Wicked Haunts (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 12)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Why did you visit before?”

  “Because I was comfortable here, and never felt lonely. Now that I have you, I never feel lonely no matter where I am.”

  “And now you’re being the sweet one.” Jack’s smile was small but sincere. “Just one thing, though, I need you to come over here and look at this shoe print for me. I’m pretty sure it’s not from your shoe, and if it’s not, that means someone else was out here.”

  Ivy snapped to attention and hurried over. “What shoe print?” She saw what he was referring to the moment she asked the question. “No, that’s definitely not my foot.” She planted her foot parallel to the print. “Whoever was out here in that shoe wears about a size six. My feet are much bigger.”

  “Definitely.” Jack was thoughtful as he rocked back on his haunches. “How big do you think Phoebe’s shoes were?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t remember looking at her feet.”

  “Can you … you know … do a little magic and see if you can find a trail?” Jack felt like an idiot asking the question. Still, they were out there in the first place because Ivy was feeling invigorated and ready to take on the world with her magic. This seemed like as good a time as any to test her resolve.

  “How am I going to find a trail?”

  Jack held his hands palms out and shrugged. “I don’t know. I thought maybe you could try imagining where this person went and then making his or her – although I’m leaning toward a her given the size of the shoe – trail visible with a little woo-hoo.” He flicked his fingers for emphasis.

  Ivy didn’t know whether to laugh or scream. “I don’t think I can do woo-hoo.”

  “Just try. For me.”

  “I hate it when you ask me to do things for you,” Ivy muttered, slowly lowering herself to the ground so she could stare at the print. “If I say no, I look like the jerk who said no to the best man in the world.”

  “I like it when you refer to me as the best man in the world.”

  “And I like it when you zip it.” Ivy mimed shutting her mouth. “Okay. I’m just going to visualize the outcome I want and make this all happen exactly the way it’s supposed to happen because I am a strong and powerful woman who is in control of her destiny.”

  Jack had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at her mini-speech. “Go for it.”

  “Shh.” She made a shushing sound and closed her eyes. “Okay. Here we go. Okay. This is it. Okay … I … well … huh.”

  She felt it before she saw it. A little flash in the corner of her eye that sparked and then diminished. She tried again. This time, the flash lasted longer. Finally, she sucked in a breath a third time and pushed hard. The flash caught, like a purple flame in the darkness, and when Ivy opened her eyes she saw the footprint was exactly the same as it had been a few seconds before, only this time there was a bit of a glow around it.

  “Look at that.” Jack was beyond impressed as she carefully stood, pulling Ivy with him so he could brush off the seat of her pants. “You made a trail, honey.” He inclined his chin away from the fairy ring, to where the glowing footsteps continued to light a path away from their current location.

  “I can’t believe I did it.”

  “I can. You are … magnificent.”

  “I guess I’ll settle for that word for today. Starting tomorrow, though, I’m going to want you to start referring to me as ‘your majesty,’”

  “Done.” He linked his fingers with hers and started walking, making sure not to step on the trail as they moved deeper into the forest. “Let’s see where this goes, shall we?”

  Ivy swallowed hard. “Okay. If it suddenly goes away, though, I don’t want you to blame me.”

  “I have no intention of blaming you. What you’ve done is … well, I’m going to worship you like you wouldn’t believe later tonight, honey. Just you wait.”

  “I’m looking forward to that.”

  THE TRAIL DIDN’T LEAD to the shack. Not exactly, at least. That’s what Jack expected, especially when he started recognizing some of the landmarks littering their path. Before hitting the shack, though, the trail veered off to the west. When they made it to the end, they found an old two-track that Jack was positive he had never seen before.

  “What’s this?”

