Nick rolled to the balls of his feet and stared at the woman. He was convinced that was Maddie for more than ten minutes and as long as he kept seeing the flaxen hair he remained relaxed. Now, though … .
“Son of a … !”
MADDIE made her way around a group of crying girls and sipped her hot chocolate as she scanned the group of students. She hated to admit it, but she was starting to think Dwight was right. She hadn’t seen one display of real emotion since joining the purported mourners. The realization made her sad.
After listening to Allison Wheeler wax poetic about how brave she was – all the while ignoring what happened to Heather and the fact that Sage was still missing – Maddie turned back in the direction she came. She wanted to find Nick. At least his emotions were real, even if he was a bit of a mother hen sometimes.
Maddie pulled up short when a familiar figure stepped in her path.
“Jackson,” she said, hoping her tone didn’t belie her fear. “I see you’re skulking around in the dark again. You might want to give that a rest. It’s weird … and annoying.”
“So is a candlelight vigil without candles,” Jackson shot back.
“Huh.” Maddie scanned the crowd again and frowned. “I didn’t realize there were no candles. You’re right. That is weird.”
“Yeah, it’s stupid, too,” Jackson said. “What are you even doing here? This is an event for students.”
“No, this is an event for people who want to pay their proper respects to Heather,” Maddie corrected. “I happen to be one of those people. What happened to her was tragic.”
“And totally avoidable if you people had arrested Aidan like you were supposed to,” Jackson snapped.
Maddie didn’t like his tone. Before he seemed meek, but tonight he was overflowing with anger. She had trouble reconciling this boy with the pathetic one she talked to a few days before. “What’s your problem?”
“What’s my problem?” Jackson’s voice ratcheted up a notch. “My problem is that I knew Heather and now she’s dead. That’s my freaking problem.”
“Oh.” Maddie’s heart went out to the boy as she realized she was intruding on his grief. It had to be hard on him knowing that the majority of people here were only attending because they wanted attention … and beer. “I’m sorry about Heather. I never got a chance to talk to her or anything, but that’s a horrible way to die.”
“Yeah? How did she die? The police aren’t giving out any information.”
“I … don’t think I should tell you if the police don’t want it out,” Maddie replied. She’d spent enough time around Nick to know that was a strategic move. She wouldn’t ruin Hicks’ plans – if indeed this was part of his plan – so she opted to keep that information to herself. “I really am sorry about your friend, though. Were you close?”
“I don’t know,” Jackson said, his face twisting. “Is anyone close? We had two classes together and I really liked her. She was always nice to me … and that’s not something I can say about very many people on this campus. She’s one of the few. So was Sage.”
“So they were both nice girls?” That was an interesting tidbit, but Maddie wasn’t sure it was important in the grand scheme of things. “What about Allison? Would she be considered a nice girl?”
“Not even close,” Jackson answered. “Why haven’t you guys arrested Aidan? I heard he went to the police station today, but he was bragging that his lawyer got him off. He’s a killer and you guys are just letting him get away with it.”
“We don’t have any evidence,” Maddie said. “If you have something that might help … .”
“I’ve already told you everything I know,” Jackson said. “I’m sure he’s guilty, though. You should see him. He’s walking around with his chest puffed out as if he’s God’s gift to women. Do you know that he’s actually more popular now that he’s been questioned? I heard that some of the girls think it’s hot because he’s a bad boy now.”
“I wish I could say that surprises me, but it doesn’t,” Maddie said. “Girls do stupid things sometimes. I can’t explain or justify it.”
“Yeah, well I’m sick of it,” Jackson said. “I’m sick of guys like Aidan getting away with murder – and in this case it’s actual murder – while the decent people get stepped on.”
Maddie instinctively reached out and patted the boy’s shoulder. “It will get easier. Life won’t always be this hard. I promise.”
“Yeah, well, I hope you’re right,” Jackson said. “Personally, I don’t believe it, though. I think people like Aidan Kelly are going to win at life and I’m always going to lose.”
