About the same time that Harper woke up, the police arrived. They pulled him to his feet, then carted him off, while reading him his rights. Noticing me sitting on the floor, Harper’s face turned to stone, and his eyes narrowed with hate. Right then, he wished he would have fallen off and taken both of us with him.
Yup. He was a greedy little bastard, and I almost regretted that Dimples had grabbed him. But since he did, we’d just have to make the best of it. At least I could make sure Chris’ law firm refused to handle the case.
And since Harper had tried to pin the whole thing on Uncle Joey, I was sure he’d back me up, especially if he owned the development like Harper insinuated. So it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Harper was going down, and now I was glad he hadn’t fallen to his death.
After taking some of the workers’ statements, and checking with the secretary for Harper’s whereabouts on the night of the murder, Dimples and I finally left the development. I checked my watch and found it was past one in the afternoon. Before we got far, Dimples pulled to the curb in front of the bakery.
“Oh!” I exclaimed. “I totally forgot we were stopping.”
“Can’t pass up a Dirty Johnny, right? Besides, my partner deserves it after saving my life.”
I grinned. “That’s right. Now you owe me one. I kind of like that.”
“Yeah, that’s why I’m buying. Next time it’s on you.”
I shook my head and got out of the car.
“So, I’ve been meaning to ask,” he said. “How did you know about all that probable cause stuff? You sounded like a real cop.”
I shrugged. “Well, I watch a lot of cop shows on TV. Does that count? Plus, it doesn’t hurt that you’re thinking this stuff in your head, too.”
“See. We make a great team.”
“You know it.” He gave me a high-five, and I laughed.
I ate my Dirty Johnny, and bought three extras for Chris and the kids. Then we headed back to the precinct. It was nearly one o’clock, and I wondered how soon Chris would be coming by with Johnson. Now that we were on our way back, I could tell Dimples what was going on and give Chris a call.
“So, you know Mr. Johnson?” I began. “Well, he’s coming in with Chris to tell you what happened that night with those kids.”
“What? He knows? Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“Because… he’s more involved than you think.”
“Shit. He killed them, and you let him go? He’ll never come in now.”
“No, that’s not what happened. Just calm down and I’ll explain.” I told him the whole story and caught his surprise to hear the awful truth. Then he wondered what Johnson’s real intentions were. Did he mean to kill the kid or just stop him? One was murder, the other, manslaughter. It could mean all the difference in the outcome, and it was something I could probably find out.
I didn’t know about all that, but I was pretty sure Johnson meant to kill the kid. From what I’d picked up, he thought his nephew was a monster who needed to be stopped before he killed again. Of course… I could be wrong. But if Johnson meant to kill him, and said he didn’t, did that mean I had to speak up?
“I don’t know if he meant to do it or not,” I said. “But I don’t like the idea of being the ‘thought police’ here.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean,” Dimples agreed.
“The other thing you need to know is how guilty he’s felt about it all these years. I think he wants to confess because it’s tearing him up inside.”
“Then we’ll go with whatever happens.”
By then, we’d reached the precinct, and I waited to call Chris until we got inside. Before we made it to Dimples’ desk, the chief came out to congratulate us on Jake Harper’s arrest. Dimples explained some of the details, and I breathed with relief that he left out Harper’s accusations against Uncle Joey.
“Good work,” the chief said. “There’s someone else here waiting to see you.” His gaze caught mine. “Both of you.” His lips turned into a frown. Even though he’d asked for my help, it suddenly occurred to him that somehow I had become Dimples’ partner, and I wasn’t even on the force. When had that happened? Then I picked up that Johnson was here and waiting in a room. “I hope you don’t mind if I listen in?”
“Not at all,” Dimples answered.
I followed Dimples to the interrogation room and entered, only to stop short. Instead of Chris, like I’d expected, Ethan sat beside Mr. Johnson. “Where’s Chris?” I blurted.
