Grave Danger (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 12)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I think it’s better if I show you,” Sage replied. “It’s close. It’s a safe place – at least for us – and it’s really not far. I think you need to see it to understand.”

  Maddie licked her lips as she regarded the hospital’s front doors. “I promised Nick I would be here all morning before joining him at the police station. I didn’t mention anything about going on an adventure with you.”

  “It’s not really an adventure. It’s more of a mercy mission than anything else. I thought you would be up for that.”

  Maddie made a face. “You know exactly where to hit me, don’t you?”

  Sage shrugged, noncommittal. “You risked your life to save me. You don’t have to risk your life to help the people I’m going to introduce you to, but it’s a weird situation. I honestly thought you would want to help.”

  Maddie made a tsking sound as she shook her head. “That was low.”

  “I didn’t know where else to go.” Sage’s expression was plaintive. “I think that your case and my people may overlap, but I’m not sure how and I’m terrified to talk to my father because he won’t understand what I’ve been doing.”

  Maddie didn’t want to involve herself in Dwight’s relationship with his daughter, but she recognized the desperation on Sage’s face. “Okay. Show me what you’ve got. If this is bad, though, I’m going to call Dwight myself.”

  “Do you have to?”

  “I won’t make a promise otherwise. I want to do what’s right for you and I can’t make that decision until I see.”

  “Well, what you’re going to see has very little to do with me and very much to do with fear. I think you’ll want to keep this secret when you see what’s going on. It’s … well, it’s out of this world.”

  “OH, I’M GOING TO KILL YOU.”

  Maddie’s eyes were so wide as she glanced around the dilapidated main floor of an abandoned library ten minutes later that Sage was convinced the woman’s blue orbs might pop right out of her head.

  “It’s not so bad,” Sage argued, wringing her hands as she stood in what used to be the library’s main foyer. “It’s a community of sorts.”

  It was a community all right. It was a community of high-risk individuals hiding out in a building that looked as if it was one stiff breeze away from crumbling inward. There was no furniture or books, just empty shelves and people huddling in various corners.

  Maddie took stock of the situation relatively quickly, counting heads and searching faces. She estimated that about fifty people were hiding in the building – and that was only the main floor, for all she knew another fifty could be on the second floor – and all of them looked ragged and a little worse for wear.

  “What is this, Sage?”

  “They’re women of the street,” Sage explained. “They’ve built a community to protect themselves because word is out about a predator. When I first heard them talking, I thought they were exaggerating the threat. Then my dad was called in on the case and well … now I’m not so sure they were exaggerating.”

  “Sage, I can’t believe you hid this from your father.” Maddie threw up her hands, furious. “He would want to help. These girls need help.” As if to prove her point, Maddie moved closer to a young Hispanic-looking girl cowering against a bookshelf. She knelt down and offered up a soft smile. “Hi. I’m Maddie. Are you okay? Do you need something?”

  The girl didn’t answer, instead covering her mouth with a pair of filthy hands.

  “She can’t speak English,” Sage offered. “She’s here illegally.”

  That’s when things clicked into place for Maddie. She swiveled slowly, taking a moment to study each visible face a second time. “They’re all here illegally, aren’t they?”

  “Most,” Sage acknowledged. “Some of them are runaways.”

  “Underage runaways?”

  “Well … .” Sage sucked in a breath. “The runaways here didn’t come because they were spoiled and sick of rules at home. Most of them were being mistreated – some were being sexually abused – and this was a better escape for them.”

  “A better escape?” Maddie was understandably dubious. “Sage, these girls are living in a building without heat and running water. They’re at the mercy of whoever finds them. What happens if a bad person finds this building and decides to take them? There’s no recourse. No one will even know they’re gone to report them missing.”

  “I can’t fix that,” Sage said earnestly. “That’s above my paygrade. I can bring them food and drinks so they don’t go hungry and thirsty, though. That’s the best I can do.”

  “And what do you want me to do?”

