“Oh.” I nodded, then grinned back at him. “Sounds good to me.”
“Let’s go,” Blake said, and he helped me stand. Since I wasn’t cold anymore, I left the blanket on the seat and walked with Blake to my car.
“I could probably drive,” I told him, getting the keys out of my purse.
Instead of answering, he just took them from my hand. With a polite smile that brooked no arguments, he opened the passenger-side door and waited for me to sit before shutting me in. Once he started driving, I was grateful for more time to recover before I had to negotiate through the busy traffic.
“Where did you learn how to throw a person like that?” Blake asked, thinking he’d never been so shocked. If anyone looked like a damsel in distress, it was me. But then I pull something off like that? It surprised him and, more important, completely caught Matt off guard.
“I take Aikido. I just started, but that’s a move I’ve been working on.”
“Nice,” he said, thinking it probably saved my life.
“Yeah,” I agreed. Coming so close to death washed over me with a vengeance, sending a river of dread over every inch of my body. I closed my eyes and concentrated on breathing evenly until it passed.
“Um...just so you know, your husband called,” Blake said. “I told him the basics but smoothed over the part where Matt held a gun to your head. No use getting your husband all upset now that it’s over. I told him you’d call him after we were done.”
“Oh...good, thanks for telling me.” I’d totally forgotten about calling Chris. Thank goodness Blake had talked to him, and I could fill him in later when I was more composed.
It wasn’t long before Blake parked at the precinct and turned to face me. “Before we go in, I just have to say that I’ve never seen anything like what you did. Your technique was...” he hesitated. “A bit unconventional...and your questions...it was like you asked him something, and then told him the answer.” He was thinking that it was the answers that broke Matt, probably because they were right. How had I done that? It couldn’t have been a lucky guess. He never would have put those same things together like I had, and he was an expert.
“Thanks,” I said. “I guess it’s my psychic ability at work. Sometimes I get these images in my mind, so I just go with it.” Not wanting to discuss it further, I opened the car door and got out, leaving Blake to follow behind.
Even though I wasn’t anxious to face Matt again, I wanted to get this part over with so I could go home and take a bath. But I still had my work cut out for me, and worrying that Blake would figure things out wasn’t helping.
We spotted Dimples near the chief’s office. He smiled with relief to see me, and he held up a cell phone. “This is how he knew where you were parked. He got a text telling him. I guess he had someone watching you.”
“Oh yeah? I wondered about that,” I said, even though the thought hadn’t even crossed my mind.
“He’s this way,” Dimples said.
Dimples led us to an interrogation room where we found Bates and the chief discussing the case. The chief smiled and told me I’d done a good job. I thanked him, then picked up that Bates wanted to tell me I’d done a good job too, but the words got stuck in his throat. He was feeling guilty that Matt had slipped through his fingers after he left the restaurant, and it was his fault Matt got to me.
Twisting his lips, he caught my gaze. “Hey...listen Shelby, I’m sorry I lost Matt. I should have done a better job.”
Wow...that was a shock. I should probably enjoy it while it lasted. “Thanks Bates, I appreciate it. I think he took us all by surprise. I’m just glad it turned out okay.”
“That’s for sure,” he agreed, mentally wiping his forehead that I’d taken it so well. “That guy’s a piece of work, isn’t he?”
We glanced through the mirror to find Matt sitting in a slouched position with his hands cuffed to the table in front of him. “The chief made us pop his arm back in the socket,” he explained. “I didn’t want to, but Matt was threatening a lawsuit, and the chief wanted to play it by the book.”
“That’s fine,” Blake said, expecting no less. “I’m taking Shelby in with me to question him.” He turned to me. “You ready?”
“Yes,” I agreed, even though my legs shook a little. I followed Blake inside and sat across the table from Matt.
“I’m not saying a word until my lawyer gets here,” Matt said, freezing me with cold fury. But then I picked up that the fury was a front for the fear that surged over him. He was afraid of me and thought I was some kind of a crazy lunatic. The things I did weren’t natural.
