Ghostly Serenade

by Colleen Helme

  “I’ll tell Uncle Joey if you want. It’s my fault, but maybe he’ll like the angle Tony was thinking about, where I help the police arrest Milo. That’s a good way to take care of him, right?”

  Ramos smiled, thinking I always tried to look on the positive side of things. “Maybe so, but let me talk to him first.” He had more to tell Manetto than what I’d found, and Manetto wasn’t going to like it.

  A chill ran down my spine. Had Ramos discovered the truth? That Milo Bilotti was the person who’d killed Uncle Joey’s grandparents and Maggie’s fiancé? “What is it?”

  Ramos jerked his head my way and cursed in his mind. Glancing back to the road, he growled. “It’s not something you need to know. Okay?” He shuttered his mind up tight, and I knew he was trying to protect me. I should be grateful, but not if it meant that Uncle Joey would want to kill Milo. Or worse, send Ramos to do it. Not with Hawk and the police involved.

  “Uh… I have an idea.” I sent Ramos a quick glance. His lips turned down. Since I didn’t know what he was thinking, I had to take that to mean he wasn’t too happy with me. I continued anyway. “With Hawk out of commission, maybe you could help me. I’d like to get back on the boat and check out the lower level. Maybe we could do it around this time tomorrow night after everyone is gone. I need to know what’s down there. It could be the key to figuring out what happened, and why those girls were all killed.”

  Ramos drew in a deep breath to compose himself, and I picked up his frustration that I just couldn’t leave it alone.

  Oops, maybe asking him was a bad idea. “Or not.” If he wouldn’t help me, I’d have to get down there another way, but how? Maybe Chris and I could take the dinner cruise tomorrow night. Chris could keep watch, while I took a look. That could work.

  We pulled up in front of my hotel, and I reached for the door handle.

  “Babe, wait,” Ramos said, grabbing my arm. “Look. I’ll help you get back on the boat if you want, but I need to know that you’ll keep this between us. I don’t want the cop to know what we’re doing. Not until after we tell Manetto what we find, okay?”

  “Sure. I can do that.”

  “Good.” He let go of my arm, thinking that I was taking a big risk. At least if he was there, and I got caught, he could get me out. “We’ll talk more about this tomorrow.”

  I nodded. “Okay. Thanks. And thanks for helping me out tonight. I’m glad you were there.”

  “Yeah. Me too.”

  I climbed out of the car and hurried inside the hotel. It troubled me that Ramos thought getting back on the boat was a bad idea and might get one or both of us killed. Had I just asked him to risk his life for me again?

  Maybe getting back on the boat wasn’t the best idea, but what else was there? If I could talk to Tony and ask him all the right questions, maybe I’d figure it out without the risk. Yeah, that could work.

  Relieved to have a better plan, I unlocked the door to my hotel room and hurried inside.

  CHAPTER 10

  After tiptoeing past Josh’s slumbering form on the couch, I quietly opened the door to my bedroom and found Chris propped up on the bed with the TV playing softly in the background. His face relaxed, and he stood to give me a hug.

  “You’re finally back,” he said, pulling me into his arms and holding me tightly.

  Just feeling his arms around me sent the tension away, and I relaxed against him. “Sorry I’m so late, but we hit a snag.”

  “What happened?”

  I sat down on the bed and kicked off my shoes. “We found the right boat, but not before it was ready to leave, so Hawk had to pay to board so we could stay and check it out.” I explained everything that had happened, including that I’d heard the song, row, row, row your boat, and ending with the revelation that Ramos had been there.

  “What the hell,” Chris said. “Why was he there?”

  “It turns out that the boat is part of the Bilotti family business. Ramos was there to let them know that Uncle Joey knew about the business, and he was keeping an eye on them.” I shook my head. “So now it looks like the boat is somehow connected to the women’s murders, and my case with Hawk, as well as the Bilottis and Uncle Joey.”

  Chris swore in his mind. How did these things always happen to me?

  “I know,” I said. “To make matters worse, I had to introduce Ramos to Hawk, but, since Ramos helped Hawk out tonight, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. It’s why I’m so late. Uh… Tony Bilotti was there too. He saw me with Hawk and freaked out.”