Ethan cringed inside, but tried not to let it show. “He gave me the case, but don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
I glanced at Mr. Johnson, picking up that he was nervous but also ready to confess. I sent him an encouraging smile, hoping Ethan had told him the consequences for his choice of words. Then I noticed a prepared statement in front of Ethan and realized that Johnson didn’t need to say a thing.
As Ethan read the statement, I let out a breath, grateful it was now out of my hands. After he finished, Dimples took Johnson into custody, leaving Ethan behind to make arrangements for bail. We exited the room and, in the hall, the chief came out of the mirrored side with a broad smile. But it wasn’t for me.
“Ethan. It’s good to see you again. That was some confession. I see they’ve got you working hard at the firm. How’s it going?”
“Good sir.”
“Glad to hear it. Keep up the good work.”
Ethan left to take care of his client, and the chief sent me a nod. “Thanks for your help with both of these cases, Shelby. We couldn’t have solved them without you. Uh… be sure and turn in your hours to accounting.”
“Okay.”
He sent me a quick smile, then headed back to his office, while I stood there like a dummy, trying to understand everything I’d just picked up. But it kind of boggled my mind. I wandered over to Dimples’ desk and sat down to wait for him while I mulled it over.
How could Ethan be spying on Chris’ firm? Apparently, Ethan and the chief knew each other because of their link with the district attorney’s office. And by some means, the district attorney had coerced Ethan into spying on Chris’ firm.
I didn’t understand it at all, but one thing came through crystal clear. Somehow, they wanted to use Ethan’s job at the firm to get to Uncle Joey. That was just nuts. But at least now that I knew, I could warn Chris. I felt kind of bad for Ethan, but if Chris had to fire him, that might be for the best.
It suddenly hit me that my position regarding Uncle Joey had totally changed. A year ago, I was trying to figure out how to send him to jail in order to get out from under his thumb. Now, I wanted to use my powers to protect him. In fact, just a couple of hours ago, I was ready to scratch out Harper’s eyes for trying to set Uncle Joey up. Who knew that would ever happen?
Was I messed up, or what? It reminded me of Johnson’s predicament. He’d killed Grant because of what Grant had done to Riley. Did Johnson want to kill him? No. But he felt responsible and thought it was the only thing to do in the moment. Now, he had to say that he didn’t mean to kill Grant, even if he did.
Sometimes, there were no easy answers. I only knew that I wouldn’t want Uncle Joey in jail, even if he should be there.
Dimples sat down in his chair, scattering my thoughts and smiling like a crazy person. It was enough to make me forget about everything else and just enjoy watching his dimples wobble in and out of his cheeks.
“We did it!” he said. “Now we can let Riley’s parents know what happened. They’ll have some closure, and so will everyone involved.” He was thinking that this was the first time he’d been involved in a case like this, and his sympathies were with Johnson. In fact, Billie could certainly sway public opinion in his favor with an article.
“You think so?”
“Well, I’m sure the chief is going to release the news to the public about both cases. You did promise Billie an exclusive about the kids, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. But how much can I say?”
“Everything from the confession is public record. Just stick to that.”
“Okay. I can do that.” I let out a breath, relieved to have some direction. “The chief told me to turn in my hours, so I guess I’d better figure them out.” I leaned closer and whispered. “He was thinking we were partners. How crazy is that?”
“Awesome crazy.”
“So I guess if the police need my help, it’s you I’ll be partnering with. I think that’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”
“Me too. But Shelby, remember that you always have the option to turn us down. You don’t work for us; you work for yourself. Don’t forget that.” He was thinking that as good as I was, I still wasn’t field trained, and he wouldn’t want me to get hurt.
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. You should also think about the other part of that equation.”
“What’s that?”
“You need a partner who’s got your back. I don’t even have a gun. I’d hate to think that you could be in danger because I couldn’t protect you.”
“Yeah, I see what you mean, but don’t worry. It’s all part of the job. I promise next time to bring backup. How’s that sound?”
“Great.”
