Grave Holiday (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 9)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Maddie feels the same way,” Nick said. “She’s desperate for snow.”

  “I just want to throw snowballs at you,” Maddie said, faking sweetness. “I want to smack you in the head with them.”

  “And I want to roll around and make snow angels with you,” Nick shot back. “Your way seems much … bossier.”

  “Don’t go there,” Maddie warned.

  “And she’s bossy again,” Nick teased, his eyes twinkling until he saw the dour look on Cassidy’s face and sobered. “Um, sorry. We actually have a reason for approaching.”

  “A reason that doesn’t involve rubbing my nose in your cutesy little banter?” Cassidy asked.

  “I … .” Nick swallowed hard.

  “Ignore her,” Sheila said, shaking her head. “She’s in a mood. She thought she was getting an engagement ring for Christmas – and even snuck into David’s house after he left for work to search for it – but realized when she found the jewelry box that she’s getting earrings instead. They’re not even real diamonds. They’re cubic zirconia. She is not happy.”

  “That was between us,” Cassidy hissed, darting a dark look in Maddie’s direction.

  “You should’ve been more specific,” Sheila said dryly. “I thought for sure you were complaining so loudly because you wanted everyone to hear.”

  Maddie swallowed the mad urge to laugh even as she felt a bit of sympathy tugging at her heart when she locked gazes with Cassidy. “I’m sorry. I know you were really looking forward to getting engaged.”

  “I guess I should’ve listened to you,” Cassidy said. “You thought it was too soon and apparently you were right.”

  Nick slid a sidelong look in Maddie’s direction. “You told her that?”

  “I was just surprised at how quickly they were moving,” Maddie hedged. “I was hopeful she would get what she wanted.”

  “Yes, because that would mean she could stop feeling guilty,” Cassidy muttered. If she meant to say the words under her breath, she did a terrible job of it. Everyone heard.

  “Oh, you need to let it go,” Sheila chided. “These two have been on a crash course for each other since they were in kindergarten. I remember when you guys were in high school, in fact. I think you were seniors. You were walking through the town square and Nick snapped off a petunia for you, Maddie. He gave it to you and you looked as if you were going to cry while he had this shy smile that caused you to light up like a firecracker. I knew then that you would end up together.”

  “I remember that day,” Maddie said, her expression wistful.

  “You do not,” Nick scoffed. “How could you possibly remember that day?”

  “Because the flower was purple and I still have it pressed in a book at the house.”

  Nick stilled. “You do?”

  “I do.”

  “Oh, that’s kind of sweet,” Nick said. “Now I can’t make fun of you for being bossy any longer. It somehow seems … wrong.”

  “You’re welcome,” Sheila teased, grinning. “Did you two want something? You kind of seemed like you had a purpose when you got here.”

  “Oh, right,” Nick said, returning to reality. “We’re looking for Marla Proctor. You haven’t seen her, have you?”

  “Marla? I saw her about forty minutes ago. She was heading toward Maddie’s tent. I thought she was going to pick a fight or something. I was kind of hoping Maddie would finally gather the stones to knock her in the head.”

  “That was before she asked for the reading,” Maddie surmised. “You haven’t seen her since?”

  Sheila shook her head. “Sorry. Er, well, I’m not sorry. I can’t stand the witch. I’m sorry you need to find her, though, if that helps.”

  “Why are you looking for Marla?” Cassidy asked. “You’re usually looking to stay away from her.”

  “We need to discuss something with her,” Nick said evasively. “If you see her, tell her to call me right away. It’s important.”

  Cassidy shifted her eyes to Maddie. “She’s not going to want to see Maddie.”

  “Then have her call me,” Nick said. “I’m not joking when I say this is important. You’ve got a better chance of seeing her than we do. Can you share my message with her?”

  Cassidy bobbed her head. “Consider it done.”

  “YOU DIDN’T tell me Cassidy thought she was getting engaged.”

