dying wishes
A SHELBY NICHOLS ADVENTURE
Colleen Helme
Copyright © 2020 by Colleen Helme.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
www.colleenhelme.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
All trademarks and brands referred to in this book are for illustrative purposes only, are the property of their respective owners and not affiliated with this publication in any way. Any trademarks are being used without permission, and the publication of the trademark is not authorized by, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner.
Book Cover Art by Damonza.com Copyright ©2020 by Colleen Helme Book Layout & Design ©2017 - BookDesignTemplates.com
Dying Wishes/ Colleen Helme. -- 1st ed.
ISBN 9798674499565
Dedication
To my sweet dog
Sally
For your love and devotion,
happy greetings, and wet doggy kisses.
You will always have a special place in my heart.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book wouldn’t be possible without all of my readers and fans who love Shelby almost as much as I do! Thanks for your support, encouragement, friendship, and love of Shelby Nichols and the gang! You keep me writing.
Also a shout-out to a couple of you who let me use your names in this book—mainly, Bob Spicer and Clue, or should I say Cluella? He-he. I hope I did you proud!
A big, huge thanks goes to my daughter, Melissa, for your encouragement and amazing support. You are always willing to listen to my plot ideas and your input is invaluable. You’ve helped me more than you’ll ever know!
Thanks to my wonderful husband, Tom, for proofing the manuscript and your great input – also for believing in me even when I struggle. To my awesome family for your continued encouragement and support. I love you all!
A big thanks to Kristin Monson for editing this book and making it better. You are the best!
I am so grateful to the talented Wendy Tremont King for bringing Shelby and the gang to life on audio. You rock!
And last but not least, to all of my furry and not-so-furry pets, for your devotion and love throughout the years.
Shelby Nichols Adventure Series
Carrots
Fast Money
Lie or Die
Secrets that Kill
Trapped by Revenge
Deep in Death
Crossing Danger
Devious Minds
Hidden Deception
Laced in Lies
Deadly Escape
Marked for Murder
Ghostly Serenade
Dying Wishes
Devil in a Black Suit ~ A Ramos Story
A Midsummer Night’s Murder ~ A Shelby Nichols Novella
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP
For news, updates, and special offers, please sign up for my newsletter here. To thank you for subscribing you will receive a FREE book.
Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 1
Two days ago, I returned home from my vacation to New York City—the city that never sleeps. While there, I’d been threatened, shot at, and kidnapped, so I didn’t get much sleep either. In fact, I still hadn’t recovered.
What was that saying? It’s never a good thing when you need a vacation from your vacation. That was me in a nutshell. My arm ached from a knife wound resulting in twenty-two stitches, but at least it was healing. I couldn’t say that about my state of mind. Those jitters I’d been experiencing, along with the nightmares that haunted my waking hours, hinted that it was time to talk to someone.
Good thing that was already on my agenda. It happened to be a condition of my return to my paid consulting job for the police department. After I’d killed someone—in self-defense—talking to a counselor was standard procedure if I wanted to keep my job.
I knew putting it off would give me a chance to have a much-needed break. But, after the horrible nightmare I’d had last night, I was ready to make the appointment.
Naturally, I put a call through to my partner on the police force, Detective Drew Harris, aka Dimples. I’d missed him and his dimples, and I knew it would do me good to talk to someone who was naturally upbeat and positive.
In fact, Dimples had been there from the beginning, when I got shot in the head at the grocery store during a robbery, and I’d gained my mind-reading ability. With so much going on recently, I hadn’t seen a lot of him, so I looked forward to catching up.
“Shelby!” he answered. “Are you back?”
“Yes I am. How’s it going?”
“Good. Everything’s good. I heard about your investigation in New York. Let me tell you, Chief Winder was real happy that you solved the case for his friend. He was even bragging you up.”
“I’ll bet.” Chief Winder had basically coerced me into helping the NYPD while I’d been on vacation in New York. His friend, Chief Wallace, had a difficult murder case that he’d needed my special help to solve.
Unfortunately, it had nearly gotten me killed. That’s what had given me the nightmares. Well… maybe not just that… having a hit put out on me by a vengeful mob boss was the main reason for my jitters, but, in the end, it was all tied together anyway.
“You’ll have to tell me all about it the next time you come in,” Dimples said. “When do you think that will be?”
“Uh… that’s partly why I’m calling. I need to set up an appointment for counseling. It’s a condition of returning to work.”
“That’s right,” he said, sounding distracted. I heard papers shuffling in the background before he spoke again. “So… you should do that, and maybe give yourself a few weeks before you come back to work. No need to hurry right back, you know?”
The back of my
