Wicked Times (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 3)

by Lily Harper Hart

  Jack licked his lips, unsure how to respond. In some ways he felt like he knew Ivy better than he’d ever known anyone. They meshed well together, finding comfort in mutual silence and contemplation. In other ways he was still getting to know her. She was a sensitive soul. Sometimes that sensitivity led to screaming matches. He was fine with that, usually because it led to making up soon after. Right now that sensitivity was making her sad, and he would never be okay with that.

  “I don’t know what you want me to say,” Jack finally admitted. “I want to say the right thing to make you feel better, but I’m not sure what that is.”

  “Imagine being so alone that no one noticed you died for more than thirty days,” Ivy said. “Think about it.”

  Jack didn’t need to think about it. He lived that life for six months after his shooting, opting for isolation instead of engagement because he was wary of people and places. Ivy was the one who drew him out of that world. “It’s sad,” he acknowledged. “I hope you know that I would figure out you were missing after thirty seconds. That could never happen to you.”

  Ivy laughed, the sound easing the tension in the vehicle, if only marginally. “I can’t believe you would wait thirty seconds.”

  “I know. It does sound like a lifetime to be away from you.”

  Jack pulled into Ivy’s driveway, killing the engine and pocketing his keys before he could hop out of the truck. He raced around to get to Ivy’s door before she could climb out, but she was already halfway there when he appeared in front of her.

  “Are you going to shield me with your body again?” Ivy arched a challenging eyebrow.

  Jack smirked. “Have you ever considered that I merely enjoy rubbing my body against yours?”

  “Of course,” Ivy said, nodding. “That’s not what you’re doing now, though.”

  “Will you humor me?”

  Ivy let loose with a dramatic sigh. “Will you give me a massage when you get back tonight?”

  “Can it be a naked massage?”

  “Only if you promise to rub me for a full half hour before you try to do something else,” Ivy answered.

  “I love negotiating with you,” Jack said, pressing a sweet kiss to her lips.

  Jack didn’t relax until they were safely inside and then he set about searching her house. Ivy picked an anxious Nicodemus up and greeted him with a hug as she read Max’s note on the counter. Instead of taking Nicodemus to his place – he was convinced the cat would purposely shred his leather couch – Max spent the night at Ivy’s.

  “Oh, what an idiot,” Ivy muttered, making a face at the note.

  “What does it say?” Jack asked, returning to the living room.

  “It says that Max couldn’t sleep in my bed because it has sex cooties so he had to sleep on the couch and Nicodemus tried to smother him while he was out.”

  Jack laughed at the visual. “Nice.”

  “He also gave Nicodemus tuna because he didn’t like the looks of the dry kibble and now I’m going to have to put up with days of screeching until Nicodemus forgets what tuna tastes like.”

  “I see who runs this roost,” Jack said, stroking Nicodemus’ head and kissing Ivy’s cheek. “I will see you for dinner. Do you want me to pick up pizza, or do you want to cook something?”

  “I can cook.”

  “How about pizza instead?” Jack suggested.

  “Why do you want pizza so badly?”

  “Because we can get half of it with meat and half without and our only cleanup will involve throwing the box away,” Jack replied. “That will give me more time to focus on your massage.”

  “You’re very pragmatic.”

  “I do my best,” Jack said, smiling. “Is that okay?”

  “I suppose,” Ivy replied, cozying up to him and rubbing her nose against his chin. “Will you call me if you find anything?”

  “Yes,” Jack said. “I’ll text you dirty suggestions whenever I can to keep you on your toes, too.”

  “Will you get mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions on my half of the pizza?”

  “I won’t get onions. I have plans for that mouth and it can’t taste like onions.”

  Ivy narrowed her eyes. “Why don’t you get onions, too, and then we’ll both stink?”

  “Sold,” Jack said, kissing her quickly. “Be good and stay out of trouble, okay? If anything happens … .”

  “I’ll call for my knight in shining armor,” Ivy finished.

