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

occasional glance behind her, worried someone followed, but she never heard any noise to indicate she wasn’t alone.
    Why did she enter the maze on her own?
    She couldn’t figure out the correct answer, and as each step led her farther into the twisted tableau, she became more and more convinced she wasn’t alone despite the overwhelming silence.
    Maddie rested against one of the straw walls, briefly wondering if she wouldn’t be smarter just to push the wall over and escape to the street that way. The problem was, due to the darkness, she couldn’t be sure which way the main drag was located. She’d taken so many turns, she didn’t know which direction she faced.
    Maddie pushed herself away from the wall again. She wasn’t sure why she was convinced she wasn’t alone in the maze, but her inner danger alert dinged and she inherently knew she was running out of time.
    Maddie raced past the now familiar dinner table scene, cringing when she recognized the fake head on one of the plates. Whoever designed this horrible maze should be banned from doing it again. She made a mental note to ask who was responsible – if she survived, that is.
    When Maddie got to the spot where the body was found, she realized the form perched on the pike above the ritual scene wasn’t the same as the one they discovered hours before. That’s when Maddie became certain she wasn’t in a dream, but instead someone’s memory.
    “Oh, no,” Maddie whimpered, her hand flying to her mouth. She turned quickly, frowning when she saw the dark figure moving into the square area behind her. Maddie couldn’t make out any features. What was there was dark and masked. Maddie opened her mouth to scream, but only one word came out.
    “Nicky!”
    Maddie bolted awake, tears streaming down her face. Nick’s side of the bed was empty, and a quick glance at the clock told her it was almost four in the morning. Maddie couldn’t stop the tears, and when the master bathroom door opened and illuminated Nick’s strong figure, she almost wept she was so relieved.
    “Maddie, are you okay?” Nick asked, moving toward her. “Did you just cry out my name?”
    “I … .” Maddie couldn’t find the words to explain her dream. Instead she reached out to rest her hand on Nick’s chest. “I didn’t think you were here.”
    “I was brushing my teeth, Mad,” Nick said. “I just got home. You were out like a log when I got here. Hold on.”
    Nick moved away from the bed long enough to flick the bathroom light off and then rolled onto the mattress next to Maddie. He slipped an arm under her waist and pulled her to him, settling her head on his shoulder as he tucked the covers around them.
    “Tell me what’s wrong, love,” he prodded, kissing her forehead and hating the way her body shook. “Did you have a bad dream?”
    Maddie nodded as she buried her face in Nick’s chest.
    “Okay,” Nick said. “You don’t have to tell me what it was about if you don’t want to. It’s okay.”
    “It wasn’t a dream, Nicky,” Maddie whispered. “I thought it was a dream at first, but it wasn’t.”
    “Okay.” Nick knew better than forcing the issue. Maddie would tell him what she saw when she was ready.
    “I was in the maze and I thought someone was following me,” Maddie said. “I remember going past that horrible dinner display and thinking whoever designed it should be banned from festival events.”
    “Probably,” Nick agreed, rubbing Maddie’s shoulder to relax her. “You’re shivering, love. Try taking deep breaths.”
    Maddie did as instructed. “It wasn’t until I got to the spot with the ritual setup that I realized it wasn’t a nightmare,” she said. “The body on the pike was a scarecrow. It was a memory, but it wasn’t mine.”
    “Do you know who it was?” Nick asked.
    “No. I was in her body, but I couldn’t see my reflection or anything. She didn’t feel familiar.”
    “Okay,” Nick said. “What happened?” He was