Georgia Peach Truffle Murder (A Maple Hills Cozy Mystery Book 5)
Author: Meadows, Wendy
Date: 2016-09-09

Georgia Peach Truffle Murder

A Maple Hills Cozy Mystery #5

Wendy Meadows

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Be the First to Know

About the Author

Copyright © 2016 by Wendy Meadows

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, without prior written permission.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

Chapter One

Hawk wasn't happy his friend transferred to Atlanta, Georgia, from Manhattan; Nikki, on the other hand, was excited. “Oh come on,” she told Hawk, sitting in a traffic jam on I-75 heading into Atlanta, “stop being a grouch, Hawk. After we see your friend, we can drive to my hometown, see my parents, and I can show you around.”

Hawk rolled his eyes. It wasn't that he didn't want Nikki showing her old stomping grounds to him. He was bothered. Jack Mills was brought to Atlanta under the lie that he needed a special cardiologist that worked at St. Joseph's Hospital. Hawk knew better. Sure, Jack had gone into heart failure while the surgeons back in New York were digging a bullet out his chest, but that didn't mean the man had a heart problem. Jack's heart had stopped due to an allergic reaction from the anesthesia; or so Hawk was told. Even if Jack did need a cardiologist, New York had plenty of qualified doctors. No, something was wrong; Jack was shipped into the Deep South because his life was still in danger.

Banging on the horn, Hawk raised his hand at a white BMW sitting in front of him. “Move it!” he yelled. Sweating from the heat and choking from vehicle fumes, Hawk glanced at Nikki. “Sorry about the A/C,” he said.

Even though Nikki was sweating, she felt comfortable. The soft, cotton, blue dress she was wearing was keeping her body cool. She also had her long hair tied up in a tight bun, keeping her neck open to any hopeful breeze. Hawk, on the other hand, was wearing a brown button up shirt that was obviously hot and uncomfortable. Nikki held back a giggle. “You look like a baked potato.”

Hawk glanced down at his shirt. “I want to look presentable when I see Jack, okay,” he said. Reaching down, he snatched up a warm bottle of water sitting in the cup holder. “We're already an hour late,” he complained, chugging the water.

“Will you relax,” Nikki said, picking up her own bottle of water. “We called the hospital. Your friend knows we're going to be late. Morning work traffic is a disease around here.”

“Is it always this hot? It's barely nine in the morning,” Hawk grumped, wiping sweat from his forehead.

“Georgia is in a heat wave,” Nikki replied. To her relief, the traffic began to ease forward some. “Hawk...” Nikki said looking up at the beautiful Atlanta skyline, “what's bothering you? Your friend Jack is alive. You were told he's going to make a full recovery. I would expect you to be thrilled with that kind of good news.”

Hawk began to chew on his bottom lip. He still had to fight his way down I-75 just to get to the 285 Bypass. Sticking his left elbow out the driver's window, he eased the jeep forward while absorbing the sights and sounds of Atlanta. The city itself, he thought, was truly amazing. There was something distinct and mysterious about being in the Deep South. Sure, the south had its own share of crime (hadn't crime from the south invaded his cozy hometown in Vermont?). But still, Atlanta felt... well... southern, and all the small southern towns sitting outside of Atlanta, like little children swimming in a cold pond on a hot day, felt... inviting. “Nikki,” Hawk said, as a semi-truck eased up on his left, “I...”

Nikki looked at Hawk. She waited. When Hawk didn't finish his sentence, she gently rubbed his arm. “Hawk?”

Hawk waited until a green Honda eased past the jeep on the right before answering. The Honda was blaring some kind of street music that seemed to shake the ground. A kid who looked no older than sixteen was sitting behind the steering wheel of the Honda, talking on a cell phone. Hawk shook his head. “How can he even hear himself think?”

Nikki shrugged his shoulders. “Kids today will make hearing aid companies very rich in the future. Now, Hawk, what's bothering you?”

Hawk put down the bottle of water in his hand. “We nearly died on a cruise ship, Nikki; we're lucky to be alive. We could be living at the bottom of the sea right now. The last thing you or I both need is to be thrown into another case.”

Hawk's words confirmed Nikki's suspicion. “Hawk, you believe your friend Jack was transferred to Atlanta because his life is in danger, don't you?”

“Yes,” Hawk confessed. “Nikki, Jack was shot by a man in a suit, not some street thug. He was investigating the human trafficking of illegal immigrants into Manhattan. Now, I'm all for sending illegal immigrants back to the country they came from and making them enter this country legally, the same way our ancestors did, but regardless if people are here legally or illegally, they’re still people with rights.”

“Forcing illegal immigrants to become forced slave laborers is horrible,” Nikki agreed soberly.

Hawk jerked his head sideways and looked at Nikki. “How did you know... why even ask? You heard me speaking to Jack's partner, didn't you?”

Nikki innocently shrugged her shoulders. “Hawk, I didn't mean to hear your conversation, honestly.”

“Sure you didn't,” Hawk said and grinned. “You little sneak.”

“I was worried, okay,” Nikki confessed. “And it's obvious you're still worried. Do you believe the person who tried to kill your friend will try and finish the job?”

“It's possible,” Hawk told Nikki. Looking over at the semi-truck sitting next to his jeep, Hawk shook his head. “What I wouldn't give to trade places with the driver of that rig. Sitting tall in your saddle, America opened up before you, going where the road leads; a man can breathe that way, you know.”

“Maybe, on the drive back to Vermont, we can take a few detours?” Nikki suggested. Examining Hawk's face, she saw fatigue eating through the man's eyes. “Hawk, you look so tired. Honey, after we see your friend, I'll drive us to my parent's home. We'll have a good dinner, rest, and tomorrow we'll spend the entire day walking around my hometown. We'll even have lunch at Mrs. Owens’ Cafe. She makes the best fried okra in the south.”

Hawk liked that Nikki called him 'Honey'. It felt right. Reaching over, he patted Nikki’s knee. “Sound's good, Nikki. I guess I am a little tired. I didn't sleep well in the hotel last night; the bed was all lumpy. I think the desk clerk gave you the good room and me the bad room on purpose.”

Nikki smirked. “The desk clerk was an eighteen-year-old boy who wanted to marry me and saw you as the big lug standing in his way,” she told Hawk. “Poor kid seemed like he had never had a date in his life. I felt sorry for him.”

“Feel sorry for my aching back,” Hawk fussed. Finally, to his relief, the traffic began moving at a steady pace. “About time,” Hawk growled, pushing his jeep past the second gear.

“We could move to Atlanta,” Nikki began to tease. Old memories of her life in Atlanta began flooding her mind. Leaning back in her seat, she grew silent and looked out the passenger's window at the tall buildings. So many memories, Nikki thought... so many memories.

Hawk glanced at Nikki. Noticing her eyes become sad, he began to say something but decided to remain silent. Sometimes a woman needed to be left alone.

Chapter Two

After fighting through traffic and arriving at the hospital, Hawk and Nikki walked into a comfortably sized hospital room that appeared to be more of a luxury suite than a room meant to house sick people. “Hey, Jack,” Hawk said admiring the room, “I see they're letting you really live it up.”

Nikki stood near the door and watched Hawk shake the hand of a man his own age. She was surprised to see that Jack Mills was a very short, overweight man with thick, curly black hair and a thick, black mustache. She had expected to see a tough looking New York cop that went around saying 'Forget about it, we cracked that case years ago'. Jack spotted Nikki. “Say, who is the hot pepper?”

Hawk laughed. “Cool it, Jack,” he said, “or that woman will skin your hide. Nikki, come over here and say hello to Jack Mills.”

Nikki politely walked over to the hospital bed Jack was lying in. She noticed that it didn’t seem as if Jack had any family there; she didn't spot any get well cards or balloons either. The flat screen TV, hanging on the wall in front of the hospital bed, was off. Jack wasn't even attached to an I.V. The man was wearing personal gray pajamas and had a crossword book open in his lap. “Forgive me for saying this,” she said shaking Jack's hand, “but you look well for a man who just had a bullet removed from his chest.”

Hawk had made the same observation as Nikki, but felt it was better for Jack to take the lead before asking any questions. “Yeah, you look real good, Jack.”

Jack Mills stared up at Hawk. “I was wearing my vest,” he told Hawk, his eyes becoming serious. “Hawk, I was set up.”

Hawk stared down into his friend's face. He and Jack had made their way through the academy together, eventually becoming partners for two years before Hawk made detective. Jack wasn't a liar or the type of man to play games. The man was a top cop in Hawk's book. And as Hawk looked into his eyes, he saw a fear that only a true cop could present to another cop. “What's going on, Jack?”

Jack nodded his head at Nikki. “Is she okay?”

“She's my partner,” Hawk assured Jack. “We work as a team in Vermont.”

Jack studied Nikki's beautiful face. Behind the beauty, he saw a brilliance that set him at ease. “Okay, she's good in my book, then.”

Hawk sat down on the edge of the hospital bed. “Talk to me, Jack. What's going on?”

“I don't know?” Jack confessed. “Hawk, you know I had Stan, my partner, call you. Stan's a good guy. Did he pass along the information?”

Hawk nodded his head. “A little on the reluctant side, but yeah. He explained you two were investigating a company that was using illegal immigrants as slave labor. Human trafficking straight from the border.”

“Yeah, Stan is scared stiff. But he owes me, Hawk. I saved his butt, not once, but twice,” Jack explained holding up two fingers. “Before I left New York, I slipped him a note with instructions to call you.”

“Was your partner with you when you got shot?” Nikki asked Jack.

Jack shook his head. “No, I was solo.”

Hawk bit his lower lip. “Jack, let's take it slow. To begin with, Stan refused to release the name of the company you two were investigating. Let's begin there, okay.”

Jack stared at Hawk. “Hawk, I called you because I need your help; you're a good man. Honest and loyal to your Oath. Stan... he's a good cop, but his backbone is made of jelly. He has brains, but no guts, if you catch my drift.”

“I understand,” Hawk said in a tired voice. “Let's walk down the tracks slowly, Jack. What company were you investigating?”

Jack hesitated. “Hawk, if I tell you, I'll be putting your life in danger. But... if I don't...” Jack struggled to find steady ground to stand on. “Oh man, I'm in it deep, Hawk; I need a real partner, not a guy with a jellyfish backbone. We weren't partners for very long in the old days, but Hawk, you were the best partner a cop could ask for. Cops like you are a dying breed.”

Hawk patted Jack's ankle. “I'm here, Jack. I'll stand by you, just like we stood by each other in the old days. You can trust me on that. If your life is in danger, don't expect me to stick to the shallow end of the pool, okay.”

“Same thing applies to me,” Nikki assured Jack with a comforting smile.

Jack let out a grateful smile. “Guys,” he said, “you have no idea what that means to me. Okay,” Jack steadied himself, “the company I was investigating is a construction firm called Dellington and Haim. These guys are located in the Sour Apple, Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle, Dallas, Boston, and right here in Atlanta. Hawk, we're talking billions of dollars, here... mostly blood money. Criminal politicians love to line their pockets and pass corrupt laws that support the bad guys, but hey, you know that.”

“Yeah,” Hawk said in a disgusted voice. “So Jack, Dellington and Haim, they're--”

“Buying people at discount prices,” Jack interrupted Hawk and glanced up at Nikki. “There's people who gather up groups of illegal immigrants, like cattle... poor people just wanting to come to America and have a better life, but illegally. So these slugs gather these poor people up, smuggle them across the border, and sell them. Dellington and Haim save billions on cheap, forced slave labor. Imagine paying a poor sap just enough money to buy a bag of rice rather than pay a professional worker top salary. We're talking entire families, too... dad, mom, kids, all put to work while living in conditions a rat wouldn't live in. And if they try to escape... well, thugs with guns make sure no escapes take place. Ever look closely at a construction site?”

Nikki glanced at Hawk with sad eyes and then focused back on Jack. “You must have made a few people worried,” she said.

Jack shrugged his shoulders. “I went undercover after I received an anonymous tip. Dellington and Haim were constructing a new Cloud Sniffer a few blocks from the Empire State Building. The foreman in charge, some jerk named Matting, hired me when I pretended to be a drunk who would work day labor for a bottle of booze.”

Hawk chewed on the information Jack had presented to him so far. “Okay, so you wedged your way in, then what?”

Jack leaned forward, threw his legs over the side of the bed, and stood up. “I played it cool for a few days, and then, casually started talking to a few workers, asking questions in a way that seemed natural, you know. Now, unknown to me, there was a man named Jose who was mighty upset that he and his family were working as slaves. One day, this Jose comes up to me at lunch and begins to blabber his mouth off... venting, you know. I really hit the jackpot.”

“What did this man tell you?” Nikki asked.

Jack stretched his arms. “He told me all about the slugs rounding up illegals and selling them to Dellington and Haim. Jose was told that he and his family would be sent to New York to work for a construction company who would pay them while assisting them in becoming legal citizens. He told me the slugs that rounded him and his family up were real smooth talkers... I mean these people could talk slime off a snail, from Jose's point of view. Anyway, Jose began naming certain people and--” Jack paused.

“What?” Hawk asked alarmed. Nikki tensed up.

“Hawk, Dellington and Haim have no idea where I am. If they find out I'm alive, well, you can send flowers to my funeral. I was sent to this hospital by Agent Norris...Agent Norris turned up dead,” Jack explained, his voice wavering. “Agent Norris wanted me out of New York, so he set up this whole deal.”

Hawk stood up from the hospital bed. “Jack,” he said, “Nikki and I walked right in here. There was no security anywhere to be seen. I would suspect that if an FBI Agent was killed because of his involvement with you, the FBI would have security all over this hospital.”

Nikki caught on to Hawk's statement. Jack slowly nodded at her. “Dellington and Haim want to know where I am. Luckily for me, Agent Norris kept my location secret from everyone. Agent Norris acted alone, you two.”

Nikki read Jack's face. “This Agent Norris, he walked outside the line, didn't he?”

Jack sighed. “Guys, Agent Norris was married to a woman from Mexico. This woman's brother was killed at a construction site belonging to Dellington and Haim. Needless to say, the man's death was no accident. Agent Norris becomes involved, begins to uncover the truth; shortly after I come walking along, find out information Agent Norris in hungering for, and then I get shot. But, as you can both see, I'm very much alive. So what does Agent Norris do? He jumps into the gray zone, drives me to this hospital because he has a doctor friend here, and tells me to stay put. No calls, no contact with anyone, no nothing. So yesterday I sneak into a patient's room... some guy who was unconscious... rummage through his clothes, find a cell phone, make a call to Norris's wife, and find out the bad news.”

“Agent Norris was killed after your partner called me, too.” Hawk pointed out.

Jack shrugged his hands in the air. “Hawk, I'm sitting here on ice. I don't know what to do. I figured Agent Norris was driving weary minded. The man has a personal vendetta that was blurring his vision. But what could I do? Agent Norris told me the FBI was protecting Dellington and Haim. If I wanted to say alive, well, Agent Norris was my only exit door to take.”

“Get dressed,” Hawk ordered Jack. “We're leaving.”

“Wait,” Nikki said organizing the information in her mind. “Jack, who is this doctor friend of Agent Norris?”

“Dr. Fred Falton. Nice guy, a little stuffy. And let me tell you, Dr. Falton went to the mat for Agent Norris when he brought me here. But, as far as I could tell, the two of them went way back, so Dr. Falton admitted me under the pretense that I required numerous testing done on my ticker.”

Nikki studied the fancy hospital room. “They sure housed you in a nice room.”

