High Stakes Crime: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Shelby Nichols Adventure Book 15)

by Colleen Helme

  “After Taft’s death, there was a literal rush to find the mine. People set out on a daily basis. A few came back with stories of ghosts, but no gold. A few years later, there was a group of three men who set out. Only one of them came back. He carried a few gold nuggets, but he refused to speak about what had happened to the others. That’s when the rumors started that the mine was cursed.”

  I nodded. “I’ve heard that.”

  “So have I,” Uncle Joey agreed. “So… where does the journal fit in?”

  “Since I’d always found the mine fascinating, I did some research and discovered that the widow had only two descendants, a grandniece and a grandnephew. But, get this… the niece lived in her great aunt’s house, and had taken care of her in her old age.

  “By the time I met her, Irene was in her nineties. After I told her of my interest in the mine, she was happy to tell me what she knew. She even told me that she’d found several of her great aunt’s journals in an old cedar chest in the attic.

  “Naturally, she’d read through them all, but never found any mention of the gold or Jeremiah Taft. Irene always wondered if there was more to it, since her great aunt had once hinted that Taft had hidden a journal with a map to the mine somewhere on the property.

  “She’d searched everywhere, along with the rest of her family, but they never found a thing. I asked her if I could look around, and I spent the next few weeks searching everywhere I could think of, but it wasn’t there.

  “Later, she asked me if I’d like the journals for their historical value, since she had no living children, and her brother’s family had long since moved away. You can imagine how excited I was to receive them. In return, I promised her that I would let her know if I ever found anything.

  “There were five journals all together, and I read through them during the next couple of weeks. Like Irene, I didn’t find anything about the gold mine or Jeremiah Taft. It was disappointing, because I really thought there might be something.

  “I did find several entries about a cabin in the woods and discovered that the widow spent a lot of time there in the summers. I visited Irene and mentioned it to her, and she told me all about the place. She’d gone there a lot as a kid, but it had been over thirty years since her last visit.

  “She’d inherited the property and still owned it, but she didn’t know what condition it was in. She asked me if I’d like to take her to see it, so I agreed. We found it in pretty bad shape, and I think it depressed her to see it like that. I offered to buy it from her and fix it up, which seemed to make her happy.”

  He stopped for a minute, and I picked up that his main reason for offering to buy it was because he hoped to find a clue that would lead him to the mine.

  “After I got the deed, I went up there a few times and began to clean it up. It needed a lot of work, and I couldn’t spend as much time there as I would have liked, but I managed to fix it up a little. During that time, Irene passed away. She left the old house to her brother’s family, and they sold it to a couple who now run it as a bed and breakfast.

  “I went back to the cabin this last spring, once the snow had melted, and took the journals with me. As I read through them, it hit me that the summer of Taft’s visit coincided with the summer the widow had been at the cabin. That’s when I realized that Jeremiah Taft had recovered from his illness there, and not at the widow’s house back in town. That meant he’d actually found the gold in a different place than everyone thought.

  “In one of her journals, the widow mentioned briefly that she nearly ran out of firewood to keep the place warm because a digger was lost. I didn’t understand that at first, but, after reading more of the entries, I realized that she used digger as short for gold digger… and she was talking about Jeremiah.

  “Later, she wrote that the digger never returned, and it broke her heart. The next entry was about locking up the cabin and leaving the warming rocks to hold their secrets. That’s when I knew Jeremiah’s journal was in the cabin, probably behind the rocks in the fireplace.

  “The stone fireplace was still intact. After an intense search, that’s where I found his journal.” He pursed his lips. “I’ve kept most of this story a secret, and I’m only telling you because I think you’d make a good partner.”

  He was thinking that he hadn’t wanted to split the gold with anyone, and that had been the reason for his reticence. Still, as much as he hated asking for money, he knew he had to sell the story, and with Manetto’s backing, he could move forward with his plans and tell all the other interested parties he didn’t need them.

