Maple Hills Mystery Box Set 3

by Wendy Meadows

  The forensic team pulled up, and the officer walked over to them. An older, graying woman got out of the car and the officer proceeded to fill her in. The woman was wearing a suit and carried a black bag. She carried herself as if she were in charge. The woman looked over and saw Hawk. She walked over to where Hawk and Nikki were standing.

  “Good evening, Hawk,” she said and held out her hand.

  “Hi, Leah,” he replied, shaking her hand. Leah said hello to Nikki. Leah was the head of the forensics department. She had worked for the department longer than Hawk, and she knew what she was doing. Hawk learned everything he knew about forensics from watching her and listening to what she told him. Nikki knew this because Hawk would go on and on at dinner some nights discussing the different aspects of his cases. Her name came up quite a bit.

  “I heard the address over the radio and thought I should come on by and make sure everyone was okay. Also, your dad called me to make sure I was on my way.” She laughed at Hawk.

  “Thank you for coming, Leah. I already went in. We were careful where we walked, and we didn’t touch anything. It looks like a break-in but not a robbery,” Hawk said. “Either way, I would like it dusted for prints.”

  “That’s fine, but I have to tell you, you might not get any leads in a case like this,” Leah replied. “There are so many people coming in and out of the store, it could be hard to figure out just who broke in.”

  “I understand,” said Hawk, “but if anyone can do it, you can.” He smiled at Leah, and she laughed.

  “Okay,” Leah said. “My guys are in there dusting right now.” She turned to Nikki, “Could you give me a list of employees who worked today and customers who came in?”

  “Seth, Tori, and Lidia were all in today. I can look at the receipts and give you a list of customers. There was one, though, that I did not know.”

  Leah looked at Nikki with a raised eyebrow. “Really?” she asked.

  “Yes. All of the other customers were from town, but she was not. I didn’t recognize her, and she paid with cash.”

  “She may have been scoping the place out,” Leah suggested. “Was there anything else of value in the shop?”

  “Not really,” said Nikki. “It seems like whoever did this was looking for something. They didn’t mess with the cash register. I don’t know what they were looking for. Nothing is missing. It is all just a big mess,” she told Leah.

  “Okay. Let my guys do their magic, and you get me that list as soon as possible, please.”

  “I will,” Nikki assured her. Leah went over to the shop to see how her forensic team was progressing. As she walked in, Hawk and Nikki could hear her barking out orders. Hawk turned to Nikki.

  “I’m glad Leah is on the case. Do we have everyone’s fingerprints down at the station?” he asked Nikki.

  “Yes, you do,” said Nikki. There had been a few other incidents since Nikki had moved to Maple Hills, and all of her employees had been fingerprinted at one time or another.

  “Who would do this?” Nikki asked. Hawk put his arm around her comfortingly. She could feel her eyes watering up. “I’ll make you some more chocolates tomorrow.”

  “Don’t even worry about the chocolates. I appreciate them, and they were delicious. I love you and thank you. I don’t know who would do this to you or why. I’ll look into that woman with the dark hair tonight,” Hawk reassured Nikki. “If she rented that car anywhere near here I will know about it by tomorrow morning. I have most of the rental store owners’ home phone numbers. It’s one of the benefits of living in a small town. I think my dad goes fishing with one of them. When I go to the office, I’ll see if he’s willing to reach out to him.”

  “Thank you. It is just disconcerting not knowing who she is,” Nikki said.

  “Do you want me to stop by the house later tonight?” asked Hawk.

  Before Nikki could answer, Leah was there. She apologized for interrupting.

  “Well, we got what we need,” she said. “I will start processing this tonight. Chief has already announced we will be working overtime on this.”

  “Thank you, Leah,” Nikki said.

  “I just hope we catch whoever did this to you,” Leah answered. She shook hands with Hawk and Nikki, and she turned and walked to her car. She drove off toward the station, the forensic team following in her wake.

  “I need to call Lidia,” Nikki said. “I don’t want her hearing about this from someone else, or walking in tomorrow morning and finding the store looking like this.” She called Lidia and explained what happened. Lidia offered to come over and help clean up, but Nikki told her to stay home. She said she had enough help with Seth there.

