Grave Delight (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 3)

by Hart, Lily Harper

  “Why is she on a tear?” Nick asked, leaning back in his chair and relaxing. “What’s got her going now?”

  “What always has her going?”

  “Harriet Proctor,” Nick said, referring to Maude’s lifelong nemesis – who just happened to be the grandmother of Maddie’s lifelong nemesis, Marla Proctor.

  “Yeah, she’s still trying to get into the Pink Ladies,” Maddie replied. The Pink Ladies was the social group Maude belonged to. From what Maddie could tell, all they did was sit around and play cards while drinking whiskey-laden tea. It still kept her grandmother busy, so she was willing to put up with it.

  “I love your grandmother,” Nick said. “She’s always up to something.”

  “She’s funny,” Maddie agreed. “What did you do today?”

  “I filled out paperwork and daydreamed about our date,” Nick replied, winking.

  “Oh, you’re so charming and handsome. I can’t believe you’re all mine,” Maddie said, leaning over the table so she could give Nick a soft kiss.

  “I am all yours,” Nick said. “Forever.”

  “I’M glad you suggested taking a walk before we head back to town,” Maddie said, stretching her arms out as she dug her bare toes into the wet sand. “I love a beach at night.”

  “I do, too,” Nick said, watching Maddie play in the sand. She’d always been an “outdoor” girl, and that was only one of the things he loved about her. As teenagers, they spent hours racing through the woods and playing in the small lake behind Maddie’s house. Nick would catch turtles for her and she would name them before releasing them. Then she would find a Petoskey stone and give it to him, a whisper of luck on her lips as she pressed it into his hand. He had an entire box of them. He’d never give them up.

  Even as the memory pushed to the forefront, Nick fingered the small statue in his pocket. Maddie bought it for him right before he professed his love. It was shaped like a turtle and made out of Petoskey stones. He carried it with him constantly now. It was a reminder of her; a reminder of the love he refused to live without ever again.

  “What are you thinking about?” Maddie asked, fixing him with a quizzical look.

  “Nothing,” Nick said, shaking his head. “Why?”

  “You went someplace else.”

  “I really didn’t,” Nick said. “I was just thinking about all the time we’ve spent together by water.”

  “You’re so sappy, Nicky.”

  “You make me sappy,” Nick said, reaching for her and snagging her around the waist so he could twirl her around. Her long legs, mostly bare thanks to the short dress, fanned out as he swung her around. “You make me happy.”

  Nick pulled Maddie flush against his chest and kissed her, keeping one hand around her waist and trailing the other up her lithe back until it finally lodged in the long flaxen locks he loved to touch.

  The couple made out for what felt like forever, and when they finally pulled their lips from one another Nick snuggled Maddie close with a contented sigh.

  “You make me happy, too,” Maddie whispered.

  “I’m glad,” Nick said. “I don’t like it when you’re sad.”

  Nick pressed his eyes shut, swaying slightly in the night breeze as he held Maddie. After a few minutes, Maddie moved her head from Nick’s shoulder.

  “We should go,” Maddie said.

  Nick was surprised with the abrupt shift in the conversation. “What’s wrong? Do you feel sick? Was it the seafood? You inhaled that crab like you haven’t eaten in weeks.”

  Maddie pursed her lips, embarrassed. “I was hungry. I … that’s not what I was talking about.”

  “Oh,” Nick said, relieved. “What were you talking about?”

  Maddie shrugged, averting her gaze. “Nothing. I just thought … um … never mind.”

  Nick tilted his head to the side, considering. It took him a few moments, but he finally realized what Maddie was referring to. “Did you want to go to my place?” Nick asked, hope welling in his chest.

  “I just want to be with you,” Maddie said, her voice soft. “It would probably be safer to spend the night at your place tonight, though.”

  Nick couldn’t hide the smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “A night away from Maude is probably a good idea.”

  Even though they hadn’t made love yet, they’d spent every night since declaring their feelings in the same bed. Most of those nights were at Maddie’s house because she was reluctant to leave Maude to her own devices for too long, but they weren’t going to need an audience for the next step.