That settled me down, and I smiled. “That’s okay, Matt. I don’t really need you to talk. I can read you pretty good. Right now you’re showing anger but, behind it, you’re really just scared.” Wow...that was probably not the smartest thing for me to tell him, but it sure felt good.
“So how does Anthony Kerby play into all this? Pete was in on your drug ring, I know that much. His time as an undercover narcotics agent helped you find the dealers and set up shop. But Anthony made some kind of a deal with you. What’s his job anyway?”
Matt shook his head and held his lips tightly together, but it didn’t do him any good. “Oh my gosh!” I exclaimed, and I turned to Blake. “Anthony Kerby is the assistant state’s attorney involved with the prosecution of drugs and narcotics. No wonder he’s part of this.”
I glanced back at Matt, whose face had paled to a pasty white. “He made a deal with you. Inside knowledge on pending cases and, with Pete’s help, dropping charges against your people. Of course, he got a big cut of the profits, but it goes even deeper than that...”
Matt was a fountain of information but, with each revelation, he was starting to close down. He kept thinking that this couldn’t be happening, and it was hard to get to the knowledge behind his panic. Then I found it.
“Grayson Sharp?” I blurted. “He’s in on it too?”
“Stop!” he said. “What are you doing to me? You’re violating my rights. Get her away from me.”
Up until now, Blake had watched this exchange with quiet fascination, but Matt’s reaction floored him. Matt obviously thought I was doing something to his mind to get the information. Blake glanced at me wondering if Matt was right. My premonitions were nothing like he’d thought. Accurate and succinct. Not guesses at all. Somehow I knew, and it blew him away. How did I do it?
Damn it all! I was doing too good of a job, and now Blake wondered about me. This could go very wrong. I had to say something, so I chuckled and shook my head. “I’m not doing anything to you, Matt. It must be your guilty conscience. I guess killing two people will do that. I get why you killed Pete, but what about Tom? Why did you kill him?”
Matt shook his head, thinking he wasn’t even going to think about it.
“He figured it out, didn’t he?” I said, pushing him to remember. “He knew you from your charity work with the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He confronted you, so you killed him. You might as well tell us. The gun in your safe will confirm it’s a match for the murder weapon, so it’s not just me making this up.”
“Shut the hell up,” he said. “Where’s my lawyer? I want my lawyer.”
I wasn’t sure I should keep up with my questions. I’d gotten the main points out of him, but if I pushed any harder, Blake was sure to figure out what I did. Maybe it was time to back off.
“Let’s get back to Grayson Sharp,” Blake asked, surprising me. “How does he fit in with all this?”
Of course, Matt didn’t answer, but I heard it in his mind. Should I say something? Had I gone past the point of no return? Blake glanced at me and cocked his eyebrow, waiting for my response.
“I think the thumb-drive we gave you has something to do with it,” I answered. “It’s all tied up with Matt’s realty business and his investment firm.” I closed my eyes and concentrated on Matt’s thoughts. “I think Grayson Sharp helped with the sale of the properties...or I should say the drug hous
es, through some deal he made. Matt bought them, then sold them to fake buyers under the umbrella of his investment firm...or something like that.”
Matt’s jaw dropped open, and he glanced at me with horror. This was unraveling so fast it made his head spin. He hadn’t said a word, but I knew. How? Just a few hours ago, he had everything under control. Then I walked into his life, and it all fell apart. What the hell was going on? Who was I? What was I?
“Uh...I’m not feeling so well,” I said. “Can I go now?” There was more that I’d picked up from Matt, and the implications hit me like a one-two punch to my stomach, sending a wave of queasiness over me.
“Of course,” Blake answered, concerned. He quickly stood and walked me to the door, thinking I looked like I might throw up or pass out. Opening the door, he ushered me into the hall where Dimples stood waiting. “Make sure she gets home safely,” Blake said, handing Dimples the keys to my car. He turned to me. “Thanks Shelby, we couldn’t have done it without you. Get some rest. I’ll talk to you later.”
