“It was a nightmare, but it was a real nightmare,” Maddie said. “I’m so sorry.”
“But … what happened to me?” Cathy asked, disbelief and worry flitting across her pleasing features. “How did I die?”
“I don’t know all of the specifics, but I know you were stabbed,” Maddie said. “Do you remember seeing anyone when you went to the fountain? Perhaps someone was following you.”
“I don’t remember anything,” Cathy said, dejected. “I just remember going to the fountain to wait for my friends … and then I woke up in that alley. I remember thinking I should’ve been cold, but I wasn’t. I guess that should’ve been my first clue, huh?” Cathy laughed hollowly. “Wow. I’m dead. I guess that loan I took out for grad school was a waste of money.”
“Is that what you do for a living?” Maddie asked. “Are you in grad school?”
“I work at an accounting firm and go to school three days a week,” Cathy replied, her eyes distant as they scanned the area without really focusing on anything. “My parents didn’t want me to go back to school because they said it was a waste of money. I knew I could make more if I finished, though. I guess it doesn’t matter now.”
“If it was important to you, it matters,” Maddie replied simply.
“My poor parents,” Cathy said. “How are they supposed to take this?”
“I don’t know.” Maddie opted for honesty. “Grief is a funny thing. You can’t always guess how people are going to react. I’m sure your parents will be upset, but they’ll have each other and maybe they’ll get through it okay.”
“I don’t know what I want more,” Cathy admitted. “I don’t want them to forget me, but I don’t want them sad either.”
“They’ll never forget you,” Maddie said. “That’s impossible. Pain doesn’t disappear. Time merely makes it easier to live with.”
“That was almost profound.”
Maddie jumped when she heard the new voice, swiveling quickly. She was ready to run if someone attacked, but the person she saw standing in the space behind her made her want to hit someone, not flee.
“Cooper,” Maddie said, blowing out a frustrated sigh. “What are you doing here? The fairgrounds are closed.”
“What are you doing here?” Cooper challenged, his eyes busy as they darted from one location to the next. “Who were you talking to?”
“I’m here early because I run a booth and I have to set up,” Maddie replied. “You don’t have a reason to be here, so you should go. I’ll report you to the authorities for trespassing if you don’t.”
Cooper chuckled, the sound empty and devoid of mirth in the still morning. “Don’t you mean you’ll call your boyfriend and he’ll drop everything to run to your rescue?”
Maddie shrugged. “It might not be him,” she replied. “John and Dale don’t like you either.”
“Yes, the police presence in this town is completely predictable, isn’t it?” Cooper challenged. “It’s almost as if they’re scared of me. I think it’s because they know I’ll do a better job of solving this case than they will.”
“And I think it’s because they know you’re a fraud and don’t want you getting in their way,” Maddie shot back.
“Who is he?” Cathy asked, moving out from the tree she hopped behind when Cooper made his presence known. “He’s kind of hot. Is he single?”
There was no way Maddie could answer without making Cooper suspicious so she ignored the ghost.
“You’re a funny girl, Maddie Graves,” Cooper said, walking in a wide circle and forcing Maddie to follow his actions so she didn’t get caught in a compromising situation with her back to a potential enemy. “A lot of people in this town believe you’re psychic and can see and talk to ghosts. What do you think about that?”
Cathy’s eyes widened. “Oh, wow,” she intoned. “I didn’t even think of that. That’s kind of neat … and freaky. Have you seen a lot of ghosts?”
Maddie was irritated. It just figured Cathy would get chatty at the exact moment she couldn’t engage with her. Since she was a new spirit, Maddie knew her energy would wane and she would disappear soon. Cooper might be ruining her only chance to talk with a murder victim.
“I think that this is a small town and gossip is one of the things we do best,” Maddie replied, tugging on her limited patience. Yelling and screaming at Cooper was going to get her nowhere. “I think you’ve purposely surrounded yourself with two vipers in an attempt to get the lowdown on people so they’ll be impressed when you pretend you can psychically read their minds.”
