Lie or Die: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

  Chris glanced at David, and smiled apologetically. “Is that okay with you?”

  “No problem,” David answered. “I’ll see you back here in about…twenty-seven minutes.” He smiled at me, grabbed his briefcase, and left.

  Chris concentrated on getting his papers into his briefcase while thinking just act normal. I relaxed my stance, and waited for him like a dutiful wife. Before he closed his briefcase, I noticed that my stun flashlight was missing.

  “Where’s my flashlight?” I asked.

  Chris huffed. “They wouldn’t let me bring it in, so I had to leave it with security. I guess even lawyers aren’t allowed special privileges.”

  “Bummer,” I said. “Who would’ve thought?”

  “Yeah,” he smiled wryly. “We can pick it up on our way out, and you can put it back in your purse.”

  “Okay.” We left the courtroom and walked down the hallway to the elevators. “Now can you tell me what’s going on?” We got on the elevator, but halted our conversation when another man got in with us. Chris was thinking just act normal until we’re alone. It kind of rubbed me the wrong way since I wouldn’t have said anything with the guy there anyway. But I could tell he was rattled, and it worried me.

  We exited the elevator and stopped at security for my stun flashlight. At least they were nice enough to hold it for him, and it felt good to have it back in my purse where it belonged. Once we left the building, Chris visibly relaxed, and took a deep breath of fresh air.

  “Someone in the courtroom placed an envelope next to my papers,” he began. “I didn’t see who put it there, but it had my name on it. I waited until the next recess to open it up.”

  “Was it a threat?” I asked.

  “Not exactly, but it certainly wasn’t what I expected. It said that David worked for ‘The Knife’ and that I shouldn’t trust him. It also said my client was guilty of making unlawful payments to ‘The Knife’ and if I was a good citizen, I would lose the case so justice would be served. What do you make of that?”

  “It sounds like they’re trying a different tactic to get to you,” I said.

  “Yeah, they’re making it personal.”

  “But it’s more than that. It’s like they know you, and figure that you’d want to take Uncle Joey down. They’re telling you this is the way to do it.” I glanced at him with concern. “Do you think they know I work for Uncle Joey?”

  “That would certainly be a good reason for me to lose the case,” he said. “So yeah, they must know.”

  “But it’s not anyone in his organization. I’d know.”

  “Okay, but what about David? How is he involved? You said he was working for Manetto, but do you know how?”

  “Not really.” I wracked my brain for anything that might help and remembered one of his thoughts. “David thought about a glitch with the trial the other day. But he was prepared to handle it. I don’t know how, but he hoped he didn’t have to put his plan into motion because it might hurt someone.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that?” he asked.

  “At the time, it didn’t seem like it mattered, and I kind of forgot,” I said. “Would it have made a difference?”

  Chris sighed. “Well…no, but it would have been nice to know. I mean, you have the inside scoop on something that’s pertinent to my case, and you don’t share it. What’s the point in having your abilities if you don’t share stuff like that with me?” He was thinking I told Manetto everything I knew, but not my own husband. That was just wrong. It made him feel angry, and even a little betrayed that I’d held out on him. How could I do that?

  “Hey…you’re blowing this way out of proportion. I tell you the important stuff. I know we’re in this together, and I’m sorry I didn’t remember to tell you about it.”

  “Well, it hardly matters now. We both know that Adam Webb is guilty,” Chris said, hating to admit it out loud. “Why else would Manetto have David working with me on the case? Manetto doesn’t want to get caught.”

  “That’s true,” I agreed. “At Webb Enterprises this morning, Uncle Joey was thinking that was why he had David helping you.”

  “Then maybe I should lose the case,” Chris said. “If it would get rid of Manetto, it might be worth it.”

  “You can’t,” I disagreed. “It’s tempting, but it’s too risky. You don’t know what he would do to you. Or to our kids or me. We can’t do that.”

  “What if I found a way to make it look like it wasn’t my fault?”

  “It will never happen. Not with David keeping an eye on you.” How could he even think about it? I had to convince him it wouldn’t work.

