“She tried, but she just made gurgling voices. I think the first shot would’ve killed her regardless, but I’m not sorry I shot her a second time.”
“Why did you come out here to do it?” Ivy asked, filing away her abject distaste for Paige’s excitement. The girl was mentally off. There was no doubt about that. “Why did you pick my house?”
“I was sick of her and she needed to go. It was just a coincidence that she happened to be working at your house.”
“How did you get close to the house without anyone seeing you?”
“It wasn’t hard. My father loved to hunt and he taught me a few things before he died. I parked on the road where your nursery is located – the same place I parked today – but I managed to hide my car behind some bushes.”
“And then what?”
“I walked. It wasn’t far and it made getting away easy. I walked to your house and hid in the trees – I picked my spot the day before so I knew exactly where I was going – and then I waited for her to show up. I knew her schedule, of course, so it was simply a matter of picking the time and place.
“I was going to do it the night before because I figured it would be easier to get away when it was close to sundown,” she continued. “I watched you and your boyfriend and thought it would be safe because I didn’t think you looked as if you were going anywhere. Then I headed back to the house.
“Shannon was just arriving, but she wasn’t alone, though,” she said. “Your brother showed up at the same time. I’m a good shot, but I wasn’t sure I could get both of them. I figured your brother would protect himself once Shannon dropped and I didn’t want to take the risk that he might get away.”
Ivy fought the urge to throw up. The idea of Max getting hurt was almost too much to bear. “How long did you stay that night?”
“Not long. You and your boyfriend showed up a few minutes later and then everyone went inside. I could’ve waited, but I knew it would be a mistake. I went home and picked another time. I had a few days to play with so it didn’t have to be done right away.”
“What do you mean about having a few days to play with?”
“I had to do it when Cole was out of the state. I knew he would eventually become a suspect so I had to make sure he had an airtight alibi. I was trying to point the finger at Victor and keep Cole out of it. Things didn’t quite work out as I thought they would, though.
“Cole was angry when he found out I let the gossip about his affair with Shannon slip to the cops,” she continued. “He was furious. I could live with that, though, because I had to tell the truth on that one for the greater good. There was no way around it.”
“The greater good?”
Paige nodded. “I wanted the cops to look at Victor as the bad guy. They needed a reason to suspect him, though. I knew he would put on a good show when he found out Shannon was dead because he genuinely loved her – the sap – so I had to give the cops a really good reason to look at him more closely.
“I practically led them to the information,” she continued. “I laid it all out. I told them how Victor always came around the office to shower Shannon with gifts and food. I knew they would realize how pathetic that was on their own so I pretended I thought it was romantic.
“They questioned Victor, but then they got sidetracked, which didn’t work well for me,” she said. “They started looking at that Holly woman and I thought that was going to be the worst thing that ever happened to me. I figured they would spend days looking at her and then come back and look at Victor when the momentum stalled. I was worried Victor would somehow get away with killing Shannon.”
“He didn’t kill Shannon, though,” Ivy pointed out. “You did.”
“Why would the cops ever suspect me?”
“Because you’re guilty.”
“Yes, but from where they’re standing, I have no motive,” Paige explained. “I’m just the simple office girl who thought Shannon and Victor had it all. I wasn’t a threat to her. Why would I be?”
“That’s a really good question. Why did you want her dead?”
“Because she took what’s mine.”
“That’s not much of an explanation.”
Paige heaved out a sigh, as if she couldn’t believe Ivy would dare question her about something so mundane. “Cole Priestley.”
Ivy furrowed her brow. “The owner of the design firm?”
“He’s so much more than that.” Paige took on a wistful tone. “He’s … so much more.”
Ivy didn’t bother to hide her eye roll. “Oh, geez. I get it now. You had a crush on Priestley and he was having an affair with Shannon. You were jealous and wanted her out of the picture.”
“That’s such a simple way of looking at things.”
“Is there a better way?”
“There is,” Paige confirmed, bobbing her head. “You see, I was with Cole first. When I started at the company, Shannon was all about Victor. That’s all she talked about. She mentioned him in every sentence.
“I was fine with that. I even thought it was cute,” she continued. “I wanted Cole. I fell in love with him the instant I met him.”
“Was that when he was interviewing you?”
“Yes. Does that matter?”
Ivy shrugged. “I’m guessing a guy like Cole Priestley knows how to work a room. That probably includes talking people into expensive design ideas they don’t want and convincing a young girl to work for him even though the job in question didn’t have a lot of future prospects.”
“That’s not true.” Paige turned belligerent. “Cole said I could learn how to be a designer and move up in the company.”
“Without school or formal training?”
“I’m a fast study.”
“I’m sure you were fast at something that interested Priestley,” Ivy countered. “I knew when I met the guy that there was something smarmy about him. He seduced you, didn’t he?”
“That’s an ugly word and that’s not what happened. We fell in love.”
Ivy couldn’t believe the claim. “You fell in lust and then Priestley decided to fall in lust with Shannon. How did that even come about if she was so in love with her husband?”
