He chuckled. “And what exactly do your services entail?”

“Not what you’re thinkin’ right now, Carter Hale.”

These two were gonna be the death of me.

“Your goon just got into a car and drove away.” He turned back to face us. “What kind of trouble did you two get into to gain the notice of one of Skeeter Malcolm’s henchmen?”

Oh, crappy doodles.

Thankfully Neely Kate didn’t miss a beat. “I made a bet on some horses and Skeeter’s sent one of his guys to collect.”

“Horses, you say?”

Neely Kate shrugged. “I have a terrible gambling problem. Why, walkin’ in here is proof enough of that.”

Carter laughed. “Fair enough.” He walked over to the desk where his secretary was still staring at us in disbelief. He picked up a couple of business cards and gave one to each of us. “I have a feeling you two might be in need of legal services in the near future. Consider this your get out of jail free card.”

Neely Kate took the card and stared at it before looking back up at him. “Rose’s boyfriend is the assistant district attorney. I think he’s our get out of jail free card.”

His grin wavered. “One can never be too careful.”

What did Carter Hale know?

Chapter Twenty-Two

My cell phone rang and I pulled it out and stared at the screen. “It’s my Aunt Bessie. I need to take this.” Then I walked out onto the sidewalk, leaving Neely Kate behind with Carter. I took a deep breath. I felt like I was gonna throw up. “Hey, Aunt Bessie.”

“Rose, I’m so happy you called! I miss you, girl.”

“I miss you too.”

“But I suspect you missing me isn’t why you called me on a Thursday afternoon at the salon.”

I squared my shoulders. “No, ma’am. It’s not.” Now that I had her on the phone I wondered if I should have driven over to Lafayette County to talk to her face to face. But I didn’t have time to do that right yet, and I couldn’t wait for the truth any longer. “I need to ask you some questions about Dora and Daddy.”

Neely Kate came out of Carter’s office and started gesturing to the front of the building while Carter stood in the doorway with an amused grin on his face. I heard her spouting off something about pots with flowers and vines.

Aunt Bessie was silent for a moment. “I was wondering when you’d start askin’ questions. Especially now that you’re livin’ in her house.”

“Do you know when Dora and Daddy first started seeing each other?”

“I’m not sure.”

“When did Daddy leave Momma?”

“In early October. Right after Dora quit her job.”

“Do you know why she quit?”

“I know she had trouble with her boss. They had a disagreement over something.”

That just confirmed Dirk’s story. And it meant Aunt Bessie wouldn’t know if there was a chance I wasn’t my daddy’s daughter. “When did you find out they were together?”

Aunt Bessie sighed. “Harrison didn’t tell me right away. He had a wife and baby daughter. He was ashamed.”

“That didn’t answer my question, Aunt Bessie.”

“The first I heard of it was in October. When he left your momma.”

My heart sank. “But did he ever tell you anything about their relationship before he moved out?”

“No, Rose. I’m sorry. I understand your need to put the pieces together, but I only know about the two of them after he moved out.”

“Can you tell me that part?”

“Of course.” I heard the smile in her voice. And the regret. “Earl and I first met Dora in the middle of October. We went to the farmhouse to see the two of them. Dora was a lovely woman. So warm and full of life. You’re a lot like her, Rose. And your daddy was so happy after he moved in with her. Happier than I’d ever seen him.”

I sat down on a park bench outside the courthouse and closed my eyes. Neely Kate sat beside me and I glanced up at her in surprise. I didn’t realize she’d walked over. “Did Daddy love me back then?” I asked.

“Oh, Rose. He loved you very much.”

“Yeah, for a few months. Until Dora died.”

“Rose, he loved you after that too. I told you, part of him died with her. He was never the same afterwards.”

Suddenly the significance of that hit me full force. Dora’s death had changed him, yes, but perhaps his transformation also had something to do with the fire. “Did Daddy ever say anything about his job at Atchison Manufacturing?”

“You found out he worked there?” she asked in surprise. “I brought up the factory once in conversation, and he got angry with me and said he’d never talk about the place again.”

“I read about it in Dora’s journal. But why would he react that way?” I wasn’t sure what to make of his reaction. It sure sounded like the behavior of someone wracked with guilt.

“I only know it was a tense situation. Your daddy was planning on quitting, but there was no need because the fire destroyed the factory and he lost his job. Then a week later Dora died. It was too much for him. Dora had drawn up a will just days after your birth. Your uncle and I were shocked to find out she’d made Earl the executor of the estate. The farm was yours and Earl would obviously have let your daddy live there until you turned eighteen.”