Peppermint Chocolate Murder (A Maple Hills Cozy Mystery Book 2) Read online

  “Great,” Nikki beamed, “why don't you come over around nine, and we'll cook the night away.”

  Lidia nudged Nikki in the side with her elbow. “Tori rides a bike to work, remember?” she whispered.

  “Oh, right!” Nikki said. “Honey, I'll pick you up around nine.”

  Tori smiled. She really liked Nikki, and the idea of making chocolate with a woman who treated her like a daughter made her feel warm inside. “I'll be waiting.”

  “Will you lock up for me?” Nikki asked Lidia. “I'll go to the bank.”

  Lidia glanced at Hawk. “Be a gentleman,” she ordered him.

  Hawk threw his hands up into the air. “Hey, this isn't a date—we're just getting a few burgers. Down, tiger!”

  “I'll down you with a chair over your head if you don’t keep your hands where they belong,” Lidia promised Hawk.

  Hawk looked at Nikki and then whistled in the air. “Man, you hire some tough people, don't you? Forget the mafia, let this woman loose in the world.”

  “And don't you forget it,” Lidia told Hawk. “Now, scoot, the both of you. Go eat. Tori and I will close up shop.”

  Nikki hugged Lidia. “We need to talk later. Come over to my cabin about nine,” she whispered in Lidia's ear. “It's very important.”

  “Okay, honey,” Lidia whispered back.

  “Tori, I'll pick up you around nine,” Nikki called out and left with Hawk.

  Chapter Eight

  Nikki was sitting in a cozy booth in a 1950s style café. An antique jukebox was shooting out a song about someone wondering about a blue moon. Relaxing, she soaked in the environment. Looking at old photos of movie stars plastered on a black and white checkered wall, she wondered how the world had changed so much. “Times sure have changed. Instead of Elvis, we have music that hurts my ears.”

  Hawk picked up a plastic menu. “I know what you mean,” he agreed. “Today's music pollutes the minds of our children. Give me Elvis any day of the week.”

  Nikki picked up her menu. “So what about the stolen car?” she asked, feeling a few eyes staring at her from other booths.

  “The BMW belonged to a Mr. Henry Greendale. Mr. Greendale owned the house that burned down. He also worked for a security firm in Atlanta,” Hawk whispered over his menu. “I would speak to him, but the guy is dead.”

  “How?” Nikki whispered back.

  “Died in the house fire,” Hawk explained, keeping is voice low. “But that's not all of it. At the time of his death, Mr. Greendale was working in a major bank in Atlanta.”

  “When was he found dead?”

  “Eight days ago,” Hawk answered, “the same day his wife reported his BMW stolen.”

  Nikki kept her eyes on the menu. A double cheeseburger with onion rings sounded great. The rumblings in her stomach clearly told her she was past being hungry. “Money was involved then,” Nikki said, lowering her menu.

  Hawk nodded. “And we have an empty suitcase,” he answered putting down his own menu. “Whoever killed this guy took the money.”

  “Hawk,” Nikki said, spotting a pretty young waitress with short black hair approaching the booth, “in a minute; here comes the waitress.”

  Hawk looked over and saw a young girl wearing a black and white uniform approach the booth. “Hey guys, my name is Mandy, and I'll be your waitress. What can I get you to drink?” the young woman asked, diving off into her normal waitress dialogue.

  “Water with lemon for me,” Nikki said.

  “Coffee, black...make it decaf,” Hawk ordered.

  “Water with lemon and a black decaf,” the waitress said and smiled. “I'll be right back.”

  Nikki waited until the waitress walked away and then told Hawk about visiting the old man at the border. “Pitiful...anyone could sneak in.”

  “I know,” Hawk agreed and told Nikki that he was familiar with the poor shape of the border patrol station.

  “That old man told me there were back roads. I searched, but I couldn't spot any. I'm going to search again tomorrow,” Nikki explained.

  Hawk looked down at his hands. “Nikki,” he said, “I already checked into the back roads. There are a few. One back road...”

