Carrots: A Shelby Nichols Adventure (13 page)

“Savannah called your mother to see if she knew where you were before she called me to come and get her. Then your mom called to make sure I was picking Savannah up. She mentioned that you told her you’d had a job interview, and maybe you were at work.”

Uh-oh. She wasn’t supposed to tell Chris that. I suddenly didn’t know what to say. I was a terrible liar, but how could I tell him the truth?

“Shelby? What’s going on?”

Maybe some of the truth would be a good place to start. “When I went out to lunch with Kate, she made me feel like a nobody. You know I never finished college, and I guess I wanted to do something important. I saw this job at Thrasher Development and decided to apply. I was going to tell you, but I wasn’t sure what you’d think with everything else going on. I went in today for some training, and it wasn’t supposed to take long, but I came across Mr. Hodges name and spent some time looking at his files.”

“What does Thrasher Development have to do with Mr. Hodges?”

“The company owns a lot of real estate downtown, and leases to small businesses. Mr. Hodges’ jewelry store is one of them. I found his home address, and decided to drive by his house.”

Chris’ jaw tightened and his whole body went rigid. “Don’t tell me you were snooping around.”

“I thought it might help your case to find the jewels, but don’t worry, I didn’t break in. I just looked around the house from the outside.”

“What? You went to his house and looked in his windows?” Put that way, it sounded really stupid. “I can’t believe you’d do something like that. What’s gotten into you?” How could I answer that? “At least I understand now why you hung up on me. Did he come home while you were there?” He said this in jest, not really expecting it to be true.

“I’m sure he didn’t see me.”

Chris almost choked. “I certainly hope not.” If I had done something like that, what else had I gotten into? “And now you have a job? Why didn’t you talk to me about it first?”

I jumped to defend myself. “It was just something I did on a whim. It’s not that big of a deal. I only go in now and then when they need me. Normally, I would be home long before the kids.” My shields slipped and I caught Chris’ frustration with me. What did I need a job for when I had agreed to help him in his office?

“This was something I wanted to do that I actually got paid for.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I shouldn’t have said it.

Chris’ eyes snapped to mine and I flinched. “You never complained before,” he said with deceptive calm.

Oh boy, I was making a mess of things. I wished I could just tell him I was working for Thrasher Development because if I didn’t, Uncle Joey would probably kill me. “I’m not complaining. Really. Where’s Josh?”

“I don’t know, and you’re changing the subject.” When I didn’t answer he continued. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“What makes you think I haven’t told you everything?” That was probably a stupid question, but I didn’t know what else to say.

“Because this isn’t like you.”

He was sure making this hard. I guess it was the lawyer in him. “I’ve told you everything. Except about Dimples. I told him I had premonitions about things once in a while, and offered to help him if he needed it.”

“So you’re helping Dimples, and working at some big shot real estate company?” His voice got louder. “And the reason you’re doing it is because Kate made you feel bad?”

My stomach clenched, but what could I say? When he put it that way I seemed pretty selfish and petty.

When I didn’t deny his allegations, he took a step back. “I know what’s happening. Now that you have this mind-reading ability, you’ve decided to use it to make a name for yourself. You see this as a way to really do something with your life.” He shook his head in astonishment. “I guess I never realized how much you resented not finishing college and having a career.”

“No. That’s not exactly true…”

“Think about it.” He cut me off. “Look at what you’re doing. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me. I never realized how much it meant to you or how unhappy you were.”

“Don’t say that. I’m not unhappy. You and the kids mean everything to me. Maybe sometimes I’ve wondered what a career would have been like, but I’ve never regretted marrying you and having a family. Never.”

The tension in him loosened. “I guess I never thought about what you gave up because you were so hell-bent on marrying me. It was your idea, you know.” This was a sore spot with me and he knew it. As far as he was concerned, it was me who pushed us into getting married when he thought we were too young.

“You don’t regret it, do you?” I asked softly.

“No…I just don’t understand what’s going on right now. It’s frustrating, and I’m not sure I like the change. You’ve always been here, and I guess I’ve taken that for granted. Now you’re taking steps to change our lives without telling me, and I don’t like it.”

Guilt from my dishonesty swept through me. I wanted to tell him everything so bad it was like a physical pain. But I couldn’t. I had to let him believe his conclusions because it was safe. I couldn’t risk the truth.

“I’m sorry. I should have told you about the job, and I’m sorry I hung up on you today. It won’t happen again.”

