Wicked Whimsy

by Lily Harper Hart

  “We don’t know that he planned it out,” Jack said. “He could’ve been out in the woods with his father when he put it together, for all we know. I mean … think about it. They’re out picking mushrooms and Abraham warns Josh not to pick one of the false morels. That might have triggered a memory in Josh. He’s not a little kid. He seems quite smart. If he recognized the false morel as something his father fed his mother, it could’ve caused him to snap.”

  “I guess.” Brian couldn’t wrap his head around it and rubbed the back of his neck. “How are you going to prove it?”

  “Well, for starters, I’m heading toward Annette Hargrove’s house to see if she can give me some information. After that, I’m going to see Ellen Woodbridge. I’m convinced she’s hiding something.”

  “Fair enough. What do you want me to do?”

  “Visit Tammy Vickers-Masters,” Jack instructed. “She was close with the family but an outsider at the same time. Tell her what we suspect and see what she thinks. She might be able to guide us on this one.”

  “I can do that.” Brian grabbed his keys from the corner of his desk. “Where do you want to meet up?”

  “I want to play it by ear,” Jack replied. “I might send you out to Ivy’s nursery if we manage to confirm this, or even come close to confirming it, for that matter. Josh is out there with Michael and Ivy.”

  Brian realized what was worrying Jack right away. “He wouldn’t hurt Ivy and Michael. You said it yourself, if he did this, he probably did it in a fugue state of sorts. He had the gun, realized what his father did to his mother, and shot him. The reason he thinks his ears didn’t work is because he was in shock at what he did at the time. He can’t take it back and that’s why he clings to the lie. It makes him feel better.”

  “That’s exactly what I believe.”

  “It’s a good theory.” Brian grabbed his coat and headed toward the office door. “Still, since you’re hitting two of our main witnesses and I’m only hitting one, I’ll head out to check on Ivy after the fact. It can’t possibly hurt to keep an eye on that kid.”

  “Yeah. I agree.”

  Brian chuckled. He could practically see his partner’s worried expression on the other end of the call. “Ivy can take care of herself. Don’t worry about her.”

  “I’m not worried.”

  “You’re always worried.”

  Jack turned rueful. “I can’t help it. She’s … kind of my everything.”

  “And you’re kind of schmaltzy,” Brian shot back. “Don’t worry about Ivy, though. I’ll head out there when I’m done with Tammy.”

  “That sounds like a plan.”

  IVY SUCKED IN A BREATH and smiled when she crested the hill and found herself looking at her fairy ring. It was her favorite place in the world – other than the times she managed to climb into Jack’s mind with him and have a vacation day on a sandy beach or beside a babbling brook, of course – and she’d only managed sporadic visits since the winter weather broke.

  “Your fairy ring?” Max furrowed his brow as he moved to Ivy’s side, confused. “You think Josh hid something in your fairy ring?”

  “I think that Josh was close to this area when Abraham was attacked,” Ivy replied as she moved toward the wizened tree that looked to have a craggy old face carved into it. “Think about it. Abraham was found not far that way.” Ivy pointed for emphasis.

  “This is the opposite direction from which Josh ran, though,” Max pointed out as he matched her pace. “He would’ve had to run in this direction, stash the gun – yes, I know you’re looking for the gun – and then run back in the opposite direction to find us.”

  “I don’t think he knew he was going to run into us,” Ivy argued. “That was a fluke. He might’ve known where the cottage was, though. I think his plan was to run to the cottage for help and tell his story. He ran into us first and that didn’t allow him to properly prepare how he was going to explain what happened. Instead he tripped over us and had to lie on the fly.”

  “I still don’t understand why you think Josh did this,” Max pressed. “I know you said you saw him cut the tie in your vision but … he’s a kid.”

  “He’s a disturbed kid,” Ivy corrected. “He’s the sort of kid who forms attachments with people and then doesn’t like it when those individuals can’t live up to his lofty standards. What if he decided his father couldn’t give him what he needed?”