  Nick considered ignoring the elephant in the room, but since his own proposal was so close to becoming a reality he couldn’t quite let it go.

  “I kind of forgot about it,” Maddie admitted. “I was still thinking about our fight this morning as I was walking through the festival, even though we made up and all, and I almost didn’t see her until I ran into her. She seemed almost giddy about things and I didn’t want to make them worse.”

  “We make up pretty good, huh?” Nick said, poking her side as they moved through the festival grounds. “Still, it seems kind of sudden. What did you say to her?”

  “I don’t know,” Maddie hedged. “It was a weird situation. I didn’t want to talk about it in the first place because it made me uncomfortable, but she seemed adamant. It was almost as if she thought I would be jealous.”

  “Were you?”

  “Jealous because she thought David was going to propose?”

  “I’m not asking if you were jealous about David,” Nick clarified. “I know you weren’t. Or, I guess it’s fair to say that I hope you weren’t. Were you jealous because you thought she was getting engaged first?”

  “I’m not sure what I felt,” Maddie admitted. “I guess part of me was jealous. It was a really small part, though, and I felt like an idiot when I realized it. The other part of me was just worried. I thought it was way too soon. I mean, it was like a month and a half ago that she showed up at our house because she thought David might be a murderer. That seems like a really short time span for such a big turnaround.”

  “That’s definitely true,” Nick said, wetting his lips. He couldn’t help but be a little antsy given the direction of the conversation. “What did she say when you pointed that out?”

  “She got angry and said that she knew David well no matter what I said,” Maddie replied. “Then she got snarky and said not everyone could know each other as well as you and I do. I didn’t want to push her too far so I congratulated her and got some hot chocolate.”

  “That makes perfect sense,” Nick said. “Still, when did this happen?”

  “This morning. She was really the first person I saw when I got here.”

  Nick’s eyebrows hopped up his forehead. “This morning? So, what, she went home and tore through his stuff looking for an engagement ring just so she could prove a point to you?”

  “Huh. I guess I never considered that,” Maddie admitted. “She would’ve had to do it that way, right?”

  “She’s mentally unbalanced or something,” Nick muttered. “There can be no other explanation.”

  “You dated her. Didn’t you notice she was mentally unbalanced when that was going on?”

  “At the beginning she seemed normal,” Nick replied. “She was getting a little too serious a few months in, but that was the same time you came home and my attention shifted pretty quickly.”

  “Which probably only made matters worse.”

  “I’m not apologizing for being happy, Mad. I refuse to do it.”

  “I’m not apologizing either,” Maddie said. “I just think we might’ve helped Cassidy become a little more unbalanced than she was predisposed to be because we were so fixated on one another.”

  “Well, she’s David’s problem now,” Nick said. “I can’t help but wonder if I should warn him about those earrings, though. She’s not going to be able to fake a lot of enthusiasm when she unwraps those things, and if she stews about it she might strangle him or something.”

  “It’s not our business,” Maddie reminded him. “David is a big guy. He can handle himself.”

  “I guess.” Nick chewed on his bottom lip as
he scanned the tents. “The only place we haven’t checked is the beer tent. It’s awful early for anyone to be getting their drunk on, though.”

  “This is Marla we’re talking about.”

  “Good point.” Nick led Maddie inside the beer tent, pulling up short when he saw Christy and John sitting there together. They had cups in front of them and their heads bent together in deep conversation. Nick cleared his throat to get their attention, causing Maddie to smirk, and grinned when John shot him a death glare. “You’re on duty. If you’re drinking, I’m totally writing a report.”

  “I’m not drinking,” John replied dryly. “It’s Coke.”

  “And what else?”

  “Just Coke,” John replied, annoyed. “We came in here because we thought we could be alone. Obviously that’s not the case. What’s up?”

  “We’re looking for Marla Proctor.”

  Christy wrinkled her nose, horrified. “On purpose?”

  Maddie couldn’t hide her snicker. “Sadly, yes. We need to find her. She came into my tent for a reading and I dealt the cards and then never looked at them because we got in a fight. Once she left I did look at the cards … and they’re not good.”

