Wicked Fog (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 6)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I’m really telling you that,” Ivy confirmed. “The haunted greenhouse opens tomorrow. I have a lot of work to finish today. Max is going to be very busy doing my bidding.”

  “Well, that sounds like a plan,” Jack said. “If something happens, though … .” He left the rest of the statement hanging.

  “I’ll call you,” Ivy said. “I promise.”

  “Call me whether something happens or not,” Jack said. “I have a feeling I might miss you if you don’t.”

  “Ugh.” Max slammed his breakfast plate down on the table. “You two make my stomach churn.” That didn’t stop him from forking a huge heap of hash browns into his mouth.

  “Something tells me you’ll survive,” Jack said dryly.

  “YOU AND Jack seem better,” Max said, trailing behind Ivy as they headed toward the greenhouse an hour later. “Did you kiss and make up?”

  “We were mean to each other for a little bit, then we were nice, and then we made up,” Ivy replied, smiling at the memory. “We watched The Shining. There might’ve been a few kisses.”

  “You’re so gooey this morning I want to rub your face in my armpit just to bring you back to reality.”

  “If you do that, I’ll make you cry,” Ivy warned.

  “As long as you’re not crying, I think it’s going to be a good day,” Max said. “Did anything happen at the hospital after I left you?”

  Ivy shook her head. “Dr. Nesbitt said it was just dehydration, but I can’t imagine all of this stress is good for Karen. She’s so close to having the baby. It would be a tragedy if something went wrong now.”

  “Can’t they … I don’t know … take the baby early?” Max asked.

  “It’s not like a pitch … or carrots, for that matter,” Ivy replied. “It’s best if a baby comes when it’s supposed to come. I just feel so bad for Karen. I can’t believe Maisie did that.”

  “Really?” Max made a hilarious face as he struck a very Maisie-like pose. “The world is all about Maisie. How can you not know that?”

  Ivy giggled. “She has a lot of balls to show up at the funeral home like that, though,” she said. “Everyone already knows she was having an affair with Jeff. Why would she possibly want to rub it in Karen’s face the way she did? It just makes her look bad.”

  “Maisie is one of those chicks who can’t see what’s right in front of her,” Max said. “She thinks everything is about her. She’s too narcissistic to think that anyone else has feelings.”

  “Well, it was still wrong,” Ivy said. “I have half a mind to go to the library and beat her up.”

  Max snorted. “You’re pretty feisty where Maisie is concerned these days. I know you’ve never liked her, but you’re especially irritated when she’s in a room now. What gives?”

  Ivy shrugged. “I honestly have no idea,” she said. “I can’t seem to stop myself from seeing red when she’s around. Like … literally seeing red. Whenever she opens her mouth I want to shove my fist in it to silence her.”

  “Wow,” Max intoned. “That was almost violently poetic.”

  “I should be a writer,” Ivy said, smiling as she reached for the greenhouse door. “Still, don’t you think it’s weird that Maisie would risk the wrath of two grieving families to make a scene? It’s not as if she’s going to get anything out of it.”

  “I don’t think Maisie is the type of person who strategically plans out her life,” Max said, following Ivy into the greenhouse. He gave the room a good once-over before continuing, but nothing looked out of place. “Take you, for example. I can tell you’re trying to figure out the best way to tell Jack you love him.

  “Don’t bother denying it,” he continued, touching his fingertip to his sister’s burning cheek. “I’m your big brother. I know everything you’re thinking.”

  “You don’t know crap,” Ivy groused, jerking her face away from his hand. “Don’t touch me. You’ll make my face dirty.”

  Max ignored the admonishment. “I know that you want to tell Jack you love him but you’re afraid he won’t say it back to you,” he said. “He will.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I know it,” Max said. “When he first showed up in our lives, I didn’t like him. I’m not going to lie. I thought he was weird and I couldn’t figure out why he looked at you the way he did.

