Carrots: A Shelby Nichols Adventure (23 page)

“Shelby, what’s wrong?” Uncle Joey asked.

I took a deep breath to control my grief. “Walter shot Ramos while he was helping me escape.” My voice trembled. Uncle Joey pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to me. “Thanks,” I whispered. He nodded, but didn’t say anything. I was surprised that he took the news so well. In fact, he didn’t seem concerned about Ramos. It was almost as if he believed he couldn’t be hurt. Like he was in denial. The person he was most concerned about right now was Walter.

“Is he planning to kill us?” He whispered so low I could barely make out the question.

“Yes.”

Uncle Joey straightened, and I felt him gather strength. He wasn’t as helpless as Walter thought. He had a small gun in his jacket pocket, but he had to wait for the right time. Possibly when Kate arrived. He glanced at me and thought,
gun in my pocket, gun in my pocket.
I quickly nodded to let him know I heard.

“So,” Uncle Joey began. “Kate is out for revenge because she thinks I killed her father.”

“That’s right, but she doesn’t want to kill you. She feels too indebted to you for all you’ve done for her. So she’s decided she just wants you to go to prison for the rest of your life. That’s why she was compiling all this stuff.”

“Did she kill Johnny?”

“No, that was me,” Walter smiled with pride. “He wouldn’t cooperate with our demands that he tell the police you killed Stephen Cohen. We knew he was there and witnessed the murder. When his nephew surprised us, I ended up killing them both. Kate wasn’t happy with me, but it was them or me. You know how it is.”

I noticed he said me instead of us. He wasn’t acting like he and Kate were a team. What was he planning? What was it that he didn’t want Kate to mess up? Uncle Joey was wondering the same thing. Only he was one step ahead of me. He was thinking that the only thing Walter would risk all this for was a shot at running the organization. That meant Uncle Joey had to die. So what did he need Kate for? I strained to listen to his mind, but nothing came to me.

We all heard the elevator doors open and someone walking toward the office. Uncle Joey nodded at me to be ready and I swallowed. Walter was watching the doorway, but something about our postures alerted him, and he pointed the gun at Uncle Joey’s head. “Don’t try anything.”

Just then, Kate walked in, imbued with seething anger that seemed hotter than her red hair. “What happened?” She focused her anger on Walter. “How did Uncle Joey get the file?”

“Hey, it wasn’t me.” Walter motioned to Uncle Joey and me. “She gave it to him. He’s had it all along. There wasn’t anything I could do about it.”

Kate turned her fury toward me. “I think I want to shoot you myself.”

“Kate,” Uncle Joey said. “What’s going on here? Walter says that you think I killed your father. It’s not true. I took you in like my own daughter, and I did it because Stephen and I had made a promise. I made a promise to him that if anything ever happened, I would take care of you and your mother. He knew there were risks in this business. I had nothing to do with his murder. He was one of my best friends.”

“Then how do you account for everything in that file?”

“The information in that file was planted by a detective on the police force. He was an undercover cop who didn’t like me much, and managed to get into my organization. He stole access to my bank accounts and created those records. It would have worked if the evidence hadn’t been so clear that the real murderer was Lloyd Raines, the man convicted and sent to prison. He did it, not me.” Uncle Joey almost had me convinced, but I had the impression he was making this up as he went. He was good.

Kate’s anger evaporated. She wanted to believe him. In her own way, she loved Uncle Joey. “But…how can I believe you? Not all of that information could have been fabricated. Walter found some of it in your files…” She turned to Walter with a raised brow. “Unless he planted it.”

“I didn’t plant it, Kate. It’s true. Don’t believe him. It’s just another way he’s manipulating you. He killed your father, there’s no doubt about it.”

“What makes you so sure?” Kate asked.

“Because Lloyd Raines didn’t do it,” Walter said. “I should know.”

“Oh yeah? How?”

“Because he’s my Uncle.”

Chapter 13

It was one of those moments that felt like time had stopped. For the space of a heartbeat, everyone froze.

