Maple Hills Mystery Box Set Page 27

  “They have anything useful for me?” Hawk asked as he stood upright to greet her.

  “Not really,” she said. “Doesn’t sound like anyone else was in the park this morning. They said they got here at nearly six am and never saw anyone other than our victim.”

  “Well, the man did have a driver’s license on him, so we got an identification at least,” Hawk said.

  “What’s his name?” Nikki asked, trying not to look in the direction of the corpse.

  “Howard Blanche.”

  6

  Nikki and Hawk arrived outside of a local Maple Hills apartment complex only a few hours after their investigation began at the park. They had been able to locate an address of an apartment complex called Sunnyside Hills where Howard Blanche had been renting an apartment with his girlfriend, Taylor Perkins. Taylor, as far as the detectives working alongside Hawk could say, was the only person that Blanche had any contact with in Maple Hills.

  “Does she know we’re coming?” Nikki asked as she climbed out of Hawk’s patrol car.

  “No, and she doesn’t know about Howard yet,” Hawk said.

  “Great,” Nikki grumbled; the thought of having to be the ones to break the terrible news made her skin crawl. They headed to the furthest building from the complex’s entryway and up the exterior staircase toward the second floor.

  Their destination was the third door down, and Hawk paused before knocking. “I don’t like being the one to have to tell the loved ones,” he admitted.

  Nikki did not say anything; she simply nodded in agreement and pulled her coat tighter. Hawk knocked twice, and then the door abruptly swung open. “Oh!” a woman exclaimed. She was tall, incredibly slender, and looked to be in her thirties, close to the same age as the victim. “Sorry, thought you were someone else.” She had an annoyed look about her; clearly, she had expected her boyfriend home long before now.

  “Ms. Perkins?” Hawk asked politely.

  “Yes?” she questioned, looking Hawk up and down to deduce that he was an officer. She frowned. “Is everything all right?”

  Hawk’s voice was smooth, calming, and he spoke with a sincerity that Nikki admired. “I’m afraid not, Ms. Perkins. You are the girlfriend of a Howard Blanche, correct?”

  “Yes, that’s right. Why, what’s wrong?” she demanded.

  “I’m sorry, miss, but Howard was found dead this morning in Maple Hills Park,” Hawk said, and the woman’s face contorted horribly.

  “Dead? What do you mean dead?”

  Again, Hawk spoke with an extreme calmness and in an empathetic tone. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Perkins. I know this is quite a shock and that you may need a moment, but would you mind if my colleague and I came inside? We’d like to speak to you about Howard and ask some questions so maybe we can piece together what exactly happened.”

  The woman nodded, and Nikki could see a few tears starting to stroll down the woman’s face. She stepped aside so they could enter the little apartment, and Nikki could hear the woman sobbing now. Nikki looked back over her shoulder as Taylor closed the door behind her, wiping her face with her sleeve. “Excuse me for a second,” she said and vanished back into the bedroom for a moment.

  Nikki and Hawk took a moment to examine the living space of the little apartment. There was a living room and kitchen and a door leading to a bathroom. There were not many personal touches, but based on the small cardboard box shoved in the corner, it seemed as though the pair had only just moved in recently. There was one picture frame hanging next to the television, and it depicted Taylor and Howard smiling together, their faces just barely fitting into the frame.

  Taylor reemerged only a few minutes later after having given herself a moment to pull herself together. She sat down on the couch, a box of tissues in hand, and asked, “What happened?”

  Hawk went on to explain the unpleasant details, leaving out what he could while still remaining honest. Taylor looked absolutely mortified, and so Nikki sat herself down beside the woman and attempted to offer some comfort.

  “Someone killed him?” Taylor asked for confirmation after hearing that her boyfriend had been stabbed several times and possibly strangled.

  “I’m afraid so,” Hawk said. “Is there anything you can tell us about Howard that might help us figure out who did this?”

