“So how do we find these guys?”
“Well...” I said, shrugging. “I got their names.”
“Glory hallelujah!” Dimples shouted, surprising me with his enthusiasm. “You are the most awesome, wonderful, fantastic partner ever!”
“Wow...thanks,” I said. “But before you go overboard, I only got their last names...so I hope we can still find them. It was Kramer and Haws. You ever heard of those guys?”
“No, but once we get back to the station, I can look them up.”
“Great.”
As soon as we arrived, Dimples checked the police records and found files on both Aaron Kramer and Jason Haws. Even better, they were the only Kramer and Haws in the system, so it had to be them. He handed Haws’ file to me while he studied Kramer’s.
“Hmm...there’s a charge of disorderly conduct and harassment,” Dimples said. “And there’s another for petty theft and vandalism. Drug possession was implied, but dropped for insufficient evidence.”
“That looks similar to this file,” I said. “Can you bring them in for questioning?”
“Sure can.” He smiled. “I’ll call it in right now.”
While Dimples took care of that, I took Tom Souvall’s file out of my bag and studied it for anything I might have missed. The crime scene photos were so much like Pete’s that it took my breath away. Dimples got off the phone, and I handed the pictures to him. “Do you think Tom was positioned like that after he was shot? Or was he standing against the pillar and slid down. It seems to me like he would have fallen forward.”
“I know,” Dimples agreed. “With Tom’s case, the forensic evidence pointed to him being shot at close range against the pillar, like he was grappling with his assailant when he was shot. The assailant then let him sink to the ground in a sitting position in front of the pillar and shot him once more.”
“Is that what you think happened to Pete?”
“No. With Pete, the blood spatters indicated he was moved into the sitting position after he was killed.”
I studied the photo again, noting that Tom was wearing jeans and a button-up shirt. With no tie in sight, it confirmed that he could have pulled the tie-clip from the killer after he was shot. But why put Pete in the same position?
My stomach growled, and I realized I’d missed lunch. “When do you think Haws and Kramer will get here?”
“Probably not for an hour or so,” Dimples answered.
“Then I think I’ll go grab some food. Can you call me when they get here, and I’ll come right back?”
“Sure,” Dimples agreed.
As I passed Bates’ desk, I caught him wondering what we were doing. He knew we weren’t supposed to be looking into Pete’s death, but he had a pretty good idea we were still checking it out on our own. I picked up my pace, hoping to get out of there before he tried anything.
“Hey Nichols, wait up,” he said.
Damn! Did I really have to stop? I slowed my steps, but kept moving. If he wanted to talk to me, he’d have to follow me out the door. “Uh...I’m in a hurry.”
“Just hold on a sec,” he said.
My shoulders slumped, and I turned to face him. “What?”
“I just wanted you to know that I called Chloe’s parents and explained everything we know about the case.”
“Yeah, I called them too. Right after I got home this morning.” I smiled and started backing away.
“Oh.” His lips twisted into a frown.
“See you.” I rushed out before he could tell me calling them was police business and I was overstepping my bounds. He also wanted to ask what Dimples and I were working on, but I pushed through the door before he could. Yay...score one for team Shelby!
I made it to my car and tried to decide where to go for a soda refill. Chris’ office wasn’t far, but neither was Thrasher Development. I chewed on my bottom lip. What I really wanted to do was check up on Uncle Joey and see how things were going with the assassin, so I headed in that direction.
A wave of guilt rushed over me that I was choosing Uncle Joey over my husband, but Uncle Joey was in a tight spot and needed me more, so it was natural that I’d want to help him, right?
I pulled into the parking garage and hurried to the elevator, stopping for just a moment to check around the corner and see if Ramos’ motorcycle was there. Yup. For some reason that made me grin with happiness.
Oh a whim, I stepped beside it and ran my fingers along the sleek handle-bars, then down the black chrome to the leather seat. I imagined sitting on that seat behind Ramos, and sudden guilt sparked inside me like an electric shock, snapping at the tips of my fingers. What was I doing fawning over a motorcycle? That was just silly.
