“You know that black hat you got last month? The one with the veil?”

“Oh. Yeah! I’m telling you, hats like that will be back in vogue before you know it. That’s why I’m stockpilin’ them. So I’ll be ready.”

“It’s hard to see through that thing, right?”

“Yeah. Remember? I wore it to Bingo night with Granny and nearly broke my neck tripping because I couldn’t see a doggone thing.”

“I need to borrow it.”

“Sure. I’ll bring it to you tomorrow.”

“No. I need it now.” When she didn’t answer, I continued. “I have to help Skeeter with this thing and I don’t want people to know it’s me.”

“Where are you, Rose?” she asked, sounding worried. “And what are you doin’ that you need a disguise?”

“I don’t have much time, Neely Kate. Can you bring it to the pool hall like five minutes ago?”

She didn’t even hesitate. “I’ll call you when I’m almost there.”

I hung up and walked back into the room. “Fine. I’ll go, but I’m wearing a disguise.”

Skeeter shot me a cocky grin. “Okay, but we’re leaving in fifteen minutes.”

Neely Kate called me twelve minutes later. “I’m pulling into the parking lot now.”

I was already waiting for her by the door, so I ran outside as her car rolled up. “Are you sure about this, Rose?” she asked as she handed me a brown bag through the open window.

I nodded. There was no point in telling her I didn’t have a choice.

She eyed me up and down. “My hat will not go with that outfit. I put my new black dress and a pair of heels in there too. Good thing we wear the same size.”

“Thank you, Neely Kate.”

She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “Just be careful, okay? And call me when you’re done so I know that you’re safe.”

“I will.”

The clock was ticking, so I ran inside and quickly changed, pleased with what I saw in the mirror. The reflection showed a woman in a figure-hugging black dress, a V cutting low in the front to reveal what little cleavage she had. I’d found a handful of bobby pins at the bottom of my purse, so I put my hair up into a French roll that would conceal its length and color. I couldn’t see the lower half of me, but the hat alone would mask my identity. No one I knew would recognize me if they saw me dressed this way.

Skeeter banged on the door. “Come on! Let’s go!”

I swung the door open and his mouth parted in surprise before he quickly recovered and offered me his arm, a grin spreading across his face. “This arrangement keeps getting better and better. I’m beginning to rethink that marriage proposal, but I value the family jewels too much to take the risk.” He chuckled. “And after watching you this afternoon, Rose Gardner, I’m more than sure you’d be a jewel thief.”

I narrowed my eyes, not that he could probably see through the veil. “If I help you and you renege on me, Skeeter Malcolm, you’ll find out how true that statement is.”

He and his men burst into laughter as we headed out the back door. Too bad for him, I hadn’t meant it as a joke.

Chapter Twenty-Five

I mused about the absurdity of it all as I rode in the back of a black sedan on the way to the warehouse. Previously mousy, socially inept Rose Anne Gardner was dressed as a wanton woman and riding in the back of a car with Henryetta’s current criminal mastermind. All while her assistant district attorney boyfriend waited for her to come home and her chief deputy sheriff ex-boyfriend searched for reasons to tie her to a criminal investigation.

This was straight out of a made-for-TV movie.

Skeeter sat next to me while Jed—the guy who’d told me about the Piggly Wiggly robbery—drove and the other guy, Merv, rode shotgun. Bruce Wayne was following us in his car after Skeeter had snarled that there wasn’t room for him in the back. I didn’t understand Skeeter’s insistence until his hand landed on my knee when we were two minutes out of the parking lot.

I shoved his paw aside. “Hands off, Skeeter.”

“Just admiring what I’ve claimed,” he said with a shit-eating grin.

“You may have claimed my gift, not that it’s yours to claim in the first place, but you most definitely cannot claim me. So keep your hands to yourself or the whole deal’s off, chips fall where they may.”

“You have to act like my girlfriend inside.”

“I will do no such thing,” I said firmly.

“Rose,” he groaned. “If I bring you in there—”

“For all they know, I’m an investor you’ve brought with you.”

“That makes me look weak.” His voice was harsh.

“It will make you look strong. Like your reach stretches outside of this godforsaken town.”

“Huh,” he said, thinking it over. “That’s actually a good idea.”

“So it’s agreed. Hands off. Everyone knows you like the ladies. The fact that you’re not touching me will catch them off guard, which will in turn throw them off their game.” I had no idea if they would or not, but it sounded good and Skeeter looked impressed.

We drove south of town, toward Pickle Junction. They’d been sympathetic to Crocker in this area, so geographically, it made sense. But it also meant I was on Joe’s turf, not the Henryetta PD’s. Whether or not that was a good thing remained to be seen.