“Even though we really didn’t fight, can we make up in the morning?”
Nick barked out a laugh. “That sounds like the perfect start to a new day, love. Now go to sleep. I have a feeling we’re both exhausted.”
“You’ll be here when I wake up in the morning, right?” Maddie sounded almost fearful.
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
16
Sixteen
“Hi.”
Nick was already awake when Maddie opened her eyes the next morning, his hand trailing a feathery touch up her back. Despite the fight – which never fully turned into a full-blown argument, of course – she’d slept hard, never stirring until the morning sunshine peeked through the curtains.
“Hi.”
Nick kissed her forehead and gathered her closer, tugging her body completely on top of his as he stroked the back of her head. “Are you okay?”
Maddie nodded. “Are you?”
“I didn’t have any bad dreams, if that’s what you’re asking. I slept long and hard. I could feel you next to me and knew you were safe. I did have an odd dream that involved you dressing up as a present and letting me unwrap you, but that was hardly a nightmare.”
Maddie giggled, amused. “You’re funny.”
“I should be a comedian.”
“You should be something.” Maddie tightened her grip on him as she rested her head on his chest. “What happens now?”
“Are you asking about the fight or the murders? If you’re asking about the fight, I was led to believe we were going to make up this morning.”
Maddie snorted as she shifted her eyes to meet his. “I mean the murder investigation. I gave it some thought last night after I got home – I didn’t have much else to do besides being angry with you, and that’s always a waste of time and effort because I can never stay mad – and I think it has to do with jealousy.”
“I think you’re right. I would like to hear your reasoning for coming to that decision, though.”
“Think about it,” Maddie prodded, running her fingertip over Nick’s bottom lip. “Mike was sleeping with everyone and loved no one. I don’t think he even loved himself. If I’ve learned anything from interacting with his ghost, it’s that he likes to put on a show. Still, he did the right thing and stayed with Angela as she was dying last night. That shows he had some good qualities.”
“It’s too bad they were buried under so many bad qualities, huh?”
“I think he knows that and simply doesn’t care,” Maddie said. “He said Angela saw him right before she died, by the way. I’m not sure what to make of that. I need to give it some more thought. It doesn’t pertain to what we’re talking about, though, so I’m going to let it go for the time being.
“Anyway, as far as we can tell, Mike was sleeping with at least six different people right before his death,” she continued. “You have Daisy, who ended up pregnant. He kind of discarded her feelings and left her to deal with everything on her own. That had to make her angry.
“Then you have Vera, who must’ve been completely bonkers furious when she found out Mike was sleeping with both her and her daughter,” she said. “Then you have Angela Conklin, who turned up dead. You have Wanda Hodges, who seemed to understand what was happening and didn’t care either way. I think she just wanted a few orgasms.”
Nick barked out a laugh. “I love hearing your take on cases, Mad. Continue.”
“You have Laura Brennan and her husband, who’s shown hints of violence,” Maddie said. “Was he still in jail at the time of Angela’s attack?”
Nick shook his head. “He was out.”
“So he can’t be ruled out because he hated Mike for the affair and Laura can’t be ruled out because she might’ve been jealous,” Maddie said. “Then there’s Marla, but she’s actually at the bottom of my list.”
“And why is that?”
“Because she wouldn’t care enough to kill Mike. She was in it for the orgasms, too. In fact, she didn’t want anyone to know she slept with Mike. It wasn’t out of modesty or worry about being tied to the death. It was about embarrassment.”
“Yeah, she’s been throwing herself at John and I doubt she would be drawing attention to herself if she were guilty,” Nick said. “Plus, she really has no motive. She clearly didn’t love Mike. She’s down on my list, too.”
“It’s still fun to mess with her, though. You should totally haul her into the station for questioning. You and Dale can both be bad cop and leave her without a good cop.”
Nick barked out a laugh. “You have been nothing but feisty where Marla is concerned for days. Is there something you want to tell me?”
“I don’t like her.”
“That makes two of us,” Nick said. “Still, you were very snarky last night … almost mean.”
Maddie pressed her lips together and widened her eyes as she stared up at him. “Too mean?”
“You just weren’t your normal self,” Nick clarified. “I don’t want you to be a walking doormat, but you’re usually not so … petty.”
“It’s weird. That’s the word that popped into my head when I was going after her last night. I’m not sure what got into me.”
“You more than anyone have a right to dislike Marla and I’m not going to tell you how to handle her,” Nick said. “I am going to tell you to follow your heart, though. It will never lead you in the wrong direction … unless that direction is in the woods.”
Maddie giggled as Nick tickled her, gasping as he flipped her over and wrestled her to the mattress. “Oh, I’m guessing now you want to make up.”
“I always want to make up, love. I want to fake fights just so we can make up. If I thought I could get away with that without risking hurting your feelings, I would do it all of the time.”
“Maybe we should come up with some ground rules.”
“After Christmas we can sit down in the window seat and spend an entire snow day coming up with ground rules,” Nick promised. “For now, I just want to make up and then I have to get to work. It’s going to be a long day. The only good news is that we’ll be able to rule out a lot of our suspect list because we have two timetables to cross reference.”
