“Hello, Quinn.”
“Jack.” Quinn took a seat at the table without being invited. “Where is Ivy?”
“She decided to take a break from the sun and head inside for a bit. We’re not used to this extreme heat and she swears she’s melting.”
“She’s fairly pale,” Quinn agreed. “I’m guessing she doesn’t get a lot of sun.”
“She spends a decent amount of time outside. She’s simply militant about sunscreen.”
“That’s smart. I should be better about it.”
“Uh-huh.” Jack sipped his drink, which looked to be simple tap water with a lime wedged on the rim for good measure. “And how are you doing today? Is your investigation proceeding well?”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Really?”
“It seems I’m not the only one conducting an investigation.”
Jack expected Quinn to figure out what he was doing at some point — although he was quicker than anticipated — so he saw no reason to lie. “I’ve been asking around,” he confirmed. “I guess I can’t turn off my inner cop. He’s a persistent little bugger.”
“You’re on vacation.”
“And I’m enjoying myself a great deal. Ivy has never been on a vacation — at least not one like this — and I’m determined to make sure she has a great time. If I’d known she’d never been on a vacation before, I would’ve tried to make this happen sooner.”
The honesty caught Quinn off guard. “How long have you guys been together?”
“A little over a year. How about you and Rowan?”
“Not that long. She’s only been on the ship a few months.”
“Did you start dating right away?”
“Yes. Why do you care?”
“I’m simply curious.”
Quinn exhaled slowly and ran his hand over the top of his short-cropped hair. “I pretty much fell for her the minute we met. I can’t explain it. We started dating right away even though I wasn’t in the market for a girlfriend and we haven’t been apart since. I love her.”
Jack’s lips curved. “You sound like me. I moved to Shadow Lake because I needed a break from everything. I wasn’t there two days when I met Ivy. She changed everything for me.”
Even though he was irritated with Jack’s insistence on poking his nose into a private investigation, Quinn found himself curious all the same. “You moved because you got shot. You didn’t come right out and say that last night. You edged around it a little bit, but I could read between the lines.”
“I was shot by my partner.”
“Oh, man.” Quinn cringed. “I didn’t realize. I’m sorry. Did they catch him?”
“He died that night,” Jack replied. “It was in a car chase. I was undergoing surgery at the hospital when it happened. I didn’t know until I woke days later that he was gone.”
“I’ve never been in your particular position, but I imagine that probably made things worse,” Quinn noted. “I would’ve wanted to hunt him down myself and kill him.”
“I didn’t have that option, but upon waking in the hospital, I knew right away I needed a change. I had a lot of physical therapy to go through so I wasn’t medically cleared to leave Detroit for almost six months. I was prepared for that moment and already had a new job lined up. I was eager to get out of the city.”
“And move to the country. What’s that like?”
“Different. It’s ... quiet. There are little differences that you don’t think about. Like street lamps. It’s much darker in the country. When I sat in my yard in the city, I could see everything even after dark. When we sit in the backyard at home now, it’s quiet except for the fire we build. It’s dark enough to see the stars. I like it.”
“The crime must be different, though. Don’t you get bored?”
“No. You would actually be surprised how many big cases I’ve had since landing in Shadow Lake. It makes me appreciate the smaller ones. I like being able to come home at a decent hour most nights. I like that Ivy is usually there, cooking dinner, and ready to tell me about her day.
“Before, I worked twelve-hour shifts whether I was on the clock or not and had no one at home that I cared about,” he continued. “I spent nights going to the bar with friends. There was no intimacy, though. No quiet nights watching movies or just talking.”
Something about Jack’s tone stirred Quinn. “I’ve never been a cop, but I understand what you’re saying about the intimacy. Rowan and I don’t technically live together, but we basically do. It’s more difficult on a ship.”
“I imagine. Will you guys stay here forever?”
“I doubt it. Rowan came here because she lost her job as a newspaper photographer. I came here after leaving the military because I didn’t know what else I wanted to do and the money was good. I’m sure we’ll figure out the rest moving forward.”
Jack glommed on to part of Quinn’s statement. “Newspaper photographer?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“It’s just ... there was something familiar about her I couldn’t place when we first met. I bet our paths crossed at crime scenes over the years.”
“I hadn’t even considered that,” Quinn admitted. “You’re probably right. In fact, I bet she heard about your shooting. One partner shooting another would’ve been big news.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t really like to dwell on that,” Jack said. “That’s part of my past, one that doesn’t feel altogether real to me. Shadow Lake is my future. Ivy is my future. She’s what matters most.”
“That’s nice.”
“It is.”
“If she’s what matters most, though, why are you poking around my investigation? You should be enjoying your vacation.”
“I can’t help myself.” Jack was rueful. “That camera thing bugs me. It makes me think that someone had this murder plotted out long before he or she arrived on the ship.”
“I happen to believe that, too. It’s still not your investigation.”
“No,” Jack agreed. “Ivy has given me permission to ask a few questions, though. She helped me for a bit before lunch. She lost interest quickly, though. She’s just happy to be away from work. I have no intention of ruining things for her.”
