Deep In Death: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

by Colleen Helme

  Kate opened the door to the office next to hers and spoke to Uncle Joey and Ramos. “I think you two should hide in there. With the lights out, he won’t see you, and I’ll keep both doors open so you can hear everything he says. When the time is right, just walk in. Hurry…I’ll go turn on the lights in the entrance to let him know I’m here. Shelby, you and Jackie wait in my office. Nick, you come with me.”

  Wow, she was certainly taking charge, but everyone rushed to take their places. No one wanted to let the cat out of the bag, and the giddy feeling of pulling a big one over on Zack kept us glued to our places in anticipation. Kate left Nick to guard the door and hurried back, taking her seat behind her desk. Jackie and I kind of stood there and blinked.

  The sound of the front door opening sent my heart racing. Whoa, we’d barely made it. Zack sauntered forward, then slowed his step. He hadn’t expected to see all three of us there, and a prickle of unease ran over him.

  Kate stood and greeted him warmly. “Zack! Thanks for coming. I’ve been trying to explain things to Aunt Jackie but, as usual, I’m not doing a very good job.” Both Jackie and I stared at Kate for the Aunt part, but Kate acted like she didn’t see.

  Zack turned his bewildered gaze to Jackie. “What can I help you with?”

  Jackie had no idea what to say, so she just said the first thing that popped into her head. “Well…uh…before I go home tomorrow, I thought I should familiarize myself with things here.”

  “Oh…so you’re leaving tomorrow?”

  “Yes.”

  He turned to Kate. “So are you going with her? For the burial?”

  “Yes…yes of course. There’s a lot of things we need to do now that Uncle Joey’s gone, but once they’re settled I’ll be back.”

  “To check on things, right?” he asked. At her nod, he let out a breath. “Like I’ve told you before, I know how to run this company. You won’t be sorry you’ve entrusted it to me.”

  Kate let out a puzzled laugh, her brows drawn together. “What do you mean? Of course you’ll be in charge while I’m gone, but I’ll be back to run it once Aunt Jackie’s got things under control. She’s the one who’s taking over Uncle Joey’s organization.”

  “Jackie?” His gaze darted to her and sweat popped out on his forehead. “But…I thought you were next in line. You told me that once Manetto was gone, you’d take his place. I specifically remember you saying that as far as you were concerned, it couldn’t be soon enough.”

  Kate’s face turned red and her eyes darted from Jackie to me. “I did not,” she lied.

  “Oh my gosh!” I blurted. “It’s all your fault. Zack tried to kill Uncle Joey so you’d leave to run his organization and Zack would get the shipping company back.”

  “No! You can’t blame me for this,” she said. “I had nothing to do with it!”

  “What?” Zack asked. He hadn’t missed my little slip. Did that mean Manetto wasn’t dead? Fearing for his life he turned to run and yelped, jumping almost a foot off the ground. Uncle Joey and Ramos stood in the doorway. “Oh God,” he said, falling to his knees. “I’m dead.”

  Chapter 10

  All of us stared at Zack while he quivered under Uncle Joey’s impassive gaze.

  Kate was a little worried that Uncle Joey might put some of the blame on her, and damned my mind-reading ability to hell. I snorted after hearing that. Some people never changed, and I hoped this time Uncle Joey would see that about Kate.

  Jackie wasn’t too happy with Kate’s involvement either. Joe had nearly died because of Kate’s pride, and it angered her to the boiling point. In fact…she was angrier with Kate than she was with Zack, but maybe it was calling her “Aunt” that did it.

  Uncle Joey was thinking that even though Kate had planted the idea in Zack’s head, it was still Zack’s actions that had nearly killed him and Ramos. Although he had to admit, it was a pretty brilliant plan. Planting the bomb and framing the Passinis for it took guts and initiative, and he couldn’t help but admire Zack’s resourcefulness. Without my mind-reading skills, he would have blamed the Passinis no matter what they’d said, so Zack might have gotten away with it.

