The conversation was quickly veering into dangerous territory.
“So, we’ve all agreed to go down to the cemetery together?” Aaron asked, hoping to change the subject.
“I’m game,” Brian said. “I’ve never seen it. After that, though, I want to have a basketball tournament this afternoon. There are four of us. We can have even teams.”
“That sounds fun,” Max said, turning his attention to Nick. “Does that sound okay to you?”
Nick shrugged. “I’m up for going to the cemetery, but I’ll have to think about playing basketball.”
“Why? Did you forget how to play?”
“No,” Nick said. “I just promised Maddie I would spend the afternoon catching her a turtle.”
“Don’t you do that every weekend?” Christy asked.
“So?”
“So you should play basketball with the boys so I can gossip with Lauren and Maddie,” Christy said, filling in the blanks for him.
“What are you going to gossip about?” Nick asked curiously.
“You.”
“I hate it when you do that,” Nick grumbled.
Ten
“Wow,” Christy said, pushing her red hair away from her face and studying the cemetery plot with wide eyes. “I know you said that some of the townspeople were put to rest here, but I wasn’t expecting this.”
“It’s not that big,” Aaron said. “I think there are only three hundred people here total. When you think about it, that’s nothing.”
“That doesn’t seem like nothing to me,” Cassidy said. “The idea of three hundred people being buried in my yard totally freaks me out.” She shuffled a little closer to Nick, a move Maddie didn’t miss. She also didn’t comment on it. She didn’t want to make a scene. “Don’t you think that’s freaky, Nick?” Cassidy asked, her eyes wide.
Nick glanced at her, unsure how to answer. Since ending their relationship Cassidy’s moods swung wildly. One second she was angry and vengeful. The next she was a sobbing mess. He could never be sure which version of Cassidy he was going to get.
The truth was, and he had trouble admitting it even to himself, he didn’t know much about the woman. When he started dating her, the only thing he knew was that she was pretty and amiable. When he’d been looking for people to date, Nick always picked moldable women who would be willing to let him set limitations on the relationship. Those limitations usually involved a maximum of two dates a week. He never introduced the women to his family, and he always found a reason to get out of meeting their families. He drew clear lines in the sand. Despite all of that, Cassidy somehow believed they had a future. He still couldn’t fathom it.
“I’m not scared of cemeteries,” Nick said, moving away from Cassidy and sidling up behind Maddie. Her eyes were busy as she scanned the cemetery, and Nick knew exactly what she was looking for. He rested a hand on her hip to let her know he was there but he didn’t otherwise distract her. “I’ve always enjoyed hanging out in them. When we were in middle school, Maddie once convinced me to spend the night in a cemetery because she saw it in a movie and thought it would be cool.”
Christy laughed. “Did you?”
“I did,” Nick said. “It was actually pretty fun. It was her idea, but she got scared in the middle of the night and crawled into my sleeping bag with me.”
“Did you get to second base?” Max asked.
Nick tilted his head to the side, racking his brain. “Technically? Yes. I had no idea that’s what was happening, though. I honestly thought my hand was on her stomach.”
“Nice,” Maddie said. “Is that a comment on how flat chested I was back then?”
“It’s okay, Mad,” Nick said. “By the time we hit senior year, I finally figured out you had boobs.”
“You’ve told me this story,” Maddie groaned.
“I haven’t heard it,” Max said. “Go on.”
“No one wants to hear this story,” Marla said.
“I do,” Aaron said. “Shut up.”
“It’s not a big story,” Nick said, tickling Maddie’s ribs. “We were in the funhouse at one of the fairs and Maddie got scared and jumped into my arms. It just so happens that her boobs were smushed up against me. I hadn’t realized how big they’d gotten until then, and after that, it was all I could think about. It was the best moment of my life … until recently.” He kissed Maddie’s cheek to reassure her. “I’ve had better moments since.”
“Oh, you’re so romantic,” Lauren said.
“Are you being sarcastic?” Nick asked. “I can’t tell.”
“Oh, no,” Lauren said, rolling her eyes. “All women love hearing a good ‘he touched my boob’ story about their teenage years. It’s like a dream come true.”
Christy snickered.
“That’s a terrible story,” Aaron said. “I thought it was going to get way dirtier.”
“I’ve decided that all men are pigs when they get together in little groups,” Maddie said.
“You’re coming to that party late,” Christy said.
“Well, we’re going to look around,” Nick said, linking his fingers with Maddie’s.
“You just want to get her alone because you’re worried she’s going to be mad at you,” Max said. “You should let her get mad at you occasionally, my man.”
“Why is that?”
“Because, if you think touching her boob when you were a teenager was great, wait until you get to have some righteous make-up sex.”
“How do you know we haven’t already done that?” Nick asked.
“Because you two are still in the honeymoon stage of your relationship,” Max said. “It’s pretty obvious you haven’t fought yet. When it happens, you’re going to think the world is ending until you make up. Then, when you make up, you’re going to go out of your way to fight again just so you can repeat the experience.”
Nick grinned as he glanced down at Maddie. “What do you think? Do you want to fight?”
