Up Shute Creek: Rose Gardner Investigation #4

by Denise Grover Swank

  “Of course,” I said, trying to hide the fact I didn’t totally share Neely Kate’s enthusiasm. It seemed one step too far, and besides, Kate was still a free woman—one who’d shown she didn’t think a thing of trespassing. Still, I did want to help. “And if you’re needin’ to make some money, I can give you a temporary job at the nursery. My sister’s been sick, and Anna, one of the workers, took a few days off to spend time with her momma. We could use the help.”

  She looked terrified. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I don’t know anything about babies.”

  Neely Kate laughed. “Not that kind of nursery. They sell plants.”

  Pink infused her cheeks. “Oh. Right… I’ve never worked in one of those before either,” she said, “but I’d appreciate the opportunity. I’m a quick learner.”

  “It’s decided,” I said. “When we leave here, we’ll pick up our breakfast and then drop you off at the nursery.”

  “Thank you.”

  Jed didn’t look pleased with this turn of events. “Rose and Neely Kate. A word.”

  Carly’s mouth twisted to the side, as though it had only just occurred to her how unconventional it was for two people to offer a stranger a place to live and a job within a couple of hours of meeting them. She likely hadn’t figured out that Neely Kate and I wore unconventional like a form-fitting T-shirt. Thumbing toward the door, she said, “I’m going to wait outside.”

  Jed didn’t say anything, just kept his gaze on her as she walked out the front door.

  “Witt,” Jed grunted. “Keep an eye on her and see what she does while she’s waitin’.”

  “On it.” He headed through the door into the garage.

  “What’s goin’ on, Jed?” Neely Kate asked, sounding irritated.

  “What’s goin’ on is you just invited a strange woman to sleep in your house. Do you really think that’s a good idea after everything that transpired this weekend?”

  “What’s that poor woman gonna do?” Neely Kate asked in exasperation. “She’s clearly running from someone or something.”

  “Or she’s running to Henryetta,” Jed said with narrowed eyes. “I looked through her glove box. There’s no registration card. Forgive me for typecasting, but she seems too polished to be drivin’ an old pile of shit.”

  “You think she stole it?” I asked. The woman we’d found on the side of the road didn’t look or act like a car thief.

  “Maybe she did steal it,” Neely Kate said, “but I know a woman in trouble when I see one, and she’s running from somethin’.”

  “The car has Texas plates,” Jed added, fixing her with a stare, “and someone from the Hardshaw Group tried to kidnap you this weekend. Seems like a pretty big coincidence to me.”

  “The connection occurred to us,” Neely Kate said. “Before we met her. Do you truly think Carly is with the Hardshaw Group?” When Jed didn’t answer, she said, “So she just so happened to have car trouble five miles from our farmhouse in the hopes we’d find her? Do you realize how crazy that sounds?”

  Jed held his ground. “I wouldn’t put anything past those people.”

  “Okay,” I said, my brow furrowed. “Let’s say she is with the Hardshaw Group. Then what’s she doin’ here? Why not just send a bunch of goons to snatch Neely Kate?”

  “They want something from her,” Jed said. “I’m guessing it’s a code or something that can’t be replaced, and they thought that Pearce Manchester had it on him when he disappeared. Somehow they’ve connected him to Neely Kate. Maybe they decided to try something different after their botched kidnapping attempt.”

  “Sendin’ Carly?” Neely Kate asked.

  “She could be actin’,” Jed said. “What do you know about her?”

  Neely Kate lifted her shoulder into a tiny shrug. “Not much,” she said, “and granted, it seems suspicious, but I’d bet my next paycheck that she’s runnin’ from someone and too scared to admit it.”

  “I have to agree with Neely Kate,” I said. “She seemed scared of us when we pulled up, and you heard her, she wants to pay cash and not use a card. I think she’s runnin’ from something.”

  Jed swore under his breath. “I don’t like it.”

  “Even if she is here to watch Neely Kate,” I said, “we’d do better to keep an eye on her, and that’s gonna be easier if we keep her close.”

  “I still don’t like it.”

