In High Cotton: Neely Kate Mystery #2

by Denise Grover Swank

  Stella’s head jerked from side to side. “Where is she? I don’t see her.”

  “The barn, from the sound of it,” I said.

  “Where are you?” Stella asked, grabbing my T-shirt in the middle of my back and hauling me to my feet, using me as a shield.

  “Neely Kate’s right,” Kate shouted. “I’m in the barn, and you’re two minutes late. I’m gonna have to deduct a couple grand for that.”

  Stella pointed her big gun at my temple. “Then I’m gonna have to blow your sister’s brains out.”

  “You do that, and I won’t pay you a dime and you’ll find Branson in the exact same condition.” Kate took a second, then said, “How about you come collect your money and your man, I’ll get my sister, and then you can be on your merry way.”

  “I thought you said you didn’t have the money,” Stella shouted.

  Kate moved into the opening of the slightly ajar barn door. “Do you want the money or not?” Then she disappeared back inside.

  “I don’t trust her,” Stella said, pushing me in that direction nevertheless. She slid the gun around my head then down to the middle of my back, making sure I never had a moment to jump her.

  “What about Crystal?” I asked, trying to shift my hands, but the new position made the pain even worse. “Where does she fit into all of this?”

  “Why do you care so much about that baby?” she asked. “Babies are a way to make a man give you money or give you want you want, preferably both.”

  “Are you gonna go get her after you get the money?”

  “Why do you care so much?” she asked, her voice full of suspicion. Then as we marched across the large backyard, up the slight incline to the barn, she said, “Does this have anything to do with your abortion?” She laughed. “Do you know how easy it was to make you think it was a good idea?”

  Tears stung my eyes. I’d been so, so stupid. “Branson would have come after the baby.”

  She released a bitter laugh. “Branson wouldn’t have given a shit about that baby. He doesn’t give a shit about Crystal. But he sure does give a shit about you. He made a buttload off you and couldn’t have sold you for as much if your gut was big with a baby.”

  “He couldn’t have given much of a shit about me if he sold me to Pearce Manchester. Branson had to know he was gonna kill me.” We were about twenty feet from the barn.

  “It was a calculated risk,” Stella said. “You were his in with Hardshaw.”

  Kate appeared in the doorway again, tilting her head to the side as she studied my kidnapper’s face. “Aren’t you a complicated woman, Stella St. Clair?”

  “How do you know who I am?” Stella asked in shock.

  “I know many things. Come inside and we’ll discuss them.” She pushed the barn door wider and turned her back to us, walking back inside.

  “She doesn’t have a gun,” Stella murmured. “She can’t be much of a threat.”

  “Kate’s so evil she doesn’t always need a gun,” I said, hoping to spook here and the way she tensed, I was pretty sure it had worked.

  Stella pushed me inside and I blinked as my eyes adjusted to this new darkness. Kate had a kerosene lantern set up on a rung of the ladder up to the empty loft. Branson was lying in the trough in the back corner, his legs bound at the ankles and his hands bound in front of him. His mouth was tied with a gag and a wild look filled his eyes.

  Joe sat on a kitchen chair, about ten feet to the left of Branson, several feet from the open back door. I knew the woods at the back of Rose’s property were about ten feet behind the barn.

  Joe’s eyes caught mine, but he didn’t say anything. The concern on his face was communication enough. His legs were tied to the legs of the chair and his arms were bound behind him. A trail of blood ran down his face from his right temple, and his left eye was swollen. While Kate was capable of many things, beating up Joe likely wasn’t one of them.

  “Where’s your bodyguard?” I asked with plenty of attitude. “I’m pretty sure you couldn’t have managed this on your own.”

  Kate laughed as she moved next to the ladder. “You’re right. I’m not capable of beating up men like you are. My strengths lie in other areas.” She rested her hand on the ladder, and I realized all it would take would be one good shake of the rickety thing to knock the lantern over.

  I’d been right—Kate didn’t always need a gun. But I was sure she still had one close.

  “Where’s my money?” Stella asked, grabbing hold of my hair at the nape of my neck and pointing her gun at my temple again.

