Grave Missteps

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Of course we did.”

  Maddie shook her head. “No. We decided we loved each other and that was it. We were essentially tied to one another after that.”

  “But … .” Nick racked his brain. “Crap. We didn’t have a first date.”

  Amused, Maddie patted his arm. “It’s okay. It all worked out in the end.”

  “No, I want us to have a first date to tell our kids about,” Nick groused. “We need to schedule a first date in the next few days or something.”

  Maddie was understandably confused. “We’ve been together a long time now. It’s too late for a first date.”

  “It’s never too late for a first date.” Nick was firm. “In fact, yeah. We’re going to go on a first date as soon as I can plan something. It’s going to be magical.”

  His expression was so serious all Maddie could do was acquiesce. “I think it sounds like a fabulous idea.”

  Nick gave her a soft kiss. “Just wait until I actually pull it off. I … .” He broke off, his forehead wrinkling as he lifted his nose. “Do you smell that?”

  Maddie shook her head. “What?”

  “Smoke. It smells like smoke.” Nick’s first instinct was to look back at the house they shared. It wasn’t visible over the trees, but neither was any smoke. When he turned in the opposite direction, though, he was floored. “Look at that.”

  Maddie followed his gaze, her stomach lurching when she saw the pillars of smoke billowing over the trees. “What do you think that is?”

  “I don’t know.” Nick held out his hand so she could take it. “We’re going to find out, though. Come on.”

  2

  Two

  Maddie was in good shape, but Nick’s legs were longer and he released her hand once they cleared the trees and could see what was actually happening.

  “I have to see if anyone needs help, Mad.” His expression was grave. “Call Dale and make sure he gets help out here right away. Tell him to hurry.”

  Maddie wordlessly nodded as she fumbled in her pocket for her phone. Nick was already running toward the source of the smoke, a large two-story house on the corner of the street. It was rundown, but Maddie knew at least one person lived there, and the occupant was elderly. If she needed help, Nick would provide it … no matter the danger he found himself in during the process.

  Dale Kreskin, Nick’s partner on the Blackstone Bay police force, answered on the second ring. “Kreskin,” he barked, his tone telling Maddie he wasn’t keen about being bothered on a weekend.

  “It’s Maddie.” She was breathless and it took everything she had to concentrate long enough to form words. “The blue house on the end of my street is on fire. Like … big fire. There’s smoke coming through the roof and the building is about halfway engulfed.”

  Kreskin turned serious. “Where is Nick?”

  “Running there now. It’s Mildred Wilkins’ house. She’s ancient … although don’t tell Granny I said that because I think they’re the same age. Nick is going to try and help her.”

  “Is anyone else there?”

  Maddie was frustrated with Kreskin’s insistence on asking stupid questions when he should be calling for help. “I have no idea. I can’t see. Nick said to send help.”

  “I’ve already sent the notice through the system. Fire trucks should be there shortly. I’ll be right behind them. I’m just trying to get an idea of what to expect.”

  Maddie was instantly contrite. “I don’t know what to expect.” She picked a brisk pace as she walked down the road. She’d lost sight of Nick, but the smoke seemed to be increasing. “If I had to guess, the second floor of the house is on fire. I can’t see the main floor or anything else.”

  “What about the lawn? Do you see anybody on the lawn?”

  “No. I don’t see Nick either. I think … I think he went inside.”

  Kreskin exhaled heavily. “I’m sure he did, too. That is his way, after all. He simply can’t stop himself from being a hero.”

  Tears pricked the back of Maddie’s eyes. “I should help him.”

  “No!” Kreskin’s voice was stern. “Nick knows what he’s doing. Leave him to do it. You stay outside of that house.”

  Maddie wasn’t keen on being bossed around. “If he needs help, I’m going to help him.”

  “Of course you are.” Kreskin practically growled into the phone. “You be careful, girl. If something happens to you, Nick will never get over it. I just … be careful. If you were smart, you’d stay outside and let him do the heavy lifting. I’m guessing you’re not smart, though.”

