Grave Insight (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 2) (18 page)

“I’d like to see her stop me.”

“If it’s any consolation, she was wearing black gloves,” Christy said brightly.

Nick ignored her and settled behind Maddie, spreading his legs so he could cuddle up behind her. “It’s not any consolation.”

Christy knit her eyebrows together. “Are you going to pout the rest of the night?”

“Nope.”

“How long are you going to pout?”

“Five minutes.”

“Okay,” Christy said, getting to her feet. “I’m going see if I can find a man on the dance floor. You two enjoy the rest of your night.”

“You’re leaving?” Maddie asked, disappointed.

“I think you two should enjoy your first fireworks display as a couple alone,” Christy said. “Trust me. I have no inclination to watch you two make out for the next hour.”

“We won’t,” Maddie protested. “I don’t want you to feel like we’re forcing you out. Tell her, Nicky.”

“I’m going to kiss her until she can’t breathe.” Nick’s face was serious.

Christy grinned. “I figured. Have fun.”

“Wait,” Nick said as she started to move away. “Don’t walk home alone. Be careful.”

Christy saluted. “Yes, sir.”

“Christy?”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you for keeping her safe.” Nick kissed Maddie’s cheek.

“Thank you for putting a smile on her face,” Christy said, brushing the seat of her pants off. “I can’t wait to see what she’s like when you two finally get naked together.”

“Me either,” Nick said, wrapping his arms around Maddie’s waist. “I’m happy with this smile for now, though.”

“What are you going to do today?” Nick asked, rubbing his hand over Maddie’s flat abdomen as they cuddled in bed together the next morning.

“Well, the fair is over, so I’ll probably just stick close to home today.”

“Are you just saying that because you think it’s what I want to hear?”

“I’m saying it because I should probably open the store today. It is a business, after all.”

Nick nuzzled his nose against Maddie’s cheek. “I forgot you own a business. I thought that was just the room that decorated our window seat.”

Maddie giggled. “I made a lot of money running the tent, so that’s good. Still, it would be nice to get some actual customers into the store for a change.”

“You’ll be careful when people come into the store, right?”

“You know I managed to survive for twenty-eight whole years before we got together, don’t you?”

“Don’t remind me.”

“What are you going to do today?”

“Well, Kreskin dropped the cup off at the office and uploaded the prints last night,” Nick said. “Hopefully it won’t take too long to find out who Charles Hawthorne really is.”

“I have a question,” Maddie said.

“Yes, I love you.”

“I have another question.”

“No, no one is more handsome than me.”

Maddie snorted. “I have one more question, and I want to actually ask it before you say something cute.”

“Well, you’d better hurry up,” Nick said, brushing his lips against the corner of her mouth. “I have fifteen minutes before I have to get in the shower, and I want to kiss you for all of them.”

“What happens if Charles Hawthorne doesn’t show up in the system?”

Nick stilled. “Then we start over from scratch.”

“Does that mean you’ll be staying here indefinitely?”

“Why, am I getting on your nerves?”

“No. I just … I don’t want to deal with having to sleep without you when you finally decide I’m not in danger any longer,” Maddie admitted.

“What makes you think you’ll have to sleep without me?”

“I don’t know,” Maddie said. “I just figure you’ll want to sleep in your own bed sometimes.”

“Are you allergic to my bed?”

“No.”

“Is there a reason you can’t sleep in my bed with me?”

“No.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“Are you sure you want me to sleep with you in your bed?”

Nick groaned. “Maddie, I want you next to me every night. Whether we sleep in your bed, or my bed, we’re going to be sleeping together.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to crowd you. I know you like your space.”

“Who told you that?”

“Christy says you only went out twice a week with the women you were seeing while I was gone,” Maddie said. “What if you get tired of me?”

“First off, Christy has a big mouth,” Nick said. “Second, why do you think I only wanted to see those women twice a week?”

“Because you value your privacy.”

“I do like a little alone time, but that’s not why,” Nick said, smiling. “You know I only dated those women because I didn’t think I could have you, right?”

Maddie furrowed her brow, unsure.

