition. I quickly changed into a sundress with pockets so I could attach my thigh holster and strapped in my gun. There was no reason to believe I’d be facing danger—I wouldn’t be bringing Hope otherwise—but that didn’t mean I shouldn’t be fully prepared to defend myself. The dress would make it harder to nurse Hope, but safety took precedence here. My pepper spray was already in my purse. When I headed back down the stairs, I could hear Neely Kate’s and Joe’s voices coming from the kitchen.

  The first words that registered were Neely Kate’s: “I’m gonna kill Rose.”

  “She’s worried,” Joe said. “And so am I. But I’m going to trust Jed has things in hand.”

  I reached the doorway, watching them as they stood next to the table. Joe was holding Hope, her back to his chest, her booty on his forearm while his other arm crossed over her chest and held her in place. He was swaying from side to side, although I was sure he wasn’t aware he was doing it.

  My heart burst with love, but my attention quickly shifted to Neely Kate. Neither of them seemed to be aware of my presence, and she nodded. “He does.”

  “Then that’s all I need to know for now,” he said. “Just remember I’m here for you, Neely Kate. As your big brother or as a law enforcement officer for the county. I can be one or both. Whatever you need me to be.”

  “I love you, Joe,” she said, her voice breaking.

  “I love you too.” He pulled her into a sideways hug so as to not crush Hope. “Our dad was pretty shitty, but at least that whole mess ended with me finding you.”

  She released a laugh as she pulled away, then finally caught sight of me standing in the doorway.

  “I didn’t mean to interrupt,” I said.

  “We got it worked out,” Joe said, his gaze dropping to my bare legs—not in a sexy kind of way, but like he was wondering what I was up to.

  “No thanks to you,” Neely Kate said, but it lacked the sting of real anger.

  “Kate’s his sister too,” I said. “He’d tell you if he heard from her, wouldn’t you, Joe?” I pinned my gaze on him.

  “Yeah,” he said. “Sure.”

  Neely Kate propped a hand on her hip. “That didn’t sound very convincin’.”

  “Don’t hurt him,” I teased as I crossed the room toward him and wrapped an arm around his back. “Not after he just agreed to marry me.”

  “What?” she squealed.

  Hope startled and started to cry.

  Joe turned her around and cradled her to his chest. “There, there, Hope. Your aunt does that a lot, so the sooner you get used to it the better.”

  “You asked him to marry you?” Neely Kate asked, incredulous.

  “Yeah,” Joe said with a huge grin. “She asked me out by the horse pasture, right next to a huge pile of poo. I turned her down and told her I was holding out for something social media worthy.”

  I burst out laughing, and Neely Kate looked like she wanted to hit him. “You liar, and you better be thanking your lucky stars you’re holdin’ my favorite niece or you’d be pummeled.”

  Joe laughed. “Why do you think I’m holdin’ her? I’m no fool.”

  It was total bull. He’d had no idea I was going to tell her.

  “I can’t believe you asked him,” she said, shaking her head.

  “Turns out he was waiting to ask me,” I said. “He claims he bought a ring three days after Hope was born.”

  She waved her hand as she rolled her eyes. “Please. I’m not surprised. He would have asked you to marry him last summer if he’d thought he stood a chance.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “But we need to go if we’re gonna make our meetin’.”

  I cringed as Joe turned to me with a lifted brow. “Meetin’? I thought you were just goin’ to their house.”

  “Oops,” Neely Kate said, then scooped Hope out of Joe’s arms. “I’m gonna get Hope strapped into her car seat.”

  She quickly headed to the living room.

  “I’m doin’ what needs to be done, Joe,” I said softly. “And I was truthful when I said I was going to hang out with Jed and Neely Kate.”

  “And does that meetin’ have anything to do with you changing you
r clothes?”

  “Yeah, but I’m fine. I promise. It’s just a precaution.”

  He nodded, but he still didn’t look happy. “I’m headin’ into town, but I’m only a phone call away.”

  “Me too,” I said, making a production of picking up my phone from the table and slipping it into my pocket.

  He started to head out the back door, only to stop a few steps in, turning back to face me. “Please tell me you have your gun strapped to your leg.”

  “I do.”