“Now get out of here so I can get all this paperwork done.” He was thinking I had it easy. I got to do all the fun stuff.
“Good point,” I agreed. “But I do have to figure out my hours. That’s almost as hard.”
He growled and shook his head, so I said goodbye and hurried to the accounting department. I had been keeping track of my hours, so it was easy to add in today’s time and turn it all in. Then I got in my car and headed home, grateful to be done for the day and looking forward to the play tonight.
I’d barely kicked off my shoes when my phone rang. From the caller ID, I knew it was Billie. Wow, was she ever fast! She wanted to stop by for the interview, so half an hour later, we sat out on the deck swing, and I told her all about Johnson’s confession. The human-interest side of the story fascinated her, just like I knew it would, and she left with excitement to get it all down on paper and published.
After that, I had to rush to get dinner ready and cleaned up before it was time to leave for the play. Chris barely got home in time to have a quick bite to eat before we walked out the door. We managed to climb into the car at six-twenty, which wouldn’t get us there early enough for the best seats, but it was still better than I’d hoped.
Savannah was lots more excited than Josh, but now that all of his make-up work was done, it wasn’t a big deal. In fact, he’d gotten an A on the assignment from his biology teacher, so that put him in a good mood and made me happy, too.
We arrived at the school about forty-five minutes early, which was a good thing, since we had security to get through. This time, there weren’t hired security guards in suits standing around the building, so I took that as a good sign.
Once we got inside, we ended up sitting near the middle and closer to the back, because the place was packed. Still, the seats weren’t bad, and the energy in the auditorium generated excitement.
“This is a nice school,” Savannah said, taking it all in.
“I like our school better,” Josh replied, wanting to be loyal, but interested in the differences. They both glanced around to see what the students were like, but I knew Savannah was mostly looking for cute boys. I wanted to tell her she wasn’t even thirteen yet, but what could I say? It didn’t hurt to look, right?
“So who do you know in the play?” she asked, glancing at her program.
“Uh… the boy playing the lead.”
“You mean, Joseph?” Shock to hear that ran through her heart, and she looked up his name on the program. “Is he any good?”
“Yeah. He’s amazing. I think you’ll like it.”
“Is he a senior?” She was thinking that if he was as good as I thought, maybe I could introduce them after the show. It might be fun to meet the star of the play.
“Yes.” I wanted to tell her he was way too old for her, but I got the idea that she’d already figured that out. Still, I began to question my decision to bring my family. If she was anything like most girls, she’d probably have a major crush on him before the play was over. Dang. What was I thinking?
Just then, the lights dimmed and the play began. If anything, the kids were even better tonight. Knowing it was their final performance added more vitality to the mix. Then Miguel came out on the stage, bringing the magic with him. I didn’t think he could be any better than Saturday’s performance, especially since I was expecting so much from him. But tonight, he knocked it out of the ballpark.
After intermission, the play sped by so fast, I could hardly believe it. Then came the last song, with Miguel donning his amazing technicolored dreamcoat. He sang with all of his heart, holding out the last note longer than I thought possible. It sent chills down my spine and brought tears to my eyes. Once again, everyone jumped to their feet in wild applause.
We continued clapping through the cast curtain calls, but when Miguel came out on stage, the crowd literally roared with approval. After that, the director, and all the other adults involved, received recognition with lovely tributes and bouquets of flowers. Then it was over.
“Mom, you have to introduce us,” Savannah begged. “I want him to sign my program.”
“Um… let’s see if it’s a possibility,” I hedged. “If not, I’m sure we can figure something out later.”
Her brow puckered, and she couldn’t believe I would put her off. What was so hard about talking to him? Yeah, maybe getting him to sign the program was a little childish, but couldn’t I see he was going to be a star? This might be her only chance.
Crap. I hadn’t thought that coming to the play with my family might make things complicated, but if I introduced my kids to Miguel, he’d think we were all related. How was I supposed to explain that? I’d done my best to keep that part of my life a secret from my kids, and I wasn’t about to jeopardize it, even if it meant that I disappointed Savannah.
