Ripple of Secrets: Rose Gardner Mystery Novella #6.5 (Rose Gardner series Book 3) by Denise Grover Swank Read Free Book Online Page A

her.
    Then I took it one step further: if J.R. Simmons pulled the trigger on his fabricated evidence, he was sure to have me removed from my position, and I’d be powerless in Fenton County too.
    Finding solid evidence was the key to bringing Joe’s father down, but I could have a stack of evidence against him and it wouldn’t do me one iota of good if no one was willing to do anything with it. And one thing was certain—J.R. Simmons’ reach was very deep in Arkansas.
    It hadn’t surprised me to learn he knew about my trip to Little Rock, but it meant he was watching me more closely than I’d suspected. Simmons hadn’t gotten where he was by being stupid. He had to guess that Rose had told me about his fabricated evidence…and that I wouldn’t sit by idly without trying to do something about it. Which meant I had to be even more careful.
    I was still under the philosophy that the less Rose knew about my quest, the safer she’d be, but I realized that if I continued to keep things from her, I would risk losing her. Of course, I couldn’t tell her everything about my work—the particulars of the sting operation Joe and I had been working on for the last few weeks had to be kept strictly confidential. And Joe had only agreed to help me dig up dirt on J.R. in a limited capacity so long as Rose didn’t know about his involvement. But she had a right to know what I had discovered about J.R. Simmons. I just needed to be prepared to ignore her pleas for me to stop investigating.
    I pulled up her name on my phone and called her, thankful when she answered. “Rose, I’m so sorry. Will you forgive me?”
    She was silent for a moment and fear rooted in my gut. What if I’d pushed her too far? I was relieved when she finally said, “Of course, Mason. I know you think you’re protecting me—”
    “You’re right, sweetheart, that’s always been my reasoning, but I’ve realized it’s wrong to keep you in the dark.”
    “You have? ”
    “I’m still not convinced it’s the right thing to do, but you have the right to know.”
    “Thank you.”
    “But I still can’t tell you everything,” I warned. “I’ve promised some people I won’t tell anyone they’re involved.”
    “Okay. I understand.”
    “Can you meet me at Merilee’s for lunch? Say noon.”
    “Of course.”
    “I love you, Rose. I hate when you’re upset with me.”
    “I love you too, Mason. Everything’s going to be okay.”
    I hoped she was right, not only about us, but about everything else too.
    I hung up and stared at the courthouse. While I was sure Joe was keeping something things from me, I was fairly certain he’d told me the truth about everything else. The intention of my visit to Little Rock had been to find evidence incriminating J.R., but it looked like the proof I wanted was literally buried in my own backyard.
    I pulled the keys out of my ignition and unlocked my glove compartment, then pulled out a burner phone I’d bought in Little Rock. If J.R. was watching me, I needed to be more careful with my calls. I stuck the phone in my coat pocket and headed up to the office.
    My secretary looked up from her computer as I walked through the door. “Good morning, Mr. Deveraux. Did you have a merry Christmas?”
    I offered her a smile. “I did, Kaylee, and you? Did Del get you that scarf you wanted?”
    Her grin spread. “He did. And he gave me this too.” She held out her hand and waggled her left finger, showing me a diamond solitaire.
    “Well, then congratulations are in order. Del’s not only a lucky man, but an intelligent one to boot.”
    A blush tinged her cheeks. “Thanks, Mr. Deveraux.” She handed me a stack of messages.
    I hoped it would be me and Rose walking down the aisle in the not-so-distant future, but I knew better than to push the issue. We hadn’t been together long, but I knew I’d never find anyone else I’d rather spend the rest of my life with.
    I pointed a thumb toward my office. “I need to make