Ivy Morgan Mystery 18 - Wicked Wedding

by Lily Harper Hart

  “That’s neither here nor there.”

  “I’m right, though.” Ivy’s temper flared. “I’m going to smack the crap out of him when I find him.”

  “You leave your brother alone.” Michael extended a warning finger. “He’s the only reason I know what’s going on in my own daughter’s life. Quite frankly, that means he’s the good one right now in my book.”

  “And I’m the bad one, huh?”

  “Bad is a bit of a stretch. You are the annoying one, though.”

  “I’m supposed to be your favorite right now. I mean ... I’m getting married in a few days. You’re giving your only daughter away. You shouldn’t be taking Max’s side under those circumstances.”

  “Your brother made a lot of sense last night,” Michael argued, refusing to back down. “It’s reasonable to not want the women in our lives in danger. Just because Jack has decided to lose his backbone before the wedding and give you whatever you want, that’s not how I’m going to be. Max is right to want to protect Amy and I’m right for wanting to keep you out of trouble. I have no idea what Jack is thinking.”

  The conversation was so absurd it took everything Ivy had not to burst out laughing. “I’m going to kill Max next time I see him,” she growled, shaking her head. “As for Amy, she feels a kinship with those women. She wants to donate her time there and I think it will be good for her. Max isn’t the boss of her. If he’s so worried about her, he can donate his time, too, and serve as her protector.”

  Michael opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. He didn’t like that she had a point.

  Sensing victory was within her grasp, Ivy pushed forward, refusing to give him a chance to regroup. “As for me, I can’t just walk away now. When I saved that girl, I bonded with her. She’s attached to me. I refuse to abandon her now.

  “I can help find her father, and that’s what I’m going to do,” she continued. “When I saw him yesterday, I told him about my father. I explained how not all fathers thought of their children as possessions. I talked you up a lot.”

  “Ugh.” Michael rolled his eyes. “I know what you’re doing. Don’t bother.”

  Ivy pretended she didn’t hear him. “Jack isn’t letting me walk all over him. He’s being a realist. He knows I can’t back away from this — especially given how I managed to get rid of Oliver Taylor both times — and he’s asking that we work together so I don’t run off on my own half-cocked.”

  Michael found he was intrigued despite his earlier resolve. “How did you get rid of him?”

  “Do you really want to know, or will that upset your delicate male feelings?”

  “Just tell me.”

  Because she needed someone to talk to — her father was only acting up because Max had gotten him all riled up after all — she unloaded several days of angst on her father, barely taking a breath as she careened from one end of the conversation to the other.

  “I can’t just walk away from Jenny and Dana.” Ivy was adamant as she wrapped things up. “They need me and I’m not going to be able to rest until I know they’re safe.”

  Michael simply stared at her, agape.

  “Did you hear what I said?” she asked, waving her hand in his face. “Don’t you have an opinion on that?”

  “I didn’t know you could do any of that,” he admitted, recovering. “I guess I’m more out of the loop than I thought.”

  “I didn’t know I could do it either. I don’t know why it’s happening now. I just don’t understand any of it.”

  “Maybe you should talk to your aunt about it. I’m a void when it comes to all this magic talk.”

  “Aunt Felicity?” Ivy cocked her head, considering. “That’s not a bad idea. Maybe I can get her to come over here.”

  “Or you can track her down. I mean ... it is important.”

  “Yeah, but that would mean sticking you with the work again. I don’t want to do that. You really have been going above and beyond.”

  “Ivy, I enjoy having the run of the nursery. I wasn’t angry about that. I understand you’ve been dealing with a lot and I’m happy to help. As for this ... I don’t even know what to say about it. I think you have to talk to your aunt.”

  “And you’re positive you’re okay with it?”

  “More than okay. You need answers.” He rested his hand on her shoulder. “As for the rest ... I’m still not happy with Jack allowing you to stay on this case. I guess I get it, though.”

  “Jack is big on compromise right now. We’re working together.”

