Wicked Whimsy

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Your sister was Melanie Masters, right?”

  Annette nodded. “She was three years older than me, but we were close growing up.”

  “And she died about a year ago, right?” Jack pressed.

  Annette’s expression turned sad. “Yeah. She slipped away in the hospital. When she was first admitted, I was hopeful they would be able to find out what was wrong with her. They ran a lot of tests – a freaking lot of them – and they always came up empty. No one had any idea what was going on.

  “The longer she was in the hospital, the weaker she got,” she continued. “She was fading away in front of us and no one could do a thing about it. I don’t even remember when I recognized the fact that she was going to die. I wasn’t surprised when she did, though. I was still gutted. She was my only sister.”

  “It sounds like it was a horrible situation,” Brian noted.

  “It definitely was.” Annette licked her lips and shook herself out of her reverie. “I guess I’m confused why you’re here. Abraham and I were no longer family or anything. I’m not sure why you decided to inform me of his passing.”

  “We want to talk to you about Josh,” Jack said.

  “Oh.” Annette pursed her lips. “I should’ve seen that coming. I can’t believe I didn’t even ask about him. He has to be a wreck. He was close with Abraham, especially toward the end when Melanie was slipping away. This must be hard on him.”

  “It hasn’t been easy,” Jack confirmed. “You see, my fiancée and her brother were in the woods morel hunting. They’re the ones who stumbled across Josh and contacted us. Josh was … confused, I guess would be the right word … when we tried to question him yesterday.”

  “I don’t think I’m following,” Annette said. “Why would Josh be confused?”

  “Things happened quickly,” Brian replied. “A man with a gun approached them in the woods, Abraham told Josh to run and then it was over quickly. We believe Josh is in some sort of shock.”

  “Oh.” Annette had an expressive face, but it was blank now. “Are you saying he’s not speaking?”

  “He’s speaking,” Jack countered. “He’s very upset and admits that he couldn’t hear things properly at the time – that things were muffled – but we’re hoping that talking to someone he knows might make him feel more comfortable.”

  “Muffled?”

  “That’s a sign of shock,” Brian explained. “Things slowed down for him. He panicked. His heart was pounding. He couldn’t focus on more than one thing. It’s a normal reaction in situations like this, especially when dealing with a child.”

  “That’s too bad.” Annette looked thoughtful as she bounced the baby on her lap. “As for talking to him, we were never that close.”

  “He’s your nephew.”

  “Yeah, and he never liked me,” Annette said. “My son Carter and Josh were about the same age. I grew up in Bellaire but moved to Midland for several years during college. That’s where I met my husband and we stayed there for his work for a bit.

  “When we moved back to the area, we landed in Gaylord because that’s where my husband got a job,” she continued. “That meant we saw Melanie about once a month. I would’ve liked it to be more often, but we couldn’t always manage it.

  “Carter and Josh were five when I returned,” she said. “They knew each other from family parties and Christmas celebrations but never spent a lot of time together. Melanie and I wanted them to be close and set up play dates, but it didn’t exactly work out as we planned.”

  “And why is that?”

  “The boys didn’t like each other. Josh was more of an introvert, liked books and puzzles. Carter was a boy’s boy and wanted to wrestle and occasionally bite. Yeah, he was a biter. I’m not proud of it and he eventually grew out of it, but he spent a good year there biting anybody who was brave enough to touch him.”

  For some absurd reason, Jack had to fight the urge to smile. “I see.”

  “Josh wasn’t a bad kid or anything, but he was quiet and introspective,” Annette explained. “He simply didn’t bond with people as well as he did books.”

  “Even his mother?”

  “Oh, he loved Melanie,” Annette supplied. “He went through a phase where he practically clung to her no matter what she was doing. If she was outside in her garden, he wanted to be out there, too. He seemed to need and want all of her attention.”

