Grave Missteps

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Oh, well … .”

  “Sit down.” Priscilla pointed toward the kitchen table. “I just finished brewing a pot of coffee. We’re probably going to need refreshments if this conversation takes the turn I expect it to.”

  Even though she was curious and wanted to start lobbing questions at Priscilla, Maddie managed to hold it together until the elderly woman returned to the table with the coffee.

  “So, you’re Maude Graves’ granddaughter, huh?” Priscilla made a clucking sound with her tongue as she shook her head. “You don’t look a thing like her.”

  “I’ve heard that a few times,” Maddie admitted before sipping her coffee. Now that she’d actually found the woman – and it was easier than she anticipated – she had no idea what to say to her.

  “I’m guessing you heard a story or two,” Priscilla noted, her smile enigmatic. “How much do you want to know?”

  Was that a trick question? Maddie couldn’t be sure. “I want to know all of it,” she said finally. “I want to know about your husband … and Edgar … and Steven. I want to know absolutely all of it.”

  “Then I guess I’ll start from the beginning, huh?” Priscilla sipped her coffee and sucked in a cleansing breath. “I married Steven Wilkins shortly after high school. I thought he was smart and sophisticated because I was still underage when we hooked up and I didn’t know any better. I was young and dumb so I fell for his act.

  “A lot of people told me not to marry him – Mildred being one of them – but I refused to listen,” she continued. “Back in those days we didn’t have a lot of choices. It was marry and start a family or risk trying to become a career woman and spend your entire life struggling. You have a lot more choices now, and I envy you for them.”

  “I never really thought about it that way, but it makes sense,” Maddie admitted.

  “We were only married two weeks when he hit me for the first time,” Priscilla volunteered. “At first it was slaps here and there, the occasional kick. I went to my mother and told her what was going on. I thought she would do something … or at least know something I was supposed to do. She told me that was how marriage worked and I had to suck it up.”

  Maddie’s stomach twisted. “I’m sorry.”

  “I am, too, but it’s not like I wasn’t warned.” Priscilla was a pragmatic soul and she merely shook her head at the memory. “I was ready to leave Steven – I honestly didn’t care how things went for me, but I knew it was no longer a tolerable situation – but I turned up pregnant and then I knew I was in a whole heap of trouble.

  “I had no way of raising a child without help and Steven was so excited when I told him that I was expecting,” she continued. “He didn’t touch me for the entire duration of the pregnancy and I thought he’d seen the error of his ways.

  “I found out that was not true two weeks after giving birth,” she said. “He went right back to his previous self and things were actually worse after that. The only thing I had going for me was that he didn’t touch Edgar. He seemed to revere the baby.”

  Maddie could already see where the story was going. “How long did that last?”

  “Until Edgar was five and started mouthing off to him occasionally,” Priscilla replied ruefully. “Edgar was a smart child and figured out how to survive at a young age. He played up to his father’s sense of ego and that worked until Edgar was a teenager.

  “After that, things were more … difficult,” she continued. “Edgar outgrew Steven when he was fifteen. He was still too frightened to raise a hand against his father, but by the time he hit seventeen he was ready for a fight. The next time Steven tried to go after him he put him on his behind.”

  Maddie smiled as Priscilla’s face flushed with pleasure. She was clearly enjoying the memory.

  “Edgar left right away when he was eighteen,” Priscilla said. “He basically ignored his father’s existence after that, although we were still close. He didn’t go to college, but he started his own landscaping business and does quite well today.”

  A name clicked into place in Maddie’s head. “Edgar Grimes Landscaping.”

  Priscilla brightened. “Do you know him?”

  Maddie shook her head. “Not personally. I know a few people he works for, though. He has a very good reputation.”

  “He does.” Priscilla preened under the compliment. “He’s been married to the same woman since he was twenty-three. He has grown children of his own now. I’m happy to say he’s ten times the father and husband Steven was. The apple fell far from the tree on that one.”

