Christmas Chocolate Murder

by Wendy Meadows

  “Please make sure to check your phone next time,” she admonished him.

  “I will,” he reassured her.

  “Hey, where is Brian?” Nikki asked.

  “He told us he was taking a walk. Tori and I were going to go look for him and then start dinner,” Seth said.

  Hawk and Nikki looked at each other.

  “I have an idea. Why don’t Hawk and I go looking for him? You two have been working all day. Tori, could you take Seth home? Hawk and I will pick up take-out and bring it back after we find Brian. It is the least we can do after all the work you have done.”

  Seth and Tori smiled. “Actually,” Seth said, “Tori and I were thinking of going to a movie after dinner. We’ll just go out to eat and go to the movie from there, if that’s alright with you.” He looked at Nikki.

  “That is fine. You two go on and enjoy yourselves. Eat some popcorn for me.” She smiled and shooed them away. Seth and Tori walked to her car holding hands. They looked precious together.

  Well, what is Brian up to, thought Nikki. She looked around the street to see if she could see him, but he was nowhere nearby. “Thank you for coming with me to look for him,” she said to Hawk. They got back into Hawk’s truck and started to drive around slowly. Nikki looked on the street and in the shops that were still open. She did not see anyone fitting Brian’s description, but she received a few waves from some of her neighbors.

  “Hawk, I’m concerned,” she said.

  “I know,” he said putting his hand on her knee. “But remember, we do not have any real evidence against Brian.”

  “I know, but I still do not want to be alone with him in the house tonight.”

  “I understand,” reassured Hawk. “It’s a good thing I was planning to sleep on your sofa then.”

  Nikki looked at him and smiled. She was strong and tough, but she appreciated Hawk’s help. She thanked him and squeezed his hand.

  “Where do you think he is?” she asked Hawk.

  “I am not sure, but let’s go drive down this street.”

  Hawk turned down the street by Gus’s diner. Nikki saw a figure up ahead. They pulled up and saw Brian in Hawk’s headlights. Brian shaded his eyes but did not move. Nikki and Hawk got out of the car.

  “Hey, Brian, it’s us,” said Nikki. “Tori and Seth told us you were going for a walk. We decided to find you before you got too cold.”

  “Thank you,” said Brian.

  “May I ask why you ended up here?” asked Hawk.

  Brian looked at the police tape. He was standing near the parking lot where Susan’s body had been found.

  “I just wanted to see where she had died,” he answered. His voice was rising a bit.

  Nikki put her arm around his shoulder. Right at this moment he seemed like a lost little boy. His red nose was sniffling, and he was crying. His breath came out in huffs of white steam against the dark sky. I would like to thank the academy for this award for best dramatic actor, Nikki thought. Humor always helped to calm her down.

  “Just so you know, you really should not be here. This is still an active crime scene,” Hawk said.

  Brian looked at Hawk and wiped his nose on his sleeve. “I understand, sir.”

  “Okay, let’s get back in the car, and I will drive you back to Nikki’s,” Hawk said to Brian. Nikki squeezed Brian’s shoulder, and he got into the truck Hawk steered the car towards home.

  As he turned a corner, Hawk said, “Oh shoot. I forgot something.” Nikki raised her eyebrows.

  “I forgot some paperwork at the station. Do you mind if we stop there first before I take you two home?”

  “That would be fine,” said Nikki. She looked in the rearview mirror, but Brian was staring out the window.

  Hawk pulled into the station and kept the truck running. “I will be out in a minute or two. Stay in the truck where it’s warm.” He glanced to the right. Nikki followed his eyes and saw two police officers standing outside talking.

  “Okay,” she said, and she watched Hawk walk over towards them.

  “Hey guys,” Hawk waved to the officers.

  “Hey, Hawk. Late night?”

  “No, I just have to check in with my dad. Is he here?” Hawk asked.

  “Yes, he is in his office.”

  “Thanks. Are you going to be out here long?” he asked.

