“He’s brutal,” Jackson repeated. “He’s cruel just to be cruel. He gets off on hurting people.”
“How?”
“I’ve never seen it with girls, if that’s what you’re asking,” Jackson replied. “I’ve only seen it with pledges.”
The only thing Maddie knew about fraternity hierarchy was what she saw on television. She had a feeling that wasn’t based in reality. “Are you a pledge?”
“Unfortunately.”
“I’m not sure I understand,” Maddie admitted. “Don’t you rush fraternities out of choice? You don’t seem to like it, so why do it?”
Jackson made an incredulous face and for a moment Maddie was convinced she said something stupid. “I don’t have a choice,” he said. “My father was president of this fraternity when he was a student here. I’m a legacy.”
“So you have to rush by law?”
“No. I have to rush if I expect him to pay for my schooling, though.”
“Oh.” Maddie’s heart went out to him, the distressed look on his face causing her heart to roll. She knew how it felt to be ostracized in a world that didn’t quite seem to fit your expectations and desires. “So you have to rush and Aidan is mean to all of the pledges. How much longer do you have to put up with it?”
“Just another month … and I can’t wait until it’s over with,” Jackson said. “This is Aidan’s senior year and he’s the pledge master. He’ll only be here one semester after this. I’m hoping things are better when he’s gone next year.”
“You said he was brutal,” Maddie prodded. “Does he … hurt you?”
“Kind of.”
“Can you tell me how?”
Jackson sighed. “I don’t know what you want to hear,” he said. “Most of the stuff he makes us do is juvenile … like eating hot peppers until we cry, or drinking beer until we pass out.”
“That’s hazing,” Maddie said, anger bubbling up. “That’s against the law. You should report him.”
“Only babies tattle on other people,” Jackson said. “If I file a complaint I will have to sign my name. It will be on record and the school will launch an investigation. How do you think my father will react when he finds out I got the fraternity closed?”
“I … didn’t think about that,” Maddie said, brushing her mittens against her bottom lip as she regarded Jackson. She felt inexplicably sad for him. “You said Aidan wasn’t brutal with girls, but I can tell you’re worried he did something to Sage. Why is that?”
“Listen, if he did something to Sage, I’m guessing it wasn’t planned out,” Jackson said. “It was probably one of those heat of the moment things. He’s the type to do things and then panic afterward.”
“Do you think he killed her?” Maddie hated asking the question, but she desperately wanted to hear Jackson’s take on the situation.
Jackson shrugged. “If he didn’t, where is she?”
That was a very good question. Maddie opened her mouth to press the boy further, but flashing lights caught her attention back on the street and when she swiveled she caught sight of a police cruiser rolling to a stop in front of the fraternity house. “I wonder what that’s about.”
Jackson didn’t immediately answer, and when Maddie turned to him she found the space where he previously stood empty. She scanned the street but there was no sign of him. He’d disappeared right under her nose.
Maddie blew out a frustrated sigh and turned back toward Nick’s Explorer. She had more information, but no idea what to do with it. She was lost in thought and almost back to the vehicle when a hand snaked out from around the corner of the fence and grabbed her, whipping her around. “Oh!”
“What do you think you’re doing?” Nick was furious as he locked gazes with his girlfriend. “Why are you wandering around?”
“I saw the boy again,” Maddie replied, gasping as she tried to get her heartbeat in check. “I talked to him under that tree over there.”
“I told you to stay in the truck.”
“And I told you I’m an adult and can do what I want,” Maddie said, jerking her arm away from Nick and scowling. “You scared me.”
“I’m sorry, Mad,” Nick said, holding up his hands. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just … do you have any idea how panicked I was when I got back to the Explorer and you weren’t there?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do it. When I saw him, though … . I got a name this time, if that’s any help.”
“That’s some help,” Nick conceded, opening his arms and pulling Maddie to him. “Don’t do that again, love. I can’t stand the thought of losing you.”