“Okay.” Chris was trying to sort everything out. He needed order in his life. He liked having a plan, and knowing what was going to happen. “We should probably work out our schedules so Savannah doesn’t get left again. And I would appreciate you calling me if something comes up.”

“Of course. I know we can work this out.”

“Good.” Something still didn’t seem right to him. “Is there anything else? I almost feel like I’m missing something.”

I let out a nervous laugh. “You’re probably just hungry.”

“Yeah.” He tried to smile, but the feeling wouldn’t go away.

I put up my shields, uncomfortable with my deception, and how it was affecting him. I couldn’t tell him anything yet, but at least I knew he wasn’t giving up on me. If I could find something on Uncle Joey, I could explain everything to Chris, and he could help me figure it out.

In order to do that, I had to take things into my own hands. Waiting around was only getting me deeper into trouble. That meant I had to take some risks. Maybe I could tell Dimples. I wondered how closely Uncle Joey was watching me. He seemed to know things, like when I was home alone.

It didn’t matter. Tomorrow I was going to take action. Uncle Joey had to have some secrets I could hold over his head. What was his relationship to Kate? She believed he was her uncle, but I knew he wasn’t. He just went along with it. Why? Was he protecting someone?

That night, Chris astonished me by blocking most of his thoughts. There was a distance between us that hadn’t been there before. It was almost like he knew I wasn’t telling him the whole truth, and it bothered him more than he let on. Later, after he fell asleep, I snuggled next to him and he put his arms around me. At least in sleep he forgot that he didn’t completely trust me anymore. I finally drifted off myself, but even then, my dreams were troubled.

Chapter 8

The next morning all I wanted to do was stay in bed. I hated deceiving Chris. What made it worse was that part of him knew I was deceiving him. He was trying to repress those feelings, but since I could read minds, he had a suspicion that I knew he felt that way. It complicated everything, and I hated the distance it put between us.

Chris left for work with a stilted peck on my cheek, and relief to get away. I felt terrible and almost went back to bed, but Savannah reminded me that it was my turn to drive the carpool to school. That meant it was Friday already. Where had the week gone? Would my life ever get back to normal? At least my head was practically healed, and the bruises were finally fading from my hip and knees. That was positive.

When I got home, I was reading the paper and nearly had a heart attack when I turned the page. A photograph of the bald, sweaty guy was set below the headline titled: “Restaurant Owner Murdered”. The name under the photo was Johnny Falzone. A second photo showed police tape around a restaurant where the murder took place. The article went on to say that Falzone was shot in the head at point-blank range sometime during the late evening hours. The police gave no motive, but stated it was a well-known fact that Falzone was linked to organized crime.

I sat back in my chair in shock. Who had killed him? Why? My blood turned cold when I thought of Ramos pulling the trigger. I knew he was a hit-man, but he had killed the robber to save my life. This was different. It was cold-blooded murder. Had Uncle Joey ordered it? It didn’t make any sense. This guy was the only one I thought wasn’t a real threat to Uncle Joey.

I knew I had to find out all I could about the case. This might be the break I needed to get something on Uncle Joey, and the best place to find the information was at the police station. As long as I was in the same room as the detectives working on the case, I was sure to pick up something, and since Dimples called me yesterday, I had the perfect excuse. I quickly dialed Dimples number, but all I got was his voice mail.

Thinking there was no time to lose, I showered and was soon ready to pay the police department a visit. I decided to wear my short black skirt and boots with a black blouse that was accented with silver threads. With this type of look, I could almost pass as a reporter or something, and it would be a lot easier to get the attention I needed.

On a whim, I grabbed some jeans and a t-shirt, and put them in the trunk. My wig and glasses were stuffed in a bag from yesterday, and I carefully arranged them in the extra space of my makeup kit. It was a cute little box, and no one would suspect there was a wig in it. I decided if I was going to be serious about this, it was time to think like a professional, and have everything I might need handy.

Ready to leave, my confidence blossomed. I was on a mission, and for the first time in a long time, I was in control. After this, I could tell Chris everything. Uncle Joey was going down, and my life would be my own.

When I arrived at the station, the sergeant made me wait while they found Dimples. There was a lot going on, but I could only pick up snatches of information from a few of the policemen who passed through. Their thoughts were pretty random, but underlying them all was a sense of excitement. This was a huge case. Most of the department was working on it in some way or another. 

