Nick scowled. “I’m going to kill you.”
“It’s fine, Nicky,” Maddie said, running her hand through her hair. “I don’t blame him for not believing me.”
“I think you’re looking at this the wrong way, Mad,” Nick said. “The fact that Hayley’s parents don’t have a boat could actually help us.”
“How?”
Nick pursed his lips, unsure how to answer. He knew what he was about to tell her was going to throw her. “We did find someone close to Hayley who has access to a boat,” Nick said.
“Who?”
“Trevor.”
Maddie immediately started shaking her head. “No way. It’s not him.”
“I know you don’t want to believe that he’s capable of doing something like that,” Nick said. “I think you want to believe he’s innocent so you’ve convinced yourself that it’s impossible for him to be guilty.”
“I think you’re talking down to me,” Maddie replied, her eyes flashing. “I’m not an idiot. I don’t have tunnel vision. There’s no motive for Trevor. Why would he kill her?”
“Maybe she wouldn’t sleep with him.”
“Really? You think a teenage boy just suddenly snaps because his girlfriend won’t sleep with him? He’s a basketball star. If all he wanted was sex all he had to do was move on to another girl. There are plenty of girls in that school who would have slept with him.”
“I understand that,” Nick said, his voice calm. “Sometimes other things happen that we don’t immediately understand, though.”
“Whatever,” Maddie said, crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s not Trevor.”
“Okay,” Nick said, holding his hands up. “Maybe someone with a boat saw Hayley outside of the cabin one day. Maybe whoever went after her has nothing to do with the situation that got her into this mess in the first place.”
“Speaking of that mess, why haven’t you questioned her father about beating her yet?”
“I wanted more information first,” Nick said, fighting hard to tamp down his anger. Maddie was starting to get belligerent, and the last thing he wanted was a full-blown fight. “Once we haul him in and tell him what we know he’s liable to lawyer up. We don’t want to tip him off until we have more information.”
Maddie’s eyes glittered with tears, this time out of frustration instead of sadness. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”
Nick grabbed her and pulled her to him, resting his face against the side of her head. “I don’t know what to do here, Mad. I know what you saw … but the evidence seems to be pointing away from the parents.”
“But what about … Look at Me.”
Nick focused on Maddie, his eyes plaintive. When she didn’t expand he tilted his head to the side. “I’m looking at you.”
“Ugh, David was right about that being a stupid name for a boat,” Maddie said. “I don’t want you to look at me. There’s a boat out here named Look at Me.”
“Okay,” Nick said. “I don’t know why that’s important.”
“Hayley kept telling me to look at the boat,” Maddie said. “She kept repeating it over and over again.”
Nick rubbed the heel of his hand against his forehead and exhaled heavily. “We can run the name of the boat.” He exchanged a quick look with John before moving to the bag on the other side of the deck. He pulled out his laptop and booted it up, engaging the mobile hub on his cell phone and logging into the registration database. “Just hold on a second. It might take a little longer to do the search out here because my signal isn’t very strong.”
Maddie paced to the far side of the boat, her gaze trained on the placid water. John took the opportunity to move to Nick’s side. “She’s really serious about this.”
“Why do you think I’m running the boat?”
“I think you don’t want to fight with her,” John said.
“I don’t. I … .” The computer dinged as the search results returned. “Here it is.”
“Who does it belong to?” John asked. “It has to be a narcissist.”
“Does Marla have a boat?” Maddie asked, bitter.
“The boat doesn’t belong to Marla,” Nick said, his shoulders stiffening.
“Who does it belong to?”
“Shelly Watkins.”
“Who is that?” John asked.
“She’s Jessica Watkins’ mother.”
John waited.
“Jessica Watkins married Andrew Walker. They’re the proud – and grieving – parents of Hayley Walker.”
John sucked in a breath. “Bingo. Maddie was right.”
“She always is,” Nick said, raising his eyes to Maddie’s. He expected to see anger there, maybe even some triumph. She’d earned it. Instead, he saw relief. That’s when he realized what was really bothering her. She’d been wondering if the vision was nothing more than a bad dream, too. “You were right, love.”
“Now can we go talk to Hayley’s father?”
“You bet your cute little butt we can. Come sit down next to me. I want to snuggle with you again while John taxies us back to the dock.”
Once Maddie was settled next to him, Nick kissed her lightly. “You can tell me that you told me so.”
“I don’t care about that,” Maddie said. “You believe in me. That’s all I care about.”
“I could never believe in anyone but you, Maddie. Never. I’m still sorry.”
“You can make it up to me with a massage later,” Maddie said.
“As long as you don’t make me choose paint again I’ll rub you for the rest of my life.”
“You two are filthy,” John said.
“Drive!”
Twenty-One
“Okay, here’s the deal, Mad,” Nick said, raising his hand to knock on the front of the Walkers’ door. “You need to be quiet. If they ask who you are just say you’re a consultant. You can’t ask any questions. Do you understand?”
“What if I think you’re asking the wrong questions?”
“I … you can’t,” Nick said. “We need to do this by the book. You being here might make the parents jumpy. You have a certain reputation in this town.”