Despite the serious situation, Maddie couldn’t help but snort. “Losing me? I was a couple hundred feet away.”
“And yet when I couldn’t find you it felt like more,” Nick said, his eyes somber. “I went back to the Explorer to tell you what was going on. When I saw the empty back seat … . I’m sorry I frightened you. I never want to do that.”
“It’s okay,” Maddie said, patting his arm. “I should’ve texted you. That was my first instinct, but I didn’t want you to yell. I thought I would beat you back. I have a little more information.”
“And I’m dying to hear it,” Nick said. “We have another situation to deal with first, though.”
Maddie shifted her eyes to the police car. “Yeah. I saw that someone called the cops. Why are they here?”
“Because Dwight called them,” Nick replied. “We have a situation and I need to get back to talk to the responding officers. You need to come with me and stay close. No wandering this time.”
Maddie kicked her heels together and mock saluted. “Yes, sir.”
“Oh, you’re cute, but we’re still going to have a serious talk later,” Nick said, grabbing her hand. “You stick close to me and we’ll share information once this is over with. Do you understand?”
Maddie nodded. “Did you find Sage? Is that why you called the cops?”
“I wish,” Nick muttered. “We called the cops for an entirely different reason. Come on.”
10
Ten
Maddie was curious and wanted to question Nick further but kept her mouth shut as he led her to the fraternity house’s side yard. Two uniformed police officers were there, along with Dwight and several students. Whatever was going on looked intense.
“We’re not doing anything,” Aidan whined, pasting a bewildered expression on his face. “It’s a simple party. I have no idea why you’re here, but I’m guessing it has something to do with … these people. You should know, they’re on some kind of a witch hunt and out to get us.” The dark look Aidan shot Maddie was merciless.
“Who called in the complaint?” One of the officers, a blond man with weary eyes, expectantly scanned the assembled crowd.
Dwight raised his hand. “That would be me.”
“And you are?”
“Dwight Kincaid. I’m a detective with the Detroit Police Department.”
The officer stilled, surprised. “You’re a long way out of your jurisdiction, detective.”
“I’m looking for my daughter,” Dwight replied. “She was last seen at this fraternity house. She’s been missing for a few days and we were watching the house hoping to see some movement that might lead us to a clue or her location. We found something else.”
“Okay.” The officer looked conflicted as he narrowed his eyes in Aidan’s direction. “What did you see?”
“I saw my daughter’s roommates heading in this direction so my friend and I decided to see what they were up to,” Dwight replied, gesturing toward Nick. “We kind of kept to the outskirts. I wasn’t here to ruin anyone’s fun. I was just hoping someone would mention Sage.”
“I get that,” the officer said. “I don’t blame you for trying to find your daughter.”
“Even though he was trespassing?” Aidan challenged.
“It’s not trespassing if you’re throwing an open party,” the officer shot back. “I’d shut my mouth if I were you. Un
less you want me carding every kid at this party, sit there and be quiet.”
Aidan’s mouth worked but no sound came out. He obviously wasn’t used to people talking down to him, but he was smart enough not to push the police when he had something to lose.
“What happened then?” the officer asked, returning his attention to Dwight.
“We watched for a few minutes and nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening,” Dwight replied. “The kids were just talking and laughing like kids that age do. We were just about to give up and go back to our vehicle when we noticed one of the boys slip something into a drink and hand it to one of the girls.
“Now, I know it wasn’t my place, but it was obvious he put something in the drink,” he continued. “I don’t know if it was more alcohol or something nefarious, but I figured it was better to be safe than sorry. That’s when we made our presence known and took the cup away. The girls freaked out – I think because they’re under twenty-one and they recognized me – and took off back toward the dorms.”
“Is that the drink?” the police officer inclined his chin in the direction of the red plastic cup Dwight held.
Dwight nodded. “I figured your technicians might want to test it.”
