Ivy Morgan Mystery Box Set 5

by Lily Harper Hart

  “You got married even though you didn’t want to,” Ivy noted. “You knew it was a mistake, but you felt trapped.”

  “That’s it exactly.” Amy bobbed her head. “I couldn’t take care of a baby on my own. I convinced myself of that. I stayed. He didn’t hurt me while I was pregnant, like I said. He waited until I was two weeks out from the birth to take out all his frustrations from the past nine months on me. I could barely walk when he was finished.”

  Jack felt sick to his stomach. “Why did you stay? I understand being afraid, but why not wait until he left for work one day and pack up? Surely your parents would’ve stood by you.”

  “They didn’t know. I was embarrassed to tell them. I don’t think you understand the fear that was coursing through me. I was ashamed. Eventually, though, after a few more beatings, I knew I was in trouble. I told my parents I needed to stay with them a bit because things weren’t going well. They agreed. I told Jeff and he melted down. He smacked me around again and then stormed out. I think the only thing that stopped him from killing me that evening was the fact that JJ started crying and he didn’t want to take care of him.

  “I was almost crippled with pain the next day when I woke up and it only got worse from there,” she continued. “The police were at my door. They didn’t even bother asking what happened to me. They told me my parents were dead, had somehow rolled their car when driving home because someone pulled out in front of them, and that was it. My plans to run were over because I had nowhere to go.”

  Jack held up a finger to still her. “Amy, someone pulled out in front of your parents and caused them to roll their vehicle?”

  “Yes. They both died in the accident. They never made it to the hospital.”

  “Did they catch the individual who caused the accident?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know. I never really thought about it. Does it matter?”

  “Well, I’m just wondering if Jeff is responsible. You said he beat you and left. Could he have gone there? It’s awfully convenient that they died the night before you were leaving.”

  Amy opened her mouth to shoot down the possibility and then snapped it shut. She’d never given it much thought over the years – she had numerous other things to worry about – but it made sense in a sick way. “Oh, my … .”

  “It’s not your fault,” Ivy reassured her. “You couldn’t have known what he was going to do.”

  “And we don’t technically know that he did it,” Jack added. “It’s just something I would like to explore further.”

  “Oh, he did it.” Tears streamed down Amy’s cheeks. “I can’t believe I was so blind to that until now. I just … he killed them.”

  “Then he won’t get away with it.” Jack was firm as he rested his elbows on the table and snagged Amy’s gaze. “Tell me the rest of it.”

  “There’s not much to tell. He beat me whenever the mood struck. It used to be that he claimed he had a reason for doing the things he was doing. He stopped apologizing or making up excuses. The last straw was when JJ accidentally spilled a glass of milk on the floor. Jeff went into a rage and started going after him. I had to throw myself between them to protect my son. That was probably the worst beating he ever gave me. It didn’t stop me from running, though.”

  Jack nodded in understanding. “Did you immediately leave Idaho?”

  “Yup. I didn’t stop until I was into Montana. I got a cheap hotel and we stayed the night. I’d been saving up money for almost two years at this point. I hid it from him for obvious reasons. I didn’t have a lot, but I had enough to get away.

  “I thought Minnesota was plenty big,” she continued. “I needed to settle in a place where the cost of living wasn’t too high. I did a lot of research and settled on Minnesota. Like I told Ivy earlier, I was at one job in Mankato for three years before he showed up. I’m still not sure how he found me.

  “I fled the second time to Duluth. I don’t know that he found me there. I did lose my job, though, and that’s when I called Caroline. She suggested joining her here, and that’s what I did. I cut through Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula and ended up here. That was two months ago.”

  “Have you been working at the highway bar that entire time?” Jack queried, his mind working hard as he tried to sort things into some semblance of order in his head.

  Amy nodded. “Do you think he tracked me down through employment records somehow?”

  “You had to turn over your Social Security number to get the job, so it’s possible.”

