The Hawk Circles: A Danielle Baker and Nigel Hawksworth Series, #1

By Debbra Anderson

          Danielle Baker is content in her small farm community in Western Oregon. Homeschooling her kids, recovering from her divorce, attending church, and hanging out with her best friend, Natalie, all contribute to her peaceful life.

          When her daughter's classmate is murdered, Danielle plans to let the police handle it, until she discovers that her children hold answers to questions the police have. When the new British detective, Nigel Hawksworth, shows up at her house for a third time, Danielle steps out of her quiet life and into the investigation, determined to find answers. 

          Can she trust the new detective to solve the mystery and keep her family safe? What about the other teens in town? Are their lives in danger, too? Can she help Detective Hawksworth find answers before someone else is injured? Or worse?

          As Danielle learns how to investigate a crime she never intended to get involved with, she also learns that not everyone is who she believes they are. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Debbra Anderson
• Release date: Sep 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215030431

Debbra Anderson

Debbra Anderson lives in a small town in Western Oregon where she spent more than 25 years in the homeschooling community. Now that her children are grown, she is enjoying her morning cup of tea - uninterrupted. The Hawk Circles is the first in her new Danielle Baker and Nigel Hawksworth series.

Book preview

Chapter 1

But I Like My Prom Dress! 

Iwas paying bills at the desk in my bedroom when I heard the front door slam and wondered if I should find out who was in my house.  I recognized my daughter’s footsteps as she trudged up the stairs.  In just a moment, my daughter, Shelly, dragged herself through the door.

I’m an idiot.  A fool.  I can’t go to Prom, can’t return to that school.  You’re going to have to homeschool me again, Mom.  She threw herself down onto the bed.  I’m going to have to take my beautiful dress back –

Buy a habit and get thee to a convent, oh, beautiful young woman?  I couldn’t resist.

Shelly sat up and glared.  Don’t joke, Mom. I’m serious here.

I’m sorry, sweetie, I smiled at her, but you were being kind of melodramatic.  Tell me what’s wrong and how I can help.

You’re so snarky sometimes.  A smile tried to break through, but I could see she was seriously upset.

I know, and I’m sorry.  But I’m listening.  Please tell me what happened.

She sighed deeply.  Well, you know Jamie Sneider.  I nodded.  She went around school telling everyone she found this beautiful dress that she’s going to buy for Prom, and it’s the same one I bought.  Tears welled up and spilled over.  I jumped up and gathered her into a hug.

Aw, babe, don’t cry.  It’ll be okay.  I promise.

How can it be okay?  She wailed against my shoulder.  "I can’t wear the same dress to Prom that Jamie’s wearing.  She’s, like, super tall and skinny, and she’ll look better than me.  I’ll look short and... and dumpy." 

Our big galumph of a dog, Ramon, trotted into the room and placed his wet nose in Shelly’s hands. She quickly wiped them on my back.  As I waited for the tears to subside, I prayed for wisdom, stroking her hair, so different from mine.  It led me to think again of the wonder of genetics.

Shelly and I look alike in the face, but she’s a couple of inches shorter than I am.  She has ash blond hair, straight as a pin (so pretty!) where mine is medium brown with big corkscrew curls.  How can we be so different yet so similar? I wondered. As I thought this, Shelly hiccupped and pulled away, ready to talk.

Are you sure she’s getting the same dress? I asked.

Shelly rolled her eyes. I saw a picture of it on her phone – long, light blue with beadwork on the bodice and crossed straps in the back. It’s the exact same dress. It even has the little elastic pull over the butt.

It certainly sounded like the same dress. Rats. I really liked what we’d chosen for her. All right, Shelly, I want to tell you three things.  Are you ready to listen?  She sniffed one last time and sat up straighter.  Good.  First, honey, I understand your dilemma.  And we’ll work this out together, okay?

Shelly nodded, hopeful but not convinced.  Second, I continued, "you are not dumpy.  You aren’t as skinny as Jamie, but you are tall, and beautiful, and not everyone likes skinny.  I know you don’t believe me on this, but trust me, it’s true. I never lacked for dates when I was in college."  Shelly flashed her lopsided smile and snuffled into the tissue I handed her.

