Grave Misgivings

by Lily Harper Hart

  Nick knew that smiling was akin to encouraging them, but every time he thought of Maddie naked he couldn’t help but grin. When he realized what he as doing, he forced a frown onto his face. “You guys make me sick. You’re talking about the woman I love like she’s a piece of meat.”

  “Oh, you’re such a goner,” Aaron said. “Why don’t you just propose now and get it over with?”

  “Because we want to live together and have fun dating first,” Nick said. “Don’t worry, we’re going to get married. It’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when, and the when is … .” Nick broke off when he heard the whisper. He thought he was imagining it at first. He thought the words were nothing but a trick of his imagination on the wind. Three months before he would’ve ignored the prickling on the back of his neck. He would’ve ignored the whisper.

  That was before Olivia’s ghost manifested enough power to propel Nick to Maddie in time to save her life, though. That was before Olivia’s ghost tipped him off that Maddie was being stalked in her own home.

  Nick snapped his head up, scanning the cemetery. “Where’s Maddie?”

  Brian, Max, and Aaron didn’t pick up on the change in Nick’s demeanor.

  “Just tell us if she’s a real blonde,” Max suggested.

  “Where is Maddie?” Nick repeated, moving away from the men and desperately searching the cemetery with his busy brown eyes. After a few moments, his gaze fell on Christy and he exhaled a heavy sigh of relief. The boisterous redhead wouldn’t leave Maddie. He was sure of that. When Nick realized Christy was alone, though, his heart plummeted. He ignored the spewed questions from his friends and broke into a run as he raced toward Christy.

  Maddie was in trouble. Olivia was warning him of something. He just didn’t know what.

  “I DON’T know what’s in the corner over there but I’m officially terrified,” Maddie said, her hands finding the heavy metal of the door. She almost cried out in relief. The scuffling sounds from the other side of the mausoleum were getting closer. Maddie had no idea what was stalking her in the dark. She knew it couldn’t be good, though. “Come on.”

  She fumbled along until she found the doorknob and wrapped her hand around it, frantically tugging as she desperately tried to find literal light so she could chase away the dark. She had to get out of here.

  “Nick is coming.”

  Olivia’s voice soothed Maddie even though she couldn’t see her in the murky dark. “Mommy?”

  “It’s okay, Maddie,” Olivia said. “He’s coming. I warned him.”

  “There’s something in here,” Maddie said. “There’s something … horrible … in here.”

  “I know,” Olivia said.

  “The door is locked. I can’t get it open.”

  “Take a breath, Maddie,” Olivia instructed. “You’re going to pass out if you’re not careful.”

  “What’s in here? I can’t see it. I can hear it. It’s getting closer.”

  “I don’t know what it is,” Olivia said. “Something evil has manifested here.”

  “Can it hurt me?”

  “I … I don’t know, Maddie. Just try to relax. Nick will be here any second.”

  “What if he’s too late?”

  “He’ll never be too late,” Olivia said. “You’re destined for happily ever after together. He won’t be late. Trust him.”

  “WHERE is Maddie?” Nick snapped as he approached Christy.

  The redhead, who was busy watching squirrels frolic in the nearby tree, seemed surprised at Nick’s vehemence. “She’s right over … .” Christy frowned. “She was right there.”

  “Where?”

  “She was by the mausoleum,” Christy said.

  Nick pushed past her and increased his pace, beating a straight path toward the mausoleum. Aaron stopped at Christy’s side, confused and concerned. “I have no idea what’s going on,” he said. “He was in the middle of saying something to us and then it was like … I don’t know … he heard a voice or something. Then he started screaming about Maddie.”

  Christy didn’t like the sound of that. “Look in the mausoleum,” she ordered.

  Nick reached the door and tugged on the handle, frustrated when it refused to open. “Maddie?” There was no answer from inside so Nick pounded on the door mercilessly. “Maddie?”

  “What’s going on?” Marla asked, appearing from the other side of the mausoleum.

  Christy narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Where were you?”