  “So, can I start cleaning up now?” Nikki asked Hawk.

  “I suppose so, but don’t you want to go home and get some rest?” he asked Nikki.

  “I thought about that,” she replied, “but I don’t want to give whoever did this any satisfaction. Also, I’m not sure I would be able to sleep after this. I can open tomorrow, right?”

  “Yes, you can,” Hawk said.

  “Okay then. I am going to stay and get the shop in order. Seth, could you help me clean up?”

  “Sure, Mom,” Seth replied. He walked over to Tori and spoke to her. She nodded, hugged him, and got into her car.

  “What did you say to Tori?” Nikki asked.

  “I told her I needed to stay with you tonight. She understands. I told her to find a friend to take to the concert. There was no reason we should both miss it.”

  “Are you sure?” Nikki asked. “I can get this cleaned up by myself.”

  “I know you could, but I want to be with you, Mom. I am willing to help, and I do not want you to be alone tonight,” Seth insisted. Nikki thanked him and told Hawk what was going on. Hawk smiled at Seth and thanked him.

  “I’m going to the station then,” Hawk told Nikki. “If you need anything, just give me a call.”

  “Thank you, Hawk. We should be fine here.”

  They hugged, and Hawk took his car to the station. Nikki turned to Seth.

  “Okay, first we get a garbage bag and cover the door. I don’t want anyone getting cut on the sharp edges,” Nikki said.

  Seth agreed, and he walked into the shop and got the bag. Seth held the bag to the door, and Nikki duct taped it. After they finished with the door, Nikki got two brooms and some cloths. They started wiping the counters and picking up the things that had been moved. Nikki picked up the candy she had made for Hawk. At least he got to taste it, she thought. An hour later, they were still cleaning.

  After what seemed like forever, the front of the store was almost done.

  “I think I can start in the back now,” Nikki told Seth. “I am going to grab a mop and bucket. Would you mind mopping this floor while I start cleaning off the tables in the kitchen? It will be better to clean the flour and sugar with something dry before we mop in there.”

  “Okay,” Seth replied. “After I sweep in here, I’ll mop and then be right with you.”

  Just then the phone rang. Nikki wondered who would be calling so late. She moved to answer the phone and suddenly Seth bounded over saying, “Maybe it’s Tori.” He picked up the phone. He listened for a second, and he seemed to turn a bit pale. He sat down hard on a nearby chair. “Dad?” he asked.

  4

  Nikki practically jumped over the counter to get to the phone. She grabbed it out of Seth’s hand. Seth looked at her in wonderment.

  “Who is this? Why are you calling here?” she demanded.

  “Nikki, it’s me, Andrew,” the voice on the other end said. Nikki turned pale. She would know that drawl anywhere. It was her ex-husband. He had abandoned her in Atlanta to move to California with a woman Nikki had never met. After all that time, Nikki had never heard from him. Andrew had not contacted Nikki until now.

  “I have nothing to say to you,” Nikki said, starting to hang up the phone.

  “Nikki, listen to me,” Andrew pleaded. “I have something to tell you
. It’s important. It could impact you and Seth.”

  Nikki hesitated. She thought about just slamming the phone down, but then she reconsidered. If what he had to say impacted Seth, she needed to hear Andrew out. She put the phone back up to her ear.

  “What have you done?” she asked.

  “It’s not like that,” Andrew said. “I’m in town and want to meet with you.”

  “Why?” asked Nikki. “What could be so important? We haven’t talked since you left, and now suddenly you call out of the blue and want to meet?”

  “Can we meet tomorrow?” Andrew asked, evading Nikki’s questions. Nikki didn’t want to meet with Andrew. Not tomorrow, not ever. However, he said this could concern Seth. She had to meet with Andrew to find out what was going on. She thought for a moment and then replied.

  “Okay, but I’m not coming alone. We’ll meet in a public place. You are not to see or talk to Seth,” Nikki replied.

  “That’s fine,” Andrew said.

  “We are not going to meet in my shop. That is my shop. It has not been stained by your presence. There’s a park in the middle of town. There’s a bench there near a table. I will meet you there at noon tomorrow. Then I don’t want to ever see you again,” Nikki said.

