Grave Homecoming (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 1) (11 page)

“Right,” Nick said, his conversation with Kincaid rushing through his mind. “Right.”

Something here was wrong. Something here was very wrong with Maddie. Nick just couldn’t figure out what.

Magicks was officially open. Again.

There was no fanfare. There was no ribbon cutting. There was no party. It was just … a normal day. Maddie loved normal days. She could count the number of normal days she’d ever experienced on one hand. She wanted a normal day – even if it meant no customers would cross the threshold.

“This place is deader than a senior citizen wedding,” Maude announced.

Maddie looked up from the tarot table where she was reading a book and scowled. “Why are you even here?”

“Listen, pain in my ass, I’m your only customer right now,” Maude said, rolling her eyes. “You shouldn’t burn your bridges.”

“I’m not burning my bridges,” Maddie scoffed. “I’m … .”

Maude snickered. “Girl, you are a mess.”

Maddie rubbed her forehead ruefully.

“I happen to like a mess,” Maude said, settling in the chair on the opposite side of the table and fixing Maddie with an inquisitive look. “What have you been up to?”

“Nothing.”

Maude arched an eyebrow.

“What have you heard?” Maddie was flustered.

“I heard you found a missing child last night,” Maude said. “The whole town is buzzing about it.”

Maddie’s face fell. “Oh no.”

“Maddie, you have to let this … shame … go,” Maude said. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Who says I’m embarrassed?”

“That red face of yours,” Maude said. “If you hadn’t stepped in, Sadie might have wandered farther away. What if a pervert had found her? Speaking of, did you see Todd?”

Maddie scowled. “I saw him. I can’t shake him. I blame you.”

“I’ll kill him if you want me to,” Maude said. “We can dump the body in the woods.”

“You’re not funny.”

“I’m not trying to be funny,” Maude said. “I’m trying to be practical. Everyone in this county knows that Todd Winthrop is an octopus.”

“Then why did you insist I go out with him?”

“Because I’m afraid you haven’t dated since
Gossip Girl
.”

Maddie was flummoxed. “You watched
Gossip Girl
?”

“I’m up on current events.”

“
Gossip Girl
went off the air years ago.”

“Which only illuminates your dating desert.”

“Ugh,” Maddie groaned. “You’re driving me crazy.”

“Well, if you’re going to accuse me of being the reason you’re back in town, I’d better give you a reason,” Maude said.

Maddie’s face softened. “Granny … .”

“I love you, Maddie girl,” Maude said. “I want you to take care of me. I also want to be able to take care of you. What do you need?”

“I don’t need anything.”

“What about Nick?”

Maddie stiffened. “What about him?”

“What did he do when you found Sadie last night?”

“He wanted to know how I found her.”

“What did you tell him?”

“I told him I was sick,” Maddie said, her stomach revolting. “I told him it was an accident.”

“Did he believe that?”

“Why wouldn’t he?”

“Because you’re a terrible liar,” Maude said. “Also … he knows you better than anyone, excluding me.”

“He doesn’t know me anymore.”

“Honey, you’re the same girl you were ten years ago,” Maude said. “You’re frozen in time. You haven’t been able to move on, and neither has he. You’ve matured in some ways, but you’re still … his Maddie.”

“You know, you were the one who told me that a woman is more than a partner for a man,” Maddie pointed out.

“I did,” Maude acquiesced. “That doesn’t mean that people don’t belong together. I certainly belonged to your grandfather. He was the only man who could handle me, and he was the only man I ever loved.”

“Were you his property?”

“No,” Maude said. “I’m not saying you’re Nick’s property. I’m saying you’re … his heart.”

“He has a girlfriend.”

“Who are you trying to convince when you say that?”

“I … he has a girlfriend.”

“He also has a heart,” Maude said, refusing to let her granddaughter derail the conversation. “He doesn’t love his girlfriend. He does love his heart.”

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“It means that you’re his heart,” Maude said. “It doesn’t matter who his girlfriend is. His girlfriends have always been throwaways. Even he knows that. He’s been waiting for you.”

Maddie couldn’t fight the spilling tears. “What happens when he finds out the truth?”

“What truth?”

“The truth that I’m … different.”

Maude smirked. “He always knew you were different, girl. Most teenage boys run away from girls who are different, and then they run back when they realize that’s something to behold.

“Nick never ran,” she said. “He never faltered. He never abandoned you. He loved you because you were you. He loved you for ten years after you ran. The truth isn’t going to send him screaming for the hills now.”

