Lie or Die: A Shelby Nichols Adventure

by Colleen Helme

  The meeting adjourned for a ten-minute break, and Uncle Joey escorted me out of the room. We walked out of the office and down a corridor until we found a place away from anyone who could hear us. “Well?” he asked. “Who is it?”

  I twisted my lips, and shook my head. “It isn’t any of them. They all want the company to succeed. They’re worried about the trial, and they think it has something to do with you, but they don’t want the company to fail. That means the threats must be coming from someone else. Think about it. Who would gain if Adam Webb lost the trial? Would losing the trial expose you? Could you go to jail?”

  “Those are good questions,” he said, his brows furrowed in contemplation. That’s why he had David Barardini working on the trial, so he wouldn’t go to jail. “You’re sure it isn’t anyone on the board?” It was still hard for him to believe.

  “Yes,” I said decisively.

  He frowned, disappointed that finding the culprit wasn’t going to be as easy as he thought. “Okay,” he said, resigned. “Let’s get back.”

  I followed him back to the conference room, but when we arrived, I wasn’t allowed back inside. The secretary gave me a tight smile and told me I could sit on the couch in the waiting area. She returned to her work, but not before thinking she was glad there were rules for people like Manetto, who’d just break them left and right if they could get away with it. Then there was me. No respectable person would work for a guy like Manetto. What I did for him probably took the position of personal assistant to a whole new level. Cheap trash.

  Anger washed through me, turning my face red, and I unconsciously drew my fingers into clenched fists. How dare she? Who gave her the right to judge me? I wasn’t any of those things. Why did everyone assume the worst? I mean…sure I was with Uncle Joey, but that didn’t make me his plaything. I wanted to tell her to get her mind out of the gutter, but that was out of the question. Instead, I focused on the pictures on her desk.

  “Are those your little boys?” I asked, trying to sound calm.

  The question surprised her. “Yes,” she said. “But this picture is out of date. They’re teenagers now.”

  “Oh really? I have a fourteen-year-old son myself. He’s always hungry. I swear that kid eats more food than a horse.”

  She laughed, and we shared a few stories of what it’s like to have teenage boys at home. Before we knew it, the meeting was over, and it was time for me to go. “It looks like they’re done,” I said. “It’s been nice chatting with you. Good luck with your boys.”

  “You too,” she answered, thinking what a nice person I was. She must have been wrong about me.

  I smiled, feeling lots better. Uncle Joey came out talking to Ramos on his phone, and we walked to the elevator with some of the other board members. This time, I put my shields up. Hearing stray thoughts I could do nothing about was taking a toll on me. That meant I couldn’t hear Uncle Joey either. But so what? I didn’t need to know what he was thinking all the time.

  We exited the building and waited for Ramos. Uncle Joey glanced at me, a faint smile on his face. He raised his brows like he was asking a question, and I realized I’d missed something. I dropped my shields. “Oh, I’m sorry. I had my shields up. Did you think something?”

  “You put your shields up?” He could hardly believe it. What was I thinking? He thought I was force to be reckoned with, and here I’d put up my shields? Maybe he shouldn’t worry so much about what I’d pick up from his mind after all, although he thought I was smarter than that.

  “Well…yeah,” I said defensively. “You wouldn’t believe what a lot of the people in there think about me and you. It’s pretty disgusting.”

  “What do you mean?” He stopped cold, wondering if he’d have to break somebody’s arms or legs.

  Oops. I should have kept my mouth shut. “It doesn’t matter,” I said. “What did you want to tell me?”

  His eyes narrowed, and he pursed his lips. He had a reputation to uphold, but he couldn’t start beating people up because of their thoughts. He glanced at me, trying to remember what was he going to say. Oh yeah. “Since the threat isn’t coming from Webb Enterprises, there’s another source we’ll need to check.”

  We were interrupted when Ramos pulled the car to the curb. As we climbed into the back seat, Uncle Joey was thinking about a match of some sort, and I couldn’t figure out what he meant by that. Ramos started driving away, and he continued. “There’s an event at my club tonight. I mentioned it yesterday. We might be able to find out what’s going on there.”

  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 pr
obably 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.