Wicked Haunts (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 12)

by Lily Harper Hart

  Jack merely shook his head as he straightened. “Well, as long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

  Even though they were often short with one another, Ivy knew that Max and Jack respected one another. There was a genuine fondness between the duo. However, it often came out in braggadocio and insults.

  “I can’t tell you how I enjoy these mornings together,” Jack drawled, shaking his head. “I mean ... seriously, how did I live my life before you were a part of it?”

  “I think it was a sad existence,” Max replied, unruffled. He sat at the table and reached for the syrup and butter left over from Ivy and Jack’s morning meal. “I think you fell in love with me before my sister snared your heart, if you want to know the truth.”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly what happened.” Jack shook his head and flicked his eyes to Ivy. “I have to be going. I’m heading straight to the medical examiner’s office, which means I’m going to be out of town for at least the morning. After that, we’re heading to the resort to see if we can find anyone with knowledge of Phoebe’s whereabouts.”

  “Okay.” Ivy smoothed the front of her khakis. “Will you keep me updated if you find out anything important?”

  “Yes. Will you keep me updated if you do the same?”

  Ivy nodded, her lips curving. “Yes. I promise to be a good girl.”

  “Right. Like I believe that.” He leaned over and gave her a soft kiss. “I’m almost afraid to ask, but what do you and your brother have planned today? Before you answer, keep in mind, I know you’re not going to be heading to the nursery to work.”

  Ivy’s plant nursery, the only one in Shadow Lake, was her pride and joy. She almost never went a day without at least checking in. Jack sensed right away that today was different, though, and he wanted to know her plans before he left.

  “What makes you think I’m not going to the nursery?” Ivy asked, stalling for time.

  “Because you don’t need Max for that. If he’s here, you have a plan.”

  Ivy sighed, resigned. “Fine. I have a plan. You’re probably not going to like it, though.”

  “I figured that out the second I saw him.”

  She blew up her bangs and made a face. “We’re going back to the shack. I want to take a look around, maybe see if I can get one of those feelings ... or visions ... while I’m out there, like I got yesterday. I wasn’t kidding about trying to expand my abilities.”

  Jack absently scratched the side of his nose as he regarded her. “What do you think you’re going to find out there?” he asked finally.

  “I don’t know.” Ivy opted for honesty. “Even if I find nothing, it can’t hurt, though. Phoebe’s purse was discovered close to the shack. You said you were going to get the state police out there, but I’m betting you haven’t done that yet.”

  “It’s on my to-do list for today.”

  “Well, I want to get out there before they roil up the atmosphere. I don’t know that it will turn out to be important. I need to try, though. I invited Max because I knew you had things to do and would put up a righteous fight when you found out what I had planned otherwise.”

  “That was a smart move,” Jack conceded. Even though there were times Max grated on his last nerve, Jack never worried that the man wouldn’t do right by his sister. “Okay. I actually think it’s a good idea. I want you to promise to be careful, though. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

  Ivy mimed crossing her heart. “I promise. I’ll be a good girl.”

  “I should hope so. You were bad enough for a lifetime last night.” Jack playfully smacked her rear end before giving her another kiss and heading toward the door. “I’ll be in touch.”

  “I’m going to smack you around later for touching my sister in such a lewd way,” Max called after him.

  “I’m looking forward to the attempt.”

  MARY WAS EXPECTING Jack and Brian so she had them cleared to the back the moment they arrived at the county health department. Since Shadow Lake was so small, it wasn’t financially feasible to have a medical examiner on staff. That meant, like multiple other towns and villages in the area, Shadow Lake contracted with the county for services.

  “What have you got?” Brian asked, refusing to trade pleasantries before getting to the nitty-gritty.

  “Good morning to you, too,” Mary drawled, a yogurt container in her hand as she hovered close to a gurney containing the earthly remains of Janice Green. “I can’t tell you how it brightens my day to see you two so early.”

  Brian rolled his eyes. “Yes. We love you, too. What have you got for us?”

  “Well, I have a few things.” Mary dipped her spoon into her yogurt and fished for a big berry. “We’ve managed to narrow her time of death to between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Monday.”

  Jack did the math in his head. “That’s basically the timeframe you estimated.”

  “Pretty much. The thing is, I believe the injury happened hours before that.”

  “What injury?”

  “Her windpipe was damaged and she didn’t die right away. She was strangled and left for dead, but she lingered for several hours. I’m going to estimate she was alive two to three hours after being injured.”

  “Could she have been saved?” Brian asked.

  “That’s hard to tell. In my expert opinion, maybe. I can’t give you anything more definitive than that. It’s certainly possible she could’ve survived the initial injury if medical care had been afforded from the start. We don’t know how long her brain went without oxygen, though. We don’t know what that would’ve meant for prospects at a meaningful life. Like I said, we simply don’t know.”

  “Okay, well, what else have you got?” Jack was disturbed at the prospect of Janice slowly dying in the middle of her living room when someone could’ve offered help. While a quick death wasn’t always better, in this particular case, the actual death dealt seemed particularly cruel. “Can you tell us if we’re dealing with a man or a woman?”

