Allison made an exaggerated face. “Is that your psychic reading for me?”
“I guess so.”
“Well, I knew you were a fraud, but that just proves it,” Allison said. “You can let yourself out. Unless you have a camera and a way to get me on television or in a newspaper, I’m done with you.”
And just like that Maddie was dismissed.
19
Nineteen
Maddie made a brief stop across the hall before leaving the floor, poking her head through the open door and finding the boys who lived there playing video games. She couldn’t be sure, but they appeared to be in the exact same spots as her previous visit.
“You guys have moved since the last time I was here, right?”
The boy who did most of the talking the first go-around lifted his eyes and smirked when he saw their visitor. “I knew you would come back for me. It’s was love at first sight for both of us.”
Despite his alpha behavior, Maddie recognized the kid was harmless and just looking to perform in front of his friends. She decided to play along. “Obviously,” she said. “My biggest problem is that I don’t know your name. It’s hard to love someone when you’re always dreaming about ‘What’s-his-name.’”
The boy snorted. “It’s Eric Felgner.”
“Well, Eric Felgner, what’s going on in here? I’m a little worried you guys are going to grow roots if you don’t move around more. Maybe you should switch seats occasionally or something. You know, just to shake things up.”
“Oh, things are pretty shaken up around here,” Eric said. “We don’t need to move to shake things up.”
“So you heard about Heather?” Maddie asked, moving into the room so she could look around a little bit. “I didn’t see you at the candlelight vigil the other night.”
“Candlelight vigils are for good people,” one of the other boys said. “Heather wasn’t a good person.”
“So I’ve heard,” Maddie said dryly. “That’s actually what I want to ask you guys about. I just came from seeing Allison and some of her explanations … well … they didn’t exactly make sense to me.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me,” Eric said. “She’s a real idiot. Before she had Heather to lead her around by the nose. That’s not the case any longer. She’s riding high on the popularity that comes with Heather’s death – everyone feels so sorry for her, of course – but by the time the next semester starts up after Christmas everyone will have forgotten about her.”
Maddie figured most of that out herself but nodded encouragingly to keep the boy talking.
“Allison is a total poser,” one of the other boys said. “It’s like she has no thoughts of her own. She just mimics whoever she’s hanging around with. That was usually Heather, but she branched out occasionally and mimicked Sage, too.”
Maddie stilled, surprised. “She just told me Sage was a loser and that no one wanted to hang out with her.”
Eric snorted. “That’s such crap,” he said. “Sage was the most popular girl on this floor, and it wasn’t just because she was pretty. She was definitely pretty, don’t get me wrong, but she was also nice. That’s what Heather and Allison never got.”
“Allison said Sage didn’t really like the guys at the Alpha Chi house, but Heather made a big deal and stressed those were the only acceptable guys,” Maddie said. “She also said Heather was hot for Aidan, but he was more interested in Sage.”
“Is Aidan the main frat guy?” Eric asked.
Maddie nodded.
“That sounds right,” Eric said. “I don’t pay attention to the frat dudes because they think we’re geeks and we’re fairly certain they’re date rapists in training, but I heard someone say that Heather was really jealous of whoever Sage was dating. Sage’s biggest problem was that she let people walk all over her. No matter who asked her for a favor – even if they were really mean the day before – she always agreed and helped them. She had a good heart.”
“Has,” Maddie automatically corrected. “They haven’t found her body. I believe she’s still alive.”
Eric cocked a dubious eyebrow. “Really? In what scenario is she still alive?”
Maddie shrugged. “I haven’t figured that out yet,” she admitted. “I have faith, though, and I’m not letting go of that faith until we find a body. That’s just the way I am.”
“Well, you’re hot and pretty nice, so I guess I don’t have a problem with that,” Eric said, winking.
“Oh, be still my beating heart,” Maddie said, feigning a fainting spell as she pressed her hand to her forehead and caused the boys to guffaw.
“Speaking of your heart, where is your boyfriend?” Eric asked. “He was pretty gung-ho about keeping an eye on you the other day.”
“He’s at the medical examiner’s office,” Maddie replied. “He’s picking me up in the lobby in a little bit.”
“He’s tall.”
“He is.”
“He looks like he works out,” Eric said.
“He does.”
“Do you think I could take him?”
Maddie smirked. “Probably not.”
“Bummer,” Eric said. “I figured you were out of my league, but there’s no harm in checking.”
“It’s fine,” Maddie said. “I do have one more question before I go, though.”
“Shoot.”
“Can you think of any scenario where Heather and Sage would garner the same enemy?” Maddie asked. “My understanding is that Heather was an enemy to Sage – although Sage didn’t recognize it – but everyone else liked Sage.”
“That’s true as far as I know,” Eric said. “A lot of people had crushes on Sage, but I don’t know of anyone who had a problem with her other than Heather. As for that, Heather wasn’t the physical fighting type. She was the ‘stab you in the back’ type – only she used words.”
That made sense to Maddie. “Okay, well, thanks.” She shuffled toward the door. “If I don’t see you guys again, good luck with your game. Try getting up and moving around every once in awhile, too. The exercise will do you good.”
