Hidden Deception: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

by Colleen Helme

  “That’s strange. I think I remember him. So what happened?”

  “Someone whacked him over the head with a fire extinguisher.”

  “Oh… right.” He’d actually wanted to know what we thought had happened, not how he’d died, but he let it go and continued. “So what leads have you got?”

  “Well, we’re not exactly sure what he was doing. Dimples wanted me to ask you about it. From the looks of things, he was a debt collector. Do you know anything about that?”

  “Uh… did he have a list of some kind?”

  “It looks that way, but we couldn’t find it.”

  Chris nodded, and his brows drew together. “Okay, well… there is something called a debt merchant. Maybe that’s what Lincoln was involved in.” Pleased that Dimples had asked for his help, he warmed to the subject.

  “Let me explain how it works. You see, there’s a lot of consumer debt where people buy things on credit, without the means to pay it back. After a hundred and eighty days, the banks, or whoever owns the debt, often give up and sell it, usually at a discount. That way, they get some money for it without all the legal hassle of collecting. The person they sell it to, or the debt merchant, then has the opportunity to collect the money with the possibility of making twice as much as he paid for the list in the first place.”

  “That could be exactly what he was doing.”

  “Yes, but it’s a lot of work since most of the debt is in small amounts, so in order to collect, you’d have to track all those people down and make them pay you. But it can be profitable. Depending on the size of the list, a person could stand to gain from around a hundred grand to several million from it. So I’d say a list like that could be worth killing someone for.”

  “You’re right,” I agreed. “It’s certainly a motive for murder. Dimples said the victim had some people working for him. Maybe it was one of them, and they killed him for the list!”

  “That’s a good place to start. But you’ll also want to see if he had the money to buy the list in the first place. Not too many independent lawyers would have that kind of money, but you never know.”

  “Yeah, but with the amount he stood to gain, I think the possibility that someone killed him for the list makes the most sense. This is great. Dimples will be so pleased with me.”

  “Hey…”

  “Oh… I meant us. Because, yeah, you totally came through on that one.” Chris wasn’t too happy I’d slipped up on that, so I decided to keep talking about the rest of my day. “Anyway… you won’t believe what I found out about Miguel. I had my lunch appointment with him today, remember?”

  He nodded, so I told him all about Miguel’s role in the school musical, the people coming from New York, and how Miguel didn’t want Uncle Joey to know anything about it.

  “So did you tell Manetto?” Chris asked.

  “Well, yes. I had to.”

  “How’d he take it?”

  “I think he was surprised, mostly. But at least he reimbursed me for the tickets, and I have a couple on the fridge to the Saturday night show. You want to come?”

  “Yeah, sure. Will we be sitting by Manetto?” I nodded, and he snickered. “That might be more entertaining than the show, so yeah, I’ll come.”

  “Good. Because I picked up from Uncle Joey that you might be a little more involved than that.”

  “Huh? Why?”

  “Well, if those guys are there as talent scouts for Miquel, Uncle Joey might need a lawyer present, at least that’s what he was thinking.”

  Chris shook his head. “That guy doesn’t miss a beat, does he? Was he seriously considering retirement and handing over the business to Miguel?”

  “Not entirely. He thought he’d probably die first. After what happened today, I just hope that doesn’t happen sooner rather than later.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “Well… that’s the part I haven’t told you.” I explained about Zack’s dead body on the elevator, and how Uncle Joey sent me home right after we’d discovered it. “But he was thinking he was going to kill whoever did that to Zack, even if it meant war.”

  Chris let out a breath and closed his eyes. “Man, it never ends with him. I wonder what happened? Did you pick up anything else?”

  “No. I got out of there pretty fast.”

  “Good.” He was grateful Manetto had sent me away, but he didn’t trust for a minute that he’d keep it that way. “I sure hope he doesn’t involve you in this.” As he caught my gaze, worry tightened the muscles around his eyes.

  “Probably not,” I assured him. “He made me leave pretty quick. I think it was because I offered to call the police, and he had no intention of doing that. It makes me wonder what they did with the body.”

  “Don’t even go there,” Chris said. “It’s better you don’t know, believe me.”

  “Yeah… I’m sure you’re right.” The vision of Zack’s arm getting smashed by the elevator doors sent a quiver of dread through me, so I decided to change the subject. “I got a call from our realtor today, too.”

  “What did he want?”

  “He wanted me to stop by the house and talk to the contractor who was coming over to take a look at the damage to the foundation, so I met them both there this afternoon. Anyway, the contractor’s sending a backhoe over there first thing in the morning.”

  “Are you going?”

  “Yes. I need to be there.” I told Chris about my visit with the neighbor, and how spooky that was. “The fact that they all moved within a few years makes me think that something must have happened during the time the house was renovated. But that’s at least ten years ago. How am I supposed to figure out what happened after all that time?”

  “If anyone can figure it out, it’s you.” Chris gathered me in his arms. He was thinking that for only being home a few days, I sure had my hands full. “I’m almost sorry I told you about that house.”

  “I know, but if I can help, it will be worth it, right?”

