Carrots: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

by Colleen Helme

  “Why do you say you’re Kate’s uncle when you’re not related?”

  He was shocked and surprised. “How did you know that?” I tapped my head. “Oh yeah. Umm, well, it’s a long story. Maybe someday I’ll tell you.”

  I didn’t really think he would tell me in the first place. I mostly just wanted to stop him from singing that stupid tune. Maybe talking would help. “You need to figure out the motive behind Johnny’s death. How many enemies did he have? Who would want him dead? Is it because of something he did? It could even be something from a long time ago. You’ve been friends for a while. Did anything happen in all those years that would make someone want to kill him?”

  Uncle Joey didn’t say anything, but I caught a feeling of regret that he’d had to kill someone, and that Johnny had helped him do it. The image was so powerful it was like I was there. I actually caught a glimpse of a man falling at Uncle Joey’s feet, with a knife protruding from his chest. There was shock on the dying man’s face while Johnny held him from behind. I blinked back to the present when Uncle Joey pushed the memory away.

  This was bad, and I tried to cover it by asking, “So, have you thought of anything yet?”

  His sharp glance pierced me to the quick, and the skin around his eyes tightened. He was pretty certain I’d just witnessed his crime. “Shelby, what am I going to do with you?” My stomach plunged. Had I just sealed my fate? Again? Just then, the elevator doors slid open. “After you,” he said smoothly.

  As we entered his suite, his secretary smiled and gave us a cheery greeting. At least someone was happy. “There’s a Mr. Hodges here to see you,” she said. “He’s in your office.”

  “Come with me Shelby. Let’s hear what he has to say.” Since I was in disguise, I could hardly refuse. Besides, I was as good as dead anyway. Uncle Joey greeted Hodges, and introduced me as his assistant. I took the other seat in front of Uncle Joey’s desk next to Hodges, and kept my face averted. Luckily, Hodges was so preoccupied that he didn’t really look at me, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I just wanted you to know my case is going well,” Hodges began. “The lawyers have worked wonders, and it looks promising that I’ll get the insurance money. It’s been hard going these last few weeks. Until I get the insurance money, I don’t have enough funds to re-stock my store.” He was nervous, but after discovering last night that his jewels were stolen, he was determined to find out if Uncle Joey knew anything.

  “I suppose business has slowed down considerably. Do you need my help? I’m sure I can loan you a fair amount until the money comes in.”

  “That’s what brings me here. You see, I had a few jewels in my safe at home that I was planning on using to re-stock, but last night I discovered they’d been stolen.”

  “How strange. Did you call the police?”

  “No. I couldn’t involve them because of my case. They might think they were some of the jewels I’d reported stolen, and it wouldn’t look good.”

  “Were they?” Uncle Joey wasn’t in the mood to beat around the bush.

  “No,” Hodges quickly denied it. “I wouldn’t do that. I just thought that maybe with your connections, you could look into it.”

  Uncle Joey took his time answering, and Hodges started to fidget. “I’ll do that as a favor to you, but just remember that I have very little tolerance for double-crossers.” He stood, signaling that the meeting was over. “I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

  “Thank you.” Hodges left quickly, holding back his anger. He knew that Uncle Joey had his jewels, and there was nothing he could do about it.

  After the door closed, Uncle Joey turned to me. “Well?”

  “He panicked when he found that his jewels were gone. It’s ruined everything, and now he’s got a pretty good idea that you have them.”

  “Ah. Well, I hope he’s learned his lesson.” He took a deep breath, considering me from under his bushy eyebrows. “It’s true that I don’t like double-crossers.” He was worried that I knew too much, and was trying to decide what to do about it.

  I nearly groaned, knowing I was going to my doom. Would he kill me? He reached in his desk drawer, and my heart skipped a beat. Was he getting out a gun?

  “What’s the matter?” Uncle Joey said. “You’re white as a ghost.” He drew out a stack of money, and placed it on the desk. “Here, I forgot to give this to you earlier. It’s for all the extra time you’ve put in.”

  “What?”

  “It’s yours. You’ve earned it.”

