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

by Colleen Helme

Alarm rippled over me. “Dude. Don’t you dare pull your weapon. I’m Shelby Nichols. I work for the police, and this is my dog. I swear, if anything happens to him, I’ll have your badge.”

  He didn’t back away, but he didn’t pull his gun either. My name rang a bell, but the old lady looked like she was scared to death. How could she even hold that hammer up, let alone threaten anyone with it?

  Clue came through the door, followed by Williams. They took in the scene, and Clue spoke. “Hey Shelby. What’s going on here?”

  I thought about standing, but couldn’t muster the strength. “Guys, this is Carolyn Brinkley. She killed Mack Haywood, and I can prove it. See that hammer she’s holding? That’s the murder weapon. And she just tried to kill me with it. If it wasn’t for my dog, she might have succeeded.”

  Williams nodded. “Okay. Why don’t you call off your dog, and we’ll get this sorted out.”

  “Uh… right.” Part of me enjoyed having Coco terrify her, but all good things must come to an end, right? “Coco. Come.” He didn’t budge. Oh great, now what? The police officer was thinking of the word release, so I tried that. “Coco. Release. Come.”

  That did the trick, and Coco rushed to my side. He whined and licked my face, letting out little yips that sounded like you safe, you safe. “Yup. I’m good, thanks to you.” After a few more licks, I gave him some reassuring pats, and he sat down beside me.

  Released from Coco’s vigil, Carolyn didn’t waste any time telling Clue and Williams that I was lying. Through her tirade, they had the officer bag the hammer, and Clue read Carolyn her rights while Williams handcuffed her.

  “You can’t do this to me. I did nothing wrong. That woman attacked me. I was just defending myself.” Out on the porch, she caught sight of Misti and started all over again. “Misti… help me. I didn’t push her. This is all a mistake. You’ve got to stop this.”

  I managed to get to my feet, and followed them out. Leaning against the doorjamb, I watched the police load her into the back of the car. With her screaming and yelling, I felt a little sorry for them, but it was a big relief to have her gone.

  As they drove away, Dimples drove up. He jumped out of his car and hurried to my side. “You okay?” He examined me, thinking my hair was mussed, and my cheek was scraped and bruised.

  I automatically touched my cheek, finding it more swollen than I liked. “I hope this doesn’t give me a black eye.”

  Dimples smiled, remembering the two black eyes I’d had after the shootout in Uncle Joey’s office. The dimples in his cheeks swirled, and I had to smile back, even though it hurt my cheek.

  “Anything else hurt?”

  “Well… I hit my shoulder, but it’s not too bad.” I moved my shoulder and only felt a little pain. “And I must have twisted my ankle, because it hurts to walk.”

  He wondered if I needed a doctor, and I quickly shook my head. “No. I’m not hurt that bad. Just a few bumps and bruises.” It warmed my heart to have him there to look after me, just like we were partners again.

  “Okay. Let’s get you back inside so you can sit down.” He slid an arm around my waist and helped me limp to the couch. Williams and Clue followed, and I picked up their worry that they’d just arrested an old woman, whom I’d said was a killer. I’d better be right or they were in deep shit.

  I sat down and rolled my eyes. They were worried about her? Of course, they didn’t know the whole story, so I began with the search for Ava a few weeks ago. “Mack and Coco,” I indicated the dog lying at my feet, “found Ava safe and sound.”

  Misti and her husband entered the house, catching that part, so they quickly sat down to listen. Ava had fallen asleep in Misti’s arms, but she woke up and squirmed off her lap. Ava stepped beside Coco and lay down next to him, quickly falling back asleep.

  I explained how I’d ended up with Coco, which had led me to find Austin. I caught Misti’s gasp to realize she might have a brother. She was still shocked to think her mother had kidnapped her and she wasn’t her mother at all.

  I continued, telling them of Carolyn’s meeting with Mack, and how she’d planned to kill him all along.

  Misti could hardly believe that her mother had killed the man who might be her father. It left her so bereft and shaken that she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. Could this really be happening?

