Wicked Decisions

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Oh, you guys are the worst,” Brian complained. “I mean ... the absolute worst. You know I can’t argue when you say things like that.”

  “Why do you think I say them?” Jack’s smirk was smug as he opened the door and climbed out of the cruiser. “She’s proven to be a big help in the past. I think it’s only fair to allow her a chance to be a big help in the present. If she gets out of hand, then we’ll cut her loose. I don’t think we’re going to get to that point, though.”

  “Fine.” Brian didn’t wipe the pouty look off his face. “She can stay. I’m not happy with any of this, though. I want it marked down for the record.”

  “It’s duly noted.”

  BRIAN POUNDED ON MAISIE’S DOOR when no one answered after three polite knocks. The screen was closed tightly, but the interior door was open, suggesting someone was home. No one came to greet them, though.

  “She wouldn’t just leave the door open like this, would she?” Jack asked, craning his neck to stare into the house. Given the position of the sun, it wasn’t easy to see inside of the simple ranch house. “I mean ... she lives alone. That’s not safe.”

  “I think it’s unlikely that she would leave the door open,” Brian replied after a beat. “Maybe she ran out to the store or something and expects to be right back.”

  “I don’t know.” Jack squinted as he tried to make out something on the floor. “The place is a mess. She strikes me as the sort who would keep her personal living space clean.”

  “It’s a mess?” Ivy pushed through so she was standing between Jack and Brian. “Maisie definitely isn’t the messy sort. She likes order, which is one of the reasons I believe she became a librarian. Organizing is one of her things. Where do you see the mess?”

  Jack pointed. “Toward the end of the hallway. It looks like a bunch of stuff has been thrown all around.”

  Slowly, Ivy tracked her eyes to her fiancé. “Do you think it looks like there was a struggle of some kind?”

  “Oh, let’s not jump to that conclusion,” Brian complained. “No, seriously. We have no reason to believe anything happened to her. Ivy just saw her two hours ago.”

  “And she was acting weird,” Ivy pointed out pragmatically. “What if she’s the one who killed Zelda and thought she would get away with it because she assumed I was alone in the store? Maybe she thought she would solve two problems with one murder and get me locked up while eliminating some of the competition. Maybe when she realized that wasn’t going to happen she raced home, packed really fast, and ran. If that’s the case, shouldn’t you issue an all-points bulletin on her before she leaves the state?”

  “That is a ludicrous assumption.” Even though he said the words, Brian didn’t look convinced they were true. “Although ... if someone did attack her, robbed her or something, and she’s down on the floor in there it would probably be best if we checked on her.”

  “Definitely.” Ivy enthusiastically bobbed her head. “We should do that.”

  “And if she wants to blame someone for us invading her personal space after the fact, we’ll serve Ivy to her on a platter,” Brian added.

  Ivy’s glare was like molten lava, hot and starting to spread. “Your sense of humor needs some work.”

  “You sound like my wife.” Brian knocked one more time and then pulled open the screen door. “I guess we should check it out. Don’t touch anything, Ivy. I’m being serious here. If this is a crime scene ... .”

  She held up her hands in capitulation. “I know the drill. You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be a good little girl.”

  “That would be a nice change of pace.”

  THE HOUSE WAS EMPTY.

  Ivy stuck close to Jack, making sure not to touch anything, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of dread as she walked through the house. Something felt very off here … but what?

  After a solid ten-minute search, Jack and Brian ended up in the living room. The scene there was even more of a mess than what they’d found in the hallway and they had no idea what to make of it.

  “Do you think someone broke in?” Jack snapped on a pair of rubber gloves and dropped to a knee so he could root through the papers scattered around the room. “These don’t look like important financial documents – mostly bills and a few letters that are addressed to the library – but it’s possible items have been taken.”

  “It’s possible,” Brian agreed, his hands on his hips as he glanced around. “Anyone familiar with how this place usually looks?”