“What are you saying?”

“Give him a chance,” Maude said. “I have faith that he will only love you more if you tell him the truth.”

“I … .” Maddie didn’t know what to say. Thankfully, the bell ringing over the door of the shop caught her attention. The two giggling teenagers stumbling into the store were more than enough to give her an out – and she took it. “Welcome to Magicks. How can I help you?”

“ARE
you sure you want to ask that question?”

Maddie hadn’t given a tarot card reading since she was a teenager. Still, she knew the basics: Always tell the customer what they wanted to hear. Customers never want bad news. If they get it, they freak out. Jennifer Stilton was asking for just that.

“I need to know,” Jennifer said. “If he’s going to break up with me, I have to know before I give him my … peach.”

Maddie fought the urge to make a face. “Your … peach?”

“You know, my Venus Flytrap.”

Were teenagers always this stupid?
“If you’re doubtful about giving him your ... peach … then don’t do it,” Maddie said. “That’s something you can’t take back.”

Jennifer studied Maddie seriously. “Who did you give your peach to?”

“I … .”

“Detective Winters,” her friend said, lifting up a candle to study it. “Everyone knows that. They’re legendary.”

“That’s not true,” Maddie said, fixing the other girl with a dark look. Jennifer kept referring to her as “Gia.” Maddie had no idea what that was short for. “Nick and I are just friends.”

“Oh, please,” Gia said, rubbing her bottom lip as she returned the candle to the shelf. “Everyone in town knows that you two are soul mates.”

“Do you believe in soul mates?” Maddie asked.

“Of course,” Gia said. “What else is there to live for?”

Maddie faltered. She hated girls who found their reason for being in men. Of course, she’d done nothing but dwell on Nick for a decade, but that was beside the point. “Yourself.”

“Oh, please,” Gia scoffed. “There’s nothing better than a man in love.”

Maddie considered her options. “A man is a great thing,” she said, shuffling the tarot cards irritably. “A man isn’t everything, though.”

“Whatever,” Gia said, rolling her eyes. “Don’t you have a job to do?”

Maddie tamped down the spurt of anger threatening to erupt from her chest. “Of course.” She turned to Jennifer. “Are you sure you want to know if this … boy … is going to be your husband?”

“I have to,” Jennifer said, waving her hands around haphazardly. “He wants my peach. He says he’s going to break up with me if I don’t give it to him. I don’t want to do it if we’re not going to get married.”

Maddie was torn … and disgusted. “You shouldn’t base your future decisions on what the cards show,” she said. “You should know what you want in your heart.” Maddie pressed her eyes shut briefly.
Do you know what you want in your heart?
That inner voice was a annoying.

“I want Dustin Bishop,” Jennifer said. “I want him to be my … forever.”

Maddie started shuffling the tarot cards resolutely. “Just know, what you see as your forever as a teenager, that’s not always your forever as an adult.”

“Yeah, great,” Gia said. “Shuffle.”

Maddie couldn’t find anything left to argue about. She flipped up the first card, and then she tried to keep from passing out.

Oh no.

“YOU
have to help me.”

Christy shut one eye, shooting a grotesque wink in Maddie’s direction as she turned the lock on the salon door. “You can’t help the helpless.”

“I’m not helpless,” Maddie said. “I’m … .”

“Stupid?”

“No.”

“Slow?”

“No.”

“Desperate?”

“No. Yes. No. Yes. I … you’re killing me.”

“You need to give me more information, Maddie,” Christy said, nonplussed. “You’ve been a babbling idiot since you came in here twenty minutes ago.”

Maddie was stuck. The tarot cards had shown a little more than Jennifer Stilton’s romantic future. They’d unveiled a murder, and a bloody one at that. Maddie had panicked, regrouped, and then gone for the only bastion of help she could think of. That still didn’t mean she was willing to reveal her true nature. “I … there’s a girl in danger.”

“What girl?”

“Jennifer Stilton.”

“Rebecca Walker’s daughter?”

Maddie was confused. “Rebecca Walker? The girl who was voted prom queen when we were in elementary school?”

“She was also voted Trout Queen at the summer festival.”

“I had no idea Jennifer was her daughter.”

“How did you meet her?” Christy asked.

“She and her friend … I think her name was Gia … came into the store today,” Maddie said. “They wanted readings.”

