Grave Decisions (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 7) (15 page)

“Then he should be interesting to talk to regarding his insights on Cooper,” Kreskin pointed out.

“I’ll call him right away,” Nick said, making up his mind. “I owe him a special thanks as it is.”

“
D
etective Kincaid
?”

Nick was nervous when he heard someone pick up the other end of the call. He had no idea why. The last time he talked to Kincaid he was a wreck and now he found his life exactly how he wanted it. It was a drastic change, but Nick wouldn’t have it any other way.

“This is Kincaid.”

Nick licked his lips. “My name is Nick Winters. I’m with the Blackstone Bay Police Department. We talked a few months back. I’m not sure if you remember me.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone and for a moment Nick was certain Kincaid hung up.

“Is Maddie Graves okay?” Kincaid asked. “I can come up there if she needs help. Just give me a few hours to clear my schedule.”

“Maddie is fine,” Nick said hurriedly, reminding himself Kincaid was a good man who took care of Maddie when he couldn’t. “She’s actually really good.”

“I’m glad,” Kincaid said. “I’ve been … worried about her since she left. Things are going well for her, though?”

“They’re going very well,” Nick confirmed. “We live together now.” He had no idea why he added the second part of the statement. He wasn’t marking his territory as much as making sure Kincaid realized he was on Maddie’s side.

Kincaid chuckled. “I had a feeling things would work out that way,” he said. “Maddie yearned for home when she was down here. I think you were a big part of that.”

“Well, she’s happy now,” Nick said. “For the most part, I mean. We do have a spot of trouble up here, and your name came up in the report when we ran one of our suspects.”

“Oh, yeah? Who are we talking about?”

“Cooper Ashton.”

This time Nick knew the silence on the other end of the call was deliberate, a way for Kincaid to mask his outright displeasure.

“What is Ashton doing up in Blackstone Bay?”

Nick filled Kincaid in, taking extra care to include Ashton’s interest in Maddie. When he was done, Kincaid cursed a blue streak before collecting himself.

“I wish I could say I’m surprised by that, but I’m not,” Kincaid said. “Don’t leave Maddie alone with him. He’s a predator.”

“Maddie has a mind of her own and I’ve made my feelings on the subject very clear,” Nick said. “Kincaid has ambushed her a few times – using a woman who has always been jealous of Maddie to fuel his attacks – but he’s only gotten her isolated once and that was a fluke.”

“He didn’t touch her, did he?”

“If he touched her, I would be in jail for killing him,” Nick replied, not missing a beat. “He didn’t touch her. He keeps wanting her to join forces with him.”

“If you and Maddie are together, I’m going to assume you know everything now,” Kincaid said, choosing his words carefully. “I know you were confused when you last called, but I’m hopeful you guys worked all of that out.”

“I do know everything,” Nick confirmed. “I’m fine with it. Actually, it explains a lot about the time we spent together growing up. I’m not happy she felt the need to hide it from me, but I love her and we’ve put it in the past.”

“That’s good,” Kincaid said. “Maddie needs someone on her side. She was so sad all of the time I felt like adopting her. My wife wouldn’t have appreciated another kid, but I think she would’ve made an exception for Maddie.”

“Maddie has family. She has me.”

“My guess is that Ashton is fixated on Maddie because he knows she’s the real deal and he needs someone to bolster his believability,” Kincaid offered. “No matter how he paints himself, most people figure out the truth about him within a few days. That’s why he goes to these small towns and stirs up controversy before making a grand farewell speech and then running as fast as he can.”

“How did you get involved with him if he avoids urban areas?”

“Detroit is a big city, but we lend out detective help to smaller cities and that’s what happened here,” Kincaid replied. “An adjacent town needed us because they hadn’t investigated a murder in more than thirty years and when Ashton realized he was dealing with the big dogs he took off.

“What I found after he left was that he seduced the secretary in the local church and got information from her about the congregants,” he continued. “He bilked a goodly sum – it was about twenty grand, if memory serves – but he fled town before he got the rest of the money he was expecting.”

“And what about the murder?” Nick asked. “Did you ever think it was him?”

“I wanted it to be him, but we found the real murderer and there’s no doubt it was this individual.”

“Do you think Ashton has it in him to kill someone?” Nick asked. “We’ve had two bodies drop up here in as many days and Ashton found the first one in a place he should’ve had no prior knowledge about.”

“Can I ask where?”

“It was a haunted maze,” Nick answered. “Blackstone Bay is small, with a thriving tourist population. We have a festival at the drop of the hat. The maze is made out of hay bales and there’s a bunch of haunted scenes and gross tableaus set up. Someone replaced the scarecrow man in one with a real body.”

