Grave Delight (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 3) (17 page)

He quietly repeated the words over and over again until she drifted off. Then, even when he was sure sleep claimed her, he repeated them a few more times. He would always be there, and he wanted both of them – and anyone who tried to invade her dreams – to know it.

“What are you doing today?” Nick asked the next morning over breakfast, pushing Maddie’s still damp hair away from her face and studying her quietly. “You’re pale. I need you to try and eat two lunches today. You need some fuel.”

“I’m fine,” Maddie said, rubbing her hand over his wrist. “You don’t need to hover, and you don’t need to worry all day. I promise. I’m fine.”

“I need to ask about what happened last night,” Nick said, serious. “How sure are you that what Hayley told you is right?”

“Very.”

“Okay. I’m going to talk to John and we’re going to start pulling boat registrations. I’m going to flag everything that’s smaller than thirty feet. If I show you photos, do you think you can recognize the boat?”

“I have no idea,” Maddie said. “Honestly … I don’t know. It was just a boat.”

“It can’t hurt to try,” Nick said, lowering his hand and reaching for his mug of coffee. “Are you going to stay here today?”

“No.”

Nick internally cringed. That was the answer he was expecting but not the one he wanted to hear. “Where are you going to go?”

“To find Michael Jarvis.”

Nick stilled. “Why?”

“Hayley made me promise to deliver a message to him.”

“What message?”

“I don’t want to tell you,” Maddie said. “I can tell just by looking at you that you’re going to come up with a reason for me not to go, and I really need to go.”

Nick exhaled heavily, racking his brain for a reason to talk Maddie out of her planned course of action. He couldn’t come up with a single argument except his love. “Please tell me.”

“They were fighting when she died,” Maddie said, holding back tears. “She wanted him to know he was wrong about Trevor, but he was right about her. She wanted him to know that even though he couldn’t love her like she wanted that he was the one who loved her best.”

“Oh, jeez.” Nick ran his hand through his hair, suddenly fighting his own tears. “You’re identifying with this because it’s a boy and girl being best friends, aren’t you?”

“Why are you almost crying?”

“Because you are,” Nick said, rubbing the heel of his hand against his cheek.

“That’s not why,” Maddie protested.

“Come here.” Nick tugged Maddie into his arms and buried his face in her hair. “Fine. Go find Michael Jarvis. Don’t go anywhere alone with him, though, and if you could find him in a public place that would be great.”

“Michael isn’t guilty.”

“I’m sure he’s not,” Nick said. “I love you best, though. I need you safe.”

“You do love me best.”

“I always will, Maddie. I always will.”

MADDIE
kept Nick’s worry – and almost tears – at the forefront of her mind as she walked down the pier. After stopping at Michael’s house and being informed by his mother that he wasn’t home, she’d taken a chance and headed toward the pier. Mildred said he worked at the food truck – and that was one of his favorite spots to hang out with Hayley at – so he was probably there. What better place to remember her?

“You’re back.”

Maddie jumped when she heard David Crowder’s voice behind her. When she shifted, she couldn’t keep the small smile off of her face. He was wearing the same hat, and his expression was virtually the same as it had been the other night. “I am.”

“Are you looking for more witnesses?”

“I’m looking for … a best friend.”

“Isn’t that who tracked you down here the other night?” David asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“He’s
my
best friend,” Maddie said. “I’m looking for someone else’s best friend.”

David pointed to the food truck behind Maddie. “He’s the boy in the window,” he said. “I’ve been watching him all day. He’s in his own little world – and it’s a sad world.”

“He lost half of his heart.”

“I think he lost more than that,” David said. “Can I ask why you want to talk to him? If you think he’s guilty, I can tell you that I’m pretty sure he isn’t. He doesn’t have it in him. You can just tell that about some people.”

“I know he’s not guilty,” Maddie said. “I just have a message for him.”

“From who?”

“The rest of his heart.”

“I’m not sure what that means.”

“I’m not sure you have to,” Maddie said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Maddie was nervous as she approached the truck, her gaze bouncing here and there as she tried to figure out the best way to approach Michael. Up close the boy was … despondent. His skin was sallow and his eyes were red from hours of crying. He was stoic now, but Maddie could feel his heart silently breaking from five feet away.

“Can I help you?” Michael asked, his face blank.

“I … um … well … I’m here to help you.”

“Help me?”

“I’m … do you know who I am?”

“You’re the psychic,” Michael said. “You’re Maddie Graves.”

“Oh, good. You
do
know me.”

“Everyone knows you,” Michael said. “You’re smoking hot, and when you run behind your house you wear really tiny shorts.”

Maddie’s face reddened. “I see.”

“We all sit up on the ridge by the lake and share binoculars so we can watch you.”

“I thought you were … .”

“Gay?”

Shame flooded Maddie. “I’m sorry. That was a horrible thing to say.”

“I am gay,” Michael said. “My brother isn’t, though, and he’s a big fan of yours.”

“That’s possibly flattering,” Maddie said. “I guess I’m going to have to start wearing longer shorts.”

“Oh, don’t do that,” Michael said. “You’ll crush the entire track team.”

“I’ll consider it,” Maddie said. “That’s not why I’m here, though.”

“Are you here because you’re psychic?”

Maddie tilted her head to the side, considering. “Yes.” She was done feeling shame for what she was. She was bound and determined not to let it shape who she was.

Michael’s face brightened. “Have you talked to Hayley?”

“In a way,” Maddie said. “She’s crossed over, but she wanted me to give you a message.”

