Trapped by Revenge: A Shelby Nichols Adventure (21 page)

“That’s a great idea. Let’s go right now and I’ll come with you.”

We drove to the nearest hardware store and asked the clerk what kind of a key it was. He matched it to one of the others he had and told us it went to a moneybox like you’d use for keeping loose change and dollar bills, or maybe a filing cabinet of some sort.

“Okay, great,” Billie said. “That narrows it down.” Then she surprised me by asking, “Can you make a duplicate while we’re here?” She was thinking that if anything happened to it, or her, she wanted to make sure someone else had a copy. Not that it would, but what if she lost it or something?

“That’s a good idea,” I said. “Maybe you could give it to Dimples.” I wanted her to tell him about the key so he could watch her back if she got in trouble.

“No. I’m giving it to you.” She figured I had more of a vested interest in finding what it went to. Plus, I didn’t have to divide my loyalty with the police.

“That makes sense,” I said. “But you are going to tell Dimples about it, right?”

“Yeah,” she smiled. “It won’t hurt to have him worry about me a little bit.” The clerk finished and she paid him, then handed the key to me. “Guard this with your life.”

“Don’t worry. I will.” I put the key in the zippered part of my purse where I kept my loose change.

We got back to the car and Billie started toward my house. She was thinking about everything she had to do to find the lock. Maybe get into Sam’s house and garage. If she asked nicely, Drew might even help her out and she wouldn’t have to break into the house. She also needed access to everything the police had taken from Sam’s office. It might just be sitting there in evidence and no one even knew.

I thought not breaking into Sam’s house was a good idea, but I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be that easy. We pulled up in front of my house and I got out of the car. “Thanks for taking me with you,” I said. “But before you spend too much time breaking into people’s houses, take a minute to think about everything Sam said in your phone conversation. I think that’s the key… um… to figuring this out.”

Her surprise that I’d read her so easily turned into a smile at my pun. “I will.” She believed in my premonitions, so that was first on her list.

“Oh… and call me when you do. I’d like to go with you.”

“Sure thing,” she said. I closed the door and waved as she drove away, surprised that she didn’t even think about what I was going to do with my key. She never once thought that I might do some digging of my own, or hand it over to someone who knew all about locks.

I felt kind of bad that she trusted me so well, but on the other hand, if I could get my hands on whatever Sam had for Billie, it wasn’t much different than if Billie got there first. We’d still use it for the same purpose, so what was the difference?

It also meant I might be able to keep Billie out of trouble, especially if someone saw that guy give her the envelope. I didn’t think anyone had, since I hadn’t picked up anything, but if they were far enough away and were watching, it could be true. In the meantime, I sure hoped this was the clue I needed to find the real killer.

Chapter 13

I went inside and changed my clothes, grateful to get out of my heels and wear something more comfortable. Chris was anxious to hear about the service and came in while I changed. I told him everything, but hesitated about the key. For some reason, I didn’t want him to get all worked up about finding what it went to. I wanted to give that chore to Ramos, and I knew telling Chris that I wanted Ramos to handle it wouldn’t go over very well. On the other hand, that didn’t mean he had to know I had a copy of the key, so telling him about the key was probably all right.

“Really?” he exclaimed, after I told him. “That’s huge. Whatever he’s left Billie could clear your name!”

“I know… it’s great, huh.” His enthusiasm was contagious, and my spirits lifted. “I sure hope Billie can find what it goes to quickly. Wouldn’t it be sweet if she found it before my arraignment?”

“Yes,” he agreed. “It’s too bad you didn’t get a copy made. You could have given it to Ramos. I’ll bet he could have figured it out.”

“Yeah, that is too bad.” Wow. Did I ever blow it. Besides feeling about an inch tall, I couldn’t tell Chris I actually did have a copy of the key now. What a dolt I was!

“Don’t worry about it,” Chris said, noticing my crestfallen expression. “I’m sure Billie has resources too. The good thing is we have a lead.”

I nodded, but it put a real damper on my day to know I’d underestimated my husband. Now I had to get the key to Ramos, even though it meant doing it behind Chris’ back. I should have just told him, but since Chris had thought giving Ramos the key was a good idea, then meeting Ramos without him knowing was okay, right?

It was Saturday, so I had a lot of cleaning to do. That also meant I needed to go to the grocery store, which would give me the perfect opportunity to call Ramos and meet up. I grabbed my grocery list, and at the last minute, added my stun flashlight to my purse. I felt better knowing it was handy, mostly because I had a feeling things could get complicated fast.

I found a parking spot in a remote corner of the lot and took out my cell phone, hoping Ramos would pick up.

“Hey Babe, what’s up?” he asked.

I exhaled with relief to hear his voice. “Well, for starters, I have something for you.” I explained about the graveside service and the key Killpack had left for Billie. “We took it to a locksmith and Billie made a copy. She gave it to me for safe keeping. Do you think you’d know what it went to?”