Sighing with dismay, since deep down I knew it was a combination of Ramos and the motorcycle, I turned toward the elevator, but stopped short before rounding the corner. The soft shuffle of footsteps echoed in the distance, so I peeked around the edge and caught sight of a man leaning over Uncle Joey’s car. With something in his hand, he knelt down at the side of the car. Then, glancing beneath it, he stretched his arm under the car, like he was attaching something there. What was he doing? Was he planting a bomb? Was he the assassin?
Keeping my gaze on the man, I blindly reached into my purse and pulled out my phone. Using my camera, I zoomed in as close as it would go and snapped a few pictures. All at once, he stood up and glanced in my direction, giving me a glimpse of his face, so I snapped another one before pulling back to hide. I didn’t think he’d seen me, but it was hard to know.
With my heart pounding to beat the devil, I waited for him to leave but couldn’t hear a thing. No footsteps, no car starting, nothing. I straightened from the wall and glanced out at the car, but he wasn’t there anymore. I glanced through the whole parking garage but couldn’t see a sign of him anywhere.
He must be gone. But what if he wasn’t? I didn’t want to wait around for him sneak up on me, so I darted toward the elevators and pushed the call button repeatedly. It seemed like it took at least ten times longer than normal for the elevator to reach me. The doors finally swooshed open, and I jumped inside, then stabbed at the button for the twenty-sixth floor.
Just before the doors closed, a man stepped into view. He wore a hoodie, and his face was shadowed, but his hard gaze caught mine, and his eyes narrowed with suspicion. Was that me he’d seen? Had I taken his picture? All at once, he sped towards me. My eyes widened in shock, and I cringed to the back of the elevator. He reached out to stop the doors with his hand, but they snapped to a close before he could make it.
Trembling at my narrow escape, I could hardly catch my breath. That was him! The assassin. And he was planting a bomb under Uncle Joey’s car. I swallowed, fighting for control of my panic.
The elevator doors opened on Uncle Joey’s floor, and I staggered out, the adrenalin rush playing havoc with my legs. After a couple of steps, I could finally walk again, but jerked to a stop in front of Thrasher Development.
Two burly men stood on either side of the door, their faces a mask of solid stone. Before I could move, Ramos burst through the door. “Shelby? Are you all right? What are you doing here?”
“I came to check on Uncle Joey,” I said. “Did you know the assassin was downstairs?”
“Yes.” He brought a radio to his mouth and spoke. “Did you get him?”
“No,” a man answered. “I’m afraid we’ve lost him, sir. I’ll check with my men in the stairwells, but I don’t think he’s in the building anymore.”
“Damn! Did he see any of you?” Ramos asked.
“I’m afraid so, sir,” he responded.
“Do what you have to...but find him.”
“Yes, sir.”
Oops. Did I just ruin their plans to take down the assassin? Ramos glanced at me, but I couldn’t hear a thing he was thinking. My stomach clenched with dread. It must be pretty bad if he was blocking his thoughts like that.
I opened my mouth to apologize, but Ramos surprised me by sh
aking his head and breaking into a sardonic grin. “You kind of messed things up down there.”
“Yeah...I got that. Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m just glad he didn’t make it onto the elevator.”
“How did you...? So you saw that part?”
“Yeah. The surveillance cameras,” he explained. “I saw the whole thing.”
“You did?” My brows shot up in alarm. “Everything?”
“Uh-huh.” He grinned, thinking it was a bonus to catch me drooling over his motorcycle like that. “I didn’t know you liked the bike so much.”
“Huh! Well...” I shrugged with embarrassment and didn’t know what to say.
He took pity on me and dropped the subject. “Come on. Manetto wants to see you.”
“Is he mad?”
“Probably, but he’ll get over it.”
He ushered me past the two goons and down the hall to Uncle Joey’s office. He was thinking that he’d been so distracted watching me and his motorcycle that he’d missed the assassin planting the bomb under Manetto’s car until I started taking photos with my camera.
