“It might. Nolan wondered if I was an undercover cop, so I could just stick with that.”
“But the undercover cop knows you’re not an undercover cop.”
“Yeah, but Nolan doesn’t, and if that cop asks questions, I can tell him I was checking out a lead tonight. I am a private investigator, you know.”
His brows rose. “With a license and everything?”
“Uh… no, I kind of skipped that part. But I am a registered police consultant with my own consulting business. What I do, and how I do it, is mostly to help the police. They can’t argue with that, right?”
“I guess.” Ramos let out a breath. “I hope it’s enough for the cop to leave you alone. If he asks you about going to the bar with me, what will you tell him?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. What do you think I should say?”
He grinned. “That I offered you a drink, and you couldn’t refuse because I’m so hot.”
I smiled, glad that at least one of us wasn’t scared to death. “I can just say that I was checking out the Polynesian gangs to see if they knew anything about Tommy’s death, and you were my ticket in.”
“That might work.” Ramos thought this guy complicated things. Even worse, he’d gotten a good look at Ramos at the bar. The cop was sure to look through the police database to find information about him.
That meant he’d see Ramos’s file and his connection to Manetto. There was no evidence to tie him to anything, but enough to mark him as someone of interest. He’d have to watch his back for the next little while, and expect some kind of special attention or harassment.
“Wow… would they really do that?”
“It’s happened before.” He shrugged. “I can take it. It’s you I’m worried about. Maybe after this you should take a break from helping the police.”
“Yeah… that’s probably a good idea.” Now might be a great time to let Willow take over for me. I could finally take that break I needed and not have to choose between the police and Uncle Joey. But would I ever do that? Could I resign from helping the police?
My phone vibrated with a text, and I pulled it out. “It’s Chris. He’s worried. I should go. Is there anything else we need to talk about?”
“Is there anything else you picked up at our meeting that I need to know… about Vinny or Aaron or even that kid Nolan?”
“Uh… Nolan was thinking about buying juice from someone else, Vinny was thinking he’d have to threaten to kill anyone who did what Slasher did, and Aaron just wanted to forget about it all. I’m sure there was more, but that’s the gist of it.”
“Okay. If you get in trouble with the cops, just remember that Manetto has deep connections. When you talk to the police, don’t let them push you around, and don’t say more than you need to.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t. And… if it helps you feel better, don’t forget that I have my super-power. I’ll be fine.”
“Right.” Ramos smiled and opened the door, but turned back toward me. “There is one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Try not to sneak up on me again.”
“Oh… yeah… I’ve learned my lesson.”
“Good. And maybe next time, we can get in a game of pool.”
I grinned. “I’d like that.”
“Goodnight Shelby.”
“Goodnight… Romeo.”
He chuckled and closed the door. With a quick wave, I pulled out of the parking space and started home. I kept track of the cars around me, just in case someone was following, and wished I would have done that earlier. I didn’t see anyone following me, but keeping watch was exhausting.
Finally pulling into my garage and closing the door, I got out of the car, grateful I’d made it home in one piece. With the time past midnight, everyone had gone to bed, and most of the lights were out, but Chris had left the kitchen light on for me. After locking the door and turning the lights out, I hurried upstairs to find Chris asleep with the bedside lamp on.
As I got ready for bed, he opened his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. “Good. You’re home. How did it go?”
“Well… okay, I guess.” I finished brushing my teeth and climbed into bed. “Do you want to hear the long version or the short version?” I was hoping for the short, since I could leave most of it out.
“Is there a short one?”
“Well… I could just summarize, so you’d get the gist of it. Since it’s so late, it wouldn’t take as long.”
“Just start at the beginning… like… tell me who died.”
“Okay.” I explained how Uncle Joey was getting out of the drug business, but the person in charge of it kept selling the drugs anyway, and used Uncle Joey’s connections, along with Uncle Joey’s name and reputation. “So you can see how that would be bad for him.”
