Ivy Morgan Mystery 18 - Wicked Wedding

by Lily Harper Hart

Michael jerked his head around to make sure none of the customers were within earshot and then lowered his voice. “Let’s not spread that around, huh?”

  “Why? Are you embarrassed?”

  “No. I’ve always been proud of you and you know it. This is different, though. If people find out what you can do, things could get bad. I don’t want everybody in this town pointing at you or whispering behind your back. I don’t want you being blamed for everything that goes wrong.

  “People are like chickens, Ivy,” he continued. “They peck the one that is different to death. I’m your father. I’ll protect you with my life. There’s no need to spread this around, though. Nothing good can come of it.”

  “Because you’re worried they’ll peck me to death?”

  “Because ... I saw how hard it was for you when you were a kid,” Michael replied in a soft voice. “The other kids sensed you weren’t quite like them. At the time I chalked it up to the fact that you didn’t like playing with dolls and preferred tromping through the woods with your brother, but now I think it’s more than that.

  “The girls were always leery of you because they recognized you were going to be something great,” he continued. “You were always powerful, comfortable in your own skin, and oblivious to the teasing. Sure, you were sad sometimes because they always left you out of the slumber parties and other events — and the bullying was sometimes merciless — but you were happiest when you were doing your own thing.

  “As you got older and the boys started noticing you — a time I like to think of as the Dark Years — there was another shift. Boys are different than girls. They’re drawn to the odd. You’ve always stood out, and that’s threatening to other women. This particular way of standing out, though, could draw attention from terrible people and I don’t want that for you.”

  Ivy was curious despite herself. “What terrible people?”

  “The ones in lab coats. The ones who like to poke and prod.”

  Ivy was taken aback. “Wait ... you think the government is going to take me into custody or something?”

  “Probably not, but you don’t know. I’ve seen enough movies to worry me.”

  “This isn’t Splash,” she reassured him. “They’re not going to lock me in an aquarium and study me.”

  He chuckled. “How did you know I was thinking of that movie?”

  “Because I’ve watched it with you and Max a hundred times. He was always turned on because she was practically naked — and in hindsight I have to wonder if that’s why you were so enamored with that movie — but I was always traumatized by the scientists who locked her up. I think you saw that.”

  “I did see that. I remember when we watched that movie. You were always upset ... until the end when they ran out to sea to live happily ever after. I never had the heart to tell you that there was no way they could actually live a happy life in the sea like that because Tom Hanks was a land-dweller, but I was more worried about your reaction to the scientist part.”

  Ivy chuckled. “I never really thought about how improbable the ending was. I just thought their love could transcend anything.”

  “It could, just like your love with Jack.”

  Ivy’s shoulders hopped. “I’m not worried about Jack and me. We’re good.”

  “I know you are, and your new ability isn’t the same as a mermaid trying to live on land. Jack loves you no matter what. I’ve seen it in the way he looks at you ... which is quite lustful sometimes and makes me want to punch him. That’s not the point, though.”

  “What is the point?”

  “You and Jack are going to be happy. You’re going to live happily ever after. He accepts you for who and what you are, and you won’t have the same problems the people in Splash did. You need to be careful, though, and you do need to figure things out on your own. Your aunt can’t fix this for you. You have to figure it out.”

  That’s not what Ivy wanted to hear. Before she could give voice to her opinion, though, the sound of a car door slamming caught her attention. When she looked to the parking lot — a small, niggling portion of her brain convinced the government was coming for her right now — she found Jack and Brian hurrying in her direction.

  “This doesn’t look good, huh?” Michael mused as he wiped his hands on a towel. “Jack has his serious face on.”

  Jack indeed had his serious face on and Ivy braced herself for bad news as he approached. Rather than blurt out something horrible, though, he pulled her into his arms and tugged her close.

  “What’s happened?” Ivy asked as she met Brian’s gaze over Jack’s shoulder. “It’s not Jenny and Dana is it? Oliver didn’t find them, did he?”

  Brian shook his head. “No, they’re fine. We called to make sure during the drive. I don’t think Oliver knows where they are ... at least not yet. This is about you.”

  “Me?” Ivy pulled back far enough that she could see Jack’s face. “I swear I haven’t done anything.”

  Her response made Jack laugh and some of the nerves he’d been clinging to over the course of the past twenty minutes fled. “You’re perfect,” he agreed, his fingers soft as they brushed her hair away from her face. “You would never do anything to give me a heart attack.”

  “Definitely not,” Ivy readily agreed, pressing the palm of her hand to his cheek. He was flushed, his skin warm, and there was a fiery glint in his eyes. “What’s wrong? You’re starting to freak me out.”

  “We have some news,” Brian offered, allowing his partner to fawn over Ivy to his heart’s content. He explained things, how they followed Bobbie to the shack in the woods. When he got to the photos, Michael was instantly alert ... and annoyed.

  “I don’t understand.” Michael’s gaze bounced between the two men. He’d known Brian for as long as he could remember, back to their grade school days, and he’d grown close with Jack, to the point where the detective was almost like a second son to him. “How did this man get photos of Ivy?”