  “A few minutes; we’re waiting for Bill to get out so we can start our shift.”

  “Do you mind keeping an eye on my truck? I have some precious cargo in there.”

  They turned and looked and saw Nikki. They waved and she waved back.

  “Sure thing, Hawk.”

  “Thank you.”

  Hawk continued into the station and went to his father’s office. His father was sitting at his desk looking at some papers.

  “Hey, Hawk,” he said, getting up and shaking his son’s hand. “How did the talk with the professor go?”

  “That is why I am here,” Hawk said.

  “Take a seat,” said the chief, sitting back down.

  “I can’t. Nikki is out in the car.”

  The chief lowered his brow. Usually Nikki came into the station with Hawk.

  “Tell me what is going on, son,” he said.

  Hawk took a moment and relayed what the professor had told him and Nikki about Brian. The captain whistled.

  “I just wanted to fill you in on the situation. I will be staying with Nikki at her place tonight so she does not have to be alone with Brian.”

  “That makes sense. Call me if you need me. I’ll keep the phone by my side all night.”

  “Thank you. I don’t think it will come to that, but I appreciate the backup,” Hawk replied.

  He shook his father’s hand and went back out into the cold night.

  When they returned home, Nikki started to prepare for dinner. Her hands were shaking badly. Hawk came up behind her and took the knife out of her hand.

  “Let me do the cooking,” he offered, rubbing Nikki’s shoulders. Nikki leaned back into Hawk for a moment. This feels nice, she thought.

  “Okay, you win,” she said, grabbing her coffee mug. “I am going to bake some cookies, though.”

  Brian came in, and Nikki looked up.

  “I’m going to be in my room studying.”

  “Okay. I will let you know when dinner is ready,” Nikki replied, shivering. “I am going to stoke the fire; it’s chilly in here.”

  Nikki watched as Brian picked up his backpack. He swung it over his shoulder and went to his room. Nikki put another log on the fire and went back into the kitchen.

  She pulled out her flour, sugar, baking soda, and chocolate chips. She got the eggs out of the refrigerator and started stirring the ingredients together. While she was stirring, a thought occurred to her. She looked at Hawk.

  “I want to get a look inside Brian’s backpack,” she said. He frowned.

  “Didn’t he take that into his room while he studies?”

  “Yes, but I have an idea. How about after dinner you take Brian into the woods to get some wood for the fireplace. That should give me time to look inside his backpack. I can do it while the chocolate chip cookies bake after dinner,” she said while spooning the batter onto a pan.

  “I don’t know,” said Hawk hesitantly. “I could just have a search warrant drawn up for the backpack.”

  “But we don’t have substantial evidence,” Nikki said. “This could help you get some.”

  “Okay, fine,” he finally agreed. “As long as you keep your phone with you.”

  Nikki agreed, and Hawk put the finishing touches on his casserole. He stuck it into the oven and set the timer for twenty minutes.

  “What do you want to do until dinner is ready?” he asked Nikki.

  “I want to stand by the window with you and look outside at the beautiful night sky,” she said, taking his hand. He followed her to the window and put his arm around her waist as they looked at the stars together.

  Twenty minutes later the tim
er beeped. Nikki called Brian, and he came out of his room. She noticed he left his backpack behind. He came down the stairs, smiling and told them that he had finally finished a book he had been reading over break. It was a science book, and Brian looked happy. Nikki shivered. They sat down and started to eat. Brian complemented Nikki on her food, and she thanked him. She said it was her mother’s recipe. Nikki then mentioned that they were running low on wood in the den. There was some more outside, but they needed to restock the pile with fresh logs.

  “After dinner, could you help me chop some wood?” Hawk asked Brian.

  “I don’t know much about chopping wood,” he replied, chuckling.

  “That’s okay. I can chop, and you can help me haul it back.”

  “We are running low in the den. Do you mind?” asked Nikki.

  “Sure, I would be happy to help,” answered Brian.

  “Thank you,” said Nikki.