  “Looking around,” Marla said, making a face. Cassidy appeared on her heels. Her face was hard to read, but Christy was sure she saw guilt reflected there.

  “Have you seen Maddie?” Christy asked.

  “Maddie?” Nick pounded on the mausoleum door again.

  “I’m sure she’s not in there,” Marla said. “Maybe she went back to the house.”

  “She wouldn’t have left without telling me,” Nick seethed. “There’s nowhere else she could be.”

  “There’s no reason to freak out,” Marla said. “I’m sure your precious Maddie is perfectly fine. She’s probably hiding because she knows it will get your motor running. Then, just when you’re really panicked, she’ll appear out of nowhere just so you can fawn all over you.”

  “If you don’t shut your mouth, I’m going to shut it for you,” Nick warned. He pounded on the mausoleum door again. “Maddie? Answer me!”

  “Dude, let me help you,” Aaron said, using his hips to edge Nick out of the way. “This door sticks. There’s a trick to opening it. Hold on.”

  Aaron fiddled with the handle for a few moments and Nick’s heart jumped to his throat when the door sprung open. He pushed Aaron out of the way and bolted into the room, his heart rolling painfully when he saw Maddie’s crumpled form on the hard, cement floor.

  “Maddie.” He dropped to his knees and crawled to her carefully, terrified he would find her hurt – or worse – when he finally touched her. When his hands made contact with her shoulders, he rolled her so he could study her face.

  Her eyes were closed and she almost looked as if she was sleeping. It was obvious she’d been crying, though. Something terrible had happened to her. “Love?” He slipped an arm under her waist as he fought to hold on to the tattered remnants of his resolve. When he cradled Maddie to his chest he was relieved to find she was still breathing. He’d breathed life back into her still lungs before. She was doing it for herself this time, though. That had to be a good sign, right?

  “Should we call an ambulance?” Aaron asked, his face a mask of worry and fright.

  Nick hoisted Maddie up into his arms and stood, moving out of the mausoleum and into the sunlight. A hint of movement caught his attention, and when Maddie’s chin moved a second time, a raw sob escaped his throat. “Maddie?”

  “Nicky,” she murmured.

  “I’ve got you,” Nick said, clutching her tightly as he started walking back toward Aaron’s house. “I’ve got you.”

  “IS SHE okay?” Christy asked, letting herself into the library and closing the door behind her.

  Maddie regained consciousness before they reached the house, although she was confused and incoherent. Instead of questioning her in front of everyone, Nick told the others to find something to do while he took care of her. He didn’t want her to blurt anything out in front of an audience.

  For the past five minutes he’d been rubbing her shoulders and trying to get her to drink a bottle of water while she regained her senses. He was still waiting to question her.

  “The color is coming back to her cheeks,” Nick said, brushing his thumb against her lip. “She still seems a little out of it.”

  “I am so sorry,” Christy said. “She saw the ghost from last night, and she wanted me to act as a lookout while she talked to her. I honestly didn’t see the harm in it. I wasn’t paying close enough attention, though. This is my fault.”

  “It’s my fault,” Nick said. “I should’ve stayed with her.”

  “It’s no o
ne’s fault,” Maddie said, finally speaking. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not even here.”

  Nick exhaled heavily. “Are you okay, Mad? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

  “I’m fine,” Maddie said, lifting her hand. It was shaking, and Nick clasped it with his own and lowered his eyes until they met hers.

  “You don’t look fine, love.”

  “She actually looks better than you,” Christy said. “You’re as white as a ghost.”

  “Ha, ha.”

  “I wasn’t joking,” Christy said. She reached over and patted Maddie’s hand reassuringly. “What happened?”

  “I’m not a hundred percent sure,” Maddie said, leaning forward as Nick eased himself into a sitting position beside her and snaked his arm around her waist. “I was talking to Rose … .”

  “Who is Rose?”

  “She’s Aaron’s dead grandmother.”

  “I … okay,” Nick said. “We’ll talk about that later … when we’re alone upstairs.” Or at home, he added silently. “Why did you shut the door?”

