Ripple of Secrets: Rose Gardner Mystery Novella #6.5 (Rose Gardner series Book 3) (6 page)

“He wants him
murdered
?”

“Yeah.”

“And what did you say?”

I grabbed the steering wheel in a tight grip. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It’s your father. Don’t you pretty much jump and ask how high?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Do you really think I take my position as the chief deputy so casually?”

“If we threw your father out of the equation, I would say you’re a great deputy. Better than this county has seen in decades.” He paused and looked momentarily pained by the admission. “But we both know he has you on a short leash…and the woman we both love is at the end on a choke hold. You’ll do whatever he tells you to do.”

“Would you rather I didn’t?”

He scowled. “No, but I don’t like the idea of J.R. Simmons dictating how the Fenton County sheriff’s department does its job.”

“How do you think I feel?” As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized I’d set him up.

Shockingly, he didn’t take the bait. “Why does your father want Malcolm out of the way?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”

“And he wants Mick Gentry to take over as the kingpin?” he asked, incredulous.

“Or at least do the dirty work of taking care of Malcolm.”

“But why does he care what goes on here?”

“He says the sheriff is going to announce his retirement. My father wants me to run. I think he’s trying to make himself look good.”

“That still doesn’t explain why he cares about who runs the Fenton County underworld. Does J.R. Simmons have business here?”

I sighed. “Not that I knew about, but he mentioned something about you that makes me think he does.”

“Me?”

I’d laid awake half the night trying to figure out what to tell Deveraux. I knew I had to be careful in what I said—and didn’t say. “He claims he moved you to Fenton County because you were apathetic, and he suggested some of the citizens here might not like your newfound hunger for justice.”

“Like my encounter with the much-loved Daniel Crocker.” Mason’s jaw tightened. “Your father has some stake here in Fenton County. Some illegal activity that Malcolm is impeding. Do you have any idea what it could be?”

“How the hell would I know?”

“He’s your father.”

“Here’s a news flash for you, Deveraux,” I said, my temper rising. “I’m in law enforcement for a reason.”

“So you can cover up your daddy’s illegal activities?”

“Is that why you think I’m here?”

“You’re obviously considering kowtowing to him.”

“Get the hell out of my car!”

He grabbed the door handle and shoved the door open. “Gladly.”

After I watched him climb into his car and drive away, I wondered why I’d let myself lose control. But more importantly, I realized that I’d never told him there was someone out there who still wanted him dead.

Mason

I pulled into my parking spot in front of the courthouse, but instead of getting out, I gripped the steering wheel and berated myself for the millionth time in the last twenty minutes.

My temper had gotten the best of me. I reached for my phone to call Simmons, but I decided to give it another hour. I was still pissed and I couldn’t afford to lose it like I had earlier.

Dammit.

It didn’t help that I’d gone into the meeting in a bad mood after my disagreement with Rose. Both Rose and Joe were right, of course. I’d been in Little Rock digging for dirt on J.R. Simmons. And while I hadn’t come back with any hard evidence, I had found two promising leads. One was a possible bribery scheme in Columbia County involving a construction company getting a county government job.

The second was trickier. It involved a possible extortion scheme, and in Fenton County, no less. The only problem was that it had happened twenty-five years ago. It was definitely past the statute of limitations and worthless to me in terms of toppling J.R. Still, something nagged at me not to let it fall off my radar. Rumor had it that the shady dealings had gone down in the summer and fall of the year Rose’s birth mother had died…and the company involved was the very one that had employed Dora Middleton.

What if her birth mother had somehow been involved?

And while part of me knew I should tell Rose, I’d kept it from her—along with everything else I’d learned in Little Rock—when I came home. It wasn’t intentional. As soon as she came home, I learned that she and Neely Kate had been suspects in the murder of a psychic in New Orleans. She’d waved it off as nothing, saying that she hadn’t called me for help while I was in Little Rock because she knew I was working on something important, and besides, there was nothing I could have done.

And that was the part that freaked me out the most. She could have been arrested for murder and I would have been powerless to help her.

Then I took it one step further: if J.R. Simmons pulled the trigger on his fabricated evidence, he was sure to have me removed from my position, and I’d be powerless in Fenton County too.

Finding solid evidence was the key to bringing Joe’s father down, but I could have a stack of evidence against him and it wouldn’t do me one iota of good if no one was willing to do anything with it. And one thing was certain—J.R. Simmons’ reach was very deep in Arkansas.

It hadn’t surprised me to learn he knew about my trip to Little Rock, but it meant he was watching me more closely than I’d suspected. Simmons hadn’t gotten where he was by being stupid. He had to guess that Rose had told me about his fabricated evidence…and that I wouldn’t sit by idly without trying to do something about it. Which meant I had to be even more careful.

I was still under the philosophy that the less Rose knew about my quest, the safer she’d be, but I realized that if I continued to keep things from her, I would risk losing her. Of course, I couldn’t tell her everything about my work—the particulars of the sting operation Joe and I had been working on for the last few weeks had to be kept strictly confidential. And Joe had only agreed to help me dig up dirt on J.R. in a limited capacity so long as Rose didn’t know about his involvement. But she had a right to know what I had discovered about J.R. Simmons. I just needed to be prepared to ignore her pleas for me to stop investigating.

I pulled up her name on my phone and called her, thankful when she answered. “Rose, I’m so sorry. Will you forgive me?”

She was silent for a moment and fear rooted in my gut. What if I’d pushed her too far? I was relieved when she finally said, “Of course, Mason. I know you think you’re protecting me—”

“You’re right, sweetheart, that’s always been my reasoning, but I’ve realized it’s wrong to keep you in the dark.”

