“What?” Nikki asked.
“Dellington showed up at the hospital and had a talk with Jack. We don't know what was said, but needless to say, Jack informed Matting he wanted out of the entire deal. All Jack would tell Matting was that Dellington and Haim were planning to kill him. Matting became worried. Jack was now a threat to his plan.”
“So he ships Jack off to Atlanta, and that's where you come in,” Nikki told William.
William nodded. “Jack was sent to Atlanta under the idea that Matting sent him there in order to protect him from Dellington and Haim. And then I was contacted. Matting had gone to Dellington and Haim and explained to them how he had Jack set up in Atlanta to be eliminated by me. Dellington and Haim fell for the trap. But by now, Matting is quite nervous.”
“Okay, I get that, but why did Jack have me come to Atlanta if he was getting cold feet?”
“Desperation?” William suggested. “Detective Daily, I do not have all of the answers you seek. Ask Jack.”
“I will,” Hawk told William. “Nikki, stay put.”
“No way,” Nikki told Hawk. “Where you go, I go. We're partners. And remember, you owe me one.”
“Yeah, I know,” Hawk sighed. “Come on, you hard-headed woman.”
Cautiously, Hawk and Nikki left the wood line and approached the back of the house. Hawk motioned for Nikki to follow up the far side of the house into the front yard. Nikki nodded. Holding William's gun in her hand, she followed Hawk. Hawk stopped at the front of the house, eased his head around, and saw that the coast was clear. “Okay, I'm going to sneak up, ring the doorbell, and then hide behind the sedan. When the front door opens, stay out of sight. I'm going to try and lure everyone outside.”
“What if the people inside begin shooting?” Nikki asked.
Hawk looked into Nikki’s beautiful, wet, scared face. Giving Nikki a quick kiss, he told her to begin shooting back. “But just make sure you stay down when you shoot back,” he begged Nikki. Leaving his position, he ran up to the front door, rang the doorbell, and darted behind the black sedan parked in the driveway.
Nikki waited, her heart pounding furiously. When the front door slowly crept open, she closed her eyes and prayed. “William?” Matting called out. “William...sir...please, come inside. We need to talk. An emergency has arrived.”
A man wearing a cop uniform stepped past Matting out onto the front walk. “William, we don't have time for games, old man. Get with the game.”
Hawk eased his eyes over the trunk of the sedan. He studied Greg Packard. He saw an arrogant man in his mid-thirties with jet black hair and a thick mustache. The man appeared to be fit. Luckily for Hawk, he didn't intend to get into any more fights. Neither Greg Packard nor Matting were holding a weapon, probably because they didn't want to alarm William if the man was watching them. Waiting until Matting stepped outside to join Packard, Hawk acted. Exploding upward with his gun at the ready, he yelled: “Hold it right there!”
Packard and Matting both jumped. When they saw Hawk rushing at them from behind the sedan, they turned and started to run back toward the front door. But Nikki was waiting for them. She had eased up behind them without being seen or heard. Aiming William's gun at them, she shook her head. “My partner said hold it!”
Packard and Matting froze. Something in Nikki's eyes told them the woman meant business. “Who else is inside?” Hawk demanded.
“No one,” Matting hissed. “Norris and Jack are tied up inside.”
Hawk glanced over his shoulder at Matting's black BMW. “Give me your keys.”
Matting slowly reached into his front pocket and brought out a set of keys. “What are you going to do?”
“You'll see. Walk, the both of you,” Hawk said. “Nikki, cover them.”
“I've got your back.” Nikki promised Hawk.
“I know you do,” Hawk smiled. Walking Matting and Packard over to the BMW, Hawk unlocked the back trunk. “In, both of you.”
“You're dead...both of you! You have no idea who you're messing with!” Matting yelled at Hawk.
“Play me a different song,” Hawk told Matting.
“I'm going to look forward to making you pay,” Packard promised Hawk.
“Cops aren't liked in prison,” Hawk told Packard and grinned wolfishly. “Especially dirty cops. Now give me your phone and get in the trunk.”
Packard snarled at Hawk, tossed his cell phone at him and crawled into the trunk. Matting glared at Hawk. “You're dead.”
