Wicked Decisions

by Lily Harper Hart

  Ivy’s mouth dropped open. “I didn’t kill Zelda.”

  “Oh, really? That’s not the word on the street.”

  Sensing trouble, Jack slipped his arm around Ivy’s waist. “Honey, why don’t you come back to the office with me?”

  Ivy ignored him. “What word on the street? I’m the one who called the police after I found her. I didn’t kill her.”

  Ava was a master manipulator. She knew exactly how to press Ivy’s buttons and she found great glee in doing it. “That’s so weird because everyone else in town – at least those who matter – have no trouble casting you in the role of murderer. How weird is that?”

  Jack had heard enough. Before Ivy could let loose a snarky statement – one that Ava could perhaps use against her when trying to get her father to issue a department edict – he stepped in front of Ivy and pinned Ava with a dark glare. “Ivy is not a murderer. You know it as well as I do. Stop trying to bait her.”

  Ava’s expression never wavered. “Whatever do you mean? I’m just repeating what I heard. Personally, I don’t think it’s smart to allow a potential murderer into the room where you’re amassing evidence to lock her away.”

  “We’re not amassing evidence against her.”

  “No? Hmm. That’s weird. Shouldn’t one of the lead detectives on a case be looking at the woman who found the deceased individual? It seems to me that’s common practice. Maybe I’m confused, though. I mean … I’m not a detective.”

  Jack grabbed Ivy’s hand and fought to contain his temper. He was close to erupting like a volcano, and he was genuinely worried about what might spew out of his mouth and burn Ava. “You’re not a detective,” he agreed. “If you have a problem with Ivy being here, take it up with your father.”

  “Perhaps I will.”

  “Go ahead.” Jack was at the end of his rope. “I expect you’ll have him on the phone shortly. I’m looking forward to talking to him. He explained the next time we had a problem with the secretarial offerings in the department that we were to lay out our issues … and make our preferences known for a replacement.”

  Ava’s eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. “Are you threatening me?”

  “No. I’m simply stating a fact.”

  Ivy glanced between the two heated faces and felt sick to her stomach. “Maybe I should just go.”

  “Yes, you should go,” Ava drawled, her eyes never leaving Jack’s face. “I think that would be best for all concerned.”

  “You’re not going anywhere.” Jack kept a firm grip on Ivy’s wrist and dragged her toward the hallway. “You’re coming back to the department with me. If Ava has a problem with it, she can contact her father.”

  “Oh, I’m going to contact him.” Ava’s voice was a breathy hiss. “You can be sure of that. She’s a murderer. Everyone knows she killed Zelda and you’re protecting her.”

  Ivy was at the end of her rope. “Why would I kill Zelda? I’m being serious. What would I possibly accomplish by doing that?”

  “People are saying that Jack is trying to postpone the wedding,” Ava replied, not missing a beat. “They say he’s having second thoughts – better late than never, I guess – and that you killed Zelda to garner sympathy from him. Now he can’t postpone the wedding because of your fragile ego.”

  Ivy made a sputtering sound. “That is the most ludicrous thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “And completely untrue,” Jack added. “I have no intention of postponing the wedding. In fact, if I could marry Ivy right now – this exact minute – I would. If you want to spread word to your gossipy little buddies, spread that.”

  Ava’s glare was withering. “Whatever. You’re just saying that because she’s here.”

  “I’m saying it because it’s the truth. I’ve had it with your crap.” Jack dragged Ivy through the door. “Go ahead and call your father. There are a few things I would love to talk to him about.”

  Ava appeared taken aback. “I wasn’t actually planning on calling him.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll call him.” Jack didn’t release Ivy’s wrist for the duration of their trip. When they landed at the office he shared with Brian, he pushed her inside and shut the door. “I really hate that woman,” he growled.

  Brian, who was busy watching video surveillance footage on his computer, made a sympathetic noise but didn’t look up.

  “I’m serious,” Jack growled. “I want you to call the chief and tell him that his daughter needs to be fired.”

