Show Me the Money

by Connie Shelton

  She got the call from Blackwell-Gorse the next day.

  “Ms. Zeckis, it seems there’s been a terrible mistake,” the woman from HR said. It was the same voice she’d talked to before, but Amber couldn’t remember her name. “In checking further, we’ve located the money our auditors had thought was missing. Every cent of it is back in our accounts.”

  “How lucky,” Amber said.

  “I’m calling to say that your job is still here for you. And the C-suite folks have authorized me to offer you a twenty-percent salary increase.”

  Rumor around the office had always been that raises were seldom and low. When a three-percent increase came, it was usually tacked on to a fifty-percent increase in workload.

  “That’s extremely generous,” Amber told the woman. “I’ve promised my parents an extended visit before I decide what to do next. So I’ll think about it over the next couple of weeks.”

  “Take your time. We look forward to having you back.”

  Amber wasn’t sure, but she got the feeling it was corporate-speak for please don’t sue us for wrongful termination.

  * * *

  She heard from Cody while she was in Santa Fe. She’d been skimming the news, just to be sure no permanent harm had come from her fake bomb scare. When nothing actually exploded, the media moved on to a bloodier story. The stores reopened with little fanfare, as no one wanted to bring up such an unpleasant situation. She was beginning to feel relaxed again, when she saw the unknown number appear on her phone.

  “Hey, Amber,” Cody said. He was using that sexy Cody Brennan voice again.

  Her b.s. radar went on alert, but this time he seemed sincere.

  “I just wanted to let you know that the police convinced me to make a deal. They seem to believe my dad engineered the whole thing.”

  “And did he?”

  “He’s always been the idea man. I’m the programmer.”

  “So you’ll testify about that in court?”

  “Most likely. We’re both going away for some kind of prison term. I’m just hoping mine will be lower than it would have been.”

  How convenient.

  “What I’m really calling for is, besides saying goodbye for now, I want to ask you if you’ll wait for me. Stick with me, babe. I’ve learned a lesson from all this, and I’m not listening to Pop’s schemes ever again.”

  “Cody … I just … That wouldn’t be a good idea. I’m sorry to say it, but after Paris and what happened on the way home … I’ll never fully trust you again.”

  She stopped herself short of condemning his ability to create elaborate programs and to move money around. She was still a little bit in awe of that part of him.

  There was a long pause at his end, then he said, “I’m glad you and your friends put the money back.”

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  But she did know. Exactly. He could read her, read her touch in her programming code. They were, in a way, kindred spirits. And therein lie the danger. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to ever see Cody again, it was that she didn’t dare.

  Chapter 82

  Texts began flying among the Heist Ladies, right before Thanksgiving. Change was in the wind, and they each wanted to share their news. Gracie took the role of organizer and sent out invites to each: Thanksgiving dinner at my house. Hubby is away on business, kids will be unsociable teens, I could use the company. I’ve got all the food, just bring wine.

  They gathered early to help with the cooking. The turkey had gone in the oven a couple hours earlier and was already sending that distinctive, heavenly scent through the house. Amber was assembling the dressing, while Sandy peeled potatoes.

  “So, what’s with Scott being away on a holiday?” Mary asked, from her station at the relish tray. “Nobody in the country works on Thanksgiving weekend, unless they’re in retail, and I know he’s not.”

  “But it’s business as usual in Thailand,” Gracie said with an enigmatic smile.

  “Wait—what? He’s in Thailand?” Amber nearly dropped a bowl of chopped onion.

  “His firm got a big engineering contract over there, and …” Gracie gave it the air of an announcement. “It looks like our family is moving to Bangkok!”

  A hundred questions erupted at once.

  “The contract is for three years, the kids will attend an American diplomatic school, interspersed with classes at the local school, and I plan to tour every historic site, eat local food every day, and learn the language.”

  “Whoa, ambitious,” Sandy said. “Good for you!”

  She had set down the large chef’s knife she was using on the potatoes.

  “Okay, Sandy, spill. You’ve got news too. I can see it on your face,” Amber said.

  “Well, Pen will remember, during our trip to the UK and France last month, how I absolutely couldn’t get enough. The history, the buildings, their accents—the whole ambiance of England and Scotland really grabbed me. Not to mention Paris. I applied with one of the major banks, and yes, I’ll be taking a cut in salary and position …”

  “You got the job!”

  “I did. I’m so excited, I cannot tell you.”

  “Is this a temporary thing, like our situation?” Gracie asked.

