Grave Delight (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 3)

by Hart, Lily Harper

  “It doesn’t matter,” David said. “It is what it is.”

  “I’m still sorry.”

  “What about you? Where is your husband? Does he allow you to wander around the pier with a bunch of crude fishermen all the time, or is this just a special occasion?”

  Maddie smirked. “I’m not married.”

  “You have a special someone, though,” David said. “I could tell that when I first saw you. That’s what has you upset.”

  “I’m not sure I’m upset,” Maddie said. “I think I was upset … and then I realized I had nothing to be upset about. Then I was upset with myself for being upset.”

  “That’s some convoluted thinking, missy.”

  “It is,” Maddie agreed. She gestured toward the end of David’s hook and the brightly colored lure hanging there. “May I?”

  David nodded, watching as Maddie delicately fingered the pink feathers. “You made this yourself.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “The stitching is strong but not straight,” Maddie said. “You can tell you put your heart into it. You can’t say the same thing about store-bought lures.”

  “Be careful,” David warned. “If you touch a man’s lure like that, people will begin to talk.”

  “I guess,” Maddie said, taking a step back. “Thank you for being so nice to me. You didn’t have to. Most people would’ve written me off as a crazy woman. I should probably get back to my boyfriend, though. He’s probably going nuts.”

  David inclined his head toward a spot behind Maddie. “I wouldn’t worry about it. I think he’s coming this way now.”

  Maddie swiveled quickly, relief flooding her when she caught sight of Nick. He hadn’t seen her yet, and when his gaze landed on her he broke into a jog. “Are you okay?”

  Maddie let him gather her into his arms, his face nestling in her hair as he rubbed her back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left. I just … .”

  “I know, Mad,” Nick said, kissing her cheek. “I know why you were upset. It’s still not okay to scare me.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Nick cupped the back of her head, tilting her face up so he could study it. She didn’t look like she’d been crying, and her color was good. He’d been imagining any number of horrible scenarios when he couldn’t find her outside of the restaurant. “We need to have a talk here, Mad,” Nick said, smiling at David tightly as he pulled away slightly. “I need you to know that I didn’t tell my brother … anything.”

  “I know that.”

  “Are you sure? You didn’t seem to know that in the restaurant.”

  “I did know it in the restaurant. I just didn’t know I knew it. Does that make sense?”

  Nick’s face softened. “I guess. I would never … .”

  “I know. I’m sorry.” Maddie wrapped her arms around Nick’s waist, resting her head on his shoulder as he tightened his arms around her. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I love you, Maddie,” Nick murmured, rocking her slightly.

  “See, I knew you were having man trouble,” David said.

  Nick lifted his eyes to meet David’s serious countenance. “Is that what she told you? Did she say she was having man trouble?”

  “She said she thought she was upset and then realized she wasn’t upset so she became upset about getting upset,” David said. “She’s a woman. They have convoluted minds.”

  Nick smirked. “They do. Thank you for watching over her. I couldn’t imagine my life without her.”

  “Something tells me that’s not going to be a problem,” David said. “You might want to keep a closer eye on her, though, especially after they found that girl’s body down the beach.”

  “That’s a pretty good point,” Nick said. “Speaking of that, I happen to be an officer with the Blackstone Bay Police Department. You didn’t know the victim, did you? Did you ever see her down here?”

  “I don’t think so,” David said. “I don’t hang out here much during the day, and that’s when the teenagers tend to be here.”

  “That makes sense,” Nick said. “Just do me a favor and keep your ears to the ground. If you hear anyone talking about Hayley Walker … or anything that sounds suspicious … call us.”

  “I’ll do that,” David said. “You’ll have to do me a favor in return, though.”

  Nick waited.

  “Watch that girl,” David said. “She’s clearly your whole world. You’re going to find that when your world dies, you don’t have a lot to live for. Try to make sure you hold on to your world for as long as you can.”

  Nick held Maddie flush against his chest. “I’ll never let her go.”

