“Do you see anything?” John asked, his tone low.
“Not yet,” Nick murmured. “I … right there.” Nick saw the legs sticking out from beneath one of the reindeer before his eyes could register much else about the scene. He drew his keys from his pocket so he could utilize the small flashlight affixed there, and when he edged around a particularly large reindeer he found what he was looking for. “Is that … ?”
“I’m pretty sure it’s Angela Conklin,” John confirmed, nodding. He shoved at the reindeer in an effort to get it to move, but the animal merely stared at him. “These things don’t bite, do they?”
“I’ve never heard of a fatal reindeer attack.”
“That’s really not what I asked,” John said.
“I have no idea if they bite. Most of your body is covered up by layers of clothing so you’ll be fine even if it happens.”
“Oh, whatever,” John muttered, shaking his head as he knelt. “Good grief. It really stinks in here. I guess we should be lucky that there’s not a lot of reindeer droppings around, though. They must clean up after them pretty fast.”
“Maude was in here with Edna about an hour ago. They were collecting stuff to leave in Harriet’s car.”
At any other moment, John would’ve barked out a delighted laugh. He couldn’t muster it now. “She’s definitely dead,” he said, glancing over his shoulder to see that a small crowd was gathering on the other side of the fence. “She looks to have been stabbed right here in the chest. Her eyes are open so she probably went fast. At least she didn’t suffer out here.”
Nick followed his brother’s finger, grimacing when he saw the blood pooling beneath Angela’s slim body. “Yeah. She went down quickly. I don’t understand how nobody heard her, though. She’s close to the tents.”
“People are rarely outside, though,” John pointed out. “Everyone is in the tents and those are heated. Those heaters kick up a decent amount of noise.”
“I guess I didn’t think of that,” Nick said, lifting the flashlight so he could scan the immediate area. “She’s not completely cold, which means she didn’t die long ago. Do you see a weapon?”
“Weapon?” John’s face was blank until he realized what Nick was asking. “Oh, right. There are no candy canes out here.”
“It would have to be sharp,” Nick said. “It looks a lot like the injury Mike had, but that candy cane was close. I think it was a weapon of opportunity.”
“Do you think someone grabbed a candy cane from the trail and went after her?”
Nick shrugged. “I have no idea. We need to get the medical examiner out here, though. We need a time of death, to tape this area off, and then start questioning people. It’s going to be a long night.”
“We should probably tell the girls to head home,” John suggested. “They don’t need to suffer alongside us, especially if we have no idea how long we’re going to be stuck here.”
“Yeah.” Nick straightened and glanced toward the fence, frowning when he couldn’t find Maddie in the sea of faces. “Where did she go?”
“Who?”
“Maddie. I told her to stay right there.”
“Well, hold on,” John admonished, dusting off his hands as he skirted around a reindeer. “There’s Christy. She’s probably right by her.”
Except she wasn’t. Nick scanned the entire area three times before giving in and embracing the panic. “Son of a … where in the heck did she go? I’m going to kill her.”
15
Fifteen
Maddie followed Mike Robinson’s ghost through the darkness, casting the occasional glance over her shoulder toward the reindeer pit where she knew Nick and John worked. They were busy, she reminded herself. She could hardly draw attention to what she was doing by calling Nick over when he was supposed to be securing a crime scene. That would hardly be respectful of his station, or smart given her abilities.
Maddie kept telling herself that it was going to be okay, even though Mike was leading her away from safety and toward the trees. Nick wouldn’t be happy that she took off, but Mike said he had something to show her. He claimed it was important and she had to see it for herself because he could hardly bring it to her, what with being a ghost and all. So she followed, all the while she told herself she would be back with others before Nick noticed she was gone. The last thing she wanted to do was make him worry.
“Where are you taking me?” Maddie asked, gripping her coat tightly around her waist. An eerie mist had settled over the area, one of those low ones that clung to knees and hips rather than shoulders and heads.
“Not far,” Mike replied, disappearing into the tree line.
Maddie stilled on the open side of the trees, unsure. In truth, this parcel of the forest was fairly small. It only went ten trees deep so there was no chance of Maddie getting lost. It was merely a strip of land meant to naturally segregate the town square from the county’s bus depot, offering a pretty landscape rather than ugly garage doors.
“I’m not sure I should go in there,” Maddie muttered, tilting her head to the side. “Is someone in there?”
“Would I hurt you?” Mike was affronted.
“Probably not,” Maddie conceded. “That doesn’t mean I’m stupid enough to walk into the woods in the middle of the night when a fresh body was just discovered. What if someone is hiding in here?”
“No one in hiding in here.” Mike didn’t even pretend to be patient. “Good grief. There’s no human in here. I promise. There is something else, though. You’re going to need it.”
“What?” Despite the inner whispers warning her to do otherwise, Maddie couldn’t stop herself from trudging into the trees. She didn’t have to go far – only two rows, in fact – and she pulled up short when she found Mike floating next to a large maple. “Seriously, what am I looking for?”
“That.” Mike extended an ethereal finger, which was hard for Maddie to see given the limited light. She rummaged in her pocket until she found her key ring and pulled out the small flashlight attached. Nick gave it to her a few months ago so she would never be caught alone in the dark. It was certainly coming in handy now.