  “I’ve made that call before,” Brian noted. “Even if he does follow through – which he has in the past – he’ll re-hire her again in a few weeks because he can’t take all the whining she does.”

  “At least we’ll have a peaceful few weeks.”

  Brian heaved out a sigh, tore his gaze from the computer and switched it to Jack. He seemed surprised when he realized his partner wasn’t alone. “Hello, Ivy. It’s nice to see you.”

  Ivy was still fuming so she didn’t respond.

  “Jack, can we talk in the hallway?” Brian’s query was pointed.

  Jack scowled. “No. Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of Ivy.”

  That wasn’t preferable to Brian, but he didn’t see where he had a lot of choice. “Do you really think she should be back here when she’s a suspect in a murder?”

  Ivy’s eyes snapped up at the question and the hurt reflected there was enough to have Brian scrambling.

  “I didn’t mean that I think of you as a suspect,” he offered quickly, holding up his hands in a placating manner. “I know better than thinking that. Still, we’re supposed to be playing this by the book.”

  “Right. By the book.” Ivy was angry. She also felt hollowed out by the slap, however inadvertent. “I should be going.” She moved back toward the door, but Jack’s arm shot out to stop her.

  “You just got here,” he complained.

  “I know but … I shouldn’t be here. Brian is right.” She shoved the bag of food she was carrying into his arms. “I’m going to go. I guess I’ll see you when your shift is over.”

  “No, you’ll see me now.” Jack hated how defeated she looked. He practically threw the food at Brian so he could use both his arms to hold her. “I want you here,” he whispered to her, ignoring the glare Brian shot him. “I always want you with me.”

  “Oh, geez.” Brian slapped his hand to his forehead, although his stomach rumbled when he caught a whiff of the food. “What did you get?”

  “Reubens and potato salad,” Ivy replied dully.

  “From the deli?” Brian perked up as he began digging in the bag. “I love the potato salad at the deli.”

  Slowly, deliberately, Jack tracked his eyes to his partner. He acted before he gave it the appropriate amount of thought. In two strides, he was across the room and yanking the bag away from Brian.

  “Hey!”

  “Oh, no.” Jack shook his head. “You don’t want lunch from a murder suspect. You’re a duly sworn officer of the law. You have rules to follow, standards of conduct.”

  Brian scowled. “Oh, don’t be a big baby. I was simply pointing out that her presence could be a problem. I didn’t say I didn’t want her here … and I know she’s not a murderer.” He beamed at Ivy, his smile so wide it nearly split his face. “I love you almost as much as Jack. You know that.”

  Jack rolled his eyes. “Ugh. You’re so full of crap.”

  “Shut up!” Brian jabbed his finger in Jack’s direction. “Can I have my sandwich and potato salad? Please?”

  He was so earnest Ivy couldn’t stop herself from smiling. She snagged the bag back from Jack and handed it over. “Eat up. You must be starving. I’m guessing you guys skipped lunch.”

  “More like we were planning a late lunch,” Jack replied, reaching into the bag and grabbing a sandwich and container of potato salad for himself before Brian could scarf down both helpings. “We would’ve eaten eventually.”

  “Well, I saved you from having to make a takeout run.�
�

  “And graced me with your presence.” Jack planted a soft kiss on her lips. “I really have missed you today. I don’t like not being able to work together.”

  Brian, who had already forked a huge mound of potato salad into his mouth, started talking while he was chewing. “Technically Ivy isn’t a cop and shouldn’t be involved in any of our cases.”

  Ivy glared at him. “Do you want me to take that potato salad away from you?”

  Brian wrapped his wrist around the container, as if to protect it, and frowned. “I was just pointing out a fact.”

  “It’s a fact nobody needs to hear.” Jack prodded Ivy toward his desk, planting his own lunch at the center of his work space before snagging her around the waist and pulling her to his lap as he sat. “I don’t want to hear one word of complaint, Brian,” he warned. “I’ll wrestle you down and steal that potato salad if you say a single word.”

