Grave Insight (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 2) (5 page)

Nick took a chance when he left Maddie’s house, following the route Cassidy would have walked if she wanted to return home. He didn’t see her, and when he pulled into her driveway, the small ranch was dark.

Nick considered his options: He could wait here until she returned, or he could leave and gather his strength to fight another day. He opted to wait. He was sick of playing games.

Cassidy didn’t have a lot of options. She had friends in town, but she was still an outsider. Blackstone Bay was an insulated community. People were friendly to newcomers, but you didn’t really belong unless you were born here.

Where would she go? For all Nick knew, she was already home and hiding in the dark. That was a disheartening thought. Would she really go that far? Nick wanted to end things, and he wanted to end them now.

He was emotionally overwrought, and it wasn’t just because Cassidy was about to get her heart broken. He was tired of putting his own happiness on the backburner. When Maddie had first returned to town, he’d realized immediately he was still in love with her. The mere sight of her heart-shaped face had nearly undid him. They had things to work out, though, and when Maddie finally admitted the big secret to him, he’d been relieved. He could deal with psychic visions and ghosts. He could not deal with losing her. Not again.

At first he’d held off on breaking up with Cassidy because he knew the town harpies would blame Maddie. He was hoping, with a little time, the onus of his decision would shift from her slight shoulders and land where it belonged – on him. The longer he waited, though, the harder things got.

He’d already been disassociating himself from Cassidy when Maddie returned to town. Cassidy may have convinced herself otherwise, but it was the truth. He’d been laying the groundwork for the big goodbye when Maddie’s timid hello had practically knocked him on his ass. At first, he kept Cassidy in play because he didn’t want an open door to Maddie. Now, all he wanted was to close the door and lock himself in a room with Maddie.

He was ready to claim the woman he loved. He just had to crush another woman to do it. It wasn’t lost on Nick that he was treating Cassidy abysmally. He felt shame for it. He also felt anger that she purposely kept trying to wedge herself between him and the one thing in this world he’d always loved without reserve, or question. That anger was quickly turning into resentment. Part of Nick blamed Cassidy because he wasn’t back in Maddie’s room with her right now.

In his head, he knew Cassidy wasn’t to blame for any of this. In his heart, he knew he needed Maddie. That’s all he needed. Everything else would come in time. He needed to tell Maddie how he felt and listen when she told him how she felt. He could be getting ahead of himself, he internally cautioned his excited heart. There was every possibility that Maddie didn’t feel the same way about him.

He didn’t believe that, though. Some things are destiny, and Maddie Graves was Nick’s destiny. He had always believed that, and he still did.

After two hours had passed, Nick fired up the engine of his truck and pulled out of Cassidy’s driveway. As long as he was sitting there, Cassidy wasn’t going to come home. He didn’t know how he knew that. He just did.

Tomorrow was a new day. He would figure out what to do then. Had Nick been paying closer attention when his headlights flashed on the front of Cassidy’s house, he would have noticed a shaking figure as it stood in front of the glass and peered outside. He didn’t, though, and Cassidy had earned another reprieve.

For now.

MADDIE’S
dreams were sweaty that night, just not in the way Nick had insinuated earlier in the evening. After an hour of letting the air conditioner work its magic, and a stern lecture to Maude about butting into other people’s business, Maddie passed out in a puddle of sheer exhaustion.

Being around Nick was draining. Wanting to touch him, and constantly fighting those urges, made her mind as tired as her body. She was ready for Nick to be free, even if it meant they wouldn’t be together.

Nick had been acting differently toward her for weeks. He’d always been attentive, but now it was as if they were in sync. He would reach for her, but she’d already be reaching for him so they’d meet halfway. Once there were no secrets between them, it was as if Nick wanted to eliminate all of the space between them, too.

His presence was enough to steal the oxygen from her lungs.

Even if they couldn’t be together, Maddie wanted the option of exploration. She needed to know if they truly were meant for each other, because she could never move on otherwise.

Maddie expected to slip into a naughty dream about Nick, cool lake water and feverish skin colliding in her subconscious mind. Instead, she got something else. Something terrifying. At first Maddie thought she was the center of the dream. She knew she was in danger, the darkened Blackstone Bay streets closing in on her as she scampered toward safety.

