Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

A s soon as I got in the car, after a moment's hesitation, I called Dermot. He'd looked me in the eyes and told me he hadn't murdered those men. I had no reason to distrust him, even if I had some lingering doubts. The call went straight to voicemail again. Why was his phone turned off? That worried me more than a little.

"Hey, Dermot," I said after the beep. "I'm startin' to get a little concerned about you. I have more information, but I don't want to leave it in a voicemail. Call me back when you get this."

I hung up and headed to the nursing home, eager to see my children.

The kids were in the living room when I walked in, sitting around Miss Mildred, who was still basking in their attention. I wasn't sure I'd ever seen her this happy.

I hated that I was about to destroy that.

Hope saw me first and jumped out of her seat. "Momma! I made a cupcake with a bunny on top!"

I kneeled down and scooped her into my arms, hugging her. "That's so awesome! I can't wait to see it."

She hugged me back, then squirmed. "Why you huggin' me so tight?"

I kissed her cheek as I loosened my hold. Lifting a hand to the side of her head, I smoothed back some of her dark brown waves. Her dark brown eyes studied me, and for a brief moment, I saw her biological father in her intense gaze. My heart tripped, but I plastered on a smile. "I missed you."

"I wasn't hewa vewy long, silly."

I laughed. "It doesn't matter how long or short I'm away. I always miss you."

Her mouth twisted to the side. "Will you be sad if I didn't miss you too?"

I laughed again. "No. I'm glad you had fun." The hug hadn't been enough to calm my nerves, but holding her any longer would look suspicious. Besides, Miss Mildred was staring at us, her smile gone.

I drew in a breath, girding myself for her sharp tongue.

Holding Hope's hand, I stood and turned my attention to Ashley and Mikey. "Did you guys have fun?"

"The mostest fun, Aunt Rose!" Mikey exclaimed. "I made a cupcake too, and it had dragon's eggs on top!"

"Oh my goodness!" I said, pretending to be shocked. "Where did you get dragon's eggs?"

Mikey started giggling, and Hope tugged on my hand.

When I glanced down at her, she said with a serious expression, "They awen't weal, Momma."

"What?"

"They just pwetend," she said, empathy on her face. "I'm sowwy if you'wa sad that they not weal."

I offered her a smile. "It's okay. But real dragon's eggs would be cool."

"The coolest!" Mikey said excitedly, then turned to Miss Mildred. "Right?"

"You'd be the only boy in the world with them, so that would definitely be cool," she said. Her smile was softer now, as though my presence had thrown a blanket over her happiness.

"Thanks for entertaining them, Miss Mildred," I said cautiously. "It looks like they had a wonderful afternoon."

"Somebody had to watch them," she said gruffly.

I quickly checked the kids' faces to see if her change in tone and demeanor had hurt them, but they were still beaming.

I glanced around the room. "I'm going to find Maeve and let her know I'm taking you guys home."

"Can we come back to see Miss Mildred again?" Ashley asked quietly.

"Of course," I said. "But you might not get to make cupcakes the next time. This was a special thing."

"I'll find something else for them to do," Miss Mildred said. "I got a copy of the key to the art supply room, so we can raid it when nobody's lookin'."

"Hey!" Mikey shouted. "I want to be an artist!"

"She knows," Ashley said with a sigh. "You told her and everyone else about twenty times."

"No harm in lettin' people know who you are," Miss Mildred said with an indulgent smile.

Ashley shrugged, then said to me, "Nana Maeve put our cupcakes on a table in the back. Can I go get them?"

"Sure, but do you know where Nana Maeve might be?"

"I think she's down there." She pointed down the hall by the front desk.

"Do you need help getting the cupcakes?"

She shook her head. "Nana Maeve put them in a box. I can carry it."

"Okay. I'll meet you back here in a minute."

I planned to take Hope with me to find Maeve, but she begged to stay with Miss Mildred so she could hear another of the older woman's funny stories. I'd never known Miss Mildred to tell a funny story in my life, but it didn't take much to entertain an almost three-year-old.

I headed down the hall, following Maeve's voice coming from an open door. I stopped outside the entrance and peered in. Maeve was standing, speaking to a middle-aged woman sitting behind a desk. But when she saw me in the doorway, she cut herself off and smiled at me. "Rose! Back already?"

"I am. I found the kids in the living room, and Ashley is getting their cupcakes. Thank you so much for encouraging me to let them stay."

