Amy looked taken aback by the question, which made Ivy feel guilty, although she didn’t know why. “Oh, well … it’s kind of a weird thing. My parents had a lifelong friend who lived in this area. Her name is Caroline Atwood. We used to visit when I was a kid.”
Ivy furrowed her brow. “I think I recognize that name. She lives in a cottage out by the lake, right?”
Amy nodded. “Yes. I’ve been staying with her. I lost my job at an insurance agency due to cutbacks several months ago. I had no idea what I was going to do. Caroline and I talk regularly and I mentioned what happened and she suggested I move here and get a job. She offered me a room to stay with her and … well … it was really my only option.”
“Still, that’s great.” Ivy internally scolded herself for ever thinking Amy was unfriendly. She was simply a woman who had spent her entire adulthood on her own. She was leery of people – and rightfully so – because she understood the inherent dangers of trusting the wrong person. She’d been through a lot. The thing Ivy wanted most was to make her comfortable. “I’m glad you have someone. I’m also glad you found my brother. I think you’re going to be good for him.”
“Yeah? How so?”
“My brother is loyal … and fun … and gregarious … and the life of the party. He’s never been one to settle down before, though. I think my parents had different concerns for us when we were growing up. They worried I would withdraw into myself and Max would spread himself too thin because he likes to share his grace far and wide.”
“I can’t imagine your parents being worried about you withdrawing. You’re very sociable.”
“I wasn’t always,” Ivy admitted. “Jack has been good for me. Actually, I think we’ve been good for each other. Since we got together I’ve been more open to social gatherings … and festivals … and just living life to the fullest. I think Max can do that for you, too.”
“That would be nice.” A whimsical, almost sad expression flitted across Amy’s face. “I’m just worried that he’ll eventually realize I’m boring or too much work and run away.”
Ivy didn’t want to make a promise she couldn’t keep, but she felt relatively certain that Max wasn’t going anywhere, especially right now. “Trust in Max. He seems to have legitimate feelings for you. I obviously can’t tell you how things are going to go, but I have a good feeling.”
“It would be nice if things went well. I could use a win.” Amy exhaled heavily and then went back to cleaning. “Do you think they’re going to make us eat their fish when they get back? I’m not exactly a fan of fish.”
“You don’t have to eat anything you don’t want to eat,” Ivy reassured her. “We have burgers, hot dogs, and even vegetarian fare if you like tofu and protein patties.”
“I think I’ll stick with the burgers. No offense.”
“None taken. It’s an acquired taste. Jack doesn’t like the protein patties either. He makes gagging noises when he tries to eat them.”
“Jack seems like a wonderful man. You guys are obviously happy together.”
“We are. I think you and Max are going to be happy together, too.”
“It’s a little early to make predictions, but I have my fingers crossed.”
“I do, too.”
THE SUN WAS STARTING TO DESCEND by the time Max and Jack returned. They carried a shared string full of fish and were triumphant when they climbed the hill. Smiles spread across the campground … until Ivy got a good whiff of her future husband.
“Oh, gross.” She pulled back from his embrace and waved her hand in front of her face. “You smell horrible.”
“Oh, I love you, too, honey,” he drawled, smacking a kiss against her mouth even though she was reticent. “How was your day?”
“I slept for most of the afternoon.”
“That’s good. That means you’ll have energy for the both of us tonight. You might need to do all the work.”
“Shut up.” Max made a face. “She’s still my sister.”
“You smell as bad as he does,” Amy complained, pinching her nose. “You need to shower … and burn those clothes … before coming near me again. I’m serious.”
“Do you believe this?” Max rolled his eyes. “We are great fishermen returning from the field of battle. You’re supposed to exalt us.”
Ivy was having none of that. “For what? You tossed a line in the water and coaxed fish to bite on it. It’s not as if you slayed a shark or something.”
Max puffed out his chest. “I could slay a shark.”
“You’re not doing anything until you shower,” Ivy shot back, accepting the fish from Jack. “Have these been cleaned? I can’t cook them unless they’ve been gutted and I’m not going to do it.”
“I know my woman.” His smile was Cheshire Cat-like. “We cleaned them down by the river, left the innards for the wildlife.”
“Ugh. Don’t say innards.”
“What would you prefer I say?”
“I don’t know. I guess I would just like to pretend that they magically cleaned themselves.” She laid the fish on the table and stared at them for a long beat. “I’ll cook them, but I’m not touching their heads.”
“That’s fine. We’ll take care of the heads when we get back.” Jack cocked his own head and stared at her for a moment. “Are you okay? Did something happen while I was gone?”
Ivy quickly shook her head. How could she explain to him that she was simply feeling heavy because of the story Amy told her about losing her job and being forced to move to a new environment? The woman had been through a lot. That didn’t give Ivy an invitation to wallow, though. “I’m fine. I’m just thinking about the poor fish.”
“They’re going to be delicious and happy in my stomach,” Jack countered. “Can I trust you to cook them without burning them while Max and I run down to the showers to clean up?”
Ivy made an exaggerated face. “Um … I don’t know. Can you?”
He poked her stomach, amused. “Have you cooked fish before?”