  “I hope it can become permanent,” Sandy told them. “The bank is arranging my work visa, and it looks like I’ll be in London at least six months, but I’m planning to apply for a long-term visa. Unless it turns out I can’t stand a much rainier climate than here.”

  Several chuckles. “Everywhere has a rainier climate than here,” Gracie said. “Sounds like we both have some adjustments to make.”

  “What about Heckle and Jeckle?” Mary asked. “I could take them. I love your cats.”

  “A neighbor said the same thing,” Sandy told them. “I haven’t quite made the final decision yet. All I know is that it’s somewhat tricky to take pets from the US into the UK, so I’ll need to decide soon.”

  “Soon? When do you leave?” Pen asked.

  “Um, next week.”

  “Oh gosh, before Christmas?” Pen seemed a little dismayed. “It’s not the ideal time of year to adapt from Arizona to England.”

  “I know. I figure this will be the big test for me,” Sandy said.

  The potatoes were boiling now and the casseroles were in Gracie’s second oven. The Ladies had poured glasses of wine and seemed in a pensive mood.

  “Our lives are taking new turns. That’s all it is,” Pen said, taking a deep breath and blinking damp eyes. “As for myself, I plan to explore my other creative side, to pursue my painting. Writing has been my life for decades now. Painting challenges a different part of my brain. Plus, there are views of the Superstition Mountains that are crying out for me to put them on canvas.”

  Nods from Amber and Sandy. “You have genuine talents in both areas. Write and paint—neither has to be exclusive,” Amber said.

  “We five shall always remain friends.”

  “Always. No matter where in the world we happen to be,” Gracie said, then she caught something about Amber’s expression. “What about you? Now that you have your passport back, I get the feeling you’re itching to use it?”

  “I was going to save this for after dinner,” Amber said, “but I do have some news. I think I told you Blackwell-Gorse Tech offered me my old job back.”

  “But you were a little on the fence about that,” Sandy said.

  “Right. I had a hard time imagining myself there, thinking how people would treat me, after the cloud of that embezzlement charge.”

  “And so …”

  “And so, I applied for a work abroad program. I’ll pack my computer and a few clothes and lease my condo to someone. Remote work is all the thing now. And it’s right for me because I don’t have a husband, kids, or cats to tie me down.”

  “Hey—that hasn’t stopped the rest of us,” Gracie said.

  “I know. And I’d figure out a way anyhow. And someday maybe I’ll have those things, all
of them.” She caught their expectant looks. “Okay, so I leave January third, and my first new home will be in Croatia.”

  “First new home?”

  “We get to travel about. I’m with a group, mostly young women, mostly my age, and we’ll sample several countries. I can do that until I decide where I’d like to settle. You know, it’s basically reliving the lifestyle my parents had before I came along.”

  Everyone offered Amber congratulations and hugs, then all eyes turned toward Mary, who hadn’t said much.

  “This has been the best time of my life,” she said, “ever since I met all of you. I can’t tell you what it has meant to me.”

  Her eyes welled up, and then everyone’s did.

  “We’ve each had an experience that required the help of good friends,” Pen said.

  Nods all around.

  “And for the future?” Mary continued, “I’ll be right here in the Valley, Pen, and we’ll get together anytime you want. I’ve mentioned my new guy. He’s a fitness buff, a little younger than I am, but we’ve hit it off so well. There might be a future together.”

  “That’s great, Mary,” Gracie said. “We’re all so happy for you.”

  “And if it doesn’t work out, look at all the places I can head off to, places where I’ll have at least one very dear friend waiting for me.”

  Pen raised her glass. “To very dear friends.”

  Author Notes

  The idea for the Heist Ladies came to me quite a few years ago. I’d been writing my Charlie Parker series and my Samantha Sweet mysteries, both of which were traditional murder mysteries. But the idea nagged at me that I’d like to write something a little different, mysteries that didn’t involve murders. And so I began with that premise, knowing nothing more than I wanted the central characters to be five women. They would be of different ages and have different talents they could bring to the stories. There would be five stories, one featuring each of the Ladies, who would bring a problem to the group to help her solve it.

  The whole thing came together in 2010 when I happened to be on a family car trip. My dad was driving and I was the backseat passenger, with nothing to do for seven hours but think and make notes. With my handy composition book and a pen in hand, I began jotting down every idea that came to me.