“I have no idea. I think she just wanted to beat me.” Paige was back to being petulant. “She never thought I was as good as her.”
“Did she say that or is it something you inferred?”
“Are you insinuating I’m making things up in my head?” Paige’s temper fired. “That’s not how it works with me. I see things as they really are.”
“If that were true you wouldn’t have fallen for Priestley in the first place. If that were true you would’ve realized weeks ago – heck, months ago – that he’s the sort of man who stays with a woman until he gets what he wants and then he takes off. That’s who he is.”
“No.” Paige vehemently shook her head. “He loves me. I know he loves me.”
“He doesn’t. He’s probably not capable of it.” Despite the fact that Paige was a murderer, Ivy couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the girl. She’d been railroaded by an older and more experienced man and she had no idea what to do with the feelings he all but ignored. “I’m sorry this happened to you, but what you did to Shannon is not acceptable.”
“She deserved to die. She shouldn’t have taken what was mine.”
Ivy made a tsking sound. “Why did you come here? How do you think going after me is going to help your cause?”
“Because the cops – idiots that they are – are looking at that Holly chick as the main suspect,” Paige replied. “I need to give them a reason to remain focused on her. Since Holly wants your boyfriend, that means taking you out. This way they’ll assume that killing Shannon was an accident and focus on Holly. Cole and I will be in the clear.”
“There’s just one little problem with that scenario.”
“And what’s that?”
“Holly is in jail. She has been since last night.”
For the first time since
Ivy realized Paige was watching her, the younger woman showed a hint of panic.
“That’s not true,” Paige argued. “She’s still around. I checked at the hotel. She hasn’t checked out.”
“That doesn’t mean she’s not in jail.”
“But … she can’t be in jail,” Paige protested. “That’s not going to work for me.”
The girl’s reaction was so pitiable Ivy almost laughed. She managed to stop herself, though, but just barely. She had one more thing to tell Paige and that was really going to ruin the woman’s day.
“I can’t fix that for you,” Ivy said. “Also, you’re kind of done anyway so it doesn’t matter that Holly is in jail.”
Paige was instantly suspicious. “How do you figure that?”
Ivy extended a finger and pointed toward a spot behind Paige. “Because those cops you so lovingly referred to as idiots are here to save the day.”
“What?” Paige was flabbergasted as she swiveled, her hand immediately going toward her pocket.
Brian caught her before she had a chance to draw a weapon. “Don’t even think about it,” he growled, holding her wrist as Jack rummaged through the coat and came out with a small handgun. “What were you planning on doing with that?”
“I was just carrying it for protection,” Paige whined. “I wasn’t going to do anything with it.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Brian shook his head as he drew out his cuffs. “We talked to Victor. We know about your affair with Cole Priestley. We know he dumped you for Shannon. We also know you tried to spur Victor to action by telling him about the affair. How disappointing it must have been for you when he opted to do nothing.”
“He’s a total wimp,” Paige groused, kicking at the ground as Brian tightened the handcuffs. “All he had to do was make her quit her job. Was that too much to ask?”
“Apparently it was,” Jack said, sliding his eyes to Ivy and offering up a small smile. “I was worried for a little bit. I … felt you. We rushed out here because I thought for sure something bad had happened. It turns out you were holding your own … like always.”
Ivy returned his grin. “I felt you, too. Even though I didn’t see your car I knew you were close. It was as if something touched my heart and I knew you were coming.”
“We didn’t want her to run so we parked a little bit down the way.”
“Yes, and Jack took the walk through the woods really well,” Brian drawled. “He didn’t freak out about your safety at all. Oh, wait, that’s all he complained about for the entire walk through the trees. I wanted to smack him around.”
Ivy giggled. “I don’t know. I think he’s kind of cute.”
“I’m totally cute,” Jack agreed.
“And here comes the mush,” Brian muttered.
“You’re not going to be able to keep me in jail,” Paige supplied. “Shannon got what she deserved. She stole my man. The jury is going to see things my way.”
Brian shot her a pitying look. “I wouldn’t hold your breath on that one.”
“I wouldn’t either,” Jack said, pulling Ivy in for a hug. “I think you’re in for a rude awakening.”
Ivy was pretty sure the girl was incapable of separating fact from fantasy, but she let it go. She had other things to focus on, and the biggest one had his face pressed into her neck. “I was thinking of cooking a romantic dinner for us tonight. How does that sound?”
Jack pulled back and kissed the top of her head. “It sounds like the best offer I’ve had all day. Just no feet mushrooms. You know I hate those things.”
Ivy rolled her eyes. “They’re still weeks away.”
“Well, that’s something to look forward to at least.”
Twenty
Ivy was just finishing up with dinner when Jack let himself into the house. He didn’t greet her with words but rather a smoldering kiss. Since she had a spoon in her hand that was covered in pasta sauce, she giggled when he pulled back and licked the utensil.
“I take it things went well.”
“As well as can be expected.” Jack gave her another kiss before stepping back and shrugging out of his coat. “Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
“That wasn’t really an answer.”