  Chris glanced at me. He was thinking that I was so involved in Manetto’s life that I couldn’t think straight. I was more loyal to him than I realized. Couldn’t I see that this might be our one chance to get out from under him?

  “Chris don’t…” I shook my head. “I might feel indebted to him, but it’s not as simple as you think. Let’s talk about it later. Okay? After we’ve had some time to think it through.”

  “All right,” he said, relenting. He knew he was too emotional to make a good decision at the moment, and I probably was too. “I’ll be home late again tonight, probably around eight. We can talk then.”

  “Sounds good,” I agreed. I took a breath to tell him about my meeting with Uncle Joey tonight, but I couldn’t do it. It would just give him another reason to do what he wanted without knowing the huge risk involved. “Believe me, if there’s a way to get out of this mess, I’m all for it.”

  “Good,” he said. “Keep thinking that, because it just might happen.”

  He smiled, and I cringed at his enthusiasm. He was dreaming if he thought we could double-cross Uncle Joey and live to tell about it.

  “Don’t look so worried,” he chided.

  “Yeah, easy for you to say.” I caught his gaze. “Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

  Chris chuckled. “Hey, wait a minute…that’s my line.”

  I smacked his arm. “Just be careful. This person threatening you could still beat you up.”

  “All right,” he agreed, checking his watch. “I’ve got to get back.”

  “What about lunch?”

  “I’ll just grab a sandwich and eat it on the way.”

  “Okay. I’ll come with you.”

  Luckily, Chris made it back to the courthouse with time to spare. I couldn’t go in with my stun flashlight, so I kissed him goodbye before hurrying to my car. I couldn’t stop thinking about how he was considering losing the case. Uncle Joey had too many schemes in place to lose for real. The only way he would lose was if Chris sabotaged the trial. Not only were our lives on the line, but Chris’ job was too.

  I hoped by the time I talked to him tonight, he would realize that the risks outweighed anything we could possibly gain from it. If Chris still didn’t understand that, then there was only one thing left for me to do, and that was tell Uncle Joey about the threat. Could I do that to Chris? Maybe if I said it was David who saw the note and told Uncle Joey, it could work, and he’d never know it was really me. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but it was something I had to consider.

  By the time I got home, my stomach was tied in knots. It was one of those times I had to drink Mylanta straight from the bottle. After my stomach settled, I changed into jeans and a t-shirt and rushed to get ready for the meeting with Uncle Joey and his club.

  I found my black wig stashed in the back of the closet along with my black pants and boots. The black shirt that completed the outfit had been ruined the last time I wore it, bringing back the memory of when Ramos killed Mercer to save my life. I thought I was over it, but remembering the sickening splatter of blood across my face and shirt made my stomach clench. Suddenly, I had to take another swig of Mylanta. At this rate the bottle would be empty before I left for the meeting.

  Shopping usually helped me feel better, and since I needed a new black shirt, I decided to make a run to the mall. This t
ime I was buying something cute. Just because it was black didn’t mean it had to be plain. I found the perfect blouse. It was short-sleeved with a collar, and it buttoned up the front with some tucks around the waist that really flattered my figure.

  Next, I stopped at the jewelry shop where they sold fake eyeglasses and decided to get another pair. My last pair got smashed when Uncle Joey’s car was bombed, and since I didn’t want any of the people at Uncle Joey’s club to know who I was, being extra disguised seemed like the best way to go.

  I got home and concentrated on fixing something healthy for dinner, knowing I needed the distraction. I checked the fridge and freezer, then the cupboards, before looking in the fridge again. After about ten minutes of this, with my mind a total blank, I gave up and ordered pizza.

  At five o’clock the pizza arrived, and I called the kids to dinner. Josh’s friend was here, and I invited him to stay and eat with us. We had plenty to go around since I could only manage a few bites before I had to take another swig of Mylanta.

  “Mom…that’s gross,” Savannah said, her nose wrinkled in disgust.