"Oh my!" Maeve said, excitement dancing in her eyes. "The residents loved having them here. The director and I are talking about bringing more children next time. Do you think you'd be open to the kids coming again?"

I leaned into the doorframe. "After seeing how much fun they had and how it changed Miss Mildred's attitude, of course they can come. I'm going to have to drag them out of here today."

I said goodbye, then found the kids assembled in front of Miss Mildred. She was talking to all three of them, holding Ashley's and Hope's hands while they stared at her intently.

"You be good for your momma," she said to Hope. Then she turned to Ashley and Mikey, "And your aunt. She ain't your momma, may she rest in peace, but your aunt loves you as much as Violet does." She swiped a tear from her cheek. "And if you're good, maybe she'll let you come back."

Miss Mildred's gaze drifted to mine, and for a split second, there was pleading in her eyes.

My chest tightened as I took a step toward them. "Well, here's some good news: Nana Maeve is making it so you can come at least once a month, and other kids are gonna come too."

"Awe they gonna steal Miss Midwed?" Hope asked. "She's ouws."

"Of course no one's stealing Miss Mildred, because she's a person and not a possession," I said. "And Miss Mildred can spend time with whomever she wants. So if she wants to spend time with you, then lucky you."

"Yay!" Mikey and Hope cried out in unison, while Ashley smiled.

"But now we have to head home because Aunt Neely Kate has Liam, and we're meeting her at our house."

"And we have to see Muffy," Hope said, her head bobbing. "She misses us."

"Yes, she does," I said.

We headed out to the parking lot. The kids were surprised and excited when I told them Neely Kate and I had traded cars. I got the booster for Mikey out of the back, clipped Hope into Daisy's car seat, and headed home.

My car wasn't parked in front when we pulled in front of the house, and a moment of longing for Liam filled me, but I tried to shake it off as we got out and went inside. The cooler weather had changed to the low seventies, so when we let Muffy out, we all stayed outside with her. The kids ran around the front yard, while I settled onto the porch swing, sipping a cup of tea. I was trying to decide if I should ease my fears and call Neely Kate when my phone rang. While I'd hoped to see her name on the screen, I was nearly as relieved to see Dermot's.

"What'd you find?" he asked straight away.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I scanned the yard for the kids' location. "It's unusual for your phone to go straight to voicemail."

"I had another interview with your husband."

My stomach dropped, then I thanked God that he'd turned his phone off. I had no idea how he had saved my name in his phone, but I could only imagine how it would look if my name had popped up on his screen during his interview.

"Do they think you're behind them?"

"No. I think it was another fishing expedition. They found a third body."

"I heard," I said. "Do you think it's the guy Austin saw murdered?"

"Possible. One of the detectives let it slip that the guy died from a head shot, but I'm reluctant to say it's the same guy. For all we know, it's a fourth murder."

"Agreed." Although I certainly hoped it wasn't.

"So what'd you learn?"

I told him about my conversations with Darlene and how I'd decided to stop by McDonald's and talk to Scott Van de Camp.

"Alone?" he grunted.

"He's the manager of a McDonald's," I said dismissively. "You think he's gonna do anything to me in front of his employees?"

"Still…"

"It was worth finding out what he told me." I paused. "What do you know about an illegal secret bar south of Pickle Junction? Some guy named Derby Sloan runs it on the downlow. He sells drugs and hosts gambling."

"I'm acquainted with Derby Sloan." His tone left me guessing what he thought of him.

"Derby Sloan provided drugs to Harvey, Noah, and a guy named Huey-slash-Hugo Dempsey."

"I talked to some of Noah Parker's coworkers," Dermot said with a grunt. "They never mentioned he was a drug addict."

"Darlene claims Harvey was a recreational user. That he held a job and was responsible and reliable. Of course, she's his sister, so she could have blinders on."

"That's what all of Parker's coworkers said as well. They didn't know of a connection with Harvey Smith. This Hugo Dempsey is someone Harvey went to school with?"

"Yeah, he and Scott Van de Camp." I took a breath, my gaze following the kids. "Scott says some dealer came into the bar about a month ago and gave them all some new drug. Then he convinced the three of them to deal for them."

"At Sloan's place?" he cursed under his breath. "Sloan don't tolerate that shit."

So Dermot did know about the bar. "I got the impression Scott thinks Sloan could have murdered them."

