Maple Hills Mystery Box Set Page 26

  Nikki closed the door, and as soon as she did, she spun around on her heels to face down her son. She felt like screaming, and she was sure that Seth could see it written all over her face. Her son’s cheeks were bright red, and he avoided eye contact. “So, I think I’m going to go to bed,” he said. “It’s been a long day with a lot of flying and waiting around the airport, you know?”

  “Oh, no,” Nikki said. “You and I need to talk, Seth.”

  4

  Nikki felt Seth’s gaze, and it was a look of absolute discontent. His face was wrinkled up, and he reminded her of when he was a little boy and he would try to pout to get his way. “Mom, I’m tired. We can catch up in the morning,” he said and attempted to walk away.

  “This isn’t about catching up, Seth, and you know it,” Nikki said and walked after him, hurrying around him to cut him off in their living room. “What in the world is the matter with you? What business do you have dating a woman that much older than you? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

  “You know what, you were really rude to Jackie,” Seth claimed. “And, what, because she’s a little older than me?”

  “A little!” Nikki exclaimed. “Seth, she must be twice your age!”

  “She’s only thirty-two!”

  “Oh my goodness, you’re insane!” Nikki shouted. Her mind was running in a million different directions. What could her son possibly see in a woman like that? “You can’t even tell me the truth about how you two met.”

  “I did tell you the truth! We really did have a class together, and we ran into each other at the tattoo parlor where she works.”

  Nikki crossed her arms, giving her son a serious death stare. She really did feel like she was arguing with a young, childish version of her son. Like he was ten years old again, and he was insisting on having another cookie from the cookie jar. “Did you get a tattoo?” Nikki asked.

  “Yes!” he snapped. “Not that it’s any of your business. I don’t need your permission.”

  “You don’t need my permission? Do you realize how childish you sound right now?” Nikki asked. She lowered her arms to her side, flexing her hands to keep herself from shaking. “What tattoo did you even get? Where?” Nikki then paused and held up a palm in his face. “You know what? I don’t want to know! I’m sure it’s something trashy!”

  “Dad has tattoos, and you never seemed to mind that,” he snarled. “Not until after he left, that is.”

  “This is not about your father; it’s about you! I didn’t realize you went to college just to goof off,” she declared.

  Seth rolled up his right sleeve and held out his arm. “I’m not goofing off. And this tattoo isn’t trashy!”

  Nikki frowned and took a peek. In lovely writing were the words Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity. Nikki crossed her arms again. “It’s a nice quote,” she said, but she was still fuming.

  “I thought so. I haven’t told you yet, but I got accepted into the school’s medical program. I got the tattoo to celebrate. It’s a quote by Hippocrates, and I like it,” he declared, rolling his sleeve back down.

  Nikki took a breath. “I didn’t know you got accepted into the program. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I was going to tell you today, but then you got all weird with Jackie,” he said.

  “Of course I got weird!” Nikki exclaimed. “Just be honest with me, Seth. How did this even happen?”

  “She did the tattoo, okay?” he snapped, raising his voice this time.

  Nikki scowled. She did not care for Seth’s tone. “And you just decided to ask out your tattoo artist?”

  “No, she asked me out,” he said.

  “Of course she did!”

  “Mom, chill!” he demanded. “Look, I didn’t exactly have some romantic crush on her or anything. But just because I’m not super attracted to her in that way doesn’t mean we’re not close! She asked me out, and it’s been so long since I dated that I just decided to give it a shot and see what happens.”

  “You gave it a shot all right—you decided to give a cougar a shot!”

  “A cougar! Are you kidding me, Mom? She’s a nice woman, and she’s our guest. You need to knock it off right now, or I’ll leave and you can spend Thanksgiving by yourself!” he roared, and then Nikki and Seth both heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.

  Nikki spun around to see Tori standing behind her with a small suitcase thrown over her shoulder. The girl’s face was bright red as she stammered, “I, um…well, the door was unlocked. I’m sorry, I should have knocked.”

  Great, Nikki thought. She couldn’t imagine what all Tori had just heard. “Hey, Tori,” Nikki muttered.

