Wicked Haunts (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 12)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Pretty much,” Max confirmed. “Aunt Felicity is a girl, and she definitely has a few magical things going for her ... although she never referred to them that way. Mom has a sixth sense, although I’m not even sure she realizes it. Ivy is simply more powerful than both of them combined.”

  “But why is it happening now?”

  “If you want to know the truth, I think Ivy has always been able to do things,” Max replied honestly. “When we were kids, occasionally she would simply know something. She could never explain it, but she was always right.

  “Like, for example, my mom’s car broke down one night and instead of waiting for the tow truck, she got out and walked,” he continued. “It was dark and we found the car when we were driving back with Dad. She wasn’t at home when we got there, though, and we started to panic.

  “Dad was certain something happened to her, that she’d been picked up by a degenerate and we would never see her again,” he said. “Ivy was about ten at the time and, out of the blue, she said that we didn’t need to worry about Mom, that she was with Mavis Barkley having tea, and she would be home soon.

  “Sure enough, twenty minutes later, Mom walked through the door,” he said. “She was bubbling about having tea with Mavis and seemed surprised we’d been worried about her in the first place.”

  Jack didn’t know what to make of the story. “Huh.”

  “Yeah. I think Ivy has always had something special inside of her. As for why it’s coming out now, I should think that’s rather obvious.”

  “It’s not obvious to me.”

  “That’s because you’re the reason,” Max said simply. “She was never comfortable in her own skin until you came into her life. Everything changed for her when she met you. You made her feel loved ... and protected ... and you didn’t care that she was different. When you accepted her, the floodgates opened. That’s why we’re seeing it all now.”

  Jack blinked several times in rapid succession. “You think I’m to blame.”

  “On the contrary, I think you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to her ... other than me. It wasn’t good for Ivy to live her life all bottled up the way she was. Today notwithstanding, she’s a lot happier now than she’s ever been.”

  Jack swallowed hard. “I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Max.”

  “Yeah, well, don’t let it go to your head.”

  Before the moment passed, Jack decided to ask the one question he’d been holding back for the past few weeks. “I want you to be my best man. I mean ... if you’re okay with it.”

  Max’s eyebrows hopped. “Really? You don’t even like me.”

  “I like you,” Jack countered. “I like you a great deal. If I didn’t, do you think you would be the first one I call when I’m worried about Ivy?”

  “I figured you just assumed I had no life.”

  “Please. I know you love your sister. That makes me love you. You’re not always easy to get along with, just like your sister, but you’re a good man. I would be honored if you would be my best man.”

  “Is this because you don’t have any other friends?”

  Jack’s smile slipped. “Do you want the gig or not?”

  Max nodded, genuinely touched, even though he didn’t want to show it. “I would definitely love the gig. Single best men at weddings get all the best date offers.”

  “Do you have to always take it to that place?”

  “Yes. I can’t seem to help myself.”

  “Well, try.”

  “I’ll work on it.”

  IVY MADE IT EXACTLY ONE hour at the nursery under Michael’s dutiful stare before she needed a break. She announced she had to run to town for fertilizer — a damnable lie if there ever was one — and then headed for the trail that led to her house.

  Michael wasn’t about to be bamboozled so he stopped her with a jingle of his keys. He agreed to let her go to town, but only if she took his vehicle and wasn’t wandering around the woods by herself. He was convinced Jack would melt down if he found out she was off doing her own thing only an hour after he made Ivy promise to stick close to her father.

  Because she wasn’t in the mood for the world’s loudest fight, Ivy accepted the keys and made her escape. In truth, she didn’t need fertilizer. She had plenty. She did need ice cream, though, and she was determined to get five minutes to herself so she didn’t break down and scream thanks to the constant supervision that was causing her to chafe.

  She parked at the Dairy Twist, made a mental note to order something to take back to her father as a bribe of sorts so perhaps he wouldn’t tell Jack she took off, and hopped out. Cassandra was working again, along with Terry Matthews. He was young, still in high school, and he looked to be worshipping Cassandra as the older girl worked at wiping down the countertops. He had a moony look on his face that made Ivy smile.