  They ate dinner and talked about Christmas in Maple Hills. Nikki asked Hawk who he thought would win the decorating contest. He claimed it was Nikki’s to win, but she talked about Gus’ reindeer. Hawk said they were not that cute. Nikki laughed. She teased him and said that he only wanted her to win because he helped her decorate.

  “Probably,” he admitted. “It wasn’t easy hauling those candy canes around.”

  Nikki laughed. “If I win, you get to share in the bragging rights.”

  “Deal,” said Hawk.

  Hawk knew how to make Nikki relax. Inside she was freaking out. Susan’s killer could be sitting right next to me. While outside she was all smiles and Christmas. She knew she had to play along so she could prove whether or not Brian had killed Susan. They needed some hard evidence, fast.

  After dinner Hawk and Brian cleared the plates. They were going to wash them, but Nikki told them to go ahead and get the wood. They could clean them after dessert. Hawk and Brian got dressed in their warm coats, boots, and gloves, and went out to chop some wood. Nikki put the cookies in the oven and looked out the kitchen window. She saw Hawk and Brian disappear into the woods. She made sure everything was set in the kitchen and went to check out Brian’s backpack.

  Chapter Ten

  After Nikki put the cookies in the oven, she put on a pair of gloves and grabbed some zip lock bags. She went up the stairs and turned the corner to her guest room.

  When she opened the door the curtains were closed, and the light was on. Good, she thought, I do not need a flashlight. She went over to the bed and saw Brian’s backpack. She lifted it up onto the bed. It was heavy, and she saw it was full of books. There were books about business, science, and math. This could have been Susan’s backpack, Nikki thought with a shudder. Nikki opened the small flap in the front. She found pens, pencils, erasers, a stapler, and other assorted tools every college student carries.

  Next, she opened the large section of the bag. She carefully pulled out one book at a time, keeping them in the same order. She looked through the books and saw some notes jotted down in the margins. They were class notes, so she went on to the notebooks. They were filled with more detailed class notes. She realized that Brian had to write almost everything down in order to remember it. On one page she found a list of names. She took her phone out and took a picture of the list. She put the notebook away and pulled out another book. While she was flipping through the pages, she came across a blank piece of notebook paper. It was folded, and it looked like it had been ripped out of a notebook. Nikki gasped. She got out one of her zip lock bags and put the notebook paper inside the bag. She sealed it and looked through the rest of the book. There was nothing else in that book or the rest of the backpack. Nothing caught her eye, so she replaced the items she had taken out. She put the backpack beside Brian’s bed in the same position it had been and went back down the stairs carrying the zip lock bag. She stopped on the staircase and listened. She did not hear any movement downstairs. She tiptoed the rest of the way and looked around the corner. The kitchen and den were empty. She took off her gloves and put them back in the drawer. She tucked the zip lock bag into Hawk’s overnight bag. She looked out the kitchen window and saw Hawk and Brian coming back. She waved, and Hawk waved back.

  Nikki pulled out the cookies while Hawk and Brian stacked the wood in the den. Nikki thanked them and told them the cookies would be ready soon. Brian asked if they could have some hot chocolate.

  “It was really cold out there. Hot chocolate should warm me up,” he smiled and stamped his feet to warm them.

  “Sure,” said Nikki, setting up the hot chocolate. “Could you put another log on the fire, Brian?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Brian replied, hopping into the den.

  Nikki looked at Hawk and asked him to take the cookies out of the oven. Hawk looked at Nikki, and she nodded. She tilted her head towards his overnight bag. Hawk nodded back, and Brian came back into the room. He was carrying a board game.

  “Who would like to play Scrabble?” he asked. “I love playing board games.”

  Nikki grimaced at the stove but braced herself. She had to be strong to get through this.

  “Sure. Hawk loves to play. Sometimes I even let him win.” Nikki laughed and brought the cookies and hot chocolate over to the dining room table. “Let’s play in here where it’s warm.” She wanted to be as far away from Hank’s bag as she could. She was worried that she would keep glancing at it all night, and she didn’t want to draw any attention to it. Hawk and Brian sat down and Nikki joined them.

