Wicked Whimsy

by Lily Harper Hart

  Dana’s eyebrows hopped. “What? You can’t just wander in here to see one of our kids.”

  “I was the one who found him in the woods yesterday,” Ivy prodded, keeping her pleading smile in place even though she felt mildly guilty about exaggerating. Josh was the one who found her, after all. Still, she was desperate to see the boy. “I was with him for hours. I don’t want to steal him or anything. I just want to visit with him. Look, I brought cookies.”

  Dana was a nice woman, but she wasn’t a pushover. She read Ivy’s intent from the start. “Are you supposed to be here?”

  “I … what do you mean?” Ivy feigned ignorance. “No one said I couldn’t be here.”

  “Uh-huh.” Dana remained unconvinced. “If I call Brian Nixon or Jack Harker in Shadow Lake and ask them if you’re supposed to be here, what are they going to say?”

  Ivy’s lips turned down in a scowl. “Why would you possibly do that?”

  Dana snorted, more amused than annoyed. “That’s what I thought.” She tilted her head to the side as she regarded the pink-haired siren. “This goes against the rules. We’re not supposed to let outsiders visit with our charges, especially in situations like Josh is facing.”

  Ivy sensed a weakening in Dana’s countenance. “He cried when they pulled him away from me at that cottage. He was upset, which upset me. I promise not to stay too long. I just want to see him.”

  Dana heaved out a sigh and pushed open the door so Ivy could enter. She waited until the door was locked and securely shut behind them – she tested it twice to make sure it held before leading Ivy inside – to continue speaking. “I’m going to allow this but only because Josh seems like an extremely sad individual right now.”

  Ivy brightened considerably. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me yet.” Dana held up her hand to still Ivy before the enthusiastic woman could get ahead of herself. “I have to go in with you.”

  “I’m fine with that.”

  “Josh might not welcome you with open arms either,” Dana cautioned. “He’s a bit … irritated … with the situation. He feels as if we’re holding him hostage here and he doesn’t like it one bit.”

  “I’ll talk to him,” Ivy promised. “I don’t know him that well, but we bonded yesterday. I’m invested in making sure he gets the best possible outcome.”

  “That’s exactly why I’m giving you the chance,” Dana admitted. “We’ve been having a rough time with Josh since last night. He’s morose and sad. No one expects differently because he lost his father. He’s making things more difficult than they have to be.”

  “That’s why I brought the cookies.” Ivy shook the bag for emphasis. “I’m sure he’ll talk to me.”

  “I hope so.” Dana grabbed the bag from Ivy and opened it, snagging a cookie before handing it back. “You bribed me with this cookie for entry if anyone asks. Anyone who knows me understands I can be bought with chocolate. They don’t even judge me for it.”

  Ivy beamed at the woman. “I think we all can be bought with chocolate under the right circumstances.”

  PAUL RUNYON WAS THE medical examiner on duty when Jack and Brian entered the examination room shortly after eleven. They were on a mission for answers and their investigation started with the body on the gurney.

  “Hey.” Paul was expecting the detectives so he couldn’t muster surprise at their appearance. “I knew you guys would show up. I figured it would be after lunch, though.”

  “Do you need more time?” Jack asked.

  Paul shook his head. “No. I’m pretty much done here. I found a few surprises, although I’m not sure if you’ll think that’s a good thing.”

  “Lay it on us,” Brian instructed, folding his arms over his chest as he leaned against the nearby counter. “What do you have?”

  “Well, first off, Abraham Masters was in pretty good shape,” Paul volunteered. “His heart and lungs were functioning well and I couldn’t find any underlying medical conditions that would’ve caused him immediate worry. He was fit and healthy for his age.”

  “We didn’t think he died of natural causes,” Jack pointed out.

  “I know. Hold your horses.” Paul made an exasperated face, his eyes twinkling. He enjoyed messing with law enforcement officers whenever the mood hit. “He was shot in the chest at close range, his ventricular artery basically severed. He didn’t linger. He died quickly.”