Chris shook his head, thinking that getting out of the business had left Uncle Joey open to the incompetence of others, which could get him in more trouble than he’d bargained for. “So what kind of trouble is he in?”
“Someone killed one of his former drug dealers, and the police are hoping to link it back to him. Anyway… Uncle Joey asked me to help the police with the investigation so I could keep him informed.”
Chris’s eyes widened. Didn’t I know how risky that was? If the police found out, they’d never let me work for them again. It would ruin everything I’d worked for. It could also end up with charges against me if they wanted to push it.
“Uh… yeah, I figured as much, but that’s not what I’m doing. I’m trying to find the real killer, and I think I figured it out tonight. Now I just need to help the police arrest the right guy. Then Uncle Joey will be off the hook, and the real killer will go to jail.”
Chris shook his head, thinking that sounded too easy. “Okay… just be careful. Don’t let any of the cops look at your phone. Maybe you should talk to Manetto about getting a burner phone for stuff like that.”
He couldn’t believe he was advising me on how to avoid getting caught by the police so I could keep my job. I walked a fine line between the cops and Manetto, and it was getting thinner and thinner. If I wasn’t careful, it would blow up in my face.
“Yeah… I see that, but I’m being extra careful. And you’re right about the burner phone. I thought about it too, but, once this is straightened out, I shouldn’t need one. By then, Uncle Joey should be out of the business, and I won’t need to be so secretive.”
Chris just nodded, hoping it would happen, because staying on this path could have dire consequences, and I could end up in jail.
Just hearing that sent a cold chill down my spine. “There was one other thing that happened… but I’m not sure you’ll want to hear it.”
He braced for bad news. “What is it? Just tell me and get it over with.” His mind raced with all sorts of imagined things, including one where I had succumbed to Ramos’s allure and had kissed him or something. It made his stomach queasy just thinking about it.
My brows drew together. “No… it’s nothing like that. There was an undercover cop who saw me tonight, so I’m concerned that he’ll want to know what I was doing at a drug deal. But… he doesn’t have any proof, and he doesn’t even know that it was a drug deal, so I should be fine.”
“How the hell did that happen?”
I winced at his harsh tone, and my chest tightened. Shouldn’t he be relieved that I wasn’t having an affair with Romeo… uh Ramos? Guess I was wrong. Not sure I wanted to answer him, I squeezed my lips together and frowned.
Chris closed his eyes and took a breath. “Sorry. I’m not mad… well… that’s not exactly true. It just seems crazy that an undercover cop was following you. I mean… this could come back to bite you. So what happened? Did he see you with the drug dealers or what?”
“No, he didn’t.” I explained that he’d followed me to the health-and-nutrition store, but it was too dark for him to see anything. I sort of left out the part about going to the bar, since Chris was already ma
d, and finished up.
“I just caught a glimpse of him. So I think I can fix it. At the precinct tomorrow, I’ll tell Bates I met up with an informant, and then I’ll give him the info about the kid, only I’ll say most of it’s from a premonition I got while talking to my informant.”
Chris nodded, thinking it sounded a little convoluted, but it could work. “Okay, good. Don’t tell them any more than you need to.”
“I won’t.” Geez, did both Chris and Ramos think I was an idiot?
“If you’re serious about becoming Manetto’s successor, maybe you’d better stop helping the police… at least until all this is settled.”
“Yeah… you might be right.” Hadn’t Ramos just told me that? They were both right, but how was I supposed to help people like Sophie and Mack Haywood without the police? Maybe I should just turn Uncle Joey down. But how was that any easier?
Chris could see that I was starting to get stressed out, and he didn’t want to add to it, so he pulled me into his arms and held me close. “I’m sorry I got upset… I’m sure it will all work out. Trust yourself. You’re amazing. You’ll figure this out.”
“Thanks, honey.”
He kissed the top of my head. “I’m lucky to have you, even if you make me a little crazy sometimes.”
