Grave Haunting (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 10)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I’m cleaning,” Maddie replied, running the feather duster over the shelves. “With the weather turning warmer I expect to get more customers.”

  Blackstone Bay wasn’t a large town. Actually, it was quite small. Over the spring, summer, and fall months it boasted a robust tourist population. The store – Magicks – belonged to Olivia before Maddie returned home. Maddie was more than happy to take over day-to-day operations. That usually entailed a few readings and answering questions so the days never taxed her restless mind.

  “You’re cleaning, huh?” Maude’s eyes were keen despite her age. She’d been watching Maddie for a few minutes without her granddaughter noticing. “I thought you were staring at your engagement ring and making adorable sighing noises when you thought about your future husband.”

  Maddie straightened, her eyes flashing as she swiveled to face her grandmother head-on. “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, you’re so cute when you’re embarrassed.” Maude patted Maddie’s cheek and chuckled. “You’ve been staring at that ring since he gave it to you, Maddie girl. It’s not going to suddenly disappear. You know that, right?”

  Maddie balked. “I never thought it would suddenly disappear.”

  Maude wasn’t convinced. “I sometimes wonder if you believe this is a dream and you’re going to wake up one day and realize that none of it was real. That’s no way to live your life, Maddie.”

  “I don’t believe it’s a dream,” Maddie shot back. “I know it’s real. I just … I’m finally getting everything I ever wanted.”

  Maude beamed. She was as fond of Nick as she was of her granddaughter. They’d always been tight as children and Maude hoped they would find their way back to each other as adults. When they did, things seemed to slip into place. Maude was in no hurry to die – she had enemies to spite and bourbon to drink, after all – but she wasn’t afraid to do it now. Before, she worried about leaving Maddie alone in the world. Now she knew that Nick would always be with Maddie and they were destined for happiness. It lifted a heavy load from her shoulders.

  “So why are you a bundle of nerves if you’re happy?” Maude challenged, crossing her arms over her chest. “Just enjoy being happy. It’s what I want for you. It’s what Nick wants for you. I know it’s what your mother would want for you. By the way, has she been around lately?”

  The Graves family peculiarity – which is what Olivia termed Maddie’s abilities when she was a youngster – hit most of the women in the family with a few notable exceptions. Maude was one of those exceptions. However, Olivia had been strengthening in recent months. Occasionally she stopped by for a visit and Maude actually felt her presence. Those were wonderful visits, but it had been weeks since Olivia had engaged in a long stay.

  “I haven’t seen her in about two weeks,” Maddie answered, wrinkling her nose. “That’s not unusual, though. Time passes differently when you’re dead. Sometimes she’s gone for weeks and only thinks she’s been gone for days. I wouldn’t worry about it. She’ll be back.”

  “I’m not worried about it,” Maude clarified. “I simply thought she’d be hanging around more so we could all plan your wedding together.”

  Maddie couldn’t stop the slow smile from spreading across her face. “Yeah. That will be fun, right?”

  Maude nodded. “It will be. Have you picked a date yet?”

  Maddie shook her head. “No, but we don’t want to wait a long time. We’re talking about summer because we want to have the wedding outside. That’s as far as we’ve gotten.”

  “Well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Maude patted Maddie’s arm, her smile slipping as she studied Maddie’s odd expression. Maddie let her eyes drift to the bay window in the front of the store and focused on the empty yard. Maude couldn’t decide if she saw something or merely disappeared into La-La Land. “What’s wrong?”

  “I … nothing is wrong.” Maddie jerked her head back and cringed when she met Maude’s doubtful face. “Why do you think something is wrong?”

  “Because you seem tense,” Maude answered without hesitation. “I saw you and Nick canoodling in the chair before he left for work. I would think you would be in a good mood after swapping spit for an hour.”

  Maddie narrowed her eyes, annoyance flowing through her. “We don’t canoodle. Is that even a word? I don’t think it’s a word.”