  “Talk to them. You know more about the case than I do. Dad doesn’t like to bring his work home with him. I think some of these people might know who you’re dealing with.”

  “Really?” Maddie scratched the back of her neck. The building was so dark and dank she was convinced spiders were dropping from the ceiling into her hair. “Point me toward someone who might have answers.”

  “Very few of them speak English,” Sage said, wrapping her fingers around Maddie’s wrist to direct her toward an alcove in the adjacent room. “Mercedes speaks well, though, and she knows a little bit about everything.”

  “Great. I can’t wait to meet her.”

  IT TURNED OUT MERCEDES – no last name because the woman didn’t trust Maddie enough to share it – really was easy to understand. She was a no-nonsense woman in her thirties and she seemed frustrated with Sage for giving up their hiding place.

  “I knew you were going to be trouble,” Mercedes muttered, wrinkling her nose. “The minute you walked through the door with your basket of groceries and pile of questions I knew you were going to make things more difficult for us.”

  “That’s not my intention,” Sage argued. “It’s just … you were telling that story last week and I wasn’t sure if I believed it. Then it turns out that my father is on a case where a bunch of bodies were discovered in a lot down the way. Now Maddie is in town, which means things are serious. I need you to tell her what you told me.”

  Mercedes eyed Maddie with cool detachment. “And what is it that you offer to help this … problem?”

  Maddie returned the woman’s even gaze. “I have a certain ability that might play a factor. More importantly, I want to help. What happened in that lot is not acceptable. I want to make sure it never happens again.”

  “So you’re a crusader?”

  “I wish the world were a better place,” Maddie clarified. “I can only do what I can do, though. I don’t think I’m omnipotent or all-powerful.”

  “Yes, well … .” Mercedes thoughtfully rubbed her hand over her chin as she regarded Maddie with unreadable eyes. “One of the girls who lives here says that someone freed a truck of potential slaves two days ago. She was watching as it happened and said a woman with the prettiest yellow hair she’d ever seen tipped off the cops.”

  Since Mercedes didn’t ask a question, Maddie remained silent.

  “That was Maddie,” Sage said quickly. “She’s the one who saved those women. She’s been visiting them in the hospital, too. She’s a good woman.”

  “I believe the person who saved our brethren from the back of that trailer had good intentions,” Mercedes said. “The problem is, all those women will now be deported and lose their one and only shot of making the United States their home. I’m not sure if that makes things better or worse for our people.”

  “I can’t change that.” Maddie refused to apologize for a scenario she couldn’t correct. “I’m not with the state department or immigration services. I’m a small-town woman who used to work as a nurse a few blocks over.”

  “A nurse, huh?” Mercedes didn’t look impressed. “And what do you do now?”

  “I own a magic shop in northern Lower Michigan.”

  “A magic shop?”

  Maddie nodded.

  “So you think you’re magic, huh?”

  “Maddie is magic,” Sage
said hurriedly, clearly nervous due to the way the two women eyed each other. “She’s psychic. She found me when I was missing and everyone already thought I was dead.”

  Maddie let loose with an exasperated sigh. “Sage, have you ever thought about shutting your mouth before you say the exact wrong thing?”

  Sage’s face was blank. “What did I say?”

  Maddie rolled her eyes and waved off the question. “It doesn’t matter. What does matter is the women here and the situation you find yourselves in. This isn’t a safe environment.”

  “It’s much safer than what’s out there,” Mercedes argued.

  “And what’s out there?”

  “A monster.”

  Maddie pretty much expected the answer, but she needed more information before she could proceed. “Is it the same monster who locked up those girls in the truck?”

  “That’s an interesting question. Most people assume we’re dealing with the same monster. You don’t seem to believe that, though.”

  “Honestly? I assumed that to be the case from the start, but then two people I happen to respect a great deal explained things to me. It makes no sense for the type of monster who makes money selling girls into sexual slavery to kill them off before making a profit. That means we’re dealing with a second type of monster.”

