Chloe nodded, thinking about Savannah’s huge crush on Miguel. But she knew Savannah would kill her if she mentioned that little confession that Savannah was in love with him, so she just smiled and nodded.
What? She loved Miguel? I mean… sure she had a crush… but love? What the freak? I swallowed a few times to calm down. She was only thirteen, so it was probably just a passing thing. Nothing to worry about, right?
Chloe blinked, wondering why my eyes had widened in panic. “Uh… yeah she did. It sounded like you had a great time.” Since Savannah was staring daggers at her, and I looked like I might faint, she changed the subject. “I love your dog. Josh told me all about him. It’s crazy to think his owner was murdered.”
“I know, right?” Grateful for the change of subject, I continued. “It’s pretty sad, but I’m glad Coco’s with us now.”
“How’s the investigation going?” Savannah asked. She was eager to steer the conversation as far away from Miguel and New York as possible, and questioned why she’d ever confided in Chloe at all. It was dangerous around me, because I seemed to have a sixth sense about things, and she didn’t want me to know how deep her feelings went.
“Uh… well, I made some progress today.”
Coco bounded over to greet me before getting a drink of water from a bucket Josh had filled. Josh sat on the lawn in the shade beside us, and Coco sat beside him, so I told them about my meeting with Lance Hobbs and his dog, Scout. “He said Coco was an amazing search-and-rescue dog, and he asked if I had any desire to work with him. He even offered to train me.”
“Really? That’s cool,” Josh said, thinking that it made sense to continue with the search-and-rescue team if Coco was that good. “Would you like that, buddy?” Josh ruffled Coco’s head, and he barked yup.
I smiled. “I think he said yes.”
Josh grinned down at Coco, wondering if that was something he and Coco could do together. He might like that. But was he old enough? He may be fifteen now, but he was turning sixteen in the fall. If he could drive, he should be able to join the search-and-rescue team.
“I haven’t decided what to do yet, but I know Lance would be happy about it. Josh, would you like to train with me? Maybe we could both learn, and then, once you’re old enough, you could do some on your own.”
“Really? Yeah. I’d like that.” Josh’s eyes lit up with excitement. “We could train this summer before school starts. I’ve got lots of time.”
“Okay. I’ll call Lance and check it out.”
I caught a whiff of jealousy from Chloe, but she thought it was a cool thing for Josh to do, especially with Coco already trained. Savannah didn’t care one way or the other, so at least that meant no bickering between them. I’d take that any time.
Josh’s stomach growled, and he thought he might be starving to death. Before he could ask me what we were having for dinner, I spoke up. “I’m thinking pizza for dinner. What kind do you guys want?”
Josh glanced at me suspiciously. Was this what Dad had meant last night? Had I read his mind, or was it just my premonitions? It could be either, but he hoped it was just premonitions… having his mind read would suck. He’d never have any privacy, and if I knew his thoughts… shit… he couldn’t even imagine it without feeling sick.
Yikes… Now I had to do everything in my power to make sure he never found out. That meant I couldn’t call him out on his swearing. But it was a small price to pay, and, since it was in his head, I guess it didn’t count anyway.
Savannah’s taste in pizza didn’t include the toppings Josh liked, so he had to jump in and make sure it didn’t all go her way. For once, I didn’t mind their bickering, since it took his attention away from me. We settled on the supreme pizza without the olives, even though I liked them. We invited Chloe to stay, but she had to go, so Josh and Coco walked her home.
Half an hour later, Chris and Josh both got home right after the pizza arrived. While we ate, we had a lively discussion about Coco and joining the search-and-rescue team. Chris thought it was too much for me to take on, but, if Josh was interested, he could hardly say no. I told them I’d give Lance a call in a few days, once things had settled down with my workload.
The kids disappeared after dinner, giving Chris and me some time alone. Since I’d been so wrapped up in my work, I asked Chris how his day had gone before telling him about mine. It was nice to hear about a few of his cases, and how the new intern was working out. At least we didn’t have to worry about someone spying on him anymore.
