Carrots: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

by Colleen Helme

  “No, but they think…” I faltered. If I told him, would I be informing on the informant? “They think it’s an inside job.” Hopefully he’d think that meant inside the restaurant, and not inside his organization.

  Uncle Joey perked up. “What made them think that?”

  I had no idea, so I improvised by trying to make it sound like I misunderstood the question. “Maybe because it was after hours, and there wasn’t a forced entry, so at least one of them knew the killer.” That made sense to me.

  Uncle Joey sighed. I hadn’t fooled him. He knew someone had double-crossed him. He hoped it wasn’t me. “So, why did you go to the police station?”

  “One of the detectives working on my case called. He needed me to fill out some paperwork. All they were thinking about was the double homicide, so that’s how I got my information.”

  “I see,” Uncle Joey said. “You didn’t tell them anything about me then?”

  “Do you think I would tell you if I did?”

  He actually smiled. “No.”

  “I didn’t, but now I’m not sure I did the right thing. If something should happen to me…”

  “Shelby,” he soothed. “I’m surprised. You’re very valuable to me, and with this double murder, we’ve got our work cut out for us. Someone close to me is trying to undermine my organization, and you’re the best one to help me figure out who it is.”

  “Lucky me,” I said under my breath.

  He ignored it. “I’ve called an emergency meeting. Soon everyone will be here, and I’m counting on you to find out if anyone in my organization is behind it.”

  I thought his plan was seriously flawed. What made him think I would tell him the truth? It wouldn’t bother me to be out from under him, although I didn’t like the thoughts of people dying. But if it meant I wouldn’t die, maybe it wasn’t so bad. It started to bother me that I could even think such a thing. When had I become so callous? “When did you say they would be here?”

  “Some have arrived already.”

  “Oh, no! My wig and glasses are in the trunk of my car, and it’s at the police station. I can’t let anyone see me without my disguise.”

  Uncle Joey didn’t care. He thought my disguise was unnecessary anyway. “That’s too bad, but you’ll have to do without it.”

  “If I can’t wear my disguise, I’ll have to hide in the room where they can’t see me.”

  “Shelby, at this point I’m not going to waste time on something that doesn’t matter, and your disguise doesn’t matter.” That last part was said rather loudly, and Uncle Joey was a little surprised that he had lost his cool. He paused to gain his composure, and I saw my opening.

  “I’m sorry you feel that way, but I really can’t go in there without my wig. Besides, don’t you feel a little funny about leaving one of your cars parked at the police station? What if someone realizes it’s not supposed to be there, and they run a license plate check? When they find out it belongs to you, they’ll figure out some reason to impound it, and come snooping around here. I don’t think you need that right now.” Things were getting out of hand and I was desperate. If I could just get inside the police station, I was ready to tell Dimples everything.

  He closed his eyes, wondering if I knew how much I exasperated him. “I’ll send Ramos for it…”

  “I’ll go with him. Someone’s got to drive it back, and I’ve got the keys.” I hurried out the door before he could stop me. Ramos was standing guard, and I grabbed his arm. “We have to go back for my car.” I tugged at him, but it was like trying to move a brick wall.

  Uncle Joey paused in the doorway, smiling at my futile attempt to get Ramos to move. “Get the car and come straight back,” he said to Ramos. “Don’t let her out of your sight.” To me he said, “I want you in my conference room in half an hour whether you have your wig on or not.” With that announcement, he shut the door in my face.

  “It’s never good to mess with the boss,” Ramos said, but he was secretly impressed that I dared. “Move it.”

  It was a quick trip to the police station, mostly because Ramos was all business. I was a bad influence on him, and he wanted to keep his distance. It bothered me at first until I realized that it actually meant that I was a good influence. I couldn’t help smiling at that, and even though he noticed my smile, he chose to ignore it.

  The bigger problem was finding a chance to talk to Dimples. I knew it was a long shot from the beginning, but if I could just convince Ramos to drop me off, I might have an opportunity. Before I could get out of the car, Ramos caught my arm. “I’ll follow you back.”