  Jack balked at the question. “Why are you asking me? I’ve never been in here before.”

  “It was just a question. I’ve obviously never been in here before either.” He flicked his eyes to Ivy. “I’m guessing you weren’t on her regular guest list.”

  “I’ve never set foot over the threshold,” Ivy confirmed. “I’m the last person she would want here.”

  “You’re fine.” Jack shot her an encouraging look as he rolled back on his haunches. “In fact, I think we’re lucky to have you here. We need to know if Maisie voluntarily left or was taken.”

  “And how is Ivy going to help us with that?” Brian queried.

  Jack’s gaze was steady and he didn’t as much as blink in the shadow of Ivy’s worry. “She’s seen things before. She might be able to figure out what happened here … if she wants to put herself out there, I mean.”

  Ivy caught on quickly to what he was suggesting. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She found herself swallowed by nerves. “I mean … I’m not very good at doing it on command.”

  “You’d never created a magical tracking line before today either. It seems like a good place to start, if you ask me.”

  Ivy cringed. “But … .” She trailed off before a fully-formed argument could barrel its way inside her head. He was right. She wanted to embrace this magical stuff and the best way to do it was to actually put herself out there and try. “Okay. I’ll do it.”

  Jack’s lips curved. “That’s my girl.”

  She pursed her lips. “I’m not guaranteeing that I can make this happen, but I want to try. Where should I start?”

  “At your house,” Brian shot back. “I don’t think we should be doing this.”

  Jack ignored him and pointed toward a picture frame that had been upended on the floor. “Why don’t you start there?”

  “Wait.” Brian held out his hand to stop Ivy before she could bend over and retrieve the item in question. “Are you really going to see if she can get a psychic flash?”

  Jack immediately bobbed his head. “Yup. I think she’s going to be better at it than she realizes … as soon as she calms herself down and puts a little faith in herself.”

  Ivy took the comment as a challenge. “I have faith in myself.”

  “Show me.”

  She held his gaze a moment longer and then dropped to the floor, plopping onto the plush carpet and grabbing the photo frame. She didn’t turn it over. She had no idea who was featured in the picture. She closed her eyes, let loose a long breath, and extended her emotions.

  For a long beat, she didn’t think anything was going to happen. She was disappointed in herself and was about to say something self-deprecating when an image flashed in her head. It happened so fast she almost dropped the frame. When she glanced up, meeting Jack’s steady gaze, her mouth went dry.

  “You saw something, didn’t you?” Jack looked excited at the prospect as he scooted along the floor so he could get closer to her. “I knew you would. What did you see?”

  Ivy licked her lips and debated how to proceed.

  “Tell me,” Jack insisted.

  “Tell both of us.” Despite himself, Brian looked intrigued. “Did you really see something?”

  Ivy nodded stiffly. “I saw Maisie fighting with her mother. She was upset because she caught her mother cheating on her father.”

  Jack was taken aback. “Did this just happen? Are you saying that Maisie’s mother took her?”

  “Maisie’s mothe
r and father split years ago,” Brian countered, his gaze thoughtful. “There was no official reason given at the time but there were whispers about infidelity. It’s not a current issue, though.”

  On a whim, Jack reached forward and grabbed the frame, his lips going flat as he caught sight of the photograph on the other side. “It’s Maisie and a man who looks like he could be her father. I’m assuming the woman with them is her mother.”

  Brian nodded. “Yeah. Did you see the photograph, Ivy?”

  “She didn’t flip it over,” Jack replied for her. “I watched to make sure. I know you don’t want to believe it but … she’s the real deal.”

  “It’s not that I don’t want to believe,” Brian countered. “It’s just … this is all so fantastical.”

  “That doesn’t mean it’s not helpful.” Jack moved the frame to the coffee table and smiled at his fiancée. “That was good. We need to keep going, though. I don’t think what you just saw is going to be all that helpful to us.”

  Ivy had to agree. “Where do you want me to go next?”