“Maybe the cast is in the foyer and you can get his autograph there.” If she approached him on her own, that would work, right? He’d think she was just another kid wanting his autograph. No big deal. And it would save me from certain doom.
We joined the crowd and exited the auditorium, following the crush toward the north end of the building. Because it was closing night, the cast remained in their costumes and were expertly positioned under the high, glass-domed foyer.
Miguel was easy to spot, because so many people had crowded around him. It would have worried me, but a couple of security guards stood beside him like a buffer and kept them at bay, giving him a little pocket of space to breathe and to sign his autograph. Which was going like hotcakes.
I’d never seen these security guards before, but I figured they were part of Uncle Joey’s crew. But where was Ramos? Maybe he had the night off like me.
Savannah glanced at Miguel wistfully, but she wasn’t so sure she wanted to brave the crowd by herself. It kind of made me feel bad, but not enough to encourage her. “Wow, it looks like he’s surrounded.”
“Yeah,” she agreed with disappointment. “I guess we might as well go home.”
A curtain of guilt closed over me and I hesitated, knowing I could easily get Miguel’s attention for an autograph. But on the other hand, wasn’t it for the best to leave it alone?
“Shelby?”
Oh crap! Not him! I plastered a smile on my face and turned to greet Uncle Joey, finding Jackie standing beside him. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I swallowed and managed to make my voice sound perky instead of sick.
“Hi there,” I gushed. “The play was so good on Saturday that I thought we’d come back again tonight.”
“So did we,” he agreed, then he caught sight of Chris and my kids. How wonderful. Now I could introduce him to my children. He glanced at me expectantly.
Before he could wonder at my hesitation, I gave in to the inevitable. “Uh… let me intro
duce you to my kids. This is Savannah and this is Josh. Guys, this is… uh… Uncle Joey and his wife… Jackie.” I almost called her “Aunt Jackie” to keep up with the premise, but since she didn’t like it much, I decided not to. She smiled, and I knew it was the right decision.
“Hello,” Uncle Joey said. “I’m sure your mother’s told you all about me. And she’s told me all about you, so it’s finally nice to meet you both.”
“Uh… you too.” Josh nodded at Uncle Joey, and then glanced at me, thinking something was wrong. This guy wasn’t anyone he’d ever heard of before. There was no way he could be related to us.
“Hi.” Savannah remembered hearing about him, but that was just the other day, and only because she’d overheard my conversation. What was up with that? He acted like she was supposed to know him.
“Wow,” I jumped in. “Wasn’t the play great?”
“Yes,” Jackie agreed, filling in the awkward moment. “I didn’t think it could be better than Saturday’s performance, but wasn’t Miguel amazing?”
“Yes. So amazing.” I glanced at Chris, hoping he’d help me out here, but he had no idea what to say. Then it clicked with Savannah, and I braced myself.
“Miguel?” she asked. “So Miguel’s your son?” At Uncle Joey’s nod, she practically jumped up and down. “Oh my gosh! That is so cool!” Then she glanced at me. “So we’re related?”
“Uh… well sort of,” I said, nodding my head.
“Shelby,” Uncle Joey said. “Don’t you think it’s time we introduced them? I’m sure Miguel would love to meet his… uh… cousins.”
“Yes. Of course. I think that’s a great idea.” I hoped I wasn’t going to hell now, because that was about the biggest lie that had ever come out of my mouth.
He immediately turned toward the cast and began to make his way through the crowd, with the rest of us following. People took one look at him and got out of his way, reminding me of how Moses must have looked, parting the Red Sea. It also made me understand where Miguel’s impressive stage presence had come from.
Miguel glanced our way, and his eyes lit up with pleasure to see us. As soon as we got closer, the security guards pushed the crowd back and allowed us room to stand around him.
Hidden Deception: A Shelby Nichols Adventure Page 26