  Amy’s cheeks flooded a ruddy red color. “Um … not exactly. I used my mother’s Social Security number. I thought it was the safest thing. Her middle name was Amy, which was my great-grandmother’s name, so they didn’t even look twice when I told them I went by my middle name.”

  Jack nodded. “Okay.”

  “You’re not going to arrest me for identity fraud, are you?”

  Ivy answered before he could. “Absolutely not.”

  “Far be it from me to disagree with my fiancée,” Jack said dryly. “I have no interest in arresting you, though. We do, however, need to keep you safe. I’m betting Jeff tracked you through your mother’s number. He probably has a service monitoring for both. It’s not that expensive.”

  He rolled his neck and grabbed Ivy’s tea without asking to take a sip. When he was done, he’d organized his thoughts enough to continue. “Why didn’t you tell us you recognized Jeff at the campground?”

  “And what was I supposed to say?” Amy’s tone was tinged with bitterness. “Oh, hey, I know you just met me, but my husband is four campsites over. Oh, yeah, did I fail to mention I’m married? I’m married and having a romance with your brother. Aren’t I swell?”

  “I don’t care about that.” Jack remained calm in the face of her agitation. “I honestly don’t. You’ve been through a lot. It’s not as if you’re cheating on your husband because … well … he’s a jerk. We could’ve helped you then, though. We might’ve been able to save Becky Morris, too.”

  Amy was officially horrified. “Don’t put that on me. Please.”

  “Definitely don’t put it on her, Jack,” Ivy chided, reaching over to pat the woman’s hand. “She’s been through enough. This guy has been terrorizing her for years. Although … huh. I bet that’s why he came to our camp to ask you guys to go fishing. He probably wanted to glean information from Max. Did he ask a bunch of questions?”

  “Actually, he did,” Jack acknowledged, thoughtful. “He asked where we were from, what we did for a living, and made a big show of asking about you guys. He claimed to be separated from his wife, something that hurt him considerably because she got primary custody of their son. He seemed a lot more interested in getting information from Max than me. That makes sense, though.”

  “And he dropped the bodies as a message,” Ivy mused. “Unless … do you think he thought Stacy was really Amy?”

  “No.” Amy shook her head. “I went looking for him that night. That’s why I volunteered to get the water. I know he saw me. He couldn’t have mistaken her for me. That’s not how he operates.”

  “Then he killed her to send a message,” Jack noted. “He was there. He didn’t run away and hide in the shadows. He was right there when we all arrived.”

  “I knew when I heard about the woman found in the freeway median that he was here,” Amy acknowledged. “The news reports said she was at the same campground as us. Her husband was on television and telling anyone who would listen that someone must’ve been following him. I knew who it was.”

  Her response rankled Jack. “You should have told us.”

  “I was afraid. I thought you would take my son from me and give JJ to him. That’s what Jeff always told me would happen. My hands aren’t exactly clean here. I did interfere with custody. I did steal my mother’s identity. I’m going to do time for that, right?”

  Jack stared at her and shook his head. “No, you’re not.” He was firm. “I wish you’d had the faith to
tell us but there’s no judge in the world who would punish you for trying to protect your son. I’m not going to do that either.”

  “Really?” Amy looked so relieved it caused Ivy’s heart to roll. “Thank you so much.”

  “For now, I want you to use my phone and contact Caroline. Tell her to stay in whatever hotel you directed her to meet you at. It’s better if your son isn’t here right now. Hopefully it won’t take us more than twenty-four hours to track down Jeff.”

  “And what happens when you catch him?” Amy asked, accepting the phone. “Will I have to go back to Idaho and testify against him? I swore I would never go back there.”

  “He’s got bigger problems. He killed two Michigan women. He’ll stand trial for murder here first. If he ever does get back to Idaho, you would be required to testify, but I doubt that will be a concern given the fact that he’s facing two life sentences here.”