  “No. The wounds around her neck seem to indicate that whoever did the deed readjusted his or her grip two or three times. That makes me believe that we’re not dealing with a professional. It’s a lot harder to strangle someone than it looks on television.

  “As for the width of the hands, I can’t give you an exact estimate on that,” she continued. “Because the grip was loosened and tightened, the bruises overlap. It’s impossible to make out an individual hand size. I’m sorry.”

  “It was a long shot,” Brian said. “We were hopeful we would be able to narrow our suspects, but that doesn’t look to be the case.”

  “What about the daughter? Have you found her yet?”

  “No. We’re heading to the resort where she worked after this. We have no way of knowing if she’s another victim, the perpetrator, or a young woman who simply hasn’t checked on her mother.”

  “I hope you find her alive.”

  “Yeah, we all hope that.”

  IVY WORE HER OLD boots for the hike, and even though her feet were still sore, the trip wasn’t nearly as painful as she expected. It wasn’t exactly comfortable either.

  “Why are you walking like that?” Max complained behind her about halfway through their trek. “You look like an idiot.”

  Ivy glowered at him. “Maybe I’m trying a new walk. Have you ever considered that?”

  “Only if you want to walk like an idiot.”

  “And how does one walk like an idiot, pray tell? Can you explain that to me?”

  Max’s smile was mischievous. “They put videos of you on the internet and try to emulate them.”

  “Ha, ha. You’re a laugh a minute.”

  “Yes, I’m a true delight,” Max agreed. “Seriously, though, why are you walking like that?”

  “Because yesterday I wore new boots on my hike and now I have blisters all over my feet. They’re covered in bandages — pretty pink camouflage ones that made Jack roll his eyes when he was helping me put them on this morning — but the blisters stil
l hurt.”

  “Only you would want to hike a day after messing up your feet hiking.”

  “I don’t care about hiking. I care about the shack.”

  “Yeah, tell me why we’re heading out there again? I’m not sure I heard everything the first time you told me. Sometimes you sound like the teacher in a Charlie Brown cartoon.”

  “You’re in a mood to irritate me, aren’t you?”

  Max snickered. “Always. You make it so easy.”

  “Ugh. You drive me crazy.”

  “Right back at you. This is your penance for making me walk in on that scene this morning.”

  “What scene?”

  “You know what scene.” Max’s voice turned dark. “His hands on your butt ... dancing tongues ... that infernal cooing you do whenever he’s got his hands on your butt.”

  Ivy was appropriately offended. “I don’t coo. I never coo.”

  “A year and a half ago, I would’ve agreed. Since Jack came into your life, you coo. I find it disgusting.”

  “Whatever. You just want to be difficult today. I guess I can’t stop you, but it’s annoying and I kind of want to smack you around.”

  Max’s frown flipped upside down as he broke out into a wide grin. “Oh, that’s the Ivy I know and love. I wasn’t sure if she still existed. I love how witchy you get sometimes. It makes me a happy, happy man.”

  “And I’m done.” Ivy held up her hand and stalked through a group of nearby trees. “I don’t think we should speak for the rest of the trip.”

  “Okay, if that’s what you want, but I was kind of hoping we could talk about the big, pink elephant in the room.”

  Ivy knew better than to rise to the bait but she couldn’t stop herself. “Are you calling me an elephant? I mean ... I have pink hair.”

  “I’m not calling you an elephant. I was merely saying ... you know what? It doesn’t matter. I simply thought you might want to talk about Susan Bishop.”

  Ivy blinked several times in rapid succession before asking the obvious question. “Who is Susan Bishop?”

  “The woman who lived in the shack.”

  “You mean the ... ?” Ivy couldn’t bring herself to finish the question.

  “The witch who I told you lived in the shack when we were kids? That’s exactly who I’m talking about.”

  Ivy wet her lips as she focused on the ground and slowed her pace. “Is that a real person?”

  “Would I lie to you?”

  Ivy’s glare was withering.

  “Fine. I would lie to you about something that wasn’t important if I thought I could get a rise out of you,” he conceded. “I wouldn’t lie to you about something like this, though, especially when it’s obvious that you’re dealing with more than you’re telling me.”

  “How do you know I’m dealing with more than I said?”

  “Because I know you. I’m your big brother. No matter how close you get with Jack — hands on butt and all that — I’m always going to know you better because we grew up together.”

  Ivy wasn’t sure that was true. “I think you know me in different ways than Jack.”

  “Which is good because I would have to kill myself if I ever touched your butt.”

  Exasperated, she made a growling sound in the back of her throat. “Max, you’re on my last nerve.”

  He chuckled and patted her head before taking the lead. “Susan Bishop lived out here in the early 1900s. That was before Shadow Lake even existed.”

  “Why would she live out here if there was no town?”

  “I have no idea. I only know what I researched. I believe there was a logging community close, but don’t quote me on that.”

  “When did you have time to research? I called you this morning to tell you what I wanted and you came straight over for pancakes. You didn’t have time to look any of this up.”

