Wicked Games (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 17)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Yeah, but this guy ... .” Jack held up his hands and waved them around. “This guy is a loser, even by her standards. Maisie only dates men if she can get something from them. What does a guy who owes more on parking tickets than he’ll ever make have to offer her?”

  “That’s a good question.” Brian stroked his chin, his mind busy. “Maisie doesn’t always pay particular attention to her partner’s possibilities if she’s bored. That’s what we could be dealing with here. It’s possible Maisie isn’t looking at him as a long-term partner but more of a temporary distraction. I mean ... the boy is handsome.”

  Jack offered up an incredulous face. “He’s handsome?”

  “What?” Brian felt self-conscious under his partner’s steady glare. “He’s a good-looking kid. Oh, don’t look at me that way. I’m comfortable with my sexuality, and I can see why some of the girls think Jason is attractive.”

  “If that’s your story.” Jack rolled his eyes but returned to the conversation at hand. “Jason grew up two towns over. He only moved to Shadow Lake a few months ago.”

  “Maisie works faster than that sometimes.”

  “That’s not what I’m getting at — and, yeah, she does — but what I’m wondering is where they met. Jason doesn’t strike me as the sort of guy who spends a lot of time hanging out at the library.”

  “That’s a good point.” Brian pulled into a parking spot in the library lot and cocked his head. “I don’t know where they met. I honestly don’t know that Maisie has anything to do with this. It’s possible that Jason doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

  “It’s possible,” Jack agreed. “Let me ask you this, though; you knew Sasha. Maybe not well, but you knew her. Is it possible she would’ve been interested in this Jason guy at all? From the way you’ve described her, she was a good girl.”

  “She was a good girl,” Brian agreed. “The thing I’ve learned living in a small town, though, is even the best girl sometimes gets a bug up her butt and decides to take a walk on the wild side. Jason has been in trouble with the law, but it’s not exactly as if he’s been collared for violent crimes. For a good girl in Shadow Lake — and they all lose their heads at one point or another — Jason might be appealing.”

  The thought process of women often baffled Jack. Before Ivy, he’d never taken the time to figure women out. Now, he often found himself struggling to keep up ... and he considered Ivy the most rational of women. “What about Ivy? You said all good girls take on a bad boy at one time or another. Who was her bad boy?”

  “She dated a cult member. That’s how you two met.”

  Jack scowled at the memory. “Oh, right. To be fair, she didn’t date that guy when he was a cult member.”

  “No, but she did date him ... and I think it was obvious from a young age that there was always something wrong with that kid. That was her rebellious phase. Maybe Jason was Sasha’s rebellious phase.”

  “Maybe.” Jack rolled his neck. “That still doesn’t explain Maisie’s part in the story. I mean ... why does it always have to come back to Maisie?”

  Amused despite himself, Brian clapped his partner on the shoulder. “I think you’re still bitter about the fact that Ivy is essentially paying what you consider a steep price for saving Maisie’s life.”

  “Something Maisie didn’t even thank her for,” Jack grumbled under his breath, causing Brian’s smile to widen.

  “Maisie is not a grateful individual. She’s not pleasant ... or nice ... or giving. If their positions were reversed, and Ivy was the one being held captive, Maisie would’ve walked away from that window without a second glance and left Ivy to her fate.”

  And that was the part that bothered Jack the most. He was well aware Maisie wouldn’t have returned the favor, so it felt as if Ivy was being punished for being a good person who ultimately saved a bad one. He wouldn’t love her the way he did if she wasn’t who she was, but he hated — absolutely hated — that she was being punished for a good deed. It frustrated him to no end. “Let’s just get this over with.” He pushed open the passenger door. “Maybe you should handle the questions. I might be tempted to wrap my hands around her neck if I get too close.”

  “That’s probably a good idea,” Brian agreed.

  It was the middle of the day during summer break but the library was surprisingly busy. There looked to be some sort of reading group in one corner and there was a woman dressed up as a clown enthusiastically reciting a book to smaller children to the left.