  “Hey, guys.” Ivy greeted the duo with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. “How are you guys doing today?”

  “Hi, Ms. Morgan.” Terry was the exuberant sort and he was always excited to greet whatever new face happened to pop up on any given day. “It’s so good to see you. I can’t remember when you last stopped by in the middle of the day.”

  “I’m taking a break from work,” Ivy explained. “It’s busy at the nursery, but it’s also hot. I just wanted a treat to get me through the rest of the day.”

  “That makes sense.” He bobbed his blond head. “Do you want your usual?”

  Ivy bit back a scowl. “Oh, well ... I think today I’m going to get a medium twist with sprinkles instead of dipped in chocolate.” She was determined to make sure she broke from her rut.

  “Do you want chocolate sprinkles or rainbow ones?”

  “Chocolate.”

  “Nice choice,” Cassandra said, hanging the dishcloth she’d been using over the cupboard door to keep it out of the way. “Do you have any news on Phoebe?”

  Ivy shook her head. “No. I was actually going to ask you if you’d heard from her.”

  “Not a peep. People around town have been talking. Most everyone thinks she’s dead.”

  Twenty-four hours before, Ivy probably would’ve been one of those people. Now she wasn’t so sure. She couldn’t volunteer police information, though, so she opted to play it coy. “I don’t know what’s going on. Everyone is worried. It’s important to call the police if you hear anything, even if it’s just a rumor.”

  “Since when are you working for the police?” a voice asked from behind Ivy, causing her to swivel quickly.

  She wasn’t happy when she realized who was speaking. Ava Moffett, the chief of police’s daughter, was the main secretary in the police department. That meant she worked on a daily basis with Brian and Jack, something that irritated Ivy to no end because Ava had never hidden her interest where Jack was concerned.

  “I’m not working for the police,” Ivy clarified. “I’m simply reminding these guys that it’s important for us to find Phoebe. We don’t know that she’s dead. She could be in trouble.”

  “Do you think someone took her?” Terry asked, handing Ivy her ice cream cone and accepting her money with a grave expression. “I mean ... do you think someone has her locked up or something?”

  Ivy considered the bloody mark on her greenhouse. Technically they didn’t know it belonged to Phoebe. There was every possibility that it didn’t and yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that Phoebe was close. “I honestly don’t know,” she said finally. “I’m not sure what to tell you guys. All I know is that it’s important we find Phoebe.”

  “You should try Hank Dillon’s house,” Ava suggested. “I bet she’s there.”

  Ivy made a face. “Why would she be at Hank Dillon’s house?”

  “Because they’ve been seeing each other.”

  Ivy was flabbergasted. “Hank Dillon is like seventy years old. Why would Phoebe be seeing him?”

  “Because Nikki is his daughter, and Phoebe wanted to pay her back for ruining Janice
and Brad’s marriage,” Ava replied, matter-of-fact. “She’s been talking about it for months. It’s not as if she was keeping it a secret.”

  Ivy flicked her eyes to Cassandra, looking for confirmation. The younger woman merely looked sheepish as she pursed her lips and stared at her feet. “Is that true?”

  “I don’t know,” Cassandra hedged after a moment’s contemplation. “Phoebe did mention it a time or two, said she thought it was a great way to get revenge on Nikki. She never got over what happened between her parents.

  “I mean ... Nikki was actually closer in age to Phoebe than Janice, but Phoebe said she was always glad that her mother made a friend because she often worried she was lonely,” she continued. “Everyone in the family welcomed Nikki at first. It was only after the fact that they realized there was obviously something wrong with Nikki.”

  Ivy did the math in her head. “Nikki was about ten years younger than Janice, right?”

  “More like thirteen,” Ava corrected. “If you ask me, she knew exactly what she was doing when she befriended Janice. I think she always intended to steal Brad away. She was simply playing a long game, playing nice with Janice, and she waited a bit to make her move on Brad. That way it seemed more natural.”

