Wicked Winter (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 8)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “That sweater looks like something a sitcom grandmother would wear,” Ivy pointed out. “It’s … hideous.”

  Luna pointed at the reindeer with the red nose in the center of the sweater. “It’s festive.”

  “We don’t technically celebrate Christmas,” Ivy reminded her. “We’re secular humanists.”

  “We celebrate Yule,” Luna clarified. “We also enjoy Christmas as a holiday because the Morgans are all for peace and good cheer.”

  Ivy narrowed her eyes. “That’s not exactly how I think of us.”

  “Yes, well, you’re kind of snotty and self-involved when you want to be.” Luna shook the sweater in front of her daughter’s face. “I think you should try this on.”

  “And I think you should hop off the crazy train,” Ivy shot back, her stomach shaky. She’d been feeling uneasy for the last twenty minutes, although she had no idea why. It was as if her stomach was trying to warn her that danger was coming. Ivy simply had no idea that danger would come in the form of the world’s ugliest sweater. “I’m not trying that on. There’s absolutely no way I’ll ever wear anything that even remotely resembles that.”

  Luna was a kind spirit on most occasions – she abhorred violence and the like – but that didn’t mean she was above threatening her children to get what she wanted. “Try it on or I’ll make a scene.”

  Ivy was in no mood to be shaken down. “Go ahead. If you make a scene we’ll be kicked out and then I won’t have to be at the mall any longer.”

  Luna realized her mistake too late. “Like I’m going to allow that to happen. It’s Christmas. We’re supposed to be shopping for the people we love. You need to get in the holiday spirit.”

  “I am in the holiday spirit.” Ivy plucked the sweater from her mother and furrowed her brow when she caught sight of the tag. “This is made from inorganic fabric. There’s nothing breathable or natural in here at all. You would never buy this.”

  Luna’s face split with an impish grin. “No, but it was worth pretending otherwise to see the look on your face.”

  “Whatever.” Ivy made a disgusted sound in the base of her throat as she returned the sweater to a rack and slid over to another display. “As for shopping for the people I love, I didn’t think I was going to have to do that with you this year because I was under the impression you and Dad were leaving for Florida right after Thanksgiving.”

  “So?” Luna’s face was blank.

  “So … why are you staying an extra month?” Ivy had been trying to garner a satisfactory answer to that question since Luna announced she and Michael would be staying until after Christmas. She loved her parents – she really did – but she enjoyed the freedom associated with their annual Florida visits. She’d been looking forward to lost weekends with Jack in front of the fireplace as soon as Luna and Michael left town. The fact that she couldn’t risk it knowing her parents might drop in at any given moment was nothing but a lump of coal in her stocking.

  “I already told you that we want to spend Christmas with you and Max,” Luna replied, tugging on her limited patience and reminding herself that she desperately loved Ivy. Of course, there were often times she didn’t like her youngest child’s surly mood swings, but Luna swore she wouldn’t focus on that today. “Are you saying that you don’t want to spend Christmas with your father and me?”

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying in the least,” Ivy countered. “You know I love you.”

  “If you love me you’ll try on that sweater,” Luna prodded, earning a ferocious glare for her efforts. “I just want a photograph of you for the family Christmas card.”

  “Ha, ha,” Ivy intoned, her temper bubbling close to the surface. “I have no idea why you think that’s funny … but it’s really not.”

  Luna wasn’t bothered by Ivy’s attitude. “I happen to have it on good authority that I am downright hilarious.”

  “Whose authority?”

  “I believe you call him ‘dad.’”

  “Dad doesn’t count,” Ivy protested. “He has to tell you that you’re funny.”

  “He has to tell me that?” Luna arched a dubious eyebrow. “Since when is that the rule?”

  “Since the first man met the first woman and she did hand puppets by the first fire and he faked a laugh,” Ivy replied, not missing a beat.

  Luna guffawed loudly. “Now that, my dear, was funny. Jack is a lucky man to have humor like that to cuddle up to every night.”

