Bates shoved the young man into the chair Dex had sat in, and took a seat in front of him, motioning me to do the same. “So Xavier,” Bates began. “Why did you run?”
Xavier shook his head. “You’re a cop. What’d you expect? You have no reason to bring me in. You have no reason at all.”
“Whatever, smartass. What were you doing in the park?”
“Duh. Skateboarding.”
“Fine, but before we’re through, you’re going to tell me about the drugs. More important, you’re going to tell me why you killed Slasher.”
Xavier’s eyes widened, but he smirked to hide it. “I didn’t kill nobody. I don’t even know who that is.”
“Oh yeah? Well that’s too bad, because we have witnesses. Your car… that gray BMW, was seen leaving the scene of the crime right after Slasher was shot. Does any of that ring a bell in that little piece of gray matter you call a brain?”
Xavier sat back in his chair and folded his arms. “I want a lawyer.” He was trying to look tough, but inside, he was scared to death. How had they found him? No one had seen him shoot Slasher, he was sure of it. Why would the cops even care about a low-life drug dealer anyway? Bates didn’t respond, so he spoke louder. “Get me my lawyer.”
“All right kid. You want a lawyer? We’ll get you a lawyer. But it still doesn’t change the fact that you murdered someone. You’re going away for a long time.”
Unable to sit still, Xavier rubbed his hands through his hair. Pursing his lips, he railed against the fact that no one should care so much about a stupid drug-dealer. “I didn’t do it.”
“I tell you what. We’ll go easy on you. Just tell us who put you up to it. Who do you sell for? I’m sure we can get you a deal… maybe even a reduced sentence.”
“Put me up to what? I didn’t do anything.” Then the words hit him. Did the cop want him to rat out the person Slasher got the drugs from? Slasher had told him he used to work for the mob. Was that what the cop wanted?
He could give up the health-and-nutrition store, since he and Slasher had set up the operation there. He could say that Slasher worked for the mob, but he didn’t know any names. Would that help him?
He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. How did he know the cops would follow through? He knew they said stuff like that all the time to get confessions, but it didn’t do shit. Still, it gave him a small hope that he had a bargaining chip.
Before Bates could push the issue, I jumped in. “So tell me Xavier.” I leaned forward. “If you’re running a drug operation, why kill Slasher? If he was your supplier, you’d have to get someone else. Did he threaten you or something?”
“I didn’t kill him.” His thoughts turned to the night Slasher told him he had to lay low for a while. It made him so angry, he could hardly stand it. They had a deal, and this ruined everything. His business would go down the toilet, and the people he sold to would find someone else. Laying low was for sissies.
He remembered how the gun felt, tucked into the back of his pants. The rage burning inside him had to go somewhere, so he’d pulled the gun and shot Slasher. He’d expected to feel elation that he’d gotten rid of the jerk, but it just made him feel sick instead. What the hell had he done?
He had to figure a way out of this before his parents found out. His dad was gonna kill him. This had turned into the worst nightmare. He closed his eyes and tugged at his hair. Who had ratted him out? It had to be someone on his crew… no one else knew anything about it. At least he was high right now, or he’d really be freaking out.
I glanced at Bates. “He’s high.”
“Yeah.” Bates shook his head. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
I knew it was a rhetorical question, but I answered anyway. “Uh… okay. This is what I’ve picked up. Slasher was Xavier’s supplier, but they were partners in this. When Slasher told Xavier he was taking some time off, Xavier got angry and killed him. It wasn’t premeditated… so I think you could go for a lesser sentence.”
“What?” Xavier asked, his eyes widening. “That’s not what happened. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes I do. I just don’t know what you did with the gun.”
Xavier’s thoughts immediately went to the box under his bed. He should have hidden it better, but once he got out of here, he’d see if he could leave it at someone else’s house until all this blew over.
“Are you charging me with something?” He’d seen enough on TV to know that we couldn’t hold him without bringing charges against him.
