Grave Decisions (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 7) by Lily Harper Hart Page A

her grandmother. “I’ve barely seen you in days.”
    “That’s because I’m on a mission from the gods,” Maude replied. “Harriet Proctor needs my foot shoved up her … .”
    “Granny,” Maddie cut her off, shooting her a warning look.
    “You’re such a prude,” Maude muttered. “I don’t know how someone so prudish could spring from my genes.”
    “I think she’s just prudish enough,” Nick replied, rubbing the back of Maddie’s neck to calm her. “She’s perfect. You just can’t handle that perfection skips a couple of generations.”
    “You’re good for her ego, so I’m going to let that slide,” Maude said, making a face. “You’re an idiot for love sometimes, though.”
    “I can live with that,” Nick said, glancing toward the counter when his cell phone rang. “Finish your breakfast, Mad. We need to get you settled in your tent as soon as possible. That means if you need to change into another cute outfit, you should do it as soon as you’re done eating.”
    “I think I might forego that today,” Maddie said.
    “Oh, come on,” Nick whined. “I love those skirts. They give me ideas.”
    Maude snorted. “You get ideas when you wake up and see her,” she said.
    “I can’t deny that,” Nick said, answering his phone.
    Maddie took Nick’s distraction as an opportunity to talk to her grandmother alone. “Don’t do anything really wacky right now,” she said. “There’s a lot going on and Nick can’t take being stretched in another direction.”
    “I’m pretty sure I should be offended,” Maude sniffed. “I never do anything wacky.”
    “What are you planning to do to Harriet?”
    “I forget,” Maude replied, averting her gaze. “The older you get, the quicker your memory goes.”
    “Uh-huh.” Maddie wasn’t convinced. “Just try to keep it from getting out of control. For me, please.”
    “I’ll consider it,” Maude said, turning her eyes to Nick as he walked back from the counter. “Was that good news? I certainly hope so.”
    One look at Nick’s face told Maddie that the news he had to share was anything but good.
    “You need to get dressed, Mad,” Nick said, licking his lips. “They found another body.”

10

Ten
    “ M ad , I’m not sure you should see this,” Nick said, cutting Maddie off from the alley behind the bank and fixing her with a somber expression. “It’s pretty bad.”
    They left the house together shortly after Nick received the call, Maddie opting to dress down in jeans and a simple T-shirt because she didn’t feel like playing a part given the grim reality being forced upon them. She clutched her hoodie closer to stave off the brisk morning air, but she was resigned and knew she had to see what Nick was trying to so hard to protect her from.
    “I have to know if it’s her, Nicky.”
    Nick opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. “Focus on her face, Mad,” he instructed, slipping his arm around his beloved blonde’s waist. “Don’t look anywhere else.”
    Maddie pressed her lips together and nodded as Nick led her down the alley. Kreskin and John, both overseeing the coroner as he check over the body, glanced at Maddie as she approached but otherwise remained still.
    Maddie sucked in a deep breath and did as Nick instructed, only focusing on the woman’s face. She had to bite her lip to keep from crying out when she saw the blond hair and pale features, blood pooling beneath both on the pavement. The woman’s blue eyes faced the sky, her mouth open as a silent scream tried to escape. Maddie knew what the scream sounded like, because despite the sleeping pills the previous evening, the scream haunted her dreams.
    Maddie gave Nick a curt nod and didn’t put up a fight when he ushered her back down the alleyway and toward the street. John and Kreskin followed, keeping close to Nick and Maddie and forming a circle around Maddie to protect her from onlookers on the other side of the police tape when they got to a