Grave Haunting (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 10)

by Lily Harper Hart

  Maddie shoved past Maude and pointed herself toward the front door, her feet heavy as she kept her focus on one thing: escape.

  “Maddie, where are you going?” Maude called to her back. “You can’t let this guy get to you. It’s not right. Don’t let him chase you out of your own home.”

  “I just need some air,” Maddie repeated, her fingers tingling as she reached for the handle. “Everything is fine. I’m going to wake up any second now and … it will be fine.”

  “Are you happy now, George Eugene?” Maude barked. “You’ve made her crazy. She’s clearly losing her mind.”

  “I think you’re the one who caused that,” George shot back, annoyance bubbling up. “I simply wanted to talk to her. You’re the one who turned it into a big thing.”

  “Oh, well, I wonder why,” Maude deadpanned, rolling her eyes. “I wonder why the return of the man who abandoned her would possibly be a big deal to Maddie. I can’t even fathom why that would be.”

  Maddie ignored her grandmother’s attitude – and the fact that George was being so verbally aggressive with her – and tugged open the door. She stumbled onto the front porch, not wearing a jacket to bar against the cold, and sucked in gaping mouthfuls of oxygen as she tried to center herself.

  She’d imagined this meeting for years. She would be lying if she said otherwise. For some reason all of the fake scenarios she concocted never went like this. She didn’t fall apart in her imaginings. She held strong and true. She told the man who abandoned her and broke her mother’s heart to get out and never come back, but only after informing him of everything he’d missed out on over the years.

  “Maddie?”

  Maddie jerked her head to the driveway, struggling to comprehend what was happening when Nick bolted out of his police cruiser and hurried toward the porch. His partner, Dale Kreskin, followed suit more slowly. He seemed to sense that something big was about to happen, although it was obvious that he had no idea what.

  “What’s wrong?” Nick asked, taking the steps two at a time as he raced to Maddie. “Why don’t you have a coat on? You’re going to get sick.”

  “I … what are you doing here?” Maddie felt as if she was trapped in one of those dreams that occur in a heavy mist and make the dreamer feel as if they’re walking through quicksand … or really thick pea soup. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

  “Penelope Marchand called,” Nick replied, slipping his arms around Maddie to offer her some of his warmth. He peered around her shoulder, through the open door, and shook his head as he tried to figure out exactly what he was dealing with. “She said there was a man in the store and Maude was screaming at him. She was worried that he was a rapist or something.”

  “He’s not a rapist,” Maddie supplied automatically. “At least … um … I don’t think he’s a rapist. I guess he might be a rapist. I really know nothing about him.”

  “Okay, Mad, you’re starting to worry me.” Nick exchanged an unreadable look with Kreskin, something unsaid passing between them. “Is there a reason we can’t go inside?”

  “I needed some air.”

  Maddie’s voice sounded hollow, feeble even. Nick pressed his cheek against hers as he lifted her around the waist and stepped into the store. He kept Maddie close as he glanced between faces – registering the fact that Maude and the man at the far end of the storefront area looked as if they were about to do battle – before focusing on Penelope. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on?”

  “I’ve got this,” Kreskin said, resting his hand on Nick’s shoulder as he skirted around him. “Take care of Maddie. I’ll ask the questions. I … sir … would you like to tell me what’s going on here?”

  George flicked his eyes to Kreskin, taking in the simple jeans and button-down shirt with blank eyes. He recognized a cop when he saw one. He already knew Nick was a cop, although he couldn’t explain how he knew that without looking like a weird stalker. It was sobering to realize two cops and two senior citizens – one of whom hated him – now stood between George and his daughter. “I came to visit Maddie,” he gritted out, his eyes flashing to the blonde wrapped around Nick Winters’ strong frame. He didn’t know the man other than a cursory search he’d run – and a little spying he’d done in the lead-up to reintroducing himself to his daughter – but he seemed the decent sort. “Maude wasn’t happy when she found me here and took things to a completely unnecessary level.”

