“Well, now you’re eating chicken.” Maddie was firm as she gestured toward the table. “Sit down and start eating.”
Maude pursed her lips as she studied her granddaughter’s face. She wasn’t the sort of woman who kowtowed to anyone — including family — but there was something about Maddie’s demeanor that set her teeth on edge. “Fine. I love a good chicken.”
She skirted around Nick, who remained rooted to his spot.
“You, too, Nick,” Maddie ordered.
“Sure.” Nick acquiesced without another confrontational word. “I happen to love chicken ... and potatoes ... and whatever this is.” He poked one of the vegetables on the platter with his fork.
“That’s a turnip and they taste like ass,” Maude announced.
“Granny!” Maddie scorched her grandmother with a dark look.
Instead of apologizing, Maude snickered. “I’m glad the real you is in there somewhere, Maddie girl. I thought maybe you were replaced by a robot when no one was looking. It gave me a good start.”
“A robot?” Nick cocked an eyebrow as he steadfastly avoided the turnips and headed for the carrots. “Why would she be a robot?”
“Because she’s turned into a Stepford wife,” Maude replied without hesitation. “Personally, I blame you. I’m pretty sure this is an overreaction to something you did.”
“It can’t possibly be. When I left her, she was floating on a cloud because I’m the most romantic — and handsome, for that matter — man in the world. I maintain this is all a reaction to something you’ve done.”
“I haven’t even seen her today,” Maude shot back. “I’ve been busy with ... the Pink Ladies.” She changed the conversational course when she noticed Nick’s eyebrows draw together. There was no way she was going to admit to how she spent her afternoon. “It couldn’t possibly be me.”
“It’s not either of you,” Maddie supplied, her eyes flashing with annoyance. “Why do you assume that my life revolves around the two of you?”
Surprised by her vehemence, Nick held up his hands in mock capitulation. “I’m sorry, Mad. Your life is full of meaning and Maude and I are simply tiny fixtures in it.”
Maddie was instantly contrite. “That’s not what I meant. You know that’s not what I was saying. Don’t be like that.”
He kept his eyes trained on her. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on? I’m a little worried and the last thing I want is to fight. It would be helpful if you just told me what propelled you to make the world’s best dinner.”
Even though she was still agitated, Maddie couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “You haven’t even tried the chicken yet. How do you know it’s the world’s best dinner?”
“Because you made it.” He leaned closer and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Tell me what’s bothering you, love. I’m seriously starting to worry.”
“Nothing is bothering me,” Maddie hedged. “It’s just ... it’s going to sound weird.”
“You can see and talk to ghosts. I can hear your dead mother talking to me at times. Oh, and your grandmother spent her afternoon putting fake eyes on bushes to mess with a woman that God himself would like to forget exists. I think we can handle weird.”
Maddie couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “I guess that’s fair.” She sucked in a breath. “I ran into Alicia Clark. She’s back with her husband.”
Nick’s expression didn’t change, but Maude’s eyes lit with interest.
“Really?” Maude thoughtfully chewed her chicken, her mind working. “I thought he dropped the bomb on her weeks ago. There was talk he was seeing someone else.”
Maddie held her palms out and shrugged. “I don’t know about that. I just know what Alicia told me. She said they’d reconciled and seemed really happy. Then she said a few other things and I thought I should make dinner.”
Ah, now they were getting somewhere. Nick casually cut into his chicken, which was ridiculously moist and made his mouth water. “What did she say?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Mad.” He was stern. “I want to know what she said.”
“She might have mentioned that she believed her marriage troubles stemmed from the fact that she didn’t pay enough attention to Trevor. She suggested I never lose sight of you, or fail to make sure you know how important you are to me.”
“I see.” Nick bobbed his head as he shoved chicken into his mouth. It was ridiculously good, like melt-on-your-tongue delicious. That didn’t stop him from saying what needed to be said as soon as he swallowed. “I know I’m important to you. I will always know that.”
“I’m going to bet that Alicia thought that at some point, too,” Maddie pointed out. “She was blindsided when Trevor told her he wanted a divorce three days before their 20th anniversary. I mean ... three days. Who does that?”
“I don’t know.” Nick opted for honesty. “I will never do that, though. You’re it for me. You’re the one. I don’t care what happens. I don’t care if you never make me chicken again — although this is delicious and I think it should definitely be repeated — I will never want anyone but you. I will fight to the death to keep our marriage intact.”
However ridiculous, the words made Maddie feel better. “That’s what I was thinking while she was talking,” she admitted. “The thing is, she was so earnest it set things to buzzing in my brain. The next thing I knew I was making chicken.”
He snickered. “Never change, Mad.” He gave her another kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry about us, though. We were always meant to be together. That’s never going to change. Some things are destiny.”
Maddie sighed. She felt a bit foolish. “I’m sorry about the chicken.”
“Never be sorry about the chicken.” Nick made a face when his cell phone buzzed with an incoming message and shifted so he could remove the phone from his pocket. “This had better not be something that takes me away from the chicken. I’m not kidding.”
Maddie giggled, pleased with his response. Her smile wavered when the set of Nick’s jaw tightened. “What is it?”
