“I know,” Nikki said sadly. “I see the looks.”
“But,” Hawk added, “there's a lot of people in our little town who think you're great, too.”
Nikki struggled to smile but failed. “Oh, Hawk!” She threw her face into Hawk's chest and began crying.
“Hey, now, it's okay,” Hawk said, gently wrapping his arms around Nikki. “We'll figure out who killed Cynthia Grove, you just wait and see. Ol' Hawk is on the case.”
Lidia walked out of the back office with Chief Daily. “Tori is on her way to the station and—” Lidia stopped talking. She saw Nikki crying, cradled in Hawk's arms.
Chief Daily kicked at the floor with his right foot. “I'm going to make some changes to this town and get the bad eggs out once and for all,” he promised. “Until then, I'm afraid this establishment must be closed for investigation.”
Lidia looked at Nikki. Then she slowly glanced around the chocolate shop. Her heart broke. “I can't stand it, I just can't stand it,” she said as her own tears began to fall. Grabbing her coat, she ran outside.
“Can we eat first?” Nikki asked Hawk, wiping at her tears.
Hawk looked down into Nikki's beautiful, tear-soaked face. “Of course we can,” he smiled. “Pop, we'll be over at the diner.”
Chief Daily shook his head. “I want Ms. Bates out of sight and out of mind for now,” he ordered Hawk. “I'll run over to the diner and get lunch for everyone. As soon as word of Cynthia Grove’s death gets loose in this town, a lot of angry people are going to be storming into my office demanding answers. And I think you know how the news about the murder is going to get out, too.”
“Sam,” Hawk said.
Chief Daily nodded. “That old woman has a tongue laced with grease. I ordered her to keep quiet, but I doubt she will. I predict this town will be ready to light torches and go after Ms. Bates with pitchforks before dinner time.”
“Sam will tell people about the chocolate,” Hawk said miserably.
“Oh dear,” Nikki moaned painfully.
Chief Daily walked up to Nikki and carefully put his hand on her shoulder. “Ms. Bates—Nikki—I know you didn't kill Cynthia Grove. And I intend to find the person who did. But for now, please, I beg you, do as we ask you.”
“Of course,” Nikki agreed and wiped at her tears. With sad eyes, she looked around her chocolate shop. “Lidia and I were going to change the store into a hot chocolate shop before the first snow arrived...” Unable to say any more, Nikki walked outside.
Lidia was standing out on the front sidewalk hugging her arms. The wind was up, blowing leaves across the empty streets and up against quiet storefronts. “If you dare say you're leaving, I will never forgive you,” Lidia told Nikki, staring at a warm bakery across the street. “You're—no, we—are fighters, do you hear me?”
Nikki put her arm around Lidia's trembling shoulder. “I'm not going anywhere,” she promised. “We still have a hot chocolate shop to create.”
Lidia looked into Nikki's teary eyes. “You are an amazing woman, Nikki Bates, and I am proud to be your friend. I'm going to stand by you no matter what. We're both upset and heartbroken right now, but mark my word, in a couple of weeks we'll be back in our store talking about throwing snowballs at each other.”
“You're my family, not my friend,” Nikki told Lidia and hugged her tightly.
“I know, honey, I know,” Lidia replied and hugged Nikki back.
Nikki glimpsed movement across the street. Gently letting go of Lidia, she saw an old man staring at her. “Who is that?” Nikki asked.
Lidia drew her watery eyes across the street. An old man wearing a dark green windbreaker was staring at Nikki. “Let's go,” the old man told a toy fox terrier attached to a blue leash he was holding in his right hand.
Nikki watched the old man walk away and vanish around a street corner. “I've never seen that man before,” Lidia said, her brow furrowed, “but he sure seemed interested in you.”
Chapter Four
Hearing Hawk and Chief Daily step outside, Nikki turned and watched Chief Daily close the front door to her chocolate shop. Hawk offered a supportive smile, but his eyes dropped to the sidewalk like wet sand. “Ready, ladies?” he asked.
“Hawk,” Nikki said, “an old man was standing across the street staring at me. He was walking a small dog.” Nikki pointed to the street corner where the old man had vanished. “He went that way, down Dove Avenue.”
