Grave Haunting (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 10) Read online

  Kreskin shifted in his chair, uncomfortable with the conversational turn. “Maddie is still shy, but she’s grown in leaps and bounds since coming back to Blackstone Bay. She’s more comfortable in her own skin, relaxed. You are the one who has given her that because you love her without reservation.”

  “I’ve always loved her without reservation. I simply got up the gumption to tell her.”

  “Either way, Maddie is growing as a person. Do you think spending time with George Hunter will help or hurt her?”

  “Spending time with? I have no idea.” Nick made a face as he leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know if she should spend time with him. That’s not my decision. I do think she at least needs to hear him out so she’ll know why he did what he did.”

  “Have you told her that?”

  “Oh, no.” This time the smile Nick mustered was grim. “She’s in happy homemaker mode and I’m smart enough to know that means I need to stay out of her way.”

  “Oh, well, you are learning.” Kreskin beamed before sobering. “Nick, you and Maddie are going to be okay. Don’t doubt that. This thing with her father … well … you can’t control it. All you can do is be there for her when she needs you.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  “Good, now tell me what you got during your search this afternoon.”

  MADDIE EYED the small package of quinoa with severe dislike. She’d never so much as tasted the grain before, but she saw it on a cooking show and everyone was raving about it so she thought she’d give it a try. She hadn’t cooked for Nick in days. Cooking wasn’t necessary, of course, but she generally enjoyed it. That wasn’t the case of late.

  Maddie read the directions on the back of the quinoa package for the third time, hoping finally to absorb what she was supposed to do, and jerked her head when her mother’s spirit popped into existence at her left.

  “Hello, Sunshine.”

  “Criminy!” Maddie gripped the quinoa and rested a hand on top of the counter. “Do you ever knock? I’m starting to think we need to come up with a system where you knock.”

  “I thought that’s why I never visit the second floor any longer,” Olivia teased, her eyes twinkling. “You’re embarrassed I might see you and Nick … kissing.”

  “Yes, that’s what’s plaguing my nightmares,” Maddie deadpanned.

  Olivia quickly sobered when she read Maddie’s body language. It was obvious something had gone terribly wrong. “What happened?”

  “How do you know something happened?” Maddie asked evasively.

  “Because you’ve been all smiles since getting engaged to Nick until … .” Olivia broke off, shifting her eyes toward the front of the house. “Did something happen to Nick?”

  “Nick is fine.”

  Olivia was understandably relieved. “That’s good. So … what’s wrong?”

  Maddie ignored the question. “I’m kind of curious why you asked if something happened to Nick, and not if Nick broke up with me and moved out.”

  Olivia snorted, catching Maddie off guard. “Nick would never break up with you.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because he’s loved you for the better part of his life and that’s simply not in him. He wants to make you happy above all else. He wants to keep himself happy, too. That means he won’t let go of you.”

  “That’s an interesting way of looking at things.” Maddie ripped open the quinoa and dumped it in the pot on the stove. “Did you feel the same way when you married Dad? Did you think he would stay with you forever?”

  “That’s an odd question,” Olivia clucked, her eyes narrowing. Maddie never brought up her father. That fact that she chose to now was worrisome. “What’s wrong, Maddie?”

  “Why would anything possibly be wrong?” Maddie dumped some olive oil in the cast iron skillet resting on a burner on the other side of the stovetop before dropping several chicken breasts in to blacken. “I mean … you don’t know of anything that could be wrong, do you?”

  Olivia sensed trouble. Maddie was rarely dramatic – at least not like this – and she knew things were about to get ugly. “I can’t make things better unless you tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Okay. That seems fair.” Maddie adopted a faux reasonable tone that was anything but conciliatory. “A man stopped in my store the other day. I didn’t recognize him. I didn’t know him. He wanted a reading, though.”

  “Oh.” Olivia let loose with a shaky sigh. “Is that all? Did you see him doing something bad? Tell Nick and let him deal with it. I think that’s your best option.”

