Crossing Danger: A Shelby Nichols Adventure Read online

  “Okay,” she agreed, even though she didn’t like it. “I’ll get her.”

  “Thanks,” I said, shooting Bates a stare since he wasn’t going to say it.

  A few minutes later, Chloe followed Holly into the room. Holly had obviously told her Bates wanted to hear what happened again, and her step faltered as she came in. I sent her a smile and nod, but it didn’t do much to curb her anxiety, and she wondered if she was in trouble.

  I almost blurted that she wasn’t, but bit my lip instead. I didn’t want to give Bates a reason to think I was interfering and kick me out. At least he picked up on her nervousness and spoke gently to reassure her that he was there to help.

  As she recounted the events to him, her voice wavered with pain, and Holly quickly put an arm around her. Holly’s solid presence was enough to help her past the part where Liam died, but talking about the cop worried her. She knew what she’d seen, but what if Bates didn’t believe her?

  “Go ahead and tell him what happened,” I said. “He needs to know what you saw and heard.” She nodded and took a deep breath, then finished telling Bates the rest of the story.

  To Bates’ credit, he listened attentively, then nodded and thanked her. “I know that wasn’t easy, but I had to hear it for myself. I believe you. I’m just not sure about the badge. Could it have been anything else? Like a belt buckle or something?”

  “No!” Chloe said. “I know what I saw, and it wasn’t my imagination.” She was thinking that this was exactly why she hadn’t gone to the police in the first place.

  “Okay,” Bates said, wanting to placate her. “I’ll do my best to find him.”

  “Do the cops you talked to have any idea that Chloe’s been found?” I asked, suddenly nervous.

  “No,” he said. “I was discreet. They don’t know a thing.”

  “That’s good,” I replied, “because I want to talk to them myself. I already have their names, but I need their phone numbers.”

  Bates couldn’t believe I was going over his head, but he couldn’t tell me no in front of Chloe or Holly. “Fine. I’ve got them on my desk. I’ll call you when I get back to the precinct.”

  “Okay...good.” Relief swept over me to finally get him to cooperate.

  Bates stood, eager to leave, and said his goodbyes, promising to call me. Once he left, I told Holly and Chloe what had happened with the interviews, trying to leave out how angry and upset it had made me. “Don’t worry, Chloe, I’ll talk to them today, even if I have to track them down to do it. Okay?”

  “Sure,” she nodded, troubled by Bates’ lack of trust in her story. At least I believed her.

  “Good. I’d better get going then.”

  ***

  It was past one in the afternoon, so I stopped by my house for something to eat before Bates called. I was nearly finished with my sandwich when my phone rang, and I let out a relieved breath. I hadn’t been sure he’d actually call. I glanced at the caller ID, and my relief turned into a groan. Why now?

  “Hello,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound too unhappy.

  “Shelby.” Uncle Joey answered. “Is something wrong?”

  “Oh...I’m okay, I guess.” Since I didn’t want him to think I was upset he’d called, I decided I’d better explain. “I’m just working on an important case and this detective who’s supposed to be helping me is just...uh...um...well he’s giving me a really hard time.”

  “Oh? The one with the dimples?”

  “No...not him. He’s great. It’s the new one. His name is Bates.”

  “Hmm...does he have frizzy hair?”

  “Yes, that’s him,” I answered, surprised he knew. “He doesn’t like me much.”

  “Good to know. I’ll see what I can do about it.”

  “Uh...wait...no. That’s okay...I didn’t...I don’t mean...I was just complaining. You don’t need to do anything...I can take care of Bates.”

  He snorted. “Right...well, let me know if you change your mind.”

  “Um...sure. But I’m fine...really.” Part of me wanted to think he was just kidding around, but the other part knew he was dead serious, and I didn’t want to be responsible for anything happening to Bates, no matter how much I disliked him.

  “I was calling to see if you were available for breakfast in the morning...around eight-thirty?” he asked.