  “What about Abraham?” Jack asked, leaning back on the couch so he could rest the toddler on his lap. The boy had lost interest in playing with his watch and fallen asleep. Jack was happy to serve as a pillow as long as it kept the boy quiet. “Was Josh close with his father, too?”

  “Listen, this is going to sound horrible given what happened yesterday, but I never liked Abraham,” Annette volunteered. “I always thought he was a bit full of himself. He believed in traditional roles around the house, that a wife should cook and clean and the man bring home the bacon and then eat it. If you expect me to shed a tear for what happened to him, I can’t do it.”

  Jack was taken aback. “Did you want him dead?”

  “Did I want him dead?” Annette puzzled out the question. “I would’ve much preferred my sister live. I don’t think that’s what you’re asking, though.”

  “I guess I’m confused,” Jack hedged, absently running his hand over the toddler’s back to keep the youngster calm. “What does one thing have to do with the other?”

  “Oh, well, I’m convinced that Abraham killed Melanie,” Annette answered without hesitation. “I think she didn’t live up to his idea of the perfect wife and he killed her.”

  Brian shifted on his seat, uncomfortable and yet intrigued all the same. “My understanding is that your sister had some underlying medical condition that killed her.”

  “My sister was the picture of health up until she suddenly got sick two years ago,” Annette corrected, shifting the baby so he could sleep with his head on her shoulder. “She was never sick a day in her life. When I got the chicken pox, so did she, only she got over it in like three days and I was down for two weeks. She was always the healthy one and she never got sick.”

  “They must have at least some idea what killed her,” Brian prodded. “Medical mysteries aren’t exactly common in this day and age. Sure, they happen, but most doctors can at least narrow things down to a heart ailment or something.”

  “To this day, we have no idea what killed Melanie,” Annette said. “The doctor never did figure it out and the autopsy was inconclusive. She just … stopped breathing.”

  “You must have a reason for believing that Abraham had something to do with her death.”

  “I do.” Annette bobbed her head. “He was having an affair. He didn’t know that I knew about it, but Melanie knew. She was going to leave him and then suddenly she got sick. She couldn’t have left him after that even if she wanted to because she needed his insurance.”

  The story didn’t make a lot of sense to Jack. “So, you’re saying that Abraham was having an affair and Melanie found out about it. Right when she was going to leave him, she got sick.”

  “Yup.”

  “Did the doctors run blood panels for poison?”

  “They did,” Annette confirmed. “I suggested it right away.”

  “And they came up empty?”

  “Yes. They said they couldn’t find anything in her blood that suggested poison,” Annette replied. “I knew, though. It had to be Abraham. He made a big show of sitting by her bedside and holding her hand. Then, every night when he left the hospital, he went to see his girlfriend.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I followed him several times,” Annette answered, her cheeks flushed with color. “He went to a hotel and met someone. My sister was fighting for her life in the hospital and he couldn’t keep it in his pants long enough to be faithful to her while she was suffering.”

  Jack scratched the side of his nose. “I don’t blame you for being angry. However, you have no proof that yo
ur sister was poisoned.”

  “I feel it in my bones.”

  Annette was so earnest Jack couldn’t argue with her. “Well, we’ll ask around and see what we come up with. If Abraham had a girlfriend, that might give us a motive for murder. I don’t suppose you know this woman’s name, do you?”

  “No. I don’t know who she is. All I can say is that she looked about my sister’s age and was blond.”

  “Well, we’ll see what we can dig up.” Brian rubbed the back of his neck as he internally debated how to ask the next question. Finally, he figured he had no choice but to take the bull by the horns and blurt it out. “What about Josh?”

  “What about him?” Annette asked. “I thought he was okay.”

  “He’s alive, but he’s very far from okay,” Jack replied. “He’s a traumatized boy who spent the night after witnessing his father’s murder in a group.”

  “That’s awful.” Annette’s features twisted. “You’re going to ask me to take him, aren’t you?”