“There’s been a shooting.” He slowly lowered his fork to his plate. “Shots have been fired over on Sycamore Street.”
Maddie racked her memory. “Who lives over there? Is anyone hurt?”
“A man is being transported to the hospital. It’s Trevor Clark.”
Maddie’s heart plummeted. “What?”
Nick slowly nodded. “I’m not sure what’s going on over there, but Kreskin is demanding I head in that direction,” he said, referring to his partner Dale Kreskin. “I have to cut this meal short, Mad. I’m sorry.”
Maddie was already on her feet. “I’ll go with you.”
“That’s not necessary.”
She was firm. “I’ll go with you,” she stressed. “I just saw Alicia four hours ago. I should be with you.”
He stared at her for a long beat before nodding. “Okay. You don’t leave the car unless I give you the all-clear, though. I need your word on it.”
“I promise.”
“Fine.” He slowly got to his feet, his gaze rueful as it floated over the food. “I’m sorry about your dinner.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Maude said, her mouth full of chicken. “I’ll put everything in the refrigerator so you can heat it up later. It won’t go to waste.”
“Thank you so much, Granny.” Maddie was sincere. “There’s cake on the counter for dessert.”
“Don’t eat all of that cake,” Nick warned, grabbing Maddie’s hand. “I’m going to hunt you down and throw you in Harriet’s bushes if there’s no cake to eat when we get back.”
“I’m sure I’ll manage to refrain from eating all the cake,” Maude said dryly. “Keep me updated when you know what’s going on, by the way. If there’s a gunman on the loose ... .”
“Stay in the house until you hear otherwise,” Nick instructed. “I’m not sure what we’re dealing with yet. When it’s safe, I’ll message you.”
�
�Fair enough.” Maude turned back to her plate and cut into her turnip. “These still taste like ass, by the way.”
“Then why are you eating them?” Maddie challenged.
“I honestly have no idea. Have fun looking for a shooter.”
Nick merely scowled. “If she eats that cake while we’re gone, we’re going to have words.”
Maddie patted his arm. “It’s going to be okay. Have faith.”
“I’ll do my best.”
THE SCENE IN FRONT OF the Clark house was chaotic. There was an ambulance in the driveway, two police cruisers with flashing lights blocking off the street in either direction, and neighbors were standing on the sidewalk and openly gaping at the screaming woman on the front lawn.
“That’s Alicia,” Maddie said as she moved to unhook her safety belt. “What’s wrong with her?”
Nick stilled her with a hand on her wrist. “You have to wait here until we know it’s safe, Mad. You agreed.”
Maddie gestured to the looky-loos across the street with her chin. “Um ... do you really think Kreskin would allow them to be congregating in the middle of the street if there was a shooter on the loose?”
Even though he didn’t want to admit it, Nick knew she had a point. “Fine.” He exhaled heavily. “Don’t wander off or anything, though, just in case. Promise me.”
“I promise not to wander off.”
“Thank you.” Nick exited the vehicle, his eyes immediately bouncing from face to face as he searched for his partner. It didn’t take him long to find the man in question. Kreskin stood by the door to the ambulance as a gurney was loaded, his expression grave as he talked to one of the emergency responders.
“What do we have?” Nick called out as he approached.
Kreskin slowly shifted his eyes to his partner. “White male, early forties, one GSW to the chest, another to the abdomen.”
Nick arched an eyebrow. “And he’s alive?”
“For now.” Kreskin took a step away from the door as the paramedics lifted the gurney. “He’s unresponsive and his breathing is shallow. He’s going straight into surgery at the hospital. We won’t have a chance to interview him until at least tomorrow.”
“You have to let me go with him,” Alicia wailed from the center of the lawn where a uniformed officer tried to keep her from breaking free and racing toward the ambulance. “He’s my husband. You can’t keep me from him.”
Kreskin calmly shut the ambulance door and banged on it twice to give the all-clear. “Take him out of here,” he ordered. Once the ambulance drove off, he focused his full attention on Nick. “We have quite the situation here.”
Nick recognized that for himself, although he had no idea where to start. “What happened? Did she shoot him?”
Maddie balked before Kreskin could respond. “Of course she didn’t. I just told you that she was excited about an anniversary celebration with him. She didn’t shoot him.”
Kreskin’s expression was hard to read when Nick looked to him for confirmation. “She claims that Trevor was in his office cleaning his gun when it went off.”
Nick was silent for a beat, which allowed Maddie to fill in the conversational space.
“That’s possible, right?” she pressed.
Nick rubbed the back of his neck as he debated how to answer. Finally, he opted to go with the truth. They promised not to lie to one another, and she was a strong woman who could grasp the obvious ... as long as she recognized it. “Mad, he was shot twice. Most accidental weapon discharges don’t include two shots.”
“Oh.” Realization dawned on Maddie. “Oh.”
“Yeah.” Nick was gentle as he rested his hand on her shoulder. “I’m going to guess this wasn’t an accident.”
“That doesn’t mean Alicia did it,” Maddie argued, regrouping. “Maybe someone broke into the house and did it. That’s possible, right?”
Nick pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. “Then why not say that from the start?”
