“So you went to see Taylor, not Howard?” Nikki questioned.
“I know the kind of man Howard was. I just thought I’d warn her. I’ll admit a small part of me wanted to ruin his life, to tell his girlfriend to get out before he hurt her and make her leave him. It was petty, I know, but a part of me really was worried about her,” Jackie explained.
“Okay, so what happened when you went to Taylor’s apartment?” Nikki asked.
“I knocked on the door. It was late, so she looked pretty frantic when she answered the door. She was wearing a bathrobe, and I got to admit it made me kind of sick. I figured she and Howard were, well, you know. Anyways, it’s like when I started talking, a floodgate opened. I told her I was there to warn her, that I was one of Howard’s old girlfriends. I told her she was in danger and that Howard was an awful person. I told her how he used to hit me, but then she cut me off. She got really snippy; I think she was on her period. She told me to leave and that I was a jealous ex-girlfriend. She slammed the door in my face,” Jackie said, shaking her head at the memory of it.
Before Nikki could press Jackie any further, Hawk came up and tapped Nikki on the shoulder. “We got a warrant to open up Howard’s safe. You coming with?”
Nikki nodded and rose to her feet. “Yeah, let’s go.”
“Wait!” Jackie exclaimed, eyes wide. “I thought you could talk to the police for me and get them to let me go. Where are you going? They’re about to book me and put me in jail!”
Nikki frowned. “Jackie, I’m not an officer. There’s nothing I can do. Right now you are their only suspect; your testimony is only circumstantial evidence. The police’s suspicion is all on you until Hawk and I can present them with another suspect. And that’s what I’m going to be working on, I promise.”
Jackie did not seem pleased with Nikki’s response, but there was nothing she could do for the woman for the time being. Nikki followed Hawk back out to his patrol car, and they headed back to Taylor’s apartment.
10
Nikki fought the oncoming temptation to roll her eyes or to give Taylor an honest piece of her mind. She and Hawk had to practically force their way into her apartment even with the warrant to search Howard’s safe. The woman was becoming increasingly frantic with each passing second, and she had even locked Howard’s bathroom door to make Hawk’s job all the more difficult. Now, as Hawk worked to pick the lock of the bathroom, Taylor stood in a corner with her arms crossed and tears silently streaming down her face. She seemed more annoyed than upset.
“This should be illegal!” Taylor declared from the corner. “You shouldn’t be able to invite yourselves in, flash some paperwork, and break into my boyfriend’s safe! He’s dead! You need to respect his personal property! His memory doesn’t need to be desecrated any more than it already has been by you two! This is an absolute outrage! As soon as this is over, I’m filing a complaint with the justice department! Do you hear me? I’ll make sure you lose your job!”
She kept on and on and on. Nikki could feel a vein starting to protrude from her forehead having to stand there and listen to Taylor. “Okay,” Hawk said as he stood upright. “I can’t pick the lock. Miss, you can either unlock this door or I’m going to kick it in, and you’ll lose your security deposit on this place.”
Taylor stuck out her tongue. I’m going to lose it, Nikki thought. She’s acting so childish! “Go ahead and kick it down,” Taylor said. “And that’ll just be something else you have to pay for when I sue you!”
“You can’t sue me for doing my job,” Hawk said. “You’ve got thirty seconds to unlock this bathroom door before I go outside and get my tools from the car. I’ve got an ax in there, and I will destroy this door.”
“Do it!” Taylor said. “Because I’m not letting you in there!”
“Oh my God!” Nikki at last exclaimed, no longer able to hold her tongue. She spun on her heels, still remaining on the opposite side of the living area while facing Taylor down. “You are delusional!” she exclaimed, pointing a finger in Taylor’s direction. “Hawk and I have only been investigating your psychotic ex-boyfriend for less than a day, and you know what I’ve learned? He was a tool! I cannot believe you are standing here defending him like he was some honorable person worth defending! So far we’ve uncovered sexual harassment complaints and learned he was in bar fights and attempted to sexually assault someone at a bar. He beat one of his ex-girlfriends, and he probably has been lying to you about his employment for the past year! Honestly, Taylor, it doesn’t sound like Howard had a single good bone in his whole body. So stop defending him, quit feeling sorry for yourself, and unlock the door!”
