“I understand,” Nikki flashed another false smile. The light sprinkle was becoming heavier. The last thing she needed was to catch a cold, and she would never forgive herself if Lidia or Tori became sick. “Please call the hospital for me and arrange for Mr. Green to be woken up and have the discharge process begun for us.”
Agent Ringston nodded. “Immediately,” he confirmed. “I will also assign a Vermont state trooper to follow you to Maple Hills. For your own protection, of course.”
Nikki played her hand with a brilliant strategy. “Don't bluff a reporter,” she scolded Agent Ringston.
Agent Ringston grinned. Relieved that Nikki Bates was abandoning ship, he played Mr. Nice Guy. “Stay out of Fall Cliff unless you intend to come back and buy some antiques.”
“Nah,” Nikki said, opening the door to her SUV, “I didn't see anything I liked. Come on, Lidia. We must drive back and get your car and then drive to the hospital.”
Agent Ringston watched Lidia and Tori crawl into the SUV. As soon as Nikki pulled away, he walked around the hood of the sedan, sat down in the passenger seat, and pulled out a cell phone. “This is Agent Ringston with the FBI, who am I speaking with? Nurse Amery? Very good. Nurse Amery, please wake up a patient by the name of Herbert Green and begin his discharge papers. His wife will be along shortly to take him home. Yes, thank you... No, not yet, but we'll catch the escaped convicts. Yes, I know it's scary... Of course, yes. Now, please do as I ask. Thank you.”
“I don't trust that weasel,” Warden Wayberry said. “That woman is dangerous.”
Agent Ringston ignored him and placed a second call. “I need a state trooper to escort two vehicles north to Maple Hills. Have the trooper meet me at the hospital.” Ending the call, Agent Ringston glanced over at Warden Wayberry. “It's difficult being your brother. You run your mouth when you shouldn't. I've got everything under control. Nikki Bates is leaving because she knows what is good for her. It's one matter to tangle with a few small-time crooks, but it's a completely different matter to tangle with the FBI.”
Warden Wayberry studied the burger restaurant. “If we get caught, then it'll be our butts thrown in prison. The Governor is already breathing down my neck. You better know what you're doing.”
“Oh, I do,” Agent Ringston grinned and pulled out a cigarette. “Let's get moving. We need to trail Nikki until she leaves town.”
“What about our missing soldier?”
Agent Ringston took a deep drag from his cigarette. “Perkins is still missing. But don't worry, that man will face a severe penalty for his actions.”
Warden Wayberry pulled the sedan out of the parking lot and aimed it towards the hospital. As the sedan pulled away into the night, leaving a trail of cigarette smoke behind it, Eric stepped outside. Looking up into the dark, wet sky, he drew in a deep breath. What was he to do? Inside, his granddaughter leaned against the front counter and checked her phone for any messages.
6
An hour later, a very grumpy Herbert Green was sitting beside his wife in their car, heading north. “I should have stayed at the hospital for observation,” he complained.
Lidia rolled her eyes. “Dear, I'm grateful you're okay. I love you deeply. But sometimes you're a big fuss over nothing.” Looking into the rearview mirror, she saw Nikki tailing her. A state trooper was following Nikki. “We'll be home in less than two hours.”
“Fine,” Herbert said and rubbed his forehead. “Obey the speed limit. It's raining hard, and we don't need any more accidents.”
“I will, dear,” Lidia sighed and grew silent. She wondered what Nikki and Tori were thinking.
“Still no internet,” Tori said miserably and put Nikki's cell phone away. “Must be the weather.”
Nikki focused on her driving. The state trooper was following at a comfortable distance, allowing Nikki room to breathe. “I'm glad Lidia suggested taking the back roads. We'll avoid the roadblocks on the major ones. We'll make good time, Tori. Don't worry about the internet.”
Tori leaned back in her seat. Full from dinner and a little sleepy, she stared out through the front windshield into the night rain. “Nikki?”
“Yes?”
“Are you really going back to Fall Cliff?” Tori asked worriedly.
Nikki looked over at Tori. She smiled. “It's wonderful having you in my life,” she confessed. “Right now, the last thing I want to do is go back and tangle with a deadly rattlesnake. I would love nothing more than to drive home, get a hot shower, have a hot cup of coffee, cuddle up with a good book, and go to sleep.”