“I think you should stay here and tell your funhouse story again,” Maddie said, pulling away from him. “I want to look around.”
“Alone?”
“I’ll go with her,” Christy said. “We wouldn’t want to cut your teenage memories short.”
Nick shifted slightly, considering the offer. He didn’t want to leave Maddie alone, especially when he knew she was looking for a ghost. Still, Christy was aware of Maddie’s psychic gifts. She would stick close to her. He’d promised Maddie he wouldn’t hover and this was the first test of his resolve. “Okay,” he said, leaning over so he could give Maddie a quick kiss. “Have fun.”
“DID you see a ghost last night?” Christy asked as she walked along the cobblestone path with Maddie. “I saw you staring into the trees, and no matter what Aaron said, it didn’t look like you were staring at deer to me.”
“I did,” Maddie said, glancing around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
“Do you know who it was?”
“She didn’t say,” Maddie replied.
“Can you describe her?”
“She looked like she was in her forties. She had dark hair, but there was quite a bit of gray in it. She was wearing a weird little uniform.”
“Like a maid’s uniform?”
“No. I’m not sure how I would describe it. It was bluish white.”
“Hmm. Did she tell you who she was?”
“No,” Maddie said. “She seemed confused by her surroundings. She did know Granny, though, if you can believe that?”
“That means she died within the last fifty years or so, right?”
“She knew who my mother was, too,” Maddie said. “She thought I was Granny’s daughter at first, but then it was like she got caught in time. By the time Nick got back to me it seemed like she was scared.”
“Well, I’m sure you’ll find her,” Christy said. “Just be careful when you talk to her. Make sure no one can see you but Nick or me. If Marla catches you talking to a ghost you’re never going to hear th
e end of it.”
“I’m not sure I care what Marla thinks,” Maddie said.
“Since when?”
“Since … I don’t know,” Maddie said. “It’s not one of those overnight things. It’s more of a gradual thing. The more time I spend around her, the more I realize that she’s just a genuinely unhappy person. It’s not me that she hates. It’s her circumstances.”
“You’re cute,” Christy said.
“Meaning?”
“She hates you, Maddie,” Christy said. “It’s not because you’re different, though. She hates you because you’ve gotten everything she’s ever wanted. At first, she hated you because she wanted Nick and his relationship with you made it impossible for her to get him.
“Now she hates you because you swooped back into town and claimed Nick when she worked for years to get him to come around to her way of thinking while you were gone,” she continued. “I think she honestly thought she could make him fall in love with her somehow.”
“She doesn’t really know Nick, though,” Maddie pointed out. “I don’t see how she could convince herself she has feelings for him when she can’t see inside his heart.”
“Oh, so schmaltzy,” Christy said, mock clutching her heart.
“You know what I mean.”
“I do,” Christy said, sobering. “I also know you’re using logic when you should be thinking with a cold pit that doubles as a heart. That’s what Marla thinks with.”
Maddie chewed on the inside of her cheek as she considered Christy’s words. She’d learned that the woman was pretty savvy when it came to reading the human condition.
“Marla wants Nick because he was one of the big prizes in high school,” Christy said. “She wanted him then because she thought it would cement her popularity. She was desperate to get him to notice her. The problem was she tried to get him to notice her by demeaning you. That’s not the way to Nick Winters’ heart.”
“I guess I don’t understand why she would hold onto that for so long,” Maddie said. “High school was a long time ago.”
“High school is forever for girls like Marla,” Christy said. “Once you left town Marla convinced herself she had a chance with Nick. He was too depressed at first to bother with her, and then he was too smart to even consider it later. Trust me. Marla is the type of woman who would conveniently forget to take her birth control if she thought she could snag the right man.”
“That’s horrible.”
“Marla is horrible,” Christy said.
Maddie shifted her attention in the direction of the mausoleum, and when she did, her gaze fell on the ghost from the previous evening. She was floating by the door watching them.
“She’s here,” Maddie said, gripping Christy’s hand.
“Who? Marla?”
“No. The ghost.”
Christy followed the track of Maddie’s eyes with her own, momentarily disappointed she couldn’t see the ghost. “I wish your superpowers would transfer over to me. I want to see a ghost.”
“It’s not all it’s cracked up to be.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Christy said. “Do you want to try and talk to her?”
“I don’t know,” Maddie said, letting her gaze wander around the cemetery. Nick and the other men were still standing in the center of the plot telling stories. Whatever Max was reenacting had them all in stitches. Lauren was kneeling next to an older tombstone, apparently intent on whatever she was reading. Cassidy and Marla were nowhere in sight. “Where did Cassidy and Marla go?”
“I have no idea,” Christy said. “Maybe we got lucky and they headed back to the house.”
“Will you do me a favor and keep an eye out for them? I’ll try to talk to the ghost.”
“I want to go with you,” Christy protested.
“You can’t even hear her.”
“Fine.” Christy crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re lucky I’m such a good friend.”
“I am lucky,” Maddie sincerely replied. “You’re the second best friend I’ve had my entire life.”
