Crossing Danger: A Shelby Nichols Adventure (28 page)

“I’m not saying a word until my lawyer gets here,” Matt said, freezing me with cold fury. But then I picked up that the fury was a front for the fear that surged over him. He was afraid of me and thought I was some kind of a crazy lunatic. The things I did weren’t natural.

That settled me down, and I smiled. “That’s okay, Matt. I don’t really need you to talk. I can read you pretty good. Right now you’re showing anger but, behind it, you’re really just scared.” Wow...that was probably not the smartest thing for me to tell him, but it sure felt good.

“So how does Anthony Kerby play into all this? Pete was in on your drug ring, I know that much. His time as an undercover narcotics agent helped you find the dealers and set up shop. But Anthony made some kind of a deal with you. What’s his job anyway?”

Matt shook his head and held his lips tightly together, but it didn’t do him any good. “Oh my gosh!” I exclaimed, and I turned to Blake. “Anthony Kerby is the assistant state’s attorney involved with the prosecution of drugs and narcotics. No wonder he’s part of this.”

I glanced back at Matt, whose face had paled to a pasty white. “He made a deal with you. Inside knowledge on pending cases and, with Pete’s help, dropping charges against your people. Of course, he got a big cut of the profits, but it goes even deeper than that...”

Matt was a fountain of information but, with each revelation, he was starting to close down. He kept thinking that this couldn’t be happening, and it was hard to get to the knowledge behind his panic. Then I found it.

“Grayson Sharp?” I blurted. “He’s in on it too?”

“Stop!” he said. “What are you doing to me? You’re violating my rights. Get her away from me.”

Up until now, Blake had watched this exchange with quiet fascination, but Matt’s reaction floored him. Matt obviously thought I was doing something to his mind to get the information. Blake glanced at me wondering if Matt was right. My premonitions were nothing like he’d thought. Accurate and succinct. Not guesses at all. Somehow I knew, and it blew him away. How did I do it?

Damn it all! I was doing too good of a job, and now Blake wondered about me. This could go very wrong. I had to say something, so I chuckled and shook my head. “I’m not doing anything to you, Matt. It must be your guilty conscience. I guess killing two people will do that. I get why you killed Pete, but what about Tom? Why did you kill him?”

Matt shook his head, thinking he wasn’t even going to think about it.

“He figured it out, didn’t he?” I said, pushing him to remember. “He knew you from your charity work with the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He confronted you, so you killed him. You might as well tell us. The gun in your safe will confirm it’s a match for the murder weapon, so it’s not just me making this up.”

“Shut the hell up,” he said. “Where’s my lawyer? I want my lawyer.”

I wasn’t sure I should keep up with my questions. I’d gotten the main points out of him, but if I pushed any harder, Blake was sure to figure out what I did. Maybe it was time to back off.

“Let’s get back to Grayson Sharp,” Blake asked, surprising me. “How does he fit in with all this?”

Of course, Matt didn’t answer, but I heard it in his mind. Should I say something? Had I gone past the point of no return? Blake glanced at me and cocked his eyebrow, waiting for my response.

“I think the thumb-drive we gave you has something to do with it,” I answered. “It’s all tied up with Matt’s realty business and his investment firm.” I closed my eyes and concentrated on Matt’s thoughts. “I think Grayson Sharp helped with the sale of the properties...or I should say the drug houses, through some deal he made. Matt bought them, then sold them to fake buyers under the umbrella of his investment firm...or something like that.”

Matt’s jaw dropped open, and he glanced at me with horror. This was unraveling so fast it made his head spin. He hadn’t said a word, but I knew. How? Just a few hours ago, he had everything under control. Then I walked into his life, and it all fell apart. What the hell was going on? Who was I? What was I?

“Uh...I’m not feeling so well,” I said. “Can I go now?” There was more that I’d picked up from Matt, and the implications hit me like a one-two punch to my stomach, sending a wave of queasiness over me.

“Of course,” Blake answered, concerned. He quickly stood and walked me to the door, thinking I looked like I might throw up or pass out. Opening the door, he ushered me into the hall where Dimples stood waiting. “Make sure she gets home safely,” Blake said, handing Dimples the keys to my car. He turned to me. “Thanks Shelby, we couldn’t have done it without you. Get some rest. I’ll talk to you later.”

