Grave Paths (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 11)

by Lily Harper Hart

  Kreskin rolled his neck. “I guess we probably should’ve done that right away. Call him.”

  Nick nodded, his eyes sad when they locked with George’s worried orbs. “Thank you for telling me. I’ll head home to Maddie right away.”

  “I don’t want her to be sad,” George lamented. “That’s the last thing I want.”

  Nick took pity on him. “You and me both. I’ll see what I can do.” Sadly, knowing Maddie as well as he did, Nick worried he wouldn’t be able to do anything to talk her off the ledge.

  NICK FOUND MADDIE sitting at the dining room table when he got home. He could smell homemade chili cooking on the stove and fresh bread cooling on the rack. He almost drooled when he saw the bread.

  Then he saw Maddie and the moment of misery on her face – the moment before she realized he was in the room and shuttered her emotions – and everything but making her feel better flew out of his head.

  “Hi, love.”

  “Hi.” Maddie’s smile was bright, sunny, and not nearly enough to convince Nick that everything was okay. “How was your day?”

  “Long,” Nick replied, collecting her hand as he sat next to her. “We had a lot going on. How was your day?”

  “Fine.” Maddie clearly had no idea George stopped in to see Nick because she was putting her best effort behind faking normalcy. “I hung out with my father for most of the day.”

  “I know.”

  “I know you know.” Maddie’s smile dipped. “You called and asked him to come over to babysit me.”

  “Is that what he said?”

  “He said he planned to come over anyway.”

  “Then I think we should take him at his word.” Nick flipped over Maddie’s hand so he could study her palm. “What did you guys do?”

  Even though she wasn’t keen on admitting how she spent her afternoon, Maddie refused to lie to Nick. “Well, for starters, I watched George and Granny fight for about twenty minutes. They fight dirty with each other, by the way. George gives Granny as good as he gets, though, so it’s kind of entertaining.”

  Nick cracked a smile. “I’m almost sorry I missed that.”

  “They’re loud. I had to yell at them.”

  “I’m definitely sorry I missed that.”

  “Then Dad and I went for a walk in the woods.” Maddie related her afternoon, maintaining an air of calm that impressed Nick. She didn’t dwell on the baby cries, though, instead glossing over them as if it was a trick of the wind. “So I kind of made a fool of myself searching, but I couldn’t not look.”

  “No, you definitely couldn’t,” Nick agreed, tracing his index finger over Maddie’s lifeline. He had no idea how hard to press Maddie on this situation. He felt as if he was on unstable ground. “Well, it sounds as if you had a busy afternoon.”

  “What do you think?”

  “About what?”

  “About what I told you about George wanting to pay for the wedding.”

  “Oh, that.” Nick didn’t let on that he already knew about the suggestion thanks to George’s visit. He wasn’t sure how Maddie would take her father reporting on her, even if it was to Nick and out of a place of love. “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know.” Maddie was conflicted. “On one hand, I think I’m an adult so I should pay for my own wedding.”

  “I think we’re adults and we’ll be paying for things if it comes to that,” Nick countered. “We’re both getting married. That means we’ll both pay.”

  “The bride is supposed to pay.”

  “Yes, well, I’m not big on traditions.”

  “Two weeks ago you said you wanted me to pretend to be your maid while you were lord of the manor and you said I had to be the maid because the woman is traditionally the maid.”

  Nick bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “That was a game.” Maddie’s response to that game suggestion was so hilarious he had plans to bring it up a second time. He would wait until things were more settled, though.

  “I’m just saying, you said that it was common for the maid to service the master when you suggested we play that game.”

  “I just wanted to see if you would actually put on the outfit,” Nick said.

  “And did I?”

  “You did.”

  “Were you happy with your little fantasy?”

  Nick took them both by surprise when he leaned forward and cupped her chin. “I’m always happy with you. You’ve made every fantasy I ever had come true. I love you.”

