Carrots: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

  When I got home, I was reading the paper and nearly had a heart attack when I turned the page. A photograph of the bald, sweaty guy was set below the headline titled: “Restaurant Owner Murdered”. The name under the photo was Johnny Falzone. A second photo showed police tape around a restaurant where the murder took place. The article went on to say that Falzone was shot in the head at point-blank range sometime during the late evening hours. The police gave no motive, but stated it was a well-known fact that Falzone was linked to organized crime.

  I sat back in my chair in shock. Who had killed him? Why? My blood turned cold when I thought of Ramos pulling the trigger. I knew he was a hit-man, but he had killed the robber to save my life. This was different. It was cold-blooded murder. Had Uncle Joey ordered it? It didn’t make any sense. This guy was the only one I thought wasn’t a real threat to Uncle Joey.

  I knew I had to find out all I could about the case. This might be the break I needed to get something on Uncle Joey, and the best place to find the information was at the police station. As long as I was in the same room as the detectives working on the case, I was sure to pick up something, and since Dimples called me yesterday, I had the perfect excuse. I quickly dialed Dimples number, but all I got was his voice mail.

  Thinking there was no time to lose, I showered and was soon ready to pay the police department a visit. I decided to wear my short black skirt and boots with a black blouse that was accented with silver threads. With this type of look, I could almost pass as a reporter or something, and it would be a lot easier to get the attention I needed.

  On a whim, I grabbed some jeans and a t-shirt, and put them in the trunk. My wig and glasses were stuffed in a bag from yesterday, and I carefully arranged them in the extra space of my makeup kit. It was a cute little box, and no one would suspect there was a wig in it. I decided if I was going to be serious about this, it was time to think like a professional, and have everything I might need handy.

  Ready to leave, my confidence blossomed. I was on a mission, and for the first time in a long time, I was in control. After this, I could tell Chris everything. Uncle Joey was going down, and my life would be my own.

  When I arrived at the station, the sergeant made me wait while they found Dimples. There was a lot going on, but I could only pick up snatches of information from a few of the policemen who passed through. Their thoughts were pretty random, but underlying them all was a sense of excitement. This was a huge case. Most of the department was working on it in some way or another.

  Finally Dimples came out of a back office and waved me over. He was preoccupied, and motioned me to follow him back to his desk. In the rush, he had forgotten all about calling me yesterday, but he was still happy to see me.

  “Shelby. Sorry to keep you waiting, but things are a little hectic around here with the double homicide.” His dimples still mesmerized me, and I almost missed what he said.

  “Double? I saw in the paper that one guy was killed, but nothing was said about a second person.”

  “We didn’t find the other body until this morning. You see the first man, Johnny Falzone, was shot in the back room of his restaurant. We found the second body in the freezer.”

  “Eww. Who was it?”

  “We just got a positive ID. He was Falzone’s nephew.” Dimples looked around warily and lowered his voice. “I’m probably not supposed to be telling you about this. Did Chris tell you I called yesterday?”

  “Yes, and since it was too late to call you back, I just decided to drop by today. But if this is a bad time, I can come back later.”

  “That’s okay. Things are hectic but I have time to tell you what I needed. Yesterday we caught a burglary on video. Well, not who did it, but we got a clear picture of the get-away car. We traced the license plate number to the owner, a guy who has several prior arrests. When we brought him in for questioning, he denied knowing anything about it. We’ve kept him here, but couldn’t find his car, so unless we find something more concrete, he’ll probably go free. I was hoping to get your input before that happens.”

  “Sure,” I agreed. “Is he here?”

  “Yes, but his lawyer just arrived. We can probably talk to him, but his lawyer will be present. Will that be a problem?”

  “I don’t think so. Just make sure you ask him good questions. Like, where are the stolen items, and who are you working with. Stuff like that. I’ll get a clearer picture that way.”

  Dimples lips tilted up, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. He was questioning his sanity about asking for my help. It still seemed awfully crazy that I could get premonitions about people. If it hadn’t worked before, he still wouldn’t believe it.

  “Okay,” he said, wondering if he was nuts. “We’d better hurry. I’m lucky you showed up when you did, or he would have left before we could question him and you could…a…do whatever it is you do.” He trailed off, suddenly feeling foolish. “Why don’t you wait in the interrogation room, and I’ll go find him and his lawyer. It’s right through here.”

  I ushered me into a small gray room with a rectangular desk and four chairs. He left and I sat down, realizing that this room was more like what I had expected to see at Uncle Joey’s office. After a few minutes, I started to get a little claustrophobic and hoped he’d hurry. At least there wasn’t a two-way mirror hanging on the wall. Then I noticed the video camera in the upper corner, and realized I was on display. Now they would have a permanent record that I was here spying on them.

  Even though I didn’t have a thing to feel guilty about, I jumped when Dimples opened the door and held it open. Two people followed him in, and my heart skipped a beat when I spotted Kate. She was the lawyer? This was worse than terrible. This was a disaster. How was I going to explain why I was here?

  She did a double-take when she saw me, and the man following behind bumped into her. She ushered him past her with an angry jerk of her head. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull Harris, but this woman is not a detective.” Kate narrowed her eyes, wondering what the hell I was doing there.

