Sea Salt Caramel Murder (A Maple Hills Cozy Mystery Book 4)

by Wendy Meadows

  “We'll meet you ladies in one hour,” Herbert said and walked away with Hawk.

  As soon as Hawk and Herbert were out of sight, Nikki bit down on her lower lip. “No,” Lidia said, seeing the look in Nikki's eye. “Nice and quiet, okay?”

  “Okay,” Nikki promised. “I'm just a little curious as to who that Chinese man is.”

  “I don't know his name,” the girl told Nikki, taking a risk, “but I do know he was on the last cruise.”

  “Are you sure?” Nikki asked, spinning around.

  “Oh dear,” Lidia sighed. Before the girl could answer, Lidia grabbed Nikki's arm and pulled her away. “Nice and quiet. We'll forget all about Mr. Rude and enjoy ourselves, dear.”

  Nikki allowed Lidia to drag her into a lovely passageway with signs giving directions to the ship's dining rooms, entertainment room, library, sitting room, smoking room, and tea room. “Let's go to the tea room,” Lidia told Nikki. “We can relax, sip tea, eat muffins, chat about girly stuff, and rest.”

  Catching her detective instincts trying to dominate her need to relax, Nikki looked at Lidia. “Oh dear, Lidia, I'm sorry. Old habits are hard to break. Tea and muffins sound great.”

  Chapter Three

  Lidia began to speak but stopped when the Chinese man stepped out of a public restroom into the passageway. Without saying a word, he looked at Lidia and Nikki and then hurried away. “Say, he wasn't carrying a briefcase when we last saw him,” Lidia quickly pointed out, and then, like a guilty cat caught with its paws in the milk bowl, she looked at Nikki. “You're rubbing off on me.”

  Before Nikki could speak, a second man stepped out of the bathroom. The man was Captain Mayfield. “Ladies, I better get us under way.” He smiled and vanished down the hallway on fast legs.

  “Lidia, take me to the tea room before I follow the captain,” Nikki begged.

  Lidia quickly grabbed Nikki's hand and pulled her into an elegant tea room lined with antique furnishings and open bay windows looking out into the stormy harbor. Two women in their early sixties, both wearing authentic maid uniforms, greeted Lidia and Nikki. One of the women escorted them to a table next to a marble fireplace. “Today’s teas are peppermint, lemon, English breakfast...” The woman politely began to name off the teas being served and finished with the muffins.

  Nikki glanced around the tea room. She and Lidia were the only occupants. “Uh, peppermint tea with a blueberry muffin,” she told the woman.

  “Lemon tea with a bran muffin,” Lidia put in her order. Reading the woman's name tag, she added: “June, can you also bring me some honey if you have any?”

  “Of course,” June told Lidia, “I drink my tea that way myself.”

  As soon as June was out of earshot, Nikki spoke: “I'm going to forget what I saw. I'm here to relax, relax with my friends.”

  “You say that in a very pained voice,” Lidia told Nikki. Looking out at the stormy harbor, she wrinkled her nose. “Honey, let's just enjoy our time on this lovely ship. What are the chances a crime—or murder—will take place? That rude Chinese man may just be ship security or something.”

  Nikki considered Lidia's suggestion about the Chinese man possibly being ship security. “It's possible,” she agreed. Taking a very deep breath, she put her purse down on the table and smiled. “Silly me, here I am ready to dive into an empty pool.”

  “You and me both,” Lidia laughed. “Now, let's talk about girl stuff. You must tell me where you purchase your dresses and where you get your shoes.”

  Nikki smiled. “I order from a store online,” she admitted and dove into a full conversation about dresses and shoes as the ship slowly began to get underway and moved out into a stormy sea. She sipped her tea and munched on her muffin and allowed her mind to forget about what she saw in the hallway.

  As Nikki and Lidia talked, the Chinese man walked back to his cabin. Once securely inside, he locked himself in the cabin's bathroom, placed the suitcase down onto the counter, and opened it. A sea of diamonds appeared before his eyes. With an angry hand, he snatched up a single diamond, examined it, and then growled. Throwing the diamond down, he slammed the briefcase shut. “Play games with me...” he whispered through clenched teeth.