“Not since I was a kid and went camping with Max and Dad. I’m pretty sure I can figure it out, though. You guys definitely need to shower if you want to get close to either of us tonight.”
“I think of little else than getting close to you.” Jack clapped Max on the shoulder. “Come on. Let’s leave the women to cook our haul and clean up for them. It’s the least we can do since they’re handling kitchen duty.”
“I think we smell manly,” Max lamented.
“I do, too. In fact … .” Jack forgot what he was going to say and focused on the flurry of activity down the hill. “Look at that.”
Ivy forgot she was disgusted by Jack’s smell and moved to his side so he could put his arm around her. They were away from the action, but it was very clear what was happening. Three state troopers had joined Winters and were making a beeline for Gordon’s campsite.
“They must’ve gotten confirmation from the medical examiner that it was murder,” Ivy said. “I guess that means Gordon is about to be arrested.”
Jack ran his hand up and down her back as he watched two officers pull open the tent and reach inside. “That would be my guess.”
Gordon looked confused when he was hauled out. He didn’t put up a fight – he was vastly outnumbered and it was a moot point – and instead started yelling about how he didn’t kill his wife. No one listened as they slapped cuffs on him. At one point, Winters stopped in front of the man and started talking.
“They’re reading him his Miranda rights,” Jack offered. “He’s definitely being arrested.”
“That’s good, right?” Amy asked, uncertainty wafting through her voice. “That means that he’ll be off the street and incapable of hurting anyone else.”
“If he’s guilty, it’s great,” Jack agreed.
“Do you not think he’s guilty?” Amy looked legitimately curious. “I mean … do you think it could’ve been someone else?”
“I don’t see how that would work,” Jack replied. �
�Everyone here came with someone. People are watching other people. I think, to get close to her, it had to be someone she knew. I mean … I guess someone could’ve blitzed her from behind, but that doesn’t feel right to me.”
Ivy let loose a sigh as Gordon was pulled to his feet. The man was obviously sobbing. “I kind of believed him. I guess that makes me a sap, huh?”
“I kind of believed him, too,” Jack admitted. “It’s okay.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “We’re going to get cleaned up. I think we should get up early tomorrow and just hit the road as soon as possible so we can get back home.”
Ivy was sad at the prospect, but she readily agreed. “This didn’t go how we planned, did it?”
“Nope. I still had fun.” His eyes were earnest when she met them. “I love spending any time with you that I can. Still … I’m not sure we should ever camp anywhere but our backyard again. Just something to think about.”
She laughed despite herself. “We’re going to perfect camping one day. You’ll see.”
“I’ll take your word for it. For now, I’m kind of ready to head home.”
That made two of them. Ivy never thought it would happen, but she was officially over camping.
“HOME SWEET HOME.”
The next afternoon, Jack dropped the two bags he carried on the living room floor, causing Ivy’s spoiled black cat Nicodemus to arch his back and hiss his distaste for the turn of events.
“I missed you, too, grumpy puss,” he muttered.
Ivy chuckled as she swept past Jack and scooped the cat into her arms. “Did you miss me?”
As if to prove he was an angel in disguise, Nicodemus rubbed his nose against Ivy’s cheek and kissed her while purring maniacally. All the while he leveled his odd yellow eyes on Jack, refusing to blink.
“That thing hates me,” Jack muttered as he kicked the door shut and slipped off his shoes. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to be home in my entire life.”
“That makes two of us.” Ivy carried Nicodemus to the couch and flopped down next to Jack. “I’m sorry things didn’t go any better this time.” She couldn’t help but blame herself. “I don’t know why we’re so cursed when it comes to camping.”
Jack was instantly flooded with guilt. “We’re not cursed. I don’t like it when you say stuff like that.”
Ivy refused to back down. “Last time we went camping one of your friends died, killed by another one of your friends. This time it didn’t hit quite so close, but I’m not sure Max will ever get over the way he felt looking down at that body and assuming it was Amy.”
“Yeah. I think that jolted all of us. Technically, though, if it hadn’t been for a case of mistaken identity, we wouldn’t have been involved other than being questioned by the troopers.”
“It still counts as bad luck.”
“Whatever you say, Ms. Bossy.” Jack nuzzled his nose against her cheek and placed a series of smacking kisses along her jawline as she squirmed. “While camping might not be my favorite activity, I do happen to enjoy spending time with you … so I won there.”
“Oh, yeah?” Ivy released Nicodemus, who made a disgusted sound before hopping from the couch to the floor and racing away from them. “We’re home earlier than either one of us expected,” she noted as she reached for the hem of Jack’s T-shirt. “We thought we wouldn’t return until late tonight when we initially made our plans.”
“We did,” he agreed, pulling back so she could tug the shirt off of him. “What would you like to do with our unexpected quiet time?”
“Well, I have an idea.” She moved her hand along the scar above his heart. He was shot before moving to Shadow Lake … by his own partner. That was his cross to bear when he came to town. He used to hate showing his scar to her. Now he didn’t even notice.