  I was shocked, and more than a little confused. What was this all about? I didn’t trust him for one minute, but I didn’t know what to do. If I took the money, it might make things worse. I could get sucked in so deep, that if I wasn’t killed, I would probably go to prison. What could be worse than that? “I think I’d rather put it in my account as a direct deposit,” I improvised. “I don’t really like going to banks anymore.”

  That startled a laugh from him. It was a loud, booming sound, and it relieved some of my anxiety. He caught his breath, and put the money back in his drawer. “I’ll have Jackie get the paperwork, and you can give her a voided check.”

  “Okay. Well, I’d better get going.” I checked my watch. “I have to pick my kids up from school in half an hour. Call if you need anything.” I almost made it to the door before his commanding voice stopped me.

  “You can’t go now,” he said. “I need you here.”

  I whirled around and faced him, desperation feeding my anger. “I can’t stay. It’s my responsibility to pick up my kids from school.” He opened his mouth to object so I cut him off. “Look, I’ve done everything you asked, and more. I’ve listened to all your men, and told you everything they were thinking. I went to Mr. Hodges house, and found all his jewels for you. I told you everything I learned at the police station this morning. I even went to Johnny’s house, and listened to his family, who were pretty pissed off by the way. And I’ve given you some great advice. I think the least you could do is let me pick up my kids like I’m supposed to.”

  Uncle Joey blinked at my audacity to contradict him. It threw him off-guard. He wasn’t used to anyone who didn’t grovel most of the time. He hated it when people groveled, but this was almost more than he could take.

  “There’s not a lot I can do for you here.” I soothed, inching closer to the door. “And I’ve got my phone. You call, and I’ll come right back. You know I will. Have I ever let you down? Now I’ve really got to go.” I rushed out the door before Uncle Joey could say anything.

  Ramos was standing in the hallway like a guard. I smiled as I rushed past him, and pushed the call button for the elevator. He was surprised that I had managed to escape. It was hard to believe that the boss would let me walk out of there. When I stepped onto the elevator he followed, thinking that maybe he should come with me.

  “No!” I blurted.

  Ramos crammed his arm in the elevator door so it wouldn’t close. “What did you say?”

  He knew what I said, and I knew I’d better do some quick thinking. “It looked like you were wondering if you should come with me. I could tell by the way you hesitated, and looked around for Uncle Joey. I said no because I didn’t want you to waste your time asking me when you didn’t need to. Okay?” He grunted but didn’t let go so I swatted his arm. “Let go. I’ve got to pick my kids up from school, and I’m going to be late.” When he still hesitated I added, “It’s okay with Uncle Joey, I promise.”

  Nobody had swatted him like that for a long time. Not since his grandmother, and she had died when he was a kid.

  I sure hoped he liked his grandmother. After a second of indecision, he pulled his hand away, and the doors swooshed closed. I let out my breath and nearly collapsed. That was close. It wasn’t until I was driving out of the parking garage that I let myself relax. I did it! I got away!

  I pulled up in front of the school just as the bell rang. Finally something was going right. I glanced in my rear-view mirror to make sure n
o one had followed me, and got a shock. I still had my wig on! I whipped it off, then wondered what I was going to do with it.

  The glove box! I threw it in, and tried to pull out all the bobby pins that held my hair back. I got one side undone when the car door opened. Savannah slid in next to me and did a double-take. “Mom? When did you get glasses?”

  “Umm…just the other day. How was school?”

  “Fine.” Besides my weird hair and glasses, she couldn’t help notice my short skirt and boots. Why was I wearing that? It suddenly dawned on her that I must be having a mid-life crisis. It was the only thing that explained the way I was acting. Wow, she didn’t realize I was so old.

  Old? Me? The car door opened, effectively stopping me from telling her how wrong she was. I wasn’t old! The other kids started piling into the car, but I’d learned my lesson and blocked their thoughts. I didn’t need to hear how old I was again.

  It was a relief to drop each of them off at their houses and get home. Home! I never wanted to leave again. So far, all my strategies had just gotten me into more trouble. If I wasn’t such an optimistic person, I could easily get depressed.