  “Then you should keep doing what’s working for you.” His eyes were clear, fondness for his daughter shining through. “Believe it or not, I think you’re a good match. I think you two know what’s best for you.”

  “So, you do admit that Max got you riled up for no good reason.”

  Michael hung his head in shame. “Your brother is good at making people do things they wouldn’t normally do.”

  “He definitely is.”

  Michael leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t worry about Max. You do you. I have no doubt that you’re going to figure this out. You’re the smartest and strongest person I know. You’ve got this.”

  Ivy nodded in thanks. She needed to hear it. Now she just had to follow through. Somewhere out there were answers. She desperately needed to find them.

  JACK WASN’T IMPRESSED WHEN BRIAN pulled to a stop in front of a nondescript ranch on one of Shadow Lake’s seedier streets. Since it was a small town, most of the residents took pride in their houses and yards. Bobbie Taylor, Oliver’s mother, was one of the few who didn’t bother.

  “This place needs some work,” Jack muttered, his gaze automatically going to the sagging gutters.

  “This is a rental,” Brian explained. “Ted Kowalski owns this place, along with a few others. If he lived in a city, he would be considered a slum lord. Since he’s doing it up here, he largely gets away with it.”

  “I didn’t even know this street existed,” Jack admitted.

  “Most of the people who live out here are down on their luck. That doesn’t make them criminals or anything. They just keep to themselves. We haven’t had a reason to come out here ... until now.”

  Jack shoved open his door and climbed out, waiting until Brian met his gaze over the top of the cruiser to speak again. “You don’t think Oliver is stupid enough to take refuge with his own mother, do you?”

  “No, but that doesn’t mean she’s not aware of where he’s hiding. Bobbie has a certain reputation in town, and it’s not a good one. She wasn’t a great mother when Oliver was growing up. She was the sort of mother, though, who would attack the principal and teacher whenever they told her Oliver had behavioral problems.”

  “Ah.” Jack nodded in understanding. “She’s one of those people who believes her child can never do any wrong.”

  “That’s exactly what she believes. I remember one incident when Oliver was in high school — he was a few years older than my kids, so I was paying attention to what was going on at the schools more back then — and he got in a fight with one of the football players.

  “He was smaller than the other kid, wiry with a lot of rage, and he should’ve lost the fight outright,” he continued. “What happened, though, was that he apologized and pretended everything was okay. When the other kid turned his back — and Joey Durham was no angel, so don’t be feeling too sorry for him — Oliver hit him over the back of the head with a folding chair from the gym. Joey had a concussion and missed half the football season.

  “Now, I didn’t have a lot of sympathy for Joey because he was never what I would consider a good kid, but Oliver was a sneaky little bastard who never attacked from the front. He always went after his prey when they weren’t looking. When Bobbie got called to the school, she refused to believe Oliver had done anything even though there were multiple witnesses.

  “She basically said everybody else was lying and Oliver was a victim standing up to bullies,” h
e said. “She’s not going to be pleasant when we tell her why we’re here.”

  “I don’t really care if she’s pleasant or not,” Jack said. “I just want to know if she knows where her son is. If she’s really such a terrible mother, odds are she’ll be willing to rat out Oliver’s location if it means we’ll leave her alone.”

  “That’s probably our only shot at getting answers,” Brian agreed, inclining his head toward the front door. “Are you ready to do this?”

  “Am I ready to find Oliver, put him behind bars, and focus on my wedding? Absolutely. Let’s find this animal and make sure he never hurts anybody else again.”

  “Let’s do it.”

  12

  TWELVE

  Jack and Brian didn’t even make it to the top of the porch steps before the door flew open and an angry woman in ill-fitting shorts and a shirt that was so big it draped off her shoulders stormed out to meet them.

  “Turn around.” She whipped her finger in a circle for emphasis. “This is private property and I’m not donating to your police ball no matter how you try to schmooze me.”

  Jack slid his eyes to Brian, momentarily confused. Before he could respond, though, Brian took control of the conversation.