“But…” Tori said, looking at Nikki.
Nikki sighed. “If I go back to Fall Cliff, I'm putting the life of my son and everyone I love at risk. But if I remain silent, then I become guilty.”
“Guilty of what?” Tori asked, confused.
“If I were to remain quiet, I would be guilty of complicity. Albert Einstein said that,” Nikki replied, staring into the rain. “A woman working at the bank in Maple Hills—in our hometown—was shot. Herbert was injured. Innocent people are being harmed. And for what? If I remain silent and do nothing, then I let the bad guys win. If I fight and win the battle, no matter the cost to my own life, then the bad guys take a hit, even if it is only for one day.”
“You're very brave,” Tori told Nikki in an admiring voice.
“Not really,” Nikki confessed. “After Hawk and I returned home from Atlanta, I swore that was it; no more fighting the bad guys. But the more I looked into the faces of Agent Ringston and Warden Wayberry, the more I knew that something has to be done. Poison spewed from the eyes of those two snakes the way sewage flows from a pipe. If I sit back and let men like that believe they can break the law and hurt people without facing any consequences, then I am complicit in their crimes. But trust me, Tori, I'm scared. I'm always scared.”
Tori reached over and patted Nikki's hand. “I'm scared, too.” Tori drew in a brave breath. “Nikki, I'm coming back to Fall Cliff with you and Hawk. I want to help.”
“I thought you might,” Nikki told Tori in a worried but grateful voice. “I have a feeling you're going to be a chip off the old block.”
“You're rubbing off on me,” Tori confessed. “I see how people look at you in town. I listen to them talking about you. You get mixed reviews, but not a single person in Maple Hills has ever called you a coward. It amazes me how one woman can make that much difference.”
“Making a difference comes with a price,” Nikki warned Tori. “You make more enemies than friends. Are you willing to travel down that lonely, hard road, young lady? Are you willing to put yourself and the lives of the people you love at risk? Are you willing to fight crime while being treated as a criminal yourself most of the time?”
“I'm willing to do what is right,” Tori told Nikki.
Nikki beamed. “That's my girl. Now, here's what I'm thinking...partner.”
“I'm all ears,” Tori said in an excited voice.
“Mayor Brown is involved in the prison break. Somewhere back in Fall Cliff, the gang of thieves is hiding out. Now, we have to take into consideration that the escaped convicts are working for—and under control of—one man who is running the entire operation. I think that man is Agent Ringston.”
“Agent Ringston arranged for the escaped convicts to have transportation and guns waiting for them. That's how the convict who robbed the bank in Maple Hills arrived there so quickly, right?”
“Exactly,” Nikki congratulated Tori on her brilliant reasoning. “Agent Ringston needed to make red spots on the map to spread out the authorities. And it's as we talked about—he wanted Fall Cliff marked as a red spot to put the town in the clear after the heat was lowered on the stove.”
“North Hill Prison isn't too far away from Fall Cliff. The drive is about fifty minutes to an hour,” Tori pointed out. “I looked up the distance when I used the restroom back at the restaurant.”
“Fifty minutes to an hour,” Nikki murmured. “Tori, get Hawk on the phone fo
r me, please.”
Tori took Nikki's cell phone and called Hawk. Putting the phone on speaker, she held it out to Nikki. “Where are you?” Hawk’s voice came through tired and worried.
“We're about an hour and a half away,” Nikki told him, grateful to be hearing his voice. “Hawk, out of all the rush and fuss, I never asked how the prison break happened. How did the convicts escape?”
“Warden Wayberry has not released that information yet,” Hawk confirmed. “Listen, Nikki, I've come across some information that I don't like. I wish I hadn't, but I did.”
“What do you mean?” Nikki asked.
Hawk took a deep breath. “When Agent Ringston ran out of town like a man on fire, I became suspicious. The guy is a slime-ball if you ask me. Anyway, I spent the last hour looking into his records. Ringston spent ten years in the army, in the infantry. He left the army and attended law school and began working for the FBI. Nikki, the guy is squeaky clean, except...”
“Except what?” Tori jumped in.
“It's okay, Hawk. Tori is helping me. Tell us what you found out, please,” Nikki begged.