  There wasn’t much of interest in the living room so Jack directed her toward Maisie’s bedroom. Ivy felt uncomfortable crossing the threshold into Maisie’s inner sanctum – it was invasive, after all – but she’d agreed to help and she couldn’t back out now.

  Jack gestured toward a bag on the floor. It was a pink duffel bag and, if Ivy had to guess, it was what Maisie used to transport her workout clothes to the gym. “Try that.”

  Ivy nodded and crouched down, her finger moving over the canvas strap. This time the vision appeared much more quickly and it was enough to turn Ivy’s stomach. “Oh, geez.” She dropped the strap and closed her eyes. “Well, I can’t un-see that … ever.”

  “Did you see what happened?” Brian queried.

  “No, but apparently Maisie has messed around with Aaron Hodges a few times.” Ivy’s lips twisted into a sneer. “They do it at the gym so she can get a free membership and they’ve almost been caught by Aaron’s wife a few times.”

  Jack made a face. “I know that guy. I joined the gym right after I arrived in town … and then basically never went back again once I met you. That was wasted money, huh?”

  Ivy smirked. “I keep you in tip-top shape.”

  “You do.” He tapped the end of her nose. “Do you think Aaron did something to Maisie?”

  Ivy held out her hands and shrugged. “I honestly have no idea. This is new to me. I didn’t see an assault, though. I think it’s just because the bag is tied to the gym.”

  “Then let’s move on to something else.” Jack scanned the room and then pointed toward a pair of shoes on the floor. “Those look as if they were kicked off in a hurry. Maybe Maisie was wearing them when she got back this afternoon.”

  “I guess it’s worth a shot.” Ivy blew out a sigh and then lowered herself to the ground, placing her hands on top of the expensive shoes. Right away, she was plunged into a fierce scene that was virulent enough to take her breath away.

  She watched for an extended beat. Honestly, it felt as if she stayed in the memory for far too long. When she was finished, though, she was more puzzled than upset.

  “Well … that was odd.”

  “What did you see?” Even Brian was getting into the spirit of the game. “If it’s more gross sex stuff, I don’t want to hear about it. Well, I probably don’t want to hear about it. Oh, who am I kidding? I like gossip as much as the next person. I’m going to want to hear about it. Just no gross nitty-gritty details.”

  Ivy arched an eyebrow but didn’t immediately speak. Instead she rubbed her forehead.

  “Take your time,” Jack prodded. “Just tell us what you saw.”

  “I’m honestly not sure,” Ivy replied after a beat. “It was a flash of Maisie on the phone. I’m pretty sure it was from earlier today. She was wearing the same outfit I saw her in at the library.”

  “Okay.” Jack was calm and waited for Ivy to relate the story on her own timetable. He understood this was difficult for her. She was easing into the witch thing as best she could and he wanted to be supportive. Of course, he was also feeling antsy.

  “I don’t know who she was on the phone with,” Ivy volunteered. “I didn’t recognize the voice. It was female … and it sounded younger. I’m talking someone in her twenties or thirties. I can’t swear in front of a judge to that or anything, but that was my feeling.”

  “Just get on with it,” Brian pressed.

  “She was angry about something. She kept saying that she wasn’t sorry and that she was sick of not getting what she wanted. She also said she wasn’t done and there was more to do.”

  “Do you know what she was talking about?” Jack asked.

  Ivy chewed on her bottom lip and shook her head. “It doesn’t sound good, though, does it?”

  “No, but … that’s not enough for us to go on. For all we know, she could’ve been talking about you. Maybe she wants to torture you some more.”

  “Yeah. I wouldn’t put it past her. That doesn’t feel right, though.”

  “We don’t have any evidence,” Brian pointed out. “We don’t even know that Maisie is involved … or missing … or on the run. All we know right now is that she’s been dating Henry and isn’t at her house. That’s not enough to go on.”

  “What do you suggest?” Jack asked.