  Ivy rolled her eyes in dramatic fashion. “I’m sure if you ask Jack that he’ll say he’s lucky.”

  “I’m sure he will, too.” Luna happened to know that Jack felt very lucky where Ivy was concerned – so lucky, in fact, that he was going to propose. That was the only reason she was braving even a portion of a Michigan winter instead of soaking up the rays on a sandy beach like she preferred. “Speaking of Jack, what are you getting him for Christmas?”

  Ivy had been dreading that question since her mother suggested a day at the mall. Ivy tried to get out of the excursion – even faking a cough and pretending she had a fever to escape – but Jack heavily guilted her about the fact that her mother would be gone in a few weeks and Ivy had no choice but to acquiesce.

  Now the moment was officially here and Ivy had no idea how to answer. “I … um … it’s private.” Ivy lowered her gaze as her cheeks burned.

  Luna pursed her lips, amused by Ivy’s change in demeanor. She knew when both of her children were hiding something … and Ivy was clearly trying to avoid the topic. Like any good shark, Luna scented blood in the water. “Does that mean you haven’t purchased anything for him yet? If so, I have to say, you’re cutting it a little close for comfort.”

  “I’ve bought him something,” Ivy protested, her voice hopping. “What kind of girlfriend do you take me for?”

  The kind of girlfriend who has never had a serious boyfriend over Christmas, Luna silently answered. As much as she loved her daughter – admired her independent streak and that mouth that never quit working, even at times when it should – Luna recognized the signs of panic when she saw them.

  “What did you get him?”

  “That’s private.”

  Luna heaved out a sigh as she tried to rein in her frustration. Ivy was never an easy child. In fact, she was difficult on almost every level. That didn’t mean she wasn’t lovable or that Luna lacked pride where her daughter was concerned. It merely meant that Luna recognized the signs of a meltdown, and this one promised to be a doozy if she didn’t get Ivy under control … and soon.

  “I got your father a new fishing pole,” Luna offered, opting to switch tactics.

  “You got him a fishing pole?” Ivy was dumbfounded as she rolled her neck, flicking her eyes to the open mall expanse on the other side of the store window as her stomach picked that moment to flip again. “You’re a vegetarian.”

  “And your father likes to fish,” Luna countered. “He likes to hang out by the river for hours on end. He throws back the bulk of what he catches and eats the rest. I would never want to take joy from him just because I’ve chosen not to eat fish.”

  Ivy tilted her head to the side, considering. “Jack likes to fish in his dreams.”

  Luna smirked. “Do you still share dreams on a regular basis? I thought you stopped that.”

  Not long after they met, Ivy realized Jack was calling her into his dreams. She had no idea how she managed to cross into his mind and help him when he was at his most tortured, but they’d made dream walking a regular excursion ever since. These days they opted for warmer and prettier climates, though.

  “We don’t do it all of the time,” Ivy replied. “We do it about once a week or so. Jack treats it as a vacation, a reason to feel the sun on his face.”

  “That sounds fun,” Luna said. “Why don’t you pick something from one of your dreams to get him for Christmas.”

  “I already got him something for Christmas.”

  “What?”

  “I’m not telling you.�
� Ivy made a face that Luna recognized well from her daughter’s childhood. Ivy was digging her heels in, and Luna knew when she was beaten. Now Ivy wouldn’t tell her out of sheer spite.

  “Well, I’m sure whatever you get him, Jack will like it,” Luna said, adopting a breezy tone. “What do you think he got you? It’s your first Christmas as a couple. I’m going to bet he bought you something big.”

  Something about Luna’s tone – and the uneasy feeling Ivy couldn’t quite seem to shake despite the relative calm of the day – set Ivy’s teeth on edge. “Do you know what he got me?” That question had been plaguing Ivy for weeks, ever since Jack admitted he loved her and she said the words back to him. She loved him before that moment, of course, but saying the words out loud made everything so much more real. It also made Christmas a really big deal.