  “Okay, we will meet then,” Andrew agreed, “at the bench by the table. Thank you, Nikki.”

  Nikki hung up the phone and fell into a chair beside Seth.

  “What is going on, Mom?” Seth asked. “Was that really Dad?”

  “I’m not sure what’s happening, and yes, that was your father,” Nikki replied. “I’m meeting him in the park tomorrow at noon.”

  “I want to go with you,” said Seth. “I don’t trust him.”

  “Absolutely not,” retorted Nikki. “He does not deserve to see or speak to you. I need to meet with him and find out what he wants.”

  “Okay, but I don’t want you going alone,” said Seth.

  “I won’t,” said Nikki, picking up her cell phone. She placed a call.

  “Hawk?” she asked. “I need to talk to you. Andrew called. He wants to meet with me.” Hawk merely told her to stay at the shop, and they hung up. About a minute went by, and a car screeched to a halt outside the shop. Hawk flew in and picked Nikki up in his arms. He held her close and whispered in her ear. Nikki put her head on his chest and started crying. Hawk just held on to her. He comforted her and after a few minutes Nikki stopped crying. Hawk handed her his handkerchief. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose.

  “You know I’m going to that meeting with you,” Hawk stated. It was not a question. Nikki’s eyes glistened.

  “Thank you,” she whispered and hugged him hard. Hawk held on to Nikki for a little while longer. When he knew she had stopped crying, he relaxed his hold. Nikki sniffed and wiped her eyes.

  “What does he want?” asked Hawk.

  “I don’t know,” Nikki said. “He evaded my questions and wouldn’t tell me why he was here or what he wanted.” She was frustrated and scared, but she was glad that Hawk was there.

  “Well, we’ll find out together then, won’t we?” reassured Hawk. “You’re safe with me.

  “Thank you,” said Nikki. It was nice to have Hawk in her corner. She felt a little better about meeting Andrew at the park the next day.

  “Okay,” said Hawk. “Now, what do I need to do here to help get this store ready to open tomorrow?”

  Nikki looked at him. “What about the mystery woman?” she asked.

  “She can wait until the morning. I have a real woman I need to take care of right now,” Hawk said, smiling. Seth put a pot of coffee on, and they continued to clean up the store. Hawk and Nikki took the shelves, and Seth cleaned up the flour and sugar.

  “I could have made so much candy with that flour and sugar,” Nikki mused.

  “I’ll go to the store early tomorrow morning and pick some up for you,” offered Seth.

  “Thank you,” said Nikki. She was glad she could rely on Seth.

  When they put the last canister back on the shelf, Hawk got a call. He walked into the front of the store. Nikki could hear him talking. She followed behind him.

  “Hello? Yes? Thank you, I’ll tell her,” Hawk hung up and looked at Nikki.

  “That was Leah,” he told Nikki after putting his cell phone on the table. “She said there are no breaks in the case, but they’ll continue working on it tomorrow.”

  “I am glad they are so committed to helping us.”

  “That is their job,” said Hawk.

  “Yes, but Leah and the forensic team are going above and beyond basic work,” said Nikki.

  “She just wants you to be safe,” Hawk told Nikki.

  “I appreciate that,” Nikki said. Seth told her he was done sweeping the kitchen. Nikki thanked him and told him it was time to go home.

  “We need to sleep as much as we can. It’ll be a busy day tomorrow,” she said.

  Seth agreed. He turned out the lights, and Nikki and Hawk followed him outside. There was a police officer standing there. Nikki looked at Hawk for answers.

  “That is just a precaution. You can’t lock your shop, so Richard here will be watching it until he is relieved in a few hours.”

  “Thank you, Richard,” Nikki said.

  “It’s my pleasure,” Richard replied.

  “Can I get you a cup of coffee?” Nikki asked.

  “No, thank you. I filled up before I came on duty,” Richard replied.

  “Okay, but the next time you’re in the shop, the coffee is on me,” insisted Nikki.

  Nikki and Seth started to walk to her car.

  “Would you like me to follow you home?” asked Hawk.

