Ivy Morgan Mystery Box Set 5

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Or maybe there’s nothing to see.”

  “Maybe.” Ivy wasn’t convinced. “I hate doing nothing.”

  “I’m not suggesting that we do nothing. I’m suggesting that we eat dinner and then spend quality time together. That’s hardly nothing.”

  Despite herself, Ivy managed a smirk. “What sort of quality time did you have in mind?”

  “It will lose something in the telling. You’ll have to wait for me to show you when we get home.”

  “I guess I can hold out until then.”

  “Anticipation is half the fun.”

  THE DINER WAS PACKED WHEN THEY walked through the door. Lucy greeted them with an upraised chin as she skirted toward a table in the front, a plate in each hand. “The family is in the back,” she offered.

  Ivy’s forehead wrinkled. “Family?” She turned to stare at the huge round table in the back corner of the restaurant and was taken aback when she recognized her mother, father, Max, Amy, and JJ. “Huh.”

  Jack followed her gaze. “I guess we won’t be eating alone after all.”

  “I don’t understand why they’re here,” Ivy admitted, confused. “I mean ... I doubt they all accidentally ran into each other.”

  Jack caught on to what was bothering her. “I’m guessing we weren’t invited for a specific reason.”

  “I guess.”

  “Or, to be more precise, I wasn’t invited.”

  Annoyance etched across Ivy’s face as she pinned him with a dark look. “You’re always invited.”

  Jack had his doubts. “Honey, I don’t think I’m your mother’s favorite person right now. It’s okay. I can eat at the counter and you can have a nice meal with them. I don’t mind.”

  “I mind.”

  He bit back a curse. “I don’t want this to turn into a big thing. We’re getting married in a few weeks. I would prefer not getting into a screaming match with your mother and father before that happens. I really am fine eating alone.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” Ivy was firm. “We’re a unit. If they don’t want you, they don’t want me.”

  Jack could read the determination in the tilt of her head and sensed trouble. “I don’t want to be involved in a Morgan family screaming match when half the town is present.” He refused to back down. “If you’re insistent on sticking with me, I think it’s best that we get our own table.”

  “And I think there’s no way I’m letting my mother off the hook.” Ivy squared her shoulders and moved in that direction. “If you don’t want to be part of this, go ahead and get a table. I’ll yell at them and then join you shortly.”

  To Jack, that sounded like an absolutely horrible idea. “I think it’s best if we stick together. I don’t want there to be any bloodshed.”

  “Fine. I’m not promising not to lose my temper, though. You’ve been warned.”

  “And here I thought it was going to be a quiet night with my favorite girl and the tastiest cut of beef known to man.”

  Ivy ignored his attempt at a joke and stalked toward her family. Max was the first to look up and when he realized who was about to join them the color drained from his face. It was obvious he could read his sister’s mood and Jack had to bite back a laugh at the look of panic that he shot his father.

  “Good evening, Mother,” Ivy drawled when she landed at the table.

  Clearly surprised, Luna lifted her eyes and focused on her only daughter. “Hello, Ivy.” Her demeanor was unnaturally stiff. “I didn’t realize you were going out for dinner this evening.”

  “That’s because you didn’t ask.”

  “I didn’t realize it was necessary to ask.” Luna was calm under pressure. Jack had to give her that. She didn’t as much as blink as she stared down Ivy. “I figured you would have other things going on ... like helping your fiancé frame your aunt for murder.”

  Jack dropped his head and rubbed the back of his neck as Ivy made a sound that reminded him of a feral cat. “Luna,” he started, unsure exactly how he wanted to proceed but certain he would have to take control of the conversation if he didn’t want to witness a meltdown of epic proportions. “I know you’re upset.”

  “Upset?” Luna’s voice was practically a hiss. “You know I’m upset? Well, that is just so very observant of you, Jack. I can’t believe you figured that out on your own.”

  “Don’t talk to him like that.” Ivy was furious. “He’s just doing his job.”

  “I believe that’s what the Nazis said, too.”