“That sounds … horrible,” Kincaid muttered. Nick could practically hear his mind working over the phone. “And Ashton found the body before anyone else could?”

“Yeah,” Nick said. “Not only that, but he announced he was going to do it. I was there with Maddie that night and we saw the whole thing.”

“What about the second victim?”

“She was stabbed and left in the alley behind the bank.”

“Has Maddie been able to use her talents?” Kincaid asked.

“She talked to the second victim, but the woman doesn’t remember what happened to her,” Nick replied. “She’s going to look for her again, but I’m not sure how that’s all going to work out yet. I can’t rely on Maddie finding the truth.”

“And you don’t want her in unnecessary danger,” Kincaid surmised. “I get that. When is Ashton’s big show supposed to hit?”

“Tonight.”

“Then tonight is when you have to watch things,” Kincaid said. “I’m not sure how much I should tell you since I got the information through backdoor means, but when I first started investigating Ashton I found that other bodies showed up after he left town – usually the day after.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Nick admitted.

“If you follow Ashton’s trajectory over the past six months or so, almost every single stop involves a murder after Ashton already left,” Kincaid said. “I have no idea if it’s him – and my gut tells me he’s too mealy-mouthed to be a killer – but someone with ties to him appears to be dropping bodies.”

“He’s alone, though,” Nick said. “I haven’t seen him with anyone but the women of this town.”

“Look closer,” Kincaid instructed. “He’s got someone with him. He might be staying at the same hotel or something, and you probably haven’t seen him interact with this person, but he’s got someone with him. He couldn’t possibly handle all of his scams alone.

“I felt like I was getting close to this person, but Ashton took off before I could discover an identity,” he continued. “The four bodies I’ve traced to time periods where Ashton was present in a small town were all stabbed multiple times.”

“Both of our bodies were, too.”

“Two bodies in two days indicates an escalation,” Kincaid pointed out. “Someone could be unraveling. Part of me always wondered if Ashton didn’t make a big show about leaving and then circle back to do the deed himself, thereby supplying his own alibi. I can’t prove that, though.”

“So you think Ashton has help from someone we’re not seeing or he could be doing it himself,” Nick mused. “That’s a lot of ground to cover.”

“It is. Someone would have to be stupid to kill someone else in a town the size of Blackstone Bay, though. Your problem is that Ashton will leave town tomorrow and take your case with him.”

“I have a bigger problem than that,” Nick said, partially talking to himself. “Maddie got a flash of one of her friends dying last night – as if she would be the third victim – and this woman is fully entrenched with Ashton right now.”

“Then find a way to get her out,” Kincaid said. “Maddie is never wrong and I don’t want her to have another broken heart. I want her to be happy.”

“That’s all I want, too.”

“Then make her happy, son,” Kincaid said. “I think you’re the only one with a shot. Hopefully, when the dust settles, I’ll be able to come up and pay her a visit. I’d like to see her happy with my own eyes.”

“You’re welcome whenever you can spare the time,” Nick said. “I should probably go. We need to discuss a few things here.”

“Good luck, son,” Kincaid said. “Whatever you do, keep your eyes on Maddie tonight. If Ashton is guilty, killing Maddie would be a feather in his cap. If Ashton isn’t guilty, whoever is killing these women has ties to him and Maddie would make an appealing target because she shot Ashton down.”

“If I have to tie Maddie to me with a rope tonight, I’ll do it.”

Kincaid chuckled. “I can already tell I’m going to like you. Give Maddie my regards, and tell her I’m happy she found what she was looking for.”

“
Y
OU SEEM
agitated
.”

Nick glanced up from his computer screen an hour later to find his brother watching him with unveiled interested. “I am agitated,” Nick confirmed. “I talked to a detective in Detroit and he pointed me toward a bevy of other unsolved murders.”

“What does that have to do with Cooper Ashton?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Nick admitted. “How did your night go? Did you see any action at Christy’s house?”

“It was dark the entire night,” John replied. “She turned the lights off about ten minutes after you left and they didn’t come back on until this morning. Do you want to tell me why I was stuck in my truck all night while you were cuddled up with your blonde?”

“Because Maddie had another flash, and in this one Christy was the third victim,” Nick replied. “Maddie freaked and made me run over there – I mean literally run – and then Maddie let herself into the house and we found Christy in bed with Cooper.”

John scowled, the expression taking Nick by surprise. “What? Why would she hook up with that … jerk?”