“What message?”

Maddie repeated Hayley’s beautiful words, fighting hard to hold back tears. She didn’t want to spook the boy or wound him deeper than he already was. When she was done, she couldn’t help but notice that he was weeping openly – and he didn’t appear to care who saw him wiping the tears away.

“She really said that?”

“She said you were the best friend she ever had.”

“She’s the best friend I’ll ever have,” Michael said. “What am I supposed to do without her?”

Maddie pursed her lips, an idea forming. “I know someone else who is hurting. He tried to protect Hayley the best way he knew how and failed. He could use a friend.”

“You’re talking about Trevor, aren’t you?”

“He’s upset, too.”

“He loved her for two weeks,” Michael said. “I loved her my whole life.”

“There are no time limits on love,” Maddie said. “You two can help each other. You can remember her together. You can love her as friends and still let her go. That’s what she wants. She wants you two to be happy.”

“What if I can never be happy without her?”

“Things will never be the same without her,” Maddie said. “She’ll always be with you, though.”

“How do you know that?”

“I know a little something about having a lifelong best friend.”

“THAT
was a sweet thing you did for the boy.”

Maddie twirled her straw in her soda and shot David a rueful smile. “How do you know what I did?”

“I was eavesdropping.”

“That’s illegal.”

“It’s not illegal,” David scoffed. “It’s rude, but it’s not illegal.”

“What did you hear?”

“I heard you admit to being psychic and then I listened as you gave that boy the one thing he desperately needed.”

“Closure?”

“Forgiveness.”

Maddie shifted, lifting her eyes so she could study David. “What do you mean?”

“The hardest thing in this world is being the one left behind when someone dies,” David said. “What makes it worse is knowing that you said something mean to the person you love right before the unthinkable happened. You can never take that back.”

“Is that what happened with your wife?”

“Yes.”

“Is that why you’re always out here fishing?”

“I’m out here fishing because I don’t know what else to do,” David said. “We planned for my retirement for thirty years. We got thirty days of it before she died. I promised to catch fish and bring them home a few times during those thirty days, but I always got distracted by the guys at the bar ... or on the golf course … or hunting.”

“Do you think you owe her fish?”

“I think I owe her … everything,” David said. “She was the love of my life, and I took it for granted.”

“I’m sure she knew you were sorry,” Maddie said. “Life doesn’t always end with death. Sometimes there’s … more. Sometimes there’s a lot more.”

“I know,” David said. “I’m looking forward to us sharing
more
together later. For now, though, I like to fish. It gives me a chance to think about her. She loved this lake.”

“I’ll bet you were a good husband.”

“She was a better wife,” David said. “Don’t make the same mistake I did. Make sure that boy knows how much you love him every day of your life.”

“I tell him every chance I get.”

“Does he tell you, too?”

“Every chance he gets.”

“Good,” David said. “I think you two are going to have a happy life.”

“I certainly hope so,” Maddie said, smiling. “We started picking out paint for our bedroom last night.”

“You’re getting married?” David brightened. “That’s a blessing.”

“Not yet,” Maddie said. “We’ve only been dating for two weeks.”

“And you’re already moving in together?” David was trying to refrain from frowning.

“We’ve loved each other as long as we’ve known each other,” Maddie said. “We were Michael and Hayley when we were kids. We were the very best of friends.”

“He’s not … you know … is he?”

Maddie made a face. “No. That doesn’t matter, though. Just because Michael is gay that doesn’t mean he loved Hayley any less than she deserved.”

“I didn’t say it did,” David said. “I just don’t want anyone as pretty as you wasted on a man who can’t love you with his whole heart … and body. That would be a downright shame.”

Maddie’s cheeks colored. “That’s … sweet.”

“I try,” David said. “Why else are you down here?”

“What makes you think I’m down here for any other reason than Michael?”

“You’ve got a look about you,” David said. “Your mind is always busy. My wife had that look. You remind me of her … except you’re tall, blonde, and about sixty pounds lighter. What else is going on?”

“Actually, I do need some more information,” Maddie said. “I’m looking for a boat.”

“What kind of boat?”

Maddie shrugged. “I’m not good with identifying them. I just know that the one I’m looking for is probably about twenty-five feet long. It’s white and it has black markings.”

David waited. When Maddie didn’t continue he sent her an incredulous look. “You just described every boat on the lake.”

Maddie scowled. “That’s what I figured. She kept telling me to look at the boat. Look at me. Look at the boat. What do you think she meant by that?”

“Who?”

“Hayley.”

“You’re talking to Hayley? Isn’t she dead?”

“Yes.”

“She still talks to you?”

“Just the one time.”

“And she told you to look at the boat?”

Maddie nodded. “Do you think that means anything?”

“It clearly means something to you,” David said. He rubbed his hand across his chin thoughtfully. “You know, there is a boat out here with an odd name.”

“Don’t they all have odd names?”

“Most men name their boats after a woman,” David said. “It could be a nice name, and it could be a nasty name. It all depends on how the big relationship in their life treated them. I once saw a boat named
True Love
.”

“That’s sweet.”

“I also once saw a boat named
Bitter Shrew
.”

Maddie snickered. “Nice. I didn’t know that thing about naming your boat after a woman, though.”

“It’s just one of those little traditions that stuck,” David said. “There is one exception on this lake. I don’t know who owns it, but I do remember seeing the name and thinking only a complete and total jackass could’ve named it.”

“What was the name?”