  “We don’t know.” Brian was matter-of-fact as he lifted up his phone. “We took some screenshots of the wall. We didn’t want to remove the photos because we’re using the shack as a trap. We have men stationed out there who will grab him if he returns.”

  Ivy nodded in understanding and stared at the photos as Brian slowly showed them to her. “What am I looking for?” she asked after a few minutes.

  “We want to know when he took the photos,” Brian explained. “Is there anything in them that pinpoints a date for you?”

  Ivy remained confused, but realization dawned on Michael.

  “You think that he might’ve taken these photos before Ivy stopped him from running off with his daughter, don’t you?” Michael challenged.

  “It’s a possibility,” Brian hedged. “That’s why we’re trying to figure some things out.”

  “But why would he be interested in me before he met me?” Ivy queried, baffled. “I shouldn’t have been on his radar.”

  “That’s why we’re concerned. There is a chance he knew you were volunteering time at the shelter and thought he might have to make it past you. Some of these photos look as if they were taken right here.”

  Ivy’s eyebrows drew together as she concentrated on the photos. “This one is at least a week old,” she said finally, pointing toward one of the middle photos. “I know because it was before I had my eyebrows done. That was six days ago so he would’ve had to take it before then.”

  Jack tilted his head so he could study her face. Her eyebrows looked exactly the same to him. “What’s the difference between the eyebrows in the photos and the ones you have now?”

  Michael and Brian made twin hissing sounds of disgust, which sent a chill down Jack’s spine.

  “I had them shaped,” Ivy replied simply. “I wanted them to look nice for the wedding.”

  “But ... they’re the same.”

  Ivy shook her head. “They’re not, but it doesn’t matter. I can tell the difference. He’s definitely been watching me for a few days.
”

  “To what end, though?” Brian queried. “I mean what did he hope to accomplish?”

  “I have no idea. I think you guys are going to have to figure that one out.”

  14

  FOURTEEN

  Jack wasn’t keen on Ivy wandering in the woods by herself, but whenever she got thoughtful the first place she wanted to head was her fairy ring ... and today was no different. He had an argument on the tip of his tongue for why she shouldn’t go off on her own, but he swallowed it. The news was a lot to absorb and she did her best thinking in the wilds of the woods.

  “It was good you let her go,” Michael noted as he handed Brian and Jack sodas from the small refrigerator they kept behind the counter. The three men had decided to group together and brainstorm regarding Oliver’s motivations, although so far they’d come up empty.

  “I didn’t want to.” Jack’s smile was rueful. “She needed it, though.”

  “And you want to give her everything she needs.”

  “Forever.”

  Michael let loose a heavy sigh. “You really do get her.”

  “Why do you sound sad about that?”

  “Not sad. It’s just ... she’s my baby. I don’t want to give her to you.”

  Jack chuckled. “You’re not giving her to me. We’re sharing her.”

  “Something tells me you’re going to get a bigger piece of the pie than me.”

  “Maybe, but just think about what’s going to happen in a few years. There might be a little one or two running around and you’ll get to have a different part of her. That might be worth it, huh?”

  “It will definitely be worth it. She’ll always be my baby, though.”

  “I know.” Jack rested his hand on the older man’s shoulder. “I love her more than anything. You’re not losing her. We’re just starting a new stage of our lives.”

  “I know that, Jack. Believe it or not, I love you, too. You’re good for her. I want you to be an official part of this family. I just ... we were talking about when she was little before you showed up. It made me nostalgic.”

  “Oh, yeah? What were you talking about specifically?”

  “The movie Splash.”

  Jack had no idea what to make of the admission. “Um ... okay.”

  Michael chuckled. “We watched it a lot when she and Max were kids. We all liked it for different reasons. Max liked it because he was at that age where he thought a half-naked mermaid was pretty much the best thing that had ever happened to him. If I’m being honest, I liked that part, too.”

  Brian bobbed his head. “Daryl Hannah was hot.”

  “Ivy liked it for a different reason, though,” Michael explained. “She loved the idea that two people who were very different could find happily ever after.”

  Understanding dawned on Jack. “Because, as a kid, she always thought of herself as different.”

  “She is different, which I’m fine with. I’ve always been proud of both of my children. That will never change. Talking about the movie today gave me a different perspective, though, and it reminded me of how Ivy would get really upset when the scientists locked the mermaid up to study her.”

  Jack’s stomach did a long, slow roll. “I won’t ever let that happen to her.”

  “I won’t either, but she’s dealing with a new reality, and we’re not just talking about getting married. In truth, very little is going to change in your day-to-day lives. You’re already married in your hearts and have been for some time. What she can do, though, is fantastical.”

  “It doesn’t change who she is at her core.”

  “No, and I’ve come to the conclusion that she could likely do all of this before and somehow didn’t realize it. You’re the one who brought it out in her. You somehow tapped into that part of her.”

  Jack hesitated and then shook his head. “I don’t want to take credit for that, and not because I’m somehow afraid of that side of her. She’s a good person and will always do what is right. If I accept that I’m the reason for this, though, it takes something away from her and I’m never going to do that.”