  “At first I thought he suspected you were a murderer or something,” he continued. “Then I thought he wanted to lock you up for being crazy. It took me a little bit of time to realize that all of those looks meant he was completely enamored with you. You stole his heart, Ivy. He wasn’t expecting it either.

  “Now, I like Jack a great deal,” he said. “He’s good for you and I’ve never seen you this happy. I want this to work out – and not just because Jack would be some formidable opposition on the singles circuit. I want you to be happy, Ivy. To do that, you’ve got to let go of the fear.”

  They were nice words, but Ivy still wasn’t convinced. “If you’re so sure he loves me, why hasn’t he said it?”

  “Because he’s as nervous as you are,” Max replied. “He’s afraid you won’t say it back.”

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  “Is it?” Max challenged. “You two fell hard and fast for each other. You’re still feeling your way around. There’s no reason to push things.”

  “I want to push you,” Ivy muttered. “I might even push you over a cliff.”

  “Promises, promises,” Max teased, turning to the business at hand. “Where do you want me to start?”

  TWO HOURS later the greenhouse was almost completely put together and Ivy’s spirits were high. The more she thought about Max’s words regarding Jack’s feelings, the more she believed he was right. Of course, she rationalized that could also be wishful thinking.

  Ivy was so lost in thought, she didn’t realize her mind was wandering until she leaned her head against the counter and a picture drifted to the forefront of her brain. As if in a trance, Ivy watched the scene play out as her stomach clenched and her brain felt as if it was seizing.

  Inherently she knew that this wasn’t her dream even though she was witnessing it from her perspective. It wasn’t her vision. She was seeing from someone else’s point of view. She watched as the vision shifted and approached a man from behind. He was working on a car part in the garage and seemed oblivious to the fact that he wasn’t alone.

  Something made a sound on the cement floor, and the man turned quickly. Ivy recognized him right away. It was Karen’s father.

  “What are you doing here?” Don asked, annoyed.

  No one answered. Ivy opened her mouth in an attempt to communicate with Don, but no sound would come out.

  “What in the hell are you doing?” Don’s tone shifted from anger to fear and he took a step away from Ivy. That’s when Ivy realized she – er, whoever’s head she invaded – was holding a knife.

  “Don’t do this,” Don spat. “What … no … don’t!”

  Ivy fought to break from the vision when the blood came, and it took all of her willpower to manage it. She banged her shoulder hard against the counter in her haste to scramble away. When she finally found the strength to move, the tenuous thread tying her to a killer snapped.

  “What’s wrong?” Max asked, appearing at Ivy’s side. “You’re as white as a ghost. I saw you go pale and tried talking to you, but it was as if you couldn’t see or hear me.”

  “I … saw something,” Ivy rasped out, gripping Max’s hand. “I saw Don Merriman.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Dying.”

  Max took a moment to absorb the news and then placed his hand on the back of Ivy’s head to steady her. “Okay. I believe you. We need to call Jack, though.”

  “And tell him what?” Ivy was bordering on hysterical. “I can’t tell him I magically witnessed a man’s murder. He’ll lock me up.”

  “He will not,” Max argued. “He’ll do everything in his power to protect you. We have to call him. W
hat you saw might not have happened yet. Don could still be alive.”

  That hadn’t occurred to Ivy. “But … .”

  “No.” Max offered his sister a firm headshake. “It has to be done.”

  Ivy knew he was right and she reluctantly crawled to the front of the greenhouse to retrieve her purse. She dug inside for her cell phone and stared at it for a moment before hitting Jack’s name on her contact list.

  He picked up on the first ring. “Do you miss me already?” He was cheerful.

  “Jack, I … .” His flirty tone threw off Ivy. How was she supposed to explain this?

  As if sensing her uncertainty, Jack instantly sobered. “What is it, honey?”

  “I saw something.”

  “Okay.” Jack sounded calm, but Ivy could practically picture him gripping his hands together to keep from flying off the handle. “What did you see?”