“I’ll miss you,” Eric called to her back. “Our love is eternal.”
Maddie couldn’t help but smile. “I already have eternal love, but I’ll miss you, too.” She was still smiling when she turned her attention to the end of the hallway. The elevator was at the far end, but there was also a stairwell in the opposite direction. It might be quicker, but she wasn’t really in the mood to walk down five flights of stairs. To her utter surprise, she saw a familiar figure opening the door and stepping inside, changing her previous decision on the spot.
What is he doing here?
Maddie hurried down the hallway, determined to ask that very question to an individual she knew darned well had no reason to be on the fifth floor of this dormitory.
“WELL?”
Nick leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for Hicks and Jane to peruse the results on her computer screen. They’d been stuck in the room for well more than an hour – and as much as he wanted to maintain his cool, he was starting to get antsy.
“Hold on a second,” Hicks said. “We still have to feed the profile into the computer.”
Nick pressed his lips together and rolled his neck until it cracked. “Maybe I should step outside and get some air.”
“You want to go outside and call the blonde,” Hicks said. “Admit it.”
“The blonde has a name,” Nick shot back.
“Maddie,” Hicks conceded. “Wow. You really don’t have much a sense of humor where she’s concerned, do you? You’re wound too tight, man. You’re going to drive her crazy.”
Was he? Nick often worried about that exact problem eventually driving her away. “Fine, I won’t call her,” Nick said. “I just … I’m sure she’s fine.”
“I’m sure she’s fine, too,” Dwight said, offering Nick a sympathetic smile. “You need to chill out. Maddie is a big girl. I know you’re crazy
about her, but she can take care of herself.”
“I know that,” Nick said. “I’m guessing I’ll feel better when we have a suspect.”
“And I can’t decide how I’m going to feel,” Dwight said. “On one hand it will be nice to have a direction to look. On the other … .” He trailed off, his expression grim. Nick knew exactly what he was thinking.
“Dwight, we don’t know what we’re looking at here,” Nick said, internally chastising himself for making everything about Maddie and himself when Dwight was going through a terrible ordeal. “She could be alive. She could’ve taken off on her own to get some space for all we know.”
“I don’t know much, but I do know she wouldn’t do that,” Dwight countered. “She’s a sensitive girl, but she’s especially in tune with her mother’s feelings. She wouldn’t purposely put her mother through the anguish of this if she … she wouldn’t do it.”
“Okay,” Nick said. “Then someone took her.”
“Or someone killed her,” Dwight countered.
“I can’t make you promises and you know that,” Nick said. “I’m not Maddie. She believes with her whole heart that Sage is alive. You came to us for a reason. You came to her. Believe in her.”
“Oh, son, I do believe in her,” Dwight said. “I just have to prepare myself. If I don’t … .”
Nick pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead. He understood Dwight’s stance and yet it irked him all the same. “Did I tell you about the night Maddie drowned?”
Dwight jolted, surprised. “You mentioned it.”
“But did I tell you how it happened?”
“No.”
“Wait …Maddie drowned?” Hicks looked surprised. “No wonder she’s so feisty. She cheated death.”
Nick ignored him and focused on Dwight. “We went to school with a guy who was killing women with a local teenager for thrills,” he said. “They set their sights on Maddie and went to her house. This was before I lived there with her.
“Maude was with her, and when the lights went out Maddie realized what was going on,” he continued. “She knew her grandmother could not outrun two young men so she led them away from Maude and into the woods. Maude found me at the police station and told me what happened, but Maddie had a ten-minute head start and she was alone in the woods.
“It was spring, but the water was cold and the first thing I saw when I got to the lake was her slipping under the water,” Nick said, fighting off tears at the memory. “She went under and I fought the people on the beach and then dove into the water after her. She was under for a few minutes, and by all rights she should’ve died.
“When I got her back to the shore my partner was there and he helped me as I gave her CPR,” he said. “She didn’t move. She didn’t make a sound. Her lips were blue … and her hands were cold … and her hair was frigid and freezing. Somehow, though, I got her to breathe.”
“Well, I’m very happy for that, Nick, but I don’t understand why you’re telling me that story,” Dwight said.
“I’m telling you that story because Maddie was dead in my arms, and when I was dragging her to the beach I was trying to distance myself from the situation, too,” Nick replied. “I told myself that if she didn’t make it I would mourn and move on. She’d only been back in town a little while, after all. I could live without her. I’d done it before.
“All the while I told myself that my heart was shredding,” Nick said. “I begged her to live for me … to stay with me. I begged her not to leave me. She didn’t. The point is, all of that bargaining and distancing yourself isn’t going to do a bit of good if Sage is dead. You’re still going to feel it, and you’re going to break all the same because no matter what you say, part of you is hopeful.”
“I am hopeful,” Dwight said. “I’m hopeful that my baby is alive. I’m hopeful that I’ll get her back like you got Maddie back. I’m terrified that’s not going to happen, though.”
“Fear is normal,” Nick said. “You can’t succumb to it, though. Feel it and then keep pushing forward. That’s all any of us can do.”
“Wow, that was downright poetic,” Hicks said. “I thought Maddie was something special before I heard that story. Now I’m starting to think you’re something special together.”