  “I’m sorry,” Tori mumbled. “I interrupted something, obviously. Um…I can leave. Or wait outside. Or I could just—”

  “It’s okay,” Nikki assured. “Let me get you set up in the guest room, Tori.”

  “Guest room?” Seth questioned and glared at Nikki. “You cleared out your office, huh?”

  “I did,” Nikki said.

  “And you didn’t mention that earlier when Hawk drove Jackie off because we didn’t have room, huh?” Seth questioned.

  Nikki glared back at Seth. “Must have slipped my mind.”

  Seth rolled his eyes. “I’m sure it did. I’m going to bed. Goodnight!” he shouted and turned around, snatched up his suitcase and disappeared towards the back of the house.

  “Should I leave?” Tori asked quietly.

  “No, don’t you do that,” Nikki insisted. “We just had a little…argument, is all. Let’s get you set up. I’m really happy to have you spending the Thanksgiving break with us.”

  “I’m looking forward to it,” Tori said.

  Nikki led Tori to the back hall. She opened up the door to her office which now consisted of a smaller desk, a little twin-sized bed, and a dresser with a tall mirror. “Think this will do?” Nikki asked, and Tori smiled.

  “Oh, I think so,” she said. “Thanks, Nikki. Um, is everything okay between you and your son? What’s going on?”

  “Oh, he brought home a date,” Nikki said.

  “That’s nice,” said Tori.

  “She’s thirty-two,” Nikki said.

  Tori’s face turned red. “Really?”

  “Really,” Nikki said, shaking her head. “I don’t know what to do. I think I overstepped my bounds a little bit. He’s pretty mad at me. I probably shouldn’t have called her a cougar.”

  “To her face?” Tori shrieked.

  “No, of course not! I’m not that rude. Just when Seth and I started arguing,” Nikki said, shaking her head. “It’s been a long night, Tori, so I think I’m going to go to bed. If you need anything, just let me know. Make yourself comfortable.”

  Tori nodded and smiled. “Thank you again for inviting me to spend the holiday with you, Nikki.”

  Nikki nodded and smiled. “Of course, Tori.”

  5

  After having such an unpleasant first meeting with her son after a long absence, Nikki decided she was going to make the best of the start of a new day. She arose early that next morning and got to work on creating a feast for breakfast. Normally, she would take the lazy way out as far as cooking goes the week of Thanksgiving so as to reserve her energy for the biggest cooking day of the year, but not this morning. She pulled out all the stops, running down the street to get some fresh blueberries from the local shop to make her famous blueberry pancakes.

  Nikki also prepared some hearty bacon, biscuits, and omelets filled with ham and bits of freshly chopped ingredients. The smell alone was enough to rouse both Tori and Seth from their bedrooms. Seth’s hair was messy and uncombed, but his eyes were wide with excitement at the decadent smell spreading throughout the house. Tori had taken slightly more time to make herself presentable before leaving the guest room, pulling up her pretty blonde hair in a ponytail so as not to make it too obvious that she had yet to have a shower; she had also thrown on a pair of yoga
pants and a t-shirt.

  “Okay, if this is what it’s going to smell like in here every morning, I’m never skipping breakfast,” Tori teased, plopping herself down on a stool by the kitchen island so that she could watch Nikki finish up with the omelets.

  “Awe, man, you made your blueberry pancakes,” Seth said excitedly, already grabbing a plate from the cabinets. Seth gazed across the kitchen counter at the platter of breakfast dishes, and Nikki could see him lick his lips slightly. “Geez, Mom, is there anything left in the pantry at all? This is quite a spread.” He smiled at her, and Nikki smiled as well. It was a silent way of apologizing to one another without actually having to say it.

  The three of them each made a plate and then wandered over to the little kitchen table that sat by the windows overlooking the vegetable garden in her tiny little yard. The next fifteen minutes or so were lovely. Seth spoke about college, and he had so many stories to tell. Nikki laughed and exchanged a few stories of her own, and poor Tori sat quietly and embarrassingly added in a remark every once in a while. Tori was still shy despite having gotten used to working the counters at the chocolate shop.

