Marked for Murder

by Colleen Helme

  “Leave me alone. I didn’t do anything wrong.” Agitated and upset, she glanced up, catching sight of a living, breathing Michael. A high-pitched scream came out of her throat. “You murderer! You should be dead.” She lunged at him, but the officers held her back. She struggled and yelled at them to let her go, but they held firm. Kicking and screaming, she was dragged out of the building.

  Mesmerized by the spectacle, we all watched through the glass as they pushed her into a patrol car. After they drove off, the tension left, and we turned to each other. “That was nuts,” Billie said. “She’s nuts. I wonder who she is.”

  Everyone glanced at Michael, expecting him to answer, but he just shrugged. It wasn’t something he wanted to own up to, but I picked up plenty of guilt. Her shout of “murderer” had shaken him to the core, and he knew exactly what she’d meant.

  Before I could pick up more, Dimples turned to Billie. “I’ve got to go.” He glanced at me and Michael. “I’m glad Shelby was here and that everyone’s all right.”

  “No kidding,” Billie agreed, sending me a grateful nod. Turning back to Dimples, she said, “I’ll walk you out.”

  As they left, a police officer approached us, wanting our statements about what had happened. After getting Michael’s name and my own, he zeroed in on me, mostly because everyone else he’d talked with had told him I was the one who’d stopped her from a killing spree.

  In fact, several of the bystanders bunched around us, hoping to hear my explanation. It didn’t help that most of them were reporters, and I picked up that more than one of them had recorded some of the action on their cell phones.

  I noticed another guy taking pictures with an actual camera. Was he with the newspaper? This was getting complicated, and here I was, right in the middle of it. I did not need this attention.

  Michael stood by my side showing his support, but I caught his curiosity about my explanation as well, and I knew I was in for it.

  “So,” the officer began. “Tell me what happened. How did you know she had a gun?” The officer was thinking that, from all the other accounts, no one knew she had the gun until after I zapped her with my stun flashlight and the gun went off.

  “I saw her come in,” I began. “She looked out of place, so I watched her closely. She… um… took an interest in Michael and Billie, so I knew something was up. That’s when I took my stun flashlight from my purse and started in her direction. When she pulled the gun, I was ready and zapped her.”

  By then, Billie had joined us, and she added her two cent’s worth. “If you want to know the truth, Shelby has premonitions. That’s how she knew.” She jabbed me in the arm with her elbow. “Right?” Noticing my grimace, she continued. “It’s okay Shelby, you can tell him. Most of the cops already know, so it’s no big deal.”

  I knew most of the cops knew something like that about me, but I couldn’t say the same thing about all the reporters who stood there gawking. “Okay… it’s true I had a feeling that she was dangerous, so I was ready just in case. And it all worked out in the end. So that’s it. That’s what happened.”

  A few brows rose at my admission that I had premonitions. But after what they’d witnessed, the explanation made sense. In fact, most of them had to agree that I must have known ahead of time, and the only explanation seemed to be my psychic ability.

  Before anyone could ask me another question, Michael came to my aid, surprising me. “Thank you Shelby.” He spoke to the officer. “If that’s all, I think we need a moment. Please contact me if you need anything else.”

  He took my elbow and steered me through security and back toward the elevators. I followed willingly, picking up his thoughts about the Channel 2 News van that had just pulled up outside the building. He didn’t like that they’d get the scoop for the five o’clock news, and he wasn’t about to let them interview the star witness and hero of the hour before he did.

  Of course, that person was me.

  CHAPTER 2

  Billie ran to catch up with us, not about to let Michael take me away without her. Another reporter came along, hoping for a chance at the story. While we waited for the elevator, Michael glanced his way and nodded, thinking Billie was on a deadline and couldn’t do both stories.

  “Thanks for joining us, Henry,” Michael said. “Did you get everything that happened?”

  “Yeah. I was there. I saw it all.”

  “Good. What about Jeff? I noticed him taking photos. Was he there the whole time?”