  “Uh-huh.” Kreskin’s expression never changed. “Maude often takes things to an unnecessary level. That’s part of her charm.”

  Maude preened. “Thank you, Dale.”

  “I didn’t say you were charming today,” Kreskin noted, his hands moving to his hips. “I need to know what’s going on here.”

  “Why does anything have to be going on here?” George challenged, matching Kreskin’s stance. “Perhaps I merely came in for a reading and chat. Perhaps Maude made things ten times worse than they had to be. Perhaps you’re not needed here.”

  “Last time I checked you weren’t in control of who comes and goes from this shop or home,” Kreskin pointed out.

  “Are you in charge?” George asked, arching a confrontational eyebrow.

  “No, but my partner is.” Kreskin jerked his thumb in Nick’s direction. “Would you like to have it out with him? Before you answer, I should warn you that he doesn’t have much of a sense of humor when it comes to Maddie’s well-being.”

  “No, probably not,” George muttered, heaving out a sigh. “I’ll just be going. I honestly didn’t want this to turn into a scene from a soap opera … but that’s exactly what I’ve done.”

  “You can’t just let him leave,” Maude argued. “I haven’t killed him yet. I promised him that if he ever came back I would bang him in the head with a hammer and bury him in the backyard.

  “Now, even though the ground is probably too hard for me to dig in, I figure I can kill him now and hide the body in the cellar,” she continued. “If we zip it in a bag or something we won’t even smell it. I’ll make sure of it.”

  Kreskin heaved out a sigh as he shook his head. “You know I can arrest you for threatening someone’s life, right?”

  The threat didn’t bother Maude in the least, bouncing off her as if it was nothing. “You won’t, though.”

  “No, I won’t,” Kreskin agreed. “Perhaps you should be going, sir. I think that’s probably best for everyone given the circumstances.”

  Nick, his hand cupping the back of Maddie’s head as she pressed her cheek to his chest and kept her eyes closed, immediately started shaking his head. “Wait a second.” He hated the idea of putting distance between Maddie and himself but there was no way he would let this guy walk out of the store without knowing exactly what he did to cause Maddie to fall off the rails. “I want to know what you did to my Maddie. Did you touch her?”

  George read the intent in Nick’s eyes and quickly started shaking his head. “I never laid a finger on her. I merely wanted to talk to her.”

  “Why?”

  “I … .” George broke off, swallowing hard. “It doesn’t matter. This was a mistake.”

  “I’m going to agree with you there,” Nick said, gently directing Maddie toward a chair as he stared down George. “That doesn’t mean you’re leaving this house without telling me what happened … because when I left a few hours ago Maddie was in a good mood and now she’s freaking out.”

  “I’m not freaking out,” Maddie said automatically. “He simply caught me off guard.”

  Nick flicked his eyes to Maddie, relieved she’d managed to find her voice. “Love, will you look at me?” He smiled when their gazes connected. “There you are. Who is this guy?”

  “I … .” Maddie looked caught as she shifted her attention to her father. For one brief moment she considered covering for him, but the notion was fleeting. She didn’t owe him anything. In fact, he owed her more than he could ever give. She wasn’t interested in taking it, though. “He says he’s my father.
Given Granny’s reaction to seeing him, I’m guessing he really is. I have no way of knowing, though. I have no idea what he looks like. I’ve never seen him before.”

  Nick felt as if he’d been punched in the gut. When he turned his dark eyes on George Hunter it took everything he had not to punch the man in the face. “You’re Maddie’s father?”

  George swallowed hard. “I am. I didn’t come here to make trouble, though. I simply wanted to talk to her.”

  “You’re the man who abandoned Olivia to raise Maddie on her own?” Nick’s voice was flat, void of recrimination. That didn’t mean George missed the intent behind the words.

  “That was not what I wanted,” George said, studying his fingernails as he chose his words carefully. “I’m sure you must recognize that you’ve only heard one side of the story. There are always two sides to a story.”

