Lie or Die: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

by Colleen Helme

  “Under the circumstances,” Smith glared at Felt, “with your investigation going nowhere, it is a risk I am willing to take. Now if you have nothing new to add, you may leave.”

  Felt’s face turned red with anger. “I’m not giving up. If I find the money, I still want to be paid the finder’s fee. All of it.” He stood, and with a derisive shake of his head at me, left the room.

  “Sorry about that,” Smith said. “He’s a rather unpleasant fellow, but he did come highly recommended. That’s still no excuse for his behavior.”

  “It’s all right,” I said. “Most people don’t believe in premonitions, so I’m used to it.”

  “But you’ll still take the case?” he asked. Losing that much cash had put a strain on the bank, and the board of directors, as well as the owner, wanted it back. It was insured, but for some reason that wasn’t enough. Someone up the ladder wanted it found.

  Hmm…that seemed interesting. I smiled. “Yes, I’ll do what I can, but I can’t guarantee anything.”

  “Great,” he said. “Anything I can do to help, just ask.”

  “There is something,” I said. “Do you have the copy of the police report and what they know about the robbers? I might need to interview some of the people involved. It could help with my premonitions.”

  “Not here,” he said. “But I’ve talked to the prosecuting attorney. He has everything you’ll need for the investigation and is willing to share what he has with you. His name is Don Gamble. I’ll give him a call and let him know you’re coming.”

  “All right. One more thing,” I said, before he picked up the phone. “I know you were only paying Felt if he found the money, but I don’t work that way. I take an hourly wage of fifty dollars an hour. If I haven’t made sufficient progress within twenty hours, you can decide whether to keep paying me or hire someone else. Because of my method of payment, you won’t owe me any finder’s fee if I do find the money.”

  He narrowed his eyes. I was a lot more shrewd than he gave me credit for, but it was a good deal. Especially if I was successful. Plus, fifty dollars an hour was considerably less than most private investigators charged. In fact, it was too good to pass up. “Agreed,” he said. “Keep track of your hours, and we’ll meet again once you’ve hit twenty.”

  We shook on it, and he put in a call to Don, letting him know I was investigating the robbery for the bank and needed access to any of the information he had on Keith Bishop.

  With Don’s address in my hand, I drove to his office with a smile on my face. It worked! I had a plan to talk to as many friends of Keith Bishop as I could, hoping something would turn up in their thoughts. If his partner was a friend or relative, I might even end up talking to him. I would know he was the accomplice from his thoughts. Wouldn’t that be something? It could also be dangerous. Talking to the man who stole all the money, and hired Mercer to kill his partner, gave me the creeps. I’d have to work on my poker face, so I didn’t give anything away.

  I started singing ‘can’t read my, can’t read my…p-p-p-poker face’ until I pulled into a parking place and turned off the car. Don’s office wasn’t too far from Chris. With any luck, I could stop by and pay Chris a visit when I got done. Maybe we could even go to lunch.

  Don seemed young to be a prosecuting attorney, but he was nice and helpful. “I was just about to archive these when Blaine called, so they’re all boxed up.” He pointed to five boxes stacked against the wall. “You’re welcome to make copies of whatever you need, but I can’t let you take the files. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Oh, sure,” I said. Wow…five boxes of stuff was a lot of information. If I had to look through all of those boxes, I could be here all day, and probably tomorrow as well. Even though it meant more billable hours, I’d rather not spend them this way. “Um…I only need what you’ve got on his family and friends, not the actual case information. Does that make sense? I just want to talk to anyone who knew him, like his employers. That sort of thing.”

  “That sounds like the police investigation,” he said. “I think that stuff is in this box here.” He picked the box up like it weighed hardly anything, and carried it out to a room with a copy machine and table. “You can look through it in here, and make whatever copies you need.”

  “Great. Thanks so much.”

