Grave Misgivings (11 page)

“No, just the one.”

“Do you spend a lot of time watching your family?”

“The house is empty a lot of the time,” Rose said. “I watch them sometimes. Other times … I just kind of exist. I’m not really thinking about anything, or remembering anything. I’m aware that life is going on without me. Of course, it felt like life was going on without me even when I was alive.”

Sympathy for the woman bubbled up, although Maddie wasn’t exactly sure why. She was clearly sad, but until she opened up, there was nothing Maddie could do to help her. “You know, if you tell me how you died, I might be able to help you move on.”

“To where?”

‘The other side,” Maddie said. “I’m not sure what’s waiting for you, but it has to be better than what you’re living with here.”

Rose considered the offer. “I’m not sure … I don’t … .” She squared her shoulders, almost as if she’d been trying to decide how to answer, and finally made up her mind. “I was murdered.”

Maddie opened her mouth to reply, a hundred different questions fighting for top billing on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t get a chance to ask any of them because the sound of the mausoleum door swinging shut assailed her ears instead.

That was when Maddie realized she’d made a terrible mistake. It seemed the only light in the room was filtering in through a small window at the top of the building – and the door, which had been propped open, cut off the bulk of the light when it slammed shut.

Now Maddie found herself plunged into virtual darkness, and she was trying really hard not to panic.

That’s when she heard a noise in the corner of the mausoleum and realized she wasn’t alone.

“Omigod!”

“Who’s in here?”

No one answered, but Maddie could distinctly hear the sound of something scraping against the floor along the far wall of the mausoleum.

“Rose?”

“Be careful, Maddie Graves.” Rose’s voice was barely a whisper. “Death is here.”

Maddie swallowed hard, trying to tamp down the panic as it invaded her soul. “What does that mean?”

“I’m not the only presence that stayed behind,” Rose said. “There’s something else. There’s something worse.”

“And it’s here now?”

“It’s here and it’s coming for you.”

“Crap,” Maddie muttered, extending her hands and moving toward the area where she believed she would find the door. “Nicky!”

“I STILL
think you should describe what Maddie looks like naked for me,” Brian said. “You did beat me up because I wanted to ask her out when we were in high school.”

Nick scorched him with a look. “You do not want to go there.”

“Come on,” Brian pleaded. “She’s stinking hot, man. She looks like she could be a model. I mean … did you see her legs in that dress last night?”

“I see her legs every night.”

“Now you’re just rubbing it in.”

“Brian, the only reason I’m not beating you up again is because there are too many witnesses,” Nick warned. “Stop talking about Maddie being naked.”

“Just for clarification, I don’t think he’s asking to see Maddie naked,” Aaron said.

Max raised his hand. “I am.”

Aaron wagged a finger in his face. “Don’t make things worse,” he said. “I think Brian just wants you to describe what you get to cuddle up next to every night. You don’t have to go into great detail … .”

“Yes, he does,” Max said.

“Seriously, you’re not helping us here,” Aaron said. “Just … give us a hint, man. How great is her body?”

Nick knew that smiling was akin to encouraging them, but every time he thought of Maddie naked he couldn’t help but grin. When he realized what he as doing, he forced a frown onto his face. “You guys make me sick. You’re talking about the woman I love like she’s a piece of meat.”

“Oh, you’re such a goner,” Aaron said. “Why don’t you just propose now and get it over with?”

“Because we want to live together and have fun dating first,” Nick said. “Don’t worry, we’re going to get married. It’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when, and the when is … .” Nick broke off when he heard the whisper. He thought he was imagining it at first. He thought the words were nothing but a trick of his imagination on the wind. Three months before he would’ve ignored the prickling on the back of his neck. He would’ve ignored the whisper.

That was before Olivia’s ghost manifested enough power to propel Nick to Maddie in time to save her life, though. That was before Olivia’s ghost tipped him off that Maddie was being stalked in her own home.

Nick snapped his head up, scanning the cemetery. “Where’s Maddie?”

Brian, Max, and Aaron didn’t pick up on the change in Nick’s demeanor.

“Just tell us if she’s a real blonde,” Max suggested.

