Deep In Death: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

by Colleen Helme

  Kate jumped in like I didn’t know what was going on, and explained how they were trying to reach an agreement between their shipping companies. “We’re hoping a merger will be beneficial to both of us.”

  “Nice,” I said. “Well, I hope it works out then.”

  We chatted throughout our lunch, and at one-fifty, Alec excused himself for a meeting he had to attend. After he left, Kate dropped all pretense of being my best friend. “So what did you pick up?” she asked.

  It was tempting not to tell her everything, but since she was paying me the big bucks, I had to give it to her straight. I wasn’t sure what to say about Alec’s brother, Jon, and his visit to Uncle Joey. I had a feeling it was all tied together somehow. Maybe I’d better leave Uncle Joey out of it until I knew what was going on.

  “Well, for starters, I picked up that you two have been sleeping together.” She hadn’t been expecting me to say that, and her neck and face turned red and splotchy. “But I won’t tell Uncle Joey that part if you don’t want me to, although it might explain a few things.”

  “Things? What things?” she asked.

  “Well…I don’t think he planned on having feelings for you, so it’s kind of put him in a bind.”

  Kate’s eyes widened with hope. “So all of this isn’t just a show? He really does care about me?”

  “Yes. In fact…he thinks he’s in love with you. His job…from what I could pick up…is to make sure you go through with this merger. Once that’s accomplished, the plan is to take control of your share so his company can take over, or something like that. It’s a little complicated, and I’m not sure I’ve got all of it right. All I know is that he doesn’t want to go through with it now, but if he doesn’t, he’s afraid he might die. He’s also afraid that if he tells you that he was going to double-cross you, even though he had a change of heart, you’d probably want him dead too. So, I guess he’s in a tight spot.”

  I didn’t tell her that his boss was his older brother, and he really wasn’t afraid Jon would kill him, although I did pick up some definite fear there. Because of that, I had to believe that blood might be thicker than water, since I wasn’t sure his love for Kate would be enough for him to stand against his brother’s plan when it came right down to it. “I guess you’ll have to decide if you want to be with him, and what you’re willing to give up for him. Otherwise, I’d just tell you to stop the merger…which might be a good thing anyway.”

  Kate was thinking what a mess this was, but now that she knew what was going on, she could figure out what to do. She could make sure she didn’t lose her company. Deciding what to do about Alec might be a little harder, but she was sure she could think of something.

  She opened her purse and pulled out five one-hundred dollar bills. “Here’s your fee.” She handed it to me and added, “I’ll give you five hundred more not to tell Uncle Joey.”

  “What? You can’t be serious. You know how Uncle Joey feels about double-crossers.”

  She pursed her lips. “Yeah, but this isn’t double-crossing, this is personal. Now that I know what’s going on, I can take care of it myself. I don’t need him involved.” I didn’t agree right away so she continued. “If you must tell him something, at least tell him a shortened version and leave out the part about Alec being in love with me.”

  I shook my head. “You know, I truly believe that being in love makes people stupid, so I’ll try and forget you tried to bribe me.”

  She gasped and her mouth dropped open. Shock that I had the audacity to call her stupid sent her pulse racing. Who did I think I was anyway? She made a move to snatch the cash back out of my fingers, but I knew it was coming and quickly stuffed it in my purse.

  “Geez Kate, calm down,” I said. “All I meant was that sometimes people do crazy things when they’re in love. You don’t want to get on Uncle Joey’s bad side now do you? Besides, you should be happy to know Alec’s really in love with you. That’s positive, right?”

  Her mouth moved like a fish out of water, but no sound came out. That was a good thing since what she was thinking wasn’t very nice. I took that as my cue to leave. “Well, thanks for lunch. If you need anything else, let me know.” I probably shouldn’t have said that last part, but I couldn’t resist.

  Turning my back on her wasn’t the best idea, but since we were in a crowded restaurant, I figured I’d be safe. Although it didn’t stop my ears from burning with her insults, so I put up my shields. I didn’t have to listen to that crap, and she probably had no idea I could do that. It made me feel powerful and in control. Outside the restaurant, I had to wait for the valet to bring my car and I tensed up, worried that Kate would come out before I left. That would be awkward. Thankfully, he brought my car around pretty quick, and I jumped in.

