Grave Paths (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 11)

by Lily Harper Hart

  Maddie’s smile was sheepish. “You can always call me that. I kind of like it. It makes me feel warm and gooey inside.”

  Nick moved his feet higher on Maddie’s legs. “I like it when you’re warm and gooey.”

  “I haven’t decided if I want to flirt with you yet.”

  “Let me know when you decide.” Nick’s grin was rakish. “As for the case, I thought we could spend some time going over it. I have an idea I want to run by you, but I’m starving and would like to eat first. I skipped lunch so I could get home early.”

  “Because you knew I wanted to yell at you?”

  “Because I don’t like being in a fight.”

  Maddie stared at him for a long beat before leaning forward. “I’m ready to make up.”

  Nick smirked as he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against hers as he ran his hand down the back of her head. “We don’t need to make up. We had an adult conversation and both agreed we might’ve done something wrong, but we did it because we didn’t want to hurt each other.”

  “I still want to make up.”

  “What did I tell you before, Mad? Your wish is my command.”

  MADDIE AND NICK were stuffed full of hot beef sandwiches and blueberry pie when they made their way back to the house. It was quiet, Maude either out with friends or down for the night, and the duo didn’t stop themselves from giggling or sharing stolen kisses.

  Nick laid out his plan to Maddie at the diner. He wanted to talk to the girlfriend himself, get a feel for her in person. They couldn’t rule out Peter as a suspect regardless, but reading a report was not the same thing as questioning a material witness while sharing the same oxygen. Nick wasn’t keen on leaving Maddie home alone to obsess about a ghost that may or may not show up again. Instead he wanted her to go with him.

  Maddie was surprised by the offer but eager to accept. Here was something proactive they could both do together. Nick was right. They worked much better together than they did apart.

  “We need to pack if we’re going to leave first thing in the morning,” Maddie announced, heading straight for their closet. “How many nights should we plan for.”

  “Two,” Nick answered. “I doubt it will take more than one, but I’d rather be prepared for the worst than left scrambling for clothes.”

  “Good plan.” Maddie was seemingly happy as she shuffled to the closet, grabbing a few tops and two pairs of jeans. She spared a glance for Nick, found him watching her with adoration in his eyes, and held her hands palms out. “What?”

  “I love you, Maddie.”

  “I love you, too. Why are you staring at me that way?”

  “I don’t know,” Nick admitted. He honestly wasn’t sure. “Sometimes I look at you and am overwhelmed by love. It rushes through me, like a punch to the heart or something.”

  Maddie’s lips curved. “I think you meant that as a compliment even though it was kind of a borderline insult.”

  “I guess so. I meant it, though. There are times you simply take my breath away.”

  Maddie stood in front of him, resting her hands on his shoulders as she debated how to respond. “I’m not going to pack for you.”

  “Ha, ha.” Nick poked her flat belly. “I can pack for myself. While you’re packing, though, pick out a nice dress. I’m going to take you out for a romantic dinner.”

  “You are?”

  “I am,” Nick confirmed. “We’ll have more choices in Bay City. It’s hardly big, but it’s definitely got more restaurants than Blackstone Bay.”

  “Yay.” Maddie clapped her hands. “Are you done telling me how much you love me?”

  Nick shook his head as he slipped his arms around her waist. “I will never be done telling you that.”

  “Are you done being serious tonight?” Maddie asked. “You’re making me nervous.”

  “I don’t mean to make you nervous. As for being done for the night … no. I have one more thing I want to talk to you about.”

  Maddie didn’t like the fact that Nick waited until right before bed to spring this last thing on her. She had a feeling it was going to be a doozy. “What?”

  “Don’t pull away from me,” Nick chided, keeping his arms around her waist as he tugged her close. He sat on the bed, Maddie positioned between his legs, and rested his chin on her chest. “This isn’t going to be anywhere near as bad as you seem to think it’s going to be.”

  “Then tell me,” Maddie suggested. “I don’t like the look on your face.”

