Thirty-Two and a Half Complications (32 page)

“How do you know all of this?”

I folded my hands in my lap. “I just do.”

“You just do.” He shifted in his seat. “That’s not good enough, Rose. I need to know where you got your information.” He stood and walked around the end of the desk, sitting on the edge in front of me.

I worried I was gonna throw up on his jeans. “I saw the Charger out the bank window and then I saw it again on Sunday. It turned into the fertilizer plant. The truck was there too and I’d seen it turn down the farmhouse road.”

He leaned closer until his face was in front of mine, his minty breath blowing in my face. “And the rest? I know for a fact that those guys wore masks the entire time they were in the bank. I have my sources. And how do you know they’re pooling money or that they killed the loan officer to keep him from talking?”

“I found Mr. Sullivan’s body.”

“So you overheard these men discussing the matter when you saw them kill him?”

I took a deep breath. “No, I just found his body.”

He spread his hands wide. “So you found him with a note of explanation pinned to his shirt?”

“No, of course not.” I swallowed, my nerves a tangled mess. “I just know things.”

I let out a shriek when he grabbed my throat and gave it a slight squeeze. “I already get that you know them. What I’m interested in is the
how
of it.”

I tried not to panic when my vision started to fade, not because he was cutting off my oxygen supply, but because I was about to pass out from fright. I had nothing to tell him. Why had I presumed he’d just take the information without me being able to back it up?

“She has the sight,” Bruce Wayne said. “She can see things.”

I would have gasped if I wasn’t in a choke-hold. How did Bruce Wayne know? I’d certainly never told him.

Skeeter dropped his hold, and turned his attention to Bruce Wayne as I sank in my chair. “You’re shittin’ me, right?”

“No. She can see things—the future, only she has no control over it. It just hits her and she blurts out what she saw. That’s how she knows. I suspect she had a vision of the robbers while she was at the bank and another one at church yesterday. She was near a group of four guys and Samantha Jo when she had it and I don’t think she knows which one it was.”

My eyes widened in shock.

Bruce Wayne gave me his puppy-dog eyes. “I ain’t stupid, Rose. I’ve known since we were working on the grounds of Reverend Jonah’s church. I just didn’t say anything because I know it embarrasses you. And I was at church yesterday. You just didn’t see me.”

“Well, well, well. This
is
interesting.” Skeeter sat back on his desk, looking amused. “Who else knows about your
gift?
”

“You believe Bruce Wayne?” I asked.

He crossed his arms. “I’m reserving judgment, but I’m open to the possibility. My grandmother knew an oracle in Lafayette County and swore she was legit. I wouldn’t have believed it, but a few of her predictions came true.”

My heart raced and I struggled to catch my breath. This whole thing was spinning out of control. “She was my grandmother.”

“You don’t say.” He grinned, but there was something sinister underneath the expression, like he was placating me. “Now tell me who else knows you have this ability.”

“Just my sister and my boyfriend.” I kept Neely Kate out of it. I couldn’t put her in danger.

“Both of your boyfriends?”

Why did he want to know? “I only have one at a time, thank you very much. But yes. Both of them know.”

“No one in town?”

“Why do you care?” I asked, my senses returning. “What does it matter to you?”

“I want to make sure you’re not telling other people things they might want or need to know.”

I snorted. “I hate having visions. And if I tell someone about something I’ve seen, you can bet I wish I hadn’t.”

He studied me with new appreciation. “That night you came to the pool hall this summer and told me I was gonna lose a lot of money? That was a vision, wasn’t it?”

I nodded, still in shock that this man, of all people, now knew my secret.

He grinned and propped his arms behind him on the desk, bracing himself. “Tell me if I’m gonna win the auction.”

“It doesn’t work that way. It’s like what Bruce Wayne said; I don’t have control over what I see or when I see it.”

He sat up, his eyes twinkling. “You said your boyfriend doesn’t know you’re here. How about I keep you here until you have one?”

Oh, crappy doodles. “Then you better order out for pizza. It might be a while.”

“So you don’t have any control at all?”

