Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I tried Middle Eastern food and I got to take a bath in a Jacuzzi tub.”

  “Oh, well, that sounds fun,” Max said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Being alone with her thoughts made Ivy restless. She got to her feet and moved around, studying Max’s new summer offerings. The lumberyard offered a bevy of items. Most people who visited were looking for material to finish their do-it-yourself projects. Others liked the homemade picnic tables and swings. In fact, Ivy was considering buying one of the swings herself. She had visions of sitting on the swing with Jack, a blanket, and a glass of wine floating through her head.

  Ivy was so lost in thought that she initially ignored the wisp of energy floating in the corner of her eye. After a moment, she waved her hand, thinking it was smoke. She turned, about to unload on someone for the stupidity associated with smoking in a lumberyard when she realized she was looking at something else.

  Ivy cocked her head and blinked rapidly, the ethereal figure – more mist than corporeal – mimicked her actions.

  “Holy crap,” Ivy muttered, staring closer. The figure was so transparent she was having trouble making out facial features. “I … are you really there or am I losing my mind?”

  The figure didn’t respond. It was definitely female. She could see the telltale edge of a skirt hem just above the figure’s knee. “Can you talk?”

  “Can you?” Max asked, appearing at Ivy’s back.

  Ivy jolted, afraid, and when she turned back around the figure was gone. “I … did you see that?”

  “See what?”

  “I swear there was something there,” Ivy said. “It looked like … a ghost.”

  Max laughed. He couldn’t help himself. “Have you considered that you think you saw a ghost because we were just talking about ghosts?”

  “You said you believed,” Ivy protested.

  “I do. The timing of this one is a little too coincidental.” Max slung an arm over Ivy’s shoulders. “Come on. I’ll buy you a vegetarian burger down at the log cabin bar on the corner. I think you’re acting a little flighty. Maybe you should try eating more and having less sex.”

  “Oh, puh-leez,” Ivy scoffed, casting one more look toward the empty spot where she was sure she saw something. “You would go without food forever if it meant you were having regular sex.”

  “That is not true,” Max countered. “I would miss prime rib too much.”

  “Well, at least you have your priorities straight.”

  Twenty-One

  “You look better than you did last night,” Brian said, his gaze wandering over Jack. “In fact, you look like you had a good night. If I didn’t know everything that was going on, I would think you were happy.”

  “I am happy,” Jack countered. “I’m also worried.”

  “How is Ivy?”

  Jack made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “She’s full of herself and a pain in the ass.”

  “You knew that going in. How is she otherwise? Did she freak out when she realized who she was talking with at the nursery? That had to be scary … even though she didn’t understand what was really happening until after the fact.”

  “Do you want to know something about Ivy?”

  Brian shook his head. “Not if it’s dirty,” he said. “I still think of her as the eight-year-old girl who brought me a bouquet of flowers when my mother died and told me not to worry because I would see her again. She has a kind heart.”

  “She does have a kind heart,” Jack agreed. “She also only hears what she wants to hear.”

  Brian barked out a hoarse laugh. “Oh, son, that’s not an Ivy thing. That’s a woman thing.”

  “It’s annoying,” Jack said. “We had a huge fight about her going to that nursery yesterday. I realize now I should’ve seen it coming, but it never crossed my mind that she would be that stupid.”

  “You didn’t call her stupid, did you?”

  Jack shrugged. “Maybe a little.”

  “Did she make you sleep on the couch?”

  “We made up before bed,” Jack replied. “She likes to make up as much as she likes to fight.” He smiled at the memory.

  “And how were things this morning?”

  “She does this ridiculously adorable thing where she pokes her feet out of the covers no matter how many times I cover them up during the night.”

  Brian pursed his lips. “You’ve got it bad, son. How was she otherwise?”

  “Well, she dug her heels in about going to see Max,” Jack answered. “I thought I had the upper hand because she doesn’t have a car, but then I watched her stroll over to her nursery, schmooze her father, and steal his car when he wasn’t looking. She didn’t even think twice about it.”

  Brian laughed. “That sounds about right. Why is she going to see Max?”

  “Because she wants me to have a heart attack.”

  “Why else?”

  “Because she wanted to talk to him,” Jack said. “She said it was about her aunt’s birthday and she promised him lunch, but I think she honestly just wanted to see him.”

  “Those two are close,” Brian said. “You’re going to have to get used to that. Ivy didn’t have a lot of friends growing up. Max was the opposite. They spent a lot of time together. He always went out of his way to include her … and protect her when it was necessary. I wouldn’t try to get between them.”

  “I don’t want to get between them,” Jack argued. “I don’t understand why Max couldn’t go to her house and see her. I want her to be safe. I don’t think I’m being unreasonable.”

  “Do you want to know what I think?”

  “No.”

  Brian ignored Jack’s petulant pout. “I think that you’re worked up about this for three reasons,” he said. “The first is that you and Ivy finally got together and you can’t help yourself from worrying about her. That’s normal, especially when things are just getting started. Ivy is an adult, though. She can take care of herself.