He was quiet for a moment. "That makes sense. Only there's a slight problem. Based on your vision and Austin's story, the murderer was looking for something. A package."

"About that…"

"You know what it is?" he asked in surprise.

"No, but Darlene found an envelope her brother left at her house. It has a name—Thomas Benton—then Dallas, Texas, and a long number that starts with a lot of zeros. It looks like it might be some kind of bank account. Darlene has no idea who Thomas Benton is and says Harvey had never been to Dallas, let alone left the state of Arkansas. Do you think the paper could be the package the guys were looking for?"

"Could be, but it's strange they'd call it a package."

"Agreed." Mikey and Ashley started kicking a soccer ball around, while Hope sat on the bottom porch step with Muffy.

"Where is it now?"

"Darlene gave it to me. She said she didn't want it."

"Can you take a photo of it and text me?"

"Sure. I'll do it as soon as we get off this call."

"Great. For now, just hang on to it."

"Okay." Hope let out a squeal as Muffy licked her face. "Do you think the outsider who convinced Harvey and the others to sell his drugs could have killed them?"

"Sloan seems likelier, but I'm not ruling out the new dealer. And Sloan's been around long enough to know about the Lady in Black, so his guys could have been in your vision of Austin being hunted down in the woods."

A chill ran down my back. "How dangerous is this guy?"

"Dangerous enough that I'm checking him out as soon as we get off this call." He took a breath. "Where are you now?"

"At the farm."

"If Sloan's behind this, you're safe. He's under my control, and I'll make sure he knows you're off limits, so I'm pulling my guys off you."

"You're sure it was Sloan?"

"I'd feel better if Jed or your husband were there, just in case I'm wrong, but I need those men for another job."

"Jed's not here, but Neely Kate is on her way. Between the two of us, I think we'll be okay," I said. "We can hold our own."

"You've done it more times than I probably even know about. I'm gonna go have a chat with Derby Sloan and see where he stands. I'll be in contact."

"Thanks, Dermot."

"Yeah." He cleared his throat, then asked, "What do you plan to tell your husband?"

My head began to pound. "This seems too big to keep from him, but the only way I can get these people to talk is if I promise not to tell Joe and his staff."

"Which puts you between a rock and a hard place."

"Yeah. I take it Austin hasn't changed his mind about talking to me?"

"Nope."

"Have you convinced him not to talk to me?" I asked bluntly.

Silence hung over the line for a moment before he said, "While I haven't discouraged him from taking the call, I haven't encouraged him either. You've done your part to protect him. The rest should be up to me."

That ticked me off, but I kept my temper under control to ask my next question. "I also take it you haven't found out anything about the man or woman from my vision? Scott said he'd never seen either one of them, and he doesn't know a Selena."

"I haven't found out anything either. I'll be sure to let you know when I do."

"Will you?" I countered.

"It sounds like your life may be on the line," he grunted, "even if you're not the woman in the vision, so you can bet your ass I'll let you know what I find."

My heart softened a little. "Thanks, Dermot."

He hung up without saying goodbye, and I wondered if I was on the verge of alienating him. I'd never challenged him like this before, but I refused to be a pushover.

Despite where we stood—or maybe because of it—I took a photo of Harvey's paper and texted it to him.

It had been at least ten minutes since we'd gotten home, and Neely Kate still hadn't shown up despite her lengthy head start. Worry kept winding more tightly around me. What if something happened to her, Liam, and Daisy? I decided to call her and relieve my anxiety.

Neely Kate answered, sounding breathless. "We're on our way! We had a few mishaps that delayed us, but we're about five minutes from the farmhouse."

"What kind of mishaps?" Was she trying to ease me into something big?

"Liam woke up and had a huge blowout in his diaper. He soaked the car seat cover and, of course, his clothes. So I gave him a bath and tossed the car seat cover into the washer. He's wearing the change of clothes you had in the car."

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!"

"No worries. Witt helped. In fact, he's coming over too. Jed insisted."

"Have you heard whether Jed's found anything yet?"

"No, but I know he planned on talking to Noah's family and coworkers."

Dermot had already done that, but then again, Dermot may have gotten his information from Jed. "I have some new information, but I'll tell you when you get here."

"Have you been investigating without me?" she asked, sounding irritated.

"It kind of fell into my lap."

"Hmm."

"I'll tell you all about it when you get here," I repeated.

