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

California.”
    She lifted her eyebrows and said, “You really are a detective.”
    “Cut the shit, Kate. Why did you run off to California?”
    A twisted smile lifted her lips. “I was just following the example set by the Beverly Hillbillies. Arkansas family makes good on oil, then runs off to the land of the beautiful.”
    The only way she was going to give me an answer was if she wanted to. As I’d learned long ago, Katherine Elizabeth Simmons could not be forced to do anything she didn’t want to do.
    “So what have you been doing out there?”
    Her shoulders seemed to relax and the hint of a grin lifted the corners of her mouth. “A little of this and a little of that. But that’s all behind me now.”
    “That’s specific.”
    She winked. “I’m not sure an officer of the law would appreciate what I’ve been up to.”
    “Taking after our father’s footsteps?”
    Her face hardened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    I shook my head. “Never mind. So you left California. What are you up to now?”
    “I’m still trying to figure out my next move.” She poured sugar into her coffee cup and waved her hand toward me. “So you gave up all the prestige of being a detective for the Arkansas State Police to become a deputy sheriff in Fenton County.” Derision laced her words. “And when I say working for the state police was prestigious, you have to know it’s little better than a step up from garbage removal.”
    “And you ask why we aren’t close,” I said dryly.
    “Hey, for most people, I’m sure it’s perfectly wonderful. But you’re a Simmons.” She narrowed her eyes. “ Groomed for greatness .”
    “Nobody asked me if I wanted that life. It was just presumed I’d live it.”
    “I don’t recall you putting up much of a fuss.”
    My pulse pounded in my head. I really didn’t want to have this conversation. I spread out my arms and looked her in the eye. “Take a good look. This is what it looks like to slum it in Fenton County. Now that you’ve had your laugh at my expense, you can leave.”
    “Don’t be so defensive.”
    “You’re insulting where I live and what I do.”
    She patted my hand on the table. “Okay. Okay. I get it. No insulting anything in Fenton County, no matter how hard it is to resist.” She cocked her head. “Please tell me that does not include Hilary, since she claims to live here too now.”
    I had to stop my grin. “I think we can make an exception for her.”
    “Thank God.”
    Bonnie returned with our food and I was thankful for the reprieve. The sooner this meal ended, the better.
    As Bonnie moved on to another table, Kate asked, “So what brought you here in the first place?”
    “It sounds like you already know. I was undercover in Daniel Crocker’s garage posing as a mechanic.” Then I remembered something she’d said to Hilary. “You said Hilary messed up the report. How did she mess it up, and how do you know about it?”
    She gave me a cocky grin, obviously pleased to have the upper hand again. “You didn’t read it?”
    “I gave my statement.”
    “But Hil-Monster was in charge of the entire thing. She left off a ton of information …information that put a certain someone in danger when Crocker broke out of prison.”
    The blood drained from my head. “ Rose? ”
    “Yeah, Rose Gardner.” She snapped her fingers. “You know her, don’t you?”
    “Cut the crap, Kate. I don’t have time for your bullshit. How did she put Rose in danger?”
    She picked up her fork and sliced into her pancakes. “She left things out of the report.”
    “You said that already. What kind of things?”
    “Details about Rose’s interactions with Crocker. The extent of her relationship with you. The police and sheriff’s department didn’t have the full information. The reason they didn’t adequately protect her in the beginning was because they underestimated Crocker’s obsession with her.”
    I shook my head. “How do you know this?”
    “I