  I drove away, making a quick decision to stop by Uncle Joey’s office while I was downtown, and then maybe stop by the precinct after that and apologize to Dimples. Uncle Joey needed to know what Kate had gotten herself into, and how it was probably related to his situation. I’d also have better luck finding out the parts he didn’t want me to know if I talked to him in person.

  At Thrasher Development, I exited the elevator and breezed inside, but Jackie wasn’t sitting at her desk. Without her there to announce my arrival to Uncle Joey, I rounded the corner behind Jackie’s desk to call his extension. After several rings, it went to voice mail, so I hung up without leaving a message.

  Where was everybody? The ‘ding’ of the elevator sounded out in the hall and I heard some people exit the elevator and come toward the office. Not wanting to get caught behind Jackie’s desk, I took a couple of steps, but didn’t make it around the chair before they entered the office.

  A commanding woman with thick, dark hair and artfully applied makeup entered with a younger man at her side. “Hello, you must be Jackie,” she said. “We’ve spoken a few times over the phone. I’m Julia Passini and this is my accountant, Howard Anderson.”

  Yikes! Another Passini? She barely looked old enough to be Jon and Alec’s mother, but with the same dark eyes, it had to be true. I smiled pleasantly. “Hello. Actually, I’m Shelby Nichols, but it’s nice to meet you. Um…do you have an appointment with Uncle…uh…Mr. Manetto?”

  Her eyes narrowed. She’d caught my slip and her smile faltered. “Where is Jackie?” She was thinking I looked guilty about something and trying to cover it up. From her experience, relatives were always trying to get something for nothing, and I had called him “uncle,” so I was probably up to no good.

  “I don’t know,” I quickly explained. “I just got here myself and thought I’d leave a note. That’s why I was standing here behind her desk, looking for a notepad and pen? But I’m sure she’s around here somewhere. Would you like to wait in the conference room while I check? I’ll be happy to look for her while you wait.” I knew I was talking too much, but her obvious disapproval put me on the defense.

  Before she could answer, footsteps sounded in the hall and Jackie came around the corner. She stopped in surprise to find us all standing there.

  “Jackie!” I said, relieved. “There you are. This is Julia Passini and her accountant Howard. They just got here.”

  Jackie raised a brow at me, but politely greeted them, asking that they follow her to Uncle Joey’s office for their scheduled appointment. They disappeared down the hallway and I let out my breath. From Jackie’s mind, I realized that they were early and Uncle Joey wasn’t even there yet. I also picked up from Julia Passini that she had come early on purpose in order to snoop around in Uncle Joey’s office if she got the chance.

  If Jackie left her there alone, that’s just what she’d do, so I hurried down the hall. Sure enough, Jackie came out and pulled the door closed behind her. “You can’t leave them in there alone,” I whispered. “They’ll look through Uncle Joey’s things.”

  Jackie studied me for a moment and without a word, pushed the door back open. Sure enough they were standing beside Uncle Joey’s desk, with Julia reach
ing for the top drawer. Her eyes widened slightly, but other than that, there was no outward indication that she’d been caught snooping. Instead, she picked up a photo of Miguel, like that was what she’d been reaching for. “Who is this handsome young man?” she asked.

  I didn’t think Jackie should tell her the truth, but before I could open my mouth Jackie answered. “He’s my son, and since Joe and I are together, Joe’s grown quite fond of him.”

  “Ah…I see. How very nice for you.” Julia didn’t miss the mama-bear-menace in Jackie’s tone, nor did she miss the implication that Uncle Joey belonged to Jackie. “I’m sure Joseph is very lucky to have you and your son in his life.”

  Howard took a seat in a wingback chair, hoping we hadn’t noticed how close to the desk he’d been standing. He was thinking Julia had a lot of guts to come into Manetto’s territory, but with her husband’s death, it was time to settle the overdue accounts. He just hoped Jon hadn’t screwed it up for her. She needed to get on Manetto’s good side or she was toast.