“Go,” Chief Daily commanded.
Hawk didn't waste another second. He dashed across the street on his long legs. Nikki watched him dash around the street corner with worried eyes. Chief Daily put a warm hand on her shoulder. “Everything is going to be all right, I assure you,” he promised Nikki.
Nikki patted Chief Daily's hand. “I know,” she said, her voice empty of confidence.
Ten minutes later Hawk returned empty-handed. Shrugging at Chief Daily, he explained that he couldn't find anyone on Dove Avenue. “I searched over on Pine Street and Peppermint Lane,” he added. “The old man you ladies saw must be Houdini.”
“Could the man have ventured into any of the stores?” Chief Daily asked Hawk.
“All the stores are closed,” Hawk answered. “I checked the doors.”
Chief Daily rubbed his chin and looked at Lidia. “You never saw the man before, Lidia?”
Lidia shook her head resolutely. “Not in my life, and I know every face in this town. The old man watching Nikki was a stranger.”
“Okay,” Chief Daily sighed, “no laws in this town against someone walking a dog and stopping to look at you. We better get on down to the station.”
Hawk looked out across the street at the stores that would soon fall into hibernation for the winter. Allowing the wind to wash over his face with cold fingers, he studied the stores with careful eyes as the leaves continued to dance, and the sky above slowly began to turn gray. “Pop,” he said in a low voice, “I've got a funny feeling on this one.”
“Me, too,” Chief Daily agreed.
Nikki was surprised that she was able to eat. She was even more surprised to find that she was hungry enough to eat every bite of food on her plate. Standing in Hawk's office near the window, holding a white plate in her hand, she put a bite of delicious turkey in her mouth. “Good,” she said.
Lidia and Tori were sitting in two brown chairs Hawk had pulled into his office. Lidia looked down at the turkey dinner sitting on a plate resting on Hawk's desk. “Please eat,” Tori begged Lidia.
“Please,” Hawk supported Tori. Sitting behind his desk, he worked on a turkey sandwich.
Lidia was hungry. It was just that her stomach was tied in knots. Hesitantly, she grabbed her plate and began to nibble on stuffing. “Happy?” she asked.
“Yes,” Hawk told her. “I know you're upset, but you need your strength.”
“Yes, dad,” Lidia rolled her eyes. “Oh, I'm sorry,” she quickly apologized. “I'm worried. That man we saw...he was so creepy.”
“Thin gray hair, glasses, green windbreaker, brown pants...” Hawk said, putting down his sandwich. “Not much to go on. Mr. Ross matches that description... so do Mr. Walton and Mr. Gordon. Lidia, those men aren't creepy. Why did the old man you saw raise your eyebrows?”
“It was the way he looked at me,” Nikki answered for Lidia. “Very creepy, Hawk.”
Tori looked at Lidia. “It's going to be okay.”
“I hope so, dear,” Lidia tried to smile but failed.
Nikki walked away from the window, put her plate down on Hawk’s desk, and folded her arms together. “I'm going to find that man,” she announced.
“Oh no, you're not,” Hawk objected.
“Yes, I am,” Nikki argued, “but, not in the way you're thinking. Hawk, let me go back to the chocolate shop, and you keep watch from a safe distance. When the man appears—if he appears—grab him.”
Hawk considered Nikki's suggestion. “Worth a shot,” he agreed and finished off his sandwich. “Lidia, you and Tori stay
here in my office.”
“No way,” Lidia said putting her plate down. “I'm going with Nikki, and so is Tori. We're a team.”
“That's right,” Tori added stubbornly.
“You're also two individuals who are under questioning for the murder of Mrs. Grove,” Hawk reminded them. “So you either sit here in my office or sit in a jail cell, ladies.”
“Stay here,” Nikki pleaded with Lidia and Tori. “I have a feeling our missing friend will appear if I'm alone.”
Lidia narrowed her eyes at Hawk. “If anything happens to her, mister, you're going to feel my anger.”
Hawk held his hands up in the air. “I promise to bring Nikki back in one piece, okay?”
“You better,” Tori snapped. “We know where you... uh, work.”