“Ringston is Warden Wayberry's half-brother, and Mayor Brown is their cousin,” Hawk told them. “Now, Nikki, before you turn around and start racing back to Fall Cliff, don't.”
“I can't even if I wanted to,” Nikki told Hawk, “a state trooper is escorting us home.”
“Good,” Hawk said, relieved. “Listen, girls, we need to back off this one. I don't know what Ringston is up to, but it's bad, and he's got a lot of dangerous thugs working for him. I also think he picked up the convict who robbed our bank.”
Something in Hawk's voice poked Nikki in the gut. “Hawk?”
Sitting at his desk, Hawk ran an exhausted hand through his hair. “Nikki, Lucy is alive, but she could be dead. The convict who shot her could have easily taken a dead shot, but instead he took a clean shoulder shot. On top of that, the bullet that was dug out of Lucy's shoulder belonged to a 9mm pistol. I saw a Glock 17 in Agent Ringston's shoulder holster.”
“The convict used Agent Ringston's gun to shoot Lucy?” Tori asked, confused.
“No, no,” Hawk told Tori in a gentle voice. “How did an escaped convict get to Maple Hills so quickly? How did he get a gun? Why didn't he kill Lucy? And last, why didn't the guy wear a mask?”
“No mask?” Nikki asked.
“No,” Hawk explained. “Security cameras got a clear shot of his face. Nikki, my gut tells me this guy wanted to be seen and wanted to leave a message of some kind.”
“That's why Agent Ringston left Fall Cliff,” Nikki said suddenly. “One of his puppets stepped out of line, and he traveled to Maple Hills to get the man. Then he found out that I lived in Maple Hills and had to rush back down to Fall Cliff because I was there.”
“Seems to be that way,” Hawk agreed. “Nikki,” he said, draining a cold cup of water, “the rental cabin Pop and I drove out to was occupied by a homeless teenager, yet Sophie Raybenton reported seeing a man who matched the description of the convict who robbed the bank. Sophie is not the type of woman to call in a false report. The woman was a public accountant for thirty years. She's as stern and factual as anyone can ever be.”
“I see,” Nikki said, staring through the windshield into the falling rain. “Tori, turn up the defroster for me, please.”
Tori leaned forward and turned up the defroster. “Hawk, is it possible the escaped convict is still in Maple Hills?” she asked.
“Ringston left alone, that's all I know,” Hawk told Tori. “I think the convict was leaving some kind of message for you, Nikki.”
Nikki grew quiet. What Hawk told her made sense. “Okay, Hawk,” she finally said, “what do you suggest we do?” Suddenly, returning to Fall Cliff seemed very foolish and deadly.
“Back down,” Hawk said regretfully. “Nikki, I hate to say this, but this case is out of my jurisdiction. All local authorities have been on stand-down. If I go poking my nose where it doesn't belong, I could lose my job and end up getting a lot of innocent people killed. Whatever Ringston is up to, it doesn't involve Maple Hills, and that's what matters to me.”
Tori gave Nikki a worried look. Nikki sighed miserably. Deep down she knew Hawk was right. “Tori—”
“But you said,” Tori burst out, “that if you do nothing, then you're guilty. Nikki, we can't sit on our hands.”
“I understand your anger,” Hawk told Tori, “but there are times when a lawman has to back down. It makes me sick to admit that, but it's true, Tori. Right now, we're outnumbered and outgunned. And that makes all the difference in the world. We can't go toe-to-toe when there are more of them and fewer of us...more of them who are armed and deadly, too.”
“Hawk is right,” Nikki said miserably. “Honey, maybe the wisest path for us to take is to try and figure out what kind of message the convict left for me and stay away from Fall Cliff.”
“I guess it's possible the convict who shot Lucy might still be in Maple Hills. It might not hurt to search for him,” Tori suggested. “Hawk could be right. This man could be trying to tell you something.”
“Maple Hills is still under lockdown,” Hawk warned Nikki. “Pop has his hands tied. We really took a chance going out to the rental cabin without telling the State Police and the FBI. Some guy named Agent Rooney is running the show. He's a real greenhorn, too. My guess is this guy is clean and was sent here because of his lack of experience and arrogant attitude.”
“If Ringston left alone,” Nikki pointed out, “I bet our missing convict is either in Canada by now or hiding out in Maple Hills.”