  “Is that how you would’ve done it?” Ivy drawled, her dislike for Ava momentarily taking control of her tongue.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t go behind anyone’s back,” Ava said sweetly. “When I go after someone, I’m totally upfront about it. That’s why you should watch Jack very carefully. I’m about to make my move.”

  Ivy wasn’t certain if Ava was telling the truth — she was known as something of a liar — but her hackles were up all the same. “Jack wouldn’t touch you if you were the last woman on Earth.”

  “So he tells you. When he’s around me, it’s a different story. He hangs on my every word ... and offers lingering looks by the coffee pot. Ask him. He’ll deny it, but you’ll be able to tell he’s lying.”

  No matter how angry she was with Jack — and that fury didn’t look likely to dissipate anytime soon — Ivy knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would never cheat on her. Beyond that, he had no interest in Ava. He once compared her with a tick that needed to be popped.

  “I’ll definitely tell him what you told me,” Ivy said, causing Ava’s smile to slip. “I’m sure he’ll be glad to hear what his co-worker is spreading around town.”

  “Oh, don’t be like that,” Ava sneered, recovering. “There’s no reason to be petty. You’re marrying him. You’ve obviously won.”

  “There wasn’t a competition,” Ivy shot back before remembering exactly why she’d come to town in the first place. “I want to hear more about Phoebe and Hank. I mean ... were they really seeing one another, or was she simply blowing off steam?”

  Ava shrugged. “I don’t know. She could have been blowing off steam, and I honestly would believe that’s the case if she hadn’t brought it up at least fifty times. A few months ago, I would say around February or March, that’s all she could talk about. Every single time I ran into her, that’s what she had on her mind.”

  Ivy’s stomach rolled at the thought of Hank and Phoebe getting up close and personal. “Did Nikki know this was going on?”

  “Hey, even I won’t hang out with Nikki,” Ava said. “It’s not that I have standards, mind you, but she’s the town pariah. If I hang out with her, my reputation will take a hit.”

  “I’m pretty sure your reputation is so low it doesn’t matter how many hits you take.”

  “And yet I’m the one with the information you didn’t have,” Ava said sweetly. “I’m the one who knew who Phoebe was seeing. That must really burn your butt, huh?”

  “Did you share this information with Jack and Brian?” Ivy challenged, causing Ava to falter. “Didn’t you think they would want to know about this?”

  “I plan to tell them when I get back to the office.” Ava straightened her shoulders. “We were so busy entertaining each other with flirty stories this morning that I forgot to share.”

  Ivy snorted. “Jack hasn’t been to the office and Brian is out at the nursery right now. Neither one of them has been listening to your stories.”

  Ava balked. “Are you accusing me of making that up?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m accusing you of.” Ivy grabbed three napkins for her ice cream cone and offered Terry and Cassandra a small wave. “I’ll probably be back in a bit to get something for my father. Keep your eyes open like I said. We really need to find Phoebe.”

  “We’ll do that,” Terry called out. “I’ll find her myself if I have to.”

  “Stop being such a suck-up, Terry,” Cassandra chided. “She already has a boyfriend.”

  “And she doesn’t deserve him,” Ava said, pouting. “I just don’t understand it.”

  “And you never will,” Ivy barked, smiling to herself. Ava might not have been the most pleasant person in the world, but she had unveiled a new avenue of investigation. Now Ivy just needed to figure out how to play that particular card to her advantage.

  Twelve

  Ivy had two options. She could approach Hank herself and question him, or tell Jack what she found out and allow him to do it. She was really leaning toward the former but knew things would turn even uglier if she didn’t embrace the latter.

  With that in mind, she returned to the Dairy Twist long enough to purchase ice cream as a bribe (ignoring Ava’s pointed comments about how the calories were going to go straight her hips) and then headed back to the nursery.

