Page 48 of Trailer Trash

“Short and black.” Zelda lifted her hand to her shoulder. “To about here, and it had blue streaks.”

Kate.My gaze lifted to Jed’s, but he was expressionless.

“Did she say why she was lookin’ for me?” I asked.

Zelda shook her head. “No, but I wondered if she might be a bill collector. Margo’s grandson skipped out on one of those payday loans, and he listed her as an emergency contact. They called and showed up at her door hoping to catch him.” She glanced at me again. “Are you in money trouble, Neely Kate?”

I was always in money trouble, but I was in much better shape than I had been the entire time I’d lived with her. “No, Miss Zelda. I’m fine.”

She frowned, obviously not convinced.

“She’s fine, Miss Zelda,” Jed said. “I’m looking out for her.”

She nodded and her body relaxed. “You’re a good man, Jed.”

She echoed my words from this morning, but he seemed to believe her, his back straightening some.

“You said there was a man,” I said. “Who was it?”

“I think he was some kind of police officer, but he didn’t show me his ID, so I’m not sure. He wasn’t wearing a uniform, but he acted all official.”

Police?My gaze jerked to Jed’s in a panic.

He moved to the sofa and sat beside me, resting his hand on my knee. “Did he say anything to indicate where he was from?”

Frowning, she shook her head.

“That’s okay,” Jed said. “He was probably being careful. Why don’t you start from the beginning and tell us everything you remember?”

“I was outside watering my petunias when he pulled up, getting out of his car and ambling toward me like he was large and in charge.”

“What kind of car did he drive?”

She pointed toward the front door. “Kind of like the one you’re driving.”

“A dark sedan?”

“Yeah, like the ones on all those cop shows.”

“What happened then?” he pressed. I was glad he’d stepped in—my mind felt like a hamster on an out-of-control wheel.

“He walked up and said he was lookin’ for a missing person, then asked, ‘You know Neely Kate Rivers?’ and I asked, ‘Who’s askin’?’” She shook her head with a frown. “He didn’t likethatanswer one bit. He moved up close enough that I could smell the whiskey on his breath when he said, ‘Unless you want to get what’s coming to her, you’ll answer my damn questions.’”

I sucked in a breath.

“And what did you say?” Jed asked, not fazed at all.

“Well, I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but I was pretty darn sure I didn’t want it, so I told him the truth—that I hadn’t seen Neely Kate in five years. But it didn’t matter if it was the truth or not because he wasn’t buyin’ it. He called me a liar. I let loose, telling him he needed to respect his elders and that you can catch more flies with sugar water, but he wasn’t the least bit impressed. He told me I had to earn his respect.”

“Zelda,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

She blew a raspberry. “I’m not about to let some punk kid push me around.”

“Kid?” Jed asked. “How old do you think he was?”

She waved off his question. “Anyone under fifty is a kid to me. But he looked to be in his thirties.”

“What was he wearing?”

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