“You were hiding it there so your wife wouldn’t find it in a divorce,” Nick corrected. “We know exactly why you were keeping it there.”
“Fine.” Cook murdered Nick with a dark look. “I was keeping the money there to hide it. It hardly matters now, does it? Jennifer is gone and the divorce is off the table.”
“That still doesn’t change the fact that Laura took that money, in cash, and did something with it.”
“Wait … you think she hired someone to kill Jennifer, don’t you?”
“All we can say at the present moment is that we can’t rule it out,” Nick replied.
“She couldn’t. She wouldn’t.” Cook said the words but his internal struggle was obvious. “Ugh. I think I’m going to be sick.”
MADDIE WANDERED AWAY from Kreskin and Nick at a certain point, leaving them behind to talk down Cook. She knew they would try to use the man to catch Laura in a trap. It looked as if Laura was the better suspect given the new information.
Nick had said it before, but Maddie didn’t believe it until she met Cook herself. He was too much of a wuss to be responsible for the death of his wife. Plus, however much she disliked him, Maddie had to admit that he seemed gutted over his missing son. He might very well have arranged for someone to kill his wife. He wouldn’t abandon his son, though. That was the only thing Maddie knew for certain.
Maddie picked her way through the house, coming up short when she reached the nursery. The door was halfway shut, but Maddie caught sight of a blue elephant motif so she pushed open the door and stepped inside. She pulled up short when she found Jennifer Cook’s spirit floating next to the crib and staring down at the empty box.
“You’re here,” Maddie gasped out, working overtime to tamp down her agitation.
“You’re the woman from the woods.” The look Jennifer gave Maddie was full of curiosity. “I saw you. When was that?”
“The day before yesterday.”
“I seem to be having trouble keeping track of time.” Jennifer’s ethereal fingers trailed over the tiny pillow at the head of the crib. “P.J. isn’t here.”
“I know.” Maddie’s heart went out to the woman. She’d been betrayed at almost every turn. “We’re looking for him. Do you remember what happened to you? Do you know who took him?”
“He’s supposed to be here.” Jennifer flicked her eyes to the colorful clock on the wall. “It’s time for his mid-afternoon nap. I read a bunch of books, and they all agreed that the best thing to do with an infant was to get them into a routine.”
Maddie decided to take a different tactic. “It must have been hard for you,” she noted, keeping her voice even. “You were left alone for weeks on end while your husband worked and you had to do everything when it came to the baby.”
“We had a plan,” Jennifer said. “He was going to travel for another year and then he would get a promotion. Once he got the promotion, he would be home more often and I wouldn’t have to do everything myself. It was a good plan.”
“But?”
“But it was never going to happen.” Jennifer’s eyes were somber as they locked with Maddie’s. “He was never going to stop traveling. He was never going to stay home with me. He didn’t love me.”
Maddie couldn’t help but wonder if the woman always knew that or if it was a revelation she came to after her death. “I think that your husband is good at mimicking emotion,” she supplied, leaning over so she could pick up a stuffed animal and place it in the crib. “He wanted you to believe certain things about him. Because you loved him, you wanted to believe them.”
“I don’t believe them now,” Jennifer noted. “I heard him out there … with you. I heard the things he said. I knew that Laura woman was trouble. I met her at an office picnic last year, and she spent the entire time flirting with Peter and talking down to me.
“I asked him about her and he laughed like I was a crazy loon or something,” she continued. “He said I was being ridiculous and there was nothing to worry about. He said she was a young girl with stars in her eyes because he was a corporate rock star. Can you believe I fell for that?”
Frankly, Maddie couldn’t believe anyone fell for anything that came out of Peter’s mouth. He was very clearly a liar. Of course, she was with a man who rarely lied – and when he did, it was generally because he was trying to protect her. The difference between the two relationships was staggering.
“He was going to leave you,” Maddie offered. “He said he knew that it wouldn’t last with Laura, but he only cared about the sex.”
