Grave Insight (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 2)

by Hart, Lily Harper

  Maddie clapped her hands excitedly, her braids bouncing up and down. “Yay!” As much as Nick liked her hair loose, he hadn’t put up much of an argument when she wanted to braid her long locks before their lake outing. She’d explained about snarls, and how it would be painful to brush out later, and he’d relented. She was kind of cute with the twin braids anyway. He was constantly fighting the urge to tug on them so he could hold her still for a kiss.

  He handed the turtle to an eager Maddie, and then watched as she ran her fingers over the painted shell. The turtle was angry, and he kept lashing out in an attempt to bite Maddie, but she was adept in her evasion. “Who’s pretty?”

  Nick pressed his lips together. “You think the turtle is pretty?”

  “I think he’s beautiful,” Maddie said, petting him one more time and then lowering him back to the water. “Farewell, Mick.”

  Nick furrowed his brow. “Mick? Like Mick Jagger?”

  Maddie shook her head.

  Nick thought about it a moment, and then grinned. “You combined our names. You turned us into a celebrity couple.”

  “No, I didn’t,” Maddie said evasively.

  “Yes, you did.”

  She tried to skate around him when he reached for her, but he snagged her around the waist and twirled her around. “Admit it!”

  “Fine. I named him after us.”

  Nick lowered her back to the ground but continued to hold her flush against his body. “And this is why I love you.”

  Maddie held up her hand, her fingers clasped around something. Nick took the Petoskey stone without question. He hadn’t even seen her pick it up.

  “For luck,” Maddie whispered, rubbing her nose against his cheek.

  “Oh, my Maddie,” Nick sighed, kissing her deeply. “I’m already the luckiest man in the world.”

  The duo sank into their kiss, and they were well on their way to some mindless groping when the sound of someone clearing their throat on the shore caught their attention. Nick reluctantly pulled away, jerking slightly when he saw who was looking at them. “Kreskin.”

  “I’m sorry to interrupt,” Kreskin said, eyeing the couple ruefully. “You’ll never know how sorry I am.”

  “I thought we traded shifts,” Nick said.

  “We did. There’s been a … development.”

  Nick waited.

  “We found a body this morning,” Kreskin said.

  “Where?”

  “She was on the edge of the fairgrounds,” Kreskin said. “She was under the same trees where Maddie was … approached … the other night.”

  Nick stiffened and pulled Maddie closer. “Who?”

  “Tara Warner.”

  Maddie gasped, causing Nick to press his lips to the side of her face. “Shit. Give us a minute to pack up our stuff.”

  “I’m sorry,” Kreskin said. “I didn’t want to bother you, but I figured you’d want to know.”

  “No, you did the right thing,” Nick said, pushing Maddie in front of him as they climbed out of the water.

  Maddie immediately moved to the blanket where they’d set up their picnic and started pulling her clothes on while Nick waited beside Kreskin. “How did she die?” Nick asked.

  “She was strangled.”

  “No one saw anything?”

  “As far as I can tell, the last time anyone saw her was last night at the fair,” Kreskin replied. “She was having fun near the dance floor.”

  “Was she alone?”

  “She was with a group of women.”

  “Anyone I know?” Nick asked worriedly.

  “Cassidy was there.”

  Nick sighed. “Well, at least we know she didn’t actually kill her,” he said.

  “That’s about all we know,” Kreskin said. “The state police collected evidence this morning. I’ve been trying to find you. No one was at your house, or Maddie’s house, and you weren’t answering your phone.”

  Nick glanced around. “Sorry. It’s in my shoe. I didn’t hear it.”

  “I think you had your hands full with something else.”

  “Yeah,” Nick said. “I certainly did. How did you find us?”

  “I saw Maude downtown,” Kreskin said. “By the way, she and Irma are dressed in camouflage to do something … weird.”

  “They’re stalking Edna. She wants to be a Pink Lady. They’re harmless.”

  “Maude told me where you were, but only after I explained how important it was to find you,” Kreskin said. “She didn’t want to tell me.”

