For the Birds: Rose Gardner Investigations #2 (Rose Gardner Investigatons)

by Denise Grover Swank

  Chapter 2

  Neely Kate had run off to Ardmore, Oklahoma, where she’d lived with her mother before Jenny Lynn Rivers had dumped her, at age twelve, on her grandmother’s doorstep in Fenton County and had never come back. After her high school graduation, Neely Kate had returned to Ardmore and stayed for nearly two years. She rarely talked about anything to do with her mother, who’d never contacted her after abandoning her, or Oklahoma. While I knew she was deeply ashamed of her previous life, I wasn’t sure why. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Neely Kate had been abused, but I didn’t know any details. I’d respected her privacy, knowing how much it hurt her to discuss it, but now I wondered if that had been a mistake.

  Kate Simmons, Neely Kate’s newly discovered half sister, had been sending her letters in the mail, and although my best friend refused to tell me any details, I knew Kate was holding something over her head. So Neely Kate’s sudden trip to Oklahoma hadn’t come as a total surprise . . . but her companion had.

  Jed Carlisle.

  Jed was James “Skeeter” Malcolm’s right-hand man. He’d acted as my bodyguard last winter, so I trusted him implicitly. I was grateful he’d been with her, but I couldn’t help wondering how they had ended up together in the first place, and she refused to tell me. I could have asked James, but my pride insisted that he had to come to me first.

  Neely Kate had returned after two days, apologizing for taking off and assuring me that everything was okay. She said she’d taken care of everything—and she’d left it at that. So why did she still seem distracted and on edge?

  The bell on the office door jingled, and Neely Kate walked into the office. She was wearing her favorite blue dress, the one I’d told her made her eyes look like the summer sky.

  I placed my hand on my chest and said, “Oh, thank God.”

  She shut the door behind her and moved closer. “Why do you look like that?” Fear filled her eyes. “Oh, my stars and garters. Did something happen?”

  I closed the distance between us and pulled her into a hug. “No. I was just worried. I tried to call you and you didn’t answer.”

  “I was at that landscaping appointment.”

  “I know . . .” Now that the initial relief had worn off, I was struck by her appearance—mussed hair, pink cheeks, and bright eyes . . . a look that seemed to seesaw between happy and sad. I hadn’t thought much of her wearing the dress today since we were throwing Violet a welcome home party this afternoon, but now I wondered if there were other reasons.

  “I didn’t think I’d be gone so long.” She pulled away and looked around the office. “Where are the kids?”

  “Joe came by and took them to Dena’s for ice cream.”

  “It’s not even lunchtime.”

  I shook my head and grinned. “He bribed them to stop fighting.”

  She laughed. “So that’s the key. Have you heard anything from Violet or Mike?”

  “No. Not yet, but I don’t think their plane has landed. The plan for the party hasn’t changed, as far as I know.”

  Neely Kate shook her head. “I still can’t believe Mike went to get her. Are they moving forward with the divorce?”

  “I’m not sure. Vi said they’ve been talking on the phone after she talks to the kids. In fact, she’s goin’ home with them after the party.”

  “I’m surprised he’s so willing to forgive her,” Neely Kate said. “He seemed pretty pissed at her last fall.”

  “Thinkin’ someone you love is gonna die probably changes things,” I said absently, shocked when an image of James surfaced in my head. If Scooter had been snatched—or, worse yet, killed—the perpetrator had done it to hurt James. Which meant James wasn’t just hurting; he could be in danger too.

  Not my concern.

  Then why did my heart seize up and make it difficult to breathe?

  I sat in my chair. “I was concerned because Joe told me something worrisome when he came by.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh?”

  “Scooter Malcolm is missing.”

  “Oh.” Her voice had lowered an octave as she walked over to her desk and set her purse in her drawer, avoiding eye contact with me.

  “Wait. You knew?”

  I wasn’t necessarily surprised. Neely Kate knew just about everything that was going on in Fenton County, let alone Henryetta—a fact she was downright proud of, which made her behavior all the stranger. “I’d heard.”

