Sea Salt Caramel Murder (A Maple Hills Cozy Mystery Book 4) (5 page)

F
eeling
a hard wave strike the ship, Nikki nearly lost her balance. Grabbing the wooden railing attached to the stairwell, she shook her head. “Hawk, I'm not that great a swimmer,” she confessed.

“Me neither,” Hawk told her, waiting for the ship to balance out. “You can use me as a life jacket if you want.”

“You big lug,” Nikki said, feeling a smile break through her worry like a single ray of sunshine.

“Careful now,” Hawk said as he began to walk down the stairs, “or I may arrest you for insulting an officer of the law.”

Nikki took her left hand and playfully slapped Hawk in the back of the head. “Add assault to my charge list.”

“Will do,” Hawk said as he reached the deck Lei Johnson's cabin was located on. He carefully eased open a heavy wooden door, peeked out into the passageway, and smiled. “There she goes, heading straight for Johnson's cabin.”

Nikki ducked under Hawk's arm and peered out into the hallway. With a broken heart, she watched Tara stop at Lei Johnson's cabin door, nervously scan the hallway, and then knock on the door. “Why would she tell me Johnson was on a previous cruise?” Nikki whispered to herself.

Seconds later, Lei Johnson opened the door, stuck his head out, examined the empty hallway, and then yanked Tara inside before she could react. “Let's go,” Hawk said pulling out his gun. On swift feet, he exploded out of the stairwell, charged up to the cabin door, raised his right leg, and with one hard foot, kicked open the door with his gun at the ready. “Freeze!” he yelled, spotting Lei Johnson holding Tara by her right wrist.

Tara wasn't the only one in Lei Johnson's cabin. The young man who Brody had fired in the dining room was also present, standing next to a porthole, looking out at the storm. “It's not what you think,” Tara told Hawk. When she saw Nikki appear, she yanked away from Lei Johnson and ran to Matt. Matt quickly put his arm around Tara's shoulder and pulled her close.

“Stand still,” Hawk warned Lei, still holding his gun at the ready. “One move and you're a dead man, are we clear?”

“The heroic cop,” Lei replied in a disgusted voice. “You make me sick. You break down the door and charge into my cabin, ready to assume the worst of me. What evidence do you have against me?”

“We saw you grab Tara,” Nikki said, standing in the doorway.

“You both know the cargo I have in my cabin. Yes, I grabbed her and pulled her inside because I can't take any chances that someone might be following her.”

“Stop with the lies,” Hawk demanded. “Johnson, you killed Mayfield, and these two helped you.”

“No,” Tara cried out. “No, we didn't help anyone kill Captain Mayfield, honest.”

“Shut up,” Matt ordered Tara. “This cop doesn't have a thing on us. He's just trying to scare us.”

“What are you doing in here? Mr. Lane told you to report to your quarters,” Nikki asked Matt.

“That loser isn't my boss,” Matt told Nikki.

“Watch it,” Hawk warned Matt. “The lady asked you a question.”

“I know this guy, okay?” Matt told Hawk impatiently. “I returned his stolen diamonds. I'm here to collect my reward.”

Hawk looked over his shoulder at Nikki. “Where did you locate Mr. Johnson's stolen diamonds?” she asked Matt.

Matt tossed his eyes at Lei. Lei nodded his head at him. “Mayfield is my uncle, okay? I know his dealings. I overheard him on the phone talking to some guy, bragging about how he swindled a diamond dealer out of his fortune.”

“Where was this?” Hawk asked.

“Down below, in the engine room. Uncle Mayfield didn't know I was listening. After he got off the phone, he hid the diamonds. I was going to keep them for myself, but what do I know about diamonds? It's not like I can open a booth in downtown Seattle and sell them for half price, you know. After Uncle Mayfield was killed, I returned the diamonds to Mr. Johnson. I put a note in the briefcase.”

“A note?” Nikki asked.

“Asking for a reward. I told Mr. Johnson in the note that I would be by later to collect,” Matt explained. “Listen, you two aren't blind. Tara and I are in love, and we want to get married. We need cash and fast. I figured Mr. Johnson would oblige. All I'm asking for is ten grand. That's pocket change compared to how much his diamonds are worth.”