  She knew he didn’t mean it as an insult – at least not a really hostile one – but Maddie couldn’t stop herself from being annoyed. “I know what I’m doing. You don’t have to worry about me.”

  “I’m on my way,” Kreskin barked. “You’d better hope you’re safe when I get there.”

  Maddie disconnected and squared her shoulders as she picked up her pace. She was much more worried about Nick’s safety at the present moment than her own. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed her … and now.

  NICK BANGED ON THE front door, hoping against hope that Mildred would hear the noise and be alerted to the huge problem consuming her house, if she wasn’t already. He waited a moment, his ear pressed to the door, and then his instincts took over.

  Mildred Wilkins was in her late seventies or early eighties – he couldn’t be sure which – and last time he saw her Nick was struck by how much slower she was moving. That was on top of the fact that she needed everything repeated three times to make sure she heard it correctly. That meant he had no idea if Mildred actually heard his banged warning. He also couldn’t be sure she was in a position to escape the house.

  He tried the door handle, scowling when he realized it was locked. The picture window to the left of the porch was covered by curtains except for a small portion in the center. Nick made his way there, shielded his eyes from the glare of the sun, and peered inside.

  Everything was dark, drearily so, but nothing looked out of the ordinary. The house was neat and tidy. It was also empty. There was no sign of Mildred.

  Nick took a moment to stare at the road, tilting his head as he waited for the familiar sounds of sirens. If the fire trucks were close, he would wait and allow the trained firefighters to take over the unenviable task of searching for Mildred. He didn’t hear anything, though, which made his stomach clench.

  The smoke hung over the air like a thick curtain and Nick knew if it was this bad outside it had to even be worse inside. He could see Maddie on the road, the phone pressed to her ear as she hurried in his direction but understood he couldn’t afford to wait.

  He grabbed the small chair from the front porch and threw it at the window with everything he had, covering his face when the glass shattered. He cast one more look to Maddie – she wasn’t looking in his direction – but he could read the worried slope of her shoulders, and then vaulted inside the house.

  He couldn’t leave Mildred Wilkins to fend for herself. It wasn’t in him. He prayed Maddie would recognize the situation was dangerous and opt not to follow him inside. She was often hard to read – and brave to a fault – but she was also smart. She would wait for him where it was safe, perhaps direct the firefighters when they arrived. That would be it.

  Even as Nick narrowed his eyes in an effort to see through the gloom, he knew that was wishful thinking. Maddie would follow him because she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from doing it. She wouldn’t simply be keen to make sure he was okay but Mildred, too. She had a good heart and a courageous soul. He often worried the latter would be the death of him.

  “Mrs. Wilkins!” Nick bellowed the name, his eyes watering from the smoke as he looked to the left and the right. He wasn’t familiar with the layout of the house but knew it was a colonial, which meant the bedrooms were all on the second floor. Given the sounds coming from above, Nick didn’t like that prospect one bit. “Mildred!”

  No answer. He cou
ldn’t make out anything but splintering wood. If he was going to check the upstairs, he would have to do it now. He was running out of time.

  Nick cast one more look over his shoulder before cursing under his breath and heading to the right. He found the stairs right away and tentatively touched the banister. It wasn’t hot – which was a good sign – but he worried he would lose his sense of direction once he was completely overtaken by the smoke. Ultimately, that couldn’t be helped. He had no choice.

  “Mildred!” Nick yelled again as he began ascending the stairs. “Mrs. Wilkins!” All he could do was call her name and hope it wasn’t already too late.

  “NICKY!”

  Maddie found the broken front window almost immediately and she was beside herself. She covered her mouth but that didn’t stop a coughing fit from wracking her body. She’d always been susceptible to smoke. When the other kids experimented with smoking in high school she was the only one who started coughing before inhaling. She’d been embarrassed at the time but was relieved now because she had no doubt she would’ve turned into a stress smoker if the situation had been different.