I huffed out a breath, but he held me tight, so I couldn’t smack him. He chuckled and relaxed his hold. I sighed and snuggled closer to him and the warmth of his love, grateful he’d stuck by my side through it all.
Still, I couldn’t stop the worry that kept me awake. Even telling myself that nothing bad was going to happen didn’t help, and it was a long time before I fell asleep.
The next morning, I woke to find a wet nose sniffing my face. I opened my eyes to see Coco staring at me. His front paws were perched on the bed, and his tail wagged. He woofed, and I heard, get up. “Do I really have to?”
He woofed again. Yup. Now. We go.
“Where?”
Walk. Come.
“Okay. I’ll take you on a walk, but I have to get dressed first.” Coco ran out of the room like he was on a mission, and I wished I had some of his enthusiasm. I slunk out of bed and pulled on some shorts, a t-shirt, and some walking shoes. At least having a dog meant I was actually getting some exercise, so that was positive.
Chris was just leaving for work. He gave me a quick kiss and wished me luck. I picked up his worry about the drug deal last night. He fervently hoped I didn’t call him today because I was in trouble and needed a lawyer. But, if I did, at least I had him, and he was damn good. He flashed me a smile before shutting the door.
I just shook my head and waved, grateful he was on my side. Coco and I left right after that, and it was nice to get in a walk and figure out my next move. It was hard with so much on my plate, but taking care of the undercover cop was probably the first place to start.
We returned home, and I put in a call to Dimples.
“Hey Shelby, I was just going to call you. We found all three of the men from the hotel, and they’re coming in for questioning. The first guy should be here in about an hour. Will that work for you?”
“Yeah, that’s perfect. I’ll get ready and come down. In the meantime, can you do me a favor?”
“Sure, what?”
“Will you tell Bates that I had a premonition about the case he’s working on, and I’ll explain all about it when I get there?”
“Uh… sure. I didn’t realize you were helping him. Which case is it?”
“The murdered drug dealer.” Dimples didn’t respond, so I continued. “I did some digging, and I have a pretty good idea about who did it, but I won’t know for sure until they bring him in, so I have to make it sound like a premonition… you know?”
“Oh… yeah, right. Okay… I’ll let him know.”
“Thanks. See you soon.” I hung up before he could ask me any more questions. I could tell from his tone that he wasn’t happy I was helping Bates. But seriously? Why should it bother him? Willow was helping him so we were even, right? I knew that wasn’t nice of me, but I was done being nice where she was concerned.
I showered and dressed, deciding to look more professional and wear a blue blazer with my dark jeans. I didn’t carry a gun, but it looked like I could have one tucked away somewhere, so the blazer was just as effective.
Savannah was awake, so I told her I had to go to the police station, but to call me if she needed anything. It was Josh’s day off from lifeguarding, so I decided to let him sleep in. I gave Coco a pat on the head, and hurried out the door.
I arrived at the precinct and headed straight for the detectives’ offices. Before I got to Dimples’s desk, Bates waved me over. He was hoping that I could clear up something, and it was a good thing I’d already called to volunteer information. It made Grizzo’s comments seem less accusatory if I had something to offer.
Grizzo? That had to be the undercover cop, and I picked up that he’d told Bates he wasn’t so sure they could trust me. At least it didn’t sound like he’d mentioned seeing me last night, but he might bring it up now. Damn. What was I going to tell Bates if he did? I’d just have to stick with my cover story that I was talking to an informant, and hope to keep Ramos out of it.
But with Grizzo’s involvement, that might not be a possibility. I was pretty sure Bates already knew I had ties to the mob because of a case involving an escaped convict a few months ago. But if he knew I was still involved with them… I didn’t even want to think about it.
Now, I had to make sure I solved the case before Grizzo insisted I might have something to do with passing information to Uncle Joey, and had me fired.
“Hey there,” I said. “Did Dim… uh… Harris tell you I called?”