  “We were both headed to lunch when it happened, so yeah. He started shooting right away. I think a few others might have gotten some video on their cell phones, but I won’t know how good it is until I check with them.”

  Michael nodded, relieved to have that much. Now he just had to get the upper hand on the story. He knew he'd have to deal with why she’d targeted him, but the real story was about me stopping her. They needed to focus on the fact that a tragedy had been averted because of Shelby Nichols. Whether I wanted to admit to my psychic abilities or not, I’d still stopped a shooting. That was huge.

  Holy hell! This was just getting worse. I didn’t want to be the center of the show, so that meant I’d have to figure out something else. It would help if I knew what the woman had on Michael. Maybe I could negotiate if I knew what he was hiding.

  That sounded a lot like something Uncle Joey would do, but I was desperate and willing to do anything to avoid the spotlight.

  The Channel 2 news people didn’t waste any time. Coming inside the building, the reporter stepped in front of the camera and began her spiel. Luckily the elevator doors opened, and we all jumped inside, heading to the third floor.

  Even though we rode in silence, everyone’s thoughts came at me loud and clear. I had to close my eyes and concentrate on my shields to help lower the voices. It reminded me of the woman with the gun, and I hoped the voices I heard in my mind didn’t drive me crazy like her.

  I picked up that Billie wanted this story so badly it hurt, but she knew Michael would go with Henry. Henry was thanking his lucky stars that he’d been in the right place at the right time, and I tried not to roll my eyes.

  Michael’s thoughts flashed back to the look on the woman’s face, and how close he’d come to death. He knew she blamed him for her husband’s death and, if he was honest, he had to agree. Wilson was targeted because Michael broke the story before telling him, and he’d died because of it.

  Sure his killer was behind bars, but if Michael had handled it right, Wilson would probably still be alive. Today, his wife looked like she’d lost her mind. She needed help. Since no one had been hurt, maybe she could plead guilty by insanity and get help that way.

  So that was it. Now that I knew what this was all about, the knot in my stomach unfurled. At least it should help me negotiate my part in the story, right? Not that I didn’t like being a hero, but having a newspaper article all about me wasn’t what I had in mind.

  The doors opened, and we stepped out. Michael led the way to a large corner office. He took the seat behind his desk and motioned for us to sit in front of the desk. There were only two chairs. Since Billie didn’t want to be dismissed, she hung back a little, letting Henry take the chair.

  Michael glanced her way and raised his brows. “Aren’t you on a deadline?”

  Her shoulders fell. “Yeah. But… Shelby and I go way back. If you need me for the story, I’m sure I can help.”

  “I’ll let you know.”

  Defeated, Billie glanced my way. “Uh… come see me before you leave.” She wanted to plan a strategy for Claire’s story that included my help. I sent her a nod, and she exited the room.

  “I get the feeling you don’t want to be in the spotlight,” Michael said. “But I’m afraid that can’t happen. You stopped that woman from killing a lot of people, and it’s going to get out.”

  “Boss,” Henry interrupted, glancing at his phone. “It’s already out. We need to get an update online now. The reporter got Shelby’s name fr
om someone and just broadcast it as a breaking news story. She’s asking for an interview with Shelby.”

  My phone began to ring. I checked the screen and saw Chris’s name. “Hey there,” I answered.

  “Shelby! Are you all right? The news… they’re saying there was a shooter at the newspaper.”

  “Yeah. I’m fine. I stopped her with my stun flashlight.” My phone began to chirp with an incoming call. This time it was from Uncle Joey. “Oh crap! Uncle Joey’s on the line. I’ll call you back.” Without waiting for his reply, I pushed the button to accept the call. “Hey Uncle Joey,” I answered.

  “Shelby. What the hell’s going on? Are you all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine.” My phone chirped again with another call, this time from my best friend, Holly. “Everything’s fine here. Uh… they arrested the shooter and no one was hurt. Crap… people keep calling me.” Holly’s call went to voice mail, and another chirp informed me that my mom was on the line.