“And that was before you started fornicating with my brother like a horny little bunny,” John said.
Maddie narrowed her eyes and glared and John. “I’m going to be the one who beats you up when we’re done here.”
“You’re cute,” John said. “While I might find it hot to have you … smack me around a little … I’m not sure my brother would like that.”
Nick rolled his eyes, nonplussed. “You remember she’s an athlete, right? She’s stronger than she looks, and she’ll fight dirty if she needs to.”
“Are you losing a lot of pillow fights to her?”
“Those aren’t losses,” Nick said. “They’re … draws.”
John grinned. “Sick, sick, sick.”
“Whatever,” Nick said. “Just … I need you to promise me you’re not going to ask any questions.”
“Okay,” Maddie said, nodding. “Can I touch things?”
“You can touch me,” John offered.
“I will hold you down while she beats you,” Nick said.
“I mean … can I touch things in the house?” Maddie asked, ignoring John’s attempt at humor. “I might get a flash of something.”
“Are you going to stop breathing on me?”
“No.”
“Then you can touch things as long as they’re not looking,” Nick said. “In fact … I’m going to try and isolate them in the kitchen. See if you can find Hayley’s room. Touch away. Just don’t let anyone catch you doing it.”
“That’s not going to be admissible in court,” John said.
“We’re not looking for testimony in court,” Nick said. “I just want Maddie to get some insight into the right questions to ask if she can. If you get something, come down and stand in the doorway. Cough. I’ll come to you.”
“I know. You’ll drop everything and come running.”
>
Nick smiled. “Always.” He kissed her lightly.
“I’m seriously going to puke,” John said.
“Everyone put their poker faces on,” Nick said. “Here we go.”
“THANK YOU for seeing us,” Nick said, forcing his face to remain even as he sat in one of the kitchen chairs and watched Jessica and Andrew Walker.
“Do you have information on Hayley’s death?” Andrew asked, sipping from a beer. Since it was barely three, Nick wanted to call the man on his drinking, but he didn’t think it was his place. They still weren’t sure he was guilty, and people grieve in different ways.
“Some things have come to light,” Nick said, choosing his words carefully. “First off, we know where Hayley was staying for the past two weeks.”
“Where?” Jessica asked, immediately shifting her wary eyes toward her husband. She was scared of him. That much was obvious.
“Were you aware she was dating Trevor Gardner?”
“The basketball player?” Andrew asked.
“Yes.”
“I didn’t think she’d be pretty enough to snag a sports stud, but good for her,” Andrew said.
Nick narrowed his eyes. “They dated a few weeks, and then Hayley approached Trevor with a problem she was having.”
“Which was?”
“She said you were beating her,” John said, his voice flat.
Andrew slammed his hands down on the table angrily, causing his wife to flinch and cover her face. “That is a lie!”
“Mr. Walker, you need to calm down,” Nick said. “Trevor saw numerous bruises on Hayley’s arms and ribcage. She told him you gave her those bruises.”
“Well, they weren’t from me,” Andrew said. “I was a good father.”
“Clearly,” John said. “I think a good father always lets his daughter run away for two weeks and doesn’t lift a finger to find her.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” Andrew said. “If you’re here to accuse me of doing something to her … you can just get out of my house right now.”
“That’s certainly your prerogative,” Nick said, calm. “If that’s what you want, then we’ll be taking you into custody and finishing our questioning at the police station. Is that what you want?”
“You don’t have any evidence against me,” Andrew scoffed. “You can’t arrest me.”
“I think you’d be surprised by the evidence we’ve uncovered,” Nick said, choosing his words carefully.
“Are you saying I’m a suspect?”
“I’m saying we need some information from you and you’re going to give it to us.”
Andrew made a face and crossed his arms over his chest. “What do you want to know?”
“How many times did you beat Hayley?”
“I never laid a hand on that girl,” Andrew charged. “Ask my wife. She’ll tell you.”
“Is that true, Mrs. Walker?”
Jessica stared down at her hands, her face unreadable. “My husband is a good man.”
“Even a good man can lose his temper,” John said. “Have you ever seen your husband lose his temper?”
“Of course not.” She was clearly lying … and terrified.
“Is that all?” Andrew asked.
“No,” Nick said. “I need to know when you last borrowed Mrs. Watkins’ boat.”
Andrew seemed surprised by the question, and Jessica’s only response was to clasp her hands together tightly on top of the table. “I haven’t been out on that boat in at least five years. I’m not much of a boater.”
“I see,” Nick said. “What would you say if I told you that someone saw your motherin-law’s boat outside of the Gardner cabin the day Hayley was killed?”
“I would say I don’t know how that matters,” Andrew said. “Is that where Hayley was staying?”
“You’re saying you didn’t know where she was staying?” John pressed.
“I’m saying I had no idea where she was staying,” Andrew shot back. “I thought she was at a girlfriend’s house … or with that freak Jarvis kid she insisted on being friends with. I didn’t even know she was dating the Gardner boy.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Nick said.
“I find it hard to believe you’re a police officer,” Andrew said.
