Bear Truffle Murder (A Maple Hills Cozy Mystery Book 10) Read online

  “Nikki invited me to be here today,” said Hawk. “I hope there won’t be any trouble.”

  “I won’t start any trouble,” Andrew said, backing up.

  “Good,” said Hawk. “Now, what did you want?”

  “Well, I would like to talk to Nikki if you don’t mind,” said Andrew, trying to sidestep Hawk and reach Nikki.

  Hawk put his hand on Andrew’s chest, stopping him again. “I do mind,” Hawk said. Andrew started to protest.

  “Watch the suit,” Andrew said.

  “It’s okay, Hawk. Let him go,” Nikki said.

  Hawk dropped his hand and stepped back but not too far. Andrew straightened out his jacket. He walked up to Nikki. He held out his hand.

  “Please do not touch me,” she said.

  Andrew held up his hands and stepped back. “Okay.”

  “Now, what do you want?” asked Nikki.

  “What, no hey, how’s it going? Or what have you been up to?” Nikki glared at Andrew. He continued. “Okay, okay. I was wondering if anything strange had been happening to you lately. Specifically, has a tall woman with dark hair talked to you?”

  Nikki was taken aback. “Wait. You don’t see me for all these years, and the first thing you ask is if anything weird has happened to me? Something did happen, but to lead with that? And, no, I don’t care where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing,” she replied. She did not want to go into any detail about yesterday. Whatever Andrew wanted he could tell her, but she would not help him along with this uncomfortable meeting. She looked in his eyes; he seemed to be genuinely concerned, but then it had been a while. Who knows what he is thinking now, she thought.

  “Why is this any of your business? What does it matter if a tall, dark-haired woman talked to Nikki?” Hawk asked Andrew, stepping forward again.

  “Why is it yours?” Andrew sneered.

  Hawk took another step forward.

  “Stop it,” Nikki said to Andrew. She remembered this side of him and hated it. “We were done the minute you left my house that night. What I am doing now and who I am doing it with is none of your business. I asked Hawk to be here. You just need to deal with that.” Andrew arched his brow but stepped back.

  Andrew cleared his throat and said, “The reason I’m asking about strange things is because of a woman I recently broke up with.”

  “Of course, it has to do with another woman. Did you walk out on her, too?” Nikki jeered.

  Andrew flinched, “I deserve that.”

  Nikki was going to say he deserved even more, but she decided to hear him out.

  “We were in a bad relationship,” Andrew continued. “I had to leave her. She was becoming obsessed with me. She was constantly asking where I was and who I was with. I had to leave her. She was smothering me. Also, she blames you for our breakup.” Andrew had been avoiding Nikki’s gaze until he looked right at Nikki at the end of his sentence. He stared at her as if he wanted to apologize but could not say the words.

  Nikki was stunned. “Is that some kind of a joke?”

  “Well, I might have twisted some things around when I told her about you. I wanted to be with Karissa, and I thought I should let her know about my past relationships, especially since we have a son together.” Andrew was staring at the ground again.

  “Is Karissa the name of your other ex-girlfriend? Why would she blame me for anything concerning you?” Nikki asked.

  Andrew looked up. “Yes, Karissa is the name of the woman I was talking about. I fell for her hard when I met her. She was going to be the one. I knew I loved her, so I had to tell her about you. We have a son together. Karissa deserved to know about my past. I may have told her that you were abusive toward me. She blames you for scarring me and making it impossible for me to commit to any other woman.”

  Nikki felt her blood pressure rising. “Did I hear you correctly? She thinks I scarred you? Does she know you walked out on us? Does she know why? I don’t even know why. I sure as hell didn’t do anything abusive towards you.” Nikki was shouting by this time. She was right in Andrew’s face. Hawk was standing back, letting Nikki go.

  “Well, I wanted to be with her, and I didn’t want her to know how awful I was to you,” Andrew said.