  “I didn’t shut the door,” Maddie said. “I left it propped open. I needed the light. I just wanted to talk to Rose when I could be assured I didn’t have an audience.”

  “How long were you in there?”

  “Not long,” Maddie said. “She told me who she was. She was kind of sad and I was trying to get her to open up about what happened to her. She finally admitted she was murdered and then … well … the door slammed shut.”

  Nick frowned. “That door opens from the outside,” he said. “That means someone closed it from the outside. There was no wind. It couldn’t have blown shut. It was too heavy.”

  “It wasn’t me,” Christy said.

  “I didn’t think it was you,” Nick said. “You were watching the squirrels. The guys were over with me. Lauren wasn’t with us but I never lost sight of her. That means it had to be either Marla or Cassidy who closed the door.”

  “It also means they probably knew Maddie was inside when they did it,” Christy said. “I should’ve been paying closer attention. I’m so sorry. Did you pass out because you were scared?”

  “I … I’m not sure I passed out.”

  “What do you mean?” Nick asked.

  “There was something in the mausoleum,” Maddie said. “Rose warned me that she wasn’t the only thing that stayed behind after death. The thing is, I could hear something physically moving.”

  She looked earnest, and she clearly believed what she was saying, but Nick had no idea what she was talking about. “I don’t know what that means, Mad.”

  “I don’t either,” Maddie said. “I just know something was in that room with me. I tried to open the door, but it was like the handle was stuck.”

  “I know,” Nick said, running his hand down the back of her head. “I couldn’t get it open from outside either. Aaron had to do it for me.”

  “How did you know she was in trouble?” Christy asked. “Aaron said you were in the middle of a sentence and then you just took off because you knew something was wrong.”

  “Olivia came to me.”

  “She’s done that a few times now, hasn’t she?”

  “She has,” Nick said. “I knew I had to get to Maddie.”

  “She came to me, too,” Maddie said. “She kept telling me to hold on. She told me you were coming. I called for you and then … I don’t know what happened. I felt something behind me. I felt a … hand … on my shoulder. The next thing I knew I was waking up in your arms.”

  “It’s okay,” Nick said, kissing her forehead and tightening his arms around her. “It’s okay.”

  “I’m not sure it is,” Christy said seriously. “We need to come up with a story to tell those people out there, and we need to do it fast.”

  “Do you think they’re suspicious?” Maddie asked, worried.

  “I think they passed suspicious when Nick started beating on the mausoleum door and having a complete and total meltdown while screaming your name,” Christy said.

  “This isn’t good.”

  Twelve

  “You saw a raccoon?” Aaron’s eyes widened incredulously. “You passed out because you saw a raccoon?”

  “I’m so sorry,” Maddie said, her back resting against Nick’s chest as he snuggled up behind her. “I’m mortified.”

  “It’s fine,” Aaron said. “You scared us to death, but it’s fine. I don’t understand what happened, though.”

  “I was just looking around the mausoleum,” Maddie explained. “It’s really pretty in there, by the way. Although, you might want to have someone dust it from time to time. It’s a little dirty… especially the floor.”

  “How did you get locked in?” Max asked.

  “That’s a pretty good question,” Nick said, shifting his gaze to Marla and Cassidy, an unsaid accusation hanging in the air.

  “Why are you looking at me?” Marla asked, nonplussed.

  “Because that door closes from the outside,” Nick said, not backing down. “Brian, Max, and Aaron were with me. Lauren was less than twenty feet away from me the whole time Maddie was gone. Christy was close, but not close enough to close the door. That leaves you and Cassidy as the only suspects.”

  Cassidy’s face turned a mottled shade of red as Marla feigned total shock and disgust. “Are you actually accusing me of locking Maddie in that mausoleum?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why would I possibly do that?”

  “Because you’re evil,” Nick replied, not missing a beat. “I know it was you. Don’t bother denying it.” He shifted his gaze to Cassidy. “I expected better from you. I know you’re angry with me, but do you really think a junior high school prank that almost resulted in Maddie being seriously hurt is the best way to deal with your issues?”

