Maple Hills Mystery Box Set 3 Read online

  The hall was buzzing with conversation. The wedding party was seated at their table and the reception was in full swing. Nikki and Hawk found their table. Her crew was already there, as was the chief. Appetizers were being served. Nikki looked at Susan. She was glowing. She actually seemed a bit more relaxed. Nikki was happy for her.

  As Nikki and Hawk nibbled on their appetizers, Hawk filled his father in on the uneventful exit of all the guests from the tent.

  “Do you have people here?” Hawk asked the chief.

  “Yes, most of the precinct is here, as a matter of fact. See that waitress?”

  Nikki looked where the chief was pointing. She saw a blonde waitress and smiled. Nikki recognized Judy from the precinct. She noticed a few others, but they blended in well.

  “Where is John?” Hawk asked the chief.

  “I decided to keep him overnight. Because his first wife died of an overdose, I could not let him go. If he is our killer, I did not want him anywhere near this wedding.”

  Hawk nodded in agreement. Nikki relaxed a bit, knowing that John was being held. After the appetizers, the main course appeared. It was surf and turf. Everyone had filet and lobster tail. The chief leaned over to Nikki.

  “The mayor said he had these flown in yesterday, fresh from the ocean.” Nikki smiled. Of course he did, she thought.

  “It looks wonderful,” she said. It tasted wonderful, too. After dinner, the wedding party roamed around the room thanking their guests. Everyone was invited to have some chocolate and a line formed at Nikki’s chocolate table. Nikki heard some ooh’s and ahh’s. She smiled, happy that everyone seemed to like the dessert. Hawk squeezed her hand.

  “Another success from Nikki’s chocolate factory,” he teased.

  “I think everyone likes it,” Tori said, looking at the long line that had formed.

  “Look how much the mayor took,” said Lidia, laughing at the piled-high plate. Nikki and Hawk laughed, too. Not long after that, the band started playing, and the groom took his wife out for the first dance, and then the mayor came out for a dance with his daughter, too. The wedding party joined in. The next song had even more people on the dance floor. Hawk and Nikki danced together, and Nikki relaxed in his arms. They danced awhile, forgetting their cares and even forgetting their lack of sleep in the last couple days.

  When it was time to cut the cake, everyone crowded around the cake table. The cake was four layers high, decorated in white and pink rose petals, and had white chocolate chips inside. There were champagne toasts after everyone had a piece, and then it was finally nearing the end of the night – Susan and Tim announced they were leaving. The guests piled outside to wave goodbye on the front steps. The best man drove Tim’s car around to the front. There were tin cans tied to the back and “The Happy Couple” was written on the rear window. Tim and Susan laughed. The guests threw birdseed at them as they dashed toward the car. They sped off into the frosty night, and then the guests started to disperse.

  Nikki started to feel tired, finally. But she knew they still had more to go over. Seth offered to drop off Tori and drive Nikki home. She agreed. She gave Hawk a kiss and told him to meet them after he got changed. Hawk agreed and walked to his truck.

  Later at the house, Nikki and Seth changed out of their party clothes in favor of warm sweatpants and sweaters. Nikki made hot chocolate and on the way home, they had picked up the last of the chocolate-covered strawberries from the chocolate shop. She and Seth were sitting in the den by the fire when the front door opened and Hawk walked in.

  “Look who I found outside,” he said. Tori walked in with him. Seth got up and kissed her hello. Nikki told Hawk to get some hot chocolate and join them in the den. Hawk got a mug for Tori and himself and brought them into the den. He handed Tori her mug and sat down by Nikki. They talked about the wedding, and Nikki relaxed into Hawk’s shoulder. She was getting drifty when Hawk’s phone rang. He looked at it and told Nikki it was the chief.

  “Hello,” he said. “What is happening? Okay, we will be right there.”

  Hawk jumped up to grab his coat. Nikki asked what was happening.