  Maddie was confused by the storm of emotion brewing in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  Nick had a choice to make. He could push her on the baby – and potentially embarrass her in the process – or he could let her come to him when she wanted to talk. It was hard to take a step back, difficult to stop himself from rushing in and attempting to fix everything. He did, though, only because he thought it was best for her.

  “We had a bunch of stuff come up today,” Nick explained. “It seems Peter Cook was having an affair with a very young woman in Bay City. He wasn’t in Sacramento when he said he was. He was in Michigan. He denies killing his wife, but he was going to leave her. It’s a big mess.”

  Maddie’s eyes widened to saucer-like proportions. “He was going to leave the woman who gave birth to his child only a few weeks before?”

  “He’s a particular type of slime,” Nick said. “He didn’t think he was doing anything wrong. In fact, he said he had a plan where he wasn’t going to have to pay child support.”

  “Killing his baby?”

  “No,” Nick answered hurriedly, realizing too late that he’d made things worse. “He was going for shared custody right down the middle. He didn’t see anything wrong with screwing Jennifer in a divorce.”

  “Oh, my … .” Maddie was at a loss.

  “That doesn’t prove that he killed her,” Nick cautioned. “We’ve warned him about leaving town. He’s staying at the same bed and breakfast as George, in fact. I’m considering asking George to keep an eye on him.”

  “Ask him to punch him in the face,” Maddie growled, causing Nick to smile.

  “You’re getting feisty, Mad. I like it when you get feisty.” Nick lifted the compress on her knee. It didn’t look swollen or puffy, but it must hurt a great deal if she was babying it this way. Maddie was the type to suffer through rather than call attention to an injury. “I’ll call him and ask if he’ll watch Peter for us. Peter won’t suspect him, so it’s probably a good idea.”

  “Do you believe him when he says he didn’t kill Jennifer?”

  Nick shrugged. “I don’t know, Mad,” he said after a beat. “He’s a lowlife piece of trash, but he’s also weak and whiny. I’m not sure I can picture him strangling his wife and then slashing her wrists hours after the fact to make it look like a suicide.”

  “What?” Maddie was beside herself.

  “Wait … didn’t I tell you that part?” Nick was lost. “Where did I leave off?”

  “Start from the beginning,” Maddie ordered, groaning as she got to her feet. “I’ll get the chili and bread.”

  Nick caught her before she could walk away. “Love, you cooked dinner – and it freaking smells amazing. I’m going to be your maid for the night. I want you to sit here while I tell you everything we discovered. I will wait on you. I will bring the chili and bread. You’re going to be mistress of the house for the night.”

  Maddie stared at him long and hard. “Does that mean you’re going to dress up in the little maid outfit you bought?”

  Nick barked out a laugh. “Do you want me to?”

  Maddie tilted her head to the side, considering. “I don’t know. Can I answer that question after dinner?”

  “Yes.” Nick leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Your wish is my command, Mad.”

  “For tonight, right?”

  “Forever.”

  Maddie’s expression softened. “I love you, Nicky.”

  “I love you,
too. Now, get comfortable. You’re not going to believe all of the stuff I have to tell you.”

  10

  Ten

  “So what are we doing out here again?”

  Christy Ford, her red hair flying in the wind, pinned Maddie with a scathing look as they walked through the woods behind the blonde’s house.

  “We’re looking for Jennifer Cook’s ghost.” Maddie saw no reason to lie to her friend. The effervescent redhead loved being included on ghostly adventures … as long as it didn’t involve almost dying or being locked in a mausoleum or being chased through a dark house during a storm, of course.

  “And you think she’s out here?”

  “I know she was out here the day her body was found,” Maddie replied. “She’s the reason my knee is tweaked.”

  “Yeah, speaking of that, are you supposed to be hiking through the woods?” Christy told herself she asked the question for Maddie’s benefit, but in truth, she hated hiking and didn’t really enjoy the woods so she saw no reason to voluntarily do either.

