Grave Delight (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 3) (18 page)

“
Look at Me
.”

Maddie waited.

“No, that’s the name of the boat,” David said. “
Look at Me
.”

“Oh,” Maddie said, getting to her feet as realization dawned. “Oh.”

“Oh,” David agreed. “Do you think that’s what she meant?”

“I guess we’ll have to see,” Maddie said, glancing around. “ I need to make a call.”

“Just so I understand what we’re doing here, I want to go over it again. We’re borrowing Dad’s boat so we can drive around the lake because Maddie had a dream about Hayley being on a boat. That’s it, right?” John asked, shoving Nick out of his spot behind the wheel. “I’m driving.”

“On what planet?” Nick asked, jockeying with his older brother to regain his previous position. “You know darned well I’m a better driver than you.”

“Only in your mind.”

“You suck,” Nick said.

“I thought you’d want a chance to snuggle with your blonde,” John said, feigning innocence. “How often do you two get a chauffeured boat ride?”

Nick opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. He mock saluted John and then made his way over to the seat Maddie was settled on. “I do want to snuggle with my blonde.”

Maddie smiled and patted the spot next to her. “That’s good. When I was having my … dream … last night I made a mental note to tell you that I wanted to go on a boat ride. I used to love going out on the lake with you when I was a kid. That’s something we haven’t done since I came back.”

“Well, this doesn’t count,” Nick said. “When we go on a boat ride we’re going to be alone, and you’re going to be wearing … far less than you are now.”

“You’re a smooth talker,” John said, winking.

“Shut up,” Nick said, making a face as he watched his brother maneuver out of the slip with precision. “You drive like a woman.”

“You’re prettier than a woman.”

“You have hands like a woman.”

“You know there’s an actual woman on this boat, right?” Maddie asked. “It’s kind of insulting for you two to degrade each other by using the word ‘woman’ as a dig.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Nick said, kissing Maddie’s cheek. “I happen to love women.”

“I’ve heard.”

Nick grinned. “I just love one woman now.”

“I’m sure that will thrill Mom,” John said. “Oh, and Grandma … and our sister … and Aunt Tanya.”

“Seriously,” Nick said. “Shut up.”

“I’m glad I’m an only child,” Maddie said. “I’ve never understood why siblings always have to be fighting.”

“It’s because we know all the horrible buttons to push on one another,” Nick said. “We can’t help ourselves.”

“He’s right about that,” John said. “For example, I know that teasing Nick about his feelings for you in high school made him cry.”

“I did not cry.”

“You did,” John said. “You were desperate for her to love you back, and when she didn’t, you curled up in your bed with a stuffed animal and cried.”

“He’s making that up.”

Maddie was amused by their banter. “I’m not sure that works since I
did
love him back then.”

“You still left him,” John said.

Maddie stilled, and the look Nick shot John was murderous as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry about it, Mad. Don’t let him get to you.”

“I’m sorry,” John said, instantly contrite. “I’m guessing that’s still a sore spot between the two of you. Do you want me to get you a tissue, Nick?”

“Don’t bring that up again,” Nick snapped, deathly serious. “We’ve been over it. We’ve talked it out. I don’t want you to make her feel guilty.”

“It’s too late for that,” Maddie said. “I feel guilty without him saying a thing.”

“Thanks.”

John held up his hand by way of apology. “That wasn’t fair. I was trying to bug Nick. I didn’t mean to hurt you, Maddie.”

“I’m not sure that’s true.”

John glanced at her, confused. “What do you mean?”

“I think you want me out of Nick’s life.”

“What?” Nick was furious. “Did he say something like that to you?”

“No,” John said. “I would never say something like that. I told you the other night I was jealous about what the two of you have. I would never want you to lose her, not again. I like you a lot better when you’re happy rather than sad.”

“Why do you think that, Mad?” Nick asked, worried

Maddie broke into a wide grin. “I don’t,” she said. “I just thought it might be funny if John got a taste of his own medicine.”

Nick smirked, relaxing back on the seat and pulling Maddie closer to him as he shot a triumphant look in John’s direction. For his part, the eldest Winters brother was incensed.

“That was a very mean thing to say, Maddie Graves,” John said.

“No meaner than what you said to me.”

“What I said to you was an accident.”

“It was not,” Maddie scoffed. “You just didn’t think you’d really upset me.”

“I … how did this conversation get away from me?”

“It’s because you’re a moron,” Nick said.

“I can’t take much more of this abuse,” John said.

“Do you want me to get you a tissue?” Maddie asked, her eyes sparkling.

“You’re so much meaner than I remember you,” John said.

“She’s not mean,” Nick said, kissing her cheek. “She’s an angel. She’s
my
angel.”

“Oh, you two are just sick,” John said. “Every time I turn around you’re kissing each other. It’s gross.”

“Then don’t look,” Nick said. “We’re never going to stop.”

“I’m starting to get that,” John said.

Nick pointed toward the east side of the lake. “Let’s start at the hunting cabin and work our way around from there,” he said. “We need a beginning point. If we’re lucky, Maddie will remember something from her vision and be able to guide us where we’re going.”

Now it was John’s turn to mock salute. “Yes, sir.”

Nick rolled his eyes.

“Hold on, kids,” John said, winking. “It’s going to be a fast and furious ride.”

“Don’t hit anything,” Nick said. “Dad said we had to pay for any damage we did.”

“You just suck the fun out of everything,” John complained. “You’re a different person since you’ve gotten everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“Just drive.”

“OKAY,”
Nick said, narrowing his eyes as he studied the area surrounding the cabin. “Let’s go through this. Are we sure that whoever killed Hayley approached from the lake?”

“Hayley said she would’ve heard a car on the dirt road in front of the cabin,” Maddie said, shielding her eyes. “She said she heard so many boats on the water it never even occurred to her to worry about someone approaching from the lake.”

“She told you all that and yet she couldn’t tell you who killed her?” John was dubious. “I’m not sure how helpful this gift of yours is.”

“I never said it was a gift.”

“Oh, it’s a gift,” Nick said, rubbing the back of Maddie’s neck. “It helped make you the best person I know, and you’re a gift.”

John mimed puking over the side of the boat.

“Don’t make me throw you in,” Nick warned.

“Let’s focus,” Maddie said, trying to get things back on track. “I think there’s an easy answer here. It has to be her father. Have you checked to see if he has a boat?”

“I have,” Nick said carefully. “There’s nothing registered in his name.”

“But … .” Maddie broke off, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. “What about her mother?”

“There’s nothing listed under her name either,” Nick said. “I … .”

“You think I imagined it,” Maddie said, resigned.

“No, Mad,” Nick said, reaching for her. “I don’t think that at all. I know you saw something important last night. I just don’t think we know what it is yet.”

“I think you might have imagined it,” John offered. “What? Don’t look at me that way, Nick. This is all new to me. I’ve never seen Maddie in action, and so far I’m not impressed.”

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.