Several minutes later, Neely Kate pulled my car into our driveway, with Witt's pickup truck following behind her.

While they parked, I got up and started down the steps to get Liam. But by the time I got down there, Witt was already out and at the back door of my Suburban.

"Uncle Witt!" my kids cried out, running for him, then hugged his legs.

"You're gonna knock me and your baby brother down," he said through his laughter. "I'll play with you, but let me get Liam out first."

They let go of his legs but only backed up a few feet.

The kids all loved "Uncle" Witt. They called him uncle despite the fact he was Neely Kate's cousin. Daisy called him Uncle Witt too. Witt reveled in his role. He still hadn't found someone to settle down with, but once he did, I knew he was going to make an amazing husband and father.

He got Liam out of his seat, saying something to make him laugh, then set my giggling son down on the ground. "Okay. What are we playing today?"

"Soccer!" Mikey shouted. "I'm on a real team, Uncle Witt!"

"So I heard," Witt said good-naturedly. "I heard you scored some goals too. You must have learned those mad skills from me. I'm gonna have to come to a game to watch my prodigy. I'll make your mom tell me when you're playing your next one."

I froze, realizing Witt had called me Mikey's mom, but no one seemed to notice other than me. I pushed out a sigh of relief. Mikey likely wouldn't care, but I worried about Ashley's reaction. I tried my best not to take her mother's place, even though I was their mother in every way but title. But judging by the neutral look on her face, she'd let it slide by too.

Daisy came running around the car to join the group, and Witt started dividing the kids into teams.

Neely Kate carried a paper grocery bag as she walked around the front of the car. "Here's the groceries you left in the cart."

"Thanks. I'll pay you back however much it cost," I said.

Hope jumped up and down, Muffy dancing at her feet. "Can Muffy play, Uncle Witt?"

"Of course she can. I already decided she's on your team," Witt said. "You two are a pair."

Hope beamed, and Witt turned to me. "You look like you could use a break. I've got the kids. Why don't you head inside and get a glass of wine or a margarita."

"A margarita?" I asked with a laugh.

"Or whatever drink you like. Have Lipton Earl tea, for all I care. Just let me take over for a bit."

Neely Kate propped a hand on her hip. "It's either Lipton or Earl Gray."

"Do I look like a fancy tea drinkin' guy?" Witt asked, mimicking drinking a cup with his pinky extended.

The kids started to laugh.

"Get out of here already," he said, motioning for us to go inside.

I hesitated. "Okay, but I'll take Liam inside."

"And steal my star teammate?" Witt demanded in mock outrage. "I think not."

The kids laughed again, and I reluctantly went inside. I needed to tell Neely Kate about everything that had happened since I'd gone back to the grocery store, and while I'd talked to Dermot on the porch, Neely Kate and I could discuss everything more freely if we were inside.

Neely Kate put my few groceries away while I poured us each a glass of iced tea, then we sat at the kitchen table. I told her about Darlene and my meeting with Scott. She listened, asking a few questions. Then I told her about my short conversation with Dermot.

"So this Derby Sloan guy might have killed those men?"

"Maybe," I said, swiping at the condensation on my glass. "Dermot was going to talk to Sloan as soon as we finished the call."

"But if it's Sloan, it really doesn't have anything to do with Lady," she said. "That's kind of an internal problem, right?"

"Internal to Dermot's organization, true. The question is, what were the guys who killed the guy at Adkins looking for? Was it the paper Harvey left with his sister?"

"But that doesn't really qualify as a package, does it?"

"Maybe Dermot or Jed will find out when they question Derby Sloan and find the out-of-town dealer."

"I sure hope so."

The kids came barreling through the front door a few minutes later, with Witt trailing behind.

"We're hungry!" Mikey called out.

"We have an appet and we hungwy bears," Hope said, then she and Daisy held up their hands, making claws and growling.

"I think you mean appetite," I said with a laugh. It was about an hour or so from dinnertime, but I wasn't even sure what I was making yet. "And, of course, y'all can have a snack." I grinned at Witt. "You too."

"Yay!" Witt shouted, like he was one of the kids.

My phone rang again, and I was surprised to see Joe's name on the screen. I held up my phone so Neely Kate could see the screen.

She made a shooing motion. "You go ahead and talk to him. Witt and I can get their snacks."

"Thanks," I said, already walking toward the front porch as I answered. "Hey, Joe. How are things goin'?"