  “Yes, of course. You should help out.” He knew this was one of those times when he needed to support me and my skills, but he didn’t like how willing I was to help everyone, especially Manetto. In fact, he hated that part and wished I’d put my foot down more often. On the other hand, it was part of my nature, and he wasn’t sure I could stop. But… couldn’t I try not to help quite so much? Especially when it came to organized crime and murder?

  “Oh Chris… I’m sorry for what I put you through. I’ll try not to be so helpful, but sometimes it’s not my fault. You know that, right?”

  “Yes… I think I finally figured that out.”

  “Good.” Wanting to change the subject, I continued, “So, how was your day? What’s it like to be a partner?” It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that Uncle Joey sent his congratulations, but I didn’t want to insinuate that the partnership was because of him, especially since I was sure it would make Chris wonder about it.

  “So far, so good. There’s more responsibility, but it has some perks. In fact, while we were in Paris, they started moving me into my new office. I even have an allowance for the décor and furniture.” He was thinking that it was great to have Elisa help him with that. She was awesome, and everyone was jealous that she was his, and it was easy to see that she was proving to be worth her weight in gold.

  Just hearing that sent a shiver of dread down my spine. Mostly because of a previous lawyer who’d worked with my husband. She was the whole reason I’d gotten involved with Uncle Joey in the first place. I mentally crossed my fingers and hoped she wasn’t someone like Kate. “Who’s Elisa?”

  “Uh, didn’t I tell you? She’s my secretary… I mean… executive assistant. The partners get their own secretaries, which is really nice. She keeps track of my schedule and keeps me in line. I hired her while you were in Paris. I guess it slipped my mind to tell you.” His gaze caught mine, and he picked up from my stony expression that I wasn’t too pleased to hear about her.

  His brows
drew together. “Shelby. There’s nothing to worry about. She’s a co-worker, that’s all. It’s not Kate all over again, if that’s what you’re thinking.” He tried to remember if Elisa was married, but realized he didn’t know. Still, he’d never picked up anything that suggested she was interested in him like Kate had been.

  I didn’t want to point out that he was clueless when it came to Kate until I’d read her mind and told him. Even then he didn’t believe me. I sighed and shook my head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean… I was just surprised that you didn’t mention it before. I can’t believe you have a new office and I didn’t know. I could have helped you pick out the furniture and been a little more involved if I’d known.”

  Chris sighed, just now realizing that there were a lot of things that had happened while I was in Paris that he’d neglected to tell me. “You’ve been really busy. Besides, it’s not a big deal.” He thought it was something the secretaries did anyway, but he didn’t want me to feel bad. “Do you want to stop by for lunch tomorrow? I think there’s some artwork left to pick out. You could meet Elisa and help with that.”

  “Sure. I’d like that.” This was perfect. Now I could find out exactly what Elisa thought of my husband. “What time?”

  “I usually go to lunch around noon, but I can send you a text after I check my schedule and let you know for sure.”

  Realization dawned that I hadn’t even been in to the firm yet to see Chris’ name on the wall. This was his shining moment, and I’d missed it. How could I do that to him? I was a terrible wife.

  “Okay.”

  “Are you sure? You don’t sound okay. What’s wrong?”

  “Oh Chris, I feel like I’ve let you down because I wasn’t there when you made partner. That was huge, and I missed it. Can you ever forgive me?”

  “Honey… you know I’m not mad, right?” I nodded, and he continued. “What happened in Paris… no one else could have done what you did. I’m glad you came through for them. Besides, don’t forget that we celebrated my promotion in a big way there. But… I guess if you’re still feeling guilty about it, I’m sure I can figure out a way you can make it up to me.”

  “Yeah? What’s that?”

  “Get up early and make my breakfast? Maybe rub my feet? Or a nice massage would be even better. Let’s see… how about…”

  I’d heard enough of that nonsense, so I stopped him the best way I knew how. With a kiss.

  ***

  The next morning dawned cloudy with a chance of rain. After I got Chris and the kids off, I combed my hair into a ponytail, then threw on jeans and a sweatshirt and hurried over to the house. Knowing we’d probably find a child’s dead body today didn’t help my mood, or my appetite, and dread washed over me in spades.

  The backhoe was already there. Once Dan arrived, he gave the approval to start digging, and the backhoe got into position. He had to tear out some of the bushes before even beginning on the dirt next to the foundation. I was on edge about hearing a crying child, so I moved to the back deck and sat on the steps. With each shovel of shrubbery and dirt, I expected to hear the crying, but nothing happened.

  Once the bushes were cleared away, the backhoe scooped out the first layer of dirt, depositing it on the lawn to the side. He uncovered the foundation where it crumbled the most, picking up the dirt and moving it in a slow, plodding manner. About a foot below ground level, the change in the foundation became obvious.

  Then it hit me. Above the noise of the backhoe, a child’s whimper assaulted my mind, then changed into a soulful cry. I gasped under the onslaught, and threw up my shields, covering my ears with my hands. The crying softened, but I couldn’t block it out entirely.

  The worker dug further, revealing a square opening that had been patched with plaster and mortar. Then the backhoe hit hard cement and uncovered what looked like a short staircase that had been completely covered with dirt and shrubs.

