Lie or Die: A Shelby Nichols Adventure (13 page)

My heart sank, knowing I’d have to decide if I should lie to Chris about it, like Uncle Joey wanted me to. “What time?”

“We generally meet about nine,” Uncle Joey answered.

“Nine? That’s kind of late.” What was I supposed to tell Chris? He wouldn’t believe I’d go to dinner with my friends that late.

“You’re right,” he agreed. “I’ll see if we can go a little earlier, around seven. That should make it easier for you.”

“Gee, thanks,” I said. “Why will meeting with them help?”

“You’ll see,” he said cryptically, his mind blank. “Be sure and wear black. I’ll have Ramos outfit you after you arrive. In fact, come to the office first, and we’ll go to the club together.”

Ramos pulled into the parking garage and cut the engine. He was thinking that having me there was going to make things interesting. As long as I kept my mouth shut. He’d have to make sure I knew not to say anything that would get me in trouble, and maybe I should wear my black wig. My blond hair was a little too noticeable and made me an easy target if things got out of hand.

“Meet us here at six-thirty.” Uncle Joey got out of the car and waited for me to exit. He patted my arm and smiled conspiratorially. “And Shelby, this is to be kept in the strictest of confidence. No one, especially Chris, is to know about this little meeting. His life, as well as yours, may depend on it. Got it?”

“Sure,” I said. He was freaking me out, so I made a joke of it. “You’re making it sound like we’re meeting with a bunch of monsters, like werewolves and vampires.” I laughed, but neither of them even cracked a smile. “Okay. Well…see you later.”

I started toward my car, listening to their thoughts as they walked to the elevators. Uncle Joey was getting good at shielding his thoughts, but Ramos was easy to pick up. He was thinking that I was in for a surprise, and chuckling about the werewolves and vampires joke I’d made. He couldn’t wait to see my reaction tonight. It was going to be…

The elevator doors shut, cutting off his thoughts. Damn…I hated when that happened. Now I had to wait on pins and needles to find out what was going on. I stomped my foot with frustration. Why couldn’t they just tell me, instead of being so cryptic? It’s not like I couldn’t keep a secret. I had a sneaking suspicion that they were enjoying my discomfort a little too much. Almost like they were teasing me. Thinking of it that way settled me down some. Whatever was going on tonight, I could handle it.

I got in my car and sat for a moment, trying to decide what to do with the rest of my day. My options included staking out Betty’s Bra Bar, and going to the courthouse to watch out for Chris. I wasn’t ready to go back to Betty’s, and if I went to the courthouse, I’d have to tell Chris about the dead end Webb Enterprises had turned out to be. Plus, I couldn’t tell him about tonight, so where did that leave me?

I needed to figure out who was threatening Chris, and the best way to do that wasn’t going to some meeting tonight with Uncle Joey. It was following Chris until the guy made his move. If I could catch him, I could listen to his thoughts, and we’d know what was going on and why. Problem solved. Seemed pretty simple to me. The big question was if I could catch the guy before he attacked Chris. Was I willing to risk Chris’ safety on that? What if there was more than one guy?

I pictured Chris and me, standing against three big guys holding bats with brass knuckles on their fingers. The odds of that working out didn’t look so good. It was probably best to go to the meeting first before taking matters into my own hands.

I had an hour before lunch and decided I might as well use it to sit in front of Betty’s Bra Bar. I might find something interesting, and I didn’t have to actually talk to her. I started the car and zoomed out of the parking garage.

I pulled up across the street from Betty’s Bra Bar and turned off the engine. Taking out my phone, I clicked on my time card app and started the clock. It was a bit of a shock to see that I’d used up almost all of my first twenty hours. That meant I’d need to talk to Blaine Smith soon about my progress. I was pretty sure he’d want to keep me on the case after I told him what I’d found. But I wished I were closer to finding the money.