  “I guess it’s good you moved some clothes to my house,” Nick said, brushing his lips against her cheek. “As much as I love that dress, you’re going to want something comfortable to wear tomorrow.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because … .” Now Nick was the one struggling with embarrassment. “Because I always want you to be comfortable with me.”

  “I could never be comfortable with anyone else,” Maddie said.

  This time the kiss they shared was more urgent, a promise of a lifetime landing on their lips.

  “I need to grab my shoes,” Maddie said, finally pulling away.

  “I could carry you and you could abandon the shoes,” Nick offered.

  “I want to feel the sand on my toes while we walk back,” Maddie said. “I want to remember everything about tonight.”

  “I want to remember everything about this life, Mad,” Nick said. “Grab your shoes.”

  Maddie’s smile was contagious as she searched the dark sand for her shoes. “Do you remember where I kicked them off?”

  “I think it was over by those rocks,” Nick said, leaning over so he could scoop up his own shoes. “Hurry up. I’m starting to feel desperate.”

  “You were the one who put the moratorium on sex,” Maddie reminded him.

  “Don’t remind me,” Nick said. “I’ve cursed my stupidity every day for the past two weeks.”

  Maddie stilled. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  Nick sighed. “I’m not sorry we waited,” he said. “This has been the best two weeks of my life. I didn’t want you always tensing up when I touched you. I wanted you to get comfortable with me before … this.”

  “Nicky, I’ve never been more comfortable with anyone in my entire life.”

  “This is still a big step for us,” Nick said. “There’s never going to be someone else for me, Maddie. There never was.”

  “Is my six-month clock going to start ticking now?” She was joking, but there was a serious tint to her eyes.

  “Maddie, don’t ever think that,” Nick said. “The only reason I dated on a six-month cycle before was because I couldn’t have you.”

  “I know,” Maddie said, immediately regretting her words. “I … that was a stupid thing to say.”

  “I don’t want you ever to doubt that you’re my everything,” Nick said. “You’re not my right now. You’re my forever.”

  “Oh, Nicky.” Hot tears flooded her eyes.

  “Don’t you dare start crying,” Nick ordered, extending a finger. “I can’t take it. Find your shoes. I’m ready to take you home.”

  “Me, too,” Maddie said, gracing him with a blinding smile. “I really do love you, Nicky.”

  “I really love you, too.”

  Maddie returned to her shoe search, the hot fantasies she’d been trying to tamp down for the past two weeks pushing to the forefront of her brain. She was so lost in her reverie she was only half paying attention when her eyes landed on a shoe. She already had it in her hand when she realized it wasn’t hers.

  Maddie shifted her gaze back down to the sand, narrowing her eyes as she tried to peer into the misty expanse. When she realized what she was looking at – that the shoe had an owner and she was spread eagle on the beach – Maddie’s heart caught in her throat.

  She opened her mouth to call to Nick, but no sound would come out. Instead, a timid squeak escaped and Nick was at her side within
seconds. “What’s wrong, love?”

  Maddie couldn’t do anything but point. When Nick’s eyes found what Maddie was gesturing toward his heart dropped. Tonight was not going to be their night after all. It seemed death was visiting Blackstone Bay again, and this time the victim was young and … brutalized.

  “Come here, Maddie,” Nick murmured, tugging her to him as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “Don’t look, love. Don’t look.”

  Three

  “You look rough.”

  Christy Ford sipped from her coffee mug as Maddie shuffled into the kitchen the next morning. After being friendly acquaintances in high school, Maddie and Christy struck up a fast friendship upon Maddie’s return to Blackstone Bay. Christy enjoyed dragging Maddie out of her shell – and Maddie enjoyed letting her. It was a beneficial arrangement for both of them.

  Maddie ran a hand through her long hair and fixed Christy with a rueful look. “You’re making the work I’ve been doing on my self-esteem so much easier. Thank you.”