  Chris raised his brow, thinking he wasn’t going to like this part of the story. I sent him a smile before I told him what had happened to Hawk, and that I’d taken him to the hospital with Ramos’s help.

  “Ramos stuck around to bring me home, so that was nice. Hawk’s not hurt too bad, so I think he got off easy. Still, Tony’s going to have to tell Milo that we were there, so I’m not sure what’s going to happen. But the fact remains that the boat is tied to the murders. I can’t let it go, even if it might make things difficult for Uncle Joey.”

  “Shelby,” Chris said, his jaw tightening. “I think you’ve done enough. Let Ramos and Manetto figure out the mob angle, and leave it to Hawk to figure out the murders. This is not your responsibility.”

  I sighed. “I know, but I can still help them out without getting into trouble. All I need to do is ask the right questions and listen to their thoughts. If Uncle Joey or Ramos can arrange another meeting with Tony, that’s all it will take for me to get to the bottom of it. Then I can tell Hawk what happened, and he can take it from there.”

  Chris didn’t like it. I was putting myself right in the middle of a dangerous situation. How did I think this wasn’t getting into trouble? He didn’t know how much more of this he could take. This was supposed to be our vacation. He had enough of this at home. This was the break we’d needed. We’d been looking forward to getting away. Now everything had gone to hell, and he was losing patience with the whole thing.

  He let out a deep sigh, knowing I’d heard every one of his complaints. But… was it too much to ask for some time without all of this stuff going on? He met my gaze and tried to curb his frustration. “I get it. This is unbelievable. I probably shouldn’t be so surprised.”

  Anger hit him hard, but he tried to tamp it down. “I’m doing my best, but this is… getting to me.” Unbidden sarcasm rose inside him and he huffed out a breath. “As I’m sure you know, since you know everything I’m thinking.”

  My heart sank. “I know. I get it.” Chris went through so much because of me, and just a hint of losing him sent my stomach into knots. “It’s hard enough to be here with the Manettos and deal with the whole mob family thing. Then there’s the Bilottis and that mess. I can see that I never should have taken the case with the police. It’s just made it that much harder, and I’m sorry.”

  Chris let out a sigh and his lip twisted into a lop-sided grin. He shook his head, thinking it was just another day in the life of Shelby Nichols. What did he expect? Why did he think anything would be different? Unexpected resentment churned through his stomach. Why did this always happen? Something had to give.

  “Chris, calm down. It’s not that bad.”

  “Really?”

  I cupped the side of his face with my hand and gently rubbed his cheek. “Yeah. We have each other. We’ll get through this. We always do.”

  “But what about tomorrow?”

  “You need to trust me. Trust in my abilities. I can do this.”

  With an angry growl, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me hard. As we tumbled back onto the bed, I felt his pent-up frustration that I drove him nuts. He hated it. He hated the risks I took. He hated being on the outside and watching me leave him behind. He hated the worry that I wouldn’t come back to him. All of it came crashing over him, causing my throat to tighten and my eyes to fill with tears.

  I pulled away from his heated kiss. “Chris, I’m so sorry.”

  “Shelby,” h
e groaned, panting to catch his breath. “Don’t you see? Sure I’m upset, but that’s because I love you so damn much. I accept that this is our life now, but I can’t always be happy about it.”

  “Shh… I know, I know.” I trailed kisses along his jaw and neck, hoping to sooth his troubled heart. “It’s okay. We’ll get through this. Someday, when we’re old and gray, we’ll reminisce about the good old days and wish we could do it all over again.”

  He snorted and shook his head. With eyes full of warmth, he claimed my lips for a tender kiss. His anger floated away, replaced by that warm glow of love that curbed my worry, and I melted into his arms.

  Much later, as I drifted off to sleep, I heard a sweet voice singing a tender love song. The melody washed over me, calming my troubled heart, and I fell asleep with a smile.

  We slept in until eight the next morning, all of us a little worn out from our activities. We made it down for breakfast at close to nine-fifteen. Jackie and Uncle Joey were just finishing up, and we sat beside them.