Maddie allowed herself to relax into the vision. She had no idea where safety was, or why she was heading in this direction. Since Maddie had found herself a visitor in the nightmares of others before – an unwilling participant in scenes from their future – it didn’t take her long to adjust to what she was seeing.

This wasn’t her dream. This wasn’t even Tara Warner’s dream. No, this was Tara Warner’s future, and she needed to pay attention.

The night was hot and sweaty, the heat so oppressive Maddie could feel the perspiration trickling down the back of her neck. It was late, and a quick glance at the moon told her the sun had set hours before. Why would Tara be out this late alone?

The echoing sound of footsteps on the pavement behind her caused Maddie to swivel, her eyes searching the street behind her but coming up empty. Someone was there. She couldn’t see who, but she could … feel … someone.

“Who’s there?”

Nothing.

“I know you’re there. Come out so I can see you.” Maddie had never been able to control a vision. That didn’t stop her from trying every time she got the chance. “I just want to see you. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.”

Silence.

“I … .” Maddie broke off. She could hear breathing, and it was much closer than it should be. A hand reached out in the darkness. Maddie could see it in her mind, even though her dream-vision eyes were blind. Maddie jerked away, stumbling and then … .

Maddie bolted upright in her bed, her breath coming out in rapid gasps as her heart hammered.

The morning light was filtering through her shaded windows, and as the dream subsided into memory, Maddie fought to anchor herself to reality. What did she know? The moon. It had been full. When was the next full moon?

She grabbed her cellphone off of her nightstand and pulled up the calendar, paging forward to see that the full moon was still a few days away. Of course, just because the moon looked full in the dream, that didn’t mean it was an actual full moon. The time frame could easily encompass the days leading up to the full moon, and the days after. She just didn’t know.

Maddie tossed the covers off of her and climbed out of bed. When she opened the door to the hallway, a wall of heat hit her. Air conditioning had already spoiled her. She’d forgotten how hot the rest of the house was. “Ugh.”

Instead of heading straight downstairs for breakfast, where she was sure a cantankerous Maude was waiting, Maddie detoured into the bathroom. She needed a lukewarm shower and twenty minutes to think. There had to be hints in the vision. She just needed time to absorb them.

“THE WORLD
is coming to an end!”

Maddie raised an eyebrow in her grandmother’s direction as she walked into the kitchen about a forty-five minutes later. “Zombie apocalypse?”

“What?” Maude wasn’t alone. Her longtime friend, Irma Kingston, was sitting at the table, and the two women had their heads bent together as they studied a sheet of paper.

“You said the world was coming to an end,” Maddie said dryly, considering the coffee pot for a moment before moving over to the refrigerator and snagging a bottle of water. “I was just wondering if the zombie apocalypse was finally here.”

“Your sense of humor rears up at the oddest of times,” Maude said, wrinkling her nose.

“So I’ve been told,” Maddie said. “Irma, it’s nice to see you.”

Irma didn’t bother looking up from the sheet of paper. “I’m glad you came home. It’s about time.”

Sometimes Maddie thought Irma and Maude shared a personality. When they were in the same room, that personality was amplified times ten. “I agree,” Maddie said, pasting a smile on her face. “Do you two want breakfast?”

“We don’t have time to eat,” Maude said. “Didn’t you hear me? The world is coming to an end.”

Maddie rolled her eyes. “Okay. I’m all ears. What’s wrong now?”

“Brace yourself.”

Maddie made a face. “I’m braced.”

“Edna Proctor wants to be a Pink Lady.”

Maddie was confused. She knew who Edna Proctor was. In addition to being Maude’s lifelong nemesis – there was even a rumor about Edna trying to seduce Maddie’s late grandfather – Edna was also Marla Proctor’s grandmother. “Is that a euphemism for something?”

“Of course not,” Maude said, irked. “She wants to be a Pink Lady.”

“I don’t understand what that means,” Maddie admitted.

“It means that she’s applied for membership to our group.”

Maddie searched her memory. “Oh, you mean the Red Hat Society? I thought that was the name of your group.”

“We changed it five years ago,” Maude snapped. “Keep up.”

“I’m sorry.” Maddie held her hands up in mock surrender. “What’s it called now?”

