Grave Haunting (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 10)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I know that.” Cassidy’s expression wasn’t remorseful, but it was resigned. “I just want you to know that I get it. Before, even when I realized you and I wouldn’t get together, I still wanted you and Maddie to break up because I was vengeful.”

  “And now?”

  “And now I don’t see the point in wishing unhappiness on anyone,” Cassidy replied. “I’m never going to want to hang out with Maddie. I am moving forward, though.”

  “With David?”

  David Bennet was a local contractor Cassidy got involved with months before. They’d had their ups and downs as a couple, but the last time Nick checked they appeared to be going strong.

  “We’re getting along well,” Cassidy confirmed. “It hasn’t been easy – and sometimes I think he’s a saint because he knows I’ve been over-involved in your relationship with Maddie – but things have been solid these past few weeks. I’m hopeful.”

  “I’m glad for you.” Nick meant every word.

  “I can’t say I’m glad for you and Maddie,” Cassidy warned, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. “For the first time since all of this happened, though, I can say that I might get there one day.”

  “I don’t think I can ask for more.” Cassidy turned to leave, but Nick stopped her. “You said you saw Maddie on the street. Do you know where she was going?”

  “I think she was heading toward the Bayside Bed and Breakfast,” Cassidy replied. “Christy started asking questions about her father being in town – what is up with that, by the way? – and Maddie was in a hurry to get out of the salon. Last time I saw her, she was heading in that direction.”

  Nick didn’t like the sound of that. “Thanks … I think.”

  “She also asked questions about Fran and Dora being lesbians,” Cassidy added. “Maybe she wasn’t going to the bed and breakfast because of her father at all.”

  That made sense and yet … . “Thanks, Cassidy. I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”

  “I’m sure you will, too.”

  “THIS IS a nice park.” George sat on the metal bench near the fountain. “Did you spend a lot of time here when you were a kid?”

  Maddie glanced around and shook her head. “Blackstone Bay was small so Mom pretty much let me run around wherever I wanted as long as I wasn’t alone. We’d occasionally come here – Nick and me, that is – and I would make a wish. Most of the time we were in the woods or hanging out around the lake.”

  “You and Nick, huh?” George smirked. “You guys were always close then?”

  Maddie shrugged, not sure how to answer. “I was shy and on the first day of kindergarten he decided he was going to talk for the both of us so … he did. We were always together after that.”

  “Except for when you weren’t.” George pursed his lips. “You left Blackstone Bay for ten years but now you’re back. How come you left?”

  “How come you left?” Maddie challenged, unhappy at the prospect of having George dissect her life.

  “I left because your mother and I were too young to get married and we didn’t think anything out before we did it,” George replied matter-of-factly. “I loved Olivia very much. We didn’t know each other well enough to get married, though. We did it anyway. It sounds as if you and Nick won’t have that problem, huh?”

  “No one knows me better than Nick,” Maddie said, slowly lowering herself to the bench next to George. “Did you think you knew my mother at the time?”

  “I did.”

  “When did you realize you didn’t?”

  “When she turned up pregnant and announced that we had to find a house right away because you needed a place to live.”

  “You didn’t want to give me a place to live?” Maddie was trying to understand, but she wasn’t sure it was possible.

  “I did, but I was happy living on the road,” George explained. “Your mother was happy living on the road before then, too. I naturally assumed we would stay on the road with you until it was time for you to go to school. Your mother felt differently.”

  “So what did you do?”

  “I started looking for a house,” George replied. “Maddie, it’s important that you know that I wanted my marriage to work. I wanted this family to work. It simply didn’t work as I hoped it would.”

  “So you signed custody of me over to Mom and walked away,” Maddie mused. “You didn’t have to pay anything … or do anything … or love anything.”

  “I always loved you,” George countered. “I know you don’t believe that. Perhaps you can’t believe it. I wouldn’t blame you if that were the case. I always loved you, though.”