Uncle Joey could hardly imagine how Walter had slipped into his organization with a past like that. Yet somehow, he believed him. “How is this possible?” he asked.

Walter shrugged. “My Uncle was into petty crime. He fancied himself to be a pretty shrewd dealer. I learned a lot of street smarts from him, and he was always bragging about how he never got caught. Then came the moment he was picked up for murder. To this day, he doesn’t know how it happened, or how all the evidence was planted. I knew that whoever set him up was someone I could learn from, someone I could admire.”

He faced Uncle Joey. “You were the only game in town. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. I knew that someday, I wanted to be part of your group. I wanted to get to know the ins and outs of the kind of organization you ran. I got involved in little things at first. Once I proved myself, I moved up through the ranks. I’ve worked really hard for you, and I think I’ve proven myself savvy enough to run the company.

“But I didn’t realize you had to be “related” to take over the business. Even though I’ve proven myself to be your best man, you were going to give everything to Kate. When she came up with this plan to send you to prison, I jumped at the chance to help her do it.” He was also thinking that he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get rid of Kate at the same time. My pulse quickened, was he going to kill her too?

Kate could hardly believe that Walter was related to the man who was convicted of murdering her father. They had more in common than she thought. She totally missed Walter’s underlying animosity toward her. “Why did you kill my father?” she asked Uncle Joey.

“Kate.” Uncle Joey shook his head, his mouth drawn tight with disappointment. “How can you believe Walter over me? Especially after everything I’ve done for you? Has Walter taken care of you all your life? Has he paid for your education? Has he taken care of your mother, and paid all the bills? Did he buy your home for you? What about the car you drive? I’ve been with you through thick and thin, and you treat me like this?” After that, even I was starting to feel guilty. “You should have come to me with your doubts. I could have cleared this up before it got out of hand. Now, the damage is almost irreparable. And killing Johnny. How could you do that? He was a good man. He didn’t deserve it.”

“I didn’t kill Johnny,” Kate blurted. “Walter did. It wasn’t my idea.” Tendrils of guilt threaded through her conscience. Was she wrong? Had Walter deceived her?

“Oh, so now you’re going to blame everything on me?” Walter said. “That’s not fair.” Kate leapt to her defense, and soon, both of them were shouting at each other. I thought now might be a good time for Uncle Joey to do something. Like pull his gun.

“Stop it, both of you!” Uncle Joey commanded. “There’s still a chance to do some damage control, but I need both of you to give up this ridiculous scheme.”

My heart sank. That was not what I had in mind. I focused on Walter and with sudden clarity, knew he wasn’t about to give up his plans. Now was the perfect time to kill Uncle Joey and set Kate up for it. Revenge for Stephen Cohen’s murder was the best motive for both Uncle Joey’s death and Johnny’s murder. He couldn’t let this chance to take over Uncle Joey’s assets and control over the organization slip through his fingers.

Kate wasn’t ready to give up either. Uncle Joey never said he hadn’t killed her father. She hardened her resolve. “There’s nothing you can say that’s going to change my mind,” she said. “You killed my father and I have proof.” She grabbed the folder from Uncle Joey’s desk. “It’s all here in this file.”

Uncle Joey rubbed his face in exasperation. “That file you hold so dearly is nothing but lies.”

“I don’t think so,” Kate said calmly, all guilt gone. “But don’t worry. I don’t want you dead, especially when you’ve done so much for me as you so eloquently pointed out. But I think spending some time in prison would certainly make me feel better.”

“What about her?” Walter pointed to me. “She’s a liability we need to get rid of.” He was wondering if he could goad Kate into killing me. He knew how much she hated me. “I never understood what she was doing here anyway.”

“Yeah,” Kate agreed. Turning to Uncle Joey she asked, “Why is Shelby involved in all this? Did you tell her to spy on me? You were supposed to take care of her and the next thing I know, she’s working for you.” That sparked Walter’s curiosity, and he was willing to put off killing us to find out.

Uncle Joey knew something wasn’t quite right. Why was Walter so willing to help Kate? What had she promised him that he was willing to kill for? Walter was dangerous and ambitious. The only thing he’d settle for was running the organization, and he wasn’t sure Kate would give that up.

