“I’ll be right back.”
“Hmm…kay.” Now that he was taking care of things, I could relax. Phew. That was close. But everything was fine now, and it was okay to let my eyes drift shut.
“Shelby?”
I opened my eyes to find Dimples standing over me. “Hey Dimps. Wass-up?”
“Damn.”
I shook my head and felt a stabbing pain. “Ouch. That hurts.”
“Here. Drink this.” He propped me up with his arm and handed me a can. Suddenly thirsty, I drank it down. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it sure tasted good. A few seconds later, my vision cleared, and I felt more like myself. “What is this?”
“An energy drink. Feel better?”
“Yes. Thanks.” Dimples helped me sit up on the edge of the bed and held me until I was steady.
He stayed by my side, and I glanced around the room. A couple of police officers pulled Dex to his feet and cuffed his hands behind his back. As he muttered obscenities, they read him his rights and led him from the room.
“Where’s—”
Dimples put a finger to his lips, and I froze. He was thinking that I shouldn’t say anything about Ramos if I wanted to keep him out of this. I nodded to let him know I heard that, and he dropped his hand. “Do you remember anything?”
I nodded. “I remember it all. That Dex guy they just took out? He’s the killer.”
“Yes. I got that.” He was thinking that it had been a shock to see Ramos motioning to him at the bar. Then, to find me and that murderer in the hotel room nearly gave him a heart attack. What was I thinking?
“Uh… I can explain.”
“It’s okay… I’m not mad. I’m just glad you’re all right.”
“Did you get the bartender too?”
“Not yet. Why don’t you tell me the whole story?”
“Sure.” It took longer than I liked, but I told him everything that happened. “I didn’t realize it was the bartender who put the drug in my drink, or I never would have had any. I’m surprised it did anything. I only had about one swallow.”
“That must be why you remember what happened. It’s a good thing Ramos came. How did you manage that?”
Since I didn’t want to tell him about the burner phone, I explained it another way. “There’s a tracker in my watch. I managed to tell him I was in trouble and he found me.”
“Oh. That’s handy.” As much as he didn’t like my relationship with a hitman or a mob boss, he couldn’t possibly be mad about it… at least not right now. “We’d better get the bartender before he skips town.”
“Yeah.” I glanced around the room. “Where’s Willow?”
He shook his head. “She had car trouble and wanted me to pick her up. Since I was already late meeting you, I told her I couldn’t do it. But she was stranded on the highway, so I had to find someone to help her out before I could get here.”
I nodded, catching his thoughts that he was done with that woman, and the chief could stuff it up his… he stopped to catch my gaze, and I smiled. “I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere.” He left my side and told the remaining officer to go with him to arrest the bartender, leaving another officer with me.
“Dimples… wait!” He turned back. “I think the bartender took my phone. Will you see if he’s got it?”
“Yeah sure.” With a scowl, he hurried out the door.
I noticed my purse on the bedside table and checked inside to find my stun flashlight, grateful I still had it. What about my burner phone? I patted the pocket in my dress and felt the bulge. How had I managed that? I couldn’t remember putting it there, but I must have.
Now that I felt better, I tested my legs and slowly stood, putting a little weight on them. Standing without too much trouble, I let out a breath, and crossed to the bathroom, needing to splash some cold water on my face.
My hair was more than a little mussed, and my cheeks were flushed, but I didn’t look too bad. After finger combing my hair, I rinsed my mouth with water and wiped my face with a towel. I did feel a lot better, but I wasn’t sure I could drive home.
A strange ringing sound echoed through the bathroom, and I realized it was coming from my pocket. I quickly pulled the phone out and flipped it open. “Hello?”
“Babe. Sorry I had to leave. Are you okay?”
“Yes. So much better. Dimples gave me an energy drink. It really helped.”
“Good. When can you leave?”
“I’m not sure. Dimples left to arrest the bartender, so I think I’ll head down there and see if he found my phone.”
