Dying Wishes: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel (Shelby Nichols Adventure Book 14)

by Colleen Helme

  Besides having no training in business, being tied to a mob boss would leave me vulnerable to all sorts of undesirable things. And what about the kids? This was a big deal.

  All the earlier tension of the day tightened my chest until I could hardly breathe. “I know, but… weren’t you there when he said it was in name only, and someone else would run the business?”

  At his nod, I continued. “So it won’t be that bad. Otherwise, I’ll tell him no. Can we write that condition into his will or something?” Hope blossomed in my chest. “I know… you can write up a contract between me and Uncle Joey with that stipulation. That would work, right?”

  “Maybe so.” Chris thought about it for a few seconds, and his mood lightened. I was on to something, and it could be the perfect solution. “I’ll see what I can come up with.”

  I didn’t want to ruin that happy thought by telling Chris about Uncle Joey’s drug dealer problem, and that I might have to go chasing off to help Ramos and Vinny tonight. Instead, I told him about Dimples’s case with Willow-the-Psychic, and how I’d helped bring Sophie out of it because I’d heard her dead husband.

  By the time I got finished, it was late, and Chris’s eyes were drooping. Luckily, I got a text from Ramos that nothing had happened, and, for now, I was off the hook. Relieved, I climbed into bed, grateful I didn’t have to explain it to Chris just yet. But that didn’t mean I could quit thinking about it, and worry kept me awake long into the early morning hours.

  CHAPTER 8

  Wide awake at seven-thirty a.m., I decided to get up. Chris was just leaving for work, so I gave him a quick kiss before he walked out the door.

  After pulling on some clothes and eating a bowl of cereal, I made a couple of phone calls to the people from Mack’s search-and-rescue unit. One of them was available to talk with me later in the morning, especially after I explained that I was Coco’s new owner. That gave me plenty of time to take Coco on a walk back to Mack Haywood’s home, where I hoped to speak with his neighbors.

  With Josh and Savannah still asleep, I wrote them a note and left the house with Coco. We took the same route as yesterday, and Coco seemed to know exactly where we were going. As we neared his former house, Coco pulled on the leash a bit, but he wasn’t as excited as yesterday.

  He seemed to know that Mack was gone, and he wasn’t coming back. There was no sign of Austin today, but boxes and furniture were visible through the window, so I knew he wasn’t finished cleaning out the house.

  I stepped to the neighbor’s house on the right and rang the doorbell. A woman came to the door, but eyed Coco warily. I picked up her fear that someone had killed her next door neighbor, and she wasn’t about to talk to a stranger. After I explained who I was, she told me she wasn’t home that night, and she couldn’t help me.

  Discouraged, I trudged to the house on the other side of Mack’s home. I rang the bell, and Coco obediently sat beside me. A man came to the door, and Coco jumped to his feet. The man was probably in his mid-sixties, with thin, silver hair, and wearing a short-sleeved shirt tucked into a pair of jeans. He spotted the dog, and his face lit up.

  “Coco!” Happiness rolled off him, and Coco woofed with enthusiasm. The man threw the door open and stepped onto the porch, crouching beside the dog. “What a surprise. I never thought I’d see you again. How ya doing?” After receiving several doggy licks, and giving Coco lots of love, he turned his attention to me. His eyes were kind and gleamed with curiosity

  “Hi, I’m Shelby Nichols. I’m a private investigator. I adopted Coco.”

  “Oh… lucky you. He’s a great dog.”

  “Yeah, he sure is. I’m here because I met Austin yesterday. After speaking with him, I told him I’d look into his father’s death. Do you have a few minutes to answer some questions?”

  “Uh… sure. Please sit down.” He motioned me toward a couple of cushioned chairs, with a small, round table between them, on the big front porch. “I’d invite you inside, but my wife’s allergic to animals.” After sitting down, he continued. “I already told the police everything I know. Do they have any suspects?”

  “Not that I know of. Are you the neighbor who called the police?”

  “Yes, I’m Reed Gardner.”

  “Can you tell me what happened?”