“Give me your cell phone, too,” Hawk ordered Matting.
Matting pulled his cell phone out and threw it at Hawk. “You're dead,” he promised and crawled in. Hawk slammed the trunk shut. “Come on,” he said to Nikki, picking up the cell phone.
Nikki studied the open front door. “Matting wouldn't have come outside if he had armed men in the house. I think he's telling the truth about no one else being in there.”
“Except Jack and Norris and—” Hawk stopped talking. Seeing headlights appear, he looked up the street. “Come on,” he said, taking Nikki's hand and running into the house.
13
Nikki followed Hawk into a foyer lined with white tile. Hawk slammed the front door shut. Looking around, he saw a large living room covered with an expensive burgundy carpet. A man was sitting on a dark beige couch, handcuffed and gagged. Hawk ran into the living room with Nikki. “Where's Jack?” he demanded, pulling the gag from Agent Norris's mouth.
“In the basement. Please, uncuff me. I'm a federal agent and—”
“You're a crook,” Hawk told Agent Norris, “and you're going to jail. Now get up.” Hawk grabbed Agent Norris by his left arm and pulled the man to his feet.
Outside, Nikki heard two car doors slam closed. Running to the living room window, she pulled back a set of white curtains. Peering outside, she spotted two men standing beside a long, black limousine. “I think Dellington and Haim are here.”
“Anyone else with them?” Hawk asked.
“Not that I can see. But both men have guns out. They don't look too happy, either,” Nikki reported. “Wait...they're walking over to the BMW...”
Hawk pushed Agent Norris back down onto the couch and joined Nikki at the window. He watched two men in their late sixties, both with dark gray hair and wearing expensive suits, lean down to the BMW's trunk. Then, they straightened back up and looked toward the house. One of the men pulled a cell phone out of his jacket pocket. “I bet he's calling for backup,” Hawk said worriedly. “Nikki, we have to hurry.”
Hawk ran back to the couch and snatched Agent Norris back to his feet. “Where's the basement?”
“Down the main hallway,” Agent Norris told Hawk.
“Stay by the window,” Hawk told Nikki. “I'm going to get Jack.”
Nikki watched Hawk push Agent Norris back down onto the couch and race off. “Why did Jack send for Hawk?” she asked Agent Norris. “Please, we need answers. We don't have much time.”
“Matting found Detective Daily's name written down on a piece of paper. I don't have time to explain, but we needed a replacement for a man named Greg Packard. But Jack...he...”
“William explained the shooting to Detective Daily and myself,” Nikki told Agent Norris, turning back toward the window. “Keep talking.”
“Matting wanted Jack dead because Jack had become a liability. Matting also wanted anyone Jack might have contacted dead, primarily Detective Daily. So, Matting set Jack up. Dellington paid Jack a visit at the hospital. That visit really shook Jack up, opening a door for Matting to manipulate him,” Agent Norris explained. “Matting and I had a meeting and we devised a plan. I would take Jack to Atlanta. I have a doctor friend there—”
“Dr. Falton, who is married to your sister.”
Agent Norris's face went pale. “You know?”
“Yes.”
Agent Norris swallowed. “William was sent in to kill Jack and—”
“What about Detective Daily?” Nikki insisted. “We know William was g
oing to kill Jack. But how does Hawk fit into the picture?”
“We didn't know Detective Daily was arriving in Atlanta until the last minute. Stan, Jack's partner, confessed that he had contacted Detective Daily at the request of Jack. We assumed Detective Daily was arriving in New York alone. Greg Packard was assigned to...eliminate the man.”
“You will rot in prison,” Nikki promised as she continued to watch the two men standing in the driveway staring at the house, ignoring the falling rain.
“I...” Agent Norris began miserably. Understanding that his life was over, he bowed his head. “When William arrived in Atlanta, Jack was missing. When we found out he left with you and Detective Daily, we assigned William to track you down. We snagged Jack at the Los Angeles airport. He was attempting to contact a federal agent in Los Angeles.”