"Third, Jamie hasn’t purchased the dress, yet.  And when she does, she will probably tell everyone in school, right?  Like she’s been telling everyone what she’s going to buy."

Yeah?

Yeah, I repeated.  So, if she buys the same dress, we’ll take this one back and get you a different one.  Okay?

Shelly’s eyes grew large.  We could do that?

You mean, would I?  Of course, sweetie.  It’s what Moms do.

She looked down at her hands clasped tightly together.  "But I like my dress.  I don’t want to buy a different one."

I know honey.  Let’s just pray she finds a different one she likes better.

Two big tears spilled over as Shelly wrapped her arms around me.  Thank you, Mom.  You’re awesome.  She jumped up to leave only to turn at the door.  I don’t mind when you’re snarky.  It’s kind of cute.  Thanks again.  And with a smile she was gone.

I chuckled as I returned to the bills.  I would find out later why she thought she was an idiot and a fool, unless that was all just part of the melodrama.  As I finished the last bill, the phone rang.  It was my best friend, Natalie.

Hey, Danielle, she said breezily.  Are you up to taking a walk?

How long have we been walking, twenty years? I asked with a smile.

And you still have to ask?

More like five, she retorted. The previous fifteen years were spent running – first, after cute guys and then after babies.

We laughed comfortably, and I said I’d meet her in ten minutes. As I laced up my shoes, I thought of our friendship.  Natalie and I met just as we both graduated from college.  Our lives have taken very different courses professionally, but our friendship has held firm – through marriage, divorce, childbirth, job promotions, and job losses.  Nothing has been able to come between us.  We often joke that we’re more like sisters.

Natalie is Vice President of an electronic entertainment company.  I’m not sure just what that means, but she certainly has a nice car and beautiful clothes.  She works about six hours, four days a week at the corporate office in Eugene, not far from our little town.  However, she spends innumerable hours in her home office where she does the rest of her work in order to be accessible to her husband and children.

I’ve been divorced four years, and paying the bills is an unwelcome aspect of being single again.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to support the kids after the divorce, but just three months before it was final, I published my first young adult historical novel. That was a crazy time! But the money I earned from it and the other books that have been published since have made it possible for me to live a life I love.  Now, I work at home sitting in front of a computer writing for several hours every day, in between homeschooling, doing laundry, cleaning house, taking care of animals...all the things a mom does on a daily basis.  The upside is that I can work in my pajamas.  The downside is that people don’t consider writing real work and assume I have hours and hours of free time to help with charities, car pools, kids’ activities, and so on.  I’ve had to learn to be strong with my ‘no’.

I almost never turned down a walk, though. Not only is the exercise good for me, but the fellowship is, too.

Shoes on, I went in search of my kids to let them know where I was headed.  Shelly was on the phone telling her best friend, Amy, about the Prom dress.  Hannah was doing an extra science assignment.  At fourteen, she was a better student than Shelly would ever be.  And my youngest, Mikey, was shooting hoops in our driveway with Natalie’s younger son, Danny.  The boys were just a few months apart, and they were good friends.  I told them where I’d be and turned my feet toward Natalie’s house just two blocks away.

The trees were blooming, and through the houses and trees I caught glimpses of the Coburg hills shining in their new spring green. The air smelled fresh, and I breathed deeply. I love spring.

As I approached Natalie’s house, I could see her doing some weird gyrations.  Her back was to me, and her long, black hair was swishing from side to side as she moved.  Turning into her driveway, I saw that she was scooping up dog vomit.  I quickly turned my back.  I don’t handle that kind of thing well.

I can come back another time, I told her.

Oh, hi, Danielle, she said.  I’ll be done in a sec.  She joined me in about five, and we started walking the two-mile loop. You’d think I’d have someone to clean up the messes, wouldn’t you?