  “Don’t answer them. I don’t want you in the spotlight. I think you should come to my office before this gets out of hand.”

  “Okay, but I have to take this call. It’s my mom. I’ll call you back.” I quickly accepted the call from my mom, but I’d waited too long, and it went to voice mail. Another call came through, this time from Ramos, and I answered his call right away.

  “Hey Ramos, I’m fine.”

  “You just hung up on Manetto.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. Tell Uncle Joey I’ll call him back in a minute.” My phone chirped with my mom again. “Uh, I’ve got to take this.”

  I pushed the button and answered. “Hi Mom. I’m fine.” Between her questions, I quickly explained what had happened. “Will you let Josh and Savannah know?” Since it was June and school was out, Josh and Savannah were on their own. Assured that I was fine, she agreed, and I disconnected.

  Out of breath, I glanced up to find Michael speaking with Henry about what to post on the newspaper’s website. Henry rushed out of the room, and I realized that Michael’s phone had been buzzing for quite some time. As Henry left, Michael’s secretary came in.

  “Sir,” she said. “Rosie from Channel 2 News wants to interview you and Ms. Nichols. What should I tell her?”

  “Tell her we’ll think about it.” With a nod, she shut the door.

  Michael sighed. “I should have known. I don’t know why I thought I could get ahead of this. Stopping a shooter is too big a deal.” He glanced my way. “I don’t mean to keep you, but I have to ask. How did you know she had a gun?” He wanted me to tell him exactly how I knew, and not just blow it off as a feeling or intuition. “Do you really have premonitions like Billie said?”

  “Are you putting that in the paper?”

  He shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. You’ve been in the paper before, so this is nothing new, and it might even be good for your private investigator business.” He was dangling the carrot in front of my nose, hoping I’d take it.

  “Uh… sure.” I had to smile. “But right now, I’d rather not have the attention.”

  “So, how would you want me to explain it?” he asked, giving me the opportunity to put my spin on it as a courtesy for saving his life.

  “You can just say that sometimes I have a sixth sense about things. Because of that, and the way she looked, I knew something was wrong. I think that about sums it up, right?”

  His mouth twisted to one side. He wasn’t ready to let it go. “So, do your premonitions come to you like a vision, or is it more like a feeling?”

  “A little of both.” Since hearing thoughts was a lot like that, it was close enough to the truth. Plus, it was also vague enough that it didn’t bother me to tell him.

  He pursed his lips, wishing I’d give him more details, but from my short answers, he knew it was a lost cause. Still, he wasn’t writing me off completely. If he played his cards right, there was still a chance he could do a follow-up article on me, especially with the attention I was sure to get. He’d continue with that idea after a day or two. Until then, he’d have to be satisfied with my short answers.

  “I don’t know if I properly thanked you for saving my life… but saying thanks doesn’t seem like enough.”

  “Hey,” I said. “I was just in the right place at the right time, and it all worked out. So no worries.” I stood to leave, ready to be on my way. “What about Rosie? She’s probably still in the lobby.”

  He smiled. “Try to avoid her if you can. I’d rather not give her the scoop, although it sounds like someone else already has. If you want to talk to her, it’s up to you.” He was thinking that most people liked being in the spotlight, so he didn’t want to ruin it for me if I was like them.

  “To be honest, I’d rather not.”

  “I get that. Why don’t I have our security guard escort you out of the building and make sure you get to your car safely?”

  “That would be great.”

  “Okay. Give me a minute, and I’ll call him.”

  While he put the call through, I scrolled through my messages. Since I’d hung up on him, I needed to call Uncle Joey back, and probably Chris, too. Then I remembered that Billie wanted me to stop by her office to figure out a strategy about Claire.

  I should probably head to the police station and see how that was going, but what about Uncle Joey? First, I’d ditched him, and then I’d hung up on him, so I knew he wasn’t too happy with me.

