Page 5 of For the Birds

Chapter2

Neely Kate had runoff to Ardmore, Oklahoma, where she’d lived with her mother before Jenny Lynn Rivers had dumped her, at age twelve, on her grandmother’s doorstep in Fenton County and had never come back. After her high school graduation, Neely Kate had returned to Ardmore and stayed for nearly two years. She rarely talked about anything to do with her mother, who’d never contacted her after abandoning her, or Oklahoma. While I knew she was deeply ashamed of her previous life, I wasn’t sure why. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Neely Kate had been abused, but I didn’t know any details. I’d respected her privacy, knowing how much it hurt her to discuss it, but now I wondered if that had been a mistake.

Kate Simmons, Neely Kate’s newly discovered half sister, had been sending her letters in the mail, and although my best friend refused to tell me any details, I knew Kate was holding something over her head. So Neely Kate’s sudden trip to Oklahoma hadn’t come as a total surprise . . . but her companionhad.

Jed Carlisle.

Jed was James “Skeeter” Malcolm’s right-hand man. He’d acted as my bodyguard last winter, so I trusted him implicitly. I was grateful he’d been with her, but I couldn’t help wondering how they had ended up together in the first place, and she refused to tell me. I could have asked James, but my pride insisted that he had to come to mefirst.

Neely Kate had returned after two days, apologizing for taking off and assuring me that everything was okay. She said she’d taken care of everything—and she’d left it at that. So why did she still seem distracted and onedge?

The bell on the office door jingled, and Neely Kate walked into the office. She was wearing her favorite blue dress, the one I’d told her made her eyes look like the summersky.

I placed my hand on my chest and said, “Oh, thankGod.”

She shut the door behind her and moved closer. “Why do you look like that?” Fear filled her eyes. “Oh, my stars and garters. Did something happen?”

I closed the distance between us and pulled her into a hug. “No. I was just worried. I tried to call you and you didn’t answer.”

“I was at that landscaping appointment.”

“I know . . .” Now that the initial relief had worn off, I was struck by her appearance—mussed hair, pink cheeks, and bright eyes . . . a look that seemed to seesaw between happy and sad. I hadn’t thought much of her wearing the dress today since we were throwing Violet a welcome home party this afternoon, but now I wondered if there were other reasons.

“I didn’t think I’d be gone so long.” She pulled away and looked around the office. “Where are thekids?”

“Joe came by and took them to Dena’s for ice cream.”

“It’s not even lunchtime.”

I shook my head and grinned. “He bribed them to stop fighting.”

She laughed. “So that’s the key. Have you heard anything from Violet orMike?”

“No. Not yet, but I don’t think their plane has landed. The plan for the party hasn’t changed, as far as Iknow.”

Neely Kate shook her head. “I still can’t believe Mike went to get her. Are they moving forward with the divorce?”

“I’m not sure. Vi said they’ve been talking on the phone after she talks to the kids. In fact, she’s goin’ home with them after the party.”

“I’m surprised he’s so willing to forgive her,” Neely Kate said. “He seemed pretty pissed at her lastfall.”

“Thinkin’ someone you love is gonna die probably changes things,” I said absently, shocked when an image of James surfaced in my head. If Scooter had been snatched—or, worse yet, killed—the perpetrator had done it to hurt James. Which meant James wasn’t just hurting; he could be in dangertoo.

Not my concern.

Then why did my heart seize up and make it difficult to breathe?

I sat in my chair. “I was concerned because Joe told me something worrisome when he cameby.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh?”

“Scooter Malcolm is missing.”

“Oh.” Her voice had lowered an octave as she walked over to her desk and set her purse in her drawer, avoiding eye contact withme.

“Wait. Youknew?”

I wasn’t necessarily surprised. Neely Kate knew just about everything that was going on in Fenton County, let alone Henryetta—a fact she was downright proud of, which made her behavior all the stranger. “I’d heard.”

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