  Did he really want to kill someone who wasn’t afraid to take action? He could definitely take advantage of Zack’s vulnerability right now, and he had the resources to follow through. Zack’s life in exchange for complete loyalty…hmm…that would benefit him more than killing him would. But he still couldn’t let him get off that easily. No…some kind of punishment would be appropriate, maybe…

  Uncle Joey glanced at me and his lips thinned, knowing I’d heard his thoughts. “Nick,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “I’d like you to take Shelby and Jackie back to the hotel while I settle things with Zack…and Kate.”

  Kate’s eyes widened to be included with Zack, but she knew better than to grovel.

  “Sure, boss,” Nick said. He glanced at us, knowing that whatever Uncle Joey had planned, it was best if we didn’t see it. “Do you need me to come back and help out?” He’d gotten good at body disposal, and wanted to offer his services, even though he knew Ramos was the real expert.

  “No,” Uncle Joey said.

  Nick nodded solemnly, and Jackie moved toward the door to leave. I followed behind, grateful for the chance to get out of there. I didn’t want to know what Uncle Joey’s plans were, but at least I knew they didn’t include killing anyone, so it probably wasn’t too bad. Still, I cast a worried glance over my shoulder at Kate. Her face went white and she drew in a quick breath. I felt kind of guilty for that, so I smiled to make up for it. After that she tensed even more, so I shrugged and left the room.

  The drive back to the hotel passed in silence. Both Nick and Jackie were thinking that Zack was a goner, and maybe Kate too, but they’d have to wait until later to find out. They also thought that I’d come through for Uncle Joey, and they would never doubt his trust in me again.

  “Do you think we’ll be going home tomorrow?” I asked.

  “I don’t know,” Jackie said. “But I hope so. Even if Joe’s not done here, you could probably catch a flight home.” She was thinking he still had things to settle with the Passinis and probably the police, so it might take them a little longer, but there was no reason for me to stay.

  “That would be great,” I said.

  At the hotel, I said goodnight and hurried into my room. It was good to have that confrontation over with, but the stress had gotten to me, so I filled up the tub with bath salts for a little bath therapy. After a relaxing soak, I slipped on my pajamas and settled into bed, taking my phone to give Chris an update. I’d already told him the night before that Uncle Joey and Ramos were alive. Now I could tell him who actually planted the bomb.

  “Hi honey,” I said. “It looks like I’m all done here.” I gave him the shortened version of the night’s events and he was glad it was over. He didn’t quite believe that Uncle Joey wasn’t going to kill Zack, but let it go since I got sent back to the hotel before I found out his plans. Then we talked about the kids and what was happening at home.

  The sound of his voice soothed me and I relaxed into the pillows. By the time we said goodnight, I was feeling sleepy and calm. I turned out the lights and rolled over, falling asleep almost instantly.

  I dreamed that I’d gone home and was walking down the driveway to my house. It was late at night, but I wasn’t worried. Suddenly, someone appeared in front of me. It was dark, and he was in the shadows, but I knew at once it was Sean and he was holding a long knife.

  I screamed and ran, only to find that my legs wouldn’t move. I managed to turn and take a step, but it was too late. He grabbed my ankle and I screamed again before falling to the ground. I tried to kick him, but he sneered at my puny attempts to get away and raised his knife to cut me any place he could. As he thrust his knife toward my stomach, I screamed for all I was worth and woke, shivering with sweat and fear.

  My breath heaved in and out, and I couldn’t stop shaking. A couple of quick knocks
on the door scared me even more, and my heart began to race.

  “Shelby? Are you okay? Open the door.”

  I knew that voice and tried to swallow past the dryness in my throat. “I…I’m okay,” I croaked, my voice still shaking. “It was just…a bad…dream.”

  “Open the door. Now…or I’ll break it down.”

  “But…”

  “No buts…just open the damn door.”

  “Okay, okay…give me a minute.” I turned on the bedside lamp, then ran my fingers through my hair and wobbled to the door, dashing away the tears from my cheeks. I unlocked the deadbolt and removed the chain, then turned the knob. I pulled it open a crack, but Ramos wouldn’t let me stop there and pushed it open to come inside.

