Read Grave Decisions (A Maddie Graves Mystery Book 7) for Free Online Page B

great,” Nick said, rolling his eyes. “You found a fake scarecrow body in a maze. I’m truly … amazed.”
    “That is not a scarecrow,” Cooper intoned.
    “Really?” Nick was annoyed. “I can’t take this. We’re going home.”
    “Nick, I think you should look closer,” Christy prodded, grabbing his forearm. “I think it’s a real body.”
    Nick blew out a frustrated sigh. “Fine. I’ll look. When it’s fake, though, everyone needs to get out of here and go home.”
    Nick rummaged in his pocket until he came up with a small flashlight. He released Maddie’s hand and pointed. “Stay right here, love. Don’t let anyone separate you from me.”
    Maddie watched as Nick moved closer to the scarecrow, flicking the flashlight on and moving it up and down the body. To Maddie’s surprise, he studied it longer than she expected, and when he tugged on one of the gloves covering what should’ve been straw hands he revealed a human hand – with painted fingernails.
    The screaming started again, and Maddie found herself being pushed toward the opening with no way to fight the forward momentum. “Nicky!”
    Nick managed to grab Maddie away from the scattering horde and pull her to his chest as he shifted his gaze to Cooper. “How did you know?”
    Cooper’s answer was simple. “The spirits told me.”
    “Well, great,” Nick said, exhaling heavily as he kissed Maddie’s forehead. “I have to call Kreskin. That’s a real body.”
    Maddie wordlessly nodded.
    “I don’t think we’re going to get that bath tonight, Mad,” Nick said. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
    “I think this is more important, Nicky.”
    “Nothing is more important than you, but … this is more urgent,” Nick said, digging for his phone. “Something tells me this is going to be a long night.”

    “ I DON’T understand .”
    Dale Kreskin paced the small area between the female body and Nick, Maddie, and Cooper. He was Nick’s partner, but sometimes when he was worked up he felt like Nick’s father.
    “I don’t think I understand either, but that’s how it happened,” Nick said, rubbing the back of Maddie’s neck. “Cooper claimed he sensed a body in here. Everyone went with him so Maddie and I followed in case there were problems. This is what we found.”
    “This is just … .”
    “Impressive?” Cooper asked, fishing for compliments.
    “I was going to say annoying and ridiculous,” Kreskin snapped. “You’re the television guy, right? You pretend to have psychic visions that lead you to bodies. Only this time, you’re saying you actually stumbled across a real body. That’s what you’re saying, right?”
    “I do not fake visions,” Cooper snapped. “I am psychic. I am at one with mystical energy. It invades my body and shows me things. It showed me this.”
    Kreskin exchanged an incredulous look with Nick. “I see.”
    “What about you, Maddie?” Kreskin asked, causing her heart to flop. “Is that how you remember things?”
    Maddie let loose with a shaky breath when she realized Kreskin wasn’t going to put her on the spot and ask if she had the same psychic flashes as Cooper. As if reading her mind, Nick gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
    “Pretty much,” Maddie said. “Nick and I were back that way and we’d decided to go home when we heard someone scream. It took us about a minute to find everyone. When we did, Nick took the flashlight out of his pocket and when he removed the glove to investigate everyone screamed and stampeded out.”
    “And made a mess of our crime scene,” Kreskin muttered.
    “That’s my fault,” Nick interjected. “I was so surprised I couldn’t stop them. I didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late and my first instinct was to grab Maddie so they didn’t separate her from me.”
    “Son, your first instinct is always to grab Maddie,” Kreskin said, struggling to keep his face stern but ultimately failing. “Well, I placed a call to