  “You were awful to me. You would be out with your buddies until all hours drinking. I would smell the beer on you the next morning. I never did anything to hurt you. I loved you up until the day you left. Looking back, I was wrong. I should have left you before you walked out on me. Do you know what you put Seth and me through? I had to sell the house. I had to raise our son. I had to do everything. You left. You hurt me. To tell someone else I hurt you is a flat out lie. To say that I hurt you…”

  Nikki’s arm moved, and she felt Hawk grab her. “He’s not worth it,” Hawk murmured into her ear. Nikki realized Hawk was right. She put down her arm and unclenched her fist. Nikki was glad there weren’t too many people in the park.

  “You need to leave now,” Hawk told Andrew.

  “But I need to talk to Nikki some more,” Andrew protested.

  “You’re done talking to her,” Hawk said.

  Andrew reached into his pocket and handed Nikki a folded-up piece of paper. “This is my number, please call me,” he said, leaning towards Nikki.

  He was close enough that Nikki could smell his aftershave. She looked right at him and spit in his face. He flinched and backed away.

  Andrew wiped the spit off his mouth, turned, and walked away. Nikki felt herself burning with hatred. She wanted to scream. Hawk moved toward her and put his hands on her shoulders. He turned her around and hugged her. Nikki felt safe in his embrace. She sighed and looked up.

  “You should have let me slap him,” she said. Hawk laughed, and they started back to the chocolate shop.

  Hawk asked Nikki for the slip of paper. He entered the number into his cell phone. When Nikki asked why, he said he was going to run it when he got back to his desk.

  “I want to know how true his story is,” said Hawk. “Do you think he actually told Karissa that lie about you? Maybe he said that just to rile you up.”

  “I think he is telling the truth. That would explain her glare. And, it would give her a reason to tear up my shop. He knows that just being here is going to get me riled; he does not need to make anything up to accomplish that.”

  “That makes sense,” said Hawk. Hawk told Nikki to put the number in her phone in case Andrew tried to call her.

  “I don’t want to talk to him,” said Nikki.

  “You don’t have to. Just let me know if he bothers you or Seth anymore.”

  Nikki thanked him and put the number in her phone. She asked Hawk if he wanted to grab some lunch. He said yes as they walked toward the street. The park was filling up with people out for picnic lunches. Nikki loved living in a small town where people felt safe letting their children run around in a park.

  “Are you sure you’ll be able to eat?” Hawk asked.

  “No, but I could sure use the company,” Nikki said. “Maybe we should go back to the shop first and let Seth know what happened. I want to fill him in on what Andrew said. I would also like to let the officer who is stationed outside know what Andrew looks like so he can stop Andrew from coming in the shop to bother Seth while we’re at lunch.”

  “Okay,” said Hawk. “I’m sure your guard will keep Andrew away from you. They love you at the department. Maybe it’s the candy you send in with Seth,” Hawk joked. Nikki smiled. They turned around and started walking towards the shop.

  Chapter Six

  Nikki and Hawk walked towards the street. Suddenly they heard a scream. It was loud and close. Nikki broke out in a run, and Hawk was right behind her. The scream had come from the area of the chocolate shop. Nikki ran over and saw the detective Hawk had assigned to the shop standing by the alley next to the shop. He was on his phone when Nikki and Hawk arrived.

  “What is going on?” Hawk asked.

  “What was that noise?” Nikki asked.

>   “There’s a body in the alley,” said the detective. “I’ve just notified the chief. He said no one is to go down the alley. The officer you had by the door is still there.”

  The alley was located between Nikki’s chocolate store and the business next door. It was generally well kept. Nikki used one end of the alley for her garbage bins. The other end, further from the street, led to a back parking lot. The alley was well lit by the sun, which allowed Nikki and Hawk to see the body from where they were standing. Nikki and Hawk looked at each other and nodded.

  “We’re going in,” said Hawk.

  “But the chief...” started the detective.

  Hawk and Nikki pushed past the detective and walked quickly to the body in the alley. There were garbage bins around the halfway point and the body was in front of them. There was a bag of trash nearby. Even from a distance, Nikki could tell the person had dark hair. Hawk got to the body first and put on gloves. He lifted the head and nodded to Nikki. She came over, looked, and turned away.