  As he took in my wide eyes and wet cheeks, the door clicked shut. He pulled me close and rubbed my back to warm me up. In response, I wrapped my arms around him, grateful for his comforting presence. After a moment, he half-carried me toward the bed and pushed me in, then settled beside me, wrapping the blanket and his arms around me.

  His solid warmth soothed me and my shivering stopped. My breath slowed and became smooth and even. I knew it was bad to be this close to Ramos, but right now I was grateful he was there.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “Well…I think I’m in trouble,” I began. “But I’m going to take care of it. When I get home, I’ll tell Dimples and he can help me. So…I’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry about me, and I’m real sorry I woke you up.”

  “Huh,” Ramos grunted. “In the first place, I wasn’t asleep.”

  I blinked and, for the first time, noticed he was still in the same clothes he’d had on earlier. “Oh. What time is it?”

  “Just after midnight.”

  “That’s all? It seems later than that. Did I really scream so loud that you could hear me from your room?”

  “Well, it was pretty loud, but I was just getting back and heard as I passed your door.” He was thinking it had scared the hell out of him. “It sounded like someone was trying to kill you.”

  “Oh…well, in my dream they were. It was pretty scary…” A shudder ran through me, and Ramos tightened his hold. “I guess it’s all because of a case I’m working on…a missing person’s case. Even though the woman has been missing for six years, I’m pretty certain she was murdered, and I found out who did it…only he’s killed like…at least four women that I know of. And after I talked to him… well… now he’s after me.”

  “What? Did you tell him you knew he was the killer?” Ramos could hardly believe I’d do something that stupid.

  “No! I’m not that stupid.”

  Ramos caught his breath and pursed his lips. “I know that. I didn’t mean it like that… so what happened?”

  “I was just talking to him about my business. That’s the reason I was there, because I had a hunch he was tied to the murders. Anyway, while I was talking with him, he was thinking the person he’d been planning to kill had suddenly picked up and moved so he needed a new target, and since I fit the bill…blond hair, blue eyes…he decided I’d be next.” Just saying that out loud brought out the goose bumps on my arms. “He likes to scare his victims beforehand and, since I’ve been gone, he hasn’t been able to do that, so I think I’ve got some time before the actual killing takes place.”

  Ramos cursed a blue streak in his mind and thought it didn’t matter what Manetto did to keep me safe, because trouble just seemed to follow me. It was like I had a death wish or something.

  I raised my brow at him. “I do not. I can’t help it if I fit the bill for this guy…I mean, just think about it…if I was a brunette with brown eyes, I’d be perfectly safe.”

  Ramos huffed out a breath. “Right.”

  “Besides,” I continued. “At least I know his plans without giving myself away. Now that I know he’s after me, I can be prepared.”

  “And what does Chris think about all this?” He couldn’t believe Chris would go along with this and thought I probably hadn’t told him.

  I sucked in my breath. “I did so tell him. But it happened the same day I found out about you, and I left the next morning to come here. So I haven’t really been around to be worried about it.” I sighed. “I think I had that horrible dream because I’m going home tomorrow and I’ll have to face him again.”

  “Who said you were going back tomorrow?”

  “Well…I just thought you didn’t need me anymore so I could go home. I do want to go home you know, even if there is a crazy killer after me.”

  Ramos’ thoughts zipped through his mind like a tornado, looking for a reason for me to stay that I would accept. “We’re staying one more day to sort things out with the Passinis and the police, and I’m sure we can use your help for that. Besides, we’ll be taking the private jet home the next morning, and there’s plenty of room for you. What’s another night anyway…Friday morning as opposed to Thursday afternoon? Not a big difference…except for one thing.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “I’ll be there.” He didn’t say “to watch out for me” but that’s what he was thinking.

  I couldn’t help the smile that spread over my face and crept into that warm place in my heart. “You have a point. Maybe I will stay one more night…if it’s okay with Chris.”

  “I’m sure once you explain everything, he’ll be fine with it,” he said, relieved he’d talked me into it. He rested his cheek on top of my head, liking the sensation of lying next to me. I was soft and warm. He could probably fall asleep if he just closed his eyes. “Do you need me to stay with you tonight?” He held his breath in anticipation. A big part of him wanted to stay, but he didn’t think he had enough control, especially if he fell asleep, to hold me this close and keep his hands to himself.

