Page 145 of Family Jewels

“I understand why you wanted it. If you’d told me your reasoning, I probably would have agreed with you. But what I can’t stomach is that you played along with this meeting after I called it. You decided to play me the fool and use it to your advantage.”

“That’s not true.”

“You practically admitted that you were going to call them to task for their misdeeds. You were going to use this meeting to mete out punishment!”

He pointed his finger at me, shouting, “I run this goddamned county! Do you know what would happen if a man like Buck Reynolds was in charge? And we both know what he planned to do with that necklace once it was back in his possession. I can’t let men get away with undermining me, or this aggression willnever end.”

“Seems to me that I brokered a truce.”

He shook his head. “It won’t last. It’s temporary at best.”

“At least I tried.” I took a step toward him. “James, I know your job’s not easy. I know you have to maintain this tough exterior or you’re a sitting duck. I get it. But I thought I proved to you last winter that I could negotiate deals for you. That we were partners.”

“We are.”

I shook my head, close to tears. “Not tonight. You used me to get them here.”

“I had to do it this way. You never would have approved.”

“We could have reached an agreementtogether.”

He must have seen the pain on my face. “You said you didn’t use the information you got from me for personal gain,” he said, his temper running hot. “When we both know good and well that you were using it to help that damn traitor prosecutor who ran off and abandoned you as soon as he was in the clear.”

Tears stung my eyes. “The difference, Skeeter Malcolm, is that you knew from day one why I was helping you. I never once hid that fact from you. You used me, and I have never been so disappointed by you.”

His eyes turned hard. “I don’t know why you’re so surprised. You know I’m a lowlife criminal, only slightly higher on the scumbag rung than Reynolds. YouknewI couldn’t be trusted.”

“And that’s the saddest part of all.” My voice broke. “You’ve proven yourself trustworthy so many times, James. I trusted you with my life. I trusted you in nearly every conceivable way . . . and you betrayed that.”

A war waged in his eyes. “What do you want from me?” he finally said. “You want me to apologize? Don’t hold your breath. You knew who I was going into this. You knew, yet you were fool enough to trust me. So don’t go blaming me for your own poor judgment, Rose. The only person to blame here is yourself.”

My mouth dropped open. “You truly believe that?”

His war of emotions continued in earnest, but then his eyes turned cold. “I can’t believe you don’t.”

He was lying. I knew that. And I knew I was ripping his heart out, but he’d hurt me too. I wasn’t going to stand there and let him hurt me more. “I think we’re done here.”

“I guess we are.”

When I stomped off to the back door, I could hear Neely Kate’s footfalls behind me. I turned around one last time and saw James still standing behind the table, still wearing that damn impassive face.

Chapter 32

After Neely Kateand I went home, I took a long hot shower and had a good cry. Then I changed into my pajamas and found Neely Kate downstairs, already cleaned up.

“I made us both a cup of tea,” she said from the couch. She was curled up in front of two mugs. “But maybe you’d rather go to bed.”

“No. I’m too keyed up,” I said, joining her. “Did you hear anything more from Joe?” She’d called him after we left the industrial park and told him to pick up Homer at our office.

“He was overseeing Homer’s interrogation. He’s already confessed to killing Raynaandholding us hostage. Joe was furious we didn’t tell him sooner. He’s coming over as soon as he finishes some preliminary stuff with Homer.”

Great.

“What happened with Miss Mable?” I asked. “How did you get all muddy and wet?”

“It’s a long story, but the bottom line is that she finally confessed she’d hidden it in a bag in the pigsty. But she wouldn’t tell us where, so we had to search high and low. Jed was the one who finally found it.”

“Then how’dyouget it?”