Page 54 of Trailer Trash

My anxiety skyrocketed, and Jed held me tighter.

“You don’t have to tell me yet.”

“But I do.”

“Do I need to know before we talk to Stella?”

“She’ll probably mention it.”

“Are you opposed to me finding out from her instead of you?”

I needed to face this head-on, but learning about Beasley’s conviction would probably only confuse him. Besides, call me a masochist, but better for him to learn that and plenty more from Stella. The ugly truths he’d already learned were only the tip of the iceberg.

I sighed. “I don’t know.”

“You seemed surprised when Kate told you that Beasley was out of prison. How long was his sentence?”

“Fifteen years.”

“So he could have gotten out on good behavior,” Jed said. “Or he could have gotten out due to outside influence.”

I gasped and sat up. How had I failed to consider that? “Kate?”

“Maybe. Was he incarcerated in Oklahoma?”

“Yeah.”

“Kate would have had more influence in Arkansas, but a lot of her strings must have snapped after her father’s downfall.”

Myfather’s downfall.

“Still,” he said, “I wouldn’t put it past her.” He paused and then his voice softened. “I know you’re reluctant to give me details, but I’d like to look into his release and see if anything looks suspicious. To do that, I need to know his full name and what he was convicted of.” Another moment of silence hung between us before he continued. “Neely Kate, I need to ask you something else. I noticed your reaction when Kate mentioned his release. Should we be worried for your safety in regard to Beasley? Will he come after you?”

Once, I would have said no. We’d maintained regular contact for years, and even two years ago, he’d eagerly accepted my calls. Something had changed, though—and abruptly—about a year ago. He wouldn’t talk to me on the phone anymore, wouldn’t answer my notes. “I’m not sure.”

His body tensed. “Do you think he’s here in Ardmore now?”

“I don’t know. He had some family here, so maybe. All I know is that I need to talk to him.” I paused. “He’s the only one who knows about the azaleas.”

“Okay,” he said matter-of-factly. “So he goes on the list of people to talk to.” He considered something, then asked, “Were Stella and Beasley close?”

“No. They couldn’t stand each other, but they were kind of stuck together.”

“Why?”

“Because Stella was my best friend and Beasley was Branson’s brother.”

“And where’s Branson?”

“I don’t know.”

And I hoped I never found out.

Chapter 16

Ahalf hour later, we were parked at the Shenandoah Apartments complex. The place had seen better days. The paint was peeling off the siding, and the playground equipment was missing the swing. The apartments all had outside entrances, and the doors all had peeling paint. Stella would hate living in a dump like this.

“So what’s the plan?” I asked.

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