  “How quickly?” Brian asked.

  “Less than a minute.”

  “Okay, that’s fast.” Brian shifted from one foot to the other. “You said he was shot at close range. That seems unnecessary for a rifle. Can you think of a reason why someone would need to be close in those circumstances?”

  “Rifle?” Paul furrowed his brow. “It wasn’t a rifle.”

  Jack stilled. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m positive.” Paul grabbed the report he was writing up and handed it to Jack. “The state boys are going to have to do a ballistics match, but it was definitely a handgun. I can tell from the angle more than anything else. A rifle would’ve been looking down. Whoever did this had unsteady hands and the gun tilted up.”

  Jack and Brian exchanged a quick look, something Paul didn’t miss.

  “What’s wrong?” Paul asked, leaning forward. “Is that not right? Are you suggesting I’m wrong?”

  “We didn’t say anything.” Jack licked his lips as he ran the scenario through his head. “We have a witness to this shooting, and he said that the assailant had a hunting rifle.”

  Paul stared at Abraham’s open chest cavity for a long beat before slowly starting to shake his head. “No, that’s not right. The grooves on a rifle and handgun are similar but not exact. I’m positive the slug I dug out belonged to a handgun.”

  “Who takes a handgun into the woods, though?” Brian challenged. “I mean … that doesn’t make a lot of sense. If you go into the woods to shoot, you take a rifle. A handgun is for home protection.”

  “And concealed carry,” Paul pointed out. “Maybe whoever your shooter is carried the gun for protection and was startled.”

  “By a guy picking mushrooms in the woods with his kid?” Brian wasn’t convinced. “There’s something off about this.”

  “Maybe Josh was confused when he told us the story yesterday,” Jack suggested. “Maybe he had trouble remembering things because he was in shock.”

  “Or maybe he’s not telling us everything,” Brian countered. “Maybe he recognized who shot his father and isn’t saying anything because he’s afraid that individual could be coming after him.”

  “If he did lie, he’s not going to own up to it right away,” Jack pointed out. “He’s going to stick to his story because he’s afraid. You saw him yesterday, the kid is definitely afraid.”

  “Yeah.” Brian thoughtfully stroked his chin. “We need him to open up, but he’s only going to do it with someone he trusts.”

  Jack knew exactly what his partner was going to suggest before Brian opened his mouth a second time. “Don’t ask me to involve Ivy in this.”

  “You said yourself that she was going to involve herself,” Brian pointed out. “She’s probably at the children’s home right now trying to see him.”

  “She can’t get in,” Jack pointed out. “I don’t care how persuasive she is, no one in their right mind is going to let her wander around the children’s home and spend time with a traumatized kid.”

  Brian snorted, amusement flitting through his eyes. “You’re the one who says you can’t say no to her.”

  “That’s different. We’re getting married.”

  “How is it different?” Brian challenged. “She had to snag you from the start and you never wanted to tell her no. You’ve simply given up now. What makes you think you’re the only one?”

  “It’s true,” Paul said sagely. “I’ve been trying to get Ivy Morgan to say yes to me for years. I never would’ve said no to her. I was crushed when you came to town and snapped her up. I thought I still had a cha
nce if I played things right. It never happened, though.”

  “And it’s never going to happen.” Jack extended a warning finger as he glanced between faces. Calling Ivy was the last thing he wanted to do, but he didn’t see where he had much choice. He heaved out a resigned sigh after a few moments. “Fine. I’ll ask her to talk to the kid. I refuse to push her, though. She’s already too invested in this.”

  “I don’t want her to press him,” Brian said. “I want her to gain his trust so he wants to tell her. He’s living in fear right now. We can’t even look in the right place until he snaps out of it.”

  “I’m sure Ivy will love having a mission.” Jack dug in his pocket for his phone. “She’s thrilled when I include her in stuff.”

  “I’d love to give her a mission,” Paul noted, causing Jack to scowl.

  “Don’t make me thump you,” Jack warned.