  Neely Kate walked over to him and captured his face in her hands. “Trust me on this,” she said, looking him in the eyes. “She’s in trouble and I’m not leavin’ her high and dry. I’m not lettin’ what happened to me happen to some other poor girl. Where would I be if Miss Zelda hadn’t helped me when I first got to Ardmore?”

  Her statement, and all the things she’d left unsaid, was further confirmation that I didn’t know half the story about Ardmore.

  He wrapped his arms around the small of her back, locking his fingers together. “I can’t help worryin’, NK. I love you. Now that I’ve got you, I can’t let anything happen to you.”

  She gave him a soft smile. “I love you too, and I’m gonna be just fine. I’ve got my gun, and so does Rose.”

  Jed didn’t look convinced. He looked like he was about to say something, but she kissed him and grinned. “We’ve gotta go. There are biscuits at Big Biscuit callin’ my name.”

  He laughed. “Far be it from me to stand between you and some biscuits.”

  She kissed him again, then broke free, heading out the front door before he could stop her. The look on Jed’s face, somewhere between love and worry, reminded me of my vision. We’d forgotten to share it with him.

  “Jed,” I said, “I forced a vision of Neely Kate.”

  He gave me a stunned look, then said, “It must not have been too bad if you two didn’t tell me right away.”

  I made a face. “It was… confusing.”

  He moved closer. “How so?”

  “I asked why the Hardshaw Group was interested in her. But my visions have changed lately. I didn’t get a direct answer, just a couple of snippets.”

  He studied me for a moment. “What did you see for Neely Kate?”

  I told him, then waited for his reaction.

  His eyes widened in surprise. “Ronnie Colson? What’s his connection to Hardshaw?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know. Ronnie was no hardened criminal. Turns out I didn’t know him too well, but he always seemed to go along with whatever Neely Kate wanted. At the time, I figured he just wanted to make her happy.”

  He frowned. “I think I need to do more digging into Ronnie Colson. He’s not from around here, is he?”

  “No, he’s from the panhandle of Texas.”

  He perked up. “Texas.”

  I gave him a wry look. “Texas is a big state, Jed.”

  “I need to know when he left. Why he came here. How long he knew Neely Kate. How they were introduced.”

  “Neely Kate’s the one with some of those answers, although I do know the last one. They met through Witt. He and Ronnie used to work together.”

  He nodded. “I’ll see what Witt knows, and maybe you can get some answers from Neely Kate this afternoon. I’ll talk to her tonight, but she’s more worried about that woman in the parking lot than her own well-being.”

  I gave him a soft smile. “That’s Neely Kate for you.”

  A gentle look filled his eyes. “I know.”

  The door behind the counter opened, and Witt walked back in. “She didn’t do anything,” he said. “She paced the parkin’ lot, lookin’ plenty worried, but that was it.”

  “She didn’t make any calls?” Jed asked.

  “No.”

  “She said her phone was dead,” I told them. “She couldn’t charge it in her old car, and that’s how she got so turned around and lost, but her phone looks like a burner, so it wasn’t likely to give her directions.”

  Jed frowned. “Where’s she headed?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. First she t
old us she wasn’t on vacation or a business trip, but then she got scared and told us her cousins in Atlanta were expecting her. I could see it was a lie. She just wanted us to think someone knew where she was.”

  Witt pushed out a breath. “Too many things aren’t addin’ up. I’m sure as shit that car is stolen, but there’s no way Neely Kate’s gonna leave that woman high and dry. Not when she thinks she’s in trouble.”

  “I want to help her too,” I said, “but I’m also a little more suspicious than Neely Kate is. We’ll leave her at the nursery with Maeve and go about our day without her. And if bringin’ her home doesn’t feel right, we’ll figure out another arrangement.”

  “Do you really want to put Maeve in that position?” Jed asked.

  “If at any point she seems dangerous, I’m callin’ the whole thing off, but I agree with Neely Kate—she’s runnin’ from something. She’s harmless.”

  Witt quirked a brow. “Maybe we should be more worried about what she’s runnin’ from.”