  “Is that why you tried to modify the custody agreement when I was six and thirteen?”

  George froze, dumbfounded. “Who … ?”

  “Nick asked Detective Kreskin to run a background check on you that first day,” Maddie supplied. “He gave me the folder last night.”

  “I see.” George knew he shouldn’t have been surprised, but he couldn’t help himself. Nick was a police officer and he loved Maddie more than anything. Of course they ran a background check. “Once I had a few years away – a few years to mature – I knew I made a mistake when I let your mother talk me in to signing away custody of you. I wanted to see you, but your mother wouldn’t hear of it.

  “Actually, I did see you the day I stopped by,” he continued, his eyes taking on a far-off quality. “You were playing on the side of the house with Maude. You were wearing pink overalls and your hair was in pigtails. I remember seeing you and wondering if I would ever see anything that beautiful again in my life.”

  Maddie bit her lip as she fought off tears.

  “I did see something even more beautiful,” George continued. “I saw your face the day Nick proposed to you.”

  “Yeah, the fact that you were watching us is a bit creepy,” Maddie noted. “I’m willing to forgive it, though, because I would’ve run away rather than barge in, too. You tried again when I was thirteen. Did you consider taking it further?”

  George shook his head, his remorse evident. “Your mother talked me out of it. She said you were going through a lot and my sudden appearance in your life would only make matters worse. I wasn’t sure I believed her – part of me didn’t want to – but I couldn’t risk hurting you so I never appealed the judge’s ruling, which was my right.

  “We came to an agreement,” he continued. “She sent me a monthly update with photographs of you and I stayed away so I wouldn’t upend your life. Those updates lasted until you were eighteen. Then they just … stopped.”

  Maddie’s heart pinched at the admission. “She sent you photographs of me?”

  “She did. I put them in an album. I still have it, if you want to see it.”

  “But … she didn’t mention anything about that,” Maddie protested, horrified. “Why wouldn’t she tell me that?”

  “Honey, she’s dead,” George noted. “I thought she didn’t tell you anything about me.”

  Maddie didn’t recognize the danger component to the conversation until it was too late. “She didn’t. Not until after you showed up. She’s been … hard to pin down. I don’t think she wants me to get to know you and part of me feels disloyal for considering it.”

  George was quiet for so long that Maddie thought he might’ve left without her realizing it. When she flicked her eyes to him, she found him staring intently.

  “What?”

  “Your mother’s ghost is still around?”

  It was only then that Maddie realized what she’d admitted. “Oh, well, sometimes I talk to her as if she’s still around.” It was a lame excuse but it was all Maddie could think of in the given moment.

  “Maddie, I know that you can do what your mother could do,” George hedged. “Maude told me.”

  “She told you?” Maddie was flustered. “Why would she do that?”

  “Because I asked,” George answered simply. “I didn’t leave because of what your mother could do. I was surprised – there
’s no getting around that – but it wasn’t what drove us apart. I need you to know that.”

  “Why?”

  “So you won’t worry that it will eventually drive Nick away,” George replied. “He loves you. He knows what you’re capable of. He won’t do what I did. He won’t live to regret, as I’ve lived to regret.”

  Maddie pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. “I need some time to think. I need some time to talk to my mother. I don’t know what to do here.”

  “I think that’s fair.” George rose, gingerly extending a hand to rest on Maddie’s shoulder. He was relieved when she didn’t jerk away from him. “I want to know you. I don’t want to pressure you, though. That’s not why I’m here.”

  The mixture of misery and hope washing over Maddie was profoundly overwhelming. “I just need to think.”

  “Then I’ll give you time to think,” George said. “When you’re ready, I’ll show you the album I made. Maybe seeing the letters your mother sent with the photos will give you some insight into what happened during that time.”

  “Maybe.” Maddie wasn’t convinced. “Maybe it will make me hate my mother, too. Have you considered that?”

  “Not for a second,” George replied. “You had a wonderful and loving mother. Nothing I share with you will ever change that.”