  “I don’t know what Jack bought you for Christmas.” It wasn’t really a lie, Luna internally rationalized. She had no idea if Jack purchased a ring, or what it looked like. She merely knew what Michael told her and waited with everyone else to see when Jack would ultimately pop the question. “He doesn’t generally confide those sorts of things in me.”

  “What does he confide in you?”

  Luna snorted. “You’re a bundle of nerves, Ivy. It’s written all over your face. That’s why I suggested we take a shopping trip today. I thought it might loosen you up a bit.”

  “I’m feeling plenty loose,” Ivy said. “I don’t know why you would believe otherwise.”

  Luna rolled her eyes and heaved out a sigh. Ivy’s bad mood permeated the entire area and there was nothing that was going to alleviate it until Ivy let go of her worry and embraced the fact that, ultimately, it didn’t matter what she bought Jack for Christmas. All he truly wanted was her love.

  “I have an idea, dear,” Luna said, resting her hand on Ivy’s shoulder. “Why don’t we take a break from looking around and head over to the food court? I think you could use an Orange Julius.”

  Ivy wanted to scowl. Her mother always bought her an Orange Julius when trying to get her out of a funk as a child. She wanted to believe she was old enough to modify her own moods, but clearly that wasn’t the case. “Fine. That sounds good.”

  Luna grinned. “Great.” She prodded Ivy toward the double doors that led to the rest of the mall. “Once we get there, I’ll start bugging you about what you bought Jack again. Just so you know, I’m not going to stop until you tell me.”

  “Great,” Ivy muttered, annoyed. “That sounds like the highlight of my day.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?”

  Ivy ignored her mother and trudged toward the door, the racket in the outside mall momentarily catching her by surprise. The banging sound – loud auditory punches in rapid succession – didn’t immediately register as something dangerous even though Ivy’s stomach practically screamed that this was what it had been trying to warn her about all afternoon.

  “What is that?” Luna asked, curious.

  “I’m not sure,” Ivy said, shaking her head. “I … .” She didn’t get a chance to finish because a woman with long blond hair, clutching a child to her hip, flew through the open doorway and caused Ivy to lose her train of thought.

  “What’s going on?” Luna was understandably confused. “Are Santa’s elves being overrun at the center display? That happened two years ago and they had to call the police.”

  The woman shot Luna a dark look. “People are shooting,” she hissed. “There are at least two of them. We’re under siege.”

  Ivy couldn’t be sure she heard the woman correctly – the woman’s expression appeared to indicate she was telling the truth – but she acted instinctively. She grabbed Luna’s shoulder and pushed her away from the open doorway, forcing her behind one of the cosmetic displays.

  “Stay down!”

  Luna balked when she realized Ivy wasn’t joining her. “What are you doing?”

  “I just want to see if I can get a look,” Ivy said, keeping her eyes on the woman as she scurried away from the door and toward the auxiliary exits at the back of the store. “Maybe she was mistaken.”

  “She didn’t look mistaken,” Luna argued.

  “I know.” Ivy worked overtime to tamp down her fear as she dropped to her knees and crawled closer to the wall that held the glass door hinges. She pressed herself low to the ground and peered out, narrowing her eyes as shoppers raced into shops and toward exits. “Call 911, Mom. The cops probably know about this, but just to be on the safe side … .”

  “I’m on it.” Luna dug in her purse, keeping one eye on Ivy as she pressed the phone to her ear. They hadn’t heard shots in at least sixty full seconds – and were allowing themselves to relax a bit – when a figure moved to stand in the doorway. For one brief moment Luna thought it was an armed security guard coming to tell them it had all been a mistake and they were free to resume their shopping. She realized too late that security guards didn’t wear ski masks.

  The man leveled his gun on Luna when he noticed the older woman’s movement, but Ivy was already moving to cut off her mother from certain attack. She grabbed a heavy purse from the bottom of the mannequin stand and lobbed it in the gunman’s direction, heaving the heavy leather with all of her might and slapping the item against the man’s groin area.