  “We find her. She’s the only one who can answer our questions.”

  “Then I guess we should start placing some calls. While we do that, why don’t you keep wandering around, Ivy?” Jack suggested. “It can’t hurt to get a better picture of her life.”

  Ivy wasn’t keen on the task, but she couldn’t back out now. “Sure. I’ll see what I can find.”

  Fifteen

  Ivy couldn’t get the phone conversation out of her head. By the time Jack’s shift ended, she was waiting for him in front of the department ... something that didn’t surprise him.

  “I thought you were going home.” He dipped down to kiss her before she could stand from the bench she’d taken ownership of.

  “I was going to, but then I remembered we’re out of food so we would just have to turn around and come back for dinner.”

  “Oh, yeah?” He slipped a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think that might be a convenient excuse, but I hear they have porterhouses on sale tonight at the diner so I’m all for that.”

  “I can’t eat a porterhouse.”

  “You can have some lettuce.”

  She managed to keep a straight face, but it was difficult. “I’m sure I can find something to eat. I just ... have been thinking.”

  “I bet.” He leaned back on the bench and rolled his neck. They were in no hurry so he figured it was best to get any deep conversations out of the way before they had an audience. “You did really well today. I’m proud.”

  Ivy slid him a sidelong look. “You’re proud?”

  “Yup. You were afraid but did it anyway. What’s not to be proud of?”

  “Did you find Maisie?”

  “Nope. We’re not sure what happened to her. We’ve checked with everyone we can think of, but they all deny knowing where she is.”

  “Do you believe them?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I could go either way. On one hand, I can see her killing someone. She’s a vicious snipe. On the other, she’s also lazy. She might not want to put the work in. She seems the type who would give up rather than fight ... especially for a man like Henry.”

  “Yeah.” In truth, Ivy had been thinking the same thing. “She might be innocent. She’s more likely to stab someone in the back with her mouth than a knife.”

  “I don’t disagree.”

  “So ... what’s your next step?”

  “We put out an alert for her with the local television station. We’re hopeful someone will have seen her and call in a tip. Otherwise, we’re waiting. We don’t know where to look and we can’t be sure she’s even a legitimate suspect.”

  “She al
so could be in trouble,” Ivy noted.

  “She could. I’m worried that someone has taken her — maybe even the same someone who killed Zelda — and we might never find her. It’s frustrating but there’s not much we can do without more information.”

  “Maybe I can go back to her house and try touching things again.”

  “I think you’ve done more than your share.” What Jack didn’t say was that he was afraid for her to touch the wrong item and get a gander at Maisie’s death. He didn’t think it was fair to put that image into her head. “Why don’t we grab some dinner at the diner and head home? We can spend some time together and come at this fresh in the morning.”

  “Maisie might be dead in the morning.”

  “She might be dead now. Or she might be on the run. We just don’t know, honey. You touched eight different things in her house after you saw the flash of her on the phone. You didn’t see anything more. I don’t want to put you through that again.”

  “Maybe I didn’t see anything because I psyched myself out.”

  “Or maybe there’s nothing to see.”

  “Maybe.” Ivy wasn’t convinced. “I hate doing nothing.”

  “I’m not suggesting that we do nothing. I’m suggesting that we eat dinner and then spend quality time together. That’s hardly nothing.”

  Despite herself, Ivy managed a smirk. “What sort of quality time did you have in mind?”

  “It will lose something in the telling. You’ll have to wait for me to show you when we get home.”

  “I guess I can hold out until then.”

  “Anticipation is half the fun.”

  THE DINER WAS PACKED WHEN THEY walked through the door. Lucy greeted them with an upraised chin as she skirted toward a table in the front, a plate in each hand. “The family is in the back,” she offered.

  Ivy’s forehead wrinkled. “Family?” She turned to stare at the huge round table in the back corner of the restaurant and was taken aback when she recognized her mother, father, Max, Amy, and JJ. “Huh.”