A Midsummer
Night’s Murder
A SHELBY NICHOLS ADVENTURE
Colleen Helme
Copyright © 2018 by Colleen Helme.
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Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
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A Midsummer Night’s Murder/ Colleen Helme. -- 1st ed.
To the real Molly May,
Thanks for letting me use your name!
The Shelby Nichols Adventure Series
Carrots
Fast Money
Lie or Die
Secrets That Kill
Trapped by Revenge
Deep in Death
Crossing Danger
Devious Minds
Hidden Deception
Laced in Lies
Deadly Escape
Devil in a Black Suit ~ A Ramos Adventure
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 1
It’s never good to get a call from the police first thing in the morning.
With summer in full swing, I didn’t have to get up early to get my kids off to school. My husband Chris, had already left for work, so the phone call from Detective Harris, aka Dimples, woke me up.
“Hey Shelby,” he said. “Did I wake you?”
I checked the time. Since it wasn’t eight o’clock yet, I decided to tell him the truth. “Uh…yeah.”
“Sorry. There was a murder last night. We brought in a suspect, but he’s insisting that he didn’t do it. I could sure use your mad skills right now.”
Dimples is one of the few people who knows my mind-reading secret. I tell most everyone else that I have premonitions to explain what I do. That might seem like a cop-out, but I call it self-preservation. Plus, most people would freak out if they knew the truth. Who knows what would happen to me then?
It’s bad enough that a mob-boss, whom I call Uncle Joey, knows my secret, and coerced me into working for him. His hitman, Ramos, also knows my secret. He’s one of those hot, sexy men that have women drooling just at the sight of him…me included. But, since he’s saved my life more than once, I can’t complain.
Still, I hate to think what would happen if anyone else found out, and the lengths they’d go to use me for their own purposes. So, I figure that the fewer people who know the truth, the better.
“Okay. I’ll get ready and come in, but it will be about forty-five minutes before I can get there.”
“That works. Thanks. See you soon.” He disconnected before I could say another word. Probably so I couldn’t change my mind.
I let out a sigh, remembering the day it all began. I’d been shopping at the grocery store for some carrots, and got caught in the cross-fire of a deranged bank robber. I took a bullet to the head. It was a minor injury, but it had left me with the ability to hear what people were thinking.
Dimples was the detective assigned to my case back then, and, ever since, I’d been helping him off and on with his hardest cases. His name is Drew Harris, but because he has these amazing dimples, my nickname for him stuck. He doesn’t mind it too much, as long as I’m the only one who calls him that.
Since I didn’t have time to shower, I washed my face and tried to tame my long golden locks. My kids were still asleep, and I mentally went over the list of things going on today. Josh had to be at the country club at nine-thirty. He has the amazing job as a lifeguard at the big pool, mostly because of Uncle Joey’s influence. He’s only fifteen, so he doesn’t drive, but he can ride his bike since it isn’t far.
At thirteen, Savannah could take care of herself and, since we didn’t have plans for the day, it was easy for me to be at anyone’s beck-and-call. Today, it was Dimples; tomorrow it could be Uncle Joey. I also had my own consulting agency, mostly because I felt it my duty to help people since I had this crazy ability. But thankfully, I didn’t have a lot going on there at the moment.
I woke my kids up, explained that Dimples needed me, and grabbed a granola bar before hurrying out the door. My kids were getting used to my crazy work hours. They knew I worked for Uncle Joey and the police, but they didn’t know I could read minds.
They believed the lie that I had premonitions, and I hoped that they never found out the truth. Just thinking about how that could change things between us sent dread spiking through my stomach. My husband, Chris, had a hard enough time knowing I could hear his thoughts, so I was pretty sure my kids would hate it.
I parked at the precinct and hurried inside. Dimples caught sight of me and let out a relieved breath. He was thinking that he’d made them wait to charge the suspect with murder until I got there, but the pressure from the prosecuting attorney’s office was getting stronger by the minute.
“Glad you’re here,” Dimples began. “Let me tell you what I know. The victim, Molly May, was shot and killed during the night. A neighbor heard the shots and called the police. They found her dead, with the murder weapon lying beside her.
“The police questioned the neighbor who’d called it in. He told them he’d heard her arguing with her boyfriend earlier, and gave them the boyfriend’s description and the make of his car. After a quick search of the area, the police found the suspect in his car a couple of blocks away. They arrested him on the spot.”
“What do you mean they arrested him? If he’s a suspect, how can they arrest him?”
“Well, that’s where it gets tricky. There was a warrant out for his arrest.”
My brows rose with surprise. “What for?”
