Dying Wishes: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Shelby Nichols Adventure Book 14)

by Colleen Helme

  So between Chris, Dimples, Uncle Joey, and his hitman, Ramos, that pretty much covered everyone who knew my secret. Well… there were a couple of others, but Gabriel lived in France, and Kate lived in Seattle, and they had both sworn to keep my secret. So it was mostly safe, and I’d do everything in my power to make sure it didn’t get out.

  The dogs all seemed adorable, and I knew this was going to be hard. How could we pick the right one when they all seemed so sweet? While Savannah spoke to one of the smaller dogs, a dog sitting in the last cage caught my attention.

  The tan-and-black dog lay in the corner with his head resting on his paws. He didn’t look up at us like the other dogs, and I got the feeling he was sad. Krista noticed me looking his way and came to my side. “We don’t know much about that dog. Someone dropped him off a few days ago, said his name was Coco, and left.”

  “He seems depressed. Is that possible?”

  “Sure. I don’t know what happened to him, but he hasn’t shown much interest in anyone or anything since he got here.”

  “He’s a beautiful dog. He’s a German Shepherd, right?”

  “Yeah, that’s definitely his breed. I just wish the person who brought him in would have given us more information.” She thought the dog was probably worth a lot of money, so it didn’t make sense he’d been dropped off here. “He’s a beautiful animal. I’ve tried to make friends with him, but he’s not very responsive.”

  She was thinking that all of the staff had tried to engage him, but none of them had succeeded. It was a shame, since that meant he’d be hard to place with a family, and the longer he stayed, the worse his chances of adoption became. Lately, he’d hardly touched his food. It was so sad, like he’d given up on life.

  Hearing that broke my heart. I wandered over to his cage and crouched down on his level to peer at him. “Hey Coco. What’s going on?”

  His head jerked up, and his ears straightened. He studied me for a few seconds, then rose to his feet and trotted over to me. He sat down on his haunches, right next to where I crouched, and looked me straight in the eyes. Surprised, I smiled and reached out my fingers for him to sniff.

  “Hey buddy. What’s up? Are you sad?”

  After sniffing my fingers, he gave them a lick before nuzzling them with his nose. Then he placed his paw on the cage, right next to my hand, and let out a low woof that sounded just like help. Surprised, I lost my balance and fell on my butt.

  He stood, peering my way like he was concerned that I’d fallen over, then woofed deep in his throat asking if I was all right.

  “I’m fine,” I told him. “I’m just surprised, that’s all.” Oops. Did I just say that out loud? I glanced behind me, noticing that Krista, Josh, and Savannah were all watching me with fascination.

  Needing a distraction, I smiled at my kids and looked back at the dog. “Coco, this is Josh and Savannah.” They came close to the cage and knelt beside me.

  He looked from me to them, then he moved to where they knelt and sniffed their fingers in greeting. They both spoke to him, and he seemed to enjoy the attention. After they stopped admiring him, he sat down and placed his paw on the cage and woofed.

  I heard help again, and both my kids seemed to understand that he wanted something as well. Krista shook her head in wonder. “Wow. He’s never done anything like that before. Do you want to take him outside? We’ve got an area all set up where you can play with him.”

  “Yes,” Savannah said.

  “Okay, good.” Krista grabbed a leash and opened the cage door. She snapped the leash to his collar and led him out. “From what we’ve observed, he’s well-trained and responds to most of our commands. If you decide you want to take him, I’ll show you what they are and how to talk to him.”

  I had a feeling that wasn’t going to be necessary, since I could understand him just fine. He let her lead him out of the cage, but he stopped next to me and wouldn’t budge. She shrugged and handed the leash to me and we followed her outside.

  As soon as I started walking, he stayed right beside me. I took him through a door to a fenced lawn area with trees and a bench. Krista explained some of the commands to me, and I walked him around the enclosure. He was so well-trained that I wondered if he’d been a service dog, or even a police dog.