  “I’m glad.” Maddie meant it. “You stayed with him after your son graduated and left the house, though. Why?”

  “By then he was older. He was still just as mean, though. He was constantly yelling, but he was so drunk most of the time he passed out in the middle of the afternoon most days so it was easy to get past him.”

  Maddie couldn’t imagine living that sort of life. “Something changed, though.”

  Priscilla bobbed her head. “I got pregnant again.”

  “You were older this time, though, right?”

  “I was,” Priscilla agreed. “I was in my forties. Granted, it was my early forties, but I was still older. I thought I was well past my child-bearing years.”

  “I guess not.”

  “No. When I visited the doctor, I thought something might be wrong … like cancer maybe,” Priscilla explained. “When he told me I was pregnant, well, you could’ve knocked me over with a feather.

  “At first I was unhappy, terrified even,” she continued. “I didn’t want to raise another child because I didn’t think I had the energy. Then, when I gave it more thought, I knew I didn’t want to raise a child with Steven because I was convinced I wouldn’t be able to keep a second child safe.”

  “That’s when you left him,” Maddie noted.

  “Yes. I was pregnant – several months along – and I contacted Mildred for the first time since right after I got married,” Priscilla confirmed. “I’d seen her at various family functions over the years, mind you, but she was always cold and wanted nothing to do with me. I think part of her was angry because I didn’t listen to her.”

  “Well, she should’ve gotten over that sooner,” Maddie argued. “You were the one who paid for it.”

  “I’m not sure she knew that. Anyway, it ultimately didn’t matter. I reconnected with Mildred and told her my predicament. She wasn’t surprised, but she didn’t do that ‘I told you so’ thing I was expecting either. She was very matter of fact and eager to help.”

  “How did you do it?” Maddie was legitimately curious.

  “It wasn’t as difficult as you might imagine,” Priscilla replied. “You need to remember, that was in a time before everyone had a computer, cell phone and access to Google. Disappearing back then was easy … and I only moved two towns away to do it.”

  “I guess that makes sense.” Maddie leaned back in her chair. “This would’ve been about the same time Mildred was faking being pregnant, right? How does that play into everything?”

  Priscilla’s smile was rueful. “Oh, you heard about that, huh?” She let loose a hollow laugh that was completely and totally humorless. “So, the plan was to give up the baby for adoption. I know you probably think that’s terrible, but I thought it was for the best.”

  “I don’t think it’s terrible,” Maddie argued. “I can see why you made that decision.”

  “The plan was for Mildred to pretend to be pregnant and hand over the baby when it was time,” Priscilla explained. “When it came time to flee from Steven, it wasn’t difficult at all. He went to work one day, Mildred showed up five minutes later, we packed all my stuff and were out of there before lunch. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be.”

  “Did you ever see Steven again?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. I saw him from afar a time or two. Each instance was terrifying, but he didn’t see me.”

  “That’s good.”

  “It was … a
relief.” Priscilla sipped again. “I didn’t want him knowing I was pregnant. Even back in those days we had to worry about paper trails. I didn’t want him getting his hands on the baby even though I was convinced I didn’t want another child.

  “So, like I said, the plan was for Mildred to pretend she was pregnant so she would be the one to fill out the adoption paperwork,” she continued. “Her husband was barely around – he had a bunch of different girlfriends and didn’t care about anything Mildred did – and she shoved pillows under her dress to sell the ruse. We didn’t need it to be really convincing, just convincing enough to start up some gossip so Steven wouldn’t question who the baby belonged to if he heard the story.”

  “The plan fell apart, though,” Maddie noted. “Something happened.”

  “I went into labor and had a baby. Once I saw him … I couldn’t give him up. I told Mildred about my decision. I thought she would fight me when I told her I’d changed my mind. She was fine, though. She said no one would be brave enough to ask why she was faking being pregnant and not to worry about it.”

