Thirty-Six and a Half Motives: Rose Gardner Mystery #9 (Rose Gardner Mystery Series) (2 page)

N
eely Kate told
me to pull into the parking lot of Magpie’s, a new restaurant close to the landscaping nursery I owned with my sister Violet and Joe. I’d noticed the renovation on the old service station over the past few weeks, but I hadn’t realized it had opened.

I gave her a questioning look, but she shrugged. “I know we usually eat at Merilee’s, but I thought we’d try something new.”

Was she trying to protect me? Mason and I had gone to Merilee’s together more often than I could count. I suspected he was too busy to get away, so there was little chance of running into him there.

That thought spiraled into a worry, like most of my thoughts tended to do lately. Who was making sure he ate? Over the last three months, I had been the one who had always brought him lunch when he got busy. Had his assistant taken over that task?

“No thinking about Mason,” Neely Kate said in a firm voice.

“Who said I was?”

“Well . . .” she drawled. “Other than the fact that you think about him pretty much nonstop, the goofy look on your face confirmed it.” Then she made an exaggerated dreamy face.

I laughed. “I do not look like that.”

“I’m going to start taking photos and posting them on Facebook.”

“You wouldn’t.”

She gave me a taunting grin. “Try it again and see what happens. I’m starving. Let’s eat.”

With that, she got out of the truck and headed toward the restaurant. Instead of going in, she whipped open the door with a flourish and held it for me.

Shaking my head, I followed her. But when I walked into Magpie’s, I was shocked to see it was full of guests—and I knew most of them. Jonah and his girlfriend Jessica were there along with Bruce Wayne, Mason’s mother Maeve, Deputy Randy Miller, and my sister Violet.

I stopped short inside the doorway. “What’s going on?”

As she pushed me inside, Neely Kate whispered into my ear, “I thought you needed a reminder that you’re not alone.”

Leave it to Neely Kate to set aside her own problems to do something like this for me. I spun around and wrapped my arms around her. “But I knew I wasn’t alone, Neely Kate. I have you.”

She pulled back and smiled at me with teary eyes.

“Hey, now. I want a hug, too!” Maeve said, wrapping me up in her arms. I rested my cheek on her shoulder as I squeezed, reassured that even if Mason remained lost to me, I still had his mother—the closest thing to a loving mother I’d ever had.

I moved down a receiving line of friends, their smiles and embraces restoring more and more of me to myself. Violet held me a little longer than the rest, rubbing my back in soft circles, just like when we were little. It reminded me of how she’d always protected me from Momma, who’d made both of our lives hell.

I looked deep into her eyes. “I miss you, Vi.”

“I miss you, too,” she said with a trembling smile. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.” She looked as exhausted as I felt. There were dark circles under her eyes, and now that I was studying her, she looked like she’d lost ten pounds.

“Vi, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said dismissively, taking a step back. “But I’m starving. Let’s order.”

We all sat down, except for Jonah, the pastor of the New Living Hope Revival Church. He stood behind his chair, resting his hands on the back. The bright, unnaturally white smile that had made his sermons a TV sensation lit up his face. “Now Rose, I’m sure you think this is just an ordinary lunch, but it’s a celebration of your charges being dropped. Every single one of us would have moved heaven and earth to help you. It seemed only fitting to celebrate, even if it’s several days after the fact.”

“Thank you, Jonah,” I said, but part of me was sad. There were people missing—Mason, Skeeter, and Jed. Even Joe, although it would have been strange for the person who’d arrested me in the first place to come to my exoneration party. Of course, Joe claimed it had been part of his plan to help me, but he’d never deigned to include me in the details. “I don’t know what I’d do without all of you.”

I glanced at Bruce Wayne, my landscaping business partner, who’d helped me get mixed up with Skeeter Malcolm in the first place. We’d had a fight before my kidnapping, and things hadn’t felt right between us since.

He squirmed in his seat. “Let’s eat. I’m starving,” he said, but he lifted his gaze to catch my eye, and the smile he flashed told me all was forgiven.

We spent the next hour eating and laughing, and I realized how lucky I was to have this group of people in my life. Even if Mason didn’t change his mind and come back to me, I would get through this. I would be devastated, but life would go on. My breakup with Joe had taught me that.

