“I understand that,” Maddie said. “I think she really likes David, though.”
“Well, now she’s convinced I ruined that relationship for her, too,” Nick interjected. “I told her we don’t believe David is guilty and she blames me for what happened. She wants me to let him out right now, even though I can’t do that.”
“She feels guilty,” Maddie surmised. “She was doing something wrong when she discovered the ring. She turned it over to you. You arrested him. It looks like he’s innocent. She probably thinks he won’t forgive her.”
“I think he will,” Nick countered. “He told me he had a thing for her while we were dating. He said he knew I would dump her because of my six-month cycle, and he was waiting until she was over me to ask her out.
“He met Andrea in the interim and they hit it off, so he asked her out to bide time, and he said he has no idea how that would’ve turned out if she hadn’t disappeared,” he continued. “When he found out Cassidy was snooping through his dresser he wasn’t surprised. If she apologizes, I think he’s going to forgive her.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“I hope so,” Nick said. “I cannot deal with one more second of Cassidy drama.”
“Me either,” Maddie said. “We’re going to have enough drama to last us a lifetime tonight if Granny’s mood is to be believed. We made up, by the way.”
“That’s good,” Nick said, gathering Maddie’s hand and tugging it to his lap. “Did you apologize for neglecting her?”
“I did, although it appears she wasn’t really angry about me leaving her with Christy to do all the pageant tasks this week,” Maddie explained. “She was really mad because I didn’t take her on any of our adventures.”
Nick furrowed his brow. “What adventures?”
“She considers jogging to the lighthouse and spying on David Bennet adventures and believes I cut her out of them because I was embarrassed by her antics.”
Nick snickered. “She’s a trip. I love her, but she is all over the place sometimes.”
“I explained it was too hot to drag her along and I would never be embarrassed by her,” Maddie said. “That seemed to make her happy. When she realized I didn’t invite her because of the heat, she forgave me and moved on to hating Harriet.”
“Is Harriet back there, too?”
“She is,” Maddie confirmed. “Apparently, after seeing Granny’s pink hair, she decided to go bold, too. Her hair is green.”
“Like teal?”
“Like puke.”
Nick barked out a hoarse laugh, delighted. “That sounds fun,” he said. “Did you see what they’re wearing for the big show?”
“Oh, Nicky, you clearly haven’t spent enough time with pageant folk over the course of your life,” Maddie chided. “If you hung around with pageant women you would know that there will be at least six costume changes this evening.”
“First of all, you’re the only woman I’ve ever wanted to hang around with,” Nick said. “Secondly, I’m not big on pageant folk. Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to enjoy Maude’s performance this evening. In general, though, I think pageants are boring and would rather read a book in the window seat with you.”
“See, that’s why you’re the perfect man,” Maddie said, kissing Nick softly.
“I am the perfect man,” Nick agreed, cupping the back of Maddie’s head for a moment before releasing her. “I heard you had a visitor today.”
“How did you hear that?”
“Christy.”
“Of course,” Maddie said, rolling her eyes. “I don’t see why the town even needs a newspaper when she’s around.”
“She does have a gift,” Nick agreed. “How is Chelsea?”
“She’s okay,” Maddie replied. “She’s still upset, and I told her that wasn’t going to magically disappear just because someone got arrested. I also told her we didn’t think David was guilty. She was worried we thought her father was guilty, but that still doesn’t feel right to me either.”
“Dale and I had a long talk about things today, and we agree with you about the car,” Nick said. “We need to find that car. I think that’s the key to this whole thing.”
“Well, we can’t do it tonight,” Maddie said. “Can we please enjoy the pageant and worry about the car tomorrow? I think we owe it to Granny.”
“I don’t want to do anything but spend time with you tonight, love,” Nick said, squeezing her hand. “It would be better if we were naked and in the lake, but this will be fun, too.”
Maddie opened her mouth, a dirty suggestion on her lips, but she changed her mind when she saw Marla approaching. “This can’t be good.”
“If she says one obnoxious thing I’m going to arrest her,” Nick threatened.
“For what?”
“Disturbing the peace.”
Marla’s smile was wide and malicious when she stopped in front of the couple. “It’s so good to see the two of you,” she said. “I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to share this special night with you.”
“What’s your deal?” Nick asked, immediately suspicious.
“I think the Chlamydia finally made her crazy,” Maddie said, causing Nick to snort.
“You have been a snarky master several times this week, love,” Nick said. “I like it.”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that,” Marla said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m trying to turn over a new leaf, and I refuse to let you drag me down into a vulgar display because of your sarcasm.”
Maddie and Nick exchanged a dubious look.
“I think we’re in a movie,” Nick suggested. “It’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Only in this version, the aliens are nice so that’s why Marla seems so out of place.”
“You could be right,” Maddie said, nodding.
“Knock it off,” Marla snapped, her pleasant visage slipping. “I’m only being nice to you because I want Christy to let me back in the salon. She’s being a real … .”
Maddie arched a challenging eyebrow. “I’m going to tell her anything you say. You know that, right?”
“She’s being a wonderful business owner,” Marla finished, changing her conversational course midstream.
