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

by Denise Grover Swank

He shook his head and gave me an ornery grin. “It’s in your blood, Rose Gardner. You can’t help yourself. Neely Kate wants to investigate something, and you dig in your heels and pretend you’re not interested, and before you know it, you’re takin’ over the case.”

  “I do not.”

  He tilted his head. “Which part?”

  Dang it. “Well, I’m not investigatin’ Scooter Malcolm’s disappearance. Sounds like a dangerous venture. Besides, I’m sure James Malcolm will manage just fine without my help. There can’t be too many suspects.”

  While Joe had claimed James had more enemies than he could count, the truth was that most were too afraid of the judgment they’d face should their coup attempt fail. As far as I knew, there were only two men who had the guts, and they’d both sworn to me that they wouldn’t try to take over James’ kingdom. Still, words were cheap to some people—Wagner and Reynolds would be the first place I’d start.

  If I was looking for Scooter . . . and I definitely wasn’t.

  “Just call me curious,” I found myself saying. “When was the last time you talked to him?”

  “A few weeks ago. At the pool hall.” James’ pool hall. “We got together to shoot some pool and catch up. He had a new girlfriend, and he wanted me and Anna to meet her.”

  “Scooter had a new girlfriend? Who was she?” Funny, I’d never heard anything about Scooter dating anyone—James still seemed to think of him as a kid—but he was in his thirties, so it stood to reason he’d have a significant other.

  “A woman he met at Walmart. He’s working there now.” Bruce Wayne cracked a hint of a grin. “In the lawn and garden department. He jokes that he’s our direct competition.”

  “Did he or his girlfriend have any connection to Rayna Dyer? She worked in housewares.” Poor Rayna had been caught up in the necklace mess. Her ex had hidden the stolen necklace in with the rest of her jewelry, and her father-in-law had killed her while looking for it.

  Bruce Wayne seemed caught off guard. “I don’t know.” He paused. “You think this might have something to do with that missing necklace?”

  I shook my head. “No. I don’t know. I don’t see how it could, but it is a coincidence.”

  “True.” Then he gave a little shake. “Jeanne. Jeanne Putnam is his girlfriend.” He turned serious. “So you are investigatin’?”

  “No. I guess I just can’t help askin’ questions. I think I’ll leave it to the big boys to duke this out.” James would have the same short list of suspects as I did, after all.

  It was definitely time to change the subject. “If you want to talk or anything . . . just let me know. I know he and David were the only ones to stick with you during your arrest and trial.”

  He nodded, but his face was a blank slate. He hated any mention of his arrest for murder. He’d lost his family over it, even after I’d helped prove he was innocent, and the whole incident had hurt him deeply. He was part of my makeshift family now. The group I’d inadvertently cobbled together over the last year or so.

  “I’ve got to get back to work,” he said. “I’ll try to make it to Violet’s party as close to one as I can make it.”

  “Okay.”

  When he started to walk away, I reached out and pulled him into a hug. His body stiffened—he’d always been reluctant about hugs—but then his body relaxed and his arms wrapped around me. “Thanks for comin’ by to tell me, Rose. It means more than you know.”

  “Of course, Bruce Wayne.” I gave him a squeeze, but my head began to tingle just before I dropped my hold. Everything went black, and I knew I was about to have a vision.

  The visions had been a part of my life for as long as I could remember. They were always glimpses of other people in the future, from inside their heads.

  I was outside and I/Bruce Wayne lifted my hand to wipe my brow. I scanned the horizon to study the brewing storm clouds. “Let’s get this wrapped up before the storm hits.”

  Then, just as suddenly, I was back in the present saying, “You’re gonna try to beat the storm.”

  I cringed. For most of my life, I’d hated my visions. They were unpredictable, often uncontrollable, and a huge invasion of other people’s privacy. They’d also saved my life and the lives of some of my loved ones. My acceptance of them was a work in progress.

  “A vision?” Bruce Wayne asked quietly, and I nodded.

