Thirty-Two and a Half Complications (28 page)

I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes, the sky had darkened and Muffy was whining at my feet. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. When I saw a figure lurking on my front porch, I sat up and screamed.

Chapter Eighteen

“
Rose
?” Mason called out, alarmed.

“Mason?” I bolted out of my chair and threw my arms around his neck.

He tightened his arms around me. “You’re freezing. How long have you been out here? You looked like you were sleeping. What happened?”

“I brought Muffy out, but I brought a blanket with me because it was cooling off. I was so tired I must have dozed off.”

“Come on, let’s get you inside. It’s not safe for you to be out here like this.” He opened the front door and followed me inside.

“Mason, where were you all day?” I asked as I turned on a lamp. “I kept trying to call you.” I couldn’t hide the panic in my voice. “I was really worried when I couldn’t reach you.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I had to go to my office and then on to a crime scene. I didn’t realize my phone was dead until I got a call about the robbery on the office phone. Then I tried calling you back, but you didn’t answer your phone. I almost had a sheriff’s deputy come out to check on you.”

“Except you were worried which one would come.”

He paused and stared into my face. “Rose, I’d call Joe Simmons myself if I thought you were in danger. I’d never put you in harm’s way to save my pride. It’s important you know that.”

I reached for him and pulled him into a hug. “I know. And I love you for it.”

“I love you too. Are you hungry? Have you eaten?”

“Not since Neely Kate stopped for ice cream.”

“Judging from all your calls, I take it you had an eventful day.”

“You could say that.”

We went into the kitchen and I pulled the container from the fridge. “I brought you my leftover hot wings from Big Bill’s Barbeque. Neely Kate and I went there for lunch.”

His quirked his brow at me. “You were at Big Bill’s today?”

“Yeah, Neely Kate said Ronnie Junior had a craving.” When he gave me a blank stare, I added. “Don’t ask.”

“Rose, Big Bill’s Barbeque was robbed right after closing time today.”

“What?” I turned to face him, my jaw dropping.

“It was robbed late this afternoon. We’re guessing it was the same guys who robbed the bank. They had those masks you described. But there were three of them this time. The third one had a Spiderman mask.”

“I have some information that might help.”

His eyes lit up. “Did you go see Samantha Jo?”

“Among other things.” I put the container in the microwave and turned it on. “Let me start at the beginning.” I fixed a plate for each of us and spent the next ten minutes telling him everything about my day—except for the forced vision—while he listened. I also gave him the chart I’d found, which seemed to confuse him as much as it had perplexed Neely Kate and me.

He was silent for a long moment after I finished, then said, “You
did
have an eventful day.” He looked at my plate and the barely touched food. “Are you still feeling ill?”

I shrugged. “It comes and goes.”

He watched me push my half-eaten wing to the side of the plate. “You’re still not ready to take the test?” he asked, his face expressionless.

“No.”

He didn’t say anything for several unnerving seconds. “Okay, I’ll let you take the lead on this for now.”

I got up to put our plates in the sink. “Thank you.”

He followed behind me. “Let’s clean this up and go sit in the living room. I need to talk to you about something, and I’d rather not do it while we’re hanging over the kitchen sink.”

My chest constricted. “This sounds serious.” A lump burned my throat. “Are you breaking up with me?”

He grabbed my arms and turned me to face him, his eyes flying open. “
What? No!
Why would you think that?”

“After the Joe situation yesterday and you sleeping in the spare room last night and not going to church with me this morning…well, my imagination ran wild.”

He pulled me into a hug. “Rose, please don’t worry about something like that happening. I love you, and I told you that I don’t take that lightly. When I make a commitment, I stick to it.” He laughed softly, his chest rumbling against mine. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

I pulled back and wiped a tear. “I’m glad to hear it.”

He kissed my forehead, his expression turning serious again. “Come on. Let’s go into the living room.”

We sat on the sofa and he wrapped an arm around my back and pulled me close.

“You got a lot of helpful information today, but I’m most worried that Lars Jenkins thinks you have information about him doing something illegal. He is not a man to be trifled with.”

