Page 102 of For the Birds

Chapter20

I was still reelingfrom Witt’s announcement when he asked, “Whatnow?”

“The Henryetta Package Store, don’t you think?” I asked Neely Kate. “One of us is gonna have to go undercover. Maybe we should both doit.”

She shook her head. “I’ll pretend to be Bud’s girlfriend looking forhim.”

“You think that will work? It’s dangerous.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please.”

Nevertheless, I couldn’t help worrying.

I’d never been there before, but Witt knew where it was. He parked in the laundromat parking lot next door. “I’ve been in there a time or two,” he said. “I think it’s best if I stay out of sight.”

Neely Kate was out of the car before I could give her any last-minute instructions.

Witt chuckled as we watched her strut across the parking lot. “That’s Neely Kate. Headstrong.”

“Has she always been like that?” I asked, realizing I had access to a treasure trove of insights on my best friend.

“Mostly. When Jenny Lynn dropped her off when she was twelve, she was scared but bold, determined to take life by the horns. She fit in better than most people expected. I’m two years older than her, so I took her under my wing, but she didn’t need me for long. She found her way, and most everyone loved her in school. Then I got in trouble after graduation and ended up in lockup for a few years. When I came home, she’d graduated and taken off for Oklahoma. Granny was upset because she’d stopped hearin’ fromNK.”

“She’d stopped callin’?”

“Yeah. Abrupt. Granny said she knew things weren’t as rosy as Neely Kate let on. She’d started talkin’ to Granny about comin’ home, and then she practically vanished.”

My gaze followed Neely Kate into the store, and my stomach twisted with worry. “What happened to her there, Witt?”

“I don’t know. I was fixin’ to find her and bring her home when she showed up lookin’ like the walkin’ dead.”

“What? What does that mean? She washurt?”

“She had some bruises for certain, makin’ it obvious she’d been through somethin’, but it was more than that. She went straight to her room and barely left, just slept and cried and wouldn’t talk to anyone.”

My heart broke. “What happened to her there?” I asked again.

“Damned if I know. She never told a soul, but it was obvious someone had hurt her bad and she needed to get control back. Alan Jackson and I made sure our little cousin could kick the ass of any man who tried to hurt her again.”

“And you never figured out what happened?” I asked, still watching thedoor.

“No. I told her I was there to listen if she needed to talk. Instead, she bottled it all up, and before I knew it, she was back to her normal self . . . only something was different in her eyes. Something wasoff.”

“She went to Oklahoma last week,” I said quietly.

Witt sat up straighter. “What?”

I sighed. “She just took off and left me anote.”

“Whatfor?”

“To face her past. She came back looking better, but . . .”

“She’s still broken.”

“Yeah.”

“That asshole husband of hers . . .” He shook his head. “I had no idea he was gonna hurt her, Rose. Otherwise, I would have literally kicked his ass before she walked down the aisle.”

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