  “So, Tori,” Seth said, pulling Tori out of her little comfort zone in the corner chair, “how do you like working for my mom?”

  Tori smiled. “Your mom is great. She sure does make it fun.”

  “I’m going to have to try one of those chocolate turkeys you made last night,” Seth said, giving Nikki a grin. “Jackie made them look good. They, um, weren’t for a customer or anything, right?”

  Nikki laughed. “No, they weren’t, thankfully. They were for you all.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” Seth said. “She probably should have asked.”

  Nikki sighed. “Honestly, Seth, I probably just made her so nervous that she wasn’t thinking. I could have been a little more open-minded.”

  There was a knock on the door, and Seth leaped up out of his seat. Nikki frowned; he seemed far too eager. “Hey, Jackie and Hawk are here!” Seth called from the foyer.

  “Something smells amazing!” Jackie’s voice could be heard.

  Nikki felt Tori pop her in the arm, and when she looked at her, Tori was waving a hand in front of her face. Tori’s face went from a scowl to a smile—her silent way of telling Nikki to play nice. “Thanks,” Nikki murmured, not realizing she had instinctually gone back to a grimace upon hearing the woman’s voice.

  She forced a smile just as Hawk and Jackie were walking in from the foyer into the kitchen. “You two have breakfast yet?” Nikki asked. “Go ahead and make yourselves a plate.”

  “Don’t mind if I do!” Jackie exclaimed, all smiles. The woman had clearly slept off whatever foulness had formed between the group the previous evening. She, much like Nikki, seemed ready for a fresh start. “My goodness, did you make all this? Everything looks amazing!”

  “Thank you, Jackie,” Nikki said. Hawk did not make himself a plate. He stood with a concerned scowl, and with the way he was standing in the archway of the kitchen instead of coming over, Nikki could tell he was not planning on staying for breakfast. “Everything okay, Hawk?”

  “Not really,” he said. “Just got a call, and I got to go. A dead body was found in the park.”

  “Oh no!” Tori exclaimed.

  Nikki pushed her plate aside and rose to her feet. “You going to the scene now?” she asked.

  “About to head that way,” he said.

  “You know I’m coming with you, then,” Nikki declared.

  Hawk nodded, a sad smile appearing on his face. “You know I need my little super sleuth.”

  “Okay, we’ll come too,” Seth said and started to put away his food as well.

  Nikki shook her head. “Oh, no you don’t. There’s no need for that. You’re staying right here.”

  “Um, no, I don’t think so,” Seth argued. “I’m going with you.”

  “No, you’re not, Seth,” Nikki said.

  “Yes, I am,” he stated boldly.

  Before they could get into yet another argument, Jackie reached out and touched Seth’s forearm. “Seth, listen to your mother. From what you’ve told me about her, she has experience with this sort of thing. You don’t, and there’s no reason for you to see a gruesome scene at the park. She’s just trying to protect you. Don’t be so stubborn.”

  Nikki smiled. “Thank you, Jackie. I appreciate that.”

  “Besides,” Jacki added, lowering her arm, “I definitely don’t want to see that, and it would be nice if you and I could enjoy this nice breakfast together that your mom obviously worked hard to prepare.”

  Seth frowned and muttered, “Fine.”

  Nikki grabbed her coat and then followed Hawk outside towards his patrol car. Nikki plopped down in the passenger’s seat and exhaled loudly. “Rough morning?” Hawk asked as he slipped into the driver’s seat.

  “Not really,” she admitted. “Nothing compared to last night. Seth and I got into it after you two left. I may have called his girlfriend a cougar, I don’t know. I think I blacked out for a minute there I was so frustrated.”

  “A cougar? Really, Nikki?” Hawk scorned her as he cranked up the car and pulled out of the driveway. “I wouldn’t call her a cougar. She’s older, sure, but it’s not like he’s dating someone our age.”

  “He might as well be,” Nikki mumbled. She shook her head. “I think I may have prejudged her too quickly, though. I mean, she seems okay. If anything she seems to just be embarrassed by the way I acted. How did she seem to you after you got back to your place?”