“I guess I didn’t think of that. That’s good, right?”
“It’s better.”
“So, how do you want to make up? Do you want me to throw myself at you and beg your forgiveness, or do you want to get on your knees and worship me?”
Nick’s grin was impish. “How about we do both?”
“Sold.”
“Give me some sugar, Mad. I’m going to need it to get through this day.”
MADDIE couldn’t hide her smile as she moved through the festival grounds, her mind busy with flashes of Nick’s face from their makeup session. She’d always loved him. Even when she was in elementary school and love was simply a vague notion that her mother tried explaining every time they sat down to watch General Hospital together, Maddie knew she felt something different for Nick.
By the time they hit middle school and most of the boys and girls were separating because it wasn’t cool to be friends with someone of the opposite sex, Maddie knew that she loved Nick. Those feelings only grew until they hit high school, and then she realized she was in love with Nick, which was vastly different than loving him as a friend.
Since she was so gawky and clumsy, Maddie had no hope of him reciprocating the feelings at the time. She knew he loved her as his very best friend, but there was no way he loved her the same way. She was convinced of that. So she sat back and bided her time. Watching him date a bevy of girls while never noticing her was painful, but things shifted a bit during senior year.
Nick admitted to Maddie that he realized she was a knockout rather than his dowdy friend when she came back to school after summer break heading into their senior year. Every single guy in their class was buzzing about her, and that drove him insane. There was a certain incident in a festival funhouse where he realized she develop
ed breasts that Nick loved to tease her about, but despite their mutual attraction, the two friends did nothing out of fear they would ruin their relationship.
Then college came and Nick stayed north to attend the police academy in Traverse City while Maddie went south. She cut off contact to make things easier, and in the process she made things harder on both of them. They pined for one another for a decade before Maddie returned and reluctantly admitted her secret. Not long after, Nick declared his love and they never looked back. That didn’t erase the pain, though. It simply made their future rosier.
Maddie was lost in thought as she cut through the crowd and she almost barreled into Cassidy before she realized she was right on top of her. Maddie swerved to avoid the woman, grabbing a bench so she wouldn’t inadvertently topple over and offering Cassidy a shaky smile as she collected herself.
“Watch where you’re going there.” Cassidy adopted a teasing tone, but Maddie knew the woman didn’t trust or like her. “You almost caused a head-on collision.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Maddie said, rubbing her gloves over her coat to smooth the fabric. “I was distracted and didn’t see you.”
“That’s okay. I’m guessing you have a lot on your plate with the murders and everything.” Cassidy’s eyes were speculative as they washed over Maddie. She knew the woman’s secret – only because Maddie had been forced to reveal it during a life-or-death situation months before – but she was still standoffish because she believed Maddie stole something from her upon returning to Blackstone Bay. That something just happened to be Nick. “Did Nick find you last night?”
“What? Oh, yeah.” Maddie’s cheeks burned as she tried to maintain a cool façade. “I was feeling a bit penned in with everyone watching Nick and John work in the reindeer pit. I just needed some air so I headed home.”
“Nick was kind of panicked when he couldn’t find you by the fence,” Cassidy pointed out. “He seemed to think something bad happened to you.”
“He’s a bit of a worrier. It’s a good thing he’s cute, huh?” Maddie was uncomfortable with Cassidy’s pointed questions, but she didn’t want to make a scene and stalk off. She inherently knew that would only make things worse.
“He never worried about me one bit,” Cassidy replied. “He always worried about you, though.”
“I … didn’t mean that.” Even though she’d long since given up feeling guilty about the way she and Nick got together, Maddie honestly understood Cassidy’s anger regarding the situation. Cassidy never stood a chance, and that seemed to prey on the woman’s insecurities. “I just meant that he overreacts sometimes.”
“About you,” Cassidy agreed, bobbing her head. “Were you off chasing ghosts?”
Maddie jerked her head around to make sure no one could hear them. She was mortified that Cassidy would dare say something like that when they had a potential audience. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, now, come on,” Cassidy prodded. “I think we’re well beyond that. You saved my life, after all. I heard you talking to a ghost even though I was out of it. That was hardly the only time your … special talent … came up. I can’t hold a grudge since you saved me … and that’s kind of a kick in the teeth.”
“I don’t know what you want me to say,” Maddie said, defiantly lifting her chin. “We’ve been over this so many times I’ve lost count. I’m not sorry Nick and I are together. I am sorry you got hurt during the process. That’s all I can offer you.”
“I don’t expect anything more,” Cassidy said. “I don’t hold a grudge either. I’m never going to like you. I can’t. It’s just not in me. That doesn’t mean I wish ill on you. I want Nick to be happy.
“In truth, I spent a long time thinking you stole him from me, but I’ve come to the realization that he was never mine,” she continued. “He was always yours. He’ll always be yours. There’s no one else who is ever going to make him happy.”
“I … well … thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment, merely an observation.” Cassidy’s eyes flashed as she tugged on the hem of her coat to make sure it rested flat against her chest. “I’ve moved on. David and I are in a really good place. You don’t have to go out of your way to hide your happiness when you see me. This is a small town. We have to coexist with one another.”