Nikki kept her eyes on the driveway. Dellington and Haim were still standing in the rain, staring at the house. Neither of the men seemed anxious to enter or even concerned about anyone in the house. “Why did Jack try to contact a federal agent?” Nikki asked.
“He wanted to be placed in the witness protection program,” Agent Norris confessed. “We were able to track all three of you through your bank cards, but you and Detective Daily managed to stay one step ahead of William. When we saw Detective Daily's bank card being used in Florida, I assumed you two were running scared; Matting wasn't so sure.”
Nikki turned and looked at Agent Norris. There, on the couch, sat a man in his mid-fifties wearing a wrinkled brown suit, unshaven, and scared. Nikki sighed. Agent Norris was pitiful. His gray hair was a mess. His thin face was drawn. The man obviously was suffering from lack of sleep, anxiety, and stress. “Why?” Nikki asked curiously. “Why did you break the law?”
“Money,” Agent Norris admitted shamefully. “At first, it seemed so easy...and then, before I realized what was happening, I became ensnared.”
“By Dellington and Haim?”
“By Matting,” Agent Norris confessed, “but I assure you, Dellington and Haim are guilty men. But unlike the common man, Dellington and Haim will never face a people's court of justice.”
“Someday they will,” Nikki promised Agent Norris. “No man is above the law. In the end, each man will reap what he sows.” Nikki turned back toward the window. Dellington and Haim were still standing in the driveway. Expecting an entourage of armed men to come speeding down the street at any minute, she braced herself.
“Move,” she heard Hawk yell at Jack.
Spinning around, Nikki saw Hawk push Jack into the living room; his hands were handcuffed behind his back. He looked at Nikki with shame-filled eyes. “I'm sorry for this mess.”
“You could have talked to us. We would have helped you,” Nikki told Jack.
“I was in too deep,” Jack replied. “When we stopped at the restaurant in South Carolina, I realized that you and Hawk were going to figure the truth out sooner or later, so I ran.”
“Why did you ask Hawk to come to Atlanta in the first place?” Nikki demanded.
Hawk shoved Jack down on the couch next to Agent Norris and walked to the window. He watched Dellington and Haim standing out in the rain. “Speak to us, Jack. We want the truth this time.”
Jack lowered his eyes. “Hawk, I was going to kill you. I figured, if I killed you, maybe Matting would back away from wanting to kill me. When he found your name written on a piece of paper in my jacket pocket, the guy went ballistic. I knew when I was shipped off to Atlanta that I was sent there to die. My only chance of getting Matting to call off William was to kill you.”
“You knew about William?” Nikki asked.
Jack nodded his head. “I had Stan check with the phone company to see who Matting was making calls to. Stan ran the numbers. It was rocket science.”
“William has a serious grudge against you,” Nikki told Jack.
“We were partners once. William was a good cop. But...I wasn't. A bad gun deal went down. A man was killed. I...framed William for the killing. He went to prison, I was assigned a new partner,” Jack said miserably.
“Were you telling the truth about the illegal immigrants at least?” Nikki asked. “Or were you lying about them, too?”
“Dellington and Haim import illegals, and it's true they live in poor conditions,” Jack told Nikki. “But the truth is, I don't really care. You have to understand something.”
“What?” Nikki asked disgustedly.
“I told you and Hawk about Dellington and Haim in case I got knocked off. At least I knew Hawk would go public with the information I gave him and cause Dellington and Haim some serious public relations problems. And how would Dellington and Haim be aware I knew about them smuggling in illegal immigrants? The trail would lead straight to Matting.”
“You were going to try and kill Hawk,” Nikki snapped at Jack.
“I didn't though, did I?” Jack snapped back. “I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't kill a good man. So I ran, hoping Hawk would go public with what he knew.” Jack shook his head. “Like a scared rat, I ran to Los Angeles, but the agent I was supposed to meet set me up. Call it poetic justice or whatever you want...I betrayed a friend and I was betrayed by someone I thought I could trust.”
Nikki began to speak, but she caught movement in the corner of her eye. Looking at a doorway leading into a dining room, she saw William appear, holding a gun. “Don't move,” he warned Nikki. “Detective, drop your gun or I drop the woman.”