  As far as Maddie could tell, the house was empty. She was certain Nick went through the window, but she couldn’t see him. She was about to climb through the opening and start her own search, but a pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind before she could.

  “Don’t even think about it, Maddie.” Rob Stone, one of Blackstone Bay’s longest running volunteer firemen, gave her a hard tug as he pulled her away from the window. “We’ve got it from here.”

  Maddie exhaled heavily when she saw the trucks setting up shop on the front lawn, but that didn’t stop her anxiety from kicking into overdrive as she struggled to break free of Rob’s grip. “Nick is in there.”

  Rob’s eyebrows flew up so far they disappeared under the brim of his hat. “Nick Winters?”

  “No, Nick Nolte,” Maddie snapped. “He’s having another drunken episode.”

  Rob scorched her with a look. “I’m trying to help.”

  Maddie realized she was acting out of control and stopped struggling. “I know. I just … we saw the smoke and Nick told me to call Dale. I did, but he was gone by the time I caught up. This window was broken, which I think means he’s inside.”

  Rob opened his mouth to argue, but he doubted very much that Maddie’s assertion was wrong. Instead he changed course. “I’ll find him.” He was calm as he rested a hand on Maddie’s shoulder. “I promise I will.”

  Maddie balked. “I should help.”

  “No, you should go over there.” Rob pointed her away from the window. “We’re here now, Maddie. We have a job to do. You have to let us do it. You’ll just get in the way if you poke your head in there.”

  Maddie wasn’t convinced that was true. “He needs me.”

  “I’ve known Nick for a long time. In fact, I’ve known both of you since you were about this high.” Rob held a hand to his hip and smiled. “The one thing I can say without reservation is that Nick would want you to stay outside of this house. Your safety is the most important thing to him … beyond everything else.”

  She wanted to believe him, but Maddie couldn’t stop herself from choking back a sob. “But … I have to look.”

  “No, you don’t,” Nick announced, appearing in the open window. His voice was raspy from the smoke and his face was creased with soot. He was alive, though, and alone. “You stay out there. Rob is right.”

  Maddie ignored Nick’s filthy appearance and bossy words and threw her arms around him. Nick recognized there was no sense admonishing her so he returned the hug even as his body shook with a coughing fit.

  “Let’s get you out of there.” Rob hooked his hand under Nick’s arm and helped him through the opening. He remained impassive as Nick sucked in gaping mouthfuls of oxygen, instead waiting until the police officer was in control before asking the obvious question. “Mildred?”

  Nick shook his head. “I can’t find her. I went upstairs, but it’s engulfed. I tried calling for her, although I had no idea what I would’ve done if she answered. You can’t get through to the second floor. Once you get to the top of the steps you’re cut off.”

  “No, getting up there is probably out of the question. The fire is poking through the ceiling.” Rob pointed up as a frigid stream of water hit the top of the house, a steady deluge trickling down and hitting Maddie full in the face. She shivered but remained tucked in close at Nick’s side. “We should be able to put it out, but if she’s not on the first floor then that means she’s probably on the second … and it’s already too late.”

  Maddie’s heart skipped a beat. “But … will you look?”

  Rob nodded. “We’ll look. I can’t guarantee we can get up there either, though.”

  “We’ll get out of your way.” Nick hooked an arm around Maddie’s shoulders. “We’ll be close, though. If you have any updates … good or bad … we want to know.”

  Rob nodded. “Let us do our job. You should probably wear an oxygen mask for a bit, just to be on the safe side.” He winked, although the gesture wasn’t entirely playful. “Maddie, I’m putting you in charge of that.”

  Maddie nodded without hesitation. “I’ve got it. I’ll make him do it whether he wants to or not.”

  “I believe you will.”

  TWENTY MINUTES LATER, Nick was still getting oxygen and Maddie was busy splitting her time between doting on him and pacing the area in front of the ambulance parked near the end of the long driveway.

  That’s where Kreskin found them, and he didn’t look happy when he caught sight of Nick’s filthy features. “You just had to go inside, didn’t you?”