  “Sure, but first I want to know how you ended up with Coco.”

  I gladly told him the story, making sure to include how Coco basically picked us. “He seemed depressed, but he warmed up to us pretty fast. Yesterday, I took him on a walk, and we ended up here. I have to admit, it was mostly Coco’s doing. He pulled me the last few blocks. Austin was there in the house, and he told me what happened. Since I’m a private investigator, I told him I’d look into it.”

  “Wow. That’s quite the story.”

  “I know. So… what can you tell me about that night?”

  He let out a big sigh. “I heard Coco barking sometime after nine. It was loud and continuous. He doesn’t usually bark like that, so I wondered what was going on. I called Mack’s number, but he didn’t answer, and I got worried. So I went over to the house and knocked. When no one answered, I walked in and found him lying on the floor.”

  “So the door wasn’t locked?”

  “No.” Reed shook his head. “I thought he might have had a heart attack at first, but, once I got closer, I saw all the blood and the big gash on the back of his head. I felt his neck for a pulse, but he was gone. Maybe if I’d come sooner, he might have had a chance.” Guilt and sorrow washed over him. It still shook him up, just thinking about it.

  “When you first heard Coco barking, did you happen to look outside?”

  “No. I was downstairs watching TV. At first, it didn’t register that he was barking, but then his bark changed; it sounded more frantic. That’s when I called Mack, but it was too late.”

  “What about your wife? Did she see anything?”

  His brow furrowed. “No. She took a sleeping pill earlier and slept through the whole thing. She gets migraines, and sleep is about the only thing that works on them.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad.” It was hard for me to believe she slept through everything, but what did I know? From his thoughts, I picked up that his wife’s condition weighed him down, and it was a little more complicated than he wanted to share.

  “So what did you do after you found Mack?”

  “I ran home to call nine-one-one. It occurred to me that the house was a crime scene, and I didn’t want to disturb anything by staying. I gave Austin a call too, thinking he needed to know something bad had happened to his dad. But after he answered, I couldn’t tell him Mack was dead. That might have been a mistake, but I wasn’t thinking straight.”

  “So was Austin at his place when you called him?”

  He shrugged. “I think so. The police showed up before Austin did, and they made me wait out here on my porch.” He leaned over to pet Coco. “Poor dog was going crazy in there, but they wouldn’t let me back in. I told them Coco wouldn’t hurt me, but they insisted on leaving him there until animal control came to let him out.”

  “That must have been awful.”

  “It was.” He swallowed. “They got him in one of those long-handled noose ropes to keep him from attacking anyone… as if he would.”

  Reed was thinking that Coco had to be taken out through the back door, because Mack’s body was still lying in the doorway between the living room and the kitchen, blocking the front door.

  “The poor dog must have seen Mack. The animal control guy told me that Coco hadn’t wanted to leave Mack’s side, and he’d ended up carrying him out. They were going to put him in the back of the animal control truck, but I couldn’t let them do that.

  “I stopped the man carrying him and convinced him to let me take the dog. Coco was whining and shivering by then, but he licked my face, and the guy finally relented. I brought him up here on the porch, and he stayed with me until Austin got here.”

  He closed his eyes, remembering Austin�
�s anguish at finding his father dead. He’d hoped that having Coco would have helped Austin cope with his loss, but that hadn’t turned out so well.

  Reed patted Coco’s head. “I wanted to keep him, but, with my wife’s allergies, it wasn’t possible. Austin took him home that night, but he was devastated. When he came back a few days later, he told me he’d taken Coco to the shelter.”

  Reed stopped and swallowed. “It broke my heart. I think it would have broken his dad’s heart, too. Why would Austin do that when Coco meant so much to his dad? It makes no sense to me. I know Mack would have wanted Austin to keep Coco and continue his work with the search-and-rescue team. Austin had to know how much it meant to his dad.” He glanced at me. “But maybe it turned out all right after all.”

  “I think it did,” I said. “Our whole family loves him, especially my kids. He’s a special dog, and I promise you we’ll take good care of him.”