  “It’s definitely a word and that’s all you and Nick do,” Maude countered. “At least when the weather was warmer you snuck down to the lake to skinny-dip and did your canoodling elsewhere. The winter hasn’t been bad, but you’ve been forced to spend all of your heavy petting time under this roof and it’s starting to wear on me.”

  Maddie was scandalized. “We don’t pet each other.”

  Maude snorted. She adored Maddie’s puritan streak. “I think Nick is planning on getting you a special pet brush for Valentine’s Day.”

  “You’re mean.” Maddie poked her grandmother’s side and shook her head. “We don’t pet each other … or canoodle … or any other dirty things your mind comes up with.”

  “How sad for you,” Maude deadpanned, her lips curving. “The dirty things my mind comes up with are topnotch and guaranteed to put a smile on your face.”

  “Okay, well … .” Maddie sucked in a breath to calm herself. “We’re done talking about that. Why don’t you tell me what you’re up to?”

  The shift in Maude’s demeanor was so small Maddie almost didn’t notice it. Maddie knew her grandmother well enough to know that she was up to something by the way she averted her gaze and stared at the front door.

  “I’m not up to anything,” Maude answered automatically. “Why do you have such a suspicious mind?”

  “Because I grew up with you.” Maddie planted her hands on her narrow hips. “What are your plans for the day?”

  “Oh, well, I thought I would take a swing by the police station and tease Nick about the canoodling before going to my Pink Ladies meeting. Do you have a problem with that?” Maude’s tone turned accusatory.

  “I don’t have a problem with that,” Maddie clarified, licking her lips. Maude’s social group was named The Pink Ladies. They generally spent their afternoons drinking tea laced with bourbon and playing cards. Occasionally they got into more mischief, but with the temperatures threatening to hover around freezing for the bulk of the afternoon, Maddie had her doubts that they would venture outside. “Do you promise you’re not up to anything?”

  “I promise that I’m an absolute angel and you’re lucky to have me,” Maude replied, moving to leave the store and head back toward her apartment. “Do you promise to stop being a worrywart and mind your own business?”

  Maddie shook her head. “You’re my grandmother. It’s my job to worry about you.”

  “I believe you have that switched around, Maddie girl.” Despite her irritation at being questioned, Maude couldn’t stop her expression from softening. “Go back to your daydreams about Nick. I’m sure they’ll keep you warm until you see him again and he handles the job with his own personal flair.”

  “I’m sure they will, too.”

  MADDIE SPENT the bulk of the day on her own, helping a few customers and giving one reading to a woman who wanted to know if her husband would ever stop being the world’s biggest tool. She didn’t bother locking the front door when she took a break in the back for lunch. The bell would alert her if someone entered and it was quiet as she ate her soup and grilled cheese.

  She was just loading her dishes into the dishwasher when the bell sounded. “I’ll be right there,” she called out, washing and drying her hands before heading toward the store. “How can I help you?”

  The man standing in the middle of the store looked nervous. His hair was gray – although Maddie was fairly certain it had been blond at one time – and his blue eyes were wary as they flicked from one end of the store to the other.

  She’d seen this before so the man’s demeanor didn’t make her nervous. “Let me guess,” she offered kindly.
“You want to get your wife something – maybe a Valentine’s Day gift – and you thought you might find something unique here. Am I close?”

  “I … .” The man licked his lips as he stared hard. He sucked in a deep breath to calm himself. “You’re kind of right.”

  “Kind of?” Maddie offered the man a serene smile as she strolled into the store. “What was I wrong about?”

  “Oh, well, I do want to look around,” the man hedged.

  “Go ahead.” Maddie gestured with her hand. “I’ll be close if you have any questions. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

  “I’m … not sure.” The man shifted his eyes to the bookshelf and Maddie took the opportunity to glance at his ring hand. She figured she was close to the mark with the Valentine’s Day gift scenario, but the fact that his left ring finger was bare threw her for a loop.