  “Good point.” Amy clutched the phone to her chest. “Do you really think we’ll be able to take him down?”

  “I really do.” Jack mustered a wan smile. “Make your call. Then I need to get Brian on this and see what we can dig up. I’m betting Jeff isn’t far from town. He wouldn’t want to risk being too far away from you.”

  “Thank you.” Amy’s voice cracked. “I don’t know how to thank you for this.”

  “It’s my job … and you’re welcome.” Jack winked at her as stood. “Come on, honey, let’s give her a moment of privacy. I want to have a talk with you about running wild around the countryside when there’s a murderer on the loose.”

  Ivy’s lips curved down. “Hey, I’m a hero today.”

  “Oh, yeah? Let’s argue and see if you still feel that way in twenty minutes.”

  IT TURNED OUT JACK WAS lying about wanting to pick a fight. He simply wanted to talk to his fiancée without an audience present.

  “This is serious,” he announced, running his hand over the back of her hair as she frowned. “This guy is a sociopathic nutcase. You have to be very careful until we have him in custody.”

  “I’ve got it. I promise to be careful.”

  “I need you to be really careful.” He pulled her in for a tight hug. “I don’t understand how someone could hurt another individual like that. It’s just … sickening.”

  “You’re a cop,” Ivy reminded him. “This is hardly the first time you’ve seen a human being turn into a monster.”

  “No. It’s still disgusting.” He pressed a small kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Once Amy is off the phone, I want you to stick close to her, keep her distracted. You have the barbecue tonight, right? That’s good. Everyone will be at the house together. Make sure you have Max meet you there.”

  Ivy immediately balked. “I can’t do that.”

  Jack cocked a questioning eyebrow. “You can’t do that?”

  She shook her head, firm. “Amy needs time to tell Max what’s going on, to confide in him. I’m not sure now is the time. Max will flip out and turn into Rambo. You know how he tends to go over the edge.”

  “I do,” Jack confirmed. “The thing is, Max is going to be worse if he’s cut out of this. He cares about Amy a great deal. He read the situation correctly. He knew there was something different about Amy and his first instinct was to protect her. If he’s cut out of this, he’ll always second guess himself.”

  “Is that true?” Ivy was dumbfounded. “If so, that’s some backwards male thinking there. The most important thing is keeping Amy safe.”

  “Max needs to be a part of it.”

  “I won’t force her to tell Max before she’s ready. That doesn’t seem fair.”

  “Well, I’m going to leave that up to you. I don’t want you two running around town, though. I want you to be observant and watch every shadow. Can you do that for me?”

  Ivy nodded without hesitation. “We’ll be safe, Jack. I promise.”

  “Good.” He pulled her in for another hug and swayed back and forth. “I’m going to find Jeff. If we’re lucky, he doesn’t realize Amy told us the truth and still thinks we’re buddies. He might think he can use that to his advantage.”

  “Don’t bait him alone,” Ivy warned. “Make sure you have Brian with you for backup.”

  “I have every intention of being smart about this.” Jack kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ve got everything under control.”

  “Just come back to me.”

  “Always.”

  Fourteen

  Jack stayed longer than he planned because Brian instructed him to hold tight while he placed a series of calls. He and Ivy helped Amy put the house back together. They unloaded the things that were in the car and worked overtime to keep the woman calm. During that time, Jack watched the two women interact … and found himself fascinated.

  Ivy, who had been convinced Amy was hiding something from virtually the start, was now the woman’s biggest champion. She kept close to Amy, constantly murmured words of support, and supplied endless cups of tea to make sure Amy wasn’t wallowing. To Jack, it was almost a miraculous turnaround.

  “What?” Ivy asked when she caught Jack staring at her. Amy was in the laundry room folding clothes so it was just the two of them.