“Agent Norris's idea,” Jack explained. “Dr. Falton wanted to stuff me in a crummy room, but Agent Norris insisted that I be admitted to this floor. Don't ask me why? I should have asked questions, but Agent Norris was already working on fumes, Hawk. After I was admitted, he told me to stay put, rushed back to the airport and took off for New York. I never saw the guy again.”

“I'm assuming this Dr. Falton has no idea that Agent Norris is dead?” Hawk asked.

“If he did, I wouldn't be here,” Jack pointed out. “I also figure, if anyone got any information out of Agent Norris, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you right now,” Jack added. “I feel safe here. But I can't stay. I also can't turn to anyone for help, except you, Hawk. The NYPD has so many holes in it now... you don't really know who you can and can't trust. The FBI... yeah, that's a joke.”

Hawk rubbed the back of his neck. “Get dressed, Jack, and let's get out of Atlanta. You're coming back to Vermont with Nikki and me. We can make a game plan, there.”

“Hey,” Jack said clapping his hands, “that sounds like a plan. Hawk, you have no idea how glad I am that you're on my side. I knew I could count on you.”

Nikki walked over to Hawk. “Jack, before we leave, please tell us the names Jose mentioned to you,” she asked.

“Not here,” Jack told Nikki. “Let's get on the road first. Once I get a couple burgers and a few shakes down, we'll talk.”

Hawk gently took Nikki's hand and walked her to the hospital room door. “Jack, hurry and get dressed. We'll be out in the hallway.”

“In a flash,” Jack promised.

Chapter Three

Hawk walked Nikki out into the hallway. He politely smiled at a middle-aged nurse who was obviously putting on a few pounds. Taking in a deep scent of air that smelled like disinfectant, he looked deep into Nikki's eyes. “I'm driving you to the airport. I want you on the first--”

“Don't you dare,” Nikki warned Hawk. Hugging Hawk, she pressed her head against his chest. “I'm not leaving you, you big lug. Jack needs both of our help.”

“Yeah, he does,” Hawk admitted, wrapping his arms around Nikki. Sighing deeply, he closed his eyes. “Nikki, someday you and I are going to go to Antarctica, sit on an iceberg, and watch the penguins play; maybe then trouble won't find us.”

“The iceberg would probably melt, a polar bear would try and eat us, and we would end up being chased by a deranged hunter that thinks we're trying to arrest him for illegal hunting,” Nikki joked.

Hawk laughed. “Probably,” he said. Opening his eyes, he looked down the carpeted hallway toward the nurse's station. How easy would it be to leave, he wondered. How easy would it be to just take Nikki and leave an old friend behind to deal with his own problems? Sure, he could take Nikki, leave Atlanta, have a nice dinner at her parent's house, and the following day let Nikki show him around her old stomping grounds while he sipped cold lemonade. But leaving was not an option. A real cop never deserted his friend, no matter what the danger was.

* * *

Twenty-two minutes to the second after Hawk and Nikki left the hospital with Jack, a man in his mid-fifties with thin, gray hair and wearing a black suit, walked into Jack's room. Finding the room empty, he snatched a cell phone from his jacket pocket. “The cop is gone,” he barked into the cell phone. “I was informed that he would be here.”

“Agent Norris assured us of the location,” a man answered in a submissive voice.

“I am a professional killer,” the man lowered his tone, “I am not a hound dog. Find this cop or tell Dellington and Haim that I will walk with half of my payment. I do not think they will be pleased in losing half a million dollars.”

“Yes, sir, we'll find Jack,” the man promised.

Ending the call, William Grense tucked the cell phone back into his jacket pocket. “Jack, Jack,” he whispered through gritted teeth, “you play a dangerous game. Now it's time to pay the penalty.”

“Can I help you?” the middle-aged nurse asked William, as she walked into the hospital room.

“Yes,” William answered in a calm and pleasing voice, “I was under the impression my friend was admitted to this room? Was I misinformed?”

The nurse walked to the hospital bed and began pulling off the bed covers. “Your friend left about half an hour ago with a man and a woman. He was supposed to have the whole list of tests conducted on his heart. He left ADA.”

“ADA?”

“Against Doctor's Advice,” the nurse explained. “Anyway, he's gone. Sorry, I couldn't be more help.”

“Uh,” William said pulling out a phony FBI Badge and presenting it to the nurse, “can you describe the man and woman my friend left with.”

The nurse looked at the phony badge. Believing William was an actual FBI Agent, she gave him the exact description of Nikki and Hawk. “I wish I could be more help.”

“You've been extremely helpful,” William assured the nurse. Excusing himself, he left the hospital room. Out in the hallway, he whipped out his cell phone again. “Jack left with a man and woman. I want to know who they are, is that clear? Contact Jack's partner; I want that man squealing by sunset. And get Norris back on the hot seat, too. Between the two of them, I'm sure one of them will be able to tell us who Jack left with.”

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

Hawk aimed his jeep toward South Carolina instead of aiming it back toward North I-75. “We'll go back home using the back roads,” he explained fighting his way through traffic.

“Turn on the air,” Jack begged. Sweating up a storm in the backseat, he glanced down at his gray suit. Pulling off the jacket, he saw sweat stains appearing on the white undershirt. “Hawk, turn on the air before I melt.”

“It doesn't work,” Hawk apologized.

Nikki turned in her seat. “Jack, I'm not exactly sure how we can help you right now? If the FBI is protecting Dellington and Haim, as Agent Norris claimed they were, that really limits our ability to outreach.”

Jack mopped sweat from his forehead. “Not every FBI Agent is a bad chicken,” Jack told Nikki. “I have a friend out in Los Angeles. I was tempted to call him, but I wanted to wait for Hawk to show up. Hawk, you have to be my go-between man, okay?”

“Sure,” Hawk said speeding past a green semi-truck. “I have to take I-20 East, Nikki. Don't let me get turned around, okay.”

“Okay,” Nikki whispered, feeling sadness enter her heart. She really did want to see her parents and her hometown. Instead, she was now in the midst of another case that involved deadly people who prized money and power over human life.

“Are you okay?” Hawk asked Nikki, reading the tone in her voice.

Nikki turned in her seat. Allowing the wind coming in from the open passenger's window to play in her hair, she closed her eyes. “The thought of seeing my parents, sitting on the front porch and sipping cold iced tea while watching the sunset... Hawk, I really wanted that. I love my new home in Vermont, I really do. But I miss Georgia. I miss my parents. I miss my hometown. I miss... what I know as my own. Lately, I feel as if I have been thrown into a chaotic whirlwind. My only stability has been you, Lidia, and Tori... three murders... the cruise ship... all of the confusion, danger, fear, threats… and now, here we are again.”

“There's always penguin watching,” Hawk tried to joke.

Nikki fought back a grin. “Not funny... well, maybe a little.” Opening her eyes, Nikki looked at Hawk. “Hawk, I really do want to see my parents, okay? I want to come back to Georgia after we help Jack... if we live through this. We'll fly down, next time, rent a car that has an air conditioner, and have a relaxing time. We'll sip sweet tea on the back porch, walk around my home town while eating ice cream cones... that sounds nice, doesn't it?”

Hawk patted Nikki's knee. “More than you know,” he promised. Looking in the rear view mirror, he saw Jack wiping sweat from his head. “Okay, Jack,” he said, “what names did Jose give you?”

Jack tried to find a cool spot in the back seat of Hawk's jeep. “Jose gave me two names. The first name belongs to a dirty cop in New York. The second name belongs to a human smuggler who brings the illegals into New York. Once the illegals arrive, the dirty cop takes them to Dellington and Haim's slum quarters. Once the illegals arrive there, they are processed, marked, and assigned to duties.”

Chapter Four

Hawk and Nikki listened to Jack talk. Jack mentioned the name of the dirty cop and the human smuggler. Nikki quickly made mental notes. Overhead, storm clouds began to form. By the time they stopped to eat in a small South Carolina town, heavy rain was pouring down. Parking in front of a small restaurant, sitting off by itself from the main highway surrounded by tall pine trees, Hawk turned off the jeep. “I'm starving,” he confessed to Nikki.

Nikki studied the wooden restaurant. A white and brown sign attached to the roof read: Edna's Home Cooking Kitchen. Feeling her own tummy grumble, she smiled at Hawk. “I'm hungry, too.” Before getting out of the jeep, Nikki took a second to admire how the heavy rain fell down through the tall pines in a perfect, harmonic melody. The gravel parking lot held only a red truck and white car. Nikki pretended that she and Hawk were on a cozy date, stopping at Edna's on a rainy late day for a warm, delicious meal. “Let me out,” Jack barked, popping Nikki's bubble.

Nikki shrugged her shoulders at Hawk. Without any concern for getting wet, she opened the passenger's door, stepped out into the rain, and walked up to the front door of the restaurant. Hawk and Jack followed. “Ladies first,” Hawk said pulling open a wooden door.

“Thank you,” Nikki said. Stepping through the door she entered a cool, refreshing dining room lined with wooden tables and red and white checkered walls holding everything from a deer's head to black and white photos of old celebrities. Nikki noticed the delicious aroma of food filling around the dining room like an open pizza box being wafted through the air, teasing the noses of hungry customers.

“You have to spot me,” Jack informed Hawk in a low whisper, “I only have my bank card. I can't use it.”

“Not a problem,” Hawk whispered back.

“Hey y’all,” a smiling woman wearing a brown waitress uniform said in a cheerful voice. “Only three today?”

“Just three,” Nikki smiled back. Finding the nametag attached to the waitress uniform, she noticed the woman's name was Kelly. Kelly, Nikki thought happily, was probably a typical southern, homegrown woman in her mid to late forties who was a little wide around the rear, who spent every Thursday at the beauty parlor having her short red hair tended to while she caught up on all the latest gossip.

“Right this way, Hun,” Kelly told Nikki. Walking to a table sitting next to a window overlooking the parking lot, Kelly smiled. “What can I get you folks to drink?”

“Sweet tea,” Nikki said sitting down with her back toward the window.

“Soda,” Hawk said sitting next to Nikki.

“Soda for me, too,” Jack said sitting down across from Hawk. “Whew, it sure feels good in here. I nearly melted in the backseat.”

Nikki pulled a napkin from a metal dispenser and blotted some rain off her forehead. “It's lovely in here,” she told Kelly. “I'm surprised there aren't more customers.”

“Usually, this place is crammed full at this time of day,” Kelly confessed, “but there's a tornado watch out right now. Folks are staying home.”

Nikki looked over her shoulder. The sky outside did seem like it was growing darker. Something in her gut told her not to worry about a tornado, though. No, she thought, turning back around in her seat, at most there would be strong winds and heavy rain, but nothing more. She had experienced enough storms in the south to be able to read the weather. “I think we'll be okay.”

“Me, too,” Kelly replied, and tipped everyone a wink. “I'll be right back with your drinks.”

Jack picked up a green menu and opened it. “Let's see... fried okra... Lima beans... meatloaf... chicken and dumplings... fried green tomatoes...”

Hawk sighed. He picked up his own menu. “Nikki, I'm exhausted. I think after we leave here, we'll grab a hotel room.”

“I agree,” Nikki said feeling exhaustion infiltrate her mind. “We woke up at five this morning. I don't think I could go another mile.”

“I agree to that,” Jack said studying the menu. His face became solemn.

“What's wrong?” Hawk asked.

“Here I sit with a menu offering all kinds of good food... and all around this country, people are hungry; forced to live in conditions that a rat would stick its nose up at... I've seen it, Hawk. Jose took me to his living quarters, if that's what you want to call a building that's so run down that wood maggots go to eat somewhere else. Ah... forget it.”

Hawk patted Jack’s shoulder. “You care, Jack. A man with a conscience has no business being a cop. Remember who told us that?”

“Sergeant Cape,” Jack sighed.

“Who is Sergeant Cape?” Nikki asked.

“The meanest man ever born,” Jack explained.

“Sergeant Cape was one of the instructors at the academy Jack and I went to,” Hawk told Nikki. “The man was mean, but he cared. Sergeant Cape turned two smart mouth kids into cops.”

“Two smart mouthed know-it-all kids,” Jack added. “But Sergeant Cape molded Hawk and me into the cops you see today.”

“Remind me to slap that man if I ever see him,” Nikki teased Hawk. Feeling a yawn attack her, she placed the back of her left hand to her mouth.

“Here you go,” Kelly chirped, bringing the drinks over to the table on a brown serving tray. “Sweet tea... and two sodas.”

Nikki took her sweet tea from Kelly. “Can you recommend a good hotel, Kelly?” she asked.

“Oh,” Kelly said handing Hawk and Jack their drinks, “there's the usual chain hotels out by the interstate. But down the road, about four miles, you'll find the Green Log Inn. It's not fancy, but Mr. Bosely keeps the rooms clean. A lot cleaner than any room you'd find at one of those chain hotels, if you ask me.”

Nikki looked at Hawk. “What do you think?”

“Works for me,” Hawk told Nikki.

“Are you ready to order?” Kelly asked.

Nikki nodded her head. “We'll all have a chicken and dumpling plate with okra, green beans, and cornbread. For dessert we'll have banana pudding.”

You got it,” Kelly smiled and hurried away.

“How did you know I wanted chicken and dumplings?” Hawk asked Nikki.

“I'll never tell,” Nikki winked at Hawk.

Jack put down his menu. “You got my number, I'll say that. I'm impressed.”

“Don't be impressed yet,” Nikki told Jack. “Forgive me for saying this, but I'm not sure how Hawk and I are supposed to help you, Jack. As far as I can see, the only logical path is to contact the FBI Agent you know in Los Angeles.”

“I agree,” Hawk supported Nikki. “Jack, we can hide you in Vermont, but for how long? An Agent of the Law has been killed. It's not likely these people are going to forget about you. We both know Dellington and Haim have people out searching for you, Jack.”

“I know,” Jack told Hawk, picking up a red, plastic glass and taking a long sip. “I hate being on the tail end,” he said in an angry voice. “I don't like running from criminals. Sure, I took a bullet, but I'm alive to fight back.”

“What about the day you got shot?” Hawk asked Jack. “You said you were set up?”

Jack put down his soda. “Matting set me up. He called me to the construction site early. When I arrived, Matting was nowhere to be seen. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. Didn't take me long to realize that I had been set up... and like a blind bat, I fell for it.” Jack bowed his head. “I was standing next to a concrete mixer when I saw a red dot appear on my chest... before I could blink, I was on my back, lying in the mud, staring up at the sky.”

“And you're sure it was this Matting guy that set you up?” Hawk asked, feeling his body start to relax into his chair. The heavy rain falling outside, mixed in with the dark sky and the southern environment of the restaurant, seemed to reach inside of his tense mind and lather its troubled chambers with a soothing lotion.

“It had to be that slime ball,” Jack assured Hawk through gritted teeth. “Matting must have found out that Jose talked to me. Matting isn't stupid, Hawk; I felt the guy was beginning to suspect that I was a cop.”

Hawk took a sip of his soda. “Did you ever talk to the two people Jose told you about?”

Jack shook his head. “Nah,” he said and looked at Nikki. “Jose talked with me on a Monday. Tuesday morning, I was lying in the mud with a bullet caught in my protective vest. Matting acted fast.”

“After you were shot, I'm assuming the shooter thought you were dead, right?” Nikki asked.

“I guess,” Jack answered Nikki, looking back at Hawk. “The next thing I remember was hearing sirens.”

“Jack,” Hawk asked, “this is kind of a dumb question... but did you see anyone?”