  “We are,” Mercedes agreed. “It’s even more insidious than you imagine, though, because the monster you’re looking for wears the face of an angel.”

  Maddie had no idea what to make of that. “I … um … what do you mean?”

  “He wears one face for the public and hides the other until he can unveil it to us,” Mercedes explained. “He pretends to be a good man even as evil runs through his veins. Most people call him a saint, but we know him as a sinner.”

  Maddie wasn’t big on religious symbolism so she struggled to understand Mercedes’ words. “Do you know who killed those girls? Do you know who we’re looking for?”

  Mercedes shook her head. “I don’t have a name, but I do know he’s a man who pretends to help others.”

  “How?”

  “One of our girls managed to escape from the monster, but only after he pretended to be a strong man,” Mercedes explained. “She barely escaped with her life and now she remains traumatized.”

  “Okay. Who are we dealing with?”

  “I don’t know the name or the face, but I do know the profession. He’s a doctor … at the very hospital that sits less than a mile down the road.”

  All the oxygen in Maddie’s lungs whooshed out. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  Maddie looked to Sage, dumbfounded. “Well … crap.”

  14

  Fourteen

  Maddie knew Nick would be furious so she called Dwight. Technically she was following the chain of command. Er, well, that was the way she rationalized it. She was a mess, though, as she stood at the front of the building and waited for the two men to arrive.

  Nick was a picture of bridled fury when he exited Dwight’s vehicle. Maddie could practically feel the rage radiating from him.

  “I’m sorry about all this,” Maddie offered apologetically. “I didn’t know who else to call.”

  Dwight flashed her a wan smile. “You did the right thing. Where is my daughter?”

  Maddie didn’t like the way he said “my daughter,” but she plastered a smile on her face all the same. “She’s inside. She’s angry at me for calling you. I didn’t see where we had a lot of options, though. I wanted to question the girl who claims she was attacked but managed to escape, but I knew that was a bad idea and could inadvertently taint the investigation.

  “There’s been some back and forth for the last hour,” she continued. “Sage is upset because she feels I betrayed her. Mercedes – she’s the woman who runs things here – is convinced I’m working with immigration to have all the women inside deported. She’s not happy with me either.”

  “Don’t let that get to you, Maddie.” Dwight rested a soothing hand on her shoulder. “You absolutely did the right thing.” He lowered his voice and leaned forward. “You’re not very popular with your boyfriend right now either, for the record. I might give him a wide berth if I were you.”

  Maddie flicked her eyes to Nick, her stomach clenching at the dark expression on his face. “I can see that.”

  “I’m just giving you a heads up.” Dwight straightened “Can you take me inside?”

  “Yes, but several of the women have already run. The one we’re interested in is still there, and the good news is that her English is pretty good. I told her you were coming … and that deporting her wouldn’t be your first choice. I also told her I couldn’t guarantee anything so I’m hoping that doesn’t put you in an awkward position.”

  “We’ll figure it out.” Dwight climbed the first step, his frame stiffening when Sage appeared in the open doorway. “Speaking of wide berths and being popular,” he muttered.

  “Hi, Daddy.” Sage flashed an innocent smile that would’ve caused Maddie to laugh under different circumstances. “I’m so happy to see you.”

  “Save it.” Dwight held up his hand and glared at his daughter. “You’re in big trouble, young lady. I mean … the biggest. If they had a measuring stick for trouble, yours would be off the charts.”

  Sage, clearly a master at manipulating her father’s emotions, jutted out her lower lip. “I was trying to help.”

  “And clearly you did,” Dwight snapped. “You helped so much Maddie had to get involved and now you’ve gotten her in trouble.”

  Sage balked. “How did I get Maddie in trouble? She turned on me and insisted on calling you.”

  Maddie bit back a sigh. “I didn’t turn on you. This is above our paygrade, though. We seriously needed help, and Dwight and Nick are the only two people I knew who could offer it.”