I nodded my head and gratefully took Dimples’ arm. He walked me from the building, concerned that my sudden sickness had something to do with what I’d heard in Matt’s mind. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I lied. “But all of this has suddenly caught up to me.”

“I can see that,” he agreed. “Did you hear something that upset you?”

“Well...a lot of it upset me, but I think it’s the nearly-getting-killed-part that’s hitting me so strong. I just need to go home and lie down.” I hoped Dimples bought it, especially since it was partly true. “Do you think you can drive me home?”

“Sure,” he said. “Give me a minute and I’ll arrange for someone to follow us to your place.”

It wasn’t long before Dimples pulled my car into my garage. He even unlocked the garage door for me to go inside. He was bursting with questions, but wisely kept them to himself, although in reality I heard every one of them and chose not to answer.

He handed me the keys. “I didn’t tell you this, but what you did today...it was simply amazing. I can’t tell you how proud I am to know you.” He smiled, but wasn’t quite finished. “Look, I can tell something’s bothering you, and I think I know what it is. You’re worried that everyone will figure out that you’re reading people’s minds, but it’s not going to happen. Unless you tell them, they won’t believe it, I promise. Having premonitions is the perfect way to explain it, and I think they’ll accept that and won’t think it’s anything else, so try not to worry. Okay? Everything will be fine.”

“Wow...that was exactly what I was thinking. Are you sure you can’t read minds?” I teased. This time his grin broadened, sending his dimples into swirling whirlwinds. “Thanks for driving me home...and coming to my rescue...and everything. I’m glad to have you on my side, and don’t worry...I don’t regret telling you my secret.”

He chuckled, since that thought was rattling around in his mind. “Good. Get some rest.”

I closed and locked the door, grateful to have the house to myself and time to gain some composure before I faced my family. I ran a bath and filled it with my soothing eucalyptus-scented bubble bath, hoping it would somehow calm me down.

It wasn’t until I had soaked in the tub for a few minutes that the full weight of what I’d heard from Matt hit me, and I knew I had to face it. The awful truth that Uncle Joey was involved in the whole thing shouldn’t come as such a big surprise, given that he was a mob-boss, but it certainly wasn’t something I wanted to know.

I wasn’t prepared to deal with it. But I also knew that if this came out, he was going to prison for a long time. That probably meant Ramos and most everyone else in his crew would end up there too. As a sinking feeling that I had just doomed them all flooded over me, tears started flowing down my cheeks. I didn’t know what to do, or how to help, but I had to do something. Was it too late?

Matt had been thinking of the deal between Grayson Sharp and Uncle Joey where, in return for looking the other way on some of his business dealings, Uncle Joey had agreed to sell the drug houses to Matt and let him take over the business. But what made my stomach ache the most...I was pretty sure Uncle Joey was still taking a cut of the profits, and the proof was probably on that thumb-drive.

Before I changed my mind, I got out of the tub and called Uncle Joey.

“Shelby,” he answered. “How are you doing?”

The sound of his voice hit me so strong that I burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, but I think I just messed up. Real bad. You’ll probably want to kill me now.”

“What’s happened? Are you hurt?”

His voice held real concern, which made it even harder to explain through my tears, but I did my best, finally ending with telling him that Blake had the thumb-drive with proof of money transfers into his investment company. “I didn’t tell them about Matt’s thoughts about you, but I’m worried that Blake will figure it out from the information on the thumb-drive, or it might come out from Grayson Sharp himself, if he’s ever charged with anything.”

“I see,” Uncle Joey said. He took a deep breath and let it out. “This is disturbing news Shelby but, whether you believe it or not, I’m innocent. I did give a large campaign donation to Grayson Sharp in the form of several properties, but I’m not in the drug business...anymore.”

“Really?” I said, hopeful for the first time.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come after me. That company is not mine, so I think I may have been set up but, thanks to you, I can get my lawyers on it right away. Try not to worry too much, and if I need to, I can have a nice chat with Blake.”

“Oh...okay,” I said. What did that mean? Did he have something on Blake?

“In the meantime, please tell your husband everything. If we do end up in court, I’ll want him to represent me. And you can help him. But I doubt it will get that far.”

“Right...okay.”

“Good. Get some rest, and I’ll call you soon.”

We disconnected, and I set the phone down, surprised that I felt a little better.