  Chapter Four

  When dinner arrived, Nikki sent a polite message to the captain, informing him she wouldn't be able to sit at his table. Knowing it was wiser to stay clear of the captain in order to silence her need to seek answers, Nikki sat with Hawk, Lidia, and Herbert on the far side of a dining room that, if Nikki didn't know better, resembled the same design as the dining room on the Titanic. This one was smaller of course, but the design, atmosphere, and taste in the air was somehow connected to a ship that now lay at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. “Delicious salmon,” Herbert said, complimenting his meal.

  Sitting across from Herbert with Hawk on her right and Lidia on her left, Nikki watched Herbert take another bite of salmon. Turning her attention to Hawk, she watched him take a bite of sea bass. Hawk was dressed in a gray button-up shirt tucked into a pair of jeans. For him, that was fancy. “How is your meal?”

  “Not bad,” Hawk confessed, enjoying the sea bass. “Lidia, how is your cheeseburger?”

  “Delicious,” Lidia said, eating a double-stacked cheeseburger dripping with grease. “I never was one who liked the taste of fish.”

  Nikki grinned. She didn't like the taste of fish, either. Looking down at her plate, she examined the large grilled chicken salad sitting before her, along with a bowl of tomato soup and dipping bread. Picking up a water glass, she took a sip. “The food is delicious. I'm still surprised at the interior design. I simply wouldn't have expected the interior to be this magnificent.”

  “The heart of a ship is what matters,” Herbert pointed out to Nikki. After a good soak in the steam room, a hot shower, and a change back into his blue suit, Herbert felt refreshed. After the ship had moved out into open water, the mood of the ship changed into a festive behavior. Other passengers were moving around more freely, stretching their legs, wandering here and there, familiarizing themselves with the ship’s interior. Sure the seas were rough, but that didn't matter. People were having a grand time, regardless of the rough seas, and that's what mattered.

  “True,” Hawk supported Herbert’s statement. “When I was younger, I had a rundown 1967 Ford. The outside was pretty rusted, but the inside was something to see...white leather seats, the works. Cost me a fortune. I had to work digging plumbing lines all summer to earn money for that car. I'm just glad this ship turned out to be like my car.”

  Nikki picked up a piece of bread, dipped it in her soup, and took a bite. With her mind focused on Hawk, she didn't see the Chinese man enter the dining room, spot the captain, and then leave. But Lidia did. She didn't say a word. “Hawk, what did you do with your Ford?”

  “Well,” Hawk laughed to himself as his mind wandered back in time, “I sold that old Ford to a junk dealer and bought a used motorcycle. I was getting ready to leave for college, and I wanted to look cool. I couldn't be seen driving a rusted Ford around, no matter how the inside looked.”

  “What's so funny about that?” Nikki asked.

  “Well,” Hawk explained, “my first day on campus I crashed the motorcycle into a tree. I was kinda looking at this girl, you see...”

  Herbert and Lidia laughed. “We understand.”

  Nikki shook her head at Hawk. “Boys will be boys,” she sighed.

  “Boys will be boys with a broken shoulder,” Hawk added. Nikki laughed. It was good to see Nikki laugh. Hawk stared into her beautiful face with eyes that swore he was seeing a part of Heaven.

  Nikki began to tease Hawk but was interrupted when she saw a man wearing a black and white uniform rush into the dining room, hightail it to the captain's table, and hand him a piece of paper. Nikki watched Captain Mayfield take the paper and read it. Captain Mayfield's face went from pleasant to alarmed in a matter of seconds. Excusing himself from the guests sitting at his table, he calmly left the
dining room, even though his body language was stiff and tense. “Now, what was that all about?”

  Hawk put down the fork in his hand. He had watched Captain Mayfield's face grow concerned when the second officer in command handed him a weather report. “I'll go find out,” Hawk said, standing up. Nikki began to stand up, but Hawk shook his head. “No,” he said in a firm voice. “Nikki, if it's something serious, I'll come and get you.”

  “Let him go,” Lidia urged Nikki.

  “Hurry,” Nikki pleaded.

  Hawk, not wanting to draw attention to himself, excused himself from the table. He casually exited the dining room. Looking to his left and then to his right, he searched for Captain Mayfield. Hearing voices coming from his right, he eased down a passageway that spoke of time and better days, days when people were more real in heart rather than mind. “Sir, this storm system is moving in from behind us. We can't return to port,” Hawk heard a man tell Captain Mayfield in a worried voice.