  “I … .”

  “Don’t accuse her of doing anything,” Marla said. “You have no proof. Personally, I think Maddie locked herself in the mausoleum so she could get attention. That would be totally like her.”

  Nick opened his mouth, every hateful thought he had on the tip of his tongue and ready to be unleashed, but Aaron stilled him with a hand on his shoulder. “I believe Marla,” he said.

  Marla stilled, surprise washing over her features. “You do?”

  “Of course I do,” Aaron said. “Only a truly pathetic person would lock someone in the mausoleum.”

  “I … um … right,” Marla said.

  “The good news is that we can prove it wasn’t Marla,” Aaron said.

  “We can?” Nick asked, glancing up at Aaron for a hint of what he was getting at.

  “My mother was worried that grave robbers would try and steal from the mausoleum so she had cameras installed out there,” Aaron said. “I can go up to the security room and look at the video feed. That will prove that Marla and Cassidy are innocent.”

  “I think we all should go and take a look,” Christy said.

  “Well, wait just a second … .” Marla said, exchanging a worried look with Cassidy. “Is that really necessary?”

  “I think it is,” Brian said, catching on to the game. “If you and Cassidy didn’t shut Maddie in the mausoleum, that means someone else did. There could be some sort of deviant hanging around the grounds. We all could be in danger. We can’t have that. I wouldn’t feel safe with a deviant on the grounds.”

  “I think this is an outstanding idea,” Max said. “Plus, we have a police officer here. If we catch someone on the feed, Nick can arrest the guilty person.”

  “He’s off duty,” Marla said.

  “That doesn’t mean I can’t arrest someone if they commit a crime,” Nick said. “In this case, it would be my personal pleasure.”

  “Let’s go up and look at the video,” Aaron said. “After all that’s handled, I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m starving. How about you, Miss Maddie? Did the raccoon scare the hunger out of you?”

  “I’m really sorry I worried everyone,” Maddie said, c
lasping her hands together on her lap.

  “Don’t worry about,” Aaron said, waving off her concerns. “We were getting complacent. We needed a little drama. Things were getting boring.”

  “I’m still sorry.”

  “It wouldn’t have happened if someone didn’t lock you in the mausoleum,” Nick said. “Let’s go take a look at the video feed. I can’t wait to see who the culprit is.”

  “It was just supposed to be a joke,” Cassidy blurted out, her face contorting as hot tears started spilling down her cheeks. “I swear. We didn’t mean to hurt her. We just thought it would be funny to lock her in there with the dead bodies.”

  “Why?” Marla asked, gritting her teeth. “Why did you just say that?”

  “They’re going to see the video,” Cassidy said. “They’re going to know it was us.”

  “There is no video out there,” Aaron said. “I was bluffing.”

  “I knew it,” Marla grumbled.

  “We also knew you were the one who locked Maddie inside,” Max said.

  “How could you possibly know that?”

  “You’re the only one pathetic enough to do it,” Aaron said.

  “You’re also the only one mean enough to do it,” Brian added. “Maddie has been nothing but sweet and nice since she got here. You’ve been the aggressive one.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Cassidy said. “I just … it was a horrible thing to do.”

  “It was a horrible thing to do,” Nick said. “Maddie could’ve been seriously injured.”

  “Hey, it’s not our fault Maddie scared herself silly with a raccoon,” Marla said. “That’s all on her.”

  “Marla, I’ve had enough of you,” Aaron said. “I think you … and your little friend … should be going.”

  “What? You’re kicking me out?”

  “I am,” Aaron said.

  “Wait a second,” Maddie said, leaning forward. “I’m not sure that’s necessary.”

  “Maddie,” Nick groaned. “Let him kick them out.”

  “I’m sure Marla and Cassidy are sorry,” Maddie countered. “Maybe this will be an important lesson for both of them.”

  “Marla doesn’t learn lessons,” Christy said. “She’s too stupid to learn lessons.”