“Could you call Chase and let him know I’d like to talk to him?” I asked. “I’d also like to talk to as many employees as possible.”
“Um...sure, I guess.” Her inquisitive gaze caught mine, and she wondered if this had something to do with my premonitions.
“I’m sure you’re wondering about my premonitions and how they work,” I said. Her mouth dropped open in surprise, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread over my face. “Let’s just say that talking to as many people who were involved in your husband’s life as I possibly can, will go a long way to helping me know who killed him.”
“Oh, okay. Good.”
“Can you think of anyone else I should talk to?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay...at least I have a good place to start.” I stood and smiled reassuringly. “I’m going to do my best to find out who did this, okay? Don’t give up.”
Relief flooded over her, and she blinked hard to keep the tears from her eyes. “Thank you, Shelby.”
“You bet. I’ll head on over to the offices right now.”
“Oh, yeah...I’ll call and let them know you’re on your way.”
“Thanks.” I hurried out into the hall and ran right into my husband’s chest. It was a nice chest, so I didn’t mind too much. “Chris! What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you,” he said, grabbing my wrist and pulling me toward his office. “We need to talk in private.”
“You know I could break your arm right now if I wanted to, right?” I had been taking Aikido just for situations like this. Although, in Chris’ case, I didn’t really mean it.
“Honey,” he grumbled, dropping my wrist and opening the office door. “This is serious.” He closed the door behind me. “So...did you find out?” His piercing gaze caught mine, and his brows drew together.
I nodded, but kept my mouth shut.
After a moment, he threw his arms up. “Well? Are you going to tell me?”
“I thought you didn’t want me to,” I answered, hiding a smirk.
He huffed out a breath. “Shelby...forget that. If you know...it’s probably better if I know too. It won’t change anything. We’ll still go with what we’ve got, but it might make a difference in how we proceed.” He was thinking she was probably guilty, but he’d still do his best to present a fair case.
“Chris...she’s innocent, but...”
“What? Really? She is?”
“Yes. But it’s worse than you think. The argument they had that night was about the affair. Victoria threatened to divorce him. Does the prosecution know about the pre-nup?”
“Uh...yeah.”
“If they find the woman he had the affair with...”
“I know Shelby, that’s why I wanted your help.” Chris sighed, but otherwise held himself together.
“Wow,” I said, shaking my head in dismay. “This is bad. She looks guilty, but she’s not. Are you sure he didn’t kill himself?”
“Unfortunately, from all the forensic evidence gathered at the scene, they’re saying he couldn’t have pulled the trigger himself, and that someone else killed him and tried to make it look like a suicide.”
“Bummer.”
Chris shook his head, thinking of a lot worse words in his mind. Then he glanced at me with raised brows, knowing I’d heard every four-letter word he’d thought. I just shrugged. “It’s okay. I thought a lot of the same words too. Anyway, it looks like I’ve got to find the real killer, so I’m headed over to her husband’s investment company.”
“Wait. What about the jury? You’re supposed to help us pick them out.”
“I know, but this is more important. Don’t worry, you’ve gone over everyone with your specialist, so you’ll do great. Oh...wait...” My brows drew together as I picked up his thoughts. “You’re not worried about that. It’s the partners. How come?”
“You said you’d be there to help. They’re kind of expecting that.”
“Are they both going?”
“Well...no,” he said. “Larsen is, but that doesn’t matter since I told them you’d be there.”
“Oh...well, just tell them I’ve got a good lead on the real killer, and I’m following up on that right now. That should make them happy.”
His breath caught. “You do? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Oops. “Uh...honey...I was speaking hypothetically. I’m sure I’ll know who it is after I talk to everyone. Right?”
Chris groaned. “Shelby.” He was thinking that I exasperated the hell out of him, but in a good way...most of the time. He’d added the ‘good way’ part in case I was listening, but it didn’t block out his other thoughts of how he’d have to lie to the partners to excuse my absence, and he didn’t like it one bit.
I clamped my lips together before I could say welcome to my world, like I was thinking. I mean, I was doing him a favor, right? I tried not to be too upset and cut him some slack, since it wasn’t easy for him to be married to someone who could hear his every thought. I knew I wouldn’t like it much. The elevator dinged and I got in. “I’ll call you.”
“Yeah...or just come to the courtroom as soon as you’re done, and try to hurry, since you might still be able to help. We’re on the third floor, courtroom B.”
“Okay.” The door slid shut, leaving me in blessed silence. I closed my eyes and enjoyed it. Most of the time the noise didn’t bother me too much; then when I couldn’t hear anyone, like now, I realized how invasive those thoughts had been all along.
Ever since I’d been shot in the head at the grocery store, and ended up with my mind-reading ability, I’d harbored a small fear that I’d wake up one morning and find it gone. After nearly a year of reading minds, it had become like second nature to me. If I ever lost that ability, it would probably feel like losing an arm or a leg, and I hoped it never happened, even if it got me into more trouble that it was worth. How crazy was that?
END OF SAMPLE.
Devious Minds: A Shelby Nichols Adventure
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It’s also available on Audible.
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Colleen Helme
As the author of the bestselling Shelby Nichols Adventure Series, Colleen is often asked if Shelby Nichols is her alter-ego. “Definitely,” she says. “Shelby is the epitome of everything I wish I dared to be.” Known for her laugh since she was a kid, Colleen has always tried to find the humor in every situation and continues to enjoy writing about Shelby’s adventures. “I love getting Shelby into trouble…I just don’t always know how to get her out of it!” Besides writing, she loves a good book, biking, hiking, and playing board and card games with family and friends. She loves to connect with readers and admits that fans of the series keep her writing.
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Colleen Helme, Devil in a Black Suit
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