“Oh, let me guess,” Christy said, arranging the bottles at her station irritably. “Jennifer wanted to know if she would marry Dustin Bishop. Oh, and Gia – that’s short for Virginia, by the way – wanted to make sure he didn’t want to marry her.”

Maddie was floored. “How did you know that?”

“I know all the teenage girls here,” Christy said. “They’re chatty little … monsters.”

“Monsters?”

“You were an angel when you were a teenager,” Christy said. “That’s not how most teenagers are. Gia and Jennifer come in here once a month. I know their … drama. They won’t shut up.”

“Okay,” Maddie said carefully. “What’s their drama?”

“Dustin Bishop.”

“Is he Chad Bishop’s kid?”

“Grandkid.”

“Ugh. I feel so old.”

Christy snickered. “Anyway, he’s the new … king.”

Maddie knew exactly what Christy was referring to. “He’s the boy all the girls want?”

“Yeah,” Christy said. “He’s the new Todd.”

“He’s the new Nick,” Maddie corrected.

“There aren’t many years when you get two kings,” Christy said. “This is not one of those years. Dustin is the king. He has the throne unopposed.”

“So, all the girls fight about him?”

“He’s not much to fight about,” Christy said. “In five years, all these girls are going to realize he’s a thug in training. They’re just too naïve to realize it.”

“Is Jennifer the current queen?”

“I guess,” Christy said, shrugging. “Dustin has a lot of ladies in waiting, so it’s hard to keep the current pecking order straight.”

“Well, I need to find Jennifer,” Maddie said. “I’m worried she’s about to become a cautionary tale.”

Christy pursed her lips. “How?”

“I … I can’t tell you.”

“But it’s important, right?”

“It’s very important,” Maddie said.

Christy sighed. “They’re out at Kissing Point.”

Maddie scowled. “That’s still a thing?”

“All kids need a place to escape to,” Christy said. “Unfortunately, the one here never changes.”

“I need to get out there.”

“Well, let’s go.”

Maddie was stunned. “Wait, you’re going with me?”

“I love drama,” Christy said. “I’m smelling drama. Let’s go.”

Maddie wanted to argue, but she couldn’t muster the energy. “Can you drive?”

“There are no words.”

Christy smirked as she watched Maddie take in the scene. “It’s got … personality.”

Maddie wasn’t naïve. She knew – in the back of her mind, at least – that Kissing Point was where teenagers met to hang out. It had been popular when she was in high school, or that’s what her classmates said. Maddie had just never been there before, so she wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Six cars parked on top of the bluff – all with steamed up windows – definitely wasn’t it.

“Don’t they all know everyone else is here?” Maddie asked, glancing at the cars in turn. “And why are the windows steamed up? It’s not that cold out.”

“You really were the good girl in high school, weren’t you?” Christy was enjoying herself. “Okay, let me explain about the birds and bees … .”

“I know about the birds and the bees,” Maddie said, scowling.

“Are you sure? You seem to be confused about what these kids are doing.”

“I’m not confused.” Maddie wrinkled her nose. “I just don’t understand why the windows have to be so steamy.”

“It’s because there’s a lot of heavy breathing going on in those cars,” Christy said. “There’s probably also some petting, and … yup … that guy over there hit a home run.” Christy pointed toward a four-door sedan that was rocking at the far edge of the bluff.

“Omigod.” Maddie slapped her hand over her eyes. “This is so invasive.”

“You’re the one who wanted to come up here,” Christy reminded her.

“I know … but … .”

“Are you telling me you and Nick never once steamed up a window?” Christy asked. “Not once?”

“How many times do I have to tell you … ?”

“You were just friends, I know,” Christy finished. “Still, there was all that sexual tension between the two of you.”

“There was no sexual tension.”

“Oh, you’re so …
Little House on the Prairie
.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you need to be felt up in a car,” Christy replied, not backing down. “I’ll make sure Nick is aware of your needs.”

“Don’t you
dare
mention this to him!”

“I still don’t know what we’re doing here,” Christy admitted.

“I needed to find Jennifer.”

“Because she’s in danger?”

Maddie bit her bottom lip. “Yes.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I … I just do.”

“Okay,” Christy said, not pressing the issue. “We need to figure out which car is Dustin’s.”

“You don’t know?”

Christy shook her head. “I’m up on the teen gossip. I don’t know what they’re driving. I barely know what I’m driving.”

“Well … how do we figure out who is in each car?”