"What, you need a housekeeper and someone to clean up the messes the neighbor’s dog leaves? I grinned at her.  How about a personal shopper, too? Or do you have one already? You’re all of five-four and a size two. It should be easy to shop for you." I always think that, at five-eight and a size twelve, I should feel like an Amazon woman next to Natalie, yet she somehow manages to make me forget the size difference . . . and the income difference, too.

In a haughty tone, she informed me, We executives need someone to take care of the menial labor. 

We both laughed.  Quickly, I sobered.  Did you have to let anyone go today?

Chapter 2

Which One?

N o, she answered with a sigh of relief.  It looks like the company will be doing okay for a while.  We won a contract with a small entertainment company based in Seattle that’s seen an increase in their sales and profits.  I guess people turn to escapism when times are bad.  Anyway, we’ll be able to give them the technical support for their systems, and it means we need all the people we have right now.  Everyone is jumping up and down with joy.

I’m so glad.  You really get touchy when you have to fire someone.

You would, too.  She defended herself.  I nodded as she continued,  What happened in your world? 

I told her about the prom dress mishap and Jamie Sneider.

Didn’t you tell her that what’s inside is far more important than what’s outside, and she has every right to wear what she wants to wear to the prom?  Did you tell her -

I told her what she needed to hear at the moment, Aunty-Mommy. It was my children’s favorite nickname for her.  And she’s already heard our sermons on image, the media, and all the lies we have to face on a daily basis about how ‘young and thin’ is the definition of beauty.  What she needed to hear me tell her is that while what is on the outside isn’t as important as what is on the inside, the outside is important, too, sometimes.

You’re right, she waved to someone in a blue minivan as it drove past.  Obediently, I waved, too.  In a small town, it’s a good idea to wave, even if you can’t see who it is.  You’re probably on a committee or go to church with the person. 

Natalie continued, She hasn’t asked someone, yet?

I shook my head.  She’s still trying to decide.

She smiled.  I remember my prom...

Which one? I teased. Natalie had managed to go to six proms. Six! Can you imagine?

Natalie laughed.  I think it was my second or third prom, probably my sophomore year.  I went with this guy from school who I thought of as a friend.  I guess he thought we had something special.  She shook her head.  "That was really weird.

You know Matt Smythe, right? He works for city hall.

I nodded. I’ve seen him around town for years, working on water systems and setting up for our huge 4th of July celebration.  In fact, isn’t that him?  I pointed discreetly to a city pick-up as it drove by.

She nodded and we waved again.  I went with him.  He was devastated that I wasn’t interested in him and left me at the dance. He went home with someone else.

He left you behind? I exclaimed. What did you do?

She grinned in remembrance.  "Well, the DJ was really cute, so I flirted with him for a while, and he took me home.

To my house, she answered my sideways look with a mock frown. Anyway, I was wearing the same dress as a girl who was a year ahead of me.  She was a plain girl, a little heavy, and I was a lot prettier and thinner than she was. It ruined her whole evening. Poor girl. Her name was Patricia Flower. Some of the mean kids called her Fat Pat. She moved away a week after graduation and hasn’t been back. Not that I blame her.

You didn’t preach to her your sermon on body image?

Natalie hesitated.  I didn’t have my sermon then.  In fact, I’d bought into the whole body image thing that the media projected - and so had she.  We walked quietly for a while. 

What about your prom?  I know you only went to one.  What was it like?  Natalie asked as we waved yet again, this time to her favorite hairdresser,

I shrugged.  It was fun getting ready, I guess, I answered.  I had to wear a dress I didn’t like, because my mom said it was a good deal.  And my date didn’t drive, so we went with some of his friends.  They weren’t friends of mine.  The dance was boring...well, it was okay, but it wasn’t any more special than any other dance.  I don’t know, I guess it wasn’t all that great.  I hope Shelly isn’t as disappointed as I was.

If she chooses her date wisely, she’ll have a great time, Natalie replied with confidence.

Later that evening, Shelly came into the kitchen for a snack.  What are you making? 

