Grave Homecoming (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 1) (7 page)

Who is she talking to?
Nick cocked his head to the side so he could listen harder. No one was answering her, though.

“I don’t care what you say,” Maddie said. “You’re being idiotic.” Silence. “I’m not calling you an idiot. I’m saying you’re being idiotic.” More silence. “Oh, I can, too. You’re just trying to aggravate me.”

Nick moved out of the trees and stepped into the small meadow where Maddie was busily picking wildflowers. She continued to chatter away, but a steady scan told Nick she was alone. He started to feel uncomfortable, so he cleared his throat to alert Maddie to his presence.

He watched her body stiffen, and when she swiveled, her face was awash with embarrassment.

“What are you doing here?” Maddie asked.

“I saw you go into the woods.”

“And you followed me?”

“It looked like … were you just talking to someone?”

Maddie’s face was a mask of horror and doubt. “I was … talking to myself.”

“And what were you saying?”

“Well … what did you hear me say?”

“You were calling someone an idiot.”

“Oh, I did not call her an idiot,” Maddie snapped. “I said … wait … were you watching my house?”

Nick faltered. “I was sitting in my truck down the road.”

“Why?”

“I was just thinking,” Nick said, angry at being put on the defensive. She was the one acting like a freak. “Who were you talking to?”

Maddie scowled. “If you must know, I was talking to my mother.”

Nick blew out a sigh, relieved. “Oh, you were pretending to have a conversation with your mom because of everything that happened today,” he said, filling in the gaps so Maddie wouldn’t have to.

“Yeah, that’s it,” Maddie said, her tone droll. “I just … it makes me feel closer to her.”

“I understand that, Mad,” Nick said. “I just … I was worried about you.”

“Well, you don’t have to be,” Maddie said. “I’m not crazy.”

“I didn’t say you were crazy.”

“Well … I’m not.”

“Okay.”

“Great.”

“Good.”

Nick had nothing left to say after that, and Maddie wasn’t volunteering any further information, so he left. He was sure the loss of Olivia had thrown Maddie for a loop. It made sense that she needed someone to talk to. A lot of people talked to dead relatives, didn’t they? Of course, most people probably didn’t hold entire conversations, like someone else was speaking back to them, but Maddie had gone through a trauma that afternoon. It was too be expected.

So how come Nick didn’t really believe that?

The thing Maddie loved most about Blackstone Bay was the kitschy atmosphere. The town didn’t change, the storefronts were still the same as they were ten years before (and twenty years before that, truth be told), and the town didn’t show signs of growing pains. It was small enough to be claustrophobic, but the boundaries of the country fields and woods that surrounded it were wide enough to let fresh air in.

Maddie was home, and she hadn’t been this … relaxed … in a very long time. She was sure happiness would follow. Somehow.

After spending four hours toiling in Magicks, even getting on all fours to scrub the corners of the floor with a bucket and brush, Maddie needed a break. She decided to treat herself to an ice cream cone from Fletcher’s Soda Shoppe, take a walk through town, and then return for a couple more hours of work.

The body discovery from the previous afternoon was still the topic of conversation on everyone’s lips, although the victim’s identity wasn’t public yet, and after answering a few uncomfortable questions at Fletcher’s, Maddie escaped to the street with her ice cream. While the woman’s death plagued her, Nick’s appearance in the meadow was what was really bothering her.
How much had he heard? Had he really believed she was out there talking to herself?

Maddie pinched the bridge of her nose. This was exactly what she’d been afraid of. This was exactly why she’d pushed him away. If he found out, he would never look at her in the same way. She wouldn’t be Maddie, the girl he spent his childhood playing with. She would be Maddie, the freak who thought she could talk to ghosts. It was mortifying.

Summer hadn’t technically hit Blackstone Bay. It was still weeks away, but late spring in Michigan is a beautiful time, and Maddie relished the feeling of the sun on her skin as she wandered around the small downtown area. After finishing her treat, she discarded her refuse in a garbage can. She straightened when a shadow moved over her, lifting her head to ready herself for another barrage of questions about the body.

The man standing in front of her was familiar – and yet different. His brown hair was shorter than she remembered, but his jaw was still square and set. The planes of his cheekbones were still high and pronounced. His body was still tall and trim. All those things were the same.
So, what was different?
Instead of a football jersey, he was dressed in an expensive suit and leather loafers. His eyes were an amazing powder blue, but there was no mischief flirting in their depths. He looked more … mature.

Todd Winthrop. He’d graduated from Blackstone Bay High School the same year Maddie and Nick had matriculated. He was the town’s prodigal son. He was the star running back on the football team, earning a scholarship to Michigan State University for his field prowess. He’d graduated with top honors, been the president of her senior class, and he was every teenage girl’s dream – well, other than Nick.