  “This is a look of love.”

  “It’s a look of ‘I’m about to do something you really don’t like, but you must love me regardless because we’re joined for life,’” Maddie corrected.

  “I like the idea of being joined for life.”

  Maddie wagged a finger in his face. “That is not going to work on me. Spill.”

  “Fine.” Nick gave Maddie’s bottom a good squeeze before releasing her. “I picked this up at the pharmacy on my way home tonight.” He dug in his back pocket and came out with a cellophane tray full of medication.

  “What is it?”

  “Cold medication,” Nick replied. “It’s the nighttime stuff that knocks you out so hard you won’t wake even if a ton of bricks flies through the window.”

  Maddie was unsettled. “And you want me to take it?”

  “I want you to sleep,” Nick clarified. “You’re so tired, love. I can see it weighing on you. We’re going on a road trip tomorrow. I want you well rested.”

  “And here I thought you were going to romance me tonight,” Maddie grumbled, snagging the medication from him and flipping it over. “It promises eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.”

  “It does,” Nick agreed. “As much as I want to romance you, I want you to sleep even more. You need the rest, Maddie, and I’m afraid your mind is so busy that your dreams won’t let it happen. So, I want you to take these. If you do, and if you sleep all night, I promise to romance the crap out of you when we check into the hotel tomorrow.”

  Maddie wasn’t convinced. “You don’t know I won’t sleep.”

  “I think we both know you’re going to do your best to pretend you’re sleeping,” Nick said. “I want the real thing for you. I knew you wouldn’t take sleeping pills if I bought them. I thought this would be a nice compromise.”

  Maddie swallowed hard. “If I take these, can we get McDonald’s breakfast sandwiches before we get on the freeway?”

  Maddie was a shrewd negotiator, something Nick absolutely adored about her. “It wouldn’t be a road trip without Egg McMuffins and hash browns.”

  Maddie let loose with an exasperated sigh. “Okay. I’m going to do this. It’s for you, though, and I feel as if I’m under duress.”

  “As long as you sleep, I can live with that.” Nick was solemn. “You’re exhausted, love. You actually weaved a little bit when we were walking from the diner to the truck, as if you were drunk. You need some sleep.”

  “I know.” Maddie’s voice was small. “I’m afraid of sleep because of the dreams.”

  “I know.” Nick figured that out while eating a bag of chips alone at his desk over the lunch hour. “I will be right here. I will do my best to keep the dreams at bay. I’m hoping the medication does the rest.”

  Maddie hoped so, too. Resigned, she pushed two of the capsules through the foil wrapper and moved toward the bedroom. “You’re going to owe me a big dinner tomorrow.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “And some hot sex.”

  Nick couldn’t swallow his snort. “I’m definitely looking forward to that.”

  “You’d better pack that maid uniform so you have something wear.”

  Nick’s shoulders quaked with silent laughter as he watched Maddie pop the medication into her mouth and chase it with water from the tap.

  “I will do whatever you want if you get some sleep, Mad. I swear it.”

  12

  Twelve

  “We haven’t gone on a road tr
ip in … well … forever.”

  Maddie was well-rested the next morning. The color was back in her cheeks and the shadows were gone from beneath her eyes and her smile was wide and enthusiastic. Nick filled her full of greasy McDonald’s when they hit the freeway entrance in Grayling and they spent the next hour and a half enjoying the ride. They were close to their destination now, and Maddie seemed as relaxed as she had in days.

  “We didn’t go on road trips much as kids, did we?”

  Maddie shook her head. “We went on hikes and spent the day at the lake, but we never went on road trips.”

  “We’ll have to make some plans for the summer,” Nick suggested.

  “Can we go to Mackinac Island?”

  “That sounds like a great plan. In fact, I know a guy who runs security at one of those big hotels up there. He’ll probably be able to ensure we get a room because it’s late in the season for booking.”

  “They have great fudge there,” Maddie enthused. “And we can get one of those bikes that two people ride together.”