“No one,” Jack told Hawk. “I've been doing some thinking, though. The shooter shot me from a northwestern location, which means he was stationed up near the supply shed. Security is heavy around the construction site, which means no one could just waltz past the guard shack. My gut tells me that Matting was the shooter, Hawk. Matting knows the layout of the construction sites. The slime ball is clever, Hawk.”

“Matting shoots you, security calls the shooting in, makes sense,” Hawk told Jack.

“Matting must have really thought he did me in,” Jack told Hawk. “Agent Norris must have been listening to the police monitors because he was waiting at the hospital when I arrived. When he found out I was alive, well, you know the story.”

Nikki stared at Jack confused. “Did you know Agent Norris before the shooting?” she asked.

Jack shook his head. “Never saw the guy before. I learned his story later on.”

Hawk looked at Nikki. Nikki's eyes told Hawk that Jack's words had just created a crack in his story. “Well,” Nikki told Jack in a tired voice, “let's rest our minds for now, okay. After we eat dinner, all I want is a calming shower and a nice, soft bed.”

“I second that,” Hawk added. He watched Jack look down at his glass of soda. Tomorrow, Hawk thought, he would press Jack harder, but at the present moment, it was better to loosen the leash.

Nikki began talking to Hawk about her store, allowing Jack to become lost in his own thoughts until Kelly brought out dinner. “Looks delicious,” Nikki said as Kelly put down a yellow dinner plate holding chicken and dumplings in front of her.

“Let's dig in,” Hawk smiled and grabbed a piece of cornbread from the breadbasket.

“Sure, yeah,” Jack agreed staring down at his dinner plate. “Uh... where's the bathroom?” he asked Kelly.

“Straight back down that little brown hallway,” Kelly told Jack, pointing to the back of the restaurant.

“I'll be back in a few minutes,” Jack told Hawk and excused himself.

* * *

“He's hiding something,” Nikki said, taking a bite of cornbread.

“Yep,” Hawk replied in a disappointed voice. “I'm not sure why he had his partner contact me, but whatever reason he had, it's not what we think.”

“I kinda got that feeling, too,” Nikki confessed. Picking up her glass of tea, she took a drink. “Hawk, could it be Agent Norris isn't dead? Could it be Agent Norris is helping Dellington and Haim?”

Hawk bit down on his lower lip. “Nikki, anything is possible. I'm going to check this Agent Norris out and see if he is dead or alive. If he's alive, then we can begin making some concrete assumptions. “

“And if he's dead?”

Hawk finished off his cornbread. “We’re both tired. Tomorrow we'll look at Jack and everything he's told us with fresh, rested, minds. Right now let's enjoy our meal.”

Nikki grew silent. She picked up a fork and began nibbling on her chicken and dumplings as her mind began to investigate every single word Jack had let leave his mouth. Why would Agent Norris be at the hospital waiting for Jack to arrive in the ambulance? The timing was suspicious. What was also suspicious was Jack being transferred to Atlanta under a weak lie. Also, Nikki thought, why would Agent Norris leave Jack alone and rush back to New York? And, Nikki finished, Jack didn't seem too bothered that he didn't have any security protecting him; the man didn't even have a gun. No, she concluded, the pieces didn't fit. Jack was certainly hiding the truth.

Hawk casually checked the watch on his wrist. “Jack's been in the bathroom for twenty minutes.”

“Maybe you should go check on him?” Nikki suggested.

“Yeah, I guess I should,” Hawk said wiping his mouth with a napkin. Standing up, he made his way to the men's bathroom. “Jack?” he said knocking on a wooden door, “are you okay in there?” Hawk was greeted by silence. “Jack... hey, Jack?” With a steady hand, Hawk reached out and tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. Easing the door open, Hawk peered into a tight, cramped, white bathroom. On the right wall was a window; the window was open. The strong winds from outside were blowing rain through the window, soaking the bathroom floor. Hawk shook his head. “Jack, why?” he moaned.

Hawk closed the bathroom door and turned around. Nikki was staring at him. “Jack went AWOL on us, Hawk. He's had a twenty-minute head start. Come on; sit back down. Let's finish our dinner and go find a hotel.”

“Yeah,” Hawk agreed walking Nikki back to their table. Sitting down he looked down at Jack's plate. “Why did he contact me?” he asked confused.

“We'll figure out why. Let's eat,” Nikki told Hawk and patted his hand. Outside, the rain continued to fall as night began to overcome the last of the daylight. As Nikki and Hawk ate their dinner, Jack caught a ride with a trucker and vanished into the night.

Chapter Five

Nikki placed her pink suitcase on the soft king-sized bed, which was covered with a light brown blanket. Closing her eyes, she stood silently for a moment, listening to the heavy rain outside talk to the howling winds. The wind was washing the top of the tall pine trees outside with a strange yet familiar sound that made Nikki homesick. Nikki opened her eyes with a long sigh. With a sleepy mind, she examined her hotel room. “Not bad,” she murmured admiring the light green colored walls gifted with autumn colored leaves. Looking down at her tired feet she saw a soft brown carpet that had recently been shampooed. Drawing in a deep breath of cinnamon and apple scented air, Nikki looked at wooden nightstand beside the bed, spotting a bowl of potpourri. “Nice touch.”

After taking a hot shower, Nikki pulled on a fuzzy, pink nightgown, grabbed a mystery book from her suitcase, and plopped down onto the bed. “Let's read about the 'Case of the Snowy Cave',” she muttered herself. But as hard as Nikki tried to read her book, she found her mind could not focus. Instead, her thoughts were pulled back to Jack's hospital room. Slowly and methodically, Nikki went over every word Jack had said, and then began to think about Dr. Falton. If Agent Norris was a lawman that had veered off the straight path into criminal activity, then perhaps, Nikki thought staring over the pages of her book at the hotel room door, Dr. Falton might be a crook, too? If not a crook, perhaps the man might be able to shed light on some of the questions running through Nikki's mind.

Hearing her cell phone ring, Nikki put down her book, took her purse off the nightstand, and dug out her cell phone. Checking the incoming call number, she smiled. “Hi, Lidia.”

“Hey Honey,” Lidia told Nikki in a pleasant, warm voice. “I'm over at your cabin, Tori and I are making chocolates. It's raining here. How are things in Georgia?”

Nikki bit down on her lower lip. The last thing in the entire world she wanted was to admit to Lidia that she and Hawk were on another case. “Fine,” she said in a voice that came out even and steady. “It's raining here, too.”

“That's why I'm calling. The south is under a severe storm warning. Storms will be moving through the south all night tonight and all day tomorrow. We wanted to make sure you and Hawk were okay.”

“We're fine,” Nikki promised. Closing her eyes, she imagined Lidia and Tori standing in her kitchen, making delicious chocolates. She smelled the warm scent of chocolate, mingled with freshly brewed coffee. She saw every detail of her kitchen. And at that moment, she felt a sense of homesickness for Vermont that struck her heart with a painful yearning. “I wish I were with you tonight. Making decadent chocolates on a rainy night with your two very best friends is just what the heart needs.”

“Honey, are you okay? Did you and Hawk have a fight?” Lidia asked, hearing the sadness in Nikki's voice.

“I'm fine,” Nikki promised. “Well... no, I'm not fine. Oh, Lidia, being back in the south, so close to my old life... all of my old memories... my heart is breaking. I miss my home. I miss my old life. I miss my hometown. I miss cold glasses of sweet tea on soft summer nights, sitting on the back porch, watching the lightning bugs play. I miss taking early morning jogs, watching my hometown wake up. I miss... my home.”

“I see,” Lidia said in a low voice. “Honey, are you thinking about leaving us?”

“Oh no,” Nikki promised Lidia. “I also miss you guys. I miss Vermont. I miss our store. I miss the cabin. I... really wish I were back home with you and Tori tonight, sipping coffee, eating chocolates, cuddled up in my robe listening to the rain fall.”

“We wish you were here, too,” Lidia promised Nikki. “You may not believe this, but the town feels empty without you. Even Chief Daily made a joke today about how dull the town feels without you in it, and that maybe when you get back some excitement might return.”

“Chief Daily thinks I'm a black cat... I'm starting to believe it,” Nikki confessed. “You have to admit, Lidia, bad luck seems to be following me everywhere I go... I couldn't even make a marriage last.” Feeling tears begin to sting her eyes, Nikki took a deep breath; the last thing she wanted was to begin crying over her ex-husband.

“Oh Honey,” Lidia said feeling her heart break for Nikki. “It takes two to make a marriage work.”

Nikki felt a tear stream down her left cheek. “I know,” she whispered weakly.

“Are you crying?” Lidia asked.

“Yes,” Nikki admitted as more tears began to flow from her soft eyes. “Oh Lidia, my heart is breaking. I didn’t think coming back home would affect me like this.”

“Oh dear,” Lidia said worried, “and here I am hundreds of miles away, too.”

“I'll be okay,” Nikki promised. “It's raining outside. The rain will put me to sleep, I promise. I'm just being a teary-eyed idiot right now.”

“No, you're not,” Lidia scolded Nikki. “Honey, you've been through a lot, yet you have remained strong and determined throughout every single step you have taken. It's only natural that you're hurting right now. You're back in a place that was once home to you... a place that is soothing and comforting, filled with memories that both bring joy and pain. You moved to Vermont to begin a new life, but that doesn't mean our emotions, attachments, memories, and love for our old life fades away.”

Nikki wanted to reach through the distance separating her from Vermont and wrap her arms around Lidia as tightly as possible. “You're wonderful,” she told Lidia. “Oh, how I miss you.”

“And I miss you,” Lidia told Nikki from her heart. “Listen to me. Take out one of those mystery books you love so much, read a little, and then fall asleep listening to the rain. I will call you tomorrow, okay?”

“Tell Tori I love her,” Nikki replied gratefully. “I love you, Lidia. Sweet dreams.”

“Sweet dreams,” Lidia said, her voice warm and soothing. “Stay strong, Nikki, and listen to your heart.”

* * *

Nikki put her cell phone away, thought about what Lidia had told her, and then pulled her cell phone out of her purse again. “Okay,” she said wiping away her tears, “let's focus on your life. Whatever is going on with Jack now involves Hawk and me. When we return home, I don't want any shadows chasing us; I need to stay strong.”

Nikki used her cell phone to search for any listing for a Dr. Falton who was attached to St. Joseph's Hospital. “Well, at least Jack was telling the truth about Dr. Falton,” Nikki said, finding Dr. Falton's information. “Well, Dr. Falton, Hawk and I may be paying you a visit.”

Putting her cell phone away, Nikki leaned back on her pillow, closed her eyes, and brought Hawk's face into her mind. She thought about their first encounter in the small hospital back in her new town in Vermont. There she was, all alone, working on a case that threatened her new livelihood; or so she thought. And in walked Hawk Daily, strong, handsome, intelligent, to save the beautiful damsel in distress. “He's been my knight in shining armor ever since,” Nikki whispered as she listened to the howling winds crying outside of her hotel room. “Three homicide cases in Vermont... the last case nearly broke my spirit... a tormented man on a cruise ship... and now this. Hawk must believe I truly am a black cat… no, stop that,” Nikki scolded herself. “You and Hawk solved each case, helped to save innocent lives, and grew closer in the process. Seek the good that has come out of every case, not the bad.”

Hearing a knock on the hotel room door, Nikki tensed. Cautiously, she eased off the bed, walked to the door, and looked through the peephole. There, standing in the night, stood Hawk, clad in plain blue pajamas, a pillow under one arm and a blanket under the other, wearing the expression of a silly teddy bear. Nikki smiled and opened the door. “Hello, Hawk,” she said as strong, wet winds blew at her face, blowing her hair off her shoulders. “Are you lost?”

“Uh... Lidia called me,” Hawk confessed. “She told me you were crying. I figured... well, I could crash on the floor and keep you company.”

Nikki's heart melted. “Come on in, you big lug.”

Hawk walked into Nikki's hotel room as Nikki closed the door behind him. “I have to warn you, I snore.”

Nikki walked to the bed and sat down. “Make your bed,” she told Hawk yawning.

Hawk made a pallet beside the bed and plopped down. Nikki lay down on the bed. Throwing her face over the edge, she looked down at Hawk. Hawk leaned up on one elbow. “Why were you crying?” he asked in a concerned voice.

“Homesick,” Nikki confessed in a soft tone, staring down at Hawk's exhausted face. “I've been thinking about Jack,” she told Hawk, hoping to change the subject.

“Me, too,” Hawk replied, allowing Nikki to veer off the path. Hawk felt that if Nikki didn't want to talk about her tears, then he didn't need to push her. In time, he knew, Nikki would open up with him on a deeper level. Just being allowed to sleep in her room meant she trusted him in a special way. And that, Hawk thought, was special.

“I looked up Dr. Falton on my phone. I thought perhaps Jack made him up. Dr. Falton is real, Hawk. With that said... perhaps we need to drive back to Atlanta and speak with him?”

Hawk made a 'Yeah-I-Guess' face. “Nikki, I would like to say that, as far as I'm concerned, this whole matter with Jack is water under the bridge. The truth is, my gut tells me we better get to the bottom of this because somehow you and I are in this thing deep.”

Nikki placed her chin down onto her hands. “Jack was a dishonest cop, wasn't he?”

“It seems that way,” Hawk confessed. “Maybe not? At this point, Nikki, I can't really say. The obvious clearly tells us Jack walked off the sidewalk into the sludge... but I don't know? Maybe it's the cop in me.”

“I'm still confused as to why Jack would involve you, release all the information he did, and then escape?” Nikki told Hawk. “Hawk, I could tell Jack really cared about the illegal immigrants being used as slave labor. But his actions don't make sense.”

“No, Jack's actions don't make sense,” Hawk agreed. Staring up into Nikki's beautiful face, he smiled. “Before Lidia called me, I was laying on my bed thinking about being back in Vermont. Call me sentimental, but I was thinking about your cabin. I pictured us sitting in your kitchen, drinking coffee, while you made some of your famous Georgia peach truffles.”

“Really?” Nikki asked surprised.

Hawk nodded his head. “The truth is,” Hawk continued, “I like sitting in your kitchen on a rainy day, drinking coffee... it's kinda, well... cozy. The Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a fierce winter, lots of snow. I see the town, covered in a white blanket, smoke coming from chimneys, and you and me sitting in your kitchen, drinking coffee, watching the snow fall.”

'Don't forget about autumn,” Nikki smiled down at Hawk. “We can take walks through falling leaves, sip on hot Apple Cider, sit in front of the fireplace at my cabin... snuggle a little.”

Hawk blushed some at the thought of snuggling with Nikki in front of a warm fire. “And then,” he told Nikki, “I thought about us being here, in this hotel. My stomach sank. If we were here at this hotel because we were on vacation, well, that would be different.”

“I know,” Nikki sighed. “I would walk away from this case, but I can't. Hawk, this isn't just about you and me, this is about innocent people being used to serve a corrupt company. These people need our help. Afterward, they can return to their country and enter America legally, through the channels that are set up to assist them.”

“Help the person first,” Hawk agreed. “But we both know the deeper we involve ourselves, the more dangerous things will become. Which leads me to this: Nikki, I called a friend I know at the NYPD. I ran the name of Greg Packard, the cop Jack claims is involved in the smuggling of illegal immigrants.”

Nikki leaned up. “And?” she asked anxiously.

“Greg Packard is a cop with the NYPD. He's been a cop less than five years, Nikki. The guy is twenty-eight years old, no family, no wife, no kids. Last year, he was put on administrative leave while being investigated for bribery. The charges never came to pass. Ironically enough, the investigator in charge of the case has stock in Dellington and Haim.”

