Ripple of Secrets: Rose Gardner Mystery Novella #6.5 (Rose Gardner series Book 3) (10 page)

Her lips twisted as she seemed to consider my statement. “Fair enough,” she finally said. “But I assure you that I come in peace.”

“Forgive me if I reserve judgment on that.”

“Challenge accepted.”

Her statement made me trust her less. My sister considered everything in life a challenge or a game. The real question was what she hoped to gain at the end of this particular “challenge,” because I sure as hell had a hard time believing it was me.

Bonnie came back and set a cup of coffee in front of Kate and a coffee and a glass of orange juice in front of me. “Are you two ready to order?”

I poured creamer into my coffee. I’d had a cinnamon roll at Maeve’s, but this day was already turning out to be crap. I could use more comfort food. “I’ll take fried eggs and a side of bacon.”

Kate leaned forward, her eyes sparkling. “I hear you make exceptional blueberry pancakes.”

Bonnie grinned. “I don’t personally make them, but Glenn does a pretty decent job.”

“Then give me an order of those with a side of bacon.”

“Gave up the vegan stage?” I asked.

Kate gave me a withering glare. “You saw me eat turkey yesterday.”

“You’re presuming I paid attention to what you ate,” I countered, even though I had noticed.

Bonnie laughed. “You sound like me and my brother. We bicker like cats and dogs, but if someone messes with us, we’re the first ones to come to each other’s defense.”

After Bonnie disappeared into the kitchen, I glanced at Kate and realized she was staring at me with a strange expression.

“What?” I asked as I picked up my coffee.

“Why aren’t you and I like that?” The words sounded more serious than anything she’d said since showing up at our parents’ house the previous day.

I took a sip, then put the cup down. “Maybe because you always hated my guts.”

“I did not.”

I shrugged. “Typically the older sibling finds the younger one annoying. The roles were reversed in our case.”

She was quiet for several seconds.

“Why are you here, Kate?”

“I told you.”

“You wanted to chat.” I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest. “Let’s start with you. Two years ago I tried calling you, only to discover your phone was disconnected. Then I stopped by your apartment, and your roommate said you’d moved out. I stopped by the shop where you worked and your boss told me you’d quit. No forwarding address. You didn’t even pick up your last paycheck.” I sat upright and put my hands on the table. “Who does that?”

Her eyes filled with defiance and she shrugged. “Someone who wants a fresh start.”

“I filed a damned missing person’s report on you, Kate.”

“I bet Mom and Dad loved that,” she sneered. “Their ne’er-do-well daughter makes the trashy tabloids.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. It barely made the news.”

“After a little Simmons intervention, no doubt.”

I didn’t deny it, although I’d had no part in it. “Last summer I ran into one of your friends who told me you’d gone out to California.”

She lifted her eyebrows and said, “You really are a detective.”

“Cut the shit, Kate. Why did you run off to California?”

A twisted smile lifted her lips. “I was just following the example set by the Beverly Hillbillies. Arkansas family makes good on oil, then runs off to the land of the beautiful.”

The only way she was going to give me an answer was if she wanted to. As I’d learned long ago, Katherine Elizabeth Simmons could not be forced to do anything she didn’t want to do.

“So what have you been doing out there?”

Her shoulders seemed to relax and the hint of a grin lifted the corners of her mouth. “A little of this and a little of that. But that’s all behind me now.”

“That’s specific.”

She winked. “I’m not sure an officer of the law would appreciate what I’ve been up to.”

“Taking after our father’s footsteps?”

Her face hardened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I shook my head. “Never mind. So you left California. What are you up to now?”

“I’m still trying to figure out my next move.” She poured sugar into her coffee cup and waved her hand toward me. “So you gave up all the prestige of being a detective for the Arkansas State Police to become a deputy sheriff in Fenton County.” Derision laced her words. “And when I say working for the state police was prestigious, you have to know it’s little better than a step up from garbage removal.”

“And you ask why we aren’t close,” I said dryly.

