Page 114 of Trouble Comes in Threes

“Not at all. By the time I get home, gather up Daisy, and get back to your house, I suspect we’ll get there at about the same time.” If we didn’t, she had a key and knew the code to the alarm system.

“Thank you, Neely Kate. You’re the best.”

“I know,” she said with a laugh. “I don’t intend to let you forget it.”

I pulled into the Piggly Wiggly lot and headed toward the entrance when someone ran up behind me and grabbed my arm.

I spun around, ready to hit them with my purse, when I realized it was Darlene.

“Sorry!” she exclaimed, dropping her hold and lifting her hands in surrender. “I was just surprised to see you came back.” A wary look crossed her face. “Where’s your baby?”

My hair stood up on end. “He fell asleep, so I left him with a friend,” I said, grateful I was telling the truth. “What are you doin’ sneakin’ up on me like that?”

“I didn’t mean to scare you. Like I said, I was excited to see you came back.”

“Why?” I said, stepping out of the way of an older couple who were walking into the store. “I thought you told us everything you had to say.”

She made a face. “I may not have told you everything. I held some stuff back.”

“Why?”

She glanced out into the parking lot. “I got scared. I saw that big guy hovering around, and I thought he was here to get me.”

“Big guy?” Then I realized who she’d probably seen. “Close-cropped hair? Wearing jeans and a gray T-shirt?” When she nodded, I said, “That was Jed. Neely Kate’s husband. He was worried about her meeting with you, so he was watching out for us.”

“Oh.” She pushed out a breath. “I suppose that makes sense, and it’s actually kinda sweet.” Tears filled her eyes. “The only person who would have done that for me was Harvey.”

“I really am sorry about your brother,” I said, my voice softening. “If you know more about what happened to him, I can tell my husband. I’ll even tell him it’s from an anonymous source.”

Her eyes swam with tears. “What if it gets traced back to me?”

“Did you do something illegal? If you did, I’ll figure out a way to protect you.”

She smiled, but the corners of her mouth quivered. “I think you really are a nice person. Your friend too. I couldn’t figure out why you’d want to help me, but it makes more sense now.”

“We try to help people because people helped us when we needed it. We’re just payin’ it forward.”

She nodded, looking nervous again.

“Do you want to go sit in my car?” I asked. “We can talk in there so we’re not out in the open.”

“Okay. That’s probably a good idea.”

I led her over to Neely Kate’s car and pressed the key fob so the doors unlocked. She got into the passenger seat and glanced in the back.

“Only one car seat? I thought you had several younger kids.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I decided I wasn’t going to evade her questions or pretend they weren’t making me nervous. “How do you know so much about my family?”

Surprise filled her eyes, then she turned in her seat to face me, holding up her hands. “Oh! I realize that must sound super creepy! I’m not a stalker or anything. I just looked you up after Neely Kate cornered me in the bathroom and offered your help.”

“That makes sense,” I said, but I was still going to be cautious. “I would have looked you up too.”

“You didn’t?” she asked, sounding surprised.

She had a point. We should have researched her more before coming to meet her, but I hadn’t done this in three years. Heck, I wasn’t trying to do it now.

“No, but things were a little chaotic last night and today.” I drew a breath to calm my nerves. “You said you had more information that you held back.”

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