Carrots: A Shelby Nichols Adventure (15 page)

“Better hurry.” He motioned me down the hall. “Here’s a pen and a pad of paper.”

I took them with a big sigh and entered the conference room. Everyone turned to look at me, and the room went dead silent. Uncomfortable, I quickly took my seat next to Uncle Joey. The negative energy directed my way hit me like a ton of bricks, and I would have staggered if I hadn’t been sitting down.

“What’s she doing here?”

“Don’t worry about her,” Uncle Joey said. “She’s not your concern. What is your concern is who killed Johnny. I want some answers and I want them now.”

Although the room was silent, my mind was suddenly bombarded with shouts of anger and distrust. Some of the distrust was for me, but mostly, it was directed toward each other and Uncle Joey. Many of them were thinking that it was someone else sitting at the table, but I couldn’t pick up a guilty thought anywhere. If I had to guess at that moment, I’d say that none of them were involved.

“I am grieved by the loss of my good friend Johnny Falzone,” Uncle Joey began. “And I intend to find the person responsible for his death. I have reason to believe that it was an inside job. Someone who knew Johnny well. Perhaps one of you.”

They all rushed to deny it, and I had a hard time sorting through their thoughts. I jumped from one to another, searching for the guilty party. The only one who didn’t seem concerned was Number Five. This made sense when I thought about him being an undercover cop.

Uncle Joey directed the discussion to their enemies, and who would gain from killing Johnny. This seemed to calm everyone down. He asked if anyone knew about Johnny’s business and if there was someone he’d angered recently. They covered all the possibilities and scenarios, but came up with nothing concrete.

I zeroed in on Number Five, hoping to find out if he worked for the police, but he was as closed as ever, almost like he was hiding something. I figured that was as close to the truth as I was going to get.

“I want you all to take extra precautions,” Uncle Joey warned. “If someone is out to undermine our organization, then everyone is a target. Spread the word that we’re looking for information on the killings.” He unlocked his bottom drawer, and passed out stacks of money. “This should help loosen a few tongues. Call me if you find anything, otherwise, we’ll meet again on Monday.”

After everyone left, Uncle Joey locked his bottom drawer and turned to me. “Well?”

“I don’t think any of them did it,” I said. “Most of them seemed pretty upset, but if one of them did it, they sure didn’t think about it.”

“I see.” He walked slowly around the room thinking about the enemies he’d made over the years. “I thought it was someone close to me, but I couldn’t imagine any of my boys doing this. We’re like a family, you know?”

I hoped he didn’t expect an answer, I mean, most families don’t think about killing each other, do they? “Maybe it didn’t have anything to do with you. Maybe it was just some random thing.”

Uncle Joey shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Maybe it was someone in his family. Wasn’t the other guy that was killed the one Johnny was going to give the business to? Maybe a relative of his wasn’t happy about it, and killed them both.”

“Hmm…you’re right. That’s a definite possibility. I think we should pay our respects to his wife, and see what you can pick up at the house.”

Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut. “I don’t know if I have time. I really have a lot to do today.”

“It won’t take long.” Uncle Joey was already leaving the room, and calling for Ramos to bring the car around.

I closed my eyes and moaned. What now? How long was this going to take? I checked my watch. It was nearly one o’clock, and I had to pick the kids up from school at three-twenty. I hurried back to the bathroom, and grabbed my make-up kit, then headed for the elevator where Uncle Joey was waiting.

“I’m going to have to follow you in my car so I can leave to pick my kids up from school. They get out at three-twenty.” I tried to be matter-of-fact, so he wouldn’t feel threatened.

“There’s no need, we’ll be back by then.”

I had the sudden feeling that Uncle Joey had no intention of letting me out of his sight for a very long time. He was singing a tune in his head, so I couldn’t know for sure. Very clever. We exited through the main doors of the building where Ramos was waiting with the car.

My heart started to pound when we drove off, like I was having a panic attack or something. I suddenly wanted to go home more than anything in the world. What was I doing in this car with these men? How in the world had this happened?