“Absolutely,” the officer said, taking the cup from Dwight and shifting his eyes to Aidan. “Are you guys doing something you shouldn’t be doing here, other than the obvious, I mean?”
Aidan scorched the police officer with a dark look. “Of course not. We’re innocent. These people have been making problems for two days. They don’t like me, and I’m fine with that. I’m innocent, though, and I’m sick of their crap.”
“Well, we’ll test the contents of the cup and go from there,” the officer said. “Until then, the party is over. I want everyone to go home.”
The collective groan from the group was enough to make Maddie smirk. Aidan didn’t miss her expression and he appeared furious when she moved closer to Nick. Nick glanced at her first and then followed her gaze to Aidan. He arched a challenging eyebrow when the boy didn’t look away and finally Aidan broke the stare-off first.
“I’m not sure you can take that cup without a warrant,” Aidan said. “Do you have a warrant?”
“I don’t need a warrant because this is a public gathering.”
“It’s private property.”
“Not when you invite everyone on campus to a kegger,” the officer shot back. “You need to clear off this property. You have five minutes or we’re going to start checking licenses.”
Aidan scowled. “Fine. I hope you know you ruined a good party, though.”
“I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.” The officer gestured for Dwight and Nick to follow him to the street. He clearly wanted distance between the fraternity brothers and the investigating officers. When he was sure they were out of earshot he addressed the small group again. “Do you think they’re drugging girls?”
“I honestly don’t know,” Dwight replied. “I’m just looking for leads on my daughter.”
“Did you file a missing person’s report?”
Dwight nodded. “If you’re going to tell me to go home and let you handle this, I can’t do that. She’s my child. One way or the other … I have to know what happened to her.”
“I’m not going to tell you anything of the sort,” the officer replied. “I’m Lt. Bob Hicks, by the way. I’ll give you a card before I go in case you come up with any other information. You should know that we get complaints about this fraternity all of the time. I’m wouldn’t be surprised if they were drugging girls.”
Maddie was affronted. “So why not shut them down?”
“Because we need proof,” Hicks replied, shifting his eyes to Maddie. “Who are you?”
“She’s my girlfriend,” Nick answered. “I’m a police officer in Blackstone Bay, by the way. I’m on vacation this week but came over with Dwight to offer a hand.”
“I don’t have a problem with that,” Hicks said. “The problem you’re faced with now is that the campus will be a dead zone tomorrow. The kids will go home for the holidays.”
“Will they be gone all weekend?”
Hicks shrugged. “Some. Others, like the members of this fraternity, will be back Friday. I expect they’ll have another party to kick off the weekend.”
“If you think they’re up to bad things, why don’t you close them down?” Maddie pressed. “One of the other kids told me they’re hazing the pledges.”
“I know that probably seems terrible to you, but it happens at every single fraternity and sorority house on this campus,” Hicks said. “They all lie and deny it even though we know it’s happening. We can’t do anything without proof.”
“We understand that,” Nick said, slipping his arm around Maddie’s waist. “She’s just … passionate.”
“That’s not a bad thing,” Hicks said. “What’s your next move?”
“I guess I’ll hole up in my hotel room tomorrow and wait until Friday,” Dwight replied. “I’m not leaving this place without knowing what happened to my daughter.”
Maddie balked. “You’re not staying here tomorrow.”
“I can’t go home, Maddie,” Dwight said. “I promised my wife I would find Sage.” He swallowed hard. “Or her body so we could put her to rest.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Maddie said. “You’re coming back to Blackstone Bay with us tomorrow. We’ll get up early and go back to the house. You can spend the night in a guest bedroom and then we’ll head back here together on Friday.”
“I’m not doing that,” Dwight protested. “You have Thanksgiving dinner planned. That’s for family.”
“And you’re my family,” Maddie said, not missing a beat. “Don’t even think of arguing with me. You’ll lose and I’ll be mean if you try.”