Maddie flicked on the light and leaned over, using the toe of her boot to nudge the fallen leaves. She jerked her head back when something silver flashed beneath the light. “Is that what I think it is?”
“I don’t know,” Mike answered. “What do you think it is?”
“I think it’s one of those colored lights they have around the town square,” Maddie replied. “The silver part is the stake that slides into the ground. There’s blood on it.”
“Then that’s exactly what you think it is,” Mike said, his smile mischievous. He was having far too much fun being a ghost. Maddie didn’t like it.
“That’s the murder weapon,” Maddie said, exhaling heavily. “I … did you see who put it here?”
“I can’t be sure,” Mike replied. “I heard Angela arguing with someone in the reindeer paddock. I headed in that direction, but she was already on the ground by the time I got to her. I saw a figure heading off in this direction – and before you ask, I have no idea who it was – but I stayed with Angela until the end. She was frightened. The end came quickly, though.”
Surprisingly, Maddie felt some of her anger regarding Mike and his attitude flee. There was a still a good guy in there, buried deep down where absolutely no one would see it, but there all the same. “Did Angela say anything? Did she recognize the person who did this?”
“She didn’t speak. She didn’t see me at first.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense,” Maddie said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Wait, you said she didn’t see you at first. Did she see you toward the end?”
“She saw me right before her heart stopped beating,” Mike confirmed. “Her eyes went really wide. She didn’t say anything, but I’m pretty sure she wasn’t happy that I was the one with her in the end. I wonder why.”
“I can think of a hundred reasons why,” Maddie
replied. “You’ve slept with all of them, too.”
“Oh, now, don’t insult me. I’ve slept with far more than a hundred women.” Mike’s smile was cheeky. “Don’t be such a spoilsport, Maddie. I know I’m not exactly your cup of tea, but I’m a fun guy. You would’ve found that out yourself if you’d ever bothered to look at anyone but Nick Winters.”
“I don’t want to look at anyone but Nick,” Maddie shot back. “I … .” Her heart jumped in her chest when she heard footsteps behind her and she instinctively jumped back, her hand flying up to ward off an attack.
Nick grabbed her wrist before she could smack him, his eyes glittering with anger as he leaned forward. “You’re in a lot of trouble.”
Maddie let loose with a shaky sigh when she realized it wasn’t a killer coming back to finish some murderous business in the trees. Nick’s furious countenance didn’t make her feel much better, though. “Nicky, how did you find me?”
“Well, I panicked when I didn’t see you by the fence and someone mentioned – I believe it was Marla – that you took off into the woods,” Nick replied, his tone clipped. “She said you were with a man. I didn’t believe what she was insinuating, of course, but I had a sneaking suspicion you were indeed with a man.”
“A dead man,” Mike intoned, smirking. “Good grief. He is a tall one, isn’t he? Does he bump his head on cupboards in the kitchen?”
“Shut up, Mike,” Maddie growled, shaking her head in warning.
“Ah, Mike is here,” Nick said, taking a step back when Maddie tried to shuffle closer. He didn’t miss the hurt look on her face, his heart rolling as he considered releasing the anger and hugging her. He figured that would be sending the wrong message, though, so he refrained. “Well, at least you weren’t alone. You were in the woods with a ghostly pervert when I specifically told you to stay close to the fence.”
Maddie balked at his tone. “Don’t talk to me that way. You’re not my father.”
“No, I am the man who loves you most, though. Dammit, Maddie! Did you give any thought to how I would feel when I realized you were gone? There’s a killer out here and you’re just wandering around with a ghost. Are you trying to kill me?”
Maddie pressed her lips together as she blinked back tears. She and Nick rarely fought, and she knew she was partially in the wrong in this instance, but she was determined to remain strong despite his anger. “I didn’t think it was smart to call out to you when Mike approached,” she replied, keeping her voice even. “I didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that a ghost was talking to me. I also didn’t want to pull you away from what was clearly important work.”
“Maddie … .” Nick’s tone softened, but she shook her head to cut him off.
“The murder weapon is right there,” Maddie said, pointing toward the base of the tree. “It’s one of the lights that was staked into the ground. I didn’t touch it. Mike didn’t see who killed Angela either. I asked. He stayed behind because she was dying and didn’t want to leave her alone. She didn’t say anything.”
“Is that all?”
Maddie nodded, her frame stiff. “That’s all.”
“Okay,” Nick said, rolling his neck. “John is calling for the medical examiner and reinforcements from the state police station in Grayling. I’m going to say I discovered this while I was looking for you. I don’t want you brought into this because if we have to explain what you were doing out here, our entire story is going to fall apart.”
“What are you going to say I was doing out here?”
“Nothing,” Nick answered. “I want you to walk through the trees in that direction and swing back toward the parking lot. I’ll say I talked to you on your phone … in fact I’ll text you in a few minutes and I need you to answer … and that will be it.”
“Great.” Maddie’s voice was lifeless. “I guess you want me to go home.”
“Unless you have more to tell me.”
“No, I have nothing else to say to you.”
