True Grit Spirit: A Maddie Graves and Hannah Hickok Mystery

by Lily Harper Hart

  “The bulk of the psychics are there,” Boone confirmed. “We’re looking for a specific psychic, though.”

  “Which one?”

  “Cadence.”

  Tyler’s forehead creased. “I’m not sure I know who she is. Can you describe her?”

  Boone did just that, even pulling an old photo up on his phone to show it to the animal wrangler. Tyler stared at the photo for a long beat and then his face cleared.

  “Oh, I know who you’re talking about,” he said, bobbing his head. “She looks a little different now, but this is the one who ran the seance the other night.”

  “The one who took over the seance,” Nick corrected. “That’s her, though.”

  “Um ... I saw her about an hour ago,” Tyler offered. “She was walking in front of the jail with one of the other women.”

  Boone was grim. “Do you remember which woman?”

  “I just know she was a brunette. I wasn’t paying attention.” Tyler was rueful. “What’s going on? You guys look as if you have an agenda.”

  “We’re simply trying to find Cadence,” Boone replied. “We have a few questions for her in conjunction with our investigation. If you see her, text me. Don’t approach her.”

  Tyler was familiar enough with Boone to recognize the man was holding his cards close to his vest. “Is she the one?”

  Boone didn’t need to ask what Tyler was referring to. “We’re not sure yet. Watch for her, though. We think she’s still up here, although where she went is anybody’s guess.”

  “I’M NOT PREGNANT.”

  By this point, Maddie was talking more to herself than her grandmother. Maude had long since stopped listening to her. She needed to reassure herself that she was right for some reason. It was too soon.

  “Of course not,” Maude offered, making sure her back was to Maddie when she rolled her eyes. “Everybody else is wrong and you’re right.”

  Maddie scowled at her grandmother’s diminutive back. “I’m being serious. I’m not pregnant.”

  “I didn’t say you were.”

  “Yes, you did. You said you suspected because I kept getting sick.”

  “Oh, right. I did say that.” Maude was quickly growing tired of the conversation. “Maddie, you need to let it go. It is what it is. You’re going to be a mother and it’s time to look forward rather than cling to impossibilities.”

  Maddie’s frustration grew by leaps and bounds. “I’m not clinging to impossibilities.”

  “That’s exactly what you’re doing.” Maude was firm as she turned to face her granddaughter. “You’ve got it in your head that being pregnant is going to somehow ruin your life. I’m here to tell you that’s not true. Things are going to be fine.”

  “I didn’t say being pregnant was going to ruin my life,” Maddie snapped. “I just ... think it would be better if I was pregnant two years from now.”

  “I don’t think the baby you’re carrying is going to want to wait that long,” Maude replied pragmatically. “Besides that, can you imagine how big you’ll be with that gestation?” She involuntarily shuddered. “It will be like a scene from a horror movie when you finally give birth.”

  Maddie’s expression was incredulous. “I don’t mean I want to be pregnant for two years. I mean that I’m not pregnant now, but I will be then.”

  “Oh, you mean you want to choose when it happens.”

  Maddie nodded and smiled. “Exactly.”

  “Well, you’re old enough to know the truth now, Maddie,” Maude offered. “You don’t always get exactly what you want exactly when you want it. Sometimes life throws you curveballs. This is yours. Suck it up.”

  Maddie’s mouth dropped open as Maude went back to shining the bar with a rag. She was about to yell, for what felt like the millionth time, that she wasn’t pregnant when a hint of movement caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She expected to find one of the psychics waiting to order a drink. Instead she found Cadence, and the woman looked sweaty and breathless.

  “Oh, geez.” Maddie meant to mutter the words under her breath, but they escaped on a loud exhale.

  “I need to talk to you,” Cadence announced. She looked winded, and possibly fearful for her life. “I know this may sound strange but ... I know who killed Velma.”

  Maddie exchanged a quick look with Maude, who appeared ready to spring into action if the way she held the beverage dispenser gun was any indication.