“I think she finds him attractive” Nick replied. “Why do you care so much?”

“I don’t care,” John clarified. “I just … she’s a nice woman. I would hate to see something happen to her.”

“Uh-huh.”

“What?” John was antsy as he shifted in his chair. “She’s funny and she makes me laugh. I’m a sworn officer of the law. I don’t want anyone to get hurt when it’s unnecessary.”

Nick wasn’t convinced. “That sounds very … pragmatic.”

“Then why are you looking at me that way?”

“Do you like Christy?” Nick asked, briefly wondering how a day at work turned into a family therapy session. “If you do, I understand. She’s generally a great woman – although I’m not thrilled with her right now – and I like her a lot.”

“I didn’t say I liked her,” John snapped. “I said she was fun and friendly. There’s a difference.”

“There is a difference,” Nick agreed. “This is the second time you’ve had a weird reaction where Christy is concerned, though. I’m asking if you like her as more than an acquaintance, and keep in mind, I’m a fool for love with my woman so I get it if you like her.”

“I might’ve liked her a little,” John said, causing Nick to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at his brother’s hangdog expression. “She’s … bubbly. She’s self-assured. She doesn’t tell me what I want to hear. I like that.”

“So ask her out,” Nick prodded.

“I can’t ask her out.” John was mortified. “She’s dating Cooper Asshat.”

“We both know that won’t last,” Nick countered. “This is Ashton’s last night in town and I’m determined to keep Christy safe. If that means I have to send Maude and her pack of Pink Ladies to follow Christy and block her from hooking up with Ashton again … well … I’m willing to risk it.”

John’s eyes brightened at the suggestion. “That’s a great idea.”

Nick smirked. “Yeah. I agree. It will keep Maude from doing something hinky to Harriet and keep Christy out of trouble. Now I just have to figure out how to get Maude to do my bidding.”

“Have Maddie ask her.”

“That’s on top of my to-do list,” Nick said, moving to push himself up from his desk. “As a matter of fact, I want you to come with me. I want to stop at the bed and breakfast and see if anyone else has been staying there and communicating with Ashton. Then I want to go to the festival for the rest of the day. I want eyes on Maddie and Christy until this is settled. I’m … worried.”

“I don’t blame you,” John said, following his brother. “If Christy is a target, Maddie will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.”

“That makes them both targets,” Nick said. “I will not lose my Maddie.”

“Then we need to keep her safe,” John said. “Let’s get moving.”

N
ick and John
headed straight for the front desk at the local bed and breakfast, waving at the pretty woman behind the counter when she caught sight of them. Caitlin Dobbs was about two years behind Nick in high school, but Nick got the feeling she had a crush on him during their limited interactions over the intervening years. He was willing to use that to his advantage … to a degree.

“Hey, Caitlin.” Nick greeted her with a friendly smile. “How are you doing?”

“I’m doing great, Nick,” Caitlin replied, a wide grin splitting her face. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“With Maddie Graves, right? Are you still with her?” Caitlin looked almost hopeful that Nick would offer a negative response.

“We’re still together,” Nick replied, opting not to toy with her. He would never purposely hurt anyone, or give them false hope. He would also never disrespect Maddie. “We’re going to be together forever.”

“That’s what everyone in town says,” Caitlin said, a wistful expression flitting across her face. “I keep hoping they’re wrong, but it doesn’t look that way, huh?”

“You’re such a heartbreaker,” John teased, shaking his head.

“I’ve known Maddie was the love of my life since I was seventeen,” Nick said. “I can’t help it. She’s it for me.”

“Oh, I wasn’t wishing anything bad for Maddie,” Caitlin said hurriedly. “I was just hoping for something good for myself.”

She was direct. Nick had to give her that. “Well … I’m sure you’ll find someone. My brother is free.” Nick clapped John’s shoulder and winked at Caitlin.

“Is he romantic like you?”

“Well … .” Nick wasn’t sure how to answer.

“No one is romantic like Nick,” John replied dryly, shaking his head. “I think they broke the mold with him.”

“That’s what makes me so sad,” Caitlin said. “So, what can I do for you guys? You’re clearly here for a reason.”

“We are,” Nick confirmed. “I believe Cooper Ashton is staying here, correct?”

“He is,” Caitlin said, a dark look flitting across her face before she replaced it with a pointed grimace. “He’s supposed to leave tomorrow … and I can’t wait.”

Nick and John exchanged a quick look, both realizing at the same time they might have a lead right under their noses.