  Maddie watched him go, her lower lip trembling. She refused to give in to the tears, though, instead pressing her eyes shut and letting the cool air calm her. When she opened her eyes again, she was alone. George disappeared down the street and the only other person outside was Dora Walker.

  Maddie watched her leave the bed and breakfast, thankful for something to focus on that didn’t revolve around her messed up feelings. She was only mildly curious until she saw Fran’s ghost pop into existence on the sidewalk behind Dora, floating behind the woman and following her … somewhere.

  Maddie made up her mind on the spot and stood. She didn’t want to wallow. She’d wallowed for the better part of a decade and it got her nothing. She wanted to solve Fran’s murder and then deal with her father – however that situation resolved itself.

  Maddie sucked in a breath and began walking. If Fran’s ghost was around, Maddie knew the woman could help solve one of her problems. So that’s what she focused on.

  21

  Twenty-One

  Dora didn’t bother looking over her shoulder as she walked to a storage shed behind the Bayside. Maddie didn’t see the small building at first, and she pulled up short and pressed herself to the side of the building to avoid being seen as Dora unlocked it.

  In the back of her head, Maddie knew the building existed. She’d seen it as a kid while hiking through the woods. The bed and breakfast backed up to a large expanse of trees – just like Maddie’s house – and when Nick and Maddie walked between his house and hers as kids they always passed the shed. She’d forgotten all about it.

  Dora disappeared inside, giving Maddie a chance to study Fran. The ghost watched Dora with determined eyes, her mouth working overtime even though Dora clearly couldn’t hear her. From this distance, Maddie couldn’t either.

  Maddie considered approaching Fran for a talk but explaining her actions to Dora seemed like a bad idea. Ultimately it didn’t matter, because a few minutes after she entered the building Dora left it and walked in the opposite direction back to the house, dragging a suitcase behind her. Fran remained behind, clearly frustrated, and Maddie waited for her moment.

  When she was sure Dora wasn’t returning, Maddie detached from the side of the building and headed in Fran’s direction. The ghost made an incredulous face when she realized who was approaching.

  “Oh, it’s you.”

  Maddie swallowed her amusement. “Were you expecting someone else?”

  “I thought maybe Dora was coming back.”

  “She’s probably inside,” Maddie offered. “You two were close, huh?”

  “I thought we were.” Fran looked distressed, causing Maddie’s heart to roll despite the ghost’s propensity for rudeness.

  “There are rumors about you guys,” Maddie said, hoping she wouldn’t come across as a gossipmonger as she eased into the intricacies of Fran’s relationship with Dora. “People say you were in love.”

  Fran arched an eyebrow and snorted. “People say a lot of things.”

  “Yes, well, I’ve heard it from more than one person.” Maddie wasn’t worried about naming sources because it wasn’t as if Fran could make a stink and get anyone fired for talking about her personal business. “Your estate attorney told Nick that you were involved and that’s why you wanted to change your will and leave it to Dora.”

  “Oh, whatever. Murray Lowenstein is a dirty old man and of course he would think that.” Fran didn’t appear bothered by the innuendo. “I knew that’s what he was thinking when I asked him to draw up the papers.”

  “What were you thinking?”

  “That I only had one shot to save my business,” Fran admitted, her eyes flashing. “If you think I wasn’t aware that I had a problem … that’s not it. I knew the shopping was out of control. I knew that I was out of control. I couldn’t seem to stop myself.”

  “Is that why you and Sterling divorced?”

  Fran shrugged, the reaction so human Maddie had to bite back a smile. “Sterling and I were never in love. I see you with Nick Winters, and we were never like that. He didn’t want to hold my hand … or kiss my cheek … or get me to sit on his lap when he thought no one was looking. Nick always acts that way with you.”

  “He’s playful,” Maddie acknowledged. “You and Sterling were with each other for a long time, though.”