  “It used to be an old logging road,” Ivy replied, swiping the back of her hand against her forehead to wipe away the sweat. They’d picked a brisk pace. Thankfully, since she wore comfortable shoes, she wasn’t feeling nearly as sore as the last time they ventured into the woods together. “This area had logging camps in the thirties and forties, at least I think. My father would know better. He researched this area heavily because he loves history. Although, to be fair, I think at the time he was researching Bigfoot.”

  Jack cautiously looked up and down the foliage on either side of the ramshackle road before releasing Ivy’s hand and moving down the center of the tracks. “Why was he researching Bigfoot?”

  “Because Max told me I would get eaten if I tried to follow him and his friends into the woods and my father was trying to prove Bigfoot didn’t exist.”

  “Why didn’t he just tell you Bigfoot was a fake story?”

  “Because my father likes to research things. I just told you that.”

  “Right.”

  “Anyway, my father started researching and he actually found stories about this very spot,” Ivy supplied. “The loggers in the area claimed Bigfoot tried to eat them. Oh, and if I remember correctly, just last year you believed there was a chance Bigfoot would get you the first time we went camping, so don’t get all high and mighty.”

  “First off, I never believed Bigfoot was real.” Jack extended a warning finger, practically daring her to contradict him. “Second, I only pretended to be afraid of Bigfoot because I wanted you to cuddle and protect me. I’d never been camping. Acting afraid seemed like the best way to get you to fawn all over me.”

  Ivy rolled her eyes. “Oh, whatever. You were afraid of Bigfoot.”

  “We’ll have to agree to disagree on that one for now because we have bigger things to focus on,” Jack countered. “Not the least of which is this two-track. I don’t suppose you know where it goes, do you?”

  Ivy nodded, causing his eyebrows to nudge higher. “It leads to the road behind the nursery. You know the one I’m talking about. It floods every time it rains. The one that leads down to the lake.”

  “Huh.” Jack rubbed his chin and continued looking at both sides of the track. “Does anyone ever use this road?”

  “It’s not really a road.”

  “Do you want to spend our time arguing about my word choices, or can you just answer the question?”

  Ivy made a “well, excuse me for living” face and fanned herself. “I believe the kids still use it when they’re shining deer. That rarely happens, though. Almost nobody remembers the road and, as you can see, it’s pretty overgrown. You need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to get down it, especially back that way because the ruts are out of control.”

  “Okay, but why does it seem to stop here, in the middle of nowhere?”

  “I believe this is where the logging camp was. I mean … right over there. There was nothing permanent to mark the camp so people forgot about its existence soon after the operation was suspended.”

  “And why was it suspended?”

  “Do I look like a logging expert?”

  “Fine. I’ll ask your father.” Jack’s hands were on his hips as he turned back and forth to study the churned dirt. “You do realize someone has driven down this road recently, right?”

  “Two-track,” Ivy automatically corrected, although she was intrigued so she moved closer to get a better look. “What do you think that means?”

  “It could mean nothing,” Jack replied. “Maybe the kids park here when they’re preparing to party.”

  “No.” Ivy immediately started shaking her head. “The kids park by the river when they’re partying. It’s closer and the access to
the highway is better. It’s the same walk.”

  “Then … I don’t know.” Jack knelt and pressed his finger to a discolored leaf. “This looks like blood.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “No. It’s dry. I can’t be sure without having it tested. I’m reasonably convinced it’s blood, though.”

  “So Phoebe was here.”

  “Whoever was in the greenhouse was probably here,” he corrected. “We need to be sure.”

  “So, let’s be sure.”

  “I’m working on it. Hold your horses. It’s as if you think you’re the queen of the world because you used your magic on demand for the first time ever or something.”

  Ivy was about to say something nasty when she realized he was smiling. “It was pretty impressive, huh?”

  He nodded. “Very. Honey, you did a great job. I’m proud of you.”

  “I’m kind of proud of me, too.” Ivy was surprised to find she meant it.