“Where is Maddie?” Nick repeated, moving away from the men and desperately searching the cemetery with his busy brown eyes. After a few moments, his gaze fell on Christy and he exhaled a heavy sigh of relief. The boisterous redhead wouldn’t leave Maddie. He was sure of that. When Nick realized Christy was alone, though, his heart plummeted. He ignored the spewed questions from his friends and broke into a run as he raced toward Christy.

Maddie was in trouble. Olivia was warning him of something. He just didn’t know what.

“I DON’T
know what’s in the corner over there but I’m officially terrified,” Maddie said, her hands finding the heavy metal of the door. She almost cried out in relief. The scuffling sounds from the other side of the mausoleum were getting closer. Maddie had no idea what was stalking her in the dark. She knew it couldn’t be good, though. “Come on.”

She fumbled along until she found the doorknob and wrapped her hand around it, frantically tugging as she desperately tried to find literal light so she could chase away the dark. She had to get out of here.

“Nick is coming.”

Olivia’s voice soothed Maddie even though she couldn’t see her in the murky dark. “Mommy?”

“It’s okay, Maddie,” Olivia said. “He’s coming. I warned him.”

“There’s something in here,” Maddie said. “There’s something … horrible … in here.”

“I know,” Olivia said.

“The door is locked. I can’t get it open.”

“Take a breath, Maddie,” Olivia instructed. “You’re going to pass out if you’re not careful.”

“What’s in here? I can’t see it. I can hear it. It’s getting closer.”

“I don’t know what it is,” Olivia said. “Something evil has manifested here.”

“Can it hurt me?”

“I … I don’t know, Maddie. Just try to relax. Nick will be here any second.”

“What if he’s too late?”

“He’ll never be too late,” Olivia said. “You’re destined for happily ever after together. He won’t be late. Trust him.”

“WHERE
is Maddie?” Nick snapped as he approached Christy.

The redhead, who was busy watching squirrels frolic in the nearby tree, seemed surprised at Nick’s vehemence. “She’s right over … .” Christy frowned. “She was right there.”

“Where?”

“She was by the mausoleum,” Christy said.

Nick pushed past her and increased his pace, beating a straight path toward the mausoleum. Aaron stopped at Christy’s side, confused and concerned. “I have no idea what’s going on,” he said. “He was in the middle of saying something to us and then it was like … I don’t know … he heard a voice or something. Then he started screaming about Maddie.”

Christy didn’t like the sound of that. “Look in the mausoleum,” she ordered.

Nick reached the door and tugged on the handle, frustrated when it refused to open. “Maddie?” There was no answer from inside so Nick pounded on the door mercilessly. “Maddie?”

“What’s going on?” Marla asked, appearing from the other side of the mausoleum.

Christy narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Where were you?”

“Looking around,” Marla said, making a face. Cassidy appeared on her heels. Her face was hard to read, but Christy was sure she saw guilt reflected there.

“Have you seen Maddie?” Christy asked.

“Maddie?” Nick pounded on the mausoleum door again.

“I’m sure she’s not in there,” Marla said. “Maybe she went back to the house.”

“She wouldn’t have left without telling me,” Nick seethed. “There’s nowhere else she could be.”

“There’s no reason to freak out,” Marla said. “I’m sure your precious Maddie is perfectly fine. She’s probably hiding because she knows it will get your motor running. Then, just when you’re really panicked, she’ll appear out of nowhere just so you can fawn all over you.”

“If you don’t shut your mouth, I’m going to shut it for you,” Nick warned. He pounded on the mausoleum door again. “Maddie? Answer me!”

“Dude, let me help you,” Aaron said, using his hips to edge Nick out of the way. “This door sticks. There’s a trick to opening it. Hold on.”

Aaron fiddled with the handle for a few moments and Nick’s heart jumped to his throat when the door sprung open. He pushed Aaron out of the way and bolted into the room, his heart rolling painfully when he saw Maddie’s crumpled form on the hard, cement floor.

“Maddie.” He dropped to his knees and crawled to her carefully, terrified he would find her hurt – or worse – when he finally touched her. When his hands made contact with her shoulders, he rolled her so he could study her face.

Her eyes were closed and she almost looked as if she was sleeping. It was obvious she’d been crying, though. Something terrible had happened to her. “Love?” He slipped an arm under her waist as he fought to hold on to the tattered remnants of his resolve. When he cradled Maddie to his chest he was relieved to find she was still breathing. He’d breathed life back into her still lungs before. She was doing it for herself this time, though. That had to be a good sign, right?

