Grave Decisions (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 7) (5 page)

“I was going to say annoying and ridiculous,” Kreskin snapped. “You’re the television guy, right? You pretend to have psychic visions that lead you to bodies. Only this time, you’re saying you actually stumbled across a real body. That’s what you’re saying, right?”

“I do not fake visions,” Cooper snapped. “I am psychic. I am at one with mystical energy. It invades my body and shows me things. It showed me this.”

Kreskin exchanged an incredulous look with Nick. “I see.”

“What about you, Maddie?” Kreskin asked, causing her heart to flop. “Is that how you remember things?”

Maddie let loose with a shaky breath when she realized Kreskin wasn’t going to put her on the spot and ask if she had the same psychic flashes as Cooper. As if reading her mind, Nick gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Pretty much,” Maddie said. “Nick and I were back that way and we’d decided to go home when we heard someone scream. It took us about a minute to find everyone. When we did, Nick took the flashlight out of his pocket and when he removed the glove to investigate everyone screamed and stampeded out.”

“And made a mess of our crime scene,” Kreskin muttered.

“That’s my fault,” Nick interjected. “I was so surprised I couldn’t stop them. I didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late and my first instinct was to grab Maddie so they didn’t separate her from me.”

“Son, your first instinct is always to grab Maddie,” Kreskin said, struggling to keep his face stern but ultimately failing. “Well, I placed a call to the state police. We’re going to need help on this one.”

“I saw that coming,” Nick grumbled. “Who are they sending?”

“I think you know him,” Kreskin said. “You have the same last name and he’s living in your old house.”

“John,” Nick said, shaking his head. John Winters was Nick’s older brother, and while the duo was close they also had a competitive relationship. “Well, I guess that means we’re going to be here late.”

“I guess it does,” Kreskin confirmed. “We need to gather as much evidence as we can. The mayor and council are going to be ticked as all get out when they can’t use this place tomorrow, but we can’t let people in here.”

“I would like to offer my services,” Cooper said, clasping his hands in front of him and bowing. “I believe I can psychically see who the killer is if I’m allowed to help with the case.”

“We’re good,” Kreskin said, shaking his head. “I think you’ve done quite enough.”

“You mean find a body?” Cooper challenged. “I don’t understand how that can upset you.”

“And that’s why we don’t need you hanging around and muddying the waters,” Kreskin said. “You’re staying at the bed and breakfast on the main strip, right?”

Cooper nodded.

“Don’t even think about leaving town,” Kreskin ordered. “We’ll probably have more questions tomorrow.”

“I can’t wait,” Cooper said, his tone dry.

“I’ll take Maddie home and be right back,” Nick offered.

“I can walk myself,” Maddie protested. “It’s not even midnight yet.”

“No offense, Mad, but we just found a murdered woman in a maze,” Nick argued. “You’re not walking anywhere by yourself. I don’t care if it is only two blocks.”

“I can walk her home, sir,” Cooper said. “It would be my great pleasure.”

“Over my dead body.” The words were out of Nick’s mouth before he realized how shrill they sounded.

Kreskin pursed his lips as his gaze bounced between the two men. “You know what? I’m going to walk Maddie home.” He held up his hand to cut Nick’s argument off before he could get a full head of a steam. “You need to tell your brother exactly what happened when he gets here. Maddie needs to be walked home, and neither of us wants this guy doing it. That leaves me. Do you want him or me?”

Nick didn’t look thrilled with either option. “You,” he said finally, cupping the back of Maddie’s head and kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry, love. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Kreskin held out his arm to usher Maddie forward. “What’s going on there?” he asked. “Those two look ready to fight for your honor.”

“I think it’s a man thing,” Maddie explained.

“I hear that,” Kreskin said, causing Nick to scowl as he remained behind.

“Well, I guess I should be going,” Cooper said. “I’ll have a long day tomorrow if I expect to solve this murder on my own.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you will,” Nick said, rolling his eyes.

“You don’t trust me, do you, Detective?”

“Not in the slightest,” Nick said. “I don’t care what you do, though. Stay away from this place, and while you’re at it, stay away from my girlfriend.”

“You sound worried for a man who believes he’s found his perfect mate,” Cooper tossed back as he headed for the exit.

