Chapter Four
I got dressed and spent the next half hour cleaning my yard. I was putting my rake in the shed when my cell phone rang. I dug it out of my pocket, surprised to see it was Mason.
What was he doing calling me at eight in the morning?
“Rose, have you left for work yet?”
My forehead furrowed in confusion. “No. But I’m about to leave soon.”
“Would you meet me somewhere for coffee?”
My stomach fluttered in anticipation, but my head told it to be still. Mason was using his business voice. This wasn’t about us. “Sure. Merilee’s?”
“Not this time. How about the new coffee shop south of town, The Coffee House. Do you know where it is?”
“Yeah,” I said, still confused. “But I have to run by a job, so I’ll be in my work clothes.”
“That’s okay. I just need to talk to you and the sooner the better. Can you meet me in about thirty minutes?”
“I was about to leave, so I can meet you in fifteen.”
“See you there.”
After I put Muffy in the bathroom, I drove across town, anxiety prickling the hair on the back of my neck. Why did he sound so business-like? Had he changed his mind and decided to tell me he was moving on?
I pulled into the parking lot, recognizing Mason’s car several spots away. A patch of new houses and businesses had sprung up south of town over the last few years, and Violet’s neighborhood was part of the transformation. The Coffee House had opened after our nursery and had replaced us as the most buzzed about new business. For a town a full hour from the nearest Starbucks, an establishment that specialized in espresso drinks was a big deal.
Mason stood outside the front door, wearing a dark suit and looking more handsome than ever. It made me blush to realize that I noticed. “Thanks for meeting me, Rose.”
“You know I wouldn’t refuse you anything.”
He had opened the door for me, and I was walking through it when he stared down into my eyes. The longing in his gaze stole my breath away. “Be careful or I’ll take you up on that sooner than I intended.”
A shiver ran down my back and I let my imagination wander to what that might entail, which surprised me even more. This morning was full of shocks.
We walked up to the counter and placed our orders, then stood at the end of the counter waiting for our drinks.
“So…are you going to tell me why you asked me here?”
“Can’t I just ask you to coffee?”
“Well, yesterday we decided we would spend more time together as friends. And I definitely would have still come if it was just a friendly invitation. But your Mason Deveraux III, assistant DA voice convinced me this was something other than a coffee date.”
“No wonder you solve so many mysteries,” Mason teased as he took our cups from the barista. But I noticed his smile didn’t reach his eyes, and his shoulders were tense. “You pay attention to the details.”
We found a table next to the window that overlooked the parking lot. Once we were settled, I couldn’t shake my nerves. Why would Mason ask to see me over here about something DA-related?
My stomach fell to my feet. What if it was about Bruce Wayne?
“So what’s up, Mason?” I tried to keep my voice from quivering.
He took a breath, his forehead wrinkling with concern. “I wanted you to hear this from me first.”
The seriousness of his expression left me lightheaded. “What?” I whispered.
“There was a prison break last night.”
My eyes flew open. “Miss Rhonda escaped?” Mason had promised me weeks ago that if Jonah’s mother ever got out of jail, he’d make sure to tell me as soon as he knew. Only after I said the words did I realize I’d used her fake name. “Does Jonah know?” I could only imagine how upset he’d be.
He shook his head, looking even more worried. “No, not Wanda Pruitt.”
“Then who? Why are you telling me in person—?” I sank back into my chair as the truth hit me like an anvil.
Daniel Crocker.
“The sheriff’s office is following several leads and the state police are also part of the manhunt.” He reached across the table and took my hand. “They’ll catch him, Rose.”
I nodded in shock, clinging to his fingers.
“He’s probably miles away. He’s had enough time to leave the state, so I’m sure you have nothing to worry about, but I wanted you to hear it from me. I’m sure you’re safe, but as a precaution, the police are going to increase their patrols of your neighborhood.”
“Like that’s done me any good in the past.” I pulled my hand from Mason’s and forced myself to take a sip of my coffee, which was so hot it burned my tongue. “How sure are you that he’s left the state?”
“My friend Jeff at the sheriff’s office is very sure. Their most solid lead points to Shreveport.”
“Not the sheriff’s department. You. Do you think he left the state?”