  “It’s fine,” Nick said. “I want to solve this sooner rather than later. The longer we wait, the more danger Maddie is in.”

  “Do you want to drop her off back at the house?”

  Nick shook his head. “We’ll go back to the house long enough so you can sit downstairs while she showers and changes her clothes. I’ll run out to my house and do the same, and pack enough so I don’t have to leave her again. Then we’ll all go to the scene.”

  “It will probably be pretty late by then. They’re not shutting down the fair.”

  “I don’t care,” Nick said. “I don’t want her alone. That means she’s coming with me.”

  “Is she okay with that?”

  Nick met Maddie’s worried gaze behind Kreskin’s back. “Yes. She needs to be with me. She won’t complain.”

  “Okay, man. Let’s go.”

  “SO, break down the scene,” Nick said.

  It was two hours later, and he was standing next to Kreskin in the same spot he’d found Maddie on the ground two nights before. Maddie was hanging back, not far enough away to worry Nick, but not close enough to infringe on their investigation either.

  “She was found here,” Kreskin said, pointing. “She was on her back, and her … skirt was hiked up above her waist. Her panties were gone, and she either wasn’t wearing any, or whoever was here took them as a souvenir.”

  “Was she raped?” Maddie asked, horrified.

  “Fluids were found,” Kreskin said carefully. “They’re being rushed through the crime lab.”

  Maddie pressed her eyes shut to block out the image. “Oh.”

  “Mad, don’t think about it,” Nick instructed.

  “Why doesn’t she go to the fair?” Kreskin suggested. “We’ll only be a few minutes, and then you two can enjoy the rest of your evening.”

  “No,” Nick said immediately. “She’s staying with me. I won’t risk her leaving my side.”

  “Okay,” Kreskin said, holding up his hands. “I’m sorry I suggested it.”

  “I’m not angry,” Nick said. “I just want her with me.”

  “I get it,” Kreskin said. “You just got her. You don’t want to lose her.”

  “I won’t ever lose her,” Nick said. “Ever.” He sucked in a steadying breath. “So, give me a timeline. When was she last seen at the fair?”

  “Well, she was there when the Blackstone Boys were on the stage playing, and they were on between nine and ten.”

  Maddie wrinkled her nose. “The Blackstone Boys?”

  “Leonard Sparks and his brothers have a band,” Nick replied.

  “They used to call themselves the Sparkly Boys, but then someone explained that probably wasn’t a very manly name,” Kreskin added.

  Maddie forced a small smile onto her face, if only for Kreskin’s benefit. “Oh.”

  “Anyway, she was at a table with several other women, including Cassidy and Marla Proctor,” Kreskin said. “Just so you know, and I had to put it in the report so it’s out there for public consumption, they were apparently plotting Maddie’s downfall.”

  Nick stiffened. “Meaning?”

  “It was nothing big,” Kreskin said. “I believe there was some chatter about taking an ad out in the newspaper warning women to lock up their men. They were going to use a photograph of Maddie with it.”

  Nick scowled. “I’ll talk to Beverly. She’s been the editor at the newspaper for twenty years. She won’t allow them to do anything of th
e sort.”

  “I know,” Kreskin said. “I just thought you should know that they’re plotting. I’m sure it will all be juvenile, but with Marla as the ringleader … .”

  “I hated that witch in high school,” Nick grumbled. “I really hate her now.” He cast a reassuring look in Maddie’s direction. “It’s going to be okay, Mad. She’s just bitter.”

  “I know.”

  “Come here.” Nick gestured for Maddie to come to him. When she was near, he pulled her into his arms and rested his head against her shoulder. “It’s going to be all right.”

  “I’m hardly worried about Marla when Tara is … .”

  “I know,” Nick said, brushing her hair down. “So, no one by the beer tent saw Tara slip into the trees?”

  “No,” Kreskin said. “Of course, the people hanging there aren’t reliable witnesses. Most of the people staying close to the beer tent are the hardcore partiers. They wouldn’t have noticed if aliens landed and probed them.”