  “Well … don’t go all stalker or anything,” David said. “Women don’t like that.”

  Nick barked out a laugh. “Thanks for the tip.”

  “WHERE is John?” Maddie asked, her fingers linked with Nick’s as he led her down the pier.

  “He’s probably eating his dinner,” Nick said. “I left him there with three dishes and a bill.”

  “I’m so … .”

  “Don’t finish that sentence, Mad,” Nick said. “I know you were upset, and John saying what he did threw you. It threw me, too.”

  “Did he say where he heard it?”

  “He said he figured it out on his own,” Nick said. “He heard the rumors … and he thought I was being hyper vigilant … and he knew about your mom. I told him not to bring it up again.”

  “It’s okay,” Maddie said. “He’s your brother. I trust him.”

  “Maddie, I don’t want you to feel shame about this,” Nick said, his eyes somber. “You’re amazing. You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever known. What you can do is a miracle. I understand wanting to keep it a secret but never doubt that I love you … or that I’m proud of you.”

  Maddie bit her lower lip. “I love you, too.”

  “Good,” Nick said. “You were going to ruin my night if you didn’t say it back.”

  His grin was so lazy Maddie couldn’t help but laugh. “You think you’re pretty charming, don’t you?”

  “I have my moments,” Nick said. “Now, come on, love. You need food. We have to talk about the case with John for a little bit and then we’re going back to my house.”

  “We are?”

  “I have plans for you.” Nick winked.

  “No, you don’t,” Maddie said, internally grinning as Nick’s smile faltered. “I have plans for you.”

  “Ah, I stand corrected.” Nick pulled Maddie’s hand up and brushed his lips across the ridge of her knuckles. “You’d better eat a lot. I have a feeling your plans are going to tire you out.”

  “Do you think John is still here? I left my purse in the booth next to him, by the way. I hope he hasn’t left.”

  “He hasn’t,” Nick said, pointing. “His truck is still here. We’ll get some food, John will apologize, and then we’ll go home. I want to spend some time with just you.”

  “All this time you’re spending with me isn’t impacting your work, is it?”

  “Life is hard,” Nick said. “We’ll make it work. I’m not cutting my time with you and I’m not giving up on this case, so I guess you’re going to have to work with me.”

  “Oh, that sounds fun.”

  Nick and Maddie walked back into the restaurant, pulling up short when they saw John was still in the booth. He wasn’t alone, though.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Nick said. “How did she even know we were here?”

  Maddie shrugged, a wide smile splitting her face when she caught sight of Christy. “I have no idea, but I’m glad to see her.”

  “Why?”

  “She’s one of the few other people who knows my secret and doesn’t judge me,” Maddie said. “It might make things easier when I talk to your brother.”

  “You don’t have to talk to him if you don’t want to.”

  “I want to,” Maddie said. “He’s your family.”

  “You’re my family. He’s just
the kid who used to give me wedgies when I was little.”

  They were bold words, but Maddie knew they weren’t true. Nick loved his brother, and that meant Maddie was going to have to smooth things over if they all wanted to be happy – and she desperately wanted Nick to be happy. She wanted them both to be happy … together.

  Thirteen

  “Are we interrupting something?” Nick asked, his gaze bouncing between Christy and John.

  “Of course not,” Christy said, smiling brightly. “I just happened to stop in for some dinner and saw John sitting here alone. I didn’t realize you guys were here, too.”

  “I wasn’t sure if you were coming back,” John said, his dark eyes fixed on Maddie. “I’m really sorry.”

  “It’s fine,” Maddie said. “I overreacted. I do that sometimes.”

  “It’s not okay,” John said. “I didn’t realize what I was saying was so … wrong. I never would’ve said it, Maddie. Believe it or not, I’d never want to hurt you. I knew you growing up, and I was always fond of you. My brother is crazy about you, though, and I would never hurt you simply because it shreds him.”