  “The second reason is that you want to imagine Ivy happy and safe in her home while you’re out getting the bad guys,” he continued. “That’s a man thing. You’re going to have to get over that. I did the same thing with my wife and she didn’t like it any more than Ivy will. Ivy is a headstrong woman. When it comes down to it, she’s going to do what she wants. That’s one of the reasons you fell for her. You can’t ask her to change to suit your needs now.”

  Jack rolled his neck until it cracked. “I know I’m being hypocritical.”

  “The third reason you’re so worked up about this is because you think you brought it on her,” Brian said, not missing a beat. “Unlike the first two times she almost died, the enemy going after Ivy now is one coming after you. You want to push her away until this is over, but you know that you’ll lose any chance of a future with her if you do. Besides that, I don’t think your poor heart can take being away from her.”

  “I don’t want to push her away,” Jack said. “That’s the last thing I want. In fact, if I could spend an entire week locked away with her, I would gladly do it. You’re right about me feeling guilty about why this is happening, though. I know it … and she knows it, too.”

  “Of course she knows it,” Brian scoffed. “She’s a smart girl. She also knows that you can’t run away from your problems and that you’re going to need her when this all comes down.

  “You have a choice in front of you, son,” he continued. “Do you want to date the woman you fell for, or do you want to try and mold her into something else?”

  “Well, when you put it like that … all I want is Ivy,” Jack said. “I don’t want her to change. I just wish she would wrap herself in pillows for the next few days and spend her time hiding. I can’t help but feel that way.”

  “Of course you can’t,” Brian said, turning his attention to his computer when it dinged.

  “What is that?” Jack asked, relieved the conversation appeared to be shifting to work rather than his worry over Ivy.

&n
bsp; “We have a hit on Laura Simmons,” Brian said. “She’s registered at the Barker Creek Lodge.”

  “Where is that?”

  “So far out I almost didn’t include it in my search,” Brian replied. “I think that’s what she was hoping for. Come on. I think we’re finally getting somewhere.”

  “THIS place is neat,” Jack said, looking around the log cabin main office, awestruck. “I mean … look at this place!”

  Brian chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest as they waited. After approaching the clerk at the front desk with their request, she nervously said she had to get the owner from the back. They’d been waiting for five minutes. “This is when your city roots come out to play,” he said. “Most people in the area know about this place.”

  “I’m going to bring Ivy here,” Jack said. “She would love this place.”

  “They have dead animal heads on the wall in the dining room.”

  Jack stilled. “So?”

  “So she’s a vegetarian and she doesn’t like that type of stuff,” Brian said. “Think about your audience.”

  Jack scowled. “I guess you’re right,” he said. “I just thought it would be cool to rent one of the cabins on the water. She loves nature.”

  “As long as you get a cabin without animal heads – and you take her to a different spot for dinner – you’re probably safe,” Brian said. “How was she in Detroit? She’s never been what I consider a city girl.”

  “She was okay,” Jack hedged. “I took her to a Middle Eastern restaurant and she loved that. She stuffed her face full of food she’s never tried before. I wish there was something comparable around here. I’ve looked and there isn’t.

  “She also didn’t like the traffic and said she felt smothered,” he added.

  “She’s never going to be comfortable in a city,” Brian said. “Are you going to be happy staying in the country?”

  “I’m going to be happy wherever she is,” Jack said, meaning every word. “I like it here. I never knew it could be this peaceful. I don’t want to leave.”

  “What about your family?”

  “I’m sure my mother and sister are plotting to get me to move back south even as we speak,” Jack said. “That’s not going to happen, though. Even if there was no Ivy … well … I could never go back to the city. That’s not who I am now.”

  “That’s a good answer,” Brian said. “I’m sure Ivy would like reassurance on that front, too. In the back of her mind, she’s probably a little concerned.”

  “Don’t worry about that,” Jack said. “She was upset when she found out I still had my house down there, but she was thrilled when I told her I put it on the market the day after I met her. I’m pretty sure she knows my intentions.”

  “Son, she’s a woman,” Brian countered. “You have to spell those things out for them or they’ll make stuff up in their heads. Ivy’s a practical woman. She’s still got that ‘flip yourself out for no reason’ gene, because all women do.”

  “I’ll take it under consideration.”

  Don Lowden, the owner of the Barker Creek Lodge, finally made his way out to the front lobby. He’d clearly been napping when the clerk retrieved him, his watery eyes and confused countenance fooling no one, and he didn’t appear thrilled to see Brian and Jack.

  “Brian. How is it going?”

  “I’m good, Don. How are you?”

  “I was taking a nap,” Don said. “I guess I’m done with that. I was having a good dream, too. I was on a date with a supermodel. She wanted me to take pictures of her.”

  “Well, I’m sorry to interrupt that, but we have a situation,” Brian said, launching into a redacted tale for Don’s benefit. When he was done, he waited to see if the lodge proprietor would give him a hard time about revealing Laura’s room.

  “I knew there was something fishy about that woman,” Don said, rubbing his chin. “She had an air of crazy about her. She reminded me of my first ex-wife. You just know she’s the type of woman who will burn all your clothes in a bonfire when you cheat on her.”

