Wicked Haunts (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 12)
Page 19
Ivy nodded without hesitation.
“Good.” Susan beamed. “See, we make a nice team.”
Ivy took a step closer to the window as Susan boldly strolled up to the pole in the middle of the greenhouse. Phoebe and Nikki were still discussing the best way to position Ivy so the police would believe Brad killed her when Susan grinned.
“On the count of three,” the ghost intoned.
Ivy tensed.
“One. Two. Three.”
Ivy moved at the same time Susan hit the switch that shifted the glass panels on the roof. Phoebe and Nikki both jolted at the new sound. They were momentarily distracted, which allowed Ivy to roll out the window and land on the ground below. She wasn’t surprised to find Jack at her side within seconds.
“Are you okay?” He kept his voice low.
Ivy nodded, solemn.
“How did you do that thing with the roof?” he asked. “That was a good idea.”
“Susan did it.”
“Susan?” Jack made a face. “The witch Susan?”
“Don’t use the word ‘witch’ in a derogatory manner.”
“Oh, well, fine.” Jack rolled his eyes. “You stay here. We’re going to take those two into custody.”
“Phoebe isn’t armed, by the way,” Ivy offered. “I know you’re worried about that. Nikki is the only one armed.”
Jack was legitimately puzzled. “How did you know I was worried about that? You couldn’t hear us outside, could you?”
“No. Susan could, though.”
Jack worked his jaw. Finally, he leaned forward and pressed a hard kiss to her mouth. “We’re going to talk about this later. For now, I want you to stay low. We’re taking Phoebe and Nikki in. An ambulance is already on the way for Brad.”
“Okay.” Ivy found she wasn’t bothered to be cut out of the big takedown. She’d had her fill of excitement for one day. “I’m thinking of making apple pie tonight.”
“That’s not going to be enough to keep you out of trouble.”
“It was worth a shot.”
“Yeah, well ... .” Despite his anger, Jack couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “I love you. You need to stop scaring years off my life, though. Forever is going to get shorter and shorter if you keep doing it.”
“We’re going to have multiple lifetimes together. I have no doubt about that.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I know I am. Now, go get them. They’re both disgusting and I want them to pay for what they’ve done.”
“I’m on it. I’ll be right back. Trust me.”
Twenty
Jack found Ivy sitting in her library the next day, the cat on her lap and a book open on the small coffee table. She seemed to be having a conversation … but there was no one else in the room.
“Who are you talking to, honey? If it’s the cat, I would say he doesn’t understand you, but I’m not sure that’s true. The more I think about it, the more I believe he was sitting on the table yesterday because he wanted me to find your note as fast as possible.”
Ivy pursed her lips and grinned as he settled beside her on the couch, chuckling as he tentatively extended his fingers in Nicodemus’s direction. “He’s smarter than he lets on.”
“I guess.” Jack carefully stroked the cat, relaxing when it appeared Nicodemus had no inclination to attack him. “What were you two talking about?”
Ivy flicked her eyes back to the corner of the room and found Susan gone. The ghost had popped up twice since helping her escape from Nikki and Phoebe the previous day, and Ivy had the distinct impression she was going to be a regular visitor … at least for the foreseeable future. “I was talking to Susan.”
Jack worried that was the case. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Ivy when she said she saw the dead woman. It was more that he didn’t like the idea of not seeing her, too. He and Ivy were a team … and that meant they tackled things together. If Jack couldn’t see Susan, there was no way he could participate in this leg of Ivy’s adventure.
“And what does she have to say?” Jack asked after a beat.
“She says you’re uncomfortable with her presence and she promises not to visit when you’re here,” Ivy replied. “She doesn’t want you to worry about her spying on you when you’re naked.”
Jack shifted, uncomfortable. “That hadn’t even occurred to me.”
Ivy giggled. She felt lighter than she had in days. “You don’t have to worry, Jack. I’m not losing my mind. When I need Susan, I’ll go to the fairy ring so we can talk. If she has something she believes I need to know, she’ll stop by … but she promises not to be a burden. I swear I’m not insane.”
“I never thought you were insane.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. He didn’t know how to deal with the Susan thing. Until he did, he figured it was probably best to table that conversation. “So, do you want to know what’s going on with Nikki and Phoebe?”
The takedown of the two women had been ridiculously easy. Jack and Brian were through the greenhouse door before they even realized Ivy was gone. They both surrendered without incident. Then, ten seconds later, they began pointing the finger at one another. It was almost comical … except for the fact that Brad was near death on the floor.