Hawk slowly turned around. He saw William aiming a gun at Nikki. “Okay...take it easy,” Hawk said, dropping his gun. “Nikki, drop your gun.”
“You should never have left me alone,” William informed Hawk. “There isn't a handcuff in the world that can hold me.”
Hawk grabbed Nikki and moved her behind his body. “Dellington and Haim are outside. Matting and Packard are locked in the trunk of the BMW parked outside. It's over, William.”
“It'll be over when I finish my business with Jack. I will allow the rest of you to live. I admire you, Detective. You are fighting a losing battle, but there was once a time when I believed in your cause.” William shifted his eyes to Nikki. “I also admire a woman who can hold her own, Ms. Bates.”
“Please…” Jack began to beg William.
William told Jack to shut up. He walked to the couch, keeping his gun on Hawk, and snatched Jack up. “You're coming with me, Jack. We have unfinished business to tend to, you and I.”
The sound of approaching sirens caused William to freeze. “They called the cops?” Nikki asked, confused. “Hawk, Dellington and Haim called the cops, not backup.”
William gritted his teeth in anger. With cop cars approaching, now there was no way to fight his way to the sedan and make an escape. “It's over, William,” Hawk repeated, relieved to hear the sounds of familiar sirens. He guessed at least ten cop cars were racing down the street toward the house.
“It's never over,” William yelled at Hawk. Putting his gun to Jack's head, he pulled Jack back toward the dining room. “One way or the other, this man is going to pay for what he did to me. I rotted in a federal prison for ten years before I managed to escape, Detective Daily. Me, an innocent man...a cop who was only doing his job...framed for murder by a filthy sewer rat, betrayed by my own kind.”
“Turning to a life of crime and killing people does not justify the injustice that was heaped on you, William,” Hawk yelled. “Yeah, what happened to you was wrong, and I'm sorry, man...from the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry that you were betrayed by your own. But you crossed the line, and that's where we part.”
William heard several cop cars squeal to a stop in front of the house. “Perhaps I will kill you after all, Detective Daily,” he yelled at Hawk. “No, on second thought, perhaps I will kill the woman and make you suffer. And what will you do, Detective? Will you step over the line yourself to ensure that I suffer for my actions?”
“If you hurt Nikki, I will kill you!”
William pushed Jack down onto the floor an
d aimed his gun at Hawk. He grinned. “Now, who is the hypocrite? Move away from the woman,” he ordered Hawk.
“Never,” Hawk said, bracing himself to be shot.
Jack knew he had to act. Sure, he was going to prison, but at least he could save an old friend's life. With William focused on Hawk, he knew he had a small window of opportunity to act. Pulling his legs up to his chest, he closed his eyes and counted to three. At the count of three, Jack kicked both legs forward, striking William on the side of his left leg, just below the kneecap. William's left leg cracked and then caved in. Crashing down to the floor, he landed on Jack. Jack rolled his body on top of William's right wrist, hoping to hold down the gun in his hand.
A single gunshot went off.
“Jack!” Hawk yelled, grabbing his gun off the floor. Running around the couch, Hawk saw Jack roll off William. As he did, William raised his gun and aimed at Hawk. Hawk dropped down to one knee and fired off a single shot. The bullet ended William's life as a career hit man.
“Hawk!” Nikki screamed, running to him.
“Jack's shot,” Hawk said. Throwing down his gun, he scrambled to Jack.
“I'm sorry,” Jack whispered in a weak voice. Looking down at his chest, he saw blood. “I guess this time...the bullet did...do its...job...” And with those words, Jack closed his eyes and never woke up.
Nikki dropped to her knees. Tears began streaming from her eyes. “Oh, Hawk...”
“I know,” Hawk said, fighting back his own tears. Putting his arm around Nikki, he closed his eyes. As he did, cops burst into the living room with their guns drawn. Agent Norris sat very still. What else could he do? It was all over.
14
After the ambulance left the house and the cops pulled away hauling Matting, Packard, and Norris off to jail, Hawk and Nikki began walking up the rainy street, back toward Hawk's jeep. “Just a minute,” Dellington called out.
Maple Hills Mystery Box Set Page 7