  “It might be worth it if Ivy plays nurse to me.” Paul winked to let Jack know he was kidding. “As for the rest of the autopsy, there’s nothing else of note. I’ll have a full report on your desk by the end of the day.”

  “That’s something at least.”

  JOSH WAS IN A FOUL mood when Dana led Ivy into the recreation room at the back of the house. Even though the facility was full of children, Josh was the only one in the room. Ivy was unnerved by the silence as she crossed to the young teenager.

  “Hey, buddy.”

  Josh jerked up his head at the sound of her voice and instantly hopped to his feet. His eyes were red-rimmed from crying, dark circles puffing out beneath them, and the look of hope on his face was enough to shake Ivy to the core. “Did you come to take me back home with you?”

  Ivy forced her smile to stay in place even as she started shaking her head. “I can’t take you with me. Jack explained all of that last night.”

  Josh’s expression turned dour. “Then why did you even bother to come here?”

  “Because I wanted to see you.” Ivy tried to keep the boy’s obvious fury from affecting her. He had a right to his feelings, she reminded herself. If she lost both her parents in a year’s time – one to unthinkable violence right in front of her – she was fairly certain she wouldn’t be a bright star in a cloudy night either. “I was worried about you.”

  Josh stared into her eyes for a long time, his expression never changing.

  “I wanted to see how you were doing,” Ivy continued. “You’re all I could think about.”

  “I bet your boyfriend hates that,” Josh grumbled after a beat. “Did he try to stop you from coming to see me?”

  “No.” Ivy shook her head. “I know you and Jack didn’t get off on the best footing yesterday, but he’s a good man.”

  “A good man wouldn’t have sent me here.”

  Ivy briefly flicked her eyes to Dana and got a shrug in response to the unasked question. Clearly Dana didn’t have ideas for perking up Josh either. “Jack is a police officer,” Ivy explained, choosing her words carefully. “He has to follow certain rules. He doesn’t always like those rules, but he doesn’t have a choice. He can’t pick and choose which ones to follow and which ones to ignore.”

  “He just didn’t want me spending time with you,” Josh muttered, using his thumbnail to scratch at something only he could see on the tabletop. “He was jealous because he thought I was going to take up too much of your time.”

  Despite the serious nature of the situation, Ivy had to bite back a smile. “Well, Jack has nothing to be jealous about. I honestly don’t think that’s the case. Still, I’m sorry how things turned out. I didn’t like letting them take you, but I didn’t have a choice either.”

  “And you’re not here to cut me loose?” Josh asked forlornly.

  “I can’t do that,” Ivy said. “It’s not allowed.”

  “Then why bother coming here and getting my hopes up?” Josh crossed his arms over his chest. “I can’t believe you did this to me. I thought you were going to take me out, at least for a little while. Instead I’m stuck here.”

  “Well … .” Ivy looked to Dana for a moment, something occurring to her. “Stay here a second, Josh.” She handed him the bag of cookies and motioned for Dana to move across the room with her.

  Dana was already prepared for Ivy’s world-class charm to be on full display before the pink-haired woman even opened her mouth. “Whatever you’re thinking, the answer is no.”

  Ivy held up her hand to quiet the woman. “Just hear me out.”

  “No.”

  “Please?”

  “Ugh.” Dana made a face. “I knew allowing you in here was a bad idea. You’re going to turn this into a thing, aren’t you? No cookie is worth this. I’m just warning you now.”

  Ivy didn’t let the diatribe knock her back. “That cookie was awesome and you know it.”

  “It’s not worth losing my job.”

  “Why do you have to lose your job?” Ivy was earnest. “I have an idea. If you need me to fill out paperwork and stuff, I get it. If you need to clear it with a supervisor, I get that, too. I want you to at least consider it, though.”

  “I am not letting you take that kid home.” Dana was firm. “Besides the fact that Jack would have a heart attack if he turned up at the cottage and found you adopted a kid without his knowledge, you’re not licensed to be a caregiver.”

  “I don’t want to be a caregiver,” Ivy countered. “Jack and I aren’t ready to take on a kid. I’m not an idiot.”