Taylor burst into tears, and a stream of unsavory words spewed out of her mouth. She dug into her pocket revealing a key and threw it across the room. “No one knew Howard like I did!” she shouted before storming back into the bedroom.
Hawk bent down and picked up the key to the bathroom, rolling his eyes. Nikki came over to him and took the key away. “Well, that was mature of you,” Hawk grumbled.
“She needs a reality check. You might want to go check on her. Make sure she doesn’t do anything to hinder the investigation in the state she is in. After this is over, we might need to get her help with wrapping this up. I’d go talk to her, but she’d probably just cuss at me again,” Nikki said as she unlocked the bathroom door.
Hawk sighed, but he didn’t argue. “Fine. I’ll go check on Taylor.” He handed her the small crowbar he had brought into the apartment. “You think you can get the safe open?”
“Give me some credit, Hawk,” she said and winked at him. “I’ve got some pretty impressive elbow grease.” She headed into the bathroom as Hawk unwillingly headed towards Taylor and Howard’s bedroom.
Nikki took a moment to observe her surroundings. She was certainly in a man’s bathroom. There was dried toothpaste and shaving cream on the sink. The shower had not been cleaned in ages, and there was an undeniable stench of body odor present. “Gross,” she mumbled under her breath. She reluctantly got down on her knees in front of the bathroom sink, opening up the cabinets below to reveal the safe that Hawk had found last time they were in the apartment.
The safe wasn’t heavy, so she was able to pull it out from under the sink to make it easier to pry open. Taylor had said she didn’t have a key to the safe, and even after her little temper tantrum, Nikki believed this to be true. From what she had learned so far, Howard certainly seemed like the kind of man who would keep secrets locked away in a safe.
Nikki observed the small black safe for a moment, trying to decide the best route to take with the crowbar. She decided to close the cabinet of the sink and push the safe up against the cabinet doors to keep it from sliding while she attempted to open it. Expecting it to provide a significant amount of resistance, Nikki nearly toppled over when the cheap little safe popped open as soon as she put half her weight down onto the crowbar. “Geez,” she scoffed, feeling relieved she didn’t accidentally fall on top of the crowbar and gut herself.
She set the crowbar aside and took a peek inside. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she said as she pulled out a black ski mask. She set it aside and continued digging through the little safe. She found a gun, fully loaded and with ammo to spare. There was also a planner and a detailed map of Maple Hills with all of the town’s prominent banks circled in red marker. A number of minutes it would take to get from one to the other was written on the map as well. She flipped through his planner, shaking her head. The planner alone would be enough to convict a man.
Nikki threw everything apart from the planner and the map back into the safe, tucking those under her arm while picking up the little safe and stepping back out of the bathroom. Hawk had apparently managed to pull Taylor out of her hiding place in the bedroom because she was sitting and sulking on the couch while Hawk stood idly by. “What was in the safe?” Taylor snarled, refusing to make eye contact.
“I’ve found evidence that Howard was planning a rather extensive
bank robbery,” Nikki said, and both Hawk and Taylor looked at her in shock. She held out the planner, and Hawk reached to take it, but Nikki stepped past him and held it out to Taylor. Taylor snatched the planner, and Nikki handed her the map as well. As Taylor examined the evidence, a saddened expression seemed to take over her. “Howard was planning to rob every other bank in town,” Nikki said.
Taylor threw the planner and the map on the ground, and Hawk bent down to pick them up. The woman started to cry again, but she gained control quickly. “You were right about Howard,” Taylor admitted at last. “I think the good side of Howard was not real. It was just something I invented so that I could deal with him. I pretended he was a good person and that other people just couldn’t see it. But he was far from it. I guess a part of me is glad that he is gone, and I felt guilty for feeling that way about a person. I’m sorry I’ve given you two such a hard time.”