Mason grabbed his cup and spun it in his hand. “I don’t have a good handle on the guy. I read all of his files after you told me that his former associates threatened you last month. The smart thing for him to do would be to leave the state.”
“You still haven’t given me an answer.”
“All of the law enforcement offices are certain he’s left, but they’re neglecting to take into consideration that he’s a psychopath. And from my experience, psychopaths never behave as they should.”
“So you think he could still be around the area.”
His eyes searched mine. “I don’t know. Maybe. So I need you to report anything unusual. A phone call. Anything strange that makes you uneasy.”
“The decorations on my front porch were destroyed last night. But I’m fairly certain that my neighbor Thomas and his friends did it.”
“Why him?”
“Because I talked to him last night and he was antagonistic.”
Mason sat up straighter. “Why were you talking to him?”
Oh, crappy doodles. I couldn’t tell him about Bruce Wayne. “I took Muffy on a walk and his friends were sitting on his car drinking beer.”
“Rose, if you feel unsafe in your neighborhood, you need to call the police.”
“Yeah,” I snorted. “Officer Ernie will come running to protect me.”
“He’ll do his job.”
I didn’t want to discuss the loyalty or lack thereof of the Henryetta Police Department.
“Did you at least call the police to file a report?”
“No. We both know what little good that would have done.”
Mason sighed and leaned forward. “If you really feel that unsafe with the Henryetta police, perhaps you should consider moving out of the city limits. To the sheriff’s jurisdiction. Maybe you’d feel more protected.”
“And leave my house?” But the truth was that it was really Violet’s house. We’d both grown up in it, but Momma had left it to Vi in her will. I paid Violet rent to live there. Maybe moving really was a good idea. “I’d never considered it.”
“There are some condos close to here, just outside the city limit but in Fenton County. Your commute wouldn’t be much longer. Maybe ten minutes.”
But I wasn’t sure if I could live in some cookie-cutter condo like Violet’s house. I liked older houses with character. Not that it mattered. Momma’s house was Violet’s and all my available cash was tied up in the business. I couldn’t afford to buy a new house even if I wanted to. Unless I decided to sell the farm. One more reason to strongly consider it.
“You’re probably right about the vandalism being the work of some teens. It doesn’t seem likely that Crocker would break out of jail then swing by your house to smash pumpkins on your front porch when half the law enforcement officers in Arkansas are hot on his tail. But humor me and file a report, okay? Especially since we know Thomas has ties to them.”
“Okay.”
“Until Crocker’s caught, you should lay low.”
I grimaced. “That might be difficult. The Gardner Sisters Nursery is part of a press conference today and I have to be there.”
“What press conference?”
“The small business administration is giving us a grant. It’s big enough for us to expand our business onto the empty lot next to the nursery.”
“Rose, that’s wonderful.”
“Yeah, well…it comes with strings. They contacted her on Monday and said they were giving us the check as part of a campaign stop.”
Realization drained the blood from his face. “Joe?”
I nodded with a sigh. “Yeah.”
“Did you agree?”
“I did, but only because it could make a huge difference to our long-term goals. I can suffer through this for the good of the business.”
“Why’s he coming to Henryetta? This isn’t even his district.”
“His father has ties to the Arkansas SBA. Joe is including it as part of his platform. They’re highlighting successful small businesses.”
“So Violet takes care of the press conference and you get the check.”
I shook my head. “No. They said we both have to be there.”
Mason cursed under his breath, then reached across the table and took my hand again. “Sometimes the money is tempting, but the cost associated with it is too much. I urge you to give this more consideration.”
My blood turned cold. “You think I shouldn’t do it.”
“No, Rose. Only you can decide what you should or shouldn’t do. I’m just asking you not to be blinded by all the zeros on a check.”
I nodded. He was right.
“On the other hand, it could be empowering for you to see Joe again and let him know you’re doing okay without him, that you’re moving on. But don’t feel like you have to do that, either. You don’t have to prove anything to him…or me. If you decide to do it, do it to prove it to yourself.”
“How’d you get so smart?’
He winked. “Let’s just say I’ve made plenty of mistakes of my own.”
I took a sip of my coffee and studied Mason’s face. Something was different—in a good way—only I couldn’t figure out what it was.