  He was one of only a handful of people who knew the truth. I could usually play the visions off, and if people noticed the visual cues that I was having one—like the dilated pupils and the fact I completely zoned out for a couple of seconds—they usually just wrote it off as strange or quirky behavior. The fact that I uncontrollably blurted out something about whatever I’d seen was a little harder to explain away, but I’d had plenty of practice. About a year ago, I’d started forcing visions, which had come in handy in investigations. I’d noticed a decrease in spontaneous ones since then, but some still slipped through.

  “It was nothing important. Just that you were trying to finish up and pack up before a storm hit.”

  He gave me a warm smile. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

  With that, he went back to his crew and didn’t waste any time before getting back to work. His crew respected him, partially because he was a level-headed boss, but also because he never asked them to do anything he wasn’t willing to jump in and do himself. I was lucky to have him as a business partner, and I knew it.

  I hopped into my truck to head back to the office, but it was just past eleven, so I decided to stop by Homer’s Diner and pick up some lunch for Neely Kate and the kids. As I headed inside to order, it occurred to me that I was just half a mile from the Henryetta Animal Clinic.

  I’d been on three dates with Levi Romano, the new veterinarian, in the past three weeks. Up until now, Levi had done all the pursuing, but maybe that should change. He was totally into me—and not afraid to let me know it—and better yet, he was about as far removed from the criminal element in Fenton County as I could get. Considering that my last two (and only ever) boyfriends had been a sheriff deputy and the county assistant D.A., and that James was the acting crime boss, a vet was a welcome change. Besides, I was looking good today. No need to let it go to waste.

  I placed two separate orders—one for Levi and one for the rest of us—then headed to the animal clinic, my stomach a ball of nerves. Levi’s receptionist, Mary, hadn’t liked me from the start, but in fairness, she’d had to wade through a crush of women who were eager to get a date with the most eligible bachelor in Fenton County. I’d hoped Mary would become nicer once she realized that Levi and I had been on a few dates, but if anything, she’d gotten meaner.

  I walked into the clinic, and while the waiting room was empty of both patients and their owners, I was greeted by the commingled smells of wet dog and perfume. Mary, who looked to be in her forties, was dousing the space around her desk with a spray bottle from Bath and Body Works. She took one look at me, and her resting bitch face turned into a full-blown scowl.

  “You don’t have an appointment.”

  “I know. I’m just here to bring Levi lunch.”

  “Dr. Romano,” she corrected with a glint in her eye that suggested she’d fight me over it.

  “Okay . . . Could you tell Dr. Romano I’m here to see him?”

  “Noooo . . . You don’t have an appointment.”

  I dug my phone out of my pocket and sent Levi a short text.

  Look in your waiting room.

  Seconds later, one of the exam room doors opened and Levi appeared in the doorway holding a kitten in his hand. His face lit up. “Rose!”

  I smiled, feeling a little giddy at the sight of him. Levi Romano had earned his Most Eligible Bachelor status with little effort. He was very good-looking. His brown hair was just long enough to run your hands through—if I were tempted to do such a thing—and his warm brown eyes and dazzling smile made me feel like I was the center of the universe. It helped that he was tall and his shoulders filled
out his lab coat quite nicely. It was no wonder every woman in Fenton County was interested in him.

  Well, almost every woman in the county.

  While I could appreciate the view and Levi was a very attentive, charming man, I didn’t feel that spark . . . and I really, really wanted to. This moment of giddiness was the first time I’d had a physical reaction to him, which made me feel hopeful that it would come in time. Bringing him lunch had been the right decision.

  “Hey, Levi. I hope I’m not interruptin’ anything.”

  “Not at all. Ms. Jergins just dropped by so little Oscar could get his shots.”

  “I won’t keep you,” I said, lifting the bag with the Homer’s Diner logo in my hand. “I was in the area, so I thought I’d bring you lunch.”

  His eyes lit up with happiness, but it faded slightly as he walked out into the waiting room, the kitten still in his hands. Goodness, the man belonged on a calendar. “You have no idea how thrilled I am to see you, but I can’t get away for another hour.”