Nikki sat down on the couch next to Taylor and offered her a comforting smile. “I can’t imagine what kind of life you’ve had dealing with a man like Howard. We’re going to find out what happened to him, but you don’t have to wait around on that. You can move on now. Find someone who treats you better. Someone you deserve. You didn’t deserve to be stuck with a man like Howard. No one deserves a Howard.”
Taylor nodded. “Thank you, Nikki. I think it’s time I tried to pull myself back together after having been torn apart by that man for so long.”
“Good,” Nikki said, rising from her seat. “Hawk and I have to get this evidence turned in and continue with our investigation. If you can think of anything that could be helpful, let us know.”
“I will. I promise,” Taylor said.
Nikki and Hawk left the apartment with the evidence they found. “So what do you think?” Hawk asked, cranking up the car, but he didn’t pull off. He seemed distracted by his own thoughts.
“About what we found in the safe?” Nikki questioned, and Hawk nodded. “Well, if he had any accomplices on the bank robberies he was planning, that could lead us to a suspect.”
“True,” Hawk said. “But I didn’t see anything in his planner about help. And it was pretty detailed. I’ll have to read through it more carefully, but it looked like he was planning on going solo.” Hawk glanced towards the apartment buildings, shaking his head. “That woman needs help. She was teetering on that line between sanity and insanity, don’t you think? I’ve never met anyone with such mood swings!”
Nikki sat upright. “You know what? I just thought of something that Jackie said. Hold on, I’m going to call the station.” Nikki whipped out her phone; she was put on hold for several minutes before an officer answered. “This is Nikki Bates—”
“Oh! Hey, Nikki! You know, your son’s girlfriend is really annoyed at you right now,” the man responded before she had a chance to explain why she was calling.
Nikki rolled her eyes. “I bet. I need to talk to her.”
“Um…” the officer hesitated for a moment. “I don’t know if she is going to want to talk to you.”
“Try anyway, would you?” Nikki insisted, and a few minutes went by before she heard Jackie’s voice seething on the other line.
“Nikki! And here I thought you had forgotten all about me!” Jackie exclaimed. “Are you just leaving me to rot in jail today because you’re mad your son is dating some washed up tattoo artist or what?”
Nikki shook her head and tried to stifle a sarcastic chuckle. The thought had indeed crossed her mind, but she wasn’t going to let Jackie know that. “No, Jackie, nothing like that. I’m trying to figure out who really killed Howard so that I can clear your name. I can’t get them to release you by sitting up at the station all day, now can I?”
It was quiet on the other line before Jackie muttered, “No, I guess not. I’m sorry. I’ve never been in jail before. I’m kind of freaking out, and I’m taking it out on you.”
Nikki smiled slightly, appreciating the apology. “It’s all right, Jackie. Don’t worry, we’re looking into this. I did have a question for you, though. When we spoke earlier today, you said something about thinking Taylor was on her period when you went by to see her? Was that because of her mood swings or was there another reason?”
“I mean, I did notice the mood swings. She was all sweet and jittery when she answered the door, but then she just snapped on me suddenly when I started telling her what kind of guy her boyfriend was. But that’s not why I thought she was on her period. She had a little blood on her robe; I didn’t point it out to her or anything. That’s embarrassing, you know?”
Nikki felt her stomach tighten slightly. “Thank you, Jackie. That’s all I needed. For now, just sit tight, and don’t talk to anybody without a lawyer present. Got it?”
“Got it,” Jackie said. “But, um, I don’t have a lawyer…”
“Tell them I’m looking into finding you a lawyer, and that should buy you some time, okay?” Nikki said.
“Okay, thank you,” Jackie said.
“I’ll talk to you later, Jackie,” Nikki said. “Just hang in there.” She hung up the phone and sat back into her seat as Hawk was pulling out of the parking lot and heading back towards the station.
“What was that about?” Hawk asked.
“Jackie said she saw blood on Taylor last night,” Nikki said, and then her head suddenly started putting everything together. “Someone tried to poison Howard, but he survived thanks to his EpiPen, right?”
“Right.”