  If Michael hadn’t already loved the man who would soon be his son by marriage, he would’ve fallen head-over-heels for him now. “I think you’re misunderstanding what I’m trying to say,” Michael countered, fighting to control his emotions. “You didn’t cause Ivy to do this. You loved her enough that she finally felt comfortable in her skin and she could embrace who she was always meant to be.

  “I’ve never been one of those men who believes a woman needs a man to complete her,” he continued. “You’ve given Ivy so much, though, that she’s letting go of the fear that’s plagued her since she was a kid. You are ... a wonderful man, Jack, and to not acknowledge what you’ve done for her takes a little something away from you.”

  Jack’s heart clogged in his throat. “I ....”

  “Oh, geez,” Brian said from his spot at the picnic table, rolling his eyes. “I’m hoping this family love fest thing doesn’t last too long because it’s going to give me indigestion. It’s probably a byproduct of the wedding. If you guys are still doing it after the honeymoon, though, I’m going to punch you both.”

  Jack and Michael shot twin smirks toward him and then Jack straightened. “We need to figure this out,” he said. “Oliver was watching Ivy before she stopped him from taking Jenny. Why? How could he possibly know that she would be an obstacle?”

  “You don’t think it’s because of the witch stuff, do you?” Brian was legitimately perplexed. “I mean ... he’s not an evil warlock or anything, is he?”

  “You need to stop watching so much television,” Jack admonished. “If he was a warlock, he would’ve used magic against Ivy and it’s likely the outcome would’ve been very different.” The mere notion caused Jack’s blood to curdle. “I don’t think that’s what we’re dealing with.”

  “Except maybe the depth of her strength surprised him.” Brian refused to let it go. “Maybe he knew she would stand as a barrier, but he thought he could bulldoze over her.”

  “I would accept that possibility if there was only the one altercation,” Jack supplied. “They went against each other twice, though. He would’ve reacted differently when he saw her that second time.”

  “Except Ivy wasn’t supposed to be there. Her community service was up. She only went out there to introduce Amy to Serena. Maybe he didn’t think she would be an issue because she was supposed to be gone.”

  Jack hadn’t considered that. “How would he find out that she was done with her community service?” he asked finally. “It’s not as if that information is printed in the newspaper.”

  “It all goes back to that shelter. Someone there has been feeding him information.”

  “But the women there, the delivery drivers and workers even, wouldn’t have known that she got cut loose early. The only one who would’ve known was Serena.”

  “You don’t think it’s her, do you?”

  Jack pressed his lips together and internally debated before shaking his head. “I don’t think it was her. She seems genuinely dedicated to what she’s doing out there. That doesn’t mean she didn’t tell someone else, like our culprit. She might not have thought anything of it. She probably didn’t realize it was going to be an issue — I mean, why would she? — and it just slipped out in normal conversation.”

  “We could call and ask.”

  “I would rather wait,” Jack replied. “I don’t want to tip her off that we believe someone in the building is feeding information to Oliver. It might make her nervous, and if she inadvertently tips off whoever it is, that person might take off and we’ll never get the answers we’re looking for.”

  “Fair point.” Brian rubbed the back of his neck. “What do you want to do?”

  Jack flicked his eyes to the trees. There was only one thing he really wanted to do.

  “Go ahead,” Brian said on a sigh.

  “What?” Jack jerked his attention back to his partner. “I wasn’
t doing anything.”

  “That seems to be your go-to response these days,” Brian noted dryly. “It doesn’t change the fact that you want to check on Ivy.”

  “She wants to be alone.”

  “That doesn’t mean you can’t spy on her. I mean ... what she doesn’t know, can’t hurt her, right?”

  Jack balked. “I’m not spying on my fiancée. That’s wrong ... and invasive ... and she would totally catch me.”

  Brian and Michael chuckled in unison.

  “That’s really why he’s not out there,” Michael said. “He doesn’t want her to be mad at him.”

  “Oh, I know it.” Brian held out his hands. “You’re not going to rest as long as you’re worried about her, though. From what I can tell, you guys work best when you’re figuring things out together. You should at least check on her, even if you don’t stay.”

  “I agree.” Michael bobbed his head. “She has to learn to compromise, too. It’s not as if you’re invading her privacy just to be a ninny. There’s no reason you can’t go out there and check on her and then leave once you’re convinced no one is watching her.”

  Because that was exactly what Jack wanted to hear, he readily bobbed his head. “Good idea. You guys keep brainstorming here. I shouldn’t be too long.”

  “If you want an excuse to talk to her, remind her there’s a big family dinner tonight,” Michael called to Jack’s back. “It’s the last one before the wedding.”

  Jack was glad his back was to his future father-in-law because he actually made a face at the news. It wasn’t that he didn’t love Ivy’s family. He simply preferred the idea of spending time with her alone more. “I’ll tell her. I won’t be gone long. Ten minutes. Time me.”

  IVY SAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MUSHROOMS that made up her fairy ring and inhaled a cleansing breath. The news that Oliver Taylor had been stalking her before he went after his daughter was enough to throw her for a loop. She had no idea what she was supposed to be feeling, but “unsettled” was the best word she could come up with. She was so discombobulated in fact that her skin was practically humming.