  “Uh...I guess that would work. What’s going on?”

  “I found out that Blake is staying at the downtown Marriott, and he eats breakfast there every morning at eight-thirty. I thought maybe you and Ramos could eat breakfast there too and have a little chat with him.”

  “What kind of a chat?” I asked.

  “Let’s just say that Ramos will invite him to meet with me, and you can listen in to find out what he really thinks about that. Even if he refuses, you should be able to pick up on what he’s doing here. If he accepts, you can accompany him back to the office and we’ll find out what he’s up to.”

  “Oh...okay. I can do that.”

  “Good. Ramos will pick you up at eight o’clock in the morning.”

  “Uh...wait.” He’d already disconnected and I sighed. Just one more thing to add to my growing list of things to do. Would it ever end? Of course, it shouldn’t be too bad. I got a free breakfast out of it. Plus, I’d be with Ramos. Only...I wasn’t sure I wanted him to pick me up. What would my neighbors think?

  My phone rang again, and this time it was Bates. He tersely rattled off the names and cell phone numbers of the two cops and disconnected. Hmm...maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if something happened to him. Not like getting beat up...but if he got transferred somewhere else? I wouldn’t feel too bad about making that happen. If I could be sure Uncle Joey would agree with me, I might suggest it.

  I shook my head and moaned. How could I even think about doing something like that? I’d just have to get over it and not let him get to me. That’s what I told my kids to do when they were in situations like this. It was the way life was, and I couldn’t go around getting rid of people, just because I didn’t like them.

  Feeling fortified, I glanced at the numbers. Might as well get it over with and call. But what was I going to say? Besides the truth, what possible reason could I give them? I had no idea, but I wasn’t about to let that stop me. I licked my lips and punched in the numbers, holding my breath until he picked up.

  “Officer Bellini? This is Shelby Nichols. I’m a consultant with the police department?”

  “Yeah?” he said sharply.

  “I’m working on a case for the chief, and he gave me your number. Said you could help. Can I meet with you at the precinct? It’ll only take a few minutes.”

  I heard him sigh. “Fine. I can be there in half an hour.” He disconnected before I could say another word. Dang! It would take me twenty minutes to get there myself. I rushed out the door, deciding to call the other cop after I talked to this guy. With any luck, he’d be the one and I wouldn’t have to make the second call.

  I got to the police station with five minutes to spare and hurried inside. Since I had no idea where to meet with him, I wandered into the detective’s office space and waited near the chief’s door. Lucky for me, Bates was gone.

  I noticed Bellini as soon as he came in, and he wasn’t alone. His partner spotted me first and motioned Bellini toward me. He was thinking that this was the second time today Bellini had been summoned and wondered what was going on. Bellini was thinking the same thing.

  He closed the distance between us, and I extended my hand with a smile. “Thank you for coming. I really appreciate it.”

  Bellini shrugged. “What’s going on?”

  “Let’s go in here and I’ll explain.” I ushered him into the special room where friends and relatives of homicide cases were questioned. He sat on the couch, and I took the chair across from him. He had hoped he’d never have to meet me face to face, and there I was sitting right in front of him. Sweat popped out on his brow. If the chief had asked me to talk to him, did that m
ean he’d messed up somehow? He’d been so careful. He couldn’t think of anything he’d done that could possibly give him away, so what was going on?

  Whoa! This guy was hiding a big fat secret of some kind. I’d better find out what it was. “I guess you’ve heard of me...that I have premonitions?”

  “Yeah,” he shrugged again, trying to show that he didn’t care. “So?”

  “Well...sometimes I get impressions, and I thought you might be able to help.” He nodded, but his mind was guarded, waiting to hear what I wanted.

  Crap! That wasn’t helping, so I plunged ahead. “It’s about the missing girl, Chloe Peterson. Do you know anything that could help us find her? For some reason, one of my premonitions includes you...or someone who looks like you.”

