Free Thirty-Five and a Half Conspiracies by Denise Grover Swank Page B

I had a gas mask.
    I frantically waved my hand in front of my face. “Let’s go outside, girl.” We went out onto the porch, and I shut the door behind me and sat on the steps as I watched my dog romp in the yard.
    Seconds later, Mason came out and sat down next to me.
    I grabbed his hand and held it tight. “Do you believe what I saw?”
    “I’d prefer not to, but I trust your judgment.”
    “This changes everything.”
    He shook his head. “It doesn’t change anything. You’ve had multiple visions of people dying that haven’t come to pass—me. You. Even Joe. You changed it somehow. Besides, I’ve been at risk for months. And Joe’s not going to give me protection now. He wouldn’t have let the ADA get killed on his watch, but I’m not the ADA anymore.” He paused. “Maybe that’s why he let me get fired. To make things easier.”
    I wanted to argue that Joe wouldn’t purposefully leave Mason unprotected, but I no longer knew what to believe about Joe. “Don’t be so callous, Mason. We’re not discussing the weather. Someone’s trying to kill you. I don’t think you should be out investigating anything .”
    “Rose,” he sighed. “What are my choices? To either hide away until your trial or to try to stop J.R.? I think you know which one I’m going to pick.”
    “That doesn’t seem like the prudent choice.”
    “I’m always aware of my surroundings. Even now.” He pointed to the trees in front of the house. “In theory, someone could be out there, hiding in the trees with a long-range rifle.”
    I gasped and turned to face him. “Is that supposed to make me feel better ?”
    “ Yes . Because no one’s out there with a long-range rifle. Not in Fenton County, Arkansas. If someone wanted to kill me right now, they’d come down the driveway and do it. No hiding. But we have an advantage here at the house. We can hear any vehicle on our drive long before we see it, which gives us plenty of time to prepare.”
    “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think you should have a gun with you at all times.”
    “I’ve been wearing this one since I was fired.” He took my hand. “What I’m saying is that I’m always watching for potential danger. I’m being as careful as I can be.”
    “Okay.”
    He leaned over and gave me a kiss. “Come on inside. Apparently I need to start researching Crane Industries.”
    He had his task, and I had mine.
    It was time to call Skeeter.

Chapter 7
    U nfortunately , Skeeter Malcolm was a hard man to reach.
    Mason headed for the office, and I told him I was going upstairs to take a bath. My physical reaction to my vision had really shaken him, so he looked relieved.
    “Take your time, sweetheart. I’ll check on you in a little while.”
    “I think I’ll call Neely Kate and have a nice chat,” I said as I started up the stairs.
    “Good idea.” He gave me a warm smile. “Let me know what she found out about Glenn Stout.”
    When I got to our room, I started the bathwater and then pressed Skeeter’s speed dial, which sent me direct to voice mail.
    “Skeeter, this is Rose,” I said in a hushed tone as I wandered out to the sun room nursery, momentarily stunned by the state of it. I’d ransacked it while looking for the journal, but in the stress of everything that had happened since, I’d forgotten. “I’m out of jail, but we need to talk as soon as possible. Call me.”
    I hung up and called Jed.
    “Rose, I got your message.”
    “Did Skeeter have something to do with getting me out?” Carter had denied it, but there was still a chance it was true.
    “No. Skeeter was ready to do it, although one million would have been tough. We had the hundred K in cash, but we were trying to come up with the full cash amount so we could skip the bail bondsman. Hale was frazzled from trying to pull it all together, but he had strict instructions from Skeeter to get you out as soon as possible.”
    “So do you know anything about Glenn Stout from Little