  “I didn’t see his future,” Maddie replied, rubbing her forehead to ward off the headache that threatened to overwhelm her. “I saw his past. You were in it.”

  “Me?” Olivia widened her eyes. “How would … ?” Then everything shifted into place. “George. He came to see you, didn’t he?”

  “He did.”

  “Son of a … .” Olivia didn’t consider herself a violent person – er, ghost – but if she could return to life for five minutes she would cheerfully murder her ex-husband. It had to be him. She saw him watching Nick propose to Maddie on Christmas Day. He walked away then – as he should’ve done – but he must’ve come back. “What is he doing here?”

  “That’s what you want to know?” Maddie was beside herself. “You didn’t know he was here? You didn’t know he was close?”

  Olivia balked. “How would I?”

  “He was here around Christmas,” Maddie replied, keeping her voice even and calm even as her heart rate ratcheted up a notch. “He said he saw Nick propose to me – although he originally tried to hide the fact that he was watching us like a skeevy stalker.”

  “He’s definitely skeevy.”

  Maddie ignored her mother’s tone. “You knew he was here that day, didn’t you?”

  “I … why would you even ask that?”

  “That wasn’t a denial.”

  It wasn’t. Olivia knew that. She did her best to refrain from lying to Maddie in life. She thought she should do the same in death … even though it would hurt in this particular instance. “I saw him in the trees.”

  Olivia’s voice was so low Maddie had to strain to hear it. “You saw him in the trees?”

  “I did.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Because he turned and ran – like he always does – and there was no reason to upset you,” Olivia replied. “For crying out loud, Maddie, you just got engaged to Nick. That’s the one thing you’ve always wanted … and dreamt about … and prayed for. Did you really think I would ruin that for you?”

  “I guess not but … you could’ve told me later,” Maddie pressed. “You could’ve waited a few weeks and told me then.”

  “Why?” Olivia was brittle. “Why would I possibly tell you that? The man wasn’t in your life. I had every reason to believe he wouldn’t return. Why would I possibly upset you in that manner?”

  “He’s my … he … I have half of his genes.”

  “And you’re a wonderful person despite that.” Olivia was going for levity, but it was obvious that Maddie was in no mood for jokes. “Oh, Sunshine, I didn’t know what to say and I was hopeful he would crawl back into his hole and leave you alone. Obviously he can’t be trusted to even do that one thing right.”

  “He says he wants to talk to me, to explain.”

  “Do you want him to explain?” Olivia asked the question in a breezy manner, but Maddie didn’t miss the momentary flash of anger that flitted across her mother’s face.

  “I don’t know.” Maddie opted for honesty. “Part of me wants to talk to him, but the two times I’ve been around him have ended with angry confrontations. Granny threatened to kill him with a hammer and bury the body in the backyard the first time … .”

  “Mom.” Olivia’s ethereal hand flew to her mouth as she glanced toward the door that led to Maude’s apartment. “Is she okay? She didn’t get too riled up, did she? I know she’s b
asically healthy, but it can’t be good for her to have high blood pressure like that.”

  “She’s fine.” Maddie rested her hands on the counter, ignoring the smoking chicken a few feet away. “She was very angry, but she’s looking forward to torturing him. I think it’s good that she’s broadening her horizons. Harriet will be able to breathe easy for a whole week at this rate.”

  Olivia ignored the joke. “You need to avoid George, Maddie. Make Nick run him out of town. Don’t talk to him. Don’t … open your heart to him.”

  Maddie arched an eyebrow, surprised. “You want me to kick him out of my life without even talking to him? That doesn’t sound like you. You always said that giving a person the chance to plead their case was the very least I could do.”

  “Yes, well, there are exceptions to every rule, Maddie,” Olivia snapped. “This is one of them. George Hunter is dangerous. He’s not someone you want to get to know.”

  Maddie loved her mother beyond reason and yet she recognized the catch in Olivia’s voice. She knew her mother was lying – or at least hiding something. “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “I’ve told you everything that’s important.”

  “Yes, but … .”