  “That sounds ... good,” Maddie said after a beat. “Um ... how about you take a seat and I’ll get Cooper and Boone up here and you can tell them?”

  Rather than acquiesce, Cadence strode directly toward the bar and wrapped her hand around Maddie’s wrist. Her expression was serious. “I need your help. The person who killed Velma is after me now. I’m the biggest threat, so now I’m on the chopping block.”

  Maddie wasn’t sure how to respond. Unfortunately for her, Maude didn’t have that problem.

  “Oh, stuff it,” Maude snapped. “We know darned well that you killed your roommate in Florida and changed your name. The cops are already looking for you. Whatever yarn you’re about to spin, forget about it.”

  Maude leaned close and pinned Cadence with a dark look. “You’re going down, sister, and we’re the ones who will be etching your name on your tombstone.”

  And just like that, the atmosphere in the room changed. Maddie swallowed hard. She was in the thick of things for the grand finale after all. She wasn’t even sure how it happened.

  18

  Eighteen

  “Excuse me?”

  Cadence’s reaction to Maude would’ve been funny under different circumstances, Maddie realized. Right now, though, it was the exact wrong tone to set.

  “You heard me.” Maude planted her hands on the bar and when she leaned over, the low-cut top she’d been supplied with fell down to reveal what looked to Maddie to be a support bra. “We’re on to you, girl, and you’re about to go down like ... like ... .” She knit her eyebrows together. “Help me out here, Maddie girl. What goes down a lot?”

  Maddie’s cheeks burned at the question. “There’s no way I’m answering that,” she shot back, horrified.

  It took Maude a few moments to realize what had Maddie so riled up. “Oh, get your head out of the gutter. That’s the grossest thing I’ve ever heard. I didn’t meant that. I just ... so gross.”

  Cadence cleared her throat to get the bickering women to look in her direction. “This is all fascinating, really, but I need your help. I don’t have time to do ... whatever it is that you’re doing.”

  Maddie kept her face impassive as she turned back to Cadence. “What is it you want from us?” She was trying to figure out how to tip Nick off to Cadence’s whereabouts while at the same time remaining as calm as possible so as not to cause the woman to bolt. If Cadence didn’t yet know they were on to her, that was a good thing.

  “I need a way out of here.” Cadence was matter-of-fact. “Apparently your husband and a few others are looking for me. That means you’re the only one who can help me escape.”

  Maddie was flabbergasted at how open Cadence was. “I don’t think that I can help you,” she said, shaking her head. “There’s nothing I have to offer you.”

  “That’s not entirely true.” Cadence pointed. “You have access to the cars in the lot. I need the keys to one of them.”

  Maddie’s face went slack. “I ... are you kidding me?”

  “No. Now is not the time for jokes.”

  “But ... those aren’t my vehicles.” Maddie hoped a practical tone would be enough to dissuade Cadence. “I can’t just give you someone else’s car.”

  Cadence made a face. “Um ... yes, you can. I can’t stay here. There are people out there looking for me right now. That means they know ... and I have to go.”

  “They know what?” Maude queried, genuinely curious. “Are you talking about the fact that they know you killed your roommate and fled from Florida?”

  Maddie’
s eyes went wide as she slapped her hand to her face. “Granny!” She was horrified.

  “What?” Maude held her hands out, as if to say “it’s the truth and you know it.”

  “You can’t just blurt those things out to people,” Maddie chided. “Now we’re in big trouble and it’s because you opened your mouth ... again. Saying it once was bad enough. Twice, though?”

  As if sensing Maddie’s distress, Olivia popped into existence on the far side of the saloon. It only took the ghost a short amount of time to ascertain what was happening. While Cadence wasn’t armed, it was obvious Maddie was uncomfortable ... and there was an air of menace wafting around the room that made all those involved uncomfortable.

  Olivia lifted her chin, met Maddie’s gaze, and nodded. The message was clear. She was going for help. Maddie wouldn’t have to hold off Cadence for long. It was a relief, although now the pressure was mounting and Maddie wasn’t exactly sure how to distract the other psychic.