I needed to figure out a way to tell Uncle Joey what Walter was planning. I knew he would believe me, but how could I convince Kate? Would she believe Walter was going to double-cross her, especially if it came from me?

“I’ll tell you,” Uncle Joey said. “But first, I’m curious about something. If you were successful in pulling this off and sending me to prison, even though I’m innocent,” he couldn’t help adding. “Which one of you was going to run my organization?”

“Me, of course,” Kate answered. “With Walter as my partner,” she quickly added.

“And you’re okay with that?” Uncle Joey asked Walter.

Walter gritted his teeth, but was careful to play along. “It’s more than you were willing to give me.” He was growing tired of all this talk, and Kate was getting too smug. Was she ever in for a surprise. Losing patience with it all, he started to raise his gun.

“Uncle Joey,” I broke in. “You never told them why I’m here. I’m sure they will want to know.” Walter lowered the gun, he’d almost forgotten about that. “Once you know the truth, you’ll understand why Uncle Joey has kept me around.”

Uncle Joey was surprised. Was I really going to tell them my secret? “There’s no other way,” I said to him. I got to my feet and took a few steps toward the window. I tried to look pensive so they would think it was hard for me to tell them the truth. But the real reason was to put some distance between Uncle Joey and me. I was hoping to keep Walter’s attention on me so Uncle Joey could get to his gun.

“I have a gift,” I said. “It’s not something a normal person has. In fact, I don’t think anyone else can do it, and so far, only Uncle Joey knows about it.” This got their attention, and I turned to faced them. “I found out about Uncle Joey from a conversation I had with you, Kate. You were thinking about how he put you through law school when we had lunch.”

Her eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what I meant. The only way that could happen was if I could read minds. That was impossible.

“It’s not impossible, Kate. It’s also how I know that Walter is planning to double-cross you. He’s planning to kill both Uncle Joey and me, then frame you for it, along with Johnny’s murder. You have to admit, you have the perfect motive, and Walter has it all figured out. Besides, if you really think about it, you’d realize that Walter would never share the business. He’s only been humoring you. Even Uncle Joey can see that. Just look at him.” I motioned toward Walter. “You can see it in his eyes. Walter wants it all for himself.”

Walter was shocked. How did I know? “She’s just saying that to drive us apart.”

“Is this true?” Kate faced Walter.

He decided he’d waited long enough. He raised the gun and pointed it straight at me. I cringed and squeezed my eyes shut.

Just then, the door to Uncle Joey’s office burst open, and Mr. Hodges came in yelling. “Get your hands up! All of you! Now!” Surprise rippled over me and my heart raced. Mr. Hodges?

Walter hesitated, but lowered the gun when Hodges emptied a bullet near his foot. He jumped back and dropped the gun harmlessly to the floor.

“Move!” He yelled, slamming the door shut, and motioning with his gun. “Everyone…take a seat at the table!” As Walter and Kate backed away from him, he picked up Walter’s gun, momentarily puzzled, then set it on Uncle Joey’s desk. “Sit down…now! And put your hands on top of the table where I can see them.”

What was going on? Had things just gotten worse, or had Hodges just saved me from death? I didn’t think Hodges meant to kill any of us, but he was certainly scary the way he was waving the gun in our faces.

At the table, Kate ended up sitting next to Walter. She tried to scoot her chair away from him without using her hands, but couldn’t get very far.

“I can’t believe you were going to double-cross me!” Kate burst out, looking at Walter. “Now you’ve ruined everything! How could you?”

“If you think I could stand taking orders from you, you’re nuts. You don’t know how to run this business. You’re nothing but a scum-sucking lawyer.”

Kate inhaled sharply at the insult. “Why you no good, two-timing…”

“Stop it!” Hodges screamed. He was rapidly losing his cool. He hadn’t expected such a crowd, and what was I doing there? “Shut up…or I’ll shoot all of you!”

“He means it,” I said. Both Kate and Walter glared at me.