  “So what happened after that?”

  Priscilla shrugged. “I raised my son.”

  “Why did you name him after Steven?”

  Priscilla frowned. “I didn’t. He chose that name himself after … well, after he found out the truth. You see, he didn’t have it easy growing up. People made fun of him for not having a father. I told him his father died – a story he believed – but ultimately he found out the truth.”

  “Was his father still alive then?”

  “Yes. Not for long, but yes. Steven was in the hospital when he and Michael – that’s what I named him – first connected. Michael spent weeks with him, sitting diligently at his bedside, and Steven spun some tall tales. By then he wasn’t a threat because he was weak and dying. Michael believed the stories even though Edgar and I tried to make him see the truth.”

  Maddie’s heart went out to the woman. “So Michael purposely took his father’s name?”

  “That was Steven’s idea.” Priscilla scowled. “He left Michael a little bit of money – not much, mind you, but enough for a young man to be tempted – but he really wanted someone to carry on his name. Michael acquiesced and that’s how Steven Wilkins, Jr. was born.”

  Maddie found herself more sympathetic than horrified. “It must have been hard on him.”

  “It was,” Priscilla agreed. “He was a good boy who thought he knew the story of his life and then found out his mother was a liar. It didn’t go over well with him. He’s still a good boy, though. He simply doesn’t know the true story of his father and the lies Steven told him seem to have turned him bitter.”

  “Well, maybe he’ll outgrow his resentment eventually.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen. Still, Steven is dead. He can’t twist Michael’s mind. That’s the most important thing.”

  “Why didn’t you come forward when Mildred died?” Maddie asked. “I mean … you could’ve filled in a few blanks here and there.”

  “Because I put Penny Wilkins behind me and didn’t want to show up in a bunch of police reports,” Priscilla replied without hesitation. “I know it was wrong but … I didn’t think it would be a big deal.”

  “And what about the girl we found in Mildred’s house?” Maddie questioned. “Who is she?”

  “I don’t have an answer for you. No, honestly, I don’t.” Priscilla’s expression was earnest. “I have no idea who she is or why Mildred had her. If I knew, I would’ve come forward no matter how uncomfortable it was for me. I’m not a heartless monster. I’m simply … careful … with my former identity.”

  Maddie understood that, of course, but she persisted nonetheless. “There has to be a way to track down who that girl is and where she came from. She can’t simply have materialized out of nothing.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you.” Priscilla absently patted Maddie’s hand as it rested flat on the table. “I guess I can ask around, but I don’t know anyone still alive, someone who knew Mildred well, who might have answers.”

  “Yeah.” Maddie rubbed the back of her neck, frowning when her phone started to ring. “I’m sorry. I need to grab this.” She tugged out the phone and frowned when she saw Nick’s name pop up. She hit the “accept” button on the screen and worked hard to make sure her irritation wasn’t obvious. “Hello?”

  Nick didn’t bother with greeting her. “Maddie, you have to get to the children’s home right away.”

  Maddie was instantly on her feet. “What happened? Did something happen to Angel?”

  “Love, I don’t know the whole story yet,” Nick cautioned. “I know that someone tried to visit Angel at the children’s home and she freaked out. She’s under the bed and hiding. We need you to help get her out. Sharon called me trying to find you. That’s how desperate she is.”

  Maddie swallowed hard. “I’m on my way.” She disconnected and forced a smile for Priscilla’s benefit. “Thank you for explaining things to me. I have to get going.”

  “Is everything all right?” Priscilla asked. “You look white as a ghost.”

  “I don’t know.” Maddie shoved her phone in her pocket. “I have to go, though. Thank you so much for your time.”

  16

  Sixteen

  Nick paced the front lobby of the children’s home waiting for Maddie to arrive. Sharon watched him, her mind busy.

  “How long do you think it will take her?”