  “There hasn’t been a police ball in these parts in years, Bobbie, and you know it,” he said. “We’re here on official business.”

  Bobbie made a face. “Do I know you?”

  “We’ve interacted a good fifty times over the course of our lives.”

  “Huh. I guess you’re not very memorable. Sucks to be you. This is still private property and you need to leave.”

  “As I said, we’re here on official business.” Brian wasn’t the type to back down under any circumstances. “We need to know if you’ve been in contact with Oliver.”

  Bobbie was the picture of innocence. “Oliver who?”

  “Your son.”

  “Oh, that Oliver.” Bobbie held out her hands and shrugged. “He’s a grown man with his own family. He doesn’t have time for me.”

  “That’s sad.” Jack feigned sympathy. “Still, since he lost his family, you would think he’d want to stop by and cry on his mother’s shoulder. I guess not, huh?”

  Bobbie narrowed her eyes. “How did he lose his family?”

  “By beating them.”

  Bobbie’s calm demeanor slipped. “He didn’t beat anyone. He’s a good provider and an excellent father. That whore he married wouldn’t stop flirting with the other men in their neighborhood. She was breaking his heart on purpose and got what was coming to her.”

  Disgust rolled through Jack like a tsunami. “Is that what your son told you?”

  “Don’t you worry about what Oliver told me. He’s a good boy. What’s been done to him is cruel and unfair. Karma is a bitch, though, and so is that wife of his. Something tells me she’s going to get what’s coming to her before it’s all said and done.”

  Brian extended his arm to keep Jack from moving closer to Bobbie. He didn’t want anything about the interaction being misconstrued as threatening. “Oliver is in trouble, Bobbie. We need to find him. It would be in your best interests — and his as well — to tell us where he is.”

  “I don’t know where he is.”

  Brian didn’t believe her. He could hardly call her a liar in the middle of her yard, though. That would simply cause her to shut down. “Well, if he calls, you need to tell him to turn himself in.”

  Bobbie’s answering snort was disdainful. “And why would I ever do that?”

  “Because if he doesn’t turn himself in, it’s likely he’ll be shot,” Brian replied, matter-of-fact. “We’re not the only department out there looking for him. The state police are involved and the county is sending cars, too. The fact that he attacked women and children at a shelter means he’s pretty much the most hated man in the area right now. People aren’t going to have a lot of patience where he’s concerned.”

  Bobbie’s gaze darkened. “He’s being framed. I heard some woman — some man-hater actually — was in there and decided to frame him. She had pink hair and everything, so you know she was a floozy.”

  Jack scowled when he realized she was talking about Ivy. “Excuse me?”

  Brian shot Jack a warning look. “Bobbie, how do you know about the pink-haired woman?”

  “What?” Bobbie’s expression was blank.

  “How do you know about the pink-haired woman?” Brian repeated. “If you haven’t seen or heard from Oliver, and those incidents happened in the past three days, then I find it curious that you could possibly know anything about her.”

  Bobbie worked her jaw. “We’re done here.” She was adamant. “I have nothing left to say to you. If you come back, Brian Nixon, then make sure it’s with a warrant.”

  Brian merely smiled at her. He knew he hadn’t reminded her of his last name. “I guess I’m more memorable than you thought, huh?”

  “Get out of my yard. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

  “We’re leaving.” Brian was calm despite the protesting sound Jack uttered. “Make sure you tell Oliver when you talk to him that we’re coming, and we’re not going to be nice when we finally do find him. It’s important he knows that.”

  Bobbie didn’t say another word. Instead she stomped her feet on the porch and disappeared inside, slamming the door so hard it rattled the picture window.

  “She’s lying,” Jack noted once it was just the two of them.

  “She definitely is,” Brian agreed. “I think we should hang around to see what she does next.”

  “You read my mind.”

  IVY WASN’T SURPRISED TO FIND HER AUNT Felicity Goodings loitering behind the counter of her magic store when she arrived at the kitschy shop. She was, however, surprised to find her aunt’s boyfriend Dorian keeping her company in the middle of the day.