  Then there was Chris, my kids, my mom, and Holly that I should call as well. With all of that on my plate, it was enough to make me want to drive into the sunset on the back of a motorcycle and leave it all behind.

  “Okay, he’s on his way up,” Michael said, hanging up his phone. A knock sounded at the door, and Henry poked his head in.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but we need to get all the details worked out for the story. Rosie is pressing to know why the shooter called you a murderer. We have to address it.”

  Michael sighed and nodded. “I know… come in and we’ll get this worked out.”

  As he entered the room, the security guard appeared behind him. “I’m here for Shelby,” he said.

  Michael nodded and came around his desk. He held out his hands to take mine. “Shelby. Thanks again. You saved a lot of lives today. If there’s ever anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “Thanks. I’ll remember that.”

  I picked up from Henry that he’d already looked at some pictures of the incident. Several of them were of me, and he was hoping Michael could help him decide on which one to use.

  Yikes! I suddenly wanted to ask Michael to make sure I looked good in the photo they used, but that wasn’t the right kind of favor to ask. I did a mental head slap and let it go. Besides, who knew? Maybe I’d need a real favor from him in the future, so it was always best to keep my options open.

  I walked out the door and smiled at the security guard. He nodded, but couldn’t quite meet my gaze. He’d come so close to shooting me that just thinking about it made him break out in a cold sweat. Thank goodness Michael had been there and taken control of the situation.

  Hearing that, the same relief poured through me, but I kept my mouth shut and followed him to the elevators. I debated about finding Billie like she’d asked, but with everything that had happened, I just wanted to get out of there. I’d call her later.

  After reaching the lobby, I caught sight of the news team taking up most of the space. They were interviewing one of the witnesses, so I hoped to get around them before they noticed me. Since Rosie didn’t know what I looked like, it could happen, right?

  Taking a step toward the lobby, I felt my stomach do a little flip-flop. The guard glanced my way, ready to keep everyone at arm’s length if that’s what I wanted. I sent him a nod. “Yeah… uh… I’d like to avoid them if possible. My car’s in the parking lot across the street.”

  “I’ll make sure you get there safely,” he said.

  “Okay. Just a sec.” In case we were spotted,
I ran my fingers through my hair, wishing I had a mirror to make sure my hair and makeup looked all right. Then I rummaged through my purse for some lipstick and managed to glide some on my lips. “All right. I’m ready. Let’s go.”

  The security guard hid a smile and stepped purposefully toward the doors. I walked behind and to the side of him, keeping him between me and the reporter. I’d almost made it to the doors when the reporter spotted me and rushed over. “Shelby Nichols?”

  Hearing my name alerted the crowd, bringing a sudden movement of people rushing my way, including the guy with the TV camera. They effectively came between me and the guard and stopped me in my tracks.

  Before I knew what to do, the reporter shoved the microphone in my face. “How does it feel to be a hero?” I blinked. What was I supposed to say to that?

  “A lot of people are alive because of you,” she continued. “Tell us what happened. How did you know the woman had a gun? People are saying that you have psychic abilities. Is that true? Did you have a premonition that she had a gun and was going to use it?”

  “Uh… well, I occasionally get premonitions, but I think it was a combination of things… and my intuition kicked in. You know how you get a feeling that something isn’t right? That’s how she looked to me. Anyway, I’m just glad no one got hurt. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.”

  “What about Michael Lewis-Pierce? Do you know why she called him a murderer?”

  “Uh… that’s his story to tell. You’ll have to ask him.” I caught the guard’s attention and he pushed through to my side.

  “But do you know? What do your premonitions say?” I picked up a note of mockery in her tone and narrowed my eyes. Did she really say that out loud?

  “I’m sure it will all be explained in the paper tomorrow.” I stepped out of her reach. This time the guard did his job and cleared a pathway for me to leave the building. He stayed by my side until we reached my car, and I opened the door to slide behind the wheel.