  “I saw Don Merriman,” Ivy replied, opting to get right to the point. Delaying things wouldn’t help anyone. “He was being attacked. I … Jack, it was as if I was the one attacking him.”

  “Well, we both know you’re with Max, so it can’t be you,” Jack said. “Do you know where Don was when this happened?”

  “He was in his garage,” Ivy said. “There was a car out there … and tools on the wall.”

  “Okay, honey,” Jack said. “We’re going to check it out right now. I … you stay with Max.”

  Ivy wasn’t convinced that was the right course of action. “Maybe I should go with you.”

  “I want you to stay with Max.” Jack’s voice was soft but firm. “I need to know that you’re safe. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, but I can’t get the sight of Don out of my head,” Ivy said. “There was a lot of blood.”

  “We’re going to check that out right now, Ivy,” Jack said. “You stay there with Max. I will be in touch as soon as I can.”

  “Do you promise?”

  “I promise,” Jack said. “I have to go, though.” He moved to disconnect and then stopped himself. “Ivy, everything is going to be okay. I will come to you as soon as I can.”

  “Okay.”

  “Everything is going to be okay,” Jack repeated. “Trust me.”

  “I trust you.”

  Jack wasn’t sure she really did, but there was nothing he could do for her now. If Don Merriman was dead – if what she witnessed was true – Jack worried nothing in his life would ever be the same again.

  Seventeen

  “I don’t understand why we’re here.”

  Brian worked overtime to keep his tone even as he followed Jack up Don Merriman’s driveway. When the younger officer disconnected from his call with Ivy, he was calm but firm. He didn’t elaborate on what the feisty woman said, only stating that it was important they check on Don.

  Brian readily agreed to the demand, but he hated being kept in the dark. His discontent only grew as they trudged toward the nondescript house.

  “What did she say?”

  “She just said we need to check on Don,” Jack replied, turning his head as he scanned the house. “We need to look in the garage.”

  “We don’t have a search warrant.”

  “We’re not searching for evidence,” Jack said. “We’re … .” He had no idea how to explain things so he held his hands palms-up and shrugged. “I can’t explain it right now. We need to look in the garage. Only … this house doesn’t seem to have a garage.”

  He was right. The small ranch was an older home and it didn’t boast an attached garage. It did, however, have a pole barn that served as a garage located at the back edge of the property. Brian was familiar with the layout because he’d gone fishing with Don a few times over the years.

  “There’s a barn out back,” Brian supplied. “It’s kind of like a garage.”

  “Does it have tools and a car?”

  “Yes,” Brian answered. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  “Hopefully nothing,” Jack said. He was desperate for Ivy’s vision to be untrue. He believed in her, though, and he had a sinking feeling they were about to find something terrible. “Lead the way to the barn.”

  Brian grumbled under his breath as he picked his way to the side of the house and entered the back yard. When they cleared the corner, he pointed at the dilapidated building in question. “There.”

  Jack was almost relieved when he saw the open door. That emotion dissipated when he couldn’t identify movement inside. “Hurry up.” He picked up his pace so he was almost jogging, not stopping until he crossed the threshold.

  Brian watched him, understandably curious, and then shook his head as he glanced around the empty structure. “There’s no one out here.”

  “We don’t know that yet.”

  Brian heaved out a sigh. “Fine. Don? Are you out here? It’s Brian Nixon.”

  The two men waited for a response. When they didn’t get one, Jack pointed toward one side of the vehicle while he headed toward the other. Brian didn’t have to be told out loud what his partner wanted.

  Jack and Brian slowly walked into the garage, the light dwindling the farther they walked. As he closed in on the back of the barn, Jack saw the one thing he expected – and yet continued to hope against – when a pair of feet poked out from the front of the car.

  Jack hurried to the prone figure, trying to push Brian’s audible gasp out of his mind as he knelt next to Don. The man had a gaping wound in his chest, blood seeping out on the concrete floor. He pushed his fingers to Don’s neck and found a faint heartbeat. He worried that was the only good news he would get today.

  “Call for an ambulance. He’s still alive.”