  “Now let’s take him off his leash,” Krista said, handing a rope toy to Josh. “That signals to him that it’s okay to play, and you can see how he interacts with you.”

  She unhooked his leash, and he ran over to Josh and Savannah. He played tug-of-war with Josh and the rope. Soon, both of the kids were talking to him and petting him like they were best friends. Coco followed their commands with attentive intelligence, and we were all impressed by how smart he was.

  As we watched them interact, Krista shook her head. “This is unbelievable. He’s never taken to anyone like this.” She wondered what made us so special. She’d heard that animals had a sixth sense about people. Maybe he knew we’d be a good match for him? But what if we didn’t take him? She didn’t even want to think about that. We had to take him. We just had to.

  I wanted to assure her that he was my choice, but I had to talk to my kids first. Still, the way they were enjoying his company, I didn’t think I had anything to worry about. Coco nuzzled Josh’s hand, then trotted over to the toy box. He picked up a Frisbee and brought it back, dropping it at Josh’s feet.

  Josh threw it, and Coco made some amazing catches. He always brought it back and dropped it for Josh to throw. After the third time, Coco surprised everyone by giving it to Savannah. He looked at her with his tongue hanging out like he was grinning, and she couldn’t resist his charm.

  Savannah could throw just as well as Josh, and Coco had a great time. They switched to a ball, then a few other toys Coco found in the box. While the kids continued to play with Coco, Krista went back inside, giving us some privacy to make our decision.

  Several minutes later, both Josh and Savannah sat on the lawn in the shade. Coco sat down right beside them. After a moment, he laid his chin on Savannah’s knee and gazed up at her with his big brown eyes. She was totally smitten and stroked his silky head with abandon.

  “Well, what do you think?” I asked, sitting beside them.

  “He’s great,” Josh said, thinking Coco was perfect. Almost too perfect. “I can’t believe someone let him go.”

  “Yeah, I know,” I agreed. “I wonder what happened.”

  “We have to keep him,” Savannah said. “It’s almost like he picked us, you know?” She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him there in that cage where he’d seemed so lonely.

  “So you’re both good with him?” I asked, just to make sure. They both agreed, so I patted Coco’s head and looked him in the eyes. “You want to come home with us?”

  He jumped to his feet and woofed, then he nuzzled Josh and Savannah, who both responded with lots of enthusiastic petting. Last, he approached me, sat on his haunches, and let out a woof that sounded just like home to me.

  I was better prepared this time, so I didn’t fall over. Still, it was a shock to understand what he meant. “Okay, Coco. You’re coming home with us.” He woofed again, wagging his tail back and forth and doing a little dance like he was happy.

  “Wow,” Josh said. “It’s like he understands exactly what we’re saying.”

  “I think he does,” Savannah said, giving his head a loving pat. She clipped the leash onto his collar, and we headed into the shelter.

  It didn’t take long to fill out all the paperwork and pay the fee. All of the staff members couldn’t get over the change in Coco, telling us he was a totally different dog. Krista even got a little emotional and gushed that she was so happy for him… and us… but I knew her tears were mostly for Coco.

  On the way home, we stopped at a pet store and picked out a nice collar and leash. We made a name tag with our information to add to the collar. Then we grabbed a bag of dog food, some bowls, and a bed, along with everything else we could think of, incl
uding a Frisbee and some other toys Coco helped us pick out.

  Coco was so well-behaved that I almost felt guilty. Almost… but mostly I just thanked my lucky stars to find such an amazing animal. On the way home, I picked up some of the same sentiments from Josh. He wondered where Coco had been and what had happened to him.

  The shelter had said there were no signs of abuse, so that was good. He was most likely between two and four years old. I hoped the vet we’d decided on could tell us more about his age. Other than that, there just wasn’t a lot of information to go on.

