Lie or Die: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

  “Okay, I’ll come,” I agreed. I thought it was a long shot, but what could it hurt? “I’d like to see the note. Do you have it?”

  “Um…yeah. I think I put it in my briefcase. Let me look.” He rummaged through the case at his feet. “Hmm…it’s not there. Maybe it’s in one of my pockets.” He checked all his pockets, emptying out everything inside, but couldn’t find the note. “I know I had it.”

  “Maybe you left it at work,” I said.

  “Yeah, that’s it. I think I put it in my drawer. I’ll check first thing in the morning.”

  “Okay,” I said. “As long as someone didn’t take it. Did it have your name on it?”

  “Yes,” Chris answered. “But no one would go through my drawers, and I always lock up before I leave. It’s safe. I’ll be sure and bring it home tomorrow, and you can look at it. I just wish this person would come forward instead of leaving notes. If they have evidence that would prove Manetto’s guilt, I’d use it in a heartbeat. But then they wouldn’t need to threaten me. They could just go straight to the prosecution.”

  “True,” I agreed. “But it’s got to be someone who knows you, and knows you’d want Uncle Joey to go to jail. How many people fit that description?”

  “Only one,” Chris said, his eyes lighting up. “Kate.” He glanced at me with new determination. “It’s got to be her,” he continued. “She’s the only one with inside information that could possibly know about Manetto’s dealings with Webb Enterprises. She also knows about your involvement with Manetto, and that alone would give me the motivation to lose the case.”

  “That makes sense,” I said. “But if she really wants Uncle Joey to go to prison, why doesn’t she just turn state’s evidence and testify against him?”

  “She must still be harboring the ambition to take over his organization.”

  “Hmm…you could be right,” I agreed. “But there’s something we’re missing. She’s got to know it would never work.”

  “Not necessarily. She might not know anything about David, and what he does for Manetto. Without David, Manetto’s vulnerable.”

  “There’s more going on here than you realize,” I said. Now was the time to tell him about my evening. “Uncle Joey needed my help earlier tonight.” I explained that we went to an exclusive boxing club, and how the owner had said someone was taking over the gangs in the city. “They’re coming after Uncle Joey next. That doesn’t sound like Kate. She doesn’t have that much influence, or enough money to buy the manpower and drugs it would take to pull something like this off.”

  After Chris’ initial shock at what I’d done wore off, he could see my reasoning. “You’ve got a point,” he agreed. He stifled his dismay at my actions and asked, “You went as a security guard? With Ramos?”

  “Yes,” I agreed. “I was perfectly safe.”

  “Right.” He was still trying to wrap his head around what I’d done without getting upset about it. “What was the club like?” He was thinking if he focused on that part, he wouldn’t be as upset with me.

  I told him the details of how we got in and out, and what the arena looked like. His interest spiked when I told him about the fight, and the special room above the arena in which we were entertained. By the time I was through, he was wishing he could have been there. Go figure. I wanted to tell him I’d trade places in a heartbeat, but that wouldn’t be true. Having him in the kind of trouble I was in all the time would drive me nuts.

  “Back to Kate,” I said. “Now you know why I don’t think it’s her.”

  “Unless she found a partner,” Chris interjected.

  “Who would go to all that trouble for her? I mean…with both her previous partners dead? Not to mention her infatuation with you, and how selfish and mean she is. Besides all that, it would have to be somebody pretty stupid to agree to take on Uncle Joey.”

  “All right, you’ve made your point,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean we should say she’s not involved at all. Who knows? She might have something to do with it.”

  “You’re just flattered to think she’d go through all of this for you.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I knew I shouldn’t have said them.

  “That’s not true,” he defended himself. “If you weren’t so jealous you’d see that.”

  I hated when he was right. Why was I making such a big deal out of it? I thought for sure I was over it. “I guess I’m still upset about what happened with her. And the fact that she could be back just makes my blood boil.” I had bad thoughts about her, which probably made me a bad person. But since her partners were both dead, how come she couldn’t be dead too? It just wasn’t fair.

