Grave Missteps

by Lily Harper Hart

  Maddie dropped to her stomach and extended a hand. “Jump up. Grab me. I’ll pull you through.”

  The hand that landed in hers felt small, almost ridiculously so. Maddie tugged with everything she had and pulled the individual through the window. It wasn’t until they were both completely clear of the house and rolling closer to the trees to get away from the frigid water that Maddie saw things for what they were.

  “Holy smokes! You’re a kid.”

  And at just that moment, the house’s roof began to crumble.

  3

  Three

  Maddie reacted out of instinct and covered the shaking girl with her body, using all her strength to drag the confused young thing away from the house so they wouldn’t inadvertently be struck by falling debris when the roof caved in.

  “Maddie!” Nick’s face was full of terror when he and Kreskin rounded the corner of the house, his eyes going wide when he realized Maddie wasn’t alone. “Who is this?”

  Maddie shrugged as she straightened, her hand automatically going to the girl’s hair to smooth it. Her fingers were immediately caught in huge snarls and now that they were safely away from the house she took a moment to look over the girl’s rather rugged appearance. The hair, which Maddie focused on first, was long and brown. It wasn’t lustrous like it should be, instead filthy and in desperate need of a trim.

  Instead of regular clothing, she wore an ankle-length nightgown that looked to be from decades before. The image on the front of it was faded, but Maddie was almost positive she recognized a My Little Pony logo.

  The girl’s skin was sallow and she refused to make eye contact, her feet bare and toenails overgrown. Out of nowhere, she started shaking to the point where Maddie thought her bones might break from the movements.

  “It’s okay.” Maddie instinctively sat and drew the girl down with her, wrapping her arms around her as she shuddered and made whimpering noises. “You’re okay. You’re out. You’re going to be fine.”

  Nick moved closer but immediately stepped back when the girl cringed and burrowed closer to Maddie. He recognized the signs of shock right away. There was something more here, too, though. It was something he was loath to put a name to. He exchanged a quick look with Kreskin. “Do you have any idea who she is?”

  Kreskin looked as confused as Nick felt. “Not even a little. Where did she come from, Maddie?”

  Maddie pointed toward the broken window. “She was in there.”

  Nick swiveled so he could better see where she pointed. “How did you even see her down there?”

  “Oh, well … .” Maddie trailed off and bit her bottom lip. She didn’t want to use the G-word around a child in case it sent her over the edge. Kreskin was aware of her ability, but he wasn’t a fan of talking about it. Still, she felt she needed to tell the truth. “I thought I saw a friend – which turned out to be true – and she pointed me in the right direction.”

  “A friend?” Kreskin furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to ask the obvious question.

  Nick silenced him with a small shake of his head. “She means a special friend and don’t ask about it.” He licked his lips and pressed his palm to his forehead. “Did you recognize her?”

  “If you’re asking if it was Mildred, it wasn’t,” Maddie replied. “She was … younger. I’ve never seen her before.”

  “What did she say?”

  “Nothing. She just pointed.” Maddie flicked her eyes to the spot where the ghost stood moments before. “She’s gone now.”

  “Okay, well, we’ll talk about that later.” Nick decided to take charge of the situation. “Sweetheart, can you tell us your name?” He pasted a charming smile on his face as he worked to ingratiate himself.

  For her part, the shaking youth didn’t as much as glance in Nick’s direction. Instead she burrowed closer to Maddie and desperately wrapped her arms around her torso. Maddie soothingly stroked her back, fear momentarily overwhelming her to the point where she realized it was the girl communicating her terror and not something organic from inside of herself.

  “It’s okay.” Maddie kept her voice low. “I … it’s okay. We want to help you. I swear that we don’t want to hurt you. We’ll make sure no one hurts you.” She rocked back and forth, humming lightly as she attempted to ease the girl’s discomfort. “We’ll take care of you. It’s going to be okay.”

