Marked for Murder

by Colleen Helme

  “Thanks,” I told him.

  “I’ll make sure they know to let you out without charging the parking fee.”

  “Oh… that’s great. Thanks.” I watched him walk to the turnstile where he spoke to the person manning the booth. A moment later, he gave me a thumbs-up and made his way back to the building.

  Before I had a chance to start my car, my phone rang with “Here Comes the Bride.” Just hearing that tune was starting to give me a headache. Reluctantly, I answered, ready to hear her complain that I’d left without talking to her. “Hello?”

  “Hey Shelby. I thought you were going to stop by before you left.”

  “I know, but things are pretty crazy right now and I—”

  “That’s okay,” she broke in. “I understand. I just wanted to thank you for stopping that woman. I’m so glad you were there. Otherwise, I’d probably be dead.”

  “Oh… well, I’m glad it all worked out.”

  “Me too. Hey… do you think you could stop by the police station on your way home? I just want to make sure Claire is all right. Chris was going to help her, wasn’t he?”

  “He said he’d send one of his junior attorneys over, but I can stop and check on her. If they’re willing to let her out on bail, do you want to cover the cost?”

  “Uh… sure.”

  “Okay,” I said. “I’ll head over there and let you know.” We disconnected, and my fingers hovered over Uncle Joey’s number. Since I didn’t want to talk to him yet, I put my phone away, deciding to wait until after I stopped at the police station. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too mad at me.

  I started my car and drove out of the parking lot. The attendant lifted the bar and let me out with a friendly wave. If nothing else, at least that had gone right.

  After parking at the precinct, I slipped the lanyard with my ID badge over my head and hurried inside. I went straight to Dimples’s desk, and relief flooded over me to find him there. He stood with a big smile, turning his Dimples into swirling whirlwinds that always lightened my mood.

  “Hey Shelby,” he said, giving me a quick hug. “How does it feel to be a hero?”

  “Uh…” I shrugged. “I’m not sure I want the attention, you know?” He sat back down, and I sat on the chair beside his desk. I leaned in and spoke softly, so only he could hear me. “But I’m glad I was able to stop her. When she came in, I thought she looked a little crazy, but then she started thinking about the gun, and I knew I’d better do something.”

  “I can’t imagine,” he agreed. “Thank God you were there to stop her.” He didn’t even want to think about losing Billie. She’d been shot before, and he’d almost lost her then. Going through that again was more than he could handle, so he changed the subject. “Billie mentioned that you’d come to help her out. What did she need?”

  I quickly caught him up on her story about Claire and the DNA evidence. “It doesn’t make sense. From her thoughts, I know she’s the real mother. Anyway, Billie asked me to stop here and check on Claire.” I leaned toward him and whispered. “Get this. Did you know Billie almost got arrested?”

  “What? No.”

  I filled him in on that part of the story, and he shook his head. “I guess I have you to thank for keeping her out of jail, too.”

  “She saw reason once I reminded her of your wedding.” Dimples huffed out a breath, and I continued. “Anyway, I need to see if Ethan made it over to represent Claire.”

  “Okay. I’ll walk you down.” We took the stairs. Dimples wondered if I knew why the shooter had targeted the newspaper. So far, they hadn’t gotten much out of her, and it might be helpful to know. He glanced at me and raised his brows, knowing I’d heard his unspoken thoughts.

  “I know why she did it. I guess she blames Michael for her husband’s death because of a story he did in the paper. She’s got some mental issues, which is part of the problem. I think she hears voices, so it’s obvious she needs help.”

  “Did you hear them?”

  “Yeah… but they sounded more like unintelligible whispers. They went quiet when she saw Michael and thought about shooting him.” I shivered. “To be honest, it kind of freaked me out.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  “So is she here?”

  “Yeah. They’re holding her in a psych cell for now.” We reached the basement, and he turned to face me. “It looks like we’re here.” He glanced at me with gratitude that I’d saved Billie. “Thanks again, Shelby. I’ll catch you later.”