  It was time to try a different tactic. Now that I had ‘seen’ Uncle Joey commit a murder, all I needed to do was find out whom he had killed. Then I could put him away for good. I’d seen the victim’s face so that was a good start. There was something else. Johnny was involved. He must have been an accomplice, and since it was on Uncle Joey’s mind, he must have thought it was tied to Johnny’s murder.

  Besides the murder victim’s face, and Johnny’s involvement with Uncle Joey, I had one more clue. In Uncle Joey’s memory, Johnny wasn’t bald or fat. He was young. That meant it had happened at least twenty years ago, maybe more. So now I had to find an unsolved murder that had happened in the last twenty years.

  Of course, maybe afterward, Uncle Joey had made it look like an accident. Then it wouldn’t be recorded as a murder. Maybe he dumped the body somewhere, and the guy’s a missing person. Or he could have covered the whole thing up, and nobody even knew the guy was dead. No, somebody knew, or Johnny wouldn’t be dead, right? Unless Johnny’s death was totally unrelated. My heart sank. With so many different possibilities, how would I ever find the truth? I had to find out what happened. It was the only way out of this terrible mess.

  I pulled the car into the garage feeling drained and discouraged. Savannah rushed inside, and I envied her youth and innocence. It was hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, my life was simple and relatively stress-free. I was happy taking care of my family and doing all the little mundane things I did. I didn’t care about having a career like Chris thought. I was making a difference in my own way. Now, after barely escaping death from a deranged bank robber, I was trying to keep a mob boss satisfied enough to let me live. All because I had stopped at the grocery store for a few carrots! Ugh! I slammed the car door, and stomped into the house.

  “Hey, mom,” Josh was drinking milk out of the bottle. It started to run down his chin, and he wiped it off with his sleeve. He opened his mouth, and let out a huge belch.

  “Joshua!” I scolded.

  He grinned like a maniac, happy he’d gotten a response out of me. Lately, I’d hardly noticed him, and he wondered if something was wrong with me. “Nice boots.” He took in my short skirt, and was surprised that I looked so good for someone my age. All except for the hair. It looked pretty stupid. “I didn’t know you needed glasses.”

  “I don’t. I just like the way I look in them, so I got them for fun.” Telling the truth was probably not the smartest thing to do, but I was tired of lying.

  “Oh.” He considered how I looked. “You look good in them.” He thought I’d look better if I fixed my hair different.

  “I had my hair pulled back earlier, but some of the pins fell out, that’s why it looks funny. So, how was school?”

  He stilled. How did I know he was thinking about my hair? It must be women’s intuition or something like that. “Uh, school’s fine.”

  “Good.” I wasn’t going to get any more out of him. His mind had wandered, and it was making me dizzy trying to keep up. Mostly, he was thinking about food. “Why don’t you get your homework done, and I’ll make those chicken enchiladas you like so much?”

  “I was just thinking about chicken enchiladas!” he exclaimed. “Weird.”

  “Yeah, isn’t it?” If he only knew.

  I pushed my worries about Uncle Joey aside as I changed my clothes, and got all the pins out of my hair. I fluffed it up and put on some lipstick. That’s when I realized that my jeans weren’t too tight; in fact they were a little loose. Elated, I put on some perfume, and a low-cut cotton shirt. Chris would be coming home soon, and I needed him distracted.

  He’d been upset with me last night, and I knew he was not going to be happy with me today, since I hadn’t called him back. To top it off, Kate had spilled the beans about my “consulting business” and it would look like another deception to him. I hoped looking and smelling sexy would make him forget.

  I put the chicken in to defrost and started cutting up an onion. This dinner was something Chris really liked, so that was a plus. He’d be so distracted by the food and my sexy body, he’d forget his anger, right? My heart lightened, and I got lost in preparing our dinner. It was a relief to forget my troubles in this simple task. I popped the enchiladas in the oven, and started to clean up.