  Instead of relaxing, the girl started a soft keening that threatened to break Maddie’s heart.

  “Nicky … .”

  “I know, Mad.” Nick straightened and motioned for Kreskin to move further back. “I will not be far. You need to stay there, though, and … well, keep doing what you’re doing. We’re just going to talk over here.”

  Maddie didn’t like the idea of being cut out of the conversation, but she understood that their options were severely limited. “Okay. I’ll stay right here.”

  Nick met her gaze for a moment, nodded, and then retreated around the corner so he could openly discuss the situation with his partner. “Where the holy heck did she come from?”

  “You heard Maddie,” Kreskin shot back. “She came from the basement.”

  “But … why was she there?”

  “I have no idea. She doesn’t look healthy, though. In fact, if I had to guess, I would say that she hasn’t seen sunshine in months.”

  “That could technically be true of any Michigan resident over the winter months,” Nick pointed out. “The news even did a story about how we didn’t see the sun for the entire month of January. I don’t know that the kid’s lack of a tan can be used as a basis for judgment.”

  “It’s not January. That kid is so pale you can practically see through her. That’s on top of being filthy and very clearly mistreated.”

  Nick balked. “How do you know she was mistreated? I mean … yeah, she’s dirty. I think she looks a little underfed, too. I don’t see any bruises on her, though. Of course, we can’t get close enough to look.”

  “We need help with this.” Kreskin was firm. “I know you think Maddie is capable of anything, but we need a professional in this particular situation because we are so far out of our depth that I only know one place to start.”

  Nick eyed him coolly for a long beat. “And where is that?”

  “Child Protective Services.”

  Nick fought to tamp down his distaste. “Do you really want to do that?”

  “Do you see where we have any choice?”

  Nick leaned so he could look toward the back of the house again, frowning as he watched Maddie rock back and forth. “I guess we don’t have a choice. I can tell you right now, Maddie isn’t going to like it.”

  “Yeah, well, I figure that’s your problem.”

  “Thanks so much for that.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  NICK AND KRESKIN GAVE Maddie room to engage with the girl, keeping a safe distance away because it became obvious whenever they tried to interact with her that the frightened soul simply was not going to put up with it. She regressed every time she saw them, which made Nick unbelievably antsy as they waited for a social worker to arrive.

  In the meantime, he watched the firefighters work. They managed to extinguish the blaze not long after Maddie’s discovery, but they were still inside searching for signs of Mildred as they poked and prodded at hot spots that might need further attention.

  “Maybe I should tell them to be on the lookout for a younger woman, too,” Nick mused after a few moments of silence. “Maddie said the ghost she saw wasn’t Mildred. Maybe someone else was living in the house.”

  “Or maybe Mildred did something to that woman and the kid,” Kreskin suggested. “Maybe she set the fire and took off.”

  Nick cocked an eyebrow. “Do you honestly believe that?”

  Kreskin shrugged. “I’m not sure what to believe. I have no idea how that kid ended up in the basement. If you can explain that to me – explain why the kid looks the way she does – I’m more than willing to listen to whatever theo
ry you come up with.”

  Nick opened his mouth to answer but came up empty. “I don’t know. I can’t explain any of it.”

  “Well, neither can I. For now, let’s keep the conjecture to ourselves. Here comes Rob. Maybe he’ll be able to explain this to us so it makes sense.”

  Nick was hopeful but doubtful all the same. He lifted his chin as Rob approached. “Anything?”

  Rob nodded, his lips curved down. “We found a body.”

  “What did she look like?”

  Instead of immediately answering, Rob furrowed his brow. “What?”

  Nick realized his mistake too late to take it back. “I mean … was it Mildred?”

  “Yes. Who else would it be?”

  Kreskin heaved out a sigh and grabbed Rob’s arm, being careful to keep him from rushing forward as he pulled him to a position where he could clearly see Maddie and the girl. “Maddie found her in the basement.”