Maddie pursed her lips. It was a pragmatic thought, but she wasn’t sure how feasible it would be in practice. “I can at least try to do that.”
“Great,” Cassidy said. “I can do the same. It will probably be good for us.”
Maddie sucked in a steadying breath and forced a smile. “So, in the interest of pretending we’re friendly, how are things with you and David?”
Cassidy smirked, amused. “They’re going really well,” she replied. “We spend pretty much every night together, although we still maintain separate houses. I look for that to change in the spring.”
“Oh, you’re going to move in together?” Maddie couldn’t help but be secretly thrilled. If Cassidy focused all of her attention on David, that could only help with the lingering feelings she harbored for Nick.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure we’re going to get married,” Cassidy replied, taking Maddie by surprise. “He hasn’t said anything, but I’m definitely getting a vibe. I think he’s going to propose for Christmas.”
Maddie was dumbfounded. “But … you’ve only been dating a few months.”
“When you know, you know.”
“I understand that, but … you guys don’t even really know each other.”
Cassidy’s smile slipped a bit. “We know each other quite well. Granted, we don’t know each other as well as you and Nick, but we didn’t grow up together. We’re very happy.”
“And I’m happy for you,” Maddie said, swallowing hard as she recovered from the surprise. “I hope you get your proposal, if that’s what you really want. That should make this a really great Christmas for you.”
“I think so, too,” Cassidy said, preening. “What about you and Nick? Are you getting engaged for Christmas?”
The question flustered Maddie. She’d wondered that briefly herself once Thanksgiving had passed and the larger holiday loomed. Then she’d pushed the notion out of her mind because Nick mentioned months ago that he wanted to take his time so they could really enjoy their dating transition without a lot of pressure weighing them down. “I don’t think … .”
“What? You don’t think he’s going to propose?” Cassidy looked legitimately surprised. “I would’ve thought for sure he would make it a perfect first Christmas for you.”
“We haven’t really talked about it, but that’s not what I’m expecting,” Maddie said, collecting her emotions and silently reminding herself that she wasn’t in competition with Cassidy. It hardly mattered who got engaged first. In fact, if Cassidy were to get engaged sooner rather than later, it would save Maddie a lot of grief. “I just want snow and Nick for Christmas. Everything else is gravy.”
“Well, you’re a simpler person than me,” Cassidy said, making a face as she moved to start down the sidewalk. “I want a big rock and a grand proposal. Either way, have a merry Christmas.”
“You, too,” Maddie called out, baffled. She had no idea what to make of the interaction, but she wasn’t going to let anything ruin her day. “Now I think I need to get some hot chocolate before I do anything else. Life is better when you have sugar fueling you.”
17
Seventeen
“I need a reading.”
Maddie’s festival tent had only been open for five minutes when Marla flounced through the door and plopped down in the chair on the other side of the tarot table. Maddie was dumbfounded.
“You need what now?”
“I need a reading,” Marla replied, refusing to back down. She leveled her dark eyes on Maddie, practically daring her to deny the request. “I need to know my future.”
“Oh, well, okay.” Maddie adopted a breezy tone as she flipped over t
hree tarot cards without shuffling the deck. “You’re going to die unhappy and alone because you’re mean and get off on the misery of others. Next.”
Marla wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes. “You just made that up. I want a real reading.”
Maddie was understandably suspicious. This was hardly the only time Marla visited her festival tent, but the other drive-bys were because she was hoping to put on a show for dates. This time she was alone. “You want me to give you a reading? You don’t believe I can do a proper reading. Didn’t you tell me that months ago?”
“Oh, I still don’t believe you can give me a proper reading,” Marla said. “I also don’t believe you’re psychic even though half the town whispers that when you’re not looking. Oh, you didn’t know that, did you? Yeah, you’re a freak and everyone knows it.”
“Get out.” Maddie was in no mood to play games. “I have work to do and that doesn’t include having a high school mentality meltdown with you.”
Marla ignored the order. “Even Nick knows you’re a freak. I told him what everyone was saying about you – oh, this must’ve been about four months ago or so – and he just smiled and said he was fine with it. I’m dying to know how you pulled off that one. Did you curse him or something?”
“I’m not a witch.”
“Yes, but you’ve enchanted Nick so you clearly know how to use spells,” Marla said, impatiently tapping her finger on the tabletop. “I want a reading. I need it.”
Maddie blew out a frustrated sigh. “It will cost you fifty bucks. Upfront. In cash. No arguments. No deals.”
“Fine.” Marla’s eyes flashed as she counted out the bills and handed them across the table. She seemed to be in a hurry, but Maddie took the money and counted it a second time before shoving it in her pocket. Then she lazily began shuffling the deck. “Does that make you happy?”
“Very little you do makes me happy, Marla,” Maddie replied, keeping her tone even. “You should know that.”
“Oh, I know all about it,” Marla said, her eyes thoughtful as they skimmed Maddie’s features. “I’ve always hated you. That should hardly come as a shock.”
Grave Holiday (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 9) Page 14
