Wicked Fog (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 6)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “If we question the people at the nursery, how many of them are going to take your side over Ivy’s?” Brian challenged. “I’m guessing it’s not a lot.”

  Maisie’s eyes reflected defeat as she heaved out a sigh and tossed her long hair over her shoulder. “Oh, good grief. You guys are real jerks. You know that, right?”

  “I know that you’re trying my patience,” Brian said. “I repeat again, when was the last time you saw Jeff?”

  “Two days ago,” Maisie replied, her bitterness palpable. “We had a picnic lunch in the basement of the library.”

  “Was that because you didn’t want anyone to know you were sleeping with a married man?” Jack asked.

  “Oh, don’t be like that,” Maisie said. “You sound jealous.”

  “I’m pretty sure that ‘jealous’ is one of those words only people who don’t understand what it really means toss about,” Jack countered. “Why else would you have a picnic in the library basement?”

  “Fine,” Maisie muttered. “Yes. We ate lunch – and did other things – in the basement of the library three days a week.”

  “When did you start seeing each other?” Brian asked.

  “About a month or so ago,” Maisie answered. “He came into the library one day and we got to talking. One thing led to another … .”

  “And you slept with a married man who was expecting a baby any day,” Jack finished. “We get it.”

  “Ivy really has sucked the fun out of you,” Maisie said. “Now that I’m free, I can fix that little problem if you’re interested.”

  “I’m not even remotely interested.”

  “Yup. Ivy sucks,” Maisie groused. “Is that all? Can I go?”

  “Not even close,” Brian said. “You said you saw Jeff two days ago at lunch. That was the day he died. The coroner is putting his death sometime in the early evening hours. Were you supposed to meet him that night?”

  “No. We rarely met at night.”

  Brian knit his eyebrows together, confused. “If you rarely met at night, why would Jeff lie to his wife about being at the firehouse that night?”

  “I … don’t know,” Maisie said, confused. “Did he really do that?”

  Brian nodded. “Karen thought Jeff was at the station and Brad told us he was manning the station that night,” he replied. “If that’s the case, where was Jeff?”

  “I honestly don’t know,” Maisie replied, shifting her jaw back and forth as she considered the possibilities associated with Brian’s statement. “You don’t think he was dating someone else, do you? I don’t date cheaters.”

  Jack wanted to laugh – or at least lean over the table and throttle her. Instead, he kept his temper in check. “He was already a cheater,” he said. “I guess it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to believe he had more than one person waiting to fill his nights.”

  “No, I guess not,” Brian agreed. “I just … don’t understand how he could’ve done this.”

  “Well, that makes two of us,” Maisie said. “Trust me. When a man spends time with me, he leaves … fulfilled. There’s no way Jeff was spending time with anyone else.”

  “He was obviously doing something with someone else,” Jack pointed out. “He wasn’t spending the night with you or his wife, and by all accounts, he wasn’t needed at the station. What does that leave?”

  Maisie was beside herself. “Well, he’s just lucky he’s dead,” she said. “If he wasn’t, I’d kill him myself.”

  Jack and Brian exchanged a dubious look.

  “That brings me to my next question,” Brian said. “Do you have an alibi for the night Jeff died?”

  Instead of answering, Maisie slammed her hands on the table. “That’s it! I want a lawyer.”

  And with that, the interview was over.

  “WHAT ARE you doing, sweetheart?”

  Michael found Ivy sorting through various Halloween lights in the greenhouse several hours later. He watched her for a few moments because she seemed lost in thought, finally deciding to approach the potential problem head-on rather than waiting for it to fester.

  “Nothing,” Ivy replied, jolting at her father’s sudden appearance. “I’m just messing with the lights.”

  “You looked as if you were in a different world,” Michael pointed out, shuffling to the middle of the floor and sitting cross-legged across from his only daughter. “What were you thinking about?”