  Taylor’s head seemed to sway about a bit as she took it all in. She breathed deeply, and she choked on her words. Nikki reached over and placed a consoling hand over on the woman’s shoulder. After a moment, Taylor spoke with a bit more clarity. “I don’t know if I can be of much help. Howard, well, he was never too kind to strangers, I’ll admit. But he was a good soul deep down. A good man. He just moved here to be with me, and we started renting this apartment. I thought that maybe if I, you know, introduced him to enough people around Maple Hills that he’d become more comfortable with people. That they would accept him. Now I’ll never get the chance.”

  “Well, Taylor, if Howard was the good person you knew him to be, you can rest knowing that he must be in a better place now,” Nikki said, and Taylor smiled at this.

  “Yes, I’m sure he will end up where he has always deserved,” she said, still smiling behind those broken eyes.

  “Would you mind if I looked around, Ms. Perkins?” Howard asked. “Just to see if there’s anything I can find that would indicate who did this?”

  “I don’t see why not,” Taylor responded and then slumped down deeper into the couch, releasing a loud exasperated sigh.

  Hawk seemed to almost instantly disappear, not that there was much to look at. The only other room apart from the living area and kitchen seemed to be the bedroom. Nikki sat with Taylor, and the two women began chatting about Howard. Taylor spoke on and on about how fun of a person Howard was and how kind and sweet he was. The woman admitted that he was not exactly well loved by everyone, but to think that he had someone who would want to kill him seemed very far-fetched to Taylor. “You look familiar to me,” Taylor said once she had calmed herself down. “You own that little chocolate shop on Main Street, don’t you?”

  Nikki smiled. “You’ve been to my shop?”

  “Yes. I bought some chocolates from you just the other day,” Taylor said.

  Nikki thought for a moment and then nodded. She recalled the incredibly busy day they had had, but after a moment she did indeed recognize Taylor’s face. “That’s right, you ordered a dozen of the pumpkin cream stuffed chocolate bites.”

  “They were just wonderful!” Taylor exclaimed and then lowered her voice. “Sorry. I’m a chocolate girl, and I can get a little excited about my sweets. That Howard! My goodness, he ate all of my chocolates I got from you and didn’t save me but a bite!” Taylor laughed a bit and then shook her head. “I really liked your little treat, though. The pumpkin flavor was very subtle, hardly noticeable, but it was just enough for an extra kick.”

  “I’m glad you and Howard enjoyed them,” Nikki said, glad to see that a slight smile had appeared on Taylor’s face.

  “So, where was Howard working, Taylor?” Nikki asked.

  “Oh, he worked across town at Lucky Aid Insurance. He used to have to commute over an hour to get there. He was really glad that we got this apartment. Cut his commute in half,” Taylor said.

  Before their conversation could go further, Hawk reemerged from the bedroom. He had a quizzical look about him as he went back into the bathroom for the second time, returning moments later with the same look of confusion. “Everything okay, Hawk?” Nikki asked.

  “Ms. Perkins, do you mind if I ask you an unusual question?”

  Taylor exhaled, a slight chuckle emerging due to Hawk’s unusual phrasing. “Um, okay?”

  “Why did you and Howard have two different bathrooms?” he questioned. “I mean, you obviously used the one that juts off the bedroom, and then Howard used this one here, right?” he asked, waving his hand toward the bathroom that could be accessed from the den.

  “Good question,” Taylor said. “When we s
tarted looking for apartments, that was one thing Howard really wanted. He wanted a place with two bathrooms. I guess he liked his privacy.”

  “So,” Hawk said, still looking a little confused, “you two share a bedroom, a kitchen, and a living space but not the bathroom? You only used the bathroom back in your room, and this room was just for Howard, right?”

  “Right,” she said.

  Nikki could not quite figure out what had Hawk so bothered by this. Sure, it was a little unusual, but some people just needed their privacy. “What are you getting at, Hawk?” Nikki asked.

  “Ms. Perkins, do you know what is inside the safe in Howard’s bathroom?” he asked.

  Taylor frowned. “What safe?” she asked.

  “The safe under his sink in the bathroom,” he said.

  Taylor rose from her seat and walked past Hawk into Howard’s bathroom to investigate. She came out a moment later looking just as confused as Hawk. “I didn’t know he had a safe,” she admitted. “I never went in his bathroom. I didn’t have a reason to.”