Bates glanced my way, thinking he couldn’t get away with putting words into the kid’s mouth with me there, but he sure wished he could say something about the mob. He thought for sure this Slasher person worked for the mob, but the kid hadn’t taken the bait.
“Just tell us who Slasher’s supplier is, and we’ll go easy on you,” Bates said.
“I don’t know. Probably the…” He quit talking, realizing he’d almost given away his one bargaining tool. “No. I’m not talking.”
“Look Xavier… we don’t care so much about who killed Slasher,” Bates continued. “We care more about stopping the drug deals in the first place. You give us some names, and we bump the charges down… maybe you’ll only serve a couple of years.
“But if you don’t help us, we’ll throw the book at you. Second-degree murder could put you away for the rest of your life. You want to spend your best years in jail over a low-life drug dealer?”
Alarm tightened my stomach. Bates wanted Uncle Joey so badly that he was willing to tell this kid anything, but none of it was true. Bates wasn’t about to go easy on the kid, no matter what he told him. I wasn’t sure what to do, but I couldn’t let Bates bully this kid into pointing a finger at Uncle Joey.
“Just tell us the truth,” I said, hoping to steer Xavier in the right direction.
Xavier started to sweat. No way did he want to go to jail, now or ever. Should he confess? Give the cop something? Yeah… maybe that would work. “I don’t know, but I think Slasher worked for the mob.”
Crap, crap, crap. How could I stop this?
Bates leaned forward. “Do you have a name?”
Xavier shrugged. “He set up the drug drop at a health-and-nutrition store. I don’t know any more than that.” He rubbed his face with his hands. What was he doing? This was all too much. He shouldn’t be talking to the cops.
“I want my dad. He’s a lawyer. I’m not saying another word without him here.” His dad would kill him, but at least he wouldn’t lie to him and, right now, he was the only person he could trust.
I swallowed my panic. Having the name of the health-and-nutrition store wouldn’t necessarily implicate Uncle Joey, right? They weren’t selling drugs there anymore, so it wouldn’t lead anywhere. And Vinny had promised he’d take the fall if it did. I hoped Uncle Joey was still safe.
Bates huffed out a breath and looked at me. Did I have anything? I tried not to show my nervousness and shrugged. He pursed his lips and shot Xavier a disgusted look. “This is your last chance. It’s now or never.”
“Never.” I had to give it to the kid. He didn’t even flinch. That didn’t mean this was over. But it was over for now. Bates stood, his chair screeching on the floor. He stomped out, and I glanced at Xavier with sorrow. What a waste. He was only seventeen, and his life was ruined.
“What are you lookin at?” He knew he was in trouble. I had that same look in my eyes as his mother. Damn… why did he shoot Slasher? Why did he take the gun? It was a stupid mistake.
A chill swept over me, and I glanced at the mirror. Was Grizzo watching? Damn. If so, that meant he’d heard about the store—the same store where he’d seen me and Ramos. What was I going to tell him?
This was just getting worse and worse. Suddenly apprehensive, I left the room. Sure enough, Grizzo stepped out of the door down the hall. He’d seen the whole thing and wondered if the scenario I put forward was correct. The health store had been a surprise though. And I
had been there. Why? Had I warned them?
With more confidence than I felt, I pinned Grizzo with a hard stare. “I was following a lead at that store. That’s how I found out about the kid.”
“So you knew about the drug operation?”
“No.”
He folded his arms and leaned against the wall. “What about the Tiki Tabu bar? Why did you go there?”
“Like I said, following a lead. Everything I’ve picked up points to Xavier as the mastermind behind selling the drugs. I don’t know where he got them, but I do know that he killed Slasher.”
Grizzo nodded. He had his own contacts and agreed with me. Xavier sold the juice to all of his school mates, and Slasher was just the poor sop who got played. That kid had no conscience, and if I had any information that would put him away, it couldn’t come soon enough.
I stepped toward Grizzo. “Tell me something. If that kid goes to jail, what’s going to happen to him? Is he going to get rehabilitated? Or is he just a lost cause?”