  “Oh, that’s okay.” I waved a hand in dismissal. “I can’t stay. I’m just the delivery person.”

  He stopped in front of me, close enough for me to notice how good he smelled despite the fact that he’d been handling animals all day. His gaze dropped to my exposed chest, but it lifted to meet my eyes just as I was starting to feel self-conscious. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” he said in a lowered voice. “After our last date, I was certain you were giving me the brush-off.”

  The date had gone well, but he’d leaned over to kiss me after parking next to my truck in front of the landscaping office. I’d panicked and turned my head at the last minute, then dashed out of his truck so quickly he was still leaning in for a kiss when I slammed the door.

  I gave him an apologetic grin. “I know. I’m sorry. I told you I’m still workin’ through some things from my previous relationship. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.”

  The last thing I wanted to do was hurt him. He didn’t need to be at the mercy of my issues.

  “No.” He put his hand on my arm, cupping it lightly while still holding the kitten in his other hand. “I knew what I was getting into. I told you that I was willing to take it slow.” His brow lifted. “We’ve been taking it slow, right?”

  “Yeah, but you just said—”

  “What I just said doesn’t matter.”

  “Of course it does! Why on earth would you want to keep seein’ a woman you think is about to give you the brush-off?

  He laughed. “Oh, Rose. You have no idea how refreshing you are. I like that you keep me on my toes.”

  I cringed. “You’re makin’ me sound cold.”

  “No!” He shook his head. “That’s not it at all.” He pressed his lips together, looking thoughtful, then finally said, “You know Mary fields off a few women who make appointments just to see me . . .”

  Mary snorted from her desk. “A few?”

  Levi rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder. “Isn’t it your break time, Mary?”

  “No,” was her curt response.

  “Take one anyway,” he said good-naturedly. He grinned at me as she grumbled her way up out of the chair. “Here. Take Oscar back to the exam room, will you?” He handed the kitten to her, and if looks could kill, she would have committed a violent double homicide on the spot. I was a little worried about Oscar, truth be told.

  After she disappeared into the back, Levi grabbed my hand and tugged me over to sit in one of the waiting room chairs. “Rose, I like you. A lot. You’re different from the women I usually date. I know that we’re taking this on a day-by-day basis, and I’m okay with that. Are you?”

  “I am, but I want you to know that I didn’t bring you lunch to string you along,” I said, feeling guilty.

  He took the bag from my hand and set it on the chair next to him. “No, I am thrilled you brought me lunch. Not only do I love Homer’s Diner, but you took time out of your busy day and thought of me. That’s enough for me right now.”

  That made me feel better.

  “I want to go out with you again,” he said. “What do you say? How about tonight?”

  “Neely Kate and I are goin’ to the carnival tonight. I’m not a huge fan, but I promised.” It occurred to me that he might think it was another brush-off, so I added, “Would you like to come with us? I don’t think she’d mind.”

  “To the carnival?”

  “Yeah,” I said trying to sound nonchalant. “You don’t have—”

  Levi leaned forward and gave me a soft kiss, then sat back and grinned. “I would love to go to the carnival with you and Neely Kate tonight.”

  I paused, completely caught off guard by his kiss. We’d been out three times and this was the first time he’d kissed me. I took a second to process my feelings. Something seemed off, and I realized what it was: I felt that I was cheating. But cheating on whom? Mason? We’d been broken up for nearly six months, and his mother had told me that he was dating a bit in Little Rock. Cheating on James? I nearly laughed. We’d never had anything approaching a relationship, so cheating would be impossible. The man in front of me was every woman’s dream. I was crazy to think of giving that up. I just needed to get used to the idea was all.

  I waited for Levi to acknowledge our first kiss, but he just sat there and grinned.

  I needed to pull myself together.

  “Are you sure you want to go?” I asked. “I’m sure the carnivals in Kansas City would make this one seem lame.”

  “You could ask me to a monster truck rally, and I’d jump at the chance.” He leaned closer and whispered, “And I hate monster truck rallies.”