  The air was heavy with the smell of roasted chicken and enchilada sauce with cheese when Chris walked in. I could tell he appreciated the aroma, when he closed the door and inhaled deeply. I was cutting up tomatoes for a salad, and practically threw down my knife.

  “Hi.” I quickly wrapped my arms around him while he was distracted, and hugged him tight. He dropped his briefcase, and his arms closed around me. So far, so good.

  “What are you cooking?” he asked. “It smells wonderful.”

  “Chicken enchiladas,” I smiled up at him. “They’ll be done in about fifteen minutes.” He looked into my eyes, and I leaned up to kiss him. Our lips met and he groaned. I deepened the kiss, giving him a promise of what was to come.

  He pulled back, out of breath. “I know what you’re trying to do.”

  “Is it working?”

  “Yes.”

  This time he took control, and pinned me against the counter, capturing my lips with bruising force. It was a few seconds later that the shrill beeping of the timer went off and we pulled apart.

  “Hold that thought,” I said, and breathlessly turned off the oven. Before I could grab him again, he picked up his brief case and held it in front of him like a shield. “What are you doing that for?” I asked, disappointed.

  “You know exactly why I’m doing this. You think you can use your body to get out of talking to me. Well, you can’t.”

  “Are you sure about that? It looks like it’s working to me.”

  Chris held back a smile, and shook his head. “Shelby, I wasn’t even sure you’d be here when I came home. Why didn’t you call me back?”

  “I didn’t have a chance, and by the time I got through with the meeting, I barely had enough time to get Savannah from school. I guess I could have called you when I got home, but I figured you’d be home soon, and I put it off. I guess, mostly because I knew you’d be mad since I didn’t call you. So I probably just made it all worse, but you have to remember that you weren’t happy last night either.”

  I probably shouldn’t have reminded him, since he’d nearly forgotten it himself. In fact, the main thing over-riding all his thoughts was worry. He’d been worried about me, and by not calling, he’d been afraid something was wrong, and this time, maybe I wasn’t coming home. It was something he didn’t want to admit, even to himself.

  “Oh, Chris,” I reached for him. “I’m sorry.”

  “Did you just…you’re not supposed to do that.” He wasn’t really mad, but he was tired of blocking his thoughts all the time. Something had to give.

  I
smiled at him. “Let’s eat and then we can talk.”

  He was thinking of something else he’d rather do, and my heart skipped a beat at his sudden change of direction. He leaned down to kiss me when Joshua breezed through.

  “Is dinner ready?” Josh saw what we were doing, and was filled with embarrassment. “I’m starving here.”

  “Yes.” I turned away from Chris. “I just need to finish the salad. Why don’t you guys set the table?”

  The next half hour things seemed almost normal. I kept my mental shields up and realized I was getting better at it, although I couldn’t totally relax. I was also learning not to respond when I did pick something up. That was harder to do, especially when what they were thinking needed to be straightened out. The urge to correct them was hard to suppress, but I found there were other ways to do it that didn’t ruffle any feathers.

  It wasn’t until we were getting ready for bed that Chris and I could finally talk without interruption. “So,” Chris began. “Kate said she saw you at the police station. What were you doing there?”

  “You told me Dimples called yesterday. I couldn’t get through to him, so I went down to the station to see what he wanted. That’s when I ran into Kate. Do you know what kinds of clients she has? I didn’t think your firm handled those kinds of cases.”

  “What kinds of cases?”

  “The ones where the guy you’re defending is guilty. That’s what Dimples needed me for, to find out if the guy was guilty. Since I’d been able to help him before, he decided to ask again. Kate turned out to be the guy’s lawyer and she came in for the questioning. When she asked what I was doing there, I told her I was starting my own consulting business. See how easily it happened? That was the only thing I could think of to say.”

  “Yes.” Chris let out a breath, thinking how easy it had become for me to tell a lie. “So, I take it he was guilty?”

  “Yes.” It hurt that he thought I was becoming a liar and I couldn’t squelch the simmering indignation. “I only lie because I have to cover up the fact that I can read minds. But I don’t enjoy it. I hate it. It’s hard to know things about people.”