“Corruption runs deep.”

“Whenever the good guys push at the bad guys, money talks, and the bad guys walk away free,” Hawk agreed. “Right now Greg Packard is assigned to foot patrol. In other words, the guy can roam around on a very long, comfortable, leash and do whatever he wants.”

“My mind is standing at the steps of City Hall, Hawk. I'm certain Manhattan is full to overflowing with corrupt officials, including the mayor. Remember two years ago when the elections for mayor were taking place? The current Mayor of New York almost landed in prison for very serious tax evasion charges, yet, he was voted in somehow.”

“Money talks and destroys the truth of our American way,” Hawk told Nikki, disgust coloring his voice. “Greg Packard is on the payroll of a multi-billion-dollar company, a company that greases the hands of people put in a position of power by people with more money and more power.”

Nikki sighed. “What has America come to, Hawk?”

“You know, I can see Pop's face right now... if he found out that we were involved in another case...” Hawk laughed to himself. “Poor Pop, his greatest worry is making sure the tourists in town remain happy.”

“I wish that was my greatest worry,” Nikki confessed. “Hawk, Jack was telling us the truth. So why did he run away? I'm confused.”

“I have a feeling Agent Norris will help us understand,” Hawk told Nikki. “I doubt Agent Norris is dead, as Jack claimed. I'm afraid Jack and Agent Norris were working together. Maybe, Nikki, that's why Jack took off on us; he might have become suspicious that my thoughts were leaning in that direction.”

Nikki leaned back on her bed. Staring up at the white popcorn ceiling, she mentally examined Hawk's suggestion. “There was no security at the hospital protecting Jack when we arrived... that's fact one. Fact two is Agent Norris was waiting for Jack at the hospital. Fact three... Jack was wearing a protective vest when he was shot. Hawk, we're reaching the end of summer. Manhattan isn't exactly a freezer right now. Jack wouldn't have shown up at the construction site wearing a jacket to cover the fact that he was wearing a protective vest.”

Hawk looked up at Nikki's bed. He hadn't considered that fact. “That's true,” he said.

“The shooter knew Jack was wearing a vest,” Nikki continued.

“How do you know that?”

“Hawk, if the shooter wanted Jack dead, he could have easily done it. Also,” Nikki continued, “Jack said Matting asked him to arrive at the construction site early, before anyone else. Now that seems logical if you want to kill someone... no witnesses right?”

“Right.”

“But what if you're staging a fake shooting?” Nikki asked Hawk. “The last thing you would want is a lot of workers around.”

“So you're implying that Matting, Jack, and Norris are on the same team?” Hawk asked.

“I'm not sure,” Nikki told Hawk. “What I do know is that we need to speak with Dr. Falton, and then drive to New York and see who this Matting character is while taking a look at Greg Packard. Also, Hawk, we need to speak with Jack's partner, Stan.”

“Okay,” Hawk said, cringing at the idea of all the footwork involved, “we'll get moving first thing in the morning.”

“Not tomorrow morning,” Nikki objected. “Hawk, if Jack ran on us, he's most likely going to assume we're going to begin questioning people. Let's give it a few days, and slowly ease into the investigation. We need to let Jack think we've gone cold on his trail. Also, you need to call Chief Daily. If Jack decides to check on you, I want him to believe you and I are back in Vermont.”

“Smart woman,” Hawk told Nikki. “So what do we do in the meantime?”

“Stay right here,” Nikki told Hawk. “Jack knows we chose this town at random. I doubt he thinks we'll remain at a random stop in the road. Besides, we have Edna's Home Cooking to feed us every night.”

Hawk smiled. “Remind me to marry you.”

“Someday,” Nikki smiled back. “Well, I'm exhausted. Good night, Hawk. Sweet dreams… you big lug.”

“Sweet dreams, princess,” Hawk replied, and closed his eyes.

Silence fell in the hotel room. Outside, the rain continued to fall and the wind continued to cry. Nikki lay with her eyes closed, listening to the wind. A few minutes later, she heard a low snore coming from Hawk. Smiling, she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Six

As Nikki and Hawk slept, William sat on the side of a gas station in a black sedan. “Hawk Daily,” he spoke into the cell phone. “The woman is most likely Nikki Bates, then?”

“Yes, sir,” a nervous man replied. “We hacked into the security cameras in the hospital. The images of the man and woman we pulled from the cameras match the names. Stan eventually confessed that the man is in fact Hawk Daily. The newspaper archives we pulled from Daily's town show him with the woman. I've texted you the image. The woman is Nikki Bates.”

“Why would Jack involve these two?” William demanded, looking out of a rain-soaked windshield. Reaching down with his right hand, William picked up a brown coffee cup and took a sip of black coffee.

“From the information, we were able to acquire, sir, Nikki Bates was a well-known journalist in Atlanta. Daily is a highly decorated cop from New York who relocated to Vermont. The Chief of Police in the town Daily lives in is his father.”

“Tight and snug,” William replied listening to the heavy rain fall on his car. “Jack calls on an old cop friend who just happens to be associated with a journalist.”

“We believe Jack has talked to Nikki Bates, sir. Mr. Dellington and Mr. Haim fear the woman might make Jack's story go viral across the media outlets. Precautionary measures are being taken right now, but we can't control every media outlet. Mr. Dellington and Mr. Haim request that you focus your attention on Nikki Bates and Hawk Daily as well. They will reward you generously.”

“Did you get a read on the Jeep?” William asked in a stern voice.

“Security footage showed Jack leaving with Nikki Bates and Hawk Daily in a personal jeep, sir. We... were unable to get a read on the license plate.”

William sipped on his coffee. “You can tell Mr. Dellington and Mr. Haim that unless I am provided with sound information, I will walk away into the night, are we clear? I will not waste my time chasing three people that could be halfway across the country by now.”

“Yes, sir,” the man told William, becoming more nervous. “Sir, I will spend the night tracking them down. I will have solid leads for you come morning.”

“You do that,” William said and ended the call. Staring into the dark night, William gritted his teeth. He didn't care about Nikki Bates or Hawk Daily. The only man he wanted dead was Jack. However, if Nikki Bates and Hawk Daily needed to be eliminated, then so be it.

* * *

The following morning, Nikki awoke to Hawk shaking her shoulder. “Get up, Nikki,” Hawk said in an alarmed voice. “Nikki, wake up.”

“What... huh?” Nikki mumbled, slowly opening her eyes. To her surprise, Hawk was already dressed in a green shirt and pair of jeans. “We gotta get moving. Pop called me. Somebody from Dellington and Haim called him and inquired about us. These people know who we are. If they know who we are, they can track our bank cards. Get up and get moving.”

Alarm shot through Nikki's chest. How could she have missed such an obvious fact? Sitting up, she threw her legs over the side of the bed. “I'll be ready in five minutes,” she said, wiping the sleep out of her eyes with both hands, like a tired little girl does when she first awakes.

Hawk had his gun out. He walked to the window in the hotel room and eased back the thick, brown curtain. Looking out into the rain, he examined the wet parking lot. He spotted his jeep, a white Ford Truck, a blue Honda, and a Gray SUV parked in the parking lot. Each of the vehicles was from out of state. Hawk had checked with the front desk clerk and inquired about the owners of each vehicle. The front desk clerk showed Hawk copies he made of the driver's license belonging to each owner of the vehicles. As far as Hawk could tell, no one seemed suspicious. He wasn't taking any chances, though.

Nikki stood and hurried into the bathroom. Hawk kept his back to the room. After wetting her face and brushing her teeth, Nikki threw on a dark green dress, slammed her suitcase shut, grabbed her purse, and told Hawk she was ready. Hawk nodded. He picked up Nikki's suitcase and walked to the hotel room door. “We move fast,” he told Nikki, shoving his gun into a holster he attached to his belt.

Nikki nodded. When Hawk opened the hotel room door, Nikki walked as quickly as she could to his jeep, ignoring the falling rain, and climbed in. Hawk handed Nikki her suitcase, slammed the passenger's side door shut, ran around to the driver's side, jumped in, and got the jeep moving. “We're staying on the back roads,” Hawk told Nikki, taking a hard left out of the hotel parking lot. “I want to stay away from the interstate. Use your cell phone to pull up GPS for me, okay.”

Still half asleep, Nikki did as Hawk requested. “What is our destination?”

“Dr. Falton. We need a back way into Atlanta. Eventually, we'll have to get back on the interstate, but for now, I want to use the back roads as much as possible.”

“Hawk, we're going to have to use our bank cards sooner or later. Neither one of us has any heavy cash on us. All I have is my emergency twenty-dollar bill,” Nikki pointed out.

“I took care of that. Pop is going to wire us some cash.”

“Oh dear,” Nikki sighed, “Chief Daily must be very upset then.”

“Nah,” Hawk replied, driving down a wet, two-lane back road, passing small country homes with neatly trimmed yards. “Well... he's worried,” Hawk amended.

Nikki leaned back in her seat. Focusing on finding a new route back to Atlanta, she kept her eyes on the cell phone. “You can stay on this road for a few more miles,” she told Hawk. “We're driving north, but this road ends at a road that cuts straight west. From there we can start weaving northwest back to Atlanta.”

“Good,” Hawk told Nikki. “Hey, I didn't mean to scare you out of your sleep. I'm sorry. My gut was telling me to get us moving.”

“I trust you,” Nikki told Hawk. Hungering for a donut and hot cup of coffee, Nikki spotted a gas station. “Time to use my emergency twenty-dollar bill,” she said and asked Hawk to pull into the gas station. “Please? I'll be quick. I promise.”

Hawk hesitated and then swung his jeep into the gas station. The gas station was privately owned from the looks of it, housed in a tan concrete building that appeared well kept. A red truck was parked on the side of the building. Nikki patted Hawk's shoulder. “I'll be right back.”

Hawk watched Nikki jump out of the jeep, hurry into the gas station, and vanish. “You're going to give me gray hair,” he whispered. While he waited for Nikki, Hawk checked his gun. When Nikki came out of the gas station carrying two cups of coffee and a bag full of donuts, Hawk smiled. The truth was, he could use a cup of coffee and he was hungry. No sense in starting the day on an empty belly.

“Breakfast of Champions,” Nikki announced, crawling back into the passenger's seat. Hawk winked at Nikki, pulled away from the gas station, and got back on the road.

“Here you go,” Nikki said, handing Hawk his coffee while carefully putting her coffee down in the drink holder. Reaching into a paper bag she pulled out a pack of glazed donuts. “I've got glazed, chocolate, and powdered donuts, kind sir. Which do you prefer?”

“Glazed,” Hawk told Nikki, taking a sip of his coffee. “Not bad.”

Nikki opened the pack of donuts in her hand, took Hawk's coffee, put the cup down in a cup holder next to her own, and handed Hawk his donuts. After taking out a pack of chocolate donuts for herself, Nikki leaned back in her seat. “I didn't think about our bank cards being tracked last night.”

“We were both exhausted,” Hawk told Nikki taking a bite of a donut. “The important thing is we're safe, and putting distance between us and the hotel.”

A horrible thought raced through Nikki's mind. “Hawk, the desk clerk back at the hotel made copies of our driver's license.”

Hawk nodded down at his pants pocket with his chin. “I took care of that. I have the copies in my pocket.”

“Smart,” Nikki told Hawk. “Hawk,” she said trying to control her worry, “if Dellington and Haim called Chief Daily, they know who we are and where we live.”

“Yep,” Hawk said eating a second donut. “Pop is sending a man to watch Lidia and Tori at your store.”

“You don't seem too worried that these people know who we are and where we live?”

“I'm worried, alright,” Hawk told Nikki picking up his coffee, “but as long as we're not at home, the people we care about are safe.”

Nikki caught onto Hawk's meaning. “So, we stay away from home,” she said, taking a bite of her donut. “We stay away from home until we bring down the bad guys.”

“That's about the sum of it,” Hawk replied. “Nikki, if we want to go home, we gotta bring down the bad guys. I'm really going to need your brains in this case, okay. You're the smart one.”

“You're smart, too,” Nikki pointed out. “Hawk, we make a good team. We're a single book with different pages that fit together perfectly.”

“I know,” Hawk agreed. Sipping his coffee, he looked over at Nikki. “You're so beautiful. I just wanted to tell you that. You deserve to be sitting in a fine restaurant with a guy who can walk you home without putting your life in danger. Sometimes I wonder why you want to be seen with a slouch like myself.”

“You're a good, honest, decent man, Hawk. In today's world, that makes you a rarity.”

“Maybe someday,” Hawk told Nikki, returning his focus to the road, “I'll be able to walk you home without putting your life in danger.”

“Hey,” Nikki said putting her soft hand on Hawk's forearm, “we're going to solve this case and bring down the bad guys, I promise. And then, you big lug, you can walk me home every night and kiss me at the front door. And who knows, Hawk, maybe someday you might put a wedding ring on my finger. If that day ever arrives, I won't shy away. But for now, just being a couple is nice; being a couple is what I need. I feel safe with you, Hawk, and I feel... loved. Those two things are what any woman wants.”

Hawk smiled. “All I want to is go home, sit in your kitchen, watch you make chocolate, and drink coffee.”

“It's a date,” Nikki promised. “Now, let's focus on this case. We have to speak with Dr. Falton, Hawk. Chances are Dellington and Haim might suspect that?”

“I don't think so,” Hawk disagreed. “Nikki, I think Jack, Matting, and Norris were working together under Dellington and Haim's radar. Somehow, though, they caught on. Don't ask me how. Anyway, that's my theory.”

“So you believe it's safe to speak with Dr. Falton?” Nikki asked.

“Yeah, I do,” Hawk replied. “Dr. Falton is a real doctor, working at a very prestigious hospital. My gut tells me this guy was pushed into a corner against his will, the same way we were.”

Nikki thought about what Hawk has said. It seemed possible. “The question is how are we going to speak with Dr. Falton? Hawk, if I mention my name to him, he might know who I am. My reputation still lingers. Dr. Falton may recognize me.”

“But not me,” Hawk pointed out. “I'll speak with Falton, Nikki. I know there are a lot of people in Atlanta who are not happy with you because of the two cases you cracked open back in Vermont; it's better if you remain under the radar.”

“I was planning, too,” Nikki told Hawk. “If you noticed, I didn't have you post a big banner on your jeep announcing my arrival when we arrived in Atlanta and…” Nikki stopped talking.

“What?” Hawk asked.

“I could call my detective friend, the man you met in Vermont. I would be risking his life if I called him. Hawk, anyone we involve, we place in danger. We're truly alone in this case.”

“We have each other,” Hawk said putting down his coffee. “Listen, we'll take this case one step at a time. First, we'll speak with Dr. Falton and then drive to New York.”

“Okay,” Nikki agreed. Sipping on her coffee she grew silent. Staring into the rain she thought back to the cruise ship she and Hawk had taken passage on. The cruise ship had fought its way through a dangerous storm and came out still floating. Nikki felt like the cruise ship, fighting her way through one storm after another.

Chapter Seven

Miles down the road, William pulled into the hotel Nikki and Hawk had escaped from. Parking the black sedan at the front lobby, he studied the hotel parking lot. “The jeep is not here,” he spoke into his cell phone. “I will question the clerk inside.”

“Sir, Hawk Daily's bank card was used at this location last night. He and the woman should be at the hotel,” a man replied in a worried voice.