  Chris pulled me into his arms, and I rested my head against his shoulder. He was thinking things were complicated enough without adding Kate to the mix. She brought back all those feelings he’d hoped I would forget. Plus, he couldn’t help feeling a little guilty, since he was the one she was after. But seriously, he couldn’t help it if he was ruggedly handsome, and sexy as hell. What woman could resist? Women practically fell at his feet, and were always so disappointed to find out he was married. It was…

  “All right! Stop. That’s enough.” I smacked Chris’ shoulder.

  “Ouch!” he said, feigning pain. “Hey, if you’re going to listen, I might as well make it good. Am I right? Huh?”

  “Yeah, yeah. You think you’re so funny.” I tried not to smile, but couldn’t hold it back.

  “I know, but at least you’re smiling now.” He pulled me back into his arms. “We’ll get through this. You’ll see. The trial’s going well, and tomorrow’s Thursday. I have both Thursday and Friday to present my case. After that we’ll have the weekend to regroup. By Monday or Tuesday, we should have a verdict.” He was thinking that tomorrow and Friday were going to be the toughest days of all, and he hoped he was ready. If Kate were going to carry out her threats, the next few days would be the time to do it.

  “You really think it’s Kate?” I asked, dismayed.

  He sighed. “Now that the possibility is in my head, I can’t think who else it would be. So yeah, I guess I’m assuming it’s her. Which, for me, makes it easier for some reason.”

  “Yeah, that’s because you don’t think she’d beat you up and ruin your ruggedly handsome face.”

  “You’re probably right.” He chuckled and squeezed me. “So, you’ll come tomorrow?”

  “Yes, I’ll be there.” Something occurred to me. “If it is Kate, she’s not going to be there. She’d have someone else leave the note.”

  “I know,” he agreed. “And if she has a partner, it could be him.” He noticed my frown and continued, “But even if it’s not and you can pick up their thoughts, it will still tell us something about who it is. That’s better than what we have now.”

  “I’ll do what I can,” I said, knowing it was still a long shot. “I’m also going to talk to Uncle Joey and see what he thinks about it being Kate.”

  “Why not?” Chris shrugged. “It will be good to know what he’s thinking too.”

  I chuckled. “Anyone else?”

  “No. That should do it for now.”

  “Good.” I jumped up. “Because all of a sudden, I’m starving. Want some ice cream?”

  “Sure!”

  ***

  The next morning I got to the courthouse by nine-thirty. Although it was closer to ten before I got in the courtroom, since I forgot to take my stun flashlight out of my purse and had to go back to my car. I slipped it into the jockey box and hoped I’d remember it was there later.

  I sat in the back corner where I could see the door, and who went in and out. The prosecution rested its case, and it was Chris’ turn to present his defense. I was a little nervous, but Chris was doing a great job. So far, the only thing I’d picked up was that the prosecuting attorney was worried he’d lose. His evidence was good, but Chris had managed to find documents that made him look like a big bully. The jury was bound to empathize with Webb.

  I thou
ght about listening to each jury member to see who was leaning what way, but after scanning the first two, I started to get a headache. It was incredibly hard to pick out certain thoughts and block out all the others in the room. I could probably do it if I had to, but from what I could pick up, not one of the jurors had made a decision one way or the other. I’d talk to Chris and try again later if he thought it was necessary.

  My phone vibrated, and the caller ID said it was Uncle Joey. I’d been expecting a call from him, so I gathered my things and hurried out into the hall. “Hello,” I answered softly.

  “Why are you whispering?” Uncle Joey asked.

  “I’m in court, helping Chris with the case.”

  “Oh,” he paused. “You’re helping Chris. How’s it going?”

  “Pretty good,” I answered. “I have some questions for you. Can I come by in about fifteen minutes?”

  Silence answered me, followed by a quick breath. “That will be fine,” he growled. He disconnected, leaving me confused. What had I done to offend him? Was he worried about what I was telling Chris? He had told me not to tell Chris anything, but if it helped his case, why not?