“First off, Brad made it through surgery and the doctor is cautiously optimistic that he’ll make a full recovery,” Jack started. “He’s still unconscious, and I don’t think he’s going to have an easy time of it when he wakes, but he’s alive.”
“It seems kind of harsh, even for karma, huh?” Ivy mused. “He cheated on his wife, she died, his new wife and daughter are the guilty parties, and he’s going to be left on his own in a town where he’s hated.”
“Yeah, well, he really is the victim this go around,” Jack noted. “Phoebe and Nikki have both tried to blame him, but nobody is falling for it, especially since we know the truth thanks to you.”
“I’m sure they tried to say I was lying.”
“They did but that’s not going to work on me.”
Ivy grinned despite herself. “Because you’re soft on me?”
“That and they’re both nuts.” He rubbed his hand over her knee, thankful for the contact and the fact that she seemed to be in a good mood despite everything that happened over the course of the last few days. “The prosecutor is refusing to offer either of them a deal. That means they’re going away for a very long time.”
“I can’t say I feel sorry for either one of them.” Ivy rested her head on Jack’s shoulder. “You know what I don’t get? I can’t imagine killing someone I love for money. I mean … definitely not my mother, but no one else either. I’m not sure Nikki and Phoebe were capable of loving anyone.
“Nikki broke up Janice and Brad’s marriage because she wanted stability … er, at least that’s what I’m gathering,” she continued. “It was never about love. Brad broke up with Janice because he wanted happiness, and got nothing but misery in return. Janice was finally ready to grab some happiness for herself and her own daughter cut her life short. It seems like such a waste.”
“That family was messed up from the start,” Jack noted. “They simply didn’t have the capacity to live and love the way they were supposed to. You can’t take that on yourself. We live and love enough for ten people.”
Ivy chuckled. “We do indeed.” She lifted her blue eyes to meet his steady gaze. “Are you still angry at me?”
“Yes.”
Her smile tipped down. “I said I was sorry. I honestly felt I needed to go to the greenhouse. Something was propelling me there. A feeling I couldn’t ignore.”
“Yes, well, what have we learned about feelings we can’t describe?”
“Not to listen to them.”
“That’s a fairly good answer.” Jack stretched out his long legs in front of him. “You’re still in trouble for making me worry myself sick.”
“I told you I was going to make you homemade apple pie.”
“And did you?”
“You wouldn’t let me leave the house to buy apples.”
“Well, you can do that today. I want a blueberry pie, too, while you’re at it. You know, so I really know you’re sorry.”
Ivy rolled her eyes. “You’re a pain in the butt. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“You tell me that at least once a week.”
“Well, it’s true.”
“I’m fine with it.”
They lapsed into amiable silence for a few minutes, Ivy tracing Jack’s lifeline with her fingertip as she tried to figure a way out of the doghouse. Finally, Jack was the one who spoke and stirred things up.
“Even though I’m angry, I have a surprise for you,” he said finally.
Ivy widened her eyes, suspicion and excitement warring for supremacy. “Is it a naked surprise?”
Jack barked out a laugh, genuinely amused. “I believe nudity will factor into it so I can’t deny that.” He moved his hand from her grip and dug into the pocket of his shirt, coming back with a small packet, one that looked big enough to hold rectangular documents. “I got something special for us.” He handed over the folder.
Ivy flipped it open, widening her eyes when she saw the stack of tickets inside. “What is this? Plane tickets?”
“Yes. A little something extra, too.”
Ivy pulled out one of the tickets and stared at it. “We’re going to Florida?”
“Kind of.” Jack tapped the other side of the small folder to get her attention.
“What are these?” Ivy pulled out the second set of tickets, her eyes widening. “A cruise? We’re going on a cruise?”
“We are.” Jack’s smile spread wide as he noted the pleasure carving into her cheeks. “We’re going on a ship called The Bounding Storm. My sister got us fantastic tickets – we get some special suite and everything – and in a little over two weeks, we’re going to have nothing to do but worry about each other and fruity cocktails.”
Ivy’s heart soared … and then she came crashing back to reality. “Jack, this is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
The simple revelation caused his heart to contract. “I’m going to make it my mission to do even nicer things for you for the rest of our lives.”
“This is amazing, but … I can’t just abandon the nursery for a week. The plants have to be watered and taken care of. They’ll die. I’ll lose the entire season and I can’t afford that.”
