Page 15 of Family Jewels

“Nope,” I said. “I have a few questions first. Then you can get the money, and we’ll get out of your hair.” My eyes lifted to the orange mess on top of his head.

“What do you want to know?”

“Who else besides your mother and Rayna knew about the necklace?”

“My brother Newton and my sister Leah . . . and my Aunt Tildie.”

“Did Newton or Leah seem interested in it?” I asked. “Was your aunt upset that you got the jewelry instead of her?”

“Aunt Tildie never even knew I had it. My grandmammie gave it to my mother. And yeah, she was upset, but Momma’s had it since Grandmammie passed away eight years ago.”

“What about your friends?” Neely Kate asked. “Sounds like you told a few of them.”

“I told Buck and Lionel. And Tucker.”

Neely Kate snorted. “So basically half the county.”

“They found out after Rayna said she didn’t have it,” he protested.

“Anything else to help us look?”

He gave me a look of disgust. “If I had all the answers, what would I be payin’ you for?”

In all fairness, he had a point. It wasn’t a lot to go on, but it was a start.

The overhead speaker crackled, and a woman said in a bored tone, “Raddy, we need you at the loading dock.”

“I have to go,” he said, looking worried.

Neely Kate held out her hand. “Money.”

He dug out his wallet again and opened a secret compartment, from which he pulled out four crisp hundred-dollar bills. Then he handed her four more grubby looking twenties to add to the one he had in the front compartment.

I was shocked when Neely Kate took the money without commenting on his lie. She stuffed it into her purse. “We’ll be in touch.”

“You better find something,” he grumbled. “That’s my poker money.”

Neely Kate’s face blanched—Ronnie had kept a regular poker night—but she quickly recovered and sneered, “Maybe if you’d spent less time playin’ poker and more time with your woman, you wouldn’t be in this situation, Raddy Dyer.” Then she spun around and stormed out of the store.

I trailed after her, wondering how much of that speech had actually been meant for her absent husband.

Chapter 4

Neely Kate was alreadyout the door by the time I reached the registers. I was so caught up in my thoughts about Neely Kate, Ronnie, and that darn necklace that I physically flinched when I heard someone shout, “That’s Rose Gardner!”

“What?” a second woman screeched.

I stood at the exit, watching the rain come down in sheets. Neely Kate was halfway to the truck huddled under her umbrella, and two angry-looking women were bearing down on me.

I took off running for the truck, stepping into a puddle deep enough to drench my already damp jeans. I climbed into the truck and glared at Neely Kate, who had set her purse down in the middle seat and was fluffing her hair.

“Why didn’t you wait for me with the umbrella?”

Surprise filled her eyes. “I’m sorry. You didn’t want to share it before.”

It hadn’t been raining cats and dogs before, but I let that go and moved on to my next issue. “I thought you said they weren’t mad at me.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked in confusion.