  “You never thought that it was a little strange that the two of you would have separate bathrooms?” Hawk asked.

  Taylor crossed her arms, a look of annoyance appeared on her face. “No, I didn’t. Howard was always up really early because of his job, so he wanted to have an apartment that had a separate bathroom so he wouldn’t wake me up getting ready. I think it was considerate, if you ask me. It’s not weird or suspicious like what you seem to be suggesting.”

  Nikki stood up, coming close to cutting Hawk off before he said something to set Taylor off even further, but he spoke before she had a chance to stop him. “Ms. Perkins, did Howard have any sort of dangerous hobbies or affiliations we should know about? Maybe something that could have resulted in his murder?”

  “Excuse me!” Taylor yelped. “What are you accusing Howard of? You know what? Don’t answer that! You two can just get out of my apartment right now!” she pointed toward the door.

  “Ms. Perkins—” Hawk started to protest.

  “Get out!” she screamed. “Now!”

  Nikki hooked her arm into Hawk’s and gave him a slight tug. She wished she had told him to back off sooner; Hawk was a professional, but sometimes he had a harder time picking up on when people had had enough. “Come on, let’s leave her alone. Taylor, if you can think of anything that might be of use, please call the local department. You will likely be receiving a call from the local coroner today about what you would like to have done for Howard.”

  “Thanks,” Taylor quipped and slammed the door shut behind them.

  “I put my foot in my mouth, didn’t I?” Hawk asked once they were outside.

  “Yes, you did,” Nikki replied. “You probably should have treaded a little more lightly when you started asking about Howard’s hobbies. She was pretty clearly distraught already.”

  “I know. I got carried away,” Hawk admitted. “Now I don’t know what to do. I guess we could talk to the forensic pathologist to see what he can tell us about exactly how Howard died.”

  “Or we could go to Howard’s place of employment and interview people there?” Nikki suggested.

  “Did Taylor tell you where he worked?” Hawk asked proudly.

  “Yup,” Nikki said and smiled slightly at him. “Lucky Aid Insurance Agency.”

  7

  “Yeah, so, if you could just let me know about what time you’ll be heading back…you know…just when you get a chance. Talk to you later, Mom,” Seth’s voice spoke in broken sentences over the speaker on Nikki’s cell phone as she replayed his voicemail.

  Nikki was seated in the passenger’s seat of Hawk’s patrol car as they made their way across town to Lucky Aid Insurance; Seth had called her only a minute before, but she had chosen to let the call go to voicemail. “You know, avoiding talking to your son is not going to solve anything, Nikki. You can’t just keep ignoring him just because he brought home someone you don’t really approve of.”

  Nikki cocked her head swiftly in Hawk’s direction, narrowing her eyes into an annoyed gaze. “That’s not it at all, Hawk!” she declared.

  He laughed at her. “Oh? Really? That’s not it? Okay, Nikki, why don’t you tell me why it is you didn’t answer your son’s call then?”

  “I will!” she said. “I just don’t want to be distracted while we’re investigating. Ignoring Seth’s call has nothing to do with Jackie. I need to stay focused. I’ve never really been the type of woman to rest until a case is solved, and you know that.”

  Hawk sighed and removed the smug look from his brow. “Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry for assuming it was something else. I struggle with the same sort of thing in my line of work, you know?”

  “I know. I just want to try to solve this case before Thanksgiving so that I won’t be distracted,” Nikki said. “I’ll drive myself crazy trying to cook an entire Thanksgiving meal while I’m worried about what happened to Howard Blanche.”

  “I want to know what Howard’s got hidden away in his safe. No healthy couple splits off their bathrooms like that. Something more was going on with Taylor and Howard than she let on,” Hawk said with a grimace.

  They arrived outside of Lucky Aid Insurance, and Hawk huffed slightly at the run-down building. “This looks like the sketchiest insurance agency I have ever seen,” he said. “I wonder if they’re even legitimate.”