“So what about you? Make any progress on your cases?”
“Yeah. It was kind of crazy today.” I filled Chris in on Willow and what happened when she’d hypnotized Sophie. “So now we’re hoping that they can track down the three suspects from the hotel. Once they do, they’ll bring them in for questioning, and I’m planning to be there. That way I’ll know which one did it and solve the case. I’m ready for Willow to be done working with Dimples, and I hope she never comes back.”
“So let me get this straight. Willow used hypnosis and it worked, but you stopped her because Brock showed up?”
“Hmm… yeah. When you say it like that, it sounds a little nuts, but yes… that’s what happened. Brock wasn’t too happy.”
“So… it looks like Willow has some psychic ability after all.”
Why did he have to zero in on that part? What about Brock? That seemed way more interesting. Still, I had to admit there was something to Willow’s psychic abilities when he put it that way. “Yeah, and she does astrology and tarot card readings for people. I guess she even has clients. Which reminds me…”
I told Chris about the link between Willow’s client, Carolyn, and Mack’s involvement in finding Carolyn’s missing granddaughter. “I doubt it has anything to do with his murder, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to talk to her. I know they exchanged numbers, so maybe they spoke again? If they did, Carolyn might know something that could help.”
“Maybe. It’s also possible they exchanged numbers because one of them was interested in the other on a romantic level. You never know.”
I shrugged. “I guess that’s a possibility, but it doesn’t seem likely.”
“Wouldn’t they be close to the same age?” He thought he was onto something, and I wasn’t giving him enough credit.
I shook my head. “All right… you might have a point. I’m planning on talking to her tomorrow, so I should be able to figure it out pretty fast. If they spoke to each other between the time Ava was found and Mack’s death, she might know something that will help. It’s worth a shot anyway.”
He nodded, thinking that I had my hands full with both of these cases. It was a good thing Manetto didn’t have a lot going on. Well… except for asking me to be his successor. Now that was a doozy. But at least I didn’t have to get mixed up in anything like New York, with the local mob and all the drugs. That had been a nightmare.
Crap. How was I going to tell him that I had to leave soon to help Uncle Joey with a drug problem? There was no good way to say it, so I might as well just tell him and get it over with, especially since I needed to leave in about ten minutes.
“About that…” I smiled sweetly to soften the blow. “I have to help Uncle Joey tonight, but it shouldn’t be dangerous.”
After the initial shock, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. It shouldn’t be dangerous was something I always said when it turned out to be dangerous. Didn’t I know that? “What’s going on?”
“It’s just a little meeting at the health-and-nutrition store. I thought I told you about that.”
He couldn’t remember. Had I? “When was this?”
“The other day. I’m sure I told you.” At Chris’s raised brows, I shrugged, knowing full well I hadn’t told him a thing. “It’s not a big deal, I just have to listen in on a drug exchange and find out if the buyer thinks that Uncle Joey’s still in the business. You know he’s not in the drug business anymore, right? So Uncle Joey just w
ants to make sure he doesn’t get caught for something he didn’t do.”
Chris thought that I was putting it mildly so he wouldn’t worry. But, knowing me, I was right in the middle of a dangerous situation… and, of course, there was a lot more to the story than I’d said… probably on purpose.
“Hey… I’m sure it won’t be dangerous… and… just so you know, I’ve said that before when it wasn’t, and things worked out just fine. Give me a little credit here.”
He shook his head. “I guess so.” It always worried him when I left late at night on some errand for Manetto, and, for the life of him, he didn’t know if he’d ever get used to it.
“Uh… yeah, I get that, but look on the bright side. Once Uncle Joey gets out of the mob business, you won’t have to worry so much.”
He snorted. Thinking that I was dreaming if I thought he was really leaving the mob business behind. Manetto might say that, but Chris wouldn’t believe it until it actually happened, and I shouldn’t either.
“You really think so?” I asked. “But… it’s the only way if he wants me to take over, you know?”
