Maple Hills Mystery Box Set 3 Page 14

  8

  Nikki drove to Kim’s apartment. It was a cute duplex in a small, quiet neighborhood. There were flowerpots on the porch and a swing. The flowerpots were empty and covered in a thin layer of snow. The lawn was small but well kept. The hedges around the house were covered and looked as soft as marshmallows. She looked around and saw that the neighboring houses were close, but not on top of one another. Nikki parked and waited for Hawk. She did not have to wait very long.

  Hawk pulled up in front of Nikki and got out of his truck. Nikki got out and together they walked to the front door. Hawk knocked, and Nikki stood behind him. The front door opened and a man appeared behind the screen door. He was nice-looking, with short blond hair. He was shorter than Hawk but taller than Nikki. He was clean shaven. Nikki guessed that he was older than Kim but not by very much. The man was visibly upset, his eyes were a little reddened and there was a sad slump to his otherwise handsome physique. Hawk introduced himself and Nikki while showing the man his badge.

  “I am Hawk Daily. I’m a detective with the Maple Hills police department. This is my partner, Nikki Bates. She assists me with some of my investigations. Are you John Hammer?” he asked the man.

  “Yes, I am. Is this about Kim?”

  “Yes. We are here to ask you some questions about her. Would you mind if we came in?”

  “Sure, come on in. I am willing to answer any questions you may have.” He held the screen door open, and Hawk and Nikki stepped inside and were in the duplex’s living room. Nikki noticed a small bookshelf by the door to the right, and a sofa and entertainment center. Straight ahead was a dining room. There were knick-knacks and pictures of Kim on top of the bookshelf. John offered them the sofa, and he sat down in a recliner facing them. He asked if they wanted any coffee. Hawk thanked him but declined.

  “Let’s get right to the questions, okay?” Hawk said. “Were you and Kim dating?”

  “Yes,” said John. Nikki was shocked but did not show it.

  “How long were you dating?” Hawk asked.

  “We have been together for three years.”

  “If you were dating, why weren’t you at the rehearsal dinner?” Nikki asked.

  “Susan does not approve of me,” he said, looking down.

  “What do you mean by that?” asked Hawk.

  “She and I have never gotten along. When Kim introduced us and Susan asked what I did for a living, I told her and she got very judgmental. She thinks I am a bad influence on Kim.”

  Nikki gazed around the apartment. It was small, but nicely furnished. There were flowers on the coffee table and some magazines. It was cozy and inviting. She did not get a bad vibe from the place. “Why does she think you’re a bad influence?” she asked John.

  “She thinks I’m a bad influence because of what I do and where I work,” he said. John shifted in his seat. “I am a rehabilitation psychologist. I counsel former drug addicts. Some of my clients are former drug dealers. They are not people Susan would approve of.”

  Hawk and Nikki looked at each other. “Do any of your clients know where you live?” asked Hawk.

  “No. I keep my work and private life separate. What I do is a good thing that could be exploited by bad people. Some of the people I work with do get rehabilitated. They go on to become productive members of society. Others, well, they do not turn out as well and sometimes end up back in jail. I do not want them to find me in case they blame me for landing back in prison. I would never put Kim in that kind of danger.”

  “How do you keep your work and personal life separate?” Hawk asked.

  “I have taken quite a few precautions. It’s part of the work. I use a partial alias, John Jackson instead of John Hammer – Jackson is my middle name, you see. We keep a post office box so that we don’t have to give out our address except to close friends. My office is an hour away. I take different routes to work each day, and I make sure I am not followed. My car is a rental in my alias. If someone wanted to find me by tracing the license plate, they would have a very hard time. I have always strived to keep myself and those I care about safe. Kim meant the world to me, and I would never do anything to put her in danger.” John stared at the floor and tears welled in his eyes. He wiped his eyes and looked up when Hawk spoke.

  “Are you aware of the circumstances surrounding Kim’s death?” Hawk asked.

  “No,” John gulped.

  “She died of a heroin overdose.”