  “What?” Cadence’s eyes grew to the size of saucers. “You think I killed Sarah, don’t you?”

  “Was that your roommate’s name?” Maddie asked, making up her mind on the spot. If Olivia was going for help, that meant Nick and the others would be racing through the door any second. That gave her time to draw information out of Cadence. She couldn’t very well give up the opportunity.

  Cadence folded her arms over her chest, frustration obvious. “How do you even know about Sarah?”

  “It wasn’t that hard to track down,” Maddie replied, choosing her words carefully. “You piqued our interest when you tried to take over the seance. We ran your prints and ... well ... that was all it took.”

  “You ran my prints?” Cadence rolled her eyes. “No offense, but how do you have the jurisdiction to run my prints? You’re not a cop.”

  “No,” Maddie agreed. “I’m most definitely not a cop. Nick is, though, and Sheriff Boone is in charge of the investigation.”

  “And they ran my prints.” Cadence chewed on her bottom lip and shook her head. “Well, isn’t that just a kick in the pants, huh? I never even considered you might do that. I guess that means I’m the stupid one.” She rubbed her chin and rolled her neck. “This entire thing is blowing up in my face.”

  Maddie regarded her with inquisitive eyes. “Why did you kill your roommate?”

  “Hmm?” Cadence jerked up her head. “Oh, don’t be daft. I didn’t kill my roommate.”

  “The report on you from back then says the exact opposite.”

  “Yes, well, that’s because they’re stupid,” Cadence muttered. “Sarah isn’t dead. I know you probably believe that because of the story you heard, but she’s not dead.”

  “Oh, sure.” Maude rolled her eyes. “She just disappeared into the wind without a trace. Likely story.”

  Even though it was a surreal — and serious — conversation, Cadence managed a smile, which somehow threw Maddie for a loop.

  “Sarah was ... larger than life,” Cadence explained. “She was a party girl who liked attention. I was the same, so we got along famously. In addition to the drinking, we had another thing in common. Neither one of us wanted to work.”

  Despite herself, Maddie was intrigued by the story. “You came up with the psychic thing together.”

  “No.” Cadence shook her head. “I came up with it after a trip to the circus. They had a psychic there and she was horrible. I mean ... absolutely horrible. She couldn’t divine a real future from a fortune cookie. It got me to thinking, though.

  “I didn’t want a nine-to-five job,” she continued. “The idea of working in an office choked the life out of me. It’s not exactly like I had skills either. I could’ve worked in a restaurant — my mother was a waitress and I learned from her — but I didn’t want that. I wanted something better.”

  “You wanted a job where you had to put in minimal effort and rake in money,” Maude mused. “On one hand, I get that. Working has never been something I’ve wanted to do either. On the other, though, there is no such thing as easy money.”

  Rather than argue the point, Cadence snorted and bobbed her head. “Oh, trust me. I figured that out relatively quickly. Reading people is easy. I have a knack for it because my mother taught me what signs to look for. I thought I would coast through because of that. I was wrong, though.

  “This psychic thing is no joke.” Cadence almost looked whimsical as she flicked her eyes to the window and sighed. “I’m not trying to pretend that I’m some upstanding citizen or anything. That’s not who I am. It’s just ... I did put effort into this. I don’t want you to think otherwise.”

  Maddie was conflicted. “I guess I’m not sure what you’re trying to say,” she said after a beat. “I don’t really care why you chose to be a psychic. I’m more interested in the other stuff.”

  Cadence was rueful. “Believe it or not, this leads into that ... although I can already tell you aren’t going to believe me.”

  Maddie stared at the other woman for what felt like a long time and then heaved out a sigh. “Tell me your story. Odds are I won’t believe it, but I’m always interested in listening.”

  “I guess that’s something, huh?” Cadence’s tone was light but there was no merriment in her tone. “Like I said, I came up with the idea of being a psychic first. I taught myself how to read tarot cards. It wasn’t difficult as much as time consuming. Each card means a different thing and if you’re wrong on one and someone catches you — which is always a possibility — you’re basically done for with an entire group.