  “I’m sorry for walking out,” Maddie said. “It was immature. I don’t know why I did it.”

  Christy glanced between her best friend and crush, conflicted. “What did he do to you?”

  Nick reached over with his foot and nudged Christy. “Move to the other side of the booth.”

  “Maddie can sit here next to me,” Christy said, patting the vinyl.

  “I want her to sit with me,” Nick said. “You can go to the other side of the booth with my brother and you two can feel each up under the table to your hearts’ content.”

  Christy wrinkled her nose. “Good idea.”

  Once everyone was settled back at the table the waitress stopped by. “Can I continue your orders?”

  “Yeah,” Nick said. “I’m sorry about before. We’ll make sure you get a big tip. Add the redhead’s dinner to the bill and give it to my brother. He’s buying.”

  The waitress beamed. “You’ve got it.”

  Conversation was light until their meals arrived, and then things turned serious.

  “I’m really sorry, Maddie,” John said.

  “I still want to know what you did,” Christy said, sipping from a glass of wine. “Did you make fun of them for looking like Barbie and Ken?”

  John snickered. “No. I … .”

  “He knows,” Maddie said quietly.

  Christy’s eyes widened. “Oh. Did you tell him, Nick?”

  “No,” Nick growled. “I would never tell anyone.”

  “You know?” John was surprised. “I thought no one knew but you, bro?”

  “I figured it out on my own,” Christy said.

  “How?”

  “I caught her talking to a ghost up at the kissing spot one night,” Christy said. “Things just kind of fell into place.”

  “You can talk to ghosts, too?” John’s eyes were wide. “No way.”

  “Oh, no,” Christy said, wringing her hands. “I thought you said he knew.”

  “I knew about her being psychic,” John said.

  “Keep your voice down,” Nick warned, glancing around to see if anyone was listening. “We don’t need to tell the whole town.”

  “I’m sorry,” John said. “This is crazy, though. How long have you known you could … do that?”

  “Since I was little,” Maddie said, shifting uncomfortably next to Nick. He slung an arm over her shoulders to steady her. “I saw the first one when I was five. I didn’t realize what was happening until I had a talk with my mom.”

  “And she could do that, too?”

  “It runs in our family.”

  “Holy crap! Does that mean Maude … ?”

  Maddie immediately started shaking her head. “Granny doesn’t have the peculiarity. It skips some generations.”

  “Do you wish it skipped you?” John was mesmerized with the conversation.

  “Sometimes.”

  “I think it’s cool,” Christy said. “I’ve been trying to convince her to hold a séance so we can talk to some famous people. She won’t do it.”

  “Leave her alone,” Nick said. “That’s just … do you think we could talk to James Dean? I always thought he was cool.”

  Maddie rolled her eyes. “No. I wouldn’t even know where to start with something like that. I don’t seek them out. I usually just stumble across them.”

  “What about Hayley Walker?” Christy asked. “Have you been able to find her?”

  “Not yet,” Maddie said. “I was looking for her this afternoon, but I’m not sure she would be hanging around the pier if that’s not where she died. I got distracted once I ran into Mildred, though. I think I’m going to try again tomorrow.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Nick asked.

  “I’m sure that we need to find out who killed her,” Maddie said. “Don’t worry, I won’t be out after dark and it’s a pretty open area. I’ll be perfectly safe.”

  “We’ll talk about it at home tonight,” Nick said.

  “Speaking of that, I have no problem staying at your house again,” Maddie said. “We need to check in on Granny tomorrow morning, though. I don’t like thinking of her being on her own for two straight days when she’s plotting against Harriet.”

  Christy snorted. “Harriet is probably dead and buried in the woods behind your house.”

  “Don’t joke about that,” Nick said, wagging his finger. “I don’t need Maude getting any ideas.”

  “When does the construction start on her apartment?” Christy asked.