“Yeah, I get that. But we’ve still got some time before all of this happens. I mean… naming you as his successor doesn’t mean you’re taking over right away. So, maybe someday it could happen, but I don’t think we should count on it.”
“Yeah, maybe not.”
“That’s what worries me because, until then, you’re still in danger. And it could backfire. If you’re caught during a drug deal, you could get arrested. Are you sure you have to go tonight?”
When he said it like that, it was easy to doubt Uncle Joey. I had to face the fact that he was a mob boss today, regardless of his intentions for the future. Damn. “Yeah. I have to go. But I’ll be careful. Don’t forget my super power. I’ll know if something’s wrong before it happens. It’ll be fine.”
“You’re sure? What if you don’t go? What would happen?”
I shook my head. “It’s not that simple. A man was killed, and I need to find out who did it. It will clear Uncle Joey, but it’s also the right thing to do.”
“What? A man was killed? Someone who worked for Manetto?”
“No, he didn’t work for Uncle Joey, but the police think he did, and that’s why they’re trying to pin it on him. So to clear Uncle Joey, I have to find out who really did it.”
“And your meeting tonight will help you do that?”
“That’s the plan.”
Now he shook his head. Why didn’t I ever tell him these things? A man was dead? And I was just telling him now?
“I didn’t know it was that important at the time. Look… I’ve got to go, but I’ll tell you everything when I get back.” His disappointment cut me to the quick. “I’ll try and do better next time. Okay?”
“Yeah… sure.”
I could tell he didn’t exactly believe me, so I gave him a kiss, and ran up to my room to throw on my black clothes. I still wore my black pants and ankle boots, so I added a black t-shirt and grabbed my black leather jacket. With the temperature in the mid-seventies, I probably didn’t need it, but I wanted to look the part.
After slipping my fully charged stun flashlight into my purse, I hurried back to the kitchen. The kids were watching TV, but they’d come up for a snack, so I mentioned that I had to run an errand for Uncle Joey, and I’d be back soon. Chris had followed me in, so I gave him a quick kiss and left with a wave, hearing their worried thoughts that I was headed for trouble.
As the door closed on their thoughts, I couldn’t help the tiny bubble of anger, along with a twinge of guilt, that popped in my chest. Didn’t they know that this was my job? This was what I did, and I didn’t have much of a choice. Geez, give me a break.
I got in my car, but hesitated before starting it up. Was it true? I didn’t have a choice, did I? I shook my head and backed out of the driveway. Right now, I didn’t want to answer that. I liked what I did, and I didn’t want to stop.
Did that mean it was wrong? Not entirely, and this was nothing like New York. The only person in danger this time was me, and I’d be fine. I pursed my lips, knowing from past experience that wasn’t entirely true either, but I wasn’t about to admit it. Maybe this was something I could talk to Bob about. He was a professional. He could help me figure it out.
On that hopeful note, I drove to the store, listening to some great rock and roll to get me in the mood. It was fully dark as I pulled into the mostly vacant parking lot and stopped the car. In the sudden silence, the emptiness carried a sinister quality, with only a few security lights glowing inside the store.
Had Ramos told me to meet him in the alley behind the store? I couldn’t remember. But since his last meeting with the drug dealer was there, it was a pretty good assumption. Glancing around the deserted lot, I climbed out of my car and edged my way to the small alley between the stores.
I hesitated at the entrance. With it too dark to see much, unease flickered down my spine. Good thing I had my fully charged, trusty stun flashlight. I pulled it out and flicked it on. The light didn’t penetrate the entire alley, but it was enough for me to see where I was going. Even better, it didn’t look like anyone was there waiting to kill me.
Trying to make as little noise as possible, I stepped into the alley. About halfway down, my jaw began to throb from clenching my teeth so hard. Trying to relax, I shook my head and took the last few steps to the back of the building.
Low voices warned me that someone was there, so I switched off the light, and peeked around the corner. Two men, with their backs to me, stood in the bleak yellow light shining over the back entrance. It was hard to make out their faces, but one of them used a key to unlock the door before they vanished inside.