  This time Nikki did not refuse. Hawk followed them, and Nikki made up her sofa. Hawk told her he was going to read a bit and then go to sleep. Nikki made her way up the stairs and to her bed. She was not sure she would be able to sleep, but she was glad that Hawk was there to watch over her and Seth.

  The next morning, Nikki made breakfast for Seth and Hawk. Hawk was usually the first one up, but Nikki had trouble sleeping the night before. She kept waking up with visions of Andrew in her head. Finally, Nikki decided to make breakfast. She went downstairs and crept by Hawk sleeping on the sofa. She walked quietly into the kitchen in her sweats and socks. She looked out the window and saw the sun starting to rise. It was quiet in the house, and the birds were just waking up outside. A tired squirrel scampered across her lawn and found a nut to bury. Nikki smiled at the scenery. She started some coffee and pulled the eggs and bacon out of the fridge. She mixed the eggs with some milk, salt, and pepper, and pulled out the frying pan. Nikki put the bacon in the frying pan and cooked it. By this time, she thought she heard Hawk stirring in the front room. She poured two cups of coffee and finished cooking the bacon.

  “Good morning,” she heard Hawk say as he walked into the kitchen. His hair was rumpled, and he had slept in his clothes from the night before. Hawk had stashed some of his clothes at Nikki’s house, though, so at least he would look presentable at work this morning.

  “Good morning,” she replied, turning around and giving him a quick kiss.

  “Let me take over breakfast,” he suggested.

  “Okay,” Nikki said. She was too tired to put up an argument. Nikki sat at the table and watched Hawk finish the bacon and start the eggs.

  “You did not sleep well,” Hawk said.

  “How could you tell?” she asked.

  “You got up before me. That never happens unless you’re stressed about something.”

  “Very observant,” she quipped.

  “That’s what I get paid for.” Hawk smiled and turned off the stove. “The eggs are ready.”

  “Did you say the eggs are ready?” asked Seth as he walked into the kitchen wiping his eyes. He had on shorts and a t-shirt.

  “Yes. Pull up a chair, and I’ll get you a plate,” said Hawk. Seth thanked him and poured a cup of coffee. He refilled Hawk and Nikki’s cups. They all sat down and ate quietly th
inking about the day ahead.

  “So, I figured I would go into work this morning and meet you at the shop around 11:30. Will that work for you?” Hawk asked Nikki.

  “Sounds good,” she replied. She was nervous, but she didn’t want to show it in front of Seth.

  “I’ll pick up those groceries,” said Seth.

  “Why don’t you go back to bed,” suggested Nikki. “Lidia and I can open the shop. One of us can run out for flour and sugar. Tori can swing by and pick you up on her way in.”

  “I know you can handle yourself, but I’m concerned that it will just be you and Lidia there,” said Seth. Nikki knew he was concerned about Andrew. She didn’t know what to expect, so how could Seth?

  “Actually, she’ll have an officer outside the shop,” said Hawk.

  “Okay,” said Seth, Hawk’s comment seemed to calm him. He got up and hugged Nikki. “Thank you, Mom. I really am tired…and I didn’t even go to the concert…” He went back upstairs, and Nikki cleared up the breakfast dishes.

  “Let me help you with those,” said Hawk. Nikki thanked him. Hawk washed, and Nikki dried and put them away. They got them done in no time.

  “I’ll get dressed, and we can go,” said Nikki.

  “Okay. I’ll get changed, and I’ll call the station to see if they’ve got any leads yet.”

  Nikki got dressed and went back downstairs. Hawk told her there were no new leads, but he would be working on finding the mystery woman that morning. Nikki thanked Hawk, and he drove her into work.

  Nikki got in and found Lidia in the front of the shop getting ready to open the store. Nikki had called her the previous night to fill her in on what had happened. When Lidia saw Nikki, she walked over and gave her a hug.

  “Good morning,” Lidia said. “Do they know who did this?”

  “Good morning,” Nikki replied. “Not yet. The police are still working on it.”

  “Okay,” said Lidia. “I figured you would want to open despite what happened. People will want chocolate either way.”

  You know me so well, Nikki thought. “Absolutely,” she said, putting on an apron.