Nick’s heart hurt thanks to her distant nature, but he refused to give in and coddle her. “I have no idea how long I will be here. Please text me when you get home so I know you’re safe.”
“Yes, sir.”
The flippant comment set Nick’s teeth on edge. “Don’t push me, Maddie. You shouldn’t have taken off the way you did. We both know it.”
“Probably not,” Maddie conceded. “You shouldn’t have talked down to me and treated me like a child either. We both know that, too.”
“Maddie … .”
“Forget it.” Maddie waved her hand to brush off whatever he was going to say. “I’ll see you at home.”
“You definitely will.”
NICK WAS exhausted when he let himself into the house shortly before midnight. The old Victorian was deathly quiet – even Maude was down for the night – and Nick double-checked the lock before trudging upstairs.
He’d made it through the bulk of the evening without alerting suspicion. Only John cast him a questioning look when he explained how he found the murder weapon. The medical examiner collected the body while the state police handled the evidence. They had the festival cleaned out by nine and law enforcement finished their work shortly after eleven.
He and John drove to Angela’s mother’s house to make notification and sat with the bereft woman before leaving her to solitude and grief. Both of them left feeling helpless.
Now all Nick had to do was deal with the angry blonde in his life.
He found her curled on her side, her face pointed toward the window. He knew she wasn’t sleeping because she made soft cooing sounds over her rhythmic breathing when she was under. He removed his shirt, pants, and shoes before crawling in beside her. He rested on his back first, turning his head to the side to see if she would shift toward him. He would’ve been happy if they could reach for each other at the same time, but that didn’t look to be the case.
“Maddie?”
She didn’t answer.
“I know you’re awake, Mad,” Nick said. “If you expect me to apologize for what happened earlier, I’m not going to do it. I don’t believe I was in the wrong.”
Maddie didn’t respond, but Nick felt the bed shift slightly. She was listening, which was a good sign.
“I don’t mean to talk down to you or make you feel bad, but I love you more than anything and if something happens to you … well, I won’t survive it,” Nick said. “I don’t want to infringe on your rights or tell you what to do, but you need to think before you take off on adventures in the middle of the night.”
Maddie finally spoke, although the words surprised Nick. “Would you have been okay if I wandered off during the daytime?”
“Well, no.”
“Then that’s not really a true statement, is it?”
Nick blew out a sigh. “No, love. I guess it’s not.”
“Don’t call me that when we’re fighting,” Maddie admonished, rolling to her back. “You can only call me that when we’re happy.”
“What? Love?”
Maddie nodded.
“Well, I don’t agree to that either,” Nick said, sliding his finger over the covers so he could rub Maddie’s bare shoulder. She wore a tank top and sleeping pants, her expression dour, but she was still the prettiest woman Nick had ever laid eyes on. “Even when I’m angry I still love you.”
“I don’t appreciate being treated like a child, Nicky,” Maddie said. “I’m an adult. You might not agree with the things I do, or the way I do them, but you need to show me a little respect and treat me like an adult.”
“I think that’s a fair argument,” Nick said, causing Maddie to widen her eyes. “I honestly didn’t mean to talk down to you. It was instinct because I was so afraid when I realized you were missing.
“I love you beyond words and reason, Maddie Graves, and I’m not a perfect man,” he continued. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you the way I did. I was so relieved to find you, though.”
“You had a funny way o
f showing it.”
“Relief turned to anger because I didn’t know what to do with all of that emotion,” Nick said, taking a chance and sliding closer to Maddie. “I love you so much I can’t stand it sometimes. I can’t ever lose you. It will kill me. You need to be more careful.”
His words touched her, but Maddie wasn’t quite ready to signal a truce. “What should I have done? Should I have yelled out that I was talking to a ghost?”
“No. You had your phone, though. You could’ve texted and let me figure out a reason to go into the woods with you.”
“I … oh.” Maddie scratched the side of her nose. “I didn’t think of that.”
“I know. I don’t want to fight, Mad. It’s almost Christmas. I want to walk around with mistletoe and kiss you all day. I can’t do that because we have two bodies. I can make this better, though.”
“I thought you weren’t going to apologize.”
“I’m not. You’re not either. We’re just going to declare this fight over and then you’re going to put your head on my chest so I can sleep.”
Maddie jerked her eyes in his direction. “That’s it? We’re just going to declare the fight over.”
“That’s it,” Nick confirmed. “The fight is over and we’re perfectly okay. The world doesn’t end because we have a fight. I know we don’t do it very often, but this isn’t the first time it has happened and it won’t be the last.”
“I … huh.” Maddie licked her lips as she turned, reaching a tentative hand out to rest on his stomach. Nick captured her hand and pressed the palm to his lips. “I can’t believe we’re not going to fight. I thought for sure you were going to be yelling when you got home.”
“I don’t want to yell. I don’t want you to cry. I don’t want me to cry. I just want to hold you … and sleep. My whole body hurts and the cold has seeped into my bones. I’m tired. I need you to make me feel better.”
“That’s all I want, too.” Maddie inched closer, melting into Nick as he slipped an arm around her and tugged her tight against his side. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Grave Holiday (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 9) Page 13