“Yeah. He’s a total pig.” Jennifer wrinkled her nose in disgust. “It doesn’t matter now, though, does it?”
Maddie shook her head, mute.
“I’m dead, aren’t I?”
Maddie nodded. She couldn’t seem to find her voice.
“Something bad happened to me, but I’m having trouble remembering exactly what that is. I heard a voice. I think I tried to cry out. It was too late, though. Then all I heard was crying. P.J. was crying and there was nothing I could do to help him. The crying stopped for a bit … then it started again … and then it stopped for good.”
Maddie’s mind was full of questions. “Did it stop, or did you die?”
The question intrigued Jennifer. “I don’t know.”
“Think back,” Maddie prodded. “Was it a man or a woman who attacked you?”
“I … don’t … know. When I try to think, it’s just a shadow. I’m afraid, though. Not for myself, but for P.J. I’m afraid for P.J.”
“He was alive when you last saw him, right?”
Jennifer nodded. “He was alive. I remember something. It’s kind of like a half dream.”
“Tell me.”
“Someone sang him a lullaby as I was dying. Someone sang him a song.”
“Did the voice belong to a man or a woman?”
“The voice belonged to a monster,” Jennifer replied. “I don’t know who did it. I know that P.J. is alive, though. You have to find him.”
“That’s the plan. I promise you. We won’t quit until we do.”
14
Fourteen
Maddie took a moment before leaving the house to watch Peter Cook as he went through the motions of cleaning up the baby’s room. He seemed to be despondent, without energy, and yet there was something about him that wouldn’t allow Maddie to muster even one iota of sympathy.
“Come on, love.” Nick kept his voice low as he moved to Maddie’s side. “You can tell me what happened in the nursery over dinner.”
Kreskin joined them. “You can tell both of us what happened over dinner. I’m curious, too.”
Maddie widened her eyes. “You know?”
“We heard you talking,” Kreskin supplied. “Don’t worry. We told Cook you were an assistant and we asked you to record your observations while going through the house.”
“We returned the house to him,” Nick added. “There’s no more evidence for us here so there didn’t seem to be a reason to keep him from the property.”
“If the baby is found dead later … ?” Maddie left the question hanging. It was too horrible to finish.
“We’ve already sent a state police tech team through.” Kreskin gentled his voice. “John handled that while you guys were out romping around yesterday.”
Maddie balked. “We weren’t romping around. Nick worked hard. He … .”
Kreskin rested his hand on Maddie’s shoulder to calm her. “I was joking. That came out wrong. There’s no reason to get all worked up. I wasn’t disparaging your guy.”
Maddie wasn’t convinced but she dropped it. “So we’re going to dinner?”
Kreskin nodded, sparing a glance for Peter Cook as the man mechanically began folding items of baby clothing. “I’m not sure there is much more we can do here and we certainly can’t discuss the case openly with an audience.”
“Let’s go to the diner,” Nick suggested. “I’m hungry.”
“You’re always hungry,” Ma
ddie pointed out.
“That’s because you wear me out,” Nick teased, pointing her toward the door.
“Ugh. I see you two are just as lovey-dovey as ever, huh?” Kreskin didn’t bother hiding his disdain. “When do you think you’re going to get over that?”
“Um … never,” Nick replied, not missing a beat.
“That’s going to make working with you difficult.”
“You’ll live.”
“I’M STARVING.”
Maddie waited until she was snugly settled between Nick and Kreskin in their favorite booth at Ruby’s Diner to speak.
“I’m hungry, too.” Nick absently ran his hand down the back of Maddie’s head, his mind busy. “Do you want to do a split?”
“Sure.”
“What’s a split?” Kreskin asked curiously.
“We pick out two different meals and share them down the middle,” Maddie replied. “We do it all the time. It allows us to have multiple choices when we eat here.”
“It’s practical,” Nick added.
Kreskin stared at them a moment, his face blank.
“What?” Nick asked defensively.