“You
have?
”

“I’m still not convinced it’s the right thing to do, but you have the right to know.”

“Thank you.”

“But I still can’t tell you everything,” I warned. “I’ve promised some people I won’t tell anyone they’re involved.”

“Okay. I understand.”

“Can you meet me at Merilee’s for lunch? Say noon.”

“Of course.”

“I love you, Rose. I hate when you’re upset with me.”

“I love you too, Mason. Everything’s going to be okay.”

I hoped she was right, not only about us, but about everything else too.

I hung up and stared at the courthouse. While I was sure Joe was keeping something things from me, I was fairly certain he’d told me the truth about everything else. The intention of my visit to Little Rock had been to find evidence incriminating J.R., but it looked like the proof I wanted was literally buried in my own backyard.

I pulled the keys out of my ignition and unlocked my glove compartment, then pulled out a burner phone I’d bought in Little Rock. If J.R. was watching me, I needed to be more careful with my calls. I stuck the phone in my coat pocket and headed up to the office.

My secretary looked up from her computer as I walked through the door. “Good morning, Mr. Deveraux. Did you have a merry Christmas?”

I offered her a smile. “I did, Kaylee, and you? Did Del get you that scarf you wanted?”

Her grin spread. “He did. And he gave me this too.” She held out her hand and waggled her left finger, showing me a diamond solitaire.

“Well, then congratulations are in order. Del’s not only a lucky man, but an intelligent one to boot.”

A blush tinged her cheeks. “Thanks, Mr. Deveraux.” She handed me a stack of messages.

I hoped it would be me and Rose walking down the aisle in the not-so-distant future, but I knew better than to push the issue. We hadn’t been together long, but I knew I’d never find anyone else I’d rather spend the rest of my life with.

I pointed a thumb toward my office. “I need to make an important call, so I’d appreciate it if you’d hold my calls until I’m done.”

“Of course, Mr. Deveraux.”

I shut the door behind me and opened my laptop, then looked up the number for Skeeter Malcolm’s pool hall and called it from my burner phone.

It was early, probably too early for him to be there, but rumor had it he was an early to work and late to leave kind of guy. The phone rang several times before it was answered. “Malcolm’s Pool Hall.”

“I’d like to speak to Skeeter Malcolm.”

“And who’s calling?”

I paused before answering. “Someone with some helpful information.”

He hesitated. “Why don’t you tell me what it is and I’ll pass it on.”

“I know you’re trying to helpful, but I need to speak to Mr. Malcolm myself.”

He chuckled. “Well, let me see if
Mr.
Malcolm is willing to talk to someone with helpful information.”

I cringed. Damn, I should have actually come up with a plan before calling.

But to my surprise, Malcolm’s voice came on the line. “What’s so damned important you couldn’t tell Jed?”

“Mr. Malcolm?”

“Skeeter Malcolm at your service.” I heard the snicker in his voice.

“It’s Mason Deveraux.”

He laughed, not missing a beat. “Well, Mr. Mason Deveraux, I can’t say I expected to hear from you. To what do I owe the honor of your call?”

“I have some information I think you’ll find helpful.”

“So you’ve said. The question is why you would want to help
me
.”

I took a breath. “My duty is to ensure the safety of all Fenton County’s citizens. Yourself included.”

“You’re insinuating I’m not safe.”

“Well…” I drawled. “I could point out that you have more than enough enemies to be perpetually unsafe, but I know of one in particular who would like to see your demise. And I suspect you’re not aware of this one.”

“Why don’t you tell me who it is and we’ll see if I’m surprised.”

“J.R. Simmons.”

He paused. “The chief deputy’s father?” He still kept his cool, but I could tell I’d caught him off guard.

“The one and the same.”

“How’d I catch the attention of King Simmons?”

“I was hoping you could tell me.”

He laughed. “You honestly think I’d tell you if I knew?”

“I’d give you full immunity.”

“Why?” When I didn’t answer, he continued, his voice harsher than I expected. “What’s in it for you?”

“Like I said, I’ve got this penchant for keeping the county safe. And since you’re a citizen of this county…” My voice trailed off.

“No. There’s more to it.”

The last thing I wanted to do was discuss Rose with Skeeter Malcolm. Especially after the way he’d looked at her when we ran into him at a restaurant a couple of weeks ago. “That’s all I’m at liberty to tell you.”

“Then thanks for the warning.” He hung up and I stared at the blank cell phone screen. I’d gotten absolutely nothing from that call and wasn’t likely to get anything else. I’d blown this one too.

I was really on a damn roll.

I stared at my computer screen, a tension headache brewing at the back of my neck. The DA wanted me out, particularly now that he knew I was on to his crooked ways, and J.R. knew I was sniffing around. I probably wouldn’t have this job for long, which meant I couldn’t afford to waste time. I might have to get my hands dirty to get things rolling. And while I’d promised to tell Rose what I’d discovered in Little Rock and anything else I was at liberty to tell, the dirty part didn’t qualify.

I also needed a backup plan. Rose was just about to launch her new business, so she wasn’t leaving Fenton County…and I wasn’t leaving her. So I needed to figure out what I would do if I lost my job. And if it got to that point, I’d know I’d stumbled onto something important enough to make J.R. nervous. While I’d told Rose that murdering people wasn’t in J.R. Simmons’ wheelhouse, I wasn’t so sure in this case.

I pulled my keys out of my pocket and unlocked my bottom drawer, reaching inside to pull a handgun out of the bottom drawer. I set the Glock on my desk and stared at it long and hard, a knife blade of worry working its way through my chest. After a dangerous incident in Little Rock, I’d always kept a gun in my office for protection, but I’d never had to use it.

I had a sickening feeling that would soon change.