  Nick shrugged as he attempted to remove the mask, but Maddie slapped his hand away.

  “You have ten minutes left under that mask,” Maddie ordered. “I plan to make sure you stay here for the duration.”

  Nick eyed her for a long beat but ultimately nodded. He saw no reason to pick a fight with her when it wasn’t necessary. He knew her bossiness stemmed from concern and love so he decided to let it go.

  “He has to rest,” Maddie explained to Kreskin. “He inhaled a lot of smoke so he has to stay right here and keep that mask where it is.” She didn’t overtly say that she thought Kreskin might draw Nick to the dark side, but the accusation was splashed clearly across her face.

  “I can see you’ve got your Florence Nightingale impression down pat,” Kreskin drawled. “I think Nick is in for a fine time this evening since you’ve decided to play nurse.”

  Maddie refused to rise to the bait. “I’m not having this conversation.”

  Nick put his hand on Maddie’s shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze, all the while shooting his partner a warning look. “Leave her alone. She’s a little worked up.” His voice sounded thick through the mask. “I looked for Mildred inside. I couldn’t find her. Rob has men on the lookout, too, but so far they’ve come up empty.”

  “Maybe we’ll get lucky.” Kreskin turned philosophical. “Maybe she’s not even here.”

  Maddie brightened at the prospect. “Do you think that’s possible?”

  Kreskin shrugged. “I don’t know. It would be nice, though. The alternative is a little hard to stomach.”

  “Yeah.” Maddie returned to her pacing, allowing Nick and Kreskin a chance to talk about serious matters as she ran a myriad of possibilities through her head. Most of them were dark, variations on what might’ve happened if Nick didn’t appear in the window when he did, but a few were brighter and she opted to focus on those.

  Maddie followed the line of the driveway as she paced, making sure to give the fire trucks a wide berth. She wasn’t keen on talking to anyone and was happy to leave Kreskin in charge of Nick’s recovery – at least for a few minutes – as she got a better look at the house. In fact, Maddie was so intent on the basement windows, which looked completely normal, that she didn’t notice the forlorn-looking ghost staring at her until she was almost on top of her.

&
nbsp; “What the …?” Maddie gasped, dumbfounded. She’d never seen a ghost turn up quite so quickly, although this wasn’t a face she recognized. This woman was far too young to be Mildred and not someone Maddie knew from Blackstone Bay. “I … guess you were in the house, huh?” Maddie felt inexplicably sad. “We tried to get inside but … I’m so sorry.”

  The woman waved off the apology and pointed toward the house. She didn’t speak. Maddie rationalized that perhaps it was impossible because she was so new … at least if she died in the fire. She pointed, though, and she was insistent about the direction she wanted Maddie to look.

  “What are you trying to show me?” Maddie was confused as she walked a bit, opting to angle closer to the house even though the water cascading down was frigid and likely to cause a chill. “Is there something here?”

  She pointed at the basement window.

  “Something in the house?” Maddie queried. “I … oh. Is there a dog in there or something? Is it Mildred?” Maddie dropped to her knees and peered through the window in question, her stomach clenching when a pair of eyes – human eyes – stared back from the other side.

  In one brief moment Maddie read everything the trapped individual was feeling, her psychic senses going into overdrive. Fear. Desperation. Hunger. Resignation. Whoever was inside thought he or she was going to die.

  In her head, Maddie knew she should call out for help. She didn’t, though. She simply reacted. She grabbed a huge rock from the ground, one that was so large it took both hands for Maddie to grip it properly. “Duck your head,” Maddie ordered. The window was one of those wavy ones that didn’t allow her to get a proper look at the occupant. Ultimately it didn’t matter who she was saving, though. It mattered that someone needed help. “Back up just a little and cover your face.”

  The shape did as instructed and Maddie wasted no time slamming the rock into the glass. It cracked but didn’t give so she struck it a second time. The second blow did the trick because the glass cascaded inward and created an opening.