Maddie opened her mouth to argue with the sentiment, but she didn’t get a chance because Aidan picked that moment to crash their small party.
“Do you know what, wide load? I think you’re right,” Aidan said, his eyes gleaming with malice as he stared Jackson down before turning in her direction. “There’s my new girlfriend. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
“Keep looking,” Maddie suggested, her eyebrows moving into her hairline. “I can promise you’re barking up the wrong tree here.”
“Oh, I’m not so sure,” Aidan said. “I think you like me. There’s no other reason for you to keep hanging around.”
“I’m looking for a killer,” Maddie said. “That’s enough reason for me. Perhaps I am looking for you, though. Our running into each other might be fortuitous.”
Aidan narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits. “You’re going to want to be careful what you accuse me of,” he said. “I’ll sue you for slander.”
“You can try.”
“I’ll take you for everything you’re worth,” Aidan said, reaching out to touch Maddie’s hair. “Or … maybe I’ll just take it out in trade.”
Maddie reacted instinctively, slapping Aidan’s hand away from her face before he had a chance to touch her.
“Oh, don’t be like that, girl,” Aidan said. “You know I’m your dream man.”
“More like nightmare,” Maddie countered. “Either way, I’m done here for the night. If you’ll excuse me.” Maddie moved to slip past the boy but he wouldn’t let her. “If you don’t move, I’m going to hurt you,” Maddie warned.
“Yeah, I would be willing to play that game if that’s your thing.”
Maddie wrinkled her nose in disgust. A hot retort was on the tip of her tongue, but she never got a chance to utter it because Nick grabbed Aidan’s hand before he could reach out to touch Maddie again and he bent the boy’s wrist back, causing him to cry out.
“Don’t even think about touching her,” Nick hissed.
“Let me go,” Aidan whimpered. “That hurts.”
“It’s going to hurt a lot worse if you touch her,” Nick said. “I’ll break it if you even look at her again.”
“Nicky, it’s okay,” Maddie said, resting her hand on his forearm. “We’re done here. Let’s go back to the hotel.”
Nick remained focused on Aidan for another few moments and then reluctantly released him. “I’m not joking with you, kid. Don’t ever touch her again. I’ll hurt you.”
“You’re going to be sorry you messed with me,” Aidan seethed. “I’m going to make you … and her … pay.”
“We’ll see,” Nick said, extending his hand so Maddie could take it. “See how far you can push me, Aidan. You’re not going to like what happens if you do. I promise you that.” Nick’s face was unreadable when he shifted his eyes to Maddie. “Are you ready?”
Maddie nodded.
“Good,” Nick said. “I have a lot of energy I need to burn off and I think you’re the only one who can help me.”
“I’ve had worse offers tonight,” Maddie said, smiling. “Can we order room service?”
“Absolutely.”
16
Sixteen
“Are you okay?”
Nick had been largely quiet since returning to their hotel room. Despite his bravado at the candlelight vigil, he seemed lost in thought wh
ile Maddie ordered room service and got comfortable.
Nick forced a smile as he took Maddie’s hand and pressed it to his cheek, relishing the feeling of her soft skin against his. “I’m fine, love. Why are you asking me that?”
“Because you’ve barely looked at me in an hour and you’re obviously upset about something.”
“Well, perhaps I can’t look at you because your beauty blinds me,” Nick suggested, this time mustering a real smile. “You’re shinier than the sun, Mad. You can’t blame me because my eyes can’t absorb your beauty. I’m only human.”
Maddie made a face that would’ve been comical under different circumstances but was semi-serious now. Nick found it adorable either way. “Nicky, I know something is wrong,” she said. “I thought we were supposed to talk about these things as a couple.”
“I’m sorry, Mad,” Nick said, exhaling heavily. “I’m just … angry at myself.”
“Why?”
“Because I wasn’t paying attention,” Nick replied, not missing a beat. “Someone could’ve taken you without me noticing.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Maddie said, tilting her head to the side as confusion washed over her. “What weren’t you paying attention to?”