  Jack fought the mad urge to laugh at the statement. “Is she here now?”

  “No,” Don said. “I saw her drive off about two hours ago.”

  “How long has she been here?”

  “Tonight will be her seventh night,” Don replied. “I haven’t seen a lot of her. She usually takes off early in the morning and doesn’t come back until after dark. A few of our other guests have tried talking to her, but she made a few lewd suggestions to a few of the women and that ended pretty quickly.”

  Jack knit his eyebrows together. “To the women?”

  “Yeah.” Don’s head bobbed up and down. “I was disappointed, too. She’s an attractive woman, but she’s only interested in the ladies. I think she’s one of them lesbians.”

  Brian and Jack exchanged an amused look.

  “We need to see her room,” Brian said. “Can you take us there?”

  “You’ve got it. Anything to get me back to my nap. I’m hoping a nude photo shoot with one of my dream models is in my future.”

  “DO you need me to stick around?” Don asked a few minutes later, pushing Laura’s room door open.

  “You can go,” Brian said. “We might need you to fill out some paperwork later, but I won’t know until … .”

  “Holy crap,” Jack said, exhaling heavily as he walked into the room. “Will you look at this?”

  Brian glanced at the wall Jack was scanning, frowning when he realized what he was looking at. “Yeah, you’re definitely going to have to fill out some paperwork, Don.”

  Curiosity got the better of Don and he followed the two men inside. “I cannot believe she put push pins in the wall,” he complained, scowling. “I’m going to have to get this fixed. Son of a … .”

  “Yeah, that’s the real tragedy here,” Brian said, cutting him off. “The apparent stalking your guest has been doing is nothing compared to that.”

  Don wisely left the room after that, and Brian and Jack moved down the bedroom wall gaping at the photos.

  Laura had been busy. She’d taken – and printed out – so many photos of Jack and Ivy that they were uncountable. They’d been taken from a distance with a telephoto lens, but there was no mistaking what Laura was doing.

  “I don’t even know what to say,” Jack said, running his finger over Ivy’s two-dimensional face in a photo. “I … .”

  “All right, let’s take this one step at a time,” Brian instructed, trying to get control of the situation. “Can you recognize where any of these photos were taken … and more importantly, how long ago?”

  Jack focused on the first photos. “That was taken the day before our date,” he said, pointing. “I stopped in to surprise her at the nursery and took her lunch.”

  “Okay,” Brian said. “We know that she was here at least a full day before she shot Mark Dalton. What else?”

  Jack shook his head, his mind overflowing. “That was taken when we arrived at the restaurant for our date.” He recognized Ivy’s pretty skirt and happy smile. “That was taken when we had our picnic in front of the police station.”

  “That means she took photos of you before she shot Ivy,” Brian said. “That was ballsy in case someone saw her. What else?”

  “I’m not sure,” Jack said. He moved closer to a photo of Ivy. She was on her knees in her front garden, and when he got a better look at her face he could see her eyes were puffy from crying. “I think this was taken the day after Ivy was shot.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “She’s been crying,” Jack answered, pained. “She told me she felt someone watching her when she gardened that day. She thought it was me after she found me down by the lake.”

  “She’s not crying now, so don’t melt down,” Brian instructed. “I’m not sure when this one of Ivy and Max was taken, but it was clearly shot from the woods by Ivy’s house. I don’t think Max and Ivy have been cavorting like this since Dalton was shot, so that means she might
’ve been in the area even longer than we realize.”

  “She has,” Jack said, his voice dropping. He pointed toward a photograph in the center of everything. “That’s Kelly and her brother. That’s the night we had a barbecue on the back porch. That was weeks ago.”

  “So Laura has been watching for a long time,” Brian mused. “Why did she wait so long to approach?”

  “And I didn’t notice any of it.”

  “You can’t be blamed for that,” Brian chided. “No one could’ve expected this. We need to get a team in here to go over this place. We’re going to need help from the state.”

  Jack turned on his heel and stalked toward the door, taking Brian by surprise.

  “What are you doing?” Brian asked, following his partner. “We need to go through all of this stuff.”

  “No, we don’t,” Jack shot back. “We know what Laura is up to. We know that she wants revenge on me. She’s focused that revenge on Ivy. If we want to catch Laura then we have to get to Ivy.

  “Don’t you understand?” Jack continued. “Laura has been playing with me. She’s almost killed Ivy twice. Do you think she’s going to miss a third time? I don’t. She’s readying for her endgame.”

  “And her endgame is to kill Ivy,” Brian said.

  “I won’t let that happen.”

  Twenty-Two

  After her lunch with Max – and the odd niggling worry that refused to dissipate after seeing the apparition at the lumberyard – Ivy made a decision. She returned her father’s car to the nursery, listened to him rail at her about being an irresponsible thief for fifteen minutes straight, and then returned to her cottage.

  She was careful during the trek, her eyes wide and her ears alert, but she didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Once inside she gathered a blanket, bottle of water, and book before leaving again. She locked the house and headed in the direction of her fairy ring. She had a feeling it was the one place that held the answers she needed.