  My heart raced. Stella would think nothing of pulling that trigger, especially now that she was here.

  “Don’t you want to say hello to your man?” Kate asked, then snickered.

  “What’s so funny?” Stella asked.

  Branson shouted into his gag, his words unintelligible, but it was obvious he was terrified or pissed. Probably both.

  Kate gave her a Cheshire cat grin. “You’ll find out soon enough. Let’s talk business first. Kyle. Bring in the bag.”

  A man who looked to be in his thirties appeared in the open back door, carrying a small black bag. He was dressed all in black, and the muscles on his arms and the look in his eyes screamed, Don’t mess with me.

  “Set it on the floor.”

  Kyle did as he was told, then stepped back.

  “Stella,” Kate said in a dry tone. “I want my sister. You want Branson and money. There’s a bag of money on the floor. Take it and go.”

  “Not so fast,” Stella said, gripping my hair even tighter, making me release an involuntary gasp. “How much money’s in there? Ten minutes ago, you said you didn’t have it.”

  “That was before I realized I was workin with such a shrewd negotiator,” Kate said. “I just broke out of a psych ward. You think I’m going around the state using a credit card? Of course I have cash.”

  Stella cocked her head, looking around me. “How much?”

  “Five grand. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself.”

  Stella hesitated, then started to advance toward the bag, dragging me along with her.

  “Let go of my sister,” Kate said, sounding almost like she was bored.

  “I don’t think so,” Stella said, tugging on my hair.

  I released another involuntary cry.

  “This is your last warning,” Kate said in a cold hard voice. “Let go of my sister or I’ll have Kyle shoot Branson.”

  Stella stopped and turned to glance back at Branson. He was struggling with his restraints and crying out every time he moved, and his eyes were pleading with Stella to save him.

  “Fine,” Stella grunted, then gave me a hard shove toward the front barn door, keeping the gun pointed at me. “But she stays over there.”

  “That works for now,” Kate said with a slight grin, and I knew she had something devious planned.

  Stella dropped to her knees, struggling to unzip the bag and keep the gun pointed at me.

  “Need help?” Kate asked with a smirk. “How about I have Branson come over to assist?”

  Stella gave her a suspicious glare. “Why would you do that?”

  “As a sign of my goodwill. Kyle.” She gestured toward Branson.

  The beefy guy stalked over to Branson, crossing in front of Joe, who was watching me like a hawk and likely trying to figure out how to get us out of this.

  Kyle stopped next to the trough, and Branson shrank back, his body quaking with fear. Kate’s henchman grabbed Branson’s arm and yanked him out of the basin, none too gently, and dumped him on his feet.

  Branson cried out in pain, tears streaming down his face as Kyle bent down to cut the zip ties at his ankles.

  “Why’re his jeans all dark like that?” Stella asked, pointing to his crotch. “Did he piss himself?”

  I stared at Joe in horror, wondering if he knew why Branson’s crotch was stained. The look in his eyes told me he did.

  The only person in the room who didn’t know was Stel
la, and Kate was playin’ her like a fiddle.

  “Go on, Branson,” Kate said. “Big tough man. Go unzip the bag. Just like I unzipped your jeans.”

  Stella’s eyes grew wild. “You screwed her?”

  Branson’s eyes flew wide and he vigorously shook his head, screaming his undecipherable words into his gag. He stumbled forward, clearly in pain, but Stella was too busy with her jealous fit to notice.

  All I could do was watch in horror.

  “I’m gonna kill you, Branson Desoto!” Stella shouted, and then she smashed him on top of the head with her gun.

  Branson crumpled to the ground.

  Stella quickly trained her gun back on me, and I realized I’d missed an opportunity to escape. Only I never would have left Joe in this mess. We were in this together.

  “Temper, temper,” Kate mocked. “Now who’s gonna open that bag, Stella?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Neely Kate’ll do it.”

  “No,” Kate said in a firm tone. “Neely Kate’s mine now. In fact, you’re free to collect your things and go.”

  “I don’t even know if there’s money in there,” Stella said. “You think I’m gonna leave with no money?”