“Okay. Just make sure you get a ride home. You shouldn’t drive.”
“Yeah… you’re right. I will. And… Ramos… thanks for coming tonight. That was a little scary.”
He didn’t answer for a moment. “Yes, it was.”
“Good thing that tracker is still working, right?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Uh… I’ll have to make you some cookies or something. I know that’s hardly enough, but—”
He snorted. “Shelby… don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The line went dead before I could reply. I couldn’t tell if he was mad at me, or if he was just worried. Either way, I was more than grateful.
I stepped out of the bathroom, and Dimples came through the door. He caught my gaze and smiled. “Got him. He’s keeping his mouth shut, but I found your phone behind the counter.” He held it up. “I should keep it for evidence, but I think we have enough on him without it.”
“Thank you. I was just about to go down there and look for it.” I slipped the cell phone into my purse. “Do you need me for anything else, or can I go?”
“You can go. I’ve got enough to write up your statement, but you’ll need to come in sometime tomorrow so we can go over it.”
“Sure. I can do that.”
“Good. I’ll have an officer drive you home. His partner can follow in your car.”
“Oh that’s great. Thanks so much.”
He nodded, and his brows drew down over his eyes. “Just… Shelby, that was…” He thought about saying stupid, or crazy, or scary, but none of those words were right. “You solved the case, but… I don’t like thinking about what could have happened.”
“Yeah… I get that. I wasn’t expecting things to happen like that either.” I caught his gaze. “Or that you’d be so late.”
He winced. “Yeah… no kidding. I just don’t like you taking such a risk…”
“I know… I don’t either. But it kind of fell into my lap, and I went for it. You would have done the same thing.”
He nodded, thinking that was his job… and I was the one who took the risk and caught the killer. He’d feel like a failure if I wasn’t so nice about it. “You show me up all the time.” He smiled. “Just don’t tell the chief.”
“I won’t, and… just because I’m so nice… I’ll let you tell Willow all about it. Oh… and since we’re leaving Ramos out of it… you’re taking his place in the story, right? Because I totally think you’d better.”
His lips turned down. As much as he didn’t want to, it was the only way to explain it all without involving the hitman. “Fine.” He shook his head and caught my gaze. His lips turned up in a big smile, bringing out the dimples in his cheeks. “You know what? Willow’s going to be so upset.”
I snorted. “Yup… and based on that, it was totally worth it.”
I got home close to midnight. I’d sent Chris a text after I got my phone back, telling him that we’d captured the killer, and it was a huge success. That had a nice positive spin to it, and I hoped it would make telling him the rest of it easier.
As I climbed into bed, he woke up and pulled me into his arms. I cuddled against him, grateful to feel safe and secure. “So you got the guy,” he said, kissing the top of my head. “That’s great. I’m so proud of you.”
My heart melted. “Thanks honey.”
“You want to tell me about it?” He was thinking that it was la
te, and he had an early morning, but he didn’t mind staying awake a little longer.
“How about this? It was great taking that murderer down and solving the case, but the details can wait until tomorrow.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Thanks honey… you’re my wonder woman.” After another squeeze, he relaxed and began to drift off…but a stray thought jarred him awake. Usually, when I didn’t tell him things, it meant that I’d been in trouble. Was that the case this time?
With an effort, he pushed the thought away. I was home safe and snuggled in his arms. Right now… that was all that mattered.
Chris was gone before I got up. I didn’t know if that was good or bad, but, since it meant I could put off telling him about my close call, it was probably for the best. Coco barked that he needed to go out, so I opened the door. He came back a few minutes later and barked to be let in, and I knew it was past time to get that doggy door.
While eating a bowl of cereal, I checked places to get one on my cell phone. Coco ate his food at the same time, but scarfed it down pretty fast. Before I finished, Coco sat at my feet and woofed walk.