  It was nearly noon, and I was pretty sure Chris wasn’t going to get another note until it looked like he would win the case. Right now, it was still up in the air, so the person threatening him would have to wait a little longer to know how it was going to go. Since I hadn’t ‘heard’ anything useful, I might as well leave now.

  Walking to my car, I got another phone call. This time it was from the bank manager, Blaine Smith.

  “Hi Shelby,” Blaine said. “I’d like to go over your progress with the stolen money. Do you have a minute today?”

  “Sure,” I answered. “I’ve got an appointment right now, but I can come over after that.”

  “Good. I’ll be in my office all afternoon.”

  We disconnected, and I realized something was off. The normal warmth in his voice was missing. He’d seemed tense and cold. I also hadn’t expected to talk to him until tomorrow, or at least next Monday. Had something changed?

  Then it hit me that I hadn’t seen or heard anything from Rob Felt since he went after those guys yesterday. Usually he was following me everywhere I went, but not today, or last night. I should be grateful…and I was, but did that mean he was in trouble? Was he lying dead somewhere? Was it my fault? Alarm tightened my chest. I should probably try and contact him, just in case. Maybe Blaine had his cell number.

  I pulled into the parking garage of Thrasher Development and hurried to the elevator. Knowing I was about to face Uncle Joey sent a chill up my spine. Uncle Joey’s response to my involvement in Chris’ case worried me. As I contemplated why he could be upset, I rubbed my arms against the sudden cold. I was doing everything he wanted. It didn’t make sense for him to be upset with me.

  I got off the elevator and entered Thrasher Development. Jackie sat at her desk and gave me a polite smile, but there was an underlying menace to it. She was thinking that I’d better not double-cross her man. What? Where had that come from?

  “Hi Shelby,” she said without warmth. “He’s in his office waiting for you.”

  “Thanks.” Puzzled, I turned down the hall, and met Ramos coming toward me. He could hardly look at me, and was thinking that after saving my life more than once, it was hard to believe I’d double-cross Manetto.

  “Hey,” he said, leaving out his usual ‘babe’ greeting. He just didn’t have it in him. He worried about what would happen next, and hoped I’d be able to explain my way out of it.

  By now, my stomach had clenched into a tight little ball. “What’s going on?” I asked. “Why so glum?”

  “I’ll do what I can for you,” he said softly. “Even if he wants you dead, I promise I won’t let that happen.” He couldn’t face losing me, even if it meant going against Manetto.

  As my legs went weak he opened the door. What the freak! I swallowed, finally summoning the strength to move into the office. Uncle Joey’s eyes went from sad to hard so quickly I might have missed it if I hadn’t been watching so closely.

  “Come in Shelby.” Taking in my bewildered expression, Uncle Joey softened, thinking it had to be a big mistake. As Ramos followed me into the room, he held up his hand. “Give us a minute, Ramos.”

  Ramos was caught between his allegiance to Uncle Joey and his concern for me. Before it became too apparent to Uncle Joey, I glanced at him, and with my eyes, motioned him out. His brows creased together, but with an imperceptible nod, he left.

  Turning back to Uncle Joey, relief coursed through me to find he hadn’t noticed our little exchange. I squared my shoulders and faced him. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I swear I haven’t done anything wrong. So let’s get this cleared up. We have a lot of work to do.”

  Uncle Joey straightened, narrowing his eyes. A glint came into them, and his lips turned up into a grudging smile. I never failed to surprise him. He liked that. “Good. Then you can explain this note.” He threw the folded piece of paper toward me, and I eagerly picked it up.

  I read through the contents, realizing it was the threat sent to Chris the day before. David must have given it to Uncle Joey last night. Now I knew why Uncle Joey was upset. He thought I was working with Chris to lose the case.

  “I can’t believe you think I’d be that stupid.” I quickly sat down, relieved to know what was going on. “Chris got this note yesterday, and he might have been tempted to follow through, but I convinced him it would never work. Last night he agreed.