Hawk focused on Lei. “Is that the truth of it?”

“The little brat thinks his good deed means I'm going to melt down and become his best friend,” Lei said in a disgusted voice. “But, yes, he's telling the truth. Against my better judgment, I am going to reward him with the money he requested. I suppose I do owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Nikki’s eyes darted towards Tara. “You told Mr. Johnson Captain Mayfield had been murdered, didn't you?”

Tara nodded. “Matt told me to.”

“Why?” Hawk asked Matt.

“I saw Mr. Johnson enter the dining room earlier,” Matt confessed. “I knew he was steaming because Uncle Mayfield stole his diamonds and replaced them with fakes. With all the attention on Uncle Mayfield's murder, I knew I had time to act. I needed Mr. Johnson to stay in his cabin, you know? When everyone is looking at the fire, slide into home base.”

“I think you killed Mayfield,” Hawk motioned at Lei, “and you,” he said, motioning at Matt, “killed the lights for him.”

“No,” Tara began to cry, “that's not true. Matt was with me in the kitchen when the lights went off. I had just closed down my station in the passenger lounge and wanted to help Matt in the kitchen.”

“There are plenty of witnesses, smart guy,” Matt snapped at Hawk. “I was filling bowls with butterscotch pudding.”

Hawk bit down on his lower lip. “Someone killed the lights. My gut tells me if it wasn't you, then you know who it was. Talk to me, boy.”

“Talk to my lawyer,” Matt told Hawk. “I plead the right to, you know, cop, remain silent.”

“I do the same,” Lei told Hawk. Walking to a twin bed in the cabin, Lei sat down at the foot, folded his right leg on his left knee, and stared at Hawk. Hawk didn't care. He lowered his gun, snatched a pair of handcuffs from his front pocket, and walked over to Matt. Before Matt could object, Hawk popped one handcuff onto his left wrist, pulled him over to the bed, and slapped the other cuff down onto Lei's right wrist. “Don't move an inch,” Hawk told Lei, keeping his gun at the ready as he slapped the handcuff onto his wrist.

“What is this all about?” Lei demanded.

Hawk ordered Tara to leave the cabin. “As of now, you two are my main suspects. Until that changes, you will remain in this cabin, handcuffed together. I am posting an armed guard outside of the cabin door. If you try and open it, that guard will have my full permission to shoot you. Are we clear?”

“I'll have your job,” Lei threatened Hawk.

“Nah,” Hawk grinned. “Now where are your diamonds?”

“No,” Lei yelled.

“I am putting your diamonds in the ship’s safe for now. You will get them back if you are proven innocent.”

Lei drew in an angry breath. “I have hidden my diamonds in a location that no one will find,” he promised Hawk. “Search my cabin; the diamonds are not here.”

“Fine,” Hawk said in a simple voice, “if this ship sinks, your diamonds will sink with it. Think on that. But you don't care, do you? You left a note threatening to murder more people if Mr. Lane took this ship off course.”

Lei's face went pale. He began to speak but quickly looked down at the handcuff on his wrist and said nothing. “You'll pay for this,” Matt promised Hawk. “Tara and I deserve to get married, you idiot, but you don't care, do you? You don't care about what she's been through, do you? You don't care that—”

“Shut up and listen to me,” Hawk told Matt. “Right now all I care about is getting you two into a jail. And if by some chance you aren't the killer, Mr. Johnson, then all I care about is finding the real killer. But I think you are the killer.”

* * *

N
ikki pulled
Tara out into the hallway. “Honey, please,” she begged, “are you really telling the truth? Were you in the kitchen with Matt when the lights went off?”

“Yes,” Tara promised. “I wouldn't lie about a thing like that. Matt was making pudding bowls. I was standing right next to him. When we heard the passengers begin to scream when the lights came back on, we ran out of the kitchen. That's when we saw Captain Mayfield lying dead on the floor. Honest.”

“Okay,” Nikki said in a soothing voice, “but for now, I'm afraid you have to be confined to your quarters, okay? Detective Daily and I will escort you.”