  Branson was sobbing, begging Stella with muffled cries.

  “Did I hear you and Neely Kate correctly?” Kate asked. “Do you have a baby?”

  Stella sneered, “What’s it to you?”

  Kate moved closer to me. “Neely Kate and I might be new to the sister thing, but she and I share a bond—our lost babies.” Cocking her head, Kate narrowed her eyes. “Did you force Neely Kate to have an abortion?”

  “She didn’t fight me on it,” Stella said defensively while trying to unzip the bag. “What’s the big deal?”

  “The big deal, Stella,” Kate said, drawing out her words. “The big deal is that the monster next to you made it so my little sister can never get pregnant again, and if anyone was ever designed to have children, it’s her.”

  I stared at Kate in disbelief.

  Stella looked downright confused. “Branson had nothing to do with the abortion. It was all my idea. He just went along with it, so how can it be his fault?”

  “No, Stella,” Kate said as though she were speaking to a toddler. “Branson sold her to so many men that she became riddled with infections, and he never bothered to get her medical attention. Her body is so scarred it made her lose her babies this past winter, and now she’ll never get pregnant.”

  I turned to her in shock. How did she know all of that? But then, it was Kate. She found a way to know everything. Including this particular horror in my life.

  “You took something very precious from my sister, and now I have to take something precious from you.” Gesturing toward Branson and Stella with her chin, she said, “Kyle.”

  A gunshot rang out, and I expected to see Branson lying dead on the barn floor, but instead, Stella was screaming as she clutched her bloody right hand to her chest, her gun now on the floor.

  “Neely Kate, go pick up the gun,” Kate said.

  “Undo that bungee cord first,” Joe called out, speaking for the first time. “It’s cutting off the circulation to her hands. She’ll never be able to pick it up like that.”

  Kate turned her attention to Joe. “Ah… there he is. The doting big brother. It’s a good look for you.”

  Joe gave her a pleading look. “I’ve been a terrible brother, Kate, I freely admit it, but it’s not Neely Kate’s fault. She’s the innocent party in all of this. Branson and Stella included. Why put her through more hell?”

  “I know she’s suffered, and I realized that was how I could win her love. By giving her a chance to get even.”

  “What are you talking about, Kate?” I asked in horror.

  “That man—” Kate pointed her finger at Branson, then laughed. “No, he’s not a man anymore, is he? I did that for you, NK. I did that to show my solidarity.”

  “I didn’t ask you to do that, Kate,” I choked out.

  “You didn’t have to. That’s what sisters and brothers are supposed to do for one another, right?”

  “I don’t know,” I said in a shaky voice. “I’ve never had them.” I had absolutely no idea what Kate had planned for me and Joe, and I was utterly terrified. A tear fell down my cheek.

  Kate moved closer, cupping my cheek. I would have felt more reassured if her eyes were wild and skittish like Stella’s, but Kate was completely in control. “Don’t cry, little sis. I’m gonna make things right for you in a way Joe would never dare to try.” She looked down at my hands. “I’m going to take that off, but I want you to swear you won’t run away.”

  I shot a glance to Joe then back to Kate. I could play this game too. “I’m not goin’ anywhere. We’re blood, Kate. And blood sticks together.”

  Kate shot a smug glance over her shoulder to Joe. “See? She gets it.”

  I’d figure out a way to save Joe, but one thing at a time.

  Kate reached for the bungee cord and unhooked it, quickly unwrapping the bindings. She turned to face Stella, her eyes burning with rage when she saw the blood on my wrist and palms. “You hurt my sister.”

  “She hurt me. She tried to have my baby taken away from me.”

  “From what I can see, you deserve to have your baby taken away.” Dropping the bungee cord to the floor, Kate took my right wrist in her hand and slowly began to rub, then picked up the other and did the same thing, all while everyone in the room watched, Stella included. I suspected she was scared to move lest Kyle shoot her. All I could do was stand there, trying not to tense up and make her mad. I had no idea what Kate was up to now, but I wasn’t about to set her off.

  Finally, Kate gently lowered my hand, then turned to face Stella. “What to do with you?”