What should I tell him? If he kept me here, Neely Kate would tell Mason, then Skeeter would think I’d set him up. He already knew this much, so I figured I might as well tell him the rest. “Sometimes I can force one, but I never know what I’m gonna see. And just because I see something, doesn’t mean it will definitely come true. Sometimes the future can be changed. This summer I saw myself dead several times and as you can see,
that
hasn’t happened yet.”

“Obviously what you have is a rare talent that many people would kill for,” he said. I had a feeling that he wasn’t speaking metaphorically. “I want to buy you.”

“
Excuse me?
”

He waved his hand. “Your services. I want to buy them.”

“They aren’t for sale.”

“Then the deal’s off.”

I stood, squeezing my hands into fists at my sides. “You can’t do that. I gave you my information. You agreed.”

“And I warned you that you couldn’t trust me.” He laughed. “Too bad you didn’t have a vision of
that
.”

I spun around and headed for the door.

“Don’t leave, Rose,” he called after me, sounding amused. “We’re not done.”

“I
am.
I have neither the time nor the patience to play your games, Skeeter Malcolm.”

“Rose. Stop. I was joking.”

I turned around, irritated as snot. “You don’t seem like a joking kind of guy.”

“I’m not. That’s part of the reason I like you so much. You bring out the fun-lovin’ side of me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Enough of this fool nonsense, Skeeter Malcolm. Are you gonna help me or not?”

He laughed. “You know I’ve killed men for lesser offenses than the disrespectful way you’re talking to me now.”

“You won’t kill me. I’m too valuable.”

“No?” He grinned at Bruce Wayne. “But what’s to stop me from killing him to make you do what I want? Or threatening your sister? And
you know
I’d gladly have your boyfriend out of my way. Heck, either of them. What’s to stop me from threatening the people you care about to get you to do what I want?”

I moved toward him, my expression cold. “Because I took you for a smart man, Skeeter Malcolm. Fear works as a motivator, but not for long. Smart men know that there are more effective ways to get what they want.”

His eyes narrowed. “And what do you propose that is?”

“Mutual need. I have something you need. You have something I need. We stick to our deal, Mr. Malcolm. You can threaten me and the people I care about all you’d like, but then I’ll be lookin’ for the first door out. Why would either of us want to bolt if we’re scratchin’ each other’s backs? The longevity of your asset will be more certain if you don’t resort to scare tactics.” Who knew those business books I was reading would come to good use with a thug? But business was business, whether it was above board or below.

“Huh. You might have a point.”

“I’ll try to have a vision of you as a gesture of good faith.” As soon as I uttered the words, I wished I could take them back. Jonah said Skeeter spent all his money on booze, women, and cars. What if I had a vision similar to the one I had with Samantha Jo? But I usually saw whatever I intended to see when I forced a vision. With Samantha Jo, I hadn’t focused on anything, which had resulted in my unfortunate encounter with Moose in all his glory.

Nevertheless, it didn’t matter whether I changed my mind or not. Judging by the gleam in Skeeter’s eyes, it was too late to take it back now.

“I like it.”

“Then you’ll help me get my money back. And if I get any new information, I promise to share it with you.”

“Deal.”

“Which means nothing to you, but I can assure you that I’ll never purposely give you useful information or have a vision for you in the future unless you follow through with your end of the deal.”

A grin spread across his face. “You’re quite the firecracker, aren’t you? Okay. I agree.” He laughed, shaking his head. “I said I liked you, and I meant it. Hell, I’d consider proposing marriage to you to have more control of your gift, but I’m not a one-woman man. I suspect you might cut off my junk if you caught me cheatin’, so we’ll stick to business for now.”

If he weren’t serious, I would have laughed.

“How do you do this?”

“Stay where you are on the desk. I’ll hold your hand, and we’ll see what happens. But it might take a bit. Even a minute or more, so don’t be asking how much longer it’s gonna be every ten seconds.”

He held out his hand, smiling from ear to ear, and I wondered again at my folly. But it was too late to change anything now. Though I could sometimes see the future, I couldn’t do a darn thing to change the past.

“When I have a vision, I see it from the perspective of the person who’s nearest to me. So I’ll be you in the vision. I’ll blurt out something that I saw when I come to. It’s usually the most important part, but there’s always more, and I’ll tell you that part too.”

He waved his hand. “Fine. Sounds good. Let’s get to it.”

