by Lisa Regan
Now it was Dimples’s turn to let out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. Go make your call.”
I stepped away from the others so they couldn’t hear me and pulled out my phone. Drake answered right away with a terse hello.
“Hi, Drake. It’s Shelby Nichols. I found her.”
A tense silence came before he spoke. “Huh. That was fast. What did she say? Does she have my watch?”
“Actually, there’s a slight problem. She’s… uh…” I took a deep breath, not sure how to tell him the person he’d been in love with was dead.
“What? What’s happened?”
“She was killed… murdered, sometime last night.”
He inhaled sharply. “Are you sure it’s her?”
“Uh… yeah.”
“How did you find her?” His voice had lost that hard edge, and I heard the vulnerability and loss he tried to hide.
I told him what had happened at the precinct and how I’d ended up in the alley. “Her real name is actually Lily Daniels. But there’s something else you need to know. She was stabbed several times, and your watch was wrapped around her neck.”
He swore under his breath. “Was it open? Were the diamonds gone?”
“It wasn’t open, so I don’t know. If they’re still inside, we won’t know unless we tell the police to check. Um… there’s something else.” Now came the hard part. “I told the detective that I’m working for a client who asked me to look for her and the watch. I haven’t told him your name yet, but you have to know that he’ll want to talk to you.”
“Hmm… yeah… I can see that.”
“So, is it okay to tell him? I don’t have to, but they’ll find out eventually, and if it helps to find her killer…”
“Yes,” he agreed. “You can tell them. But don’t mention the diamonds. Let me know when they want to talk to me, and I’ll come over.”
“Sure. I can do that. I’ll call you back.”
“Shelby, wait.”
“Yes?”
“I want you to be there when I talk to them.” A sliver of desperation sounded in his voice, and I wasn’t sure if it was because of sorrow or because he might be in trouble.
“Of course,” I assured him. We disconnected, and I slipped my phone back into my purse. Sadness washed over me. Even though he’d been betrayed by the woman he loved, to find out that she’d been murdered had to be a shock.
I turned back toward the body but kept my distance. Dimples spoke to the medical examiner, and I picked up that the examiner thought she’d been killed somewhere else and left here. Because of the way she’d been stabbed, he thought it was a crime of passion, like that from rage or jealousy.
He also pointed out that the murderer was making a statement. Leaving the watch tied around her neck meant something. He was itching to get a good look at the watch and find out who it belonged to, because he was sure it was a clue in finding her killer.
Dimples agreed with him, but he didn’t share that I knew the owner of the watch. He glanced my way and finished his conversation with the examiner. While he approached me, his thoughts turned to my client. Who was he? Leaving the watch behind definitely put my client in the hot seat. And why would he think she’d been using an alias? The key to it all rested with my mysterious client. He had to be involved in something far more sinister than he’d let on.
I knew Dimples was right about that. What was Alex Drake really involved in?
Chapter 2
“My client is Alex Drake,” I said.
Dimples stopped in his tracks. “The guy who runs Global Securities?” He swore in his mind, then turned his gaze to me. “What did he tell you?”
I told Dimples the whole story, only leaving out the part about the diamonds. “It sounds like she was using him. Maybe she hoped to steal more than his watch, but something happened.”
Dimples agreed but was thinking that Drake didn’t seem like the kind of person to be taken in by a con artist. Now Lily was dead. Who knew what secrets she’d been gathering? Had she found out something about Drake? He could have hired someone to kill her, but that didn’t explain why the watch was wrapped around her neck.
“We need to talk to him,” Dimples said. “Let’s head to his office. Why don’t you call and let him know we’re coming?”
“Okay.” As we walked to his car, I put the call through and told Drake I was on my way with a detective. He murmured his thanks for the heads-up and disconnected. I sighed. When I’d left his office earlier, I hadn’t picked up a thing about any hidden secrets. I knew he was telling me the truth then, but he could have been hiding something.
Even worse, I hadn’t done much to earn the big check that still sat undisturbed in my purse. I checked my watch. It had been a little over an hour since I’d left his office, so at least I’d get to keep five hundred dollars of it.
Of course, it probably made me a bad person to be thinking about the money after a young woman had been brutally murdered. Even if I didn’t get paid much, bringing her killer to justice should be more than enough compensation. Right?
At Global Securities, we rode the same elevator to the same pristine floor I’d just been on. The receptionist frowned with disapproval that I was back already, but she’d been told by the big boss to send us right down to his office. She led the way. After knocking, she proclaimed we had arrived and ushered us inside.
This time, Drake seemed even more distant and remote. I knew that getting anything out of him would take a small miracle. Good thing I could read his mind.
“Thanks for seeing us,” Dimples said, wanting Drake to know I was on the side of the law. I shot him a startled glance but kept my mouth shut.
“Of course,” Drake answered, not missing the exchange and wondering whose side I was on. “I’m still in shock about Lily’s death. Do you know what happened?”
“That’s what we’re trying to piece together,” Dimples answered. “When was the last time you saw her?”