The kids came home, bringing some normalcy back into my life. I even got dinner made, and managed to act normal when Chris walked in the door. He was so proud of me and, with a brief explanation, told the kids that I’d solved the case. We even went out for ice cream to celebrate.

It wasn’t until later that I broke down and told him the rest of the story. “I’m so grateful for my Aikido training.”

Chris sat open-mouthed, so I quickly went on to explain my little chat with Uncle Joey as well. At the end, Chris let out a big sigh, and tightened his arms around me.

“Shelby,” he said, shaking his head in exasperation. “What am I going to do with you?” I shrugged, not knowing what to say. “It’s all right,” he said, kissing the top of my head. “We’ll figure it out. Try not to worry. I’m a great lawyer. We’ll get through this.”

As much as I appreciated how good of a lawyer he was, I still couldn’t vanquish the worry that tightened my stomach and, until this was resolved, I knew it wasn’t going anywhere.

Chapter 15

The next morning I got a call from Billie. “Shelby! I’m so glad you’re all right. Drew told me what happened. I’m sorry I missed out on all the action, but he said you used an Aikido move to take him down! I’m so proud of you.” I thanked her, and she continued. “Did you hear the news about Grayson Sharp?” she asked.

“What news?”

“He resigned this morning. Isn’t that something? I think Drew said they were getting the evidence together to arrest him and his assistant attorney, Anthony Kerby. I guess it’s all hitting the fan now. Since I have the inside scoop, I’m writing the first of several articles for the paper, isn’t that great? But don’t worry, I’m doing it from home.”

“That’s good,” I said, grateful I still had her copy of the thumb-drive. There was no way I was going to give it to her now. Hopefully, she wouldn’t ask for it. “So how are things going with you and Drew?”

She sighed. “Things couldn’t be better. I really love him, you know? He’s just the best man I know.”

“He is,” I agreed. “I’m so happy for you.” We chatted a little longer before disconnecting, and I hoped with all my heart that things worked out between them.

Not an hour later, I got the call from Blake I’d been expecting, asking me to meet him at the precinct. Naturally, I agreed, but couldn’t stop the trepidation that curdled my stomach.

Last night, Chris said he didn’t want me talking to the police about the case since I’d basically incriminated myself by alerting Uncle Joey, making me an accessory to whatever he might be charged with...if he got charged...which was still up for debate. But I needed to find out what Blake knew and what he was going to do about the whole thing.

I arrived with time to spare and an enthusiastic hug from Dimples. It made me feel better until I wondered what he’d think of me if he knew I was working with Uncle Joey. I shoved that unhappy thought away and hurried into the chief’s office where Blake awaited me.

“Thanks for coming,” Blake said. He’d closed the blinds for privacy and was thinking how much I puzzled him. Whose side was I on? I’d definitely helped his investigation, but I’d also alerted Manetto. It put him in a tight spot, but he thought he had a solution. Although he had to admit it was a solution that completely rested on my shoulders. What would I do?

If I wasn’t nervous before, I certainly was now.

“I just wanted to give you an update,” he began, coming to sit beside me on the couch, wanting his close proximity to garner my trust. “Matt still hasn’t said a word, but we found the gun in his safe like you said, and we’re formally charging him with the murder of both Tom and Pete, along with kidnapping and attempted murder on your life.”

“Okay,” I said. “Did you find out any more about the whole drug thing?”

“Yes.” He paused, glancing at his hands, knowing that I wouldn’t like what he had to say. “It looks like Manetto was involved, but I think you already knew that, since you called to tell him.”

I could deny it, but I didn’t, locking my gaze with his instead.

Blake sighed, realizing that I wasn’t going to make this easy. “Look, this is off the record, so I’m going to be straight with you. From everything I’ve found, I think Manetto was set up, but that doesn’t mean some lunatic in the state’s attorney’s office won’t file charges. Even if an indictment comes down against him, I don’t think there’s enough evidence for it to go to trial, but I don’t know for sure.”

He was thinking that if Manetto had sold PLM Investments like he’d said, then Matt had used the company name to launder his drug money and, at the same time, point the finger at Manetto as the real drug leader. It made Manetto look guilty as sin and left Matt in the clear. Blake worried that someone might see the connection before he could do something about it.

“That’s nice to know, but how does this affect me?”