  “Yeah, but there are some people who are always like that,” Fran noted. “I think you and Nick will always be that way. Sterling was never that way with me. Still, we got along okay. He was never mean and abusive and we kind of got to be roommates more than anything else by the end.”

  “So, what happened?” Maddie asked. “Did the shopping drive him away?”

  “I never realized that I had a big hole in my life,” Fran explained. “I didn’t realize that I was unhappy and I shopped to make me feel better. When Sterling told me I had to stop shopping I decided he was doing it to be mean. He wasn’t … not really. He saw what I didn’t. I was ruining us.

  “I was happy to give him the divorce once he said I could keep the Bayside,” she continued. “I thought I won something, but Sterling knew it wasn’t really a victory. He cut off the kids right away … and they stopped calling him. I didn’t want that to happen to me so I kept sending money.”

  “Yes, I’ve met Lola, and Nick mentioned Sam,” Maddie drawled, hoping she didn’t come across as disdainful. “They sound … interesting.”

  “They’re spoiled brats and I turned them into the monsters they’ve become,” Fran explained. “I didn’t see that either until I started spending time with Dora. She told me they were spoiled. She told me they were ruining me.”

  “She didn’t know about the shopping, though,” Maddie pressed. “She seemed surprised when Nick brought it up.”

  “I did my best to hide it – for obvious reasons – but she knew,” Fran argued. “After the divorce, I lived at the Bayside. All of my deliveries were to that address. Dora saw all of them.”

  “That doesn’t mean she knew,” Maddie countered. “Some people can’t see what’s right in front of them. It happened to me. I know.”

  Fran’s eyes were keen. “What didn’t you see?”

  “Nick,” Maddie answered simply. “I didn’t want anyone to know my secret. I didn’t want anyone to know I could see ghosts. I ran away from Blackstone Bay because I was afraid to tell him.”

  “He obviously knows now,” Fran pointed out. “I saw you two together at the storage rental place the other day. He knew you were talking to me and he not only believed you, but he encouraged you to keep doing it. He’s a good person to have by your side.”

  “He is.” Maddie bobbed her head in agreement.
“He’s the best friend I’ve ever had. That’s on top of being the love of my life, of course. Was Dora that person for you?”

  “She was a good friend, but we weren’t together,” Fran replied. “I’m not sure why people thought that – probably because salacious gossip is always preferred to a boring truth – but we were only friends.

  “We liked the same things,” she continued. “We both loved knitting and watching the shopping shows. I decided I was going to stop the shopping, though. I talked to a financial manager and he was helping me put a plan together to save the Bayside. I guess that doesn’t matter now, though, does it?”

  “Probably not,” Maddie conceded. “You were in deep trouble when it came to your finances. Your kids thought they were going to get enough money to buy mansions. Instead … well … they’ll get nothing. Your outstanding bills will eat up any proceeds that might come from the auction of the Bayside and then it will belong to someone else.”

  Fran scowled, annoyed. “So some stranger will end up owning it,” she muttered. “This bed and breakfast has been my sole reason for being since I started it. I got a small inheritance when my parents died and that’s how I purchased the place. Did you know that?”

  Maddie shook her head.

  “I wanted to make something of myself and instead I threw it all away.” Fran made a disgusted sound. “How did it come to this? I had a plan. I was going to sell everything in the lockers and put all of that money toward paying down the mortgage on the Bayside. That was going to be my start.

  “I was supposed to have the kids removed from the will by the end of the week,” she continued. “That didn’t quite happen. At least I can rest easy knowing they won’t get a dime from me. They both deserve having to figure things out for themselves for a change.”

  Maddie refrained from laughing at Fran’s gleeful expression, but just barely. “You were going to leave the bed and breakfast to Dora?”

  Fran nodded. “She knew how to run it and she was as dedicated to making it a success as I was. You should’ve seen her face when I told her I was changing my will and leaving the business to her. She actually cried – but in a good way. That would’ve made all of the complaining from my kids worth it.”