  “What?” Nikki pressed at Hawk. “Hey, we're partners, here,” she said and then remembered her talk with Zach. Was she going to tell Hawk about her visit to the lodge? If not, was it really fair to press Hawk to reveal hidden information to her? Feeling guilty, she took a straw and peeled off the paper. Waiting until the waitress brought the drinks, Nikki finally looked up at Hawk, who was carefully studying her. “What?”

  “You went back to the lodge, didn't you?”

  “Yes,” Nikki confessed.

  “Nikki,” Hawk said and threw his hand onto his forehead, “I told you to stay away from the lodge, didn't I?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why did you—wait, what am I asking? I should have known better,” Hawk said rubbing his eyes. “I might as well tell you that there is a back road that leads into Canada that is connected to the property the lodge sits on. Now before you go flying off the handle, don't assume that means—”

  “That the Snowfields are somehow involved?” Nikki whispered.

  “Ready to order?” the waitress asked returning back to the booth.

  “I'll have the grilled chicken salad, and make it to go, please,” Nikki ordered, giving Hawk a sour look.

  “Uh, I'll have...I'll stay with my coffee for now,” Hawk told the waitress. When the waitress walked away, he bit the inside of his jaw and frowned. “What?”

  “We're not partners anymore,” Nikki answered Hawk, standing up. “I'm going to find out what is so special about the Snowfields that you're protecting them.”

  “I'm not protecting anyone!” Hawk said. He urged her to keep her voice low.

  “Yes, you are,” Nikki snapped. “I talked to Zach Snowfield, and he isn't mentally ill, Hawk. I also sent Lidia and Tori out to the lodge, and they can back up my story. You tried to push me away from that kid.”

  “You what? You sent who? Hawk asked rubbing his eyes again. “Nikki, you can't do these things. I'm conducting a murder investigation here.”

  “Exactly,” Nikki told Hawk, “you...not us,” she said and walked away to the cash register.

  Hawk got to his feet and followed Nikki. “You don't understand,” he whispered over her shoulder.

  “Leave me alone,” Nikki whispered back. “And don't worry, I'm leaving town once I get this all figured out.”

  Hawk stopped in his tracks. Unable to say anything more, he watched Nikki pay for her salad and leave. Feeling deflated, he walked back to the booth and sat down. Putting his head down onto his hands, he closed his eyes and shook his head. “I have a choice to make,” he told himself.

  Upset, Nikki slowly drove around until it turned dark, thinking, trying to clear her head. After turning onto the road leading to her cabin, she saw headlights appear and come up close behind her SUV. Realizing that she was in trouble, Nikki sped up. The headlights kept pace. A few seconds later, the front end of a truck rammed the back of the SUV. Holding onto the steering wheel as tightly as possible, Nikki managed to stay on the road. Speeding up, she raced forward. The truck managed to keep pace and rammed the SUV again. With her heart racing, Nikki knew that she wasn't going to be able to outrun the truck.

  Making a split-second move, Nikki sped up until the SUV was racing down the road at a dangerous speed and then slammed on her brakes. The truck smashed into the back of the SUV. The violent force of the crash activated the driver's seat airbag. Stunned and disoriented, Nikki managed to press her right foot against the brake. The truck, now damaged and with both front headlights smashed, eased back from the SUV and disappeared into the dark. Now, Nikki thought, trying to remain conscious, Hawk would be able to track the truck down when the driver tried to have it repaired. But Nikki knew who the truck belonged to.

  Chapter Nine

  After being released from the hospital, Nikki all
owed Lidia to drive her home. “I'm fine,” Nikki promised Lidia. “The airbag saved me from any real injury. My back is a little sore, that's all.”

  Lidia crept through town, past dark stores and down empty streets. “Hawk didn't believe your story,” she said.

  “I don't, either,” Tori said from the back seat. Leaning forward she looked at Nikki. “Ms. Bates, what really happened?”

  Nikki sighed. Carefully, she explained about the truck that had attempted to run her off the road. “Now before you two panic, I don't think the driver meant to harm me. Someone wanted to scare me.”

  “Who?” Lidia demanded, crawling under a yellow flashing caution light hanging over the middle of Main Street.

  “I can't say for sure, but I have an idea.”

  “Honey, I think it's time you stop involving yourself in this case. As a matter of fact, I'm going to have to insist. You could have died tonight,” Lidia said, worried.