  “Ugh.” Jack involuntarily shuddered. “Clowns are the worst.”

  Brian hiked an amused eyebrow but didn’t say anything as he strolled to the help desk. There, a petite woman in her forties worked. She seemed harried, as if she was behind, but she had a smile on her face when she lifted her chin to greet whoever was approaching. She almost looked relieved when she realized it was Brian.

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life,” the woman announced. “If you could find Maisie Washington and arrest her for being the laziest woman in the free world, I would greatly appreciate it.”

  Jack’s lips quirked as amusement washed over him. He managed to keep a straight face, but it took effort.

  “Hello, Carrie.” Brian’s smile was genuine as he regarded the woman. “I don’t know if you’ve met yet, but this is my partner Jack Harker. Jack, this is Carrie Gunderson. She’s volunteered at the library for ... well ... as long as I can remember.”

  “Yes, and no good deed goes unpunished,” Carrie groused, shaking her head. Still, despite her obviously foul mood, she pinned Jack with a bright smile. “You’re the detective who is engaged to Ivy Morgan, correct?”

  Jack nodded. “Yes.” He braced himself for the woman to say something nasty — half the women in town seemed to get off on trash-talking his fiancée — but her smile only widened. “I absolutely love Ivy. She used to come in here all the time as a kid ... and even when she was a teenager. She helped me with a few reading groups when she was in high school.

  That was news to Jack. “She likes to read. She can spend an entire weekend when it’s snowing out curled up in front of the fire with her devil cat and a book.”

  Brian snickered. “I thought you and the cat were getting along better.”

  “He wants to kill me.” Jack’s expression momentarily flashed dark. “I’ve woken up three times over the past month with him sleeping on my face and he digs his claws in when I try to move him.”

  Carrie snickered. “That just means he loves you.”

  Jack was not the delusional sort so he didn’t believe that for a second. “Yeah, he loves Ivy. He’s convinced I’m stealing his woman so he wants me dead. We wage silent war on each other. I’m used to it now.”

  “Uh-huh.” Carrie’s eyes, still twinkling with amusement, landed on Brian. “You’re obviously here for a reason. I’m almost afraid to ask why.”

  “We’re looking for Maisie,” Brian replied. “Is she here?”

  “If she was here, I wouldn’t be ready to tear my hair out,” Carrie replied. “She took off about an hour ago with Ava Moffett.”

  “Ugh.” Brian shook his head. “That right there is a nasty duo. Do you happen to know where they were heading?”

  “She didn’t volunteer that information,” Carrie hedged, her eyes darting to Jack. “I heard them talking, though. I thought maybe you were here to tell me she’d been arrested or something. I guess I’m not that lucky.”

  “Why would she be arrested?” Jack queried, legitimately curious.

  Carrie took a deep breath and decided to blurt it out. “Because she and Ava found out where Ivy was doing her community service and they decided to head out there to torture her. They were making big plans.”

  Jack viciously swore under his breath as he turned to stalk toward the exit.

  “Are you sure?” Brian’s heart sank as he absorbed the words. The last thing he wanted was another scene on the side of the highwa
y. This wouldn’t go well for anyone, including Ivy.

  “I’m sure.” Carrie was apologetic. “I’m sorry. Maybe I should’ve called you. I didn’t feel it was my place, though.”

  “It’s okay.” Brian patted her hand. “This was probably bound to happen from the start. We’ll take it from here.”

  “YOU MISSED SOME,” AVA CALLED out gaily as she dropped a candy bar wrapper about ten feet from Ivy.

  The moment the two women had arrived on the scene, Ivy knew she was in for hours of misery. Her two nemeses hadn’t disappointed, and since Greg was watching her like a hawk, she had no choice but to pick up after the snarking and giggling duo.

  Ivy kept her face blank as she walked over and speared the wrapper. Her plan of action the second Maisie and Ava decided to make a spectacle of the operation was to refuse to interact with them. It was difficult, but unless they could get a rise out of her, it would be no fun for them. She was hopeful that would mean they would lose interest quickly. So far, it hadn’t happened.

