Wicked Delight

by Lily Harper Hart

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I do,” he confirmed. “I should probably say no in an attempt to keep from agitating you, but the truth is, I have been thinking about you all day. Sue me.”

  “You don’t have to worry.”

  “No? You watched something terrible happen today.”

  “So did you. Maybe I should be worked up about you.”

  “I didn’t see it.” His fingers were light as they brushed her hair away from her face. “You saw it ... although I’m still not sure what it was. I thought maybe we could talk about it.”

  Even though it was a desperately serious conversation, Ivy couldn’t stop herself from smiling. “You’re different from most men.”

  “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”

  “It was meant as one. You actually want to talk about things instead of sweeping them under the rug. That makes you unbelievably strong in my book.”

  “You’re stronger.” He didn’t back down. “Tell me.”

  “I don’t know what there is to tell.” That was the truth. Ivy was still trying to process what she witnessed. “Remember when I said that I saw a black shadow the day we discovered Éclair’s body? Well, that was her soul.”

  “Why was it black?”

  “Because she wasn’t a good person. I mean ... there was nothing good about her. That doesn’t mean she deserved to die the way she did, don’t get me wrong, but she wasn’t a redeemable individual.”

  “No,” Jack agreed, taking her hand and pressing it to his chest as he leaned back to get comfortable. “Archie is dead. I’m sure you already knew that, but I thought I should confirm it.”

  “Yeah.”

  “How did he die? The medical examiner is banking on some sort of heart ailment, but we both know it was something else.”

  “Éclair killed him.”

  “I know but ... how?”

  “She overtook him. Her malevolence met with his and ... that was it. I was worried for a few seconds. I thought if they joined he might turn into something even worse than he already was. Éclair didn’t care about joining him, though. She cared about making him pay. That was her darkness. His darkness created her.”

  “We have Valerie on the record,” Jack supplied. “She was trying to leave when we returned to the station. She thought she’d gotten away with pointing a finger at Archie. She seemed surprised we would dare question her.

  “When we told her everything we knew, though, she was upset,” he continued. “She tried saying that Archie was a liar. Then she decided to be the first one to turn to get a deal. We let her confess on the record ... and then we told her Archie was dead. She wasn’t happy, to say the least.”

  Ivy’s gaze was speculative as it fell on him. “What did she say?”

  “Do you want the long version or the short?”

  “What do you think?”

  He kissed the tip of her nose before continuing. “Most of the story she told us was true. She got a temp job for Sheridan, had sex with him, and thought she could manipulate him. Archie knew better. He recognized Valerie for what she was and proposed they work together to take down his father.

  “The plan was to come up with a way to get him out of the picture,” he continued. “They were both hopeful Sheridan would die of a heart attack during sex, but it never happened. That meant they had to change their plans.”

  “That must have been difficult when Sheridan transferred Valerie.”

  “Definitely,” Jack agreed, bobbing his head. “It did give them another idea, though. Valerie claims she and Archie started a sexual relationship not long after the transfer. She says Archie loved her, was infatuated with her, but I’m not sure either one of them is capable of love.”

  Ivy tilted her head to the side, considering. “I would agree with that. They’re both too evil to love. I’m willing to bet that Valerie tried to get pregnant by Archie as a follow-up to the original plan.”

  “You are so smart.” Jack grinned as he gave her a swift kiss. “She claims she’s pregnant. We’re taking her to be checked out tomorrow. In her head, that means she has all the Sheridan money to use for her defense.”

  “What about Archibald Sheridan? Is he dead?”

  “No. He really is in Florida. We managed to get him on the phone. Archie had plans for his father — one of the security guards was apparently in on the plan — but when we told Sheridan what was going on he fired all the workers on the spot and locked himself in his bedroom. I believe he’s still there waiting for the National Guard to save him. Those are his words, mind you, not mine.”

  Ivy pressed her lips together to keep from smiling at the visual. “Was he at least upset about Archie’s death?”

  “He didn’t sound like it. He’s already making plans to shift things so his other son will inherit.”

  “He sounds like a wonderful father,” Ivy groused.

  “He’s horrible, too,” Jack acknowledged. “I wouldn’t worry about it, though. Karma is going to get him in the end. Right now, I’m simply glad that Valerie can’t touch the Sheridan money to fund her defense.”

  “What’s going to happen to her baby, though?”

  “I have no idea. It hasn’t even been confirmed that she’s really pregnant. She could be making that up.”

  “I guess.” Ivy absently scratched her cheek. “Were either one of them there when Éclair was killed?”

  “No. Not only are they evil, but they’re cowards, too. Éclair did leave of her own volition that night. She told Valerie she was going to the bar because she was bored at the hotel, although Valerie also claims Archie placed a call to lure her out of the hotel. I’m not sure which story is true.”

  “She said Archie called her when she was about to attack. I would tend to believe her.”