  “Oh.” Dana had the grace to be abashed. “If you don’t want the kid, what do you want?”

  “I want you to clear an outing,” Ivy replied without hesitation. “I want you to allow me to take Josh for the afternoon, not for the rest of his life.”

  “Where do you want to take him?”

  “Not far. Just to the nursery.”

  Dana knit her eyebrows, confused. “But … why?”

  “Because I don’t think it’s healthy for him to be here,” Ivy answered. “He’s not happy in this place. He thinks he’s being caged. If I take him to the nursery he’ll be out in the open and able to get some fresh air. My father will be there and between the two of us we’ll keep him busy helping us all afternoon. We’re getting ready for the big planting season. We’ll have so many customers he won’t be able to think of anything but helping.”

  “I don’t know.” Despite her misgivings, Dana found she wasn’t completely opposed to the idea. “It’s actually not a terrible thought, but I’m not sure I can clear it without a tour of your nursery.”

  “Well … why not come with us?” Ivy suggested, her mind working overtime. “I can leave ahead of you and tell my father what’s going on. You can meet us there. You can look over the nursery. If you don’t think it’s safe, you can hang out for an hour and pretend that’s all you had planned. If you do think it’s safe, you can leave him with us for a bit and I’ll bring him back.”

  Dana blinked several times in rapid succession. “You could talk a pirate out of his booty, couldn’t you?”

  Ivy smiled. She knew she’d already won. “So … you’ll at least give it a shot?”

  “I’ll give it a shot, but only because I think it’s the best thing for Josh,” Dana confirmed. “He was lifeless until you showed up. I’m willing to try anything.”

  “Great.” Ivy let loose a relieved sigh and smiled at Josh. “Do you want to tell him or should I?”

  “I’ll handle that. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves until I’m sure he can stay at the nursery. If we tell him he can go and then yank him back, that will do more harm than good.”

  “Good point.”

  “I’m full of them.”

  “Yeah.” Ivy handed over the bag of cookies. “Go nuts. You’ve earned them.”

  “Ugh. I’m really starting to dislike you right now. You’re going to be terrible for my waistline.”

  “You look like a model. Don’t worry about your waistline.”

  “I’m starting to like you a little more,” Dana conceded. “Let
’s go talk to him and see what he says. We’ll cushion the trip as a group outing initially. If he doesn’t want to go, though, I’m not going to make him.”

  “Deal.”

  Six

  You want me to do what?”

  Jack called Ivy when she was on her way to the nursery, and when he explained what they needed from her she wasn’t keen on the request.

  “I want you to get him talking about what happened in the woods,” Jack replied, refusing to back down. “If you can get him to talk about his family a little more, that would be great, too.”

  Ivy kept her focus on the road, which was thankfully empty, and drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she debated how to answer. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that, Jack,” she said finally. “I’m the only one he seems to trust right now.”

  “And that’s why I’m asking you to do it. I figured you were probably on your way to the home, right? You don’t have to push him, but if you could direct the conversation in a specific manner, it may help us figure out what’s going on.”

  “Actually, I’ve already been to the children’s home.”

  Jack was silent for a beat on the other end of the call.

  “I’m on my way back to Shadow Lake now,” Ivy added.

  “You didn’t stay very long.” Jack struggled to contain his surprise. “Couldn’t you get in to see him?”

  “As a matter of fact, I got in to see him right away,” Ivy replied. “I happened to know the woman answering the door. We went to high school together, although she was two years ahead of me.”

  “Oh, well, I figured you wouldn’t have trouble getting inside because you’re you.”

  “I also bribed her with fresh chocolate chip cookies.”

  “My chocolate chip cookies?”

  “They’re not yours any longer,” Ivy replied smoothly. “I needed them for a bribe, so I took them.”

  “You made them for me.”

  “I’ll make you more later.”

  “Fine.” Jack blew out a sigh. Haggling over cookies was going to get him nowhere. “So, what happened? Was he upset about last night?”