  Dimples froze before putting two and two together. “That’s right. You work with Shelby’s husband. I thought you looked familiar.” With her looks, she was someone he wasn’t likely to forget, and he remembered seeing her the other day at Chris’ office. It finally hit him that he was in deep trouble. He scrambled for an explanation, but I jumped in before he said anything.

  “It’s okay, Kate. I’m here as a consultant. I told you I was going to start a consulting business, and helping the police is part of what I do.” I tried to sound as professional and competent as I could.

  “The police pay you for this?” She didn’t believe me.

  “Not yet. Right now it’s on a volunteer basis.”

  She inwardly sneered and sat down, motioning her client to do the same. She turned to him. “You don’t have to answer any of their questions.” He nodded, and I was grateful that at least he wasn’t anyone I knew.

  Kate couldn’t get over the fact that I was there. It didn’t make sense that I could be involved. She wondered if Chris knew, then she thought he probably didn’t, and wouldn’t it be satisfying to tell him before I did. I had to bite my tongue to keep from retorting that he knew all about it, even though that was stretching it.

  She relaxed, knowing she had the upper hand as long as her client kept his mouth shut. Besides, she wanted to see what I was up to. I couldn’t find any trace in her mind that she knew I was involved with Uncle Joey. He probably hadn’t said anything to her. That was a plus, right?

  After we were all seated, Dimples fidgeted in his chair. He was worried. I wasn’t supposed to be there, and if Kate wanted to, she could complain and he’d be hard pressed to explain my presence. He’d probably get fired.

  I caught his eye and nodded encouragingly. It was the only way I could tell him that Kate wasn’t going to rat him out. He took a deep breath and began the questioning.

  “What were you doing at seven a.m. yeste
rday morning?”

  Robbing the store you idiot. After Kate nodded, he answered, “Getting ready for work.”

  “Where is your car?”

  Safe from you. “I don’t know.”

  “When did you notice it missing?”

  Never. “When I left for work.”

  “Why didn’t you report that it was stolen?”

  He waited for Kate’s nod, before smugly giving his rehearsed answer. “At first, I thought that maybe my brother took it. Sometimes I let him borrow it. I had to ask him before I could report it stolen, and it took me a while to track him down. Before I could make the report, you guys arrested me.”

  “We haven’t arrested you,” Dimples clarified. “We’re just holding you for questioning.”

  “Well the questioning’s over.” He stood belligerently, nearly knocking over his chair. “I’m outta here.”

  Kate stood as well. “If you have any more questions you may contact me.”

  “Can you guarantee that he won’t bolt the first chance he gets?” Dimples asked.

  “Why should he? My client is innocent, and you haven’t charged him with anything. Unless you want a lawsuit for police harassment brought against you, I suggest you get busy looking for his stolen car.”

  Kate and her client walked out the door. Before it closed she poked her head back in. “Oh, and next time Shelby participates, I suggest you make sure it’s approved. I’d hate to see you lose your job over something so unnecessary. The next person might not be so understanding.”

  I sucked in my breath at her insult, wishing I could hurl something insulting back. Me, unnecessary? I’d show her.

  “So, was it worth it?” Dimples asked.

  “Being insulted by her? I don’t know if I liked it very much.”

  “No, I mean did you get any premonitions?”

  It took me a moment to change gears. “Oh, that. Yes. He did it. I couldn’t get a good impression of where he hid the car though. It seemed like it was in a dark place, but that’s all I could pick up.”

  “So, the guy’s guilty?” Dimples was surprised I was so sure about it.

  “Yes, guilty as sin. Maybe if you keep a close watch on him he’ll get careless and lead you to his car. The stolen items are still in it.”

  “That would be great. I’ll try to get somebody on it, but I don’t know if we can spare the man-power. This double homicide has priority and the chief’s got everyone he can spare working on it.” He was thinking that the owner of the restaurant had ties to Joey “The Knife” Manetto, and it would be nice to bring him down. His contact had hinted that someone in the organization was rocking the boat, someone close to Manetto, and doing it behind his back. This double murder was a message to the boss. Whoever killed them wanted Manetto to know he had competition. That he was no longer in control. It had all the signs of a takeover.

  “Anyway,” Dimples said. “Thanks for coming down. You were very helpful. I’ll see if I can get someone to watch him.”

  “Watch him? Oh, yeah…sorry, my mind was somewhere else.”

  He figured it was because of Kate. “Kate doesn’t seem to like you very much.”

  “It goes both ways.” I wished I could confide in him, but now wasn’t the right time.

  “I’d better get back to work.” Dimples stood. “Thanks again for your help.”

  “Sure, anytime.” I preceded him down the hall, and noticed Kate with her client, gathering his personal effects. She wasn’t in any hurry, and I picked up that she was trying to gather information on the killings. Dimples was planning on escorting me out of the station, but I wasn’t ready to leave yet. “I can find my own way out. I’m sure you’re busy. If you need anything, just give me a call.”

  “Okay, great. Thanks.”