  “I’m not sure. Something’s going on at the precinct and dad says he needs us there right away.”

  “Okay,” said Nikki. “Seth, you and Tori stay here. I will let you know what is going on as soon as possible.” Seth meanwhile had leaped up, too.

  “I’m coming with you,” he declared.

  “No,” said Nikki. “Stay here with Tori.”

  “I know you are worried, Mom, but I can handle myself under pressure. I don’t want to get stranded out here, wondering if you’re okay, if you forget to pick up your phone again.”

  Nikki knew he was right. She looked at Hawk.

  “Okay, but stay close,” Hawk warned. “I do not want you to get hurt.”

  Seth promised to stay close, and Tori said she would stay at the house in case Lidia called or came over. Nikki, Hawk, and Seth piled in Hawk’s truck. Hawk drove quickly to the station, barreling down through the twisty, hilly roads as fast as he dared.

  In town, Hawk headed for the station, and from the flashing police lights reflecting off the nearby buildings, they knew something was up before they even rounded the corner. As they parked, they saw that the station was surrounded by police, and there were spotlights trained on the front entrance. A man was talking on a megaphone. They quickly found the chief and asked what was going on.

  “A man walked in with a gun and demanded to see John,” the chief said. “The deputy at the front desk was unarmed when he came in, though at least he was able to sound the alarm. Most of us were able to get out, but John is still inside. There are only two deputies in there with him, he’s been threatening Deputy Smith at the front desk for the past ten minutes.”

  Nikki looked in the front window. She saw a man holding a gun. He was pointing it at one of the deputies. Evidently the discussion had gone from bad to worse, because then they could hear him yelling at the man, demanding to see John. The deputy said he could not take the gunman into the back of the precinct building. The gunman shot the wall behind the deputy, and there was an angry, tense murmur from the crowd of officers watching from the parking lot. The gunman demanded the deputy give him his gun. The deputy complied. The gunman then put his gun to Deputy Smith’s head, pulled him out of the seat, and demanded the deputy take him to see John. The gunman and deputy disappeared from view.

  “We have to go after him,” Hawk said. “We need to breach the building.”

  “No,” said the chief. He didn’t say it out loud, but he was reluctant to risk his son in a dangerous situation. “Let me send a couple of deputies.”

  “I am better trained in SWAT tactics than your deputies, and Nikki and I know each other well,” Hawk countered. The chief resisted again but finally agreed to Hawk’s plan. Nikki told Seth to stay with the chief, and then she and Hawk started running in a crouch to the side of the building.

  12

  Hawk and Nikki ducked and ran across the snow-covered lawn to the side of the building. They both reached the wall and slid closer to the nearest door. Hawk reviewed a few standard law enforcement SWAT hand signals with Nikki so there would be no confusion inside. She listened and memorized them, though she was already familiar with most of them. They were ready to go.

  Hawk and Nikki entered the building by the side door. Hawk went first and cleared the corridor, and Nikki covered him. They moved quickly and methodically, checking the back hallways and offices. The building was quiet. In one room, a woman was sitting in a corner behind a desk. Hawk told her she could go out the back door. She thanked him and ran out quietly. Hawk and Nikki moved through the next few rooms, clearing the rooms and their lines of sight as they went.

  Hawk rounded the corner and ducked behind a desk. They were next to the interview room where John had been held and could hear voices from inside. The desk was across from the door to the interview room and its bulk provided good cover. Hawk held up his hand
and motioned Nikki to follow him. Nikki moved quickly and quietly beside him and crouched behind the desk. Hawk looked over the desk carefully and scanned the interview room. He ducked back down behind the desk. He told Nikki that the deputies who had been guarding John were tied up in a corner. John was seated in a chair. The gunman had the deputies’ weapons beside him on the ground. The gunman could not see Hawk and Nikki, but they could hear what he was saying to John.

  “I finally have you,” he said, pacing in front of John.

  “Who are you?” John asked.