Nick snickered as he met Dwight’s questioning gaze. “She’s right,” he said. “Don’t worry about feeling out of place. It’s mostly just going to be my family, Maddie’s grandmother, and a mutual friend. You’re welcome and wanted.”
Dwight glanced at Hicks. “When do you expect to get the results on the contents of that cup?”
“Not until Friday,” Hicks answered. “I know it seems impossible, but go with your friends. Enjoy the day and then come back on Friday with a clear head. There’s absolutely nothing you can do here tomorrow. Even the diehards won’t be on campus.”
Dwight forced a smile for Maddie’s benefit. “I guess I have no choice.”
“Nope,” Maddie agreed. “You have absolutely no choice.”
“MAD, I’M glad you invited Dwight and I’m thrilled he won’t be alone tomorrow, but we have to fight before we go to bed,” Nick said an hour later, appearing in the doorway between the bathroom and bedroom in their small hotel room.
Maddie, already dressed down in her cotton sleep shorts and T-shirt, shook her head. “No.”
“No?”
“No.”
Nick sighed. “You shouldn’t have wandered away from the truck.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have left me alone in the truck if you didn’t want me to wander away,” Maddie countered. “It’s really your fault.”
“How do you figure that?”
“My feelings were hurt and I was terribly lonely.”
“You’re so full of crap,” Nick said, although he couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. “You know exactly how to play me, don’t you?” He shuffled closer to the bed and grabbed Maddie around the waist, tipping her back as she giggled and he climbed onto the bed next to her. They shared a sweet kiss before Nick sobered. “I’m not going to yell, but I need you to think before you do things like that. Please?”
Maddie pressed her lips together and nodded.
“Promise me,” Nick prodded.
“I promise,” Maddie said, rubbing her thumb over Nick’s cheek. “You know I didn’t do it on purpose, right? When I saw him I just had to talk to him.”
“I know, Mad.” Nick turned his mouth to
the side so he could kiss Maddie’s palm. “Tell me what he said.”
Maddie recited her conversation with Jackson, and when she was done she turned her expectant eyes on her boyfriend. “What do you think?”
“I think Aidan is a jerk and it sounds as if he needs to be taken down a peg or two.”
“That’s it?” Maddie was disappointed. “What do you think about what Jackson said about Aidan possibly losing his temper by accident?”
“I think that’s conjecture from a kid who is being systematically tortured by a guy with limited ambition and no soul,” Nick replied. “I know you want Aidan to be guilty – while at the same time discovering a way for Sage to be alive – but I’m not sure you can have both.”
“Oh, I’m going to have both,” Maddie said. “Just you wait.”
Nick sighed. She was so cute he had trouble arguing with her. “I love you, Mad. Please don’t get your hopes up on this, though. You could end up crushed if you’re not careful.”
“I promise not to get my hopes up too much if you promise not to be a downer.”
Nick smiled. “Deal.” He pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. “Now get under the covers. We have to be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow so you can get home in time to cook your huge meal. I’m really looking forward to watching you melt down while doing that, by the way. I think it’s going to be a fun afternoon.”
“I don’t know why I put up with you,” Maddie grumbled, rolling under the covers as Nick held them up long enough for her to get comfortable. “You’re a lot of work.”
“Yes, but I’m worth it, love,” Nick said, hitting the light switch next to the bed before kissing her cheek. “You’re worth it, too.”
MADDIE WAS lost in a dream. She knew that instinctively when she opened her eyes and cast a glance at the foggy landscape. She didn’t recognize her location, but she did recognize the girl standing next to her.
“Sage?”
The girl didn’t turn, her long hair blowing in the breeze as she stared at the trees. Maddie was confused. She looked okay, a pink cardigan wrapped around her frail body as she cuddled herself to keep warm. There was something off about the girl’s demeanor, though.
“Sage, can you hear me?” Maddie reached out to touch the girl, but it obviously wasn’t an interactive dream. “We’re going to find you. If you can hear me, I promise we won’t stop looking.”
Grave Seasons (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 8) Page 8