“Stay away from my girlfriend,” Nick repeated. “I’m not worried because I think you can charm her. I’m worried because you knew where a dead body was located. Don’t even look at Maddie funny. I’m not kidding.”

“I would never hurt Maddie,” Cooper replied. “I see great things in her future.”

“So do I,” Nick said. “That’s why I want you to stay away from her.”

M
addie didn’t mean
to fall asleep, and when she did, her dreams were troubled. She found herself lost in the fall festival maze, her heart pounding as she rounded corner after corner. She cast the occasional glance behind her, worried someone followed, but she never heard any noise to indicate she wasn’t alone.

Why did she enter the maze on her own?

She couldn’t figure out the correct answer, and as each step led her farther into the twisted tableau, she became more and more convinced she wasn’t alone despite the overwhelming silence.

Maddie rested against one of the straw walls, briefly wondering if she wouldn’t be smarter just to push the wall over and escape to the street that way. The problem was, due to the darkness, she couldn’t be sure which way the main drag was located. She’d taken so many turns, she didn’t know which direction she faced.

Maddie pushed herself away from the wall again. She wasn’t sure why she was convinced she wasn’t alone in the maze, but her inner danger alert dinged and she inherently knew she was running out of time.

Maddie raced past the now familiar dinner table scene, cringing when she recognized the fake head on one of the plates. Whoever designed this horrible maze should be banned from doing it again. She made a mental note to ask who was responsible – if she survived, that is.

When Maddie got to the spot where the body was found, she realized the form perched on the pike above the ritual scene wasn’t the same as the one they discovered hours before. That’s when Maddie became certain she wasn’t in a dream, but instead someone’s memory.

“Oh, no,” Maddie whimpered, her hand flying to her mouth. She turned quickly, frowning when she saw the dark figure moving into the square area behind her. Maddie couldn’t make out any features. What was there was dark and masked. Maddie opened her mouth to scream, but only one word came out.

“Nicky!”

Maddie bolted awake, tears streaming down her face. Nick’s side of the bed was empty, and a quick glance at the clock told her it was almost four in the morning. Maddie couldn’t stop the tears, and when the master bathroom door opened and illuminated Nick’s strong figure, she almost wept she was so relieved.

“Maddie, are you okay?” Nick asked, moving toward her. “Did you just cry out my name?”

“I … .” Maddie couldn’t find the words to explain her dream. Instead she reached out to rest her hand on Nick’s chest. “I didn’t think you were here.”

“I was brushing my teeth, Mad,” Nick said. “I just got home. You were out like a log when I got here. Hold on.”

Nick moved away from the bed long enough to flick the bathroom light off and then rolled onto the mattress next to Maddie. He slipped an arm under her waist and pulled her to him, settling her head on his shoulder as he tucked the covers around them.

“Tell me what’s wrong, love,” he prodded, kissing her forehead and hating the way her body shook. “Did you have a bad dream?”

Maddie nodded as she buried her face in Nick’s chest.

“Okay,” Nick said. “You don’t have to tell me what it was about if you don’t want to. It’s okay.”

“It wasn’t a dream, Nicky,” Maddie whispered. “I thought it was a dream at first, but it wasn’t.”

“Okay.” Nick knew better than forcing the issue. Maddie would tell him what she saw when she was ready.

“I was in the maze and I thought someone was following me,” Maddie said. “I remember going past that horrible dinner display and thinking whoever designed it should be banned from festival events.”

“Probably,” Nick agreed, rubbing Maddie’s shoulder to relax her. “You’re shivering, love. Try taking deep breaths.”

Maddie did as instructed. “It wasn’t until I got to the spot with the ritual setup that I realized it wasn’t a nightmare,” she said. “The body on the pike was a scarecrow. It was a memory, but it wasn’t mine.”

“Do you know who it was?” Nick asked.

“No. I was in her body, but I couldn’t see my reflection or anything. She didn’t feel familiar.”

“Okay,” Nick said. “What happened?” He was exhausted, but he knew Maddie couldn’t let the vision go until she told him about it.

“Someone was behind me. I couldn’t make out who it was.”

“Do you think it was a man? A woman?”

“It was definitely a man,” Maddie answered. “It was too big to be a woman. I couldn’t make out any facial features, though. Then he … reached for me … and all I could think was that I wanted you. That’s when I woke up.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner, Mad,” Nick said, kissing Maddie’s forehead again. “Close your eyes, love. You need to breathe in and out and close your eyes.”