  We were all quiet for a few moments. Then Jed said, “I’m gonna run the registration on the car. You see if you can find out her full name. All we’ve heard is her first name.”

  I nodded. “Will do.” I took a couple of steps toward the door before turning back. “Thanks for bein’ there for Neely Kate. Not just with this, but with everything. You’re the best thing that’s happened to her in a very long time. Thank you for that.”

  He gave me a teasing grin. “No warnings about bodily harm if I hurt her?”

  I shook my head, remaining serious. “No. You are the absolute last person I’m worried about hurting her.”

  “Hey!” Witt protested with a grin.

  I chuckled. “And Witt is a very close second.”

  Now I needed to figure out where Carly fit on that list.

  Chapter 5

  Carly was silent as we drove into town. I wanted to believe she was worried about how she was going to pay for her car, but Jed and Witt had made me anxious about why she was running. Should we be pushing for answers?

  We bought enough takeout food to feed a small army at Big Biscuit, then headed to the nursery. I was excited to see Violet’s car in the parking lot. The last couple of weeks, we’d taken turns bringing her to the nursery to work for a few hours. The fact she’d driven herself to work was a definite improvement.

  Muffy was already at the front door. When she saw me get out of the car, her tail wagged so hard it was a wonder she didn’t fall over. She jumped up on her back legs and scratched at the door in her desperation to get to me. Leaving Neely Kate and Carly behind, I hurried to the door to let Muffy out. My little dog burst free, and when I bent down and scooped her into my arms, she licked my chin and wiggled in my arms.

  “Did you miss me?” I asked, kissing the top of her head. But even as I loved on her, I realized I couldn’t bring her with us. Not if we were meeting the mother of the missing girl after our landscaping appointment. I couldn’t help my disappointment. “I’m sorry, girl.”

  Maeve stood next to a plant display with a watering can. She beamed at me as I walked in with Muffy still in my arms. I walked over and pulled her into a hug, squishing Muffy between us.

  “Thank you for taking care of her, Maeve.”

  “Pft,” she said as she set the watering can down. “She’s a good dog who pretty much takes care of me.” Her gaze landed on Carly. “And who do we have here?”

  “Maeve Deveraux,” I said, “I’d like for you to meet your new help for the next few days.”

  I purposely didn’t mention Carly’s name, hoping she’d volunteer more information about her identity.

  Carly stepped forward and offered her hand. “Hi, I’m Carly, and I appreciate you letting me fill in while your employee takes a few days off, but I should warn you that I don’t know anything about plants.”

  Maeve shook her hand. “Welcome, and any help is appreciated. I promise you that you’ll know more about plants when you leave.”

  “We brought you and Violet breakfast from Big Biscuit,” Neely Kate said, setting the bag on the counter as she held out a small piece of bacon to Muffy.

  Muffy scarfed the piece down and immediately begged for more, so I handed the squirming dog to my best friend. “I saw Violet’s car here. Is she in the greenhouse?”

  “She’s in the back, potting some plants.” A warm smile lit up her eyes. “Did you have a good weekend away?”

  I didn’t like lying to her—she was more of a mother to me than the woman who’d raised me—but I also didn’t want to put her in an awkward situation with her son. Then it struck me that Mason would likely tell her about my supposed interview. “Yeah, I did. I should warn you.” I lowered my voice. “I told Mason that I was there for a job interview, but don’t you worry if he mentions it. I have no plans to sell the nursery.”

  She studied me for a moment, then led me toward the curtain-covered entrance to the back room. “Did it work?”

  I blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “Did it get him to back off?”

  My stomach cramped. “Maeve…”

  “I know you’re seeing someone, even if you’re being extremely discreet.”

  My mouth dropped open in shock, and I averted my gaze. I knew she’d hoped Mason and I would get back together, and for a long time, I’d felt the same way.

  She rested her hand on my arm. “You’ve done nothing wrong, Rose. Mason had his chance, and he was too set in his stubbornness to take it. Still, if I’m being honest, I suspect you have some wild oats to sow.”

  I glanced up at her in surprise.