  Max’s mouth dropped open as Michael put a steadying hand on his wife’s forearm.

  “Okay, that will be enough of that,” Michael announced before Ivy could find something horrible to say in return. “Jack is not a Nazi. You need to calm down.”

  For his part, JJ was watching the scene with something akin to fear. He had a crayon clutched in his hand and was coloring his placemat when Ivy and Jack entered. Apparently he didn’t initially realize anything was wrong. He was too smart a kid to miss that little tidbit now. “What’s going on?” he asked, his voice shaky.

  “It’s okay.” Amy forced a smile for her son’s benefit. “Mrs. Morgan and Ivy are just ... having a discussion.”

  “They’re fighting,” JJ countered. “I don’t like it when people fight.”

  “I know you don’t but ... .” Amy shifted her helpless eyes to Max. It was obvious she was out of her depth.

  “You don’t have anything to worry about, buddy,” Max reassured the boy, patting his hand. The look he shot Ivy was one of warning. “I know that it upsets you when people argue, but this isn’t a big argument. This is a little argument.”

  JJ was understandably dubious. “Ivy looks really mad, like she’s going to cry. I don’t want her to cry. I don’t like it when people cry.”

  “He saw me cry a few times when I didn’t realize he was watching,” Amy explained, shifting on her chair. Her discomfort matched that of her son. “Maybe you could not fight in front of him. I mean ... I don’t want to tell you what to do or anything.”

  Ivy was furious with her mother but also sympathetic to Amy’s plight. “We’re not going to fight,” she said finally. “You don’t have to worry about that, JJ.” She managed to paste a friendly smile on her face, although it didn’t make it all the way to her eyes. “Jack and I are going to get our own table. Everything is perfectly fine.”

  “You’re not getting your own table,” Michael countered. “We’re a family. Everyone is eating together. It’s not often that we’re all in the same place. I don’t want to miss an opportunity.”

  Despite her husband’s words, Luna didn’t appear to agree with him. “I think that separate tables is a good idea.”

  “I think we should all sit together,” JJ pressed, determined to play peacemaker. “I want everyone to be together ... and happy.”

  “JJ, maybe just this once, it would be best if we were at separate tables,” Amy suggested, grasping at straws. “Besides, I think Ivy and Jack have private work stuff to talk about. Isn’t that right?”

  “That’s right,” Ivy agreed grimly. “Jack and I have private police stuff to discuss. We can’t talk about it in front of civilians.”

  “I had no idea you’d joined the force,” Luna countered coolly. “How wonderful that must be for the both of you. Are there any other spectacular women you want to lock up even though they’re innocent? Perhaps you can make it your full-time job if you become partners on the force.”

  “That did it.” Michael wrapped his hand around Luna’s wrist and dragged her eyes to him. “We’ve talked about this. You cannot act this way. She’s our daughter.”

  “And she’s made her choice. She chose a man who wants to ruin this family. I think that her priorities are skewed and it’s best if she eats with him this evening. He’s the most important person in her life, after all.”

  Even though he was determined to keep from making things worse, Jack’s temper flared. “Don’t take this out on her.” He kept his voic
e low so it wouldn’t carry. “That’s not fair to Ivy.”

  “Life isn’t fair. Just ask my sister.”

  Jack refused to back down. “I don’t think Felicity is guilty. I wish you could understand that. I have a job to do, though, and we can’t rule out Felicity until we find the actual culprit. I’m doing my absolute best to get to the bottom of this. Your daughter is putting herself out there in uncomfortable ways to do the same. She doesn’t deserve to be attacked from every side simply because she’s with me. That is just ... so ... .” Words failed him. “You know what? I expected better from you. I’m not going to let you torture her, though. Punishing her this way is cruel and I never thought of you as cruel.” He grabbed Ivy’s hand and tugged her away from the table. “Come on, honey. We’ll go someplace else for dinner.”

  “But you wanted the porterhouse,” Ivy countered. “We can just eat on the other side of the restaurant.”

