Maple Hills Mystery Box Set

by Wendy Meadows

  “No kidding!” he exclaimed as they hurried after Taylor. “She must have climbed down the fire escape.”

  Taylor managed to turn on the lights, causing people to stop for her as she zipped down several roads. “Hurry up!” Nikki exclaimed.

  “What’s it look like I’m doing?” Hawk exclaimed. The little Focus was fast, but Taylor had gotten far ahead of them. “Unbelievable!” Hawk shouted each time a car cut them off. Taylor made a turn down a street far ahead of them, and Hawk laid on the horn and whipped around two cars, pulling up onto the sidewalk to get around them.

  “She’s getting away!” Nikki shouted.

  Hawk turned the corner Taylor had gone down moments before; she was getting onto the highway. “Oh no!” Nikki cried as Hawk hurried after her.

  “Don’t worry,” Hawk said. “I’m going to get her.”

  “No, I mean, we’re being followed,” Nikki said.

  Hawk looked up into the rearview. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  There was another patrol car behind them with their lights on chasing after the Focus that had just driven up onto a sidewalk. “Should you pull over?” Nikki asked.

  “No!” Hawk said and sped up after his car.

  Taylor whipped onto an exit, and Hawk went after her. She got far ahead once again, and she turned down many streets. The entire time, the second patrol car followed behind Hawk trying to get him to pull over. He whipped down a side road and into a parking lot where they saw his patrol car sitting; the driver’s side door was wide open. “She’s escaping on foot!” Hawk cried and jumped out of the car.

  “Wait, Hawk!” Nikki warned, but he didn’t listen. She shook her head. Less than ten seconds later, she was watching him as he was tackled by the officers who had been following him. “Of course,” she said.

  “I’m a detective! I’m a detective! A woman just tried to steal my car, and you’re letting her get away!” she could hear Hawk from outside of the vehicle.

  “Miss, please step out of the vehicle with your hands up!” one of the officers called out to her.

  Hawk looked furious, and Nikki could see the officers had already put Hawk in cuffs. “Crap,” one of the officers said as they searched Hawk and located his badge.

  “Un-cuff me now!” Hawk snarled, and the men were quick to obey. He ran right over to his patrol car and spun around several times attempting to decipher what direction Taylor had gone. He pointed toward the officers and shouted, “One of you call for back-up. We need to find this woman now!”

  They spent the next hour searching the area; additional officers were called in, but Taylor was long gone. After receiving several apologies from the officers who had almost arrested Hawk, Nikki and Hawk climbed back into his patrol car. The officers were from another district, so they did not know Hawk personally. “Well,” Nikki said as Hawk slammed his door shut, “at least this will be a fun story to tell. I can’t believe they tackled you.”

  “Very funny, Nikki,” Hawk said with a moan. “I just got jumped by two rookie cops, and our murder suspect is long gone.”

  Nikki’s phone started to ring. She saw that it was Seth, so she let it go to voicemail. She reached across the car and put her hand on Hawk’s shoulder. “At least you got your car back.”

  “I suppose that’s true,” he said. “Let’s just head back to the station for now. Maybe talk to Jackie again and see what we can learn about Howard. I’ll see if we can contact some of Taylor’s family members. Maybe she’ll try to hide out with one of them. I don’t know. I’ll put Heather back on research.”

  He cranked up the car, and the two of them headed back to the highway. One of the officers who had jumped Hawk kindly agreed to return the Focus back to its owner as an apology for the misunderstanding.

  “What a day,” Nikki moaned. “I’m sorry it hasn’t really worked out.”

  “I’m honestly just glad she didn’t wreck my car,” he said with a slight growl. They drove mostly in silence for several minutes.

  Nikki’s mind attempted to piece together the puzzle. It seemed fairly obvious now. She felt that they probably should have suspected Taylor from the beginning. Taylor had seemed delusional and unstable, perhaps evidence of an abused mind or a guilty conscience. She had lied to them about Howard. She had acted irrationally at times, and from what they learned quite early on that day, he was no gentleman towards women. As the prominent woman in his life, Taylor should have been an obvious suspect.

  “Looks like we’ll probably be able to get Jackie out of jail today after all,” Nikki said.

  “Try not to sound disappointed,” Hawk said.