  Part of her could hardly believe that her mother had kidnapped her, and another part of her was relieved that Carolyn wasn’t her mother. It was going to take her a long time to get over the betrayal.

  “So,” Clue said. “She admitted to you that she killed Mack?”

  She hadn’t said the words out loud, but I’d heard them just the same. “Yes. And she didn’t want Misti to know. That’s why she tried to kill me.”

  “Okay. We’ll get forensics to take a look at the hammer for evidence. Even if she washed it, there might be something there to link it to Mack’s murder.” She stood, signaling that they were done. “We might need you back at the station later, but I’ll call you first.”

  “Sure.”

  Clue glanced at Misti. “I’m sure this has been a shock to you. Is there anything we can do to help?”

  She shook her head. “Not right now. I need some time.”

  “Of course. We’ll be in touch. Here’s my card if you need anything.”

  Clue and Williams left, leaving Dimples behind. “Can I walk you to your car?”

  Misti glanced my way, overcome with a sudden need to talk to me. I glanced at Dimples and smiled. “I think I’ll stay a little longer. But thanks for coming.”

  “You bet.”

  After he left, Misti sat down in his place. “So she really admitted it? She took me from my real family?”

  I nodded, and explained what I’d picked up from Carolyn’s mind as if she’d said it all out loud. “She rationalized it… to make it all okay in her mind. I guess she really wanted a daughter.”

  “So my real last name was Haywood?” At my nod, she continued, “What about my first name?”

  “It’s Macie… with an ie… Macie Haywood.”

  Misti sighed and shook her head. “It’s hard to believe this is for real. What if it’s a mistake, and he’s not my father after all?”

  “I’m sure you can do a blood test to confirm, but Carolyn admitted it. I don’t think it’s a mistake.”

  “I still might want a blood test… just to make sure.” She chewed on her bottom lip, reminding me so much of Austin that my breath caught.

  “Your brother, Austin, is my client. I have to tell him what happened to his dad… your dad. When you’re ready, I’d be happy to arrange a meeting between the two of you. I’m sure he’ll want to meet you.”

  Her hopeful gaze caught mine. “He’s younger, right?”

  “Yes, about three years younger.”

  She had so many questions about him… about her whole family. Her dad was gone, but what about her mom? A deep foreboding overcame her. “You haven’t mentioned my real mother. Is that because she’s … gone?”

  “Yes… I’m afraid so.”

  “They’re both gone?” Tears coursed down her cheeks. “Now I’ll never know them.”

  My eyes clouded with tears for her loss. Her grief was so new and real, it broke my heart. I slipped my arm around her shoulders. “They’re not completely gone. You have a brother. He can tell you all about them.”

  She nodded, and I sat back. We both wiped tears from our cheeks. “I should go.” I glanced at Misti’s husband, realizing we hadn’t met. “Hi, I’m Shelby.”

  “Oh… I’m so sorry.” Misti quickly introduced her husband to me. Beneath his calm exterior, he was almost as shocked as Misti, but a part of him felt profound relief. He’d never liked Carolyn, and now he knew why. If this was all true, they would finally be finished with her meddling and manipulative ways. Their lives could be so much better.

  At my request, he happily gathered Coco’s toys and treats from the back yard. He even offered to walk
me to my car. Since I needed the help, I took him up on it. We ushered Coco into the back seat. After I got settled behind the wheel, he told me they’d be in touch and closed the door.

  As I drove home, I counted my blessings. I’d survived a fall down the stairs that could have killed me. I had an amazing dog who had saved me from serious damage by a hammer-wielding crazy lady, and, since it was my left ankle that was sprained, I could still drive my car.

  Now all I needed were a couple of pain pills and a diet soda. That, along with nothing to do for the rest of the day, and I’d be set, which, of course, wasn’t going to happen. I needed to let Austin know I’d found his father’s killer. I should probably do it in person, but I was too banged up to track him down, and I hoped a phone call would do.

  I hobbled into the house and found a note from my kids that they were both gone to friends’ houses, and to check my text messages. Oops. Guess I’d missed them. I made it up the stairs to my bedroom and changed my clothes, finding several bruises all over my body, with the worst on my shoulder.