  “Quite a few things actually,” Ivy admitted, offering her father a rueful smile. “The biggest is Jeff and Karen. Why do you think he was sleeping with Maisie when he already had a family?”

  “I can’t answer that,” Michael replied. “I have no idea what he was thinking either. I’ve always been a proponent of divorce over infidelity.”

  “Have you ever considered cheating on Mom?”

  Michael balked. “Your mother is the love of my life, Ivy,” he said. “I have no reason – or urge, for that matter – to cheat on her.”

  “That’s what I thought, but I wanted to hear it from you,” Ivy said, unraveling a string of lights and pushing it to the side before reaching for another. “Do you think people are meant to be together?”

  Michael answered without hesitation. “Yes.”

  “Do you think you and Mom were meant to be together?”

  “Yes.” Michael bobbed his head. “I don’t really think you’re asking about Mom and me, though. I think you’re asking about Jack and you, and this is your roundabout way of getting to the subject.”

  Ivy lowered her eyes, sheepish. “You always could see right through me.”

  “That’s a father’s gift,” Michael said, smiling. “Tell me what’s really bothering you. Is it Jack? Are you afraid that Jack will somehow end up like Jeff?”

  “I don’t know,” Ivy admitted. “I never thought Jeff would end up like Jeff. In my heart, I know Jack wouldn’t cheat on me. It’s just … frustrating … because I thought Jeff wouldn’t cheat on Karen. Maybe that says something about my intuition.”

  “Maybe,” Michael agreed. “I think it says more about Jeff’s strength of character than anything else, though. Jeff was obviously weak and Maisie is a predator. We’ve always known that.

  “Now, I don’t want to take the onus of the blame off of Jeff because he was the one who made the vows and broke them, but Maisie probably took advantage of him,” he continued. “When you’re facing the birth of your first child, it’s easy to get scared and do something stupid. That is a terrifying time and it’s easy to get overwhelmed.”

  “You didn’t.”

  “No, but I don’t think of myself as weak either,” Michael pointed out. “Jeff obviously wasn’t a strong man and now his legacy is going to be cheating on his pregnant wife. We can’t change that. It is what it is.”

  “I guess I just can’t wrap my head around it,” Ivy said. “I want to believe that people are inherently good. I want to believe that true love will win out.”

  “True love always wins out,” Michael said. “It did for me. It will for you and Jack. I have faith.”

  Ivy was floored by the simple declaration. “Jack and I … I mean, we haven’t said those words to each other.”

  “That doesn’t mean you don’t feel them,” Michael said. “Ivy, you’ve always been my more difficult child. You’re lovely and sweet when you want to be, but you’re stubborn and mulish at other times.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  Michael ignored the sarcasm. “Every time I look at you when Jack is in the room, I feel the love,” he said. “I feel the same thing from Jack. I spent years worrying you would find the wrong man. Then I spent years worrying you would find the right man. Then I spent years worrying you would never find someone who could tame that wild heart of yours. Jack did that, and I will be forever grateful.”

  Ivy pressed her lips together, her father’s naked emotion causing her heart to warm. “What if Jack never says it?”

  Michael chuckled, delighting in her minor bout of insecurity. �
��He’ll say it.”

  “But … how do you know?”

  “Because he feels it and the words will pour out when he can’t contain them any longer,” Michael replied. “He’s as stubborn as you are. You’re a good match for each other. I can’t wait to see how all of this plays out.”

  “Are you sure we’re going to get a happy ending?”

  “Positive.” Michael pushed himself to his feet and patted the top of Ivy’s head. “If you guys want to pick up the pace, though, I would love a grandchild. That Noah is a pip. I want one of those of my own to spoil rotten.”

  Ivy’s cheeks colored as she averted her gaze. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “That’s all I ask.”

  “HELLO, Karen.”

  This time when approaching the grieving widow, Brian internally vowed to be succinct and to the point. When the woman answered the front door of her house, though, his courage fled. She looked wrecked, for lack of a better word.