“The Pink Lady Society.”

“Ah. Fun. Why did you change the name?”

“Because we found out that there was another Red Hat Society,” Maude said. “Did you know that?”

Maddie smirked. “I might have heard something about it.”

“Well, we didn’t know,” Maude said. “Do you know what those women do?”

“I think they wear red hats and purple dresses … and drink tea. Is that right?”

“Yeah. Tea.” Maude’s voice was positively dripping with disdain.

Maddie waited.

“Tea!”

“What’s wrong with that? You like tea.”

“I do,” Maude said. “I also like bourbon in it. It seems the proper Red Hat Society ladies frown on putting bourbon in your tea. They threatened to go after us if we didn’t change our name. Have you ever heard anything so ridiculous?”

Maddie swallowed the mad urge to laugh. “I guess not. So, now you’re a Pink Lady? That sounds fun.”

“It was until Edna Proctor petitioned our board for membership.”

“You have a board?”

“Of course we have a board,” Maude said. “We’re a very important group.”

“So, just vote against her,” Maddie suggested.

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that,” Maude said, angry.

“There’s no reason to be sarcastic,” Maddie chided.

“I’m sorry,” Maude replied primly. “You just don’t understand the ramifications if Edna becomes a Pink Lady.”

“Zombie apocalypse?” Maddie was starting to enjoy herself.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Maude asked wearily.

As a matter of fact, she did. “Okay. I’m going. Be good you two. If you get arrested, I won’t be able to bail you out until this afternoon.”

“That’s fine,” Maude said. “It’s Thursday. They have turkey in the jail on Thursdays.”

Maddie didn’t want to know how her grandmother knew that. “Just … be good.”

Tara Warner’s pretty features were welcoming when the bell over the flower shop door jangled. When she saw Maddie standing there, though, her smile started to slip.

“Ms. Graves, what a surprise.”

“Call me Maddie.”

“Maddie.” Tara’s face was conflicted. “I … do you need some flowers?”

Maddie internally chastised herself for not coming up with a suitable lie before entering the store. “Yes. I’m looking for something for my grandmother. I think she’s about to have a bad day.” That wasn’t a total lie. If Maude was to be believed, the world was coming to an end. That constituted a bad day in anyone’s book.

“Maude? What’s wrong now?” Tara visibly relaxed at Maddie’s admission.

“I don’t know. Irma Kingston is over at the house and they claim the world is going to end because Edna Proctor wants to be a Pink Lady.”

Tara snickered. “That sounds just about right. What kind of flowers does Maude like?”

“I don’t really know,” Maddie said. “I just wanted to get her something to make her feel better, and it’s not like there are a lot of shopping options in town. It was either this or a milkshake, and the milkshake would melt before I could get it home.”

“Well, the flowers aren’t doing much better in the heat,” Tara admitted. “How about a nice potted hydrangea? You can put it in the yard and they grow beautifully in the soil up here.”

“That sounds great,” Maddie said. “What colors do you have?”

“We have pretty much everything,” Tara said. “Keep in mind, the color doesn’t always stay the same. It depends on the soil it’s planted in.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” Maddie said. “That’s interesting. Well, give me a blue one for now. It will match Granny’s mood. If it changes color, I’ll tell her it’s like a mood ring.”

Tara giggled. “I just love your grandmother. She’s such a bundle of energy.”

“She is,” Maddie agreed. “Sometimes I wish she’d take a nap, though.”

“She was really sad after Olivia died,” Tara said carefully.

“I know. I should have come home sooner. It took me a few weeks to get everything in order so I could come back. It took longer than I would have liked.”

“Nick Winters spent a lot of time with her.” Tara was watching Maddie, waiting for a reaction.

“That sounds like him,” Maddie said, her face placid.

“People say you two were really close when you were growing up,” Tara said.

“We were.”

“People also say it’s only a matter of time until you’re really close in another way.”

Maddie pressed her lips together, considering. “People say a lot, don’t they?”

“Just for the record, you should know that Cassidy is one of my closest friends,” Tara said.

“Cassidy is a nice woman.”

“She is,” Tara agreed. “She’s been a little worked up about Nick lately.”