  “You kid, but that’s going to be my Halloween costume this year.” Jack strode toward the door.

  “Really? I’m dressing up like Wonder Woman.”

  Jack paused with his hand on the knob. “That is why you’re my favorite woman in the world,” he said. “I know exactly what we’re doing for our next dream.”

  “I’ll see you soon,” Ivy said.

  “I already miss you,” Jack replied.

  “SHE WAS shot twice with the same gun?” Brian asked Jack a half hour later, his face conflicted. “That’s not good.”

  “And she was left on the floor of her house for at least a month without anyone discovering her,” Jack supplied. “I don’t like what that seems to be pointing toward.”

  “The daughter. What did you say her name was?”

  “Laura Simmons,” Jack supplied.

  “And I’m guessing that she didn’t mention that she hadn’t heard from her mother in more than a month,” Brian said, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead. “That does not sound like a good situation.”

  “It doesn’t,” Jack agreed.

  “You talked to the sister, though, right? She was down in Detroit when you called. That’s a lot of driving if she’s the one responsible.”

  “No, my buddy Rick got me her cell phone number,” Jack clarified. “I assumed she was in Detroit. I had no reason not to assume that. She could’ve been anywhere.”

  “Well, the first thing we have to do is run the cell phone and find out where it has pinged recently,” Brian said. “Do you still have the number?”

  “It’s on the pad on my desk.”

  “Okay, I’ll run that,” Brian said. “I was thinking it might be smart for you to start calling around to area hotels and inns. If she’s in this area, she has to be staying somewhere. We can run her credit cards while we’re at it.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Jack said. “At least we have a place to look. If she isn’t in the area, the next order of business is calling her again. I don’t want to risk that before we know where she’s at. I don’t want to tip her off.”

  “Don’t you think she’s already been informed of her mother’s passing?”

  “Only if they could find her,” Jack replied. “Let’s get this moving. I promised Ivy I would bring pizza home for dinner … and then give her a massage without letting my hands wander.”

  Brian snickered. “Other than the dead body, did you at least get to have a little fun with Ivy?”

  “Well, I got to introduce her to Middle Eastern food – which she loved – and a Jacuzzi bath tub – which she really, really loved,” Jack said. “What do you think?”

  “I think you’re a lovesick puppy,” Brian replied. “I’d hate to stand in the way of your happiness, though. Let’s get cranking.”

  “WELL, there she is,” Michael greeted Ivy with a dark look. “If it isn’t my daughter who was shot off the road and didn’t bother to tell her parents about it. I can’t tell you how wonderful that feels as a parent. If you got a ribbon for it, I would put it right next to the spelling bee one in our photo album.”

  Ivy scowled as she stared down her father. “It’s nice to see you, too, Dad. Say that a little louder. I don’t think the people back at the greenhouse heard you.”

  Michael pursed his lips as he regarded his only daughter. “I am really angry with you.”

  “Awesome. I’m really angry with you, too.”

  “What did I do?”

  “You’re making a scene at my nursery,” Ivy answered. />
  “Fine,” Michael grumbled. “How are you feeling?”

  Ivy tried to swallow her smile … and failed. “I’m feeling very healthy. Thank you.”

  Michael pursed his lips. “Your brother told us about walking in on you and Jack naked yesterday morning,” he said. “You know very well that’s not what I was talking about.”

  “We were not naked,” Ivy shot back, scandalized. “Max is the one who walked into my house without knocking.”

  “After finding out you were shot off the road and didn’t bother to call us,” Michael challenged. “I’m usually the one on your side, kid, but not this time.”

  Ivy tugged on her limited patience and tamped down her sarcastic nature. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you,” she said. “I really am. Jack and Brian showed up … and there was some yelling and hugging … and then, well, Jack and I decided to work things out.”