  I had heard one of staff members thinking that his owner might have died, and no one else had wanted him. That made sense to me, especially since he’d seemed depressed. Too bad he couldn’t tell us. Hmmm… but maybe I could pick up something about his past from him? Who knew? On the other hand, maybe it didn’t matter. He was with us now, and we’d take good care of him.

  At home, the kids took Coco through each room in our house. After that, they took him outside to explore the yard, and I called Chris to tell him the news. “Wow. That was fast,” he said. “But he sounds pretty great.”

  “He is. And I think he picked us.” I began to explain the circumstances, but didn’t get far before Chris had to go.

  “Sorry. But I have a client who just arrived. Can you tell me the details when I get home?”

  “You bet.” We said our goodbyes, and I went to the window that looked over the backyard and watched the kids play with Coco. Several minutes later, they all came inside, and the kids decided to take him for a walk.

  After getting his leash, I made sure they took some bags along. I’d always hated it when dog owners let their dogs poop on my lawn without cleaning it up. Now that we were dog owners, there was no way we would ever do that.

  My kids weren’t too excited about that part, but I knew they’d do it anyway. As they left, Coco turned back to look at me. He woofed, come. The kids tried to pull him along, but he wouldn’t budge. It was after one-thirty, and I had my appointment soon, so I couldn’t go. Would Coco understand? Now was a good time to find out.

  I knelt beside him. “I can’t come right now, but Josh and Savannah will take care of you. Go on… you’ll be fine.”

  “Come on Coco,” Savannah said. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  Coco woofed his enthusiasm and let them lead him away. I leaned against the doorframe and watched them walk up the street. When I couldn’t see them anymore, I went back inside, amazed. Savannah and Josh going on a walk together? And actually speaking to each other? I couldn’t remember the last time the two of them had done anything like that.

  So far, getting a dog was working out great.

  CHAPTER 2

  I arrived at the police station and pulled on my special ID badge. I’d changed my clothes from this morning, going with my black jeans and new ankle boots. I wore a soft, periwinkle blue v-neck shirt topped by a silver necklace and matching earrings. With my blouse tucked into my jeans, I looked pretty hot. Not that I was trying to impress anyone, but I couldn’t help hoping I looked better than my competition.

  Since I didn’t want to run into Willow-the-Psychic before my appointment, I took the elevator straight to the third floor. I found the door with Bob Spicer’s name stenciled on the glass and knocked. A thin man with a receding hairline opened the door and smiled. “You must be Shelby. Come on in.”

  He motioned me inside and shut the door. “Have a seat,” he said, pointing to a soft, plush chair sitting in front of his desk. “I’m Bob. It’s nice to meet you.” He shook my hand and moved to take his seat behind the desk.

  “I’ve been looking over your file. From what I’ve read, you’ve been a huge asset to the police.”

  I nodded, listening real close to his mind. I picked up that he was genuinely impressed. I couldn’t tell if he believed in my abilities, but he was willing to go with it since that’s what I believed. Helping me was important to him, especially after what I’d been through. Plus, talking to someone like me could prove to be exciting and completely different from anything he’d ever done before.

  “You’ve helped them out with a number of high-profile cases,” he continued, “all because of your psychic ability. I have to say I was skeptical at first, but, after reading through your file, it’s obvious you know what you’re doing.”

  “Uh… thanks.” What was I supposed to say? Thanks for believing I’m not nuts?

  He smiled, picking up my reticence. “I’m not here to judge your ability. I’m just really glad you came in to see me.” He thought it was a good move to tell me to get counseling, after everything I’d been through. Killing someone was the main reason, but he knew there was probably more to discover.

  When had my premonitions started? From what he’d read, I’d claimed it was a recent development. How had I coped with this sudden notoriety? Had my relationships with my family and friends changed? How did my husband feel about it? Had it changed our relationship? Had I tried to hide it from others so people wouldn’t think I was crazy? There were probably issues I dealt with on an ongoing basis that I wasn’t even aware I had.