  “We didn’t really talk much. I asked her about her job, and to be honest, she talks more like an artist than a tattoo shop worker. She did show me a sketchbook she keeps for new tattoo design ideas. It was pretty impressive. An artist and a future doctor—they say opposites attract, you know?” Hawk reached over and touched her hand, giving it a slight squeeze. “He could do worse for himself, you know?”

  “I know,” Nikki said. “I’m just being a mom. Why not date someone his own age?”

  “Would you prefer a nice older woman who honestly seems to care about Seth or some ditsy college freshman who’s rushing some sorority and not paying any mind to her studies?” Hawk asked.

  “I suppose the first one,” Nikki said with a moan. “Okay, forget about Seth and Jackie for a minute. What do you got for me as far as this case goes?”

  “Nothing yet,” Hawk said. “Only that a body was found in the park and they need me there.”

  “Great.” Nikki leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes for a moment. A few minutes passed, and soon they arrived at the Maple Hills Park. There were several other officers already on the scene when they arrived.

  Just inside the park’s main entrance was a bench that was now surrounded by yellow crime scene tape. Nikki walked alongside Hawk as they made their way over to the scene of the crime. The setting was a bit surreal. Several trees circled the bench, all adorned with bright red and orange leaves, seemingly the only trees in the park that were still managing to hold onto their leaves after several nights of below-freezing temperatures. Large piles of fallen leaves sat on either side of the bench, and Nikki got a good look at the dead man sitting upright on the bench, his hands folded neatly over his stomach.

  Upon first glance, it would almost seem as though the man had taken a stroll and had fallen asleep after taking a rest. As they drew closer, though, Nikki could see that the body had been mutilated. She felt a tickle in her throat, and she gagged slightly. The man’s throat was purple and very swollen, and his chest and stomach were covered in stab wounds. The man’s hands covered the most brutal of his wounds. “He was clearly moved to the bench postmortem,” Hawk said. “His hands and arms have been moved perfectly to cover most of his wounds. Looks to be about thirty-five, maybe?”

  One of the other officers nodded. “I think so.” The man turned and nodded to Nikki. Most of the police in the area knew her by now—the chocolate shop lady whose father had worked in the FBI. She h
ad given up on that dream of following in her father’s footsteps after meeting Seth’s father, but now ever since moving to Maple Hills, it was as though she was being given second chances to pursue that old dream. She had solved several murders alongside Hawk, and she was ready to do it again.

  Nikki looked towards the sidewalk and saw a small cluster of joggers. “Witnesses?” Nikki asked the on-scene officer.

  “They’re the ones who called it in,” he confirmed.

  Nikki tapped Hawk’s shoulder to let him know she was leaving the crime scene, and he nodded approvingly. While Hawk walked around the crime scene in search for evidence, Nikki headed over to the group of joggers. “Did you folks see anything?” she asked.

  There were four joggers total: three women and a man, all dressed in tight spandex. The man shrugged slightly, but he spoke. “We just thought he was sleeping at first, but honestly we were pretty loud, and we circled around the park twice. We thought he was just some homeless man catching up on his sleep in the park. We figured we should have woken him up from all the noise we were making, and so Katie went to check on him. We thought maybe he had had a heart attack.”

  “Which one of you is Katie?” Nikki asked.

  The shortest of the three women perked up slightly. “Um, that’s me,” she said.

  “Did you see or notice anything?” Nikki asked.

  “I just went and tapped on his shoulder, and when he didn’t move, I bent down to look at his face and saw the bruising around his neck. It looked like someone had strangled him, and then I saw there was blood. I freaked out after realizing he was dead; that’s when we called the police.”

  “Did you see anyone else in the park this morning?” Nikki asked them, but none of them had. She asked several more questions, but they did not lead to anything ground-breaking. She thanked the joggers and assured them that one of the officers would get their official statements in a moment. Nikki headed back towards the crime scene, but she was a bit nervous to do so. Something about this murder made her stomach start doing flips.