Cooper made a face that would’ve been comical under different circumstances. “Is that a fact?”
“I’m not an idiot,” Maddie said. “You use your looks and fame to seek out needy women in every town you visit. You want people who know secrets. Marla and Cassidy know a lot of secrets. Unfortunately for you, though, very few people trust them so whatever else they’re feeding you consists of lies and innuendo. I have a feeling you’ve already figured that out yourself, though, haven’t you?”
Cooper smirked. On anyone else the expression would’ve been charming. Because Maddie knew he wasn’t a man to be trusted, the half smile gave him something of a sinister look. “I can’t help but notice you evade every question I throw at you,” he said. “That’s a defense mechanism. Did your mother teach you that? I hear she was psychic, too.”
“Is that true?” Cathy asked. Maddie couldn’t help but notice the ghost was fading. “Where am I going?”
Maddie wanted to tell her it would be all right and she would return after she rested, but it was already too late. The young woman was gone.
“What are you looking at?” Cooper asked, glancing over his shoulder. “Did you see something?”
“Just a fraud,” Maddie said, locking gazes with Cooper in an attempt to show him she wasn’t afraid of him. “You should leave this town now, Cooper. There’s nothing but ruin and ridicule for you here.”
“And why is that?” Cooper pressed. “Are you a real psychic? Are you going to somehow prove me wrong? Are we in competition?”
“I don’t want anything to do with you,” Maddie replied, shaking her head. “You’re nothing but a scourge on humanity. I know why you’re here. I know you want to bolster your self-image. I have no idea if you put that body in the maze so you could find it or just got lucky, but I know you’re not psychic.”
“Because you are?”
“Because I can spot a liar from a long way off,” Maddie replied, refusing to sink to Cooper’s level. “You need to leave my friend Christy alone. She’s blinded by your book … and maybe your looks a little, too … but she’ll figure out what you are eventually. I won’t let you hurt her before that happens.”
Cooper snorted. “And how do you think I will hurt her?”
“I don’t know,” Maddie admitted. “I know you’re not a good person, though. That’s written all over your face whenever you think no one is looking and you let your guard down.”
“Are you sure you’re not psychically reading me to figure all of that out?” Cooper was intent on getting Maddie to admit what she was. Maddie was equally intent to keep him powerless where she was concerned.
“Stay away from Christy,” Maddie repeated. “If something happens to her, Nick and John will go after you. They’ll have to beat me to it, though. I don’t care what you do with Marla and Cassidy. Quite frankly, they’ve got whatever embarrassment you can throw at them coming.
“Christy is a different story, though,” she continued. “She’s a good person. She’s sweet and she helps people whenever she can. You’re taking advantage of her. Eventually she’ll figure it out. If you hurt her, though, I’ll help her figure it out.”
“Is that a threat?” Cooper asked.
“It’s a promise,” Maddie replied, sucking in a breath before turning on her heel and flouncing back toward her tent. She wanted to glance over her shoulder to make sure he wasn’t following, her inner danger alarm warning her
to be wary, but Olivia picked that moment to pop into existence and fall into step with her daughter.
“Very good, Maddie,” Olivia encouraged her daughter. “You’re fine. He’s not following you. Keep putting one foot in front of the other until you get to your tent. You’re doing fine.”
“I’m so glad to see you, Mom,” Maddie whispered. “Thank you for coming.”
“I’m always looking out for you, Sunshine,” Olivia said. “That’s a mother’s job, and I’m not ready to quit my job yet.”
“Good, because I’m not ready to let you go.”
12
Twelve
“What do you want to do for lunch, Mad?” Nick asked, popping his head into Maddie’s tent shortly before noon.
After a long morning of tarot readings and trying to keep her emotions in check whenever someone mentioned Cooper Ashcroft, the only thing Maddie wanted was a little peace. “Can we go home and have lunch?”
“Sure,” Nick said, nodding agreeably. “That actually sounds like a great idea to me.”