"Hey, darlin'," he said, sounding exhausted. "Not the greatest. I feel like I'm chasing my tail."

"I'm sorry." My guilt ratcheted up several notches. I suspected I had information that would help him, yet I didn't feel right telling him.

How had I gotten here? Again.

Sure, if I told Joe what I knew, I would damage my reputation as Lady forever, but it wasn't like I wanted to be the Lady in Black again. I had enjoyed my peaceful life since I'd left the criminal world behind.

Right?

I settled onto the porch swing. "Do you know when you'll be home?" I asked with sudden desperation to see him.

"No." He sounded disappointed.

"I miss you," I said, my voice breaking. "The kids do too."

"I miss you and the kids too."

"When you come home, I'll tell you all about the kids visiting Miss Mildred this afternoon."

He released a short chuckle. "Anyone lose a limb?"

I laughed. "Everyone's appendages are intact. It went really well, actually. She was happy to see them and was even sweet to Hope."

"You're kiddin'?"

"Nope."

"So what are y'all doin' right now?" he asked wistfully.

"Neely Kate, Daisy, and Witt came over. Witt wore the kids out playin' soccer, and Neely Kate's getting them a snack."

"Where's Jed?" he asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.

I couldn't very well tell him, but at least I had a convenient excuse. "Considering how he and Neely Kate aren't exactly seein' eye-to-eye right now, I'm not sure." Not a lie. I had no idea where Jed was or what he was specifically doing.

"I forgot about that." He paused. "How's she doin'?"

"She seems to be fine. Not even much morning sickness. I'll feel better after her doctor's appointment on Tuesday, though."

"Me too."

We sat in silence for a few seconds before he said, "I wish I were there with you."

"Me too."

"I don't know how late I'll be."

"It's okay. We're doin' okay. We miss you, but your job is important."

"Thanks for understandin'."

I was about to hang up, but I blurted out, "Did you find a connection between Harvey Smith and Noah Parker?"

He was silent for several seconds. "How do you know the second victim's name?"

"Please," I said, trying to blow it off. "It's a badly kept secret."

He was silent again. "Do you know of a connection?"

I was relieved that he didn't sound angry. He sounded intrigued.

"Someone should really talk to Harvey's sister."

"Someone already has," he said, sounding irritated.

"Are you sure? Because she says the only contact she's had with the sheriff's department was when some unsympathetic asshat showed up at her door to inform her that her brother was dead."

"You've been in contact with her?"

"I told you I ran into her at Dena's Bakery. I can't help it if she wanted to chat with me and Neely Kate again."

He groaned. "I don't suppose you plan to tell me what she said."

"Someone should have given her a real, respectful interview, and you doggone know it, Joe Simmons," I said sternly. "Send someone who will actually listen to her and offer her some sympathy, and maybe she'll talk to them." Then I added, "But don't go yourself. That'll look too obvious. Just have someone tell her they realized they never got a proper interview with her. It's still gonna look suspicious, but not as suspicious as if you go."

"I'll send Randy."

"Good," I said, feeling relieved. "She's a sweet girl, and Harvey was the last family she had. She needs someone who's gonna be sweet to her. Randy will be perfect."

"Anything else I should know?" he asked, and again, I was grateful he didn't sound pissed.

"Nothin' I can tell you at the moment, but I think Randy talking to Darlene and acting like he really cares about her and her brother will get you headed in the right direction."

"Do you know who killed Harvey Smith and the others?"

"Others? Are there more than three?"

"You didn't answer the question," he said.

"No," I answered honestly, even though I had a suspect in mind. "I don't know who killed them."

"Hmm…" he said, then sighed. "I'll send Randy to talk to her. Thanks for the tip."

"Joe, before you go…"

He waited for me to continue.

"Do you have an ID on the third victim?"

"No, do you have one?"

"Maybe look for Hugo Dempsey." Then I added, "But you didn't hear that from me."

I was prepared for him to be aggravated, but he simply said, "I love you."

"You're not gonna ask me how I know that?"

"Are you gonna tell me?" When I didn't answer, he released a soft chuckle. "That's what I figured. And if you got it from Harvey Smith's sister, then you weren't interfering with our investigation, especially if Detective Wiseman really didn't interview her. And," he added, drawing out the word, "I trust you."

I felt close to crying. "Thank you."

"I love you, Rose. I hate when we fight."

"I love you and hate when we fight too. Now solve those murders and come home to us."