  Michael graced Ivy with the first genuine smile he’d managed to muster since hearing about her accident. “I’m glad you worked things out with Jack,” he said. “I’m not surprised, though. No matter what you were screaming to the high heavens, I knew you wouldn’t be able to stay away from him.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “Because he’s your match, little one,” Michael replied, not missing a beat. “No matter how upset your mother makes me … no matter how crazy mad I get … I’ll always forgive her and want her in my life. That’s how you feel about Jack.”

  Ivy made a face. “You know we’ve only known each other for a little more than a month, right?”

  “That doesn’t matter,” Michael said. “When someone is your match, that’s it. Jack is your match. I happen to like him and think he’s good for you. That being said, next time I see him we’re going to have words.”

  “Dad, I am an adult,” Ivy hissed. “I can sleep with whoever I want to sleep with.”

  Now it was Michael’s turn to make a face. “That is not what I was talking about,” he said. “I never want to talk with Jack about that. I may like to make the occasional joke – mostly because you have prudish tendencies – but I’m still your father and that’s icky.”

  “Icky?”

  “Very,” Michael said. “I was talking about the fact that he didn’t call us after your accident. That should’ve been the first thing he did.”

  “Jack was too busy crying after my accident,” Ivy admitted. “He was a mess.”

  Michael’s face softened. “Well, everyone is okay,” he said. “How was your trip to Detroit?”

  Ivy recounted everything for her father, joining in his disgusted reaction to the mummified body, before finishing up with her worries about Jack. “I think he’s convinced it’s the sister,” she said. “I’ve tried to figure a way around it, but how else does someone not notice when a family member goes missing for a month?”

  “Maybe they were on the outs,” Michael suggested. “I know it’s hard to fathom because our family is so tight, but not everyone gets along like we do.”

  “Yeah. I guess. Jack said he would call if he gets any news. I’m going to head over and work in the greenhouse if that’s okay. I don’t feel like dealing with people asking a lot of questions.”

  “Go nuts,” Michael said. “I’m still talking to Jack next time I see him.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to verbally spar with you.”

  Ivy was almost to the greenhouse – and conversational freedom – when a woman cut off her avenue of approach and shot her a nervous smile. “Um … are you a worker here?”

  Despite her agitation, Ivy plastered a welcoming expression on her face. “I am. Can I help you?”

  “I’m not sure,” the woman admitted. “I’m looking for a bush for my mother. She’s kind of a homebody and she spends all of her time spying on the neighbors. She thinks they’re out to get her. I was kind of hoping you could point me toward a flowering bush that doesn’t make too much of a mess so I could plant it in front of her window.”

  Ivy chuckled. She knew how that went. Her mother was convinced her neighbor was hot for her dad. Ivy was fairly certain that Shirley Deurksen was a lesbian and more interested in Luna than Michael, but she wisely kept that to herself.

  “I’m sure I can help you,” Ivy said. “Um … .” She broke off, tapping her chin as she thought. “Come on. I think I have something right up your alley.”

  So much for her afternoon of solitude, Ivy thought as she led the woman toward the far end of the nursery. That was one of the hazards of owning a business, though. The customers always came first.

  Eighteen

  “Can you see me?” Rick looked uncomfortable as he stared at his computer screen.

  “I can see you,” Jack replied, sharing an amused look with Brian. “Can you see me?”

  “Yes, you’re just as ugly as I remember,” Rick muttered. “Put Ivy on. She’s pretty to look at.”

  “Ivy is home resting,” Jack said. “She doesn’t want to Skype with you.”

  “I don’t want to Skype with me either,” Brian said. “It’s weird. This is one of those things perverts usually do.”

  Jack snickered. “This is my partner Brian Nixon,” he said by way of introduction. “That’s Rick. He’s a complainer.”

  “I don’t know why you’re so high and mighty,” Brian shot back. “You’re a complainer, too.”

  “Isn’t that the truth?” Rick lamented. “All I ever heard from him was complaints about the lab taking too long … or the computers breaking down … or a witness lying to him.”

  Brian smirked. “You’re lucky. All I hear about is Ivy Morgan. I’ve known her since she was a kid. It’s a little disconcerting to see him mooning over her the way he is.”