  They played a few rounds of Scrabble and some other board games. The night moved on and Brian seemed to be growing tired. I will not let him manipulate me anymore, thought Nikki. He may look like a sweet kid, but I am convinced he is our killer. She excused herself and went to her bedroom. Nikki called Seth, and he answered on the second ring. The movie had just let out, and he and Tori were about to come back to Nikki’s house. Nikki looked outside and saw that it was starting to snow again. It was coming down pretty heavy. “Why don’t you just stay at Tori’s tonight if that’s okay with her. I don’t want you two to get stuck in the snow coming back here.” She heard Seth talking to Tori.

  “She said I could stay. We will see you in the shop tomorrow. Good night!”

  “Good night, Seth. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Mom.”

  Nikki hung up the phone. She sat on her bed and thought it was good that it was snowing. She knew Seth would be safe at Tori’s, and Hawk was here with her. She took a deep breath and went back downstairs. Brian and Hawk were cleaning the dishes.

  “Thank you, Brian, but if you’re tired you can go on up to bed. I will finish these.”

  “I thought I would wait for Seth,” Brian said.

  “Oh, I just called him. Because of the snow he is going to stay with Tori tonight.”

  “Okay. Well, goodnight then,” Brian said.

  “Goodnight, Brian,” Nikki and Hawk said together.

  Brian went up to his room, and Nikki and Hawk continued to wash and dry the dishes. After that they sat by the fire, reading. Nikki could not concentrate, and when she looked up she saw Hawk looking at her. He crooked his neck toward his bag. She and Hawk went over and she showed him the notebook paper. She also showed him the list of names. She texted it to him.

  “I will get this into evidence tomorrow morning,” Hawk promised.

  Nikki hugged him and then got the sofa ready.

  “Everything will be alright,” Hawk whispered into her ear.

  Nikki started to tear up and then took a deep breath. “I know,” she whispered back. Hawk pulled her into another hug and then sent her up to her bed.

  Chapter Eleven

  Nikki woke up and looked out the window. The snow had stopped. She got out of bed. Soon. We should be able to put all of this behind us soon. It was becoming her new mantra. She pulled her shoulders back, put a grin on her face, and went downstairs. She smelled coffee before she got to the kitchen. When she went in, she saw Hawk by the coffee maker and Brian at the tabl
e.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead,” teased Hawk.

  “What time is it?” asked Nikki rubbing her eyes.

  “It’s about 6:15,” Brian told her. “I actually got a good night’s sleep last night. I’m glad to be getting up early.”

  Nikki was not surprised to see Hawk up. Other nights he had stayed on her couch she could always count on coffee the next morning. Brian being awake was another thing altogether. What does he mean by a good night’s sleep, she wondered. She shrugged to herself and wrapped her robe tighter. It was chilly, but the coffee was warm. Brian asked if he could get a ride into town.

  “No studying today?” Nikki asked.

  “Actually, I wanted to check out the library I passed the other day. It is small, but it seems like a good place to study.”

  Hawk said he would be happy to drive him in. Brian went upstairs to get dressed. Nikki finished her coffee and went to her room. Her phone was blinking. There was a message from Seth. “We are eating at Tori’s – we will see you at the shop soon.” Nikki appreciated Seth’s checking in with her. She got dressed and went back downstairs. Hawk was pulling the sheets off the sofa, and she held out her hands.

  “Give those to me, and I will take them to the laundry room,” she said.

  “I can carry them.”

  “I insist. It is the least I can do after the wonderful coffee this morning.”

  Hawk acquiesced and gave Nikki the sheets. She put them in the laundry room. When she got back, Brian was downstairs. The men were putting on their jackets.

  “Let me get my phone,” she said.

  Nikki ran back upstairs and grabbed her purse and phone. She hopped back down, threw on her coat, and started for the truck.