“Were you wearing it the day you disappeared?”
“I don’t think so,” Andrea said. “I honestly can’t be sure. I kept wearing it for weeks after we decided to go ahead with the divorce because I didn’t want to tip Chelsea off to what was going on before we could sit her down and explain everything.
“Even after that happened and she freaked out, I still wore the ring,” she continued. “I’m not sure I can explain why. I was happy the marriage was ending, and yet it still seemed weird to take off the ring. I’m not sure when I finally took it off. I need to think.”
“You do need to think,” Maddie agreed. “It’s important.”
“Why is it important?”
Maddie cleared her throat, uncomfortable with the turn in the conversation. “I don’t want to upset you, but I’m not big on lying,” she said finally. “David has been dating someone new.”
“Who?”
“Cassidy Dunham. Do you know who that is?”
Andrea racked her brain, nodding grimly after a few moments. “She’s really pretty, isn’t she?”
“She is.”
“I guess I’m not surprised,” Andrea said. “I don’t blame David for not waiting around. If everyone thought I ran away, he probably decided I wasn’t worth his time and moved on quickly. It’s not like we were in love or anything.”
“The thing is, when we got home tonight, Cassidy was waiting for us on the front porch,” Maddie said. “David got called down to the library to fix something with a tarp, and Cassidy took it upon herself to search through his things while he was gone.”
“That was a bad move,” Andrea said. “Men don’t like that.”
“No,” Maddie confirmed. “She found something during the search, though. It was your wedding ring. I don’t suppose there’s a legitimate reason why David would have it, is there?”
Andrea frowned. “I … no. I don’t know why he would have it.”
“That’s what I was afraid of,” Maddie muttered, her heart rolling.
“I know I don’t remember what happened to me, but I honestly don’t think David is a murderer,” Andrea said. “If he killed me, wouldn’t I … feel … it?”
Maddie shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“It can’t be David,” Andrea said. “He had no motive. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body. I’m sure it’s not him.”
“If it’s not him, who is it?”
“I have no idea,” Andrea said, her earlier excitement evaporating. “I don’t have an answer for you. I’m sorry.”
“YOUR lawyer is on his way,” Nick said, sitting across from David at the conference room table and sliding a bottle of water in his direction. “We’ll wait until he gets here.”
“I don’t understand why you arrested me,” David said. “I didn’t kill Andrea. I haven’t done a thing.”
“We should wait for your lawyer,” Nick said, opening his own bottle of water.
“At least tell me what happened to Cassidy,” David pressed. “She was sitting on my couch watching television when I left, but when I got home she was mysteriously gone. Did someone hurt her?”
“Cassidy is fine,” Nick replied. “I saw her myself and walked her to her car so she could safely return to her home. She called when she arrived to verify her location. She’s safe.”
“You walked her to her car?” David asked. “What … are you moving in on my turf? Was she not good enough for you when you had her and now you want her because she’s happy with someone else? Is that the game you play?”
Nick narrowed his eyes. “I’m with Maddie,” he said, his voice cold. “I’m in love with Maddie. I don’t have romantic feelings for Cassidy. Trust me.”
“I knew you didn’t have romantic feelings for Cassidy when you were dating her,” David shot back. “Everyone in town knew. Well, except for Cassidy. You still insisted on dating her even though you knew you were going to crush her. Then Maddie Graves blew back into town and it was like Cassidy didn’t exist.”
“Thank you for the recap,” Nick said dryly.
“You’re treating me like a criminal, but what you did to Cassidy should be against the law,” David challenged. “Now tell me why you had to walk my girlfriend to her car. Where was your girlfriend at the time?”
“She was in the house,” Nick replied.
“What house?”
“Our house,” Nick answered. “We came home tonight to find Cassidy waiting for us. Oh, where is your righteous indignation now? Yeah, your girlfriend came to my house because she had information for us. Do you see where this is going?”
David licked his lips. “Cassidy was at your house … and now you suddenly have evidence to arrest me,” he said. “That’s what you’re telling me, isn’t it?”
“We should wait for your lawyer,” Kreskin said, his face unreadable.
“I don’t want to wait for my lawyer,” David exploded. “Tell me what’s going on! I think I deserve at least that.”
“Fine,” Nick said, reaching for the small envelope sitting on the table. “The reason Cassidy came to the house tonight is because she decided to snoop through your things when you left.”
“I figured she would,” David said. “That’s a woman thing. They like to go through your stuff.”
“She found something,” Nick said, not bothering to explain to David that not all women snooped through their boyfriend’s belongings.
“What? I have nothing to hide,” David said. “I have no idea what you think she found, but … .”
Nick tilted the envelope on its side and spilled the wedding ring onto the table. David’s mouth dropped open when he saw the piece of jewelry, a myriad of emotions flashing across his face.
“Do you know what that is?” Kreskin asked.
David nodded.
“We know what it is, too,” Kreskin said. “Do you mind explaining where you got Andrea Johnson’s wedding ring?”
“It’s not what you think,” David said, rolling his neck until it cracked. “On our third date, Andrea and I went to dinner at the restaurant on the lake. We got to talking about letting things go. I admitted that I was worried about her still wearing her wedding ring.