  Yikes. He was right about that, but I didn’t want him concentrating on my psychic ability. I mean… sure it was a part of who I was now, but there had to be more to talk about than that.

  “So… how are you doing?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “I’m doing okay. I mean… I’ve been better, but I’m managing.”

  He nodded, knowing I was evading the question. “Was there something that prompted you to come in to see me today?”

  Telling him about the new psychic downstairs didn’t seem like a good idea, so I went with the other reason I was there. “I’ve had some bad dreams lately. And… things tend to upset me more than usual.”

  He nodded. “Bad dreams can manifest for many different reasons, but one is because we’re not dealing well with a traumatic experience, or because we have unfinished business. You say you seem more stressed than normal. Why do you think you feel that way?”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” He made a go-on gesture, so I figured I’d better keep talking. “I guess it’s because I’ve had a lot on my plate lately. I mean, first I’m working for the police, then I also do work for a… uh… family member.” I swallowed, glad I hadn’t spilled the beans about Uncle Joey, and calling him a family member was almost true.

  “Then I have my own consulting agency. Although, I have to say, I haven’t done a lot of that lately, at least not since the stalker. That’s how he got to me in the first place. He was a client… but then he used that to set me up.”

  “How did that make you feel?” Bob asked.

  “Pretty angry. I mean, how would you feel if some crazy stalker person used you to hurt others, just to make a point?”

  He nodded. “I see what you mean. That would be upsetting. What was the point he wanted to make?”

  “He wanted me to fail… you know… with my psychic abilities. I think he wanted to prove that I was a fraud.”

  “But that didn’t happen, did it?” Bob asked.

  “No.” Tension radiated across my shoulders and neck. “But it was close. It put a lot of pressure on me. I mean… he planted a bomb to see if I could stop him. How sick is that? Then… he grabbed me and shot someone who was trying to save me. He would have killed him, and probably me too, if I hadn’t shot him first.”

  Bob nodded. “How do you feel about shooting him?”

  “I guess I’m angry, but… I don’t feel too bad about it. I mean… I didn’t have a choice. It was him or us, and, to be honest, I’m not freaked out that I pulled the trigger and killed him. Is that normal?”

  “It’s good that you don’t blame yourself for his death. He targeted you, not the other way around.” Bob thought that this guy had really done a number on me. Not only had he stalked me, but he’d focused on proving my psychic skills didn’t exist. Proving their existence was something I’d probably had to do over and over again, and it could leave m
e with a lot of anger. No wonder I had issues.

  Issues? He thought I had issues? I may be a little angry, but it wasn’t that bad. In fact, I was doing pretty well after what I’d been through. Maybe he needed to talk to someone about his issues. He said he didn’t judge, but he was certainly judging me.

  “Shelby? Is something wrong?” He’d noticed me tense up, and my brows had drawn together like I was angry at him. What had brought that on? It was almost like I’d sensed his thoughts and it had made me mad.

  Crap. He was way too perceptive… and he was right. I was upset because of his thoughts, but I couldn’t tell him that. Knowing what he thought, along with basically everyone else I ever met, was probably the biggest cause of my stress. It came down to the fact that I couldn’t talk about my abilities.

  All the lies I’d told, and the deceit I’d used to keep my secret safe, might be giving me a complex. All at once, I wanted to tell him my secret. It would be such a relief to talk to a professional about everything. I could just let it all out. Wouldn’t that be great?

  I swallowed. No. I couldn’t talk to him. He wasn’t on my side. He worked for the police, and I couldn’t forget that.

  “Sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “I guess talking about that whole experience is upsetting. Can we talk about something else?”

  His lips turned up in a tiny smile, and he thought isn’t that the point of talking to me? Instead, he said, “I know it’s upsetting, so sure, let’s change the subject. You were on a vacation recently. How did that go?”

  It was all I could do not to roll my eyes. “Uh… maybe we shouldn’t talk about that either.”

  His brows rose. “That bad, huh?”