I could have lived with the mind reading thing, but now I was at the beck and call of a mobster. All because of Kate. Here I was with her Uncle, and she was in an office with my husband, who was waiting for a phone call from me that I couldn’t make. I should have told Dimples what was going on this morning, and now it was too late. How was I ever going to get out of this?

We pulled up in front of a beautiful colonial mansion and Uncle Joey helped me out. We weren’t the only ones here to pay our respects, as cars were parked all along the driveway. Ramos followed behind us, alert for any signs of treachery.

A maid showed us to a large open room where a solemn group of people were gathered at one end. Seeing us, a woman detached herself from the group and came to Uncle Joey who gathered her in his arms. She cried delicately against his chest, and Uncle Joey assured her that he would not rest until Johnny’s murderer was found. She drew him to the couch to sit and talk, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the room.

Ramos touched my shoulder and motioned me toward the opposite end of the room where a buffet was set up on a long table. He gave me a plate, got one for himself, and began to fill it with food. “Might as well eat since we missed lunch,” he explained. He never let business interfere with his appetite.

I wasn’t very hungry, but once I tried the crab canapés and creamy cheese bread, I changed my mind. Good food always helped me relax. We sat at a small table in the corner, and I scanned the crowd, trying to pick out thoughts that would tell me anything about the murders.

It didn’t take long to recognize defeat. No one here had wanted Johnny dead. They all felt bad about it. One of them wondered if Uncle Joey had done it, but I couldn’t tell who that thought came from. After trying to get more information, I figured that coming here had been a waste of time, except for the food. I nearly said as much to Ramos, but caught myself. Uncle Joey was still talking, so I told Ramos I had to find the bathroom before we left.

I wandered down the hall, but passed the bathroom door and kept on going toward the kitchen. It was like my mind had switched to survival mode, and all I wanted to do was get away. Without even thinking about it, I opened the back door and walked out.

I took a few steps then jerked to a sudden stop. A low growl came from the area to my right, and my heart just about jumped out of my chest. The biggest dog I had ever seen bared its teeth and growled at me. With a startled cry, I flew back inside the house so fast I ran into Ramos without knowing he was there. I would have kept on going if he hadn’t grabbed my arms and held me still.

“There’s a really big dog out there,” I tried to explain. My legs had turned to jelly, and I was shaking like a leaf.

“Why did you go outside?” Ramos asked. “I thought you went to find the bathroom?”

“I did, but something made my feet carry me out the door. I guess I just needed some fresh air. Is Uncle Joey ready to go? I really need to get home.”

Ramos didn’t believe me. He knew I was trying to escape. “Look, I won’t tell Mr. Manetto you tried to run away. It would be bad for you. I told you he doesn’t like people who run or grovel.”

“No you didn’t. You only told me about the groveling part, not the running part.”

“Well, that’s probably because I didn’t take you for a runner.”

“Oh? Just a groveler?”

He shook his head, thinking this was an argument he didn’t want to have. “Come on. Mr. Manetto’s ready to leave.”

My legs were still a bit shaky, so I didn’t mind that Ramos kept hold of my arm.

He let go when we got back to the crowded room. Uncle Joey disengaged himself from Johnny’s widow and met us at the door. When we were sitting comfortably in the car Uncle Joey asked me if I had any success.

“No one there wanted Johnny dead,” I answered. Then I realized that Ramos was listening. “We should probably talk about this in your office.” I inclined my head toward Ramos.

“Oh,” Uncle Joey said, unconcerned. He trusted Ramos completely. “Yes, of course.”

I wanted to know what he was thinking, but once again, he started singing a song in his mind. He was doing it on purpose, and it irritated me. I knew he was planning something I wasn’t going to be happy about. It made me mad, but worse was that other feeling I’d been trying to bury under layers of anger. Deep inside where I didn’t want to admit it, I was scared to death.