Christy shrugged. “There’s only one way I know.” She stalked up to the first vehicle – a rundown Ford Escort – and banged on the window. “Excuse me.”

When no one immediately answered, Christy rolled her eyes and banged again.

“Is it them?” Maddie asked, refusing to move closer to the Escort. She was mortified to be doing this, but she didn’t see a way around it.

“I can hear you in there whispering,” Christy said, tapping on the window with rampant enthusiasm. “I’m not going to tell your parents. I just need to know who is in here.”

Finally, the window lowered. “What do you want?”

“Oh, Hannah Nelson and Aidan Graham,” Christy said, studying the occupants for a second. “I didn’t know you two were dating.”

“Do we get an award?” The voice coming out of the car was male.

“Nope,” Christy said. “I’m actually looking for Jennifer Stilton and Dustin Bishop. Are they in one of these cars?”

“Why the hell would I tell you?”

“Well, Aidan, if you don’t, I’ll tell your mom that you were up here feeling up Hannah when you were supposed to be playing basketball at open gym at the high school,” Christy said. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to be doing? That’s what your mom told me when she was in the salon yesterday.”

“I was not feeling her up!”

“Just tell me if Dustin and Jennifer are up here,” Christy said. “I’ll leave you alone.”

“I have no idea,” Aidan shot back. “You must be some sick pervert or something if you’re up here getting off on watching teenagers make out.”

“I thought you weren’t doing anything,” Christy challenged, hands on hips as she bent down to get a better look inside of the car. “You’d better brush your hair before you go home, Hannah. It’s clear you haven’t been at the library.”

“I … we were just wrestling.”

Maddie snickered.

“Well, it looks like Aidan was winning,” Christy said. “So, you really don’t know which car is Dustin’s?”

“No.”

“Fine,” Christy said, straightening. “Oh, and Hannah, your shirt is on inside out.” Christy rejoined Maddie behind the cars. “I guess we’d better move on to the next one.”

“You’re going to do that again?” Maddie was flabbergasted.

“Do you have another idea?”

“No.”

“Do you want to tell me what’s really going on?”

“I … can’t.”

“Then we have to do what we have to do,” Christy said, moving to the next car to repeat the process. “Open up in the name of the law!”

The window rolled down.

“Oh, David Johnson and Cara Porter,” Christy said. “I thought you two broke up.”

Maddie tuned the rest of the conversation out. She had no idea how Christy was up on all the teen happenings, but it was fairly amazing. Maddie scanned the four remaining vehicles for a hint, and when a flash of movement at the far end of the bluff caught her attention, she moved toward it.

Even though it was dark, the ambient light from the town filtered up the hill and allowed Maddie to differentiate between the shadows at the tree line. One of the shadows was different. It was human. Kind of.

Maddie sucked in a breath when she realized what she was looking at. “Sarah,” she murmured.

“Cara, it’s very important that you understand that you don’t have to sleep with a boy to keep him interested.” Christy was in the middle of a diatribe, and Maddie didn’t want to interrupt her, so she started moving toward Sarah on her own. “Twenty seconds of loving from a boy – and I’m being generous – is not worth giving up your self-esteem. If he broke up with you because you wouldn’t sleep with him, that means he’s a jerk.”

Maddie skirted the cars until she was hidden beneath the overhanging boughs of the towering pine trees. She’d lost sight of Sarah, but she had a feeling she was still there. “Sarah?”

“You’re the woman who found me in the alley.”

Maddie heard the raspy voice before she registered Sarah’s filmy countenance again. She’d moved a few feet back, which Maddie was thankful for. “Why are you out here?”

“He’s watching.”

Maddie stilled, dread washing over her. “Who is watching?”

Sarah tilted her head to the side. “He’s looking for someone new.”

Maddie was having a hard time following Sarah’s train of thought. Could the woman not hear her? Was she still grappling with her new reality? Was she following whoever had hurt her?

Since her interaction with ghosts wasn’t limited, Maddie had learned a few tricks over the years. She needed to get Sarah to focus.

“Do you know what happened to you?”

Sarah shifted her gaze from the cars and let it settle on Maddie. The stark sadness reflected on the woman’s face was heartbreaking. “I died.” She was matter-of-fact.

“Do you know how?”

“I was stabbed.”

“Do you remember who did it?” Ghosts are never the same. Some know exactly how they died. Others need time to come to grips with the tragedy, so they refuse to remember. The worst ones are those who can’t remember the actual death, and yet they’re still bitter anyway. Maddie had no idea what category Sarah would fall into.