  Christy grinned. “Actually, I think I am. You just said something sarcastic. I wasn’t sure if you knew what sarcasm was.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes and moved over to the coffee pot. “I just love that you let yourself into my house whenever the mood strikes. What are you doing here so early in the morning?”

  “What do you think?”

  Maddie racked her brain, genuinely confused. “Did we have plans or something?”

  “No,” Christy said, shaking her head vigorously, her bright red hair brushing against her shoulders. “I’m here for the dirty details.”

  “What dirty details?”

  Maddie was often slow on the uptake in the morning, but this morning it felt like she was wading through quicksand.

  “The two-week moratorium ended yesterday,” Christy said, her eyes sparkling. “I’m here to find out if more than a decade of dreaming lived up to your expectations when you and Nick finally hit the sheets.”

  Maddie pressed her lips together, hating the way her cheeks burned. She was feeling more comfortable with herself these days, but she was still embarrassed Christy seemed so free with the sex talk. “I think you’re building this up into something it’s not,” she said.

  “Oh, please,” Christy scoffed, nonplussed. “You’ve been waiting for this moment forever. I want to hear every detail.”

  Maddie sighed and carried her mug over to the kitchen table so she could settle next to Christy. She wasn’t sure how much to tell her friend. “I … things didn’t go as planned last night.”

  “Oh, no,” Christy said, wrinkling her nose. “Was there a … um … technical malfunction?”

  It took Maddie a moment to realize what Christy was referring to. “No! Of course not.”

  “Hey, Nick has been dreaming of this for just as long as you have,” Christy said. “He’s the one who has all the pressure on his shoulders to make sure things are perfect. If he was … too quick … I wouldn’t worry about it. The first time is always awkward.”

  Maddie scowled. “We didn’t get that far,” she said.

  “How far did you get?”

  “Not far,” Maddie said. “We went to dinner. It was wonderful and romantic. Then we went for a walk on the beach. Just when we were getting ready to leave … well … I stumbled across a dead body.”

  Christy, who had been nodding for each step of the story, practically spit her coffee back into the mug. “Are you kidding me?”

  Maddie shook her head.

  “Oh, no,” Christy said, horrified. “I’m so sorry. You must be crushed. You’ve been waiting for this for so long. That’s just … so unfair.”

  “Especially for the dead girl,” Maddie said.

  Christy grimaced. “I … that was really insensitive.”

  Maddie waved off Christy’s apology. “It was horrible,” she said. “The body looked like it had been in the water at some point. Trust me, even if Nick wasn’t a police officer and if he didn’t have to go to work, the mood would’ve been killed for the night.”

  “Did you recognize her?”

  Maddie shook her head, the memory of the girl’s ravaged body causing her to shudder. “No. I think they’re going to have to use other means to identify her. Water can be … brutal.”

  “I’m really sorry, Maddie,” Christy said. “It’s like you’re a magnet for dead things.”

  Six months prior Maddie would have taken that as a personal affront. Things were different these days. Now she could recognize Christy’s statement for what it really was: sympathy. “I feel bad for the woman,” she said. “She looked young. I hope it was just an accident. I really do.”

  “Ugh.” Christy made a face. “I hadn’t even thought about that. Do you think she was murdered?”

  Maddie merely shrugged in response. “I have no idea.”

  “Did you see a ghost?” Only a handful of people in Blackstone Bay were aware of Maddie’s abilities, and Christy was one of them.

  “No,” Maddie said. “I looked around, but once the emergency personnel showed up it was really busy. I couldn’t have talked to her spirit without calling attention to myself even if she was there.”

  “That probably means it was an accident, right?”

  “Not necessarily,” Maddie said. “It depends on how long the person has been dead. Ghosts have trouble controlling their new reality when they first manifest. Heck, if the woman died farther out on the lake – or in another location – her spirit might be haunting that place.”

  “So, unless you find out where she died, you might never know if she’s a ghost,” Christy mused. “Does that bother you?”