“You’re just too cute for words,” Kreskin replied, shaking his head. “You’re like sitcom teenagers from back in the days of black-and-white televisions. One of these days I’m going to walk in here over the summer months and find you sharing a malt while gazing adoringly into one another’s eyes.”
“Ha, ha.” Nick rolled his eyes. “I don’t believe we’re that saccharine.”
“Try looking at it from my perspective.” Kreskin leaned back in the booth, fixing his gaze on Maddie. “Did you get any information from the wife?”
“Yes and no,” Maddie replied. “She’s confused and having trouble remembering things. I think – and this is just a guess, mind you – but I think she’s so confused because she regained consciousness at least once after being choked out and it skewed her perception.”
“That seems to fit with the medical examiner’s report,” Nick said. “Whoever strangled her did it a few times because he or she didn’t realize that it’s harder than it appears on television to kill a victim via strangulation.”
“I also think it happened at the house.”
“Did she say that?” Nick asked.
Maddie shook her head. “No, but it makes the most sense. She said someone came to her. She wasn’t leaving the house so … .”
“That fits,” Kreskin said. “I’m going to guess it was someone she knew.”
“Why do you say that?” Maddie was intrigued.
“Because you don’t let a stranger in your house when you have a baby,” Kreskin replied. “You let someone you know in. You let someone you’re expecting in. You don’t let a stranger in.”
“Then how do all of those women we see on the news lure pregnant women away from their homes so they can cut out the babies?” Maddie challenged. “You hear about that all the time.”
“Do you?” Kreskin challenged. “Do you really hear about it all the time? Or do you hear about it once or twice and it’s so horrendous you can’t shake it and it’s like you hear about it all the time?”
“I … .” Now that he put it like that, Maddie wasn’t sure. “Huh.”
“Just tell us what she said, Mad.”
Ruby picked that moment to collect their orders, taking a few moments to tease and taunt them – which was her way – before leaving the trio to finish their discussion.
“She remembers hearing the baby cry,” Maddie offered once they were alone again. “She remembers losing consciousness, going in and out, and hearing the baby cry. She doesn’t know who did it.”
“Is that normal?” Kreskin asked. He was uncomfortable with the conversation – Maddie’s abilities were one of those things he accepted but opted not to talk about – and he wasn’t sure how much questioning was allowed.
“It is,” Maddie confirmed. “Most of the time the death is too traumatic for a displaced spirit to remember right away. There’s a reason the spirits stay behind. More often than not it’s because the individual in question was murdered.”
“Wouldn’t the victim want to stay behind to make sure the guilty party pays?”
“Yes. Definitely. At least sometimes.”
“So how come Jennifer Cook can’t remember?”
“Because whoever did it surprised her,” Maddie replied. “Now, I’m not sure what that means. She’s very confused and doesn’t seem to be able to remain focused for long periods of time. It could be that someone she knows and trusted surprised her and then killed her.”
“Which, in theory, should point toward the husband,” Nick mused, his fingers light as they brushed over the back of Maddie’s neck.
“It could also be that she didn’t recognize her attacker, but someone contacted her and told her to expect this individual so she didn’t look at him or her as a threat,” Maddie added.
Kreskin cocked his head. “That’s interesting. You’re suggesting that maybe Peter called … or someone else did on his behalf … and told her that someone was on the way. She would be expecting a guest – perhaps it was a house repairman or saleswoman or something – and when she opened the door, she did so willingly.”
“Then the person comes in, talks for a few minutes, and waits until Jennifer’s back is turned,” Nick said, picking up the thread. “Jennifer is attacked in her own home and if the move came from behind then she would’ve been helpless.”
“She was small anyway.” Kreskin sipped his Coke. “Even if she was attacked by a woman she might not have possessed the strength to fight back. I mean … just pit Jennifer Cook against a woman of Maddie’s size, for instance. Maddie is much larger than Jennifer was.”