“Mr. Hodges,” Kate took a chance. “You may not know this, but you came at the perfect time.” She started to stand, relying on her feminine skills to catch Hodges off-guard. “That man,” she motioned toward Walter, “was just trying to rob Mr. Manetto.”

“Sit down.” Mr. Hodges turned the gun toward her. “I don’t know what’s going on here, and I don’t care, but I’m not a fool. I’ll kill you all unless I get my jewels back. I might just kill you anyway, if you don’t do what I say.” His hand was shaking, and Kate quickly sat.

“Manetto, I want you to open your safe. Do it slow and easy. The rest of you better not move a muscle, or I’ll shoot.”

With slow deliberation, Uncle Joey moved to the large painting on the wall. He tugged against it, and it swung open, revealing a black safe. As he fiddled with the lock, he was hoping that he could get to his gun before Hodges shot him. Too bad he hadn’t moved the jewels, now he’d have to give them back. Of course it wouldn’t matter if he got killed.

While Hodges had his gun trained on Uncle Joey, Kate tried again. “Look Hodges, we’ve worked together for a long time. You know you can trust me. I won your case for you, didn’t I? You can’t stand up to Manetto by yourself – you need me. Let me help you, I think we’d make a good team. The jewels are in there, but I know where he also keeps an enormous amount of cash. Take me with you and we can both start over together.”

“What? You’ve got to be crazy to think I would fall for that.”

“Hey, it’s a good deal for both of us. I have reasons of my own for cutting my ties with Uncle Joey. You know how he is. I don’t want to end up dead, and that’s what will happen if you don’t take me with you.”

Hodges had always found Kate attractive, but would she really leave with him? He wasn’t sure he was exactly her type, but she did sound sincere and frightened. Whatever was going on here must be pretty bad. Mexico wouldn’t be so lonely if she was there.

“Hodges, I swear if you do this, I’ll owe you big time. I promise to make it worth your while. Wherever you’re going, I’m sure I can help you.” Kate was desperate. She knew Uncle Joey didn’t tolerate double-crossers, and she wanted all her ties with Walter cut. He was going down and she didn’t want to go with him. Maybe in a few years she could come back, but for now, she needed to disappear. Hodges was her way out.

Distracted, Hodges shook his head. “Let me think about it.” He turned his attention back to Uncle Joey. “Aren’t you done yet?” Just then the lock clicked, and the safe popped open. Uncle Joey started to reach inside.

“Stop!” yelled Hodges. He thought there might be a gun inside. He knew from experience that sometimes people put guns in their safes.

“Please, let me help you,” Kate implored. “Keep the gun trained on him and give me the bag. I’ll fill it up for you.”

He could really use her help, especially with this crowd. He hadn’t expected so many people. “All right.” He threw her the bag. “Manetto, sit down.”

Kate hurried over to the safe and began to push the contents into the bag. “You’re in luck. It looks like it’s all here. The rest of his money is in his desk. Do you want me to get it?”

“No, I’ll do it.” Hodges kept the gun trained on us as he inched his way to the desk.

While Hodges went through the drawers, Walter was trying to decide how to get out of this alive. He still hadn’t figured out how I knew his plans. Was I like a psychic? Did I know what was going to happen next? That just gave him the creeps. Come to think of it, I did have bright blue eyes, and the way the light reflected off them was kind of eerie.

After that, I couldn’t help staring at him with what I hoped was an ‘otherworldly’ look. I tried to convey an intimate ‘I can see into your soul’ moment just to freak him out.

He jerked his eyes from mine and decided to ignore me. It was just too weird. He’d better make his move soon. All he needed was a chance to grab his gun off Uncle Joey’s desk, and he would be back in control. He couldn’t believe that Kate was such a manipulator, especially the way she was kissing up to Hodges. It made his blood boil. Kate was always getting away with something, and it was time somebody stopped her.

Uncle Joey was assessing the situation as well. He didn’t think he could pull his gun before Hodges could shoot him, and he had no doubt Hodges would. He needed to wait for the right moment. It was too bad that Kate was helping Hodges, but it showed initiative, something he had always tried to instill in her.