  “Why don’t you give me a hint and I’ll see if I can help you,” Maddie prodded.

  This time when the man shifted his eyes back to Maddie there was something residing inside of them that caused her to swallow hard. “Don’t you know?”

  “I … what?” Maddie found herself flustered, although she had no idea why. She wasn’t getting a dangerous vibe from the stranger. In fact, he seemed perfectly nice and normal. Still, there was something off about the entire situation.

  “You’re supposed to be psychic, right?” The man gestured toward the sign in the window. “It says you do psychic readings.”

  “I do,” Maddie confirmed, bobbing her head.

  “That means you should know why I’m here, right?”

  “Not unless you tell me,” Maddie replied, rubbing her sweaty palms against the front of her jeans. People often asked annoying questions like that, but she made a point to brush them off rather than engage. “I try not to invade people’s minds unless they ask me to enter.”

  “Oh, well, that sounds pragmatic.” The man flicked his eyes to the table at the far end of the room. “Is that where you do it?”

  “Is that what you want?” Maddie asked, forcing herself to remain calm. “Do you want a reading?”

  Maddie couldn’t be sure, but she was almost positive the man made up his mind on the spot. “That would be nice.”

  Maddie wisely let the man walk to the table first, keeping a safe distance in case he decided to do something untoward. She didn’t believe that was his intention – in fact she was almost certain he was more nervous than she was – but something about the way he acted didn’t feel right.

  “Do you want tarot cards or a palm reading?” Maddie asked once she was settled in her chair.

  “A palm reading is fine.”

  “Okay.” Maddie forced a smile as she accepted the man’s hand, pressing her eyes shut as she focused on his energy. She breathed in through her nose and exhaled through her mouth as she forced herself to calm and sort through the images. “It seems you’ve traveled a lot through the years.”

  “Yes.” The man’s voice was dry and raspy.

  “You never settled in one place for very long, huh?” Maddie tilted her head to the side as another memory pushed to the forefront of the man’s brain. She recognized the woman in this one. Granted, this memory was from before she was born, but she was technically a part of it because she was almost certain the pregnant woman in the vision was the one who gave birth to her. “I … Mom?”

  The man didn’t jerk back his hand, or act as if Maddie said something out of the ordinary. He merely remained where he was sitting and stared at Maddie’s twisted face.

  The memories came fast and furious now as Maddie tried to get a grip on what she was seeing. She didn’t recognize the man. Why would she, after all? She’d never met him. Olivia didn’t so much as keep a photograph of him around the house when Maddie was younger. Maddie witnessed the heady beginnings of a whirlwind romance … and the tidal wave of despair that washed over both Olivia and her former husband when he decided things weren’t moving in an acceptable direction.

  Maddie jerked her hand back, gasping for breath as her eyes flashed. The man appeared calm from all outward appearances as he regarded the daughter he’d never had occasion to meet.

  “Hello, sweetheart.”

  Maddie knocked over her chair as she hastily stood, pressing her hand to her chest as she tried to maintain some form of composure. “I … you … what … .” She couldn’t get a complete thought out.

  “Perhaps you should sit down,” the man suggested, his eyes kind as he directed Maddie toward the window seat where she and Nick read together almost every night. “You’ll feel better if you sit down.”

  “Feel better?” Maddie was beside herself. “You want me to feel better?”

  The man didn’t get a chance to respond because Maude picked that moment to appear in the doorway. Her eyes immediately went to Maddie, glossing over the stranger.

  “What’s wrong, Maddie girl?” Maude asked. “I was in the garage picking up another bottle of bourbon when I heard something crash. Are you okay?”

  “I … um … .” Maddie’s brain didn’t want to work.

  Sensing her granddaughter’s distress – although having no idea why the girl was melting down in such spectacular fashion – Maude shifted her eyes to the man standing next to Maddie. For the first time she saw him.

  “Son of a … .”

