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

by Wendy Meadows

  Certain the ship was about to capsize, Nikki closed her eyes and prepared for the worst. When the ship began to even out, she eased her eyes open, looked around, and let out her breath. “We need to get topside and see what hit the ship.”

  “A wave hit the ship,” Hawk told Nikki. “Storm must have caught up to us earlier than they thought.”

  Hearing a few cabin doors open, Nikki looked down the hallway at scared faces. “It’s okay,” she called out, “I think a wave hit the ship. You should all get topside.”

  Hawk noticed Lei Johnson didn't open his cabin door. “Come on,” he told Nikki, “we'll take the stairs.”

  Once topside, Nikki rushed to the bridge with Hawk. She stopped briefly and peered out a window. “My goodness, Hawk, will you look at that,” she said feeling the bow of the ship dip down and then pull up as it struggled through a deadly swell.

  Hawk looked out the window at the storm. The sky was dark, but the emergency lights attached to the superstructure were able to cast a clear picture of what was taking place outside. Even though he couldn't see the waves, he could hear their power. The rain was falling as if a dam had exploded. Raging winds were screaming and howling like a group of lost soldiers determined to finish their battle in a time long forgotten; a battle that would never end in their hearts. “Even if the ship sank and everyone made it into the lifeboats, I don't see how that would help much,” he told Nikki. “Pray, okay?”

  “I have,” Nikki promised.

  Hearing the door to the bridge open, Nikki spotted Brody step out. “Mr. Lane,” she called out.

  Brody spotted Nikki and Hawk. Forcing a fake calmness to consume his face, he approached them. “I guess that storm caught up to us early?” Hawk asked.

  “No,” Brody corrected Hawk, “what we're witnessing now is a summer shower compared to what's coming. When the full force of the storm arrives, you'll know it.”

  “Where are you going?” Nikki asked Brody, trying to conceal her worry.

  “To get a cup of coffee,” Brody confessed. “Ms. Bates, I have a good man at the wheel. He'll keep us on course. As acting captain, it is my duty to check on the passengers. But first, I need a cup of coffee.”

  “We spoke to Lei Johnson,” Hawk informed Brody. Feeling the bow of the ship dip forward again, Hawk reached out and grabbed Nikki. When the ship leveled out, Hawk explained the exchange he and Nikki shared with Lei Johnson. “I could have forced my way into his cabin, but my guess is if he is the killer, he wouldn't have the poison where anyone could easily locate it.”

  “It's clear Mr. Johnson isn't acting alone, Mr. Lane,” Nikki told Brody. “He could be working with a crew member...or crew members, or a passenger. Or passengers. We don't know how many people are involved. However,” Nikki paused, “my guess is he's being assisted by one or more crew members.”

  “Because of the lights?” Hawk asked.

  Nikki nodded. “The lights in the dining room went off at a precise time and came on at a precise time. Mr. Lane, the young lady at the store counter in the passenger lobby, who is she? The name engraved on her name tag is Tara.”

  “Tara Farndale,” Brody told Nikki, “age nineteen, high school drop-out, arrested for drug use at the age of seventeen, gets paid minimum wage to smile and be friendly to guests. I know about every single crew member on this ship, Ms. Bates. The owner of this ship likes to hire misfits...like myself, I guess you can say. He believes in giving people second chances. But Captain Mayfield did the actual hiring, and I fear he hired people who would do as he ordered them to.”

  “Have you ever met the owner?” Nikki asked.

  “No,” Brody replied. “The owner of this ship is a mystery to us all. Captain Mayfield was his front man. I really need a cup of coffee. When the storm hits I'll be at the wheel, and I don't want to face the storm with only hot tea in my system.”

  “We'll walk with you,” Hawk told Brody.

  Returning to the dining room, Nikki was relieved to see only crew members present. They were clearing plates and stacking chairs. Not one single one of them spoke to each other. The mood was tense. Every face held a deep worry that clearly told Nikki she needed to worry, too. “Hey, Tara,” Brody called to the young woman who had been attending to the guest lounge shop earlier in the morning, “three cups of coffee, please.”

  Tara looked at Nikki and Hawk for a few seconds, smiled politely, and walked off toward the kitchen with a broom in her hand. Sitting down at a table that had been stripped of its table cloth and dishes, Brody studied the faces of the crew members cleaning the dining room. “They know I can't turn the ship back,” he told Nikki and Hawk. “Word gets around this ship in mysterious ways. Someone is always leaking private information.”