  That was enough to snap Maddie out of the remains of her fugue state, causing her to hop to her feet and stride with purpose toward the man who claimed to be her father. “Two sides to a story?” Maddie spat, her eyes flashing as Nick caught her around the waist. He wasn’t interested in holding back her words. He merely wanted to make sure she didn’t get ahead of herself and cause enough bodily harm to warrant an arrest complaint. “My mother struggled for years to keep food on the table … and clothes on my back … and a roof over my head. You didn’t help her. What other side is there to that story?”

  “Maddie, if you could just give me a few minutes … alone … I think I could explain a few things,” George said, rubbing his thumb over his cheek. Nick recognized the mannerism as something Maddie did when she was tired and frustrated. “I swear things aren’t as bad as you probably believe them to be. The stories your mother told you … .”

  Maddie cut him off, furious. “My mother didn’t tell me stories. She told me the truth. Don’t you dare say anything about my mother!”

  “I’m sorry. I phrased that wrong.” George held up his hands in defeat. “Your mother was a good woman, Maddie. I would never say otherwise.”

  “My mother was the best woman,” Maddie snapped, her eyes filling with tears. “My mother took care of me my whole life. Where were you?”

  “Okay, that will be enough of that.” Nick smoothed Maddie’s hair, pressing a kiss to her forehead before pointing her in the direction of the kitchen. “Why don’t you make some tea, Mad? I’ll be in there with you in two minutes.”

  “But … .”

  “It will be okay, love.” Nick forced a smile before turning to Maude. “Why don’t you go with her and make sure she’s all right.”

  Maude lobbed another glare in George’s direction before shuffling toward the kitchen. “This isn’t over,” she muttered. “I can’t kill you in front of cops, George Eugene, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do it when they’re gone.”

  Nick pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead as he watched her go. He waited until the women left the room before he spoke again. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, but you need to go.”

  “I understand that you’re protective of my daughter,” George offered. “I appreciate that. You two seem … good … together. It’s clear you love her.”

  “More than anything,” Nick agreed, his eyebrows migrating toward his dark hairline. “Here’s the thing, Mr. Hunter, I will do anything to keep Maddie happy and safe. I don’t believe you’re going to be good for her safety given the fact that you tend to take off and disappear at the drop of a hat and I know you’re not going to be good for her happiness.”

  “I just want to talk to her,” George pressed. “She’s my daughter. I’m not asking for the world here.”

  “No, but she is my world,” Nick countered. “That means I put her needs first no matter what. That also means that you had better stay away from her. She doesn’t want you around. She doesn’t need you around.”

  “Maybe Maddie should make that decision herself.” George stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not leaving Blackstone Bay until we have a discussion.”

  “Maddie has already made her decision,” Kreskin interjected, giving Nick a moment to gain control of his temper before he flew off the handle and made things worse. “As for leaving Blackstone Bay, we can’t force you. If you start stalking Maddie Graves, though, I can guarantee you won’t be happy with what happens.”

  “I have no intention of stalking my daughter.”

  “That’s good,” Kreskin intoned. “If you forget that or change your mind, you’ll be sorry.”

  “Count on it.” Nick pointed toward the door. “Now get out of my house.”

  “This was my house at one time,” George sniffed, shuffling toward the door.

  “Not any longer,” Nick shot back. “Don’t even consider forgetting that fact.”

  “Don’t worry, son,” George said. “I won’t forget it.”

  “See that you don’t.”

  4

  Four

  Nick remained close to Maddie the rest of the afternoon, doing paperwork from his auxiliary laptop in the kitchen and giving her the time to absorb what happened before insisting they talk about it.

  Maude and Penelope made a mad dash for freedom once they realized Kreskin and Nick were going to chastise them for pushing Maddie’s first meeting with her father into Days of Our Lives territory. They disappeared through the back door while Nick and Kreskin were agreeing to run a background check on George Hunter and see what they came up with. By the time they realized what was happening, Penelope was already speeding out of the driveway – driving on the yard to get around Nick’s poorly parked vehicle – and disappearing with a honk of the horn. Nick knew it was a taunt but refused to give chase. Maude would have to return home eventually and he would wait her out until she did.

