Maple Hills Mystery Box Set Read online

  “I second that,” Hawk added. He watched Jack look down at his glass of soda. Tomorrow, Hawk thought, he would press Jack harder, but at the present moment, it was better to loosen the leash.

  Nikki began talking to Hawk about her store, allowing Jack to become lost in his own thoughts until Kelly brought out dinner. “Looks delicious,” Nikki said as Kelly put down a yellow dinner plate holding chicken and dumplings in front of her.

  “Let's dig in,” Hawk smiled and grabbed a piece of cornbread from the breadbasket.

  “Sure, yeah,” Jack agreed, staring down at his dinner plate. “Uh...where's the bathroom?” he asked Kelly.

  “Straight back down that little brown hallway,” Kelly told Jack, pointing to the back of the restaurant.

  “I'll be back in a few minutes,” Jack told Hawk and excused himself.

  “He's hiding something,” Nikki said, taking a bite of cornbread.

  “Yep,” Hawk replied in a disappointed voice. “I'm not sure why he had his partner contact me, but whatever reason he had, it's not what we think.”

  “I kinda got that feeling, too,” Nikki confessed. Picking up her glass of tea, she took a drink. “Hawk, could it be Agent Norris isn't dead? Could it be Agent Norris is helping Dellington and Haim?”

  Hawk bit down on his lower lip. “Nikki, anything is possible. I'm going to check this Agent Norris out and see if he is dead or alive. If he's alive, then we can begin making some concrete assumptions.”

  “And if he's dead?”

  Hawk finished off his cornbread. “We’re both tired. Tomorrow we'll look at Jack and everything he's told us with fresh, rested minds. Right now let's enjoy our meal.”

  Nikki grew silent. She picked up a fork and began nibbling on her chicken and dumplings as her mind began to investigate every single word Jack had let leave his mouth. Why would Agent Norris be at the hospital waiting for Jack to arrive in the ambulance? The timing was suspicious. What was also suspicious was Jack being transferred to Atlanta under a weak lie. Also, Nikki thought, why would Agent Norris leave Jack alone and rush back to New York? And, Nikki finished, Jack didn't seem too bothered that he didn't have any security protecting him; the man didn't even have a gun. No, she concluded, the pieces didn't fit. Jack was certainly hiding the truth.

  Hawk casually checked the watch on his wrist. “Jack's been in the bathroom for twenty minutes.”

  “Maybe you should go check on him?” Nikki suggested.

  “Yeah, I guess I should,” Hawk said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Standing up, he made his way to the men's bathroom. “Jack?” he said, knocking on a wooden door, “are you okay in there?” Hawk was greeted by silence. “Jack...hey, Jack?” With a steady hand, Hawk reached out and tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. Easing the door open, Hawk peered into a tight, cramped, white bathroom. On the right wall was a window; the window was open. The strong winds from outside were blowing rain through the window, soaking the bathroom floor. Hawk shook his head. “Jack, why?” he moaned.

  Hawk closed the bathroom door and turned around. Nikki was staring at him. “Jack went AWOL on us, Hawk. He's had a twenty-minute head start. Come on; sit back down. Let's finish our dinner and go find a hotel.”

  “Yeah,” Hawk agreed, walking Nikki back to their table. Sitting down, he looked down at Jack's plate. “Why did he contact me?” he asked, confused.

  “We'll figure out why. Let's eat,” Nikki told Hawk and patted his hand. Outside, the rain continued to fall as night began to overcome the last of the daylight. As Nikki and Hawk ate their dinner, Jack caught a ride with a trucker and vanished into the night.

  5

  Nikki placed her pink suitcase on the soft king-sized bed, which was covered with a light brown blanket. Closing her eyes, she stood silently for a moment, listening to the heavy rain outside talk to the howling winds. The wind was washing the top of the tall pine trees outside with a strange yet familiar sound that made Nikki homesick. Nikki opened her eyes with a long sigh. With a sleepy mind, she examined her hotel room. “Not bad,” she murmured, admiring the light green-colored walls gifted with autumn-colored leaves. Looking down at her tired feet, she saw a soft brown carpet that had recently been shampooed. Drawing in a deep breath of cinnamon and apple-scented air, Nikki looked at a wooden nightstand beside the bed, spotting a bowl of potpourri. “Nice touch.”