I looked up from the cookbook.  Nothing, I guess.  It all looks like the same food I always cook with just a couple of different ingredients.  Does that make it more interesting?

Shelly peered over my shoulder and grimaced. 

I take it I should just make my usual and find a new hobby, I laughed.

I was going to ask you, I continued, what it was that made you feel like an idiot and a fool today.  Do you mind talking about it?

She leaned against the counter and squinted at me.  Oh, you mean when I came home?

I nodded.

Well . . . when I heard Jamie Sneider talking about the dress she wants to buy, it was no big deal.  But when I saw that it’s exactly like the one I have, I, well, I’m sorry, but I might have cussed.  Under my breath.

I raised my eyebrows.  And?

Shelly’s face grew red and she shifted uncomfortably.  And I have a reputation for not cussing.

And?  Honey, I’d like to understand why you’re so uncomfortable right now.

Shelly sighed.  I have a reputation for not cussing because of you. 

I may have stared as I pondered that.  Then I got it.  Oh, you mean because of my lecture series on Naughty Words.

She sighed with relief and nodded. 

I pondered a moment longer.  Nope, I still don’t get it.  Why are you so uncomfortable using a naughty word in a moment of high stress?

Well, when you put it like that, I guess I feel better.  But I don’t like to cuss.

I leaned over and kissed her forehead.  I understand, sweetie, and I’m glad you don’t like to cuss.  But did you curse her?

She shook her head.

Then I think an apology to the Lord might be sufficient.  And I’m not going to chew you out for expressing your emotion in an un-Christian-like manner. I smiled at her obvious relief. 

It was time to change the subject.  Have you decided who you’re going to ask to prom?  Shelly sat at the table with crackers, cheese, and grape juice.

Nah, she answered.  I thought about asking Jacob.  You remember him?  He’s pretty cool, and I think he’s cute, but he really likes this sophomore.  I think he’ll ask her.

I nodded but stayed silent.  Shelly brushed our inquisitive cat, Tom, off the table and continued. So I kind of wondered if I should just go with a group of my friends, you know, like, girl power. She popped a cracker in her mouth and pumped the air as she chewed.  Then again, I thought maybe I could invite Abe. 

Natalie’s Abe?

The very one. She grinned at me.  "He’s really cool, a great dresser, and I wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with him at all.  I mean, he’s like a brother, and he talks a lot, so there wouldn’t be those weird pauses in conversation, you know what I mean?"  I carefully kept my face neutral and nodded.

Besides, she continued through another mouthful of cracker, my friends think he’s okay, and I wouldn’t have to worry about him thinking I should kiss him at the end of the date...I mean, he’s like a brother.  But he isn’t a brother, so dancing with him wouldn’t be like...well, it wouldn’t be, like, weird or anything.  She watched me eagerly.

I folded my hands on the table top.  Abe is very cool, and he’d be a lot of fun to take with you – safe fun, too.  I think he’s a good choice for taking to a dance.

Yeah, she began again as I paused for breath, and he’s got this great voice, kind of deep and resonant.  And his hair is awesome.  And he knows how to dance ‘cause he’s in that new musical, and they’re taking dance lessons for it.

That’s all very true, Love. I hesitated, marshaling my thoughts. But let’s look at the downside of asking him.  First, he’s a freshman and you’re a junior.  Would your friends think it’s weird?  Or would you run into teasing or even people thinking you’re seriously interested in each other?

Shelly made a face.  Ew.  Gross.  She considered it a moment longer.  Yeah, maybe not.  She shook her head, gathered up her snack and headed out of the kitchen.

Where are you going with that food? I asked.  And I haven’t covered the other points with you.

Homework, she called back.  And your first point was enough. 

I sat at the table a few more minutes. Going from homeschool to public high school had been an adjustment, but it was working well with my first child. Shelly had made some very good friends over the years in band and sports, and they had been thrilled when she finally joined them in their classes.  I was planning to do the same with Hannah and Mikey.  Hannah will be in ninth grade next year, but Mikey will be in sixth grade, so I still get to keep him with me for a little longer. I sighed and returned the cookbook to the cupboard.