  Jack could practically feel the trepidation rolling off the woman. “He’s your nephew. If you don’t take him, I am afraid what will happen. He could become a ward of the state. We’re going to check with a few other relatives, but there aren’t a lot of you guys out there.”

  “I can feel you judging me,” Annette said, her eyes filling with tears. “I don’t blame you. He’s my sister’s only child and I should want to take him. I don’t, though. I have more than I can handle already.

  “I love my children, don’t get me wrong, but they’re a lot of work,” she continued. “We were planning on two with a wide gap between them so we could give them both a lot of attention. We had a big birth control fail, and our plans flew out the window.

  “I’m emotionally wrecked right now,” she continued. “I don’t get more than a few hours’ sleep a night and I’m exhausted. I don’t have anything to give Josh.

  “Still, if I thought he would end up someplace awful, I would obviously step in,” she said. “Josh needs a lot of attention, though. He’s a needy kid. The way he attached himself to my sister troubled me on a lot of levels.”

  Jack pictured the way Josh bonded with Ivy, the way he clung to her even though he barely knew her. “I can see that. He’s still your nephew.”

  “He is,” Annette agreed. “He’s my nephew and my sister would want what’s best for him. I think having access to psychologists and people who know how to help him through his grief is what’s best for him.

  “I haven’t seen him since Melanie’s funeral,” she continued. “He didn’t even look at me that day. He’s never liked me. We never bonded. We’re just … not close. I have to focus on my own children. I know that sounds harsh, but they’re my priority.

  “I feel bad for Josh,” she continued. “He’s always been a lost and lonely kid. I blame Abraham for isolating him because he only wanted Josh to hang around with the right kinds of kids. You know, the kids who had a mother at home instead of working. Abraham set ridiculous rules and it made Josh think a certain way.

  “Do you know, he once told me I was a bad mother because I worked part-time at the library?” she said, incredulous. “Josh said that. It wasn’t Abraham. Josh learned how to parrot everything his father said.”

  “That’s terrible and I don’t agree with it,” Jack said solemnly. “We’re still in a bad place here. Josh has no one. If we can’t find a family member to take him in, he’ll become a ward of the state.”

  “And maybe that’s best for him,” Annette persisted. “They’ll be able to give him the counseling he deserves, and he’ll have people who focus solely on him for a time, which is what he desperately needs.

  “I have three children of my own,” she continued. “I can’t give them the attention they need. How am I supposed to focus on Josh without neglecting my own children? Or, switch it around, how am I supposed to focus on my own children and ignore Josh? Someone would end up hurt in the equation and I don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

  Jack bit back a sigh. He wanted to press the woman further – he was legitimately worried what would happen to Josh, and how that would affect Ivy because she was already attached to the boy – but he also knew she was speaking the truth. It was obviously hard for her, she was a good person, but she recognized her limitations. She simply could not give Josh what he needed.

  Brian clearly felt the same way because he slowly got to his feet. “Thank you for your time. We’ll ask around about what you mentioned, your sister’s illness and all, and see what we can come up with.”

  “We’ll keep in touch,” Jack added, carefully transferring the sleeping toddler to the playpen next to the couch. The boy didn’t as much as move a finger at the change in location.

  “I really am sorry.” Annette was sincere as she walked them to the front door. “I feel awful and it’s probably something I’ll always carry around. I can’t take him, though. I’m barely hanging on here.”

  Jack was sympathetic to her plight and patted her shoulder. “I think you’re doing admirably well here. As for Josh, we’ll figure something out. If you want to see him down the line, I’m sure that can be arranged.”

  “Yeah. I’ll talk to my husband when he gets home tonight. The least we can do is visit.”

  “I’m sure he’ll like that,” Jack said.

  “Actually, I’m betting he won’t like it,” Annette countered. “I still want to see him. He’s all I have left of Melanie, after all.”