  “Granny,” Maddie offered weakly. “I … is this who I think it is?”

  “He’s the freaking Devil,” Maude shot back, racing into the room. “I thought I told you never to come back here. Oh, well, I guess it doesn’t matter now, does it? Now that you’re here I can kill you and free myself of that worry. Maddie, get a knife and a tarp. This will be over before you know it.”

  “Oh, my … .” Maddie felt sick to her stomach as she sank to the ground, her back to the wall. “I think I’m going to throw up.”

  3

  Three

  “I can’t believe you had the balls to come back here, George Eugene Hunter!” Maude barked, shaking her fist for emphasis. “I thought for sure karma would’ve caught up with you by now and you died in a ditch somewhere … or got syphilis … or had some nice man bash your head in with a hammer.”

  Maddie bent over at the waist as she fought against the waves of nausea threatening to overwhelm her. She really thought she might be sick in the middle of her store. That was the last thing she wanted. “Granny … .”

  Maude was on a roll and there was no stopping her. She didn’t so much as spare a glance for her suffering granddaughter. “I have a hammer, George. How about you wait here while I get it.”

  For his part, George Hunter merely remained rooted to his spot, his eyes bouncing between his former mother-in-law and the daughter he’d only seen from a distance. Finally, when he spoke, it was to Maude. “You’re the only person who ever calls me by my middle name, Maude. I still hate it.”

  “Good.” Maude’s face was red enough that Maddie momentarily forgot about her tummy woes and focused on her grandmother.

  “Do you feel lightheaded?” Maddie asked, springing to action. “Do you need to sit down?”

  The look Maude shot Maddie was one of pure dislike. “Do I look like I need to sit down?”

  Maddie was convinced that had to be a trick question. “I … um … .”

  “I’m not here to cause trouble,” George said, holding up his hands and taking a step back. “I swear I’m not. The last thing I want is to disrupt your life. I just … wanted to see you.”

  Maude didn’t give Maddie a chance to react to the tidbit before launching into another tirade. “You wanted to see her? Oh, well, that’s rich! You never wanted to see her before. You never cared about her before. You weren’t there when she was born. You weren’t there when she cried herself to sleep over nightmares. You weren’t there when she had a broken heart … or a cold … or when she had the chicken pox and had a really bad fever. You weren’t there for any of that!”

  Maddie felt numb as she shifted from one foo
t to the other, remaining close to Maude in case she had some sort of fit and passed out while taking a moment to study the man who provided half of her genes. Most people thought she looked like Olivia – and she did in some ways – but Maddie could see right away that she got a lot of her facial features and coloring from her father. Her father. She never thought she would have to worry about him so his sudden arrival made her feel stupid and slow as she attempted to wade through the muck.

  “What’s going on?”

  Maddie didn’t realize they had another guest until she lifted her eyes to the doorway that separated the store and the rest of the house and found Penelope Marchand, Maude’s fellow Pink Lady, taking in the scene with panicked eyes. “What are you doing here?” Maddie asked, confused.

  “I had to drive Maude because we needed more bourbon and she was a little tipsy,” Penelope replied. “I … is something going on?”

  “Nothing is going on, Penny,” Maude snapped, her cheeks flushed with color. “This piece of crap was just on his way out.”

  “No, I’m not on my way out,” George countered, taking Maddie by surprise. “Believe it or not, I’m not here to spar with you, Maude. I’m here to see my daughter.”

  Maddie’s stomach revolted at the words and she bent over again to keep from throwing up the soup and sandwich she ate less than an hour before.

  “Are you okay, Maddie?” Penelope’s eyes sparked with worry as she studied the blonde. She was usually the picture of health so Penelope couldn’t help but worry. “Do you need to sit down?”

  “I need to … .” What? Maddie had no idea what she needed. Part of her hoped she was about to wake up and realize this was all a bad dream. The other part desperately needed to put distance between herself and the man who walked out on her mother before Maddie was born. “I need air.”