“But someone would have had to have known he was allergic to something; the killer would have had to have known Howard personally,” Nikki said. “And when using his allergies against him didn’t work, the suspect stabbed him.”
“Okay, so what’s going on through your head?”
“What if what Howard was allergic to was pumpkin?” Nikki asked.
“Okay, so?”
Nikki looked towards him with a serious gaze. “Taylor came into my shop that day I was really busy. She ordered a bunch of chocolates…pumpkin-filled chocolates. She said Howard loved them.”
Hawk nodded. “I’m going to call the hospital. Get his medical records. If Howard was allergic to pumpkin, it sounds like you might have found our killer.”
11
After dropping off the evidence and speaking to Hawk’s boss about their suspicions, Hawk and Nikki left the station and headed straight to Taylor’s apartment. “This may be the fastest we’ve ever solved a case,” Hawk said.
“Don’t be too quick to say that, Hawk,” Nikki warned. “We only have our gut instincts, really. Jackie saying she saw blood on Taylor’s robe isn’t really evidence. And Taylor buying pumpkin-flavored treats is circumstantial. We don’t even know if pumpkin is what Howard was allergic to.”
Hawk’s phone started to ring, and he put it on speaker since he was driving. “Talk to me, Heather. What do you got?” Hawk asked.
“You and your girlfriend were right, Hawk,” Heather’s voice came through the phone. “According to the hospital, Howard has a severe pumpkin allergy. Looks like your killer must have known that, based off of what the forensic pathologist found.”
“So when my pumpkin-stuffed chocolate morsel didn’t kill Howard, thanks to his EpiPen, Taylor probably panicked and stabbed him while he was still weak from the reaction,” Nikki said.
Heather’s voice came through the phone. “Nikki, is it wrong that I’m really craving some of your pumpkin-stuffed chocolate morsels?”
Nikki stifled a laugh. “Honey, they’re fabulous. Come by the shop tomorrow and I’ll give you a sample.”
Heather laughed. “Ooh, you know I’ll be there. Hawk, if you need anything else, call. Good luck.”
“Thanks, Heather,” Hawk said before hanging up the phone. “I like her. She’s new, but she works fast.”
Soon they were pulling up in front of Taylor’s apartment building. They did not waste any time. “You know I have to legally tell you that you’re a citizen and shouldn’t come with me to make an arrest, righ
t?”
“And you know that I have to tell you I’m coming anyways, right?” Nikki retorted, and Hawk snickered and kissed her on top of her head.
“Okay, good, we got that out of the way,” he said, and the two of them hurried up the flight of stairs and over to Taylor’s door. Hawk knocked several times, but Taylor never came to the door. “Looks like I get to knock one of her doors down after all,” he said. “Stand back.”
A part of Nikki really enjoyed seeing Hawk kick that door in. She sometimes forgot how strong and masculine he was. The door flung open after one violent kick. Hawk reached back and touched his lower back. “Geez, I’m not young anymore,” he moaned, drawing his firearm and calling out for Taylor. “Stay back,” he told Nikki, so she impatiently waited at the door while he searched the apartment, reemerging in the doorway seconds later. “She’s gone.”
“Don’t be so sure!” Nikki exclaimed, pointing over the railing and out towards the parking lot.
Hawk’s jaw dropped. “She’s in my car! Damn, I can’t believe I forgot to lock it.” The two of them bolted down the walkway and practically fell on top of one another trying to get down the stairs. Taylor whipped the patrol car out of the parking lot just as Nikki was waving down a woman pulling into the lot; the woman had just barely missed being hit by Taylor.
Hawk flashed his badge and practically pulled the poor woman out of the vehicle. “Sorry, ma’am,” he said and tossed her a business card. “But someone is stealing my patrol car!”
The woman rolled her eyes. She didn’t seem too angry. In fact, she seemed to find it almost humorous that a cop let someone steal his patrol car. Nikki jumped into the passenger’s seat of the little red Ford Focus, and Hawk slammed on the gas pedal and peeled out of the parking lot. “You’re going to be in so much trouble,” Nikki said, buckling up quickly.
Maple Hills Mystery Box Set Page 29