  “He was the only relative Josh had left,” Max supplied. “Would you kill the only lifeline you had left because he or she didn’t live up to some sort of perfect ideal you’d created in your head?”

  “You’re assuming I would have control of that,” Ivy said, her eyes moving over the fairy ring as she searched for something she was almost positive was hidden very close. “What if Josh is mentally unbalanced?”

  “I guess that’s a possibility.” Max rubbed his chin. “Given everything that’s happened to him, I can’t imagine he’s come out the other side unscathed. Still, to kill his father, that’s cold-blooded.”

  “It is, but it also might have been a decision he made in the heat of the moment,” Ivy said, her eyes gleaming when she caught sight of something behind the tree. “Ha!” She dived forward and rummaged behind the tree, coming out with a small camouflage bag. She didn’t hesitate as she dug inside, her eyes widening as she carefully pulled out a handgun. “Do you still doubt me?”

  Max was dumbfounded as he stared at the weapon. “How did you know?”

  “I saw two things in my vision,” Ivy replied, her breath coming out in small gasps as she stared at the gun. “The first was Josh cutting the tie on the logs. He has a small penknife, one of those things like you used to carry when you were a kid. You know what I’m talking about.”

  “It’s called a Swiss Army Knife.” Max was grim. “I can’t believe the home didn’t take that from him.”

  “He’s been a real pain in the butt where the people from the home are concerned,” Ivy said. “They probably didn’t think they needed to search him. Or maybe he somehow came across it after the fact.”

  “It might have saved us some trouble if they had bothered to search him.”

  “I’ll bring that up to Dana next time I see her,” Ivy said dryly. “In fact, if you’re still warm for her form, you could bring it up and force her to act as your nurse since you’re still recovering.”

  Max’s lips curved. “That right there is a genius idea.”

  “You can put it into motion as soon as we handle this.” Ivy returned the weapon to the bag and zipped it shut. “There’s no rifle out here. Josh said his father had a rifle. Why would he lie about that?”

  “Maybe he thought he could get away with it.”

  “I guess.” Ivy rolled her neck and stood. “I need to call Brian and tell him about this.”

  “What about Jack?”

  “Jack is at the state police post in Grayling. He told me that’s where he was heading. He can’t help us. That means we need to call Brian.”

  “Well, do it.” Max flicked his eyes to the trees over his shoulder. “I’m a little nervous being out in the woods now that we know what we know.”

  “Josh isn’t out here.”

  “No, but he’s not far away … and he’s with Dad.”

  Ivy’s forehead wrinkled. “I forgot about that. You’re right; I’ll call Brian right now. Then we’ll call Dad and head to the nursery. It can’t hurt to keep an eye on Josh until Brian shows up.”

  “You read my mind.”

  Eighteen

  Tammy Vickers-Masters didn’t seem surprised to find Brian knocking on her door. She motioned him inside and offered tea, but Brian was hopeful it wouldn’t be a long visit.

  “I have more questions for you,” he said grimly as he sat.

  “I figured you probably would.” Tammy leaned back in her chair and regarded him with a searching look. “Do you know who killed Abraham?”

  “We have an idea who killed Abraham,” Brian hedged. “What wo
uld you say if I told you that we believe Josh killed his father?”

  Instead of being aghast, or reacting with surprise, Tammy merely shrugged. “I would say that was my first inclination, too.”

  Brian didn’t bother to hide his shock. “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Because you would’ve thought I was crazy. Oh, don’t look at me that way. I always thought there was something off with that kid. Whenever I mentioned it, my husband told me I was seeing things that weren’t there. No one wants to believe that there’s something wrong with a child. That goes against human nature.”

  “You still should’ve told us,” Brian argued. “You could’ve saved us some time.”

  “Yes, well, it didn’t take you long to figure it out. May I ask what tipped you off?”

  “It was several things. The first of which is that Josh’s story never made sense. We initially thought he was confused because he was in shock. The more we started putting stuff together, though, the more we realized that might not be the case.”