  “I’m not!”

  Hawk smirked. “Admit it that you’re glad all this came out. Now Seth is going to know she only wanted to come meet his family so she could lurk after an ex. Not exactly a strong relationship builder. They’ll probably break up, and a part of you is relieved.”

  “A thirty-something tattoo artist, Hawk!” she exclaimed. “I mean, I wanted Seth to date and to be happy, but for crying out loud!” She took a breath. “But, I suppose, he could do worse for himself. Jackie really doesn’t seem that bad. I should give her a chance…if Seth still wants to be with her, that is.”

  “That’s my girl,” Hawk said. “Play nice. She could be your future daughter-in-law for all you know.”

  “Don’t even joke like that,” Nikki warned. She pulled out her phone. “Seth called me a minute ago; let me see what this is about.”

  She put the phone on speaker and pulled up the voicemail. Much to her horror, it was not Seth’s voice that came through the phone. “Hello, Nikki,” Taylor’s voice seethed. “So I went to pay a visit to Seth. His little girlfriend Tori is too cute.”

  Hawk practically slammed on his breaks as soon as they pulled off the highway. The two of them sat with their eyes wide open as they listened to the rest of Taylor’s unsettling message. “I’m going to need a little favor from you, Nikki. I hope you don’t mind!” Taylor’s voice sang. “I’m going to need to see a copy of Jackie’s confession as well as the woman’s arrest papers. I’m also going to need you to bring those to me at midnight tonight down by the old bridge. You know the one, a few miles from your house. Bring those to me tonight, Nikki. By the way, Seth and Tori say hi! Talk to you later.”

  Nikki’s heart began to race. “She was careful what she said,” Hawk said angrily. “There’s no confession or threat in there we can use to pin her.”

  “She’s out of her mind if she thinks I’m going to forge documents so that Jackie can take the fall for her crime,” Nikki said, gritting her teeth. Her stomach fell. Seth and Tori were in trouble. She looked to Hawk, feeling a bit shaky. “Hawk, what do we do?”

  Hawk frowned. “I don’t know. But we’re going to figure something out. I promise.”

  12

  The midnight hour was rapidly approaching as Nikki and Hawk drove the patrol car down to the old bridge. Nikki nervously tapped her fingers against her leg. She was a baker and an amateur detective, and she loved that about herself, but before anything else, she was a mother. There was no telling just how unhinged Taylor was, and the thought of her doing something to Seth or to Tori made her sick. Seth was her son, and Tori had practically become her daughter.

  “It’s going to be all right,” Hawk promised as they pulled down a deserted road. There was a slight rain; it was just sprinkling, but it seemed fitting for the mood that was in the air that night.

  Nikki simply nodded. “She’s here,” Nikki said, noticing the car parked in the middle of the bridge. They pulled up slowly, and Hawk parked a short distance away, facing Taylor’s vehicle.

  “You have Jackie’s arrest papers?” Hawk asked.

  “Yeah,” Nikki said softly. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  Nikki and Hawk stepped out of Nikki’s car after Hawk turned off the engine. Nikki pulled her coat tight; the bit of rain was quickly becoming sleet. The lights to Taylor’s vehicle came on, and Nikki had to lo
ok away for a moment from the sudden flash. “Good!” Taylor’s voice screeched. “Glad you two managed to make it.” She stepped out of her car, but she remained at a distance. “Do you have what I asked for?”

  “Where are Tori and Seth?” Hawk demanded.

  Taylor rolled her eyes and took a step back towards the back door of her car. She flung the door open and revealed to them that she was carrying a knife. “Come on,” she snarled into the back seat, reaching in.

  Tori came tumbling out of the car with Taylor gripping onto her hair. From a distance, Nikki could not tell what it was exactly, but Taylor had used some sort of rope or cord to bind Tori’s wrists together. The fidgety, timid girl shook slightly. Taylor walked Tori to the front of the car, and she gave Tori a push towards Hawk and Nikki. “Seth?” Nikki asked as Hawk worked to undo Tori’s restraints.

  “No, no,” Taylor hissed. “Papers first. Have Tori walk them over to me; you two stay back.”

