Wicked Delight

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Don’t worry about it.” Jack rubbed her arm. “We’ll find a way to get you in close proximity if we need to. Right now, we’re simply asking questions. I’m not sure I believe Valerie had the upper body strength to beat Éclair to death.”

  “She’s short, but I bet she’s strong.”

  Jack noted the tinge of sadness coloring her eyes. “You like her.”

  “I don’t know her,” she clarified. “I did find her snarky and sarcastic, though. She was kind of blunt. I liked that.”

  “Well ... we don’t know that she’s guilty. We’re simply questioning her again.”

  “Okay.” Ivy rubbed her cheek and shook her head to dislodge the deep thoughts threatening to overwhelm her. “I have a few interviews left. One is with Blaine, so I’m almost done.”

  “Anything we should be worried about?”

  “That guy over there, the one with the brown hair and yellow polo shirt, he has a fetish for women who wear dog collars and bark while he ... makes them wear a leash.”

  Jack wrinkled his nose. “He told you that? Do you want me to go over there and beat him up?”

  “Worse. I saw it in one of the flashes.”

  Jack was horrified. “I’m sorry. Now I definitely need to beat him up.”

  “Éclair wasn’t the woman in the flash and I haven’t seen anything really nefarious with any of these people. There have been a few weird things, but if one of these guys killed her, they’re doing an excellent job of hiding it.”

  “Yeah, well ... you’re almost done.” Jack moved closer. “All you have to do is interview the last three people and then I’ll go with you to tell Donahue that you’re not interested in taking this further. He’s bound to be angry, so I want to make sure you’re not alone.”

  “I doubt I have anything to worry about.”

  “Well, I want to make sure. That’s what husbands do.”

  Ivy smiled. “Soon, huh?”

  “Soon,” he agreed, giving her a quick kiss. “For now, just get through the final interviews. Max is watching your back. When you’re finished, go to him. Hopefully we won’t be too long with Valerie. I don’t know if she’s guilty, but we have no choice but to question her.”

  “You didn’t tell me why you suddenly suspect her.”

  “It’s a long story, but in a nutshell, she had an affair with Sheridan for a year and he dumped her out of the blue. His way of dumping her was to make her work for Éclair.”

  “Ugh.” Ivy was officially grossed out. “That’s disgusting.”

  “Which part?”

  “All of it.”

  “I think so, too. Now you see why we have to interview her, though.”

  “Definitely. Have at it.”

  “I will. Be careful.”

  “Don’t worry about me.”

  He winked as he started to move off. “I can’t help it. That’s part of the job description, too. It’s not my favorite part — I’ll show you that tonight — but it still has to be done.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Focus on your work. I’d like to finish this today.”

  “That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

  AN HOUR LATER, IVY WAS at the end of her rope. Thankfully Blaine was the last person she had to interview, and she was fairly certain he was going to come up clean.

  “What do you want to talk about?” Blaine asked, sliding into the spot across from her, his eyes sparkling.

  “I don’t know. What do you want to talk about?”

  “I want to talk about why you’re lying to Roy and pretending you’re going to do this show.”

  Ivy stiffened. “I ... what do you mean?”

  “Oh, don’t play innocent with me.” Blaine made a shaming sound with his tongue and shook his finger. “I may not know you as well as those in your life on a daily basis, but I’ve become familiar enough to realize that you’re putting on a show. You have no intention of participating in Hearts on Fire.”

  “I ... .” Ivy thought about lying but it was no longer necessary. “You’re right. I don’t.”

  “So ... why go through with this farce?”

  “Because I wanted to talk to each man individually,” she admitted. “We’re still looking for a killer. I thought maybe there was a chance I might be able to figure out who it was if I spent a few minutes with each contestant.”

  “But ... how?”

  “Oh, well ... .” Ivy wasn’t sure how to answer. “Let’s talk about you.”

  “I talk about myself constantly. I want to talk about you.”

  “I’m boring. There’s no reason to talk about me.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think that’s true.” Blaine tilted his head to the side, considering. “You seem distracted. Perhaps if you tell me what’s going on — like, for example, why Jack came over and collected your assistant an hour ago — you might feel better.”

  Ivy recognized what Blaine was doing and it made her laugh. “You’re just a busybody.”

  “I am,” he agreed. “That’s also why I’m intrigued by the fact that your aunt is heading this way.”

  Ivy swiveled quickly, her eyes immediately falling on Felicity as the older woman trudged across the square. “What is she doing here?”

  “Perhaps she’s hosting another seance,” Blaine suggested. “I’m not usually into that sort of thing but that’s pretty much the only way we’re going to have any fun since you’re not really willing to serve as the star of the show.”

  “Yeah, well ... will you excuse me for a second?” Ivy stood and stared at her aunt. “I shouldn’t be more than a few minutes.”

  “Take your time.” Blaine waved her off. “There’s water and an apple here. I should be entertained for a full five minutes at least.”

  “Good to know.” Ivy squared her shoulders as she stepped toward Felicity. The anger from before she thought was tucked away reared its ugly head, which made her unsteady. “What are you doing here?”