“Three days ago. She left my apartment that morning, and I haven’t seen or heard from her since. That’s when I discovered my watch was missing. I didn’t want to believe that she’d taken it, but once I realized that she had, I decided to hire someone to find her.” He glanced my way. “So I hired Shelby. I just didn’t expect it to end like this.”
“What can you tell me about her?” Dimples persisted. “How did you meet?”
“A friend of mine introduced us. But I obviously didn’t know Lily that well. She told me… a lot of things… and I thought we shared something special. It’s hard for me to admit it, but it looks like I’ve been tricked. Once she disappeared, I ran a security check through my financials. Luckily, the only thing she took from me was my watch.”
His gaze caught mine. He hoped I hadn’t mentioned the diamonds to the detective, but with the way the detective included me in the investigation, he wasn’t sure he could trust me.
I didn’t like hearing that, so I spoke up, adding an edge of authority to my tone. “From what I’ve picked up, I think Lily might have been in over her head. Whoever she was working with, or for, might have been upset with her lack of progress with you, Drake, and killed her for it. He could have left the watch around her neck as a token of his anger that she failed.”
Dimples took my word for it because I was the one with the premonitions. Even though I was flying by the seat of my pants, I continued with my theory. “I think finding out more about her and the scam she was operating will lead us to her killer. Who knows? There might have been others besides Drake who she’s been conning. Maybe one of them caught up with her?”
Drake nodded, but he wasn’t convinced, mostly because he still had a hard time picturing Lily as a con artist.
Dimples nodded. “Sounds like a good place to start.” He turned to Drake and held out his business card. “If you think of anything else that will help, please give me a call.”
“Of course.” Drake took the card. “Please keep me informed.”
Dimple
s stood to leave and I followed, but Drake caught my arm. “Shelby. Could you stay?”
I glanced between them, picking up that Dimples didn’t want me to stay. He wondered what Drake had up his sleeve and hoped I’d refuse him, thinking Drake could still be involved in Lily’s death. Dimples had a point, but what better way to find out how Drake was involved than to stay?
“Sure.”
“Thanks.”
“She came with me.” Dimples objected. “So I can wait outside until you’re done.”
“No need,” Drake said smoothly. “I’ll make sure she gets to her car as soon as we’re done. I’m sure you’ve got things to do, and it’s not a problem.”
Dimples was about to further object, so I spoke up. “That’s fine with me.” I turned to Dimples. “I’ll see you at the precinct when I’m done here.”
“All right.” Dimples’s lips turned down in an irritated frown. “I’ll see you soon.” After the door closed behind him, I let out a sigh and sat down.
“So, I take it you have a problem with my theory?” I asked.
Drake shook his head. “Not exactly. I don’t know what’s going on. But I think it has more to do with the diamonds than we first thought.”
“Makes sense to me. So tell me about the diamonds, and I’ll see if I can get any kind of premonitions about them.” Because he was hoping that’s what I’d say, I admitted to it, even if it wasn’t true. Besides, I could still help him out. I just needed more information and people to listen to.
“There’s just one thing,” he said, hesitating because of my ties to the police. Drake didn’t know I was so involved with them, but with my ID badge hanging around my neck, it was fairly obvious.
“Oh, this,” I said, grabbing my ID badge and pushing it down into my purse. “You know I work for the police as a consultant, but I don’t have any authority or anything.”
His brows rose, I’d just done it again. It was almost like I’d read his mind. “Yeah, right.” He wondered if he should bring up my relationship with Manetto. It was hard to believe that Manetto was good with me working for the police, but maybe it was okay as I could alert Manetto to plans the police might have when it came to him and his organization.
It also interested him that the detective seemed so protective of me. Why was that? He had to know about my premonitions, but it seemed more than that. I was a beautiful woman, and there was a genuine earnestness about me that conveyed trust.
“Okay, I’m going to trust you.” What he was about to tell me was on the illegal side, so he hoped I kept my word. “I often do business with other companies outside of the United States. Instead of currency, I’ll sometimes trade in other commodities, like diamonds or precious metals. I got those diamonds from a recent job in South Africa.”
“Who knew about them?”
“Besides me? Only the company who paid me. I don’t exactly include those kinds of transactions as part of my income, so I can’t tell the police they were stolen. I also use a special broker for exchanging those types of commodities.” He was thinking about Uncle Joey’s organization, and my brows rose. “But I haven’t set anything up with them yet, so no one on that side knows about them either.”
“Oh, that’s good,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief. “So you think Lily might have figured it out?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know anything for sure. But that’s the only thing that makes sense. Why else would she have taken the watch?”
“You must be right. So we need to find out more about Lily. She must have been working with someone, and whoever that was had killed her. I also need to find out if the diamonds are still in the watch. I can accomplish both by heading back to the precinct.”
He nodded, but the muscles tightened around his eyes, and caution settled over him. “You’re still working for me, right?”
“Yes,” I answered, nodding.
“Then you’ll keep my secret about the diamonds?”
“Of course. It could get a little tricky if the detective finds out I’m still working for you, so I might keep that to myself, but I’ll keep you informed.”