  “Who are they?” Betsy asked when Ivy returned to the spot where she’d been collecting garbage before being called over to pick up the wrapper.

  “Girls I went to high school with,” Ivy replied on a sigh. “They’re ... horrible.”

  “I think we figured that out ourselves,” Alison noted as she moved closer to the two women. “Are they even allowed to be out here? It seems to me that it shouldn’t be permitted. None of our friends and family are allowed to interact with us. Random jerks shouldn’t be able to either.”

  “I have a feeling Greg picks and chooses what rules he wants to follow,” Ivy offered. “It’s fine. As long as I don’t interact with them, they’ll lose interest.”

  “Honey, I have news for you. Those are the types of girls who enjoy making others feel bad about themselves,” Betsy argued. “They’re going to keep this up all day if they have to. They figure your misery is their victory.”

  “That’s true.” Ivy wasn’t delusional. She knew exactly what sort of people Maisie and Ava were. “They hated me in high school because I was kind of awkward and kept to myself and was an easy mark. They mostly ignored me as an adult until I hooked up with Jack. Then it turned into a weird sort of war.”

  “Oh.” Alison bobbed her head knowingly. “They’re jealous.”

  Ivy opened her mouth to argue the point and then nodded. “Shadow Lake is a really small town. Jack moved here from Detroit ... and he has a steady job. He was considered a catch from the moment he crossed the town limits.”

  Amusement wafted over Betsy’s face. “Oh, I can just bet. It’s the same in Mancelona. That’s where I live, by the way. Everybody knows everybody’s business. I can just imagine the rush that was on the second Jack hit town. Did a bunch of women line up with pot roasts?”

  “Not pot roasts exactly,” Ivy hedged. “There were a lot of people who miraculously showed up wherever he happened to be.”

  “But he chose you,” Alison mused. “That must’ve driven them crazy. They marked you as inferior to them and then you won the most coveted guy in town.”

  “I don’t think they marked her as inferior,” Betsy countered. “I’ve dealt with those types of women before. If they marked her as inferior they would’ve ignored her. They marked her as their equal, which made them territorial, and when Jack picked Ivy over them, it was on.”

  Ivy tended to believe Betsy’s version of events was closer to the truth, but it wasn’t worth continued debate. “They’ll lose interest eventually. Honestly, it doesn’t matter what they do or say. I learned a long time ago that they can’t touch me.”

  “That’s a healthy attitude,” Alison noted. “You’re much more magnanimous than me, though. I would be slashing tires and bashing their skulls together.”

  The sudden burst of vitriol surprised Ivy. “Oh, well ... I don’t really want to fight with them. It just makes them more desperate to get my attention.”

  “Because they’re nasty harpies,” Alison muttered darkly. “You know what you should do? You should set their houses on fire.”

  This was a side Ivy hadn’t yet seen of Alison and she was surprised ... as well as unnerved. “I think I prefer to leave them to ... whatever it is they do. Jack and I are happy, this small speed bump notwithstanding. We’re going to be married in a month. Then we’re going on our honeymoon. This should be behind us by then. That’s what I want to focus on.”

  Alison was clearly dubious, but she held her hands out and shrugged. “If that’s what you want, more power to you. I would definitely burn their houses down.”

  Ivy slid her gaze to Betsy to see if the woman appeared as alarmed as she felt but there was no hint of worry on the older woman’s face. In fact, she looked as if she was enjoying a sitcom more than anything else.

  “Well ... I think I’m good,” Ivy said finally. “It’s something to consider, though.” She went back to picking up garbage, happily losing herself in the rhythm of her work. She’d almost managed to forget Ava and Maisie were there until the sound of tires on gravel caught her attention near the highway.

  Her first thought was that Jason had shown up after all and she was going to have to figure out a way to contact Jack. When she lifted her head, though, she was greeted with the familiar sight of Brian’s cruiser. Rather than being happy to see them, which would’ve been her emotion any other day, Ivy’s heart dropped. She sensed trouble, and it wasn’t of the amusing variety.