“Why are you in such a hurry to see Cooper go?” John asked, grabbing a mint from the bowl on top of the counter. “He seems popular with the ladies. I would think it would be exciting having a celebrity stay here.”

“Yeah, I thought it was going to be exciting, too,” Caitlin lamented. “Boy, was I wrong.”

“How were you wrong?” Nick asked.

“He’s a jerk,” Caitlin replied. “The first night he got here he asked me out for a cup of coffee and then he tried to get me to go back to his room and sleep with him. I told him that’s not usually how I operate. Do you know what he did?”

Nick shook his head.

“He walked out the front door and twenty minutes later he walked back in with Ginny Fields. Ginny Fields!”

John and Nick jumped in unison as Caitlin shouted her disdain to the heavens.

“That’s bad, right?” John asked, confused.

“Ginny Fields has a … reputation,” Nick explained carefully. “She’s … um … friendly.”

“She’s a slut,” Caitlin corrected. “Oh, wipe those looks off your faces. Ginny knows she’s a slut. Anyway, she was upset when she came downstairs an hour later because Cooper kicked her out of his room when he was done. He told her he couldn’t sleep when someone else was in the bed with him, if you can believe that?”

“We’ve heard Cooper is very popular,” Nick said, deciding how to push forward. “Have any other women gone up to his room with him?”

“Who hasn’t?” Caitlin asked, refusing to lower her voice despite the hand gestures Nick kept utilizing in an effort to keep the effervescent clerk under control. “The second day he was in town he took Tanya Tipton up after breakfast, Genevieve Marks up after lunch, and Andrea Studebaker up after dinner.

“Then the next day he took Marla Proctor up, but she apparently refused to go because Cooper snuck out while she was in the bathroom and left a message with me that he got called away for an emergency,” she continued. “You should’ve seen Marla’s face when she came down. Boy, was she mad.”

“I’ll bet,” Nick said, fighting the urge to laugh. If anyone deserved a taste of her own medicine, it was Marla. “Who else?”

“I heard Cassidy Dunham was kissing him behind the bank, but I didn’t see that first hand and I don’t like gossip,” Caitlin said.

“Cassidy?” Nick mulled the possibility over in his mind. “Did she ever go up to his room with him?”

“Not that I recall, but I’m not here twenty-four hours a day,” Caitlin replied. “It just feels like it sometimes.”

“To your knowledge, did Cooper pump any of these women for information?”

“He pumps them all right,” Caitlin said, making a face as John snickered.

“Are you ten?” Nick asked his brother, annoyed.

“Oh, come on,” John protested. “That was funny. The only reason you don’t think that’s funny is because you’re a proper boyfriend in love with his girlfriend. If you were still single, you would find that hilarious.”

Nick wanted to argue, but sadly he was convinced his brother was right. “Did Cooper ask you any questions that first night?”

“He did,” Caitlin said, her head bobbing. “He wanted to know if there were any magic shops or tarot card readers in town. I told him about Maddie, of course, and he was really interested. He wanted to know if everyone thought she was a fake.”

Nick worked hard to tamp down his irritation. “And what did you tell him?”

“I told him Maddie was the real deal because I’ve heard she is,” Caitlin replied. “People say she helped find the killer of that woman a few weeks ago because she’s psychic. People also say you’re psychic because you found her in that lake when she first came back and brought her back to life, Nick.”

“Oh, now you’re psychic,” John said. “I’ll never catch up at this point.”

Nick cuffed the back of his brother’s head. “How interested was Cooper in Maddie?”

“I would say very interested, although he obviously stopped talking to me after that first night,” Caitlin answered. “I heard him asking Marla and Cassidy for information on Maddie. You know Marla, though, she only talked bad about Maddie so I think that confused Cooper.”

“For once I’m thankful Marla is a guttersnipe,” Nick muttered. “What about Christy Ford?”

“That’s definitely weird,” Caitlin said. “At first Cooper acted as if he was tolerating Christy. He seemed interested because she always had so many stories to tell, but he kept her at arm’s length for some reason. Then he found out she was close with Maddie but apparently she refused to talk about Maddie and Cooper was irritated because he couldn’t get information out of her.”

“Even when she’s confused she’s loyal,” John said.

“Cooper tried pressuring Christy over lunch the other day saying he knew that Christy knew the truth, but Christy said Maddie was just a normal girl in love with her boyfriend,” Caitlin said. “That made Cooper angry because he really doesn’t like you, Nick. He said he thought Maddie was better than you and that set Marla off because she’s always been jealous of Maddie.”

“I know,” Nick said. “That goes back to middle school, for crying out loud.”