“Hey, for most people, I’m sure it’s perfectly wonderful. But you’re a Simmons.” She narrowed her eyes. “
Groomed for greatness
.”

“Nobody asked me if I wanted that life. It was just presumed I’d live it.”

“I don’t recall you putting up much of a fuss.”

My pulse pounded in my head. I really didn’t want to have this conversation. I spread out my arms and looked her in the eye. “Take a good look. This is what it looks like to slum it in Fenton County. Now that you’ve had your laugh at my expense, you can leave.”

“Don’t be so defensive.”

“You’re insulting where I
live
and what I do.”

She patted my hand on the table. “Okay. Okay. I get it. No insulting anything in Fenton County, no matter how hard it is to resist.” She cocked her head. “Please tell me that does
not
include Hilary, since she claims to live here too now.”

I had to stop my grin. “I think we can make an exception for her.”

“Thank God.”

Bonnie returned with our food and I was thankful for the reprieve. The sooner this meal ended, the better.

As Bonnie moved on to another table, Kate asked, “So what brought you here in the first place?”

“It sounds like you already know. I was undercover in Daniel Crocker’s garage posing as a mechanic.” Then I remembered something she’d said to Hilary. “You said Hilary messed up the report. How did she mess it up, and how do you know about it?”

She gave me a cocky grin, obviously pleased to have the upper hand again. “You didn’t read it?”

“I gave my statement.”

“But Hil-Monster was in charge of the entire thing. She left off a ton of information …information that put a certain someone in danger when Crocker broke out of prison.”

The blood drained from my head. “
Rose?
”

“Yeah, Rose Gardner.” She snapped her fingers. “You know her, don’t you?”

“Cut the crap, Kate. I don’t have time for your bullshit. How did she put Rose in danger?”

She picked up her fork and sliced into her pancakes. “She left things out of the report.”

“You said that already. What kind of things?”

“Details about Rose’s interactions with Crocker. The extent of her relationship with you. The police and sheriff’s department didn’t have the full information. The reason they didn’t adequately protect her in the beginning was because they underestimated Crocker’s obsession with her.”

I shook my head. “How do you know this?”

“I have my sources.”

“Who?” I repeated through clenched teeth.

“All you need to know is that I have connections. My connections fill me in on things that pertain to you. I caught wind of this little drama and started to do a little digging.”

“Why the hell would you be interested in anything to do with me?”

She shot me a look of disgust. “Don’t look so surprised. I’m your sister. It’s my job to care.”

“If you went out to California in the hopes of breaking into Hollywood, this little performance explains why you’re back.”

She laughed, a genuine laugh that caught the attention of the other restaurant patrons. “You really have changed. You’re not the prick you were when I left.”

“Didn’t you leave off
arrogant?
That was always one of your favorite insults.”

She took a bite of her bacon. “Nope, that part still seems to fit.”

This was my second conflict of the day, third if I counted the tense part of my conversation with Maeve. This would have been a record for me even back in my hardass days, and I was weary of all the contention. She was right. I was a different man. I wanted peace and contentment now; I craved it. The realization startled me.

But at the moment, it was vital for me to find out what Kate knew and how she knew it. “You said Hilary changed the report.”

“More like made it very abbreviated.”

“And doing that put Rose in danger.” I’d never looked at the full report, only my own portion of it. It had never occurred to me that I needed to check. But I planned to get a copy the first chance I got.

Kate studied me for a moment. “Tell me about your relationship with Rose Gardner.”

“This sounds oddly like an interrogation.”

She grinned, but it was a forced expression. “Humor me.”

My jaw tensed. “Why? It sounds like you have it all figured out.”

“Joe.” Her tone softened. “I really want to hear about Rose.”

I picked up my coffee cup and shook my head. “No. I’m not talking about her.”

“Joe…”

“
No.
”

“Okay…” she drawled. “No discussing Rose. But tell me this: Do you plan to marry Hilary?”

“God, no.”

“She doesn’t believe that.”

“Hilary can believe whatever deluded fantasy she chooses to. But that particular one will never turn into reality.”