It didn’t look like Ramos was one of them, and that worried me, since it wasn’t like him to be late. Before I could decide what to do, the sound of a motorcycle reached me. As it came closer, my dread fell away, and I waited for him to arrive.
Instead of parking in the lot, he drove the bike through the back service entrance and stopped in front of the door. He dismounted and pulled off his helmet. Smiling, I stepped from my hiding place and opened my mouth to tell him I was there.
Before I could get a word out, he grabbed his gun from a side holster and aimed it straight at my chest. I let out a yelp and stepped back, knocking into some discarded boxes. Losing my balance, I fell back on my butt, scattering boxes and debris across the alley.
Ramos reached me, his eyes wide with dismay. “What the hell, Shelby. I almost killed you.”
“Yeah… I kinda noticed that.”
“Are you okay?”
“Um… I think so.” My legs were tangled and my butt hurt. I’d caught my fall with my right hand, and my wrist was sore, but I could move it just fine, so I didn’t think it was sprained or anything.
“Here, let me help you up.” Ramos knelt beside me with enough guilt and fear radiating off him to fuel a small storm. He reached down to help me up, and I winced, cradling my hurting wrist.
“It was my fault. I should have spoken up earlier… I mean… I was going to say something witty, but I couldn’t figure anything out, so maybe that was part of it.” Ramos helped me to my feet, and I leaned against him until I stopped shaking. His overwhelming guilt that he’d nearly killed me took my breath away.
“Hey… you don’t need to feel bad. I mean… look on the bright side… you didn’t shoot me after all, right? So it’s all good. It’s probably because of your great reflexes, you know? I mean… sure I could be dead right now, but I’m not, because you figured it out, you stopped just in—”
“Shelby… shut up.” He pulled me close against him and held me tightly until his heart rate began to slow.
“Uh… everything okay back here?” Aaron asked, trying to see what was going on in the dark.
“Yeah,” I said, my voice muffled against Ramos’s chest. “Everything’s fine. We’ll be right there.” Ramos finally let me go, and I immediat
ely missed his warmth.
“You sure you’re okay? You’re holding your wrist.”
I glanced down to see he was right. “Oh… yeah. It hurts a little, but not too bad. I’m sure it’s fine.”
He let out a sigh and shook his head. “Let’s go in and take a look. I’m sure Aaron’s got a first aid kit somewhere.”
Not wanting to argue, I nodded and stepped toward the door, then came to an abrupt halt. “Oh wait. I dropped my stun flashlight. It’s got to be around here somewhere.”
“I’ll find it in a minute. Let’s go in and look at your wrist first.”
“No... I need my flashlight. It might come in handy in there.” He opened his mouth to protest, but I wasn’t giving up. “I’d just feel better if I had it.” I moved a little stiffly and started toward the boxes. It was hard to see in the dark, but Ramos helped me search, and he found it a few seconds later.
“Here you go.” As he handed it over, I picked up that his guilt was mostly gone, replaced by profound relief that I was okay.
I was relieved too. I couldn’t think of anything worse than getting accidently shot by Ramos. I’d made a stupid mistake. I should have realized the danger. What was I thinking? “How could I be so stupid?”
Ramos’s gaze jerked to mine.
“Did I just say that out loud?”
“Yes.”
“Well it’s true. I’m an idiot.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. There’s enough of that going around.”
He was right about that. So I just smiled and nodded. Ramos opened the door, and I stepped inside a small office. He ushered me into a chair at the side of the desk, and I gratefully sat down.
Surprise, and a rush of fear, came from the man standing beside Aaron. I got a good look at him, and my eyes widened. He was the kid who’d stolen the shoe-sized box the other day, and who’d dragged me halfway across the store while I’d clutched his ankle.
After he recognized me, his fear escalated to realize Ramos stood in front of me. He could hardly forget the big guy who’d threatened him with bodily harm. He turned to Aaron. “What’s going on? Why are they here? We made a deal. You said we were even.”
Dying Wishes: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Shelby Nichols Adventure Book 14) Page 16