  He sat back, confused. Maybe this wasn’t what he thought at all. “Um...okay.” He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and thought about the case. “I know two of the three men were known drug dealers. The third was just a kid. If the girl saw something she shouldn’t have, I think she’d be dead too. But that would mean another person was there, and all the evidence points to the three guys killing each other.” His gaze caught mine. “Bates was asking me the same thing. So what do you know that you aren’t telling the rest of us? Was someone else involved?”

  He was so close to the truth that my breath caught. He noticed my reaction and knew he was right. Since it wouldn’t do me any good to lie, I shrugged. “Yeah, that’s what we think.”

  “And I’m here because...” he prompted. He was thinking, you think I’m involved, or at least someone who looks like me.

  “Um...well...I’m hoping you might know something about it.”

  Relaxing, he sat back, relieved I didn’t know about him. “I wish I did. With all the focus on finding the missing girl, I think we’re missing something. We should be looking at the two drug dealers and who they worked for. It might lead us somewhere, especially if you think there was another person involved. But regardless of your premonitions...it’s not me.” He shook his head in perplexity. “I don’t get it. Why did you think it was me?”

  He was telling me the truth, and I had to give him something. “I don’t know for sure. It’s clearly not you, so I must have gotten it wrong.” Oh boy...Bates would have a heyday if he ever found out I said that.

  Bellini nodded and stood to leave, thinking that hadn’t been so bad after all. He was also thanking his lucky stars that his secret was safe, but he might have to talk with Manetto. Maybe I was getting premonitions about him because he worked for Manetto, and it was messing things up. So far, he’d managed to stay away from me, but now that wasn’t possible. Even though he knew I worked for Manetto, the last thing he needed was for me to know that he worked for him too.

  Bellini left the office, casting a quick glance over his shoulder at me. I managed to close my mouth into a smile and give him a little wave. It must have been a sick-looking smile though, since he wondered if I was feeling all right, but he chalked it up to the fact that I had admitted I was wrong about something. That thought cheered him up, since it was kind of legendary that I was never wrong. It made me seem more normal, and he couldn’t wait to tell his partner.

  I watched helplessly as he did, and nearly choked to find Bates standing close enough to hear him. The ugly smile on Bates’ face sent my blood boiling. He was thinking it was about time someone found me out, and he wouldn’t let me or anyone else in the department forget it.

  I stepped back into the room and shut the door. Damn! I hated that man! I might just have to take Uncle Joey up on his offer...or never help the police again. And now I knew something I wished I didn’t. With a name like Bellini, I should have suspected something, but what the freak! Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm down and get back to business. I still had one more cop to call, and I’d better do it now before I lost my nerve.

  This guy answered cheerfully and quickly agreed to meet with me. He told me to call him Pete and was so friendly that I didn’t think it could possibly be him. He was downstairs in the evidence room and said he’d come right up.

  I opened the door and peeked out, relieved to find Bates away from his desk. I stepped outside the door to wait and prayed Pete would get there before Bates came back. Less than a minute later, Pete entered the floor and made his way toward me.

  “Nice to meet you, Shelby,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “All good, I hope,” I said, shaking his hand. “Come on in.”

  “So is this your office now?” he asked, thinking I must have the chief wrapped around my little finger if he was letting me use this.

  “Oh no. It wasn’t his...I mean...I wish!” Crap! What was I doing? How could I be so stupid? I swallowed and let out a little laugh. “I mean, don’t tell the chief...if he knew he’d probably kick me out.”

  Pete smiled and nodded, but his eyes held that look of incredulity, and he thought I was a little ‘off,’ or maybe I was just plain crazy. “So what can I help you with?”

  “It’s about the missing girl, Chloe Peterson. I was hoping you might know something about the case that could help.”

  “Um...really? Like what?” His mind flooded with suspicion. This was the second time today. First was with Bates, and now me. What was going on?

  “I don’t know for sure. You know I’ve helped out around here, right? I just had a feeling you might know something.”