“And the baby is yours? You’re sure of it? You know that Hil-Monster wouldn’t blink an eye about passing someone else’s fetus off as yours if she thought there was a chance you’d put a ring on it.”

“She doesn’t need me to put a ring on it,” I said, my voice tense. “She got her own damn ring which she continues to wear. I’m sure you noticed yesterday. And the baby’s mine. I’m going to insist on a paternity test after the baby’s born, and she knows it. She’s not sloppy enough to play pretend with something like this.”

“And you’re positive she’s pregnant?”

“I went to the doctor and saw the baby’s heartbeat on her ultrasound. She’s pregnant, all right.”

“But—”

“Kate, enough,” I said. “If you’re trying to find a loophole out of this mess that I’ve made, there isn’t one. Trust me, I’ve spent plenty of sleepless nights trying to find it.” I leveled my gaze. “And I might add that I find it creepy that you’re taking on Dad’s role of trying to get me out of trouble.”

She laughed. “Yeah, I’m not comfortable in it either, but I can’t let Hilary get away with trapping you like this.”

Was that her purpose? To best Hilary? If so, I should jump on that bandwagon. But the truth was, though she was by all appearances a rebel, Kate was a Simmons through and through. I didn’t trust her any more than I trusted our parents. I took several breaths, then lowered my voice. “Hilary and I slept together more than once around the time of the baby’s conception. I was a willing participant, so the best thing I can do is accept responsibility for it and figure out how to make it work.”

She took a bite of her bacon, keeping her gaze on me. “You’ve changed.”

“Of course I have. You haven’t seen me in two years. And besides, you already said I wasn’t the prick I used to be.”

She shook her head. “No. It’s more than that. It’s like you’ve grown up.”

“About damn time, don’t you think?” I grumbled.

“She did this,” she whispered.

“Hilary?” I scoffed. “She’d rather I act like a child so she can control me. She’s an enabler.”

“No. Not Hilary. Rose.”

My fork dropped out of my hand and clanged on my plate. “I will not discuss Rose with you.”

“Okay,” she said softly. “I’m sorry. I had no idea she meant so much to you.”

“I’m just full of surprises,” I grunted.

“Like the fact you’re a part owner of a landscaping nursery. I had no idea you wanted to be a business owner.”

How much did she know about my life? “Neither did I until it fell in my lap.”

“Do you like it?”

“Hard to say,” I said as I pushed the last piece of egg onto my fork. “The store was vandalized before Thanksgiving, and we haven’t even reopened yet.”

“When’s the reopening?”

“Next week.” I looked into her face. “You accused Hilary of purposely screwing up the report. Why would she do that?”

She put a hand on her chest and gave me a look of mock innocence. “Why are you asking me? You should be asking the mother of your baby.”

There it was, the proof that my life was just a game with her…that she wasn’t here to make nice with me and be my sister. If she really cared, she’d tell me everything she knew instead or parcel it out as she saw fit. I pulled out my wallet and looked for some cash. “It’s been great catching up, but I have to get back to work.” I set several bills on the table and stood.

“Sure, we’ll talk more later.”

I glared at her. “No, I think we’re done. Now you can run off to who knows where.”

“Didn’t I tell you?” She waggled her eyebrows. “I’m staying in Henryetta.”

My breath froze in my chest. “For how long?”

She grinned, but I could see the hint of challenge in her eyes. “As long as it takes.”

I spun around and left the restaurant, afraid to ask what she meant by that. Besides, she wouldn’t have told me anyway.

As I climbed into my car, I saw Kate emerge from Merilee’s with a look of determination on her face. When she didn’t head to her car, I got nervous. What was she up to? She took a long look at Rose’s office, and my heart leapt into my throat. She knew so much about everything else, did she already know about RBW Landscaping? Maybe the attention I’d given it earlier had tipped her off. But Rose’s truck was gone, and Kate turned around and headed toward the courthouse. Was her source of information in the courthouse? Could it be Mason Deveraux?

No doubt about it, I had some sleuthing of my own to do now.

And the most important thing was for me to find out Kate’s real end game.