“Yeah. He said you had a premonition about the case.”
“I did, and I think it will help.”
“Good. I want to hear all about it. Why don’t you wait for me in the conference room? I have to make a quick phone call, and I’ll be right in.” He was thinking that Grizzo wanted to be in on it. Luckily, he was in his office on the fourth floor and could come right down.
Damn. An acute desire to walk past the conference room and right out of the building washed over me. As I neared the room, I took a deep breath and stepped inside. I could handle this. I’d been in a lot worse situations. How bad could this be?
I sat down at the oblong table and Bates hurried in, holding the case file. He had no idea why Grizzo had wanted to be included, but, if he had to guess, he’d say it was because of my awesome psychic ability that he’d witnessed yesterday. Or maybe he had some new information that would be useful?
That calmed me down. At least Grizzo hadn’t said anything about last night, but that was probably going to change if I didn’t take matters into my own hands. “Are we waiting for someone?”
“Uh… yeah. The guy who works with the gang unit asked me to call him. I think he’s got some information for us.”
The door opened, and Grizzo walked in.
“There he is,” Bates said. “Shelby this is Grizzo. Grizzo, Shelby Nichols.”
Grizzo wasn’t too happy Bates had told me he was coming to the meeting. He’d wanted to catch me unaware and gauge my reaction, but now I was just sitting there with a congenial smile on my face.
In an effort to be nice, he stuck out his hand. “Hi. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” I said, since it seemed we were going with the ‘we’re pretending we don’t know each other’ charade. “Is Grizzo a nickname?”
“Uh… yeah.”
I picked up that his real name was Greg and, since it didn’t fit the persona he liked to project, he never used it. Smiling, I stored that little nugget away for future use.
Bates cleared his throat, thinking we were wasting time. “Shelby called about a premonition she had with the case.” He glanced at Grizzo. “You know she’s a psychic, right?”
“I’d heard.”
“Good. Then let’s get right to it.” Bates
glanced at me with a hopeful smile. “Tell us what you’ve got.”
Grizzo studied me with narrowed eyes, wondering just how much of last night I was willing to share. The Tiki Tabu bar was crawling with some of the baddest gang members in town, and they’d made him the second he’d walked in. In fact, he’d barely made it out of there in one piece.
So what was I doing there? How come they treated me like one of their own? Showing up at the bar right after my visit to that health-and-nutrition store must have something to do with it. And then there was the guy I was with. He’d only caught a glimpse of him, but he knew, in that moment, the guy was one bad dude. And he’d been at the store with me as well. So what was going on?
I didn’t sense that he’d told anyone in the department about last night, so at least that was good. Now I just had to convince him I was doing some sleuthing of my own.
“I kept getting little flashes about the case, so I decided to reach out to some of my sources within the gang community last night. After talking with one of my informants, I got some impressions that I think will help us find the killer.”
I paused to make sure they were following along. Bates was a little shocked that I had an informant. But… he reasoned that I had my own consulting business, so maybe that had something to do with it. Grizzo was more than a little skeptical.
“Let’s start with what we know,” I began. “We know that the gray BMW was seen leaving the scene—”
“Gray? No one ever said it was gray,” Bates said.
“Huh… then I must have gotten it from my premonitions. I picked up a couple of other things as well. I think the person who killed the drug dealer is male, young, and his name has an X in it. He’s young enough to be in high school, and the school he attends is something with sky in it, like Skyline or Skyview. Not sure which one, though.”
I shrugged. “Based on that… this is what we need to look for: The person driving the BMW has a name with an X in it, he’s young and rich, and he goes to a high school that has sky in the name.”
I sat back and waited for Bates to nod. In his search for the BMW, he’d turned up a couple of traffic cam photos that had a partial license plate number. He thought if they could narrow it down to a particular area of residence, they’d have an easier time matching it.
Dying Wishes: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Shelby Nichols Adventure Book 14) Page 18