  “It’s Karissa,” she said to Hawk as she started walking back up the alley towards her shop. Nikki felt fear rising up in her. Even though she had seen her fair share of bodies, it never got easier, especially when she knew the person who had died. Nikki was running through the conversation she had had with Andrew in the park. Andrew had certainly been wound up when he left. Hawk caught up with her. He looked at her and she nodded. She knew Hawk was thinking the same thing. Was Andrew capable of this? Had Karissa pushed him to the edge? Nikki was scared. Hawk ran towards the park. Nikki waited by the alley opening, and Hawk reappeared a few minutes later.

  “There’s no sign of him,” he said to Nikki. “I tried to call the number that he gave you, but there was no answer. Please go into the shop and stay there. I will put out an APB on him.” Nikki watched as Hawk took out his phone and called the station. He put an APB out on Andrew. Nikki thanked him and went into the shop.

  Once inside, Nikki saw Lidia, Tori, and Seth sitting at a table. Tori was encouraging Lidia to sip on a glass of water. Lidia did not look well. Seth saw Nikki and hurried over to her. He hugged her and led her to the table. Hawk walked in and sat down next to Nikki. Blue flashing lights appeared a few minutes later, and the detective walked in. He sat down at the table and let Hawk and Nikki know what was going on.

  “Your employee, Lidia, walked down the alley to take out the trash,” said the detective to Nikki. “I heard her scream, and I ran outside. The guard by the door had started running down the street. I told him to get back to the door and that I would handle the situation. He ran back to the door as I ran to the alley. Your employee was in the alley next to the body. I called the police and led her back inside.” He turned to Hawk. “I waited by the alley for the police to come. That’s when you and Nikki showed up. I think it was a gunshot. I’m not sure.” The detective looked a little green. Hawk thanked him and told him to get some water. He and Nikki went back outside. They walked back down the alley while the first police arrivals cordoned off the area.

  Walking down the alley, Hawk noticed there was no sign of a struggle.

  “Nothing is knocked over, and there are no scrapes or bruises on her body,” he told Nikki. Nikki looked around. He was right. The only thing amiss was the garbage bag that Lidia had dropped when she saw Karissa’s body.

  “She must have known her killer,” Hawk said. Nikki agreed. Hawk continued, “I put out an APB on Andrew. He had time to kill her after he left us in the park. Who else would she have known in Maple Hills?”

  “Nobody that I know of,” said Nikki. “But, as much as I hate him, I don’t think Andrew is capable of killing someone.”

  “I know you were close, but that was a while ago,” said Hawk. “People change. You don’t know what he has been through since he left you.”

  “That’s true, but I still don’t think he would do this,” said Nikki.

  “Okay. I see what you’re saying,” said Hawk. “I still need to question him. Would you mind trying to call him? I really need to know where he is. He didn’t answer when I called. Maybe if it’s a different number, he’ll pick up.”

  Nikki agreed to call. She dialed the number, but there was no answer. She left a message.

  “Andrew, when you get this, please call me. Something has happened, and I need to speak to you. Please call me; it’s urgent. It concerns Karissa.” She hung up her cell phone. She and Hawk continued looking around.

  “What is that over there?” asked Nikki, pointing to the wall across from Karissa’s body.

  “It looks like a handprint,” responded Hawk. “Good eye.” He took a picture, and just then the forensic team appeared. Hawk showed them the handprint and the body. Leah was there again, and she thanked Hawk for showing her team around. Hawk took Nikki’s arm and led her back to the shop. As they got to the door, they heard a siren. It was an ambulance arriving to take Karissa’s body to the morgue. Nikki walked into the shop. As she shut the door, she turned the closed sign to face the window.

  “Hey, everyone,” she said, addressing Tori, Seth, and Lidia. They all looked at her. “We will be closed the rest of today and tomorrow. I hope to reopen after that. I will call you and let you know what’s going on.”

  Seth approached her and gave her a hug. “I think I’ll take Tori home,” he said.

  “That’s a good idea,” said Nikki.

  “I called Lidia’s husband. He should be here any minute,” said Tori.