  “Oh...you mean because of your premonitions?” He could hardly believe that the chief would go along with this, but he also knew I was working for the family, so maybe that had something to do with it. But why was I was talking to him? “I really don’t know any more than what I’ve heard around here. Why would you think I did? That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I know...it doesn’t always make sense to me either. I just had a feeling I needed to talk to you.”

  “Hmm...Bates talked to me this morning too, but I don’t think he has premonitions.” He smiled at his joke but was wondering what I was up to. Both of us talking to him was not a coincidence. “Something’s happened with the case. You must think there’s someone else involved. Did you find her?”

  “No...I wouldn’t be talking to you if we had.” Wow...he was fast. I’d better come up with something quick. “If you must know, we’ve sort of hit a dead-end, so we’re following up on everything we can think of that might be related.”

  His brows scrunched together as he connected the dots. “You think a cop is involved.” He stood and started pacing. How had I come to that conclusion? “What made you think that?”

  “Only my premonitions,” I said. “Why? Am I right? Do you know who it might be?”

  He stopped pacing and sat back down, thinking he’d like to find out what was going on, and what information we had to come to that conclusion. “How would a cop be involved? What do you think he did? Take the girl?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably not. He’d probably just kill her.”

  His gaze flew to mine. “Why?”

  “Maybe she saw something she wasn’t supposed to.”

  Now he thought it made sense, but why was I talking to him? Why would I think he was involved? Did I know where the girl was? Had I talked to her? He nodded, thinking that must be it since he didn’t believe in premonitions. The girl must have told me she’d seen a cop.

  “So, I’m on the list,” he said. “That explains why Bates was asking me about it. Is there anyone else?”

  “Yes, a few others. I only wish we could find her, then we’d know who it was for sure.”

  “What I don’t understand is why you would think I was involved.”

  I shrugged. “My premonitions. You probably don’t believe it, but that’s all we have to go on, so...” I took a deep breath. “I guess it’s another dead end.”

  He nodded solemnly, but his lips turned into a frown. “To be honest, I’m not happy you thought I had something to do with it.”

  “Oh...yeah, please don’t
worry about it. Like I said, it’s just a premonition...sometimes they don’t always pan out. I’m sorry I bothered you with this.”

  “No...it’s okay. There’s a girl missing...you have to cover all your bases.”

  “I’m glad you understand.”

  He rubbed his chin. “Maybe you should check out the two drug dealers. That’s where I’d start.” He walked to the door, then sent a parting glance over his shoulder. “If you need anything else from me, let me know, I’m happy to help.”

  “Thanks.”

  The door closed behind him and I slumped back in my chair. That was intense. He was good, too. I didn’t know if it was him or not. He was certainly upset about the cop part, but then wouldn’t any cop be upset? There was no way I could tell if it was him, and that worried me. Because now he knew we suspected him, and he also had a pretty good idea I’d talked to Chloe.

  Chapter 6

  Discouraged and exhausted, I opened the door and peeked out, then ducked back in and quickly shut it. The chief was halfway across the room and walking toward his office. Right now, I didn’t want to talk to him, or anyone else for that matter. I waited until I heard his door close and slipped out, making a beeline for the exit.

  “Nichols!” Bates shouted. “Wait up.”

  I almost didn’t turn around, especially since he’d called me Nichols, but he’d shouted so loud it would make me look bad if I didn’t. I plastered a smile on my face and stopped so he could catch up with me.

  “Make any progress?” he asked.

  “Uh...yeah...some.”

  His brows rose in surprise. “Really? What?”

  “I’m pretty sure it’s not Bellini.”

  “That’s it?”

  “I think that’s progress,” I said, knowing I had to be vague about how my premonitions worked.

  “Oh...yeah, right. I heard Bellini saying that your premonitions were wrong about him.” I didn’t answer, but he knew he’d hit a nerve. “What about the other one.”

  “Pete? Well...I didn’t really get anything concrete off of him. So, at this point, I can’t say for sure that he’s the one.”