  Nick shrugged. “She was coming from Bellaire. It shouldn’t take her more than forty minutes.” He checked his watch. “That means she’s probably only a few minutes out.”

  “I hate having to call her but … well … Angel only seems to really perk up when she sees Maddie and she’s a screaming mess right now.”

  “I’ll have to take your word for it.” Nick was grim. “She didn’t like me from the start. Maddie will go in there and calm her down.”

  “You seem to have tremendous faith in her.”

  “I believe Maddie can do anything she sets her mind to,” Nick said. “She’s … magic.”

  Sharon’s expression turned rueful. “You love her.”

  “More than anything,” Nick agreed, striding to the door and pulling it open just as Maddie appeared on the other side of the threshold. Her face was flushed and she was breathless, although she didn’t let that stop her as she hit the lobby. “You made good time.”

  “I might have broken a few speeding laws on my way,” Maddie admitted. “Don’t give me grief about it.”

  “I’ll issue some personal citations when we’re alone later.” Nick forced a smile as he took Maddie’s hoodie. “Did you find what you were looking for this morning?”

  “As a matter of fact, I did.” Maddie didn’t return the smile. “I got the whole story … and it’s interesting … but it can wait until after I see Angel. Is she in her room?”

  Sharon nodded. “She is. She’s no longer under the bed but she’s hiding in the corner. She doesn’t want to see anyone. She doesn’t want to talk to anyone. That’s why we thought you might be able to help. She always perks up when you come to visit.”

  “I’ll do my best.” Maddie was determined as she walked through the building. “I still don’t know what happened, though. You said someone came to see her. Who was it?”

  “I have no idea,” Nick replied, his expression turning sour. “The cameras on the front door are wireless and someone managed to blank the system at the exact time our visitor showed up.”

  “Someone had to talk to him,” Maddie argued. “There’s no way he walked into this building without anyone noticing.”

  “Oh, well, that’s kind of what he did do.” Sharon shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortable. “He walked through the front door and didn’t say a word to anyone. The woman at the front desk assumed he was here for a reason – that he knew where he was supposed to be – and didn’t say a word.”

  Maddie was incensed. “How can that
be possible? This is a children’s home. There have to be security procedures.”

  “And he bypassed most of them,” Sharon admitted. “He slipped through the cracks. I don’t know what else to say.”

  “Did he see Angel?”

  “Through the observation glass. Her door was locked, which I’m thankful for, and he tried to talk to her. I don’t think he realized that she couldn’t see him. She heard him, though, and that’s when she started freaking out.”

  Maddie’s stomach twisted. “What did he say to her?”

  “My understanding is that he simply said normal things, like he was going to take her home,” Sharon replied. “He acted like her father.”

  Maddie was intrigued … and furious. “How did Angel hear him if he was on the other side of the glass?”

  “I … .” Sharon broke off, puzzled. “That’s a very good question. I honestly don’t know. We had her hearing tested yesterday afternoon and the results were inconclusive. The doctor said she thought Angel heard more than she indicated but had no proof of it. We were going to have a specialist come and see her this afternoon, but apparently that’s not going to happen as long as she’s acting this way.”

  “Why would she fake how well she can hear?” Nick was legitimately curious. “How could that possibly benefit her?”

  “I don’t know,” Maddie answered. “I think it’s more important to figure out who was here, though. Someone must have an idea. Someone should be able to describe him to you.”

  “I’m on it, Mad.” Nick tried not to take offense at Maddie’s tone. “I wanted to make sure you got here safely first. I’m going to ask some questions, although this isn’t technically my jurisdiction. I have to clear it with area law enforcement first.”

  Maddie wasn’t even remotely placated. “Figure out who it is. I’m not kidding. If he managed to scare Angel, that means he’s not a good person. I don’t want him in here again.”

  “We’re increasing security on the entire building for at least the next few days,” Sharon offered. “We’re going to have an officer positioned here twenty-four hours a day. It won’t happen again.”