  “That’s an interesting story,” Uncle Joey said. “If it’s true.” He glanced my way, ignoring Stewart’s grimace. I sent Uncle Joey a nod, and he turned back to Stewart. “Let’s say I believe you. If it’s all true, then why haven’t you found it? I would imagine that you’ve been looking for the mine for the last several months. Am I right?”

  Stewart ducked his head. “Yes. You’re correct. I know we’re close, but I’ve run out of money, and I need better equipment and supplies.”

  “Tell me what you’ve done.”

  “Well… first of all, from the journal, we figured out the area we need to concentrate on. We went through the whole process of staking out our claims and filing all the paperwork. We’ve been up there several times with no luck, so we decided to create a grid that would help us see where we’ve been.”

  He’d thought they would have found it by now, so something was off. Either Taft had gotten turned around, or they weren’t reading the map right. Still, he refused to give up. The only problem was that the temperatures were dropping, which gave them only another few weeks at best before winter set in up there.

  “Time’s running out before the cold sets in,” he continued. “And I’d like one more run at it. There are a couple of places left where I think it could be, so that’s where I’d like to concentrate our efforts.”

  He didn’t want to believe that he wouldn’t find it, not when he’d gone to so much work. The journal was the key, and he was so close. It was within his grasp. He just knew it.

  Yikes. He sounded a little crazy… like he had gold fever. It was kind of how my grandpa was at first, but, after a few years, I think he kept going because it gave him an excuse to be out in nature. Still, he didn’t seem quite as obsessed as Stewart.

  I turned my attention to Ian, who wondered if this was a lost cause after all. When Stewart had first approached him, he’d been excited for the opportunity. Now it wasn’t looking so good. They’d funded the project themselves, and now it looked like they’d lose it all.

  That’s why he’d convinced Stewart to go public and ask for a backer. He’d wanted to recoup his losses, and, with enough money, he could put some of it in reserve to pay for all of the expenses and bills they’d already accumulated. That way, even if they didn’t find the gold, he wouldn’t be out a dime, and they could use some of the money to pay themselves for their time.

  Oh boy… maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. I glanced up to find Uncle Joey studying me. He could tell that my enthusiasm had waned, and reality had set in. Did I still want to do this? I didn’t nod yes, but I didn’t shake my head either. Instead, I shrugged. Maybe?

  His lips quirked up, and he turned back to Stewart. “How about this… I’ll fund your last expedition as a favor to my niece. If you don’t find anything before winter sets in, I’d like the option of continuing, but only with certain stipulations that we can agree to later. If you do find the gold, I’d like a share of the mine… say twenty percent. Is that agreeable?”

  Stewart’s eyes widened. Twenty percent was more than he liked, but since he didn’t think Manetto would actually settle for any less, he quickly agreed. “Yes, sure.” He glanced at Ian, knowing he’d answered for both of them. “Is that okay with you?”

  Ian slowly nodded. He hadn’t wanted to share the gold either, but it didn’t look like they’d actually find it anyway, so what did it hurt? Having a lot of m
oney at their disposal was totally worth it.

  “Good.” Uncle Joey smiled. “Get me a list of the items you need, and I’ll provide them.”

  “What?” Ian’s head jerked up. “Uh… I can take care of all that. It would be easier for us if you just invested a set amount. I can keep track of all the expenditures so you don’t have to do the work, and, I assure you, the money won’t be squandered. I’ll keep an accurate accounting of it all.”

  He could see that Uncle Joey wasn’t sold on the idea, so he quickly continued. “Seriously, it’s my job.”

  Uncle Joey slowly nodded. “All right. How much do you need?”

  Stewart swallowed, thinking this was the tricky part. He wanted to ask for at least fifty grand, but he wasn’t sure Manetto would go for it, so he started a little low. “Between thirty and fifty grand? I know that sounds like a lot, but it would help us get out from under our debt and still have enough money left over to buy some good equipment and find the mine.”