“Nice save,” Nick teased, causing Maddie to giggle. “You should be a hockey goalie. I think the mask would be an improvement.”
“Ha, ha,” Marla muttered. “Seriously, Maddie, you need to tell Christy we made up and to let me back in the salon. My hair is in desperate need of a trim, and I can’t go around looking like a hag because you’re jealous.”
“I think you look like a hag because you’re ugly inside,” Nick offered. “I don’t think it has anything to do with your hair.”
“No one asked you,” Marla snapped. “Why are you even involved with this conversation?”
“You approached us,” Nick reminded her.
“Just … shut up,” Marla seethed.
“Marla, I’m not helping you,” Maddie said. “Your problems with Christy are not my concern. You need to either work them out on your own … or, well … give up. I don’t care which one you do, but I’m not in the mood to play games with you.”
“So you’re not going to help me?”
“No,” Maddie said, her attention drawn to the curtain behind the stage where Christy poked her head out. “Speak of the fantastic salon owner, there she is now,” she murmured, leaning forward. It looked like Christy was gesturing for her to come backstage. “Do you think she wants me to go over there?”
Nick followed Maddie’s gaze. “It looks like it,” he said. “You can’t leave me, though, love. I can’t hang out with Marla by myself. I’ll cry.”
“So cute,” Maddie said, pinching his cheek and shaking it. “I promise not to be gone long. Granny might need a pep talk. If the first number starts I’m going to have to wait until it’s over before I rejoin you. I don’t want to get in people’s way.”
“Certainly not,” Nick said, giving her a quick kis
s. “Don’t forget me here, Mad. I’m a man at a beauty pageant. I’m going to be popular if you leave me alone too long.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Maddie said dryly. “Try not to let Marla give you a disease.”
“Does ringing ears count?”
Marla’s expression was incredulous as she watched Maddie move away. “Is that it? Are you really telling me you’re not going to help me with my Christy problem?”
“That’s what I’m telling you,” Maddie replied. “Buck up, Marla. The good news is that it will probably take you an entire year before you tick off your new hairdresser and get banned from her salon. At least you have that to look forward to.”
Nick grinned. “I like you sassy, Mad.”
“I hate both of you,” Marla spat, turning on her heel and stomping away.
“I’ll be back to protect you as soon as I can,” Maddie said, moving toward the side door of the gymnasium. “Don’t let anyone have my seat.”
“I’ll guard it with my life.”
MADDIE found herself turned around when she exited the gymnasium through the side door. She’d attended classes inside the building for four years, but the gym was never her favorite part of the building – that would’ve been the library – and the area surrounding it had undergone extensive renovations since her tenure.
Maddie rounded the corner and found herself in a quiet hallway, instinctively realizing she’d picked the wrong direction before a lone figured walked around the corner at the far end of the corridor and drew her attention.
Chelsea lifted her head when she saw Maddie, breaking into a run and gasping excitedly as she grabbed her arm. “I found it!”
Maddie was confused. “Where did you go? We were looking for you.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I found it!”
“Found what?” Maddie asked, brushing Chelsea’s flyaway hair away from her face. “You’re not making any sense.”
“I found my mom’s car,” Chelsea said. “I had an idea when we got to the school. I noticed there was a car beneath a tarp in the auto shop when I was there at the end of the school year. I couldn’t figure out why they would have a car in the classroom when the school term was over.
“I kind of forgot about it at the time because I didn’t really care and I was angry about my mom taking off, but I remembered it when we came into the school today,” she continued. “I know I wasn’t supposed to sneak off on my own, but I had to see if I was right. The car was still covered and in the exact same spot. When I lifted the tarp, that’s when I found it.”
“And you’re sure it’s your mother’s car?”
Chelsea nodded.
Maddie pursed her lips, glancing back at the gymnasium door and briefly wondering if she should gather Nick before following the exhilarated teenager. Maddie opened the door and peered inside, frowning when she saw the opening number was already underway … and she was missing it.
The contestants – all twelve of them – were dressed as sunflowers and dancing in a circle to the familiar strains of “You Are My Sunshine.”
“Holy crap,” Chelsea said, appearing at Maddie’s side. “I had no idea that was going to happen.”
“Me either,” Maddie said, shifting her gaze to Chelsea. “How long does it take to get to the auto shop?”
“Two minutes.”
“We have to be quick,” Maddie instructed, closing the door. “I can’t miss Granny’s talent display. She’ll never forgive me if I do.”
“Let’s hurry.”
Maddie and Chelsea scampered down the hallway, Maddie letting the younger girl take the lead so they could be quick and efficient. By the time they got to their location, Maddie vaguely remembered the corridor she found herself in. “Isn’t this where the drama class used to be?”
“They disbanded that years ago,” Chelsea explained, striding down the hallway. “They didn’t have enough money for all of the electives and wood shop, band, gym, and auto shop were the only ones they ended up keeping.”
“That’s too bad,” Maddie mused. “I used to love home economics. I learned to sew in that class.”