  During that trip the characters of all five Heist Ladies came to me. The basic plots of each of their stories popped into my head, as though the ladies were sitting there in the car with me and talking about what was going on in their lives. I divided that notebook into sections and wrote furiously until I had character sketches and plot lines for everything on paper. Seven hours in a car is a long time, and I made good use of it!

  Then real life intervened. I had deadlines for other books. Charlie and Samantha fans were calling for more. And I needed to do research about con men, as I had decided the thing that would pull the Heist Ladies together was the fact that they, or someone near and dear to them, had been taken in by someone unscrupulous. It wasn’t until I began the actual writing of the first of those stories, Diamonds Aren’t Forever, that I discovered it was really interesting and kind of fun (I’ll admit it), to get into the heads of the bad guys as well. To show their cocky attitudes and bulletproof demeanor. They believed themselves to be invincible and uncatchable—that is, until this great team of women moved in to outsmart them and take them down.

  It's been great fun writing this series and seeing it come to a conclusion. At this point I have no plans to write more books in this series, but then again … I never say never. So we’ll have to see. I hope you have enjoyed the Ladies and their antics. Visit my website at connieshelton.com or drop me a note.

  People ask where we writers get our ideas. Sometimes it’s on an empty stretch of Arizona highway, snuggled into the back seat of a Lincoln Town Car.

  Happy reading!

  Connie

  Get another Connie Shelton book—FREE! Click here to find out how

  Thank you for taking the time to read Show Me the Money. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and is much appreciated.

  Thank you,

  Connie Shelton

  * * *

  Books by Connie Shelton

  The Charlie Parker Series

  Deadly Gamble

  Vacations Can Be Murder

  Partnerships Can Be Murder

  Small Towns Can Be Murder

  Memories Can Be Murder

  Honeymoons Can Be Murder

  Reunions Can Be Murder

  Competition Can Be Murder

  Balloons Can Be Murder

  Obsessions Can Be Murder

  Gossip Can Be Murder

  Stardom Can Be Murder

  Phantoms Can Be Murder

  Buried Secrets Can Be Murder

  Legends Can Be Murder

  Weddings Can Be Murder

  Alibis Can Be Murder

  Escapes Can Be Murder

  Old Bones Can Be Murder

  Sweethearts Can Be Murder

  Holidays Can Be Murder - a Christmas novella

  The Samantha Sweet Series

  Sweet Masterpiece

  Sweet’s Sweets

  Sweet Holidays

  Sweet Hearts

  Bitter Sweet

  Sweets Galore

  Sweets Begorra

  Sweet Payback

  Sweet Somethings

  Sweets Forgotten

  Spooky Sweet

  Sticky Sweet

  Sweet Magic

  Deadly Sweet Dreams

  Spellbound Sweets – a Halloween novella

  The Woodcarver’s Secret

  The Heist Ladies Series

  Diamonds Aren’t Forever

  The Trophy Wife Exchange

  Movie Mogul Mama

  Homeless in Heaven

  Show Me the Money

  Children’s Books

  Daisy and Maisie and the Great Lizard Hunt

  Daisy and Maisie and the Lost Kitten

  Sign up for Connie Shelton’s free mystery newsletter at www.connieshelton.com

  and receive advance information about new books, along with a chance at prizes, discounts and other mystery news!

  Contact by email: connie@connieshelton.com

  Follow Connie Shelton on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook

  Show Me the Money

  Published by Secret Staircase Books, an imprint of

  Columbine Publishing Group, LLC

  PO Box 416, Angel Fire, NM 87710

  Copyright © 2021 Connie Shelton

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure the accuracy and completeness of information contained in this book we assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any inconsistency herein. Any slights of people, places or organizations are unintentional.

  Book layout and design by Secret Staircase Books

  Cover images © Balasoiu Claudia, Jara3000

  First trade paperback edition: June 2021

  First e-book edition: June 2021

  * * *

  Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Shelton, Connie

  Show Me the Money / by Connie Shelton.

  p. cm.

  ISBN 978-1945422966 (paperback)

  ISBN 978-1945422973 (e-book)

  1. Heist Ladies (Fictitious characters)—Fiction. 2. Arizona—Fiction. 3. Financial scams—Fiction. 4. Women sleuths—Fiction. 6. Con men—Fiction. 7. Myste
ry caper—Fiction. I. Title

  Heist Ladies Mystery Series : Book 5.

  Shelton, Connie, Heist Ladies mysteries.

  BISAC : FICTION / Mystery & Detective.

  813/.54