  “No problem. I hope you find something.” He was thinking how disappointed he was to never finish the case. Keith Bishop was killed before the trial barely got started, and all his hard work went down the drain. Of course, it had saved everyone a lot of money now that he was dead. The alleged assassin that killed him…what was his name? Ah, Mercer…was dead too. It seemed like a lot of people had died over this money, and the man responsible was still out there. Anyone who got close to the money was dead. I seemed like a nice lady…he hoped it wouldn’t kill me too.

  “Thanks,” I said with a bright smile, mostly because he thought I was nice. As he left the room, I opened the box and shuffled through the files. There were several that had what I needed, and I made lots of copies. By the time I was done, I had a pretty big stack.

  I talked to Don, and he helped me put all my copies in a box. Like a true gentleman, he even carried it to my car. Who said lawyers were bad? Of course, since I was married to one, I was a little biased. Still, I didn’t like all those nasty lawyer jokes, or come to think of it, the dumb blond jokes either.

  That reminded me of Felt, and I wondered if he had done all this, too. He was at the courthouse, dressed as a woman, the day Bishop was killed. Why was he there that day? He couldn’t have known that Mercer was hired to kill Bishop until later, and that’s why he started following him. But why was he there in the first place? I could probably ask, but I doubted that he’d tell me the truth. Of course, what did that matter? I could read his mind. I smiled with satisfaction. This was the right business for me.

  I started up the car and glanced at the clock. Making all those copies had taken me longer than I thought. It was close to two in the afternoon, probably too late to go out to lunch with Chris. So I went home instead. I staggered under the weight of the box, but managed to carry it all the way into Chris’ study. I figured since he wasn’t home during the day, I could use his study as my office.

  I found the time card app on my iPhone and set it to keep my hours straight, including the time I’d spent already at the prosecuting attorney’s office. I settled in at the desk and went to work, writing up a list of people, their addresses, and their relationships to Keith Bishop. By the time the kids got home from school, I had the list ready to go and my work cut out for the next day.

  I was especially excited to visit the first place on my list. It was a shop owned by Keith’s aunt, Dottie Weir. He’d worked there occasionally, and it was called “Novelty Creations” and subtitled, “for all your lingerie needs.” This could be it! The break I was looking for!

  I could hardly wait to show Chris. Then he’d have to take back everything he’d said about my stupid clue. Not that I wanted to shove it in his face or anything, but still, I was pretty happy. It gave me credibility and made Shelby Nichols Consulting official. Of course, I hadn’t found the money yet, but I had possibilities now.

  My cell phone rang, and my elation plunged. The caller ID said it was Thrasher Development. From the way my heart pounded, I knew my blood pressure had gone sky high. Uncle Joey had that effect on me, and I hadn’t even talked to him yet.

  “Hello?” I asked.

  “Hi, Shelby,” Uncle Joey said. “I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

  He paused, and I couldn’t stand the suspense. “Bad for me, or bad for you?” I blurted.

  “What’s bad for me is bad for you,” he replied, coldly.

  I didn’t want to argue, so I kept my mouth shut.

  “I won’t be sending you to Seattle after all. I just found out that Hodges is dead. His body washed up on Puget Sound sometime yesterday with a bullet in his head. The authorities think he was killed about two weeks ago.”
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  “Two weeks ago?” That surprised me. “So is Kate still there? Do you think she did it?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “But I’m sending Ramos to check it out. In the meantime, I’ll need your services tomorrow. I’m promoting two of my men to take the place of Walter and Johnny. I need to know what everyone’s thinking when I admit them to my board of directors. It should only take about an hour.”

  I hesitated before answering. Did I really have to go? “Okay,” I agreed, knowing I didn’t have a choice. “What time?”

  “Ten o’clock. See you then.” He disconnected.

  I held the phone to my ear for a little longer than necessary, then despondently put it away. Being summoned to Uncle Joey’s felt like going to my execution. I tried to shake it off. It wasn’t life threatening, so that was a plus. I could handle working for him for an hour, especially since he was going to pay me. I’d be done by eleven, and could go right to the lingerie store after that. It could work. As a bonus, there might even be some cute underwear at the store I could buy.