  Nick had never considered riding one of those bikes – he found them a bit ridiculous – but if Maddie wanted to ride a tandem bike, he would make it happen. “I’ll make a call as soon as we’re done with this case.”

  “Good plan.” Maddie reached over and rested her hand on Nick’s knee, her eyes busy as they looked out the window. “I don’t think I’ve ever spent much time in this part of the state.”

  “I visited Central Michigan University a time or two to party after graduation,” Nick said. “It’s not a bad area … although I was pretty much drunk the entire time I was here.”

  “Because you were drowning your sorrows without me?” Maddie’s voice was tinged with teasing but there was something serious about the expression in her eyes.

  “I was definitely drowning my sorrows,” Nick confirmed.

  “I just hung around by myself. I didn’t drink and party.”

  “No. Not my Maddie.” Nick grinned. “I thought you were a regular party animal.”

  “Not quite. So, where are we going first?” She didn’t want to dwell on their time apart. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be punished – Nick could only last five minutes while getting a massage before he turned it into something else so it was hardly a punishment – but she was determined to look forward rather than back.

  “We’re going straight to the girlfriend’s house,” Nick replied. “Kreskin found something interesting in her financials while we were driving and texted me.”

  Maddie wrinkled her nose. “I didn’t see you get a text.”

  “That’s because you were stuffing your face with a steak, egg, and cheese bagel from McDonald’s at the time.”

  “Oh.”

  “And two hash browns.”

  “I remember what I ate.”

  “And a bite of my McGriddle,” Nick teased.

  “I was feeling gooey and warm until you just had to push it.”

  “Live and learn.”

  LAURA FERGUSON LIVED on a nondescript street in the center of a boring subdivision in the middle of a blasé neighborhood. The houses all looked alike, mature trees lining the street, and absolutely nothing stood out and offered a splash of color or uniqueness.

  “I’m glad we live in Blackstone Bay,” Maddie commented as they exited Nick’s truck. “You can do whatever you want with houses there and no one cares. I don’t like it when entire neighborhoods look the same.”

  “That would explain Charlotte Nicholson’s blue gingerbread house,” Nick noted. “I’ve always wondered how many Smurfs died to secure that color.”

  Maddie elbowed his stomach as they crossed the street. “You know what I mean. This place has no personality.”

  “That’s why I’m glad we live in Blackstone Bay. There’s nothing but personality everywhere we look … even under our own roof.”

  Maddie smirked when she thought of Maude. “I hope she doesn’t get in trouble. I asked John and Christy to look in on her but … well … you know how she is.”

  “I do,” Nick confirmed. “If she gets arrested, we’ll bail her out when we get back into town. Until then, she’s on her own. That’s exactly what I warned her about when we were saying goodbye this morning, by the way. She didn’t seem at all worried about being left to her own devices.”

  “She’ll probably throw a kegger or something.”

  “Probably.” Nick slid his eyes to the young-looking man standing next to the fence in the yard next door. He looked hungover, his hair matted in some places and sticking out in others, but his eyes lit with keen interest when he caught sight of Nick and Maddie.

  “Are you another cop?”

  Nick nodded as he moved closer to the student – and he was convinced that’s what the man was given the red plastic cups strewn about the lawn. He figured it couldn’t hurt to get a bit of background on Laura Ferguson before questioning her. “I’m a detective from Blackstone Bay.”

  “Where is that?”

  “North.”

  “Like … the North Pole?”

  Nick did his best not to scowl. “Like between Gaylord and Traverse City,” he corrected. “Do you know Laura Ferguson?”

  The man bobbed his head. “I do. We’ve been neighbors forever.”

  “How long is forever?”

  “Six months.”

  “So, a virtual lifetime, huh?” Nick exchanged an amused look with Maddie. “What can you tell me about her?”

  “Well, she’s kind of a … um … B-I-T-C-H.”

  Nick glanced over his shoulder. “Who are you spelling for?”