  “Do you have a motive?” Tammy was the pragmatic sort who wanted all the details. “Have you figured out why he would want to kill Abraham?”

  “We have.” Brian bobbed his head. “We think he figured out that Abraham killed Melanie.”

  For the first time since he arrived, Brian arched an eyebrow as Tammy showed real surprise. “You’re kidding. Are you sure that Melanie was murdered?”

  “My partner just left the state pathologist’s office. She told him that she was suspicious about Melanie’s death from the start, but it was hard to pin down a cause. In her opinion, she’s leaning toward mushroom poisoning. False morels, to be exact.”

  “Hmm.” Tammy extended her fingers, as if stretching them to fight off a bout of arthritis. “Abraham was always a morel freak. That’s not uncommon for this part of the state, though. Morels are big business. People sell them for a lot of money.”

  “They do,” Brian agreed. “We’ve confirmed Abraham was having an affair. We’ve also received information that seems to indicate that Josh knew about the affair. He could’ve been holding onto a grudge for a very long time.”

  “Why not tell anyone?” Tammy queried. “Why wouldn’t Josh simply tell the police or doctors what he suspected?”

  “I have every intention of asking him that.”

  “What do you need from me?”

  “Nothing. I simply wanted to see a reaction. Since you’re not surprised, I’m pretty sure we’re on the right track. In fact … .” He broke off when his phone rang, wrinkling his nose when he recognized Ivy’s number on his screen. “I apologize. Wait one second.” He held up a finger and pressed the phone to his ear. “Ivy, Jack isn’t with me.”

  Ivy wasted no time on the other end of the call. “I know. He’s in Grayling. That’s why I called you.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “Yes.” Ivy sounded frazzled, causing Brian’s heart rate to ratchet up a notch. “We found something hidden in the woods.”

  “Who is with you?”

  “Max.”

  “Should he be out traipsing through the woods given what happened to him?”

  “No, but I needed him.” Ivy didn’t back down. “I saw something when I visited the lumberyard. Before you ask, I’m not going to get into it. It’s too much to explain and I know you don’t really want to hear it.”

  Given some of the odd things Ivy had been doing over the past few months – sharing dreams and seeing through the eyes of a killer, for example – Brian was fairly certain that was true. “Fine. Just give me the basics.”

  “We found a gun,” Ivy volunteered, her voice shaky. “It’s a handgun and it was hidden not far from where Abraham Masters’ body was found.”

  Brian was dumbfounded. “You’re kidding me.”

  “I’m not. I’m heading to the nursery now. Dad is there with Josh. Can you meet us?”

  “Absolutely.” Brian was already on his feet. “I’m on my way.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate it.”

  “It’s my job.” Something occurred to Brian. “Ivy, when you get there, be really careful. If Josh realizes that we’re on to him, he might panic.”

  “I know. I’m worried about that, too.”

  “He probably won’t.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Just … be careful.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  ANNETTE HARGROVE WASN’T HOME. She wasn’t picking up her phone and there was no car in the driveway. Frustrated, Jack left her a message demanding she call him as soon as possible. With no other options, he headed in Ellen Woodbridge’s direction. He didn’t have a lot of time to waste and she was next on his interview list.

  Unlike the first time he stopped by, Ellen seemed agitated when she found Jack on her doorstep for an encore interview. “Can I help you?”

  “I certainly hope so.” Jack was stern as he greeted her. “I don’t have a lot of time to waste so I’m hopeful that you’ll be able to answer some questions for me. If you could tell the truth this time, that would be great.”

  Ellen balked. “Excuse me? Are you accusing me of being less than truthful?” Her voice turned screechy as her eyes darted in different directions.

  “Yes.” Jack answered without hesitation. “Ma’am, I’m not going to pretend to understand your situation. I do know how to read people, though. I believe most of what you told us was true. However, I also believe you’re leaving something out, and I’m determined to know what that something is.”