  “Thank you,” said Nikki. She and the others closed down the shop. Someone was supposed to be there later that day to take care of the broken window.

  “I’ll keep the uniform officer on the door,” Hawk offered. “He can help with the window.”

  “Thank you,” said Nikki. Nikki thought for a moment and looked something up on her phone. She made a call.

  “Yes, tomorrow would work. Thank you,” she said and hung up.

  “Who was that?” asked Hawk.

  “I called a cleaning crew specializing in crime scenes. Do you think your teams will be done with the scene by tomorrow afternoon?”

  “Yes, they should be done by then. Are you having the cleaners stop by then?”

  “Yes,” said Nikki.

  “That sounds reasonable,” said Hawk.

  “We should go to the morgue and see what they have to say about Karissa,” said Nikki. Hawk agreed and led her to his car. They drove to the station and walked into the morgue. They saw the chief with the medical examiner and walked in the room. Nikki checked her phone and saw that there were no missed calls. Andrew had not called her back.

  Chapter Seven

  In the morgue, the medical examiner and the chief were looking over Karissa’s body. The medical examiner told Nikki and Hawk that Karissa had been shot around noon.

  “Why didn’t we hear the shot?” asked Nikki.

  “The person who killed her probably had a silencer on his gun,” the chief explained.

  “That would make sense,” said Hawk.

  “Yeah, we heard Lidia scream, but we didn’t know why,” said Nikki.

  “I noticed she was shot in the head,” said Hawk to the medical examiner.

  “Yes, and she was kneeling when she was shot. There were some abrasions on her knees, and she was lying backwards in the alley with her legs bent. That’s how we know she was kneeling.”

  “Why would someone tell a person to kneel before shooting them?”

  “Maybe if the person was shorter than the victim. Having the victim kneel would give the shooter a feeling of dominance and control over the victim,” Hawk said. “That being said, was Karissa taller than Andrew in her heels?” he asked Nikki.

  Nikki thought about it. “Yes, she would have been a little taller than him.”

  “Has anyone seen Andrew yet?” Hawk asked the chief.

  “No, there have been no reported sightings,” the chief answered.

  Nikki looked at the body on the table. She thought about Andrew. “I really do not think
he did this,” she told Hawk. “Yes, he’s a jerk, but that doesn’t make him a murderer. I know him better than anyone else in this room.” She could hear her voice getting higher and feel her body tense up.

  “Well, right now he is the only one with a motive. If you find someone else, I’ll talk to them,” snapped Hawk. Nikki held her breath. Hawk apologized.

  “It’s been a rough day for everyone,” said the chief. “Nikki, can I speak with you privately for a minute?”

  “Sure, Chief,” Nikki replied. She followed him down the hall, relieved to be away from the friction in the morgue.

  “Why don’t you sit down? Can I get you a drink? Would you like some water? Coffee?” the chief asked.

  “I’d like some coffee please, thank you,” replied Nikki as she sat in a chair across from the chief’s desk. There was a box of tissues on his desk. Nikki took one and wiped her eyes. The chief poured her a cup of coffee and sat down at his desk. Nikki thanked him for the coffee and took a sip.

  “Nikki, you have been a great asset to this police force ever since you came to Maple Hills. You have helped us solve quite a few cases and have been a blessing to my son. That being said, I have to wonder if you might be too close to this one. The victim was threatening you and our main suspect is your ex-husband. I would understand if you needed to back away from this one.”

  Nikki was not too surprised. She did let her emotions get away from her a bit in the morgue. She had never blindly questioned Hawk’s suspicions about a suspect before. She thought for a moment.

  “I understand why you may think I’m too close to this,” she said to the chief. “However, I can be objective. I’m glad you called me out of the morgue. I just had to step back for a moment. Yes, I will be able to work this case with Hawk. If I feel my objectivity sliding, I will excuse myself. I do believe I can work this case, though.”

  “Okay, Nikki. I will keep you on the case for now. If I feel you’re not seeing things in an objective way, though, I will pull you off the case.”

  “I understand. Thank you, Chief.”