  “You deserve happiness,” she continued. “You put so many people’s happiness above your own. You need to live your life so there’ll be no regrets when you have a family of your own.”

  I gave her a sad smile. “I’m not sure Mason sees it that way.”

  “Mason’s hurting, but he’s in a pain of his own choosing. I let him wallow in it for a few months, sure he’d come to his senses, then I tried to talk sense into him. When he came back into town…” Her eyes clouded. “Let’s just say he had a different mission than I had hoped.” She shook her head, tears filling her eyes. “I’ve told him this won’t end well, but he won’t listen to me. Especially when it comes to my predictions.”

  The hair on my arms stood on end. “Did you have a premonition?”

  While I had full-on visions of the future, Maeve got premonitions, which were usually vague enough to be open to interpretation, but they were almost always right.

  Tears filled her eyes. “There’s still time to change things, but not for much longer.”

  “What do you see?”

  She swallowed. “A great fight between many men and women, but Mason is the head of one side, with Joe beside him, and some very evil men are on the other. But some are caught in the middle.” Her gaze held mine as she wrapped her hand around my wrist. “One of them is the man you’re seeing.”

  I felt light-headed at that, not just because of her warning, but because I was suddenly pretty sure she knew exactly whom I was seeing. Still, there was no judgment on her face, only concern.

  No. Judging wasn’t Maeve’s way of handling things. She was the most loving, accepting woman I’d ever known.

  “Have you had any visions?” she asked, pain filling her eyes.

  “Lately, I try to avoid them,” I admitted. “Especially for the last few weeks. After Mason came back to town… I had some that scared me.”

  That was an understatement.

  Maeve pressed on with her concerns. “Was Mason the cause of your terrifying visions?”

  I had to be careful with my answer. She might be on my side, but she was Mason Deveraux’s mother, not that I faulted her for that. Nevertheless, I hated to put her in an awkward situation. “I’m not sure.”

  The pain in her eyes told me she was certain he was.

  Just thinking about two of my recent visions, one of James’s death, and the other of him lying in bed
beside me, his hand protectively covering my abdomen, made me anxious. I needed to change the subject. “If Violet’s driving, she must be feelin’ stronger.”

  Maeve gave me a sad smile. “She seems to have gained some strength over the weekend. Let’s hope it holds.”

  “Yes.” But I knew she was on borrowed time.

  With tears in her eyes, Maeve patted my arm, then turned and called out Carly’s name, offering to show her around.

  I pushed open the curtain and saw my sister sitting on a stool at the workbench with a pair of earbuds in her ears. She wore light blue capris and a sleeveless white shirt, which she’d covered with a crisp apron. She held a spade in her hand as she started transplanting a chrysanthemum into a ceramic planter.

  The sight of her bony arms brought tears to my eyes. Maybe she was feeling better, but she looked even thinner than she had before I’d left for the weekend and her hands trembled slightly as she worked. She’d wrapped a beautiful blue and ivory silk scarf around her head.

  “Hey, Vi,” I forced out in a cheery voice, loud enough for her to hear me.

  She turned to look at me and pulled out her earbuds as a slow smile spread across her face. “How was your weekend?”

  I flushed. “Good.”

  “I want details.” She patted the table next to her.

  “Finish that pot, then come into the shop. We brought breakfast from Big Biscuit.”

  A wry look filled her eyes. “Trying to distract me with the second-best biscuits in the state? It almost worked. Come help me.”

  I obeyed, taking the spade when she handed it to me. “Second best?” I asked. “Let me guess. Yours are the first.”

  She released a tiny laugh. “Well, of course.” She turned to me with raised brows. “I’ve never heard you complainin’.”

  “And you never will,” I said before considering the implication. My tongue stuck to the bottom of my mouth as horror washed over me.

  “I thought we were past the tiptoeing,” Violet said with a shake of her head. “I’m dying. It’s a fact. Pretending I’m not won’t do any of us a lick of good. They say laughter is the best medicine, and I could use some of that with you, Rose.” She gave me an ornery grin. “Now, details.”