  “Shelby?” Jackie said.

  “Huh?” Oops. She had asked me something, and I’d missed it.

  “I just asked if you’d mind getting some bottled water from the break room for our guests.”

  “Oh, of course. I’ll be right back.” I hurried out, relieved Jackie was staying to keep an eye on them. She had lots more authority than I did, so I didn’t think Julia would try anything with her there. I also picked up that Uncle Joey was supposed to get back in five to ten minutes, so it wouldn’t be long now.

  Wanting to warn Uncle Joey, I took my time getting the water and was rewarded when he came in a few minutes later with Ramos. “Shelby. What are you doing here?”

  “I just stopped by to tell you about my lunch with Kate, and it’s a good thing too, because when I got here Julia Passini and her accountant, Howard, showed up. They got here early to snoop around, so Jackie’s been entertaining them in your office. I came out to get water for them, and decided to wait so I could warn you.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Did you pick up anything?”

  “Yes.”

  “Come in here.” He ushered me into the conference room for more privacy. “What did you get?”

  “What I picked up mostly came from the accountant. He was thinking that with Julia’s husband dead, it was time to get on your good side and not let Jon screw things up.”

  Uncle Joey pursed his lips. He was wondering how many Passinis he would have to deal with before this was over.

  “Actually there is one more,” I said. “The man Kate’s been dealing with is the other son, Alec.”

  “Oh…I see,” Uncle Joey said. “Now it’s all starting to make sense.” He glanced at me thinking it was a good thing I was there and that maybe he was being foolish for leaving me out of it. “I’d better get in there and rescue Jackie. I’ll call you when I’m done, and you can tell me all about your lunch with Kate.”

  “Okay…but just so you know…she’s in love with Alec.”

  “She loves him?” he asked. “This just gets worse and worse. Do you know what he wants from her?”

  “Yeah…well…I think so.”

  Uncle Joey let out his breath. “Fine. I want a full report later, but right now I need to go. I’ll call you.” He was thinking this was worse than he thought, and nobody challenged him and got away with it.

  He left the room and turned down the hall, buttoning his jacket and managing to grow taller and more confident with each step. Just as he opened the door, I realized I still held the water bottles in my hands. I took a step forward, but Ramos stopped me.

  “Wait,” he said. “I’ll take them in.”

  I hesitated, glancing up at him. “All right. Thanks.” He came to my side and took the bottles, his gaze never leaving mine.

  “Just a word of advice,” he said in a low voice, leaning in close. “I think you’d better stay away for a bit. For your own sake.” He was thinking that there were some secrets Manetto kept that even Ramos didn’t know. It would be bad for me if I found out what they were, and with my luck, that’s just what would happen. Some things were meant to stay buried.

  “You mean like the past, or what’s happening now?”

  “Is there a difference?” he asked, a sardonic smile on his face. “Maybe I’m just being overprotective. After you got shot…let’s just say I wouldn’t want to see it happen again.”

  “Yeah…me either. But if you need my help, you’d let me know, right?”

  “Shelby,” he growled, shaking his head. “Leave it alone. I don’t want you to get hurt, and this is dangerous. We’ll be fine.”

  I gave in, not pointing out that Uncle Joey might not agree with him, but my heart warmed to know Ramos cared about me. “All right. But be careful.”

  “Always,” he said.

  We were standing close enough that it was easy to take a deep breath and inhale the scent of his musky aftershave. His head bent slightly toward mine and his gaze went to my lips. I froze and let out a small gasp. With him this close, my heart rate doubled and I couldn’t seem to think straight, let alone breathe.

  The sound of a door closing brought me back to reality and I flinched away. My face flamed with guilt and my heart raced even faster. I glanced up to find Jackie coming down the hall with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. She was wondering what the hell was going on. I was a married woman! What was I thinking? She stood there glowering at us for a good five seconds before she grabbed the bottles from Ramos, shook her head, and then turned around to head back to the office.