  “I first started reading fortunes in the park by our house,” she continued. “It wasn’t easy. In fact, it was ridiculously difficult. I was giving readings away at first, pretending to be a benevolent soul. I needed to practice, though. Slowly, I started getting traction.

  “During this time, Sarah was working for a day spa,” she continued. “The money was better, but she hated having to work on a schedule. Still, when I first started doing the cards in my free time, she made fun of me. Then, when I slowly started building up a clientele, she started asking questions.”

  Maddie could see where the story was going. At least she thought she could. “Sarah tried to steal your business out from under you.”

  “Of course she did. That’s who she is. She’s a scammer, and then some. She’d sell out her own mother to get ahead. I knew she was the type of person who would survive no matter what when we met. I didn’t know exactly how far she would go, though.”

  Maddie waited for the woman to continue, but Cadence seemed lost in thought. Or, more precisely, the past. “And then what happened?” Maddie prodded.

  “And then ... she put her plan into motion.” Cadence pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. “I didn’t know what was coming. I was caught off guard. I’m pretty sure that was her intention. She thought, if she moved fast enough, that she would be able to take me out of the game. What she didn’t realize is that I was a survivor, too. Sure, I wasn’t as cutthroat as she, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t willing to do what I had to do to survive.”

  “I’m going to need more than that,” Maddie prodded.

  Cadence’s eyes flashed with impatience. “I’m getting to it.” Her annoyance was evident. “For a very brief time — we’re talking three weeks or so — Sarah and I both worked the same area. It was a tense relationship. We were no longer friends. Heck, we weren’t even pretending to be friends. We stayed under the same roof because neither of us could afford to live on our own ... at least not yet.

  “I went out and worked a party at one point,” she continued, taking on a far-off expression. “I was supposed to be out until two or so. That’s what I told her anyway. I was done early, though. It wasn’t as lucrative as I thought it would be.

  “Anyway, I was back at the apartment hours before she was expecting me. I overheard her making plans to take my clients and run. She knew I kept the information locked in a small safe in my room and she thought the clients would be invaluable. She
also knew she would have to disappear if she took them and was prepared.”

  Maddie stirred. “Who was she talking to?”

  “What? Oh, her boyfriend at the time. Brad Pryce. He was a total jerk. He hung with some motorcycle gang because he thought he was tough. The thing is, he was a total wuss. Sarah led him around by the nose, made him look like an idiot. It was honestly ridiculous. I mean ... just terrible.”

  “I take it he’s no longer in the picture.”

  Cadence shook her head. “He never made it out of Tampa. She never had any intention of taking him with her. She used him to get what she wanted and then left him. I know because I saw him when I was leaving town and he was bitter about her taking off.”

  Now they were finally getting somewhere and Maddie was determined to press the issue. “I need to know exactly what happened.”

  “It’s not some profound story or anything,” Cadence replied. “I overheard them plotting to steal my contacts. There was no way I could allow that to happen. I didn’t realize that was only the tip of the iceberg, though.

  “I waited until they went to bed to return to the apartment,” she continued. “I took all my real contacts out of the safe and replaced them with fake ones. Then I took my real ones and hid them in a location outside of the apartment. I thought that would be enough to dissuade her.”

  “Why didn’t you just move?” Maude asked. “I mean ... wouldn’t that have made more sense? You obviously couldn’t trust her.”

  “I couldn’t,” Cadence agreed. “That doesn’t mean I could afford to move. We were barely making our rent as it was. Finding another apartment was impossible. It would’ve been the smart move, but I believed at the time that my only two choices were being homeless or living with Sarah. I chose to keep a roof over my head.”

  “And I’m guessing that was a mistake,” Maddie mused.

  “You have no idea.” Cadence dragged a hand through her hair, restless. “Basically, in a nutshell, Sarah broke into my safe, stole the fake contacts, and left. The thing is, in leaving the way she did, Brad became convinced that I killed her and reported her disappearance to the police. He refused to acknowledge that it was likely she just bolted on him. He couldn’t see what kind of person she was.”