Chapter 9

Ramos let Uncle Joey and me out at the curb, and we entered the building through the revolving doors. I was tempted to keep going around and come back out, but knew it was pointless. I mean, how far could I get anyway? Uncle Joey might be old, but he was in great shape. Once we were alone in the elevator, I decided to ask him something that had been bothering me.

“Why do you say you’re Kate’s uncle when you’re not related?”

He was shocked and surprised. “How did you know that?” I tapped my head. “Oh yeah. Umm, well, it’s a long story. Maybe someday I’ll tell you.”

I didn’t really think he would tell me in the first place. I mostly just wanted to stop him from singing that stupid tune. Maybe talking would help. “You need to figure out the motive behind Johnny’s death. How many enemies did he have? Who would want him dead? Is it because of something he did? It could even be something from a long time ago. You’ve been friends for a while. Did anything happen in all those years that would make someone want to kill him?”

Uncle Joey didn’t say anything, but I caught a feeling of regret that he’d had to kill someone, and that Johnny had helped him do it. The image was so powerful it was like I was there. I actually caught a glimpse of a man falling at Uncle Joey’s feet, with a knife protruding from his chest. There was shock on the dying man’s face while Johnny held him from behind. I blinked back to the present when Uncle Joey pushed the memory away.

This was bad, and I tried to cover it by asking, “So, have you thought of anything yet?”

His sharp glance pierced me to the quick, and the skin around his eyes tightened. He was pretty certain I’d just witnessed his crime. “Shelby, what am I going to do with you?” My stomach plunged. Had I just sealed my fate? Again? Just then, the elevator doors slid open. “After you,” he said smoothly.

As we entered his suite, his secretary smiled and gave us a cheery greeting. At least someone was happy. “There’s a Mr. Hodges here to see you,” she said. “He’s in your office.”

“Come with me Shelby. Let’s hear what he has to say.” Since I was in disguise, I could hardly refuse. Besides, I was as good as dead anyway. Uncle Joey greeted Hodges, and introduced me as his assistant. I took the other seat in front of Uncle Joey’s desk next to Hodges, and kept my face averted. Luckily, Hodges was so preoccupied that he didn’t really look at me, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“I just wanted you to know my case is going well,” Hodges began. “The lawyers have worked wonders, and it looks promising that I’ll get the insurance money. It’s been hard going these last few weeks. Until I get the insurance money, I don’t have enough funds to re-stock my store.” He was nervous, but after discovering last night that his jewels were stolen, he was determined to find out if Uncle Joey knew anything.

“I suppose business has slowed down considerably. Do you need my help? I’m sure I can loan you a fair amount until the money comes in.”

“That’s what brings me here. You see, I had a few jewels in my safe at home that I was planning on using to re-stock, but last night I discovered they’d been stolen.”

“How strange. Did you call the police?”

“No. I couldn’t involve them because of my case. They might think they were some of the jewels I’d reported stolen, and it wouldn’t look good.”

“Were they?” Uncle Joey wasn’t in the mood to beat around the bush.

“No,” Hodges quickly denied it. “I wouldn’t do that. I just thought that maybe with your connections, you could look into it.”

Uncle Joey took his time answering, and Hodges started to fidget. “I’ll do that as a favor to you, but just remember that I have very little tolerance for double-crossers.” He stood, signaling that the meeting was over. “I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

“Thank you.” Hodges left quickly, holding back his anger. He knew that Uncle Joey had his jewels, and there was nothing he could do about it.

After the door closed, Uncle Joey turned to me. “Well?”

“He panicked when he found that his jewels were gone. It’s ruined everything, and now he’s got a pretty good idea that you have them.”

“Ah. Well, I hope he’s learned his lesson.” He took a deep breath, considering me from under his bushy eyebrows. “It’s true that I don’t like double-crossers.” He was worried that I knew too much, and was trying to decide what to do about it.

I nearly groaned, knowing I was going to my doom. Would he kill me? He reached in his desk drawer, and my heart skipped a beat. Was he getting out a gun?

“What’s the matter?” Uncle Joey said. “You’re white as a ghost.” He drew out a stack of money, and placed it on the desk. “Here, I forgot to give this to you earlier. It’s for all the extra time you’ve put in.”