  I nodded, grateful it had worked out, and turned toward the holding cells. The officer in charge pointed me in the direction of Claire’s cell, and I started toward it. I found Claire sitting on a wooden bench, wearing an orange jumpsuit and crying. Ethan sat beside her, but it didn’t look like he was having any luck calming her down.

  Claire saw me and jumped up. “Shelby, you came. Can you get me out of here?” She held onto the bars with panic-filled eyes, and my breath caught. I’d been in her position once, and I knew just how trapped she felt. I also knew that she was innocent, so I capitalized on that.

  “I’m sure this is all a mistake and we can straighten it out.” I glanced at Ethan, catching his dismay that I’d make such a promise. He thought there was no way we could fight DNA evidence. With my encouragement, I was just making it worse. He wanted to focus on the fact that she had no idea she was committing welfare fraud and hopefully plea a deal that way.

  “Thanks Shelby,” she said. Glancing at Ethan, she continued. “He thinks I need to make a deal, but that just makes me look guilty, and I’m not.”

  I nodded. “I know.” I caught Ethan’s gaze. “Can we talk?”

  “Sure,” he said. We called the guard over to let him out and found a secluded spot down the hall, away from everyone.

  “First thing you need to know,” I began, “is that she is the mother of that baby.”

  “But the DNA—”

  “I don’t care what it says,” I interrupted him. “It’s wrong. I need you to handle this case like it’s wrong, okay? Let’s see if we can get the judge to set bail, and figure out how this happened.”

  He shrugged. “Okay, I’ll do what I can.” He didn’t think the judge would set bail with the evidence against her, but he’d do his best. He also didn’t understand why I was siding with Claire. He didn’t like being on the losing side, and I was just making it worse. But what could he say to his boss’s wife?

  Of course, who knew what would happen to Chris now? A shiver of dread ran down his spine, knowing it was too late to stop what he had set in motion a few hours ago. It would get him off the hook with Strickland, but Chris had been good to him, and he hated his part in the scheme. If there had been any other way… but it was too late now.

  “What have you done to Chris?” Alarm tightened my chest. Strickland was the prosecuting attorney who held a grudge against Chris.

  Ethan’s eyes widened, and shock rippled through him. There was no way I could know anything. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Did you set Chris up?”

  “What? No. I would never do that.” But he was lying, and sweat popped out on his brow.

  “You’re lying. We’re going straight to Chris’s office and you’re going to tell us exactly what you’ve done.”

  He closed his eyes and rubbed his face, letting out a groan. “I can’t do that. I’m sorry Mrs. Nichols. I had no choice.” Clenching his jaw, he turned his back on me and rushed out the door. I stood there in shock. What the hell? What had he done? I’d only picked up some of it, but it was enough to send my heart racing.

  “Ethan, wait!” I opened the door and hurried down the hall to the stairs. Seeing no sign of him, I doubled back toward the other exit at the end of the hallway. Opening it, I ran up the stairs and past the intake officers to push open the outside door to the parking lot. With my chest heaving, I finally caught sight of him backing his car out of the lot and pulling into the street.

  CHAPTER 3

  As Ethan left,
my first instinct was to go after him, but, with his head start, I knew I’d never catch up. Besides, I could just call Chris and tell him my suspicions. Once Ethan got back to the office, Chris could make sure he didn’t leave until I got there, and we could question him together.

  That calmed my racing heart, and I pulled out my phone. I waited for Chris to pick up, but it went to voicemail, so I left a message to call me. Next, I put a call through to his office. His executive assistant, Elisa, picked up with a cheery greeting. “Office of Christopher Nichols. How may I help you?”

  “Hi Elisa, it’s Shelby. Is Chris available?”

  “Oh, hi Shelby. He’s in a meeting with a client. Can I give him a message?”

  “Do you know how long he’ll be?”

  “Probably half an hour or so. Do you want me to have him call you?”

  “I think I’ll just stop by. What’s his schedule like for the rest of the day?”

  “Hmm…” she said. “It looks like he’s pretty busy, but we can probably squeeze you in after this appointment for a minute or two. Why don’t you come in half an hour?”