“Maddie, I didn’t want to spend too much time with those women because I knew I wasn’t going to get attached to them and I didn’t want them getting attached to me,” Nick said. “I’m already attached to you, and I’m hoping you’re already attached to me.”

“I’m so attached to you it hurts when you’re away.”

Nick smiled. “Me, too. I’m not going to get tired of you, Maddie. Ever. I need you to stop thinking that. It freaks me out.”

“I just don’t want to do anything that will drive you away.”

“Do you know what’s going to drive me away?”

Maddie bit her lip and shook her head.

“Nothing.” Nick pressed his lips against hers and rolled on top of her, pinning her beneath his weight. Once he had her exactly where he wanted her, he forced her to meet his gaze. “You’re stuck with me forever, Maddie.”

Maddie sucked in a breath. “I love you.”

“I love you more than anything in this world.” Nick kissed her again, this one lingering and soft. “Never forget that.”

“SO,
did you talk to Maude about her little adventure last night?” Kreskin asked Nick a few hours later as they caught up near the coffee pot in the small kitchenette at the police station.

“No. She didn’t come home until we were already asleep, and she was gone before we got up this morning.”

“How do you know she came home?”

“Her black gloves were on the kitchen counter, and she left a note for Maddie saying she’d catch up with her later – when the fuzz wasn’t around to dampen her buzz.”

Kreskin barked out a laugh. “That woman is a pip.”

“She means well,” Nick said. “She’s just … out there.”

“Aren’t you worried Maddie is going to end up just like her?”

“No. Why? You don’t think Maddie will turn out like Maude, do you?”

“Does that scare you?”

Nick mulled the question over. “Not really. The only thing that scares me is losing Maddie.”

“Do you think she’s going to run away from you?”

Nick shrugged noncommittally.

“Let me tell you something, Winters,” Kreskin said. “That woman loves you. You can see it in the way she looks at you. She can’t get enough of you. I know you guys have some history where she left you and went to college, but she’s home now. She’s not going anywhere. You can’t smother her because you’re scared to lose her.”

“Do you think I’m smothering her?”

“I think you two are in that heady infatuation phase at the beginning of every relationship where you don’t want to be away from each other,” Kreskin said. “Everyone goes through it, and it’s normal. That’s not what I was talking about, though.”

“What were you talking about?”

“You can’t wrap her in bubble wrap and protect her from everything,” Kreskin said. “She’s an adult, and she’s proven she can take care of herself.”

“She almost drowned.”

“But she didn’t,” Kreskin said. “I understand wanting to keep her safe, especially given the fact that she’s had two interactions with what is probably a cold-blooded killer. You can’t watch her twenty-four hours a day, though. You have to have faith that she’s capable of taking care of herself.”

“I just can’t bear the thought of someone hurting her,” Nick admitted.

“I know. She’s going to have to fight her own battles, though, and that includes with Marla and Cassidy. You can’t step in the middle of a girl fight. You’ll just get your eyes scratched out.”

“The problem is, Marla isn’t a girl. She’s a bird of prey, and she’s just waiting for the opportunity to peck Maddie to death. She’s always fixated on Maddie.”

“Because she’s jealous of her?”

Nick nodded. “Maddie doesn’t see it that way, but that’s exactly why.”

“Well, the good news is, Maddie has back-up from Christy Ford,” Kreskin said. “If anyone can take Marla Proctor down, it’s Christy. You have to let them handle it, though.”

“What makes you think I won’t?”

“Because right now, you can’t think of anything but stepping between Maddie and any insult or hurt thrown her way,” Kreskin said. “Listen, it’s natural. When you love someone, you don’t want anything bad to touch them. You just have to realize it’s not possible to protect one person all of the time.”

Nick rubbed the heel of his hand against his forehead. “I know. I just … I love her.”

“I’ve known that since the first time I saw you two together,” Kreskin said. “There was a dead body in the alley, and all you could think about was the shaken blonde at the scene. Your girlfriend was staring daggers into your back, and yet you were fixated on Maddie.

“You know, even though I’m an outsider here, even I’ve heard the legend of you and Maddie,” he continued. “When I first met you, I had a hard time reconciling the stories of your great lost love with a guy who dated on a schedule.”

Nick scowled.