  “Contact the local ports and see if we can swing in for a stop,” Captain Mayfield replied, staring at the weather report in his hand. Shaking his head, he moved to a porthole and studied the darkening night outside. The seas were rough but manageable. The waves were angry, bitter, and deadly; dark and filled with a hunger rising up from a deep abyss.

  “I already did,” Captain Mayfield's second in command replied. The man's name was Brody Lane. Short, plump, and well into his late forties, Brody Lane resembled a clown rather than a man who had spent his life daring the open seas. Yet, Hawk saw, peering around the corner of the passageway in order to see better, the man also held a very fine, intelligent expression underlined with a cleverness he couldn't quite put his finger on. “All ports are full. This storm is pushing the ships in.”

  “No one has room for us?” Captain Mayfield asked in an unbelieving voice. “Come now, this is impossible. You get on the line and force someone to place out a welcome mat for us.”

  “Well, we could try to return to home port,” Brody suggested.

  “Out of the question. If we do, every passenger will request refunds. Absolutely not. We will find a port to dock in long enough for the storm to pass and—”

  “Captain Mayfield, if I may sir...perhaps we should try and stay ahead of the storm system? We can push farther out to sea and then swing back in,” Brody politely interrupted. “The storm system is driving northwest. We may lose a few hours, but—”

  Captain Mayfield squeezed his hands into two tight fists and struck the wall. “You dare question me, Lane?” he exploded. Hawk watched Captain Mayfield turn around. The man's face was no longer pleasant. Now Captain Mayfield's face was consumed with a deadly anger that caused Hawk to place his hand on his service gun strapped around his ankle. “You will stay on course. If no one will take us in, we will ride the storm, is that clear?”

  “Ride the storm?” Brody asked, backing away from Captain Mayfield. “That's insane. The swells are forecasted to—”

  “Need I remind you who is captain?” Captain Mayfield hollered at Brody. “Listen to me, you pathetic drunk. No one dared—dared—take you on as their second in command. The tragedy of the Blue Pearl has destroyed your life, Lane. But I took you in, didn't I? I made you second in command, didn't I? And if you want to remain second in command, you better obey my every order, are we clear? If you refuse, you can tell your wife that it was your fault that you can no longer pay for her medical treatments.”

  Like a beaten dog, Brody looked down at his feet. “Yes, Captain. I'm very sorry, sir. I didn't mean to question you. I...you have been very kind to me and my wife. I will keep us on course, sir.”

  Captain Mayfield stared at Brody, took a few breaths, and then put on a fake smile. Patting Brody on the shoulder, he nodded his head. “That's a good man, Lane. I know that I can trust you. I see good things for you in the future. You have always served me well. I will see to it that you get your bonus. Now, get back to the bridge. I will join you shortly. And not a word to anyone. If the passengers begin to ask questions, we will assure them that we have sailed into a minor storm which is of no grave concern, are we clear?”

  “Yes, sir,” Brody said and hurried away with his tail between his legs.

  Chapter Five

  Hawk shook his head, walked back to the dining room, and sat down. The smell of delicious food, the sight of people laughing, talking, and enjoying themselves, the sounds of dinnerware clanging and clattering—it all faded away. Like a man in a tunnel, he saw only at Captain Mayfield's angry, deceitful face in his mind. “What is it?” Nikki asked Hawk in a worried voice. Reading Hawk’s face, she could clearly see that he had come upon some very disturbing information.

  Herbert put down his fork. Lidia leaned forward on her elbows. “Speak to us,” she told Hawk.

  “What did you find out?” Herbert insisted. The expression on Hawk's face troubled him. Never the type of man to allow panic to overwhelm his composure, he stared at Hawk with forced patience.

  “Storm is coming in from behind us,” Hawk whispered. Glancing around to ensure other passengers were not focused on his table, he continued. “Mayfield has ordered his second in command to keep the ship on course. Seems this storm system is pushing all the ships in, and all the ports are filling up.”

  “What does that mean?” Lidia asked, confused.

  Hawk looked at Nikki and then to Lidia. “Mayfield's second in command wanted to take this ship farther out to sea, farther west, to move away from the storm. The storm is moving north, right on our tail, it seems. Mayfield wouldn't hear of it. Mayfield has given the order to ride the storm if we get caught in it.”