As he realized that I was getting paid to work for both him and the police, his lips quirked up in a small smile, and he thought I was a lot savvier than I let on. “I understand perfectly. Just be sure to let me know what you find.”
“Uh… I will.” I left his office, pleased that he thought I was so savvy, even if I hadn’t thought about it that way. Then I realized I had no way to get back to the precinct and stopped in my tracks. Smiling with embarrassment, I poked my head back into his office. “I need a ride to the precinct, remember?”
He hadn’t moved from his spot, and his smile widened. “Sure do. I’ll take you. I need a break.”
“Great, thanks.”
I followed him out of his office and down the hall. He stopped at the receptionist’s desk to let her know he was leaving. “I’ll be back in a while. Hold my calls.”
We took the elevator down to the parking garage, and Drake motioned me toward his special parking spot and his fancy, red, sports car. A little thrill went through me to ride in that car with a man who was practically a celebrity.
As I slid into the seat, I breathed in the new-car scent and marveled at the black leather and chrome interior. After slipping on my seatbelt, I noticed how nicely the car fit Drake’s imposing personality. Red was a good color for him.
I tried to imagine Uncle Joey in a red car instead of his usual black, but I couldn’t see it. His hit-man, Ramos, however, was another story. Yes, Ramos could certainly pull it off. Just thinking about him brought a smile to my lips, along with a little thrill of excitement that I knew I shouldn’t have, so I concentrated on the man beside me and how I could help him.
Finding out a few more details about Lily, that only he would know, could definitely help us solve her murder. “So how long were you and Lily together?”
“About four months,” Drake answered.
“Did you ever meet her family?”
“No. We weren’t to that point yet.”
“Did you spend more time at her place or yours?”
He sighed. “Mostly my place. It was nicer, and she liked it better.”
“Did she have a key to your house?” I asked.
He glanced my way, surprised he hadn’t thought of that. “No, but I guess it’s possible she had one made. I didn’t tell you, but there were a few other things missing besides the watch. My gold cufflinks and a diamond tie clip. Nothing worth mentioning, but I don’t know why she took those too.”
“Hmm. If she knew about the diamonds, why would she have bothered?”
“Yeah. It makes no sense.” A small part of his heart filled with hope that maybe she hadn’t conned him after all. But that just made it worse now that she was dead. So what had happened, and who had killed her? “I sure hope you can figure this out.”
“I’ll do my best,” I answered.
He turned his wide-eyed gaze to me, and I gave him a reassuring smile. Then I caught that he’d only thought that last part and I’d just answered his thoughts. Oh hell! “Uh… to figure this out… you know?”
“Right.” His brows drew together and he took a breath. What the hell? Had I heard his thoughts? Then he shook his head, thinking that couldn’t be right. It was just my premonitions. No one could read minds. That was nuts.
We drove the rest of the way in silence. I didn’t dare say another word until he pulled to the curb of the precinct and let me out. “I’ll be in touch,” I said and closed the door. He nodded politely and drove away.
It kind of hurt my feelings that he was so anxious to get rid of me, but I’d made a horrible mistake by answering his thoughts. I should be better at this by now. I shook my head and groaned under my breath. What a stupid thing to do. From now on, I vowed to make sure I was more observant, so that would never happen again.
With firm resolve, I entered the precinct. Then I remembered that my ID badge was in my purse
and quickly put it on so I could get past security.
I found Dimples at his desk working on his computer, and I was grateful to have some information to allow me to get back into his good graces. He glanced up as I sat down.
“You’re back,” he said, surprised at how quickly I’d returned.
“Yup,” I said. “And I found out a few things that might help.” His left brow rose, and he was thinking that was more like it, so I continued. “Drake’s watch wasn’t the only thing missing. He told me that his gold cufflinks, along with a diamond tie pin, were also missing.”
Dimples nodded. He wasn’t sure how important that was, but he decided to cut me some slack, because I was an amateur and totally inexperienced when it came to real detective work. “Okay. So you think the killer took those items and left the watch? Why would he do that?”
I let out a breath. “Uh… I guess to point to Drake? Maybe he knows Drake and hates his guts?”
“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious.”
I brushed off his lack of support for my ideas and pushed on. “I thought it might be helpful if I got a good look at the watch. It might set something off for my premonitions. What do you think?”
His lips flattened as he considered it, then he shrugged, thinking it couldn’t hurt. “Sure. All the evidence is still being processed, so we’ll have to head down to the ME’s office.”
He didn’t mind too much, because he had a couple of questions for the medical examiner. He also thought it would be good for me to see the body again. It would remind me that there was more at stake than helping my high-powered client.
At my widened eyes, he smiled. “Don’t worry, Shelby; there won’t be any blood.”
He mistook my reaction, so I played along and gave him a nod. But still… how could he think that I didn’t care about a murdered woman? Jeez.
Following him to the morgue gave me a chance to cool off, and I had to admit I was grateful there wouldn’t be any blood. Still, I wasn’t too happy I had to visit the morgue just to see the watch.