  “You’re pretty special,” Jack replied without hesitation, tucking a strand of Ivy’s hair behind her ear and smiling. “I want to thank whatever gods were looking down on me when I got the job in Shadow Lake. Do you know it was third on my list? I applied to two other departments up here to get away from the city.”

  Honestly, Ivy didn’t know that. “Really? I wonder if we would’ve met if you’d taken one of those jobs.”

  “I like to think we would’ve met regardless. It might’ve taken longer, though. I happen to think we met at the exact right time. If I’d gone much longer being shut off, I’m not sure I would’ve been able to open up to you.”

  “You just said that we were destined to meet. I happen to think we were destined to find this, too. Love finds a way, right?”

  “Yeah.” He leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to her lips and then straightened. “I’m on duty. I’m not supposed to be kissing women on duty.”

  “Good to know.” She grinned as his phone dinged with an incoming message, watching as he studied the readout with unreadable eyes. “Anything?”

  “Actually, we might have something.” Jack pushed away from the counter as Amy entered the room. “Have you seen Jeff at all since we returned to Shadow Lake?”

  Amy shook her head. “Why?”

  “Brian put out a call to all the hotels in the area and got a hit. Apparently Jeff is staying at the Pine Cone Motel.”

  Ivy’s eyes lit with excitement. “Is he there now?”

  “I don’t know, but I need to head over and see. That means you guys are going to be on your own … and I would prefer it if you weren’t here by yourselves even for a few minutes.”

  Ivy balked. “We’re capable of protecting ourselves for five minutes. You don’t need to worry about us.”

  “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. You’re going to be my wife … and you find a lot of trouble. I believe that means I’m not going to be able to stop myself from worrying about you for the rest of our lives. It goes with the territory.”

  Ivy heaved out a long-suffering sigh. “I guess you have a point, especially since I’m a little worried about you. Now that I know what Jeff is capable of, I want you to be careful.”

  “I intend on being careful.” Jack was calm, firm. “I still don’t want you guys hanging around this place for even a little while. It’s too isolated. Can you go back to the cottage? The barbecue is tonight. Maybe you can make potato salad or something.”

  Amy furrowed her brow. “Potato salad? What does that have to do with catching Jeff?”

  “Nothing,” Ivy answered dryly. “Jack just loves potato salad.”

  “I love your potato salad best,” he offered. “Just think how happy I’ll be if you make it for me.”

  Ivy rolled her eyes, but it was only
for form’s sake. The last thing she wanted was Jack worrying about her when he had a murderer to track down. “We’ll spend the day at the cottage. I already did all the shopping for the barbecue. It will give Amy and me a chance to bond, right?”

  Amy cocked an eyebrow. “I’m kind of worried about bonding with you,” she admitted. “I was careful to keep distance between me and everyone I’ve met since I left Jeff. If I get attached to you, it will make it harder to leave if Jeff shows up. You wouldn’t believe how hard the idea of leaving Max was.”

  “You were still going to do it,” Ivy pointed out. “If I hadn’t arrived when I did, you would already be gone.” As sympathetic as she was to Amy’s plight, she didn’t like the idea of Max being left in the lurch. “My brother is a good guy. He would’ve helped. All you had to do was ask.”

  “I’m well aware of that.” Amy managed to remain stoic. “I didn’t want to put him at risk, though. If I told him … well … he would’ve gone after Jeff. We both know it.”

  Ivy did know that, without a shadow of a doubt. “My brother is impulsive,” she conceded. “He’s also loyal to a fault and doesn’t have a death wish. He would’ve tapped Jack to help him. He wouldn’t have run headlong into danger without thinking it through.” Even as she said the words, Ivy wasn’t sure they were true. “I mean … he probably wouldn’t have done that.”

  Jack slid her a sidelong look, legitimately amused. “I think it’s best the information came out the way it did,” he said. “As it stands, there’s a good chance we’ll be able to catch him before Max will even realize what’s happening. Although, I honestly don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. Either way, I want you guys out of here … now.”