  “Now, now,” Nikki scolded. “You shouldn’t judge a business just because the outside of the building is a little…crumbly…and…”

  “Methy,” Hawk said. “Seriously, it looks like we are about to do a drug bust. The sign is literally just their name spray painted up on the cement above the doorframe!”

  Nikki laughed, having just noticed the makeshift sign displaying the company’s name. “Oh my goodness,” she said and had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. “I think they spelled ‘insurance’ wrong! They left out the e!”

  Hawk whipped out his cell phone and called one of the researchers down at the station. “Hey, Heather,” he spoke into the phone. “I need a quick favor. Pull up what you can about a Lucky Aid Insurance Agency. I want to know whether or not it’s a legitimate company and…oh? You use them? Really?” Hawk frowned. “And they’re legitimate? No, I’m sitting out here right now and the place looks like…oh…a tornado? Really? Okay, my bad. Awfully ironic for an insurance agency; did they have insurance? Ha!...Hello? Heather?” Hawk hung up the phone and blushed slightly as he looked at Nikki. “She called me stupid and hung up.”

  “That was a really lame joke, Hawk,” Nikki teased. “So what happened? Their building got hit by a tornado?”

  “Last year. They’re still remodeling apparently,” Hawk said. “No wonder it looks like the building is falling apart. Come on, let’s go.”

  “What did we learn about judging a book by its cover?” Nikki continued to tease him as they got out of the car.

  “Oh, come on, you and I both know this place looked sketchy when we first pulled up,” Hawk said.

  They headed inside, and they could tell from here that the building had once been much nicer. The inside did not seem damaged at all, and from where they stood, you would never have guessed the place had been hit by a storm. When they first entered, a young, smiling woman in a suit greeted them from behind a large receptionist desk. “Welcome to Lucky Aid Insurance Agency. What can I do for you folks?”

  “We’d like to speak to some of the employees here about a Howard Blanche,” Nikki said.

  The woman’s face instantly distorted into one of absolute disgust. “Oh? Well, sure, go right ahead. Everyone’s in the break room right now. Um, what is this about exactly? Howard hasn’t worked here in a year.”

  Nikki and Hawk exchanged glances. “A year?” Hawk questioned.

  “Yeah, after the tornado that hit this place, the boss had to let a few people go to cover his losses. Howard was the first,” the woman said.

  “I appreciate the information, Miss…?”

 
“Brittany Anders,” she said and smiled.

  “Thank you, Miss Anders,” Hawk said and summoned Nikki with a tilt of his head. The two of them walked past the receptionist desk and down the hall until they found the large breakroom Brittany had been referring to.

  One man jumped up from his seat when they entered, tossing his lunch into a nearby trash bin. “Hello, welcome to Lucky Aid Insurance Agency. The name’s Randy. You two here for—”

  Nikki held up her hand to slow down the sales pitch that she sensed was coming her way. “We’re not here to shop for insurance.”

  “We’re here to talk about Howard Blanche,” Hawk flashed his badge. “He was found dead this morning at Maple Hills Park.”

  The room was very quiet. One insurance agent, the only woman in the room, stood up. She seemed rather unmoved by the news. “Sorry, I got a phone call I’m about to be late for, fellas. I’ll be at my desk if you need me,” she said and whipped out of the room with her nose up in the air, leaving behind a group of four men in suits.

  “What happened to Howard?” the man who had first greeted them asked.

  “Howard Blanche was stabbed to death and left on display at Maple Hills Park,” Hawk said. “My name is Detective Hawk Bailey, and I’m heading up the investigation. If there is anything you gentlemen could tell me about Howard, it would be appreciated.”

  The men exchanged glances. One man, a gentleman with a perfectly round face and a balding head, shrugged. “Never really spoke much to Howard,” he said. “I know he used to head down to the bar down the street just about every night he got off work to wind down. But I didn’t know the man personally.”

  The other men seemed to have similar sentiments. “He never spoke to me much,” said one.

  “Me either,” said another. “He was the kind of man who kept to himself. Wasn’t really ever that friendly of a guy. I say that, but it’s not like he ever caused a scene or stirred the pot. Like, I mean, he didn’t have any enemies, I guess. Just no friends. Only acquaintances.”