A chill swept over me, and I glanced at the mirror. Was Grizzo watching? Damn. If so, that meant he’d heard about the store—the same store where he’d seen me and Ramos. What was I going to tell him?
This was just getting worse and worse. Suddenly apprehensive, I left the room. Sure enough, Grizzo stepped out of the door down the hall. He’d seen the whole thing and wondered if the scenario I put forward was correct. The health store had been a surprise though. And I had been there. Why? Had I warned them?
With more confidence than I felt, I pinned Grizzo with a hard stare. “I was following a lead at that store. That’s how I found out about the kid.”
“So you knew about the drug operation?”
“No.”
He folded his arms and leaned against the wall. “What about the Tiki Tabu bar? Why did you go there?”
“Like I said, following a lead. Everything I’ve picked up points to Xavier as the mastermind behind selling the drugs. I don’t know where he got them, but I do know that he killed Slasher.”
Grizzo nodded. He had his own contacts and agreed with me. Xavier sold the juice to all of his school mates, and Slasher was just the poor sop who got played. That kid had no conscience, and if I had any information that would put him away, it couldn’t come soon enough.
I stepped toward Grizzo. “Tell me something. If that kid goes to jail, what’s going to happen to him? Is he going to get rehabilitated? Or is he just a lost cause?”
“That’s not my concern. If he broke the law, he pays the consequences, especially for murder.”
“I think it should be your concern. It should concern all of us. He’s only seventeen.”
Grizzo’s lips quirked. “That’s the mother in you talking. Most of these kids will never change. Once on that path, they never get off.”
“So you’ve never seen anyone turn their life around? Not even once?”
He shrugged, thinking about the gang members he knew. They treated each other like family and, for the most part, it was the only family they had. When they got out of prison, they went right back. It was all they knew. Sure, it wore on him, but there was nothing he could do about it.
I knew it was time to tell him about the gun, especially if it kept Uncle Joey out of it. I just hated sealing that kid’s fate. With his dad’s help, would he get a second chance? I wasn’t sure.
“I picked up something from the kid. He still has the gun. You might want to get a search warrant and check under his bed. It’s in a box.”
Grizzo’s eyes widened. “And you got this from your premonitions?”
“Yeah. But you’d better move fast. Once he tells his father, it’s bound to disappear.”
He nodded and pulled out his phone to make the call.
I let out a breath and headed back into the office. That was close, and it wasn’t over. At least I could warn Uncle Joey about the store, and he could do damage control. I headed toward Dimples, ready to tell him I was done for the day. He sat at his desk, so I plopped down next to him.
He glanced up and smiled. “Did you notice that Willow left?”
“Yes. She wanted me to tell you goodbye and that she wasn’t coming back.” His eyes widened. “Yeah… it’s true. She couldn’t wait to get out of here. I think it was the earthquake. She said something about a crumbling tower on one of her tarot cards and decided this wasn’t the place for her.”
He lifted his hand for a high-five. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”
“Yeah.” Smiling, I high-fived him, grateful it was over. “I’m heading out too.”
He nodded, thinking I looked a little frazzled. But, after that earthquake and the ghost out for revenge, he could totally understand. “Good idea. You did great today. You and that… other guy.”
I huffed out a breath and nodded. “That’s for sure.”
He wasn’t comfortable saying Brock’s name out loud, and I didn’t blame him. “He really followed through on his dying wish, didn’t he? He scared that poor SOB nearly to death. Do you think he’s going to haunt Dex for the rest of his sorry life?”
I shrugged. “I have no idea. But I hope not. I hope he moves on to whatever place we go after we die. Or at least that he watches over Sophie for a while until she can stand on her own.”
“Yeah… me too. You want to come with me to tell Sophie the news?”
“Uh… I don’t know. When are you going?”
“Not for a couple of hours. I’ve got to get this report done and file it with the DA’s office so they can bring charges.”
“I think I’ll pass. But you can tell me about it.”
“Okay.” He smiled real big so his dimples twirled, knowing how much I liked them. “Thanks Shelby. I have to admit it’s a day I’ll never forget.”
I chuckled. “Yeah. Me neither.”
I left the office feeling totally spent. I’d solved two murders today, but it hadn’t brought me any joy. Well… maybe it was nice for Brock to get his revenge, but it had scared me to death. I got the chills just thinking about it.
I also felt bad for Xavier and his family, but at least Uncle Joey should be fine. And… it looked like my job with the police was secure… for now.
Since I’d dressed for a motorcycle ride, I headed over to Thrasher Development. Uncle Joey was sure to be happy that I’d found the killer, and I could warn him about the store. Plus, after all my hard work, he’d be happy to reward me with a motorcycle ride. I just hoped Ramos wasn’t too far away for it to happen.
I stepped off the elevator and entered Thrasher to find Ricky sitting at Jackie’s desk. “Hey. I just stopped by to talk to
