Grave Paths (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 11)

by Lily Harper Hart

  Table of Contents

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-One

  Mail List

  Acknowledgments

  Books by Lily Harper Hart

  Grave Paths

  A Maddie Graves Mystery Book Eleven

  Lily Harper Hart

  HarperHart Publications

  Copyright © 2017 by Lily Harper Hart

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  1. One

  2. Two

  3. Three

  4. Four

  5. Five

  6. Six

  7. Seven

  8. Eight

  9. Nine

  10. Ten

  11. Eleven

  12. Twelve

  13. Thirteen

  14. Fourteen

  15. Fifteen

  16. Sixteen

  17. Seventeen

  18. Eighteen

  19. Nineteen

  20. Twenty

  21. Twenty-One

  Mail List

  Acknowledgments

  Books by Lily Harper Hart

  1

  One

  “I want chocolate cake.”

  Nick Winters sat in the window seat with his fiancée Maddie Graves, tucking the blanket they shared more snugly around her narrow hips and staring at the binder she rested on her stomach.

  “That’s my line in the sand.”

  Maddie, her flaxen hair pulled back in a loose bun, regarded him with somber blue eyes. “That’s your line in the sand, huh?” She was more amused than worried. “Does that mean, if you don’t get a chocolate-flavored wedding cake, that you’re going to dump me?”

  Nick knew exactly what game Maddie was playing and he refused to give in. “You bet. It’s chocolate cake or bust.”

  Maddie snickered at his determined expression. “Well, I’ll really miss you.”

  “You’re playing hardball.” Nick tickled her ribs, enjoying himself as she squealed and attempted to escape. They’d been engaged since Christmas, although they were still in the early stages of planning when it came to their wedding, the return of Maddie’s father knocking them off their fast track.

  Nick was fine with that. Maddie was the love of his life and he had no interest in rushing her through a process he wanted her to enjoy. He knew they would find their happily ever after eventually. Heck, they were technically already living it. They’d been destined for it since meeting in kindergarten – Nick taking Maddie under his wing that very first day – and even though they were separated for ten years and experienced a decent amount of mistrust when they reunited, none of that mattered now. It was full steam ahead.

  “I’ll tickle you until you concede,” Nick warned, digging his fingers into the soft skin around Maddie’s ribs and causing her face to grow red from the effort she exerted to keep from laughing. She was trying to be stern, but like with everything he did, Nick had a way of melting her heart … even when working overtime to agitate her.

  “Stop it, Nicky,” she gasped, shoving hard at his arm. “That hurts.”

  Nick immediately stopped, his eyes filling with concern. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I … .”

  “You hurt my heart by threatening to break up with me over cake,” Maddie announced, launching herself at Nick and rolling his body so he was underneath her. “It’s going to be white and chocolate cake and you’re going to have to live with it.”

  Now it was Nick’s turn to gasp when Maddie’s cold hands brushed against his warm midriff. “Geez, Mad. Your hands are like ice.” He grabbed her wrists and brought her fingers to his lips, pressing a kiss to them before tucking them under his chin. “Fine. We’ll have white and chocolate cake.”

  “Thank you.” Maddie settled a bit.

  “I guarantee that people eat all of the chocolate cake and we’re going to be forcing ourselves to eat white cake for weeks after the wedding, though,” Nick added, causing Maddie to narrow her eyes. “Of course, that will be fun because you’ll be my wife and all things will be perfect at that point so I’m not complaining in the least.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Maddie muttered, shaking her head as she poked his side. “You’re being a pain, Nick Winters.”

  “I’m not the one who faked an ‘I’m hurt’ whine to win the tickle war, Maddie Graves,” Nick pointed out, mocking her voice to perfection. “That’s not fair.”

  Maddie wanted to argue, but she agreed with him so it was difficult. “I hardly think I whined.”

  “You were pathetic.” Nick poked her side. “You batted those big blue eyes and made that girly little noise. I melted like a stick of butter on a ninety-degree day.”

  Maddie arched an eyebrow. “That was quite the visual.”

  “Yeah, I have trouble coloring between the lines.” Nick grinned. “White and chocolate cake sounds fine. As long as I have chocolate cake, I don’t care what everyone else eats.”

  Maddie had no doubt that was true. She grabbed the binder and dutifully made a note on the cake page. “Do you care what the cake looks like?”

  “Meaning what?” Nick asked blankly. “Are you going to get us a perverted cake or something? If so, I’m all for it. Make sure it’s shaped like a pretty blonde and has a really voluptuous figure.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes. She knew Nick was joking – the fact that spring was right around the corner had them both going a bit stir crazy – but sometimes she thought he had an odd sense of humor. “I mean flowers, Nicky. I was thinking of doing a rainbow of pastel flowers, but if you think that’s too much … .”