  “We’ll just take the money and go,” Stella said, her voice shaking.

  “No,” Kate said thoughtfully. “That particular offer has been removed from the table. I think we’ll have our trial now.”

  “Trial?” Stella asked, scooting backward. “What trial?”

  “Your trial. The Simmons family now calls the trial against Stella St. Clair to order.”

  “That’s not your right,” Joe said. “You can’t be her judge and jury, Kate. You have to turn them over to the law.”

  Kate pivoted to face him. “And were you going to turn our sister over to the law for Pearce Manchester’s murder?”

  I gasped, unsure why I was so shocked. The clippings on the wall in Branson’s motel room should have been clue enough that she knew what was going on.

  “No,” Joe barked out, “but—”

  “But nothing,” Kate said. “I agree, we don’t turn her over. We protect her, because that’s what family does, Joe. They take care of one another.”

  “Now you sound like Dad,” Joe said. “He justified everything in the name of family. But look where that got you and me. My girlfriend murdered along with my baby. Your boyfriend murdered and a car wreck that made you miscarry. That’s not looking out for family. That’s meddling in things that you shouldn’t. He destroyed our lives.”

  “Takin’ care of this trash isn’t even close to the same thing, and you know it,” she countered. “These two put her through hell.”

  “You’ve put her through hell, Kate. How is it different for you?”

  “I’m her blood!” she shouted. “I did it to make her stronger! To make her worthy of our name!”

  “You’re batshit crazy!” Stella shouted, her shirt covered in the blood from her hand.

  Kate turned deadly still. “What did you just say?”

  “I said you’re batshit crazy!”

  Kate squatted and picked up the bungee cord. “You think I’m crazy?”

  “Kate,” I said, terrified over what she was about to do. “Don’t do this.”

  “No, NK. I need to do this. I need to prove to you that I have your back.”

  “By killing Neil Franken and leaving him in my basement with a note? And then leaving t
hose notes and the PI reports in Chad Manchester’s hotel room? Why toy with me like that, Kate?”

  “If I’d just approached you and told you I wanted to make things right, would you have given me the time of day?”

  “I wouldn’t have trusted you.”

  “Exactly,” Kate said, taking several more steps toward Stella. “So I had to show you. You know what they say.” She stopped behind Stella and gave me a grin. “Actions speak louder than words.” Then she looped the bungee cord around Stella’s neck and lifted.

  Stella grabbed at the cord, trying to get her fingers underneath, but Kate just lifted higher.

  “Kate!” I screamed. “Stop!”

  I started to rush over to stop her, but Kate glared at me and said, “Stay where you are, Neely Kate. Kyle will stop you from interfering.”

  “You’re committing cold-blooded murder!” Joe shouted, rocking the chair as he pulled himself free. “Stop!”

  Stella’s face turned red as she gasped for air, leaving scratches at her neck in her attempts to pull free of the cord.

  “Kate,” I begged. “Stop. Please.” I still had the gun at my back, but I could barely feel my fingers. There was no way I could get it out and pull the trigger.

  Kate held my gaze. “As your older sister, I know what’s best for you, NK. Trust me.”

  “I don’t want this, Kate.” Then I decided to try a new tactic. “You said she’d get a trial. Let’s give her a trial.”

  “Trial or not, we’d reach the same conclusion. Guilty.”

  Stella tried to turn sideways and reach for Kate’s leg, but Kate pulled even higher and extended her arm, keeping her legs out of Stella’s reach.

  “She was the one who started you on your road to hell. She got you started stripping. She introduced you to that piece of trash over there. They sold you to man after man after man.”

  Stella’s arms fell to her sides and her eyes darted to me, begging me to help her.

  I took a step forward and Kyle was beside me in an instant, grabbing my arm to hold me back.

  Kate continued as though she was unaware that Stella only had seconds to live. “And then they set you up with Pearce Manchester. Branson knew he’d likely kill you, but you were worth the risk. All so he could hook up with the Hardshaw Group. They were gonna pay him a shit-ton of money, and he was gonna keep givin’ Manchester girls to beat and screw. And you, Stella St. Clair, are just as guilty as he is.”