  John turned pale. He shook his head violently. “She would never do that. Kim was a sweet and special woman. She was strong. She had no reason to use heroin, let alone overdose. I would know if she was using drugs. I have been trained to spot addicts, especially opiate users.”

  “We believe you,” said Nikki gently. John wiped his eyes. He looked out the window and tears started to fall again. He was visibly shaken. Nikki looked at Hawk.

  “Do you know anyone who would want to hurt Kim? Was she arguing with anyone? Did anyone hold a grudge against her for any reason?” Nikki asked.

  “No, absolutely not. Kim was kind. She was gentle. She would feed the stray cats in the neighborhood. She once let a neighbor’s child stay here while the neighbor was stuck in another town with car trouble. Everyone loved her and knew they could count on her. I work with some very hardened people. Kim was the opposite of that. She was open, honest, and beautiful.”

  “If you don’t mind, we would like you to come down to the station for further questioning,” Hawk said quietly but firmly.

  “Yes. Absolutely,” John said. He wiped his eyes. “I can follow you down there right now. I will do whatever it takes to find out what happened to Kim. Let me get changed first. I have not been out of these clothes since last night.” John went up the stairs to his bedroom. Nikki turned to Hawk when he was out of earshot.

  “That is an odd way of doing business,” she said.

  “Well, it can be a dangerous line of work,” Hawk said. “Drug addicts can be unpredictable and violent at times, people in recovery can relapse. I think it is a good idea that he uses an alias. He wanted to keep himself and Kim safe. I understand that need.”

  Nikki looked at him. “I understand, too,” she said. They sat for a short time and then John came back down the stairs.

  “Are you ready to go?” Hawk asked him.

  “Yes, I have my wallet and keys. My car is parked on the street.”

  “We are parked there, too,” Nikki said.

  They all put on their coats. Nikki and Hawk walked down the sidewalk side by side. Nikki said she would go to the station, too. Hawk asked if she needed to check in with Seth.

  “No. I called him before we came over here. He should be calling me back, soon,” she said.

  “Okay. Let’s go right to the station then,” Hawk suggested. “Are you sure you don’t want a ride?” he asked John.

  “No, I will follow you. I think driving alone in the car will help me get my mind straight. I could use the fresh air. I have not been outside since yesterday,” he admitted.

  “Okay,” said Hawk. They got in their separate cars and drove down to the station. Nikki followed Hawk and John followed her. The sky was clouding over. Nikki worried that it might storm. She checked the weather on her phone when they were at a stoplight and saw that there was a system blowing in, but no snow predicted yet. The streets were already white from yesterday’s snow, and the cars left a black, wet trail behind them accented by the streetlights.

  9

  John pulled into the station parking lot right behind Nikki. She was a little relieved because half of her wondered if he would panic and try to flee. Once inside, Hawk and Nikki led John to the chief’s office. The chief looked up from his desk.

  “Hi, Chief,” Hawk said. “This is John Hammer. He is Kim’s boyfriend. I questioned him a bit at the apartment, but I wanted to ask him some more questions and follow up on some things he has told us. Can we use one of the rooms?”

  “Yes,” said the chief. “You can use the first ro
om.”

  John followed Hawk down to the interrogation room. He explained the room would give them the most privacy and was equipped with a microphone for recording. Nikki realized he did not want to tell John it was an interrogation room, perhaps so he would let his guard down. Hawk told John to have a seat and asked if he wanted anything to drink.

  “Yes, please. Some water?” John asked.

  Nikki went down the hall to the break room and got a bottle of water. She walked back and handed it to John.

  “I am going to turn you over to the chief. He will be in shortly to question you some more.”

  “Okay,” said John, sipping on the water. He seemed a bit anxious, but Nikki was not sure if it was because he had just lost Kim and was dazed with shock, or because he knew something more about her death.

  Hawk and Nikki walked out of the room and shut the door. Nikki voiced her reservations to Hawk, and he agreed with her. They went to find the chief. The chief was still in his office. Hawk went in and asked if he would continue to question John.