“What happened at the maze?” Maddie asked. “I … who was it?”

“We’ll talk about that tomorrow, okay?”

Maddie nodded. “You’ll be here when I wake up, right?”

“I’ll be here forever, Maddie,” Nick said. “Never doubt that. Try to get some sleep for me, though. You’re going to need it. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us tomorrow.”

Maddie didn’t think she’d be able to doze off, but when sleep claimed her a few minutes later she didn’t put up a fight. Nick held on until her breathing evened out and then joined her. He held her close, warding off future visions by sheer force of will, and they slept late into the next morning.

“
H
I
.”

Nick greeted Maddie with a soft kiss and a warm hug. “Good morning, love,” he murmured. “Did you sleep okay?”

“I did once you got home,” Maddie acknowledged, taking a moment to marvel at his lean muscles as she appreciatively rubbed her hand over his chest. “I always sleep better when you’re here.”

“I do, too,” Nick said. “I’m sorry I didn’t get back until it was really late. The crime scene was a mess because of all the footprints. That reminds me, I need the shoes you were wearing last night so we can make an imprint of them for the crime scene techs.”

“They’re on the floor by the front door.”

“Okay,” Nick said. “I’ll grab them on my way to work today.”

Maddie was always muddled in the morning, so it took her a few minutes to get her bearings. When she did, she snapped her sea-blue eyes to Nick’s and found him watching her. “Who was it?”

“Her name was Samantha Bradshaw,” Nick replied. “She lives in that apartment complex between Blackstone Bay and Kingston. Do you know the one I’m talking about? It’s out on the main highway.”

Maddie nodded, rolling the name through her mind. “I don’t think I know her.”

“From what I understand, she didn’t spend a lot of time in Blackstone Bay,” Nick explained. “All we know right now is that she was a law secretary in Elk Rapids. We’re going to be running her known associates today.”

“How was she killed?”

Nick stilled. “I don’t think you need to know that, Mad,” he said finally. “You’re already keyed up and this will make things worse.”

Maddie searched the memory from the previous night, the violent flashes that represented the end of Samantha Bradshaw’s life pushing to the forefront. “She was stabbed multiple times and her killer put her blood on the ritual tableau.”

“How do you know that?”

“I saw flashes when he killed me in my dream.”

“Oh, my Mad, I don’t want you seeing stuff like this,” Nick said, tugging Maddie completely on top of him and wrapping her in his strong embrace. “I love you so much it hurts sometimes, Maddie. It kills me you see stuff like this.”

“It killed me, too,” Maddie offered lamely.

Nick blew out a sigh as he forced Maddie’s eyes to him. “Did you see this type of stuff when we were teenagers? Is that why you cried in your dreams when we fell asleep on the window seat sometimes?”

Maddie bit her lip, unsure how to answer. “I … .”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Nick said, rubbing his stubbled chin against her forehead. “I can read the answer on your face.”

“I’m sorry I upset you.”

“Don’t apologize for things like that,” Nick chided. “I love you more than anything, Maddie. I know you’re worried that’s somehow going to change, but it’s not. I don’t like that you have the dreams, but they’re not going to somehow make me want to leave you. Just … let that go. Nothing is ever going to split us up. I promise.”

“What about Cooper?” Maddie asked. “Do you think he’s a suspect?”

“I don’t know what his motive would be, but the way he found her body is certainly reason to look into his background,” Nick said. He knew why Maddie wanted to change the subject and he didn’t fight the effort. “Until we know what’s going on, I want you to be careful not to be alone with him.”

“I have no intention of being anywhere near him.”

“Yes, well, he seems enamored with you,” Nick said. “Now, I don’t blame him. Anyone would be crazy not to love your beauty. For some reason, I think he sees more in you. I haven’t figured out what yet, though, so I need you to be really careful.”

“Nicky, I don’t want to talk to him, so that’s not going to be a problem.”

“Just … if he approaches you, I need you to call me,” Nick instructed. “I know you’re telling fortunes down at the festival, and you should be fine in public. I’ll stop by for lunch if I can, and I’ll text you if I can’t. Regardless, since it gets dark so early now, I’ll be there to make sure you get home.”

“You’re such a good protector,” Maddie murmured, rubbing her nose against Nick’s chin.