“Unless they know they're now being tracked,” William snapped. “Hawk Daily is a cop, after all, you idiot. And Nikki Bates is a journalist. I spent most of the night researching them. They are not stupid people!”

“Yes sir, we understand that, sir. I will--”

“You will wait for further instructions from me,” William hissed and ended the call. Gritting his teeth, he exited the sedan and entered the front lobby. Walking across the tan tiled floor, William stopped at a green guest counter. A young man who was plump, and obviously suffered from low self-esteem, stood up from a work desk behind the counter. “I need information,” William said, as he pulled out a hundred-dollar bill from his pocket.

“Are you a cop, too?” the desk clerk asked.

“Why, yes, I am,” William said, putting the one-hundred-dollar bill down on the counter. Fishing out his fake FBI Badge, he presented it to the desk clerk. “I am looking for a man and a woman.”

“They left about an hour ago,” the desk clerk explained, eyeing the money.

“Which direction did they go?” William asked, patiently.

“Is that money mine if I answer right?” the desk clerk asked.

William nodded. “Yes.”

The desk clerk tossed his thumb back toward the interstate. “You're looking for a guy named Detective Daily, aren't you?”

“Yes.”

“He came in here asking a few questions… lame. I knew his badge was fake,” the desk clerk explained dismissively.

“What kind of questions?”

“Questions about the other guests staying here,” the desk clerk answered. “Anyway, he took off back toward the interstate. Said something about going to Los Angeles?”

“Why Los Angeles?” William asked.

The desk clerk shrugged his shoulders. “He didn't say. All the guy did was give me twenty dollars and told me if anyone asked about him to make up a few lies.”

“Thank you for your time. The money is yours,” William told the desk clerk. Walking back outside, he climbed into the sedan and pulled out of the hotel parking lot, driving back toward the interstate.

* * *

The desk clerk grinned, grabbed the one hundred dollar bill, and shoved it into his pants pocket. “I may be fat, but I'm not stupid. I can spot a fake badge any day.” Sitting back down at the desk, he pulled Hawk's card out of his pocket, picked up the phone, and dialed Hawk's cell phone number. “Detective Daily, this is Dan, back at the hotel. Some guy just came in asking about you. Don't worry, though, I sent him in the opposite direction on a wild goose chase.”

Hawk thanked Dan. “Thank you, son. You're an amazing young man.”

“No, thank you,” Dan told Hawk, “for making me realize that I'm not a loser. Can I call you sometime... maybe to talk?”

“Anytime you need me, son, you call,” Hawk told Dan. “Before you hang up, can you tell me what this man looked like?”

Dan described what William looked like. “He was wearing a black suit, maybe in his fifties, gray hair... real serious face. He was driving a black car... a sedan, I think.”

“Dan, you're my hero. I'll be in touch, okay. You have two people sitting in this jeep who want to thank you personally.”

Dan hung up the phone and looked down at his chubby hands. “At least I have a friend now,” he said. “I've never had any real friends.”

* * *

“What?” Nikki asked watching Hawk put down his cell phone.

“We left the hotel just in time. The front desk clerk, a young man named Dan, said a man wearing a black suit showed up asking about us,” Hawk explained. “Dan sent the guy in the opposite direction of us.”

“So, they are tracking our bank cards... well, yours because you paid for the rooms. But if I use my bank card, I'm sure I will be tracked, too.”

Hawk focused on the wet road. “A man wearing a black suit, driving a black sedan... Nikki, it sounds like this guy could be a hit man.”

Nikki began to speak but paused. “Hawk, why didn't he ask about Jack? Why only us?”

Hawk looked at Nikki. “Good question...” he pondered, “why wasn't Jack asked about?”

* * *

Miles down the road William made a call. “I'm flying to Los Angeles. It seems like Daily and Bates are going to try to meet up with Jack.”

“Jack used his bank card this morning at the Columbia Airport. He purchased a plane ticket to Los Angeles. It does seem that way, sir.”

William ended the call. “You are a dead man, Jack,” he promised.

Chapter Eight

Dr. Falton stared at Hawk from across a glossy, hardwood desk that cost more than Hawk made in a year. A tall, thin man in his late fifties, Dr. Falton sat dignified, brilliant, and calm as he studied Hawk's demeanor. Wearing a wrinkle free, gray suit that hinted at brains and money, the man obviously wanted to make Hawk feel inferior. “You have exactly five minutes of my time.”

Hawk studied Dr. Falton. He thought the man's curly gray hair made him look like a sissy, and the gray suit seemed stuffy. Glancing around the office, Hawk spotted glass frames hanging on white walls, holding one diploma of medicine after another. A wooden bookshelf against the right wall held numerous medical volumes as thick as Dr. Falton's arrogance. “I need to warn you that if you tell anyone I was here, your life will be in danger.”

“I have no desire to speak with anyone about this meeting. Now, please hurry,” Dr. Falton said in a flat, bored tone.

“You are friends with an FBI Agent named Norris, correct?” Hawk asked.

Dr. Falton's face became sour. “Long ago, in a dreary and dreadful past,” he told Hawk. “Norris and I attended high school together, Detective Daily. I paid him to defend me against bullies. I lived in a horrid home, filled with violence.”

“I'm listening.”

Dr. Falton folded his hands together. “My father used to abuse me and my mother, Detective. He was an awful man. On one fateful evening, soon after I reached the age of fifteen, he returned home from work extremely intoxicated. He began to abuse my mother. Norris was at my home when this occurred. To make a dreadful story short, he and I together ended the life of a miserable, mean man.”

“You killed him?”

“Yes,” Dr. Falton confessed. “You wish to know why I allowed your friend Jack to reside at my hospital. The answer is Norris threatened to make our dark deed public if I refused.”

“After so many years?”

“Well,” Dr. Falton said in a careful tone, “Norris and I have spoken throughout the years, Detective. After all, the man is married to my sister.”

“Ah, I see,” said Hawk.

“I despise the man for what he has become. But there once was a time, Detective, when I admired Norris for his courage to stand up against the dark shadows that linger in the alleys, if you can understand my meaning.”

“I understand perfectly,” Hawk replied. “Dr. Falton, Jack told me that Norris was dead. Is that true?”

“Of course not,” Dr. Falton told Hawk. “My sister and I spoke on the phone just last night. If Norris were dead, she would have informed me. For the life of me, I do not know why my sister remains married to that man... love, I suppose, which can be blinding at times, unfortunately.”

“Norris is corrupt, isn't he?”

“Corruption is that man's second nature, I'm afraid. Two things control Norris: money and fear. In the beginning, he was led astray by money, but those who led him astray now control my brother-in-law by fear.”

“Dr. Falton, do you know anything about Dellington and Haim?”

“Ah, the two men who control Norris,” Dr. Falton replied scathingly. “Yes, I am aware of Dellington and Haim; my sister keeps me well informed. But what can I do? My duty is to my patients and their well being, Detective. I do not have time to involve myself in matters that do not concern me. After all, I have a wife and two children of my own.”

“You're glad Jack left, aren't you?”

“Extremely. I placed my medical license in jeopardy by admitting that man under false pretenses. Good riddance to them all.”

“Any idea where Jack might have run off, too?” Hawk asked.

Dr. Falton studied Hawk's honest eyes. “Detective,” he said, picking up a pen and scribbling an address down on a piece of office paper, “this is my sister’s home address. You will find Norris here. Your questions are best directed at him.”

Hawk reached across the desk and took the piece of paper. “Thank you, Dr. Falton. But let me assure you, you are guilty of murder, no matter how many years have passed. With that said, believe it or not, sometimes the law is blind to true justice.”

“True justice was served,” Dr. Falton assured Hawk. “Good day, detective.”

Hawk nodded, stood up, and walked out of the office. He found Nikki sitting in his jeep, talking to Lidia on her cell phone. “Here's Hawk. I will call you back.”

* * *

Hawk climbed into the driver's seat, shook rain off his hair and clothes, and sighed deeply. “Nikki, this world... dark corners are everywhere.”

“What did Dr. Falton say?” Nikki asked Hawk.

“He said that life isn't always as it seems,” Hawk replied. “We have a long drive to New York. We'll drive in shifts. I'll take the first shift. I think it's safe to use the interstate now. I'll stay on I-75 North until we reach Tennessee.”

The tone in Hawk's voice informed Nikki that the man needed some quiet time to think and sort things out in his mind. “Are you okay?”

“I will be,” Hawk promised. Looking at Nikki, he found peace and solace in her beauty. “Tell you what, I need to find a grocery store and pick up the money Pop wired me. After that, we'll drive north and stop for dinner.”

“I am starving,” Nikki admitted.

“I'm not going to live my life in fear. I doubt anyone is on our tail. If they were, we definitely wouldn't be sitting here talking like this. We need our energy and you need to eat.”

“That's my big lug,” Nikki beamed.

Hawk smiled back and got the jeep moving again. “What were you and Lidia talking about?” he asked.

“I told Lidia to close the store until we solved this case; she refused, of course. Looks like you're not the only one who is refusing to live in fear.” Nikki explained, “So, let's drive to New York and see what kind of trouble we can get into.”

Chapter Nine

As Hawk drove the jeep away from the hospital, Dr. Falton called William. “Yes, this is Dr. Falton.”

“Yes, Doctor, what is it?”

“Is your offer still open? Information for you if you eliminate Norris for me?” Dr. Falton asked.

“Yes, the offer is still open,” William said, sitting on a private jet heading toward Los Angeles.

“Detective Daily was just in my office. I sent him to my sister's home address in New York. You will find him there. In return for this information, I want you to eliminate Norris. I want that man out of my sister's life, once and for all.”

“Of course,” William assured Dr. Falton. “I appreciate the information. You have my word that I will carry out my end of the bargain.” William ended the call.

After ordering the pilot to change directions and aim the jet toward New York, he made a call. “Daily and Bates are on their way to New York. I will be there to meet them. Where is Jack?”

“We managed to capture Jack at the airport,” the man replied, in a relieved voice.

“Fly Jack to New York,” William ordered. “I want him, alive.”

“Yes, sir. Where should I have Jack delivered to?”

“Norris's home address. I'm going to wrap this entire matter up in one sitting. When you deliver Jack, I want Norris delivered with him. Take Norris's wife and ship her off to Atlanta. I made a deal and I intend to keep it. No harm comes to the woman. After I eliminate Jack and Norris, I will deal with Daily and Bates. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir, we're clear. Sir.”

“Very good, Matting,” William said and hung up.

* * *

Far away in New York, James Matting placed his cell phone down on a desk covered with blueprints. Standing in a spacious office, he looked down at the blueprints. “William,” he said in a low voice, “you're working according to plan. Too bad you jumped ship, Jack. Did you really think running to Agent Finely in Los Angeles would save you? Don't you realize we have everyone on a payroll? No matter, after William eliminates you and Norris, along with your friends, I'll be in the position I need to be in order to bring Dellington and Haim down, and take over their empire.”

Matting picked his cell phone back up. “Greg, this is Matting. I want you to go the address I’m about to give you and stay out of sight and await further orders.”

* * *

As Matting spoke with Greg Packard, Hawk found a grocery store. After he and Nikki retrieved the money Chief Daily wired to Hawk, they drove north and stopped at a restaurant a few miles from the Tennessee border. After eating a hearty meal—and after Hawk stuffed himself with enough biscuits to feed an Army, they hit the road again.

“Hawk, why didn't the man who arrived at the hotel searching for us ask the desk clerk about Jack?” Nikki asked sipping on a coffee.

Hawk chewed on a toothpick. “I've been wondering on that, and Nikki, my only guess is that Dellington and Haim tracked Jack down and snagged him.”

“That's the only logical explanation,” Nikki agreed. Sipping her coffee, Nikki began to think about the conversation Hawk told her he had with Dr. Falton. “Hawk, doesn't it seem strange that Dr. Falton admitted so many personal details about his past with you? And to give you the home address of his sister… that seems really strange to me.”

“Nikki, Dr. Falton is sending me to his sister's home to die. The man presented himself as a medical genius, but this dumb old street cop can still read people. I have no intention of pulling up in Agent Norris’s driveway.”

“I'm glad to hear that, Tiger. So what's your plan?” Nikki asked.

“Stake out,” Hawk told Nikki. “We watch Norris's house.”

“What about if someone else is waiting to stake us out?” Nikki asked worriedly.

“Trust me,” Hawk promised Nikki, “when it comes to staking out someone who is staking out a place, I'm a pro. But just in case,” Hawk added, “I have a plan. Remember that man we met back there at the restaurant?”

“Uh... Mr. Gordon, right?” Nikki asked watching as Hawk drive past a wet semi-truck. The rain was finally beginning to slack off. The storm system was beginning to move north, however. It wouldn't be long before Nikki and Hawk caught up to the rain again. “Mr. Gordon and his wife were driving to West Palm Beach to see their daughter.”

“Yep,” Hawk said. “I gave Mr. Gordon my bank card and pin number. I asked him to start using my bank card at every gas station they stop at once they get south of Atlanta. We had a little chat in the men's bathroom. It turns out Mr. Gordon is a retired firefighter from Pittsburgh. He was more than willing to throw his weight into my corner.”

“You clever little rascal,” Nikki grinned. “Now Dellington and Haim will think we're traveling south. That should really throw them off.”

“And,” Hawk added, “give us an upper hand. But we need to make time, Nikki. I know we have a long drive ahead of us, and I pray this old jeep makes it.”

Nikki settled back in her seat. “I'm comfy,” she told Hawk. “My tummy is full, thanks to you, and I'm prepared to drive through the night. Whenever you need me to drive, hand the wheel over.”

“I'm good for a few more hours. In the meantime, we need to get our game plan together. I'm hoping that Jack will be at Norris's.”

Nikki pondered on Hawk's statement. “If Dellington and Haim believe we are on our way to Norris's place of residence, then they might send this man who is searching for us to make one clean sweep, is that it?”

“That's my thinking. I know we're missing a lot of the puzzle here, but if we can put all the pieces into one room, then we might see the whole picture.”

“You're hoping the same thing Dellington and Haim is hoping,” Nikki remarked thoughtfully. “So now the player who is the smartest collects all the pieces.”

“Yep,” Hawk said picking up a bottle of soda. “We have some very deadly players, Nikki. You and I are entering this stake out with extreme caution, is that clear? You are to stay at my side at all times.”

“I knew you were going to say that,” Nikki told Hawk and then winked at him. “Of course, I'm staying at your side, where else would I go? You have the gun, you big lug.”

“Gee, thanks a lot.”

Nikki laughed. Laughing helped. As Hawk crossed over the Tennessee line and Georgia grew farther and farther away from her, the laughter helped mask the sadness she was feeling inside. “I'm only teasing you, Hawk.”

Hawk looked at Nikki. The sadness in the woman's eyes was obvious, but what could he do? But was doing nothing the answer? “Say, Nikki, once we wrap this case up, why don't we come back down here for a week or so? We never did get to drink ice tea and watch the lightning bugs. And you never did get to show me around your hometown.”

“Really?” Nikki asked eagerly. “I thought you wanted to plant your feet in my kitchen and never leave Vermont again.”

“I'll settle for hot cocoa in the winter,” Hawk told Nikki as he patted her knee. “I would like to make a trip back down. We can fly next time, rent a car, and take it easy.”

“Oh Hawk, that would be wonderful,” Nikki smiled as she fought back tears. “But only on one condition: You have to let the trip be on me. My treat, okay?”

“No deal,” Hawk resisted. “We're partners, Nikki. Partners share the expense and--”

Nikki punched Hawk on his arm. “My treat,” she insisted.