“Should we call an ambulance?” Aaron asked, his face a mask of worry and fright.

Nick hoisted Maddie up into his arms and stood, moving out of the mausoleum and into the sunlight. A hint of movement caught his attention, and when Maddie’s chin moved a second time, a raw sob escaped his throat. “Maddie?”

“Nicky,” she murmured.

“I’ve got you,” Nick said, clutching her tightly as he started walking back toward Aaron’s house. “I’ve got you.”

“IS
SHE
okay?” Christy asked, letting herself into the library and closing the door behind her.

Maddie regained consciousness before they reached the house, although she was confused and incoherent. Instead of questioning her in front of everyone, Nick told the others to find something to do while he took care of her. He didn’t want her to blurt anything out in front of an audience.

For the past five minutes he’d been rubbing her shoulders and trying to get her to drink a bottle of water while she regained her senses. He was still waiting to question her.

“The color is coming back to her cheeks,” Nick said, brushing his thumb against her lip. “She still seems a little out of it.”

“I am so sorry,” Christy said. “She saw the ghost from last night, and she wanted me to act as a lookout while she talked to her. I honestly didn’t see the harm in it. I wasn’t paying close enough attention, though. This is my fault.”

“It’s my fault,” Nick said. “I should’ve stayed with her.”

“It’s no one’s fault,” Maddie said, finally speaking. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not even here.”

Nick exhaled heavily. “Are you okay, Mad? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?”

“I’m fine,” Maddie said, lifting her hand. It was shaking, and Nick clasped it with his own and lowered his eyes until they met hers.

“You don’t look fine, love.”

“She actually looks better than you,” Christy said. “You’re as white as a ghost.”

“Ha, ha.”

“I wasn’t joking,” Christy said. She reached over and patted Maddie’s hand reassuringly. “What happened?”

“I’m not a hundred percent sure,” Maddie said, leaning forward as Nick eased himself into a sitting position beside her and snaked his arm around her waist. “I was talking to Rose … .”

“Who is Rose?”

“She’s Aaron’s dead grandmother.”

“I … okay,” Nick said. “We’ll talk about that later … when we’re alone upstairs.” Or at home, he added silently. “Why did you shut the door?”

“I didn’t shut the door,” Maddie said. “I left it propped open. I needed the light. I just wanted to talk to Rose when I could be assured I didn’t have an audience.”

“How long were you in there?”

“Not long,” Maddie said. “She told me who she was. She was kind of sad and I was trying to get her to open up about what happened to her. She finally admitted she was murdered and then … well … the door slammed shut.”

Nick frowned. “That door opens from the outside,” he said. “That means someone closed it from the outside. There was no wind. It couldn’t have blown shut. It was too heavy.”

“It wasn’t me,” Christy said.

“I didn’t think it was you,” Nick said. “You were watching the squirrels. The guys were over with me. Lauren wasn’t with us but I never lost sight of her. That means it had to be either Marla or Cassidy who closed the door.”

“It also means they probably knew Maddie was inside when they did it,” Christy said. “I should’ve been paying closer attention. I’m so sorry. Did you pass out because you were scared?”

“I … I’m not sure I passed out.”

“What do you mean?” Nick asked.

“There was something in the mausoleum,” Maddie said. “Rose warned me that she wasn’t the only thing that stayed behind after death. The thing is, I could hear something physically moving.”

She looked earnest, and she clearly believed what she was saying, but Nick had no idea what she was talking about. “I don’t know what that means, Mad.”

“I don’t either,” Maddie said. “I just know something was in that room with me. I tried to open the door, but it was like the handle was stuck.”

“I know,” Nick said, running his hand down the back of her head. “I couldn’t get it open from outside either. Aaron had to do it for me.”

“How did you know she was in trouble?” Christy asked. “Aaron said you were in the middle of a sentence and then you just took off because you knew something was wrong.”

“Olivia came to me.”

“She’s done that a few times now, hasn’t she?”

“She has,” Nick said. “I knew I had to get to Maddie.”

“She came to me, too,” Maddie said. “She kept telling me to hold on. She told me you were coming. I called for you and then … I don’t know what happened. I felt something behind me. I felt a … hand … on my shoulder. The next thing I knew I was waking up in your arms.”