  “What?” All the oxygen whooshed out of Rob’s lungs. “But … how?”

  “She saw her through the window,” Nick replied hurriedly. “She broke it and pulled her out.”

  “Why didn’t you tell us?” Rob’s tone was accusatory. “There could be more kids in there.”

  “I didn’t even think about it,” Nick admitted, contrite. “We were too busy dealing with the one kid. She’s … a mess. She hasn’t spoken and she keeps crying. She doesn’t want men around her either. She only seems to respond to Maddie, and I’m guessing that’s because Maddie is the one who pulled her out of the house.”

  Rob’s expression was hard to read, but Nick could imagine the things going through the man’s mind. “You think she was abused, don’t you?”

  “I think she’s in pretty rough shape and looks malnourished,” Nick clarified. “She didn’t have any bruises on her that we could see, although she’s pretty well covered. She obviously doesn’t want us near her so we’ve been keeping our distance.”

  “What are you going to do?” Rob was honestly curious. “You obviously can’t let Maddie keep her. It would be hell on your romantic life, for one thing, but I’m also fairly certain it’s illegal.”

  Nick made a face. “I’m not going to let Maddie keep her. Good grief.”

  “We called Child Protective Services,” Kreskin volunteered. “They’re on their way. We’re out of our depth here. We need help.”

  “Definitely,” Rob agreed, shaking his head as he watched Maddie try to soothe the girl. “As for Mildred, you’re going to probably want an autopsy. We found her on the floor. Her body isn’t exactly pristine, though. She was identifiable, but you’re probably going to want a cause of death.”

  “That’s one of our first orders of business.”

  SHARON LANSING WAS DRESSED in jeans and a T-shirt, a hoodie wrapped around her diminutive shoulders when she arrived on scene. Nick and Kreskin met her by the road, apologizing for interrupting her weekend before launching into their tale.

  “It’s okay.” She was a brunette, short of stature, but the look she shot Nick was keen with interest. “I wasn’t doing anything anyway, just hanging out with some girlfriends.” She stressed the word “girl” and offered up a pretty smile.

  Kreskin recognized the look on her face and could do nothing but shake his head. “We have a real situation.”

  “Right. Of course.” Sharon shook herself out of her reverie. “And where is the girl you found?”

  “Around back,” Nick answered.

  “She’s alone?”

  “No, she’s with my fiancée.”

  Kreskin pressed his lips together to keep from belting out a surreal laugh when Sharon’s lips curved down. “Maddie is the one who saved her. She’s not speaking and she’s … traumatized or something.”

  “Did you have her checked out by the paramedics?” Sharon was all business now. “That’s probably important.”

  “She doesn’t seem to want men around her,” Nick replied. “She doesn’t like it when Dale and I try to talk to Maddie. I don’t think it’s going to be easy to separate them.” Since he hadn’t yet told Maddie what was about to happen, he knew that was doubly true. “I’ll go over there now and try to break the news.”

  Sharon was confused. “To whom?”

  “Maddie,” Nick replied. “I’ll let Dale give you the basics. I’ll motion when it’s okay to approach.”

  Sharon didn’t look happy with the suggestion but nodded. “Okay. I guess I’ll just wait here.”

  NICK WAS QUIET AND slow as he moved, pasting a wan smile on his face when Maddie lifted her head and met his gaze. She didn’t return the smile, instead frowning when she saw the slope of his shoulders.

  “You’re about to tell me something bad, aren’t you?”

  Nick stopped when he was still ten feet from the duo, slipping his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans as he rocked back on his heels. “I’m about to tell you something you’re not going to like,” he conceded. “We don’t have a choice in this, though, so I want you to remain calm for our young friend’s benefit.”

  Maddie rubbed her hand over the girl’s back and craned her neck in an attempt to see around the side of the house. She could make out a new figure, one that wasn’t very large and who seemed intent on staring in her direction. “Who is that?”

  “Sharon Lansing. She’s with Child Protective Services.”