Finally Dimples came out of a back office and waved me over. He was preoccupied, and motioned me to follow him back to his desk. In the rush, he had forgotten all about calling me yesterday, but he was still happy to see me.

“Shelby. Sorry to keep you waiting, but things are a little hectic around here with the double homicide.” His dimples still mesmerized me, and I almost missed what he said.

“Double? I saw in the paper that one guy was killed, but nothing was said about a second person.”

“We didn’t find the other body until this morning. You see the first man, Johnny Falzone, was shot in the back room of his restaurant. We found the second body in the freezer.”

“Eww. Who was it?”

“We just got a positive ID. He was Falzone’s nephew.” Dimples looked around warily and lowered his voice. “I’m probably not supposed to be telling you about this. Did Chris tell you I called yesterday?”

“Yes, and since it was too late to call you back, I just decided to drop by today. But if this is a bad time, I can come back later.”

“That’s okay. Things are hectic but I have time to tell you what I needed. Yesterday we caught a burglary on video. Well, not who did it, but we got a clear picture of the get-away car. We traced the license plate number to the owner, a guy who has several prior arrests. When we brought him in for questioning, he denied knowing anything about it. We’ve kept him here, but couldn’t find his car, so unless we find something more concrete, he’ll probably go free. I was hoping to get your input before that happens.”

“Sure,” I agreed. “Is he here?”

“Yes, but his lawyer just arrived. We can probably talk to him, but his lawyer will be present. Will that be a problem?”

“I don’t think so. Just make sure you ask him good questions. Like, where are the stolen items, and who are you working with. Stuff like that. I’ll get a clearer picture that way.”

Dimples lips tilted up, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. He was questioning his sanity about asking for my help. It still seemed awfully crazy that I could get premonitions about people. If it hadn’t worked before, he still wouldn’t believe it.

“Okay,” he said, wondering if he was nuts. “We’d better hurry. I’m lucky you showed up when you did, or he would have left before we could question him and you could…a…do whatever it is you do.” He trailed off, suddenly feeling foolish. “Why don’t you wait in the interrogation room, and I’ll go find him and his lawyer. It’s right through here.”

I ushered me into a small gray room with a rectangular desk and four chairs. He left and I sat down, realizing that this room was more like what I had expected to see at Uncle Joey’s office. After a few minutes, I started to get a little claustrophobic and hoped he’d hurry. At least there wasn’t a two-way mirror hanging on the wall. Then I noticed the video camera in the upper corner, and realized I was on display. Now they would have a permanent record that I was here spying on them.

Even though I didn’t have a thing to feel guilty about, I jumped when Dimples opened the door and held it open. Two people followed him in, and my heart skipped a beat when I spotted Kate. She was the lawyer? This was worse than terrible. This was a disaster. How was I going to explain why I was here?

She did a double-take when she saw me, and the man following behind bumped into her. She ushered him past her with an angry jerk of her head. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull Harris, but this woman is not a detective.” Kate narrowed her eyes, wondering what the hell I was doing there.

Dimples froze before putting two and two together. “That’s right. You work with Shelby’s husband. I thought you looked familiar.” With her looks, she was someone he wasn’t likely to forget, and he remembered seeing her the other day at Chris’ office. It finally hit him that he was in deep trouble. He scrambled for an explanation, but I jumped in before he said anything.

“It’s okay, Kate. I’m here as a consultant. I told you I was going to start a consulting business, and helping the police is part of what I do.” I tried to sound as professional and competent as I could.

“The police pay you for this?” She didn’t believe me.

“Not yet. Right now it’s on a volunteer basis.”

She inwardly sneered and sat down, motioning her client to do the same. She turned to him. “You don’t have to answer any of their questions.” He nodded, and I was grateful that at least he wasn’t anyone I knew.

Kate couldn’t get over the fact that I was there. It didn’t make sense that I could be involved. She wondered if Chris knew, then she thought he probably didn’t, and wouldn’t it be satisfying to tell him before I did. I had to bite my tongue to keep from retorting that he knew all about it, even though that was stretching it.

She relaxed, knowing she had the upper hand as long as her client kept his mouth shut. Besides, she wanted to see what I was up to. I couldn’t find any trace in her mind that she knew I was involved with Uncle Joey. He probably hadn’t said anything to her. That was a plus, right?

After we were all seated, Dimples fidgeted in his chair. He was worried. I wasn’t supposed to be there, and if Kate wanted to, she could complain and he’d be hard pressed to explain my presence. He’d probably get fired.

