“So you were trying to clear your mother of a crime that happened twenty-five years ago, one that nobody gives a shit about anymore?”

“No.” I took a breath and looked him in the eye. “I’m trying to find out the truth about my mother. Only the deeper I dig, the more complicated it gets,” I said, smoothing back stray hairs the wind blew into my face.

“How does J.R. Simmons come into play?”

“Dirk told me he was the investor who gave them money to switch the product line at the factory. He also says Dora was the one to introduce her boss, Henry Buchanan, to J.R.” I told him about the parts and how they were faulty. About the suspicious coincidence of the fire breaking out the night before the parts were to be shipped, followed by the death of the police chief, my mother’s accident, and Henry Buchanan’s suicide. I even considered telling him about my new uncertainty about my birth father, but he didn’t need to know that part. “Dirk had some part in it all. I forced a vision before he left the pool hall, and I saw him calling a woman named Beverly after. He admitted to having taken a bribe to keep quiet and he told her about sharing his story with me and Neely Kate. He’s scared that I’m digging. Now I need to find out who this Beverly is.”

“What if Dora or your father really did start the fire? How’s it gonna help for you to know? Maybe you should just let sleepin’ dogs lie.”

I shook my head. “I’ve gotten this far. I want to keep goin’.”

“Okay,” he said, scratching his chin. “Your call. I’ll have Jed check into Picklebie and see if he can identify Beverly.”

“Thanks.”

He nodded.

“So what’s your interest in J.R. Simmons?” I asked.

A slow grin spread across his face. “Apparently, Old Man Simmons has it out for me.”

“What’s that mean?”

“It means I’m on his most expendable list.”

“He wants you dead?”

“So your boyfriend says.”

I blinked. “Mason?”

“He called me the day after Christmas and offered me full immunity if I dished on why J.R. wanted me dead. To make me a deal like that, he has to be desperate to take the guy down.”

My mouth dropped open. Mason had an early morning meeting the day after Christmas that he kept top-secret from me and had instigated a huge fight between us. Had he found out something while he was in Little Rock the week before? “He was desperate...is desperate.” I looked into his face. “He’s trying to save me.”

“You?”

I gasped. “What if J.R. Simmons is the man behind the list? What if he’s telling Gentry what to do?”

“Why would Simmons want your boyfriend dead? And what is Deveraux trying to save you from?”

“J.R. Simmons has falsified evidence suggesting I hired Daniel Crocker to kill Momma. He used it to blackmail Joe into running for the Arkansas Senate. Joe ran and lost, but Mason is terrified J.R.’s going to hand over the evidence on a whim. He’s determined to do everything in his power to bring J.R. down.”

Skeeter stared at me, a hard glint in his eyes. “You won’t have to worry about Simmons for long.”

“Why not?” Fear clenched my stomach. “What are you doin’?”

He leaned close and patted my cheek. “This is one of those instances where the less you know, the better.” He hopped off the truck bed. “I’ve been gone too long. I need to get back.”

I followed after him. “Skeeter!”

He turned back to look at me. “I set this into motion before I knew about the connection between you and J.R., so I’m not doing it for you. But knowing he’s trying to hurt you only makes me more determined.” He opened my truck door. “Are you safe to drive?”

I waved him off. Maybe I was becoming more tolerant to his whiskey or maybe it was our serious conversation, but I no longer had a buzz. “Skeeter, please don’t do anything stupid.”

He grinned. “I could say the same to you. If you think you’re heading into something dangerous, call Jed.” His eyebrows rose. “And let me know if you get any more information.”

“Okay.”

I drove home, surprised it was already almost eight o’clock. I called Deputy Miller on the way. He was in the northern part of the county, so he pulled into my driveway a minute after I did.

He checked the house inside and out and then walked me to the front porch after Muffy did her business outside. “We’re short-handed with the double murder investigation south of town. I can’t stick around tonight.”

I gave him a smile. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Mr. Deveraux said to be sure you turn on your alarm.”

I laughed. “He knows I hate that thing, but I made him a promise. Any idea when Mason will be done?”

“No.” He looked grim. “It’s a gruesome crime scene.”

I sure didn’t want any details. “You be careful, Deputy Miller.”

He grinned. “Will do.”

After I turned on the alarm, I heated up some of the leftover noodles from a couple of nights ago and watched TV with Muffy. I considered texting Neely Kate about my heart-to-heart meeting with Skeeter, but I knew she was with Ronnie. I hoped they’d be able to have a real talk about what happened and their feelings about it.

Around ten o’clock Mason called and said he was going to be another hour.