“I know we are,” Nick said. “What have you got? Did you find a match?”
“We did,” Jane replied. “It’s just … I’m not sure what to make of it.”
“Did you find a student?”
Jane shook her head. “No, I found a father.”
“I … what?”
“Yeah, I don’t get it either,” Jane said. “Let me run the search again to make sure. I think we have to be missing something.”
MADDIE was quiet as she descended the stairs, keeping her feet light as she listened for the telltale sound of sneakers on cement. She heard nothing. She slowly descended a flight of stairs and listened again. Still nothing. Maddie repeated the process until she was between the second and third floors and then gasped when a silhouette detached from a small alcove next to the railing. She recognized the figure right away. He was the reason she went into the staircase in the first place, after all.
“What are you doing?” Maddie asked, confused. She tried to catch her breath as she stared at the young man. “You frightened me.”
“I think that’s the point,” he replied.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m here to frighten you, Maddie,” he said. “That’s the only reason I’m here. You’ve been asking questions and riling up people. I thought you would leave by now – I thought you would do something of use – but I was clearly wrong. That means you have to go.”
Maddie furrowed her brow. This wasn’t right. “What are you talking about?”
“Just this.” The man moved his hand so Maddie could see it better in the light and hit a button on the simple hilt in the palm of his hand. An ugly-looking blade sprang forth – making a “clicking” noise – and Maddie’s heart lodged in her throat when she realized what kind of weapon she was looking at. “I think you and I should take a trip together, Maddie.”
Maddie shook her head and took a step back. She didn’t have a lot of room to maneuver, though. She couldn’t go down because he was in the way. If she went up he would more than likely catch her – and stab her in the back for her efforts.
“You’re coming with me, Maddie. There’s no way out of this.”
Maddie made her decision on the fly and bolted for the ascending stairs. She was in good shape. She had a chance to outrun him. It was already too late, though. He had her before she hit the second step. The fight left her quickly when he placed a cloth over her mouth – a medicine smell infiltrating her nostrils – and dragged her toward the floor.
“Now, now, Maddie. Fighting is just going to tick me off. You don’t want that. Just ask Heather how that worked out for her.”
Maddie fought to maintain consciousness, but it was an impossible battle. Trouble had found her again, and this time she had absolutely no backup – and only a very vague notion of hope.
Nick!
20
Twenty
Nick felt sick to his stomach. He leaned against the counter and watched Jane work as he absentmindedly rubbed his abdomen.
“Is something wrong?” Hicks asked, staring at him. “You look as if you’re about to pass out.”
“My stomach is just upset all of a sudden,” Nick said. “It must’ve been the pancakes I ate for breakfast. They’re sitting like a pile of bricks in the middle of swampland.”
Hicks raised his eyebrows. “If you’re going to be sick, the bathroom is right over there.”
“I’m not going to throw up,” Nick said. “My stomach is just in knots. I’ll be fine. I shouldn’t have eaten so much when I knew we were going to have a full day. It’s my own fault.”
Hicks didn’t look convinced but he let it go when Jane swore under her breath. “What’s wrong?”
“T
his is wonky,” Jane replied. “I ran the DNA profile against all of the profiles we have on file for the fraternity. Aidan Kelly is not a match, for the record.”
“Well, that’s kind of disappointing, but it sounds as if you found a match,” Hicks said. “Who is it?”
“I didn’t find a match to anyone in the fraternity,” Jane replied. “I found a familial match to a local politician, though.”
Hicks widened his eyes. “A politician?”
“What’s a familial match?” Nick asked, confused.
“It’s when most of the DNA matches to the point where it’s not the individual in question but most certainly a family member,” Dwight explained. “We’ve solved quite a few cases with it in Detroit. She’s saying that she found a partial match for the DNA, but it’s not for the politician. It’s one of his family members.”
“Exactly,” Jane said, bobbing her head.
“What politician?” Hicks asked. “Wait … I’m almost afraid to know. This is going to be a real cluster of crap before it’s all said and done. I just know it.”
“It’s Chuck Dubois.”
“Who is Chuck Dubois?” Dwight asked, his heart rate amping up. He was getting closer to finding Sage – or at least what happened to her – and he was dying to make a move.
“He’s the head of the city council,” Hicks said, rubbing the back of his neck. “He doesn’t have any brothers, though. He has two sisters. It’s a male relative, right?”
“I would guess a son,” Jane said.
“I’m trying to think if he has a son,” Hicks said. “I can’t remember offhand.”
“He does,” Nick said, his stomach twisting further. “His name is Jackson Dubois, and he’s the one who has been feeding Maddie information.”
“What?”
“Oh, no.” Nick leaned over and rested his hands on his knees. “Maddie. We need to call Maddie and warn her. She trusts this kid.”
“I’m on it,” Dwight said, reaching into his pocket to collect his phone. “I’ll call her right now.”
MADDIE’S head was fuzzy and she swore she heard something buzzing as the SUV she traveled in bounced along a bumpy road. Her mind was jumbled, but she was cognizant of the fact that she was in a vehicle – and it was moving.
Grave Seasons (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 8) Page 16