  “What? No! You’d better not…I mean…that’s probably not a good idea. But thanks for talking to me…I feel lots better. In fact, I think I’ll be able to sleep now…without any more bad dreams…so that’s good, right? You should probably go now.” I sat up straight, pulling out of his arms and adjusting the blankets on the bed to cover me up.

  Ramos snorted and slid off the bed. He straightened his clothes and moved toward the door. After pulling it open, he glanced back. “Goodnight Shelby. If you change your mind you know where to find me.”

  The door closed softly behind him and I swallowed. My breathing was a little erratic and my pulse raced. Damn that man! I wished he didn’t affect me so much. On the other hand, at least he hadn’t tried anything, so I couldn’t be too angry with him.

  But now I was wide awake for totally different reasons. I jumped out of bed and slipped the chain through the lock across the door. Just doing that helped me feel better, and I started to calm down. Knowing I needed a distraction, I pulled my Kindle out of my purse and turned it on. I had downloaded a nice, light, little romance the other day that suited my mood perfectly, and I began to read.

  At three in the morning, I was still going strong, but my eyes were starting to burn. I took that as a sign to quit and finally settled down to sleep.

  ***

  I woke the next morning to my cell phone alarm. I groaned, realizing I’d forgotten to turn it off. I grabbed it and cracked open my eyes. Seven a.m. Ugh! I set it down, determined to go back to sleep for at least another hour. I’d just dozed off when it rang again, only this time it was someone calling me. With a groan of disgust, I grabbed it, pushed talk, and pulled it to my ear. “This better be good.”

  “Shelby?” Uncle Joey said. “I heard you wanted to stay and help me out today. Is that right?”

  “Uh…yes…yes, of course.” I quickly sat up and opened my bleary eyes. “I just need to take a quick shower and then I’ll be ready.”

  “Good. We’re eating breakfast in half an hour. I’ll have Jackie order you something.”

  “Okay tha…” The line went dead before I could finish. “Geez!” Seriously annoyed, I threw my phone down on the bed and hopped out. Disca
rding my pajamas, I jumped in the shower, hoping the water would help wake me up and soothe my bad mood.

  I probably stayed in a little longer than I should, but I decided that I could skip breakfast if I needed to. After all, there was always a salted nut roll waiting for me in the candy machine. As I turned off the water, I heard my phone ringing again. Grabbing a towel, I dashed out to the bed where I’d left it and quickly answered before it stopped.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi honey,” Chris said. “You sound out of breath, where’ve you been?”

  “In the shower. It was ringing when I turned off the water so I didn’t know if I could get to it in time. I’m still dripping.” I carried the phone back into the bathroom so I could drip in there.

  “Hmm…I sure wish I was with you right now… but at least you’ll be home today. That’s why I’m calling, to see what time I should come to the airport to pick you up.”

  “Yeah…well, about that,” I said, my stomach clenching with guilt. “It looks like I’m coming home tomorrow morning instead. There’s a couple of things Uncle Joey needs me for today. But that’s only a few more hours. I mean…I probably wouldn’t make it home before later tonight anyway, so what’s a few more hours, right?” I was borrowing Ramos’ reasoning, but when I said it to Chris, it didn’t sound near as good.

  Chris sighed, and I knew he was disappointed. “I’m sorry Chris. If you’ll let me, I’ll be sure to make it up to you.”

  “Oh yeah? How are you going to do that?”

  I chuckled, knowing from his tone that he was okay about it, probably because he liked it when I owed him. “I’m sure you can think of something.”

  “Yeah…I can definitely do that.”

  “Good. I hate to say this, but I’m running late, and I’ve got to finish getting ready. I’ll call you tonight, all right?”

  “Fine, but is there anything I need to take care of today since you won’t be here?”

  “Um…let’s see, it’s Thursday…so just make sure Savannah gets to dance lessons at four…she can probably get a ride with Ashley, so give her a call after school so she can arrange it. Other than that, I can’t think of anything else.”