“I didn’t think I was doing anything dangerous, Mason. I swear. I was only goin’ over to talk to Samantha Jo when I had that vision—and we were in church, for heaven’s sake!”

“Hey.” He looked down at me and smoothed back my hair. “You
didn’t
do anything wrong, and I’m not upset with you.
Please
don’t think I am. I’m so proud of the progress you’ve made over the last six months. You said you rarely used to do anything or go anywhere, but look at you now. You own your own business, and you have friends—good ones. But unfortunately, there’s a price for venturing out into the world—you risk having visions at inopportune times. It’s going to keep on happening too. The only alternative is for you to hide away from people like you did for so long, but you don’t want to go back to that life…and it’s not what I want for you either. You deserve much more, and the people who have yet to meet you do too.”

I wiped away a tear. “Thank you, Mason.”

“That being said, I’m worried you might be in danger. Especially after the robbery today. I have an uneasy feeling about all of it. Something big is about to go down, and I think you’re going to get caught in the middle of it.”

Mason had great instincts and I’d learned to listen to them. He’d been the only one to correctly guess that Daniel Crocker would stick around Fenton County after his jail break. “I tried my best to be careful today, Mason. I only talked to Samantha Jo because you gave me your blessing, and when we saw the Charger I only wanted to get the license plate number… We didn’t even expect to see the truck. It gives me the heebie jeebies to think about it turning into our neighbor’s farm the other day. For all I know, that poor man was inside.” I shuddered, thinking about how close I’d been to a murderer that day. And Ashley and Mikey had been with me too.

He searched my eyes. “You need to stay out of this now, okay? It’s too dangerous. Promise me.”

“Okay. Do you know how much money the robbers got today?”

“About eight thousand. They don’t take credit cards and it was a Sunday. Taylor said it had never been robbed before, which I find startling. He thinks there’s some unspoken rule that the place is off limits.”

“Maybe the robbers are from out of town and didn’t know the rule?”

“Good thought. Maybe,” Mason said.

“I’m sure at least one of those five people at church are involved,” I said. “And I know two of them are from out of town. Lars Jenkins and Eric Davidson, although Eric seems the more unlikely of the two.”

“Agreed.” He grinned, pride beaming from his eyes. “I think you missed your calling, Rose. You’re a natural at this.”

“You’re actually encouraging me?”

His smile fell slightly. “We’ve already established that I don’t want you out there pursuing this anymore, but there’s nothing wrong with you using the brain that God gave you to sort through what we know to draw some conclusions.”

I stared at him in awe before continuing. “So based on my vision, they still don’t have enough money for whatever it is they’re planning.”

“No, which means they’ll hit someplace else and probably soon.”

“And the fertilizer plant?”

“Unfortunately, it’s within Henryetta’s city limits, so the police will be in charge. I’ll tell them I got an anonymous tip. I doubt they’ll ask many questions. But I think you’re right. Whatever group they’re a part of has been meeting there.”

“Too bad we didn’t get the license number on the car or the truck.”

“I’m glad you were wise enough to know when to stay back. I’ll confess that I wish you hadn’t gone to the plant with just Neely Kate. If these guys have been meeting there and you’d showed up while they were around, you could have endangered yourself.”

“And what about Samantha Jo’s involvement? What does your instinct tell you about that?”

“I agree with you there. She and Moose are definitely behaving in a suspicious manner. I’ll see what I can dig up on them.” He tipped my face up to his. “I’m sorry she was mean to you.”

“I’m used to it.” I shrugged, trying to lower my gaze, but he held onto my chin.

“I’m glad Neely Kate is your friend.”

I smiled. “Me too.”

“Speaking of mean people, what’s going on with Violet? What in the world is she doing spending time with Joe? It’s damn obvious Joe’s only hanging around her to try to upset you and make you jealous. But what’s
her
motive?”

“I honestly have no idea. Probably the same thing.”

“Is she still coming for Thanksgiving?”

“We haven’t discussed it, but I can’t imagine she would want to after all of this.”