  He kept going as far as he could, uncovering a crumbling patchwork of plaster and decaying wood. About five feet down, the worker stopped digging and turned off the engine. In the silence, the crying in my mind slowly died out until I could barely hear it. I swallowed with relief and gratitude, then slowly relaxed my shields. Hearing hardly a whimper, I took a deep breath, then followed Dan and the worker to examine the area.

  “I think this could be the entrance to a cellar or something,” the worker said. “At least it looks like the right size.” He lowered himself into the depression and ran his gloved fingers over the decaying wood and mortar. It easily crumbled beneath his touch, and he thought that whoever had filled this in didn’t do a very good job, especially since it had weakened the foundation above it.

  “The rest will have to be dug out by hand to see what we’re dealing with,” he continued. “But this whole area will need to be reinforced.” He was itching to break open the entrance, just to see how big of a space was under the house. He suspected it was small, more like a storm cellar, but he also thought it could be an old bomb shelter. If that was the case, who knew what could be inside?

  I had a pretty good idea, but I wasn’t about to tell him. Still, I needed him to open it up now so I’d know for sure. “Would it be hard to break through? Just so we could take a look inside?”

  Since that was exactly what he wanted to do, he examined the area and decided it would withstand a nudge from his backhoe. “Sure. We’ll have to take this out anyway, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

  He climbed back on the machine and got it started, then lowered the shovel into the hole. With an expert nudge against the wall, part of the mortar crumbled, leaving a gaping hole big enough to allow someone to enter. After moving the machine out of the way, we all crowded around the entrance.

  The soft morning light wasn’t enough to see inside, so the worker grabbed a flashlight from his cab and turned it on. The beam traveled through the area, showing a small cellar dug out of the earth with decaying wooden reinforcements, but little else.

  “What’s that?” he asked, shining the flashlight on a mound of rags. He angled the light just right and caught the luster of bones.

  Even though I’d expected it, my breath hitched. The worker’s grip on the flashlight wavered, but not before we all caught the gleam of not one, but two human skulls.

  Chapter 5

  “What the hell?”

  I didn’t know if that was spoken out loud or not, but it pretty much came from all of us. The worker dropped the flashlight, and we all scrambled away from the opening. We glanced at each other in shock before I stated the obvious. “Those are people. Two people.”

  “Shit.” The worker backed up until he could lean against his backhoe for support. He rested his hands on his legs and leaned forward to catch his breath, too spooked to go back and retrieve his flashlight.

  Dan had trouble breathing as well, and his face lost all color. He’d never seen anything like that and could hardly believe it. Two dead bodies under the house? What the hell? He glanced at me and figured I’d never buy that house now. What if it was haunted? He sure wouldn’t. Once this came out, no one would ever buy this place.

  “I’m going to call the police,” I said, knowing it was up to me to take charge. “We need to wait here until they arrive and give them our statements.” They both nodded, and I walked a short distance away to call Dimples.

  “Hey, it’s Shelby,” I began. “I need your help.”

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “I need to report a double murder.” I’d always wanted to say that, but from his reaction, I probably shouldn’t have been quite so dramatic.

  “What the hell? Are you okay? What’s going on?”

  “Oh… I’m fine. Let me explain.” After I filled him in on the details, he calmed down, but he didn’t sound too happy with me.

  “I’m coming myself. Don’t go anywhere.”

  He disconnected, and I wandered back to sit beside Dan on the stairs. He was still a little freaked out to be so close to a coup
le of dead bodies, but it came as a surprise that it hardly bothered me. That’s when I realized that the crying was completely gone. Not even a whimper came to my mind.

  A breath of fragrant cherry blossoms whispered across my face and touched lightly against my cheeks. Peace filled my mind, and I knew that whoever had been under there was gone now. Thank goodness for that. Of course, now that I knew there were two bodies, I hoped it included both of them.

  Soon, a car pulled up at the front of the house, and I hurried out to greet Dimples. A couple of patrol cars followed, along with a crime-scene van. He came around to the back and listened as we showed him the cellar with the bones. Without hesitation, he slid into the hole and picked up the flashlight. Then he stepped inside to examine the remains. Alarmed, I glanced at the construction worker. “Is it safe to go in there?”

  “I think so. It’s held up this long, hasn’t it?”

  I shrugged, but sighed with relief when Dimples came back out. He spoke to the other police officers and then came to my side.

  “From the clothes and size of the bodies, it looks like one body is that of a small child… a girl by the looks of it. The other is older, and probably a male. My guess is that they were killed and then placed in there to hide their deaths.”

  “So they weren’t killed in the house?” I asked.

  “I’m not sure. The way their bodies were placed suggests they were killed first, but we’ll have to let the forensics team do their job to know better.”

  I nodded and watched as the number of people in the back yard doubled to include all kinds of investigators. Once Dimples had our statements, he allowed Dan and the backhoe worker to leave with the machine.

  “I want to help with this investigation,” I told Dimples. “Is that okay?” After he nodded, I continued. “Good, then let me know what you find out about the victims.”