Ivy heaved out a sigh. “I’m fine. I never felt in any danger, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Jack thought about the pain he felt when he realized Ivy was in trouble and knew that wasn’t true. “I felt you. It was like a punch in the gut. I know you were at least a little worried.”
Ivy pursed her lips as she shrugged and turned back to the sauce. “I was … surprised. I guess that’s the right word. I didn’t recognize her at first. She took that as a personal insult.”
“Oh, I know.” Jack heaved out a sigh as he sat at the table. “She went on and on about how nobody ever noticed her before Cole Priestley and that’s why she needed to kill Shannon.”
“Did you talk to Priestley?”
“I did and he was a real jerk. He said that his personal life was none of our business. I said that was fine and we could just wait for it to be public knowledge when the trial came around. He wasn’t happy, but he owned up to sleeping with both of them.”
“What about Victor?”
“He’s a wreck. Shannon’s funeral is tomorrow. He doesn’t want to talk more about the affair or Paige. Despite the fact that Shannon cheated on him, I think he’s going to turn her into a martyr.”
“That makes me sad.”
“I think he’s a good but weak guy and he’s probably never going to get over this.”
Ivy removed the sauce from the burner and dumped it over the waiting pasta in a bowl on the counter. “I want to believe in true love, but it’s upsetting when you have a situation like this. I mean Victor loved Shannon and from everything Paige said, Shannon loved Victor … until suddenly she didn’t.”
“I don’t know that Shannon didn’t love Victor,” Jack clarified. “I think it’s possible she simply got caught up with Cole and didn’t realize what was happening until it was already too late. That guy fancies himself a smooth operator and it seems the women he surrounds himself with feel the same way.”
“I think he’s a jerk.”
Jack’s lips curved. “That’s good. I guess I don’t have to worry about you falling under his spell, huh?”
“I’m already under your spell. I can’t fall under someone else’s spell at the same time. It’s impossible.”
“Right back at you.” Jack poked her stomach when she delivered the pasta to the table. “That looks good. What is it?”
“Mostly vegetables and primavera sauce. I didn’t go fancy because I was worried you would be late.”
“It smells great.” Jack leaned over and inhaled. “I’m glad you decided to cook. That means, once dinner is over, all we have to do is dishes before getting lost in each other.”
“That was the plan.”
“I like it when our plans collide.” Jack reached over and pushed out Ivy’s chair so she could sit. He waited until she was settled, napkin in her lap, to question her further. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Ivy’s expression was sheepish. “I know you probably worried about me the entire time you were gone, but I’m honestly fine. I was more sad than upset. I mean, I was upset, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t understand how someone like Paige could do what she did. The rage I felt when I went out to that spot the other day … it was like a horror movie monster did this. I didn’t expect it to be a young woman with her entire future in front of her.”
“She’s lost that future now.” Jack was blasé. “She owned up to everything she did. She’s going to try and plead it down, claim that she has a mental defect, but it’s not going to work. She admitted everything and isn’t sorry in the least.”
“Well, at least it’s done.”
“Yeah.” Jack squeezed her hand. “Now you can spend time at the nursery without me panicking. That’s got to be a relief.”
“It is, although I was thinking that since tomorrow is Saturday, I might take the day off work and spend my time doing something more worthwhile.”
“And what’s that?”
“I thought maybe I would go fishing with you.”
Jack stilled, dumbfounded. “You want to go fishing for real? You’re a vegetarian. I thought fishing was out of your wheelhouse.”
Ivy shrugged, noncommittal. “We’ve gone fishing in the dreamscape before. It wasn’t so bad.”
“Yeah, but … you don’t like the idea of killing animals.”
“I don’t. From what I hear, though, you’ve never actually caught a fish. I figured we would most likely hang out by the river, perhaps take a picnic, and just hang out.”
Jack smirked. “I think that can probably be arranged.”
“Good.” Ivy relaxed as she leaned back in her chair. “Oh, I almost forgot to ask, what’s going on with Holly?”
“Holly is threatening to sue anyone who comes into close proximity with her. She’s even threatening the hotel, which forced them to kick her out, so she officially has no place to stay. I stopped out there before heading home to make sure she was really gone. You know, just to be on the safe side.”
“Was she gone?”
“She appears to be. We’ll have to keep our eyes open for her in case she winds her way back around, but I think she has bigger problems on her hands than stalking us a second time.”
Ivy was intrigued despite herself. “What kind of problems?”
“Well, for starters, there really was a conference in Traverse City. She was supposed to attend on behalf of the bank. I talked to her boss, who wasn’t happy, and if Holly still has a job when she gets back to the city I’ll be surprised.
“They paid a pretty penny for her to attend and apparently she blew off every panel,” he continued. “Not only that, but she tried to use her corporate credit card to pay for her room at the motor lodge and her boss is going to deny the charges.”
“Wow.” Ivy pressed her lips together and widened her eyes. “That’s going to make her furious.”
“I have no doubt.”
“If she’s furious, doesn’t that mean she’ll stick around and try to cause more problems for us?”
Wicked Wishes (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 10) Page 19