“You, Mad,” Nick snapped, instantly contrite when he caused her to jolt. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell.”
“I don’t care about the yelling,” Maddie said. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about, though.”
“I thought I was watching you at the candlelight vigil,” Nick explained. “I thought I had one eye on you the entire time. There was a blond girl there wearing a dark hat – just like you – and as long as I saw the hair I thought you were fine.”
“So?”
“So it wasn’t you,” Nick said, tugging on his limited patience. How isn’t she getting this? “It was some random student and I lost you. Dwight actually made fun of me, saying I thought there was only one blonde in the world. That was an error on my part.”
“Oh, and people say I’m dramatic,” Maddie teased, poking Nick’s cheek even though he refused to smile. “Nicky, I didn’t go anywhere. I didn’t leave the area – just like I promised – and I wasn’t in danger.”
“Aidan could’ve put his hands on you.”
“Well, he didn’t get a chance.”
“But he could’ve done it all the same.” Nick was stubborn. He always had been. Sometimes Maddie found his tendency to dig his heels in cute. Other times she found it frustrating.
“And yet he didn’t, Nick,” Maddie said, hoping she didn’t sound too crabby even though her temper was getting the better of her. “Let’s say he had, though, just for the sake of argument. Let’s pretend he did get his hands on me. What do you think he would’ve done?”
“Hurt you.”
“There were hundreds of students around,” Maddie reminded him. “He’s not an idiot. He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer, don’t get me wrong, but he wouldn’t have been able to truly hurt me in a crowd like that. It’s okay.”
“Maddie, I’m afraid,” Nick admitted, taking her by surprise.
“Of what?”
“I spent years dreaming about you … and praying for you … and even hating you a little because I couldn’t have you,” Nick said. “I have you now, but I still remember what it was like to be without you. I need you in my life. Heck, Maddie, you are my life.”
His heartfelt words and earnestness took Maddie by surprise and her eyes filled with tears. “Oh, Nicky … .”
“Why are you crying?” Nick was frustrated when he tugged her to him. “I hate it when you cry, Mad.” He wrapped his arms around her as she pressed her face in the hollow between his neck and chest. “I didn’t mean to lose you tonight and I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t lose me, Nicky,” Maddie corrected, sniffling. “You’ll never lose me. I promise.”
“Maddie, you need to stop making promises you can’t keep,” Nick said. “You can promise to love me for as long as you live and that’s fair. You can’t promise to stop the outside world from infringing on our happiness, though. You can’t control the world.”
“No,” Maddie agreed. “I can have faith, though, and I will always have faith in you and us.”
“I love you so much it hurts sometimes,” Nick murmured, clutching her as tightly as he could manage. “You’re my whole heart, Mad.”
“Well, we have that in common,” Maddie said. “I promise it’s going to be okay, Nicky. We’re going to find Sage and put Dwight’s family back together. Everything is going to be okay.”
Nick petted the back of her head and growled. “You don’t know that, Maddie.”
“I do, though,” Maddie countered. “I feel it. Sage is still alive. I knew Heather was dead before Hicks told us about discovering her body. I felt this sense of … dread … when I thought about her. I don’t have the same feeling when I try to picture Sage. I know she’s alive.”
“I hope you’re right, Maddie,” Nick said. “I think you need to be right just as much as Dwight needs you to be right.”
“I am right, Nicky. I can’t shake the feeling that we’re getting closer. We’re going to find Sage and Dwight is going to get her back. Have faith in me.”
“Oh, love, I will have faith in you forever.”
“WHERE ARE we?”
Maddie was lost in a dreamscape, although she had no idea if it was a product of her imagination or something else. The fact that her mother was present – and dressed in Sage’s pink sweater – threw her for a loop.
“I think you need to tell me where we are because this is your head,” Olivia said, sitting on the edge of a huge cliff that seemed to disappear into the clouds and happily swinging her legs as if she was a child sitting on an over-sized chair. “This place is neat, by the way. I think your imagination is a beautiful place.”