  “The day after tomorrow,” Maddie said. “I’m not looking forward to the mess, but I am happy she’s getting what she wants. She’s very excited to pick colors. She wants you and I to help her next week, by the way.”

  “Ooh, that sounds fun,” Christy said. “I love interior decorating. After the construction is finished, are you going to finally move into your mother’s bedroom?”

  Nick tried to kick Christy under the table and missed, instead making contact with his brother’s shin.

  “Ow!” John glared at him. “Why did you do that?”

  “What did you do?” Maddie asked, curious.

  “Nothing,” Nick said.

  “He kicked me,” John said. “I think he was aiming for Christy, though.”

  “Why?”

  “He wants you to move into your mother’s bedroom so there’s enough room for him to move in there with you,” John said. “Don’t look at me that way, Nick. You need to tell her what you want.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Maddie asked.

  “I’ve tried to talk to you about moving into the big room,” Nick said, choosing his words carefully. “I know you don’t want to displace your mom, so I’m letting it go.”

  “Olivia is dead, though,” John said. “What? She is.”

  “It’s probably harder for Maddie to take the room over because Olivia is still around,” Christy said. “That’s got to be hard.”

  “Wait, your mom is a … ghost?”

  Nick shot him a look. “I’m going to beat you. You just keep sticking your foot in your mouth at every turn.”

  “I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” John said. “I just … it’s amazing.”

  “It is amazing,” Nick said. “It also makes things difficult for Maddie. It’s not a big deal.”

  “Now … wait a second,” Maddie said. “Do you really want to move in with me once Granny is settled in her apartment? I’m not sure if she’ll like that.”

  “She’s the one who brought it up,” Nick said.

  “Oh. Wow.”

  “Mad, don’t worry about it,” Nick said. “We don’t have to do anything right away. We’ve got time.”

  “Not if I’m buying your house,” John said.

  “You’re selling your house?” Maddie’s eyebrows shot up her forehead. “How come you didn’t tell me any of this?”

&nb
sp; “I haven’t had time,” Nick said. “We were … busy … last night and I didn’t realize my brother was going to tell you everything I secretly confided in him. I thought I would be able to approach it in a sane way.”

  “You were busy last night?” Christy’s face brightened. “Finally. I can’t believe you didn’t call me and give me all the dirty details this morning. I’m hurt.”

  “They were in bed until noon,” John said. “The only reason they got up is because I made them.”

  “You’re a bad brother,” Christy said.

  “I’m a good cop, though,” John said. “As much as I want to continue to dig Nick’s hole deeper, I think we need to talk about the case a few minutes.”

  “I hate you,” Nick grumbled.

  “I’m going to let you two go early tonight,” John said. “I’m going to try and track down that Michael Jarvis kid and question him. He’s probably not a suspect, but it’s one thing to cross off our list for tomorrow.”

  “Michael Jarvis?” Christy wrinkled her nose. “Why are you questioning him?”

  “Apparently he was hanging around with Hayley on the pier,” Maddie replied.

  “You guys know he’s gay, right?”

  “So we’ve been told.”

  “I can take you to the Jarvis house, John,” Christy offered. “I know where it is, and that way you won’t have to waste too much of your time.”

  “That sounds great.”

  Nick cleared his throat. “Didn’t we talk about this earlier?”

  “I can’t remember,” John said, feigning ignorance.

  “Talk about what?” Christy asked.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Nick said. “I just … why don’t we hold off questioning the Jarvis kid until tomorrow?”

  “I’ve got it,” John said. “Take your woman home and … well, I’m guessing you two are going to have a big talk. Ha, ha.”

  “I really hate you,” Nick said.

  Maddie patted his knee under the table. “Don’t worry. We’re not just going to talk.”

  Nick smiled.

  “We are going to talk first, though.”

  “Great,” Nick said. “That’s exactly how I saw us spending our time together tonight.”

  “WHAT are you doing out here, Mad?” Nick asked, sliding the glass door open and joining her on the deck. “I thought you wanted to yell at me.”