  Nikki and Hawk exchanged glances, and Hawk handed the paperwork to Tori. Tori shook her head no, but Hawk gave her a reassuring nod before sending her back toward Taylor. Taylor snatched the papers out of Tori’s hands, and Tori bolted back towards Hawk and Nikki, hiding behind them. Taylor took a moment to look through the paperwork. “It’s a good thing you two came alone,” Taylor said. “Otherwise, Tori would have lost a finger.”

  “Seth,” Nikki said firmly.

  “Be patient,” Taylor warned. She tossed the paperwork into the driver’s seat before stepping to the back door. “Come here!” she snarled, reaching into the car.

  Nikki’s heart began to flutter, and the next few moments seemed to happen in slow motion until she, at last, saw Seth emerge from the car with Taylor holding onto him by his hair with one hand and gripping the knife at his side with the other. Seth looked frightened, but he seemed more angry than scared. That’s my boy, Nikki thought proudly. Much like Tori, Seth’s wrists were bound, but she had tied his arms behind his back.

  “Well, looks like you did what you were supposed to,” Taylor mused as she walked Seth towards the front of the car. “This was almost too easy.”

  “Just give us Seth,” Nikki said firmly.

  “What? Just like that? Don’t you want to know why I did it?” Taylor asked.

  “I think we know the story, Taylor,” Hawk said. “Just let Seth go.”

  Taylor laughed. “Oh, you think you know? You have no idea. Jackie told me all about her and Howard and how he treated her. But you know what? The way he treated Jackie was a dream come true compared to what he put me through!” Taylor pushed Seth into the side of the car, and he grunted slightly and his scowl intensified. She released his hair but moved her knife into the hand that had been gripping him and kept it pointed at him. With her free hand, she rolled up her shirt, revealing her side and all the bruises, scars, and burn marks that came with it. “You see that? I went through hell and back. And I had no way out. Believe me, I tried. I even tried to run away once, and he found me!” She released the rim of her shirt, letting the fabric fall.

  Seth made a move towards Nikki and Hawk, and Taylor grabbed him by the hair again. “Seth, stay put!” Nikki said frantically and watched in horror as Taylor moved the knife towards his face.

  “Don’t you move until I say you can!” Taylor declared.

  Hawk spoke, “Taylor, calm down. No one else has to get hurt, okay?”

  Taylor huffed. “Seth seems sweet. He doesn’t need to get hurt. Not like Howard.”

  “I understand that Howard put you through a lot—” Hawk began, but Taylor cut him off.

  “You have no idea!” Taylor roared. “I had no way out! I had to kill him. It was the only way I could get away from him! But you know what’s crazy? I still don’t feel like I’m safe. It’s like by killing him, a part of him transferred onto me…that complete disregard for life…” Taylor shook her head. “He was horrible! He deserved it! I wanted it to look like an accident. I fed him that pumpkin chocolate treat I got from your shop, Nikki. But no! He had his EpiPen on him. He never has his EpiPen on him! I knew as soon as he recovered he would beat the life out of me for giving it to him, and I panicked! I stabbed him, and I got a little carried away. I just kept stabbing him. It’s like I have it now–his cruelty. Not all of it, but just enough to make me feel miserable! It’s like I’ve won; I’m triumphant. I’ve escaped him, but I also feel guilty!”

  “It’s okay to feel guilty,” Hawk said. “Howard was not a good person. He treated you terribly, but the fact you feel guilty means you are better than him. Now let Seth go, Taylor. Please.”

  “Please,” Nikki added.

  Taylor moved the knife away from Seth’s face, and it broke Nikki’s heart to see her son’s lip quiver in relief. She moved the knife toward his back, but not to threaten him—to cut his restraints. She pushed him forward and away from her, and Seth bolted toward them. “Mom,” he mumbled and wrapped his arms around Nikki’s neck.

  “Thank God,” Nikki breathed and squeezed Seth tight. She took Seth’s face into her hands and kissed his cheek. “Are you all right?” she whispered. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m all right. I’m all right,” he said, and he smiled at her. “Thank you, Mom.”

  “Well, it’s over!” Taylor declared, opening up the driver’s side door. She pulled out Jackie’s arrest papers and sighed, gripping them in her hands. “It really is like he managed to rub off on me. I never thought I would be the type of person who could condemn an innocent woman, but I finally have my freedom. I won’t lose it now.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Nikki snarled.