  Sixteen

  Brian brought plaster to the scene so they could make casts of the freshest tire tracks. It was a long shot, but Jack wanted to make sure he covered every avenue possible. While they waited for the plaster to dry, Jack collected the stained leaf so it could be tested for blood and then proceeded to stalk up and down the two-track looking for additional clues.

  For her part, Ivy stood in the same spot and stared into the woods. As he leaned against the front of his truck — he was worried about bringing the cruiser down the rutted two-track — Brian couldn’t help thinking there was something different about the way Ivy held herself.

  “What’s up with your girlfriend?” he asked Jack as the younger police detective scoured the ground for clues Brian was convinced didn’t exist.

  “What?” Jack jerked up his head and shifted his eyes to Ivy, taking a moment to assure himself she was safe and close, and then focused on Brian. “What do you mean?”

  “She seems ... quiet,” Brian said after a beat. “I’m not used to her being quiet.”

  “She’s worried about Phoebe.”

  “It’s more than that.”

  Jack ran his tongue over his teeth, uncertain how he wanted to proceed. In truth, he wasn’t keen on telling Brian what Ivy accomplished. It wasn’t that he was worried as much as he wanted to absorb it himself. Brian would never betray Ivy. What Ivy did was so fantastical, though, Jack merely wanted a few minutes to comprehend it on his own. He didn’t think that was too much to ask. Of course, explaining why they were in this specific area wasn’t exactly easy.

  “There’s just a lot going on,” he said finally. “She’s got a lot on her mind.”

  Brian’s gaze was keen when their eyes snagged. “Fair enough,” he said. “When you’re ready to talk about what’s going on, I’m willing to listen.”

  “It’s not that.” Jack hastily closed the distance between them so Ivy wouldn’t overhear the tense words and misconstrue. “It’s just ... she’s going through something and I think it’s best if we keep it to ourselves for the time being. Not forever ... just for now.”

  “Fine.” Brian held up his hands in capitulation. “I’m not going to argue with you. The truth is, I forgot this two-track even existed.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he turned. “Ivy, you live out here.” He raised his voice to make sure she heard. “Do you think this two-track is used on a regular basis?”

  “No.” Ivy rubbed her sweaty palms on the seat of her pants as she turned. “I’m not in this particular part of the woods much, but I hike through the spring, summer, and fall months every year. I would hear the vehicles. Sound carries out here.”

  “That’s a good point.” Brian was thoughtful as he circled the area at the end of the track. “Refresh my memory. This was a logging camp, right? The camp was right here and that’s why the road ended here. Back in my day, when I was in school, the two-track was used more often. That big storm we had about seven years ago makes it virtually impossible to even get past the first leg of the track if you don’t have four-wheel drive, though.”

  “It was a logging camp,” Ivy agreed, her mind busy. “I don’t remember more than that. We can ask my father. He’s back at the nursery.”

  “As thrilled as I am to hear local history stories, don’t you think we should focus on Phoebe?” Jack argued.

  “We can’t be a hundred-percent sure that the blood found at the greenhouse belongs to Phoebe,” Brian countered. “All we know is that it was someone related to Janice.”

  “Who else could it be? Her mother?”

  “Odds are it probably is Phoebe,” Brian conceded. “We can’t be absolutely sure, though, without a formal DNA test.”

  “I don’t think we have time to wait for a DNA test,” Jack argued. “If Phoebe is out here, and injured, odds are that she’s been hurt since Monday. That was basically a week ago. She could be in real trouble.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “We could ask the state police to send a K-9 unit. We have samples of the blood from the greenhouse. Maybe the dogs can track from there.”

  “That’s an idea.” Brian ran his hand over the back of his head. “What do you think, Ivy?”

  Ivy seemed surprised by the question. “I don’t know. I ... well ... I think Phoebe is still alive. I just don’t know why she would be out here instead of asking for help. I mean, if something happened and she was removed from her mother’s house, I get hiding … at least initially.