  Maddie shifted in Nick’s arms, surprised. “Wow. You’re kind of funny.”

  “Sorry,” Kreskin said. “This isn’t a time to be funny. I just … it kind of slipped out.”

  Maddie patted his arm. “I understand. You’re a good man. Don’t worry. I see it, so other people see it, too.”

  Kreskin smirked. “I see what Winters sees in you. If you weren’t attached to his hip, I might make a play for you myself.”

  “You’re married,” Nick pointed out.

  “Yeah, but she’s something special.” Kreskin winked at Maddie.

  “She is,” Nick agreed. “She’s my something special. She could never fall for the likes of you.”

  Kreskin grinned. It was weak, but heartfelt. “It’s good you finally put him out of his misery and agreed to date him, Maddie,” he said. “I don’t know how long I could put up with his mopey face.”

  “His mopey face?”

  “It’s like Dopey, only sad.”

  Maddie nodded sagely. “I call it his puppy-dog face.”

  “Do you let him lick your face and cuddle up next to you when he gives you the look?”

  “All right,” Nick said, breaking up their banter. “We’re at a murder scene.”

  Maddie instantly sobered. “I’m sorry.”

  Nick rubbed her shoulders absent-mindedly. “When was Tara’s body discovered?”

  “Not until the cleaning crew came in this morning,” Kreskin said. “One of the guys came over here to … relieve himself … and he’s the one who found her.”

  “What’s her time of death?”

  “All we know is between nine and midnight right now. It’s a big window.”

  “Yeah,” Nick agreed. “Well, why don’t you go and get some sleep – or spend some time with your wife – or do whatever it is you want to do.”

  “What are you going to do?” Kreskin asked.

  “I’m going to spend a few more minutes here, and then I’m going to buy my girl some junk food and then take her home and put her to bed. I might take her into the funhouse. We were supposed to do it the other night, but other things came up.”

  Kreskin looked surprised. “The funhouse? You don’t strike me as a funhouse kind of guy.”

  “He claims the best memory of his life was in the funhouse,” Maddie said dryly, moving away from Nick so she could look around the scene.

  Kreskin arched an eyebrow.

  “When we were seventeen, we were in the funhouse and Maddie got scared,” Nick explained. “She threw herself in my arms and it was the first time I realized how big her boobs had gotten.”

  Kreskin snickered. “Nice.”

  “It was the best moment of my life,” Nick said, shifting his gaze back to Maddie. “Until yesterday.”

  Kreskin clapped him on the back. “You’re officially love whipped, boy. Enjoy it.”

  “I have every intention of enjoying it,” Nick said.

  “Keep her close,” Kreskin added, lowering his voice and moving to leave the clump of trees. “She’s kind of cute.”

  “She’s totally cute,” Nick said. “And, trust me, she’s going to be right by my side for the rest of my life.”

  Kreskin grinned. “Good for you.”

  “Good for us.”

  Twenty-One

  Once Kreskin was gone, Nick focused on Maddie. “Is she here?”

  Maddie raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Who?”

  “Tara.”

  “Oh,” Maddie said, realization washing over her. “That’s why you wanted me here. You wanted to see if I could talk to Tara’s ghost.”

  “I wanted you here because I can’t bear to be away from you right now,” Nick replied, earnest. “I want to touch you every second of the day, and I want to be able to see you every possible moment.”

  “Because of the danger, I know,” Maddie said. “I didn’t mean … .”

  “Not just because of the danger, Mad,” Nick said. “I just don’t want to be away from you. My heart can’t take it.”

  Maddie’s stomach clenched. “You’re so sweet.”

  “I love you. I finally get to say it, and I finally get to mean it, and I finally get to embrace it. I have no intention of leaving your side.”

  Maddie couldn’t hide the tears that filled her eyes.

  “If you cry, I’m going to be so upset,” Nick said. “I don’t want you to ever cry.”

  “Sometimes women cry because they’re happy, not sad,” Maddie explained.

