Maple Hills Mystery Box Set 3

by Wendy Meadows

  “I thought Susan was taking my car home to New York this morning—what was it doing in the lot?”

  “Here’s the thing,” said Hawk, taking Nikki’s hand. “Susan was in the car. She was dead when Gus found her.”

  Seth dropped his coffee mug. It hit the carpet and bounced, sending coffee flying everywhere. Nikki jumped up and pulled him into a hug. Brian looked shocked. Hawk patted Brian’s shoulder and offered him what comfort he could.

  After a while, Seth calmed down. Nikki sent the boys back into the kitchen for more coffee. While wiping up the spilled coffee, Nikki asked Hawk if they knew what had happened to Susan.

  “We’re not sure, but we think it might have been carbon monoxide poisoning. There is no trace of the gas in the car, but other evidence points that way.”

  “Well, I am going to come down to the station to help you. I need to know what happened to this girl. She was a friend of Seth’s, and he is a wreck.”

  Hawk agreed. Nikki went into the kitchen to let Seth and Brian know she was going to ride to town with Hawk.

  “I want to come too,” Seth insisted. Nikki felt for him, but she told him no. She did not want his last memory of Susan to be a bad one. She told him she would have Tori come over and hang out with them. Seth reluctantly agreed.

  “What about the shop?”

  “Lidia can hold down the fort. She can explain why we are a little backed up. I’m sure my customers will understand.” At least the nice ones should, she thought. She called Tori and explained what had happened. Before she could ask, Tori said she would be right there.

  Nikki gave Seth a hug and told him to stay put. “As soon as we know anything, I will call you,” she reassured him.

  Seth relented and went to sit in the kitchen with Brian.

  Nikki turned to Hawk.

  “You ready to do this?” she asked.

  “After you,” he replied, opening the door.

  On the doorstep were two police officers. Hawk stepped back and asked why they were there.

  “Is this Nikki’s house?” one of them asked.

  “Yes it is, officer. What can I do for you?” Nikki answered, coming to the door.

  “We would like to step inside,” he replied.

  “What is this about?” Hawk asked.

  “Please. It would be better if we were inside with you,” the officer replied. Hawk looked at Nikki and she moved aside, shrugging.

  “Nikki,” the first officer said, “Chief Daily sent us out here.”

  “Why?” asked Nikki.

  “The lab results have come back,” he started.

  “Oh, good,” Nikki said. “Did you come out here to tell Hawk and me the results?”

  The officer looked at the ground. “Well, actually, you will hear the results, but not as a message.”

  “Well, what is going on?” Nikki demanded.

  “Ma’am, we need to bring your son and his friend in for questioning.”

  “What are you talking about?” Nikki asked, not understanding.

  “Usually we don’t say, but the chief said we could share this with you.”

  Seth and Brian had stepped in from the kitchen. They asked what was happening.

  “It seems both Seth’s and Brian’s fingerprints were on the notes that were used to threaten Susan,” the officer said shortly.

  Seth turned pale. “I never touched those notes. I didn’t know about them and never saw them before the other night. How could my fingerprints be on them?”

  Brian did not say anything, but he did not look good. He sat on a chair near the door and put his head in his hands.

  Nikki’s head spun. How could the boys’ fingerprints be on the paper? What was going on? She looked at Hawk.

  “They were with me all night,” Nikki said. “Why do they need to go see the chief?”

  “He probably just needs it in writing. We know they didn’t do it, but legally he has to dot the i’s and cross the t’s.”

  Nikki agreed, but she was not happy. She and Hawk reassured Seth and Brian that they would be at the station the whole time. They told them since they were at Nikki’s it should not be a problem. Hawk told the officers they would be right behind them with the boys. The officers thanked him and left. Seth and Brian got changed. They all piled into Hawk’s car and went down to the station.

  While the boys were being questioned, Nikki asked Hawk if she could see Susan’s backpack. He took her to his office and brought her the backpack.

  “Be careful, it’s heavy,” he said, thunking it on the desk.

  “Why is it so heavy?” Nikki wondered.