“Everyone uses microwaves now,” Chelsea said, reaching for the door handle and pulling it open. “That class is obsolete.”
“Thank you for the lesson,” Maddie said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes and following Chelsea into the room. It was dark, the only light coming from a lone fixture in the middle of the classroom. Chelsea hurried to the far corner of the large garage and pointed toward a tarp-covered vehicle.
“That’s it.”
Maddie moved closer, lifting the end of the tarp up so she could study the vehicle beneath it. Finally, when she felt she wasn’t getting a good enough view, she whipped the tarp off completely and scanned the Ford Focus with keen interest.
“Are you sure this is your mother’s car?”
Chelsea nodded and pointed toward the flower air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror. “I bought that at the grocery store in May,” she explained. “I thought the car smelled because an orange accidentally rolled under the seat and rotted a week before. I’m positive this is my mother’s car.”
Maddie reached for the door handle and tugged on it, frustrated when it wouldn’t open. “Did you look inside?”
“It’s locked.”
“I noticed,” Maddie said, glancing around for a tool to jimmy the handle. She grabbed a hammer from a nearby tool bench and then thought better of it and put it back.
“What are you doing?” Chelsea asked. “Break it open. There might be a clue inside.”
“I can’t do that,” Maddie replied. “I might be contaminating evidence. Nick is in the building. I’ll text him to come back here and let him decide how to handle it.”
“Fine,” Chelsea said, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched Maddie dig for her phone and type a quick note into the text message window before shoving it back in her pocket. “What should we do?”
“It won’t take him long to get back here,” Maddie said. “Just … chill.”
“That’s easy for you to say,” Chelsea shot back. “We just found my dead mother’s car. How did it even get here?”
“That’s a pretty good question,” Maddie said, glancing around. “You said you saw this car here before the end of the school year. Do you remember when?”
Chelsea shrugged. “It was the second to last day we had classes,” she said. “The secretary asked me to bring a message to the teacher and I saw it then. I thought it was weird to have a car to work on that late in the year, but I don’t take auto shop. I thought the car might be for next year and they needed someplace to store it.”
“I guess I would think that, too,” Maddie murmured, swiveling to look around the dark room. “Who is the auto shop professor?”
“John Gardiner.”
Maddie froze, a million icicles poking into her spine. “Monica Gardiner’s brother is the auto shop teacher?”
Chelsea’s face slackened as realization washed over her. “Oh … oh!”
“Oh indeed.” Another voice joined the fray, and although Maddie didn’t immediately recognize it, she instinctively knew who it was.
“Hello, Monica,” Maddie said, forcing her head to the side so she could see the woman in question as she stood in the center of the room. “I think you have some explaining to do.”
23
Twenty-Three
“Maddie Graves, I see you look exactly the same as when we were in high school,” Monica said, taking a step closer and causing Maddie to dart a worried look in Chelsea’s direction.
“Monica,” Maddie replied, internally debating how to approach the situation. “You look good. How have you been?”
“I haven’t been great,” Monica replied, her fingers brushing the top of the workbench and heading toward the hammer Maddie discarded moments before. “Things have been looking up the past few months, but not all of us get the fairy tale.”
“You killed my mother, didn’
t you?” Chelsea asked, her eyes wide and glassy.
“Shh. The adults are talking right now, Chelsea,” Monica chided. “I’ll get to you in a minute.” She turned her attention back to Maddie, the look on her face absolutely chilling. “I’m just dying to know how you got Nick Winters after the way you used and abused him in high school. Do you care to share with the class?”
“Not particularly,” Maddie replied. “I’m more interested in why you killed Andrea Johnson. I don’t think my relationship with Nick has anything to do with the current problem.”
“On the contrary,” Monica countered. “Nick Winters is at the heart of why Andrea had to die.”
Maddie frowned, confused. “I don’t understand.”
“Of course you don’t,” Monica said, her fingers resting on the hammer handle as she leaned against the workbench. “You were never really the smartest horse in the herd, were you?”
“Probably not,” Maddie conceded.
“Well, let me explain things so even you can understand,” Monica volunteered. “When I was in high school, I had a crush on a boy. I think you know him. In fact, I think you’ve cast some sort of spell on him that makes it impossible for anyone but you to get close to him for quite some time.”
Maddie kept her face immovable as Monica spoke. She knew Nick was on his way. She just had to delay whatever Monica had planned until he could get there.
“I followed him around like a lost little puppy dog for four years straight,” Monica said, sinking into her tale. “He spent all of his time with you. At first it didn’t bother me because you looked like you fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. I knew you were just friends.
“Then you showed up for senior year looking like you stepped off the pages of a magazine and I realized things were going to shift,” she continued. “Nick no longer looked at you as his best friend. He looked at you as the one he was going to love forever. It didn’t matter what I did. He refused to look at me. Do you have any idea how that felt?”
“Did you ever consider that Nick wouldn’t have looked at you whether I was around or not?” Maddie challenged. “Just because you liked him in high school, that doesn’t mean he felt the same way about you. That’s not a dig or a reason to pity yourself. Sometimes that’s just life.”
Grave Discovery Page 18