  “It’s part of why I wanted to talk to you today,” I continued. “We think it had to come from someone who knows that Chris would want you in jail, mostly for my sake. Anyone like that come to mind?”

  “Yes…Kate,” Uncle Joey said, chagrined that he hadn’t thought of it sooner.

  “That’s exactly what we thought. First, she knows you’re after her for the money and jewels she took. Second, she probably wants revenge for her father’s death. Which she believes you caused,” I added hastily, careful not to let on that I knew he’d killed him. “Third, she might still want to run your organization. And last, she hates me and is after my husband. Those are all good reasons for her to risk coming back.”

  Uncle Joey shook his head. “But that doesn’t explain everything. How could she manage all of this? With the gangs and everything.”

  “Well, she’d have to have a partner,” I used Chris’ reasoning. “You know she’s got a lot of money. Maybe by stirring up existing circumstances, she’s hoping to offer protection to people you’ve harassed all these years. At least until you’re out of the picture.” I nervously licked my lips, hoping I hadn’t offended him about the harassment part.

  Uncle Joey considered it. “She does have ambition, I’ll give you that. But I’m just not sure with her limited resources she could pull it off.”

  “You have a point,” I agreed. “But it is possible.” I couldn’t believe I sounded just like Chris.

  “Sure,” he said, unconvinced. “Lots of things are possible.” He was thinking Kate would have to have a pretty smart partner to get this far. Even then, it was a stretch. “So our next step is to find her. Or if it’s not her, find whoever it is. That hasn’t changed.”

  “Right,” I answered.

  He was thinking that he could still go through with his plan, and just take out the part where he locked me up until Chris came around.

  “So…you weren’t going to kill me?” I asked.

  “Hell no. Whatever gave you that idea?”

  “Well…Jackie was pretty upset when I came in. So was Ramos.”

  He snorted. He knew Ramos would never hurt me. Not after all the times he’d saved my life. No…if Uncle Joey wanted me dead, he figured that with all the trouble I got in, he’d just stay away and let it happen naturally.

  “Seriously?” I grumbled. “Most of the trouble I get in is because of you.”

  “Pretty much,” he agreed. “And I’m always there to bail you
out.” He let the implications of that sink in. “But don’t worry, Shelby. I don’t think it will ever come to that.”

  What could I say? Thanks so much? I don’t know what I’d do without you? He could tell he’d hurt my feelings, but decided to let it go. It wouldn’t do if I thought he really cared or something. No…it wouldn’t do at all. Damn…had I just heard that?

  Keeping his head down, he silently berated himself for the irony, thinking it was time to work harder at protecting his thoughts. Someday he’d do it, but for now, it wasn’t worth the trouble.

  “So, what’s your plan?” I asked, steering him back to Kate, and hoping he’d never take the time to learn.

  “I need you and Ramos to follow a lead with the South End. After I notified them of what was going down last night, they found a dealer with ties to this new gang. I need you and Ramos to go check it out, see what you can ‘hear’ from him. I don’t want them to know we know anything about them yet. So you have to be discreet.” He was thinking maybe I could dress up like a hooker and buy some drugs or something. Ramos would go with me for protection. I’d be fine.

  “No way! I’m not doing that.”

  He was afraid I’d say that. “Do you have a better idea?”

  “Yeah. Get Ramos and some of these South End guys to grab him, and bring him here to the basement for questioning. You could keep him blindfolded so he’d never know who you are, and even if he didn’t answer your questions, I’d hear them and tell you.”

  Uncle Joey sighed. If he did that, the guy was a dead man. No way could he let him go back and warn his gang that someone was asking questions about them. He’d have to make it look like an overdose so they wouldn’t suspect anything. He could do it if he had to, but it would cost him.

  Thoughts of this guy’s death on my hands weren’t any better. “Isn’t there something else we can do?” I asked.

  “Well…I guess we could keep the dealer locked up somewhere until this is over.”

  “That could work,” I said with relief. “Hey…what about the police? We could tip them off and have him arrested. I could talk to him at the police station with Dimples. That would be even better. No one would suspect you had anything to do with it.”