  She opened the small front pocket and found some pens, pencils and a jump drive. She looked at Hawk.

  “We already checked it out. It is just a bunch of papers and other work she was doing.”

  Nikki put it back and opened the main compartment. “No wonder it’s so heavy,” she exclaimed. “She has a lot of books in here.” Nikki dumped the bag carefully on the desk. There were science books, math books, and history books.

  “I thought she was on break,” Hawk said. “I wonder how many books she would have when school is in session.”

  Nikki thought about it. “Actually, she probably only had a few on a day-to-day basis. I know Seth would carry more towards finals week when he wanted to have everything at his fingertips. I guess she just didn’t empty her backpack out when she left campus.”

  The chief stuck his head in the office. “Susan’s aunt is here. I thought you might want to meet her,” he addressed Nikki.

  Nikki thanked him and carefully replaced the books. Hawk put the backpack back and led Nikki towards a room down the hall. There was an older woman sitting at the table. It looked like she had been crying for a while.

  “Hello, you must be Susan’s aunt. I’m Nikki.”

  “Hello, dear,” Susan’s aunt sniffed.

  “I am so sorry for your loss,” said Nikki, putting her hand on Susan’s aunt’s hand. “Can we do anything for you?”

  “Are you Seth’s mother?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Please, tell him I said thank you. He was such a good friend to Susan. She was studying hard, and he helped her out. She said he was like the brother she never had.” She started weeping again. Nikki handed her a box of tissues. An officer brought her some water, and Susan’s aunt continued.

  “Susan was such a nice girl. She had many friends and a sparkling personality. She was a senior this year and was in the running for class valedictorian. Everyone loved her. She was looking forward to her future. She had already received several job offers. She was coming home to study and make sure she kept her grades up this final semester. She always carried home a bunch of books. I would tease her and say she was always studying.” She broke off and started weeping a bit. “She said she wanted to make me proud. I told her I was already proud of her. I’m glad I got to tell her that.”

  Nikki asked if anyone disliked Susan.

  “I don’t think so,” her aunt replied. “She was liked by everyone who met her.”

  Nikki did not mention the threats to Susan’s life or the brakes. She did not want to trouble Susan’s aunt further.

  Nikki and Hawk excused themselves.

  “I feel sorry for her,” Nikki said. “It is hard losing a child.”

  Hawk gave her a hug and told her Seth and Brian should be done with the questioning. He led her down the hallway to the lobby. Both boys were there. They looked wiped out. Tori was there, too. Nikki asked if she had been by the shop. Tori said she had and told Nikki she and Lidia would be staying late tonight making more chocolates. Nikki thanked her. Seth offered to go to the shop to help, but Nikki wanted him home, safe with her. She looked over at a television set predicting the weather. There was a storm blowing in. Nikki looked back and saw Seth standing by the window.

  “Susan’s aunt was very nice,” she said.

  “I never met her,” Seth replied.

  “How well did you know S
usan?”

  “She was a friend and study partner. We would sometimes eat lunch or dinner together.”

  “Did Brian tag along?”

  “Once in a while, but not too often. Susan was more my friend than his.”

  Nikki gave Seth a hug and then asked Hawk if he would take the boys back to her house. She would go to the shop and help out with the chocolates. Hawk agreed, but only if Nikki would let him take her home early that night. She agreed. She did not want to be stuck in the store if a blizzard hit.

  5

  The next morning, Nikki looked outside. The whole yard was covered in snow. The blizzard was there and wasn’t going anywhere. The boys were relaxing in the den. She noticed that Brian was reading a textbook. Seth was watching television and munching on popcorn.

  “Did you make enough for me?” she asked, startling him.

  She laughed and decided it was time to set up the tree. She and Hawk had cut one the day before Seth had arrived. It was outside, so she asked Seth to bring it in. Nikki loved the tradition of decorating the tree together. She popped some more popcorn. When Seth tried to eat it, she slapped his hand and teased, “This is for the tree. Get me a needle and thread.”

  Seth got her the sewing kit. Nikki asked Brian to help her get some of the Christmas decorations. He said he did not want to intrude, but Nikki insisted.