  After taking a hot shower, Nikki pulled on a fuzzy pink nightgown, grabbed a mystery book from her suitcase, and plopped down onto the bed. “Let's read about the ‘Case of the Snowy Cave,’” she muttered to herself. But as hard as Nikki tried to read her book, she found her mind could not focus. Instead, her thoughts were pulled back to Jack's hospital room. Slowly and methodically, Nikki went over every word Jack had said, and then began to think about Dr. Falton. If Agent Norris was a lawman that had veered off the straight path into criminal activity, then perhaps, Nikki thought, staring over the pages of her book at the hotel room door, Dr. Falton might be a crook, too? If not a crook, perhaps the man might be able to shed light on some of the questions running through Nikki's mind.

  Hearing her cell phone ring, Nikki put down her book, took her purse off the nightstand, and dug out her cell phone. Checking the incoming call number, she smiled. “Hi, Lidia.”

  “Hey, Honey,” Lidia told Nikki in a pleasant, warm voice. “I'm over at your cabin, Tori and I are making chocolates. It's raining here. How are things in Georgia?”

  Nikki bit down on her lower lip. The last thing in the entire world she wanted was to admit to Lidia that she and Hawk were on another case. “Fine,” she said in a voice that came out even and steady. “It's raining here, too.”

  “That's why I'm calling. The south is under a severe storm warning. Storms will be moving through the south all night tonight and all day tomorrow. We wanted to make sure you and Hawk were okay.”

  “We're fine,” Nikki promised. Closing her eyes, she imagined Lidia and Tori standing in her kitchen making delicious chocolates. She smelled the warm scent of chocolate mingled with freshly brewed coffee. She saw every detail of her kitchen. And at that moment, she felt a sense of homesickness for Vermont that struck her heart with a painful yearning. “I wish I were with you tonight. Making decadent chocolates on a rainy night with your two very best friends is just what the heart needs.”

  “Honey, are you okay? Did you and Hawk have a fight?” Lidia asked, hearing the sadness in Nikki's voice.

  “I'm fine,” Nikki promised. “Well...no, I'm not fine. Oh, Lidia, being back in the south, so close to my old life...all of my old memories...my heart is breaking. I miss my home. I miss my old life. I miss my hometown. I miss cold glasses of sweet tea on soft summer nights, sitting on the back porch, watching the lightning bugs play. I miss taking early morning jogs, watching my hometown wake up. I miss...my home.”

  “I see,” Lidia said in a low voice. “Honey, are you thinking about leaving us?”

  “Oh no,” Nikki promised Lidia. “I also miss you guys. I miss Vermont. I miss our store. I miss the cabin. I...really wish I were back home with you and Tori tonight, sipping coffee, eating chocolates, cuddled up in my robe listening to the rain fall.”

  “We wish you were here, too,” Lidia promised Nikki. “You may not believe this, but the town feels empty without you. Even Chief Daily made a joke today about how dull the town feels without you in it, and that maybe when you get back some excitement might return.”

  “Chief Daily thinks I'm a black cat...I'm starting to believe it,” Nikki confessed. “You have to admit, Lidia, bad luck seems to be following me everywhere I go...I couldn't even make a marriage last.” Feeling tears begin to sting her eyes, Nikki took a deep breath; the last thing she wanted was to begin crying over her ex-husband.

  “Oh, Honey,” Lidia said, feeling her heart break for Nikki. “It takes two to make a marriage work.”

  Nikki felt a tear stream down her left cheek. “I know,” she whispered weakly.

  “Are you crying?” Lidia
asked.

  “Yes,” Nikki admitted as more tears began to flow from her soft eyes. “Oh Lidia, my heart is breaking. I didn’t think coming back home would affect me like this.”

  “Oh dear,” Lidia said, worried, “and here I am hundreds of miles away, too.”

  “I'll be okay,” Nikki promised. “It's raining outside. The rain will put me to sleep, I promise. I'm just being a teary-eyed idiot right now.”

  “No, you're not,” Lidia scolded Nikki. “Honey, you've been through a lot, yet you have remained strong and determined throughout every single step you have taken. It's only natural that you're hurting right now. You're back in a place that was once home to you...a place that is soothing and comforting, filled with memories that both bring joy and pain. You moved to Vermont to begin a new life, but that doesn't mean our emotions, attachments, memories, and love for our old life fades away.”