  “Don’t feel like you have to say yes, Levi. We can go out another time.”

  “I want to spend time with you, Rose.” He squeezed my hand. “The more time we spend together, the better we’ll get to know each other . . . and the easier it will be for me to win you over.” A huge grin spread across his face. “Besides, it will be good practice for me to get ready for the county fair next month. I’ve been asked to judge some of the 4-H animal entries. I’ll feel better if I know what kind of crowd I’ll be dealing with.”

  I laughed.

  There was a feline screech in the open exam room, and little Oscar streaked out through the door.

  Levi stood and flashed me a grin. “Duty calls.”

  His receptionist came running out of the room with a scratch mark on her cheek. “Come back here, you little devil!”

  Levi pulled me to my feet and gave me a tiny push toward the door. “Go. Save yourself.”

  I laughed and was about to leave, but a brightly colored flyer on the bulletin board caught my eye. There was a photo of a vibrant green parrot against a white background, and huge black letters above and below him exclaimed:

  Lost Parrot

  $500 Reward

  I moved closer to get a better look at the smaller text at the bottom of the flyer.

  Talking parrot last seen on Saturday morning in Henryetta Park. Squawker loves carrots, Wheel of Fortune, and long walks in the park.

  Was the owner looking to find the parrot or to get Squawker a date?

  $500 reward for the safe return of my best friend.

  Boomer T. Whipple

  501-555-1453

  At first, I was slightly disturbed that Boomer’s best friend was a talking parrot, but who was I to judge? Until I’d befriended Neely Kate a year ago, my dog had been mine.

  Dropping to his knees, Levi reached under the chair the kitten had chosen for its hiding place. “Come on,” he said softly. “Come to Dr. Levi.”

  Oscar’s owner, a twenty-something woman, stood in the exam room doorway, her gaze firmly on Levi’s butt as she nodded her head and said, “Yes, Dr. Levi. I’ll come—”

  “Ms. Jergins,” Mary snapped.

  The woman had the good sense to look flustered.

  “Got him,” Levi said, cradling the kitten to his chest. “Although if there happens
to be a next time, maybe we should try bribing him instead of terrorizing him.” He glanced up at me with a look of surprise. “You’re still here.”

  I grinned. “And miss the show? Enjoy your lunch.”

  I started to head out the door, but he called after me, “Text me the details for tonight.”

  But that good feeling fled as I drove back to the office in my truck. I felt unsettled again. Was I leading Levi on? I did like him, and surely it was too early in our relationship—if you could call it that—to be thinking about something serious. Was it too much to hope something would stir inside me?

  Was it too much to hope I’d stop thinking about James?

  Chapter 4

  A small crowd had gathered inside Gardner Sisters Nursery. The afternoon was hot and muggy, and storm clouds were gathering on the horizon. Maeve and Anna, the two employees who’d run the nursery in my sister’s absence, had set out water and lemonade on a serving table at the back of the shop. Ashley had helped me arrange the lettered cupcakes we’d ordered from Dena’s bakery to spell out Welcome Home, Violet, which we’d encircled with cupcakes decorated with piped flowers.

  I had to admit that I was nervous. My relationship with my sister had been a roller coaster over the last year. She’d roped Joe into becoming our business partner in the nursery after getting the business into serious money trouble . . . plus she’d used him to try to make me jealous while I was dating Mason. A part of me worried that the peace I’d finally found would be destroyed with her return; the rest of me felt guilty for even considering it. Violet had gone away to save her life, and now I was worried about her coming back.

  What kind of monster did that make me?

  Besides, my sister’s health scare seemed to have mellowed her. I hadn’t seen her since April, when I’d gone to Houston to donate my bone marrow for her transplant, but I’d talked to her every week or so. I knew she was nervous too. Nervous we’d all moved on with our lives without her. Nervous her kids wouldn’t remember or want her. Nervous she no longer had a place in my life.

  “How much longer, Aunt Rose?” Ashley asked as we moved toward the front of the store.