  “I can't,” Nikki objected. “Not yet. I...” Nikki looked at Lidia and then to Tori. She was becoming very fond of her friends. The thought of leaving them saddened her heart. But could she really stay in town? “I won't involve you two any longer. I was wrong to do so. I'm sorry.”

  “Don't be sorry,” Tori told Nikki and carefully touched her shoulder the way a daughter does when she tries to comfort her mother. “Ms. Bates, you have been very kind to me. I...we want to help you if you let us.”

  “Honey,” Lidia began to object and then simply sighed. “You're not going to get off this case are you?” she asked Nikki.

  “No,” Nikki answered.

  “Herbert isn't too happy with me being out this late,” Lidia confessed. “As a matter of fact, honey, he's been pressuring me to find another job.”

  “And?” Nikki asked, looking at Lidia's face silhouetted in darkness.

  “Herbert and I have never agreed on much. Most of the time we just agree to disagree,” Lidia told Nikki. “He's a good man. It just so happens he's wrong to believe you're a bad influence.”

  Nikki felt her heart break. The thought of Lidia's husband condemning her behind closed doors almost brought her to tears. “I'm sorry he feels that way about me.”

  “A lot of people in town are happy with you,” Lidia continued, “but a few are upset with you. One of the few owns the campground we live at, honey. You know Herbert and I live on a fixed income. We can't afford to rent a house...far too expensive.”

  “I understand,” Nikki said and then rubbed her back. “Lidia, if you want to find another job, I—”

  “I didn't say that,” Lidia interrupted Nikki. “I went out to the lodge for you, didn't I? I don't care what people think because I see the good in you. I'm between a rock and hard place, that's all. But what it comes down to is what my daddy once told me.”

  “What did your daddy tell you?” Tori asked.

  “My daddy once told me that a friend—a real friend—will stand true no matter the cost,” Lidia told Tori and then smiled at Nikki. “You're a jewel, honey. I'm going to stand by you, okay? I wish you would leave this case alone, but it's clear that you're not going to. So I'll do what I can to help. Herbert will just have to fuss. And if we get kicked out of the campground—”

  “You can have the guest room in my cabin, permanently,” Nikki told Lidia.

  “Thank you, honey, but I was thinking maybe you could give your guest room to Tori.”

  “What?” Tori asked, shocked.

  Nikki looked at Lidia. Lidia nodded her head, and Nikki understood. “That's a wonderful idea,” she told Tori. “Dear, you can come and live with me, free of charge.”

  Tori couldn't believe her ears. But before she could say anything, a cop car pulled up behind Lidia and flashed its lights. “Oh good grief,” Lidia said pulling over to the side of the road. Rolling down the driver's side window, she waited.

  Chief Daily got out of the cruiser and walked up to the driver's side window. Peering down, he looked past Lidia and straight at Nikki. “I want you to know that I have one of my men camped in your driveway. From here forth, you go nowhere without an escort.”

  “I...” Nikki began to speak and then stopped. What could she say? Guilt was written all over Chief Daily’s face. She could clearly see the man was sorry for the remark he had made standing on her front porch earlier in the day. “Thank you, Chief Daily, that's very kind of you.”

  “I'm going to find that truck,” Chief Daily promised Nikki and walked away.

  “Well,” Lidia said rolling up the driver's side window, “our Chief of Police actually on the job. I'm impressed.”

  “He still wants me to leave town, I can see it in his eyes,” Nikki sighed miserably. “I guess I can't blame him. His life was pretty peaceful before I showed up.”

  “Leave town?” Tori asked. “Ms. Bates, you're not leaving town, are you?”

  “Well...I was considering it and—”

  “What?” Lidia exploded.

  “I...was considering it,” Nikki continued in a reluctant voice, “but I really don't want to leave. I like my new home, and I'm especially fond of you two.”

  “If you dare try to leave we'll chain you to a tree,” Lidia threatened Nikki. “Honey, I know people in this town, but that doesn't make them my friends. You're someone who I have come to care about very deeply. It...well, it feels right, the three of us girls together like this, almost as if we're a team.”

  “I agree,” Tori said and hugged Nikki's arm. “Ms. Bates, please stay.”