“My memory has … holes.”

“That’s understandable,” Maddie said, her tone calm. “I’m sure it was traumatic.”

Sarah barked out a hoarse laugh. “Isn’t death always traumatic?”

“If you’re not expecting it, yes,” Maddie said. “I think some people welcome death.”

“That’s because they weren’t ripped out of a life they weren’t done living yet.” Sarah was definitely bitter.

Maddie chose her next words carefully. “What can you remember about the time right before you died?”

“Nothing,” Sarah said. “I … it’s hard to keep track of things now. It’s like I know I’m supposed to be doing something, but I just can’t remember what.”

Maddie pursed her lips. “Why are you out here tonight?”

Sarah’s face pinched as she concentrated. “I can’t … I’m not sure. Why are you out here?”

Maddie saw no sense in lying. “I’m trying to find a teenage girl,” she said. “I gave her a tarot card reading this afternoon, and I’m afraid something bad is going to happen to her.”

Sarah’s face brightened. “Are you a psychic?”

“I … yes. Kind of.” Maddie wasn’t sure how to explain the “peculiarity.”

“It’s too bad I couldn’t have met you before I met … him.”

“Who?” Maddie pressed.

“I can’t quite remember,” Sarah admitted. “I know he’s dangerous. I just can’t remember who he is.”

“You said he was watching.”

“He is.”

Maddie scanned the cars again. “Is he in one of these cars?”

Sarah shook her head … confused. “I don’t know.”

“I have to find Jennifer,” Maddie said. “It’s really important. She’s with a boy named Dustin. Do you know what car they’re in?”

“No.”

Maddie swallowed her sigh. “Well, I have to find her. Find me at my house. It’s the big one on Park Street at the north edge of town. We can talk more then.”

Sarah couldn’t be Maddie’s priority right now, and while she didn’t want to abandon the tortured soul, she had more pressing matters to deal with. Maddie swiveled back to the cars, pulling up short when she saw Christy standing a few feet away watching her.

“What are you doing?”

Maddie’s cheeks were burning as she tried to come up with a suitable explanation. “I … .”

Christy arched an eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you need more time to think of a lie?”

Maddie considered the question. “That would be great. Thanks. Have you checked this car?” She pointed to the nearest one.

“No. I was just about to when I realized you were missing.”

“I wasn’t missing,” Maddie said. “I was just … exploring.”

“The woods?”

“I … yes. Come on. We have to find Jennifer. She’s in trouble.”

“Did the trees tell you that?” Christy asked.

Maddie ignored the question and strode up to the car. She squared her shoulders. If Christy could find the courage to interrupt pawing teenagers, there was no reason she couldn’t do the same. She rapped on the window. “Open up please.”

Christy watched with mild interest.

When nothing happened, Maddie knocked on the window again. “Can you please roll the window down?”

“Go away.” A boy had issued the admonishment, but Maddie didn’t know if it was the boy she was looking for.

Maddie glanced at Christy, sending a mental plea for help as she considered her options. Christy remained still.

“I just need to know if Jennifer Stilton is in this car,” Maddie said.

The teenagers inside whispered for a few seconds. Then the male voice answered. “There’s no Jennifer Stilton here. Try the library.”

“Oh, okay,” Maddie said, biting the inside of her cheek as she considered her options. “Maybe we should check the library?”

“Oh, good grief,” Christy said. She stalked to the window of the car and started pounding on it. “Open up right now or I’ll call your mothers.” Christy scorched Maddie with a look. “You need to get some balls.”

“I’m sorry,” Maddie muttered. “I’ve never done this before.”

“Do you think I’ve done this before?”

“You seem like you have.”

“Well, I haven’t,” Christy said. She pounded on the window again. “I will start this car on fire if you don’t roll this window down.”

Maddie was impressed with Christy’s moxie.

“I’m calling the police.” The boy in the car was doing all the talking. That made Maddie think they’d found the right couple.

“Go ahead,” Christy said. “I think it’s a good idea.”

Her response must have surprised the boy, because Maddie could hear him whispering again. “Listen, you crazy bitch, I’m not joking with you,” he said after a moment. “I’m calling the police.”

“Good,” Christy said. “I’m sure the police would love to talk to your parents about what you’re doing up here, Dustin.”

The window dropped. Maddie didn’t recognize the boy, but Christy clearly did.

“What do you want?”