Mason’s eyebrows lifted in derision. “You do know that this has Joe’s father’s stink all over it?”
“I know. I just can’t figure out why he’d want us together.”
Mason leaned his elbow on the table. “Why does J.R. Simmons do anything? To get Joe out of trouble or keep him in line. The question is how could this situation take care of either one of those things?”
I closed my eyes. Mason was right. Joe was being punished somehow and I was just a pawn for his father to use in his game of manipulation.
“What time’s the press conference?”
My stomach knotted. “One.”
“And when is Joe getting there?”
“I don’t know. Violet said to be there around noon.”
“I’d like to come.” He hesitated. “If that’s okay with you.”
“Oh, Mason. I’d love for you to be there.” I was amazed at how true my statement was. I worried how I’d react when I saw Joe, and I couldn’t count on Violet to be supportive. Mason had proven in the past that I could always count on him. “But I thought you had court.”
“I’ll get a postponement. With Crocker loose, I’ll just worry about you all day anyway. If you don’t mind having a shadow today, I’d like to be there to support you.”
The thought of spending the day with Mason made me happier than I’d expected. “You don’t have to, Mason.”
“I know, but I want to. There’s a difference.”
“Okay then.” As grateful as I was to have Mason by my side, I couldn’t neglect the fact that Bruce Wayne probably had no one. I needed to figure out where he was and all the evidence was pointing to the one place in town where I definitely wasn’t welcome. “I have an appointment with Jonah later this morning. At the church.” I hated lying to him, but it couldn’t be helped. Bruce Wayne disappearing within twenty-four hours of Daniel Crocker’s escape from prison was too big of a coincidence to ignore. And while I still wasn’t ready to tell Mason, I felt safe telling Jonah, especially since he ran a program for troubled youths who were mentored by rehabilitated criminals. Jonah had access to resources I didn’t.
“How about you talk to Jonah, and I’ll meet you at the nursery around noon. But tell Bruce Wayne what’s going on and make sure he’s with you at any job sites today. You really shouldn’t be alone.”
Mason was right. The fact that Daniel Crocker was running around loose freaked me out more than I cared to admit. “That might be a problem. Bruce Wayne has called in sick every day since last week.”
He paused. “Is he okay?”
“I don’t know. David told me that he thinks it might be bronchitis.” Technically, it wasn’t a lie.
“So you’re working alone? That’s not a good idea.”
“I know. But there’s nothing too pressing that can’t wait. We were supposed to start building a retaining wall today, but I’d barely have time to get started before I’d have to leave to get ready for the press conference.”
“Good.” He glanced at his watch and grimaced. “I’d love nothing more than to spend the morning with you, but if I’m taking the afternoon off, I need to get some work done.”
I nodded, hating the fact he was taking off work because of me.
“Rose, don’t feel guilty.” He laughed when my eyes widened. “What? You think I don’t know how much you hate inconveniencing people? Just remember this: It’s not an inconvenience for me. I’m grateful for an excuse to spend the afternoon with you. Even if the situation is less than ideal.”
He walked me to my truck and stood in front of me, pushing my back against the driver’s side door. Being this close to him made my heart beat faster.
“Be careful, Rose,” he murmured, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. “I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.”
“I don’t intend to let anything happen to me.”
A grin lifted his mouth. “You’re like a cat with nine lives, but don’t press your luck. You have great instincts. Listen to them. If you feel like you’re in a dangerous situation, call 911. Even if you don’t think the police will help, they’ll do their job. I promise.”
“I will.”
He reached around and opened my door. “I’ll see you at the nursery around noon.”
As Mason took off for the courthouse, I checked my cell phone for any missed calls and tried calling Bruce Wayne again, getting his voice mail. “Bruce Wayne, I know Daniel Crocker escaped from prison. If you’re in some kind of trouble, please just call me so I can help.” I hung up, feeling like my pathetic efforts were a waste of time. Maybe it was time to tell Mason. After all, Bruce Wayne could be in real danger. But Mason had just told me to listen to my instincts, and they were telling me not to let the police know just yet.
At the moment, my best hope for an ally was in the pastor’s office of the New Living Hope Revival Church.