  “You really don’t have to. I’m not going anywhere else.”

  “Neither am I, babe.” He smiled, but this time it didn’t reach his eyes. They were cold and predatory, kind of like when he shot the bank robber.

  “Oh, all right.” I didn’t mask my annoyance as I got out of the car, but for some reason, I couldn’t slam the door this time. I marched over to my car, but that one look had undermined my confidence, and I knew now was not the moment to try anything. Ramos had a job to do, and this wasn’t the time to push him. I just hoped that if he ever got the order to kill me, he wouldn’t do it, or at least he would hesitate long enough for me to get away.

  I pulled out of the parking lot, barely glancing at the doors to the police station, knowing Ramos was watching me closely. At least now I had my wig and glasses. Thank goodness I had been thinking professionally this morning and they were in the trunk.

  I pulled into Uncle Joey’s parking garage with only ten minutes to spare. I grabbed my stuff out of the trunk, and made a beeline for the elevator. Ramos was running to catch up when the elevator doors began to close. He wasn’t going to make it unless I stuck my foot in the door. I waved instead, and the doors closed, cutting off his startled curse. I didn’t feel too bad though, because now I could put on my wig without an audience.

  I quickly went to work, and was smoothing it into place when the doors swished open. Uncle Joey and Number Five were talking in the hall, and both of them turned to look at me.

  Number Five smiled, faintly amused, and Uncle Joey quickly directed him to the conference room before turning to me. He tried to hold back a smile, but couldn’t do it. “You’d better look in a mirror before you come in. But hurry, everyone’s here.”

  As I started down the hall, Ramos stepped off the second elevator, and nearly ran over me. He opened his mouth to tell me off, but quickly changed his mind. “The bathroom’s that way.” I knew there was something wrong with my wig, but it couldn’t be that bad.

  When I saw it, I nearly died of embarrassment. Part of my hair was sticking out one side, and the wig was crooked, with the bangs off center. I looked like I’d been in a bad accident. So much for trying to hurry.

  I finally got everything straightened out when my cell phone started to ring. The sound echoed in the bathroom, and was so loud I dropped my make-up kit trying to answer it before Ramos came running. “Shit!”

  “Shelby?”

  “Chris?”

  “Why are you swearing? You never swear. What’s going on?”

  “I never swear in front of the kids, but sometimes I swear. Like now.”

  “What’s wrong?” he asked evenly.

  I clamped the phone to my shoulder, and started grabbing my lipstick and mascara. “I dropped my make-up kit, and now all my make-up’s scattered all over the bathroom floor. Damn! My eye shadow is broken into a million pieces!”

  “Where are you? Kate told me she saw you at the police station. She asked me about your ‘consulting business’ and I didn’t know what to say. What was she talking about?”

  “She probably loved that.”

  “Shelby.”

  “Well she would! There’s more to her than you think, but I can’t explain right now, I’m at work, and I’m supposed to be in this meeting. They’re all waiting for me, and I don’t want to get in trouble. I’ll call you when it’s over.”

  “You
mean you’re at Thrasher Development? Right now?”

  “Yes. I’ve really got to go. I’ll call you later.”

  “No, wait! I’m not through talking to you. You said yesterday that you’d never hang up on me again. Remember?”

  He had me there. “Well, sure. I’m not hanging up on you, but I’ve got to go. I promise I’ll call you as soon as the meeting’s over. Okay?”

  I heard a heavy sigh before he answered. “Fine. Just don’t forget.” Then he hung up. The click seemed louder than normal, and I hoped it made him feel better to hang up first. Not that it mattered to me…ha-ha.

  I decided to leave my make-up kit in the bathroom, and after a glance in the mirror to make sure everything was in place, I stepped into the hall. Ramos was standing next to the door like a statue, and I knew he’d heard everything I’d said to my husband.

  “Better hurry.” He motioned me down the hall. “Here’s a pen and a pad of paper.”

