Chapter Fourteen
The room was painted a pale pink, and a white wooden baby bed was pushed against a solid wall. White gauzy curtains hung from above the many windows. Without finding any evidence to prove it, I knew that this had been my room. I’d slept in that bed against the wall. My birth mother had rocked me in that pink and white plaid rocking chair.
I gasped for breath and tried to hold back my sobs.
Proof of my mother’s love filled the room, from the homemade diaper stack hanging from the wall to the painstakingly stitched comforter and bumper pads in the crib. A cross-stitched throw was neatly folded on top of a dresser. I opened it and saw the final proof: Rose Anne Gardner, November 8 was stitched in scrolling cursive.
I sat in the rocking chair clutching the throw in my lap and cried. How different would my life had been if I’d lived with Dora, the woman who’d given me life and obviously love? How different would my father have been if he hadn’t gone back to Momma? Would I have grown up in a house full of love and acceptance, or would Dora have locked me in the closet like Momma did when I began to have visions?
I closed my eyes and imagined growing up in this house, eating dinner in the dining room with a happy family. I let myself cry for the life I’d always wanted and would never have.
I sat up. That wasn’t true. While I might not have had the family I’d wanted growing up, I could have a family of my own someday. I had thought it would happen with Joe, but while that dream was broken, I could still find happiness with someone else.
I closed my eyes and leaned back in the chair, jolting when I heard Mason’s panicked voice shouting my name.
“I’m in here,” I called out.
He appeared in the doorway seconds later, holding a shotgun. The fear in his eyes faded to relief when he saw me. “I couldn’t find you anywhere. Didn’t you hear me calling for you?”
“No, I didn’t hear anything. Why are you carrying a shotgun?”
“I got worried when I couldn’t find you. The deputy is searching over by the barn.” He pulled out his cell phone and called Deputy Miller to tell him he’d found me. When he hung up, he took two steps into the room, pivoting as he studied the décor. “A nursery?”
I held up the blanket and forced a smile. “Mine.”
From the look on his face, I could tell he understood what that meant to me. “Rose. I’m sorry.”
“I’m okay now, but it came as a shock. For some reason I never suspected that I’d lived here. Uncle Earl called it Dora’s family farm, but of course she would have lived here with me. Which means Daddy probably stayed here too for a while.”
“Do you want me to leave you alone for a little while longer?”
“No. I’ve spent too much of my life alone.” I stood and moved toward him.
He wrapped his arms around my back and rested his chin on top of my head. “I’ve spent the last fifteen minutes searching for you. I didn’t realize this room was back here when I searched the upstairs, so after going through the house without finding you, I grabbed my gun to search the barn. I was going to do one more search of the house while the deputy did a second sweep of the barn before I called Jeff.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. I suspect the kitchen was expanded at some point, and since this space is over the kitchen, they probably added this sunroom over top of the new part. That means this room is built against an exterior wall, so it’s insulated enough to muffle sound, which is why you couldn’t hear me. I about had a heart attack.”
“I thought you said we’d be safe here.”
“I can still be worried.”
“What did Jeff want earlier? Or are you not supposed to tell me?”
“Sure, I can tell you. They thought they had a good lead that Crocker was holed up ten miles south of Henryetta, but he wasn’t there, and they couldn’t find any sign that he had been. I knew about the lead, so Jeff just wanted to keep me updated.”
“He seems like a good friend to you.”
“Yeah, I think we started our meetings at a time when he needed someone to talk to. One of his kids got sick a couple of years ago and he’s focused a lot of energy on his care. But his son’s doing better and I think he needs someone who hasn’t been part of all the drama. He needs to get away from his troubles even if it’s just over a beer watching a game. And I’m grateful to have a friend closer than Little Rock.”
He moved over to the baby bed and picked up the comforter, sending dust everywhere. “While I was looking for the hot water heater I stumbled across a couple of boxes of old photos.”
I sucked in a sharp breath then exhaled. “Oh.”
“I know you originally wanted to come out here just to see the place, but there are obviously more connections to your past than you expected.” He turned to look at me. “This is putting you through a lot emotionally, particularly on top of the whole Crocker mess.” He set the blanket down and picked up my hand. “If exploring the pieces of your past that your mother left behind is too much, don’t beat yourself up about it. Investigate at your own pace. You can always come back another time.”
I smiled up at him. “Thanks.”
“I’ve decided to set up my work in the office if that’s still okay with you.” He sounded anxious.
“Of course. Is everything okay?”