“That’s not my concern. If he broke the law, he pays the consequences, especially for murder.”
“I think it should be your concern. It should concern all of us. He’s only seventeen.”
Grizzo’s lips quirked. “That’s the mother in you talking. Most of these kids will never change. Once on that path, they never get off.”
“So you’ve never seen anyone turn their life around? Not even once?”
He shrugged, thinking about the gang members he knew. They treated each other like family and, for the most part, it was the only family they had. When they got out of prison, they went right back. It was all they knew. Sure, it wore on him, but there was nothing he could do about it.
I knew it was time to tell him about the gun, especially if it kept Uncle Joey out of it. I just hated sealing that kid’s fate. With his dad’s help, would he get a second chance? I wasn’t sure.
“I picked up something from the kid. He still has the gun. You might want to get a search warrant and check under his bed. It’s in a box.”
Grizzo’s eyes widened. “And you got this from your premonitions?”
“Yeah. But you’d better move fast. Once he tells his father, it’s bound to disappear.”
He nodded and pulled out his phone to make the call.
I let out a breath and headed back into the office. That was close, and it wasn’t over. At least I could warn Uncle Joey about the store, and he could do damage control. I headed toward Dimples, ready to tell him I was done for the day. He sat at his desk, so I plopped down next to him.
He glanced up and smiled. “Did you notice that Willow left?”
“Yes. She wanted me to tell you goodbye and that she wasn’t coming back.” His eyes widened. “Yeah… it’s true. She couldn’t wait to get out of here. I think it was the earthquake. She said something about a crumbling tower on one of her tarot cards and decided this wasn’t the place for her.”
He lifted his hand for a high-five. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”
“Yeah.” Smiling, I high-fived him, grateful it was over. “I’m heading out too.”
He nodded, thinking I looked a little frazzled. But, after that earthquake and the ghost out for revenge, he could totally understand. “Good idea. You did great today. You and that… other guy.”
I huffed out a breath and nodded. “That’s for sure.”
He wasn’t comfortable saying Brock’s name out loud, and I didn’t blame him. “He really followed through on his dying wish, didn’t he? He scared that poor SOB nearly to death. Do you think he’s going to haunt Dex for the rest of his sorry life?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. But I hope not. I hope he moves on to whatever place we go after we die. Or at least that he watches over Sophie for a while until she can stand on her own.”
“Yeah… me too. You want to come with me to tell Sophie the news?”
“Uh… I don’t know. When are you going?”
“Not for a couple of hours. I’ve got to get this report done and file it with the DA’s office so they can bring charges.”
“I think I’ll pass. But you can tell me about it.”
“Okay.” He smiled real big so his dimples twirled, knowing how much I liked them. “Thanks Shelby. I have to admit it’s a day I’ll never forget.”
I chuckled. “Yeah. Me neither.”
I left the office feeling totally spent. I’d solved two murders today, but it hadn’t brought me any joy. Well… maybe it was nice for Brock to get his revenge, but it had scared me to death. I got the chills just thinking about it.
I also felt bad for Xavier and his family, but at least Uncle Joey should be fine. And… it looked like my job with the police was secure… for now.
Since I’d dressed for a motorcycle ride, I headed over to Thrasher Development. Uncle Joey was sure to be happy that I’d found the killer, and I could warn him about the store. Plus, after all my hard work, he’d be happy to reward me with a motorcycle ride. I just hoped Ramos wasn’t too far away for it to happen.
I stepped off the elevator and entered Thrasher to find Ricky sitting at Jackie’s desk. “Hey. I just stopped by to talk to Uncle Joey. Is he here?”
“No. I don’t know what happened, but Jackie asked me to cover for her.”
“Why?”
“She had to take him to the emergency room at the hospital.”
My heart stopped, then began to gallop. My lips seemed frozen, and it took a minute to get the words out. “Do you know why?”
He shook his head. “Not exactly. But she didn’t sound too concerned. She told me she’d check back in a few hours, but there wasn’t a lot on the schedule. I did cancel a couple of appointments for him though.”