“You usually have good ideas,” he noted, cupping her hand against his chest. He almost lost his heart in the shooting. Literally. It was in pieces when he arrived in town. Somehow, she’d put all the pieces back together, made him whole again. He didn’t think it was possible to love anything as much as he loved her. “Why don’t you show me this time? I think it will probably lose something in the telling.”
Ivy giggled as he moved his hands to her waist and tickled her. Breathless, she kissed him until he joined her in a gasping heap. “Finally something I want to do.”
“Right back at you.”
Nine
On a normal Monday, Ivy would’ve hemmed, hawed, and sighed before getting out of bed. This week, she bounced up with a spring in her step and immediately hopped into the shower. Jack was so surprised he remained behind a good twenty minutes. By the time he joined her in the kitchen, she’d already cooked breakfast and was in the middle of a to-do list for the day.
“I see you’re ready and raring to go.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before shuffling to the Keurig. “I can’t remember ever seeing you this excited on a Monday.”
“I don’t think ‘excited’ is the right word,” she countered. “We went to bed at eight last night, though.”
“Yes, but I wowed you. It’s not as if we went to sleep at eight.”
“Fine. We were asleep by nine.”
“I think that’s a commentary on my prowess,” he argued, his eyes flicking to Nicodemus, who looked smug. “You got her to say that, didn’t you?”
Ivy rolled her eyes. “That was not a commentary on your prowess. We were simply exhausted. Murder and mayhem will do that to you.”
“They certainly will,” Jack agreed, selecting a pod from the bin on the counter and slipping it into place. “I thought I would give it a few days and then call Trooper Winters for an update on Gordon.”
The conversational shift threw Ivy. “Oh.” She touched her tongue to her top lip as she considered the statement. “Have you been thinking about this the whole time?”
“I haven’t been thinking about it the whole time. I’ve been focused on you, in case you forgot.”
“How could I forget that? I’m still a-tingle from it.”
He snickered. “Very cute.” He leaned over and brushed a kiss against her lips. The contact was welcome, although he had no idea why he was so antsy this morning. In truth, he’d slept like the dead and was feeling rested and relaxed. Still, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that there was something he was supposed to do. “What are your plans for the day, by the way?”
“I plan on working at the nursery with my father,” she replied without hesitation. “You haven’t really answered my question, though. Don’t dodge it now.”
“What question did you ask?”
“I asked if you’ve been thinking about Stacy Shepherd’s murder the entire time.” She kept her eyes on him, legitimate worry flitting through the blue depths.
“Not the entire time,” he hedged, sighing when she refused to look away. “I can see you’re not going to let this go.”
“If the tables were reversed, you wouldn’t let it go either.”
“Fair enough.” He dragged a hand through his dark hair. “The thing is, I’m bothered by a few things. I know it’s not my case, but we were still close when it happened. I want to make sure that everything that can be done has happened.”
“Do you not trust Trooper Winters? I mean ... he seemed like a nice enough guy and I got the feeling he was diligent. You obviously feel differently, though.”
“I don’t.” Jack fervently shook his head. “I believe he’s working to the best of his ability to make sure everything adds up. It’s just ... I’m bothered by what happened. I don’t understand how nobody saw anything.”
Jack had a logical mind. Ivy did for the most part, too. Unlike her fiancé, though, she could imagine exactly how the crime went down. “No one was paying attention, Jack,” she noted as she collected her thoughts. “We were caught up in each other. Everyone else at the campground was doing the same thing, focusing on their friends and loved ones. It was all husbands and wives ... and young children ...
and people who wanted to frolic. There were even a few older couples, but they were already in bed. People are supposed to be safe at a campground.”
Her response only frustrated Jack more. “That’s what is truly bothering me,” he admitted. “Who goes to a campground to kill someone?”
“Jason Voorhees.”
He shot her a withering look. “What real person?”
“You said yourself that it’s possible Gordon snapped, killed her, and felt profound remorse after the fact.”
“It is possible,” he agreed. “The thing is ... well ... it’s just that he seemed legitimately gutted. He was confused ... and drunk ... and wallowing ... and crying. Those weren’t prepared responses unless he’s the best actor I’ve ever come across. I think he was really feeling those emotions.”
“Have you considered that he blacked out and doesn’t remember killing her?”
“No. Why? Do you think that’s what happened?”
Ivy shrugged. “I don’t know. I was careful not to touch him because I didn’t want to inadvertently see something that would strip away sleep for two months.”
Jack understood right away what she was saying. For the past year, something extremely odd had been happening to Ivy. She’d been developing certain abilities. That included seeing ghosts, getting flashes from the minds of killers, and dream walking with him on a regular basis.
“I’m glad you didn’t see it.” He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I don’t want you having to deal with things like that.”
“I think seeing things like that is my new norm,” she lamented. “I’m just going to have to get used to it. For now, though, I think you should put what happened at the campground behind us. It’s not your case and there’s literally nothing you can do.”
On the surface, Jack agreed with her. For some reason, though, he couldn’t get Gordon’s morose features out of his mind. Still, she would worry if he didn’t at least pretend he was moving on. “I’ll do my best, honey.” He gave her a sweet kiss. “I can’t promise more than that.”
Ivy Morgan Mystery Box Set 5 Page 28