“You’re not going to stop asking questions, though, are you?”
“No.”
“Why do you have to be such a pain?”
Jack chuckled. “You sound like Ivy.”
“I’m starting to like her more and more with each passing moment.”
“That’s something she would say.”
“You’re really starting to irritate me.”
IVY WASN’T A SUN WORSHIPPER so the heat beat her down quickly. As much as she wanted to spend time with Jack, she needed a break so she headed inside. She perused the stores, purchased an iced tea from the coffee shop, and then simply walked the hallways. She lost interest in that after about an hour and was relieved to find Rowan sitting in a small parlor working on her computer. At least she had someone to talk to now.
“Hey.”
Rowan glanced up from her screen and smiled. “Hey. What are you doing inside? It’s a beautiful day.”
“It is, but I’m not used to this heat,” Ivy admitted. “It’s sucking the life right out of me. I don’t know how to explain it. All I want to do is take a nap, but it’s like sleeping in a furnace on the deck.”
Rowan chuckled. “You sound like me when I first got here. I thought I would never survive. I sweated so much I lost five pounds just in water weight the first week. I eventually adjusted.”
“I’m not going to be here long enough to adjust. That means frequent breaks for me.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad.” Rowan lifted her chin so she could study the direction Ivy came from. “Where is Jack?”
“He’s on deck questioning people about the murder.” Ivy blurted it out without giving it much thought. “He can’t help himself. It’s a mystery and he wants to solve it. I don’t know
why he can’t leave the cop at home, but it’s seemingly impossible.”
“Quinn isn’t going to like it if he catches Jack asking the guests questions.”
“I figure that’s their problem. Besides, they’re already sizing each other up. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they seem a bit ... quietly competitive, I guess would be the correct term ... when they’re around each other.”
Surprised, Rowan leaned forward. “I thought I was the only one who noticed that. Quinn keeps puffing his chest out like he’s absorbing testosterone from the sun or something.”
Ivy giggled. “It’s got to be a man thing. My brother Max would probably be doing it, too. When Jack and I first started dating, I swear there were times when I caught Max and Jack comparing muscles when they thought no one was looking.”
“Oh, that is hilarious. Did you say something?”
“Of course. They both denied it. Once, though, Max caught Jack in my driveway — there was a dead body there days before; it’s a long story — and he tried to wrestle him down. Jack was stronger, though, and he wrestled Max down. My brother still hasn’t gotten over it.”
“Well, Jack is trained, too.”
“That’s Max’s excuse.” Ivy flicked her eyes to Rowan’s computer screen. “Are you working? I can leave you alone so you can focus.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that,” Rowan said. “I’m loading photos to the portals. I have to do that at least three times a day. I usually do it in the tiki bar, but it’s so hot today I decided to take advantage of the air conditioning. You’re not bothering me. It simply takes a bit of time for the photographs to load.”
“Do you have a minimum of photos you’re supposed to take a day?”
“No. I’m supposed to get as many people as possible, though.”
“Did you always want to be a ship photographer?” Ivy was honestly curious. “Do they have a course on that or something?”
“I never saw this in my future,” Rowan replied. “Trust me. This was so far from my mind I’m not sure it even existed in the dark corners. I went to school for photography with a focus on photojournalism. Unfortunately, the state of journalism today is such that I lost my job and had to come up with a new plan.”
“You were a newspaper photographer?”
Rowan bobbed her head. “I was. I liked my job. I was good at it. It went away overnight, though, and I had to come up with a different plan.”
“I wonder if you met Jack while out on the job.”
“What?”
“Jack was a Detroit police officer. You were a photographer in the area. It would only make sense to meet under different circumstances. Jack thought you looked familiar, but he couldn’t place you.”
“It’s weird, but I thought both of you looked familiar.”
“Yeah. You would know Jack’s story, though.” Ivy rubbed her palms against her knees. “He was the police officer shot by his partner. I don’t know if you remember that.”
Rowan’s mouth dropped open. “I remember. It was a huge deal. There was a manhunt for the partner. I was out with a reporter because people were trying to track him down. He died in an accident or something.”
“That’s it.” Ivy bobbed her head. “Jack almost died. It took six months of physical therapy for him to get back on his feet. He moved to Shadow Lake not long after.”
“That was a huge story. I’m sorry that happened to him.”
“I am, too, although ... .” She left it hanging.
“Although if he hadn’t gotten shot he never would’ve moved to Shadow Lake and you two wouldn’t have found each other,” Rowan finished. “It’s okay. I know how that is. I thought losing my job was a terrible thing until I met Quinn. We wouldn’t have found each other otherwise, so I get it.”
“It’s terrible to admit, but I wouldn’t change anything. I like how things turned out.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Rowan teased. “Jack seems to like how things turned out, too.”
“Yeah. He’s still a cop at heart, though, which is why he’s questioning people on our vacation.”
“You don’t seem that worked up about it.”
“No, I ... hey, what’s that?”