Maddie furrowed her brow. “Should I be taking that as an insult?”
Nick chuckled as he patted her knee under the table. “Definitely not. You’re extremely muscular and fit. Jennifer Cook was petite, though. The medical examiner said she barely weighed a hundred pounds. How much do you weigh, Mad?”
Maddie averted her gaze. “What does that matter?”
“You’re tall and have a lot of muscle,” Nick chattered on, mostly talking to himself. “You probably weigh about a hundred and thirty or forty pounds, right?”
Maddie was horrified. “I am not telling you that.”
Kreskin chuckled, drawing Nick’s attention across the table.
“What?” Nick asked, confused.
“Whenever I think you two have got the world at your fingertips, have everything figured out, I simply need to be reminded that Nick is still a man and men are idiots.”
“What did I say?” Nick was beyond confused.
“You didn’t say anything,” Maddie replied. “It’s just … .”
“Women don’t like talking about their weight,” Kreskin supplied. “If you’re going to estimate a woman’s weight, you need to aim twenty pounds lighter than whatever you really think it is. Thirty if you’re bad at guessing things like that, you know, just to be on the safe side.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Maddie protested. “It wouldn’t hurt if you went ten pounds lighter, though.”
Nick stared at her for a long beat. “You’re the most beautiful woman I know. I’m not just saying that to win points. It’s literally the truth. You also have the best body I’ve ever seen in real life ... or magazines, for that matter, if you want to know the truth.”
Maddie scolded him with a fiery look. “What magazines?”
“That’s not important,” Nick replied smoothly. “You run five miles a day and do sit-ups in the middle of the floor while we’re watching television. You take yoga classes with Christy even though you prefer working out in nature. You swim for exercise and not just fun. You love hiking through the woods and go fishing with me whenever I ask. You’re literally the perfect woman.”
“And here we go,” Kreskin muttered, slapping his palm to his forehead.
Nick ignored him. “Are you ho
nestly telling me you have a complex about your weight, Mad?”
“No,” Maddie replied. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want you to underestimate when it comes to guessing.”
“Is this a woman thing?”
“Yes.”
“Fair enough.” Nick blew out a sigh as he rested his hand on top of Maddie’s and focused on Kreskin. “Despite that little tangent, I am mildly curious if a woman Maddie’s size could move Jennifer Cook’s body.”
“Because she was dragged into the woods?”
Nick nodded. “Even though she was tiny, we’re talking about dead weight. We didn’t find any grooves to suggest a wagon or wheelbarrow. Someone had to carry her out there.”
“If we make the logical assumption and use the park as a starting off point, we’re talking about a quarter of a mile,” Kreskin said, grabbing an ink pen from his pocket and sketching out a map on his napkin. “I can’t think of anywhere else where it would make sense for the culprit to park. Can you?”
Nick shook his head.
“So whoever it was most likely parked there and carried her in,” Kreskin said. “Maddie is strong but slight. Could she have done it?”
Nick cast Maddie an appraising look. “Yeah. I think she could’ve done it. It might’ve taken her a bit of time – at least forty minutes or so – but it’s hardly like those woods are full of people this time of year.”
“That’s true,” Kreskin conceded. “What about the baby, though? If we believe one person did this, then someone had to move Jennifer Cook’s body from her house, into a vehicle, out of a vehicle, and then into the woods while also taking care of a cranky infant.”
Nick rubbed the back of his neck as he considered the statement. “Yeah. That’s a lot to handle. It almost seems impossible for one person to be able to do it.”
“I don’t think so,” Maddie countered. “Whoever did it could’ve left the baby in the car.”
“It was cold.”
“Not that cold,” Maddie argued. “It was in the high forties that night. I checked on my weather app after you guys confirmed the time of death. The baby would’ve been in a car seat with multiple blankets over him. He might’ve slept the whole time. Babies sleep in cars and with blankets … an hour probably wouldn’t have hurt him at all.”
Grave Paths (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 11) Page 13