Maddie hadn’t crossed paths with Todd often. He and Nick were competitive, and Maddie’s loyalty had always been with Nick. As teenagers, Todd went out of his way to flirt with her, but Maddie knew it was because he was trying to get a dig in at Nick, not because he was genuinely interested in her.

“Hello, Todd,” Maddie said, smiling shyly.

“Maddie Graves,” Todd said, smiling down at her. “I heard rumors you were back in town. I didn’t believe them until I saw it with my own eyes, though.”

“The rumors are true.”

“You look … amazing.” Todd’s eyes were bright with intrigue as he looked her up and down, taking in her cutoff shorts and T-shirt with studied interest. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

“Well, I hope that’s not true,” Maddie said, shifting uncomfortably. “I would hate to think I was stuck in time.”

“Being stuck in time isn’t a bad thing, Miss Maddie,” he said, his tone teasing. “Especially when you look
that
.”

“Like what?”

“Like you stepped right off of a runway,” Todd said.

“Oh, you’re quite the flatterer.”

“You’re worth the flattery.”

The duo made small talk for a few minutes, Todd telling Maddie about the car dealership he’d opened on the outskirts of town three years before, and Maddie carefully stepping around the end of her nursing career. The conversation was light and comfortable.

“So, I can’t say I’m not surprised to find you still living in Blackstone Bay,” Maddie said. “I thought for sure you would hit a big city by storm and never look back.”

Todd pursed his lips together and shrugged. “Blackstone Bay is home. It’s a great town.”

“It is,” Maddie agreed. “That’s why I came back.”

Todd narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. “Is that the only reason you came back?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Maddie hedged.

Todd shifted his gaze to the police station across the road. The single-story building, red brick and black roof, was bright beneath the afternoon sun. Maddie hadn’t even realized where she was. Well … mostly.

“I still don’t know what you mean.”

“So, all of those rumors about you and Nick Winters in high school were wrong?” Todd asked.

“I’m not sure what rumors you’re referring to,” Maddie said. “We were friends. What else was being gossiped about?” Maddie had already gotten an earful from Christy, but she was mildly curious if Todd would be forthcoming or coy.

“The ones where you and Winters were out fornicating in the woods every night of our high school career.”

Well, so much for him being coy. “Like I said, we were just friends.”

“And what about now?” Todd asked.

“Now we’re … acquaintances.”

“Oh, so all the people on the streets saying that Winters was glued to your side after you discovered a dead body in the alley between the hardware store and the diner were exaggerating?”

It was a pointed question. “He was doing his job.”

Todd held his hands up in mock surrender. “Okay. I was just asking. I didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”

Maddie wrinkled her nose. “What toes?”

The smile that moved across Todd’s face was a mixture of play and prey. “Well, since I’m going to ask you out to dinner, I want to make sure I’m not poaching on anyone’s … property.”

Maddie’s mouth dropped open. “I … um … .”

“I’m going to take that as a yes,” Todd said, not giving her a chance to come up with an excuse to bow out. He reached over and brushed a strand of Maddie’s flyaway hair away from her face. “You’re kind of cute when you’re nervous.”

Maddie squared her shoulders. “What makes you think I’m nervous?”

Todd grinned, letting his dimple come out to play. “Oh, you’re not? Good. I’ll pick you up at seven.”

“I CAN’T
do this,” Maddie said, her voice rising an octave. “I don’t want to do this.”

“You can do it, girl,” Maude said, holding a floral dress up next to Maddie’s face and then shaking her head in disgust. “Why does everything in your closet look like the Amish should be wearing it?”

“There’s nothing wrong with that dress,” Maddie complained.

“Maddie, you’re twenty-eight years old,” Maude said. “You shouldn’t dress like you’re fifty. Don’t you have anything that shows off your body?”

“No.”

“Everyone calm down,” Christy said, breezing into Maddie’s upstairs bedroom with a pile of clothes over her arm and a makeup case in her hand. “I’m here. Everything is going to be fine.”

Maddie wrinkled her nose. “How did you get in?”

“Everyone knows you keep the key in that ceramic turtle on the front porch,” Christy said, looking Maddie up and down. “You can’t wear that.”

Maddie self-consciously crossed her arms over her chest to hide her bra. “I know.”

“That’s what you show him at the end of the date,” Christy said. She tossed her makeup kit on Maddie’s bed and started rummaging through the clothes she’d brought. “I went through all the clothes I’ve bought over the years thinking that one day I would be thin enough to wear them. Something in here will work.”