  Nikki studied Hawk's face. “Hawk, there's something else, isn't there?”

  Hawk nodded. “Something about swells...Mayfield's second in command...I remember seeing this man earlier. His last name is Lane; he mentioned something about swells and seemed awful worried about the forecasts. I'm guessing we're not talking kiddie-pool swells, guys. Mayfield cut Lane off before he could finish, though.”

  “Oh dear,” Lidia gasped. “Hawk, you're a cop. Go tell that man to return us to Seattle this instant.”

  “That's what Lane suggested, but Mayfield refused. If he returns this ship to home port he's worried all the passengers will request refunds. But my gut tells me that's a lie. The man has an agenda.”

  Nikki pushed her mind back in time a few hours. She saw the Chinese man walking out of the men's bathroom carrying a briefcase. “And Captain Mayfield followed that man out,” she whispered.

  “What?” Hawk asked.

  “Oh, go ahead and tell him,” Lidia caved in. “Better yet, I will. Hawk, earlier, when Nikki and I were walking to the tea room, we saw that rude Chinese man walk out of a men's public restroom. He was carrying a briefcase in his hand. Captain Mayfield walked out of the bathroom behind him.”

  “The Chinese man wasn't carrying a briefcase when we first saw him walk down the hallway,” Nikki pointed out.

  “And,” Lidia sighed, “I saw our Chinese friend stick his head in this dining room a short while ago, spot Captain Mayfield, and then leave.”

  “How long ago?” Nikki asked.

  “Shortly before this Mr. Lane walked in and gave Captain Mayfield the weather report,” Lidia explained.

  “There's Captain Mayfield,” Herbert said in a hushed whisper. Picking up his fork, he took a bite of salmon and smiled in Captain Mayfield's direction. Captain Mayfield paid no mind to Herbert. He walked straight to his table, told his dinner guests that he had to return to the bridge, and excused himself.

  Hawk began to stand up. As he did, the lights in the dining room went out. Darkness rolled across the room like a heavy swell filled with watery graves. Women began screaming. Out of instinct, Hawk bent down, lifted his pants leg, and snatched the gun attached to his right ankle out of its holster. Before he could stand up, the lights came on again. And there, lying dead in the middle of the dining room, lay Captain Mayfield's body. More screams erupted.


  Nikki shot to her feet. “Hawk?”

  Hawk, realizing that he was holding a gun in his hand and that people were staring at him, quickly grabbed his badge from the back pocket of his pants and stood up. “My name is Detective Daily,” he called out and began waving his badge around in the air. “I need everyone to remain seated.”

  Lidia grabbed Herbert’s hand. “Not a word,” she begged him. “Please don't call Nikki a jinx.”

  Herbert simply picked up a glass of water and took a drink. “When this ship sinks, then I’ll call her a jinx.”

  Hearing Herbert’s remark hurt Nikki's feelings. Forcing her mind to stay focused, she remained at Hawk's side as he continued to reassure everyone that he was a cop. As the screams slowly began to settle down, she followed Hawk over to Captain Mayfield's body. “Look,” she said pointing at the man's neck.

  Hawk nodded his head. Bending down, he examined a wooden dart lodged in Captain Mayfield’s throat. The dart was two inches in length, thin but firm, made of bamboo. “A poison dart,” Hawk told Nikki. Shaking his head, he looked over his shoulder toward the set of doors leading into the dining room. The doors were open. “Whoever killed Mayfield had an accomplice. Someone threw the lights while the other blew the dart.”

  Nikki looked at Hawk. “Hawk, I...”

  “Did you pack your gun like I told you?”

  Nikki nodded her head. “Yes,” she said, lowering her eyes back down to Captain Mayfield's face. “Someone should go get the ship's doctor.”

  Hawk saw Brody run into the dining room, spot Captain Mayfield lying on the floor, and rush over. “What happened?”

  “This man has been murdered,” Hawk told Brody. Standing up, he showed Brody his badge and then pointed at the dart sticking out of Captain Mayfield's neck. “Go get the ship’s doctor.”

  “I...yes, of course, Detective,” Brody said, staring down at Captain Mayfield with disturbed eyes. Hurrying away, he vanished out into the hallway.