  “I don’t see a thing.” Brian appeared content as he munched on his lunch. “I don’t care how mushy you guys get. I’m going to pretend I don’t see you.”

  “I think that would be best for all of us,” Jack agreed, brushing his lips against Ivy’s cheek and tugging until she rested comfortably against him. “What did you do with your day, honey?”

  “Well, I listened to my mother rant and rave for a few minutes and then she hung up on me because she’s upset. Then I ranted and raved to my father for a bit. Then I worked in the greenhouse. Then a ghost suggested that I try to use magic to find the real murderer so I went into the woods for a lesson that didn’t go well because apparently I’m a bad student. Then I bought you lunch.”

  Brian choked at the witch part and started coughing, to the point where Ivy had to lean over to thump him on the back to make sure he didn’t stop breathing.

  “Something wrong?” Ivy asked slyly.

  “No.” Brian’s face was red as he cleared his airway. “I just … never mind.”

  Jack smirked at his partner as he used one hand to eat and the other to rub Ivy’s back. “It sounds like you’ve had a full day.”

  “Yeah. What about you guys?”

  “We can’t tell you about the nature of our investigation,” Brian said sternly.

  “We don’t have much of anything,” Jack countered, ignoring the eye daggers Brian lobbed in his direction. “We’re trying to look at some of the footage we managed to snag from the deli’s security camera. It’s down the block, but it’s all we have.”

  “Way to keep the investigation information close to the vest,” Brian drawled.

  Jack simply smiled. “Thank you.”

  “That wasn’t a compliment.”

  “Is there anything on the footage that might help?” Ivy asked, hoping to head off a potential argument. The last thing she wanted was for Brian and Jack to start fighting because of her.

  “Not as far as we can tell,” Jack replied. “There is a blob of some sort that entered the store last night, but it’s too dark to make out who it is.”

  Ivy’s forehead wrinkled. “Last night? I don’t understand.”

  “Don’t tell her,” Brian warned harshly.

  Jack pretended he didn’t hear the admonishment from his partner and filled in his fiancée on a few new developments, including the missing binder from the store. “We have no idea why it was taken or what could’ve been so important that it was worth risking getting caught. Patsy supplied us with the copies she made, but we haven’t found anything interesting so far.”

  “Oh, I hate you right now,” Brian complained. “I can’t believe you told her that.”

  “I was always going to tell her.”

  “You spent half the day promising the exact opposite. You said you understood the need for secrecy.”

  “I do understand it. I simply don’t happen to agree with it.”

  “Can I see the image on the video?” Ivy queried.

  Brian shook his head, firm. “No, you may not.”

  “Please?”

  “No.”

  Ivy flicked her eyes to Jack, imploring. “I might recognize someone you don’t.”

  “Let her see the footage,” Jack instructed.

  “No.” Brian made a protesting sound deep in his throat. “That’s taking it a step too far.”

  “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” Jack challenged. “If she recognizes the individual, then we’ll still have to confirm the identification another way. If she doesn’t, there’s no harm in letting her see.”

  “Yeah.” Ivy jutted out her lower lip. “There’s no harm.”

  “Ugh. I hate both of you right now,” Brian complained. The statement didn’t stop him from turning his monitor so Ivy could watch the fifteen-second clip. “We can’t get any closer. This is the best we’ve got.”

  “You can’t even tell if that’s a man or woman,” Ivy pointed out.

  “Nope.”

  “Well, that sucks.” Ivy rested her head against Jack’s chin as he methodically chewed. “I guess we’ve all had a crappy day.”

  Jack waited until he’d swallowed to speak. “I don’t know. I think my day is looking up because I have sunshine in my lap.”

  Brian made a gagging sound. “You guys are so gross.”

  Ivy smirked … mostly because she couldn’t help herself. She recognized what Jack was doing. He was trying to make her feel better. It was working.