  “I don’t want to swear in front of the lady cop in case it offends her.” The guy lifted his chin in Maddie’s direction and winked. “Although, if she wants to frisk me, I wouldn’t say no.”

  Nick snapped his fingers in the man’s face to grab his attention. “She only frisks me. Tell me about Laura.”

  “You lucky dog.” The man had apparently lost interest in the conversation.

  “What’s your name?” Maddie asked, hoping to draw him back on track.

  “Derek.”

  “Well, Derek, I’m Maddie Graves and this is Nick Winters.”

  “Hello, Maddie Graves.” Derek drew out Maddie’s name as if he was a game show host. “Do you live around here? If so, I would love to take you to Burger King or something.”

  “That’s very nice of you to offer.” Maddie’s expression remained serene. “I’m more of a McDonald’s girl, though, and I live up north. Still, I would greatly appreciate it if you would tell us what you know about Laura.”

  Nick had to hand it to her. She was calm in the face of pressure – really, really filthy pressure – and she didn’t balk under Derek’s intense scrutiny. He realized it was because she’d spent years being hit on just because of the way she looked – long before people got to know she was as beautiful inside as out – and she built a defense mechanism so she appeared friendly but not engaged. Despite that, Derek’s interest burned Nick’s stomach.

  “I don’t know a lot about her, but she was happy up until a few days ago,” Derek offered. “She comes to parties on the weekends sometimes. She likes to brag about her boyfriend. She says he’s going to make a lot of money and pay for her student loans so she won’t have to work.”

  “Is that so?” Maddie kept her gaze focused on Derek. “Have you met her boyfriend?”

  “I’ve only seen him. He’s an old dude. Even older than your dude.” Derek jerked his thumb in Nick’s direction. “He seems to like things quiet. He calls the cops when we party while he’s in town. Thankfully he’s not in town very often.”

  “How has she been the past few days?” Maddie asked, legitimately curious.

  “At first she was in a good mood and when I asked her what was going on she said the wedding date got moved up.” Nick and Maddie exchanged a weighted look but didn’t speak. “Then, all of a sudden, she was mad. She came outside and was swearing and kicking things. She didn�
��t say so, but I think she got dumped.”

  “That’s interesting,” Nick murmured. “When was the last time you saw her boyfriend?”

  “Um … a few days ago,” Derek replied. “He’s pretty boring and stuff, but sometimes he’ll buy us a case of beer if we agree to drink it in the basement and not on the lawn.”

  “How nice of him.”

  “Yeah, he’s a douche nozzle,” Derek said, causing Maddie to bite her lip to keep from laughing. “We all thought Laura could do better, but she wants a guy to take care of her. There’s a rumor that the guy she’s with is married, but I don’t know if that’s true.”

  “It’s true,” Nick said. “His wife is dead, though. She was murdered.” He had no idea why he blurted it out the way he did. He was curious to see Derek’s reaction and being straightforward was the best way to do that.

  “For serious?” Derek scratched at his forehead. “Did the married dude do it?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to find out.”

  “Huh.”

  It wasn’t much of a reaction and Nick didn’t believe he was going to get more so he decided to take his leave of the confused college student. He grabbed Maddie’s arm to drag her away. “Thanks so much for your time, Derek.”

  “Don’t mention it,” Derek called out. “You should come party with us later if you want to have a good time. Even if you want to have a good time without him, blonde girl, you’re invited whenever you want.”

  Maddie waved. “I’ll take it under advisement.”

  “You absolutely will not,” Nick muttered. “You’re partying with me tonight.”

  “Oh, but they have a bunch of empty cups in their yard. I’m not sure I want to miss that.”

  “Keep it up.”

  LAURA FERGUSON OPENED her front door with a flourish, as if she was expecting someone else, and immediately frowned upon seeing Maddie and Nick.

  “I don’t want whatever you’re selling.”

  She moved to shut the door, but Nick stopped her by shoving his foot between the door and the jamb.

  “We’re not selling anything,” Nick supplied.