“What?”

“It’s yours. You’ve earned it.”

I was shocked, and more than a little confused. What was this all about? I didn’t trust him for one minute, but I didn’t know what to do. If I took the money, it might make things worse. I could get sucked in so deep, that if I wasn’t killed, I would probably go to prison. What could be worse than that? “I think I’d rather put it in my account as a direct deposit,” I improvised. “I don’t really like going to banks anymore.”

That startled a laugh from him. It was a loud, booming sound, and it relieved some of my anxiety. He caught his breath, and put the money back in his drawer. “I’ll have Jackie get the paperwork, and you can give her a voided check.”

“Okay. Well, I’d better get going.” I checked my watch. “I have to pick my kids up from school in half an hour. Call if you need anything.” I almost made it to the door before his commanding voice stopped me.

“You can’t go now,” he said. “I need you here.”

I whirled around and faced him, desperation feeding my anger. “I can’t stay. It’s my responsibility to pick up my kids from school.” He opened his mouth to object so I cut him off. “Look, I’ve done everything you asked, and more. I’ve listened to all your men, and told you everything they were thinking. I went to Mr. Hodges house, and found all his jewels for you. I told you everything I learned at the police station this morning. I even went to Johnny’s house, and listened to his family, who were pretty pissed off by the way. And I’ve given you some great advice. I think the least you could do is let me pick up my kids like I’m supposed to.”

Uncle Joey blinked at my audacity to contradict him. It threw him off-guard. He wasn’t used to anyone who didn’t grovel most of the time. He hated it when people groveled, but this was almost more than he could take.

“There’s not a lot I can do for you here.” I soothed, inching closer to the door. “And I’ve got my phone. You call, and I’ll come right back. You know I will. Have I ever let you down? Now I’ve really got to go.” I rushed out the door before Uncle Joey could say anything.

Ramos was standing in the hallway like a guard. I smiled as I rushed past him, and pushed the call button for the elevator. He was surprised that I had managed to escape. It was hard to believe that the boss would let me walk out of there. When I stepped onto the elevator he followed, thinking that maybe he should come with me.

“No!” I blurted.

Ramos crammed his arm in the elevator door so it wouldn’t close. “What did you say?”

He knew what I said, and I knew I’d better do some quick thinking. “It looked like you were wondering if you should come with me. I could tell by the way you hesitated, and looked around for Uncle Joey. I said no because I didn’t want you to waste your time asking me when you didn’t need to. Okay?” He grunted but didn’t let go so I swatted his arm. “Let go. I’ve got to pick my kids up from school, and I’m going to be late.” When he still hesitated I added, “It’s okay with Uncle Joey, I promise.”

Nobody had swatted him like that for a long time. Not since his grandmother, and she had died when he was a kid.

I sure hoped he liked his grandmother. After a second of indecision, he pulled his hand away, and the doors swooshed closed. I let out my breath and nearly collapsed. That was close. It wasn’t until I was driving out of the parking garage that I let myself relax. I did it! I got away!

I pulled up in front of the school just as the bell rang. Finally something was going right. I glanced in my rear-view mirror to make sure no one had followed me, and got a shock. I still had my wig on! I whipped it off, then wondered what I was going to do with it.

The glove box! I threw it in, and tried to pull out all the bobby pins that held my hair back. I got one side undone when the car door opened. Savannah slid in next to me and did a double-take. “Mom? When did you get glasses?”

“Umm…just the other day. How was school?”

“Fine.” Besides my weird hair and glasses, she couldn’t help notice my short skirt and boots. Why was I wearing that? It suddenly dawned on her that I must be having a mid-life crisis. It was the only thing that explained the way I was acting. Wow, she didn’t realize I was so old.

Old? Me? The car door opened, effectively stopping me from telling her how wrong she was. I wasn’t old! The other kids started piling into the car, but I’d learned my lesson and blocked their thoughts. I didn’t need to hear how old I was again.