  Then it hit me. Where was Kate if Hodges was dead? What happened to all the money and jewels they took? Could Kate be dead too? A little thrill of hope went through me, and I felt bad. It wasn’t nice of me to hope she was dead. Besides, if Hodges was dead, I wouldn’t put it past Kate to be the one who killed him. She probably wanted all the money for herself. I hoped Ramos found out what happened. I would rest easier knowing she was far away from here.

  Chris came home, and I couldn’t wait to tell him about the lingerie store. “I have some good news and some bad news,” I said. “Which do you want first?”

  He was thinking that the bad news probably had something to do with Uncle Joey. How did he always know? “The good news, of course.”

  Dang, I thought for sure he’d go with the bad. “I found a lead for the stolen money.” I explained about the lingerie store and waited for him to congratulate me. “Dottie Weir? Hmm…that’s an interesting name.” He was thinking it was probably just a fluke, but it wouldn’t hurt to check it out. “But that’s great you have more of a lead,” he added.

  How could he think it was a fluke? He just didn’t want to admit he was wrong. “I’m going to check it out tomorrow, so hopefully I’ll know if there’s more to it.”

  “So, what’s the bad news?” he asked.

  I was a little disappointed that he dropped it so fast, and I didn’t want to tell him I’d been summoned to Thrasher Development, so I went with the other part. “We’re not going to Seattle after all. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty disappointed about that.”

  “Why? Did Manetto change his mind?”

  “Nope. Hodges is dead,” I said. “Apparently he was killed a couple of weeks ago, but his body just washed up somewhere on Puget Sound.”

  “What about Kate? Is she all right?”

  Was that real concern I detected? I didn’t think he liked Kate that much. “Uncle Joey doesn’t know. He sent Ramos to see what he could find out.”

  “That’s nuts. I wonder what happened.” He didn’t think Kate would actually kill someone. She was too smart to do something stupid like that.

  “Not that smart,” I said. “Did you forget Kate was ready to kill me?”

  His eyes narrowed, and I could hear him growling in his mind. Wow, he’d never done that before. “Um…sorry,” I apologized. “But I wouldn’t rule her out if I were you. Besides, why do you care?”

  “I don’t know,” he said defensively. “I just hate to see anyone I know in trouble. I don’t think she really would have killed you. Some people are all bluff. They make threats they would never carry out.”

  “So her pointing a loaded gun at me was just a threat?” I fumed.

  He huffed in frustration. “Okay, you probably have a point, and it doesn’t do any good to argue about it. But since we are arguing, could you please stop listening to my thoughts?”

  His voice was pretty loud by then, and it surprised me. “Did you have a bad day?”

  “Not really,” he said, but he thought, not until I got home.

  “Until you got home?” I said, outraged. I didn’t want him to hide behind those unspoken words. “It’s okay. I get it. I’ll just go get dinner ready.”

  “Shelby, it’s not…”

  “No, I get it.” I interrupted him, and rushed into the kitchen. He didn’t follow me to smooth things over, and a little part of me wilted. I knew that something had to change. Either I had to put up my shields around Chris, or he had to stop getting mad every time I listened to his thoughts. This was the situation we were in, and it wasn’t going to change. How we handled it was what would make us or break us.

  It hit me that I was the one who was stupid. If I didn’t get my shields up around him, the simplest thing to do was not respond to his thoughts. Why did I always do that anyway? It was like I was purposely trying to make him mad. That was just dumb. From now on, I would keep my mouth shut and only respond to his spoken words.

  I relaxed my shoulders and sagged in relief, knowing I had a plan. It might be hard, but it was something I could do, especially since I couldn’t expect Chris to just accept that I could read his mind all the time. That probably wasn’t fair, even if deep down I wished he’d just get used to it. No, it was up to me. I could do it.

  The rest of the evening went better. I put up my shields and Chris began to relax. Later, I realized how much of a strain we’d both been under, and I was more determined than ever to be as normal as possible.