  Nikki wanted to reach through the distance separating her from Vermont and wrap her arms around Lidia as tightly as possible. “You're wonderful,” she told Lidia. “Oh, how I miss you.”

  “And I miss you,” Lidia told Nikki from her heart. “Listen to me. Take out one of those mystery books you love so much, read a little, and then fall asleep listening to the rain. I will call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Tell Tori I love her,” Nikki replied gratefully. “I love you, Lidia. Sweet dreams.”

  “Sweet dreams,” Lidia said, her voice warm and soothing. “Stay strong, Nikki, and listen to your heart.”

  Nikki put her cell phone away, thought about what Lidia had told her, and then pulled her cell phone out of her purse again. “Okay,” she said, wiping away her tears, “let's focus on your life. Whatever is going on with Jack now involves Hawk and me. When we return home, I don't want any shadows chasing us; I need to stay strong.”

  Nikki used her cell phone to search for any listing for a Dr. Falton who was attached to St. Joseph's Hospital. “Well, at least Jack was telling the truth about Dr. Falton,” Nikki said, finding Dr. Falton's information. “Well, Dr. Falton, Hawk and I may be paying you a visit.”

  Putting her cell phone away, Nikki leaned back on her pillow, closed her eyes, and brought Hawk's face into her mind. She thought about their first encounter in the small hospital back in her new town in Vermont. There she was, all alone, working on a case that threatened her new livelihood; or so she thought. And in walked Hawk Daily—strong, handsome, intelligent—to save the beautiful damsel in distress. “He's been my knight in shining armor ever since,” Nikki whispered as she listened to the howling winds crying outside of her hotel room. “Three homicide cases in Vermont...the last case nearly broke my spirit...a tormented man on a cruise ship...and now this. Hawk must believe I truly am a black cat…no, stop that,” Nikki scolded herself. “You and Hawk solved each case, helped to save innocent lives, and grew closer in the process. Seek the good that has come out of every case, not the bad.”

  Hearing a knock on the hotel room door, Nikki tensed. Cautiously, she eased off the bed, walked to the door, and looked through the peephole. There, standing in the night, stood Hawk, clad in plain blue pajamas, a pillow under one arm and a blanket under the other, wearing the expression of a silly teddy bear. Nikki smiled and opened the door. “Hello, Hawk,” she said as strong, wet winds blew at her face, blowing her hair off her shoulders. “Are you lost?”

  “Uh...Lidia called me,” Hawk confessed. “She told me you were crying. I figured...well, I could crash on the floor and keep you company.”

  Nikki's heart melted. “Come on in, you big lug.”

  Hawk walked into Nikki's hotel room as Nikki closed the door behind him. “I have to warn you, I snore.”

  Nikki walked to the bed and sat down. “Make your bed,” she told Hawk, yawning.

  Hawk made a pallet beside the bed and plopped down. Nikki lay down on the bed. Throwing her face over the edge, she looked down at Hawk. Hawk leaned up on one elbow. “Why were you crying?” he asked in a concerned voice.

  “Homesick,” Nikki confessed in a soft tone, staring down at Hawk's exhausted face. “I've been thinking about Jack,” she told Hawk, hoping to change the subject.

  “Me, too,” Hawk replied, allowing Nikki to veer off the path. Hawk felt that if Nikki didn't want to talk about her tears, then he didn't need to push her. In time, he knew, Nikki would open up with him on a deeper level. Just being allowed to sleep in her room meant she trusted him in a special way. And that, Hawk thought, was special.

  “I looked up Dr. Falton on my phone. I thought perhaps Jack made him up. Dr. Falton is real, Hawk. With that said...perhaps we need to drive back to Atlanta and speak with him?”

  Hawk made a “Yeah-I-Guess” face. “Nikki, I would like to say that, as far as I'm concerned, this whole matter with Jack is water under the bridge. The truth is, my gut tells me we better get to the bottom of this because somehow you and I are in this thing deep.”

  Nikki placed her chin down onto her hands. “Jack was a dishonest cop, wasn't he?”

  “It seems that way,” Hawk confessed. “Maybe not? At this point, Nikki, I can't really say. The obvious clearly tells us Jack walked off the sidewalk into the sludge...but, I don't know, maybe it's the cop in me.”