  Nick cut her off with a shake of his head. “Mad, you can make a whole garden of flowers on that cake. I’m fine with it. Pick what you want.”

  “But it’s your cake, too.”

  “Love, all I want is chocolate so I can eat it. I don’t care what it looks like.”

  Maude Graves, Maddie’s grandmother, stopped in the doorway and cocked her head to the side, snorting to garner their attention. “That’s a typical man for you.”

  Maude converted the garage into an apartment several months before so she could have her privacy at the same time Nick could move in with Maddie. So far, the arrangement had worked out relatively well. That didn’t mean there weren’t a few kinks to work out along the way.

  “What’s a typical man?” Maddie asked, fixing her grandmother with a dark look. “And what are you wearing? It’s almost ten o’clock and you’re heading for the front door dressed all in black. Don’t you think that’s suspicious?”

  “Especially since you live with a cop,” Nick prodded.

  Maude, who was never one to back down even when she was caught red-handed in the middle of mayhem, merely shrugged. “I’m taking a drive. I’m not doing anything wrong.”

  “I don’t believe you.” Nick remained calm. He was used to Maude’s antics.

  “That’s a terrible thing to say to an old woman.”

  Maddie tilted her he
ad to the side as she regarded her grandmother. “How come you’re only old when we catch you doing something you’re not supposed to be doing?”

  “I don’t know. It must be a coincidence. One of those things you think is true but isn’t really true so you cast aspersions on my character even though I’m a pillar of the community.”

  “Yeah, that must be it,” Nick said dryly. Maude’s outfit bothered him to no end. He knew she was about to go out and cause mayhem. Since he was one of Blackstone Bay’s few police officers, he could only hope whatever she had planned didn’t include property damage.

  “What did you mean about Nick being a typical man, Granny?” Maddie asked, drawing her grandmother’s attention away from Nick. She worried they might get into an argument, and since she was comfortable and ready for bed, that’s the last thing she wanted.

  “What?” Maude furrowed her brow. “Oh, I was just saying that cake is something men want to eat but don’t want to fuss about. Nick won’t care if the cake looks like a big pile of horse droppings as long as it tastes good.”

  “She’s not wrong,” Nick said. “You can pick out whatever you want for the cake, Mad, although I’m going to wager that a horse droppings theme probably won’t wow our guests. I’m open to anything.”

  “Except an all-white cake,” Maddie muttered, focusing on her binder.

  “You’ve got that right. It’s chocolate or I’m hitting the road.” Nick chuckled as she shot him a dirty look. When he risked a glance at Maude, he found her staring at them with unveiled interest. “What?”

  Maude made a face. “You two are so cute you make candy addicts back up and say ‘no more sugar.’ It’s a little disgusting.”

  “You don’t have to watch,” Nick pointed out. “In fact, we thought you were in for the night. How come you’re going out?”

  “Oh, well, there’s an emergency meeting of the Pink Ladies,” Maude supplied, referring to her social group. It was really nothing more than an excuse for the female senior citizens in the area to drink bourbon-laced tea, gossip, and play cards. Most of the time Maddie was glad Maude had company, but the members often found trouble that wasn’t easily explained away.

  “There’s an emergency meeting of the Pink Ladies on a weekday night?” Nick was understandably dubious. “Was bourbon outlawed or something?”

  “I’ll have you know that bourbon is medicinal,” Maude shot back. “It’s true. Google it. It’s not that we enjoy drinking it. We need it.”

  “What a great way to look at things,” Nick drawled. “What’s your emergency?”

  “What?” Nick was certain that Maude feigned confusion because she didn’t want to answer the question.

  “What emergency do the Pink Ladies have?” Nick drew on his considerable patience and remained calm despite Maude’s fidgety attitude. “Perhaps I can help. That way you won’t have to take off in the middle of the night and … work … to fix the emergency on your own.”

  It was a game of sorts. Maude knew very well that Nick had no intention of helping with anything. He wanted to box her in a corner, though, and she wasn’t comfortable with that.

  “It’s not something you can help with,” Maude replied.

  “Why not?”

  “You’re not a lady last time I checked.”

  “I can pretend.”

  “We don’t let people with your equipment into the group,” Maude pointed out. “No matter how fond I am of you, the others won’t like it. They’ll feel uncomfortable with a penis doing the talking.”

  Nick scowled. “What did you just say?”

  Sensing trouble, Maddie smoothly stepped in. “His penis never talks, Granny. It does tricks on demand, but it’s mute.”

  Maude snorted as Nick glowered.

  “Maddie, I can’t believe you just said that,” Nick scolded. “You’re the last person who would ever use the P-word in public.”

  “It’s not as if she used a vulgar term,” Maude pointed out. “She used the scientific term.”

  “I can’t believe we’re having this conversation.” Nick pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tell me what you have planned so at least I’ll know where to start looking if you don’t come home.”