“She took the ring off at the table and left it there,” he continued. “I asked her if she wanted to leave it behind like that – I thought she might want to sell it for whatever money she could get – but she said she was done looking at the past because she wanted to dream about the future.
“She went to the bathroom before we left and we were supposed to meet up front,” David said. “I was double-checking the tip when I decided to grab the ring. I was worried she would regret leaving it behind and I knew she’d never see it again when we left the restaurant. That’s how I got the ring.”
“What were you going to do with it?” Nick asked.
“I was going to hold onto it for a few weeks to see if she changed her mind,” David replied. “If she didn’t mention it, I was going to bring it up to her. At the very least, I thought Chelsea might want it.”
“Why would Chelsea want the ring?”
“The kid was having a hard time with the divorce,” David said. “Andrea said she and Rick were getting along, but I could tell she was exaggerating. There was a lot of fighting going on in that relationship and it got loud a few times when we were on the phone.”
“Say we believe you, and I’m still not sure I do, but let’s pretending for a minute,” Nick said. “Why did you hide the ring?”
David shrugged. “I … don’t know,” he said. “Once I started dating Cassidy, I put everything that happened with Andrea behind me. I let it go. A couple weeks ago I was cleaning the drawer in the kitchen and I came across the ring. I didn’t want Cassidy to discover it – and I didn’t want to throw it away because I was convinced I could find a way to get it to Chelsea – so I hid it in my sock drawer until I could get it to her.”
“And that’s it?” Nick asked.
“That’s it,” David said.
Kreskin and Nick exchanged a look, both of them conflicted. David’s story, while convoluted, wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. He could be telling the truth. Of course, he could be lying, too.
“I’m going to call the prosecutor,” Kreskin said. “He should be here when we sort this all out.”
“That’s a good idea,” Nick said. “This is one decision I’m not comfortable making on my own.”
18
Eighteen
Maddie took a moment to stretch the next morning, basking in Nick’s warmth like it was any other day and taking a moment to thank her lucky stars that she’d finally got everything she ever wanted. That’s when she remembered the previous evening and rolled so she was facing him.
He was asleep, his breathing deep and even. She had no idea what time he returned to the house. She’d given up waiting shortly after midnight. He looked weary, though, like he needed hours more sleep instead of minutes. She lightly traced one of the dark circles under his eyes and snuggled closer.
“Morning, Mad,” Nick murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest.
“Did I wake you up?” Maddie asked, horrified. “I’m so sorry. I was trying to be stealthy.”
“You didn’t wake me up.”
Maddie didn’t believe him. “I’m a horrible girlfriend.”
Nick chuckled and finally wrenched an eye open. “Hi, love.”
“You’re looked tired, Nicky,” Maddie said, worriedly rubbing her thumb over his cheek. “What time did you get home?”
“It was a little before three. You were snoring like a freight train so I climbed in next to you and was out before my head hit the pillow. What time is it now?”
“A little after nine,” Maddie answered, ignoring the snoring jab. “You need to get some more sleep. I’ll make sure no one wakes you up.”
“You can’t leave me,” Nick said, tightening his arms to make sure Maddie couldn’t escape. “I need to hold you for a little bit. I didn’t get my full Maddie fix last night before we were so rudely interrupted.”
“You’re cute,” Maddie said, relenting and cuddling against his chest. “What happened?”
“David Bennet didn’t deny having the ring,” Nick said, softly rubbing Maddie’s back. “He claims Andrea took it off at the dinner table on their third date and left it behind as some sort of token that she was ready to move on from Rick.
“David said he had second thoughts about leaving the ring at the restaurant because he thought Andrea might change her mind,” he continued. “He took the ring and stashed it in a drawer. When Andrea disappeared and he started dating Cassidy, he hid the ring in his sock drawer so she wouldn’t discover it and come to the wrong conclusion.”
“I guess he wasn’t counting on Cassidy going through his things,” Maddie mused.
“Actually, he said that was a ‘woman thing’ to do and he wasn’t surprised,” Nick countered. “Do you go through my stuff when I’m not here?”
“I would never do anything of the sort.”
“You can,” Nick said. “I literally have nothing to hide.”
“That’s your stuff, Nicky,” Maddie argued. “I would never go through it. I know you’re not hiding anything from me. I don’t need to prove that to myself by invading your privacy.”
“David seemed to think that was normal behavior,” Nick said. “I didn’t argue with him. He said he was going to find a way to get the ring to Chelsea. He thought she might want it.”
Maddie mulled the scenario over for a few moments. “That’s not out of the realm of possibility,” she said finally. “I can see something like that happening.”
“I can, too,” Nick agreed. “That’s why I have no idea what to do regarding David. Unfortunately – or thankfully, depending on how you look at it – that decision was taken out of my hands.”
“What does that mean?” Maddie was wary.
“The prosecutor came in to hear the evidence,” Nick answered. “He’s under as much pressure as we are to put someone behind bars. No one wants a murderer running free in a town this size. The longer it goes on, the more likely people are to panic.”
“And?”