  “Come in,” Karen said tiredly, her hand resting on her stomach as she led Jack and Brian into her living room. It looked as if a tornado had struck. There were clothes and empty food containers strewn in every direction. “Sorry about the mess, but … I’m honestly not sorry about the mess. I don’t care about the mess.”

  “We don’t care about the mess either,” Jack said, sitting on one of the chairs across from the couch as Brian settled next to Karen. “We understand that you’ve got other things on your mind.”

  “Yes, like my dead husband,” Karen said hollowly. “Are you here to tell me you’ve made an arrest?”

  “We’re here to ask you a few more questions,” Brian replied. “We’ve been digging around and … a few things have popped up.”

  “Oh, well, I don’t like the sound of that,” Karen said, leaning back on the couch dejectedly. “Let me guess: You heard Jeff was messing around and you want to know if it’s true. Am I right?”

  Jack knew he shouldn’t be surprised by the woman’s matter-of-fact tone, but he couldn’t believe how blasé she was. “You knew?”

  “Shadow Lake is a tiny town,” Karen explained. “I knew almost before Jeff started sleeping with the town tramp.”

  “Why didn’t you say anything?” Brian prodded. “You had to know that would be an important avenue for our investigation.”

  “I guess I hoped his death had nothing to do with that … slut … and everything to do with something else,” Karen said. “It’s not like I don’t know that people were gossiping about me. I heard the whispers. A few people were even decent enough to tell me to my face that Jeff was messing around.”

  “Did you confront him?” Jack asked.

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because … .” Karen broke off, helpless. “What was I supposed to do? I’m going to have a baby and I have no job skills. It’s not like I could kick him out of the house and get a do-over. I hoped he would get it out of his system and come back to me. Once I lost the baby weight … and could have sex again … I figured he would shape up.

  “I mean, he’s a man,” she continued. “He has urges and I couldn’t fulfill them because I’m so big. It wasn’t his fault.”

  Jack felt inexplicably sad for the woman – and offended for her gender at the same time. He couldn’t imagine being so defeated that you would sit by and watch the person you purportedly love walk all over you.

  “Karen, where were you two nights ago?” Brian asked.

  Karen jerked at the question, surprise washing over her features as she leveled her gaze on Brian. “Seriously?”

  “We have to ask,” Brian said. “We need to rule you out so we can focus on other people.”

  “Well, how exciting,” Karen drawled. “I’m a murder suspect to boot. This week just keeps getting better and better.”

  Jack pursed his lips as he regarded her. She was clearly numb and putting on a show. “Where is your family? Why are you here alone?”

  “Because I told them I needed some space and kicked them out,” Karen said. “I kept seeing those ‘poor her’ looks when I entered a room. Conversation was going before I arrived and it came to a dead stop when they saw me. I knew what they were talking about. I just … need a little time.”

  “I understand that,” Jack said. “You still shouldn’t be alone … especially in your condition.”

  “I have a phone to call an ambulance if I go into labor,” Karen said. “As for the rest … I’m fine. I need to get used to taking care of myself. No one else is going to do it.”

  “Things will get better with time, Karen,” Brian said. “I really need to record your alibi, though.”

  “I have no alibi,” Karen said. “I was here alone. I thought Jeff was at the firehouse. Before you ask, I really thought he was there. I knew about his nooners with Maisie, but he kept saying he had to make up time at the firehouse if I expected him to be around once the baby was born. I didn’t know I was going to need an alibi for my husband’s murder. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Brian said, shaking his head. “In your condition, you could’ve hardly carried out the deed. We’ll be in touch if we get any information.”

  “Great,” Karen intoned, her voice hollow. “Information will make everything better. Information will give my baby a father. Information will make my life complete.”

  Brian exchanged a helpless look with Jack before getting to his feet. “We’ll be in touch.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  Ten

  “Hey, honey.”