  “You are a part of this family. I want you to feel like you’re at home.”

  Brian thanked her. She showed him where the boxes were. He carried them over by the tree. Seth gave him a needle and thread, and they started threading the popcorn. Nikki got some cranberries out, and she started threading them. An hour went by in relaxing silence, broken occasionally by someone saying, “ouch” when a needle missed its mark. When they were done, the boys helped Nikki trim the tree. They put lights on and added the popcorn and cranberries. Nikki opened the box of ornaments and started to hang them on the tree. Most of them were homemade ornaments from down south.

  “There sure are a lot of peaches in this box,” Brian teased.

  “Well, we moved up from the peach state,” Nikki explained. “I like having a bit of the south in the north.”

  “My family has a fake tree. It’s usually decorated by the time I’m back from school. I can’t remember the last time I decorated a tree,” sighed Brian.

  Nikki felt bad for him. One of the best traditions she kept going was the decorating of the tree. She would never dream of doing it without Seth. Although, she realized she was not sure what his plans were after he graduated. She cherished these times with him. She hoped he would have fond memories for the rest of his life.

  “Hey, Mom, I remember making this one,” Seth said.

  He was holding up a white ornament he had made. It was a project for chemistry class. It had been one of his favorite classes, and the teacher had loved him. Nikki realized how lucky she was to have such a smart young man. She smiled as Seth placed it on the tree. Brian put up some more, and soon they were done. Nikki checked her laptop and saw that she had a message from Hawk. She Skyped him and showed him the tree.

  He whistled. “That looks great,” he said. “Can you keep the laptop by you in case I need you for anything?”

  “Sure thing. We were just about to make some eggnog.” Hawk’s eyebrows raised. “Non-alcoholic, thank you,” Nikki replied to his silent query, laughing.

  “Okay, good. I need your head in the game. Who is manning the shop?”

  “I told Tori and Lidia to close the shop today. I don’t want any of our customers out in this weather.”

  “That makes sense,” Hawk said, and as if on cue, Nikki’s phone rang. “Go ahead and get that, we can talk later.”

  Nikki said goodbye to Hawk and answered the phone. It was one of her customers, Mrs. Quigly. She was frantic. “I need my chocolates by Christmas,” she demanded. Nikki soothed her ruffled feathers and reassured her that the store would be open and the chocolates would be ready to be picked up before Christmas. Mrs. Quigly huffed, but realized there was nothing else to be said. She thanked Nikki and hung up.

  Nikki decided to make some hot chocolate before making the eggnog. She warmed up the milk on the stove and warmed up the chocolate in a double boiler. As she was stirring the chocolate, she looked over to the den. The boys were relaxing, and Brian was talking about his family’s trip. Seth was listening and sitting by the tree.

  There was a knock at the front door. “I’ll get it,” said Seth, bouncing up.

  Seth usually was not so keen to get up to answer the door, but when Nikki stepped out of the kitchen she realized why he was so energetic. Tori was stepping in and taking off her boots. Seth helped her out of her coat and pulled off her hat. He held it out of reach and laughed as Tori tried to get it. Tori tickled him, and it ended in a kiss. Nikki looked away, but she smiled. It’s about time he found some happiness. Nikki wondered if Brian had a girlfriend. As if reading her mind, Brian said, “I don’t have time for a relationship. I’m studying too much.”

  Nikki had not heard him come up behind her. She turned around.

  “I think they make a great couple,” Brian said.

  “So do I,” Nikki agreed.

  Nikki poured the hot chocolate and gave Tori the recipe for the eggnog. She asked Tori and Seth to get that started and said that she would bake some cookies.

  “Are we putting rum in this batch?” Seth asked.

  “Nope. No rum for you,” replied Nikki, laughing. Seth pouted, and she pointed at the stove. “Start mixing, Mister.”

  Seth and Tori started on the eggnog, and Nikki started mixing some batter. She heard her laptop beep and went into the next room. Hawk was trying to Skype, so she logged in.

  “Hi, how are you?” she asked.