“I don’t feel like much of a protector after last night,” Nick countered. “We can’t go back, though, so I’m going to let it go.”

“That’s good,” Maddie said. “What time do you have to be at work?”

“As soon as I shower and eat. It’s probably going to be a long day.”

“Well, then let’s shower together,” Maddie suggested. “It will give us a few more minutes together and then I’ll cook you a big breakfast. I know it’s not a bath, but it’s still warm water.”

“You had me at shower, Mad,” Nick said, grinning. “Come on. I’ll scrub your back if you’re a good girl.”

“I’m always a good girl.”

“And that’s why I’ll always scrub your back.”

“
O
H
, WOW.”
Nick studied the counter full of food forty minutes later and let out a low whistle as he took in the pumpkin pancakes, sausage, and bacon. “Someone went all out.”

“I want to make sure you have a full stomach,” Maddie said, her hair still damp from the shower. She didn’t have to be down to the festival for two more hours so she took the opportunity to cook while Nick got ready. “I’m keeping two plates warm in the oven for you to take to Dale and John when you’re ready to leave, too.”

“You don’t have to feed them.”

“They need nourishment.”

“Yes, but you’re my girlfriend,” Nick teased, moving in behind Maddie so he could kiss her neck. “You should only be cooking for me.”

“Live and learn.”

“Ugh!” Maude appeared in the doorway between the store and kitchen, her hair standing on end and her blouse on backward. “Do you two have to maul each other so early in the morning?”

“You look lovely,” Nick deadpanned, his gaze washing over Maude. “How much did you drink last night?”

“Enough that I can’t remember what we ultimately decided to do to Harriet so we have to go through the process all over again,” Maude replied, grabbing a slice of bacon from the plate on the counter. “This looks good. What’s the special occasion?”

Maddie told Maude about the previous evening as the trio carried plates to the table and settled around it. When she was done, Maude was flabbergasted.

“How come I miss all of the fun?”

Maddie made a face. “It wasn’t fun, Granny,” she said. “A young woman died. I … saw it … in my dreams.”

Maude was well aware of her granddaughter’s peculiarity, and she knew how hard it was on Maddie at times. “I’m sorry, Maddie girl,” she said, patting her hand. “That must have been terrible. I still don’t understand how the fake psychic found a real body, though.”

“Neither do I,” Nick admitted. “With that in mind, though, I’m telling you the same thing I told Maddie: Don’t go near him. If he tries to isolate you, kick him … or scream … or have your Pink Ladies beat him down with purses.”

“Why would he go after me?” Maude asked, pouring herself a mug of coffee. “I’m not psychic. I think he’s obsessed with Maddie because he’s heard rumors she is. He probably boned up on the town and residents before arriving. How would I fit in his plan?”

Nick risked a glance at Maddie and saw a puzzled expression on her face. She clearly hadn’t considered that particular possibility.

“If he wants to get close to Maddie, he has few options to do it,” Nick explained. “He knows he can’t use me. That essentially means he’s got you or Christy. Christy is going to let him follow her anywhere, which ticks me off, but I expect more than that from you.”

“He’s of absolutely no interest to me,” Maude said. “I’ll keep an eye on him, though, just in case he tries to get fresh.”

Maddie pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “That sounds like a good idea, Granny.”

“Maddie, if you see Cooper down at the festival today, I want you to text me,” Nick ordered. “I don’t want you following him or anything, but I do want to know what he’s up to. Right now, he’s our only suspect because he found the body.”

“What if it isn’t him?” Maude asked.

“Then there’s a sick individual out there with murder on the brain and I don’t want any of the women in my life taking chances,” Nick said, winking at Maude. “Do you understand?”

Maude offered Nick a saucy salute. “Sir! Yes, sir!”

“Yeah, it’s cuter when Maddie does it,” Nick said, although the smile he shared with Maude was heartfelt. “I need you both to look after yourselves today. I think news of what happened last night is going to spread, and when it does, Cooper Ashton is going to look like a magical hero.”

“When we know he’s really a big zero,” Maude said.

Nick grinned. “You really are my favorite sometimes,” he said, shaking his head.

“I don’t know how to feel about that,” Maddie teased.

“Oh, don’t worry, Maddie,” Nick crooned. “No one could ever take your place in my heart.”