  “Of course,” said the chief, rising from his chair. “Remind me, how come we did not know about John before?”

  “He had a falling out with Susan. She told Kim not to bring him to the wedding. We had not gotten to Kim’s apartment yet, and no one thought to mention him to us last night,” Hawk explained. He filled his father in on what John had told them about his work with addiction counseling. “I want to take a look at his office,” Hawk said, and the chief agreed.

  “I will go with you,” Nikki insisted.

  “Would you mind keeping an eye on him, maybe delay him until we get back?” Hawk asked the chief. The chief said he would sit with John and if anything else came up, he would call Hawk.

  “Do you want to ride over together?” Hawk asked Nikki.

  “Sure. Do you want to drive?” she asked.

  “Yes, I would be happy to,” he said. They got into his truck and went to John’s office.

  John’s office was an hour away. The ride over was uneventful. The roads were slippery but not too icy. The town was lit up for Valentine’s Day. Hawk and Nikki drove through the square. There were hearts on the lanterns along their main street. Hawk followed the directions to John’s office. It was in a small brick building that was not well lit, a one-story office on the edge of the run-down side of town.

  “Maybe he needed to have his office close to his clients,” Nikki commented, voicing what they were both thinking. Hawk nodded as he parked and locked his truck. He and Nikki walked toward the building. Nikki stopped and pointed next to the front door where two men sat uneasily on a bench. They looked twitchy and angry. Nikki pegged them as drug addicts. Their clothes were filthy and they looked like they had lived a lifetime acting tough. The men looked at them sideways but scattered when Hawk moved his coat and showed them his gun.

  He and Nikki walked into the building. It was hot inside, as if the winter heating was blasting. The door opened up into a small hallway. There was a worn-down upholstered bench on the side wall that Nikki would not want to sit on. There were no pictures on the wall. Across from the bench was a heavyset woman sitting at a small desk. She had a small plant that was struggling to survive in the oppressive atmosphere. The receptionist was typing on her computer and looked up when they walked in.

  “May I help you? The doctor is not seeing new patients right now,” she said. She was an older woman with black hair that was fading to gray at the temples. She seemed to be wearing a permanent scowl.

  Nikki coughed and looked at Hawk. He put on a nice smile and leaned toward the receptionist.

  “Hello, I am detective Hawk Daily, and this is my assistant Nikki Bates. We are here on behalf of the Maple Hills police department. We are conducting an investigation and we need to ask you some questions.”

  The receptionist asked for some identification. Hawk showed her his badge, and Nikki showed the receptionist her driver’s license. The receptionist found this satisfactory and buzzed them in a door beside the desk. Hawk and Nikki stepped through and the receptionist led them to a conference room. The office hallway was narrow and crowded with dusty cardboard boxes of files, and the boxes appeared to be falling apart. The conference room had a medium-sized table and four chairs. Everyone took a chair, and Hawk started asking questions.

  “So, you work for John Hammer?”

  The secretary cringed. “He goes by John Jackson here,” she said. She looked around as if to make sure no one had heard Hawk. They were alone in the building. I suppose you can’t be too cautious, thought Nikki.

  “Why are you asking me about him?” the receptionist asked Hawk with a strange look on her face.

  “Who else would I be asking you about?”

  “Usually if police come in here, they are trying to get information on one of our clients. Our clients are not rich people with Beverly Hills addictions, Detective. Our clients are on a first-name basis with the police – and not in a good way. The cops show up about once a week asking if one of our clients has missed any mandated counseling sessions. I have never had anyone in here ask about John,” she insisted.

  “How long has John been in this office?” Hawk asked.

  “Dr. Jackson has been renting this office for six years.”

  “And remind us about the services he provides?”

  “He is a rehabilitation psychologist. He helps people who are addicted to various drugs. Sometimes they are court-appointed clients and some just walk in off the streets. John talks to them and counsels them on more productive ways to handle their addictions. He is not a psychiatrist. He does not dispense any medication, just counseling,” the receptionist said. “Is Dr. Jackson in some kind of trouble?” Despite the fact that she knew his real name, and knew that they knew, the receptionist insisted on using his alibi. She is trained well, thought Nikki.