  “That doesn’t explain why she was out here — and I have no idea why anyone would bring her out here — but we can ignore those questions for now,” she continued. “Once she managed to get away, why wouldn’t she come for help? Why write on my front window? Why hide in my greenhouse?”

  “We don’t know she’s the one who wrote on the window,” Jack pointed out.

  “No, but it makes sense that whoever wrote on the window is the same person who was staying in the greenhouse,” she persisted. “This area isn’t exactly hopping with activity.”

  “It’s likely the same person did both,” Jack conceded. “We don’t know that, though. Brian and I are police officers. We act on facts, not suppositions.”

  Ivy made such an exaggerated expression Jack almost laughed. “I understand about facts. We’re running out of time, though,” she pressed. “I know it sounds ridiculous, but I feel it. We have to find her.”

  Jack walked to her, gathered her hands and pressed them against his chest. He wasn’t certain what he was going to say until he was already speaking. “We’re going to figure this out. I don’t know how — it seems we’re missing something important — but we are. I promise things will eventually come together.”

  “You can’t promise me that.” Ivy’s voice was low. “You can promise to do your best but no more than that. We both know you take it to heart when you make promises you can’t keep. Don’t do that this time.”

  Jack sighed as he pressed a kiss to the palm of one of her hands. “Fine. I can’t promise. I can hope, though. I hope we’re going to figure this out. I have faith we will. We simply have to decide where to look next.”

  “I know exactly where I want to look,” Brian said. “Nikki. I think she has to be involved in this. She makes the most sense. Even if she’s not directly involved, I have to think she knows something because the only two other suspects we have are Hank and Brad. She knows more than she’s letting on.”

  “That’s a hunch,” Ivy argued. “You don’t know that for sure. As you’re famous for saying, you can’t zero in on a suspect without all the facts.”

  Brian chuckled. “I really wish you would stop throwing my own words back in my face.”

  “It’s annoying, isn’t it?” Jack asked, sliding his arms around Ivy’s back and pulling her in for a brief hug as he thought about Brian’s theory. “You’re right about Nikki. She’s the central figure. If she’s not directly involved, she knows something. We absolutely have to find out what that is.”

  “Then we should get out of here,” Bria
n said as he shifted to collect the plaster cast he’d made. “We’ll head back to town and go from there.”

  “I’m going to stay out here and look a bit longer,” Ivy said, moving to step away from Jack. “I won’t be long and Phoebe will be more likely to approach me if I’m alone.”

  “Don’t even think about it.” Jack snagged her by the back of the neck before she could move too far away from him. “You’re going to the nursery, where your father will be taking over watching you.”

  Ivy balked. “I’m an adult. I don’t need a babysitter.”

  “And yet I have no intention of leaving you alone in the woods. I don’t care how you wheedle, cry, or threaten me. You’re not staying out here alone and I have to get going.”

  Ivy’s frustration was palpable, but she hadn’t really expected Jack to simply cede to her demands. “Fine.” She huffed out something unintelligible under her breath. “You’re going to pay for this later, though.”

  “Oh, I have no doubt.”

  JACK AND BRIAN DROPPED Ivy at the nursery. Jack insisted on walking her directly to Michael before agreeing to leave. He gave her a kiss, although her lips were stiff, and promised she could punish him to her heart’s content once they were both home again.

  Brian was amused when Jack jumped into the truck. “You and she are getting a little pathetic. You know that, right?”

  Jack nodded without hesitation. “Yeah. We’re schmaltzy.”

  “She’s going to make you pay later.”

  “Oh, I know.”

  “You don’t look worried about it.”

  “Her punishments are always more inventive than cruel.”

  It took Brian a moment to translate what his partner was trying so hard not to say. “You’re really sick,” he said after a beat, shaking his head. “I mean ... really sick.”

  “I’m fine with it.” Jack patted the dash to get Brian’s attention. “Now, come on. If we don’t track down Nikki I’m never going to get a chance to think long and hard about what I’ve done and apologize in the proper manner.”