He’d sent the team down, but they were too late. Thankfully, the assassin didn’t get to me. He didn’t even want to think about that. But now the assassin knew they were on to him, and it was going to be harder to catch the guy. He’d probably have to reach out to Blake for his help now, even though Manetto didn’t want to.
Uncle Joey sat at his desk, talking on the phone. He held up a hand for us not to interrupt him, then finished the call and hung up. “Did we lose him?”
“Yes,” Ramos said. “It looks like he left the building, but he might be back. I’ll check with the team and take care of the bomb on your car.”
“Fine,” Uncle Joey said.
Ramos winked at me, then left me standing there to face Uncle Joey alone. How could he do that? I glanced at Uncle Joey. His mouth turned into a frown, and he was thinking it was lousy timing or a twist of fate that I’d showed up just then. Now he’d have to call Blake.
“So, Shelby, what brings you here?” He was thinking that he couldn’t be too upset with me, even though I’d ruined everything.
“Um...I just wanted to see how things were going. I had no idea you were in the middle of something, or I wouldn’t have come.”
“Well. I’m sure you didn’t know.”
“That’s right.” I grimaced with guilt. “So...is there anything I can do to help you?”
“Yes,” he said, his expression clearing. “I’m going to have to talk to Blake, and I don’t trust him. But if you’re there, I’d feel better about it.”
“Yeah, sure. I can do that.” My shoulders drooped, and I let out a breath, suddenly exhausted. That adrenaline rush left me shaky and out of sorts.
“Good. I’ll give him a call.”
“Okay. Do you mind if I get a Diet Coke?”
“Sure. Jackie’s not here, but you can help yourself.”
“Thanks.” I made my way down the hall toward the apartment, passing the two bodyguards, who thought I was in a lot of trouble, and another person watching the cameras in the surveillance room. That guy glanced at me with a raised brow and wondered what I did for Uncle Joey.
I opened the door and closed it softly behind me, relieved to shut out those prying thoughts, then wandered into the kitchen and plopped my purse on the counter. I filled a glass with crushed ice and got out two cans of soda.
A pastry box sat beside the fridge, so naturally I had to see what was inside. The delectable smell of glazed donuts, along with apple fritters and frosted maple bars, assaulted my senses. My mouth watered as I grabbed a napkin and a maple bar. I knew it wasn’t good for me but, after the day I’d had, I deserved to indulge myself.
I took a bite on my way to the table and groaned with pleasure. Maybe coming here wasn’t a total loss after all. Once I’d consumed the pastry, I poured my soda and took it into the living room to sip while I relaxed on the couch. Now this was more like it. I rested my head on the back of the sofa and closed my eyes to get more comfortable, taking advantage of this rare moment.
My cell phone’s ring-tone sounded, and I sighed long and hard before hurrying over to my purse and digging it out. “Hello?”
“Hi Shelby,” Dimples said. “They’re here.”
“Oh...right. I’ll be there soon. Don’t start without me.”
“Don’t worry,” he chuckled. “I won’t.”
Reassured, I finished off my soda and visited the bathroom before leaving. I walked down the hall and paused. Ramos and Uncle Joey stood inside the surveillance room and motioned me inside. They’d been watching the footage of me in the parking garage, and my face turned red to see myself in the act of caressing a motorcycle.
Ramos pointed out the assassin on another camera, explaining that he’d come in through an outside staircase. We watched him plant the bomb then turn to look in my direction before ducking between the cars.
It gave me chills to see him spot me as I ran for the elevator. The next clip showed him in front of the elevator, right before the doors closed. Ramos paused the clip and zoomed in, but his hoodie hid the top half of his face so it was hard to see what he looked like. “Too bad we didn’t get a clear shot, but I’ll print out some copies anyway.”
“Do you want to see the pictures I got? Maybe they’re better.”
“Sure.”