  “Here’s my card.” Jack handed a small piece of cardboard to her. “If you have questions later, or something occurs to you, don’t hesitate to give me a ring. My cell phone is on there, too. I’ll be in touch when I know more.”

  “Thank you.” Annette held open the door as they filed out. “I hope you find who did this.”

  “Oh, we’ll find who did this. We won’t let a murderer get away with a brutal killing like this in our town. I promise you that. We will find answers. It simply might take some time.”

  Eight

  Ivy took a break from Josh long enough to touch base with her father.

  “How are things going out here? Have you been keeping up with the list I left?”

  Michael lifted his eyes, amused at his only daughter’s bossy nature. She planted her hands on her hips as she watched him work, an air of authority wafting off of her. “Things are fine.”

  “Do you need help?”

  “Not last time I checked.”

  “But … it’s kind of busy.”

  Michael tilted his head to the side as he regarded his offspring. Ivy was always the higher maintenance of his two children. Max had better self-esteem and a healthy ego as a youngster. Ivy took time to grow into her ego, although it was fairly impressive now that she was an adult. “Everything is fine out here, Ivy,” Michael said after a beat. “Is something wrong in there?” He indicated the greenhouse with a head bob.

  “No.” Ivy shifted from one foot to the other. “He’s fine.”

  Something about the way she said it alerted Michael that she was struggling with something she didn’t want to admit to. “What is it, kid?” Michael searched Ivy’s face for a clue. “What has you so upset?”

  “Nothing has me upset. Why do you think something has me upset?”

  She sounded too defensive for comfort. “Because you’re out here instead of in there bonding with your young acolyte,” Michael replied calmly. “Did he say something to upset you?”

  In truth, Josh said several things to upset Ivy. She was working overtime not to dwell on them, though. “He’s a sad kid,” she said finally. “A lot has gone wrong in his life. He’s a little upset about it. Can you blame him? I mean … he saw his father shot and killed in front of him.”

  “I don’t blame him for being upset about that.” Michael was matter of fact. “I think you’re worried his anger might be a bit more than you can deal with, though.”

  Ivy couldn’t shutter her surprise quickly enough. “What makes you say that?”


  “Because I know you, daughter.” Michael winked at Ivy. “I can tell when you’re worried. You don’t hide your emotions very well. Everything you feel is right on the surface.”

  Ivy had no idea if that was supposed to be a compliment or a dig, so she let it slide. “He’s very angry. You’re right about that.”

  “You can’t fix that, Ivy.” Michael took a pragmatic approach. “At least not right now. Josh needs to work through a few things and you can’t be the one to fix everything for him. It’s not your job.”

  “I want to help him.”

  “That’s because you have a giving soul. This is still out of your wheelhouse.”

  “You sound like Jack,” Ivy grumbled. “He said pretty much the same thing to me.”

  “Well, Jack is a smart man.” Michael’s lips curved at Ivy’s scowl. “He snapped you up, didn’t he?”

  Ivy shot her father a withering eye roll. “Ha, ha.”

  “I mean it.”

  “Whatever.” Ivy pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead. “I just came out for a quick breather. I was hoping you would order lunch and have it delivered. I have money in my purse, which is under the cash register.”

  “I’ll order lunch. Is there anything Josh doesn’t like?”

  “I asked. He said a burger with ketchup and pickles is fine. Maybe some fries, too.”

  “I’ll get on it.”

  “Thanks.” Ivy flashed a brief smile before turning on her heel to return to the greenhouse. Michael stopped her by calling out.

  “Hey, Ivy?”

  “What?”

  “You’re doing the best you can,” Michael noted. “I think you’re practically perfect but, if I did have a complaint, it would be that you take things to heart too much. There’s no reason to do that now.”

  Ivy stared at him for a long beat. “I think it’s too late for that. I feel responsible for him.”

  Michael heaved out a sigh. “I figured as much. Still, you can only do what you can do.”

  “I’m going to do the very best that I can for him. There is no other option.”