“And the prosecutor authorized us to open murder charges against David Bennet,” Nick supplied. “He’s going to be arraigned in court first thing this morning.”
“You don’t sound happy about that?”
“I’m not convinced he’s guilty, Mad,” Nick admitted. “When Cassidy showed us that ring, I couldn’t think of one scenario where he would legitimately end up with it in his possession. He didn’t falter on that story one time. It didn’t sound like a lie.”
“What does Dale think?”
“He’s on the fence.”
“The prosecutor thinks he’s guilty, though,” Maddie said. “Maybe he’s right.”
“He could be right,” Nick conceded. “What happens if he’s wrong, though? If we close this case and put David on trial when he’s innocent, that means the real killer is going to get away with murder.”
“And perhaps kill someone else,” Maddie added.
“Exactly,” Nick said, burrowing his face in the hollow between Maddie’s neck and shoulder. “I don’t like this, Mad. I want more time to get all the facts in proper order. The prosecutor is adamant that David is guilty and he can convict him, though.”
“You can keep investigating while David is in jail,” Maddie suggested. “You don’t have to give up until you’re satisfied the right man is behind bars.”
“I’m not giving it up. I just don’t know where to look next.”
“If it’s any consolation, Andrea stopped by after you left last night and said that she didn’t believe David had it in him to murder her,” Maddie volunteered. “She couldn’t remember when she last had her wedding ring, but things are starting to come back to her. If she remembers the story and it matches David’s tale, then we’ll know the prosecutor is wrong.”
“That’s all well and good, Mad, but I can’t take your chat with a ghost to the prosecutor,” Nick pointed out.
“No, but the more Andrea remembers, the more likely she is to point us in the direction of the real killer,” Maddie said. “We still don’t know what happened to Andrea’s car. That could be a big clue. It could clear David.”
“That’s a good point, love,” Nick said, kissing Maddie’s neck. “You’re so soft and warm in the morning. This is my favorite time of day with you.”
“I thought your favorite time of day was when we got naked in the lake,” Maddie teased.
“I like that, too,” Nick said. “This, though, this is my happy place.”
Maddie grinned. “You’re my happy place.”
“Right back at you, love.”
TWO hours later Maddie and Nick finally made their way downstairs. Nick needed more sleep, and Maddie was content remaining by his side for the duration. When they woke up the second time, they trudged downstairs to get breakfast and found … bedlam.
“Do I even want to know what this is?” Nick asked, eyeing Maude and Christy as they practiced magic tricks behind a small table in the middle of Maddie’s shop.
“I’m going to be a magician for my talent,” Maude announced. “We’ve been practicing. I’m getting really good.”
“I’m happy for you, Granny,” Maddie said, yawning. “I’m sure you’re going to knock them dead.”
“If I could knock people dead, the first one to go would be Harriet,” Maude said, doing a little dance as she waved her wand over a hat. “Kazam!” She reached into the hat and pulled out a stuffed rabbit. “Voila!”
“Your vocabulary is very colorful,” Maddie said. “I can’t wait to see your act. That’s tomorrow, right?”
Maude screwed up her face into a righteous scowl. “My own flesh and blood doesn’t know when I’m making my big debut. I don’t know how I’ll live with the shame.”
“I’m sorry,” Maddie said, instantly contrite. “Whe
n is the pageant?”
“I’m not telling you,” Maude said, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re banned.”
“Granny, I’m really sorry,” Maddie said, ignoring Nick as his shoulders shook with silent laughter. “We’ve had a lot going on.”
“That’s no excuse,” Maude charged. “You’re supposed to be on my side. Heck, you were supposed to help me prepare. Other than that first day when you helped me pick a hair color, you’ve been completely absent. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”
“I know and I’m sorry,” Maddie said, the apology sounding lame to her own ears. “We’ve just had so much to deal with. Nick didn’t get home until the middle of the night.”
“I heard they arrested David Bennet,” Christy interjected. “Is he really guilty?”
Nick shrugged. “I have no idea.” His response was short and brutal. “He could be guilty. He could be innocent, too. I didn’t make the choice to prosecute him. I’m not ready to give up looking into the case, though.”
“Well, you’ll have plenty of time for that because you’re not invited to my pageant either,” Maude said. “For the record, it’s tonight. You’re both uninvited.”
“Granny!” Maddie wagged a finger in her grandmother’s direction. “You’re not being fair. Nick is exhausted.”
“What’s your excuse?”
“Maddie is tired, too,” Nick said. “You can pout all you want, but we’re both going to the pageant to cheer you on. You know you can’t keep us away, so give it a rest.”
Nick shook his head as he walked into the kitchen, reaching for a mug from one of the overhead cupboards as Maddie moved toward the refrigerator.
“She’s upset,” Maddie said. “We need to make sure we don’t miss her pageant. She’ll never forgive us if we do.”
“We’ll be there,” Nick said. “I wouldn’t miss … whatever that is she was doing in the living room … for anything in the world. She’s just being dramatic. She likes being the center of attention.”
“She’ll be fine,” Christy agreed, walking into the room and studying Nick and Maddie up close. “No offense, but you two look like you’ve seen better days. Have things really been that rough?”
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