  “Good,” he grunted, reaching for the doorknob. “If you pull that thing out of its holster, shoot to kill.” Then he walked out the back door.

  Neely Kate was strapping Hope into her seat while Muffy sat on the sofa and supervised. My friend glanced up at me. “Did you really ask Joe to marry you? Not the other way around?”

  I laughed. “I already told you I did. No joke. It just feels so right with him, and somehow it seemed more fitting for me to suggest it first, you know?”

  “Yeah,” she said with a smile. “I do. But out by the horse pasture?”

  “Mason asked me at Jaspers, and look how that turned out,” I said. “It wouldn’t matter if we had an Instagram-worthy proposal or got engaged wearing coveralls. What’s important is that we love each other. Besides you, he’s my best friend, and he makes me happy. There’s something about knowing the man in your life is there when you need him—whether it’s facing danger or moving the baby’s clothes from the washer to the dryer, you know?”

  “Yeah,” she said with a soft smile. “I do.”

  “Good,” I said. “Now that that’s settled, let’s head over to the garage. We’re already late. But I think we should each take our own vehicle.”

  Because Neely Kate and Jed had made it clear they wanted to sit this out, and there was a chance I could figure out another safe errand that would yield information about the deal.

  Neely Kate didn’t look pleased with my suggestion. I knew she had plenty of questions, but she pressed her lips together, and we locked up the house and set the alarm. Since I didn’t know where we would be heading or what we’d be doing after the meeting with Dermot, I left Muffy at home, much to her disappointment.

  Hope made grunts and soft coos during the drive, but she didn’t fall asleep, and no smells drifted up to the front seat to alert me to a desperate need for a diaper change. Neely Kate beat me to the garage by about twenty seconds, and wasted no time grabbing the car seat and lugging it inside. I grabbed the diaper bag and followed her in.

  Jed, Dermot, and Witt were already sitting in the breakroom—Jed and Dermot in chairs at the table, Witt on the couch.

  “Sorry we’re late,” I said, setting the bag down on the floor next to the sofa. Neely Kate got Hope out of her seat and handed her to Jed, who held her as if she were made of glass.

  “I just got here myself,” Dermot said, leaning back in his chair.

  I plopped onto the sofa next to Witt. “Quite a few things have happened since we last talked this mornin’.”

  “You were never one to let grass grow under your feet,” Dermot said.

  I made a face. “In this instance, very little of what happened today was of my own doin’. As you’ve probably heard, someone dug a huge hole in my barn. Two different sources have suggested the perpetrators were diggin’ up at least one box of guns. Have any of you heard any whispers about buried weapons?”

  Witt and Jed were quiet, but Dermot shifted his weight.

  That was unusual. Dermot usually told me things straight out. That was one of the things I admired most about him.

  “What is it?” I asked him, holding his gaze.

  “I’ve heard rumors that there were two boxes of stolen weapons in the county somewhere, but no one knew where they were hidden.”

  “Why haven’t I heard anything about it?” Jed asked, cradling Hope in the crook of his arm.

  “Because it’s the kind of thing guys shoot the shit about while drinkin’,” Dermot said. “You don’t associate with that crowd anymore.”

  “Where did the story originate?” Jed asked.

  “It was all rumors. No mention about who had them or even if they were for sale. No one even knows where the rumor came from.”

  “That makes no sense,” Witt said. “What would be the purpose of talkin’ about it?”

  “I don’t know,” Dermot said. “I didn’t really ask questions. Everyone knows the Collards have been amassing guns for years. I figured it had to do with them, and they were gearin’ up for some kind of standoff with law enforcement. Normally, they just keep to themselves, but after I killed Carey, I started payin’ closer attention. I’m worried they’ll be out for revenge.”

  “A justified concern,” Jed said. “Now that they’re out on bail, I’ve been worried they might go after Rose.”

  “It’s a safe assumption Margi put them there, given how much she pushed me to renovate the barn, but how did she get the guns?” I asked, not wanting to dwell on the Collards’ intentions toward me.

  Dermot swung his gaze to me. “Good question. Her name was never mentioned.”

  “So we don’t know anything?” I asked.

  “It might not have been Margi,” Neely Kate said.

  We all turned to face her.