“What hospital?”
“Uh… she didn’t say.” He hadn’t been too concerned until I’d showed up. Although my tone was even, my face had gone white, and I sounded a little breathless. It made him worried. Did I know something he didn’t know? Was Manetto having health issues?
“Okay. I’ll give her a call.”
“Good. Let me know what’s going on.”
“Sure.”
I stepped into my office and took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. It couldn’t be too bad, right? With a heavy heart, I practically dragged myself over to my chair. Sitting, I pulled out my cell and tried Uncle Joey’s phone first.
It rang forever before going to voice mail. I left a short message to call me, and tried Jackie. Her phone rang forever too. With my voice pitched a little high, I left another message before disconnecting.
Maybe Ramos would know something? I put the call through to him and held my breath. Come on… pick up, pick up. It went to voice mail, and I nearly sobbed. I swallowed and left another message, which I was sure sounded frantic, even though I tried to hold it together… but seriously? What the freak?
If it wasn’t a big deal, then why hadn’t she told Ricky? It had to be an emergency of some sort to take him to the hospital. Did that mean he’d had a heart attack, or a stroke, or something horrible like that? If she’d driven him, rather than call an ambulance, maybe it wasn’t as serious, but that still didn’t mean it wasn’t bad.
The picture of my family, along with all the Manettos in New York, caught my gaze. I zeroed in on Uncle Joey’s face. His usually hard, mob-boss expression had transformed into a smile of happiness. He stood beside Miguel, beaming with pride.
I swallowed, noticing a wooden plaque with gold engraving beside the photo. When had this been added to my desk? I picked it up and read the inscription. “No good deed goes unpunished.”
My breath hitched, and tears filled my eyes. I blinked rapidly to hold them back, remembering the exact day he’d threatened to put that on my door, and there it was. I wiped the tears from my cheeks and caught sight of the beautiful painting hanging on my wall.
He’d bought that just for me, and had placed it in this office so I could enjoy it. I remembered him saying that it reminde
d him of me. What had he said exactly? That I was like a burst of color rising out of the darkness? That sounded about right. He’d also told me that I’d made a difference in his life.
Well… he’d certainly made a difference in my life too. Who would have thought I’d be worrying over a mob boss? Still, I couldn’t imagine my life without him. What would I do if he died? I closed my eyes and swallowed past the lump in my throat, and tried not to cry. But I couldn’t stop the worry. I didn’t want him to die. I wasn’t ready to lose him.
Time stretched on. I tried to wait more than five minutes, but I just couldn’t do it. I picked up my phone, ready to call them all again. Before I pressed the numbers, a knock sounded at my door. It opened, and Ramos poked his head in. I sprang from my chair and rushed toward him.
“What’s going on? Is Uncle Joey okay?”
“Yeah… he’s okay.”
My breath whooshed out, and I threw my arms around him, needing the support. “I was so worried. What happened?” He held me tight, enjoying the feel of me in his arms. He understood my worry and was sorry he hadn’t been able to answer his phone.
I pulled away, but he didn’t want to let go of me just yet. So I gave in and relaxed against him. He held me tightly, like he needed that contact. After a few seconds passed, worry tightened my stomach. I listened to his mind, but his thoughts were blocked. Did that mean Uncle Joey was okay for now, but Ramos still had bad news to tell me?
I pulled away, and this time, Ramos let me go. A crooked grin broke over his face. “That was nice.”
I smacked his arm. “What’s going on? Is Uncle Joey okay or not?”
“Yes. He’s fine.”
“Then what happened?”
He huffed out a breath and shook his head. “Did you feel that earthquake?”
My brows drew together. “Yes, but what has that got to do with it?”
“Well… Manetto was… playing… with his knife. You know how he carries them around. He likes to get them out once in a while and flip them like this.” He made a motion with his hand.
I shook my head. “I’ve never seen him do that.”
Dying Wishes: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Shelby Nichols Adventure Book 14) Page 24