I glanced at the shop, making note of the ‘open’ sign, and settled in for a wait. After fifteen minutes and no customers, I put the seat back slightly to get more comfortable. My eyelids began to droop, and I struggled to keep them open. It was hard considering my restless night, and the early hour I’d gotten up.

A loud rapping on my window jolted me awake, and I jerked upright, nearly smacking my forehead against the door. A shock of fear raced down my spine, but it was quickly replaced by anger to find Rob Felt bent over, glaring at me. What was he doing here? How had he found me?

I rolled down my window and caught the look of mirth on his face, but that was nothing compared to his thoughts. He was gleeful that he’d scared me and was having a hard time keeping the laughter inside where I couldn’t see it. His lips quivered, but he managed to keep a straight face.

“Well if it isn’t Shelby Nichols,” he said. “Have a nice nap?”

“What do you want?” I straightened my seat and glared at him. Instead of intimidating him, he took my glare as a compliment that he’d seriously rattled me. The jerk.

He took his time answering, and a wave of self-satisfaction rolled off him. I’d humiliated him, and it was nice to have some payback. “That’s an interesting shop. Find anything useful inside?”

“Yeah,” I said. “She has some great buys on bras. Why don’t you go in and check it out?” I wanted to add that I didn’t think she had anything in his size, but that would have been snarky, and I didn’t want to stoop to his level.

He was thinking that he already had, since he’d followed me the day before. After I’d given him the slip, his patience had paid off when I came out of Emily’s store, and he’d followed me here. I probably didn’t even know it. What surprised him was my detour to get a soda and the man who had watched me leave. He’d followed the guy to a run-down apartment complex, but left when nothing came of it. Somehow, it was all tied up in that shop. I’d confirmed it by coming back, and his hunch to watch the place had paid off. Now if only he could get me to talk.

Wow, that was impressive. Maybe he was better at this job than I thought. Of course, he never would have gotten this far without following me, so I couldn’t give him too much credit. I checked my watch. Thankfully, I’d only been asleep for about twenty minutes.

Felt was blocking my view of the shop, and with him standing there, it might draw Betty’s attention. I couldn’t have that. “Can you go away? You’re blocking my view.”

“Sure. If you’ll tell me why you’re watching that shop.” He was thinking it had to be tied to Novelty Creations somehow, since they both dealt with underwear. Was it the same supplier? How did that tie in with Keith Bishop?

“I just have a hunch, that’s all. Isn’t that why you’re here?”

“Well, yeah. But…”

“Wait,” I interrupted. “Something’s happening.” Someone inside the store was turning the sign to ‘closed.’ “Hurry, get in the car. You’re going to draw her attention standing there like that.”

Felt quickly opened the back door and slid inside. We waited with anticipation for the first few minutes. That quickly gave way to tedium as time stretched out to ten, and then fifteen minutes. It didn’t bother Felt. He’d been on enough stakeouts that he knew most of the time it was boring as hell.

“Watch it,” I said. Oops.

“Watch what?” he asked, confused.

“The store. I’ve got to check my phone,” I improvised.

He shook his head, thinking I was weird, and kind of uptight. Once this case was over, he’d be glad if he never saw me again.

I sniffed. At least his thoughts matched mine in that department.

“A car just pulled up,” he said, excited. Two men got out of the car and went inside. “What do you think they do in there?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” I answered. “Maybe we can follow them when they leave.”

“I think I’d better do it. You’re too obvious. Why don’t you stay and watch the shop after they come out? I’ll follow them and call you if I see anything.” He was thinking it was better to ditch me now. He could always call if nothing turned up, and see if I saw anything he could use.

“Okay,” I agreed, mostly because those guys looked scary with their shaved heads and scruffy beards. They were wearing jackets, even though it was warm, and I figured they were carrying guns of some sort. “As long as you call me if you find out anything interesting.”

“Sure,” he lied, already dismissing me. He jumped out of the car and crossed the street. His car was parked down the block from the shop, allowing him to easily pull out into traffic once their car passed him.