  Jack scowled. “Can we get back to the topic at hand?”

  Brian and Rick ignored him.

  “I don’t know,” Rick said sagely. “I saw her this morning, all cute with her hair standing on end. I can understand why he’s mooning over her.”

  “We all can understand why he’s excited to be with her,” Brian said. “What we can’t understand is why she’s lowering her standards to date him.”

  Jack knew they were teasing, but the words irked him. “She happens to think I’m charming and manly.”

  “She didn’t think you were so charming forty-eight hours ago, did she?”

  Jack faltered. “Can we please get back to the situation at hand?”

  “He’s anxious to get back to Ivy,” Brian explained, his eyes twinkling. “He’s taking her pizza and giving her a massage.”

  “Wow. You turned into an over-sharer,” Rick mused. “I can’t believe I’m actually seeing it.”

  “It’s a Shadow Lake miracle,” Brian taunted, causing Jack to growl. “Okay, to the business at hand before Jack blows an artery … did you come up with anything on your end regarding Janet Simmons’ death?”

  “Yes and no,” Rick answered. “We canvassed the neighborhood. The last time anyone saw Janet was at least six weeks ago.”

  Jack leaned back in his desk chair and rubbed his neck. “Six weeks? What about the smell?”

  “That house was locked up tighter than a drum,” Rick said. “Someone put plastic wrap under the front and back doors to block drafts.”

  “Meaning someone knew what they were doing,” Brian said.

  “I’m not so sure about that,” Rick hedged. “The coroner is putting Janet’s death around the last few days of May. He says he can’t give me a better estimation because he simply doesn’t know due to the state of the body.

  “This mummification thing is new to all of us,” he continued. “The coroner said that whoever put the plastic wrap under the doors and closed up all the windows might not have been planning to mummify Janet. They might have been merely trying to block off the smell.”

  “That actually makes more sense,” Jack said. “The smell should’ve overpowered the neighborhood given how close the houses over there are. The killer was trying to buy time.”
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br />   “Well, in buying time, the killer also preserved a lot of evidence,” Rick said. “There’s fibers and trace evidence on Janet’s clothing. The clothing is sort of … melted … to her skin, so it’s going to take a little time to separate it.”

  “Thanks for that visual before dinner,” Jack said dryly.

  “I’m sure once you see Ivy that will fly right out the window,” Rick shot back. “Because of the state of the body, if the killer touched Janet, there’s a good chance we’ll be able to find prints.”

  “That only helps us if the killer has a record,” Brian pointed out.

  “Not necessarily,” Rick countered. “I think we are all leaning toward Laura for this. It’s a sad state of affairs, but there’s no reasonable explanation for Laura not to notice her mother was dead for six weeks. If it was Laura, we have her prints on record because she used to work as a volunteer at an area elementary school.”

  “Unless … .” Jack broke off, conflicted.

  “Unless what?” Brian prodded.

  “What if Laura is dead, too? Just because she wasn’t at Janet’s house and we haven’t found a body elsewhere, she could be dead if someone is trying to tie up loose ends in Marcus’ world.”

  “You talked to her, though,” Brian pointed out.

  “I talked to a woman,” Jack clarified. “I’m not sure I can say with any amount of certainty that I was talking to Laura. It’s not like I spent a lot of time with her.”

  “Well, that’s an interesting theory,” Rick said. “If you didn’t talk to Laura, who did you talk to?”

  “I have no idea,” Jack replied. “No matter how I try to wrap my head around this, I can’t see Laura as a killer. If she lost her mind, maybe I can see her taking shots from a distance at Ivy. I don’t see her being proficient enough with a handgun to shoot Ivy’s tire out, though.”

  “That’s true,” Rick said. “I remember her being a bit of a hippie.”

  “I used the term ‘bohemian’ with Ivy and she had a fit because she thinks she’s bohemian,” Jack said.

  “Did you kiss and make up?”

  Jack scowled. “Don’t go there, Rick … and yes.”