  “No!” JJ turned shrill, his eyes going as wide as saucers. He sounded as if he was on the verge of tears. “I want us all to eat together. I don’t want to fight. I don’t want anyone to cry. Not again.”

  Amy rubbed her forehead. “I’m sorry,” she offered. “He’s just ... sensitive ... about this stuff right now. He can’t help it. We lived a very different life before this. He doesn’t understand.”

  Ivy felt terrible for JJ, but she was at her limit with her mother. “Everything is going to be fine, JJ,” she promised. “My mother has simply decided to be evil for the day. She’ll be back to her normal self before you know it. Jack and I are fine eating at another table.”

  “That’s not going to happen.” Michael stood, drawing himself to his full height, and pinned his wife with a glare. “We are a family. We’re all eating together. Ivy and Jack are joining us. If you don’t like that, Luna, you can eat someplace else.”

  Luna was obviously stunned by her husband’s reaction. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me.” His voice was like granite. “That is my child. I am not ostracizing her from this family ... and neither are you. I don’t care how angry you are. I don’t care how horrible you’re going to be when we get home. I’m putting my foot down.

  “You two ... sit!” He gestured toward the two open chairs on the other side of the table. “Don’t say a single word, Ivy,” he growled. “Sit down and shut up.”

  Ivy wasn’t used to her father being so forceful. Because she didn’t know what else to do, she followed his instructions and plopped down in the chair. Jack followed suit because he figured it was his only option.

  “Good.” Michael returned to his seat. “Now, we’re all going to sit down and have a nice dinner as a family. If anyone does not like that, they can suck it up. I don’t want to hear one word of complaint. Are we understood?”

  No one responded. Instead, three sets of eyes focused on their placemats and didn’t wander.

  “That’s more like it.” Michael smiled indulgently at JJ. “I told you everything would be okay. Now, what is everyone getting? I’m officially starved.”

  DINNER WAS AN UNCOMFORTABLE affair to say the least. Still, everyone managed to make it through. When Lucy showed up with their bill, Jack snagged it before anyone could say a word.

  “You guys don’t look happy,” Lucy noted, her expression curious. “Is there something going on that I should know about?”

  “Nothing that won’t be worked out in a few days,” Jack replied, digging for his credit card. “Dinner was lovely, though. You should have the porterhouse more often.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Lucy’s eyes continued to roam around the table. “You guys look extremely unhappy. Does this have something to do with Zelda?”

  “What makes you ask that?” Jack queried evasively. The last thing he wanted was for things to devolve ... again.

  “Just call it a lucky guess.” Lucy made a clucking sound with her tongue. “I thought for sure you would’ve focused on Fanny by now given the way she’s been acting, but I guess other things have sprung up, huh?”

  Jack was intrigued despite himself. “Why would we be focusing on Fanny?”

  “Because she’s been burning stuff in the alley behind the store.”

  Jack stilled, surprised. “What do you mean? What stuff?”

  “I don’t know what she was burning, but she’s been holding court by that big burn barrel she has behind the strip and I saw her dumping a bunch of papers and even a binder in there. When I questioned her, she said it wasn’t any of my business. I figured she was burning evidence.”

  Jack was flabbergasted. “You saw her burning a binder?”

  “Yeah. She was out there two hours ago having a happy bonfire.”

  Jack slid his eyes to Ivy. “I don’t suppose you saw anyone with her, did you?”

  “No. Was someone supposed to be with her?”

  “Just forget I asked.” He inclined his head toward the credit card he’d handed over. “I’ll check out the burning situation. Don’t worry about that. Thanks for the tip.”

  “Hey, I want to know who killed Zelda as much as the next person. Fanny is the one who makes the most sense. She was the only one taking this thing seriously. The rest of us were in it for the fun and nothing else.”

  Jack managed to keep his face placid, but just barely. “Can you run my card? I’ll head over there as soon as the meal is cleared.”

  “Sure.” Lucy’s smile was bright. “If you arrest her, make sure she knows I’m the one who turned her in. I figured it was her from the start. It never made sense for you to be looking at Felicity.”

