Deep in Death: A Shelby Nichols Adventure Read Online Free Page A

I’d probably just imagined the brush of coldness on my cheek and the smell of flowers.
    My stomach clenched. As comforting as that sounded, I had a feeling it wasn’t the last time something like that would happen with this case, and just thinking about it gave me the shivers.
     

 
    Chapter 2
    I put my phone away and caught Dimples’ curious glance. He’d finished talking a few minutes before me and waited politely for me to finish. I smiled and joined him, hoping he didn’t catch the guilty flush on my face since I’d just finished talking with Joey “The Knife” Manetto.
    “We’re in luck,” he began. “The guy isn’t far from here and should arrive in about ten minutes.”
    “Oh…that’s great. Did he seem surprised?”
    “Actually, yes he did. But he also sounded a little relieved and more than willing to cooperate.”
    “Huh,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “That’s interesting.”
    “Wait…you think it’s him? It can’t be him. You know that, right? His alibi checks out.”
    “I’m not jumping to conclusions. I have no idea, but if what you said is true, who else could it be? Maybe he paid someone to do it. You never know.”
    Dimples’ brows drew together and he pursed his lips.
    “Don’t worry,” I assured him. “If it’s him…I’ll know…trust me.”
    He was thinking that I hadn’t let him down yet, so he might as well go for it. I smiled and nodded at him. He narrowed his eyes, thinking that I’d reacted as if I’d heard his thoughts, just like I’d done earlier with the whole “new lead” explanation. It bothered him a little, but he had to remember that working with me and my premonitions was like that and he just needed to go with the flow and not worry about it.
    His gaze met mine and I raised my brows. “Are you okay? You seem a little tense.”
    “Nah…I’m fine,” he said. But his eyes narrowed and he thought that if I really could read minds, I’d know what he was thinking right now. “So…what kinds of questions do you want me to ask him?”
    “Just the usual,” I answered, a little flustered. “Like, what he argued with his wife about, where he went after he left her, where he stayed the rest of the night… basically anything that will get him focused on his wife.” After I said all that, I realized it was exactly what Dimples was thinking.
    He nodded, thinking we were either totally thinking alike, or I was reading his mind. He was going to watch me close and see if it happened again. Then he’d know. He was a detective after all. He should be able to figure it out. Of course, if I really did read minds, it probably wasn’t something I’d want anyone to know. Saying I had premonitions had worked out pretty well for me.
    Then another thought hit him like a bolt of lightning. Was that why I worked for Joey “The Knife” Manetto? Did he know my secret and used that leverage to get me to do stuff for him? Reading minds made a lot more sense than the premonition thing. In fact, that was about the only reason he thought I would keep working for a slime-ball like him.
    I kept my gaze lowered, but a sudden impulse to defend Uncle Joey raised my ire. I hadn’t thought of him as a slime-ball for a long time, and it kind of got my dander up. Of course, he wasn’t exactly a stellar citizen either. Still, I made up my mind that if Dimples ever figured it out, I’d just have to tell him he was crazy. No way was he ever going to know my secret. Calling my mind-reading abilities premonitions had worked well enough so far, and I wasn’t about to let that change.
    “Do you still do any work for Manetto?” he asked.
    I huffed out a breath like that was a silly question. “What? Are you kidding? After getting shot in the arm, I’ve learned my lesson.”
    “Good to hear.” Dimples smiled with relief.
    “I’m going to get me a soda. Do you want one?” I asked.
    “Um…no, I’m good.”
    I left him with a fake smile plastered on my lips, and took my