I caught his eye and nodded encouragingly. It was the only way I could tell him that Kate wasn’t going to rat him out. He took a deep breath and began the questioning.

“What were you doing at seven a.m. yesterday morning?”

Robbing the store you idiot.
After Kate nodded, he answered, “Getting ready for work.”

“Where is your car?”

Safe from you.
“I don’t know.”

“When did you notice it missing?”

Never.
“When I left for work.”

“Why didn’t you report that it was stolen?”

He waited for Kate’s nod, before smugly giving his rehearsed answer. “At first, I thought that maybe my brother took it. Sometimes I let him borrow it. I had to ask him before I could report it stolen, and it took me a while to track him down. Before I could make the report, you guys arrested me.”

“We haven’t arrested you,” Dimples clarified. “We’re just holding you for questioning.”

“Well the questioning’s over.” He stood belligerently, nearly knocking over his chair. “I’m outta here.”

Kate stood as well. “If you have any more questions you may contact me.”

“Can you guarantee that he won’t bolt the first chance he gets?” Dimples asked.

“Why should he? My client is innocent, and you haven’t charged him with anything. Unless you want a lawsuit for police harassment brought against you, I suggest you get busy looking for his stolen car.”

Kate and her client walked out the door. Before it closed she poked her head back in. “Oh, and next time Shelby participates, I suggest you make sure it’s approved. I’d hate to see you lose your job over something so unnecessary. The next person might not be so understanding.”

I sucked in my breath at her insult, wishing I could hurl something insulting back. Me, unnecessary? I’d show her.

“So, was it worth it?” Dimples asked.

“Being insulted by her? I don’t know if I liked it very much.”

“No, I mean did you get any premonitions?”

It took me a moment to change gears. “Oh, that. Yes. He did it. I couldn’t get a good impression of where he hid the car though. It seemed like it was in a dark place, but that’s all I could pick up.”

“So, the guy’s guilty?” Dimples was surprised I was so sure about it.

“Yes, guilty as sin. Maybe if you keep a close watch on him he’ll get careless and lead you to his car. The stolen items are still in it.”

“That would be great. I’ll try to get somebody on it, but I don’t know if we can spare the man-power. This double homicide has priority and the chief’s got everyone he can spare working on it.” He was thinking that the owner of the restaurant had ties to Joey “The Knife” Manetto, and it would be nice to bring him down. His contact had hinted that someone in the organization was rocking the boat, someone close to Manetto, and doing it behind his back. This double murder was a message to the boss. Whoever killed them wanted Manetto to know he had competition. That he was no longer in control. It had all the signs of a takeover.

“Anyway,” Dimples said. “Thanks for coming down. You were very helpful. I’ll see if I can get someone to watch him.”

“Watch him? Oh, yeah…sorry, my mind was somewhere else.”

He figured it was because of Kate. “Kate doesn’t seem to like you very much.”

“It goes both ways.” I wished I could confide in him, but now wasn’t the right time.

“I’d better get back to work.” Dimples stood. “Thanks again for your help.”

“Sure, anytime.” I preceded him down the hall, and noticed Kate with her client, gathering his personal effects. She wasn’t in any hurry, and I picked up that she was trying to gather information on the killings. Dimples was planning on escorting me out of the station, but I wasn’t ready to leave yet. “I can find my own way out. I’m sure you’re busy. If you need anything, just give me a call.”

“Okay, great. Thanks.”

I continued toward the door, but when Dimple’s thoughts went back to the homicide, I took a little detour around the corner. Glancing down the hall, I quickly froze. A man standing with his back to me seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen him before. He turned his head, and I caught a glimpse of his profile. It was Number Five! What was he doing in the police station? I was too far away to pick up his thoughts, and I wasn’t sure I should risk walking past him. Even without my wig and glasses, he might recognize me. Before I could make up my mind, he stepped into an office, and closed the door.

Without thinking about it too hard, I hurried down the hall to see whose office it was. The sign on the wall said Detective Barker. I could hear low voices inside, but couldn’t understand what they were saying.

Not wanting to get caught eavesdropping, I retraced my steps. Kate was gone, and I decided I might as well leave too. I’d learned several things, but they seemed to bring more questions than answers. Maybe the informant Dimples was talking about was Number Five. But why would he risk being seen in the police station? Maybe he really was an undercover cop. Or maybe Detective Barker was on the take.