  Maddie immediately balked. “No. What are you thinking?” She managed to keep her voice calm and even, but just barely. “She’ll freak out.”

  Nick’s expression was full of sympathy as he stared at the girl. “I know that, but we have no choice. This is above our level of expertise, Mad.”

  “But … .”

  “No.” Nick firmly shook his head. He knew this was going to be a battle but holding his ground was the only option. “Love, you know I would give you anything your heart desires if I could, but I have to follow the rules on this. Mildred was found dead inside. There are some things we have to investigate.

  “As for her, well, she needs professional help to deal with whatever happened in that house,” he continued. “We’re not equipped, Mad. I know you feel attached to her because you found her, but she absolutely has to go with the CPS woman.”

  Maddie’s forehead puckered and, for a brief moment, Nick thought she was going to start crying. He silently hoped against hope that she would pull herself together and stop short and he was relieved when she appeared to do exactly that.

  “Fine.” Maddie heaved out a sigh and shifted the girl a beat, staring down at the waxen face as the youngster eyed Nick with overt distrust. “Listen, I know you’ve been through a lot, but if you can speak … well, now would be the time to do it. We need information from you if you want us to help.”

  The girl merely growled as she turned her head back into Maddie’s chest. The brief look Nick got at her face caused him to wonder as he carefully dropped down to his knees and stared hard at her dirty feet.

  “How old do you think she is?” Nick asked finally.

  The question caught Maddie off guard. “I don’t know. She won’t talk. I guess, given her size, I would say twelve or so.”

  “I think she might be older.” Nick desperately wanted to turn the girl’s face so he could study her bone structure, but he knew that would be a terrible mistake. “I think she might be fifteen or sixteen.”

  Maddie stared hard at the girl’s thin arms and then shook her head. “She’s too small.”

  “I know, Mad, but I think I’m right.” Nick was gentle as he leaned forward. “Honey, we have someone here to help you. You’re going to need to come with me, though, because Maddie has to stay here.”

  He waited to see if the girl would react. When she did, she jerked her eyes away from his face and only clutched Maddie tighter.

  “She understood you,” Maddie noted. “I think she can talk, but she doesn’t want to. At least that’s my guess.”

  “It’s mine, too.” Nick pressed the tip of his tongue against the back
of his teeth. “I’m going to need your help here, Mad. We need to put her in CPS custody and you’re going to have to help us do it.”

  Maddie’s heart constricted. “Isn’t there another way?”

  “No, love. We have to follow the strict letter of the law on this. We don’t know who she is or where she belongs. She can’t stay here, though.”

  “But what about taking her … .” Maddie broke off before finishing the sentence. She was going to suggest taking the girl home with them, but she realized right away what a ridiculous idea it truly was.

  Nick was happy when he saw the resigned realization slip across her face. “You’re going to have to work with me, Maddie. It’s going to take both of us.”

  “What if it traumatizes her, though?”

  Nick was afraid it was going to traumatize all of them, but he’d steeled himself for this and refused to back down. “We can only do our very best.” He reached out a hand toward the girl. “Honey, I need you to trust me. This really is in your best interests. I promise.”

  He gathered up his courage and put his hand on her arm. She started screaming immediately, thrashing about so hard she knocked Maddie in the face with her elbow. Nick jumped in to restrain her as Maddie fought back tears, but the girl didn’t stop screaming until after she was loaded in the car, a feat that took all of Nick’s strength and determination.

  Even then, the accusatory glare she lobbed in his direction as Sharon drove away with her in the backseat was something Nick knew he would not soon forget. When Maddie dissolved in tears, he was certain that it would be something she would carry with her for a very long time.

  4

  Four

  Nick was frustrated by Maddie’s reaction to the removal of the girl.

  She stood a good thirty feet away, her arms folded over her chest, and stared at the house as the firefighters worked inside to make sure the immediate danger was over. She didn’t as much as look in Nick’s direction.