Jack’s lips twitched. “Did you think I hadn’t taken that into consideration? Your father and mother are taking care of the nursery for the week. They volunteered. I think your mother is as excited for you to go on the cruise as I am.”
“They didn’t have a problem with it?”
“Your father thought it was a fabulous idea. He, like me, believes you could use a break.”
“I could use a break,” Ivy agreed, shifting her legs and earning a dirty look from the cat.
“As for Nicodemus, your brother has agreed to watch him,” Jack added. “He wants his own apple pie as payment. I told him we could definitely figure something out.
“That means you have nothing to do but finish whatever work you need done between now and then and pack,” he continued. “I’ve handled the rest of it.”
“I can’t believe it.” Ivy’s eyes glassed over. “I really can’t. This is the best thing ever. I mean … I’ve never been on a cruise.”
“I haven’t either.” Jack slipped a strand of hair behind her ear as he leaned closer. “I’m still angry and you’re going to have to massage the crap out of me tonight to get me past it, but I think this cruise is going to be good for both of us. We need a break, and an entire week of just you and me together is exactly what the doctor ordered.”
“Yeah.” Ivy’s smile was so pretty it caused something inside of Jack to ache. “I can’t believe you did this. You really are the best man in the world.”
“I am,” Jack agreed. “There’s one stipulation to these tickets, though.” He grabbed the folder before she could clutch it to her chest. “By the end of the cruise, I want you to pick a date for the wedding. Do you think you can do that for me?”
“I can try.”
“Well, I want a date.” Jack was firm. “I want you to be my wife. That’s the most important thing in the world to me.”
“It’s the most important thing in the world to me, too.”
“So … we’re agreed?”
Ivy nodded. “We’re agreed.” She smacked a loud kiss against his lips and then hopped to her feet. “I need to start packing.”
Jack made a face. “What about my pie? And my massage? I want both of them.”
“You’ll get them … as soon as I’m done packing.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m never getting my pie. I just know it.”
“Have patience,” Ivy called over her shoulder as she moved toward the bedroom. “Good things come to those who wait.”
“You’d better be telling the truth.”
“I guess you’ll just have to wait to find out.”
Want more? Sign up for my mailing list. It’s for new releases only, no spam.
http://eepurl.com/bLFbgz
Acknowledgments
I’m a romantic at heart. A true romantic. I love the idea of a happy ending, so much so I have trouble writing a sad one. The world is sad enough. I like escaping in fiction. That’s just me. I like sarcasm and snark – but I’m not sure a sad ending is in me. If you’re looking for an edge like that, you’re probably looking in the wrong place. Just FYI.
If you’re interested in upcoming releases, follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I do not spam. I don’t believe it and, as a reader, I find it annoying. Only new release information and special sales promotions will be posted.
This book is available for lending. Please do so.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Books by Lily Harper Hart
A Maddie Graves Mystery
Grave Homecoming
Grave Insight
Grave Delight
Grave Misgivings
Grave Concerns
Grave Discovery
Grave Decisions
Grave Seasons
Grave Holiday
Grave Haunting
Grave Paths
Grave Danger
Grave Missteps
Grave Demands
An Ivy Morgan Mystery
Wicked Days
Wicked Dreams
Wicked Times
Wicked Places
Wicked Warning
Wicked Fog
Wicked Season
Wicked Winter
Wicked Hearts
Wicked Wishes
Wicked Whimsy
A Harper Harlow Mystery
Ghostly Interests
Ghostly Issues
Ghostly Deceits
Ghostly Worries
Ghostly Images
Ghostly Wrecks
Ghostly Asylum
Ghostly Tricks
Ghostly Distress
Ghostly Despair
A Rowan Gray Mystery
Welcoming Seas
Murky Seas
Stormy Seas
Sunken Seas
Choppy Seas
Churning Seas
Crossovers
Wicked Ghosts
Hardy Brothers Security
Deadly Intentions
Deadly Intuition
Deadly Illusions
Deadly Proposal
> Deadly Prospects
Deadly Ever After
Deadly Honeymoon
Deadly Questions
Deadly Addition
Deadly Vacation
Deadly Secrets
Deadly Storm
Deadly Dealings
Deadly Christmas
Deadly Desperados
Deadly Arrival
Deadly Rivalry
Deadly Memories
Deadly Adventure
Deadly Reunion
Deadly Conflicts
Deadly Payback
Deadly Waves
Deadly Forever