  “I’m fine.”

  “You say you’re fine, but you seem a little … worked up.” Christy wasn’t one to hold her tongue. “In fact, you’ve got circles under your eyes and, if I didn’t know you better, I might think you were acting a little … um … manic.”

  It took everything she had for Maddie to rein in her temper. “Have you been talking to Nick?”

  “No, but I’m not ruling it out.”

  Maddie stilled. “I need to talk to her. She knows what happened to her baby. If he’s dead … .”

  “Then you don’t have to kill yourself looking for him,” Christy finished. “I get it. The thing is, if he is dead, you’re going to feel terrible for a different reason. Finding that baby is not your responsibility.”

  “I know that.”

  “So why are we out here again?”

  “If you don’t want to be here, go back!” Maddie exploded, taking them both by surprise. “I asked you to come because I knew it would make Nick feel better to know I wasn’t out here alone. I don’t need to listen to this, though. Just … go.”

  Christy swallowed hard. “Wow.”

  Maddie wanted to continue railing, but the words died on her lips when she saw the look on Christy’s face. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, don’t take it back.”

  “But … I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

  “Actually, you should’ve yelled longer and louder,” Christy corrected. “I had it coming. You told me when you called that you wanted to walk in the woods. I agreed to it and then complained nonstop when I got to your house.”

  “I … .”

  “Shut up,” Christy ordered, her expression stern. “There’s no reason to beat yourself up. You didn’t say anything that wasn’t true. I’ve been on you to find your backbone since you came back to town. You finally did. I’m hardly going to punish you for it.”

  The word “punish” triggered something in Maddie’s memory. “Well, if it’s any consolation, Nick has threatened to punish me if I bring up our time apart again. He says he’s sick of hearing me apologize.”

  “I can see that.” Christy’s grin was tentative. “Of course, I’m guessing his way of punishing you is going to involve nudity, but that makes sense.”

  “Yeah.” Maddie rubbed her forehead. “I still shouldn’t have yelled at you. It wasn’t fair.”

  “Life isn’t fair, Maddie,” Christy pointed out. “I agreed to help. I’m here to help. Where should we start looking?”

  Maddie pointed toward the running trail. “If she’s not out here, I’m going to head over to her house this afternoon. She must be somewhere. I know she stuck around. I’m determined to find her.”

  “Then we’ll start here.” Christy fell into step with Maddie. “Do you think Nick is going to punish you with kisses or dirty sex?”

  Maddie’s cheeks burned as she shook her head. “He says he’s going to do it by making me massage him.”

  “So … dirty sex,” Christy mused. “That really is the best option.”

  Even though she remained embarrassed about her outburst, Maddie couldn’t hold back her laughter. “It is, right?”

  “WHERE DO YOU WANT TO start looking?” John Winters asked, following his brother into the woods. “Is there a reason we’re parking here instead of at your house, by the way?”

  Nick glanced over his shoulder, guilt burning his guts. “I didn’t want Maddie to see the cadaver dog. I’m not sure she can take it.”

  John was used to his brother’s overprotective nature when it came to the woman he was going to marry. This was something else entirely. He signaled the dog handler to move forward before slowing his pace so he and Nick could talk in private. “What’s going on?”

  Nick related the events of the past few days. John was a state police officer, and he lived in Nick’s former house so he was around Blackstone Bay a lot more often than before, but he seemed surprised when Nick was finished with the tale.

  “I see.” John let loose with an extended breath. “Do you think she’s losing her marbles?”

  Nick elbowed his brother as hard as he could, knocking the air out of John as the older Winters sibling audibly gasped. “She’s not crazy.”

  “Good grief, dude.” John ruefully rubbed his stomach. “I was joking.”

  “Well, I wasn’t.”

  “That hurt!”

  “It’s going to hurt worse if you ever say that again,” Nick warned. “She’s self-conscious enough as it is. She doesn’t want me to know she’s obsessing about it. When she told me the story about thinking she heard a baby cry, it was much more muted than the story George told.”