“One more thing. If I see something bad—like, suppose I see you dead—you can’t take it out on me or anyone close to me.”

“Got it. Don’t shoot the messenger.”

I heaved out a sigh. I had a feeling that I was gonna regret this. I only hoped I saw something he found useful or he might make me try it again. I grabbed his hand and closed my eyes.

“Are you—?”

“
Shh!
” I hushed.

He laughed, then settled down. My hand began to get clammy, but he held on tight. After thirty seconds or so, I felt a vision coming on.

I was in a hazy room that looked like a warehouse. The room smelled like smoke, sweat, and stale beer. A crowd of about fifty people filled the space, mostly men, but a few sluttily dressed women hung on them like accessories. The voices echoed in the space while men were lifting paddles and shouting numbers.

“Fifteen thousand.”

“Fifteen–five!”

“Eighteen!”

I didn’t lift the paddle in my hand or say anything until the bidding started to slow down.

“Do I hear twenty-six?” the auctioneer called out.

I lifted my paddle. “Twenty-six.”

The other bidder was silent.

“Twenty-seven,” a man called out. I turned my head to see it was a guy lowering his paddle. I knew who he was. The man who’d worn the Batman ski mask.

My fists tightened with rage. I was starting to lift my paddle when someone brushed past me. I felt a prick on my leg, and within seconds my thigh muscle was burning and my head was fuzzy.

“Do I hear twenty-eight?” The auctioneer looked at me.

I wanted to lift my paddle, but I was struggling to breathe.

“Twenty-seven going once…twice…”

The men next to me were staring me in shock. “Skeeter! Make the damn bid!”

But I dropped to my knees, my vision fading, my lungs refusing to inflate. Every muscle in my body had become useless.

Everything went to black as I heard the auctioneer yell, “Sold to number fourteen.”

The vision faded and my eyes flew open. “Someone’s gonna kill you at the auction.”

Then my knees buckled and I started to drop.

Bruce Wayne reached over and helped me back into my chair.

Skeeter’s face was beet-red. “What did you see? Who did it?”

I was struggling to catch my breath.

“Rose?” Bruce Wayne asked. “Are you okay?”

I nodded, trying to keep my fear under control. “I’ve never died in one before. Give me a minute.”

Skeeter wasn’t so patient. Bending down in front of me, he growled, “What did you see?”

“What happened to don’t shoot the messenger? Give me a minute! I’m a little freaked out.”

“
You’re freaked out?
” he shouted. “I’m the one who’s gonna die!”

“Stop,” I said. “You’re not gonna die.”

He threw his hands into the air. “You just said I was.”

“And I also told you we could prevent something from happening if we knew about it in advance.” I told him what I had seen. When I was finished, he looked angrier than before I’d started. “You have guys watching out for you in a situation like that, right? Just make sure they’re being extra careful. But the needle hit your leg while you were bidding, so I’d bet anything one of those other three guys in Batman’s team did it.” Then I smacked his arm. “You cheater!”

“What did I do?” he shouted, looking confused.

“Those guys had enough money to bid on Crocker’s business, which means you didn’t get my cash back.
You weren’t even gonna try!
” I smacked him again. “Serves you right that they killed you.”

Skeeter scowled.

I stood and picked up my purse, pulling out a piece of paper on which I’d already printed my cell phone number. I slammed it on his desk with a thud, then pointed my finger at him. “When you have some information for me, text me. But Mason sees my phone sometimes, so be discreet.” The last thing I needed was for Mason to know I’d made a deal with the devil.

Then, as I stomped out of the office, Bruce Wayne trailing behind, Skeeter broke out into laughter.

“I’m gonna like working with you, Rose Gardner.”

Too bad I couldn’t say the same.

Chapter Twenty-One

I called Neely Kate on the way home to let her know that we were safe and sound. I hadn’t planned on telling her everything, but I couldn’t tell Mason and I had to talk to someone.

Since I’d originally planned on being home much earlier, I’d told Mason I would cook dinner. The pickings were slim at home, so I decided to stop at the Piggly Wiggly. I still needed to shop for Thanksgiving, but I only had time to grab some pork chops and potatoes, along with a few rolls from the bakery department.