  I took an ace bandage from the first aid kit and wrapped my ankle. With the extra support, it felt a lot better. After downing some pills, I carried my diet soda, along with a couple of ice packs, onto the deck and got comfortable on the swing with a few pillows to prop up my foot.

  Coco had followed me around, and I gave him a chew treat while I put the call through to Austin. I explained the whole story and heard his shock and surprise to find out his sister was alive. “I want to see her.”

  “I’m sure you do, but she needs a couple of days to sort this all out. Can you give her that?”

  “Yes, yes, of course. It’s just that… well… this is huge. I never thought… if only Dad… he would have been…”

  I heard the catch in his voice, and sorrow lanced through my heart. “Yeah… your sister’s devastated about this too… as I’m sure you can imagine. I mean… finding out the woman who raised her had actually kidnapped her is bad enough, but add in that this same woman just killed her father… and now she’ll never know him… well…you get the picture.

  I heard his sniffles and continued. “You’re going to have to help her through this, Austin. She’s lost so much, but there is something good about it. She has you. You can help her know your parents, even though they’re gone. And you’ll have each other to lean on.”

  He cleared his throat and swallowed. “You’re right. She’s lost a lot, and she knows how I feel about losing our dad. We can share that.”

  “Yes… that, and so much more. She has a husband and a daughter. You’re an uncle. Your niece’s name is Ava.” I told him what I could about Misti and her family and promised to call him in a few days.

  “Thanks Shelby. I owe you so much, and I’m happy to pay you. I’m sure you went beyond anything I ever expected and—”

  “No. No way. I didn’t do it for the money. We figured it out… and now you have a sister. That’s the best payment I could get.” After disconnecting, I closed my eyes and let the rocking motion of the swing lull me into sleep.

  Much later, I jerked awake to the sound of the patio door opening.

  “I thought you might be out here,” Chris said. “Whoa. What happened to you?”

  “I fell down some stairs… well, actually, I was pushed.” I shifted, so he could sit down with my legs in his lap, and told him the whole story.

  “And here I thought working for Manetto would be the most dangerous part of your life.” He shook his head. “Well, at least you solved the case.” He scratched his chin, wondering if he should tell me now or wait until later.

  “Tell me what?”

  “Oh… geez… yeah. Uh… I finished up with Manetto’s will and all the legal documents for handing the business over to you. I managed to get that condition inserted that you wanted about not actually running the business. I went over it with him this afternoon. He wanted me to go over it with you tonight. Are you up for it?”

  “Why not go over it at his office?”

  Chris shrugged. “I think he wants you and me to have the time alone to look it over and think about it before you sign it. He said he’d give us a day or two.”

  I nodded. “Okay. I guess I’d better get started on dinner, and we can do it after that.” I struggled to get up, but Chris stopped me.

  “You stay put. I’ll make dinner tonight.”

  I smiled. “Thanks honey. While you’re at it, could you get me another diet soda?”

  He chuckled, then leaned over to pet Coco, knowing that he’d saved me today. “What a good dog you are.”

  He barked. Yup.

  “What did he say?”

  “I think he wants another treat.” Sure it wasn’t what he said, but after saving me today, he deserved it.

  “Okay… one Diet Coke and a doggy treat coming up.”

  CHAPTER 16

  Two days later, I got a phone call from Uncle Joey asking me to come in so we could discuss the will. My shoulder didn’t hurt unless I moved it the wrong way, and I was back to walking normally, if a little slower. So that meant I had no excuse.

  I looked into my closet and pulled out my black jeans. On a whim, I picked out a black, scoop-neck tee and tucked it in, wearing a black-and-silver belt as an accent. I slipped on a black necklace that I borrowed from Savannah. It consisted of black leather and chains and had the whole Goth look going for it.

  I finished the ensemble by slipping on my black ankle boots. The boots helped support my ankle, but the rest of the outfit also seemed appropriate for the occasion. Hmmm… what would Bob say about that? Did I equate this with going to a funeral… which happened to be my own?