“Okay... okay...” Hawk caved in. “Man, who taught you how to hit... ouch.”

Nikki leaned back in her seat; satisfied she had forced Hawk to listen to reason. “My daddy taught me to hit, thank you, sir.”

Hawk grinned. He reached out and took Nikki's hand. “You're something special...really special, Nikki Bates.”

Nikki looked down at Hawk's hand. It felt nice for a good man to hold her hand. But with Hawk, the feeling was more than nice... it was... safe and honest. “I feel the same way about you Hawk Daily.”

Hawk smiled. Instead of replying, he focused on his driving while holding Nikki's soft hand. If anything ever happened to Nikki, he would never forgive himself. Danger awaited them in New York, and Hawk had to be prepared. He and Nikki were going up against people who cherished money over human life, people with no souls. People like that, Hawk thought to himself, glancing at Nikki, were the most dangerous kind of people mankind had to offer. When a person's hunger for wealth and power destroys their compassion for humanity, that person becomes nothing more than a vicious viper sleeping in a pit; waiting to strike at anyone who dared disturb its rest. Hawk had battled vipers in his past. His experience taught him that in order to kill a viper, you had to think like one. He was sure Nikki understood the same method of reasoning, too.

Looking away from Nikki, Hawk focused his attention back on the interstate and kept his jeep aimed toward New York—toward the viper's pit.

Chapter Ten

William walked into Matting's office. He despised how the short, little man with red hair always wore the same white shirt tucked into gray trousers. Dellington and Haim hired Matting to be a front man who controlled and managed their operational construction sites. Matting was nothing more, William knew, than a criminal who flunked out of college but somehow had the skill to become an architect. Even though he was known to be nothing more than a foreman, in the shadows, Matting designed every building Dellington and Haim constructed. “Dr. Falton gave me false information,” he snapped at Matting.

Matting, pretended to be worried, stood up from his desk. “William, the last known location of Daily and Bates is--”

“Florida, yes, I know,” William said, wiping cigar smoke from his nose. “Put that cigar out.”

Matting glanced down at a handcrafted, wooden ashtray sitting on his desk. An expensive Cuban cigar sat in the ashtray half smoked. Matting simply reached down and extinguished the cigar. He needed to play William until William completed the vital task. “Sir, this storm system has halted work on all construction sites in the city. I am free to accompany you to Norris's house. Jack will be arriving shortly. Norris is already...awaiting you. We did send his wife away, as you requested.”

William looked around Matting's office; all white with brass trimmings. A large window on the east wall allowed a clear view of the city. How he despised thugs who thought they were invincible, simply because they parked their rear ends in a fancy office. “I will go alone.”

“As you wish, sir,” Matting told William. “I have Greg Packard guarding Norris. Jack should be arriving within the next hour.”

“I will handle Jack and Norris personally,” William told Matting. “Afterward, my work with Dellington and Haim is complete. Daily and Bates are no longer my concern. I have a personal score to settle with Jack.”

“Sir, Daily and Bates are an open threat to Dellington and Haim. They will not be pleased to hear that you will no longer pursue certain loose ends. They may even withhold final payment from you until those loose ends are taken care of.”

William knew Matting was speaking the truth, however he didn't like being shoved into a corner. “You tell Dellington and Haim if they refuse to pay, I will take drastic action against them. Is that clear? I was hired to dispose of Jack only. I will eliminate Norris as a favor. Daily and Bates are your concern now. I will not chase them any longer.”

Matting felt his temper rise, but quickly silenced it. If Dellington and Haim found out about Hawk and Nikki, he was a dead man. “Five million,” he offered William.

William stared at Matting. “Are you offering me a new contract?”

“We will pay you five million dollars to track down Daily and Bates. I will write up the contract as soon as you leave my office and have it ready for you tomorrow morning,” Matting promised. “Sir, you are a professional, and I believe you are the person we need.”

“Bring the contract to Norris's home tonight at midnight,” William ordered Matting. “If you do not show up, I walk. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir. Midnight, sir,” Matting promised.

“See to it,” William said and walked out of Matting's office. “I'll be at Norris's house waiting for Jack to arrive.”

* * *

Matting picked up his cigar again and lit it with a silver lighter. “Daily... Bates... you two were supposed to show up in a nice, neat, little package. Why are you on your way to Florida?” Matting slowly began to pace around his office. “Unless you two are not on your way to Florida, after all... or perhaps only one of you is traveling to Florida, in order to confuse me?” Matting ran to the white phone sitting on his desk. “Packard, Daily and Bates still might be on their way to your location. William is on his way over there right now. I told William that Jack had not arrived yet. I want you to stuff Jack in the basement, okay? Make it appear that you are only protecting Norris. I'll be at your location within the next hour.”

Matting slammed down the phone with an angry hand. Thinking as quickly as he could, he picked the phone back up and called Jack's partner, Stan. “This is Matting. You're needed. I want you over at Norris's house within the hour. Stay out of sight.”

“No,” a terrified voice replied, “I've not involved in this matter anymore, Mr. Matting. I've already betrayed my partner. And I have to live with that. If you threaten my family or me again, I will go to the press. If you leave me alone, I will remain silent, you have my word on that.”

“You will do as I order you,” Matting yelled.

“No,” Stan held his ground even though his voice was shaky. “Mr. Matting, I told Jack to drop the investigation. He refused to listen. I did everything you asked of me. If you continue to threaten me, I will take your name to the press. I know Mr. Dellington and Mr. Haim would find your private affairs incredibly interesting. Goodbye, Mr. Matting.”

Matting slammed the phone down. “Now you get guts,” he fussed. Squeezing his hands together, Matting knew Stan would honor his word and go to the press if he didn't back away. “I'll let you escape, you rat,” Matting grumbled. “You get off lucky, this time.” Yanking open the top right desk drawer, Matting pulled out a Glock 17, stuffed the gun into a black briefcase sitting on the desk, and left the office, cigar in hand. “I'll handle Daily and Bates myself, and then put William in his place. Tonight, I put the game in checkmate,” he whispered in a vicious voice.

Chapter Eleven

Sleepy eyed and exhausted, Hawk and Nikki eased into Long Island like two lost soldiers preparing for one last battle. Hawk, behind the wheel, yawned. “I'm going to park about half a mile away from the address. I think the walk in all this rain will help wake us up.”

Nikki yawned. Even though her body was sleepy, her thoughts were wide awake. Watching Hawk slowly drive into a darkening night, she looked out at the traffic, at stores, and eventually, as Hawk aimed the jeep into residential neighborhoods, she examined houses—some jammed up next to each other while others sat in private yards soaked with rain. Being on Long Island made Nikki feel as if she was a sardine shoved into a can with millions of other sardines. Atlanta was bad enough at times, New York felt even worse. No space. No personal room. No privacy. No room to breathe. But, Nikki thought to herself, what seemed suffocating to her was home to other people. People living in war-torn conditions in a dangerous country would find Long Island a breath of fresh air, she knew. “I don't mind walking in the rain,” Nikki answered Hawk.

Hawk stretched his shoulders as he drove through a wet, upscale neighborhood with gorgeous houses that all had perfect landscaping, decorative fencing and driveways made with stone pavers. “What does the GSP say? How much further to the address?”

Nikki raised her cell phone up to her face. The light of the screen cast a soft glow on her exquisite features. Hawk could barely take his eyes off of her. “About a mile... I guess we better find some place to park.” Nikki turned her head and looked at Hawk. “What?”

“Huh... oh, I...” Hawk muttered, taken off guard. Blushing, he took his eyes back to the road. “Let's see... where would be a good place to park?”

Nikki smiled. Hawk was sweet. Taking her eyes into the rainy, darkening, night, she searched for a good place to park. Hawk came to a stop sign, looked to his left and then to his right, and decided to hang a right. The street lead out to a commercial area lined with small shopping strips and gas stations. Hawk spotted a closed garage. Without wasting another second, he swung the jeep into the parking lot of the garage and carefully pulled around to the back of the building. “Will the jeep be safe here?” Nikki asked.

“I'm sure the tires will be lifted by the time we get back,” Hawk assured Nikki. “Okay, so listen to me. If any shooting starts, you stay down. If, by some chance I get hit, you run straight back here. I'm leaving the keys under the driver's seat.”

“Stop,” Nikki begged Hawk. Wrapping her slender fingers around his wrist, she pleaded with him. “Hawk, you and me, we're both going to walk back to this jeep as winners. And when we come back to this old jeep, we're going to get in, drive straight home, go to my cabin, and sleep for twenty-four hours. When we wake up, I'm going to make a fresh pot of coffee, cook us a delicious breakfast with extra fruit, and we're going to sit at the kitchen table you love so much and rest over a nice, relaxing breakfast. Is that clear, you big lug?”

“Yeah, crystal clear,” Hawk replied softly. Leaning across his seat, he gently kissed her. “Okay, let's go.”

Nikki followed Hawk out of the jeep. Stepping into a light, but steady, rain, she stared up into a dark sky. Out on the front street, she heard vehicles passing by. Maybe it was exhaustion, but Nikki's mind transformed the passing vehicles into enemy soldiers searching for her with angry German Shepherds barking and growling at the end of rusted chains. “Lord, protect us,” she prayed.

“Amen,” Hawk murmured, taking Nikki's hand. “Okay, navigator, lead the way.”

Nikki nodded her head. Ignoring how the rain could damage her cell phone, Nikki lifted the screen to her face. “This way,” she told Hawk.

Walking back into the residential neighborhood, Nikki and Hawk cautiously moved down a long sidewalk, holding hands, hoping to be seen as a couple taking a romantic walk in the rain. Each time a vehicle passed, Nikki tensed up, expecting each vehicle to be filled with armed men sent to kill Hawk and her. When the vehicle passed, she let out a breath of relief.

Strolling past one house after another, she moved Hawk onto a street lined with two-story homes that were impressive to the eye. Each home sat on a private yard that wasn't large, but comfortable enough to have a little privacy. Wet tree limbs dangling from sleepy trees dropped over the yards, casting spooky shadows down onto the ground. Nikki stopped walking. “There,” she whispered to Hawk, pointing at a two story home sitting at the end of the street they were on. The street ended at the house, offering no exit point.

Hawk quickly scanned the European style house. A single light was on downstairs. He couldn’t see any vehicles parked in the driveway; what he did see was a lot of wet trees. “Come on,” he whispered, looking to his left. Nikki followed Hawk into the side yard belonging to the people who lived next to Agent Norris. Hawk jogged swiftly down the side yard until he came to the backyard. A green hedge separated the neighbors from Agent Norris's yard. The hedge ended at a thin wood line. Hawk moved into the wood line and, like a stealthy shadow, followed it until he was directly behind Agent Norris's house. Kneeling down behind trees, he studied the house. “Rain is starting to pick up. That's good. The sound of the rain will help us and make visibility from inside the house a problem.”

Feeling like a soldier getting ready to make a daring charge onto a machine gun riddled beach, Nikki drew in a deep breath. She was now soaked from head to toe. Rain dripped from her long hair onto her shoulders. At least the rain had doused her mind with enough water to wake up. “Hawk, look,” Nikki whispered, spotting a black sedan pulling into the front driveway.

“We made it just in time,” Hawk whispered to Nikki. Pulling out his gun, he watched William shut off the headlights and exit the car. Instead of going directly into the house, William looked toward the back yard. “He's coming our way. He'll do a security check before going inside. This is where we act.”

“What's your plan?” Nikki whispered, watching William walk into the back yard, pause, study the back of the house, and then focus on the wood line.

“I can take this guy from outside, without letting anyone inside know,” Hawk whispered back. “Stay here, and don't move.”

“Hawk... I... okay,” Nikki whispered, fear coloring her voice. “Please be careful.”

“I will,” Hawk promised, and quickly kissed Nikki.

* * *

Using the rain to drown out the sound of his footsteps, Hawk dropped back into the wood line, and on swift legs that now felt like the legs of a strong teenager, he maneuvered his way to the far side of the house, hunched down behind a tree, and waited. “Okay pal, it's time to feel the heat,” Hawk whispered, as he watched William staring into the wood line. The man was obviously a pro, Hawk knew, keeping enough distance from the wood line to allow himself time to draw his gun, if need be. But, Hawk could tell by the man's body language that he didn't believe anyone was lurking in the wood line.

“Clear,” William spoke into the rain in a confident voice. But then, he heard a twig snap. The sound came from Hawk's direction. Slowly pulling out his gun, William cast his eyes into the wet, dark wood line. With caution, he walked across the back yard, through grass that needed to be mowed, and stopped at the edge of the house. Nikki watched William move away from her position. Not sure what Hawk was going to do, all she could do was wait and watch. “Don't be a fool, whoever you are,” William spoke through the rain. Only the sound of the falling rain answered back. Shaking his head, William lowered his gun, replaced it in his jacket pocket, and began walking up the far side of the house.

Hawk exploded out of the shadows like a vicious lion. With one single punch, he struck William in the face. Taken off guard, William stumbled backward, tripped over his legs, and tumbled down onto the ground. Hawk didn't waste a second. He pounced on William, pressing his left knee into the man's back while twisting William’s left arm behind his back. “This is how we're gonna do this,” Hawk murmured to William in a dangerous growl, “I'm gonna slap some handcuffs on you, and you're gonna play nice.”

“You're a dead man,” William promised Hawk. “I know who you are, Detective Daily. You just signed your death warrant.”

“Yeah, play a song I've never heard before,” Hawk replied. “Stand up.”

William, understanding that Hawk had the upper hand, did as ordered. His only chance to kill Hawk was to take the man off guard if and when the opportunity arose. Surely, William thought, watching Hawk use his left hand to pull a pair of handcuffs from his front pocket, he could outsmart and defeat a stupid street cop. After all, he was trained in martial arts, whereas his captor seemed to prefer simple brute force to intelligent battle styles. “I only want Jack, Detective. If you leave now, I will forget this incident.”

Hawk tossed the handcuffs at William while keeping the gun in his right hand at the ready. “Put them--”

William threw out his right hand, slapped the handcuffs out of the air with lightning fast hands, and before Hawk could react, brought his left hand down across Hawk's right wrist, knocking the gun free. Before Hawk could react, William conducted a low spin kick and knocked Hawk off his feet. Hawk hit the ground hard. William had his gun out before Hawk could blink an eye. “Get up,” he ordered Hawk.

Hawk shook his head, dazed, wondering how William had gotten the best of him. “Sure... yeah,” Hawk said. Crawling to his feet, he looked up at William. “Who are you?”

“Who I am is not your concern, Detective Daily. As I mentioned, my only concern is Jack. It would have been wiser for you to stay away. Now, you will die along with your friend.”

“Jack is no friend,” Hawk said as the rain poured down his face. “He betrayed me. I'm here for answers and to bring the guilty to justice.”

“Your noble cause will not save you,” William assured Hawk, ignoring the thin stream of blood oozing from his nose. “Detective Daily, when will you ever learn that the guys in white never win? All around the world, men with money control what people think, eat, believe, and feel. For every battle you may win, they win wars. I should know. I was once like you; I believed in the noble cause until my country betrayed me.”

Hawk had to keep William talking. “Yeah, your sob story breaks my heart, pal.”

“I don't expect you to understand,” William told Hawk. “It's time to die, Detective Daily.” William drew in a deep breath, aimed his gun at Hawk's chest, and prepared to fire. With his back turned toward the house, he didn't notice a shadow creeping up on him on legs that even a sniper would admire. Barefoot and determined, carrying a sturdy stick in her hand, Nikki crept up in William. “Hey you?”