  “You have something on your nose,” he replied, grinning.

  “Aack, what is on my nose?”

  “A little flour.” Hawk was laughing now.

  Nikki wiped her nose and asked why he had messaged her.

  “I wanted your opinion on something. Did Susan’s aunt say she was running for valedictorian?” Just then, Brian poked his head into the room. Nikki put down the screen and asked if he needed anything.

  “Seth wanted you to know that the eggnog is ready,” he replied.

  “Thank you, Brian. Let them know I’ll be right in. Go ahead and help yourselves.”

  Brian gave her a thumbs up and left for the kitchen.

  “So, eggnog, huh?” Hawk asked.

  “Yes, but not the adult kind.”

  “Okay,” said Hawk with a grin.

  “Now, what were you asking me?”

  “I was wondering if Susan’s aunt had told you she was in the running for valedictorian?”

  “Yes. That is why her bag was full of books,” Nikki said.

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  “Is that why you called? To ask me something you already knew?” Nikki questioned.

  “Well, obviously you needed someone to tell you about the flour on your nose,” Hawk smiled.

  “Hmmm…well, thank you,” Nikki said, smiling. She put the screen down and went in to have some eggnog. She could smell cookies.

  “Who finished my cookie dough?” she asked.

  “I did,” said Seth.

  “Thank you; they smell wonderful,” Nikki replied.

  A little while later the laptop beeped again. This time Hawk asked Nikki to take the laptop into her bedroom, “So we won’t have any interruptions.”

  Nikki would have replied with a smart aleck remark, but she could tell Hawk was serious. She went into her bedroom and locked the door. “Okay, what did you want me to see?”

  Hawk held up a picture of Susan’s body. The body was tinged pink. “This was taken yesterday. A pink tinge to the body is a sign of carbon-monoxide poisoning.”

  “Okay, but how did the gas get in her car?” Nikki asked. Usually a person would die of carbon monoxide poisoning when they were in their garage or another small space with a running
motor. Susan’s car had been found in an outdoor parking lot.

  “We’re still not sure, but we do know the cause of death.”

  “Okay. Was there anything else?”

  “Well, we have been doing some digging at the college. We requested a list of candidates for valedictorian. We got the list back, and Brian’s name is on it.”

  “No wonder he was studying earlier. He seemed a bit intense. He told me he does not have time for a girlfriend because he is studying so much,” Nikki said.

  “Okay, that makes sense. Let’s keep this between us for now,” Hawk suggested.

  “Absolutely. The kids are having a good time. I do not want to ruin it by bringing up Susan,” Nikki agreed.

  She signed off with Hawk and went into the kitchen. She looked out the window and saw the snow piling up. Nikki helped herself to some eggnog and cookies and went into the living room with Seth, Tori, and Brian.

  Later, Hawk braved the weather and stopped by with some groceries. He whipped up a delicious stew for dinner. Nikki was glad to have everyone safe at her house. Hawk complemented her on the tree and offered to help with outdoor lights. Nikki asked for a rain check and explained that she was a bit tired from the day.

  Hawk and Tori left shortly after dinner so that Nikki could get a good night’s sleep before work the next day. She went to bed leaving Seth watching television and Brian reading a book.

  6

  The next morning, Nikki got up early. She put on the coffee and made some scrambled eggs and toast. Seth woke up and met her in the kitchen.

  “What time are you going into work?” he asked quietly. Brian had been up most of the night reading. He had finally fallen asleep, so Seth and Nikki did not want to disturb him.

  “I’ll be going in shortly. Why?”

  “Well, I would like to come in and help, if you don’t mind.”

  Nikki gave him a hug. “Thank you. We need all the help we can get.”

  Nikki poured some coffee, and they sat down at the kitchen table. The snow had stopped, but there were drifts over six feet high in the area. Hawk was going to come over and drive them to town. Nikki was grateful for Hawk. She loved to drive, but not in snow this deep. In fact, not in snow, period. It rarely snowed in Atlanta, and when it did the whole city shut down. Up here, it would take a blizzard like last night for folks to even consider staying at home.