Christy’s face softened. “Go and help the ghost, you suck up,” she said. “You’re a good friend, too, and I want to help you if I can.”
“Thanks,” Maddie said. “Warn me if you see Marla and Cassidy show back up.”
“I’m still hoping they fell in the river or something.”
“HI,” Maddie said, approaching the spirit carefully a few minutes later. “Are you ready to talk to me now?”
“You’re still here.”
“I am,” Maddie said. “I … do you think we could go inside and talk? It might make things easier.”
Instead of answering the spirit floated through the door and disappeared to the other side. Maddie was taking that as a yes.
Maddie let herself into the mausoleum, being careful to leave the door propped open so she didn’t inadvertently lock herself in. The ghost was waiting for her, the filtered light barely serving as a means to see the woman’s filmy countenance.
“Can everyone in your family see and talk to ghosts?”
“Not everyone,” Maddie said carefully. “My mother could. My grandmother, on the other hand, can’t. Many of the women in my family have … the gift. Not all of them, though. We have no idea why it skips certain generations.”
“That’s interesting,” the woman said. “Before I died, I would’ve thought it was nifty to see ghosts.”
“What about now?”
“Now I wish I could see anything but this place.”
Maddie’s heart went out to the woman. She’d been here a long time. Too long. She obviously longed to pass on. Maddie only hoped she would be able to help her with the process. “What’s your name?”
“Rose. Rose Denton.”
She was finally getting somewhere. “How are you related to Aaron?”
“He’s my grandson, although I’ve never technically met him,” Rose said. “I died long before he was born.”
Maddie nodded, absorbing the information as she glanced around the mausoleum. She read the plaques, not stopping until she came to the name she was looking for. She moved toward it, resting her fingertips on the cold metal and tracing the elevated letters. “Is this you?”
“That’s me. Rose Eloise Denton. Born April 12, 1927. Died December 12, 1970.”
“How did you die?”
“Hard.”
That wasn’t really an answer, but Maddie didn’t want to push the woman if she wasn’t ready to expand. “If you’re Aaron’s grandmother, that means you died when his father was still relatively young. Did you have more than one child?”
“No, just the one.”
“Do you spend a lot of time watching your family?”
“The house is empty a lot of the time,” Rose said. “I watch them sometimes. Other times … I just kind of exist. I’m not really thinking about anything, or remembering anything. I’m aware that life is going on without me. Of course, it felt like life was going on without me even when I was alive.”
Sympathy for the woman bubbled up, although Maddie wasn’t exactly sure why. She was clearly sad, but until she opened up, there was nothing Maddie could do to help her. “You know, if you tell me how you died, I might be able to help you move on.”
“To where?”
‘The other side,” Maddie said. “I’m not sure what’s waiting for you, but it has to be better than what you’re living with here.”
Rose considered the offer. “I’m not sure … I don’t … .” She squared her shoulders, almost as if she’d been trying to decide how to answer, and finally made up her mind. “I was murdered.”
Maddie opened her mouth to reply, a hundred different questions fighting for top billing on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t get a chance to ask any of them because the sound of the mausoleum door swinging shut assailed her ears instead.
That was when Maddie realized she’d made a terrible mistake. It seemed the only light in the room was filtering in throug
h a small window at the top of the building – and the door, which had been propped open, cut off the bulk of the light when it slammed shut.
Now Maddie found herself plunged into virtual darkness, and she was trying really hard not to panic.
That’s when she heard a noise in the corner of the mausoleum and realized she wasn’t alone.
“Omigod!”
Eleven
“Who’s in here?”
No one answered, but Maddie could distinctly hear the sound of something scraping against the floor along the far wall of the mausoleum.
“Rose?”
“Be careful, Maddie Graves.” Rose’s voice was barely a whisper. “Death is here.”
Maddie swallowed hard, trying to tamp down the panic as it invaded her soul. “What does that mean?”
“I’m not the only presence that stayed behind,” Rose said. “There’s something else. There’s something worse.”
“And it’s here now?”
“It’s here and it’s coming for you.”
“Crap,” Maddie muttered, extending her hands and moving toward the area where she believed she would find the door. “Nicky!”
“I STILL think you should describe what Maddie looks like naked for me,” Brian said. “You did beat me up because I wanted to ask her out when we were in high school.”
Nick scorched him with a look. “You do not want to go there.”
“Come on,” Brian pleaded. “She’s stinking hot, man. She looks like she could be a model. I mean … did you see her legs in that dress last night?”
“I see her legs every night.”
“Now you’re just rubbing it in.”
“Brian, the only reason I’m not beating you up again is because there are too many witnesses,” Nick warned. “Stop talking about Maddie being naked.”
“Just for clarification, I don’t think he’s asking to see Maddie naked,” Aaron said.
Max raised his hand. “I am.”
Aaron wagged a finger in his face. “Don’t make things worse,” he said. “I think Brian just wants you to describe what you get to cuddle up next to every night. You don’t have to go into great detail … .”
“Yes, he does,” Max said.
“Seriously, you’re not helping us here,” Aaron said. “Just … give us a hint, man. How great is her body?”
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