“I understand, I guess,” Tara said in an upset voice. “What is going to happen to Matt? Please, he can't go to jail. He was only doing this for me, you know?”

Nikki nodded her head. “If Matt is innocent, he'll go free. If he's guilty, he'll answer to a court of law,” she told Tara, watching Hawk close the cabin door and step out into the hallway.

“Well,” Hawk said, “I think we caught our killer and his accomplice.”

“No,” Tara shook her head. “We told you, Matt was in the kitchen making pudding bowls when the lights went off.”

Before Hawk could reply, Nikki heard the door to the stairwell click shut. “Hawk, someone is in the stairwell!”

Hawk looked down the hallway and took off running. Nikki grabbed Tara's hand and followed Hawk. Reaching the stairwell, Hawk burst in with his gun ready. Looking upward he caught a glimpse of someone exiting the stairwell onto the deck above. Giving chase, Hawk raced up the stairs. Nikki chased after Hawk, pulling Tara with her. Storming out of the stairwell onto the passenger deck where their own cabins were located, Hawk looked to his left and then to his right. “No one,” he said breathing hard. “Whoever it was is gone.”

Nikki ran out of the stairwell. Looking to her left and then to her right, she saw only empty space. “The elevator is running. Whoever it was is in one of the rooms.”

“It's no good,” Hawk told Nikki. “It'll take all night to search each cabin. By then this ship could be at the bottom of the sea. Come on, let's get this girl to her quarters and then get back to the bridge. But first, let me go talk to Herbert.”

Knowing that Hawk was right, Nikki examined the empty passageway once more. Maybe, she thought, Mr. Lei Johnson might not be the killer after all.

A
fter locking
Tara in her quarters, Hawk and Nikki hurried back to the bridge. Brody was standing outside in the hallway, waiting for them. “Matt called me from Mr. Johnson's room. He told me you handcuffed him to Mr. Johnson. Is that true?”

“Yep,” Hawk said, proud of himself.

“We saw Tara leave the dining room. We found her knocking on Mr. Johnson's cabin door. Matt was inside,” Nikki explained. “Mr. Lane, you have to admit, that is very suspicious.”

“I guess it is,” Brody admitted.

Hawk explained about Matt returning the diamonds to Lei Johnson after Captain Mayfield's murder and then requesting reward money. “At first, I thought the boy was lying, and I made him believe I thought he was lying.”

“Matt was telling the truth?” Brody asked.

Hawk shrugged his shoulders. “Mr. Lane, right now, I have two people handcuffed together, and I have an armed guard standing outside in the hallway ready to shoot them if they try and leave. I actually have old Herbert standing guard. I gave him a gun. He'll shoot at anything, so be careful if you go down there.”

“His wife, Lidia, is with him. She has my gun,” Nikki told Brody. “We owe them big time, Hawk.”

“Yeah, I know,” Hawk agreed. Shaking his head, he peered out of a window into the storm. “Ship is really taking a hit.”

“The full force of the storm is almost on us,” Brody explained. “I...have just enough time to push this ship west and out of the direct path of the storm.”

“No,” Hawk said, “we have to stay on course. If Johnson isn't the killer, then we still have a real problem on our hands.”

“Then who is the killer?” Brody asked, feeling the ship ride up a huge swell. “Forget my question. I have to return to the wheel. I'll keep us on course as long as possible.”

Nikki watched Brody open the door to the bridge and run inside. “Who is the killer?” she asked Hawk. “I think we both know Mr. Johnson isn't the killer, Hawk. It seems like Captain Mayfield was strong-arming a lot of people, people who might have wanted him dead.”

Hawk balanced himself against the passageway wall. He began to answer Nikki but caught a glimpse of an approaching person. Pulling out his gun, he saw Dr. Rowen jogging up to him. “Detective,” Dr. Rowen yelled in an urgent voice, “Detective Daily, I—” Dr. Rowen suddenly stopped jogging. With an agonizing cry, he grabbed his neck, and then he dropped dead.

Hawk ran up to Dr. Rowen's body. “Look...another dart,” he told Nikki.