  Uncle Joey greeted us with a smile and held my gaze with a raised brow. I picked up that he’d spoken with Ramos late last night, and he wasn’t too happy about my escapade on the boat with the detective. He knew about Hawk getting the snot beaten out of him, and he was more than grateful Ramos had been there for my sake. Who knew what could have happened to me otherwise?

  Oops. Maggie and Miguel both joined us, disrupting his thoughts, and I let out my breath. He had more to say, but it would have to wait, and I was grateful for the reprieve. For just this once, wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy my vacation without all the drama?

  As we ate our food, we discussed our plans for the day. Since everyone wanted to take it easy, Maggie came up with the perfect solution. “I know,” she began. “Let’s walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s got great views of the city, and we can get ice cream on the other side. After that, we can spend some time strolling along Brooklyn Heights and the Brooklyn Bridge Park. They film a lot of movie scenes there. You’ll recognize it when you see it.”

  “That sounds like fun,” Savannah said. She thought it would be nice to spend time with Miguel on a romantic walk. Her eyes glazed over with visions of them strolling hand in hand. They’d laugh and talk while eating ice cream cones together. She pulled out of her vision and glanced at Miguel. “Have you ever done that?”

  He shook his head. “No. It’ll be a first for me.” He didn’t care what we did. He just enjoyed spending time with the family. In a few days, we’d all be gone, and he’d have to go back to his regular life. At least it wasn’t lonely, because of Maggie and Syd, but he’d miss us.

  “Great,” Maggie said. “Then it’s all settled. Let’s meet back here in twenty minutes. Be sure and wear good walking shoes and plenty of sunscreen. You could also bring a hat and some sunglasses. We’ll take the subway for the full experience.”

  “I’m sorry I can’t join you,” Uncle Joey said. “But I’ve got some things I need to take care of this morning. Let me know where you’re having lunch, and I’ll see if I can meet up with you then.”

  Everyone agreed, and we all got up from the table to get ready. As I stood, Uncle Joey caught my gaze. “Shelby, could I have a word?”

  “Sure.” I sat back down, a little disappointed that I had to talk to him right now. Chris glanced back at me.

  “We’ll only be a minute,” Uncle Joey said. Chris nodded, feeling a little sorry for me, and followed the kids to the elevator. As soon as everyone had left, he began.

  “It looks like we’re in a bit of a quandary. Ramos told me briefly that you think the boat and your police case are connected. He didn’t explain why, but I’ll take his word for it. I haven’t heard from Milo today, but I expect he’s not happy about this turn of events. Ramos said you wanted to go back to the boat and look around, but I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  “I know. I don’t think it is either. But if I could talk to Tony, and ask him the right questions, I’m sure I could get the information I need to help with my case.”

  Uncle Joey’s brows rose. “That makes sense.” He didn’t want to chew me out for helping the police and putting a wedge in his negotiations with Milo, since he could tell that I already felt bad enough. “I’ll try to arrange something with Tony, maybe for tonight. Then you can ask your questions. Do you think your detective will be looking into the boat any time soon?”

  “Eventually, but he’s hurt pretty bad, so probably not today. I can call him and find out.”

  “That’s a good idea. Keep me informed. In the meantime, we’ll see about getting a face-to-face with Tony tonight.” He thought that Milo had something nefarious going on, and he hoped to use it against him. Before I caught anything more, he shuttered his thoughts.

  “Sounds good.” I knew Uncle Joey was up to something, but it was probably better that I didn’t know the details, especially if it was something illegal.

  Uncle Joey stood. “I think that’s it for now. Try and have a good time today. We’ll worry about this later.”

  I smiled. “Thanks. I’m looking forward to seeing the Brooklyn Bridge.”

  “There are some great views from there. I remember walking across it and getting ice cream with Maggie as a kid. Good times.” He gave me a quick hug. “See you later.”

  I hugged him back and turned to leave, sending him a smile over my shoulder. Those warm feelings coming from him were just like those of a real uncle, and I knew that, somewhere along the way, we’d crossed the line for good.