  Jack was exhausted when he returned to Ivy’s house with a pizza in hand. He expected to find her inside. When he didn’t, frustration overwhelmed him until he realized she was probably still at the greenhouse. Instead of stomping over to the property to collect her, he packed a picnic and grabbed a blanket before joining her. He was determined to ensure a pleasant evening.

  “Hi.” Ivy lifted her eyes toward the window to her right, surprised by his sudden appearance and the growing shadows on the other side of the glass. “What time is it?”

  “Almost six.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Ivy said, hopping down from the chair she was standing on. “I got caught up in what I was doing and lost track of time.”

  “I figured,” Jack said, placing his food goodies on the counter before opening the blanket and resting it on the floor. “That’s why I came to you.”

  “Are you angry?”

  “Not at you.”

  “Are you angry at someone else? If so, please tell me it’s Maisie.”

  Jack was in no mood for a rousing game of Twenty Questions, but he couldn’t help but smile at his girlfriend’s fervent expression. “I’m angry with the situation, not with a particular person.”

  “Oh.” Ivy shuffled closer to Jack and opened her arms. “Do you need a hug?”

  “Oh, so cute,” Jack said, pulling her to him and tightening his arms around her waist. “I do need a hug. It just so happens I need it from you, too. How did you know?”

  “Perhaps I’m psychic.”

  “I’m not ruling it out,” Jack said, pressing a soft kiss to her mouth before releasing her. “I got pizza, breadsticks, and those cinnamon things you like.”

  “You’re a very good provider,” Ivy said, settling on the blanket next to Jack and smiling as he set the bountiful feast on the floor. “We could’ve gone back to the house, though. It might be more comfortable.”

  “I’m fine here,” Jack said, glancing around. The greenhouse looked nothing like it had when he was inside a few weeks before. “You’ve been busy.”

  “I didn’t do all of this,” Ivy said, her stomach growling when she opened the pizza box. She had no idea how hungry she was until the scent of food wafted through the room. “Jessica stayed and helped for a few hours. My dad was happy to take Noah off her hands. Max was a big help, too. Well, he was a big help as soon as he stopped talking about my fight with Maisie.”

  “Ah, Maisie,�
�� Jack clucked, leveling his gaze on Ivy. “Do you want to talk about that now or wait until after dinner?”

  “Now,” Ivy replied, not missing a beat as she grabbed a slice of pizza from the veggie side of the circle. “I don’t want it hanging over my head if you’re going to yell.”

  “I’m not going to yell,” Jack said. “I’m just … I don’t even know what to say. I never expected to find you sitting on top of another woman in the middle of your nursery.”

  “It wasn’t one of my finer moments,” Ivy admitted. “I just … couldn’t seem to stop myself. I’ve put up with a lot of crap over the years where she’s concerned. I’ve even put up with her hitting on you. When she slapped me, though, I think I saw red and wanted to kill her.”

  “Uh-huh.” Jack used his finger to tip Ivy’s face to the side so he could study her features under the limited light. “I don’t think it’s going to leave a mark.”

  “I wish I would’ve left a mark on her.”

  “Well, she’s dealing with her own issues,” Jack said. “Before we get to that, though, I would prefer that you be much more careful – perhaps not pick a fight at all – the next time you end up in the hospital. Do you think you can do that?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t mean to do it this time.”

  “I guess that’s the best you can offer,” Jack said, shaking his head. “The sad thing is that you looked adorable in those photos.”

  Ivy scowled. “I cannot believe that Max sent those to you. I threatened to take away his pumpkin cookies if he did it. I guess that means you’re getting all of the pumpkin cookies.”

  Jack grinned. “He told me you were going to punish him. I offered to give him half of my cookies.”

  “No way!”

  “Sorry, honey,” Jack said. “The photos were totally worth it. You looked … smoking hot.”

  “Oh, well, it’s hard for me to be angry when you’re being so charming,” Ivy said, giggling as she leaned her head against Jack’s shoulder and took another huge bite. “What did Maisie say?”

  Jack made a face. “Do you have to talk with your mouth full?”