  To give herself time to consider the request, Ellen leaned her hip against the doorjamb and folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t understand why you’re even here. You can’t possibly suspect me in all of this.”

  “To be honest, we never suspected you in the death of Abraham Masters.”

  Ellen looked relieved at the admission. “Well, of course not. I’m not a murderer.”

  “We did suspect you might have hired someone to go after him,” Jack supplied. “We even thought maybe you had a boyfriend or brother in the mix. We’ve run a few background checks on you, though, and placed calls to your neighbors. No one has seen you with a man since breaking up with Abraham.”

  “You called my neighbors?” Ellen was incensed. “What gives you the right to do that?”

  “I’m a police officer and I’m investigating a murder. You very clearly lied to us when we were here. We’re not idiots and knew you were hiding something. That gives me the right.”

  Ellen worked her jaw, frustration evident.

  “Ma’am, I don’t have a lot of time to play games with you.” Jack opted for a different tack. “I’m not trying to be difficult or ruin your life, but we have a murderer on the loose and I think you know pertinent information.”

  “I didn’t kill Abraham.” Ellen practically screamed the words. “I loved him. I thought we would end up together forever. If I killed him, that would never happen.”

  Jack narrowed his eyes. “You believed that even after Abraham broke up with you?”

  Ellen nodded, misery clouding her round features. “I thought it was just a road bump on our way to forever.” Her voice cracked as she swiped at falling tears. “You have to understand. I loved Abraham more than anything. He was my life. I truly believed we would get a chance at happily ever after.”

  “You said Josh walked in on you,” Jack challenged. “You cleaned up that story a bit, didn’t you? He didn’t walk in while you were having a conversation and misconstrue something innocent, did he?”

  Ellen’s cheeks turned crimson. “Not exactly.”

  “What exactly happened?”

  “I wasn’t lying when I said that I could tell Abraham was going to break up with me,” she started, uncomfortably shifting from one foot to the other. “The writing was on the wall. He was pulling away even though he knew I was going to be left with a broken heart.

  “It was all Melanie’s fault,” she continued. “She knew about the affair an
d was guilting him to stay with her. That’s not what he said, of course, but I knew it all the same. She was the type of woman who wanted others to be miserable just so she could be happy.”

  Jack didn’t say it, but he was fairly convinced that Ellen was the sort of woman she just described. “If you thought Abraham was going to break up with you, why did you bother going to his house?”

  “Because … because I had to stop him.”

  Jack narrowed his eyes. “You mean you seduced him, don’t you? You didn’t give him a chance to say what was on his mind and instead you decided to get him into bed one last time. Were you going to do the old pregnancy ruse? Were you going to wait until he tried to break up with you the next time and drop the bomb that you were having a baby or something?”

  “I … no,” Ellen sputtered.

  Unconvinced, Jack merely shook his head. “That’s exactly what you were going to do. I can’t even believe it. What is wrong with you? His wife was in the hospital, dying. Did you think you would somehow get everything you wanted even though you were trying to manipulate a man who already had a family?”

  “A family he didn’t love,” Ellen shot back. “He never loved Melanie. There was no passion there.”

  “And yet they had two children together.”

  “One child,” Ellen corrected. “They had one child. That baby died. I think God realized that Melanie was using that baby as a way to keep hold of Abraham and took it away from her.”

  Jack felt sick to his stomach. “You’re a piece of work. I think you already know that, though.”

  “Oh, don’t look at me that way.” The features Jack initially thought of as “pleasing” turned predatory. “I had every right to claim the life I wanted. If I had to do certain things to make sure that happened … well, I’m not sorry. The only thing I’m sorry about is that someone took Abraham from me before he had a chance to realize that he made a terrible mistake when he ended things between us.”

  “Since that’s the stuff of fairy dust and dreams, I’m going to let that go,” Jack snapped. “I want to know about the day Josh returned to the house and found you with his father. You were in bed, weren’t you?”