  Reed nodded, grateful I understood how much he needed to hear that.

  “Do you have any idea why someone would kill Mack? The police think he let the person in, so he must have known them. Did you see anyone strange stop by the house before that night?”

  “No. That’s the thing I don’t understand. Everyone liked Mack. If it was someone he knew, he must not have known them for long.”

  “How long have you known the family?”

  “We’ve been neighbors for nearly five years. Mack moved in after Austin left for college. His wife had died right before that—cancer, I think—and he wanted to downsize with everyone gone. When Mack retired from his job a couple of years ago, he got interested in the search-and-rescue program. That’s when he bought Coco and trained him for the job. He told me Coco’s a great rescue dog.”

  Reed was thinking it was too bad one of the people from the rescue team hadn’t had a chance to adopt Coco. But maybe he was better off with us.

  “Thanks Reed… you’ve been helpful. I need to get going, but, if you think of anything else, would you mind giving me a call? Here’s my card.”

  He took my card and slipped it into his front shirt pocket. “Not at all. I hope you find the person who did this.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “And… if you’re ever in the neighborhood again, be sure to stop by and say hello.” He ruffled Coco’s fur. “Come see me again, okay buddy?”

  Coco woofed, and I heard yup. I smiled and told Reed we would. After thanking him, we began the long walk home. Although I hadn’t learned much to help with the case, I was happy I’d met Reed, and even happier that he’d seen Coco and knew he was all right.

  I’d hoped for a better clue, but at least I knew more about that night, and it could still be helpful. We hurried back home, arriving just as Savannah and Josh got up. After coordinating our schedules for the day, I jumped in the shower and got ready for my meeting with Lance Hobbs from the search-and-rescue group.

  I’d explained over the phone that we’d adopted Coco, and he’d readily agreed to meet with me, as long as I brought Coco along. He lived on several acres of land, and his large, brick home sat nestled beside a couple of giant trees. As I pulled into the drive, I caught sight of a barn and a large corral in the back.

  As I opened the car door to let Coco out, he jumped down and took off before I could stop him. He ran toward the back of the house, and my heart lurched. As he disappeared, I started after him, yelling his name. Just then, a man came from the direction Coco had gone and sent me a friendly wave.

  “You must be Shelby. I’m Lance Hobbs. Come on back.”

  He waited for me with a friendly smile meant to put me at ease. He was younger than I’d thought, most likely in his late forties, with short, dark hair. He stood about five-ten, and he had the broad shoulders and muscled arms of a hard worker. In his jeans and white t-shirt, his tanned skin spoke of spending a lot of time outdoors.

  I greeted him with a quick hand shake and glanced into the back yard to find Coco playing with another dog. The dog was about the same size as Coco, but with longer, black and white fur.

  “That’s Scout,” Lance began. “He’s a border collie. He and I helped train Coco.”

  “Oh. Now I get why Coco ran off so fast.”

  “Yeah. They’re great friends.” He moved toward his back patio, gesturing at me to follow. “Come on over and sit down. I’m anxious to hear how you ended up with Coco.”

  I sat down in a cushioned chair beside his, surprised at how comfortable it was, and told him the story. “It’s like he picked us. Anyway, I took him on a walk, and we ended up at Mack’s house. That’s where I met Austin and told him I’d look into his father’s murder.”

  Lance nodded, thinking it had been a shock to hear about Mack’s death. That someone had murdered him made no sense. He was one of the best men he’d ever met. It still shocked him that Austin had taken Coco to the pound. Why did he do that? It didn’t make any sense either. He would have gladly taken Coco if he’d had the chance.

  This whole thing was messed up. “Well, if you ever feel like he’s too much, I’d be happy to take him off your hands. He’s a great dog.” He glanced my way, thinking that, if Coco had picked me, I must have done something right. “Or if you need a place for him to stay while you’re out of town, he’s always welcome here.”

  “Thanks. That’s good to know.”

  “So, you’re a private investigator?”

  “Yes. I do consulting work for the police, and I have my own agency. But I wanted to look into Mack’s death mostly because of Coco. So what can you tell me about Mack? When did you meet?”