“It reminds me of something,” Maddie mused, glancing around. “I think I saw something like this in a movie once. This was someone’s version of Heaven.”
“Is it your version of Heaven?”
Maddie shook her head. “My version of Heaven is Nick.”
“Oh, so cute and schmaltzy,” Olivia cooed, pinching Maddie’s cheek and causing her to gasp when she realized it was a true touch instead of a phantom flutter. “Oh, don’t be so surprised, Sunshine. This is your dream. I’m corporeal in your dreams.”
“I still don’t understand what you’re doing here,” Maddie said, sitting next to her mother and staring down. It wasn’t until she got comfortable that she realized the view from this angle was much different from the one while standing. “This is the college.”
“It is,” Olivia confirmed, pointing. “That’s the fraternity house, although I’m not sure what we’re looking at. Do you know?”
“That’s Heather Ketchum,” Maddie explained. “She died the other night. She was wearing that sweater.”
“What sweater?”
“The one you’re wearing.”
“Oh.” Olivia made a face as she stared at the polyester blend cardigan. She never would’ve been caught dead in anything of the sort when she was alive. “Why is this sweater important?”
“I’m trying to figure that out,” Maddie replied. “Heather was wearing it, but it belongs to Sage.”
“Did Heather steal it?”
Maddie shrugged. “I have no idea,” she said. “My guess is she borrowed it without asking. For some reason, Lt. Hicks thinks it’s important, though, and now my subconscious won’t let it go.”
“What else won’t your subconscious let go of?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m in your head, Maddie,” Olivia said. “I know what you’re worried about because we’re sharing the same brain.”
“That is a frightening thought.”
Olivia giggled. “Isn’t that the truth?” Her smile was benevolent, reminding Maddie of her infinite patience when she was a child. As far as mothers go, Ol
ivia Graves was at the top of the maternal heap. “What’s eating at you, Maddie?”
“When I first heard the news that Heather Ketchum went missing, I already knew she was dead for some reason,” Maddie admitted. “I’ve never felt that way about Sage. If they were attacked by the same person, though, shouldn’t Sage have the same fate as Heather Ketchum?”
“I’m not a police officer, so I don’t know.”
“Do you think I’m projecting my wants and needs on this case?”
“I think you’re doing what is necessary to quiet the loud voice in your head,” Olivia countered. “You know what to do, Maddie. Following your intuition is never going to be the wrong choice.”
“What if my intuition leads me to danger? I don’t want to upset Nick.”
Olivia blew out a long-suffering sigh only a mother can muster. “Maddie, Nick loves you no matter what. You can’t conform your life to his. You have to be your own person and let him do the same. The two people you are will still love each other even if you fight … or have a disagreement.”
“I know that,” Maddie said. “Nick is convinced I’m going to find trouble, though. I would like to avoid that if possible.”
“I can’t help you there, Maddie,” Olivia said. “Your intuition is stronger than mine ever was. All I can tell you is to follow your heart. It will never lead you astray.”
“I’m not sure what that means.”
“You’ll figure it out eventually,” Olivia said. “Until then … wake up. It’s morning and Nick wants breakfast. He’s going to have blueberry pancakes and bacon … and the waitress is going to flirt. Have a nice day, Sunshine.”
“I’LL HAVE two eggs over medium, hash browns, and cracked wheat toast.”
Maddie handed her menu to the waitress the next morning and patiently waited for Nick and Dwight to finish ordering before outlining her next plan.
“I’ll have two eggs over easy, corned beef hash, and wheat toast,” Dwight said. “I also need a glass of orange juice.”
“Ooh, can I have tomato juice?” Maddie asked. “It needs to be tomato juice, though. I don’t like V-8.”
“We’ve got it,” the waitress said, flashing a flirty smile as she turned to Nick. “What about you, handsome?”
Grave Seasons (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 8) Page 13