  On the way back to my room, I called Hawk to see how he was doing. “Are you feeling any better today?” I asked him.

  “Yeah, some.” His voice sounded raspy, and I hoped I hadn’t woken him up. “I called the chief and told him what happened. He said I could come in later, or tomorrow, if that was better. I’d like to get a search warrant for the boat, but, without probable cause, there’s no reason for it. It looks like we’ve hit a snag.”

  “Well, maybe there’s another angle we can try,” I said. “I mean… there’s got to be something we can do.”

  “What did you have in mind? Did something come to you from your premonitions?” he asked.

  “Oh… not exactly, but if I get anything worthwhile, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, take it easy. We’ll figure this out.” He thanked me and we disconnected.

  I hadn’t mentioned Tony’s thoughts about Lucas to Hawk. If Lucas had been Merilee’s date, he might know what had happened that night. He could even be her killer. Too bad he was Milo’s estranged son. That just made this whole thing ten times more complicated.

  I’d tell Hawk about Lucas after I had a chance to talk with Tony. Until then, I was determined to enjoy my outing with my family, and hurried I to my room to get ready.

  Half an hour later, we assembled in the lobby, slathered with sunscreen and ready to go. None of us had brought sunglasses or hats, and Savannah begged Chris to stop at a stand to buy her a pair of sunglasses. He finally gave in, telling her we would if there was one selling them nearby.

  He glanced at me with a shake of his head. I smiled, glad he couldn’t read my mind, because I wanted a pair of sunglasses too, and now I could get them when she did.

  Besides the four of us in my family, Jackie, Maggie, Syd, and Miguel joined us. I knew Syd came so we’d have extra protection, but it wasn’t a job for him, since he loved spending time with Maggie. So far, I hadn’t picked up anything more than friendly affection on Maggie’s side, but she was probably just kidding herself, since they sure seemed like a couple to me.

  Miguel’s bodyguard, Cole, also trailed along. He kept eye contact with Syd to go in front or behind us, depending on Syd’s position. As much as I hated to admit it, I was grateful for the added protection. Not just because of the Bilottis, but in case of a mugger. Someone like that wouldn’t stand a chance against either of them. Plus, I had my Aikido training to help me, and so did Savannah. Hopefully, between all of us, we’d be perfectly safe.

>   We walked to the subway, relying on Maggie to help us with the trains. Soon, we’d made it to the stop nearest the bridge and emerged onto the street. We followed Maggie and Syd to a small park surrounding a beautiful fountain. From there, we crossed the street and took the walkway to the bridge.

  All along one side of the walkway, vendors had set up their wares under a field of umbrellas, selling everything a tourist might want. We found lots of cool photos of the bridge, with the skyline in the background, along with plenty of New York t-shirts and hats.

  Since we couldn’t find any sunglasses, we stopped at the booth selling hats. For five dollars apiece, Savannah and I both got a baseball cap with NYC on the front. She got blue, and I got purple.

  Completing the look, we both pulled our hair into ponytails, using the elastic supply I always carried in my purse, and slipped our hats on. If we didn’t look like tourists, I didn’t know who did. I made Chris take a picture of us before we caught up to the others.

  Maggie and Syd politely waited for us while Jackie gave in and bought a multi-colored scarf. Happy with our purchases, we continued along the path with Maggie, Syd and Jackie in front. Savannah caught up to Josh and Miguel, while Chris and I walked behind them, and Cole brought up the rear.

  Leaving the vendors behind, we started onto the bridge. The path widened to include a side for pedestrians, with the other side for cyclists. Groups of people came and went, going in both directions, some faster than others, making the walk somewhat congested. The ring of bells from cyclists, warning people to get out of the way, became a constant background noise.

  On either side of the walkway, cars motored across the bridge on three lanes in both directions. Our path took us up above the cars, where we could look down on the traffic. Soon we came to the first tower and stopped to take a few photos.

  Looking back, we could see the expanse of the New York skyline, along with all the boats on the water. “We’ll have better views of the skyline closer to the other tower,” Maggie said.