  “Why in Sam Hill didn’t you tell me?”

  She looked up at me with contrition in her eyes. “Jed told me the day we came back from Oklahoma. That’s why we returned so suddenly.”

  I gave myself a tiny shake, suddenly confused. “You told me you came back because you’d finished up your business.”

  She walked over and sat on the edge of my desk, her eyes pleading with mine. “I did. But we also found out that Scooter was missing, and Jed was eager to get back.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I repeated, trying to keep the hurt out of my voice.

  She grimaced. “Because of Skeeter. I know you and him . . .”

  “Scooter’s disappearance has nothing to do with my feelings for James Malcolm.”

  “Are you sure about that?” she asked quietly.

  I wanted to say yes, but it would have been a lie. Still, this was far bigger than my fight with James. “How is Bruce Wayne taking this news?”

  “I’m not sure he knows. In fact, I’m surprised Joe knows. Jed says Skeeter’s keeping it quiet.”

  I blinked. “Says? As in you’ve talked to Jed about Scooter this week?”

  Guilty surprise washed over her face, like she was a teenager who’d gotten caught sneaking out of the house. “Yeah.”

  I started to ask her why she hadn’t told me that either when the front door opened and Joe walked in with Ashley next to him and Mikey on his hip. Each child had an ice cream cone.

  Neely Kate hopped off my desk and spun around. “What are you thinkin’ feedin’ them ice cream practically for breakfast?” she asked with a laugh as she walked over to him and reached for Mikey. I knew a stalling tactic when I saw one, but I decided to allow it. If there was anything to tell, she certainly wasn’t going to share it in front of Joe. “I don’t think we should get ice cream on Aunt Rose’s pretty clothes.”

  I was wearing a new outfit Neely Kate had persuaded me to buy—a full pink skirt with a large floral pattern, but it was the top that really pushed me out of my comfort zone, which was most likely the main reason she’d convinced me to get it. The white shirt had a slightly off-the-shoulder neckline that plunged into a deep V in both the front and back. It was completely impractical for work, but I didn’t have any site visits planned for the day, and we were planning to close the office when we went to the nursery for Violet’s welcome home party.

  My nephew held out an arm and she scooped him into her arms as Joe said, “It held off World War III for a good half hour. I was just doin’ my part to save humanity.”

  “Oh really?” she asked with a grin. “So why do I see some strawberry ice cream at the corner of your mouth?”

  His eyes twinkling, he licked the corner of his mouth. “I was trying to save my uniform. It’s hot out there.”

  “I can’t believe Dena served them ice cream,” Neely Kate said, shaking her head. “She’s pretty strict with her no ice cream until after noon policy.”

  “She didn’t want to give us any,” Ashley said between licks of her chocolate cone. “She only agreed when Uncle Joe said he’d go to the carnival tonight.”

  “Why would Dena care if Joe went to the carnival tonight?” I asked and instantly regretted it. “Oh.” She’d asked him to go with her.

  Joe grimaced and used the napkin in his hand to wipe Mikey’s face as he quickly changed the subject. “Is Maeve still expecting us all at the nursery at a quarter to one?”

  “Yeah,” I said, feeling awkward. The only woman Joe had been with after our breakup was his long-time, on-and-off-again girlfriend,
Hilary, and even then, he’d been pressured into it. As far as I knew, this was the first time he’d agreed to go out with someone with actual girlfriend potential.

  I hadn’t thought much about Joe not dating. He’d been through a lot over the last year and a half. In February, he’d killed his father (to save me), his sister had been arrested for killing Hilary and their unborn baby, and he’d found out that Neely Kate was his half sister. One of those things would have been enough to throw a man for a serious loop, let alone three.

  Maybe he was finally ready to move on, which was a good thing. I wanted Joe to be happy. Still, there was no denying the thought of seeing him with someone new made me feel slightly uncomfortable.

  “Then maybe we’ll see you there,” Neely Kate said. “Rose and I are goin’ too.”