“That’s really none of my business,” Maddie said. “Nick’s relationships are his to deal with.”

“Cassidy is convinced that you’re trying to steal Nick from her,” Tara said. “Is that the truth?”

Maddie furrowed her brow. “I don’t want to get into this conversation. Rest assured, the last thing I want is for anyone to get hurt – especially Cassidy.”

“I thought she was overreacting,” Tara said. “The problem is, Nick is known for having a certain reputation in this town. Cassidy knew it when she started dating him. She knew he had a particular … schedule … he adhered to. She thought she would be the one to outlive the schedule.”

“Like I said, this is Nick’s … .”

Tara held up her hand to still Maddie. “Cassidy and I bonded because we were both outsiders,” Tara said. “I had ties to the town. Cassidy didn’t. I knew how insular everyone was here, but I always loved the town. Even when I visited as a teenager, you and Nick were something of an enigma.”

“People didn’t understand why we were so close,” Maddie said. “Nick was cool, and I wasn’t. That confused people.”

“I think people understood why you and Nick were so close,” Tara said, wrinkling her nose. “What they didn’t understand is why neither one of you acted on it.”

Maddie shifted uncomfortably. “I’m not sure why you’re telling me this now,” she said. “You were in my shop two days ago and you never brought any of this up.”

“That’s because Cassidy didn’t call me sobbing two days ago,” Tara said.

“Did she go to your house last night? She left and we couldn’t find her.”

“She didn’t come to my house,” Tara said. “We just talked on the phone for a few hours. She says that Nick is confused and that he’s going to make the biggest mistake of his life and throw her away so he can have you.”

Maddie didn’t reply.

“The thing is, I think Nick was going to throw Cassidy away before you even returned,” Tara said, her expression serious. “Your return confused him, and even messed him up a little bit, so he let things ride. Now he’s ready to get back on track, and Cassidy can’t see the reality of the situation.”

“And what reality is that?” Maddie asked.

“Nick was just waiting for you to come back,” Tara said. “He never let himself get close to anyone because they weren’t you. I’m not involved in the situation like Cassidy is, so I can see it for what it is.”

“I don’t want Cassidy to get hurt,” Maddie said. “I really don’t.”

“I believe you,” Tara said. “I just need you to know that, when this all goes down, I don’t hate you. I do have to be Cassidy’s friend, though. I have to take her side.”

“I understand that.”

“Good,” Tara said, exhaling heavily. “I’m glad we got this chance to talk. For a second, when I saw you at the door, I thought you were here to give me some bad news about my reading the other day.”

Maddie forced herself to remain calm. “What do you mean?”

“You just seemed to lose yourself a little during the reading,” Tara said, shrugging as she punched a few numbers into the cash register. “I know it’s silly, but I thought you might have seen something bad and then decided not to tell me.”

Maddie’s smile was watery. “I wouldn’t be a very good psychic if I kept something like that from you, would I?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Tara said, pushing the potted hydrangea across the counter. “I would think a good psychic is also someone who doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Oh, well, it doesn’t matter now. Tell Maude I hope she beats Edna into the dirt.”

Maddie grinned. “Oh, trust me, that’s exactly what she has planned.”

“WHAT
is that?” Maude eyed the hydrangea like it had eight legs and pinchers.

“It’s a plant to make you feel better,” Maddie replied, scanning the kitchen. “Is Irma still here?”

“She had to do some reconnaissance. What am I supposed to do with this plant? And why do you think I feel bad?”

“Actually, I just needed a reason to go into the flower shop,” Maddie admitted. “I wanted to talk to Tara Warner. Buying a plant for you was my excuse. What kind of reconnaissance?”

Maude ignored the question. “Oh, good. I was hoping you hadn’t lost your mind and thought a plant would really cheer me up. Can I kill it?”

“No. I’m going to plant it in the yard,” Maddie said. “Don’t you dare kill it.”

“So, did you get any information out of Tara?”

“No,” Maddie said. “I had a dream about her last night, though.”

“A dream, or a vision?”

“Vision.”

“And?”

“And at some point in the next few days, when the moon is full, she’s going to be walking downtown and someone is going to be following her,” Maddie said.

“Following her, or killing her?”