“Sure… just let me finish my cereal.” It was early enough that I could fit in a walk before my eleven o’clock appointment with Carolyn. A moment later, Coco returned, carrying his leash in his mouth. Walk. Go. Now.
I laughed. “Okay… just let me put on my shoes.” He woofed Yup and sat at attention at the door to wait for me. As I slipped on my walking shoes, my phone rang. It was Misti, and I quickly answered. “Hello.”
“Hey Shelby, sorry to bother you, but I’m afraid we’re going to have to cancel today.”
“Oh darn. That’s too bad.”
“Yeah. My mother’s not feeling the best. Can we try for another day?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Okay. Let me talk to her, and I’ll get back to you.”
Since that sounded like it may never happen, I quickly spoke. “Why don’t we say tomorrow at the same time? Even if she isn’t up for it, at least let me bring Coco over so Ava can see him again? We could just meet in the back yard, so we wouldn’t disturb her. That way, if she’s feeling well enough, she could join us.”
Misti didn’t answer for a moment. “Okay… sure. Let’s do that. Ava really wants to see the dog, and I hate to disappoint her, so it should be fine.”
“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow.” It frustrated me to put it off another day, but at least I’d managed to set it up again. Hopefully she wouldn’t bail on me a second time.
Since both Savannah and Josh were still asleep, I checked my calendar for their schedules. Seeing nothing important this morning, I left a note that I’d taken Coco on a walk, and snapped the leash onto his collar.
A few blocks away from home, my phone rang again. I checked the number, but it wasn’t familiar. “Hello?”
“Shelby? This is Austin Haywood. Did you send the police over to talk to me?”
“What? No. Why? Are they there?”
He huffed out a breath, clearly upset. “Not right now. I’m at my dad’s house. They were next door, so they came over. They just left, but they practically accused me of killing my own father. Why would they do that? Please tell me you have something.”
“I do have something, but I’m still looking into it. You know what? I’m not too far from your dad’s place. I can be there in about fifteen minutes. Why don’t I stop by and we can talk. Will that work?”
“Yeah… sure. I’ll probably be here most of the day.”
“Okay, I’ll see you soon.” I could hardly believe that Williams and Clue would accuse Austin of his father’s murder. I’d told them he didn’t do it. Had they spoken with Reed Gardner’s wife next door and found out something about Austin?
Several minutes later, I stepped onto the porch, and knocked on the door. Coco stood quietly beside me, but he didn’t seem too happy about being there. “It’s okay buddy, we’re just stopping by to talk to Austin for a minute. Then we’ll go home.”
Home?
It sounded like a question. Was that because this used to be his home, and now he thought I was bringing him back here? “We’re just staying for a minute. Okay?”
He sat down on his haunches and woofed. Yup.
Austin opened the door, and Coco dashed inside. It was like he was looking for Mack all over again, and it broke my heart. It broke Austin’s heart too. Guilt tore into his chest. He didn’t know I’d have Coco with me, or he might not have wanted me to come.
“Hey, Coco’s doing great with us, so you don’t have to feel guilty. I think he just wants to look around for a minute, but he’ll come back. So… what happened with the police?”
“I guess the detectives were next door talking to the Gardners and saw me over here, so they stopped by to chat. But the woman detective started asking me about my inheritance and basically said that having all that money would sure help me out.”
He clenched his jaw. “She was insinuating that I’d kill my own father for money. Why would she do that? I’ve got a good job. I don’t need the money. I can take care of myself.”
“Of course you can. I know you had nothing to do with it, so try not to let them get to you. They’re just grasping at straws, you know?”
He sighed and nodded, grateful for my comforting words. Burying his father had been the hardest thing he’d ever gone through, and it hurt every day. He wasn’t sure he’d ever feel whole again. Now he was an orphan, all alone, with no family left to belong to. Even his girlfriend didn’t get it.
His sorrow lanced through my heart, and I wondered if there was anything I could do to help him. Coco came back and sat down beside me. Austin ran his fingers through his hair, thinking that even the dog didn’t want anything to do with him.