“What?” William asked shocked. Spinning around, he saw Nikki swing the stick at his head. The last thing William remembered was seeing an angry woman tell him no one points a gun at her big lug.

“Man,” Hawk said letting out a breath of relief, “you pack quite a wallop.”

Nikki dropped the stick in her hand and ran to Hawk. “Are you okay?” she began to cry.

“I'm fine,” Hawk promised, taking Nikki into his arms. Looking up into the rain, he thanked the Lord that he was alive. “Okay, Nikki, we have to move. Get his gun.”

Nikki picked William’s gun up off the wet ground while Hawk dragged William into the wood line and handcuffed the man's hands together around a tree. “Hawk,” Nikki whispered, spotting movement out on the front sidewalk.

Hawk pulled Nikki behind a tree. Together, they watched Matting pull into the front driveway in a black BMW. Matting excited it, studied the black sedan, and then walked up to the front walk carrying a black briefcase, and then vanished from sight. “Now what?” Nikki asked.

“Him,” Hawk nodded at William. “He's going to give us some answers.”

Chapter Twelve

William woke up to someone slapping his cheeks. Opening his eyes, he saw two blurry faces staring at him through a wet, thick darkness. “Who...”

“Be quiet,” Hawk ordered William.

William shook his head. Pain erupted. “My head,” he moaned. When he tried to move his arms and hands, he realized that he could not. “What is this?” he asked in a groggy voice.

“You're handcuffed to a tree, smart guy,” Hawk explained.

Nikki studied William's face. If she had passed the man in the grocery store, she would have considered him to be a nice, intelligent man in his mid-fifties who probably sold insurance for a living; but the man was a trained killer. “We need answers.”

William remained silent until he felt his mind become fully operational. Focusing on Nikki, he remembered the angry face of the woman who had knocked him unconscious with a stick. “A woman's scorn...” he whispered. Realizing he was defeated, William lowered his head. “Jack was once my partner. He betrayed me, the same way he betrayed you,” he told Hawk.

“What's going on? Please, talk to us,” Nikki asked William, kneeling down in front of him as pouring rain streamed down her face. “You're going to prison, and you know that. The only chance you have now at revenge is to help Detective Daily and myself.”

“I suppose so,” William agreed staring into Nikki's wet face. “Such a lovely woman.”

“Talk,” Hawk told William.

William drew in a deep breath. “Dellington and Haim import people to work for them; I am sure you two are aware of this. What you are not aware of is people from the Middle East are now being imported; Dellington and Haim themselves are not aware of this. Agent Norris, Jack, and Matting are the ones importing the people in from the Middle East. They have devised themselves a little plan to destroy Dellington and Haim with the hopes of placing themselves on easy street.”

“Go on,” Hawk told William.

“Bombs,” William said in a simple voice. “Matting is going to have his Middle Eastern slaves begin planting bombs at every construction site. They intend to kill innocent illegal immigrants from Central America while destroying billions in unfinished construction.”

“And the media will have no choice but to report on the people who might be killed, exposing Dellington and Haim,” Nikki whispered.

“Intelligent woman,” William told Nikki. “However, once Matting's plan is in place, he is going to give Dellington and Haim an option. Relinquish all power to him or face prison for life. After all, the people he's importing from the Middle East will surely claim they were working for Dellington and Haim, instead of Matting, isn't that correct?”

“Yes,” Nikki nodded her head fully understanding Matting's plan.

“I still don't understand why Jack involved me?” Hawk said confused.

“Because,” William told Hawk, “Jack's duty was to eliminate Greg Packard and find a replacement for him. Packard found out and set up a plan to kill Jack. Agent Norris and Matting became aware. Together, with Jack, they set Packard up. They filmed the entire shooting. But then something happened.”

“What?” Nikki asked.

“Dellington showed up at the hospital and had a talk with Jack. We don't know what was said, but needless to say, Jack informed Matting he wanted out of the entire deal. All Jack would tell Matting was that Dellington and Haim were planning to kill him. Matting became worried. Jack was now a threat to his plan.”

“So he ships Jack off to Atlanta, and that's where you come in,” Nikki told William.

William nodded. “Jack was sent to Atlanta under the idea that Matting sent him there in order to protect him from Dellington and Haim. And then I was contacted. Matting had gone to Dellington and Haim and explained to them how he had Jack set up in Atlanta to be eliminated by me. Dellington and Haim fell for the trap. But by now, Matting is quite nervous.”

“Okay, I get that, but why did Jack have me come to Atlanta if he was getting cold feet?”

“Desperation?” William suggested. “Detective Daily, I do not have all of the answers you seek. Ask Jack.”

“I will,” Hawk told William. “Nikki, stay put.”

“No way,” Nikki told Hawk. “Where you go, I go. We're partners. And remember, you owe me one.”

“Yeah, I know,” Hawk sighed. “Come on you hard-headed woman.”

* * *

Cautiously, Hawk and Nikki left the wood line and approached the back of the house. Hawk motioned for Nikki to follow up the far side of the house into the front yard. Nikki nodded. Holding William's gun in her hand, she followed Hawk. Hawk stopped at the front of the house, eased his head around, and saw that the coast was clear. “Okay, I'm going to sneak up, ring the doorbell, and then hide behind the sedan. When the front door opens, stay out of sight. I'm going to try and lure everyone outside.”

“What if the people inside begin shooting?” Nikki asked.

Hawk looked into Nikki’s beautiful, wet, scared face. Giving Nikki a quick kiss, he told her to begin shooting back. “But just make sure you stay down when you shoot back,” he begged Nikki. Leaving his position, he ran up to the front door, rang the doorbell, and darted behind the black sedan parked in the driveway.

Nikki waited, her heart pounding furiously. When the front door slowly crept open, she closed her eyes and prayed. “William?” Matting called out. “William... sir... please, come inside. We need to talk. An emergency has arrived.”

A man wearing a cop uniform stepped past Matting out onto the front walk. “William, we don't have time for games, old man. Get with the game.”

Hawk eased his eyes over the trunk of the sedan. He studied Greg Packard. He saw an arrogant man in his mid-thirties with jet black hair and a thick mustache. The man appeared to be fit. Luckily for Hawk, he didn't intend to get into any more fights. Neither Greg Packard nor Matting were holding a weapon, probably because they didn't want to alarm William if the man was watching them. Waiting until Matting stepped outside to join Packard, Hawk acted. Exploding upward with his gun at the ready, he yelled: “Hold it right there!”

Packard and Matting both jumped. When they saw Hawk rushing at them from behind the sedan, they turned and started to run back toward the front door. But Nikki was waiting for them. She had eased up behind them without being seen or heard. Aiming William's gun at them, she shook her head. “My partner said hold it!”

Packard and Matting froze. Something in Nikki's eyes told them the woman meant business. “Who else is inside?” Hawk demanded.

“No one,” Matting hissed. “Norris and Jack are tied up inside.”

Hawk glanced over his shoulder at Matting's black BMW. “Give me your keys.”

Matting slowly reached into his front pocket and brought out a set of keys. “What are you going to do?”

“You'll see. Walk, the both of you,” Hawk said. “Nikki, cover them.”

“I've got your back.” Nikki promised Hawk.

“I know you do,” Hawk smiled. Walking Matting and Packard over to the BMW, Hawk unlocked the back trunk. “In, both of you.”

“You're dead... both of you! You have no idea who you're messing with!” Matting yelled at Hawk.

“Play me a different song,” Hawk told Matting.

“I'm going to look forward to making you pay,” Packard promised Hawk.

“Cops aren't liked in prison,” Hawk told Packard and grinned wolfishly. “Especially dirty cops. Now give me your phone and get in the trunk.”

Packard snarled at Hawk, tossed his cell phone at him and crawled into the trunk. Matting glared at Hawk. “You're dead.”

“Give me your cell phone, too.” Hawk ordered Matting.

Matting pulled his cell phone out and threw it at Hawk. “You're dead,” he promised and crawled in. Hawk slammed the trunk shut. “Come on,” he said to Nikki, picking up the cell phone.

Nikki studied the open front door. “Matting wouldn't have come outside if he had armed men in the house. I think he's telling the truth about no one else being in there.”

“Except Jack and Norris and--” Hawk stopped talking. Seeing headlights appear, he looked up the street. “Come on,” he said taking Nikki's hand and running into the house.

Chapter Thirteen

Nikki followed Hawk into a foyer lined with white tile. Hawk slammed the front door shut. Looking around he saw a large living room, covered with an expensive burgundy carpet. A man was sitting on a dark beige couch, handcuffed and gagged. Hawk ran into the living room with Nikki. “Where's Jack?” he demanded, pulling the gag from Agent Norris's mouth.

“In the basement. Please, uncuff me. I'm a Federal Agent and--”

“You're a crook,” Hawk told Agent Norris, “and you're going to jail. Now get up.” Hawk grabbed Agent Norris by his left arm and pulled the man to his feet.

Outside, Nikki heard two car doors slam close. Running to the living room window, she pulled back a set of white curtains. Peering outside, she spotted two men standing beside a long, black, limousine. “I think Dellington and Haim are here.”

“Anyone else with them?” Hawk asked.

“Not that I can see. But both men have guns out. They don't look too happy, either,” Nikki reported. “Wait... they're walking over to the BMW...”

Hawk pushed Agent Norris back down onto the couch and joined Nikki at the window. He watched two men in their late sixties, both with dark gray hair, and wearing expensive suits, lean down to the BMW's trunk. Then, they straightened back up and looked toward the house. One of the men pulled a cell phone out of his jacket pocket. “I bet he's calling for backup,” Hawk said worriedly. “Nikki, we have to hurry.”

Hawk ran back to the couch and snatched Agent Norris back to his feet. “Where's the basement?”

“Down the main hallway,” Agent Norris told Hawk.

“Stay by the window,” Hawk told Nikki. “I'm going to get Jack.”

Nikki watched Hawk push Agent Norris back down onto the couch and race off. “Why did Jack send for Hawk?” she asked Agent Norris. “Please, we need answers. We don't have much time.”

“Matting found Detective Daily's name written down on a piece of paper. I don't have time to explain, but we needed a replacement for a man named Greg Packard. But Jack... he...”

“William explained the shooting to Detective Daily and myself,” Nikki told Agent Norris turning back toward the window. “Keep talking.”

“Matting wanted Jack dead because Jack had become a liability. Matting also wanted anyone Jack might have contacted dead, primarily Detective Daily. So, Matting set Jack up. Dellington paid Jack a visit at the hospital. That visit really shook Jack up, opening a door for Matting to manipulate him,” Agent Norris explained. “Matting and I had a meeting and we devised a plan. I would take Jack to Atlanta. I have a doctor friend there--”

“Dr. Falton, who is married to your sister.”

Agent Norris's face went pale. “You know?”

“Yes.”

Agent Norris swallowed. “William was sent in to kill Jack and--”

“What about Detective Daily?” Nikki insisted. “We know William was going to kill Jack. But how does Hawk fit in into the picture?”

“We didn't know Detective Daily was arriving in Atlanta until the last minute. Stan, Jack's partner, confessed that he had contacted Detective Daily at the request of Jack. We assumed Detective Daily was arriving in New York, alone. Greg Packard was assigned to... eliminate the man.”

“You will rot in prison,” Nikki promised, as she continued to watch the two men standing in the driveway staring at the house, ignoring the falling rain.

“I...” Agent Norris began miserably. Understanding that his life was over, he bowed his head. “When William arrived in Atlanta, Jack was missing. When we found out he left with you and Detective Daily, we assigned William to track you down. We snagged Jack at the Los Angeles airport. He was attempting to contact a Federal Agent in Los Ageless.”

Nikki kept her eyes on the driveway. Dellington and Haim were still standing in the rain, staring at the house. Both of the men didn't seem anxious to enter or even concerned about anyone in the house. “Why did Jack try to contact a Federal Agent?” Nikki asked.

“He wanted to be placed in the witness protection program,” Agent Norris confessed. “We were able to track all three of you through your bank cards, but you and Detective Daily managed to stay one step ahead of William. When we saw Detective Daily's bank card being used in Florida, I assumed you two were running scared; Matting wasn't so sure.”

Nikki turned and look at Agent Norris. There, on the couch, sat a man in his mid-fifties, wearing a wrinkled brown suit, unshaven, and scared. Nikki sighed. Agent Norris was pitiful. His gray hair was a mess. His thin face was drawn. The man obviously was suffering from lack of sleep, anxiety, and stress. “Why?” Nikki asked curiously. “Why did you break the law?”

“Money,” Agent Norris admitted shamefully. “At first, it seemed so easy... and then, before I realized what was happening, I became ensnared.”

“By Dellington and Haim?”

“By Matting,” Agent Norris confessed, “but I assure you, Dellington and Haim are guilty men. But unlike the common man, Dellington and Haim will never face a people's court of justice.”

“Someday they will,” Nikki promised Agent Norris. “No man is above the law. In the end, each man will reap what he sows.” Nikki turned back toward the window. Dellington and Haim were still standing in the driveway. Expecting an entourage of armed men to come speeding down the street at any minute, she braced herself.

“Move,” she heard Hawk yell at Jack.

Spinning around, Nikki saw Hawk push Jack into the living room; his hands were handcuffed behind his back. He looked at Nikki with shame filled eyes. “I'm sorry for this mess.”

“You could have talked to us. We would have helped you,” Nikki told Jack.

“I was in too deep,” Jack replied. “When we stopped at the restaurant in South Carolina, I realized that you and Hawk were going to figure the truth out sooner or later, so I ran.”

“Why did you ask Hawk to come to Atlanta in the first place?” Nikki demanded.

Hawk shoved Jack down on the couch next to Agent Norris and walked to the window. He watched Dellington and Haim standing out in the rain. “Speak to us, Jack. We want the truth this time.”

Jack lowered his eyes. “Hawk, I was going to kill you. I figured, if I killed you, maybe Matting would back away from wanting to kill me. When he found your name written on a piece of paper in my jacket pocket, the guy went ballistic. I knew when I was shipped off to Atlanta that I was sent there to die. My only chance of getting Matting to call off William was to kill you.”

“You knew about William?” Nikki asked.

Jack nodded his head. “I had Stan check with the phone company to see who Matting was making calls to. Stan ran the numbers. It was rocket science.”

“William has a serious grudge against you,” Nikki told Jack.

“We were partners once. William was a good cop. But... I wasn't. A bad gun deal went down. A man was killed. I... framed William for the killing. He went to prison, I was assigned a new partner,” Jack said miserably.

“Were you telling the truth about the illegal immigrants, at least?” Nikki asked. “Or were you lying about them, too?”

“Dellington and Haim import illegals, and it's true they live in poor conditions,” Jack told Nikki. “But the truth is, I don't really care. You have to understand something.

“What?” Nikki asked disgustedly.

“I told you and Hawk about Dellington and Haim in case I got knocked off. At least I knew Hawk would go public with the information I gave him and cause Dellington and Haim some serious Public Relations problems. And how would Dellington and Haim be aware I knew about them smuggling in illegal immigrants? The trail would lead straight to Matting.”

“You were going to try and kill Hawk,” Nikki snapped at Jack.

“I didn't though, did I?” Jack snapped back. “I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't kill a good man. So I ran, hoping Hawk would go public with what he knew.” Jack shook his head. “Like a scared rat, I ran to Los Angeles, but the Agent I was supposed to meet set me up. Call it poetic justice or whatever you want... I betrayed a friend and I was betrayed by someone I thought I could trust.”