“I ... .” Maddie didn’t have an answer for him.
“We need you to stay here, Maddie.” Nick was firm. “We have to question her and you can’t be a part of it. I’m sorry.”
Maddie understood what he was saying. Even though part of her wanted to fight with him, demand she be included, she knew that was unreasonable and unfair. “I’ll stay over here, maybe listen to see if the neighbors are saying anything. They would know best if there was an argument or something before the shooting, right?”
Nick was relieved when she didn’t press harder to get her way. “That’s a great idea. Don’t wander too far away, though.”
“I said I wouldn’t.” There was a little more bite to her words than she intended. “I’ll be fine.” She softened her tone. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Then how come I’m always worrying about you?” Nick muttered under his breath as he fell into step with Kreskin.
“Trouble in paradise?” Kreskin asked, amused despite himself.
“No, just bad timing,” Nick replied. He told his partner about Maddie’s run-in with Alicia earlier in the day. “I don’t think she wants to see what’s right in front of her.”
“I’m not sure I want to see it either,” Kreskin admitted. “I’ve known Alicia a long time. I never thought she was capable of something like this.”
“Well, we don’t know she technically did it yet.”
“True. Let’s find out.” Kreskin plastered a pleasant smile on his face as he stopped in front of the wailing wife. “We need to discuss what happened tonight, Alicia. Can you tell us?”
“I already told you,” Alicia huffed, her chest heaving. “I was cooking dinner. It was a special celebration. The next thing I know, I hear two gunshots in the office. I raced in there to see what was going on, and Trevor was just ... there. He was on the floor and there was blood all around.”
“You said he was cleaning his gun,” Kreskin prodded.
“Well, he had to have been,” Alicia said. “The gun was on the desk and the lockbox he keeps it in was out. He only takes it out when he cleans it once a month.”
“So ... this is a regular thing?” Nick asked.
Alicia nodded. “I didn’t know he was doing it until after I heard the shots.”
“And you’re sure no one else could’ve shot him, right?” Kreskin queried.
“Who else could’ve shot him?” Alicia’s face was blank. It took her a long time to grasp what Kreskin was insinuating. “Oh. You think I shot him. I ... why would you think that?”
“We don’t think you shot him,” Kreskin countered hurriedly. “I didn’t say that. I’m simply trying to ascertain how this could’ve happened.”
“I told you how it happened. At least ... I’ve told all I know. I can’t be sure exactly how it happened because I wasn’t there.”
“We’re going to need to see the scene.”
“Help yourself.” Alicia gestured toward the house. “I need to go to the hospital.”
“I think you should stay with us,” Nick countered. “We can transport you to the hospital later.”
Alicia shook her head, firm. “No. I’m going to the hospital. That’s my husband. He needs me.”
Because they technically didn’t have enough to hold her, Kreskin found himself nodding. “Okay. We’ll be in touch with you at the hospital.”
“I would expect nothing less. I need to get out of here right now, though. Trevor needs me.”
Three
Maddie studied the curious and horrified neighbors for a decent amount of time before her gaze fell on Imogen Stoddard. She recognized her as one of Maude’s Pink Ladies but couldn’t remember the last time she talked to her.
Maddie cast a look over her shoulder to make sure Nick was still busy and then headed in Imogen’s direction. The woman didn’t look happy to see her approaching, but Maddie tried not to take it personally.
“Hey, Imogen.”
“Maddie.” She nodded her head in greeting as she
moved her bottom jaw back and forth. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”
“I was just thinking the same thing. I believe you were hanging around the night Granny decided that setting off fireworks in Harriet’s backyard while she was hosting an important tea was a good idea.”
Imogen cracked a smile. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“You sound like Granny.”
“Believe it or not, in this particular instance, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Since Maddie was fond of her grandmother, even though she was a complete and total thorn in her backside at times, she found no reason to argue with the sentiment. “What do you know about this situation?” she asked after a beat, keeping her voice low so as not to draw unnecessary attention. “Did you witness a fight between them or anything?”
Imogen cocked an eyebrow that was drawn on rather than legit and shrugged. “There was always some sort of noise coming from this house.”
“Because they were fighting?”
“Because they were living complicated lives.”
Maddie waited for her to expand on the statement. When Imogen didn’t, she pressed harder. “You have to give me something here. I was under the impression that Trevor and Alicia reconciled. Is that not the case?”
The sigh Imogen let loose was long and drawn out. “I’m not privy to their private conversations.”
“But?”
“But I don’t know if they really reconciled,” Imogen admitted after a beat. “That was the word going around the neighborhood, but it seems to me that there was still a lot of fighting going on. Trevor especially seemed … unhappy.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning he was unhappy and going out at all hours of the night.”
Maddie read between the lines of what Imogen was trying so hard not to say. “He was having an affair.”
“That’s not what I said.” Imogen wagged a finger. “You didn’t hear that from me.”
“It makes sense, though.” Maddie was thoughtful as she rolled her neck. “He told her three days before their 20th wedding anniversary that he wanted a divorce. Most men – even if fed up – would wait until after to drop the bomb. For him to unload on her then, well, there had to be a reason.”
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