  “Like ‘she’s going to have a bad hair day and stumble into some bad lighting’ not good, or like ‘she’s going to get distracted by something shiny and step in front of a bus’ not good?” Christy asked. She wasn’t particularly perturbed by Maddie’s statement and couldn’t muster enough energy to pretend she cared.

  “Like ‘she might be the next victim’ not good,” Maddie replied.

  “Oh.” Christy straightened. “Are you kidding?”

  “Yes, I often joke about murder,” Maddie said. “We need to find her. I have a bad feeling about what’s going to happen.”

  “On top of that, we might be able to use her as bait if she is a target,” Nick added. “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Does anyone want to celebrate when they know a killer is still on the loose?”

  “Even though it would be something of a Christmas gift if Marla packed up and moved out of Blackstone Bay, I don’t want her dead,” Christy said, getting to her feet. “What do you want us to do?”

  “Find her,” Nick replied. “She couldn’t have gotten far. She was here an hour ago. We’ve searched the festival grounds and come up empty. That means she’s somewhere else. I’m going to guess she didn’t go far, though. She was in a terrible mood.”

  “We’re on it,” John said, holding his hand out so Christy could take it. “We’ll be in touch if we find her.”

  “We all need to keep in touch no matter what,” Nick said. “If Maddie is right and Marla is a target, we have a chance to end this today.”

  “Then let’s do it.”

  19

  Nineteen

  “She’s not at the hair salon, the festival, or the diner.” Maddie pressed her lips together as her gaze bounced from building to building and the cold air whipped around her. “I don’t know where else to look. I don’t know enough about her to know where she would hide while upset.”

  “John and Christy went by her house, too,” Nick said, his mind busy. “They’re heading to her grandmother’s house next and doing a drive-by on all of the other relatives. I’m not sure what else we can do.”

  “You could try calling her,” Maddie suggested.

  “We did try.”

  “Just when we first started looking for her, and we tried from my phone. She might’ve recognized the number and purposely ignored it.”

  “How would she recognize the number?” Nick challenged. “It’s not as if you’ve ever called her before. It’s not as if you guys are buddies and text back and forth.”

  “Okay, maybe she didn’t recognize the number and ignored it because she thought I was a telemarketer.”

  “You left a message. Most telemarketers don’t leave messages.”

  “Maybe she doesn’t know that.”

  “Maddie, I’m starting to think that you’re arguing just to argue,” Nick said, stilling in front of the diner. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Call her from your phone,” Maddie replied, not missing a beat. “I’ll be quiet so she doesn’t know I’m here. Tell her you want to meet her somewhere and that you want to keep it on the sly. She’ll think you’re finally ready to give in to your feelings.”

  “That’s the most ludicrous plan I’ve ever heard. No one with half a brain would believe any of that after the conversation we just had.”

  “We’re talking about Marla. She lets her emotions overrule her brain every day of the week.”

  “Good point.” Nick dug into his pocket and retrieved his phone. “I’m not setting up some clandestine meeting with her. That’s disrespectful to you.”

  “Do what you feel is right.”

  Nick grabbed Maddie’s hand as he searched for Marla’s number on the internet before punching it in on the keypad. He pressed the phone to his ear and locked gazes with Maddie as he waited. “She’s not answering.”

  “Leave a message.”

  Nick rolled his eyes but did as instructed. “Marla, it’s Nick Winters. I need to talk to you. It’s very important. It has to do with what happened to Angela Conklin and Mike Robinson. We think you might be in danger because of your … relationship … with Mike. This is not a drill or joke. Call me back.”

  Nick disconnected the call and returned the phone to his pocket. “Are you happy?”

  “I’m not going to be happy until we find her,” Maddie replied. “I know this sounds weird – and even I’m having trouble believing it – but I think I might miss her if she dies. Even pushing that out of my mind, though, I can’t help feeling guilty. She came in for a reading and if I hadn’t gotten so distracted … .”