“I’ve been working on a project during my off hours. I figure I should take advantage of this free time to work on it now.” He kissed me then smiled. “If you need me to help with anything, let me know.” After he left, I rearranged the baby blanket on the crib and went back into the bedroom. Muffy was still lying on the bed, watching me.
“I take it you want this room?”
She wagged her tail so hard I thought it was going to fly off.
“Okay, this room it is.” Moving to the dresser, I opened the top drawer, wondering if there’d be anything inside. I gasped when I found a stash of underwear and socks. Uncle Earl had maintained the property, but it was obvious he hadn’t removed anything. Had he left it all for me to investigate?
I opened another drawer—this one filled with nightgowns—and noticed a leather-bound book. Pulling it out, I opened the cover, shocked to discover it was a journal. I flipped through the pages, stopping at a random passage written in a large, scrolling script.
He’s telling her tonight, even as I write this. He’s so torn between me and our baby and his sweet Violet, but he says he can’t stay with her another day. He’s going to ask for a divorce.
I snapped the book shut. I couldn’t handle this right now.
If Muffy and I were going to sleep in here, I’d need to change the sheets. It took a few rounds of tug of war, but I finally convinced her to hop off the bed. After I carted the bedding to the basement and got the load started after putting Mason’s in the dryer, I found my suitcase next to a sofa in the living room. I picked it up and stopped to take a peek into the office. Mason had multiple papers spread out across the desk and was flipping through a legal pad, an intense look on his face.
Whatever Mason was working on looked serious. For a moment, I wondered if it was related to Daniel Crocker, but I reminded myself that he was working on multiple cases that had nothing to do with my stalker.
I carried the bag up to my temporary bedroom and set it on the bed. Since I had no idea what Mason had packed, everything inside was a surprise. My purse and wool coat were on top. Under that was a toiletries bag I set to the side. I pulled out two pairs of jeans, a few long-sleeved T-shirts, and a couple of sweaters. To the side were several pairs of socks, underwear, a couple of bras, a nightgown, and two pairs of pajamas.
I sat on the unmade bed, holding up the grannie nightgown I had last worn months ago when Joe stayed over in my spare bedroom before we started dating. I had purposefully picked it that night because it was the most unflattering nightgown I owned. The panties and bras Mason had packed were my most utilitarian pieces of lingerie too. I had a half a drawer full of sexy stuff, yet Mason had chosen against packing it.
What did it mean?
I set it all on the bed, while I dug through my purse and pulled out my cell phone. It was still half charged.
I had about ten missed calls—Jonah, Violet, Neely Kate, and one that made me suck in my breath.
Bruce Wayne.
I listened to my voice mails, clicking through them until I got to the one I was hoping for.
“Miss Rose, you’re in danger.” Bruce Wayne’s voice was shaky, like he was nervous and scared. “You have to hide and stay hidden until I tell you it’s safe to come home. I wish I could tell you more, but I’ve already said too much. Be careful and I’ll call you back when I can.”
I held the phone in my hand, scrolling through the records to see when he’d called. Yesterday around five-thirty.
Less than a half an hour before Crocker’s men showed up at the motel in Pickle Junction.
My phone began to ring, startling me. I jumped and dropped it on the hardwood floor. It bounced and slid under the bed.
I dove for it, praying it was Bruce Wayne. I found it halfway under the bed and grabbed it, only slightly disappointed to see it was Jonah.
“Jonah!” I said, hoping that I’d answered in time.
“Rose!” He sounded relieved. “I didn’t think you’d answer. Mason told me you had to go into hiding.”
“Honestly, I’m not sure if I was supposed to answer.” I was on my stomach, but I rolled to my side, staying under the bed. I usually hated dark, cramped places, but for some reason I liked being under there.
“Should I hang up?” he asked, sounding concerned.
“Doesn’t matter. I need to talk to you.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes, no. I don’t know.” I rubbed my forehead. “Bruce Wayne called me.”
“He did? Is he okay?”
“I don’t know,” I sighed. “I just found my phone, or more accurately, Mason packed my purse with my belongings, and I found the phone while I was unpacking. Bruce Wayne left me a voice message.”
“What did he say?”
“Something very vague about me being in danger. But the odd thing is that it’s time stamped less than thirty minutes before Crocker’s men found where the police were hiding me.”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I climbed out the back window of the motel room. And then the sheriff’s deputies showed up. But I’m somewhere safe now. Or as safe as I can be.”
“So the police are watching out for you?”
“The sheriff’s department now.”
“Your house is blocked off with crime scene tape. I saw it after Mason called me. What happened?
“Daniel Crocker was in my house two nights ago. In my room while I was sleeping. That’s why they decided I needed to go into hiding.”