As I closed up the house, gave the animals a little snack, and turned out the lights, I considered Shelly’s friends, wondering who she should take to prom.  Actually, Abe would be an excellent choice for all of the reasons Shelly had stated. I wished I had kept my mouth shut about why he might not be the perfect prom date.

The next morning, I supervised the feeding of Tom and Jerry, the cats. It’s Mikey’s job, and they often charm him into giving them extra. I may be a push-over at times, giving them snacks they don’t need, but Mikey is much worse than I am.  The feeding of Ramon the Wonder Dog is Hannah’s job. She needs no supervision. I sent Shelly off to school and got Hannah and Mikey settled in the dining room with their school work.

With a sigh, I sat back down to finish the bills.  As I paid the last one, I wondered when our Cockatiel, Asia, had last been fed and watered. The front door slammed, interrupting my thought.

Mom! Shelly shouted.  She was in a full-out panic.  I rushed from my bedroom and flew down the stairs.

What is it, Shelly? She was a mess – hair tangled; red, puffy eyes; and mascara ran down her face mixed with tears.  Honey, what’s happened? I asked as she threw herself into my arms, sobbing. 

Hannah and Mikey had run from the dining room.  I held Shelly, rubbed her tangled hair, and tried to throw reassuring looks at my other children whose eyes were riveted on their older sister.

Finally, Shelly tried to talk.  She was still incoherent, so I led her to the living room and pulled her down onto the couch with me, my arms wrapped around her.  What is it, honey? I still had to wait a few minutes for her to calm down enough to speak.

Mom, Shelly hiccupped and tried again.  "Mom...Jamie Sneider’s dead!"  Shelly wailed and continued sobbing. 

Chapter 3

Jamie Sneider’s Dead!

Jamie? I thought. Jamie Sneider’s dead? What in the world? Finally, as Shelly’s sobs lessened somewhat, I asked, How do you know?

Shelly’s voice was muffled against my shoulder.  "Some idiot told us over the intercom in school this morning, during the announcements.  She shuddered. Mom, she was mixed in with the band concert and the football game.  It was so dumb.  How could they do it that way?"

I continued to rub her back. Do you know how she died? Did they say?

Shelly shook her head. A disturbing thought (another disturbing thought) came to me.  Shelly, it’s only, what, 10:15? Does the school know you’re here?

Still crying, she shook her head, and Hannah ran for the phone.  As she brought it to me, she also had the box of tissues in her hand.  I took the phone and Hannah silently placed the tissues on the floor next to Shelly.  Her eyes were large as she backed up to the wall next to Mikey. 

Hi, I said to the secretary.  This is Danielle Baker, Shelly’s mom.  I just wanted to let you know Shelly’s with me.  She heard of the death of Jamie Sneider this morning during announcements, and it’s upset her tremendously.

Oh, thank you for calling, Danielle, the secretary said.  We were wondering if she had gone home. Is she okay? I know a lot of the kids were upset by how the announcement was handled.  I’ll go ahead and mark her down as at an appointment so she won’t be unexcused.  Just have her check in at the office when she comes back, okay?

I shook my head in awe as I hung up the phone.  A student dies overnight.  Another student is so upset by the news she runs home to Mom, (Why, I wondered, was she so upset?), and all the secretary is concerned about is protocol.  This is a strange world we live in. Hannah and Mikey nodded their heads.

I continued to hold Shelly for a while longer. I noticed with a corner of my mind that Ramon and Tom and Jerry were all sitting in a line just inside the door to the living room. Mikey’s hand rested on Ramon’s head. The cats were sitting on Hannah’s feet.  I was thankful for them.

That evening, Natalie came over for a latte and a cookie. (Can you imagine; she only ever eats one.)  We talked about Jamie’s death and Shelly’s reaction. 

Why was she so upset? Natalie asked, carefully fishing coffee grounds out of her mug.

I looked for grounds in my own coffee as I answered.  "I guess she had a dream in which she had throttled Jamie with the prom dress.  She was extra