  “I really love you,” she volunteered out of nowhere, catching Jack by surprise.

  “I really love you, too.”

  “I can’t wait to marry you either.”

  His sly grin spread. “Maybe we should elope. Right now.”

  “I’m all for that. Let’s go.”

  He faltered. “Your mother wouldn’t like that.”

  “She wouldn’t.”

  “Neither would my mother.”

  “No. I’m not sure I care, though.”

  She was earnest but there was no way Jack would allow her to retreat from what they’d already agreed upon. “I want witnesses when I pledge my love to you forever. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but I want the people we love there.”

  “Then you shouldn’t have suggested eloping.”

  “I take it back. We’ll stick to our plans.”

  She faked a dramatic sigh, but her smile never wavered. “I’m okay with that, too.”

  “Good.” They shared another kiss and then Jack carefully pushed her to a standing position. “You can’t be here, though. Brian is right. We have to play this as straight as we can. It’s the best thing for all of us.”

  Ivy exhaled heavily, but her heart was lighter than it had been earlier. She honestly understood where they were coming from. “Then I guess I should go.”

  “I’ll see you at home tonight.”

  “You definitely will.”

  “Thanks for the potato salad,” Brian called out. “I definitely don’t think you’re a murderer now.”

  Ivy chuckled, going warm all over. “You’re welcome.”

  Twelve

  Jack watched through the window as Ivy exited the building. She opted for the back door — which made sense because Ava was at the front of the office — but she looked sad and lonely as she hit the sidewalk.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” Brian groused.

  Jack didn’t as much as glance at his partner. “What am I thinking?”

  “That you want to thumb your nose at procedure and include Ivy in our investigation even though it’s a horrible idea.”

  Jack chuckled dryly. “I am thinking that.”

  “She can’t help us.”

  Jack had news for his partner. Ivy was going to get involved whether they invited her or not. Heck, she was already involved. There was no sense in bringing that up now, however. It would only add stress to an already tense partnership.

  “I don’t like seeing her unhappy,” Jack said as he watched her scuff her feet against the sidewalk. She looked lost in thought. “Once this case is over, I want to have a discus
sion with the chief. I don’t like the way Ava treats her.”

  “That relationship was forged in the fires of middle school,” Brian pointed out. “I don’t know that it’s fixable.”

  “Oh, I don’t want them to be friends. Ivy deserves a modicum of respect, though.”

  “I know you don’t want to hear it, but Ava is the chief’s daughter. She drives him crazy, but he’s always going to take her side. What are you going to threaten the chief with to get him to agree with you?”

  “Quitting.”

  Brian snorted. “Like anyone is going to believe you’re considering quitting.”

  Jack was deathly serious. “If my wife — and she will be my wife — can’t visit me at work without being insulted, I will quit.”

  “And do what?”

  Jack held out his hands and shrugged. “I don’t know. I used to think being a cop was the most important thing in the world, that nothing would ever compare. I was wrong. Ivy is the most important thing in the world. I won’t just sit back and watch her be insulted. It’s not fair.”

  Brian was thoughtful as he stared at his partner. “I’ll talk to the chief. We’ve known each other for a long time. He won’t want to lose you so he’ll make Ava behave.”

  “I’ll believe that when I see it.”

  “Yeah, well ... .” Brian was thoughtful as he moved his jaw. “You’re a good partner for Ivy,” he said finally. “You put her needs first. She puts your needs first, too. Once she got over the initial shock, she left of her own accord. That was better for you.”

  Jack’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t happen to believe that, but I don’t want to fight. We should finish our lunch and then get back to work.”

  “What do you think Ivy is going to do?”

  That was the question. Jack’s gaze slid back through the window but she’d disappeared. “I don’t know. Something tells me she’s going to figure this out before we do, though. She’s good like that.”

  “She needs to stay out of it.”

  “Don’t worry about Ivy.” Jack let out a sigh and then returned to his desk. “She’s going to be fine. She’s the strongest person I know.”