  I took them with a big sigh and entered the conference room. Everyone turned to look at me, and the room went dead silent. Uncomfortable, I quickly took my seat next to Uncle Joey. The negative energy directed my way hit me like a ton of bricks, and I would have staggered if I hadn’t been sitting down.

  “What’s she doing here?”

  “Don’t worry about her,” Uncle Joey said. “She’s not your concern. What is your concern is who killed Johnny. I want some answers and I want them now.”

  Although the room was silent, my mind was suddenly bombarded with shouts of anger and distrust. Some of the distrust was for me, but mostly, it was directed toward each other and Uncle Joey. Many of them were thinking that it was someone else sitting at the table, but I couldn’t pick up a guilty thought anywhere. If I had to guess at that moment, I’d say that none of them were involved.

  “I am grieved by the loss of my good friend Johnny Falzone,” Uncle Joey began. “And I intend to find the person responsible for his death. I have reason to believe that it was an inside job. Someone who knew Johnny well. Perhaps one of you.”

  They all rushed to deny it, and I had a hard time sorting through their thoughts. I jumped from one to another, searching for the guilty party. The only one who didn’t seem concerned was Number Five. This made sense when I thought about him being an undercover cop.

  Uncle Joey directed the discussion to their enemies, and who would gain from killing Johnny. This seemed to calm everyone down. He asked if anyone knew about Johnny’s business and if there was someone he’d angered recently. They covered all the possibilities and scenarios, but came up with nothing concrete.

  I zeroed in on Number Five, hoping to find out if he worked for the police, but he was as closed as ever, almost like he was hiding something. I figured that was as close to the truth as I was going to get.

  “I want you all to take extra precautions,” Uncle Joey warned. “If someone is out to undermine our organization, then everyone is a target. Spread the word that we’re looking for information on the killings.” He unlocked his bottom drawer, and passed out stacks of money. “This should help loosen a few tongues. Call me if you find anything, otherwise, we’ll meet again on Monday.”

  After everyone left, Uncle Joey locked his bottom drawer and turned to me. “Well?”

  “I don’t think any of them did it,” I said. “Most of them seemed pretty upset, but if one of them did it, they sure didn’t think about it.”

  “I see.” He walked slowly around the room thinking about the enemies he’d made over the years. “I thought it was someone close to me, but I couldn’t imagine any of my boys doing this. We’re like a family, you know?”

  I hoped he didn’t expect an answer, I mean, most families don’t think about killing each other, do they? “Maybe it didn’t have anything to do with you. Maybe it was just some random thing.”

  Uncle Joey shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Maybe it was someone in his family. Wasn’t the other guy that was killed the one Johnny was going to give the business to? Maybe a relative of his wasn’t happy about it, and killed them both.”

  “Hmm…you’re right. That’s a definite possibility. I think we should pay our respects to his wife, and see what you can pick up at the house.”

  Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut. “I don’t know if I have time. I really have a lot to do today.”

  “It won’t take long.” Uncle Joey was already leaving the room, and calling for Ramos to bring the car around.

  I closed my eyes and moaned. What now? How long was this going to take? I checked my watch. It was nearly one o’clock, and I had to pick the kids up from school at three-twenty. I hurried back to the bathroom, and grabbed my make-up kit, then headed for the elevator where Uncle Joey was waiting.

  “I’m going to have to follow you in my car so I can leave to pick my kids up from school. They get out at three-twenty.” I tried to be matter-of-fact, so he wouldn’t feel threatened.

  “There’s no need, we’ll be back by then.”

  I had the sudden feeling that Uncle Joey had no intention of letting me out of his sight for a very long time. He was singing a tune in his head, so I couldn’t know for sure. Very clever. We exited through the main doors of the building where Ramos was waiting with the car.

  My heart started to pound when we drove off, like I was having a panic attack or something. I suddenly wanted to go home more than anything in the world. What was I doing in this car with these men? How in the world had this happened?

  I could have lived with the mind reading thing, but now I was at the beck and call of a mobster. All because of Kate. Here I was with her Uncle, and she was in an office with my husband, who was waiting for a phone call from me that I couldn’t make. I should have told Dimples what was going on this morning, and now it was too late. How was I ever going to get out of this?