  Felicity flashed a sheepish smile and held out her hands. “I don’t know. I thought it was probably best that we talk, though.”

  “I don’t know that now is the time.”

  “I stopped in at the nursery,” Felicity offered, clutching her hands together in front of her. “Your father said you were doing something with Jack today. Your brother is the one who told me you were here when I called.

  “I can’t say I’m not surprised,” she continued. “I thought for sure you were done with this reality television nonsense. Everyone is buzzing about you agreeing to be the star of the show, though. Why is that?”

  “It’s a long story.” Ivy shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortable. “Listen, I don’t want to fight. What happened the other night ... .”

  “Was completely my fault,” Felicity interjected hurriedly. “I understand why you were upset. Heck, I understand why you were embarrassed. I can’t explain how it happened, why I acted that way. It was like someone else was inside my head telling me what to do. I’m ashamed of how I reacted.”

  Ivy furrowed her brow. “Wait ... is that true or a euphemism for something?”

  “Well, I don’t know what you’re referring to, but it’s true that I’m sorry. I don’t even remember going to bed that night. I woke in my own bed, though, and when I remembered what happened, I felt like a complete and total dolt. I wanted to apologize yesterday, but I was too embarrassed.”

  “You don’t remember going to bed?”

  Felicity shook her head. “No. Under normal circumstances I would say I was drunk, but I didn’t have anything to drink. I can’t explain it.” She let loose a hollow laugh. “Apparently your mother’s enthusiasm went to my head. I feel horrible, though.”

  “Don’t worry about that. All is forgiven.” Ivy waved her hand as she thought back to the night in question. “You were trying to call Éclair, but I saw someone else.”

  “I don’t particularly remember seeing anyone,” Felicity admitted. “Of course, the bulk of that night is a blur. I’m thinking of going
to the doctor to see if perhaps I had a stroke or something.”

  Ivy stiffened. “You think you had a stroke?”

  Felicity held out her hands and shrugged. “I don’t know. How would you explain what happened?”

  That was a very good question, Ivy internally mused. “I don’t know. Unless ... do you think it’s possible that someone temporarily possessed you?”

  “I should hope not.”

  “But do you think it’s possible?”

  “I don’t know.” Felicity looked more alarmed at the prospect of an inadvertent possession than she had about undergoing a stroke. “Why are you asking me that?”

  “Because I saw something that night.” Ivy tapped her chin as she slowly circled. “I thought I saw a man. You said it was Éclair. I didn’t see her, but maybe that’s because she didn’t visit the group as much as she visited you.”

  “I’ve never had that happen before.”

  “No, but the day I found her body, I saw a shadow rather than a ghost. I couldn’t figure out why. Maybe it’s because she has a dark soul and she can’t control her environment.”

  “A dark soul?” Felicity involuntarily shuddered. “That’s very rare.”

  “It is but ... it’s possible. We need to talk to Susan.”

  “Susan who?”

  “Susan Bishop.”

  “The witch in the woods?” Felicity perked up. “Are you still seeing her?”

  “I saw her yesterday. She wanted to talk but there was a lot going on. We got distracted. I’m guessing she wanted to talk about Éclair before my attention was grabbed by an invader on my turf.”

  “So ... where do we go to talk to her?”

  “My fairy ring. I just ... there’s something I have to do first. Hold on.” Ivy held up a finger to her aunt before returning to the table and laying her hand on Blaine’s forearm. There was no flash, and the emotion washing over him was unbelievably pleasant. “I had a good time meeting you,” she said, opting for honesty. “I’m not going to be doing the show, though. It’s not because of you or Jordan. I just want you to know that.”

  “It’s because of Jack,” Blaine correctly surmised. “You already have everything you want.”

  “Pretty much,” Ivy agreed. “Still, I think you’re great.” She meant it. “I have to run an errand now, though. I’m sure I’ll get a chance to talk to you later.”

  “I certainly hope so.”

  Ivy scurried back to her aunt after grabbing a bottle of water. “Come on. I have to give Donahue the bad news that I’m not doing his show. Then we can head out to the fairy ring. I’ll just tell Max where we’re going so he can assuage Jack’s worry once we’re gone.”

  “Are you sure this is the way to go?”

  “It’s the only thing I can think to try. I don’t see where we have a choice.”

  VALERIE WAS A NERVOUS WRECK as Jack and Brian got her settled in the interrogation room at the police station. They considered questioning her at the town square, but official surroundings were more likely to make her uncomfortable. That, in turn, was more likely to make her talk.

  “I don’t understand why I’m here,” she said, tapping her fingers on the tabletop as she glanced around. “I mean ... seriously. Why am I here?”

  “We need to ask you some questions,” Jack replied, opening a notebook and clicking a pen so he could keep track of her statements. “So, I believe you left a few things out of your previous statement.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “You didn’t tell us about your relationship with Archibald Sheridan.”

  “I ... told you I worked for him.”

  “Yes, but you left out the part about your sexual relationship.” Jack was calm and collected as he met her shaky gaze. “I think that’s a pretty big piece of the puzzle to omit.”

  “What puzzle?” Valerie’s voice came off as shrill. “There is no puzzle. I didn’t have anything to do with this.”