  “Not if it works,” I said. “Don’t worry, I just drank the last of it, so you don’t have to watch me drink any more tonight.”

  “Eww.” She shook her head. She was thinking how awful that stuff tasted, and couldn’t imagine anyone taking a spoonful, let alone drinking from the bottle. It couldn’t be good for me.

  “So, what are your plans tonight?” I asked, wanting to change the subject. “Got homework or anything you have to do?”

  “No…” Savannah tilted her head and raised her brows. “Don’t you know?”

  “Know what?”

  “School gets out next week. We’re basically done with our work. Geez Mom, where have you been?”

  I tried to cover my blunder with a smirk. “Of course I knew that. What I didn’t know was…oh never-mind.” Calling Savannah a smart aleck was probably not a good idea right now. I got up from the table and put my dishes in the dishwasher. I knew Josh and his friend were playing video games tonight and wouldn’t even know if I left for a few hours, but what about Savannah?

  I listened to her thoughts and was relieved to hear her thinking about going to her friend Ashley’s house. She worried that I wouldn’t let her go since it was a school night, and she had one last assignment to finish up, but I didn’t know that, and she was pretty sure I bought her explanation.

  What? She lied to me? Now what should I do? I couldn’t let her lie to me and get away with it. Of course, if I couldn’t read her mind, I wouldn’t know she’d lied, and right now knowing was working against me. So, maybe this one time it was okay that I let it go.

  Savannah brought her plate over. “Ash wants me to come over to her house for a while. Is that okay?”

  “I guess…since you don’t have any homework.” I watched her closely, hoping she’d show some kind of guilt or remorse for lying to me.

  “Nope,” she said smiling. She was thinking it was a stupid assignment anyway, and she could finish it up before she went to bed, and even if she didn’t, she was getting an A in the class, so it didn’t really matter.

  “All right,” I agreed half-heartedly, discouraged that she didn’t show even a smidge of guilt for lying. “As long as you’re back by nine-thirty.”

  “Sure.” She was thinking nine-thirty was later than normal to let her stay out on a school night, but she wasn’t about to tell me that.

  I sighed, wondering if I could ever get being a mom right. I mean, even when I let her do something she wanted, she was thinking that I shouldn’t. How crazy was that?

  By five-thirty, dinner was cleaned up, the boys were downstairs, and Savannah had left for Ashley’s. That gave me plenty of time to get ready before I had to leave at six so I could be to Uncle Joey’s by six-thirty.

  I got dressed in my all-black ensemble and realized I’d have to wait until I got there to put on my wig. Then it hit me that I couldn’t remember if Uncle Joey had told me to wear my black wig, or if he’d just been thinking I should wear it. Or was it Ramos who’d mentioned it? Oh well…it didn’t matter now. I was wearing it because I thought it was a good idea.

  I carefully placed it in my bag along with my glasses and glanced in the mirror. I looked kind of pale and sick. Just like I felt. I put some blush on my cheeks and decided to go with red on my lips since it was a power color. I rubbed my lips together and struck my sassy ‘don’t mess with me’ pose. That was more like it.

  “I’m going to the store,” I yelled down to Josh. “I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

  “K,” he called back.

  I fervently hoped I’d get back before Chris got home. There was a good chance I would with the late hours he’d been keeping so far. Hopefully, my luck wouldn’t run out tonight. I started my car and was soon on the freeway to Thrasher Development.

  I pulled into the parking garage, and got to the office five minutes early. This was perfect since I needed some time to put on my wig. I walked into the office and found Ramos sitting in Jackie’s chair. He was dressed in black, and I couldn’t help but notice how nicely the snug t-shirt showed off his rippling pectorals.

  “Hey babe,” he said. “Good timing. We were hoping to leave a little early.” He was thinking I looked different, then decided it must be the red lipstick. My shirt was nice. Too bad I couldn’t wear it.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  His lips quirked up in a rueful smile. Ha, he caught me.

  I backtracked to his earlier statement of leaving early. “I can’t leave until I get my wig on, but it won’t take me more than a minute.”