“That’s good, because there’s something I have to tell you and you’re not going to like it,” Maddie said, grabbing her purse. She expected to follow Nick out of the tent, but he stepped completely inside and barred her path. “Oh.” Maddie pulled up short right before slamming into the wall of muscle that made up his chest.
“Tell me now, love,” Nick prodded. “I don’t think I can take a silent walk home with that ominous sentence hanging over my head.”
Maddie pressed her lips together, uncertain. “I really don’t want you to yell at me in public.”
“I don’t want to yell at you, not in private or public,” Nick said. “Tell me.”
Maddie related her morning conversation with Cathy, Nick remaining still and patient for the duration. When she got to Cooper’s cameo, though, the color in Nick’s cheeks rose and he looked as if he was about to punch someone. Maddie took an inadvertent step back when he clenched his fists.
The move wasn’t lost on Nick, and he was instantly apologetic. “I’m sorry if I frightened you, Mad,” he said, splaying his fingers and holding his hands up. “I never want to frighten you.”
“I didn’t think you were going to hurt me,” Maddie said quickly. “I just thought you were going to yell.”
“Mad, I’m not angry with you,” Nick said. “Please don’t be afraid of me. I couldn’t take that.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Nicky,” Maddie said, impulsively hugging him. “I could never be afraid of you. You’re a good person. I know that.”
Nick returned the hug. “Mad, I like to think I am a good person. If Cooper puts his hands on you, though, I’m going to have to kill him.”
“He never made a move to touch me,” Maddie promised, lifting her eyes to Nick’s. “If he would’ve tried to touch me, you would’ve been the first person I called.”
Nick ran his hand down the back of Maddie’s head before kissing her forehead. “I’m still going to have a talk with him. I’m not angry at you, though.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m not thrilled with you wandering around the fairgrounds alone, though, either,” Nick added. “I’m not going to get in a fight about it, though, so save your explanations. I know you had to talk to the woman. I know it’s not in you to ignore her.”
“I didn’t get anything good, though,” Maddie said, slipping her hand in Nick’s. “Cooper ruined that. He’s such a … butthead.”
Nick snorted. “I think we’ve found the one thing you’re not good at, Mad.”
“What’s that?”
“Insulting people,” Nick replied, pushing the flap open and scowling when he found Cassidy standing on the other side. “What do you want?”
Nick wasn’t exactly known for warm greetings where Cassidy was concerned – especially recently – but the cold way he talked to her wasn’t lost on Cassidy.
“I came to apologize,” Cassidy said, gripping her hands together. “I’ve given some thought to what I said earlier, and I was out of line for suggesting Maddie was a murderer.”
“Oh, really?” Nick arched a dubious eyebrow. “Did you come to that conclusion before or after you remembered Maddie risked her life to save you?”
Cassidy stilled. “I don’t blame you for being angry with me,” she said. “From your perspective I’ve been nothing but a pain. I’ve been a hindrance to your relationship and I’ve embarrassed both of you on multiple occasions.”
“Are we supposed to be wowed by your insight?” Maddie asked, taking Nick by surprise with her fortitude. She was usually the last person to jump on the snark train.
“I just wanted to apologize and warn you about Cooper,” Cassidy said. “You were right. What you said about him was right, I mean. He’s been pumping us for information and he’s a fraud.”
“What brought about this change?” Maddie asked, genuinely curious.
“Oh, well … .” Cassidy stared at the ground as she hopped from one foot to the other.
“Let me guess, he cut you loose from his harem this morning because you were the weakest link in his gossip chain,” Nick supplied. “You’re the newest to town, so you had the least amount of information to give him.”
“He didn’t say that in so many words,” Cassidy hedged. “That’s pretty much what he said, though. I didn’t realize what was happening until it was already over with. I thought I should warn you, though, because he’s still interested in Maddie. He keeps asking for information about her.”
“And what did you tell him?” Nick challenged.
“I told him that … I told him that Maddie was really psychic and could talk to ghosts.”
“Son of a … .”
Maddie gripped Nick’s hand to quiet him. “We knew she would. There’s nothing we can do about it.”