  “Thanks. I’ll be there.” I disconnected and closed my eyes. Could this day get any more complicated? Now I had to head back downstairs to talk to Claire because Ethan had rushed off.

  Inside, I asked the officer in charge if they had what they needed for Claire’s case. He found the paperwork which listed Chris’s law firm as her attorneys, and assured me that they would be in contact when she was called in for her arraignment.

  With that taken care of, I asked to see Claire one more time before I left. In her frightened state, I managed to calm her down. “Please try not to worry. We’ll get this straightened out.”

  “I’ll do my best,” she replied. “But it would help to know how my baby’s doing. Ethan told me the arraignment might not be until tomorrow, and I’m sick with worry. Can you find out what’s happened to her?”

  “Sure,” I agreed, knowing she needed to hear that, above anything else I could say. “Between me and Billie, we’ll make sure she’s well taken care of, so you don’t have to worry. Okay?”

  “Thanks so much.” All the fight went out of her, and she shrank in on herself. “I don’t know what I’d do without you and Billie.”

  I smiled. “Hey… we’ll figure this out. You’ll see. I’ve got to go now, but I’ll be back for your arraignment.”

  She nodded and, after giving her a reassuring smile, I turned to leave. I did my best to block out her emotions, but it wasn’t until I had made it to the other side of the door that I could think clearly. My heart broke for her, and I sure hoped Billie could fix this.

  I reached my car and slid inside, letting out my breath and taking a moment to unwind. A few seconds later, I put a call through to Billie. “Hey Billie, it’s me. I have an update for you. I just spoke with Claire, and she needs to know how her baby is doing. Ethan’s taken her case, but I’m not sure he has the social worker’s information. I told Claire we’d make sure the baby was okay. Could you find out and let Claire know?”

  “Sure. I think I have the lady’s information right here. I’ll give her a call and then call the station.”

  “Great, thanks.” We said our goodbyes and disconnected. That taken care of, I knew it was time to put my call through to Uncle Joey.

  “Shelby,” he answered, his tone a little frosty.

  “Hey Uncle Joey,” I said. “Sorry I didn’t get back to you, but things have been a little crazy.”

  “You hung up on me.”

  “Yeah… I’m real sorry about that. Did you find my notes?”

  “Yes I did. Now about this incident—”

  “I’ve got it handled. I had to mention my premonitions, but I don’t think it’s going to be a big deal. I have something worse to deal with.”

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “I think Chris might be in trouble. I’m on my way over to his office right now, but I think there’s a possibility that someone’s set him up to get arrested. I think the guy who set him up is in cahoots with the prosecuting attorney. I know the guy, so once I talk to him, I’ll have more details.”

  After a moment of silence, Uncle Joey spoke. “Do you think it has anything to do with me?”

  I clenched my jaw. “Yeah,” I said, stating the obvious.

  “I see. Come to my office after you talk to Chris.” Before I could say another word, he hung up. Did he know this was his fault? Probably. I mean, why else would Chris be in trouble with the law?

  I checked my watch, surprised that it was nearly four in the afternoon. Of course, it had been a hectic few hours. I’d met with a mob boss and his minions, helped a journalist with a story, stopped a shooter from a killing spree, and found out that my husband might be in trouble with the law. Could it get any worse?

  I did a mental head-slap and hoped I hadn’t just jinxed myself.

  At Chris’s office, Elisa greeted me with a smile, telling me that Chris was still in a conference with his client.

  “That’s okay, I can wait.” I took a seat on the small couch outside his office and glanced around, hoping to see Ethan. “Have you seen Ethan since he got back from the precinct?”

  “No. But he might be in his office. Do you want to check there?”

  “Sure.”

  Happy for a break, she led me down the hall to an office door. She knocked, then opened the door to reveal a cramped space that was barely big enough to hold a desk and a chair. A filing cabinet stood in one corner, and several folders were scattered across the desktop along with a framed photo. To my disappointment, Ethan wasn’t there.