  “Exactly!” Luna’s eyes flashed. “That’s what I’ve been telling him.”

  “Just run the card,” Jack stressed. “We’re going to head over and check out the situation as soon as you’re finished. The meal really was good.”

  And just like that, they had another lead ... and it was one they were both looking forward to chasing. Things were finally looking up.

  Sixteen

  Ivy was still fuming over her mother’s attitude when she and Jack left the diner.

  “I’m never speaking to her again.”

  Jack arched a dubious eyebrow. “You guys will be fine in a few days. She’ll apologize and you’ll be gracious in your acceptance of the apology.”

  “Did you just meet me? When have I ever been gracious?”

  “Every single day of your life. You have a good heart even if your mouth does get ahead of you sometimes. You’re a special woman and part of the reason is because you have good parents.”

  Ivy pursed her lips and glared at the ground as they walked. It was hard to hold onto her anger when he said things like that. “Do you really think I’m gracious?” she asked, causing him to grin.

  “I think you’re beyond gracious. You have a temper — although I like that you’re fiery — but you’re also quick to forgive. You don’t hold a grudge.”

  “Tell Maisie and Ava that.”

  “They have it coming. You’re a very good person, Ivy. Stop pretending otherwise. I know your mother’s attitude has you hot under the collar, but she has a right to her anger.”

  “No, she doesn’t. You’ve been nothing but nice to her and you’ve been phenomenal to me. She should trust that you’re doing your absolute best and put a cork in it.”

  Her vehemence on his behalf made him go warm all over. “She’s loyal,” he noted. “That’s her sister. Of course she’s going to stick up for her sister. Loyalty is a good thing. You have it in spades, which is why you’re sticking up for me.”

  “There’s no need to choose between you and Aunt Felicity.” Ivy sounded completely rational as she slipped her hand in his. “You’re both good people and this is all going to work out. I have faith.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “Then, when our murderer is in jail, I’m going to kick Henry Spencer in his special place and find an appropriate boyfriend for Aunt Felicity.”

  Jack snorted. “That won’t backfire or anything.”
<
br />   “I don’t want her to be lonely, but she could do so much better than him.”

  Even though Jack was a big proponent of letting people handle their personal business, he couldn’t help but agree. “She deserves better. Still, she’s an adult. If she likes Henry ... .”

  “Then she needs mental help,” Ivy finished. “You can’t talk me out of this. It’s happening.”

  “Fine. We’ll save that fight for another day.”

  They lapsed into amiable silence for the rest of their walk. The moment they turned the corner of the building, the distinct odor of scorched ... something ... practically overwhelmed them.

  “Well, someone has definitely been burning back here,” Jack muttered, releasing Ivy’s hand and stepping forward. His eyes were keen as they scanned the alley for signs of movement. “Maybe you should head back to Main Street — where there are lights — and call Brian for me.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Ivy ... .”

  “We’re a team,” she insisted. “We’re sticking together and that’s all there is to it.”

  Jack let loose a long-suffering sigh — she really was a lot of work — and then nodded. “Fine. If I tell you to do something, though, I expect you to do it.”

  “What are you going to tell me to do?”

  “I don’t know. I just want the rules to be clear. If I give you an order — like to run — you’re going to follow it. I want your word on it.”

  Realization dawned on Ivy. “There’s no one back here. We would’ve already seen movement if we weren’t alone. You don’t have to worry.”

  “Where you’re concerned, I’m always worried.” He held her gaze a moment longer and then stepped in front of her. “You stay behind me.”

  Ivy wasn’t particularly fond of his tone. “Maybe you should stay behind me. Have you ever considered that?”

  “No.”

  Jack continued to study the shadows as he moved closer to the large barrel that was sitting in the middle of the alley behind the craft store. When he was absolutely positive they were alone, he dug in his pocket for his key ring, which had a small flashlight attached to it. When he flicked on the light, his forehead creased as he studied the remnants of the fire.