  “Yoo-hoo!” Jackie sang as she stepped out of the back of Nikki’s car and came and stood by them. She crossed her arms and scowled in Taylor’s direction.

  “Why…” Taylor gritted her teeth and crinkled the paperwork in her hands. “Why isn’t she in jail!”

  “Do you really think I would let an innocent woman go to prison?” Hawk questioned.

  “Do you really think these two could have gotten me to write a confession?” Jackie added with a chuckle.

  Taylor’s eyes widened. She cussed in their direction and went to jump into the car. “Freeze!” a voice from behind her shouted.

  She spun around, and before Taylor could make a move, her wrist that was gripping her knife was grabbed by an armed officer. Several other officers flooded out from the shadows; they had been hiding out under and around the bridge. Taylor’s entire confession, Nikki knew, had been caught on camera.

  “What! What is this!” Taylor exclaimed as she was being placed into handcuffs.

  “Sorry, Taylor,” Nikki mused as a few patrol cars appeared from a distance, lights flashing. “You need help,” Nikki told her. “Maybe you can get it where you’re going.”

  Nikki turned, facing Seth and ignoring Taylor’s shouting and threats as she was drug off towards one of the approaching patrol cars. “Mom, you’re pretty amazing, you know?” Seth said, smiling.

  “I’m so sorry I kept ignoring your phone calls today,” Nikki said. “I was mad at you, and that was childish of me.” She looked at Jackie. “And I’m so sorry I was so judgmental of you, Jackie!”

  Jackie smiled. “I think we could have made this a little easier on you by giving you a warning. I’m sorry. I’m also sorry I lied to you, Seth, about why I wanted to come to Maple Hills. I misled you.”

  Seth nodded at her, but he did not really smile. “It’s okay, Jackie. I understand,” he said, but he did not go to her. He stayed beside Nikki, offering her an occasional hug.

  “All right, let’s get out of here,” Hawk said. “We kind of have to go by the station first. We all will have to give our statements.”

  “Great,” Seth moaned.

  “It’s been such a long day,” Nikki complained.

  “Really? You don’t get to say that,” Tori mumbled. “We were kidnapped.”

  “I was arrested,” Jackie added.

  “Nikki and I got into a car c
hase,” Hawk said. “I think it’s been a long day for all of us. How about after the station, I buy us all some hot chocolate. But none of that commercial stuff. I want the good chocolate.”

  “You mean you want me to start up our hot chocolate maker at the shop,” Nikki said.

  “Yes, please,” Hawk said with a wink, escorting the group to the car.

  Nikki sat beside Seth in the back seat. She noted that Jackie sat upfront instead of taking the seat beside Seth where Tori now sat. As they drove, Nikki felt Seth grab her hand. “Thanks, Mom,” he said again.

  Nikki felt like she could breathe again. Jackie was out of jail. Her son and Tori were safe. And Taylor was being escorted to the local jail after having confessed to the murder. Now all Nikki had to worry about was how in the world she was going to get everything ready in time for Thanksgiving.

  13

  Nikki stood around the island bar in her kitchen, one hand gripping a potato and another gripping a small kitchen knife. Beside her was Seth, attempting to do his best with the potato peeler she had handed him a moment ago after he had come close to slicing his finger peeling the potatoes with a knife. “And here I thought you had some Southern charm left in you, Seth,” Nikki teased her son.

  “I can peel a potato just fine,” he insisted. “It’s just been a while is all.”

  “Sure,” Nikki said with a slight laugh. It was Thanksgiving morning, and they were busy with meal preparation. It had been a very pleasant morning thus far, filled with their Georgia traditions. It had been a while since Nikki had been able to spend some honest alone time with Seth, so it had been a lovely morning for her.

  “So,” Seth said as a moment of silence threatened to pass between them. “What’s the word on Taylor?”

  Nikki nearly sliced her own finger in surprise. It had been a few days since Taylor’s arrest, and Seth had avoided any talk of the woman. She had been waiting for it, though. He had given his statement to the police about the kidnapping, but the two of them had yet to speak on the rather sensitive and traumatizing experience. “What do you mean?” Nikki asked.