  “Are you questioning me?” Olivia practically exploded at the same moment the smoke alarm began blaring. Maddie jolted, jerking her head in the direction of the stove. The chicken was blackened and charred, smoke rolling off of it.

  “What’s going on?” Nick bolted into the room, glanced around for a second and then strode toward the stove with a purpose. “What were you thinking, Mad?”

  “I … forgot I was cooking.” Maddie wildly scanned the kitchen. “Mom … she was here. I … I’m so sorry.”

  Nick’s expression softened as he dumped the cast iron skillet in the sink and started the water. He hit the button for the exhaust fan over the stove and stared into the pot with the quinoa. “I don’t think this is enough for us to share.”

  “I’ll defrost more chicken,” Maddie murmured, walking toward the refrigerator.

  Nick watched her, distressed. “Leave the chicken, Mad.” He strolled up behind her and rested his hand on her hip. “We’ll go out for dinner.”

  “We ate out last night … and this afternoon … and we ordered pizza the day before. You haven’t eaten anything remotely healthy in days.”

  Nick chuckled, Kreskin’s “diet” talk pushing to the forefront of his brain. “Health food is overrated. We’ll go to the diner and get dinner. We’ll take Dale with us since I still have a lot to discuss with him.”

  “Okay, but … .” Maddie broke off, biting her lip. “I think my mother is hiding something from me, Nicky. She knew George Hunter was here around Christmas and didn’t say anything.”

  Nick had no idea how to respond to that. “Well … give her some time. I’m sure she’ll tell us everything going through that ghostly head of hers when the time is right.”

  Maddie wasn’t convinced. “Nicky … .”

  “It’s okay, Mad.” Nick leaned closer and kissed Maddie’s cheek. “Everything will work out how it’s supposed to. You told me that and I believe it.”

  “I know but … what if it doesn’t?”

  The question was so plaintive it tugged on Nick’s heartstrings. He had no idea how to answer. “I say we get pie tonight. I’m in the mood for pie. How does that sound?”

  “Like you’re deflecting.”

  Nicky ignored her tone. “Grab your coat. I think we’re both starving and need some nourishment.”

  12

  Twelve

  “Well, isn’t this nice?”

  Kreskin had no idea what happened in the kitchen – only that Maddie set off the smoke detector and Nick was hungry – so it didn’t take much to convince Kreskin to head to the diner with them. His wife had her book club anyway so it was either diner food with Maddie and Nick or a frozen Lean Cuisine.

  “It’s lovely.” Nick winked at Kreskin as he slid an arm around Maddie’s stiff shoulders. “Stop thinking about the chicken. It was an accident. It’s hardly the end of the world.”

  “Yeah, but … I never burn things.” Maddie’s mind was muddled. “I’m a good cook. That’s one of the few things I can say without reservation. I’m a good cook.”

  Nick cast her a sidelong look. “You can say quite a few things without reservation,” he argued. “For example, you’re so pretty that you make men everywhere stop in their tracks just so they can get a look at you.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes as Kreskin chuckled.

  “He’s right, Maddie,” Kreskin teased. “I’ve seen men practically trip over their own feet when they catch sight of you. Granted, it’s usually Nick here doing it multiple times a day, but he’s telling the truth.”

  Now it was Maddie’s turn to smile as Nick scowled. “Is that true?” she asked. “Do you fall over your own feet when you see me?”

  “Very rarely now,” Nick replied. “I’ve learned to control my limbs in the face of the world’s prettiest woman.”

  “Oh, you’re laying it on a bit thick.”

  “That’s how I roll.” Nick pressed a kiss to her temple. “I wasn’t done listing your attributes, by the way. Cooking is on the list, but it’s nowhere near the top.”

  “What’s near the top, besides how pretty I am, I mean?” Maddie asked, legitimately curious.

  “Well, you’re loyal and smart.” Nick poked her side to cajole a smile. “You’re sexy as hell.”

  “You two aren’t alone for dinner tonight,” Kreskin noted, staring at his menu. “Try to refrain from being all … gooey … with one another.”