  I continued toward the door, but when Dimple’s thoughts went back to the homicide, I took a little detour around the corner. Glancing down the hall, I quickly froze. A man standing with his back to me seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place where I’d seen him before. He turned his head, and I caught a glimpse of his profile. It was Number Five! What was he doing in the police station? I was too far away to pick up his thoughts, and I wasn’t sure I should risk walking past him. Even without my wig and glasses, he might recognize me. Before I could make up my mind, he stepped into an office, and closed the door.

  Without thinking about it too hard, I hurried down the hall to see whose office it was. The sign on the wall said Detective Barker. I could hear low voices inside, but couldn’t understand what they were saying.

  Not wanting to get caught eavesdropping, I retraced my steps. Kate was gone, and I decided I might as well leave too. I’d learned several things, but they seemed to bring more questions than answers. Maybe the informant Dimples was talking about was Number Five. But why would he risk being seen in the police station? Maybe he really was an undercover cop. Or maybe Detective Barker was on the take.

  In the parking lot I was thinking so hard, I didn’t see the car that had pulled up next to me until the window rolled down. “Hey, babe.” I nearly jumped out of my skin. It was Ramos. “Get in.”

  He suddenly looked like the Big Bad Wolf. He saw my surprise and smiled reassuringly, but he was not happy with me. What was I doing at the police station? As if things weren’t bad enough with the murders. He hoped I wasn’t informing on the boss. He really didn’t want to kill me. “Mr. Manetto wants to talk with you. That’s all.”

  “For now.” I finished his thought while a surge of anger rushed through me. Here I was at the police station, with cops only a few feet away, and I couldn’t even ask for help. I grudgingly opened the door and got in. Ramos winced when I slammed it shut.

  “Did you kill them?” That took him by surprise. “I mean, I know you’re a hired gun, but I just hate to think of you killing those men in cold blood.” It was out before I could think that maybe asking him wasn’t such a good idea.

  Something inside of him closed up tight. “You’re right, I am a hired gun. That’s what I do, and don’t you forget it.” I’d made him feel guilty again, and he didn’t like it. He wanted to know what I was doing at the police station, but it wasn’t his place to ask, and he realized he was getting too involved, and that wasn’t good. It got in the way of doing his job.

  “Maybe you should find another line of work,” I suggested. “I’m sure there’s lots of other things you’d be really good at.”

  That was the last thing he thought I’d say, and his mouth quirked up in a half smile. “You’re joking, right?”

  I smiled, glad the tension was gone. “Oh, I don’t know. Lots of people get stuck in one thing, and forget they have other talents they could put to good use. Especially once they’ve made enough money to live comfortably.” I added that last comment when he thought of all the money he’d have to give up.

  Speculation gleamed in his eyes, and he wondered again what I did that the boss found so valuable. “I didn’t kill them.”

  The tension across my shoulders eased and I relaxed. “Thank you for telling me.” I smiled to let him know I meant it. He nodded and I plunged ahead. “What does Uncle Joey want?”

  He growled under his breath before answering. “I don’t know, but if I were to guess, it has something to do with you being at the police station right after two of his men are killed.”

  “How did you know that’s where I was?” He didn’t answer, but he thought of the GPS in my car. “That’s a…” I almost said tracking device before I realized he hadn’t spoken. “That’s a…” I tried to cover, but I couldn’t think of anything to say that would make sense. Ramos just stared at me, willing me to say global positioning system so he’d know if his suspicions were correct.

  “What I’m trying to say is I’ll bet you’ve got something like a tracking device on the car Uncle Joey loaned me. Right? I’ve read about them. I think I might want one for my next car, in case I get lost or something.”

  Ramos nodded, unsure if that was a good guess
or something more. I decided I’d better keep my mouth shut, and try to figure out what I was going to tell Uncle Joey. Since I was at the police station, would Uncle Joey think I was the informant? Of course, maybe he didn’t even know there was an informant.

  Maybe I should have told Dimples everything. Then at least if something happened to me, he’d know who did it. Now it was too late.

  We pulled into the parking garage, and my stomach sank. Ramos was hoping I hadn’t outgrown my usefulness. Somehow I knew things, and he thought Manetto would be nuts to have me killed, but unfortunately it wasn’t up to him.

  Did that mean he was on my side? I didn’t think so. It also meant he was getting awfully close to figuring out what I did. I’d have to be more careful.

  Uncle Joey was waiting for me in his office. He shut the door firmly behind me, closing me in like a lid on a coffin. I almost started to plead for my life, but then I remembered that Ramos told me Uncle Joey hated it when people groveled, and I snapped my mouth shut.

  Uncle Joey hadn’t said anything, and I realized he had far more troubling things on his mind than me. He was angry, and grieving for the loss of one of his own. Someone was threatening his empire, and after he found out who it was, he was going to rip his balls off and then stick a knife…I quickly put up my shields, and tried to keep the revulsion from showing on my face.

  “Please sit down,” Uncle Joey said congenially, “and tell me what you found out at the police station.”

  My mouth dropped open. Was that it? I was suddenly glad I hadn’t groveled. “They found a second body this morning. Mr. Falzone’s nephew was in the big freezer.” He took that rather well. Maybe he already knew.

  “Do they have any suspects?”