  “Why would you ask that?” Hawk asked.

  “Because you are here asking questions about him,” the receptionist responded abruptly.

  “No, he is not in any trouble; we are just following up on some things he told us. Do you know if John is seeing anyone romantically?”

  “I have no idea,” she replied. “He keeps his business and personal lives separate.”

  “So, you were not aware that his girlfriend died?” Nikki asked.

  The receptionist inhaled quickly. “No. I did not even know he was seeing anyone. Bless him, poor John. Dr. Jackson always insisted we keep our personal lives private, well away from the clients during business hours. He never told me anything about a girlfriend. He would come into work, take a break for lunch, and then finish the day. He never went anywhere. He brought his food from home. He was in the building from 8-5 every single work day.”

  “Would you mind if we took a look in John’s office?”

  “Well, do not mess anything up,” the receptionist replied. “There are some sensitive files in there. I do not want you to look through the files as we have to follow confidentiality laws for his patients.”

  “Okay,” said Hawk. “We will stay out of the files for now.”

  The receptionist showed them to John’s office. It was small. Inside were a desk and two chairs, one in front of the desk and one behind it. There was a computer on the desk and a filing cabinet along the wall. Hawk thanked the receptionist, and she went back to her desk. Nikki looked around. The walls were bare. There were no pictures or degrees hanging anywhere. The walls were industrial wood paneling. They had been painted a dark, depressing brown. The floor was worn, speckled linoleum tile, the kind you might see in a school cafeteria. Or a prison, she shuddered. She imagined sitting here all day and shivered.

  Nikki looked at the desk. All of the paperwork listed Dr. John Jackson. There was no mention of John Hammer anywhere. If she did not know about the alias, she would have thought she was in the wrong office. Nikki turned on the computer, but she was locked out. She did not want to mess with trying to break the password at the moment. Meanwhile, Hawk was looking
in a filing cabinet. There were files in alphabetical order, but nothing useful. Nikki sat in the desk chair and looked over the desk. There were more files, paper pads, and a marble paperweight. She looked through the stack of files quickly but did not see anything of note.

  “Have you found anything?” Hawk asked.

  “No. There is nothing here,” Nikki said, frustrated. Perhaps he really was exactly what he seemed – a good boyfriend who just happened to have a strange job. She put her purse on the desk and got out her phone. Frustrated that they had made the long drive for nothing, she figured she better text Seth to see how things were coming at the store. The phone slipped out of her hand and fell under the desk.

  Nikki sighed, pushed back the chair, and leaned down to get it. She maneuvered under the desk and got her phone. She looked up to make sure she did not bump her head on the drawer on the way out. Suddenly she stopped. “Hawk, come see this.”

  He got down on his hands and knees and looked where Nikki was pointing. On the bottom of the desk drawer was another hidden drawer with a small lock. From the top, it could not be seen. Nikki moved out from under the desk to let Hawk get a better look with his flashlight. Hawk tried to open it, but it would not budge. He looked at Nikki. Nikki smiled and looked in her purse. She pulled out a small box and handed it to Hawk.

  “This might help,” she suggested.

  Hawk took the box and opened it. There were lock-picking tools inside – after all of her casual sleuthing, she had finally invested in a set. Hawk grinned. He put the tools in the lock and jimmied it open and pulled out the contents. He laid them on the top of the desk. There was a passport and a couple of pictures.

  “What are these doing here?” Nikki wondered.

  The pictures were of John, but he was not with Kim. He was with another woman. They seemed to be happy. They were both smiling and holding hands. There was a desert in the background of one picture and a forest in the background of another. Nikki picked up the passport. It was unexpired. It had John’s real name and a photo of him staring into the camera with his recognizable blond hair. As she thumbed through it, she noticed stamps from Mexico and Brazil. She looked at Hawk, and they gathered this evidence into a pile. Hawk called the chief.