  Nick ignored the admonishment. “You’re also witty … and kind … and always ready to lend a helping hand.”

  “That was a pretty good list,” Maddie acknowledged, giving in to his charming smile. “I’m still upset about the chicken. I don’t burn things. Perhaps that’s my one vanity … my cooking. Huh.”

  Nick didn’t bother to hide his smile. “We all need one. I kind of wish yours involved nudity, but I benefit from the cooking, too.”

  “I’m still sitting right here,” Kreskin pointed out.

  “You are indeed.” Maddie closed her menu and leaned forward. “I missed all of the gossip between you two while I was in the kitchen fighting with the chicken. What did you find out on your travels today?”

  “Oh, well … .” Kreskin wasn’t used to sharing case information with Maddie. It happened from time to time – her ability made it hard to shut her out and it was often more expedient to include her from the beginning – but he wasn’t sure he should be talking out of turn when it came to Fran’s personal business.

  “If you don’t tell her, she won’t tell you what she learned while talking with Fran’s ghost this afternoon,” Nick warned, taking Kreskin by surprise.

  “Fran’s still around?” Kreskin realized how loudly he uttered the question when it was too late to take it back. He glanced around to see if anyone was listening – but no one so much as bothered to look in their direction – so he lowered his voice. “What did she say?”

  “Oh, no.” Maddie wagged a finger. “I’m not telling unless you do.”

  “You’re turning into a stubborn little thing,” Kreskin noted. “I’m not sure that’s something Nick should add to your list of attributes.”

  “I kind of like it,” Nick countered.

  Kreskin rolled his eyes. “Whatever. You guys make me want to take a nap.”

  “You can do that after we eat dinner and pie,” Nick offered.

  Kreskin ignored him. “So, I spent most of the day running through Fran’s financials – which apparently Nick did, too, although he attacked from a different angle,” he started. “It seems Fran was in a bit of a pickle.”

  “You’re going to have to give me more than that,” Maddie pressed, causing Nick to grin. As soon as she focused on something other than herself – and the father who just had to pick now to show up in town – Maddie was back to her
old self. It was a relief for Nick, even though he knew the shift in attitude wouldn’t last forever.

  “I’m not sure when she got into the online shopping and QVC stuff, but she’d taken out an extra mortgage on the bed and breakfast,” Kreskin supplied. “I didn’t know Fran all that well, although that was mostly by choice. She had a judgmental streak and she seemed much too interested in what other people were doing.”

  “Can you give me an example?” Nick asked.

  Kreskin shrugged. “Sure. One of my first cases as lead detective had me following Maude around because Fran was convinced she was robbing graves at the cemetery in her spare time. Now, keep in mind that I didn’t know Maude all that well back then, but I did know Olivia so … it was a weird couple of days. Fran kept insisting Maude was digging up graves and Maude kept insisting that Fran needed to take a laxative because Fran was clearly full of crap.”

  Maddie snorted, amused. “I never heard that story.”

  “You weren’t around.”

  Maddie sobered, although only marginally. “No, but Granny and I talked all of the time when I was out of town. I wish she would’ve told me that story.”

  “Your mother didn’t tell it to you either?” Kreskin looked surprised. “She couldn’t stop laughing when I stopped to talk to her about the problem. Her only excuse for why Maude couldn’t possibly be digging up graves was because she was too lazy and would lose interest five minutes in.”

  “Well, she wasn’t wrong.” Nick slipped his hand under the table and gave Maddie’s knee a friendly squeeze. “What else did you find in the financials?”

  Kreskin turned somber as he returned to reality. “It looks like Fran was on the straight and narrow up until about a year before she and Sterling divorced. I didn’t know him well either. I’m guessing that was the reason behind their divorce.”

  “Yeah, I went through the divorce documents, too,” Nick said. “Given all of the crap in those storage lockers, it looks to me as if Fran was out of control with the spending. I mean … you’ve never seen so much useless crap.”