Hawk looked at Nikki. “I guess I better bring you back in one piece if I want to make it through this day in one piece.”
Nikki felt grateful that Lidia and Nikki cared so much about her. She quickly gave them a hug apiece and left Hawk's office. Walking outside, she paused and took in the beautiful day set before her with a brilliance and color that no poet could place into words. Allowing the cold winds that were exploring the day to touch her face and play in her hair, Nikki closed her eyes. “Home... sometimes we have to fight for home,” she whispered.
Feeling Hawk put his right hand on her shoulder, Nikki opened her eyes. “What are you thinking?” he asked.
Nikki turned around and looked into Hawk’s caring, concerned, eyes. “I moved to Vermont to begin a new life, Hawk. It would be easy to run back to Georgia, to give up on what I have here in this little town. I never expected to fall in love again and meet people who would become my family. I'm very happy, Hawk... and content. My ex-husband, if he were here, would insist I leave at once. He never liked to rock the boat, as people say.” Nikki paused as images of her ex-husband floated into her troubled mind. “What would I do if I left Vermont? Where would I go? This is my home now, Hawk—you, Lidia, Tori—you're all my home.”
Hawk gently caressed Nikki's cheek with his hand. “You're going to make it, Nikki,” he said softly. “I know right now we've been dropped into another case, but we haven't lost yet, have we? You wait and see, in a few days you'll be back at your shop selling that excellent chocolate you make.”
“And then what, Hawk?” Nikki asked, touching his hand. “Will the cases keep coming? Will we ever have peace?”
“Does it really matter? As long as we're together, that's all that matters,” Hawk explained and gently kissed her. “You listen to me,” he said, pulling Nikki into his arms, “there's a killer loose in our town, and we're going to catch whoever the killer is. I need you to be strong, though, and go into the dressing room and put on that brilliant mind of yours, okay? Go yank off the sadness I see in your eyes and put on the fighter that lives in you.”
“Do I really have a choice?”
Hawk looked deep into her eyes. “Yes, you do,” he said.
Staring back into Hawk's eyes, Nikki felt his words sting her heart. “Okay, Hawk... I'll go change.”
“That's my girl.” Hawk smiled and walked Nikki to his jeep. Before he opened the passenger side door, he reached down to his ankle and pulled up his pants leg. “Here,” he said, pulling a gun out of an ankle holster.
This simple gesture seemed to say, You have no way out, Nikki; you're trapped in the rabbit hole forever, forever, forever. “No,” Nikki said, pushing the gun away. “I have to solve this case my way, Hawk.”
Instead of arguing, Hawk returned the gun to the ankle holster. “Okay,” he said and drew in a deep breath, “let's go.”
Nikki glanced up at the dark sky overhead and then climbed up into the passenger's seat. “Could it snow tonight?” she asked Hawk as soon as he was behind the wheel.
“Temperature is dropping pretty fast, and the rain will start in another hour or so. It's possible we could see some snow tonight. If not snow, at least some sleet.”
Nikki felt a cold chill grab her heart. Suddenly she felt like a lone character in a mystery novel, trapped in a dark night that was never going to end. “I'm ready,” she told Hawk and grew very silent.
Chapter Five
Nikki unlocked the front door to her chocolate shop and walked inside as if nothing were wrong. She flipped the wooden sign in the front window from 'closed' to 'open', removed her coat and hung it up, and walked to the back office. That's when she noticed the door to the office was ajar. “Come in, Ms. Bates,” a voice called out.
Nikki felt a shiver slither down her spine, but instead of running, she drew in a deep breath and cautiously pushed the office door open. The old man was sitting in the office chair at her desk. “Who are you?” Nikki asked.
“A friend... an enemy... perhaps both,” the old man said enigmatically. “Coffee, Ms. Bates?”
Nikki let her eyes look past the old man at the coffee pot sitting on her desk. “It is cold outside,” she answered and stepped farther into the office. “Yes, I could use some coffee.”
“I believe we are going to see the first snow of the season,” the old man said. He watched Nikki retrieve a cup and fill it.
“Maybe,” Nikki said and sat down on the edge of her desk. “You know who killed Mrs. Grove, right? Or am I mistaken in assuming that?”