“He had some outstanding parking tickets. When they weren’t paid, a judge issued a warrant.”
“You mean you can go to jail for not paying a parking ticket? That’s insane.”
Dimples shrugged. “Unfortunately it happens. The guy’s name is Angel Molina, and he sounds pretty convincing to me, but I’m probably the only one who thinks he’s telling the truth.” He thought with the police focusing on Angel as the murderer, the real killer could get away with it, and that’s why he needed me.
“Okay, let’s go talk to him.”
Dimples led me to the interview room, and us
hered me inside. The man sitting at the table glanced up with red-rimmed eyes. With his olive skin and dark wavy hair, he could have been Ramos’s cousin. His hair was a little longer than it should be, and poked up here and there because he’d run his hands through it so much. His face was rough with stubble, and his eyes were dark with pain.
I opened my mind to him, and picked up more sorrow than I’d ever felt from anyone. It washed over me in a wave of despair, and my throat tightened with emotion.
“Angel, this is Shelby Nichols, a consultant that works for us. She has a few questions for you.”
I sat down in the chair opposite from him, and swallowed to get some composure. I picked up enough to know that Molly May was someone he loved dearly. She was his lover and best friend, and now she was dead. Knowing that he’d never see her again pierced him with heartache and unbearable pain.
“Oh Angel,” I said. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
His eyes widened. I was the first person who even came close to understanding how much pain he felt that Molly was dead. “Thank you.” He caught my gaze and hope entered his heart. Maybe I was someone who’d finally listen to him. “We need to find the person who did this to her.”
“Yes,” I agreed, knowing immediately that it wasn’t him. “What can you tell me about last night?”
“It’s like I told the others. Molly had been acting strange…more distant and irritable, but she wouldn’t tell me what was wrong.” He was thinking that she was preoccupied, most likely because she was helping another student after he’d expressly told her not to.
“Then we got in a fight and she kicked me out. My pride was hurt and, since she wouldn’t listen to me, I left.” Angel rubbed his forehead and sighed. “I should have been there. She might still be alive if I’d stayed.” By giving her an ultimatum about helping those kids, he’d thought to protect her, instead it had backfired, and now she was dead.
“What did you do after you left?” I asked.
“I had nowhere to go. So I got in my car and drove around for a while, then I went back. The house was dark, so I parked a few blocks away where she wouldn’t find me, and I fell asleep. I planned to go back and talk to her first thing this morning and make it right. You know? Get her to talk to me? Tell her I was sorry…”
“Sure. So then what happened?”
“The next thing I know, some cop is pounding on my window and yelling at me to get out of the car with my hands up. They didn’t tell me why or anything. He just threatened to shoot me. I opened my door, and my dog started barking. She’s a rescue animal I got at the shelter, and she’s a little skittish with strangers.
“I tried to tell them about her, but they freaked out. One of them took a shot at her, and she yelped and took off. I don’t know if she got hit or not, and I can’t go looking for her.”
“Oh no. That’s awful.” I glanced at Dimples with accusation.
“Hey, this is the first I’ve heard about the dog.” He hadn’t been in on the questioning, and no one mentioned anything about a dog.
“We need to find her,” I said to Dimples, then I turned to Angel. “What’s her name?”
“Pepper,” Angel replied. “She’s a mixture of border collie, lab, and beagle, and mostly black with some white on her chest. She might have gone back to the house, but if there are a lot of strange people around, I don’t know how close she’d get. But if she’s been shot…” He closed his eyes and sighed. “I can’t lose her too.”
“Let’s get this figured out so you can get out of here,” I said, hoping to encourage him.
The pain and vulnerability in his eyes cleared, and a ray of hope shone through. He knew I believed him. “Yes. Okay. What can I do?”
“Well,” Dimples said. “I’m afraid I’ve got more bad news. They just discovered that the gun used to kill Molly is registered to you.”
Shock rippled through him. “What? It’s been tucked away on the top shelf in the closet. I haven’t used it in a long time.”
Before I could respond, the door opened and two officers rushed in, followed by Detective Williams. “Angel Molina, you’re under arrest for the murder of Molly May.” As the detective read him his rights, the officers pulled him to his feet, and cuffed his wrists behind his back.
Angel’s breath caught, and his eyes widened. “No. I didn’t do it. You’ve got the wrong man.” They pulled him toward the door and he glanced back at me. “Find Pepper. Please.”
“I will.” His pain stabbed at my heart, and I glared at Dimples. “He’s innocent. How can they arrest him?”
“I’m sorry, Shelby. They must have probable cause, and with the warrant, I can’t stop it.”