  “I'm still confused as to why Jack would involve you, release all the information he did, and then escape?” Nikki told Hawk. “Hawk, I could tell Jack really cared about the illegal immigrants being used as slave labor. But his actions don't make sense.”

  “No, Jack's actions don't make sense,” Hawk agreed. Staring up into Nikki's beautiful face, he smiled. “Before Lidia called me, I was lying on my bed thinking about being back in Vermont. Call me sentimental, but I was thinking about your cabin. I pictured us sitting in your kitchen, drinking coffee, while you made some of your famous Georgia peach truffles.”

  “Really?” Nikki asked, surprised.

  Hawk nodded his head. “The truth is,” Hawk continued, “I like sitting in your kitchen on a rainy day, drinking coffee...it's kinda, well...cozy. The Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a fierce winter, lots of snow. I see the town covered in a white blanket, smoke coming from chimneys, and you and me sitting in your kitchen, drinking coffee, watching the snow fall.”

  “Don't forget about autumn,” Nikki smiled down at Hawk. “We can take walks through falling leaves, sip on hot apple cider, sit in front of the fireplace at my cabin...snuggle a little.”

  Hawk blushed some at the thought of snuggling with Nikki in front of a warm fire. “And then,” he told Nikki, “I thought about us being here, in this hotel. My stomach sank. If we were here at this hotel because we were on vacation, well, that would be different.”

  “I know,” Nikki sighed. “I would walk away from this case, but I can't. Hawk, this isn't just about you and me, this is about innocent people being used to serve a corrupt company. These people need our help. Afterward, they can return to their country and enter America legally, through the channels that are set up to assist them.”

  “Help the person first,” Hawk agreed. “But we both know the deeper we involve ourselves, the more dangerous things will become. Which leads me to this: Nikki, I called a friend I know at the NYPD. I ran the name of Greg Packard, the cop Jack claims is involved in the smuggling of illegal immigrants.”

  Nikki leaned up. “And?” she asked anxiously.

  “Greg Packard is a cop with the NYPD. He's been a cop less than five years, Nikki. The guy is twenty-eight years old, no family, no wife, no kids. Last year, he was put on administrative leave while being investigated for bribery. The charges never came to pass. Ironically enough, the investigator in charge of the case has stock in Dellington and Haim.”

  “Corruption runs deep.”

  “Whenever the good guys push at the bad guys, money talks, and the bad guys walk away free,” Hawk agreed. “Right now, Greg Packard is assigned to foot patrol. In other words, the guy can roam around on a very long, comfortable leash and do whatever he wants.”

  “My
mind is standing at the steps of City Hall, Hawk. I'm certain Manhattan is full to overflowing with corrupt officials, including the mayor. Remember two years ago when the elections for mayor were taking place? The current mayor of New York almost landed in prison for very serious tax evasion charges, yet he was voted in somehow.”

  “Money talks and destroys the truth of our American way,” Hawk told Nikki, disgust coloring his voice. “Greg Packard is on the payroll of a multi-billion-dollar company, a company that greases the hands of people put in a position of power by people with more money and more power.”

  Nikki sighed. “What has America come to, Hawk?”

  “You know, I can see Pop's face right now...if he found out that we were involved in another case...” Hawk laughed to himself. “Poor Pop, his greatest worry is making sure the tourists in town remain happy.”

  “I wish that was my greatest worry,” Nikki confessed. “Hawk, Jack was telling us the truth. So why did he run away? I'm confused.”

  “I have a feeling Agent Norris will help us understand,” Hawk told Nikki. “I doubt Agent Norris is dead, as Jack claimed. I'm afraid Jack and Agent Norris were working together. Maybe, Nikki, that's why Jack took off on us; he might have become suspicious that my thoughts were leaning in that direction.”

  Nikki leaned back on her bed. Staring up at the white popcorn ceiling, she mentally examined Hawk's suggestion. “There was no security at the hospital protecting Jack when we arrived...that's fact one. Fact two is Agent Norris was waiting for Jack at the hospital. Fact three...Jack was wearing a protective vest when he was shot. Hawk, we're reaching the end of summer. Manhattan isn't exactly a freezer right now. Jack wouldn't have shown up at the construction site wearing a jacket to cover the fact that he was wearing a protective vest.”

  Hawk looked up at Nikki's bed. He hadn't considered that fact. “That's true,” he said.