  “You brought your wig?” he asked. “What made you do that?” He was thinking it was probably because he’d suggested it.

  “Didn’t you tell me I should?” I asked, confused, and a little suspicious at his question.

  “Yup,” he said. But he was thinking only in my mind.

  I clenched my teeth. He was baiting me, and it was making me mad. I tried not to let it show, treating it like I did when my kids pushed my buttons. He was not going to get the best of me. I scrunched up my eyebrows. “Funny…I thought it was my idea.” I took a deep breath. It was time to push back just a little. “You know…I like you Ramos. Don’t spoil it. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “Wait,” Ramos said, sheepish that he’d pushed me into a corner. He realized that he’d gone too far and respected that I’d put him in his place. Not many people could do that. “Sorry, but you’ll have to put these on too.” He held up a t-shirt similar to his in one hand, and a ball cap that said ‘security’ across the front in the other.

  His ‘sorry’ wasn’t meant for the clothes, but for how he’d been acting. I sighed, but gave him a quick smile to let him know we were good. I took the clothes to the restroom to change. I was kind of mad that I couldn’t wear my cute blouse, but usually when I did stuff like this, my black clothes got ruined, so maybe Ramos was doing me a favor.

  The t-shirt was stretchy, but tight, so I tucked it into my pants, glad I’d worn a belt. I pulled my hair back and pinned it down before slipping on my wig. With it in place, I slid on my glasses and hat, pleased to find that I looked like a totally different person. Plus, the red lipstick balanced out all that black. Now all I needed was a gun to make me look like a kick-butt security person.

  I hurried back into the office and found Uncle Joey quietly conversing with Ramos. They stopped talking to admire me in my outfit. Ramos was thinking he liked the results, but Uncle Joey thought I’d gone too far. He thought the glasses ruined the look, since he didn’t think a security person would wear them. Wouldn’t they just get in the way if a fight broke out? Not that it would, but still.

  “I’m wearing the glasses,” I said. “If a fight breaks out, Ramos can handle it. I’ll use this.” I motioned to my waist where I had clipped my stun flashlight. “Don’t forget it’s got one million volts of shock-stopping power, and will drop anyone in their tracks.” br />
  “Good,” Uncle Joey said, smiling. He was thinking that he liked my initiative and my willingness to play along in this role. Since both he and Ramos were packing, it might come in handy to have me armed with something. Who knew? Maybe by the end of the night I’d need it. “Let’s go. I’ll explain what I want you to do in the car.”

  I wasn’t too nervous about tonight until I heard that. What kind of a club were we going to anyway? I got my answer as we drove out of the parking lot. “The club belongs to one of my associates, Lanny. It’s a boxing club…among other things, and he keeps up on the major movements, or happenings, in the city. He’s a good friend to have if you need ‘eyes and ears’ on things. That’s why I go to the club regularly. He likes my business, and I like his info. That’s where you come in. As part of my security detail, he won’t be suspicious of you. It’s like you’ll be invisible, which, for a woman in that place, is invaluable.”

  “Why? What are most of the women like?” I asked, but quickly changed my mind. “Wait, never mind.”

  He smiled. “You’ll see soon enough. Anyway, I’ll have to place some bets and mingle a bit. Hey…you could actually help me with the bets.” He was thinking I could ‘listen’ to the fighters, or their managers, and see who was throwing the fight, or who was supposed to win. He could actually make some money for a change. Wouldn’t that be nice?

  “Do people actually throw the fights?” I asked, surprised.

  “Most of the time. When I come around, Lanny always gives me a suggestion on who to bet on. But with his advice, I never know if I’m going to win or lose. That seems to be my price for the info he gives me. But with you there, I can have you or Ramos place the bets for me on the right people. It should work out great.”

  “Yeah,” I said, a little sarcastically. “But the main reason you need me is to help you know what’s going on in the city, right? Because Lanny doesn’t always tell you everything?”

  “Right.” Uncle Joey’s thoughts went quiet, like he didn’t want me to know that was only part of his plan.