“A ring?” Jonathan frowned, “Why do you ask?”
Cade glanced at Rose. He thought she might refuse to come into town after the incident last night, but she had agreed and Cade had to see Jonathan. Daisy was playing with what looked like a wooden model of a heart.
“I got a good look at Phillip’s ring. I think it might be a match for the strange bruise on our dead man’s cheek.”
Jonathan shrugged. “Possibly. But if it was Phillip, why would he kill two of his own hands? And why the ornate attempts to resemble a Voodoo killing?”
Cade folded his arms, “Jeffries’s daughter was murdered in the same fashion. Could be Phillip is a serial killer or playing copy-cat to another man’s work to cast off suspicion.”
Rose lifted her brows, “Jeffries’s daughter? Has anyone told Jeffries about the manner the two men were—”
“Yep.”
“How’d he take it?” Jonathan asked.
Cade rubbed his jaw. “Ben said he took it bad. Apparently his daughter, Camille, was killed the exact same way—ceremonial like.”
Rose’s skin went cold. “Was she sacrificed?”
“Jeffries says that was what it appeared. His aunt was quite a well known priestess, but Jeffries claimed she only did healing spells and nothing dark or sinister. Still, he was under intense investigation until Clark went down to New Orleans and brought him back here.”
“Assuming it is Phillip, and I’m not saying I agree,” Jonathan said twirling his pen, “how would Phillip know about Camille’s death to copy it? Or why would he kill her and then kill his two hands in the same manner?”
A muscle ticked in Cade’s jaw. “Possibly to cast popular suspicion on Jeffries, but if I dig into Phillip it will just look like more harassment.” He jerked his head at Rose. “Do you see why I don’t like the guy?”
She smiled and lifted a shoulder. “I thought you didn’t like him because he flirted with your wife.”
He lifted his chin and folded his arms across his chest. “I don’t like that either.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Rose asked looking concerned. “I love Jeffries. He is family and though I know you, Ben, and Jonathan will solve this … I understand the sooner the better.”
Cade clicked his tongue. “Any suggestions what you could do?”
Rose shrugged. “Maybe I could seduce Phillip Hugh and get him to confess his nefarious plans,” she said in a serious tone.
Cade blinked, the muscles in his neck bulging slightly, “You are not funny.”
Rose winked, “I thought it was humorous.”
Jonathan cleared his throat. “Even if Phillip did do it and the bruise matches his ring,” he said, leaning down to take the dismembered heart from Daisy and hand her the toy Rose held out to him, “there is no way to prove it. The sheriff couldn’t get a court order for the ring, and a bruise with a similar shape is circumstantial.”
Cade noticed Rose’s face suddenly brighten. “I need to go! Come on Daisy,” she said scooping up her precious bundle and flying out the door before Cade or Jonathan could utter a word.
/
“Meg!”
Meg looked up from the vegetables she was peeling.
Rose hugged her dear friend. “I actually came to ask a favor of you.” She pulled back and looked over at the twins. “Hey, Jeffries said you two could go look at the new kittens in the west barn,” she looked back at Meg, “that is, if you could spare them for a few minutes?”
The twins looked at Meg eagerly who arched an eyebrow at Rose before jerking her head at the door, “Go ahead and looked at the kittens boys. Take your time; you two deserve a break.”
“Thank you, Mama Meg!” Frank bellowed along with his brother as they ran out. Meg nodded to the table.
“Are you pregnant?” she asked.
Rose threw back her head. “What? No! Why would you—”
“Because you look like the cat that swallowed the house canary,” she laughed, sitting down with a relieved groan. “What secret are you hiding?”
“First,” Rose said, taking a deep breath, “are you busy tonight?”
Meg looked at her in confusion, “No.”
Rose tugged at her sleeve. “I know I haven’t told you much about Cade’s progress on the case.”
“You mean that there is no progress?”
“Well, yes, but Cade has a theory about Phillip.”
“Phillip Hugh?”
Rose nodded. “Here in Tall Pine, Phillip is the meek son of a rich rancher with a reputation for being ruthless. Cade, however, has seen different sides to him. Phillip was fierce in court then suddenly withdrew from the legal world right around the same time as these murders.”
Meg rested one hand on her hip. “Why doesn’t he just look into some of Phillip’s … things? I am sure he has some documentation of his dealings with Jim and Theodore if he was involved with them in their rustling.”
Rose gave a sigh of agreement. “If only he could—but if he did, then his standing as a deputy would be ruined. However, I am not a lawman, and neither are you. So we could possibly use illegal means to obtain information.”
“You mean, break into his house?” Meg let out a laugh, then stopped when Rose’s face remained still. “You are serious?”
Rose bit her lip. “Phillip is gone until tomorrow, so I heard in town. I thought it was time that we visit Mrs. Hugh and try to, well, form a friendship. It would be a perfect time, especially if we sneak out there before Phillip returns home.”
Meg folded her arms. “First, two questions for you: What are we going to do if we get caught? And how are we going to sneak into his room?”
“We won’t get caught.”
“Or we could,” Meg countered.
She smiled sheepishly, “Perhaps. Perhaps not.”
“And if any evidence is locked?”
Rose waved a hand, “I am quite good at picking locks.”
Meg’s lips parted, “Locks?”
Rose cocked her head, “You seem surprised.”
“How did a woman like you learn to pick locks?”
Rose grinned. “I went through a stage where I fancied myself a magician. I read everything I could about them and practiced everything I could. In fact, I am the one who taught Cade how to pick locks.”
Meg rubbed her temples and laughed. “Sorry for my confusion; I am simply trying to comprehend the reality that Rose Walker, who is such an upright lady, knows how to pick locks, wanted to be a magician and wants to … let me say this right … break into the room of a man who is either a potential killer or a sweet, star-struck man hopelessly in love with her. Did I get that right?”
Rose blushed. “Perfectly. Which leaves only one last but very important question—what are you wearing to my mother’s summer ball tomorrow?”
Meg’s eyes twinkled. “I am thinking I should wear clothes,” she teased. At Rose’s cocked eyebrow Meg laughed, “Fine, fine … Eliza showed me some changes to make to my Sunday dress. That is Jonathan’s favorite on me, and so I am going to wear that.” Her color heightened, “And what of you, Rose?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
Meg smiled and picked up an apple, “Will the Hughs be attending?”
Rose shook her head. “I believe so, but after Cade punched him, it also wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t… Now that I look back on it, it was odd for a wealthy boy like him to flirt with a married woman, let alone one with a black daughter if I am being frank.”
“Maybe he was smitten with your beauty,” Meg said so seriously Rose had to laugh.
“As much as I would like to take credit, I think it was to annoy his mother. For whatever reason, he wanted to get her goat, and flirting with me certainly did the trick. Either that or he was after the pleasure of forbidden fruit.”
“Because you were married?”
“And I have Daisy. Phillip strikes me as a man who is used to getting what he wants. Finding a woman to drool over him would be too easy. The thrill of the chase would be lost.”
Meg nodded, “I could see that.”
“The question is,” Rose continued, “what happens when he chases and loses?”
“He gets punched in the face by your jealous husband.”
Laughing, Rose bounced Daisy who was trying desperately to grab at Meg’s apple. “So after dinner and dessert, are you willing to become a cat burglar with me?”
“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”