  “I don’t know,” Maddie said. “Every time I think I don’t want another ghost to approach me, I think about them wandering around without any way of crossing over and it makes me sad. Then I want them to approach me.”

  “It must be hard to be you,” Christy said. “I keep thinking how awesome it would be to talk to ghosts, but it really does have a downside.”

  “It has multiple downsides,” Maddie agreed. “It also feels good when it all works out.”

  “Speaking of feeling good, when are you and Nick going to get a chance to rub up against one another again?” Christy’s eyes were twinkling. “The mood was ruined last night, but tonight is another night.”

  Maddie fought the urge to grin … and lost. “I don’t know,” Maddie said. “Nick only got a few hours of sleep. He left an hour ago because he wanted to be there for the autopsy. Since it looks like the body was in the water, that could cause jurisdiction problems.”

  “I don’t know what that means.”

  “Just because the body was found in Blackstone Bay that doesn’t mean the woman died in Blackstone Bay,” Maddie explained. “If she died … or, well, was killed … somewhere else that means multiple departments will be working together.”

  “Like the state police?”

  Maddie nodded.

  “Doesn’t Nick’s brother work for the state police?”

  “Yeah, John,” Maddie said.

  “Do you know much about him?”

  Maddie shrugged. “He was older than us by several years, but he was always nice to me when I was a kid,” Maddie said. “Nick and John weren’t very close while growing up, but I’m not sure what their relationship is like now. I never asked … and now that you’ve brought it up … I kind of feel bad about it.”

  “You should be publicly flogged,” Christy agreed, teasing. “Tell me if he comes to town.”

  “John? Why? Do you know him?”

  “No,” Christy said. “I’ve seen him around, though, and let’s just say those Winters genes are a thing to behold. I know Nick is the man of your dreams, but his brother is no slouch in the looks department.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes. “I’ll … see what I can find out.”

  “Good,” Christy said. “Not that I don’t trust you, but do you want me to make a list of the information I need you to get?”

&nbs
p; Maddie opened her mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. “It would probably be safer.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  NICK rubbed his eyes, weary, and then turned his attention back to the file on his desk. Between the disappointment of having his date with Maddie ruined the previous evening and the lack of information on the dead girl in the file, he was having a rough morning.

  “You don’t look like your usual chipper self.” Detective Dale Kreskin, one of the only other full-time officers on the Blackstone Bay payroll, dropped a doughnut and fresh cup of coffee on Nick’s desk before settling at his own. “Trouble in paradise?”

  “No,” Nick said, greedily reaching for the coffee. “My paradise is intact.”

  Kreskin smirked. “I’m glad to see that lack of sleep isn’t dampening that romantic streak you’ve had going since the blonde returned to town.”

  “The blonde has a name.”

  Kreskin sighed. “How is Maddie?”

  “She was fine when I left her sleeping two hours ago,” Nick said. “I needed to get in here and I didn’t want to wake her up. She’s crabby in the morning.”

  “Isn’t everyone?”

  “I guess,” Nick said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Have you heard if they’re done with the autopsy yet?”

  “They’re still in there,” Kreskin said. “I heard you and Maddie were the ones who found the body. That must have put a … crimp … in your romantic plans.”

  Nick scowled. He was never one to talk about his sex life with someone else – even when there was something to brag about – but Kreskin boasted a definite lack of boundaries. “It wasn’t the highlight of our night.”

  Pity softened Kreskin’s face. “How did Maddie take it? Was she upset?”

  “Of course she was upset,” Nick said. “She’s strong, though, and … well … this isn’t the first dead body she’s seen.”

  “I guess not,” Kreskin said. “That whole psychic thing works against her, doesn’t it?”

  Nick glared at his co-worker. Blackstone Bay was full of whispers about Maddie. The residents thought she might be able to talk to ghosts, but they couldn’t prove it. They thought she might be psychic, but they couldn’t prove that either. They definitely thought she was odd. Nick didn’t care about the gossip, but Kreskin had been relentless in recent weeks. He was determined to get Nick to admit Maddie was psychic. So far, Nick wasn’t playing the game.