“I can use my influence to help. I’ll make certain recommendations that nothing be filed against Manetto. If they are, I will use my considerable influence to have all charges dropped and the case dismissed.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “What’s the catch?”

He smiled. “I could use someone like you in the field with me. To put it bluntly, you’re the best interrogator I’ve ever seen. I know you have a life and a family, so it would mean only helping occasionally with some of the hardest cases that come along. If it makes a difference, you would also be helping your country.”

“Um...I don’t know.” His offer overwhelmed me, and I wasn’t sure it was a direction I wanted to go. Ever. Plus, now that I knew about the PLM Investments thing, I could tell Uncle Joey and Chris. “What if Uncle Joey isn’t charged?”

“That could happen,” he agreed. “And I understand your hesitation. Still...is that a chance you’re willing to take?”

“Maybe it is,” I said. “Especially if Uncle Joey was set up. If it’s the truth, it shouldn’t be too hard to prove.”

Blake shook his head. “I wouldn’t count on it. The state’s attorneys have been trying to get Manetto for years, and they wouldn’t hesitate to push it through whether it had merit or not. Think about it...even a jury wouldn’t be sympathetic to a mob-boss.” He let that soak in before continuing.

“So here’s my deal. Agree to help me occasionally, and I’ll make sure none of this can be traced to Manetto.”

How could I refuse that? I certainly didn’t want to go through a trial and worry about everyone, myself included, going to jail. Still, I didn’t like the open-endedness of his deal with me. “How about this? For every time you help me...or Uncle Joey...that’s one time I’ll help you.”

His brows rose in surprise. He hadn’t expected that. “You drive a hard bargain.” He didn’t like it, but it was better than nothing. Of course, he could always help Manetto with other things in the future. That might work. “All right, I agree.”

I took a deep breath, then let it out with a whoosh and threw caution to the wind. “Okay. It’s a deal.”

“Good.” Blake nodded with relief. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

“I’d better not,” I said.

“I’ll be in touch.”

I left the precinct, hoping I’d done the right thing. It seemed like the right thing at the moment, but what did I know? I probably should have talked it over with Chris, and maybe Uncle Joey, but it was too late now.

Besides, it wasn’t something I needed to tell anyone yet. It didn’t sound like Blake was going to need me any time soon, so maybe I could just wait until then. With that happy thought, I left for home, allowing myself to think about the one thing I’d caught from Blake that caused my heart to flutter with excitement. The mission he needed me for involved going to the one place I’d dreamed of visiting since I was in the third grade.

Paris.

***

A few days later, I stood beside the grave of my old high school flame. Although the sun was shining brightly, a slight breeze carried a promise of winter. Sorrow laced through my heart that Tom had met such a bitter end, but I tried to focus on the life he’d lived and the memories I held dear.

Before coming, I’d rummaged through an old box of high school memorabilia I’d kept, and I found the rose he’d given me on my seventeenth birthday. I’d kept it wrapped in a box all these years, so it was dried and perfectly preserved. Now I held it in my hand.

“Tom...you may be gone,” I said. “But you’ll never be forgotten.” I gently placed the rose against the headstone. The breeze caught my hair, blowing it across my face. I raised my hand to push it back, but froze as the scent of Irish Spring and cut grass filled my senses. My hair playfully danced around my face and tickled my nose. My smile turned into a laugh of delight. Then it was gone, and my hair fell back into place. A sense of peace filled me, giving me the comfort I needed to move on.

  I strolled back to my car at the top of the hill, then turned to look out at the city below. The view was amazing and, for now, I just wanted to sit back and enjoy it. Just then, my phone rang. I shook my head at the interruption but answered it anyway. “Hello?”

“Babe,” Ramos said. My heart picked up speed like it had a mind of its own.

“Hi,” I answered, a little breathless. “What’s up?”

“The boss wants to see you. Do you think you could come in to the office?”

“Sure,” I agreed. “In fact, I’m here at the cemetery, so I’m not too far away. I can be there in a few minutes. Will that work?”

“Hmm...how about this, why don’t I come get you? I know it’s a little chilly for the bike, but I could use an excuse to get out of the office. What do you think?”

“Really?” It was on the tip of my tongue to say “holy hell, yes,” but I held it back, not wanting to scare him off. “That would be wonderful.” I told him where I was, and we disconnected.