  To do that, I decided it was best not to tell Chris about my visit to see Uncle Joey tomorrow. When it came to Uncle Joey, there were times it was better Chris didn’t know. Replacing two of Uncle Joey’s dead people wasn’t that big of a deal, and certainly not something I had to worry Chris with. I could handle Uncle Joey on my own. I hoped.

  Chapter 2

  I left for Thrasher Development a little early. Not that I didn’t want to be late, but it didn’t take me that long to get ready. Mostly because I didn’t have to put on the wig and glasses I’d worn when I first started working for Uncle Joey. Since everyone knew who I was, it didn’t matter anymore, although I still felt vulnerable. But at least I wasn’t wearing black. My white denim jacket, layered over a pink cami and paired with a short ruffled skirt, went perfectly with my new boots.

  On the drive there, I noticed a car following close behind. I was nearly to the office when it dawned on me who it was. Felt? What was he doing? Was he purposely making my life difficult? It was too late to shake him off, so I turned into the parking garage. At least without an electronic sticker on his car, the door wouldn’t open, and he couldn’t get in.

  He sped past, but I knew he’d find out what I was doing here, and I pursed my lips in frustration. I didn’t need him to pry into my relationship with Uncle Joey. I needed to figure out a way to lose Felt, but besides telling Uncle Joey to get rid of him, I wasn’t sure that would happen. Still, there had to be something I could get on Felt that would make him back off. I sighed, knowing it was just one more thing to worry about.

  I stepped into Uncle Joey’s office, and all thoughts of Felt fled my mind. I was early, and Jackie wasn’t at her desk. I could hear her talking to someone down the hall near the office where all the security equipment was kept. Since Ramos had gone to Seattle, it must be someone I didn’t know.

  Just then, Jackie stepped out of the office, and noticed me standing by her desk. “Shelby!” she said. I smiled and waved. “There’s someone you need to meet.” She turned back to the office, and soon a man followed her down the hall. His body filled up the hall, and I realized he was huge. About six feet six inches tall, and built like a soldier or bodyguard.

  Jackie made the introductions. “Shelby, this is Douglas, our new security advisor.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I said.

  “Likewise,” he answered, extending his hand. His hand was so big, mine seemed to disappear inside, but thankfully he didn’t squeeze too hard or h
e might have broken a bone or something. So this is Shelby. That thought came through clearly, surprising me. I smiled brightly, and pulled my hand out of his grasp. How did he know about me?

  “What about Ramos?” I blurted. “Isn’t that his job?”

  Jackie chuckled indulgently, hoping I hadn’t offended Douglas. “Yes, but Ramos had to go to Seattle for a while. While he’s gone, we needed someone with his expertise to fill in. Douglas came highly recommended, and we are very lucky to have him.”

  “Thank you Jackie,” he said, inclining his head. “And please, call me Doug.” He was thinking that his mother was the only one who called him Douglas, and it always made him feel like a little boy. Mostly because that was the name she used when he was in trouble.

  My neck was getting a crick in it from looking up at him, so it was a relief when Jackie motioned me down the hall toward Uncle Joey’s office. Doug headed back to the security office, and I leaned toward Jackie to ask what was going on. “If Ramos is only gone for a week or two, why are you hiring someone else? Ramos will think you don’t want him anymore.”

  She glanced at me with her brows drawn together, like I was an idiot. “Joey doesn’t want to take any chances now that Miguel is here. Besides, Mexico taught him that he could use a little more security.”

  “Oh,” I said. “Okay. So you’re going to keep him around when Ramos gets back?”

  “Yes,” she answered. She was thinking that it wasn’t any of my business, but she could understand since it concerned Ramos. He had saved my life a time or two, so naturally I would be looking out for him. “Joey wanted to see you in his office before the meeting,” she said.

  I followed her to his office, where she knocked before opening the door. “Shelby’s here.” She ushered me inside, and firmly closed the door behind me.

  “Have a seat,” Uncle Joey said, without glancing up. He finished writing, and threw down his pen. “There, that should do it.” He glanced up at me and frowned. Why wasn’t I sitting down like he asked?