It wasn’t a moment too soon. The men came out of the shop and got in their car. They drove away, and Felt pulled out behind them. Soon, they were gone from sight, and relief that I wasn’t following them flooded over me. Even if Felt didn’t want to share where they went, I was sure I could pick it up from his mind the next time I saw him. As long as they didn’t know he was behind them, he was probably safe enough.

I turned my attention back to the shop, wondering if anyone else was going to show up. Instead of turning the sign back to ‘open,’ Betty came out of the store. After locking the door, she turned the corner to the alley and got into a parked car.

My heart started hammering in my chest, and I knew this was my chance to follow her. Lucky for me, she pulled onto the street going the same direction my car was facing, and I slipped into traffic behind her. I tried to keep one car between us, so she wouldn’t suspect a tail, and barely made it through the light.

My hands began to sweat from the stress of keeping up with her and making it through all the intersections. I let out my breath when she pulled into a coffee and bagel shop. I kept going down the street, and stopped at a metered parking place. I grabbed some change I kept in the cup holder and went to the meter, taking my time so I could watch her without looking suspicious.

Instead of going inside, she sat at an outside table under an awning. It seemed as if she were waiting for someone, so I put a quarter into the meter, and hurried back into my car. I couldn’t risk her seeing me, but I felt pretty safe since it was close to lunchtime and the coffee shop was getting crowded.

Several people wearing police uniforms converged on the shop, and I realized the police station was just up the street. It wasn’t long before a man broke from the crowd and approached her. I could only see his back, but from her smile, he was the one she’d been waiting for. Who was he? He wasn’t wearing a uniform, but his jacket and trousers seemed familiar. A wave of dread clenched my stomach. He turned his head, laughing at something she said, and I gasped. It was Dimples!

Chapter 8

I watched in stunned silence as she took his arm, and they entered the coffee shop. How did Dimples know her? Then it hit me. She had to be the woman he’d told me about. The one who’d spilled her coffee, and he’d ended up getting her number. I never did ask him how their date went.

From the looks of things, it must have gone pretty well. I sighed, knowing I had to go over there and pretend to bump into them so I could find out what she was up to. By now, I was convinced she was doing something illegal in her shop, and I didn’t want Dimples to get caught in the middle. She was probably using him, and my heart sank to think how hurt Dimples would be when he found out.

With reluctance, I pulled on the door handle, but stopped when my phone rang. The caller ID said it was Chris. I quickly answered, relieved to put off talking to Dimples for a little longer. “Hey honey. What’s up?”

“We’re breaking for lunch,” Chris said. “Can you come to the courthouse?”

I hesitated, hating to leave Dimples without knowing what was going on. Chris spoke into the silence. “I really need you here,” he said, his voice low.

That got my full attention, and my heart sped up. “Is something wrong?”

“Not exactly…but I can’t explain right now,” he answered.

“Okay, I’ll be there in a few minutes.” I started up the car, knowing if Chris needed me, Dimples’ predicament would have to wait.

It was only a few blocks to the courthouse so it didn’t take me long, only I couldn’t find an open parking spot anywhere on the street. I finally went to Chris’ parking garage and walked to the courthouse.

I got through security and hurried up to the courtroom. Only a few people were still in the room, and I found Chris with David beside him gathering their papers at the defendant’s table.

I hurried to Chris’ side, and he glanced at me with a show of surprise. “Hi Shelby…what brings you here?” I scrunched my brows together in confusion before I picked up his thought of
play along with me
.

“Oh…um…since I was downtown, I thought maybe we could go to lunch together.” Chris was thinking alone, so I continued. “Just the two of us. Unless you’re too busy?” I glanced between him and David, picking up that David thought Chris wasn’t acting like his normal self, and wondered what was going on. Maybe lunch with his wife would do him some good.

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 time 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.