“Probably. Where are you?”

“Great! I’m at the grocery store…well…in the parking lot at the moment. You know…the store by my house?”

“Oh yeah…” he said softly. “The one where you got shot-in-the-head-and-can-read-minds-now-store. You sure you want to go in there?”

I could hear the teasing in his voice and smiled. “Sure. I’d never let a little thing like getting shot in the head keep me from getting my groceries.” I made it sound easy, although to be honest, every time I went in there I remembered that day and had to work hard to put it from my mind and go inside.

“That’s the spirit,” he said. “I’m just about done with what I’m doing. I can probably get there in about half an hour.”

“Are you making any progress with the thief?”

“Hmm… a little. I’ll know more later.”

I waited for him to explain, but when he didn’t I broke the silence. “Okay, I guess since you don’t want to tell me about it, I’ll just have to pick it up from your mind when I see you.”

He chuckled. “You can try. See you soon.”

I got out my grocery list and debated about doing my shopping while I waited. Some things needed to be refrigerated, and I didn’t know if it was a good idea to buy the food, only to leave it in my trunk while I went with Ramos to find the lock. On the other hand, I didn’t know if Ramos would want me to come with him. He might just take it and run. In a way, I really wanted to go with him, but on the practical side, it was probably best to let him take care of it.

I hurried inside and did my shopping in record time. If I needed to go with Ramos, I could drop the food off at the house and tell Chris I had to run a few more errands. A pang of guilt rushed through me that I was even thinking about lying to my husband. Again. By the time I got out to the car, I had decided not to go with Ramos even if he wanted me to.

As I loaded the groceries into the trunk, I heard the sound of a motorcycle and smiled to find Ramos zooming toward me. He stopped beside me and took off his helmet. His dark, penetrating gaze caught me by surprise and turned my insides to mush. He was thinking I only looked a little tired and worn down from my time in jail, so that was a relief.

I cocked my brow and drew my hands to my waist. “A little worn down and tired?”

He broke into a grin. “Well, I was worried.” He tilted his head and studied me again. “But I’m not anymore. So where’s the key?”

I took it out of my purse and handed it over. He examined it for a few seconds before asking, “Did the original have any numbers on it or anything like that?”

I raised my brows. “Um… not that I remember. I didn’t really look at it that hard.”

“Okay.” He slipped it into his jeans pocket. “I’ll see what I can do. If I find where it goes, I’ll let you know.” He started to slip his helmet back on.

“Wait. Are you just going to go now?”

He lowered the helmet. “Did you want to come?”

“Um… well… kind of, but I probably better get home to put these groceries in the fridge… you know… before they spoil.”

He nodded, and I noticed the tiniest bit of a smile at the edge of his mouth. He was thinking it was gratifying to know I wanted to be with him, even though I shouldn’t.

“That’s not… I just want to know what you find with the key.”

“Don’t worry, Babe,” he said. “If I figure it out we’ll go get it together.”

“Oh, okay, good. So… what about the thief? What’s going on there? Have you figured out who it is?”

His mind closed down tighter than a submarine hatch on a dive. “I’ll know more tonight.” He clearly didn’t want me to know what was going on, probably because it was dangerous.

“Um… okay. Just be careful.”

He nodded, slipped on his helmet, and drove away.

The rest of the day was uneventful, and I knew I should have been grateful nothing bad happened, but I couldn’t help worrying that I’d get out of this mess. Even after we’d gone to bed, I was too uptight to sleep.

Would Ramos be okay? He was putting his neck on the line for me. What if he died? He was up against a thief and a killer. Of course, he was also a thief and a killer, so maybe I was getting carried away. He was good at what he did. I had to believe that he’d be fine and, once he found this guy, I’d finally have this weight lifted from my shoulders. I’d be free and this horrible nightmare would be over. Thinking about it that way settled my nerves, and I finally drifted off to sleep.

The next day was Sunday, and I half expected Uncle Joey to call and ask me what time my church services started. After church, I fixed a pot roast for dinner, with carrots and potatoes, and tried to make it seem like a normal Sunday with nothing to worry about. My nerves were on edge since I hadn’t heard anything from Ramos or Uncle Joey, and I decided that I’d just have to call them once dinner was over.

I’d been so preoccupied with my thoughts, that I was surprised to pick up from Savannah that she was worried about me. The implications of me being arrested for murder had started to sink in, and she was worried about how that would affect our lives. Even Josh had been thinking about it. So after dinner, I told Chris we needed to have a talk with the kids and tell them what was going to happen and what we were doing to solve this problem.

We sat them down and Chris explained that my arraignment was on Tuesday, but it would be months before a trial began. “We have lots of friends who are helping us,” he explained. “So I’m sure we’ll find the real killer before it ever goes to trial.”