I found them on my phone and pulled them up, but my hopes were dashed to find them grainy and unfocused. “Oh well.”
Ramos smiled at me. “It’s okay. We’ll find him.”
I smiled back, but my heart wasn’t in it. “Good. Um...I have to go. Do you need me to come back?”
“I’ll walk you out,” Uncle Joey said. Once we were out of earshot, he continued. “I talked with Blake. I don’t know what he’s up to, but he said he’d be in touch. When I know more, I’ll call you.” He was thinking that Blake had specifically asked if I’d be involved, like he wanted me there or he wouldn’t agree, and it bothered him.
“He did?” I asked. “What does he want with me?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”
“Me neither.”
“Don’t worry, Shelby. We might not need him after all and, even if we do, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Okay,” I said. We got to the elevators, and I hesitated. “Is it safe to go back down there?”
He was thinking that with all the surveillance cameras I’d just seen, how could I ask that? But then he thought of how the assassin had nearly jumped onto the elevator with me. “You’d better wait, and I’ll have Ramos go with you.” I opened my mouth to proclaim that I could take care of myself, but then I remembered the assassin’s hard, cold eyes and snapped it shut. Just then, Ramos joined us.
“Oh good, you haven’t left yet,” he said. “I’ll walk Shelby to her car.” He was thinking that even though they had lost the assassin’s trail, that didn’t mean he wasn’t hiding out somewhere in the building, and he didn’t want to take any chances with my safety.
“Really? You think he might be down there somewhere?” I asked.
“It’s a possibility,” he said. “But not likely.”
Uncle Joey said goodbye, and we got on the elevator. Still feeling bad, I apologized to Ramos again. “I’m sorry I messed things up for you.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll think of another way to catch him.”
The bell dinged, and the doors opened into the parking garage. Without thinking, I immediately stepped behind Ramos and held my breath. Finding the garage empty, it was still hard to step out of the elevator into the unknown.
Ramos chuckled. “Don’t worry. It’s not you he wants to kill. But you can walk behind me if you want.”
“Okay,” I said. He was half-joking, but I thought it was a good idea.
We made it to my car without mishap, and I heaved a sigh of relief. “Thanks Ramos. Don’t let him shoot you, okay?”
“I won’
t,” he said. Then his brows drew together. “Did you steal a donut?”
“What?” My gaze flew to his. How did he know?
“Frosting...right there...” He pointed to a spot above my lip. I licked it with my tongue, but he shook his head. “Here...” He rubbed his thumb gently across my lip. “There. Got it.”
“Uh...thanks.” My breath hitched, and I seemed frozen in place.
“Maple bars.”
“Huh?”
“Are they your favorite?” he asked.
“Yeah...well...no, but I like them a lot.” Ramos chuckled and stepped back, giving me the room I needed to breathe again. “Uh...see you. Be careful.”
“Count on it.” He closed the door and watched while I backed out of my parking space. I waved once more and drove out of the parking lot, shaking my head to clear it, and get my breathing under control. Sheesh! Get a grip Shelby. I turned up the radio and started singing along, “radio-active...radio-active.” Yup, that definitely fit.
A few minutes later, I hurried into the precinct to find Dimples waiting for me at his desk. “Sorry. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.”
“No...it’s fine. I’ve got them in separate interrogation rooms. Let’s talk to Kramer first.”
“Sounds good,” I agreed.
I followed Dimples into the room and got my first look at Kramer. He wore jeans and a tee shirt, and looked kind of scruffy with long straggly hair and a beard. His glance held defiance, and in his thoughts, he was madder than hell that the police had picked him up. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
“I’m sure you’re wondering what you’re doing here,” Dimples began. “But we just have a few questions for you, and you’ll be free to go.”
Kramer shook his head and huffed out a breath, thinking he wasn’t going to get bulldozed into anything this time.
“Where were you last Tuesday night?”
His brows shot up in surprise. How did we know about that? “Tuesday? That’s easy. I was helping my mom move some furniture. What’s this all about?”