  “If that’s true, why didn’t you tell us about your sexual relationship with Sheridan?” Brian queried. “I mean ... you basically acted as if Éclair was the only person in the family you worked for. Why is that?”

  “I didn’t mean to hide anything,” Valerie said hurriedly. “It’s just ... it’s embarrassing. I don’t want to talk about it. I know I made a fool of myself — amongst other things — but I didn’t really see the truth of what I was doing until I had a bit of space to look back.”

  “And what were you doing?”

  “Prostituting myself,” Valerie replied without hesitation. “I was selling my dignity for money because I thought that Sheridan might really be interested in me.”

  “Were you trying to get pregnant?” Brian asked. “I mean ... it’s fine if you were. I believe a lot of people tried that tactic with Sheridan.”

  “Pregnant? I didn’t want a kid. I only wanted access to the jets ... and the parties ... and the boats ... and the house. I didn’t want to be part of his world forever. I was simply hopeful I would be able to use a relationship with him as a springboard to something real.”

  “I’m not sure I understand,” Jack hedged.

  “I knew Archibald’s reputation,” Valerie explained. “I was never alone with him until we took a trip to Minnesota together. My boss was sick so I had to go. We weren’t in the air five minutes before his hand was in my blouse.”

  “You could’ve reported him for sexual harassment.”

  “I could’ve,” she agreed. “I didn’t, though. I decided to play along. I figured if he took me to a few parties, introduced me to the right people, I could find a better job and get away from him. That was the ultimate goal.”

  “So ... you weren’t trying to get pregnant?”

  “Absolutely not.” She vehemently shook her head. “I was well aware of how little attention he paid his children. I might not be the most moral person in the world, but I believe that you’re supposed to take care of your children and provide them with the best life possible. With Archibald as a father, that was never going to happen. Besides, I don’t even know if I want kids.”

  “But ... you were shifted to Éclair. Was that revenge for something?”

  “I don’t think so. He simply got bored. One minute I was in. The next minute he met someone else — another assistant, mind you — and I was out. I always knew it was a possibility.”

  “You weren’t happy to be working for Éclair, though,” Brian pressed.

  “Definitely not,” she agreed. “Éclair was the worst. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like the money even though it was less than I was making with Archibald while working directly under him.”

  “But ... we were told you were trying to get pregnant … or that was at least a possibility,” Jack said. “We were told you were extremely upset about the transfer.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “Archie Sheridan.”

  “Oh, well, of course he told you that. He hated his father’s penchant for sleeping with younger women ... especially women he had an interest in. He’s a little weasel.”

  “We’ve found him to be open and honest.”

  “Oh, I bet. He’s always open. Honest is another story.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He’s not honest. He’s a jerk. He’s the one who built up the competition with his siblings. He’s been whispering in Archibald’s ear for a long time to make sure he’s the only one who inherits. In fact, Éclair managed to arrange with her father that she wanted him to leave her one of his hotels instead of money when he passed — she wanted to make a go at owning her own business and then using that money to fund the interior design career she really wanted — and Archie melted down because he said that was supposed to be part of his inheritance.”

  “But ... that’s exactly the opposite of what he told us,” Jack said.

  “Well, I don’t know what to tell you. The guy is a liar. He always has been.”

  Jack and Brian exchanged dark looks.

  “W
ell, that’s not good,” Brian said finally.

  “Definitely not,” Jack agreed. “We need to find him. Right now.”

  Nineteen

  Ivy left word with Max that she was running out to the cottage. He was torn about going with her, but ultimately decided to stay behind because Donahue was melting down regarding Ivy’s refusal to star in the show and he figured the entertainment value would be much higher if he remained.

  “Jack might be mad that I let you go,” he pointed out to his sister.

  “Jack will get over it. He’s got other things on his mind. Besides, all the suspects are here. They’re not out at our place.”

  “Good point.” Max dropped a kiss on his aunt’s cheek. “I’m glad to see you two made up.”

  “Yeah, well ... I’m still not sure why we fought in the first place,” Felicity admitted.

  “We’re going to find that out,” Ivy reassured her. “Tell Jack not to worry about us. Also, tell him I’ll cook a big dinner to make up for cutting him out of the conversation with Donahue. I know he wanted to be present for that.”

  “How did it go?”

  “He’s kind of a baby, which I pretty much expected.” Ivy waved to Max before tugging on Felicity’s arm. “Come on. We have to take Jack’s truck because we drove to town together.”

  “Won’t that leave him stranded?” Felicity queried.

  “He’s got Brian and the patrol car. He’s fine.”

  Felicity scrambled to keep up with her niece, who was fast when she had a full head of steam. “I still don’t know if I believe what you’re saying is possible,” she admitted. “I would like to think I was strong enough to fight something like that off. On the flip side, it would be nice to have something to blame my actions on.”

  “Yeah, well ... .” Ivy trailed off when she saw a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye. “Did you see that?”

  “What?” Felicity was distracted by her purse strap. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”

  “I ... .” Ivy kept her eyes to the left, waiting for another burst of black. That’s why, when Susan popped up on her right, she almost jumped out of her skin.