Nikki leaned down next to Hawk, fully aware they were easy targets. With nervous eyes, she examined the bamboo dart lodged in Dr. Rowen's neck. “He's dead, Hawk,” she said.

Hawk shot to his feet. “Stay right here,” he ordered Nikki and ran off down the hallway, fighting to keep his balance as the ship fought its way through the storm.

* * *

“
W
hat were
you going to tell Hawk?” Nikki asked Dr. Rowen, hugging her shoulders with shaking hands. After a few seconds, she drew up enough courage to lean back down and examine Dr. Rowen's pockets. And there, in the dead man's front pocket, she found a crinkled-up piece of paper with someone's handwriting on it. She grabbed some latex gloves from her pocket.
Never leave home without them
, she thought, as she put them on. “Oh dear,” Nikki said, recognizing the handwriting on the piece of paper.

Standing up, she backed away from Dr. Rowen's body until her back was pressed up against the door leading into the bridge. Using her left hand, she reached down into the front pocket of her dress and drew out the letter the killer had left taped to the bridge door. Comparing the letter to the piece of crinkled-up paper she found on Dr. Rowen's body, Nikki was able to clearly see the handwriting on both pieces of paper. “The handwriting matches,” she said. Wishing Hawk was with her, Nikki looked down the hallway as the ship struggled over another large swell. Barely able to keep her balance, Nikki began to feel fatigue set in. “No time for sleeping,” she told herself, thinking of her warm bed back in her cabin.

A few minutes later, Hawk appeared. “No good,” he said out of breath. “I lost him.”

“Look,” Nikki said, showing Hawk the piece of paper she had retrieved from Dr. Rowen's body and then the note the killer had taped to the bridge door. “Hawk, the handwriting matches.”

“Seasick pills ordered,” Hawk read from the crinkled-up piece of paper.

“Hawk, the killer is a crew member,” Nikki said. “We need to ask Mr. Lane who orders the medical supplies for Dr. Rowen.”

Hawk agreed. With a hard fist, he banged on the bridge door. Brody opened the door with impatient hands. “I don't have time to speak with you—”

Hawk tossed a thumb over his shoulder at Dr. Rowen's body. “Dr. Rowen has been murdered,” he interrupted Brody. “The killer was just in this passageway.”

Brody froze. Unable to speak, he stared at Dr. Rowen's body. “Mr. Lane, who orders the medical supplies for Dr. Rowen?”

“I...uh...” Brody attempted to speak. Forcing his mind to think, he eased around his shock and answered Nikki. “The home office. Dr. Rowen makes a list of what he needs after each cruise and drops it off at the home office.”

“You didn't recognize the writing on the letter the killer left on this door, did you?” Nikki asked.

Brody shook his head. “No.”

Hawk showed Brody the wrinkled-up piece of paper Nikki found in Dr. Rowen's pocket. “The handwriting matches,” he said, showing Brody the killer's letter.

Brody examined each piece paper with nervous eyes. “I don't recognize the handwriting, I'm sorry. But it does appear the handwriting on both pieces of paper matches.”

“Mr. Lane, do you have a pen?” Nikki asked. Brody took a pen out of his jacket pocket and handed the pen to Nikki. Nikki put an X on both pieces of paper and handed the pen back to Brody. “Thank you.”

“Sure,” Brody replied as he tilted his head and wrinkled his brow.

Nikki took the killer's letter and the piece of paper she found on Dr. Rowen and shoved them down into the front pocket of her dress. “We need to get his body to the medical bay.”

“I understand,” Brody said as a huge wave bashed up against the ship, sending water racing over the bow, temporarily submerging it completely. “I have to get back to the wheel.”

“Go on,” Hawk said, shaking his head. “You handle keeping us above water, and we'll handle the rest.” Brody nodded and hurried back into the bridge. “Nikki?”

“Yes?” Nikki asked, fighting to keep her balance.

“How did Dr. Rowen know we were up here?”

Nikki considered Hawk's question. “The killer,” she answered as the truth struck her mind like a powerful wave crashing down. “Hawk, Dr. Rowen was led here.”

“But why?” Hawk asked. “The killer could have put that poison dart in Dr. Rowen's neck anyplace.”