  The bruise on my cheek had faded, but I wasn’t about to hide it with makeup. Besides, it fit right in with my black outfit, so I might as well leave it alone. At least I didn’t have a black eye, although I did add a little dark gray eyeshadow to my eyelids. I kept it to a minimum since I didn’t want my eyes to look like Hella from Thor Ragnarok. I may be signing my life away, but it didn’t mean I was a bad person.

  I walked into Thrasher, and Jackie greeted me with a smile that turned into a frown. “Whoa, what happened to you?”

  “I was working a case and got pushed down a flight of stairs by a crazy person.”

  Her eyes widened, and she wondered if I was telling the truth. “Seriously?” At my nod, she continued. “Wow, that’s nuts. But you’re okay?”

  “Yeah. Just some bumps and bruises. How’s Uncle Joey’s foot?”

  She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Better. I think he’s more embarrassed than anything, so I have to keep reminding him it wasn’t his fault. Did you feel that earthquake?”

  “Yes, I certainly did. I’m glad it wasn’t any worse.”

  “That’s for sure. Well, go on down, he’s waiting for you.”

  I thanked her and began the long walk to his office, realizing I hadn’t felt this much trepidation for a while. Going to Uncle Joey’s office used to make me sick to my stomach, and today was just like that. Standing outside the door, I hesitated. I still had a choice. I didn’t have to sign it if I didn’t want to, right?

  I sucked in a breath and knocked, then pushed the door open and stepped inside.

  “Shelby, you made it. Come on in.” He stood, noticing my all-black outfit and wondering if I’d done it to please him, since black was his favorite color. Other than the bruise on my cheek, it relieved him that I looked so good. “Chris told me about your incident with the stairs. You doing all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. How about you? How’s the foot?”

  “It’s good. Luckily, the knife didn’t go all the way through, but it ruined my good shoes.”

  He motioned for me to sit down in front of his desk, thinking that he’d saved the voice mail I’d left on his phone from that day, mostly because I sounded so worried. It warmed his heart. That’s why it was important to get this taken care of right away.

  “Did you go over all the documents with Chr
is and have him explain everything to you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” He opened the folder with the documents, then studied me before he spoke, noticing the anxious way I chewed on my bottom lip. He let out a big sigh, and fingered the paperwork before raising his gaze to mine. “I’ve had second thoughts about this, and I wanted to pass something by you before you sign anything.”

  He’d blocked his thoughts from me, so I just nodded and hoped for the best. “Uh… okay, sure.”

  “Good. Here’s the deal.” He leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk, with his fingers clasped together. His eyes held deep intensity. This was important to him, and he wanted to make sure I understood.

  “After the whole drug fiasco, I started to wonder if getting out of the business was a good idea. If I’d been in charge, nothing like that would have happened, because I know what I’m doing.” He shook his head and sat back in his chair.

  “Those amateurs sullied my good name and implicated me for something I didn’t even do. It made me think that the same thing could happen with any number of my other businesses. You know what I mean?”

  “Yeah… sure. I can see that.” Did that mean he was keeping the mob part and still wanted me to be his successor anyway? Crap.

  “So… after further consideration, you’ll be happy to know that I’ve decided to forego the plan to leave it all to you.” He caught my gaze and smiled. “In other words, Shelby, I’ve changed my mind. I’m keeping the business the way it is. I’m good at what I do, and I’ll figure out a way to divide it up if and when I ever get to that point.”

  “What?” I sat up straight. “So… you’re not leaving it to me?”

  “That’s right. I hope you’re okay with that.” Given how unhappy I’d been with the whole idea, he thought I’d be ecstatic. Instead, I sounded disappointed. Or was it shock?

  “I’m not your successor?”

  “No.”

  My breath whooshed out of me, and I flopped back in my chair. “Holy hell.”

  His lips twisted in a sardonic smile. “I still want you to be the executor of my estate after I’m gone, but that’s all.” He was thinking he’d leave me with a nice chunk of real estate too, but we could discuss that another time.