  “You know who I am. I am the one who scared off the villagers around your little clinic in Mexico. Those people were moving my drugs. You were in my way. You tried to get rid of me, but you failed. I lived in the village for years before you came along. Don’t you understand how the world works? The villagers all knew who I was – they all worked for me, and in return, I did not kill them. I used them as mules to get my drugs across the border. Some of them made it, and some did not. Those who made it back received a bonus. They were my favorites. They could slip past the border patrols and the customs inspectors and deliver the goods to California. Your former wife, Alexa, was one of my best mules.”

  John tried to get up, but the gunman pressed his weapon into John’s head at the temple, forcing him back down into his chair.

  “What are you talking about?” John asked him angrily. “My wife was not a drug mule.”

  The gunman laughed. “Oh, yes she was. Because no one suspected her, she got away with it. She fit in with the crowd of tourists and vacationers. She seemed so sweet and innocent, yes?” he leered. “She was anything but.”

  John tried to move again. The gunman warned him with another cruel gesture to stay still.

  “How could you know my wife? She never mentioned you. She would have told me if she had been running drugs. I found drugs in our house…but it was a single dose. If she was running them, there would have been more. My wife died of an accidental drug overdose,” said John, his voice half desperate and half angry.

  “Really? Is that what the medical examiner told you?” sneered the gunman.

  “Yes. I found her stash the night before she died. When I got home the next day, she was dead.”

  “She did not die accidentally. Believe me, it was no accident when I injected that heroin into her neck. She struggled, but like all good junkies, she enjoyed it before she passed out and died.”

  “What are you talking about?” John yelled. “Why would you do that?”

  “I did it because I found out you were working undercover for the cops. I told Alexa, but she refused to believe me. After Alexa met you, she refused to run any more drugs. Even when I told her you were working with the police, she refused to listen. I planted those drugs for you to find. I thought you would kick her out and finally knock some sense into her. If you had, she would still be alive. She would have come running back to me. But no, she insisted she was in love. I could not have my best mule living with an undercover cop.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a psychologist! I ran a clinic in Mexico. I am not a cop. Alexa and I were happy together. We just wanted to be married and live in peace,” John insisted, pleading again.

  “What? You don’t think I have proof? You think I would kill Alexa on a suspicion? When I suspected something was not right, I had my men follow you. They took pictures of you meeting with the American DEA and the task force from the Mexican government. Here, I’ll show them to you.” The gunman pulled out a stack of pictures from his front jacket pocket, never taking his gun off of John. He threw the pictures in John’s lap. “Pick them up and look at them. Tell me I am wrong.”

  John looked down at the pictures and turned pale. He did not pick them up.

  “But Alexa’s death wasn’t enough of a warning for you, was it? After you left Mexico, they raided my warehouses. They took everything from me. I evaded capture and ran from the police. You thought you’d escaped scot-free and left me to hang for my crimes, but I swore I would track you down and have my revenge. I found you and took the life of your new woman. She was pretty when I found her, all dolled up for the wedding. That pink dress. Her pretty hair. What a shame.”

  “You killed Kim?” John yelled. “I will kill you,” he threatened the gunman.

  “No. You won’t kill me. You will die here tonight, I promise. Then you can be with both the women you loved,” the gunman threatened.

  “How did you kill Kim?” John asked.

  “I have been watching you both for a couple of weeks. I heard about her friend’s wedding, and I decided that I would take advantage of the festivities. When I heard there was a rehearsal dinner, I found a waiter’s uniform. I slipped into the back of the venue when everyone was dancing. I told her there was a phone call for her. Silly, naïve girl. She believed me. She followed me down the hall. I pulled her aside and took her out to my van. She put up a bit of a struggle, but I got the injection in her right away. A massive dose. I waited until the heroin had kicked in enough to make her seem drunk, and I led her back to the party. I let the drugs do their work. No one saw me. Everyone was too busy working or having fun. Her friends thought she had been drinking and was rambling nonsense, and they stuck her at a table. I knew better. It was not long after that when she passed out. I knew she would be dead within minutes, so I left. It was easy.”