  “Then we’ll go with that story.” He squeezed her hand tighter. “Valerie and Archie had been waiting for an opening, so they took it,” he continued. “The second Éclair left the hotel, Valerie called the security guard they’d been plotting with, who happens to be the same security guard traveling with Sheridan. He was in town waiting for his chance ... and he took her. My understanding is he’s already been taken into custody in Florida, so he’s no longer a threat.”

  Ivy made a clucking sound and pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. “Well, at least he’s off the street. After what he did to Éclair ... I still don’t understand why he beat her the way he did.”

  “It was supposed to look like a mugging gone wrong,” Jack replied. “Valerie said that the security guy lost his head and went overboard. Obviously there was nothing they could do about it so they simply sat back and let the rest of their plan come to fruition.”

  “And they did it all for money.”

  “They did,” Jack confirmed.

  “Éclair blackened her soul for money, too.”

  He cast her a sidelong look. “How do you know that?”

  “Because that’s all she cared about. She wanted the money ... and stature ... and the recognition that comes from a last name that people respected. She didn’t care about her mother, father, or brother. It was all about the money.”

  Jack stroked his hand down the back of her head, concern washing over him. “She’s gone, right?”

  Ivy nodded. “She burned herself up in the process of killing her brother. As a new spirit, she didn’t have a lot of strength to begin with. She fueled everything she had into killing him from the inside ... and then was absorbed on her way to the other side.”

  “Do you think she’ll find happiness there?”

  “No. There was no light in her soul. She won’t find happiness anywhere.”

  “Ah, well ... .” Jack slid his arm around Ivy’s waist and tugged her to his lap. He understood the sadness permeating from her, but it was the last thing he wanted to see. “I think we need a break.”

  She lifted her eyes and stared at his strong profile. “You mean a weekend away, right? You’re not talking about a break
from each other, are you?”

  “Bite your tongue.” He kissed her forehead. “I’m talking about a few days away, just the two of us.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  He’d been thinking about this all day. His mind constantly traveled to her when he was placing calls and filling out paperwork. He had a plan in place, and he was hopeful she would agree to it. “Camping.”

  She stilled, surprised. “You hate camping.”

  “That is not true,” he protested. “I happen to like camping. I had a great time on the last trip ... until one of my friends turned out to be a murderer. I don’t think that’s going to happen on this trip, though. Of course, that could just be wishful thinking.”

  “And you really want to go camping?” Ivy was understandably dubious. The last time they slept together in the great outdoors, Jack complained about almost everything. “We can pick another place to go if you want. Maybe we can go to a hotel for a weekend or something.”

  “No.” Jack was firm as he shook his head. “We need time away ... and more than a few days. I thought we would have that time when we took the cruise, but we found more trouble there. After what happened this go-around, I think we should make an effort to go someplace where no one knows us and there are no towns around so it’s just us and the wilderness.”

  Ivy pursed her lips. “I love camping.”

  “I know.”

  “You don’t, though. I think we should pick something else.”

  “No.” Jack refused to back down. “Camping is what we need. We’ll make s’mores and sit under the stars at night, enjoy a campfire, and even go fishing.”

  “I’m not fishing. You know I don’t kill animals.”

  “Then you can watch me fish.”

  She sighed, resigned. “I just don’t want you to complain.”

  “Do I look like the type who would complain?”

  She nodded without hesitation. “Yeah. I recognize the signs because I’m a complainer, too. I think that’s why we fit so well together.”

  “There are a number of reasons we fit so well together.” He pressed his lips to hers, eliciting a huge grin. “Pick a spot and a time and we will make this happen.”

  “I might need a week to get things organized at the nursery.”

  “That’s fine. I need to finish up the paperwork on this case. There still might be questions when we get Archie’s autopsy report.”

  “Well ... that still sounds fun.”

  “It does.”

  “Camping.”

  “Yes, camping.” He started tickling her, grinning when he heard her gasp and giggle. “I think this trip is going to be very different from the last one.”

  “I certainly hope so.”

  “Let’s celebrate our plan with a bath and a shared dream, huh? I believe you promised me a glimpse of our future kids.”

  “You know I can’t really show you that.” She turned serious. “We can only show each other what we want to see.”

  “That’s good enough for me.”

  Oddly enough, it was good enough for her, too. “Let’s do it. I want to focus on something good after the day we’ve had.”

  “You read my mind, honey. Let’s focus on something good ... and you’re the best person I’ve ever met.”

  “Right back at you.”

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  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.

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  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

  Grave Wedding

  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

  Wicked Haunts

  A Harper Harlow Mystery

  Ghostly Interests

  Ghostly Issues

  Ghostly Deceits

  Ghostly Worries

  Ghostly Images

  Ghostly Wrecks

  Ghostly Asylum

  Ghostly Tricks

  Ghostly Distress

  Ghostly Despair

  Ghostly Holiday

  A Rowan Gray Mystery

  Welcoming Seas

  Murky Seas

  Stormy Seas

  Sunken Seas

  Choppy Seas

  Churning Seas

  Dangerous Seas

  Crossovers

  Wicked Ghosts

  Wicked Seas

  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