  “Yeah, well, he doesn’t know her that well,” John pointed out. “You’ve known Maddie her entire life. George has known her for a few weeks. Maybe he exaggerated because he didn’t see the difference.”

  “No.” Nick was resigned. “He described her exactly how I pictured her. She was trying to cover, and not because she was trying to protect herself. She was doing it because she wanted to protect me.”

  “She loves you.”

  “She does.”

  “I have no idea why.” John’s grin was teasing.

  “Don’t make me punch you in the face,” Nick warned, following the handler and dog. “If that baby is dead out here, I’m going to want to punch someone.”

  “You and me both.” John heaved out a sigh. “This isn’t the kind of duty I like.”

  “I hope he’s not out here. It doesn’t make a lot of sense for someone to kill both of them.”

  “I read your report on the husband.” John chose his words carefully. “He might’ve killed both to secure his freedom. It’s much cheaper to be a widower than an ex-husband.”

  “I get that, but … I guess you have to meet him to understand,” Nick supplied. “He’s definitely a worm. I would never suggest otherwise. Unless he’s a really good actor, though, I’m not sure he has the backbone to kill anyone.

  “And, okay, there’s always the heat of the moment and people can snap,” he continued. “That might explain the wife. That wouldn’t explain killing a tiny baby. I mean … that baby is so small he can’t even hold his own head up.”

  “You make a good point.” John scratched his cheek. “So, what are your options?”

  “The husband could’ve hired someone, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me that he wouldn’t have arranged for it when he was legitimately in Sacramento,” Nick said. “I mean … he had to know we would figure out his alibi was fake.”

  “Some people think we take them at their word instead of checking.”

  “Dumb people.”

  “I can’t argue with that.”

  “We can’t rule out a stranger or random acquaintance either,” Nick added. “I have Ruby at the diner checking on every pregnant woman in town – under the radar, of course – to see if one of them suddenly has a baby. Most female abductions involving infants occur because a
woman has lied to her husband or boyfriend about being pregnant and she suddenly finds herself in dire need of a baby.”

  “That’s what you’re hoping for, isn’t it?”

  “In some ways, yes,” Nick replied. “At least the odds of the baby being safe are high in that scenario. If something else happened … if someone took the baby to sell on the black market or something … then the odds that we’ll get a good outcome become progressively worse.”

  “So we hope for the good and brace ourselves for the bad?”

  Nick nodded. “Yeah. I just didn’t want Maddie to know we were bracing for something this bad.”

  “If we find the baby, she’s going to know you kept it from her.”

  “I know. If we don’t, though, it will be a relief and I can tell Maddie we had a cadaver dog out here and it didn’t scent on human remains.”

  John was incredulous. “So you’re going to rat yourself out after the fact?”

  “Yup. I don’t lie to my woman.”

  “Oh, geez.” John made a face. “You’re really whipped. You know that, right?”

  “I can totally live with that.”

  “JENNIFER?”

  When Maddie first saw the ghost poking her head out from behind a tree, she was convinced she was seeing things. Upon further inspection, though, she realized the tormented soul really was there … and she didn’t look happy.

  “What am I doing out here?” Jennifer’s voice was plaintive.

  “You’re … lost,” Maddie supplied, unsure how to answer. For some reason, Jennifer’s small stature made her think of a child. She didn’t like the feeling washing over her.

  “Did you find her?” Christy looked relieved as she cut across the field. “I was starting to lose hope.”

  Maddie didn’t acknowledge her friend because she was afraid that if she broke eye contact with the ghost, Jennifer Cook would disappear and they would have to start their search all over again. “Do you know what happened to you?”

  “I married a jerk,” Jennifer answered automatically.

  The woman’s fiery response gave Maddie hope. It also filled her with dread at the same time. “Are you saying that because Peter killed you?”