  The two of them were nestled together near the register, whispering and sharing kisses. They were so enraptured with one another they didn’t even look up when Ivy strode through the front door.

  “The stuff in the front window is fifty percent off today,” Felicity called out absently, never taking her eyes off Dorian’s handsome face. “Just let me know if you need anything.”

  “I need you two to stop grossing me out,” Ivy complained, fixing them with a stern look as she tossed her bag on the counter. “This is a place of business. You’re not supposed to be tonguing each other during working hours.”

  Rather than be offended — or embarrassed, for that matter — Felicity fixed her only niece with an amused expression. “Since when is that the rule?”

  “It’s always been the rule.”

  “I think you’re making that up.” Felicity automatically moved to the teapot to pour Ivy a cup. “If that were the rule, you and Jack would’ve been arrested a long time ago. Given how many times you break the law on a regular basis, I’m guessing they would’ve thrown away the key by now.”

  “Um ... Jack and I are professional when working together.”

  “Oh, right.” Felicity exchanged an amused look with Dorian. “Speaking of your fiancé, how is the run-up to the wedding going?”

  “The wedding stuff is fine.” It was true, Ivy realized. None of the nerves she was feeling had anything to do with the actual marriage and everything to do with being the center of attention. It was something she was going to have to work on. “We’re all set. The dress is all set. All we have to do is proclaim our love in public and we’re done.”

  Dorian’s chuckle sounded suspiciously like a snort to Ivy.

  “It’s true,” Ivy insisted. “Everything is great.”

  “I heard you were almost hurt yesterday,” Felicity countered.

  “Did you hear that from Max?”

  Felicity’s expression never changed, but Ivy didn’t miss the furtive way her eyes flickered to the ceiling before returning to her. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “He must’ve really made the rounds last night,” I
vy muttered, shaking her head. “Between Jack, Dad, and now you, I have to wonder if he made it home at all last night.”

  “He did because he texted me that Amy wasn’t angry even though he was late for dinner.”

  “He’s such an auntie’s boy,” Ivy complained, shaking her head. “You can’t believe anything he says. He was obviously hopping between people to find someone who would agree with him that Amy shouldn’t volunteer her time at a battered woman’s shelter. I mean ... how selfish can you get?”

  Rather than readily agree, as Ivy was expecting, Felicity held out her hands. “I don’t know. Max is new to this serious relationship stuff. Given Amy’s background, and what happened to her, I think he’s perfectly within his rights to be worried.”

  “Oh, not you, too.” Ivy’s annoyance came out to play. “Do you not see what he’s doing?”

  “I do see what he’s doing. He’s trying to protect the woman he loves. Quite frankly, I can’t understand why Jack isn’t joining with him to keep you safe.”

  Ivy was incredulous. “I can take care of myself.”

  “Under normal circumstances, I would agree. This individual sounds deranged, though. He hurts his own wife and child on a regular basis and feels no regret. What do you think he’s going to do to you now that he blames you for separating his family?”

  Ivy blinked several times in rapid succession and then let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t even know what to say to you. I mean ... you’re a feminist. You’re not supposed to be siding with Max when he’s acting like an alpha jackhole.”

  “I think it’s cute how much he loves Amy.”

  “I do, too. He’s still being a ninny. As for Jack, he’s being a realist. He knows I can’t let this go now that I’ve bonded with that girl. Instead of trying to keep me home and then exploding when things don’t go his way, we’re working together.”

  “You’re not working together today. You’re wandering around on your own. I mean ... what’s to stop this man from following and attacking you?”

  It was a fair point, although Ivy didn’t want to admit it. Instead, she opted to redirect the conversation. “I can take care of myself. In fact, I’ve been doing a bang-up job of it over the past two days.” Rather than give her aunt an opening to continue arguing, Ivy launched into her tale, this time focusing on the magical angle. By the time she was finished, Felicity was fully engrossed in the discussion.