Officer Ernie burst through the door. “I don’t see anything.”

I shook my head in disgust. “That’s because they left already.” I started for the front door, but Ernie blocked my path.

“And where do you think you’re goin’?”

“I left my purse in the car, and I need to get my phone so I can call Mason.”

He shook his head, his face breaking out in splotchy red marks. “Nobody’s leaving this building until we get your statements and look for evidence.”

“Aren’t you going to go after them?” a man asked.

Everyone swiveled around to look behind the counter. I was surprised to see that Mr. Turner, the bank manager, was standing there with Samantha Jo. He’d been conspicuously absent during the robbery.

“When did you get here?” Mr. Murphy asked, pointing his cane at the middle-aged, balding banker.

He rested his folded hands on his paunch. “I was in the back…taking care of…something.”

“You yellow-bellied, snake-eyed coward,” Mr. Murphy growled. “You hid.”

The banker’s eyes widened. “I…”

“I need to call my husband,” the younger woman said, wiping tears from her cheeks.

The middle-aged man turned to Mr. Murphy. “Why didn’t you beat them off with that cane of yours?”

Pandemonium broke out, every one of us voicing our protests while Officer Sprout looked like he was about to take off running and Officer Ernie’s ears turned bright red.

I edged over to an empty desk and picked up the phone. “Mason,” I said when he answered his cell phone. “You’re never gonna guess what happened.”

“With you, there’s no telling. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Mostly.” I rubbed my bruised side. “But why are you asking? You don’t even know why I’m calling.”

“Rose, trouble finds you like a divining rod finds water.” I heard the smile in his voice, but then he turned serious. “Where are you and what happened?”

“Do you think you could get away for a little bit?” I asked. “And meet me at the Henryetta Bank?”

“Are you having some kind of trouble at the bank?”

I took in the chaos around me. “You could say that.”

Mr. Murphy’s voice rose above the others. “I got all my money in this damned place. I better not have lost a penny!”

“Do I hear shouting?” Mason asked before switching to his official voice. “What’s going on there, Rose?”

“I’ll explain when you get here.” I sighed as I hung up. Mason was right. This was just another day in the life of Rose Gardner.

***

Chapter Two

Mason walked through the bank’s door fifteen minutes later. I had no doubt he’d have been there sooner if the brace on his leg hadn’t slowed him down. He’d broken his leg a few weeks ago while we were evading Crocker and his men in the woods near Henryetta. The doctor had set it with pins and put him in a cast for two weeks, so the brace and the cane he was using with it were a graduation from crutches. Still, it slowed him down. And Mason Deveraux was a man who was always on the go.

His face was taut with worry until he saw me sitting on the metal desk, then it was replaced by relief. “Rose.”

I hopped off the desk and met him halfway. He pulled me into a tight hug. “I called Detective Taylor on the way to find out what happened.” He leaned back and examined me closely. “Are you really okay?”

Tilting my head to the side, I gave him a frustrated grimace. “I’m fine. Really. Just ticked off that the thieves took my deposit bag. I tried to report the theft to Officer Sprout, but he refused to listen to me…said he didn’t know how to take my report.”

He grinned. I loved how his smile was slightly lopsided, lifting up ever so slightly more on one side. Funny how I’d never noticed until we started seeing each other, right around the time Crocker broke out of jail. “Violet should have a record of all the checks, and the cash you take in at the shop is minimal. You can get customers to stop payment on the checks and issue you new ones.”

Something in my stomach rolled around and tried to dive to the floor. “What about the cash?”

He shrugged. “It might be a total loss unless you recorded the bills’ serial numbers. I doubt you’d hit your deductible anyway.”

Suddenly, I felt hot and was having a hard time breathing.

Mason’s eyes flew open in alarm. “Rose? What’s wrong?”

I started to fan myself with my hand. “There was more than the usual amount of cash in the deposit bag, Mason. A lot more.”

His voice hardened. “How much?”

“Nine thousand dollars.” Feeling lightheaded, I stumbled backward.

Mason grabbed my arm and helped me sit down in the office chair in front of the desk I’d just hopped down from, taking the seat next to me. “What were you doing with that much cash?”

Tears welled in my eyes, but I refused to let them drop. “The big landscaping job Bruce Wayne and I just finished—”

“The retaining wall, trees, and shrubs for Mr. O’Leary?”

I nodded, feeling like I was gonna hyperventilate. “He paid me in cash.”

He grabbed my face between his hands, his fingers gently rubbing my cheekbones. “Take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay.”