  “WE NEED to have a talk.”

  Jack and Brian followed the ambulance to the clinic, remaining mostly silent as the paramedics worked. Jack asked a few questions – mostly about Don’s chances – but the paramedics were grim and neither man held out much hope.

  Dr. Nesbitt was too busy to talk to them upon their arrival, so they made themselves comfortable in the waiting room. Jack appeared happy with the silence. Brian was another story entirely.

  Jack jerked his head in his partner’s direction. “Did you say something?”

  “Oh, don’t do that,” Brian chided, wagging a finger. “I think I’ve been more than a good sport about this. Don Merriman is in the other room fighting for his life. The only reason he has a chance of survival at all is because you knew to look for him.”

  “Hopefully he’ll get lucky.”

  Brian made a face. “I’m hopeful he’ll get lucky, too,” he said. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to know what’s going on. How did you know to look for him?”

  Jack’s was pale as he ran his hands up and down the front of his blue jeans and shifted in his chair. “I … .” He looked almost tortured.

  Brian decided to change his tactics and tone. “I’m on your side, son,” he said, lowering his voice. “You know that. I think you believe it. Whatever is going on, though, I need to know what it is. I know you’ve been hiding something for days. It obviously has to do with Ivy. Talk.”

  “I don’t know if I can tell you,” Jack hedged, licking his lips. “It’s not exactly my secret and … .”

  “And you’re worried about exposing Ivy,” Brian finished. “I get that you’re afraid, but you need to know that I would never hurt Ivy. Why can’t you see that?”

  “It’s not that,” Jack said. “I know you wouldn’t hurt her. She’s so upset, though. I don’t know how to help her. I don’t want this getting out. She would be crushed if it did.”

  “Well, Jack, you need to tell me what’s going on so I can help,” Brian prodded. “We need to protect her together. We’re going to have to explain how we knew to look in the garage, son. People are going to ask. We have to get our stories straight.”

  Jack balked. The last thing he wanted to do was put Brian in a situation where he would have to lie. “Blame it on me.”

  “Oh, that’s cute,” Brian intoned. “You’
re going to tell me the truth. If you don’t, then I’m going to confront Ivy. You can’t stop me, so don’t even try.”

  “You can’t do that,” Jack argued. “She would be mortified if she thought you knew.”

  “I don’t think you’re giving her enough credit.”

  “I … dammit!” Jack exploded, slamming his hands down on the chair and hopping to his feet so he could pace. Luckily for them, the lobby was empty so no one witnessed his potential meltdown.

  “Tell me,” Brian said. “You’ll feel better when you do. Then we can start figuring this out.”

  “You might be sorry I told you when I’m done,” Jack warned.

  “Try me.”

  “Okay.” Jack let out a shaky breath. “Ever since finding Jeff’s body in the maze, Ivy has been having … visions of sorts, I guess you would say … and she’s seen things. That’s what happened when she passed out and got sick.”

  “Uh-huh.” Brian remained seated and calm. “Is that what happened today? Did she have a vision of Don?”

  “She saw him being stabbed.”

  “Did she see who was doing it?”

  “Um, that’s the thing,” Jack said, rubbing his chin. “In the two most recent visions, she thinks she’s been looking through someone else’s eyes.”

  “Like the killer’s?” Brian didn’t want to alarm Jack, but he couldn’t stop himself from being flabbergasted.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, that’s a dilly of a secret,” Brian said, shaking his head. “Still, for some reason it doesn’t surprise me. Take me through things from the beginning. I need to understand.”

  That’s exactly what Jack did.

  “She thought she heard someone saying that he didn’t want to die the day at the maze,” Jack explained. “We still don’t know why she got sick, but for some reason thinking it was supernatural in origin made me feel better. I still can’t figure out why.”

  “Because a real illness is terrifying and this is something that can magically get better,” Brian said. “Magically is the key word … and it’s one I can’t believe I’m saying. I believe you, though, so don’t get all … squirrelly.”