  Joe looked a little uncomfortable too. It was obvious he’d like to be anywhere other than standing in my office talking about his date with his sister and ex-girlfriend.

  “Well,” he said, running his hand over his head. “I need to talk to the prosecutor and tie up some things before I see you at the nursery.” He bolted out the door before we could say anything else.

  “Hmm . . .” Neely Kate said, watching him jaywalk across the street. “What do you make of that?” But the tone in her voice suggested she knew exactly what to make of it.

  “It’s not any of my concern.” And it wasn’t. My biggest concern at the moment was breaking the news about Scooter to Bruce Wayne. He’d be joining us at the party, but I didn’t want to wait. Which made me even more surprised that Neely Kate had held out on us for so long. I grabbed my purse and stood. “But there’s something that is. I need to go see Bruce Wayne at the job site. Can you watch the kids?”

  She caught my short tone. “Yeah.” She set Mikey down on the floor and moved toward her desk. “Bruce Wayne doesn’t have the altered plans for the Greens’ backyard. He’s not supposed to get to it until tomorrow, but would you drop them off just in case?”

  “Of course.”

  She dug through a stack of documents on her desk, then handed me a paper. I reached for it, but she held on and looked me in the eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Rose.”

  “You should have told me, Neely Kate.”

  “It wasn’t for me to tell. Jed asked me to keep it quiet, so I did.”

  “Even from me?” I asked, the pain clear in my voice.

  “And how many secrets have you kept from me?” she asked without a hint of malice. “How many secrets have you shared with Skeeter Malcolm that you never once considered sharing with me?”

  I sucked in a breath.

  “And before you try to deny it,” she said, her tone picking up some heat, “don’t forget about those Tuesday night meetings you refused to tell me about.”

  I’d been meeting James every Tuesday night for months right up until our falling out three weeks ago. Neely Kate had known about the arrangement, but I’d never acknowledged it. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  Her gaze still held mine. “I wanted to tell you about Scooter, but I couldn’t. I kept my word. Just like I’m sure you kept yours.”

  She was right. About all of it. I’d kept more secrets from her than I could count. And they were all tied to James Malcolm. Why did it feel like everything tied back to James? “Well, we’re not mixed up in the Fenton County crime world anymore, so no worries about keeping secrets.”

  I snatched the paper from her, kissed Ashley and Mikey goodbye, and headed out to my truck. It wasn’t until I was halfway down the street that I realized Neely Kate hadn’t agreed.

  Chapter 3

  Bruce Wayne was working on a yard in a neighborhood south of town, so the fifteen-minute drive gave me plenty of time to think.

  It shamed me to think I’d let James get between Neely Kate and me. I’d kept his secrets and then some—unquestionably. What had he ever done for me?

  Treated me with more respect than any other man in my life.

  When he saw me, he didn’t see the weak and naïve woman Joe had met over a year ago while working undercover. And he didn’t see the woman I’d been with my boyfriend Mason, intelligent but in need of protecting. James was the first man who’d challenged me to think myself capable of so much more. He’d helped me create my alter ego, the Lady in Black, and then encouraged me to meld the strong, take-charge woman I became while wearing the veiled disguise with the woman I was to everyone else. In turn, I’d helped him see something in himself: the good man behind the criminal. He owned a diner that was losing money, but he kept it so he could continue to employ a kind woman from his childhood . . . and because he liked the pancakes. He was intolerant of violence against women and children and came down hard on anyone who disobeyed his decree. His legitimate businesses made him more than his illegal enterprises, but while part of him wanted to try the straight and narrow, he maintained his position to ensure none of the sociopaths waiting in the wings took over.

  James Malcolm and I had become friends, and we’d both shared things with each other that we’d never shared with anyone else, so I’d believed our Tuesday night meetings—which had consisted of sitting on the back of my truck and talking about what was going on in our lives for an hour or more—had softened his heart.

  All of which had made the pain of his betrayal so much worse.