I nodded my head and gratefully took Dimples’ arm. He walked me from the building, concerned that my sudden sickness had something to do with what I’d heard in Matt’s mind. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I lied. “But all of this has suddenly caught up to me.”
“I can see that,” he agreed. “Did you hear something that upset you?”
“Well...a lot of it upset me, but I think it’s the nearly-getting-killed-part that’s hitting me so strong. I just need to go home and lie down.” I hoped Dimples bought it, especially since it was partly true. “Do you think you can drive me home?”
“Sure,” he said. “Give me a minute and I’ll arrange for someone to follow us to your place.”
It wasn’t long before Dimples pulled my car into my garage. He even unlocked the garage door for me to go inside. He was bursting with questions, but wisely kept them to himself, although in reality I heard every one of them and chose not to answer.
He handed me the keys. “I didn’t tell you this, but what you did today...it was simply amazing. I can’t tell you how proud I am to know you.” He smiled, but wasn’t quite finished. “Look, I can tell something’s bothering you, and I think I know what it is. You’re worried that everyone will figure out that you’re reading people’s minds, but it’s not going to happen. Unless you tell them, they won’t believe it, I promise. Having premonitions is the perfect way to explain it, and I think they’ll accept that and won’t think it’s anything else, so try not to worry. Okay? Everything will be fine.”
“Wow...that was exactly what I was thinking. Are you sure you can’t read minds?” I teased. This time his grin broadened, sending his dimples into swirling whirlwinds. “Thanks for driving me home...and coming to my rescue...and everything. I’m glad to have you on my side, and don’t worry...I don’t regret telling you my secret.”
He chuckled, since that thought was rattling around in his mind. “Good. Get some rest.”
I closed and locked the door, grateful to have the house to myself and time to gain some composure before I faced my family. I ran a bath and filled it with my soothing eucalyptus-scented bubble bath, hoping it would somehow calm me down.
It wasn’t until I had soaked in the tub for a few minutes that the full weight of what I’d heard from Matt hit me, and I knew I had to face it. The awful truth that Uncle Joey was involved in the whole thing shouldn’t come as such a big surprise, given that he was a mob-boss, but it certainly wasn’t something I wanted to know.
I wasn’t prepared to deal with it. But I also knew that if this came out, he was going to prison for a long time. That probably meant Ramos and most everyone else in his crew would end up there too. As a sinking feeling that I had just doomed them all flooded over me, tears started flowing down my cheeks. I didn’t know what to do, or how to help, but I had to do something. Was it too late?
Matt had been thinking of the deal between Grayson Sharp and Uncle Joey where, in return for looking the other way on some of his business dealings, Uncle Joey had agreed to sell the drug houses to Matt and let him take over the business. But what made my stomach ache the most...I was pretty sure Uncle Joey was still taking a cut of the profits, and the proof was probably on that thumb-drive.
Before I changed my mind, I got out of the tub and called Uncle Joey.
“Shelby,” he answered. “How are you doing?”
The sound of his voice hit me so strong that I burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, but I think I just messed up. Real bad. You’ll probably want to kill me now.”
“What’s happened? Are you hurt?”
His voice held real concern, which made it even harder to explain through my tears, but I did my best, finally ending with telling him that Blake had the thumb-drive with proof of money transfers into his investment company. “I didn’t tell them about Matt’s thoughts about you, but I’m worried that Blake will figure it out from the information on the thumb-drive, or it might come out from Grayson Sharp himself, if he’s ever charged with anything.”
“I see,” Uncle Joey said. He took a deep breath and let it out. “This is disturbing news Shelby but, whether you believe it or not, I’m innocent. I did give a large campaign donation to Grayson Sharp in the form of several properties, but I’m not in the drug business...anymore.”
“Really?” I said, hopeful for the first time.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come after me. That company is not mine, so I think I may have been set up but, thanks to you, I can get my lawyers on it right away. Try not to worry too much, and if I need to, I can have a nice chat with Blake.”