“I'm aiming for Canada,” Hawk admitted, “but I'm learning that when it comes to you, anything is possible.”
Nikki smiled. “Meet me at my cabin in two hours. I'll make some coffee, and you can crash on the couch.”
“I'll be there,” Hawk promised.
Tori lowered Nikki's cell phone and grew silent. Nikki gave her time to think. “I guess you're right,” she finally said.
“No, I'm not,” Nikki confessed. “I should go back to Fall Cliff and face Ringston. But Tori, honey, there are more ways to fight someone than going toe-to-toe. Let's see what happens when we get back home. My gut is suddenly telling me the missing convict isn't in Canada.”
“Really?” Tori questioned.
“I will not be complicit,” Nikki promised Tori, “but I'm also not stupid. If we go back to Fall Cliff right now, Agent Ringston might not let us leave alive.”
Tori looked out into the dark night. She grew silent and listened to the rain. The road ahead seemed uncertain and scary.
7
Hawk yawned. “Good morning,” he said, walking into the kitchen.
Nikki was sitting at the table, sipping coffee. “Actually, it's the afternoon,” she pointed out. “We didn't fall asleep until daybreak this morning.”
Hawk nodded and walked to the coffee pot. Nikki looked beautiful in the dark, long-sleeved dress she was wearing. She had her hair tied into a ponytail and looked like a woman in deep, serious thought. Hawk was wearing a wrinkled gray hockey shirt and a pair of old blue jeans. His hair was messy, and his face unshaven. “We make a pair—you're beautiful, and I look like a tired black bear,” he said, pouring coffee into a mug that resembled a dog’s face that he had brought over from his apartment.
“You're very handsome,” Nikki assured him. “I see how the women in this town look at you, Hawk.”
Hawk rolled his eyes. “They look at me because I probably have something unpleasant in my nose,” he joked.
“Silly!” Nikki smiled. “Are you hungry? I can cook us breakfast.”
“No thanks,” Hawk answered politely. “All I want is some coffee and a hot shower. We've got a long day ahead of us.”
“And a wet one,” Nikki said and nodded toward the kitchen window. “I checked the weather. It's going to be raining for the next few days.”
Hawk sat down across from Nikki. “You're thinking about the convict. His
name is Lionel Perkins, age twenty-seven. Occupation: thief, nationality: British, location unknown.”
Nikki glanced down at two photos sitting on the kitchen table. Hawk had printed out Lionel Perkins’ mug shot for Nikki and a photo of the man's face caught on the security cameras at the Maple Hills Community Bank. “Hawk, I've never seen this man before in my life. I've been trying to place his face for hours, but I can't. How can he know me?”
Hawk took a drink of his coffee. “The ‘Twenty-Four Thieves,’ as they called themselves, operated all over the United States. They were captured on Long Island because the ringleader called for a meeting, pulling the low-lifes all into one location. The NYPD got an anonymous tip about the meeting and moved in. Maybe Perkins knows you from Atlanta?”
“Maybe.” Nikki wrinkled her forehead. “Hawk, are we really sure Perkins was trying to leave a message? Maybe he's not a killer. When a man is robbing a bank, his adrenalin is really pumping. He knows he has very little time and has to act fast.”
“You don't believe that, Nikki,” Hawk pointed out.
“No,” Nikki confessed. “Someone drove Perkins to Maple Hills to rob the bank. The robbery was supposed to go quickly and cleanly, with the purpose of making the authorities rush here.”
“We're spread out pretty thin,” Hawk went on. “The media is chewing up this story alive. Reporters are everywhere. Washington is yelling at the governor for answers. The tri-state area is on full alert. People are scared, Nikki.”
“I know,” Nikki replied, staring down at photos of a man with thin brown hair and a face that seemed very pleasant and intelligent—a face that looked innocent, kind, gentle and caring. Yet, underneath the fake mask lay a deadly monster. “Hawk, Warden Wayberry could lose his job, couldn't he?”
“Most likely, with all the media attention on the prison break,” Hawk agreed.
Nikki rubbed her chin. “Maybe that's exactly what Wayberry wants, too.”
“What do you mean?” Hawk asked.
Maple Hills Mystery Box Set Page 11