  Jack and Max were just emerging from the woods when she hit the parking lot. As if sensing her, Jack lifted his head and frowned when he realized she was behind the wheel instead of safely sewed to her father’s hip.

  “Where have you been?”

  Ivy handed her father one of the cups of ice cream she had with her before offering Jack his choice from the remaining three containers. “And it’s absolutely lovely to see you again, too, honey.”

  Jack’s mouth puckered. “Ice cream? You’re bribing me with ice cream?”

  “She hit my price,” Max said, snagging one of the containers and immediately digging in with the provided plastic spoon. “Yum. Peanut butter. Clearly you had me in mind when picking this out, huh?”

  “I like peanut butter, too,” Jack snapped, refusing to take the offered treat. “It’s my favorite at the Dairy Twist.”

  “And that’s why I picked it out,” Ivy cooed.

  “Don’t do that.” Jack extended a warning finger. “You’re in big trouble.”

  “Oh, good, we’ve come to the fake fight portion of the day,” Brian noted as he joined the group. “Is one of those for me?”

  Ivy slid the carrier to him so he could claim the second-to-last treat. “You should grab yours, Jack,” she prodded. “It will be completely melted if you don’t take advantage now.”

  Jack looked as if he was fighting an internal battle but ultimately grabbed the last treat. “You’re still in big trouble.”

  “Totally,” Ivy agreed. “By the way, I have interesting news. I ran into Ava at the Dairy Twist and she told me something very … odd.”

  “Is she trying her miracle cure for herpes again?” Max asked, his ice cream already half gone. “She was telling anyone who would listen last week that she was going to cure everyone she ever infected.”

  Ivy shot him a look. “We didn’t talk about herpes, although she did go out of her way to tell me about the special bond she has with Jack.”

  “You know that’s not true,” Jack muttered around the spoon in his mouth. “I’m not going to say anything nice and romantic to make up for her troll of a mouth no matter what, though. I’m mad at you.”

  “Yes, and you have every right,” Ivy said placatingly. “Do you want to hear what Ava told me or not?”

  “I have no idea,” Jack answered honestly. “Under normal circumstances, I would say no. My rage is clouding my thinking.”

  “I want to hear what Av
a said,” Brian offered. “Lay it on me.”

  “Great.” Ivy rubbed her hands together, relishing the upcoming bombshell. “According to her, Phoebe was threatening to date Hank Dillon as payback to Nikki, and she might’ve actually made good on it so maybe we should be questioning him.”

  Brian’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

  “Hank is like seventy,” Max said, making a face. “He couldn’t possibly keep up with a twenty-three-year-old.”

  “I don’t know that he cares about keeping up with her,” Ivy noted. “Most men that age would jump on the offer no matter what.”

  “I wouldn’t,” Jack said, his voice low. “I plan to be loyal to my beloved until the day I die … even if she does lie and take off the second she thinks I’m in the woods.”

  Ivy narrowed her eyes. “Do you want me to take that ice cream away from you?”

  Jack didn’t respond, other than to take a step away from her to keep his treat safe. “What’s the deal with this Hank guy? Do you really think he’s someone we should question?”

  “I don’t think it can possibly hurt,” Brian replied. “I would like to think he wouldn’t touch Phoebe no matter how horny he was, but Hank isn’t exactly the most moral guy in the world. In fact, he’s been known to pinch a few butts – uninvited, mind you – whenever he gets some whiskey in him.”

  “He sounds like a paragon of virtue,” Jack said, licking his spoon clean as he regarded Ivy. She didn’t look remotely sorry for the stunt she pulled. “Do you have something you want to say to me?”

  Ivy tilted her head, considering. “You’re very handsome. In fact, you could be the most handsome man in Shadow Lake.”

  It took everything Jack had not to smile. She was absolutely adorable … even if she was the most frustrating creature he’d ever spent time with. “Anything else?”

  “I needed a break. I went to town for five minutes. I found information while I was there. And, hey, look! I’m perfectly safe. No one attacked and I managed to take care of myself.”