  “Oh, don’t bring me into this,” Nick drawled, sarcasm practically dripping from his tongue. “You didn’t call me. You called Dwight. He’s the one who will be offering you help today. I’m simply here to bear witness.”

  Maddie slid Nick a sidelong look. “I thought I should call him because this is his jurisdiction.”

  “Good answer.” Nick kept his gaze averted. “Are we going inside or what?”

  “Nicky … .” Maddie reached out and tried not to cringe when he jerked his hand away from her.

  “We should go inside,” Nick pressed. “I’m sure we’ve got a long afternoon of questions ahead of us.”

  “Yes, thanks to Maddie,” Sage sneered. “We can all thank her for this.”

  Maddie pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. “Wow. And I thought I felt unpopular in high school.”

  “Don’t you dare blame Maddie for this,” Dwight warned. “You’re in big trouble, Sage, and she did the absolute right thing.”

  “Except she was supposed to be at the hospital,” Nick muttered. “The right thing would’ve been to call me when Sage approached her at the hospital.”

  “I felt trapped,” Maddie whined. “She was so earnest and she said all this stuff about me helping the downtrodden. She trapped me.”

  “Oh, right, blame it on me,” Sage seethed. “I’m the one who told you it was a secret and yet you couldn’t wait to share it with my father. You’re not much of a secret keeper.”

  “Knock that off,” Dwight warned, extending a finger. “Maddie is the only reason I’m not grounding the crap out of you right now, although I haven’t ruled it out for later.”

  “I’m an adult,” Sage argued. “You can’t ground an adult.”

  “Watch me.”

  Maddie risked a glance at Nick, hoping to see a smile curving his lips or a softening of the eyes. He didn’t so much as glance at her, though, and his jawline looked as if it were carved out of granite as he stared straight forward.

  “We need to talk to the woman inside,” Nick reminded them. “She could be escaping out the back as we’re standing here and talking about this. We need to move.”


  “You’re right.” Dwight took the lead, Sage close on his heels. “We need to be gentle but firm. We need answers.”

  “Don’t you dare arrest any of these women,” Sage hissed. “I’ll never forgive you if you do.”

  “You’re not in the position to threaten me with anything,” Dwight fired back. “You’re in big trouble.”

  “I’m too old to be in trouble.”

  “I don’t think your mother is going to feel that way.”

  Sage blanched. “You wouldn’t dare tell my mother!”

  “Watch me.”

  MADDIE LED DWIGHT AND Nick to the young woman in the corner. She hid under a pile of blankets, a bout of terrible shakes bombarding her body. Mercedes sat next to her, absolute murder coloring her features, but both women remained where they were sitting and didn’t bother running despite the presence of two cops.

  Dwight introduced himself, offering up an easy smile as he sat on the ground across from the girl. He wanted to appear as nonthreatening as possible, and hunkering low was his best option. Since Nick was so tall, he followed suit, positioning himself right behind Dwight. Maddie considered sitting next to him, but the “no trespassing” sign Nick had clearly erected forced her to take a step away from him.

  “This is Paloma,” Mercedes said, her eyes grave. “She is terrified and wanted to run, but her health won’t allow it. I’m certain this will end badly for both of us, but we will answer your questions in the hope that you won’t punish us for being honest.”

  Dwight stared at her for a long beat. “I don’t want to punish you at all,” he said truthfully. “I understand that you’re in a tough position here and I want to do what I can. That includes helping Paloma.”

  Paloma’s shaking increased and Maddie momentarily discarded her worry regarding Nick and moved closer to the girl, searching through the ragged blankets until she came up with a pasty wrist and pressing her fingers to Paloma’s pulse point.

  Nick watched with mild interest, but he didn’t offer up a smile to ease Maddie’s worry.

  “I need you to tell me a little about yourself, Paloma,” Dwight prodded. “When did you get here?”

  The girl looked so timid, the trembles causing her whole body to shake so violently that Maddie had to fight the urge to wrap her arms around the girl and offer solace.