  I swallowed and glanced at Ramos. “Uh…see ya.” I started toward the door.

  “Shelby, wait,” Ramos said. “I’m sorry…it…it won’t happen again.” He was thinking he’d been blind-sided by the smell of my hair, but he’d try and be good, even if it wasn’t how he normally behaved. He just hoped that someday he got to kiss me at least once before he died. It could happen at any moment with the way things were going, but…

  “What? Are you kidding me?” I caught his smile and smacked him in the arm. “You’re terrible.”

  “What? What did I say?”

  “Nothing.”

  He was thinking, that’s right, and I could only shake my head. With a groan, I told him goodbye and hurried out the door to the elevators, his chuckle trailing after me. Once the doors swooshed closed, I leaned against the wall and shook my head some more. That was close. Too close. What was I thinking? Where was my brain? The fact that he wanted to kiss me certainly gave me a rush, and I tried not to let it go to my head. Still, I couldn’t help the goofy smile that spread over my face.

  Chapter 5

  The smile was still there as I entered the police station. I hurried to Dimples’ desk, but he was gone, and a small worry that I’d have to deal with Bates crept over me. I glanced in that direction, but his desk was empty too, so maybe it wasn’t so bad. I found one of the other detectives and told him I needed to check the dead files. He shrugged and told me to go ahead before returning to his paperwork, but I caught that he was glad it was me going down there and not him. That room gave him the creeps.

  Dang! Why did he have to think that? I was feeling all brave and courageous up to that point, but now dread clenched my stomach into a tight ball. Would something weird happen to me again? I wasn’t sure I could take another one of those kinds of incidents without falling apart and screaming my head off. I sighed and pulled out the paper from my pocket with the missing women’s names, then started down the stairs to the basement.

  Gingerly, I opened the door to find the light still on. Had it had been on all this time? I shrugged, not feeling bad about leaving the light on…not after what had happened. Since I had to go inside again, I decided to do it fast. Just go in, grab the folders, and get out of there. No lingering to look at the files for me.

  As I entered, the musty smell hit me first, bringing with it the remembered panic. Hesitating, I focused on my task. With a deep breath, I hurried to the cabinets, ha
lf expecting to feel a chill in the air and maybe even smell some flowers, but when nothing happened, my breath wheezed out and the tension drained from my shoulders. Moving methodically from cabinet to cabinet, I soon had all three folders in my nervous hands.

  The only thing that dampened my success came from realizing that with the files here, it meant they were unsolved. Still, I hoped that somewhere inside was a clue that would link them together and point to the killer. Besides the company in Darcy’s building, it was the only other lead I had. I rushed to the door with only a slight twinge of nervousness and pulled it open. Relief flooded over me when I stepped into the hall. This time, I reached back in to turn off the light and hoped I’d never have reason to go back inside that room again.

  I made it back to Dimples’ desk in one piece and sat in his chair. Taking a moment to glance around, I decided that no one cared what I was doing there, so I quickly found a piece of paper and wrote Dimples a note to let him know I’d taken the files. With that out of the way, I gladly left the building.

  It was great to get home after such a hectic day, and sudden weariness washed over me. After what I’d been through today, I had no desire to do much of anything, so I stacked the files in the den and changed into a comfy pair of jeans and a tee-shirt.

  My appointment with the Marketing Solutions Company wasn’t until tomorrow afternoon, so I had plenty of time before that to go over the files. Right now, I just didn’t want to think about it. My cell phone rang and I contemplated not answering, but seeing that it was from Thrasher Development, I quickly picked it up.

  “Hello Shelby,” Uncle Joey said. “Do you have a minute to talk?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. So…what does Alec want from Kate.” I told him the gist of it and heard him sigh. “Did you tell Kate?”

  “Yes. She even offered me money not to tell you.” I had no loyalty to Kate and it felt good to tell him the truth. “She wants to handle it her own way, but I don’t think she knows about Jon and Julia coming to see you, right? So it’s probably not a good idea to let her take care of it. Besides, I’m not sure Alec would hold up under the pressure from his family, no matter how much he loves Kate.”