Page 105 of For the Birds

“We’re payin’,” Isaid.

When she still hesitated, Witt stood. “I’m not feelin’ very hungry. I think I’ll go sit outside.” He gave us a wave and headed out the frontdoor.

Jeanne watched him leave, then took his seat even though there was an open chair across from Neely Kate. She grabbed the laminated menu in the middle of the table, flagged the waitress down, and ordered a club sandwich and fries, plus a cheeseburger togo.

Neely Kate and I ordered our own lunches and a to-go sandwich for Witt. As the waitress walked away, Neely Kate folded her hands on the table and looked at Jeanne dead-on. “We’d like to ask you some questions about Scooter.”

“That’s why I’m here, ain’t it?” The hostility in her voice surprised me, and Neely Kate’s flinch told me she noticed ittoo.

Neely Kate took a moment, then asked, “When did you see him taken?”

“Wednesday afternoon behind Walmart. Just like I toldya.”

I took a breath and turned my upper body to face her. “Jeanne, what’s goin’ on?”

“Whaddayamean?”

“I mean, this morning you wanted us to help you find Scooter, now you don’t. What happened?” Then it hit me—Muffy had chased someone out of Walmart. What if that someone had seen Jeanne talking to us? What if they’d scared heroff?

“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” she said, but her eyes darted to theside.

I lowered my voice. “Jeanne. Someone was there when we were talkin’ to you this mornin’. My dog chased him away, but he came back, didn’the?”

Tears filled hereyes.

Neely Kate reached out and snagged Jeanne’s frail fingers in her hand. “We can help you, Jeanne.”

“I don’t care about me. I only care about Scooter.” Her voice broke and a tear tracked down her cheek.

“We care about Scooter too,” Neely Kate said. “Who came to talk to you? And what did he threaten?”

Jeanne wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. “He was a big guy. Looked to be in his thirties. He told me if I told y’all anything, he’d kill Scooter.”

I blinked. “Was it someone youknow?”

She shook her head. “No, but I’ve seen him before.” She paused. “He was one of the guys who took Scooter.”

“There were two of them?” I asked, then felt stupid. Of course there were. How could one guy kidnap a grown man? They’d used two men to kidnap me. But why was this the first time we were hearing ofit?

“Did you tell Skeeter Malcolm about bothguys?”

She nodded. “His henchman interviewed me first. Then I talked to Skeeter, but he got a phone call and they sent me on my way.” She licked her lips. “The guy today said he knew I’d talked to Skeeter’s guys. He was pissed . . . and he said I was lucky they hadn’t killed Scooteryet.”

Suddenly, I knew why she’d waited for nearly a week to tell Skeeter what she knew. The kidnappers had already issued a warning.

Neely Kate was still holding her hand, so I grabbed the other one and held tight. “We’re gonna help you, Jeanne, but you have to tell us everything.”

Panic filled her eyes. “You can’t tell Scooter’s brother. You have to swear.” I cast a glance at Neely Kate, and Jeanne added, “Or any of his men. They’ll kill Scooter if you do.” Her breath came in rapid pants. “Swear to me you won’t tellthem.”

Well, crap on a cracker. But we had to know what she could tell us, what she wouldn’t tell James and the others. “Okay,” I said. “I swear.”

Neely Kate nodded. “Your secret is safe withus.”

Jeanne wiped another tear and lowered her voice. “Scooter was out of sorts for a few days before they . . . took him. He thought someone was watchin’ him. Sometimes his brother had him watched—” Her eyes widened. “Not because he was after him. More like they were bodyguards, keepin’ an eye on him to make sure he was safe. Sometimes his brother just sent someone and didn’t tellhim.”

That didn’t surprise me. James had done the same withme.

“But Scooter said this time was different. He started insistin’ on driving a different way home, and he was paranoid about lockin’ the doors. He thought maybe he’d pissed off one of the guys who bought pot from him, though he said they all seemed happy.” She paused and licked her upper lip. “When I finished my shift on Wednesday, I went back to see Scooter. We were ridin’ together, and he had to work a half hour longer than me. So I was hangin’ out with him in the back while he was movin’ bags of potting soil.” She blushed. “I like watchin’ him move heavy things likethat.”

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