It took Rowan a moment to realize Ivy was staring at her computer screen. “What’s what?”
“That thing on that photo of Margaret Adkins.”
Rowan’s heart did a long, slow somersault. “What thing?”
“There’s a symbol or something in the corner of the photo.” Ivy squinted in an attempt to see better. “What is that?”
“I don’t know.” Rowan chose her words carefully. “It’s probably just a shadow. I’ve been wondering if there’s something wrong with my camera, though, because I saw a different type of shadow in one of your photos. Let me show you.”
Rowan closed out of the portal window and clicked on a desktop folder. The photographs of Ivy were on top, and she clicked on one before turning the laptop so Ivy could better see the image. “Do you see a symbol here, too?”
“I do,” Ivy answered right away. “It’s right there.” She pointed at the corner of the photo. “I know this sounds strange, but it looks like an old woman.”
“That’s what I said,” Rowan agreed. “I showed the photo to my friend and she didn’t see the shadow. It’s odd. I’m trying to figure out if it’s a shutter glitch, or maybe something with the aperture.”
“I don’t know a lot about cameras,” Ivy admitted. “It’s weird, though. I don’t know what to make of it.”
Rowan felt bad lying, but she was militant about keeping her ability a secret. The only people on the ship who knew were Quinn, because she told him when she needed help saving a life, and Sally, because she accidentally found out. Both were trustworthy. And, while Rowan believed Ivy was trustworthy, too, she didn’t know her well enough to take the risk.
“I might re-set the camera to factory settings and see if that corrects it,” Rowan lied. “The camera is new. Quinn bought it for me as a gift a few weeks ago. I was having a hard time and he wanted to make me feel better. He took me on a mini-vacation, although we just checked into a hotel for a few days because we couldn’t spare an entire week.”
“That sounds nice, though.” Ivy turned away from the photo and focused on Rowan. “You guys seem happy together. Quinn’s need to thump his chest when Jack is around notwithstanding, he seems like a nice guy.”
“He is. He’s the best guy. Although, I think Quinn’s biggest problem is that Jack is taller than him. Quinn likes to be the big man on the ship.”
Ivy choked on a laugh. “That seriously sounds like Max. Max was like the tallest guy in Shadow Lake before Jack joined the police department. He’s still not over Jack usurping his throne.”
“It probably helps that he’s not in competition with Jack for female attention.”
“I think that’s the only reason they haven’t killed each other,” Ivy agreed.
“Not the only reason. They both love you. That will hold them together forever, too.”
Ivy smiled. “Probably. Tell me about living on a cruise ship. I’m dying to hear what that’s like. I bet it’s fun.”
“There’s never a dull moment. That’s the one thing I can say with absolute certainty. Come on, though. I’ll show you my room — which is vastly different from your room — and we’ll see if you think the notion of living on a ship is so romantic after that.”
Ten
“This isn’t going to turn into a playground wrestling match, is it?”
Ivy, in the bathroom changing her clothes for dinner, had listened to Jack relate how he spent his afternoon for a full twenty minutes before making her true feelings known.
Jack scowled as he smoothed his shirt. “No. Quinn and I actually had a nice conversation, if you must know.”
Ivy wasn’t sure she believed him. “I’ve seen you two together. You’re one step away from thumping your chests and baying at the moon.”
It was simple — Ivy would never do fancy — but it was short enough that it fell just above her knees. It was blue tie-dye with spaghetti straps that showed off her shoulders. And even though Ivy’s skin remained pale, she practically glowed under the soft gel lights of the bathroom.
“Oh, wow.” Jack exhaled slowly as he drank in her appearance. “You look amazing, honey.”
Ivy cocked an eyebrow. “That’s quite the reaction for a simple dress. I bought it in one of the gift shops this afternoon.” She furrowed her brow as she glanced at her reflection in the full-length mirror. “You don’t think it’s too ... casual ... do you?”
Jack snickered. “No. I think you look amazing.”
“Are you sure?”
Ivy never suffered from bouts of insecurity so Jack knew better than to tease her.
“I think you’re the most beautiful woman in the world,” he answered honestly. “I think every other woman pales in comparison to you. I thank my lucky stars every day that you’re mine.”
Instead of melting, Ivy made an exaggerated expression. “That was ... I don’t even know what to say.”
“Romantic?”
“Ridiculous.”
Jack snickered and held out his hand. “That doesn’t mean it’s not true. You’re beautiful, honey. I am curious what possessed you to buy a new dress, though. You’re pretty particular about your clothes.”
Ivy shrugged. “I don’t know. I needed time out of the sun and was wandering around the stores because there wasn’t much else to do without you and I saw it. If you don’t like it, I can change.”
“No, no, no.” Jack grabbed her hand and dragged her to him. “I love it ... and you. I’m also sorry about this afternoon. I shouldn’t have abandoned you to question people about a murder that’s not even in my jurisdiction.”
Wicked Ghostly Seas: A Rowan Gray, Harper Harlow and Ivy Morgan Mystery Omnibus Page 29