  “You cannot blame yourself,” Nick said, rubbing Maddie’s shoulders and pressing his forehead against hers. “You didn’t create this situation. It’s not your fault.”

  “No, Mike created this situation,” Maddie said. “He made the mess and we’re struggling to clean it up. He doesn’t seem to care either.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you, Mad. Some people just don’t take the feelings of others into consideration. You have the exact opposite problem. You worry about other people so much you make yourself sick in the process.”

  “We have to find her, Nick. If something happens … .”

  “We’ll find her.” Nick pressed a kiss to Maddie’s forehead and glanced at the diner. “For now we’re going to have lunch and strategize, though. Maybe someone in here will know where she hangs out.”

  “That’s a good idea, although I’m not sure if I’ll be able to eat.”

  “You need to keep your strength up, love. You’re going to need it for when you’re bossing me around later.”

  “You’re not going to let that go, are you?”

  “Not even a little.”

  “WHAT CAN I get you?”

  Ruby, the diner’s owner, flashed a bright smile for Nick and Maddie’s benefit as they slipped into their favorite corner booth and shed their coats.

  “I’ll have the hot beef with the vegetable soup,” Nick replied, shifting his eyes to Maddie. “What about you?”

  “I’ll have the same.” Maddie smiled as she rubbed her hands together. “Can I get some hot tea, too?”

  “Lemon?”

  Maddie nodded. “That would be great.”

  “I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

  Nick waited until Ruby disappeared through the swinging doors that led to the kitchen before grabbing Maddie’s hands and pressing them between his. “You need better gloves if your hands are going to get this cold, Mad.”

  “My mittens are warmer, but they make it harder to hold your hand when I’m wearing them.”

  Nick pursed his lips. “Well, as much as I love holding your hand, I would prefer you not get frostbite and have your fingers fall off. Wear the mittens.”

  “They make it harder to drive, too.”

 
; Nick frowned. “Now I know you’re just being difficult,” he said, sliding his arm around her shoulders. “I know you’re dealing with some stuff – like misplaced guilt – but you need to let it go. You can’t blame yourself for this. It just … happened.”

  “Who else should I blame?”

  “The person doing the killing.”

  “I guess I could try that,” Maddie said, heaving out a sigh as she rested her head against his shoulder. “What did you think about what she said?”

  “Who? Marla?”

  Maddie nodded.

  “I think she’s been smoking crack when no one is looking,” Nick replied. “No matter what, I was never going to date her, Mad. I don’t like her. I’ve never liked her. Her voice is like nails on a chalkboard and she’s incredibly full of herself. Those aren’t the things that attract me.”

  “What things do attract you?” Maddie’s eyes were keen when Nick glanced down at her.

  “A good heart. Little lips that look like a heart when you push them out like that. A kind spirit. A laugh that makes my whole body warm. Those little coos you make when you’re sleeping. The way you look at me when you’re feeling lovey-dovey. That smoking hot body you just seem to naturally have and occasionally let me see when we’re showering.”

  “Those are things you like about me. They’re not things that attracted you to me.”

  “I like everything about you, and I’m only attracted to you.”

  “Oh, right,” Maddie scoffed. “Are you telling me that if a supermodel – or Angelina Jolie, for example – walked into this diner, you wouldn’t be attracted to her?”

  “The heart wants what the heart wants, Mad. My heart wants you. It will settle for nothing less.”

  “Oh, that was a really good answer,” Maddie said, snuggling closer. “I’m going to boss you around like crazy tonight.”

  Nick grinned, amused. “You’re starting to get better at this flirting thing. I like it.”

  “I watch a lot of television.”

  “Ah.”

  “I pay a lot of attention to Christy’s rants, too.”

  “Well, at least you’re doing your research,” Nick said, smiling as Ruby returned with their drinks. “Hey, Ruby, you haven’t seen Marla Proctor around, have you? I need to talk to her.”