  “It could have been the construction guys,” Neely Kate said. “Maybe she didn’t know anything about it. I mean, we know Hardshaw was using Mike because he had his own construction company.”

  “And we still don’t know what they were scheming,” I said, deep in thought. “Vera said that Mike approached her boyfriend because Hardshaw needed an electrician with access to a restricted area at the courthouse.” I turned to Dermot. “Did you ever figure out what they were up to?”

  “No. We looked at upcomin’ cases and anyone of note comin’ to the courthouse, thinkin’ they might be after plantin’ a bomb, but nothing popped up on our radar. We’re just as clueless now as we were six weeks ago.”

  “And anyone who knew anything is dead,” Jed added.

  “Or in witness protection,” Neely Kate added, which made me think again of Ashley and Mikey. Were they okay? Did they think I’d abandoned them? Pain sliced into me.

  “Violet left me something important in that safe,” I said, getting frustrated. “And I’m beginning to suspect that Denny Carmichael knows of its existence. Especially since he was the one who killed so many people connected to Mike.” Because Vera’s boyfriend had directly worked for my brother-in-law, and Mike had also done work for Sonder Tech.

  “Whatever it is, it’s more than just a simple piece of information,” Jed said. “Otherwise, he would have gotten it from any of the three people he murdered.” He glanced in my direction. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything from Roberta Hanover?”

  “No.” I was considering reaching out to her again, but the vision had shown me that she would come to me.

  “Who’s Roberta?” Dermot asked.

  “Rufus Wilson’s girlfriend,” I said.

  “We got information that Rufus has experience cracking safes,” Neely Kate said, then held up her hand. “And, no. We’re not tellin’ how we got that information.”

  Dermot nodded. “You think she might know something?”

  “There’s a chance,” I said. “Neely Kate and I dropped by the Stop-N-Go at the corner of Maple and Hugo to talk to her. That’s where she works. She seemed pretty scared. There was someone in a parked car when we got there, and he was still there when we left. We’re pretty sure he was watching her.”

  “Jed?” Neely Kate asked, turning to him. “Did you find out anything from the license plate number I gave you?”

  Jed made a face. “Stolen car from Texarkana.”

  Dermot shot Jed a hard look. “Texarkana is on the way from Dallas.”

  “You think Hardshaw is watchin’ her?” Neely Kate asked.

  “It makes sense,” Witt said, watching Jed bounce Hope in his arms. “I’m just surprised they didn’t skip s
traight to snatching her.”

  “How important do you think this woman is?” Dermot asked me.

  “I don’t know,” I said, “but there’s a chance she knows something about what Violet was storing in her attorney’s safe, and I’m starting to think it’s really important.”

  Dermot’s mouth pressed into a tight line. “Maybe I should send a couple of guys to pick her up.”

  I shook my head. “While I’m worried about her safety, if we’re heavy-handed, she won’t talk. I need her to trust me. I had a vision of her coming to me. On her own terms.”

  “She might not make it long enough to show up at your front door,” Dermot said. “I’ll at least send someone to keep tabs on her.”

  “Don’t freak her out, Dermot,” I said. “She’ll run.”

  “My guy will be subtle,” Dermot said as he pulled out his phone. “Not even the Hardshaw guy will know he’s there. But Rose, if she knows something, we need to find out what it is, and the sooner the better.”

  He was right. The contents of that manila envelope were even more important than I’d thought.

  “We need to find Margi and make her talk,” Witt said.

  “Hasn’t Jed told you?” Neely Kate said. “Margi’s dead. The sheriff deputies found her in her house when they went to question her.” She took a deep breath. “But that’s not all. Her brother is missing. He didn’t show up to the clinic this morning.”

  “Levi Romano?” Witt asked in shock.

  “Yeah.”

  “Is the vet part of this mess?” Jed asked.

  “That’s a very good question,” Dermot said. “We’re surrounded by more very good questions than we need.”

  “Here’s another,” I said. “Where does Carmichael fit into all of this? I can’t help thinking they were either his guns in the first place or he heard the rumors and traced them back to the source.”

  “Either is plausible,” Jed said. “What does Joe think?”

  “He won’t say.”

  “Rose,” Witt groaned.

  I spun to face him. “It’s too early in the investigation, and besides, he and I have reached an understanding that some things can’t be shared.”