Nikki began to speak, but she caught movement in the corner of her eye. Looking at a doorway leading into a dining room, she saw William appear, holding a gun. “Don't move,” he warned Nikki. “Detective, drop your gun or I drop the woman.”

Hawk slowly turned around. He saw William aiming a gun at Nikki. “Okay... take it easy,” Hawk said dropping his gun. “Nikki, drop your gun.”

“You should never have left me alone,” William informed Hawk. “There isn't a handcuff in the world that can hold me.”

Hawk grabbed Nikki and moved her behind his body. “Dellington and Haim are outside. Matting and Packard are locked in the trunk of the BMW parked outside. It's over, William.”

“It'll be over when I finish my business with Jack. I will allow the rest of you to live. I admire you, Detective. You are fighting a losing battle, but there was once a time when I believed in your cause.” William shifted his eyes to Nikki. “I also admire a woman who can hold her own, Ms. Bates.”

“Please…” Jack began to beg William.

William told Jack to shut up. He walked to the couch, keeping his gun on Hawk, and snatched Jack up. “You're coming with me, Jack. We have unfinished business to tend to, you and I.”

The sound of approaching sirens caused William to freeze. “They called the cops?” Nikki asked confused. “Hawk, Dellington and Haim called the cops, not back up.”

William gritted his teeth in anger. With cop cars approaching, now there was no way to fight his way to the sedan and make an escape. “It's over, William,” Hawk repeated, relieved to hear the sounds of familiar sirens. He guessed at least ten cop cars were racing down the street toward the house.

“It's never over,” William yelled at Hawk. Putting his gun to Jack's head, he pulled Jack back toward the dining room. “One way or the other, this man is going to pay for what he did to me. I rotted in a federal prison for ten years before I managed to escape, Detective Daily. Me, an innocent man... a cop who was only doing his job... framed for murder by a filthy sewer rat, betrayed by my own kind.”

“Turning to a life of crime and killing people does not justify the injustice that was heaped on you, William,” Hawk yelled. “Yeah, what happened to you was wrong, and I'm sorry, man... from the bottom of my heart, I'm sorry that you were betrayed by your own. But you crossed the line, and that's where we part.”

William heard several cop cars squeal to a stop in front of the house. “Perhaps I will kill you, after all, Detective Daily,” he yelled at Hawk. “No, on second thought, perhaps I will kill the woman and make you suffer. And what will you do, Detective? Will you step over the line yourself to ensure that I suffer for my actions?”

“If you hurt Nikki, I will kill you!”

William pushed Jack down onto the floor and aimed his gun at Hawk. He grinned. “Now, who is the hypocrite? Move away from the woman,” he ordered Hawk.

“Never,” Hawk said bracing himself to be shot.

Jack knew he had to act. Sure, he was going to prison, but at least he could save an old friend's life. With William focused on Hawk, he knew he had a small window of opportunity to act. Pulling his legs up to his chest, he closed his eyes and counted to three. At the count of three, Jack kicked both legs forward, striking William on the side of his left leg, just below the kneecap. William's left leg cracked and then caved in. Crashing down to the floor, he landed on Jack. Jack rolled his body on top of William's right wrist, hoping to hold down the gun in his hand.

A single gunshot went off.

“Jack,” Hawk yelled, grabbing his gun off the floor. Running around the couch, Hawk saw Jack roll off William. As he did, William raised his gun and aimed at Hawk. Hawk dropped down to one knee and fired off a single shot. The bullet ended William's life as a career hit man.

“Hawk!” Nikki screamed, running to him.

“Jack's shot,” Hawk said. Throwing down his gun, he scrambled to Jack.

“I'm sorry,” Jack whispered, in a weak voice. Looking down at his chest he saw blood. “I guess this time... the bullet did... do its... job...” And with those words, Jack closed his eyes and never woke up.

Nikki dropped to her knees. Tears began streaming from her eyes. “Oh, Hawk...”

“I know,” Hawk said fighting back his own tears. Putting his arm around Nikki, he closed his eyes. As he did, cops burst into the living room with their guns drawn. Agent Norris sat very still. What else could he do? It was all over.

Chapter Fourteen

After the ambulance left the house and the cops pulled away, hauling Matting, Packard, and Norris off to jail, Hawk and Nikki began walking up the rainy street, back toward Hawk's jeep. “Just a minute,” Dellington called out.

Hawk and Nikki stopped walking, with his hand on Nikki's shoulder, he turned and looked at Dellington. Haim walked to the limousine and waited. “What do you want?”

Dellington approached Hawk the way a snake slithers up to a weak animal. “If you value your life and the life of this woman, forget everything that was told to you. Haim and I have the situation under control. Matting, Norris, and Packard will take full responsibly for what has happened. Your only duty is to leave and never look back.”

“You import illegal immigrants as if these people are nothing more than a tool to use and discard,” Nikki told Dellington, staring directly into his eyes. Ignoring the falling rain and the threat to her life, she continued. “You have no soul, Mr. Dellington. Someday, you will pay for your crimes against humanity.”

Dellington leaned close to Nikki. “Ms. Bates, my business is making money. I do not care about people. I never have and I never will. People serve one purpose, and that is to work for men like myself. Yes, I hire men to bring me workers... people you call illegal immigrants. These people save me billions in labor costs. And that is the bottom line, Ms. Bates. It's all about money. Money is power. I have the power to let you live or to end your life. I am offering you a chance to live. Of course, if you refuse, I can simply send someone to pay a visit to your son, Ms. Bates... and men to say hello to Chief Daily, Detective. Or perhaps I can send men to pay a visit to your friends Lidia and that sweet girl Tori. Oh yes, we know all about them.”

Nikki balled her hands into tight fists. “You make me sick.”

“Go home, Ms. Bates,” Dellington replied with a wave of his hand, “and forget about what you know. If you refuse, I will ensure you suffer a great deal before I end your life. The same applies to you, detective.”

“We can't fight you,” Hawk admitted, “and I'm sure you can and will carry out your threat. Nikki and I are going home. We have no interest in this case anymore. But know this, you lousy scum bag, there are still good men in this world, and someday, you're going to face off with one of them and that man is going to bring you and Haim to justice.”

Dellington smiled at Hawk. “Until then,” he said and turned to walk away. “Go home and dry off,” he called over his shoulder.

“Come on,” Hawk told Nikki.

Nikki stared at Dellington, as she felt all of her strength leave her exhausted body. Too tired to speak, she took Hawk's hand and walked away into the rainy night wondering what she and Hawk had really accomplished? Dellington and Haim won the battle. She and Hawk lost. That was life, though, Nikki concluded. You didn't always win a case. In the end, people lived, people died, some bad guys went to jail, others remained free, and the heroes walked away into a rainy night.

Chapter Fifteen

Two weeks later, Nikki walked into the kitchen of her cabin wearing her pink, fuzzy robe. Yawning, she made a fresh pot of coffee. Hearing someone knock on the back door, she called out: “Door is open, Hawk. Come on in.”

Hawk opened the back door and walked in carrying a box of donuts and a newspaper. Smiling from ear to ear he hurried to the kitchen table and sat down. “I have to show you something.”

“Oh honey,” Nikki complained, “it's too early in the morning for me to see you wearing that bright, orange jersey. Show me anything but that.”

“Funny,” Hawk told Nikki opening the newspaper. “Sit down, Ms. Pink Bunny.”

Nikki glanced down at her robe. “I guess we do make quite the fashionable pair,” she told Hawk. Before sitting down, she kissed Hawk on his forehead.

“What was that for?” Hawk asked staring up into Nikki's eyes.

“Just because, you big lug,” Nikki smiled and sat down. “So what is so important?” she asked, opening the box of donuts. Examining the contents, she decided on a simple glazed donut.

Hawk drew in a deep breath of the brewing coffee. “Well,” he smiled showing Nikki the front page of the newspaper, “read and you will see.”

Nikki leaned forward and read the headline. “'Dellington and Haim die in jet crash',” she read aloud.

Hawk beamed happily. “The article states the private jet those two vermin were flying in had crashed due to sudden engine trouble. They crashed and burned over the Rocky Mountains. Ironically, the two pilots lived. Only Dellington and Haim were killed.”

Nikki sat back in her chair. “Hawk, do you think someone sabotaged their jet?”

Hawk shook his head. “I don't think so,” he answered. Grabbing a chocolate donut, he stood up. “It's possible, but I really think the jet crashed due to actual engine problems. The pilots stated in the article that the engines suddenly lost power. The jet was flying through a storm.”

“Poetic justice,” Nikki smiled up at Hawk.

“Seems that way,” Hawk smiled back. “Anyway, now that our morning has begun on a positive note, I have some more good news for you. Since you have declined your position at the newspaper and have decided to begin writing books, I have made a decision.”

“Oh?' Nikki asked intrigued. “Okay, you big lug, do tell.”

Hawk munched on his donut. “Before you begin writing your book, I have decided that we need to take a trip. Remember, we still haven't sipped ice tea on a back porch watching lightning bugs play or explored your hometown, either. So I talked to Pop, and he's allowing me some personal time off.” Hawk finished off his donut, reached into his back pocket, and pulled out two plane tickets. “We leave this afternoon so you better start packing. I have the rental car all set and two rooms reserved at a hotel in your hometown for one whole week. Now before you begin fussing, I didn't pay a cent for the trip. This trip is compliments of Pop.”

“Chief Daily... really?” Nikki asked, amazed.

Hawk nodded. “I told Pop all about how you saved my life out on Long Island when you smacked William upside the head with that stick. He figures he owes you one.”

Nikki couldn't believe her ears. Standing up from the kitchen table, she poured two cups of coffee. “I... well, please tell Chief Daily thank you for me, Hawk.”

“What's the matter?” Hawk asked watching Nikki sit back down at the kitchen table and slide one cup towards him, wrapping her fingers around the other. “I thought you would be excited.”

“Sit down,” Nikki told Hawk, patting the kitchen table. Hawk walked to the kitchen table and sat down. “Hawk, I don't mean to hurt your feelings, but I don't want to go back home right now. My son is coming here next week. I... I miss Georgia, I really do, but this is my home now. You, Lidia, Tori... Chief Daily... you guys are my home, now. Someday we'll visit Georgia, sip ice tea, catch a few lightning bugs... but for now, it's nice being home. You see, as much as I miss Georgia, I am looking forward to autumn in Vermont. I am excited about seeing the leaves change colors, taking walks on brisk autumn evenings, sipping hot apple cider, snuggling in front of the fireplace. I'm excited about covering my store with autumn decorations. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I can always look back, but I also want to look forward to the life I have in Vermont now.”

Hawk nodded. “Nikki, you are an amazing woman, do you know that? Here I was worried that you might move back to Georgia. I told Pop if you did, I would move with you.”

“Really?” Nikki asked.

Hawk rubbed the back of his neck and blushed. “Well, yeah... I... would miss you, Nikki.”

“You big lug,” Nikki said affectionately. “Say, how about I make us a picnic? We can go up to the lake at the Elk Horn Lodge, eat, and take a paddleboat out on the lake. It's Labor Day. The store is closed. Lidia is with Herbert and Tori is antique shopping down state. It's just you and me.”

Hawk picked up his cup of coffee. He began to think about what he told Nikki while they were trying to solve their last case. He had told Nikki all he wanted to do was sit in her kitchen, drink coffee, and watch her make some of her famous Georgia peach truffles. And now, he was sitting in the kitchen with Nikki. The two of them were safe. Their enemies were dead. Life was good. “Okay,” Hawk said, “but only on one condition. After the picnic, we come back here. I want to sit right here at this table, drink coffee, and watch you make your famous Georgia peach truffles. Afterward, we can make popcorn and watch a movie.”

“Deal,” Nikki smiled. Hearing the phone ring, she excused herself. “Hello? Oh, hi Lidia... what? Oh dear... of course, we'll drive right down! Hawk is here with me… we'll hurry...” Nikki hung up the phone.

“What?” Hawk asked alarmed.

“Herbert got mugged,” Nikki told Hawk in a dazed voice. “He was standing outside an antique store; a man walked right up in broad daylight and mugged him. Herbert resisted, and the man knocked him over the head with a gun. He's at the hospital now, getting a few stitches. Lidia wants us to drive down and be with her.”

Hawk sighed. “Maybe someday we'll get to have some peace. Come on, we have friends who need us.”

Nikki began to walk out of the kitchen when the back door opened. Chief Daily stepped into the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee. “I'm glad I caught you, too,” he said.

“What's the matter, Pop?” Hawk asked.

“Well, nothing so far. There was a prison break in upper New York. Twenty-four convicts escaped. Some of them might be heading our way.”

“Maybe that's who mugged Herbert?” Hawk suggested to Nikki.

“Herbert was mugged?” Chief Daily asked with a chuckle. “Old Herbert was mugged, now there's one for the papers.”

“Pop, the guy got knocked over the head with a gun! He's at the hospital getting some stitches,” Hawk said, “it's not funny.”

“Maybe not to you,” Chief Daily laughed. “Anyway, son, I'm afraid I have to cancel your vacation. I'm going to need you around town for now. Sorry.”

Hawk looked at Nikki. “Still want me to be your big lug?”

“Of course, I do,” Nikki beamed. “I'll go get dressed.”

* * *

Walking into her bedroom, Nikki sat down on her bed. For a few minutes, she stared out of the bedroom window, thinking back to her life in Georgia. She missed her ex-husband, her old house, her old life, and her old friends. She missed chasing stories around Atlanta, finding trouble at every corner. Of course, it was then that she and her husband separated and eventually divorced, causing Nikki to leave Georgia and relocate to Vermont. “I came here to start all over. I have started all over,” Nikki whispered to her room. Smiling, she stood up from her bed and changed into a soft purple dress. “Alright, Nikki Bates,” she said, “let's go check on Herbert and see what kind of trouble we can get into now. As long as you don't give up the fight, you'll win.”

Nikki walked back into the kitchen. She saw Hawk and Chief Daily talking. Chief Daily looked at Nikki. He smiled a warm, sincere smile at her. “Ms. Bates... Nikki... come here.”

Nikki walked over to Chief Daily. Chief Daily gently put his right arm around Nikki's shoulder. “Please don't leave us, okay. I've grown fond of you. Yes, we didn't see eye to eye to begin with. I thought you were a black cat, to be honest. But I have come to see the goodness in you. I know I can be a stubborn old mule at times, but that doesn't mean I don't care. I hope you decide to stay, because if you leave, well, I'm afraid it might get a little too boring around here.”

Nikki began to speak but the cell phone in Chief Daily's pocket rang. Chief Daily answered the call. “Be right down,” he said.

“What is it Pop?” Hawk asked.

Chief Daily patted Nikki on the shoulder. “A man just held up the bank. The man's description matched one of the escaped convicts. Ms. Bates, shall we go?”

“Uh...” Nikki said and smiled. “Let me go be with Lidia first, and I'll meet you later. Hawk, you better go with Chief Daily.”

Hawk kissed Nikki and hurried out of the back door. Nikki drew in a deep breath. If anything, her new life was certainly not boring.

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About the Author

Wendy Meadows is an emerging author of cozy mysteries. She lives in “The Granite State” with her husband, two sons, two cats and lovable Labradoodle.

When she isn’t working on her stories she likes to tend to her flower garden, relax with adult coloring and play video games with her family.

Get in Touch with Wendy

- @wmeadowscozy

- AuthorWendyMeadows

www.wendymeadows.com
wendy@wendymeadows.com