  He squeezed off a round, surprised, and bullets ripped into the ceiling. Ivy’s heart pounded as she debated what to do. In that instance, the man’s brown eyes met Ivy’s blue ones and he seemed to be mired in a moment of hesitation.

  “What are you doing?” Ivy asked, her stomach twisting. “Just … stop.”

  The man didn’t respond, but he did swivel, turning his attention away from Ivy and back into the mall. Whatever he saw there surprised him because he opened his mouth to call out. The words never left his lips before the sound of gunfire rocked the small store lobby and the man standing in front of Ivy rocked back as three rounds hit him square in the chest.

  Ivy was dumbfounded, unsure what to do. Blood pounded in her ears and her fingers shook as she pressed them against the cold floor. She felt disconnected from her body and yet aware of everything that was going on next to her. Instinct finally took over, though, and she crawled to the fallen man’s side. She ripped up the ski mask and took in the smooth features of a dying young man, one she didn’t recognize and was fairly certain she’d never seen before. She could tell he wasn’t long for this world due to his ashen pallor, shuddering breaths, and the blood pooling at the corner of his mouth.

  “Why?” Ivy asked, at a loss for anything else to say.

  The man’s lips trembled as he tried to form words, but he was so weak he only managed one whisper.

  “Mitchell.”

  “What?” Ivy knit her eyebrows, uncertain if she’d heard correctly. “Is that your name?”

  The man didn’t speak again, his eyes glazing over instead. For lack of anything better to do, Ivy remained where she sat, frozen in place, waiting for another attack she couldn’t hope to fight off or for help to come and save her from a tidal wave of misery.

  Three

  Jack thought there was a very real chance he was trapped in a nightmare as he parked in the mall parking lot. When the Traverse City police detective called and told him what was going on he had to swallow the mad urge to laugh because he was convinced it was some joke gone awry. He thought he was asleep and Ivy would appear to save him from the nightmare at any moment.

  She never appeared and Jack was forced to realize this wasn’t a dream. It was reality.

  Things like this simply didn’t happen in this part of Michigan. Southeastern Michigan? That was another story. The city of Detroit and the surrounding suburbs boasted more population and often played host to inexplicable violence.

  Jack moved away from the city to escape that. Sure, he realized now he also moved because he was searching for something – and found it in Ivy’s arms – but he never considered that violence like this would touch her. Not violence on a massive level like th
is, at least. He couldn’t fathom the fear that was probably eating at her.

  “Let’s move.”

  Brian Nixon, Jack’s partner, raised a curious eyebrow but didn’t put up a fight as he followed the younger police officer. The detective on the scene was terse when describing what happened – and that Ivy had not only been up close and personal with one of the suspects, but also comforted a dying man at great risk to herself – and Brian worried that Jack’s adoration of his brave girlfriend would ultimately give way to fear and a big fight. For now he merely watched the situation, ready to rein in Jack should he get out of control.

  In truth, Brian adored Ivy. He’d known her since she was a child and believed she’d been a marvelous influence on his taciturn partner. When Jack first arrived in Shadow Lake, Brian was well aware of his past and believed Jack would either shake himself out of his doldrums or let bitterness eat him alive. Instead, he took one look at Ivy running around a crime scene in bare feet and positively fell head over heels.

  Brian knew from the moment Jack laid eyes on Ivy that he wouldn’t be able to stay away from her. He sensed a keen interest in Ivy, too, but wasn’t sure what to expect on her end. To his surprise – despite a few missteps – the duo fell hard and fast for each other. They engaged in a few juvenile fights, which was to be expected given the combustible chemistry evident whenever they were in close proximity to one another, but once together Jack and Ivy never wavered in their devotion.

  Now, given his own history with being shot, Brian was terrified that Jack was about to fly off the rails.

  Brian and Jack flashed their badges at a checkpoint and asked for Detective Will Crawford. Jack fidgeted as they waited, reminding Brian of a small child with impulse control problems. After a few minutes, the uniformed officer waved Jack and Brian through and directed them toward the department store at the far end of the ell.