“Good,” Maude said, crumpling the dress she was holding into a ball and dumping it in the garbage can by the vanity. “We have to take this girl shopping.”

“My clothes are fine,” Maddie protested. “They’re comfortable.”

“Honey, with legs like yours, you shouldn’t be worried about being comfortable,” Christy said. “You need to show them off.” She grabbed a black dress out of the pile. “Put this on.”

Maddie snorted. “That dress will never fit me.”

“Put it on,” Christy ordered.

Maddie scowled, but did as she was told. The dress was light and airy. It boasted a flirty skirt that fell just above her knee, and it had spaghetti straps that held up a drooping neckline that displayed way too much cleavage. “Absolutely not.”

“Do you have a strapless bra?” Christy asked, ignoring Maddie’s protests. “You have an outstanding body, but your boobs are a lot smaller than mine. I don’t have anything you can use.”

Maude was already rummaging through Maddie’s drawers. “Here.”

Christy caught the small scrap of material Maude flung across the room. “Put this on.”

“I can’t wear this,” Maddie said. “I look like a … streetwalker.”

“You look like a vision,” Christy countered. “Put that on. I’ll plug the curling iron in and we’ll get going on your makeup.”

“I don’t really wear makeup.”

“And that’s why you don’t need a lot of it,” Christy said. “Trust me. Now, put that bra on. I don’t want to hear another word out of you.”

CHRISTY
watched Maddie fidget. She’d always thought the stunning blonde was just being modest when it came to her looks. Sure, she’d been gawky in middle school, but everyone was. Once Maddie blossomed in high school, she’d turned into the prettiest girl in town – and never once acknowledged it.

After spending limited time with Maddie as an adult, Christy had come to the conclusion that Maddie was not being modest. She was just oblivious. Maddie honestly had no idea how beautiful she was. She had no idea how she affected men. It was kind of … cute.

The black dress hit all of Maddie’s curves in just the right way. Maddie was lithe, and she obviously worked out a great deal. She still had the kind of body that sent men on a path of sin without a backwards glance.

After ten minutes of makeup lessons, and twenty minutes with the curling iron, Christy had finished by piling Maddie’s hair on top of her head and securing it with an antique barrette from Maude’s dresser. The loose curls Christy had layered throughout Maddie’s hair were spilling out from a high pile on the back of her head. She looked … breathtaking.

“You’re going to knock him on his ass,” Maude said. She leaned over and ran her fingers over Maddie’s bare legs, nodding when she was done. “Good. You shaved your legs.”

“What does that matter?”

“You can’t sleep with a man if you don’t shave your legs.”

“I’m not going to sleep with him,” Maddie said, scandalized. “I don’t even
know
him.”

“Of course you’re not going to sleep with him,” Maude said. “He might get handsy, though, and you need to be ready.”

“Granny, please, don’t make me do this,” Maddie said, her blue eyes wide and pleading. “I don’t even like him.”

“Then why did you agree to go?” Christy asked.

“I didn’t really agree to go,” Maddie admitted. “He just kind of … made me.”

“Well, that’s the only way to get you to do anything,” Maude said. “You’re too skittish to ever do anything on your own.”

“I am not skittish.”

“Girl, you’re as skittish as a stray colt with wolves on its tail,” Maude replied. She patted Maddie’s arm. “You’re going to be fine. If he gets fresh, just sock him in the mouth.”

Maddie looked unsure, but all further protests died on her lips when the sound of a car horn caught everyone’s attention.

“Your date is here,” Maude said, grabbing Maddie’s hand and dragging her down the stairs.

It took some effort, but Christy and Maude managed to push Maddie through the door – and then proceeded to watch her until they were sure she was safely in the passenger seat of Todd’s Dodge Charger. Once the car disappeared from the driveway, Christy turned to Maude with a dubious look.

“You know Todd Winthrop is all hands and a snakelike tongue, right?”

“I’ve heard,” Maude said, wrinkling her nose.

“Why did you push Maddie to go out with him? He’s not her type.”

“He’s a jackass,” Maude said. “Maddie still needs some socialization. Plus, a couple of dates with a lowlife like Todd will make her realize that Nick is worth fighting for.”

“Oh, are you really worried those two won’t find their way to each other?” Christy asked. “I had lunch with them yesterday, and let me tell you something, they’re one hot-and-steamy run-in away from stripping naked and mounting each other in the middle of town.”

“Hey, fresh mouth,” Maude said, slapping Christy’s hand. “I don’t want them to just have sex. I want them to be … happy.”

“Trust me, Maude, they’re not going to be able to stay away from each other,” Christy said. “The only obstacle in their way is Cassidy. I feel a little bad for her.”