“I’m sorry,” Cassidy said, adopting a pitiable expression. “He confused me and I thought he was really psychic. Marla keeps saying I’m a liar, though, and he kept her around. Maybe he doesn’t think Maddie is psychic any longer. Whatever she said to him today put him in a really foul mood.”
“What about Christy?” Nick asked, tugging a restless hand through his hair. “Has she said anything?”
“She’s never said anything bad about Maddie,” Cassidy replied. “She’s falling for all of his lies, though. It’s like he’s cast a spell on her.”
“Well, great,” Nick muttered. “Thanks for telling us … I guess.”
“I’m sorry,” Cassidy repeated.
“Sorry doesn’t do us a lot of good, Cassidy,” Maddie challenged. “This guy is out to ruin my reputation and he might be a murderer. I don’t understand why someone who appears so smart always does the dumbest possible thing.”
Cassidy opened her mouth to argue, but Maddie cut her off with a firm headshake.
“I thought you were making a go of it with David, but you forgot about him pretty quickly, didn’t you?” Maddie continued. “I expect this crap from Marla, but I thought we put all of this stuff behind us.”
“We did put all of this stuff behind us.” Cassidy hung her head, dejected. “I don’t know what else to say.”
“There’s nothing else you can say,” Maddie said. “Just … stay out of our way. Stay away from Cooper and don’t get involved in this. It’s none of your business, and I can’t tell you how sick I am of people sticking their noses in other people’s business. Just … stop!”
Cassidy nodded, refusing to look up.
“Come on, Nick,” Maddie said, grabbing his hand. “I’m starving and I need a few hours away from this place.”
Nick grinned as he fell into step next to her. “Mad, I have to tell you, that was pretty hot. Do you think I can negotiate a nap after lunch?”
“You’re not negotiating anything,” Maddie countered. “I’m demanding a nap.”
“Yowza, Mad,” Nick said. “Now I don’t even want lunch. You’re on fire.”
“WHAT IS all of this?” Maddie was dumbfo
unded when she walked into the kitchen a few minutes later, finding Maude toiling over a pot of soup next to the stove.
“Yeah, what is this?” Nick asked, lifting his nose to scent the air. “Do I smell homemade chicken noodle soup?”
“I decided to cook,” Maude replied, rolling her eyes. “I don’t need commentary from the peanut gallery.”
“I’m not complaining, but how did you even know we were coming home?” Maddie asked, shrugging out of her hoodie and draping it over the back of a chair. “For all you knew we were eating at the fair.”
“I knew you were coming home,” Maude replied. “Although … I’m not sure how I knew. I just did, and for some reason I knew Maddie needed something to bolster her. She hasn’t had her favorite soup in more than ten years, so I decided to make it for her.”
“It’s my favorite soup, too,” Nick said, surprising Maude when he planted a kiss on her cheek. “You have no idea how much both of us need this.”
Maddie was still confused, but when her mother appeared in the doorway between the kitchen and magic store things slipped into place. “Did you tell her to do this?”
Olivia shrugged. “I might have whispered a suggestion in her ear. I had no way of knowing she would actually be able to hear me, though.”
“But … how?”
“I have no idea,” Olivia said. “When she got up and started making the soup, though, it was like … magic.”
“Who are you talking to, Mad?” Nick asked, glancing around.
“Mom.”
“Your mother is here?” Nick smiled. “Hello, Olivia. I miss you.” As children Maddie and Nick were close with members of both families. Nick was welcome inside the Graves house whenever he wished, and Olivia doted on him as much as she did on her daughter.
“I miss you, too,” Olivia said, floating closer to Nick and running her ethereal finger down his cheek. “You’re still as handsome as ever.”
Nick involuntarily shuddered at the touch, causing Maddie to widen her eyes.
“Did you feel that?”
“What?” Nick asked, confused.
“Mom touched your cheek and you shivered,” Maddie replied. “Did you feel her?”
Grave Decisions (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 7) Page 10
