“There’s my sweet baby.” She bent over the car seat and smiled. “Did you come to see Nana Maeve?”
“She’d like to stay with you for a bit,” I said hesitantly. “But I’m worried you’re too busy to deal with her.”
“Nonsense. I’m never too busy for my favorite girl.” She glanced up at me. “I thought your doctor’s appointment was the day after tomorrow.”
“It is, but Neely Kate and I have an errand to run. It might be better if Hope and Muffy don’t tag along.”
Maeve stilled, then stood upright. “Does this have anything to do with the man they found murdered this morning?”
“I didn’t know the word had gotten out.”
She held my gaze. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She took a deep breath, still studying me. “You have so much more to think about now, Rose. Are you sure you want to do this?”
This was the first time she’d ever lectured me about my extracurricular activities. In fact, a year ago, she’d gone as far as to condone them. But she’d also had a feeling that what I was doing would save Mason.
“Maeve, I don’t take this lightly.”
“But you could have died going after Ashley and Mikey. What if something happens to you this time? What about Hope?”
“I’m doin’ this for Violet,” I said quietly. I understood her concerns. Shoot, I shared them, but I still needed to go through with this. I couldn’t very well tell her that her son was the one who’d sent me on this task. “And I’m doin’ it for Hope too. We’re not gettin’ mixed up in anythin’ dangerous. We just need to talk to a woman. Then I’ll come back and collect Hope and Muffy, and they’ll be out of your hair.”
Hurt filled her eyes. “You know this isn’t about me being inconvenienced.”
“I know, Maeve,” I said with a weary sigh. “And I’m sorry I can’t tell you more, but trust me when I say I wouldn’t willingly walk into danger.”
She studied me for a moment, then nodded. “I do.”
Holding the car seat with one hand, I wrapped my free arm around her back. “Thank you.”
“Rose,” she said softly, “I love you like you’re my own flesh and blood daughter.”
Tears burning in my eyes, I said, “I’m just grateful you chose to keep me in your life.”
I knew how rare that was. After a breakup, you usually lost not only the other person, but also their family and friends. Maeve, though…she’d always been there for me. I knew she’d be there for Hope too.
Her eyes turned glassy, and her chin wobbled. “Go. Run your errand. Hope can help me run the cash register.”
I smiled a little, then launched into an account of Hope’s nap and eating schedule, finishing with, “And in case I’m not back before she gets hungry, there’s a bottle and a small package of formula in the bag. She’s not crazy about it, but she’ll take it if she’s hungry enough.”
“We’ll be fine,” she said. “You go. And if I get busy and she gets fussy, I’ll just bring out her swing.”
I’d left one at both the nursery and the landscaping office.
“Okay.” I handed the car seat to Maeve, surprised by how reluctant I was to let her go. Of course, I’d rarely left her with anyone other than Joe. I trusted Maeve, though, and knew Hope would be safe.
I leaned over the seat, soaking in the sight of my daughter’s face. She stared up at me, and her mouth lifted into a smile that made her eyes sparkle.
“She’s smiling!” Maeve exclaimed.
“I love you, Hope,” I whispered, my voice tight. “I’ll do everything in my power to protect you.” I placed a lingering kiss on her forehead, then stood upright. “Thank you, Maeve.”
Worry covered her face, and I was sure she heard what I’d said to my daughter, but I didn’t have time to offer her reassurances. I needed to find Roberta and put all of this to rest.
I turned around and left without saying goodbye. Neely Kate saw me come out and joined me in the truck.
“You okay?” she asked.
“No,” I said. “But I will be when we find Roberta.”
“Just keep in mind that she might not know anything,” Neely Kate said. “Or she might just refuse to talk to us.”
I started to back out of the parking space. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”
The Stop-N-Go had several cars at the gas pumps and a few more in the parking spaces. I pulled up to a pump and turned off the engine.
“I’ll head inside and get a drink,” Neely Kate said. “Get the lay of the land. You come in when you’re finished.”
We both got out, and as I pumped the gas, I watched Neely Kate head toward the entrance. It looked like a normal weekday morning at any convenience store, although that meant nothing.
Once the tank was full, I grabbed my purse and headed inside. Neely Kate was by the fountain drink station, filling a cup with ice.
“Find anything?” I asked.
She shot me a dazed look. “She’s here.”
“Who?” I whisper-shouted. “Roberta?” I resisted the urge to turn around and look.
She nodded as she moved the cup to the Coke dispenser and began filling it. “She’s working the register.”
I took a breath. “Do you think she knows?” But how could she not? Maeve had heard about a murder, which suggested it was public news, or becoming that way, and based on what Mason had said, Roberta and Rufus had been serious about each other.
“Yeah. Her eyes are puffy and bloodshot, and her nose is red as though she’s been crying.”
“Why on earth is she still here?” I asked. “Why didn’t she go home?”
Neely Kate shot me a dark look. “Maybe her boss wouldn’t let her go, and she needs the job. If she’s workin’ here, she’s not makin’ much, and who knows how much her boyfriend was bringin’ in. Even if he was makin’ good money, that income source is gone, so now she needs this job more than ever.”
Her outrage felt a bit too personal, but now didn’t seem like the best time to bring it up.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “You make some very good points. And,” I added, so I didn’t look totally judgmental, “maybe she thinks there’s nothing she can do. Maybe she’d rather keep busy than go home and stare at his spot on the bed.”
Neely Kate’s gaze held mine. “Or maybe she’s here because it’s a public place and safer than being alone at home.”
She had a point there.
“Okay,” Neely Kate said, sliding over to the counter and grabbing a lid. “There’s no one at the counter. Let’s head over.”
She plucked a straw out of the holder and marched up to the counter, leaving me to follow.
There was only one woman at the counter. She looked young—in her early twenties—and had short dark hair pulled back into a stubby ponytail at the base of her neck. Her blue polo shirt had a Stop-N-Go logo on the chest, right below a name tag that said, Bobby.
Neely Kate put her drink on the counter. “When did y’all restart the bottomless drink promotion?”