  We pulled up in front of a beautiful colonial mansion and Uncle Joey helped me out. We weren’t the only ones here to pay our respects, as cars were parked all along the driveway. Ramos followed behind us, alert for any signs of treachery.

  A maid showed us to a large open room where a solemn group of people were gathered at one end. Seeing us, a woman detached herself from the group and came to Uncle Joey who gathered her in his arms. She cried delicately against his chest, and Uncle Joey assured her that he would not rest until Johnny’s murderer was found. She drew him to the couch to sit and talk, leaving me standing alone in the middle of the room.

  Ramos touched my shoulder and motioned me toward the opposite end of the room where a buffet was set up on a long table. He gave me a plate, got one for himself, and began to fill it with food. “Might as well eat since we missed lunch,” he explained. He never let business interfere with his appetite.

  I wasn’t very hungry, but once I tried the crab canapés and creamy cheese bread, I changed my mind. Good food always helped me relax. We sat at a small table in the corner, and I scanned the crowd, trying to pick out thoughts that would tell me anything about the murders.

  It didn’t take long to recognize defeat. No one here had wanted Johnny dead. They all felt bad about it. One of them wondered if Uncle Joey had done it, but I couldn’t tell who that thought came from. After trying to get more information, I figured that coming here had been a waste of time, except for the food. I nearly said as much to Ramos, but caught myself. Uncle Joey was still talking, so I told Ramos I had to find the bathroom before we left.

  I wandered down the hall, but passed the bathroom door and kept on going toward the kitchen. It was like my mind had switched to survival mode, and all I wanted to do was get away. Without even thinking about it, I opened the back door and walked out.

  I took a few steps then jerked to a sudden stop. A low growl came from the area to my right, and my heart just about jumped out of my chest. The biggest dog I had ever seen bared its teeth and growled at me. With a startled cry, I flew back inside the house so fast I ran into Ramos without knowing he was there. I would have kept
on going if he hadn’t grabbed my arms and held me still.

  “There’s a really big dog out there,” I tried to explain. My legs had turned to jelly, and I was shaking like a leaf.

  “Why did you go outside?” Ramos asked. “I thought you went to find the bathroom?”

  “I did, but something made my feet carry me out the door. I guess I just needed some fresh air. Is Uncle Joey ready to go? I really need to get home.”

  Ramos didn’t believe me. He knew I was trying to escape. “Look, I won’t tell Mr. Manetto you tried to run away. It would be bad for you. I told you he doesn’t like people who run or grovel.”

  “No you didn’t. You only told me about the groveling part, not the running part.”

  “Well, that’s probably because I didn’t take you for a runner.”

  “Oh? Just a groveler?”

  He shook his head, thinking this was an argument he didn’t want to have. “Come on. Mr. Manetto’s ready to leave.”

  My legs were still a bit shaky, so I didn’t mind that Ramos kept hold of my arm.

  He let go when we got back to the crowded room. Uncle Joey disengaged himself from Johnny’s widow and met us at the door. When we were sitting comfortably in the car Uncle Joey asked me if I had any success.

  “No one there wanted Johnny dead,” I answered. Then I realized that Ramos was listening. “We should probably talk about this in your office.” I inclined my head toward Ramos.

  “Oh,” Uncle Joey said, unconcerned. He trusted Ramos completely. “Yes, of course.”

  I wanted to know what he was thinking, but once again, he started singing a song in his mind. He was doing it on purpose, and it irritated me. I knew he was planning something I wasn’t going to be happy about. It made me mad, but worse was that other feeling I’d been trying to bury under layers of anger. Deep inside where I didn’t want to admit it, I was scared to death.

  Chapter 9

  Ramos let Uncle Joey and me out at the curb, and we entered the building through the revolving doors. I was tempted to keep going around and come back out, but knew it was pointless. I mean, how far could I get anyway? Uncle Joey might be old, but he was in great shape. Once we were alone in the elevator, I decided to ask him something that had been bothering me.