“Crocker was in your house? He could have killed you.”
“I’m trying not to think about that too much.”
“You can’t ignore it, Rose.”
“I know, but I’m dealing with enough right now.”
“This morning I heard Mason’s gone too. Is he with you?”
“Yeah.”
“So they have you both under surveillance somewhere?”
“Yeah.”
“There’s something else going on. I hear it in your voice. What is it?”
“I can’t tell you where I am, but I’m doing what you told me I needed to do the other day. I’m confronting my past.”
“Oh,” he said, his voice heavy with understanding.
“I used to live here, Jonah. As a baby. My mother’s things are everywhere. Mine too.”
“And how does that make you feel?”
“Confused. But it’s obvious Dora loved me. It makes me feel good and bad all at the same time, which makes no sense.”
“It’s a complicated situation, Rose. Your emotions are bound to be all over the place.”
“I found a journal in her drawer. I flipped through it and landed on an entry where Dora talks about how Daddy was going to ask Momma for a divorce. She even mentions Violet. It’s so surreal.”
“You’ve got a lot going on at the moment. Now might not be a good time to confront your past. It can wait until later.”
“Mason found some old photos, but when he told me about them he said the same thing.”
“Mason’s an intelligent man. I’m not surprised he’d tell you that. He was the one who suggested you needed to confront your past in the first place. We both want the same thing for you. For you to be happy and at peace with your past.”
“We…” I hesitated. “We decided we were ready to start a relationship.”
“You mean you decided. Mason has been ready for a long time.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“To anyone who knows you two, yes.”
In light of the Crocker situation, I wasn’t so sure that was a good thing.
“Have you found out anything else about Bruce Wayne? He didn’t give me any information about where he is or what he’s been doing.”
“No, but I found out something else while I was poking around. Crocker’s guys have been doing a lot of recruiting lately. In fact, they’re growing so much, they’ve had to get a symbol and a secret code to show each other they’re part of the fold.”
“What’s the symbol?”
“They all wear St. Jude’s medallions. But not just any St. Jude’s medallions. They’re oval with a border that says ‘Saint Jude Pray for Us,’ two stars on either side, and a snake on the back.”
That made sense. “The police found a St. Jude’s necklace in poor Miss Dorothy’s backyard last month. But I don’t know what was on the back.”
“Didn’t Bruce Wayne tell you that Crocker’s guys were involved in those break-ins?”
“Yeah. There was also a medallion on my front porch after it was vandalized. There was a snake on it.” I released a heavy sigh, my throat tight as I decided to share another piece of information. “And I found one on Bruce Wayne’s dresser when I discovered he was missing.” I didn’t want to think about the implications.
“Rose,” Jonah pleaded. “You know he has ties to them, and we know he was at Weston’s Garage several days before Crocker escaped. But you and I both know he didn’t have a part in it.”
“Unless he was forced to.” I sniffed, looking up at the bed frame over my head. “How did he know that Crocker’s guys were about to come find me?”
“I don’t know.” Jonah paused. “But I do know one thing: Bruce Wayne would never hurt you, and he wouldn’t allow anyone else to either.”
“I know.” I blinked to keep from crying. “Do you know the secret code?”
“No, not yet, but I’m meeting a guy tomorrow who might be able to help.”
“Be careful, Jonah. I’d hate it if you got hurt helping me.”
“Hey, Bruce Wayne is my friend too. I want to find him as much as you do. Besides, people are more likely to share information with Reverend Jonah than they are with a police officer.”
“Still…”
“One more thing that might be on your side: Crocker’s men are getting irritated. They understood his need for revenge, but they think it’s taking too much time and effort. There’s some grumbling in the lower ranks that might actually bring about his downfall within.”
“If only we could be so lucky.”
“I’ll let you know if I hear anything. Be careful, Rose.”
“Bye, Jonah.”
I laid under the bed for several minutes, telling myself that as long as I was under it, I could worry as much as I wanted over whatever I wanted, but as soon as I crawled out, I had to let it go.
I couldn’t ignore the fact that Bruce Wayne had run to Crocker’s guys a month ago. He could very well be there now. But Jonah was right. Bruce Wayne would never hurt me. After the last time, he’d promised to tell me if he was in trouble and I’d learned he didn’t take promises lightly. I had to trust him.
I also realized that I’d more than likely told Jonah more about our location than was wise. I needed to let Mason know. I started sliding out from under the bed, when something shiny caught my eye. I reached for it, and my hand jerked back when I realized what it was. Tucked between the bed slats and the box spring was a gun.
Why was there a gun under Dora’s bed?