A few minutes later, I heard the roar of his motorcycle and watched as he pulled up beside me. He parked the bike and pulled off his helmet along with the backpack slung over his shoulders.

“I brought you something,” he said, a playful glint in his eyes. Unzipping the backpack, he pulled out a neatly wrapped bundle, which he proceeded to unfold. My breath caught to find the most amazing black leather motorcycle jacket I’d ever seen in my life.

“Holy hell!” I squeaked. “Is that for me?”

He chuckled. “Put it on. If it fits, it’s yours.”

“Woo-hoo!” I shrugged out of my coat and slipped my arms through the luxurious leather, inhaling the musky scent and closing my eyes. The jacket fit perfectly, and I zipped it up with a huge smile. “What do you think? Does it fit?”

He nodded, thinking I looked great. “I guess you’ll have to keep it now.”

“Saweet!”

“Let’s go.”

I threw my coat and his backpack into the trunk of my car and locked it up, then grabbed the smaller helmet Ramos had clipped to the back of his motorcycle. After snapping it on, I threw my leg over the bike and we were off.

Before my hands had a chance to get cold we pulled into the parking garage of Thrasher Development. I was a little disappointed that the ride went by so quick, but I couldn’t complain. Ramos was thinking that Uncle Joey was anxious to see me, or he wouldn’t have hurried so much.

“We’ll take the scenic route back,” Ramos promised.

“Awesome!” I said. “This is the best. Really...thanks so much.”

He smiled, but shook his head, thinking that seeing how much I enjoyed it was thanks enough.

We walked into Thrasher Development and trepidation filled me. I didn’t think Uncle Joey would find out about the deal I’d made with Blake, but what if he had? He probably wouldn’t like it. But...maybe this was something else entirely. A girl could always hope, right? 

After a quick hello to Jackie, we headed straight to Uncle Joey’s office. He stood with a smile. Then his brows rose to see us both in leather motorcycle jackets. He glanced at Ramos with a quirk on his lips, then nodded, thinking I deserved to be indulged once in a while, and turned his attention to me.

“Shelby. Thanks for coming. Sit down, we need to talk.” After we sat, he continued. “It looks like my worries about your investigation with the police have disappeared.”

“Really? That’s good.”

“Which brings me to my next question. What did you promise Blake in return for making this go away?”

“Um...” My mouth went dry. He didn’t know. Uncle Joey’s brows drew together, and his eyes narrowed. He was hoping I hadn’t told Blake my secret, but if I had...

“No, I didn’t tell him that! He just asked me if I’d help him on a case in the future. It seemed too good to pass up, so I agreed.” I wanted to keep talking about how much I didn’t want any of us to go to jail, but the thunderous look on Uncle Joey’s face stopped me.

“Shelby,” he said, shaking his head. “You didn’t need to do that. I have enough on Blake that I could have taken care of it.”

“Oh...I didn’t know that. But...just so you know, I only have to help him one time. Well...it was more like for every time he helped you, then I’d help him. Like a trade-off?”

Uncle Joey cursed under his breath and his eyes widened. What the hell had I done? Then he took a deep breath and calmed down. I was out of my league dealing with Blake. He’d just have to make sure it never happened again.

“All right. We’ll have to work with that. In the meantime, I want to know when he contacts you, and I want to be there to negotiate what you’ll do for him. Is that understood?”

“Yes, of course.”

Uncle Joey didn’t trust Blake worth a damn and, alarming as that was, having Uncle Joey on my side both scared me and helped me feel protected. I probably shouldn’t have agreed to help Blake, especially since Uncle Joey had such strong feelings about it. 

“Good. Now that we have that out of the way, I’m going to need you for a meeting tomorrow. I’m on the board of directors for Plum Fidelity, and we’re picking a new CEO.” He smiled, knowing from my shocked expression that he’d surprised me.

“Okay,” I agreed. “That should be interesting.”

“Good.” He gave me the details, and I realized Uncle Joey had more going on behind the scenes than I’d ever know. I also realized that I was nuts to underestimate him and his influence, and I regretted my decision to help Blake without talking to Uncle Joey first. What was I thinking?

I left his office in a daze, grateful I wasn’t on Uncle Joey’s bad side, especially since I’d agreed to help one of his enemies. Beside me, Ramos wasn’t too happy with my decision either and worried that Blake could just whisk me off somewhere without a moment’s notice.