“Fine, then you have to help me find his dog and clear his name.”
He nodded, but he knew it wouldn’t be a priority now that Angel had been arrested. Plus, the chief might not like him spending more time on the case. “Okay. Let’s get started with the dog. Why don’t we call the pound first? Maybe she’s already there. Does she have a collar or something?”
“I don’t know. But why don’t I call the animal shelter, while you find the address to his house.”
He blew out a breath. This was getting complicated, and he hoped for my sake that we didn’t find a dead dog. He could just imagine how upset I’d be then.
“Don’t think like that. She’s probably fine…just scared and hungry.”
Dimples raised his brows, thinking it was best to be prepared, just in case. I didn’t like hearing that, but since he’d only thought it, I decided I could ignore it. Back at his desk, he checked his computer for the information, and I found the number to the animal shelter.
After talking with several people at the shelter, it didn’t sound like she was there, so that meant it was off to the scene of the crime. Dimples had the address, and we headed to his car.
“I think we’d better stop at the store for a doggie treat,” I said. “And maybe a leash or something.”
“Could you tell if it’s a big dog?” Dimples asked.
“Not big, I’d say more on the small side. From her description and how he thought of her, she sounds adorable. I just hope she wasn’t hurt, and we’re too late.”
We stopped at a pet store and I bought treats, a small bag of food, and a leash. Dimples shook his head, thinking I was going overboard, but I wanted to be prepared.
“Hey,” Dimples said. “Have you ever tried to read an animal’s mind? That might be interesting.”
“No. I haven’t. But I’m not sure I could, I mean, they don’t speak English do they?”
He chuckled. “Nope, but maybe you’ll pick up something.” He hoped I did, because he’d always wanted to know what animals were thinking…mostly about us humans. It could be groundbreaking. Maybe I’d even find a new calling at the zoo or something.
“Haha.”
Dimples sent me a smile, and the dents in his cheeks got huge. Wobbling in and out, the sight of them always brought a smile to my lips. He smiled even bigger, thinking how nice it was to tease me, and lighten the mood.
I chuckled. Sure he could be funny, but it was his dimples that made me smile the most.
Angel’s car had already been towed away for evidence, but we stopped there first anyway. We both called the dog’s name, and held out treats in our hands. Dimples checked the ground where the car had been for a trail of blood in case she’d been shot, and I opened my mind to see if I could pick up any doggy thoughts.
“Did you find anything?” I asked him.
“There’s no sign of blood, so that’s good. How about you?”
“Nope. Maybe she went back to the house?”
“I guess we should try there.” Dimples started back to the car, but I stopped him.
“Why don’t we walk? She could be anywhere along the way, and it’s not far from here, is it?”
“No.” Dimples pointed up the street. “It’s that way. But if she’s around, she’ll probably be hiding in the bushes, or some secluded pla
ce, especially if she’s scared or injured.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll take this side of the street, and you can look on that side.”
We began our search, and I was grateful that it was mid-morning and not real hot yet. Plus, I’d worn some good walking shoes for a change. Along the way, I stopped to look under the bushes and any place a small dog could hide, calling her name, and listening with my mind.
By the time we approached the house, discouragement had set in. I had no idea if the dog had lived here long enough to know how to get back home, or if she’d gone in a completely different direction.
Police tape ran across the front door, and a barricade had been set up across the driveway, but the crime scene van had left, and only one police car sat out front.
Dimples told the police officer who we were, and we started around to the back of the house. Before Dimples opened the gate, a niggling presence of fear and confusion registered in my mind. I glanced to the side of the garage where it came from, and there in the shadows of a lilac bush, I caught sight of a set of eyes and a black nose that morphed into a dog.
My breath caught at her fear, then I picked up a whine from her as I drew near. “Hey there, Pepper,” I said. “It’s okay. You can come out. Look what I’ve got for you.” I held out the chewy treat, but she didn’t budge, so I broke a piece off and tossed it to her.
She eagerly gobbled it up, and looked for more, so I kept tossing her little pieces until it was gone. “Was that good? I’ve got some more.” I held out another piece, but instead of tossing it to her, I coaxed her to come to me for it.
I picked up that she really wanted it, but she was still frightened. “Pepper, come on. You can trust me.” I kept talking to her in soothing tones, and her reluctance gradually dissipated until she finally rose to her feet, and inched toward me.
After feeding her the treat, I held out my hand so she could sniff me. When she was done, I got out another treat. While she ate, I lightly patted her back. Then I found the collar around her neck and hooked the leash onto it.
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