  Kreskin took the cruiser back to the police station and made arrangements to drop Nick’s truck off later in the afternoon. That freed up Nick to watch Maddie to his heart’s content. Shortly before five Nick closed his laptop and moved behind the counter, opening the refrigerator and wrinkling his nose when he realized the only food offerings were ones he would have to cook himself.

  “How does pizza sound, Mad?” He poked his head into the store and found Maddie sitting in the window seat.

  It took her a moment to register the sound of his voice and she jerked her head in his direction a few beats later. “What?”

  “Pizza,” Nick repeated, his world-famous patience on full display. “I don’t feel like cooking, but we both need some nourishment.”

  “Oh, well, I can cook.” Maddie made to shove off the blanket she’d covered herself with and climb to her feet, but Nick stopped her with a shake of his head.

  “I think we should order pizza,” he pressed. “I think it would be easiest for both of us.”

  “Okay. I like pizza.” Maddie forced a smile. “You didn’t need to stay here with me all afternoon.”

  “That’s exactly what I needed to do,” Nick countered. “I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else … not for anything in the world.”

  “I wasn’t exactly good company.”

  “You’re always good company.” Nick delayed ordering the pizza, instead grabbing Maddie’s hand and climbing into the window seat with her. He edged her over with his hip, drawing the blanket over them as she instinctively wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her face on his chest. “See. This here was worth all of it.”

  Maddie snorted and Nick was relieved to see the color returning to her cheeks. She’d been unnaturally pale for the bulk of the afternoon. “I think you’re easily pleased, which is good for me.”

  “I think you’re easily pleased, too,” Nick noted. “That’s definitely good for me.” He brushed his lips over her forehead, his hunger all but forgotten. “Love, we’re going to have to talk about this. You know that, right?”

  Maddie audibly swallowed. “I know. I don’t know what to say.”

  “That’s okay. I’m not sure what to say either. Why don’t we s
tart at the beginning, huh? What did he say to you?”

  “He didn’t say anything at first,” Maddie replied, playing with one of the buttons on Nick’s shirt as she shifted her hip to get more comfortable. “He came in and looked a little lost. I obviously didn’t recognize him.”

  “Have you ever seen a photograph of him?”

  Maddie shook her head. “My mother either threw them all out or hid them so well that we may never find them.”

  “Or Maude burned them when she was in a mood,” Nick offered, earning a cute chuckle from Maddie.

  “I guess that’s a possibility, too,” she conceded. “I assumed he was here because he wanted to buy something for his wife. You would be amazed at the number of men who come into the shop to buy gift cards for their girlfriends or significant others and they look as if I’m about to cut them up and toss them into a cauldron simply because they’re nervous about being in a magic shop.”

  “I guess I never considered that.” Nick kept steady pressure on the back of Maddie’s neck as he rubbed soothing circles in an effort to relax her. “I always think of you as the sweetest and prettiest woman in the world so I’m always amazed when others don’t see you the same way. I want to buy them glasses.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes, her smile rueful. “That was definitely taking it a step too far.”

  “I never see the line before I cross it.” Nick playfully kissed the tip of her nose before sobering. “What happened next?”

  “He said he wanted a reading. I knew there was something off about him, but I didn’t get a dangerous vibe or anything. I thought maybe he was just nervous. So we sat at the table and I touched his hand and … I saw.”

  The way Maddie’s voice dipped caused Nick to tighten his grip on her. “What did you see?”

  “At first I just saw him moving from place to place,” Maddie replied, pressing her hand to Nick’s taut stomach. “I saw a lot of hotels … and suitcases. I thought maybe he was a salesman or something. The memories shifted really fast, though, and then I saw my mother.”