  Uncle Joey studied them with narrowed eyes, using his hardened gaze to intimidate them. They both stiffened, and I picked up their sudden worry that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

  “Before I agree,” Uncle Joey began. “I have some ground rules. First… I don’t suffer fools. If you try to cheat me, or double-cross me, I get back every last penny… with interest. If the mine isn’t found, and I’m satisfied that you’ve explored all avenues to find it, I’ll take it as a loss, and we’ll part ways. But try and cheat me out of my twenty percent, and your lives are forfeit. Now… do you still want to make the deal?”

  Stewart licked his lips, thinking that, if he agreed, he could very well end up dead. Manetto wasn’t someone you bargained with. He glanced at Ian, who was thinking much the same thing. Ian was more cautious than Stewart, and he was about to refuse, but Stewart spoke first. “Agreed.” The lure of the gold called to him, and he gave in to his greed, despite his better judgement.

  “All right. Come back in the morning, and I’ll have a money order for fifty grand ready for you.” He didn’t mention the contract he’d also have prepared for them to sign. If they thought he’d just hand over the money, they were in for a rude awakening.

  Stewart nodded, relieved and surprised that Uncle Joey had agreed to the entire amount. “You won’t regret this.” He didn’t even think about a contract, too happy about having a backer, and a way out of his accumulated debt, to know better.

  Ian wasn’t quite so naïve, but he was willing to do most anything for that much money, already thinking about how to use it to pay the bills and get the supplies. They both stood to leave, shaking Uncle Joey’s hand to seal the deal.

  “One more thing,” Uncle Joey said, before glancing my way. “I’ll be sending my niece up the mountain with you.” He didn’t mention that he wanted Ramos to come as well, since he didn’t like laying everything out for them.

  Stewart’s startled gaze landed on me. “Oh… all right. As long as you know we’ll be roughing it.”

  “Yeah… I got that.” Did he think I was an idiot? Still, it surprised me that I didn’t have to beg Uncle Joey to let me go. It was almost like he’d read my mind. I glanced his way, sending him a big grin. He grinned back before turning his attention to Stewart and Ian.

  “Come back around nine tomorrow morning for the fifty grand.”

  Stewart’s eyes lit up, and I figured he’d do just about anything Uncle Joey wanted. “Wonderful. We’ll see you then.” He ushered Ian out ahead of him, and they left the office.

  Uncle Joey turned to me. “How did I do? Fifty grand wasn’t so much, so I figured, why not? You know? And just think… you can go with them.”

  I smiled. “I know. For a minute there, I thought you’d read my mind.”

  “See Shelby. I’m not so bad.” He was thinking that, even though he wanted to kill Sonny, he still had a big heart. “But just remember that the fifty grand is coming out of your share of the jackpot.”

  “I thought you had a big heart.”

  He grinned. “I do, but I also have an image to uphold.”

  I shrugged. “Fine. But if that’s the case, then I get the twenty percent of the mine you bargained for.”

  “Oh yeah. I forgot about that. How about we go fifty-fifty?”

  I grinned. “That sounds more like it.”

  “Good.” His heart warmed with proud satisfaction that I’d stood up to him. “Now I’d better call my lawyer so he can draw up a contract. Is there anything you picked up that I should know?”

  “I think a contract is a good idea, since Ian was already thinking of ways to use the money to pay off all the debts they’ve incurred. I guess if you have everything spelled out, he won’t get away with squandering it on a salary for him and Stewart.”

  “That’s right, and you’ll get to go prospecting with them. So it’s a win-win.” He thought it would be something if we really did find that lost mine, but he wouldn’t bet on it. Still, if it made me happy, it was worth it, especially since I was going to all the work of winning a high stakes poker tournament for him.

  “I sure hope I can win.”

  “Of course you can. You can read minds, it’ll be easy.”