  “Oh, man,” she muttered under her breath. “This isn’t going to be good.”

  Betsy followed her gaze, smirking. “Maybe he’s here to sweep you off your feet and save you from your life of drudgery.”

  “He already did that.”

  Betsy slid an appraising look toward Ivy. “You’ve got it bad for him, huh?”

  Ivy nodded as she planted her poker into the ground and leaned on it. Jack’s lean form was coiled with rage when he exited the vehicle. “Yeah. He’s having a rough time of it right now. He blames himself for all of this.”

  “Why do you think he’s here?”

  “I’m ... not sure.” She watched with keen interest as Jack stalked around the front of the vehicle and pointed himself toward Ava and Maisie. “I don’t think it’s going to be good, though.”

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Betsy made a clucking sound with her tongue. “It looks amusing to me.”

  “Something to break up the monotony,” Alison agreed.

  “Look who it is,” Ava called out gaily. “Are you here to help your jailbird honey with her community service, Detective? That seems like a waste of your considerable talents.”

  “Shut up, Ava,” Brian barked, fury on full display. “You’re not a part of this.”

  Ava let loose an amused expression. “I happen to disagree.”

  Brian slowed his pace and focused on her. “Aren’t you supposed to be answering calls at the office?”

  “I’m on break.”

  “Your break is twenty minutes,” Brian snapped. “I’m pretty sure you’ve been out here for more than an hour.”

  For the first time since the detectives arrived on the scene, Ava looked nervous. “I might’ve lost track of time,” she hedged.

  “Don’t worry. Your father and I will be talking about your actions today. I wouldn’t be surprised if he explains how it’s not professional to lose track of time.” Brian’s statement was pointed. “I mean ... I think your father, as the chief of police, is going to want to hear how you spent your break. You are a representative of the Shadow Lake Police Department, after all. You’re expected to be professional.”

  The color drained from Ava’s face. She recognized she was in real trouble. “There’s no reason to talk to my father.”

  “Oh, I think there is.”

  Ava might’ve been the man’s daughter, but Brian was more respected when it came to a fight. Ava recognized that ... and, more importantly, so did Brian.

  “I should probably be going,” Ava muttered, pushing herself a
way from the car. “I need to get back to work.”

  “You do,” Jack agreed, his gaze on Maisie. “We have to talk to your partner in crime first, though.”

  “Oh, well ... .”

  Unlike Ava, who always folded under pressure, Maisie looked amused at the turn of events. “What can I do for you gentlemen? Are you here to call me a bad girl for torturing Ivy or something?”

  “We don’t have to call you anything,” Jack replied. “It’s not as if you don’t know you’re trash. I mean ... Ivy is only here because she crawled through a window to save your life. I’m pretty sure everybody knows exactly what sort of person pulls a maneuver like this given the fact that you’re only alive because of her.”

  Maisie balked. “That’s not true. I was just about to make my move when she crawled through that window. She didn’t save anybody.”

  Betsy, her eyes wide, turned to Ivy. “You didn’t mention that part of the story.”

  Ivy held out her hands and shrugged. “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I’m not sure the world wouldn’t be a better place without Maisie.”

  “Honey, it definitely would,” Betsy agreed, shaking her head. “You’re even scummier than we thought,” she said to Maisie.

  Eyes defiant, Maisie took an aggressive step forward. “I didn’t ask her to save me. She only did it because she wants to be the center of attention … always.”

  “I’m pretty sure you’re getting me confused with you,” Ivy muttered.

  “She doesn’t deserve to be mentioned in the same sentence with you,” Jack argued.

  “This is all fascinating,” Greg called out. “No offense, though, you’re distracting my crew. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

  “Yes, I’m sure when this situation is reported to the magistrate, he’ll want to talk about certain distracting influences, too,” Brian drawled. “As for now, we’re here for Maisie. We’ll take her and call it a day.”