  “Dr. Rowen would be my guess in this case,” Nikki said, sitting down across from Brody. Hawk chose to remain standing.

  “Most likely,” Brody agreed. Shaking his head he called out to the crew members, “We're going to get through this, guys.”

  The young man who had taken Nikki's ticket earlier dropped a plate down onto the table he was clearing. His face was no longer friendly. “I didn't sign on to drown,” he complained. “You have no right to risk our lives. Captain Mayfield—”

  “Captain Mayfield is dead, and if I take this ship off course, more people can die,” Brody barked at the young man.

  “We might all die if you don't get us out of this storm,” the young man barked back. “Man, this job is lame. I'm through. If we live through this, you can have my uniform and shove it.”

  “You can leave the dining room,” Brody told the young man in a stern voice. “You are hereby terminated from your position. Go to your quarters and remain there.”

  “Fine with me,” the young man said. Turning toward the other crew members he asked: “Anyone else with me? Joe? Richard? Jennifer?”

  A young woman with long, pretty, black hair and a scared face shook her head. “There's a killer loose, Matt. I'm staying topside.”

  Other crew members echoed the young woman's words. “Suit yourself,” Matt said and huffed away.

  “I'm going to get us to port in one piece,” Brody promised the crew members. “I know what you're all thinking—another storm, and good old Brody is at the wheel. But let me make this clear, the captain of that cargo ship that struck the Blue Pearl was drunk, and I was stone cold sober. Someone had to take the fall, and unfortunately, it ended up being me.”

  Spotting Tara carrying a tray holding three white coffee cups, Nikki patted Brody's arm. “Here comes the coffee.”

  Brody sighed miserably. “Yeah,” he said, lowering his eyes to his hands.

  Hawk put his hand on Brody's shoulder. “When a man is bound and determined to redeem himself, he will in time. Trying to prove yourself to a bunch of young kids is only going to cause you a headache.”

  “Here's the coffee, Mr. Lane,” Tara said. Carefully, she placed the coffee tray down on the table. “I brought out some sugar and half-and-half.”

  “Thanks,” Brody said.

  Tara smiled at Nikki and Hawk and went back to sweeping. “Sweet girl,” Nikki said, taking a cup of coffee and lifting it up to Hawk. Hawk gratefully took the cup of coffee from Nikki. She handed the second cup to Brody. “Did you order the passengers to their cabins?”

  “Yeah,” Brody said, taking the cup of coffee from Nikki. “When the full force of the storm arrives I'm going to need everyone in their cabins. If the times comes, I'll give the order to abandon ship. Captain Mayfield was going to walk all the passengers through the emergency procedures once the weather cleared. I wish he had waited to depart from the port after the storm passed, but he was anxious to get out to sea.”

  Hawk sipped his coffee. With steady eyes, he studied each and every crew member working in the dining room. “Mr. Lane, any idea who might be helping the killer?” he said loudly enough to cause most of the crew members to stop working and look over at him. Looking at Nikki, he nodded.

  Nikki quickl
y caught onto Hawk's plan. “Yes,” she said making sure her voice was loud enough to be heard across the dining room, “we're certain it's one of the passengers that is assisting the killer.”

  Brody gave Nikki a confused look. “But you said—”

  “We're certain it's one of the passengers,” Nikki interrupted him.

  “Uh, I can get you the list of the all the passengers’ names,” Brody replied.

  “Please do,” Nikki said, picking up her cup of coffee. Before she could take a sip, Tara eased her way out of the dining room and back into the kitchen. Nikki felt her heart break. “There goes the rat to the cheese,” she told Hawk miserably.

  “Let's cut her off at the pass,” Hawk told Nikki, putting down his coffee. “Mr. Lane, we'll meet you back at the bridge in a few minutes.”

  Standing up, Nikki took a sip of hot coffee and shook her head. “She was so sweet, too,” she said.

  “Come on,” Hawk told Nikki, taking her hand. Without wasting another second, he hurried Nikki out of the dining room and jogged to the staircase. “We don't want to frighten her,” he said, stepping into a wooden stairwell lit with bright lights. “Let her get to Johnson's door and see what happens.”

  Chapter Nine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  “Where was this?” Hawk asked.

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

  “A note?” Nikki asked.

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

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

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

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

  Tara nodded. “Matt told me to.”

  “Why?” Hawk asked Matt.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  “What is this all about?” Lei demanded.

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

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

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

  “No,” Lei yelled.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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