When we finished, everyone hugged me goodbye, but Violet stayed behind, casting an anxious glance to Neely Kate. “Do you think I could steal Rose for a bit? I can drop her off at your office.”

My best friend, fully aware of the turmoil in my relationship with my sister, gave me a questioning look.

I nodded, then dug the truck keys out of my purse. “You head on back to the office. I’ll be there in a bit.”

“Okay.” She looked reluctant but took the keys and left.

“Do you want to talk here?” I asked, scanning the mostly empty restaurant.

“Actually . . .” Violet glanced down at the floor for a moment before meeting my eyes. “I’d like to go somewhere else, if you don’t mind. Somewhere more private.”

That surprised me. “Okay.”

I followed her to her car, the booster seat and toddler car seat in the back reminding me that I hadn’t seen my niece and nephew in weeks. “How are Ashley and Mikey?”

A soft smile covered her face as she started the car. “They’re great.” She paused. “They miss you.”

“I miss them, too. I’m sorry I’ve been too busy to stop by. Are you going out this weekend? I could babysit.”

She slowly shook her head. “No. Me and Brody are done.”

“I won’t judge you, Violet.” Not after committing so many sins of my own. My sister had carried on an affair with the mayor of Henryetta for months before breaking up with my brother-in-law—only, she’d pretended the relationship had started
after
she and Mike split. Brody had gone back to his wife, but for a while, he and my sister had continued their affair, putting them both under fire from the citizens of Henryetta.

“I appreciate that,” she said softly. “I do deserve better, I think . . . despite everything I’ve done.”

“Me too. But maybe you just want to go out by yourself . . . or with your friends.”

“Thanks, but I want to spend as much time with the kids as I can.” She gave me a quick smile, then turned her gaze back to the road.

Violet had always been a doting mother, but something about the way she spoke about her children now set me on edge. It was clear she wanted to tell me something, and I was starting to dread the conversation. I looked at the road and realized that she was taking us to the Henryetta Park.

Not long after, she pulled into a parking space in the nearly vacant parking lot, then turned off the car and got out, leaving me to follow. Once I joined her, she led the way toward the splash area.

A lump filled my throat. Last June, I’d let go of my inhibitions by playing in the water with my then-four-year-old niece—and I’d dragged Violet in with me. That seemed like ages ago now. Far longer than eight months.

She didn’t stop until we reached the benches on the opposite side, overlooking the play area. It looked sad and desolate with the dry spigots sticking out of the concrete and twisted metal poles.

We sat down, and my heart beat like a scared rabbit’s while I waited for Violet to speak.

She took a deep breath, then turned to me with a sad smile. “I’m sick.”

Fear crept down my spine and spread through my limbs. “Okay,” I said, forcing a matter-of-fact tone. “Have you seen the doctor?”

“Several.” She looked down for several seconds before glancing up and staring across the play area. “I have something called lymphoma, and the doctors say I need to go to Texas for treatment.”

I struggled to keep my composure. I’d known about the doctor’s appointments, but I wasn’t prepared for this. “Why can’t you have your treatment done here? Or in Little Rock?”

“They say it’s too advanced. That my best chance is at MD Anderson.” She clasped her hands together, squeezing so tightly I worried she would break her fingers. “But I need to ask a favor.”

“Anything,” I said, choking a little on the lump in my throat. “Do you want me to come? Do you want me to take the kids? Just tell me.”

She finally turned and looked at me, a soft smile on her face. “I love you, Rose. Even if you say no.”

“Why would I say no?” I protested. “You haven’t even asked me yet.”

She pushed out a sigh, then shifted her gaze back to the fountains. “Remember when we came here last summer? And you dragged me out to play in the water with you and the kids?” She paused. “I was so scared. Aunt Bessie had just told us that Momma wasn’t your mother, and I was sure I was going to lose you.”

“I know we’ve had our differences, Vi. But we’re sisters.” My laugh sounded small and scared to my own ears. “We’re supposed to fight. We’re stuck with each other. That’s the beauty of family.”

“But you found your own life after that, and I was so happy for you, even if I was jealous.” Her admission was no surprise. She’d confessed the same thing months ago.