  “Okay, here’s the deal.” Maude was all business as she stepped forward. “Harriet is starting another group. It’s a rival group.”

  Harriet Proctor was Maude’s lifelong nemesis. They warred harder than the Hatfields and the McCoys. Nick wasn’t surprised that Maude’s late-night trip had something to do with Harriet.

  “What else is new?” Nick challenged. “Harriet is always starting a new group. You guys won’t let her in the Pink Ladies so she starts a group and you guys retaliate – sometimes with toilet paper and spray paint – and then things blow up and I have to step in.”

  “This time is different,” Maude said. “This time she’s already got members. She’s calling the group the Blue Belles. Can you believe that?”

  “I guess it’s better than the Blue Balls,” Nick muttered, causing Maddie’s cheeks to flush with color.

  “Nicky!” She shot him a dark look and elbowed his stomach. “That was horrible.”

  “You were just talking about my penis in front of your grandmother not two minutes ago,” Nick protested.

  “That was different,” Maddie sniffed.

  “Why?”

  “Because it was me.”

  “Oh, you’re too cute for words tonight.” Nick grabbed her around the waist and drew her closer, heaving out a sigh as he focused on Maude. “Go forth and wreak havoc. There’s nothing I can do to stop you. Just try to keep from getting so out of control that someone calls the police … and no drunk driving.”

  Maude was scandalized. “What do you take me for?”

  “You’ve got eggs and toilet paper peeking out of the bag you stashed by the door over there.” Nick gestured toward the doorframe that separated Maddie’s magic shop from the rest of the house. “If you get in trouble, wait until morning to call us for bail.”

  Maude rolled her eyes so hard Maddie was surprised she didn’t lose her balance. “Whatever. I never get caught.”

  “That’s not true, but I’m in no mood to argue with you,” Nick said. “Make sure you wear a hat and gloves, too. Spring is almost here, but the nights are still cold. We don’t want you getting a cold … and mostly because you’re a big baby when you’re sick.”

  “Oh, I just love it when you boss me around,” Maude grumbled, scuffing her feet against the hardwood floors as she retreated. “You’re such a mother hen.”

  “I love you, too,” Nick called out, shaking his head as he turned his full attention back to Maddie. “Now, where were we?”

  “I believe I was about to have a conversation with your penis?”

  Nick did his very best not to laugh, but he couldn’t help himself. “I thought we were talking about cake.”

  “I’m over cake.”

  “Just as long as you’re not over me. How about we move this party upstairs?”

  Maddie’s smile was serene. “I thought you would never ask.”

  MADDIE WAS LOST in a dark forest, her long blonde hair streaming behind her as she raced away from the footsteps echoing throughout the night. She wasn’t sure of her location – it was too dark to make out any landmarks – but Maddie was almost positive she was in the woods behind her house.

  The moon was high in the sky and offered limited illumination. Maddie wasn’t sure if that made things better or worse. She could see outlines, moving branches still bare from the long Michigan winter, but she couldn’t see very far and she instinctively knew someone pursued her.

  She stopped to get her bearings, her blood pounding in her ears as she sucked in gaping mouthfuls of oxygen. It was hard not to pant, but she did her best. She couldn’t risk the person following – the dark soul giving chase – hearing her. If he or she heard her, it would be over.

  A scream split the air, causing Maddie to jolt. It wasn’t a playful shriek, on
e that promised amusement and fun between cavorting teenagers. No, this scream was full of terror and panic. Pain. Someone was in terrible pain.

  Maddie snapped her head to the side and stared into the thick trees. The cry came from that direction and yet something stopped her from running to give aid. She wanted to help, was desperate to in fact, but Maddie sensed she wasn’t alone and if she ran toward the sound she would regret it.

  When a second scream ripped through the air, Maddie knew she had no choice. She couldn’t ignore someone in need and she made her decision without a second of hesitation. She bolted into the trees, hoping beyond hope that it was only the branches slapping against her skin as she fought to find the source of the yelp.

  Maddie caught a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye and her heart lurched as she struggled to remain focused on the invisible path in front of her. She didn’t know where she was and yet her footing was sure, as if she remembered this specific location from memory. Another scream had her heart rate speeding up, and then she felt it … fingers wrapping around her arm.

  Someone had her. Whoever it was had been following her the entire time instead of the woman in the woods. The incoming shadow laid a trap for her … somehow … and now she was going to pay the ultimate price.

  “MADDIE!”

  Nick pressed Maddie’s shaking body to his, running his hands over her back as she sobbed into his chest. He’d woken in the darkness to find her thrashing, caught in some sort of nightmare. The look on her face as she struggled with something only she could see, an imaginary dream foe who relentlessly stalked her, was enough to hurt Nick in real life and cause his blood to run cold.

  “Maddie, I’m here,” Nick said, stroking the back of her head as she emerged from the nightmare. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”