  “I know. I just … if you cry, I’m going to cry. That’s going to ruin my street cred.”

  Maddie made an exasperated sound in the back of her throat. “Fine. Just know, I’m going to think about this moment when we’re alone tonight, and I’m going to cry then.”

  “If you hold off until then, I’ll reward you with a back massage.”

  Maddie’s face brightened. “Really?”

  “Really,” Nick said. “Now, focus on the scene. Can you … I don’t know … see anything?”

  “What do you want me to see?” Maddie asked, torn.

  “How do you usually see things?”

  “In my dreams.” Maddie tilted her head to the side, considering. “And I didn’t dream last night.”

  Nick swallowed hard. “Is it because you were with me?”

  “No. I think it was because I was exhausted. No offense, sweetie, but the past few days have been emotionally draining.”

  “And physically draining because of your ankle,” Nick said. “Shouldn’t Tara’s ghost be here?”

  Maddie glanced around ruefully. “Even people who die under violent circumstances don’t always come back as ghosts. Some are enlightened enough to just let it go.”

  “Well, that’s disappointing.”

  “Not necessarily,” Maddie said. “If Tara passed on, at least she not trapped here and suffering.”

  “That’s not what I meant, Mad,” Nick said hurriedly. “I was just hoping we could get some insight into what happened to her. She might know who killed her.”

  “It usually doesn’t work like that, at least not right away,” Maddie said. “Most ghosts take time to register the worst moment of their life. Dying is … traumatic. Most souls want to forget it, so it takes them time to remember. Something usually jolts them.”

  “Tara’s not here, though,” Nick pointed out. “We don’t even have the option of giving her the time to remember.”

  “Just because she’s not here right now, that doesn’t mean that she’s not still here,” Maddie said. “It’s hard for them at first. They can’t control when they pop up, or even where sometimes. Manifesting exhausts them.

  “In fact, I haven’t seen my mom in almost two weeks,” she said, her voice cracking.

  “Are you worried she’s gone?”

  “She wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye,” Maddie replied. “Granny is convinced she’s staying until they can go together. I believe her.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be back, love.”

  �
�That night, in the water, she appeared to me,” Maddie said. “She was in the water, and she was trying to get me to swim. It was so cold, and I tried so hard, but I just couldn’t make my body move. She kept telling me you were waiting for me.”

  Nick licked his lips. “I was waiting for you. I heard her that night, too.”

  Maddie was stunned. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I don’t know,” Nick said. “It was weird. I wasn’t sure I was hearing her. It was like a whisper. She was telling me how to find you. I don’t know what you remember, but I parked on the road and went through the woods – even though I didn’t know them – because something told me I had to get to you.

  “It was like she was guiding me,” he said. “I never made a wrong turn.”

  “That sounds like her,” Maddie said, thoughtful. “If she expelled enough energy for you to hear her, that would explain why I haven’t seen her. She’s just regrouping. That makes me feel better.”

  “I heard her in the hospital, too,” Nick said. “When I was sitting at your bedside, I heard her tell you that we were all there for you. Then I heard her whispering to Maude while she slept. I don’t know what she said, but Maude was smiling in her sleep, so it must have been good.”

  “Granny told me she had a dream about Mom that night,” Maddie said. “She said Mom told her we were about to go on an adventure. I chalked it up to Granny’s imagination. She’s never been able to talk to ghosts before. Now, though, I’m not so sure.”

  Nick grinned. “We are on an adventure, Mad,” he said. “It’s going to be the best adventure ever.”

  “Better than The Goonies?”

  Nick nodded. “You have no idea how great it’s going to be.”

  Maddie hugged him tightly, lifting her lips so he could give her a sweet kiss. “I love you, Nicky.”

  “I love you, my Maddie.”

  “I see you two finally managed to get together.”

  Maddie stilled in Nick’s arms, swiveling quickly when she heard the voice. When her eyes landed on Tara’s ghost, she was both heartbroken and relieved. “Tara.”

  “She’s here?” Nick kept his voice low.