“Rose,” he said, turning to me with guarded eyes. “It’s evidence and an important part of this crime scene. I have to take it into custody.”

“This isn’t right, Joe!” I shouted, my anger flaring. “You can’t just take my property! I have to give it to Mason.”

He shook his head in exasperation. “And who do you think I’m gonna give it to? This way it’s more official.”

I wasn’t so sure going the official route was the best way to handle this.

He was silent for several moments, his eyes staring out the windshield. “I’ll make sure he gets it, but I can’t give it back to you. I’m sorry.”

I told myself to calm down. Joe would give it to Mason, but I couldn’t ignore the niggle of doubt in the back of my head. The journal supposedly contained information that could get Joe’s father in trouble. Was it safe to trust him with it? In the end, I didn’t have a choice. Besides, it was Joe. Of course, I could trust him.

Joe closed his notebook. “I need to wrap up a few things up here before I head back to town.” He paused. “You’re free to go, but again, I’m asking you to not call Mason. And if he calls you before tonight, please don’t tell him about any of this. Especially not the journal.”

I stared at him for several seconds. “But you’ll tell him? And be sure to explain that you asked me not to say anything.”

He nodded and offered me a weak smile. “I’ll take care of it.”

The sun was low on the horizon when I pulled out of the parking lot. Mason would soon be home and I was going to tell him everything I knew about Dora, whether Joe had had a chance to tell him or not. I had only promised Joe that I’d wait until they had their big meeting. After that, everything was fair game.

As I drove home, I tried to wrap my head around the fact that half of my genetics might belong to Paul Buchanan, a man I knew nothing about. While Hattie clearly believed I was Paul’s biological daughter, I decided it didn’t matter. Who I was now had nothing to with the genes in my cells. Besides, when I really thought about it, I was pretty positive I wasn’t Paul’s daughter. My visions were telling proof. They came from Daddy’s mother, the oracle of Lafayette County. What were the chances I’d have the same gift without being related to her?

My phone rang when I was almost home and I saw a number I didn’t recognize on the screen. “Hello?” I answered, sounding guarded.

“Rose,” Kate said in a chipper tone that sounded forced, even to my ears. “I heard you had an eventful afternoon.”

I tensed with confusion. How had she heard? Kate didn’t seem the type to sit around listening to police scanners. “Just another day in Fenton County,” I said with more sarcasm than I’d intended, but she rubbed me the wrong way and I was done tolerating bad behavior.

“You need to watch your P’s and Q’s, Rose Gardner,” she said. “Consider this fair warning.”

What on earth did that mean? Then I gasped. She knew about the journal. When I started to answer her, I realized she’d hung up.

Now I really needed to talk to Mason. I had no idea what Kate’s visit to Henryetta was all about, but I couldn’t be sure it wasn’t part of her father’s nefarious plan.

When I opened the front door, Muffy greeted me with her usual gusto. I let her wander around outside, feeling more than slightly unsettled. I half considered calling Mason anyway, but all of this was bound to upset him. Joe was right—he needed to give the meeting his full concentration.

I had a strong urge to check in with Skeeter, so I called him instead after I brought Muffy back into the house. “How’s Jed?”

“He’ll pull through.”

“Is he still at the hospital?”

He chuckled. “He can’t go to the hospital. They’d have to report a gunshot wound. I have someone who looked at it.”

“But he has—”

“And before you go worryin’, he’s in great shape. He’ll be back to work in a day or two.”

“Skeeter.”

“His choice. Rose.” He was quiet for a moment. “He blames himself for what happened.”

“What on earth for? If he hadn’t been there, I’d probably be dead. Thanks for loaning him to me.”

“He wants to help you again if you’ll have him.”

“Hopefully, there will be no need.”

He laughed. “Keep him in your speed dial.”

“Very funny.”

“Since Jed’s out of commission for a few days, call me if you get into trouble.”

“You’re gonna come get me out of trouble?”

“I’ll send Merv to take care of it.” He paused. “Do you have any more information about the double homicide?”

“No. I haven’t heard any more about it. Have they said anything to you?”

“No, and that’s what worries me. Ordinarily, they’d come straight away to ask their questions.”

“Then that’s a good thing, right?”

“No, I think it’s bad. It means they’re probably building their case before they come callin’.”

Crap. That did sound bad. “Have you come up with any idea who might be settin’ you up?” I asked.

“No.” But the way he answered made me question his truthfulness.

“I have a journal that has information tying J.R. Simmons to Atchison Manufacturing, but I have no idea what it contains. It was all in shorthand and I couldn’t read it. If J.R. is behind this, hopefully it will help us bring him down and take care of the situation you and Mason are in.”