“Oh...okay,” I said. What did that mean? Did he have something on Blake?
“In the meantime, please tell your husband everything. If we do end up in court, I’ll want him to represent me. And you can help him. But I doubt it will get that far.”
“Right...okay.”
“Good. Get some rest, and I’ll call you soon.”
We disconnected, and I set the phone down, surprised that I felt a little better.
The kids came home, bringing some normalcy back into my life. I even got dinner made, and managed to act normal when Chris walked in the door. He was so proud of me and, with a brief explanation, told the kids that I’d solved the case. We even went out for ice cream to celebrate.
It wasn’t until later that I broke down and told him the rest of the story. “I’m so grateful for my Aikido training.”
Chris sat open-mouthed, so I quickly went on to explain my little chat with Uncle Joey as well. At the end, Chris let out a big sigh, and tightened his arms around me.
“Shelby,” he said, shaking his head in exasperation. “What am I going to do with you?” I shrugged, not knowing what to say. “It’s all right,” he said, kissing the top of my head. “We’ll figure it out. Try not to worry. I’m a great lawyer. We’ll get through this.”
As much as I appreciated how good of a lawyer he was, I still couldn’t vanquish the worry that tightened my stomach and, until this was resolved, I knew it wasn’t going anywhere.
Chapter 15
The next morning I got a call from Billie. “Shelby! I’m so glad you’re all right. Drew told me what happened. I’m sorry I missed out on all the action, but he said you used an Aikido move to take him down! I’m so proud of you.” I thanked her, and she continued. “Did you hear the news about Grayson Sharp?” she asked.
“What news?”
“He resigned this morning. Isn’t that something? I think Drew said they were getting the evidence together to arrest him and his assistant attorney, Anthony Kerby. I guess it’s all hitting the fan now. Since I have the inside scoop, I’m writing the first of several articles for the paper, isn’t that great? But don’t worry, I’m doing it from home.”
“That’s good,” I said, grateful I still had her copy of the thumb-drive. There was no way I was going to give it to her now. Hopefully, she wouldn’t ask for it. �
��So how are things going with you and Drew?”
She sighed. “Things couldn’t be better. I really love him, you know? He’s just the best man I know.”
“He is,” I agreed. “I’m so happy for you.” We chatted a little longer before disconnecting, and I hoped with all my heart that things worked out between them.
Not an hour later, I got the call from Blake I’d been expecting, asking me to meet him at the precinct. Naturally, I agreed, but couldn’t stop the trepidation that curdled my stomach.
Last night, Chris said he didn’t want me talking to the police about the case since I’d basically incriminated myself by alerting Uncle Joey, making me an accessory to whatever he might be charged with...if he got charged...which was still up for debate. But I needed to find out what Blake knew and what he was going to do about the whole thing.
I arrived with time to spare and an enthusiastic hug from Dimples. It made me feel better until I wondered what he’d think of me if he knew I was working with Uncle Joey. I shoved that unhappy thought away and hurried into the chief’s office where Blake awaited me.
“Thanks for coming,” Blake said. He’d closed the blinds for privacy and was thinking how much I puzzled him. Whose side was I on? I’d definitely helped his investigation, but I’d also alerted Manetto. It put him in a tight spot, but he thought he had a solution. Although he had to admit it was a solution that completely rested on my shoulders. What would I do?
If I wasn’t nervous before, I certainly was now.
“I just wanted to give you an update,” he began, coming to sit beside me on the couch, wanting his close proximity to garner my trust. “Matt still hasn’t said a word, but we found the gun in his safe like you said, and we’re formally charging him with the murder of both Tom and Pete, along with kidnapping and attempted murder on your life.”
“Okay,” I said. “Did you find out any more about the whole drug thing?”
“Yes.” He paused, glancing at his hands, knowing that I wouldn’t like what he had to say. “It looks like Manetto was involved, but I think you already knew that, since you called to tell him.”
Crossing Danger: A Shelby Nichols Adventure Page 26