  “We met through the K-9 Search and Rescue Team. Mack wanted to get involved, and he contacted me to help him train his dog, so we’ve known each other for a couple of years.”

  “Do you know why he wanted to join the team?”

  “Yeah.” Mack had told him the story in confidence, but now that he was dead, it probably didn’t matter if he shared the story. “He had a daughter that went missing when she was about four or five. It sounded like they didn’t find her in time to save her. I think joining the rescue team was a way to help him deal with that.”

  “Oh my gosh. That’s terrible.”

  “Yeah, but, unfortunately, it happens. I wasn’t sure it was a good idea for him to get involved. A lot of these searches don’t have a happy ending, and I worried it would bring back all the pain and anguish he’d already been through. But he seemed okay with it. I think he just wanted the chance to make a difference, because he’d felt so helpless all those years ago.”

  “That makes sense. Did he and Coco go on many rescues?”

  “Yes. Most of the time, our searches take place during the summer, when kids get lost in the woods. I know Mack and Coco have also searched through the rubble of a couple of tornadoes, and… I think maybe one earthquake. But mostly, he’s stayed close to home. I’d say he’s been in on about ten to twelve in the last year or so.”

  “Were any of them happy endings?”

  “A few.” He smiled. “In fact, recently, there was a little girl who got lost, and he and Coco found her. That was a good day.”

  The back of my neck tingled. Holy hell. Was it the same search Willow had helped with? Maybe Lance had met her? “Were you there with Scout?”

  “No. I was out of town on business, but Mack told me all about it. I think it did his heart good.” Lance remembered their conversation and how happy Mack had been. “That little girl was about the same age as his daughter when she disappeared, so you can imagine how it made him feel to find her alive.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet.” This had to be the same little girl. It was too recent to be a coincidence. But hadn’t Dimples told me that Willow was the person who’d found the lost child? Was there more to it? Did Willow know Mack, or have something to do with Mack’s death? But how could she be involved? And why would she kill Mack? I didn’t pick up that vibe from her, but some people hid their dark side really well, even from themselves.

  How did A
ustin fit in with all this? I knew he hadn’t killed his dad, but he’d seemed angry about the whole search-and-rescue thing. Was that because he knew about his sister? I remembered him thinking that not all rescues turned out right. There was some definite resentment there. But it could easily be attributed to Austin not wanting his dad to go through that pain again.

  “Uh… do you know what Austin thought about all this? He knew about his sister, right?”

  Lance nodded. “Yeah, but he never knew her. He was just a toddler when it happened, so he was spared the trauma. I honestly don’t know, but the fact that he gave up Coco kind of tells me he wasn’t a fan.”

  “Yeah… but I’m not so sure that’s why he did it.” It wouldn’t hurt to tell Lance Austin’s reasons, even if I only knew because I’d read his mind. “You know that Mack put Coco in the back room, right?”

  At his nod, I continued. “Well, I think somehow Austin is convinced that his dad did it to protect the dog. He’s sure that if Coco had been there, he might have stopped the killer, and Mack would be alive.”

  Lance considered it. “He’s not wrong.”

  “Yeah, I agree. So why did Mack put Coco in the back room? Whoever killed him had to be someone who didn’t like dogs, right? Did Mack ever tell you about anyone who didn’t like Coco?”

  “Not that I recall, but I guess there are a lot of people who are afraid of dogs, especially dogs like Coco.”

  “Yeah… afraid… or allergic.” Hadn’t Reed Gardner mentioned that his wife was allergic to dogs? Had she really taken a sleeping pill? Even so, why would she kill Mack? That didn’t make any sense, but, since I hadn’t met her, I couldn’t rule it out. I glanced at Lance. “Is there anything else you can think of? Maybe someone who held a grudge against him?”

  “No. I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay.” I checked my watch. If I left now, I had just enough time to take Coco home and eat a quick lunch before my appointment with Bob Spicer. “I need to go, but thanks for chatting with me.”

  “I wish I could have been more help.”