  John tried to get up again, but the gunman held him down with an arm across his chest. The gunman put his gun to John’s head and cocked the trigger. Nikki looked at Hawk. She whispered, “We have to do something.” Hawk nodded. Nikki felt along the edge of the desk and brought her hand back down. She was holding a pen. She motioned throwing it, and Hawk smiled and nodded.

  Nikki tossed the pen behind the gunman. He turned to look where the noise was coming from. Before he could turn back, John jumped out of the chair and tackled him. Nikki and Hawk jumped up and Hawk leaped over the desk to help take down the gunman. John hit the gunman in the face and slammed the gunman’s hand on the tile floor. The man dropped the gun, and Nikki kicked it away. Hawk had the man on his stomach, his hands wrenched behind his back, in mere seconds. He cuffed the gunman and hauled him to his feet. With one respectful nod at John, Hawk took the gunman down to a jailcell before letting the chief and the others know everything was clear.

  Nikki freed the deputies and turned to John. “Was all that true?” she asked in disbelief.

  “Yes. I worked for the DEA in Mexico. We tried to take down his operation, he was part of a big cartel that controlled the whole coastline. I was so distraught over Alexa I had to leave before the takedown was even finished. The DEA asked me to set up a clinic here to try and make progress tracking the cartel’s distributions in the states. I agreed and was making some progress right before Kim died. I think I have enough on him to put him away for good now. The DEA will come and get him soon, I suppose.”

  The chief had come inside.

  “Good work, Nikki,” he said. “Hawk told me what the gunman said, John. Is there a number I can call to verify that you worked with the DEA?”

  John gave the chief his contact name and number. The chief called the number and verified the information. When the chief got off the phone, he shook hands with John and apologized for ever doubting him.

  “The DEA said they would send someone over to pick up the gunman. They should be here in about half an hour,” he informed John.

  “Thank you. I understand why you took me in. If I was in your shoes, I would have doubted me, too. I never wanted anyone to get hurt. I opened the clinic here to work with the local addicts and dealers. We were trying to bring down the cartel once and for all. I couldn’t compromise my identity.”

  “Was Kim aware of what you were really doing?”

  “Yes, and she supported me. She knew the risks, but she wanted to be with me anyway. She was a very strong woman.” John sat down. He looked exhausted and wiped out. The chief handed him some coffee. Hawk returned from locking
up the gunman, and Nikki filled him in. Hawk apologized to John and shook his hand.

  Nikki and Hawk were both astounded by the evening’s events. Seth joined them in Hawk’s office and told them he was psyched to see justice in action. Law enforcement was one of his career interests. Nikki hugged him and was glad he had gotten the rare chance to see another branch of law enforcement doing their job, and during a hostage situation no less. She felt badly for John, though. No one should lose the one they love like that, she thought.

  “So, would you like to stay at my place?” Nikki asked Hawk. “You’re my ride home, but you’re welcome to stay. It’s so late now. You are welcome to come along, too. We have a guest bed,” she offered to John. John thanked her but said he just wanted to go home and get some rest. He said he would wait for the other agents to pick up the gunman. The chief said he would see that John got back home safely. Nikki nodded in understanding.

  Hawk agreed to stay over, and he drove Nikki and Seth back home. Tori was waiting for them with some light snacks she had whipped up while they were gone. There were plates with sandwiches on them and some macaroni and cheese. It was very late and a chilly wind was blowing in the dark night as they hurried into the warm house. Nikki was glad to come home to some homemade food and a warm fire. “Tori, you’re a lifesaver,” Nikki said as she sat down in the den.

  “I hear you saved some lives tonight too, Nikki,” Tori commented, her eyes wide as Seth had shared the details as soon as they had returned.