“But will people know?” Savannah asked. She was thinking about her friends and didn’t like that they would think her mother was a murderer.

“Look,” I said, a little angry. “It might make the news that I’m a suspect, but that doesn’t mean I’m guilty. And if anyone asks you about it, that’s all you have to say.” I put my arm around her shoulders for a tight squeeze. I hated this. Looking into my daughter’s anguished face broke my heart.

“I think we’ll have some answers soon,” I continued, “And hopefully it won’t even come to that. But if it does, we’ll handle it together. Just remember that the truth always comes out. Some people do all they can to hide it, but with hard work, we can get to the bottom of this. We’ll find the truth and catch the real killer. Your father and I won’t rest until we bring this person to justice and clear my name. That’s a promise.”

“Your mom’s right,” Chris said. “I promise we’ll do everything in our power to take care of this.”

Savannah nodded, but she was wondering what would happen if it wasn’t enough? What if I really went to jail? Just the thought of her mother in prison made her a little sick.

“The best thing you can do right now is to think positively,” I said, wanting to interrupt her bleak thoughts. “So if you’re thinking about me going to jail, then you need to change your thoughts. Don’t forget, I have premonitions, and I have a feeling that it’s all going to work out right. So the best thing you can do for me is to quit worrying and have some faith.”

“Who’s helping you?” Joshua asked.

“Well besides your father, who’s a damn good lawyer by the way,” I smiled, “I’ve got Detective Harris, and I’ve been working with an investigative reporter and a few friends you don’t know. Believe me, between all of us, we’ll figure it out.”

“Good,” Josh said. “I’d like to help, so if there’s anything I can do, you’ll let me know. Okay?”

My heart swelled and tears prickled at the back of my eyes. “Thanks Josh, I will.” We had some ice cream and played a few games after that, which had the desired effect of calming everyone down.

I took a moment to call Uncle Joey, but it went straight to voicemail, so I left a message. Next, I called Ramos, hoping he’d pick up, but to my disappointment, it went to voicemail too. The message I left him probably sounded a little more desperate than I liked, but after his cryptic explanation yesterday, he had to expect I’d be a little worried.

Later that night, Chris held me tight. “Tomorrow’s Labor Day. Why don’t we take the kids swimming and to a movie?

“That’s fine, as long as the movie’s not about murder or death.”

He smiled. “That sounds reasonable. I also need to go into the office for a couple of hours. I’ve got a heavy load this week, and with the holiday, it’s even shorter. That way, I can make sure I have everything ready for your arraignment.”

“Yeah, okay. What time should we be there on Tuesday?” I asked.

“Nine.”

My chest tightened with anxiety. “I really don’t want to do this.”

“Don’t worry. It will be easy,” Chris assured me. “You don’t have to say a thing. Leave that to me. The judge will read the charges against you and ask if you understand what they are. I’ll answer that you do, and that will be it. You don’t even have to plead guilty or not guilty. See? Then we’ll be done, and you can go home.”

“That’s it?” I asked.

“Yup, that’s it.”

“How did I get so lucky to have such a great husband and kids? This can’t be easy for you, or Josh and Savannah. But you’re all so supportive about it. It makes me feel guilty that you have to suffer and worry because of me. This is a nightmare. I shouldn’t have let this happen.”

“It’s not your fault,” Chris said. “Don’t think that for a minute. You had nothing to do with this. If anyone is to blame, it’s Manetto. That’s why I’m going to insist he fix it. He’s got the connections, and if he doesn’t figure it out, I think you should tell Harris everything about your involvement with him. You’ll have to tell him the truth that it was Uncle Joey who sent you to Killpack’s office. I’m sure he’ll do what he can to grant you immunity for your testimony. If it’s the only way out of this mess, then you’ll have to do it.”

His words pierced my heart and left me sick to my stomach. Was he right? How could I agree to do that? On the other hand, if I was going to jail for a murder I didn’t commit, how could I not? “I don’t want to think about that right now,” I said. “It’s making me feel sick.”

“Shelby, you have to think about it,” he argued, rubbing my back to soften the blow. “At least consider it.”

“Okay, I will. If nothing else works and we don’t find the real killer, I’ll think about it. But not until then. Please don’t make me think about it until then, okay?”

“Sure honey,” Chris said. He knew I’d about had it and didn’t want to push me too hard. “Just so you know…I hope it doesn’t come to that either.” He was telling me the truth, and it helped ease some of the pain in my chest.

A few minutes later, Chris fell asleep, but I was too wound up to sleep. Since my stomach was acting up, I got up to take some Mylanta and noticed my phone blinking with a message. It must have come in while I was getting ready for bed. I eagerly hurried outside on the deck to listen and noticed there were two messages. The first came from Uncle Joey. He said he had the name of the judge on my arrest warrant, but it wasn’t anyone he knew. He thought it would be a good idea to talk to him anyway and wanted me to call him in the morning.