“Oh,” the old man said and picked up a white coffee cup, “assumptions are interesting little ideas full of truth and error.”
“Sometimes,” Nikki agreed, “but not all the time.”
The old man sipped his coffee. “You've caused many problems for many people,” he stated calmly. “You've challenged some very powerful men who are not apt to forget your pretty little face.”
“City Hall will always be corrupt,” Nikki answered. “There will always be a thorn or two that criminals stumble on.”
The old man nodded very slowly as he studied Nikki's face. “Numerous people right here in this small town are very upset with you.”
“I'm not out to win a popularity contest,” Nikki answered and took a sip of her coffee. “You made the coffee too weak.”
“I have to mind my caffeine intake,” the old man explained. Continuing to study Nikki, he put down the coffee cup in his hand. “I could end your life this very second,” he said.
“If you wanted me dead, I would be dead,” Nikki replied bravely. “Let's just cut to the chase. You tell me who you are and what you want... or what you're after.”
The old man folded his arms together. “Who I am, Ms. Bates, is someone who can destroy your entire life with a single phone call.”
“No offense,” Nikki told the old man, “but I've heard all the threats before. I'm too tired to jump through the circus rings with you and play your mental games. You can tell me what you want or take a hike, okay? If you want to ruin my life, then do it. If you want to play games, play games. But do it on your own dime, because I've been fighting one criminal after another for the last few months, and I'm in no mood to chase after the crumbs you are dropping for me.”
The old man grew silent. He studied Nikki with extreme caution. “There is a person in this town, Ms. Bates, whom I want. I do not know the identity of this person. It will be your duty to uncover the identity of the person I am after. If you assist me, I will tell you who killed Mrs. Grove and send you the evidence you will need to clear your name.”
“And if I refuse to help?” Nikki asked.
“Your son might take a drive into a tree,” the old man snapped at Nikki. “Are we clear, Ms. Bates? I can be a friend or a very deadly enemy. Do not test the limits of my patience.”
“If you ever threaten my son again, I will personally dedicate my life to destroying you,” Nikki snapped back and slammed down her coffee cup. “Who do you think you are? I'm not scared of you, and neither is my son. We both understand that life isn't forever, and we refuse to live scared.”
“I can make you become very scared,” the old man promised Nikki.
“Take your best
shot.” Nikki began to walk out of her office.
“Wait,” the old man replied quickly. Standing up, he waved his hand. Nikki turned around. “You have guts, Ms. Bates... more guts than I expected. I'm impressed. Some of the bravest men in the world have crumbled at my threats.”
“I'm not a man,” Nikki told the old man. “I'm a very upset woman who wants her life back. Now you tell me who you're after, and I will help you locate this person. But so help me, if you try and play any games with me, I'll go after you the way one lion attacks another in battle.”
The old man knew Nikki meant every word she said to him. “In this town,” he told Nikki in a slow, low, voice, “is someone who murdered my wife many, many years ago. It is time I bring justice to this person after all these years.”
“I will not help you murder anyone. Deal’s off,” Nikki said.
“I am not talking about murdering anyone,” the old man nearly hissed. “Once I locate this... hideous creature, I will send him, or her, to prison for life. You see, Ms. Bates, prison at my age is a worse fate than death.”
“I see,” Nikki said, struggling to read the old man's eyes. “Okay, I will help you. Meet me back here tomorrow morning at ten. Bring whatever information you have with you. Until then, I'm going home and resting. I'm going to tell Detective Hawk about our meeting. I'm not going to hide anything from him. Are we clear?”
“Ms. Bates, I can destroy your life and make you a very miserable woman. I can break your arrogant attitude at any time of my choosing. So allow me to make one thing very clear: If you fail me, your life will end in agony.”
The old man walked past Nikki into the store. Nikki shook her head and closed the office door. “Take the back door out. Detective Hawk is parked outside. If he sees you—”
“Yes, yes, I know,” the old man said irritably. “I'm not quite ready to leave just yet. I need to disclose a bit of information to you.”
“I'm all ears,” Nikki said, standing at the office door.
Coconut Chocolate Murder (A Maple Hills Cozy Mystery Book 7) Page 2