“Is it still okay if my mother comes?”

“Of course! She’s staying here, I hope?”

“I talked to her today before my phone died. She agreed to join us for Thanksgiving after I convinced her you wouldn’t have it any other way. She plans to drive down and spend tomorrow night with us. Then she’s going to spend Tuesday and Wednesday looking for a place for me to move into.”

My back stiffened. “Oh…” I said softly.

He was silent for a moment. “That was our arrangement, and it looks like I’ll finally get the insurance check in another week or so. I’ve overtaken your office and everything else in the meantime. I’m sorry to have imposed on you for so long.” He was silent for a moment. “Mom says she’ll even come back to help me furnish it.”

I bit my lip to keep from crying. Why was I getting so upset? He wasn’t moving far away, just back into his own place. In Henryetta. I needed to put this into perspective. “You’ve lived alone for a long time. I’m sure it’s been a difficult adjustment living with me. You’re probably eager to have your own place again.”

“No, Rose. I’ve loved every minute of living with you. There’s nothing better at the end of an awful day than coming home to see your smiling face.” He kissed the top of my head. “Not to mention going to bed with you every night and waking up to your sweet smile in the morning.” His hand on my waist slid higher, until it rested beneath my breast. His voice turned husky. “Along with all the things we do in your bed. And other places.”

My insides warmed and I shifted so I could press myself against him more. “I like those parts too.”

He lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me gently before growing bolder.

“Mason?” I asked breathlessly.

“Yes?” He lifted his head to look at me, his eyes filled with lust.

“What if I don’t want you to move? What if I want you to stay?”

His hand slid up my back, pressing me closer to him. “I’d give you just about anything you want, Rose. You only have to ask.”

“But what do
you
want? I’d only want you to stay if it’s what
you
wanted too.”

A grin tugged at his mouth. “If you’re asking if I think it’s too soon for us to officially live together, I confess it’s faster than I would consider prudent. But I’ve thrown all the rules out the window with you. What we have defies any rules. I know this farmhouse is yours, and I would never presume ownership, but when I’m here with you, I feel more at home than I’ve ever felt before.”

I smiled back at him. “Yesterday, when I was at the crime scene and I just wanted to go home, I realized part of the reason this place feels like home is because you’re here. Please stay.”

He gave me a long slow kiss and lifted his head to look at me. “I can’t think of any place I’d rather be. I love you, Rose. I promise you that I’ll always do my best to make you happy.” His words were thick with emotion.

“Oh, Mason. You already do.” I started to get up. “Let’s go upstairs.”

He held me in place, his face turning serious. “Before we do, I want to talk to you about one more thing.”

I settled back against him, anxious. “Okay.”

“You know I’ve been working on this special case and I didn’t want to talk about it prematurely. But I’ve hit a wall, and I’m not sure how to broach it with you.” He hesitated. “My special project…it involves you.”

“Me?” My head jerked up. “You mean Dora’s death?”

“No, something else.” He paused, looking nervous, which worried me. “Ever since you told me about J.R. Simmons’ blackmail attempt when we were on the run from Crocker, I’ve been concerned about the threats he’s dangling over Joe’s head to keep him in line. I’ve been gathering evidence to bring Joe’s father down, but I’m facing a mountain of dilemmas. The first being that we live in completely different counties, which means I have no jurisdiction over him unless he does something in Fenton County. And despite all the digging I’ve done, I can’t find any evidence directly linking him to this place.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s never even been in Fenton County.”

“You could very well be right. I could try to involve the state police, but J.R. has influential people in his pocket, people who would immediately squash any investigation I tried to hold. Not to mention my career would be on the line if he gets word of what I’m doing. That part doesn’t bother me as much as the thought of tipping him off does. If he realizes I’m trying to gather ammunition to use against him, he might strike first. And I want to avoid that at all costs, obviously.”

My stomach was in knots. “I don’t want you to put your career on the line for me, Mason.”

“I’m not even going to dignify that statement with a response except to ask you a question: Wouldn’t you do the same for me?”