  The parley I’d set up had been between James and his adversaries, Buck Reynolds and Kip Wagner. Neely Kate and I had been looking for a necklace for her “friend,” only to discover he’d stolen it from Buck Reynolds. No surprise, Reynolds had wanted it back. James had hoped to prevent that, suspecting that his challenger planned to sell the necklace to finance his bid to take over the county crime world. I’d set up the meeting to return the necklace in exchange for peace in the county. Except James had never intended to cooperate—his intention had been to use the meeting to force their surrender.

  It wasn’t actually his plan that had upset me—I might have even gone along with it. It was the fact that he hadn’t trusted me enough to tell me the truth.

  After everything we’d been through together.

  A tiny voice in my head said he’d orchestrated this. That he’d wanted me to get pissed enough to write him out of my life. I’d suspected for some time that he had feelings for me, but at first it had been a moot point. I’d been happy with Mason. Then Mason had left, and I’d spent months recovering from our breakup. Several weeks ago, I’d finally admitted to myself that I was attracted to James, drawn to him like a moth to a flame. And while the one time we’d kissed had been hotter than any kiss I’d ever experienced in my life, James had pushed me away and declared it impossible. If his enemies caught word that he had feelings for me, I would become his greatest liability.

  If he’d admitted his feelings for me and made them public, would I be missing now instead of Scooter?

  I turned into the neighborhood where Bruce Wayne and his crew were working, then pulled my truck in behind my business partner’s truck after I found the house. Bruce Wayne and his four-man crew were hard at work digging a trench to lay the foundation for a small wall at the edge of the front planting bed.

  Bruce Wayne looked up when he saw me walking toward him and did a double take. I used to work on the job sites with him until we started getting more business. Now I focused more on creating designs and estimates, though I still liked to get my hands in the dirt.

  “Rose,” he said, shielding his eyes to watch me approach and taking in my outfit with a grin. My usual uniform was a lot less fancy: T-shirts and jeans or shorts. “I know you’re not here to work. You checking up on me?”

  I forced a smile. “You’re too good to warrant checking on. I’m glad I had the foresight to make you a partner instead of an employee. Otherwise, you might have left and stolen all my business.”

  He grinned.

  I handed him the paper. “Neely Kate said you needed the revised plans for the backyard.”

  He took the paper and scanned it before fo
lding it up and stuffing it into his back pocket. “Shouldn’t be a trouble.” He paused and then said, “But I know you didn’t come down here just to give me this. I’m not scheduled to get to their backyard until tomorrow. Is this about Violet?”

  “No.” I glanced at the guys working with him. “Can I borrow you for a moment?”

  Worry filled his eyes. “Yeah. Sure.”

  He told the men something in Spanish, then followed me to the shade of a maple tree ten feet away. “What’s up?” he asked.

  “It’s about Scooter Malcolm.”

  The blank expression on his face confirmed he hadn’t heard. “What about him?”

  “He’s missing.”

  He swallowed and glanced over at his crew. “For how long?”

  Why hadn’t I pinned Neely Kate down and gotten more information? “I don’t know. At least since late last week.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “Honestly, Bruce Wayne, I’m not sure. Joe was the one who told me. He was surprised I didn’t know.”

  “You’re still havin’ your spat with Skeeter?” he asked, his gaze still on his men.

  “I’m not havin’ a spat with Skeeter Malcolm,” I protested, my voice rising a little. I took a breath to settle down. “This has nothing to do with me and everything to do with Scooter. Joe thinks someone snatched him.”

  Bruce Wayne didn’t respond, but his eyes hardened and he gave a sharp nod.

  “What do you think?” I asked. “Was he prone to running off?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  That got his attention.

  “Are you investigatin’?” he asked, lifting an eyebrow.

  “What?” I asked in surprise. “I’m just askin’.”

  He gave me a sharp look.

  “Why would I be investigatin’ Scooter Malcolm’s disappearance? I don’t even know him, and James Malcolm and I are no longer friends or associates.”

  “Huh.”

  “What’s that mean?”