  I just nodded. That was easy for him to say, but I knew there was more to it, mostly because Sonny was planning on cheating. How he planned to do that wasn’t something I could prepare for. I hoped I was up to the task, because not only did I need to win the poker tournament, I also needed to figure out how to keep Uncle Joey from killing Sonny before we came home.

  CHAPTER 5

  I left Uncle Joey’s office while he put the call through to Chris’s law firm about the contract with Stewart and Ian. Ramos volunteered to walk me out, and I readily agreed.

  “If there was any doubt that Manetto has a soft spot for you it should be long gone. I’ve never seen him put down a big chunk of money like that against such terrible odds. It’s like throwing it away.”

  I huffed out a breath. “Hey. Half of it’s my money, you know. Are you trying to make me feel guilty?”

  “Do you?”

  I shrugged. “Uh… not really. I guess I’m a good rationalizer, because, compared to ten million dollars, fifty grand is just a drop in the bucket, right? And then there’s the lost gold mine. Seriously, how awesome would it be to find that?”

  He shook his head. “If you say so.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He folded his arms over his chest and leaned in close. “Babe… I think you’ve got gold fever.”

  “No I don’t.” His right brow lifted, and I sighed. “Okay… maybe a little.”

  He let out a breath. “I get it. Finding a lost treasure is something we all dream about. Just don’t let it cloud your judgement. And just so you know, I’ll be coming with you.” He was thinking that, knowing my track record with trouble, there was no way I was going without him.

  I couldn’t help the smile that crossed my lips. “I’m sure I’ll be fine, but… I’m glad you’re coming.”

  “Yeah… somebody needs to watch your back.” And who knew? Maybe he’d get lucky… those long, cold, dark nights out in the woods… I might get scared and climb into his sleeping bag with him… and he could…

  “Stop that.” I smacked his arm.

  He snickered. “You realize that tomorrow’s Friday, right? And the tournament’s on Saturday?”

  “Oh yeah.” Between Jackie’s troubles, wanting to stop Uncle Joey from killing Sonny, and finding a lost gold mine, I’d lost track. “What’s the plan? When do we need to be there?”

  “We were just talking about that when you came in. The tournament starts at one in the afternoon and goes through the night until there’s a winner. So we’ll probably need to leave around eight on Saturday morning.”

  “Do you think we’ll be staying there overnight?”

  “Maybe.” He was thinking that we would if he needed to kill Sonny before we came home.

  “Ugh! Don’t think stuff li
ke that.”

  He shrugged. “Okay… I’ll try not to think about it.”

  I shook my head and pushed the call button. “Oh… before I go, there was something else I was supposed to ask you.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Do you know of anyone who might use a mortuary to cremate dead bodies? You know… the kind they want to get rid of? I mean… not you, but maybe someone else who would need to do that sort of thing?”

  His eyes narrowed. “What’s this about?”

  I shrugged. “Just a police case I’m working on with Dimples… I mean… Detective Harris.”

  Ramos huffed out a breath. He didn’t like my close relationship with the detective. The last time I’d helped the cop, I’d nearly gotten killed.

  “This isn’t the same as that. And I’ve learned my lesson. I’m not ever going to be so stupid again.” It had been a stupid move to take the killer on all by myself, and I still felt bad about it.

  His lips thinned, and he straightened, ready to lecture me on the subject. Did I have any idea what I put him through? The elevator doors swished open, so I stepped inside before he could let me have it. Most of the time, he refrained from chewing me out, so this was unexpected.

  At the last minute, he blocked the door with his arm. “I don’t know of anyone specifically, but I’ll ask around.”

  “Great. Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  “Yeah.” He stepped back, and the doors slid shut.

  Whoa… he usually didn’t get so upset with me, but I’d obviously stepped into that one. It reinforced how much he hated getting those desperate phone calls from me. He’d never complained much, but now I knew that he probably held a lot of it inside.

  Maybe I should tell him to yell at me for a while, so he could get it off his chest? Either that… or he’d just have to stop caring about me so much. Hmm… I think I’d rather take the yelling.