  “I looked it up when we were kids,” Max explained. “I was curious about the shack, too, and I asked Dad. He said that a woman lived out there a long time ago, but he couldn’t remember anything else. I went to the library and did a little research. It was all right there for the taking.”

  Ivy wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not. Max wasn’t known as much of a reader, especially during his younger and wilder days. “And what did you find?”

  “She lived by herself, had a garden, and occasionally crossed paths with the people settling in the area,” Max replied. “Because she kept to herself, she earned quite a reputation. Men didn’t believe women should live by themselves back then, so she was offered help at every turn.

  “Susan turned them down and did things herself, which didn’t make the men happy,” he continued. “She had a garden, sold her vegetables around at various homes, and eked out a living that way. All the while, the people started whispering. Can you guess what they whispered?”

  “That she was a witch.”

  “Bingo.” He poked her side and smirked. “I think it’s interesting that she was believed to be a witch and it’s starting to become obvious that you really are a witch and your house is located practically on top of her house.”

  “Two miles. That’s not on top of her house.”

  “Close enough. In the grand scheme of things, two miles is like two inches. In fact, on a map, that’s exactly what it is.”

  “Ugh. I can’t even ... .” Ivy dragged a hand through her hair, restless. “What happened to her?”

  “I have no idea.”

  That wasn’t the answer she was expecting. “If you did all this research, you must know how she died. Once people started calling her a witch, did they isolate her? Did they try to hurt her? Did they try to scare her out of the area?”

  “I have no idea.”

  Ivy’s frustration bubbled over. “Are you making up all of this to drive me crazy?”

  “No.” Max was solemn as he shook his head. “I told you I did research, and that’s true. Unfortunately, there was very little information to uncover. I found mention of her in one history book and that was it. I’m not messing with you. I honestly don’t know what happened to her.”

  The information didn’t sit well with Ivy. She dwelled on it and they cut through the woods, her mind drifting until they were at their destination. As if by tacit agreement, they both slowed their pace as they approached.

  “Hold on.” Max held out his hand to still her. “You should wait here while I look around.”

  Ivy wasn’t a fan of the suggestion. “I don’t need you to protect me.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m afraid that Jack will beat me to a pulp if something happens to you so I need your protection.”

  “By letting you be manly and wander around the shack on your own?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Whatever.” Ivy folded her arms over her chest, obstinate. “You have exactly three minutes and then I’m going in.”

  “Oh, thank you, my little witch.” He tweaked the end of her nose before scampering away. He was solemn when he stopped in front of the dilapidated shack. “I’m serious. You wait here until I come back and get you.”

  “Sure.” Ivy had no intention of keeping to that agreement, but she pretended she was fine with it all the same. “I’ll be right here.”

  “Great.” Max moved toward the door. “If you take off, I’ll tell Jack and you’ll be the one getting in trouble.”

  “We’ll both get in trouble under those circumstances.”

  “I’m willing to risk it.”

  Ivy let loose a frustrated growl. “I don’t know why I even invite you on adventures with me.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  She waited until he disappeared through the door, her eyes keen as she watched the spot in case he came racing back toward her. She didn’t expect him to find anything, but she was resigned to waiting until he gave her the all clear.

  Bored, she allowed her gaze to drift from right to left, ultimately stopping at a crop of old trees that looked more alive than dead. There, standing in the
middle of them, was a woman. Ivy didn’t immediately register her features, instead marveling at the woman’s long brown hair.

  When she blinked, the woman disappeared, causing her heart to jolt.

  She blinked again to see if the woman would come back. She didn’t.

  That didn’t stop Ivy’s mouth from going dry as she continued to stare at the spot. No matter how long she stood there and blinked, the woman didn’t return. The space remained empty.

  Ivy was convinced she was there, though. She refused to believe she imagined it. Still, where did she go? And who was it? The obvious answer was Phoebe, but it happened so fast Ivy couldn’t be sure what she saw.

  What the heck was going on here?

  Seven

  Ivy circled the shack three times looking for a glimpse of the woman she was certain she saw but came up empty. By the time Max vacated the building, dirt smudged on his face, he was convinced the walls would buckle at any second and didn’t want Ivy to enter. She was so distracted by her search, she barely paid him any attention.

  After collecting herself, Ivy spent a good two hours wandering around the area directly surrounding the shack, and came up empty. She was in a dark mood when they headed back to the cottage, and only part of that was because her feet were throbbing again.

  Max left for work, offering Ivy a mock salute before warning her that she shouldn’t return to the shack alone under any circumstances. Ivy waited for exactly five minutes and then she collected her keys and car and pointed herself toward her aunt’s magic shop. She had questions and Felicity Goodings was the only person Ivy believed had answers.

  Felicity was behind the counter perusing a catalog when her niece strode through the door. Her long hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck and she was debating about ordering ornate hummingbird feeders when Ivy completely knocked her off her train of thought.

  “I’m seeing things ... and hearing things ... and maybe traveling through time in my mind. That’s not good, right?”