He could hardly blame Coco after he’d left him at the shelter. Now he was thinking it had been a huge mistake. Even if he didn’t have his father, he could have had his dog. Now he had nothing.
I pulled away from his thoughts, and my gaze landed on a box of photos. One of the binders was opened to a page of Austin as a small child. “Is that you?”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “My parents were so young there.” His father held Austin’s hands, while Austin took a few steps. “I’m just learning to walk in that one.” He turned the page, and a large photo of Austin, his parents, and a little girl took up the space. “That’s the last photo of all of us before my sister was killed.”
I took a good look at the photo, feeling a hint of déjà vu. Had I seen her before? Then it hit me. She looked a lot like Ava, Misti’s daughter. My stomach twisted, and the room swam. I swallowed and it came back into focus. “Do you have any other photos of your sister?”
“Sure. There’s a whole binder full of them.” He rummaged through the box and pulled out a pink binder. “Everything’s on a disc now, but there are several photos in here.”
I took the folder and opened it up. The photos of his sister began as a newborn at the hospital and continued through the years until she disappeared. Several had Austin in them as a baby, with his sister holding him and smiling, along with both his parents. His sister looked so much like Ava that my breath caught.
“Are you sure your sister’s dead? I mean… did they find a body?”
He shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. I don’t even remember her. She was four or five then, and I’m three years younger. My parents never spoke to me about the details, probably to protect me.”
“What was her name?”
“Macie.”
A shiver ran up my spine, and my heart raced. Macie was close enough to Misti that it was easily interchangeable. Everyone had assumed she was dead, but what if she wasn’t? Could this be Mack’s missing daughter and Austin’s sister? Had Mack recognized something about Ava and confronted Carolyn?
If Carolyn had taken Misti, and Mack had even hinted that he suspected Misti was his daughter, it would have threatened everything Carolyn ha
d worked for. Before confronting her, Mack could have invited Carolyn to the house with the intent to disclose what he knew.
Carolyn could have told Mack any number of stories, but if he’d threatened to tell Misti what he suspected, Carolyn would lose everything. It gave Carolyn the perfect motive to kill Mack.
I shook my head in wonder. This had to be the connection. “Can I take one of these? I’ll bring it back. I just want to check something out.” I wasn’t ready to tell Austin any of this until I was certain it was true.
He shrugged. “Sure. Go ahead.” Although he was curious, he’d thought of Macie as being dead for so long that it didn’t even cross his mind that she could still be alive.
“Thanks.” I took the best photo that closely resembled Ava, and slipped it into my purse. Even if I didn’t get a chance to talk to Carolyn tomorrow, I could show it to Misti and tell her what I’d found. She might not believe me at first, but she deserved to know it was a possibility. And if she still doubted, DNA tests would confirm it. Still… it would change her life.
I smiled at Austin. It would change Austin’s life too. He’d have a sister… a brother-in-law, and a niece. A whole family to help fill that empty place in his heart. “I have a lead that looks pretty good, so hang in there. By tomorrow, I should know who killed your father.”
His brows rose in shock. “Really?”
“Yes. That’s all I can say for now, but I’ll be in touch.” I glanced at Coco. “Coco. Ready to go?”
He jumped to his feet and woofed. Home?
“Yup. Let’s go home.”
At home, I found Josh and Savannah eating breakfast. We spoke about our schedules for the day, and I hurried upstairs to take a quick shower. I emerged to find that I’d missed a call from Dimples. I quickly called him back, and he picked right up.
“Shelby… I need you at the station. Can you come?”
“Uh… sure. What’s going on?”
“The charges against Dex and the bartender are being questioned. I need you to come in and verify what happened last night.”
“Oh.” I sighed with relief. “Sure. I can do that.”
Dying Wishes: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Shelby Nichols Adventure Book 14) Page 22