“I woke up when he grabbed her in the dream,” Maddie said. “I can’t be sure what happens after.”

“When you get these visions, do they always come true?”

“Unless I do something to stop them.”

“How many of them have you been able to stop?”

“A few,” Maddie said. “Not nearly enough.”

Maude patted Maddie’s arm. “You can only do what you can do, Maddie. Have you mentioned this to Nick?”

“I told him at the lake the other night,” Maddie replied. “He said he was going to try to talk to Tara, but that was before the whole Cassidy snafu. Did you know Cassidy and Tara were friends, by the way?”

Maude knit her eyebrows together. “Now that you mention it, I guess I did. You know how outsiders congregate together. Why? What happened?”

“It wasn’t anything bad,” Maddie said. “She just wanted me to know that she’s going to take Cassidy’s side when Nick breaks up with her.”

“Did Cassidy tell her Nick was going to break up with her?”

Maddie shrugged. “Tara said Cassidy called her in tears last night. It didn’t sound like Nick found her so he could break up with her, more that Cassidy suspected he was going to break up with her.”

“I can’t believe Nick hasn’t dumped her yet,” Maude grumbled. “It would be just like him to drag this out forever because he doesn’t want to be the bad guy.”

Maddie’s heart jolted. “Are you saying you think Nick isn’t going to break up with her?”

“No,” Maude said. “I’m saying I think Nick is the bravest emotional coward I’ve ever met. He’s going to break up with her. Of course, she’s going to keep hiding. It could take weeks at this rate.”

Maddie frowned. “You’re a ray of sunshine, Granny.”

“I’m sorry,” Maude said.

“It’s fine.” The bell over the front door of the store jangled, and Maddie moved from the kitchen to the front of the house. She was surprised to find Catherine Brooks, one of Maude’s cohorts, waiting for them. “Ms. Brooks.”

Maude pushed past Maddie and stormed into the store. “Did you hear?”

“I heard,” Catherine said.

“What are we going to do about it?”

“We’re going to figure it out.” Maddie had always liked Catherine. The woman was as calm as Maude was feisty. At least there was one member of Maude’s little group of boozehounds with a clear head on her shoulders to make sure no one did anything illegal.

“Do you two mind making your plans in the kitchen?” Maddie asked. “You’re going to scare off my customers.”

Maude stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry in Maddie’s direction. “Come on, Catherine.”

“Actually, I’m here to talk to Maddie,” Catherine said.

“You are?” Maddie was surprised.

“I am,” Catherine said. “In addition to being president of the Pink Lady Society, I am also the head of the Solstice Celebration Carnival Committee.”

Maddie wasn’t sure what to say. “Congratulations?” Blackstone Bay was a town of festivals. They had at least seven every summer, and another two in the fall. Oh, and there was the Winter Wonderland Festival around Christmas, too. When she was younger, Maddie had enjoyed each and every one. She’d actually forgotten the Solstice Celebration was almost upon them.

“I was hoping you would set up a booth at the fair this weekend,” Catherine said.

“What kind of booth?”

“A psychic booth.”

Maddie balked. “What? No. That’s a horrible idea.”

“Why?” Catherine asked, nonplussed. “Your mother used to do it.”

“She did?”

“She did.”

Maddie looked to Maude for confirmation. “Really?”

Maude nodded.

“But … a psychic booth? What would that entail?”

Catherine chuckled. “Nothing sinister. You just do tarot card readings for people. It’s all fun and games. Olivia used to turn a nice profit.”

“I don’t know,” Maddie said, stalling.

“Oh, come on, Maddie,” Maude prodded. “It will do you some good. You can’t hide in this house forever. Live a little.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Maddie shot back. “Everyone won’t be looking at you.”

“They won’t be looking at you for anything but a good time,” Catherine said, patting Maddie’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine. You’re always such a worrywart. You should set up your booth tomorrow and have it ready by seven.”

“But … .”

Catherine started moving toward the door. “Oh, and Olivia used to dress up.”

“What?” Maddie was panicked.

“Don’t worry,” Maude said. “I’ve got a Wonder Woman costume you can borrow. You’ll just have to shave your legs – and your bikini region – to make sure you don’t scare people away.”

“I am not dressing up like Wonder Woman!”