“I heard Marla complaining before Cassidy stopped coming around and she said she wasn’t going to let Maddie steal Cooper from her like she stole you, Nick,” Caitlin said. “Marla said she would die before letting that happen.”

“If only Cooper would’ve become fixated on Marla instead of Christy,” Nick said. “I wouldn’t be half as worried as I am now. Freaking Marla. Even if there had never been a Maddie, I wouldn’t have touched her.”

“Yes, the people trying to wipe out venereal disease thank you for that,” John deadpanned, causing Caitlin to giggle.

“What about other guests, Caitlin?” Nick asked, something Kincaid said to him niggling the back of his mind. “Do you have other guests staying here?”

“We have a couple from Flint staying in one room.”

“Anyone else?”

“Um … .” Caitlin tapped her bottom lip with her finger. “Just two of those protesters. It’s a mother and son.”

“Do they seem odd to you?”

“The mother keeps complaining that Cooper is a charlatan and her son keeps trying to calm her down, but other than that they seem normal,” Caitlin said. “The son acts embarrassed by what his mother says, but I would be embarrassed, too. That’s one loud woman.”

“You haven’t seen Cooper meeting with anyone else, have you?” Nick pressed. “Think hard. No strange men around or anything, right?”

Caitlin shook her head. “When he’s not riding the Blackstone Bay magic carpet ride with whatever woman turns his fancy at any given moment, he’s generally alone.”

“Thanks,” Nick said, shifting his gaze to John. “I think Kincaid’s theory about Cooper saying a big goodbye and circling back around makes more sense than him having a partner. Someone would’ve seen him – even if it was just for a moment – if he was meeting someone here.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I want to check on Maddie,” Nick said. “I don’t want her alone.”

“I knew you were going to say that.”

M
ADDIE
sent
her last customer of the day off with a smile and a skip, and when she set about packing up her tent it was with a mixture of dread and anticipation. Part of her was upset about what Christy said to her the previous evening, and the other part was merely irked.

Christy befriended Maddie at a time when she had no one else to lean on, and she would be forever thankful for the effortless friendship, but Maddie refused to feel guilty for being happy. Maddie waited ten years to get her act together and reclaim her life. She wouldn’t let it go now.

On the other hand, if Christy really did feel as if Maddie looked at her as a sidekick, Maddie couldn’t help but wonder what she could’ve done to make Christy feel better. She refused to give up on the friendship, but she refused to give up on her belief that Cooper Ashton was a fraud, too. That was one thing she believed with her whole heart.

“Maddie?”

Maddie jumped at the voice, clutching the spot above her heart as she swiveled and found Cathy Winchester watching her with sad eyes. “Cathy,” Maddie said, exhaling heavily. “You scared me.”

“I’m sorry,” Cathy said, her form relatively solid. “I just … it’s hard to control where I’m going and how long I can stay. It’s like I disappear for a little bit – or sleep maybe – and then I come back. Do ghosts sleep?”

“It takes time to control your environment,” Maddie explained. “That’s normal. The longer you stay, the stronger you’re likely to get.”

“That’s good … I guess.”

“Cathy, you don’t have to stay here,” Maddie supplied. “You’re probably only here until you remember who killed you. I find that most ghosts want to hang on long enough to tell their story and make sure the guilty party is punished.”

Cathy perked up. “Then what happens?”

“Then you move on,” Maddie replied simply.

“Where?”

“I don’t know,” Maddie answered, opting for honesty. “Someplace better. I’ve never seen it, but I know it’s out there.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Cathy said, sighing. “How do I get to a place where I can move on?”

Maddie helplessly shrugged. “You need to remember what happened to you. Have you had any luck with that?”

Cathy shook her head. “Everything after seeing the fountain is a blur … and most of that blur is black.”

“You need to jog your memory,” Maddie said. “While you still have strength to do it, you should walk around the fair. Take a good look at everyone. Get as close as you want. They can’t see you. Maybe if you see someone familiar it will spark your memory.”

“That’s a good idea,” Cathy said, brightening. “Will you be here if I find someone?”

“I’ll be at the fair,” Maddie replied. “You shouldn’t have a problem finding me. Everyone is dressing up in costumes tonight, but I’ll still be recognizable.”

“Okay,” Cathy said. “I’ll do what you ask. I don’t want to be here any longer.”

“I don’t blame you,” Maddie said. “Don’t worry, though. I think we’re going to find out who did this tonight.”

“How do you know that?”

Maddie held her palms up. “It’s just a feeling.” She didn’t know how else to answer.