She shifted on the bench, turning to face me. “You were still a girl when Momma died, but you’ve grown into a beautiful woman, inside and out. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become. Strong and independent. I hope Ashley grows up to be just like you. Will you make sure that happens?”

The blood rushed from my head. “Violet, you’re scaring me. What did the doctors say?”

“Lymphoma is cancer, Rose. And it’s bad. It’s in my bone marrow. I have to have chemo and a bone marrow transplant, and even then . . . well, it might not work out.”

I stuffed down my rising hysteria. Violet needed me to be strong. “But there’s a chance, right? That’s why you’re going there?”

“Yeah, but I have to find a bone marrow match.”

“Oh.” The realization of what she was about to ask hit me, followed closely by a new terror.

“The chance of you being a match isn’t the greatest since Dora was your mother, but . . .”

“Violet, there’s something I need to tell you.”

She grabbed my hands. “Don’t tell me no yet. Please? I didn’t want to ask, but the chance of finding a match in the national donor list is so small.” For the first time, she started to cry. “Ashley and Mikey . . . they need their mother.”

“Violet,” I choked out, tears stinging my eyes. “Stop. Of course I’ll be tested.” I squeezed her hand back as hard as I could. “But there’s something you need to know. Something I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet.”

“Okay,” she said, nodding and looking so hopeful my heart hurt.

“Over the last few weeks, I’ve done a lot of digging into Dora’s life.”

“I know,” she said. “Mason told us. That’s why J.R. had you arrested. Because Dora had evidence you could use against him. A journal Joe took from you.”

“But Mason didn’t tell you everything.” I took a deep breath. “Dora had an affair with Paul Buchanan, the son of the factory owner. He was married, but he planned to leave his wife and marry Dora.”

“
What?
”

“Paul was killed in a car accident. Only, it wasn’t an accident. His sister cut his brake lines. Just like what happened to Dora.”

She sat back, her eyes wide. “What are you saying?”

I held on tight to her hand. “Dora had an affair with Daddy, but then she had one with Paul. Somewhere in that time period, she got pregnant with me. Her best friend Hattie thinks Paul was my father, but it could also be Daddy. I think Beverly thought so, too, and she killed Dora to keep her quiet. Then Daddy and Momma ended up raising me, of course.”

“Oh, my God.” Her face became so pale and her voice so quiet I worried she was about to pass out. “You’re not my real sister.”

“Violet,” I said, trying to remain calm. “I still might be. Beverly and Hattie were sure I was Paul’s daughter, but why would I have the gift of sight if Daddy’s mother wasn’t my blood relative?”

She shook her head, her eyes wide. “I have no one.”

My back tensed, and I squeezed her hand tight. “You stop that right now, Violet Mae Beauregard,” I said in a firm tone. “After the whole Momma mess, I thought we’d already established that we were sisters even if we had different mothers. Family isn’t blood, Vi. Family is being there no matter what. And I’m
your sister
no matter what, even if I find out I was spawned in a cabbage patch. I’m here. I will do whatever you need.” I shook her hand. “You will fight this, and you will beat it—do you understand me?”

She nodded, her eyes full of unshed tears.

“How soon until you leave?”

She sniffed. “They want me there in a couple of days. I leave the day after tomorrow.”

That soon? My mind struggled to keep up. “Do you need me to watch the kids?”

“No, Mike’s going to take them. His parents are going to help.”

“Where do I need to go to be tested?”

“Um . . .” She hiccupped, fighting tears. “The Henryetta Medical Clinic.” She tried to open her purse, but her hands were shaking too much to work the clasp.

“Violet.” I grabbed her arms and pulled her into a hug, stroking the back of her head. “It’s going to be okay.”

A dam of tears burst loose, and she cried against my shoulder, heavy sobs that shook her entire body, and I clung to her, trying to assure her that I was the one who would be her anchor in this storm. She’d carried me through more tribulations than I could count.

I couldn’t help but think back to that summer afternoon, how we’d lain under the full trees on a blanket after splashing around in the water park. How Violet and I had held hands and cried over the revelation that we were half-sisters. And how Violet had confessed her fear of losing me.

But now I was the one afraid of losing her.

“I love you,” I said softly. “You’re my sister, and I will love you forever, no matter if we’re angry with each other or not. Don’t you ever forget it, okay?”