  Nikki felt tears begin to fall from her eyes. “How can I leave?” she laughed through her tears. “Say, girls, there's an all-night diner open in my kitchen. I'm starved. Who is up for some homemade hamburgers?”

  “Me,” Tori raised her hand.

  “As long as you make some of your famous peppermint chocolate afterward,” Lidia smiled and got her car moving. “Herbert, dear, you can do your crosswords without me tonight.”

  Chapter Ten

  The following morning Nikki woke up early. The night with the girls had been fun and full of laughs, and even though their night had run later than expected, her mind could not remain asleep. The one lingering question that she could not escape was: Where was Hawk? After making a well-needed pot of coffee, Nikki tied the pink robe she was wearing closed and sat down at the kitchen table. With a cop perched outside her cabin on watch, she felt safe enough to relax in her home, but going back out into the public eye was another story altogether. “Where did you wander off to, Hawk?” Nikki whispered.

  A knock at the back door answered Nikki's question. Not understanding how, Nikki knew the visitor was Hawk. Standing up, she slowly ran her tired hands through her hair and walked to the back door. “What do you want?” she asked Hawk.

  Exhausted from a long night of legwork, still dressed in the clothes he had been wearing the day before, Hawk looked past Nikki toward the coffee pot. “Can I come in?”

  “No,” Nikki stated. Folding her arms, she studied Hawk's exhausted face. “Where have you been?”

  “Working,” Hawk told Nikki in a tone that left no room for any more questions until he was able to soak his system with hot coffee.

  Nikki hesitated and then allowed Hawk into the kitchen. “Sit down. I'll pour you a cup of coffee.”

  Hawk gratefully walked to the kitchen table and plopped his tired body down. Looking at Nikki dressed in a pink robe with her hair a mess appealed to him. Usually, the woman was finely dressed with a dash of makeup that made her appear intelligent and striking—a woman he would have never dared approach for a date. Nikki was out of his league. This woman was far too beautiful for him. But seeing Nikki in morning apparel made Hawk feel as if, maybe, Nikki wasn't so far out of his league, after all. He was seeing the human part of Nikki with all her shields down. “Thanks,” he said, taking his cup of coffee from Nikki.

  She sat down across from him and slowly sipped at her coffee before speaking. “Why are you protecting the Snowfields?” she finally demanded.


  Hawk gulped down his cup of coffee, burning his tongue as he did. “Well,” he said, setting the coffee cup down on the table, “it's like this, Nikki. The land the Snowfields own is divided in half, part on the American side and part on the Canadian side, even though on the map it appears to be completely on the American side. Mr. Snowfield is an American citizen, but his wife has Canadian citizenship.”

  “I'm sorry, Hawk, but I'm not following you,” Nikki said, confused.

  “I don't want the Canadians in on this,” Hawk said simply, “and I don't want to spook the Snowfields into running. Heck, all they have to do is stand near the lake and they're in Canada...I won't be able to touch them. I couldn't risk you spooking them.”

  “I see,” Nikki said and began to fire her artillery at Hawk. Then she paused. The truth was, Hawk was right. After all, he was a detective, and she was only a private citizen tagging along for the ride. He had people to answer to, people who could destroy his job and cast him out on the curb. What did she have to lose? Nothing. “Why didn't you tell me?”

  “Look,” Hawk said, looking down at his coffee cup, “I don't think the Snowfields killed our John Doe, but I do know they tampered with the suitcase. Before you ask, no, I wasn't able to get any prints off that, but my gut tells me that someone cleaned it out.”

  “I did see Mr. Snowfield walking back from the lake carrying a shovel yesterday,” Nikki told Hawk, taking his coffee cup and refilling it.

  “The Snowfields are as cold as ice,” Hawk said as he watched Nikki pour coffee into his cup.

  “Zach Snowfield isn't mentally ill,” she told Hawk, sitting down. “He played you like a fiddle yesterday.”

  “I know that boy is as sane as anyone else,” Hawk said. “I...look, I admit, I lied about him, but I wanted you to stay away from the lodge, okay? After talking to the Snowfields...Mr. Snowfield may be old, but he made it clear that he was going to shoot anyone he saw sneaking around his property. I got worried for you, okay? So hate me.”