“I see it now,” Kreskin said. “Maddie is different. She’s special. She’s your other half. You can love her and still give her room to grow.”

“I just want her to be happy.”

“I saw you two at the lake the other day,” Kreskin said. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman look happier.”

Nick smirked. “Thanks.”

“Okay, I officially declare an end to any relationship advice for the foreseeable future,” Kreskin said, patting Nick’s shoulder. “How about we go check and see if we can find out who Charles Hawthorne really is?”

“That sounds good,” Nick said. “I’m ready to solve this so Maddie and I can have a little room to breathe.”

“Last time I checked, your idea of breathing was sucking all the oxygen out of her lungs through her mouth,” Kreskin teased.

“Hey, that’s still breathing.”

MADDIE
was lost in thought – and an organizing task – when the bell above Magicks jingled to signify an incoming customer. She glanced up, half expecting to see Maude slinking in, but the man standing in front of the door wasn’t one she recognized.

“Can I help you?”

The man was handsome, an amiable smile and bright eyes offsetting a square jaw. He was in his forties, and he was dressed down in blue jeans and a basic T-shirt. “You’re Maddie Graves, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ve had a chance to introduce myself,” the man said, stepping forward. “I’m Sheldon Higgins.”

Recognition dawned on Maddie. “Oh, you’re the mayor.”

Sheldon nodded enthusiastically. “I am. I’ve been wanting to introduce myself, but I’ve just been so busy. I usually like to host a special event when a new business opens, and I’ve really fallen down on the job where you’re concerned.”

“Technically, I didn’t open a new business,” Maddie said, filing the final two books she was organizing onto a shelf, and then getting to her feet. “I just reopened my mom’s shop. It’s not a big deal.”

“It’s a big deal to me,” Sheldon said. “I’ve just gotten behind with two festivals, and the other … stuff. I came to apologize, and I was hoping we could set up a special event to highlight the store, maybe a theme night or something.”

“Oh, that’s really nice,” Maddie said. “It’s not necessary, though.”

“I insist,” Sheldon said.

“Well, I guess,” Maddie hedged. “Do you want some iced tea? There’s a calendar in the kitchen. We can pick out a day.”

“That sounds great,” Sheldon said.

“WE
have good news and bad news,” Kreskin said, studying the computer screen.

“What’s the good news?” Nick asked. “Tell me you know who Charles Hawthorne really is.”

“He is in the system. His real name is Charles Harper.”

“What’s on his record?”

“He’s an investment banker from Boston,” Kreskin said. “He cleaned out three hundred clients and disappeared about a year ago with more than five million dollars in their money.”

“I don’t think most white color criminals suddenly jump to murder,” Nick said.

“I agree. This guy is a criminal, he’s just not the criminal we’re looking for.”

“Was that the bad news?” Nick asked.

“No,” Kreskin said. “I also inputted the parameters of Tara Warner’s death into the national database while we were waiting for the DNA results to come through. I was hoping it would be similar to other crimes, whether in the state or out, and I got a hit.”

“Where?”

“Flint.”

“What happened?”

“Another woman there was strangled and raped about eleven years ago,” Kreskin said. “She was young and pretty, and witnesses said they saw a man in a dark hoodie in the area where the body was found. They never identified a suspect, but they did log the semen found.”

“And?”

“It’s a match for our semen,” Kreskin said. “I compared the two samples manually.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No,” Kreskin said.

“Two victims. That makes him a serial killer,” Nick said, his eyes thoughtful.

“The semen has multiple hits from fifteen years ago in Detroit, too,” Kreskin said. “No one died in those cases, but a man did break into first-floor apartments in a rundown portion of the city. His features were hidden by a hoodie, and he brutally raped another five women.”

“So, he escalated to murder eleven years ago,” Nick mused. “Where has he been since then?”

“That’s a very good question.”

“SO,
I don’t know much about you,” Maddie said, sitting in one of the chairs at the dining room table and pushing a glass of iced tea in front of Sheldon. “Where did you live before you moved to Blackstone Bay?”

“I’ve lived in a lot of different places,” Sheldon said. “I spent some time down in Detroit, and then I lived in Flint for a year or so.”