It was a relief to drop each of them off at their houses and get home. Home! I never wanted to leave again. So far, all my strategies had just gotten me into more trouble. If I wasn’t such an optimistic person, I could easily get depressed.

It was time to try a different tactic. Now that I had ‘seen’ Uncle Joey commit a murder, all I needed to do was find out whom he had killed. Then I could put him away for good. I’d seen the victim’s face so that was a good start. There was something else. Johnny was involved. He must have been an accomplice, and since it was on Uncle Joey’s mind, he must have thought it was tied to Johnny’s murder.

Besides the murder victim’s face, and Johnny’s involvement with Uncle Joey, I had one more clue. In Uncle Joey’s memory, Johnny wasn’t bald or fat. He was young. That meant it had happened at least twenty years ago, maybe more. So now I had to find an unsolved murder that had happened in the last twenty years.

Of course, maybe afterward, Uncle Joey had made it look like an accident. Then it wouldn’t be recorded as a murder. Maybe he dumped the body somewhere, and the guy’s a missing person. Or he could have covered the whole thing up, and nobody even knew the guy was dead. No, somebody knew, or Johnny wouldn’t be dead, right? Unless Johnny’s death was totally unrelated. My heart sank. With so many different possibilities, how would I ever find the truth? I had to find out what happened. It was the only way out of this terrible mess.

I pulled the car into the garage feeling drained and discouraged. Savannah rushed inside, and I envied her youth and innocence. It was hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, my life was simple and relatively stress-free. I was happy taking care of my family and doing all the little mundane things I did. I didn’t care about having a career like Chris thought. I was making a difference in my own way. Now, after barely escaping death from a deranged bank robber, I was trying to keep a mob boss satisfied enough to let me live. All because I had stopped at the grocery store for a few carrots! Ugh! I slammed the car door, and stomped into the house.

“Hey, mom,” Josh was drinking milk out of the bottle. It started to run down his chin, and he wiped it off with his sleeve. He opened his mouth, and let out a huge belch.

“Joshua!” I scolded.

He grinned like a maniac, happy he’d gotten a response out of me. Lately, I’d hardly noticed him, and he wondered if something was wrong with me. “Nice boots.” He took in my short skirt, and was surprised that I looked so good for someone my age. All except for the hair. It looked pretty stupid. “I didn’t know you needed glasses.”

“I don’t. I just like the way I look in them, so I got them for fun.” Telling the truth was probably not the smartest thing to do, but I was tired of lying.

“Oh.” He considered how I looked. “You look good in them.” He thought I’d look better if I fixed my hair different.

“I had my hair pulled back earlier, but some of the pins fell out, that’s why it looks funny. So, how was school?”

He stilled. How did I know he was thinking about my hair? It must be women’s intuition or something like that. “Uh, school’s fine.”

“Good.” I wasn’t going to get any more out of him. His mind had wandered, and it was making me dizzy trying to keep up. Mostly, he was thinking about food. “Why don’t you get your homework done, and I’ll make those chicken enchiladas you like so much?”

“I was just thinking about chicken enchiladas!” he exclaimed. “Weird.”

“Yeah, isn’t it?” If he only knew.

I pushed my worries about Uncle Joey aside as I changed my clothes, and got all the pins out of my hair. I fluffed it up and put on some lipstick. That’s when I realized that my jeans weren’t too tight; in fact they were a little loose. Elated, I put on some perfume, and a low-cut cotton shirt. Chris would be coming home soon, and I needed him distracted.

He’d been upset with me last night, and I knew he was not going to be happy with me today, since I hadn’t called him back. To top it off, Kate had spilled the beans about my “consulting business” and it would look like another deception to him. I hoped looking and smelling sexy would make him forget.

I put the chicken in to defrost and started cutting up an onion. This dinner was something Chris really liked, so that was a plus. He’d be so distracted by the food and my sexy body, he’d forget his anger, right? My heart lightened, and I got lost in preparing our dinner. It was a relief to forget my troubles in this simple task. I popped the enchiladas in the oven, and started to clean up.