“Here’s what’s going to happen,” Nick said, gritting his teeth to keep from lashing out. “We’re going to confiscate Mrs. Watkins’ boat and have a tech team go over every inch of it. We’ve already gathered evidence from the cabin, where there were obvious signs of a struggle. Between you beating Hayley, and the other evidence, things aren’t looking good for you.”
“I did not beat my daughter!” Andrew hit the table with such force his wife practically ducked underneath it to protect herself. Nick’s heart went out to her. She’d lost her daughter, and now her husband was coming unhinged.
“Mrs. Walker, I think it might be a good idea if you found another place to stay for a few days,” Nick said. “Your husband seems to be having trouble … controlling his emotions.”
“She’s not going anywhere,” Andrew seethed. “Don’t you even think about breaking up my family.”
“I think you’ve done that yourself, sir.”
“Really? How come you’re not taking me into custody then?”
“We’re still collecting evidence,” Nick replied. Movement in the doorway caught his attention, and when he shifted his eyes to Maddie she imperceptibly shook her head. She hadn’t found anything. That was disheartening. “When we complete our investigation, you’ll be the first to know.”
Nick turned back to Jessica. “Are you sure you don’t want us to give you a ride somewhere?”
“I belong with my husband,” Jessica said, her voice weak. “He’s a good man.”
That was a mantra Andrew had apparently drilled into his wife’s head. Nick pushed himself up from the table. “We’ll be in touch.”
“I’m getting a lawyer,” Andrew said.
“I think that’s probably a good idea.”
“THAT could have gone better,” John said when the three of them were back outside and standing by Nick’s Explorer.
“It could’ve gone worse, too,” Nick said.
“I’m not sure how.”
“They didn’t give you anything?” Maddie asked.
“We got a couple of impressive table beatdowns from the husband,” John said. “The wife sat there shaking like a leaf. He’s obviously beating her, too.”
“Did he admit to beating Hayley?”
“He’s a good man,” John and Nick said in unison.
“I … .”
“It’s something his wife kept saying,” Nick said. “She kept repeating it every time we asked her a question.”
“I don’t think it’s safe for her to stay in this house,” Maddie said.
“I don’t think it is either,” Nick said. “We can’t make her leave, though. She says she wants to stay.”
“Can’t you arrest him?”
“Not without more evidence, Mad,” Nick said. “We have to take this one step at a time.”
“What’s the next step?”
“We’re impounding the boat,” Nick said, glancing at John. “You should probably get on that right now.”
John nodded. “Leave it to me. We’ll have it in two hours. They won’t have time to get rid of any evidence.”
“I’m sure they’ve already hosed it down.”
“We might get lucky.” John pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and started walking toward the end of the driveway. “Give me five minutes.”
Nick nodded. Once his brother was gone he fixed his eyes on Maddie. “You didn’t get anything?”
“There’s nothing there,” Maddie said. “I found a bedroom that clearly belonged to Hayley, but it was … empty.”
“What do you mean?”
“There was a bed and a desk … and a few stuffed animals … but everything else was gone. I touched what was there, but no
thing seemed to feel like it belonged to Hayley. It felt more like a spare room than anything else.”
“Do you think they already cleaned the room out?”
“I think that room was never really a home to Hayley,” Maddie said. “I think Hayley had a worse childhood than we thought. I think … she was never loved by that man.”
Nick ran his tongue over his teeth, fighting the urge to hold Maddie while Andrew might be watching from inside of the house. “I don’t know what else to do for Jessica Walker right now. I don’t like leaving her here. I’ve got a bad feeling about it. There’s just nothing I can do.”
Maddie rubbed the tender spot between her eyebrows. “I might be able to do something.”
“What?”
“I know someone who can watch Mrs. Walker without anyone noticing,” Maddie said.
“If you suggest Maude we’re breaking up.”
Maddie made a face.
“I’m lying,” Nick said, forcing a tight smile onto his face. “I’d never break up with you. We still can’t use Maude, and if you even suggest volunteering to do it yourself I’m tying you to the bed until this case is over with.”
“Nice,” Maddie said, annoyed.
“I’ll bring you food and water and do a striptease for you every night.”
“I wasn’t talking about Granny, and I wasn’t talking about me,” Maddie said.
“Who were you talking about?”
“Mom.”
Nick stilled. He’d never even considered that. “Can you do that? Can you ask your mother to watch over the living? I thought she couldn’t control when she popped up.”
“She’s getting stronger,” Maddie said. “I’m not guaranteeing she can do it, and she doesn’t always come when I call, but I can ask her. I do think she’s our best option. If something bad happens, she will be able to warn us. When I tell her what’s going on she’s going to want to help.”
“Okay,” Nick said. “Let’s try it.”
His enthusiasm surprised Maddie. “Really?”
“We have nothing to lose here, Mad,” Nick said. “I have faith in you. You haven’t led me astray once. You’ve been right at every turn.”
“What happens if I’m wrong?”
“Then we’re not out anything,” Nick said. “We don’t have to tell anyone what you’re doing – especially my brother – and we’ll just keep it between the two of us for right now.”
Grave Delight (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 3) Page 16