  Elisa asked a couple of people if they knew where Ethan was, but they hadn’t seen him since this morning, and didn’t know where to find him. An uneasy chill ran down my back, and my stomach clenched. Had Ethan bailed? Would he risk losing his job? Had I missed my chance to talk to him?

  We got back to Chris’s office just as his client was leaving. Chris smiled, surprised to see me, and grateful I was there after the shooting. “Hey honey,” he said, coming to my side. “I’m glad you’re all right.”

  “Me too. We need to talk.”

  His brows rose. “Okay. Come on in.” He closed the door behind us, and I fell into his arms. He was thinking that the experience with the shooter had rattled me and I’d come to him for a much-needed hug. Too bad his next client was due any minute.

  “Chris… I did need a hug, but that’s not the reason I’m here. It’s Ethan. He’s done something. I don’t know what it is, only that you’re in danger. I was hoping to find him so we could talk.”

  “What do you mean? What has he done?”

  I sighed and sat down on the couch, pulling Chris with me. “When I went to the precinct to see how he was doing with Claire, I picked up that he was feeling guilty about you. He was thinking that something he’d put in motion couldn’t be stopped. It even sounded like you could get arrested.”

  “Are you serious?” At my nod, he continued, “let me get him, and we’ll straighten this out.”

  “He’s not here. He didn’t come back after I confronted him.”

  Alarm spiked through him. “What did you say to him?”

  I explained the incident, and how Ethan took off before I could get more out of him. “I’m sorry. I guess I scared him off.”

  “What exactly did you pick up?” Chris’s brows puckered with worry.

  I closed my eyes and tried to remember everything that had gone through Ethan’s mind. A lot of it was jumbled in guilt, but there was one name that stood out. “He was thinking that his debt to James Strickland would finally be over. And that he’d hated his part in the scheme to take you down, but he didn’t have a choice.”

  “Take me down? How?”

  “I don’t know for sure, but I think they’ve got something on you, and they plan to use it to arrest you and turn you against Uncle Joey.”

  Chris swore in his mind, but it didn’t bother me since I happened to be
thinking the same thing. “Did you pick up anything about what it was?”

  “No, but it must be something you’ve done. Did you ever say anything to Uncle Joey, or anyone in his organization, about how to break the law without getting caught, that Ethan may have overheard?”

  “What? No. I would never do that.” He was thinking he might do something like that to protect me. But if he did, he’d make sure it could never be traced back to him by anyone, and especially not by Ethan. He was smarter than that.

  “Oh honey, I hope you never have to do that. You haven’t so far, right?”

  “No. I haven’t.”

  “Good.” I let out a shaky breath, knowing we both walked a thin line when it came to Uncle Joey. “Then it must be something else. Try and think if there’s anything you would have done as Uncle Joey’s lawyer that Ethan could use against you.”

  Chris shrugged. “All right. But I don’t think you need to worry. I’ve done nothing like that. Whatever he thinks he has… it can’t hurt me. There’s no way.”

  As reassuring as that sounded, I wasn’t convinced. Still, I sent him a supportive smile. “Okay. We’ll get to the bottom of this. I just need to talk to Ethan. Then we’ll know what’s going on.”

  “Right. I’ll find him. Once I do, we’ll talk to him and figure this out.”

  Elisa knocked on the door before sticking her head in. “Sorry to interrupt, but your next appointment is here.”

  “Thanks Elisa. Will you get Ethan on the phone and tell him I need to talk to him? Tell him to come to my office as soon as he can.”

  “Sure,” she agreed, then closed the door.

  We both stood, and I gave Chris another hug. “Uncle Joey wanted me to stop by after I saw you, so I’m headed over there, but call me when you hear from Ethan.”

  “Does Manetto know about this?”

  “Uh… yeah. I hope that’s all right.”

  “Sure. But be careful about using Ethan’s name. Let me try to talk to Ethan first.” He was thinking that he didn’t want Uncle Joey roughing him up, since that would just confirm whatever Ethan had against Chris.