Wicked Ghostly Seas: A Rowan Gray, Harper Harlow and Ivy Morgan Mystery Omnibus

by Lily Harper Hart

  “We’re nowhere near done here.” Quinn’s voice was even, chilly. “I want to know what Ivy saw last night.”

  “She saw a storm on the deck. She happens to love storms. Then we came back to the room and watched Friends before going to sleep.”

  “Oh, really?” Quinn cocked a challenging eyebrow. Jack’s attitude bothered him to no end and he wanted to push the man to crack. “Which episode?”

  “You want to know what episode we watched?” Jack matched Quinn jab for jab. “Well, let me see. I believe we watched the episodes where they compete for Monica and Rachel’s apartment, Monica fixes up the other apartment, and something about Rachel having a date that’s interrupted by the chicken and duck. Is that specific enough for you?”

  Quinn frowned. He had no idea if those episodes really existed. He looked to Rowan for help, causing her to laugh.

  “All those episodes are real,” she said after a beat. “Why did you even ask if you didn’t know the answer?”

  “That’s a very good question,” Jack said. “I would like to hear the answer to it.”

  “I forgot some of the episodes,” Quinn replied lamely. “That’s hardly here nor there. I’m more interested in why you left the dining room. What did Ivy see as you were leaving?”

  “It was dark.” Jack managed to keep calm ... but just barely. “She didn’t see anything. It was a tense walk out of the dining room because I was worried we would get separated in the crowd. She was upset because we’re both a little claustrophobic.”

  “You’re claustrophobic?” Quinn pressed. “You don’t seem the type.”

  “You should try getting shot in the chest,” Jack suggested. “When your lung won’t inflate, you feel as if you’re being crushed. I couldn’t open my eyes. It was dark. I felt as if the world was closing in on me. So, yeah, I’m claustrophobic.”

  Quinn balked. “I’m sorry. I ... shouldn’t have said that.” He was sincere. Despite Jack’s attitude, Quinn felt bad about questioning the couple. He didn’t believe they were suspects, but there was something decidedly odd about both of them. Jack was determined to protect Ivy at all costs — something he understood because he felt the same way about Rowan — but Quinn was determined to get answers. “I didn’t mean to insinuate you were lying.”

  “You did, though.” Ivy’s voice was small as Jack increased his hand movements on her back. “That’s basically exactly what you said.”

  Rowan flicked her eyes to Ivy and frowned. “Quinn didn’t mean to suggest Jack wasn’t telling the truth.”

  “I can speak for myself, sweetie.” Quinn awkwardly patted her hand. “As for what happened last night, various people saw you in the lobby after the fact. Ivy was described as pale and upset.”

  “She’s claustrophobic, too,” Jack said.

  “It’s weird for both halves of a couple to be claustrophobic.”

  “And yet that’s what we live with day in and day out,” Jack said. “If that’s all, you can go.”

  “That’s nowhere near all.” Quinn’s frustration bubbled up thanks to Jack’s stonewalling efforts. “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I know Ivy gets visions.” He blurted it out. “I know she saw something last night. All I want to know is what that something is.”

  Ivy sucked in a breath as Jack licked his lips.

  “It’s not a big deal,” Rowan offered hurriedly. “If you have visions, I mean. I think it’s kind of cool ... and understand that you probably conditioned yourself to keep it secret. You don’t have to keep it secret from me.”

  Ivy kept her gaze focused on her lap. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Ivy ... .” Rowan felt helpless. “I swear it’s going to be okay if you tell me what’s going on. I promise that we’ll keep it a secret. You can trust us.”

  “Really?” Ivy finally lifted her chin, her anger coming out to play. “You think we can trust you, huh? You tracked us down on the deck, essentially threatened us, forced us to let you into our room so you could accuse us of keeping a ridiculous secret, and now you’re badgering us with inane questions when we’re supposed to be on vacation. You think we can trust you after that?”

  Rowan’s mouth dropped open. “Well, it doesn’t sound so good when you phrase it like that.”

  “Don’t yell at her,” Quinn snapped. “She’s not to blame for this. If you’d talked quieter in the tiki bar, she wouldn’t have heard you in the first place.”

  Now Ivy was the one who couldn’t hide her surprise. “You eavesdropped on us?”

  “That’s it.” Jack swiftly got to his feet at the exact time Quinn did, their chests almost bumping as they squared off. “I want you out of our room.” He practically growled the order.

  “I’m chief of security,” Quinn reminded him. “I have whatever jurisdiction I want on this ship. You can’t stop me.”

  “No? What if I place a call to corporate? What if I go to the news media and tell them we were attacked because you and your girlfriend decided my fiancée was psychic? How ridiculous do you think you’re going to look then?”

  “Don’t threaten me,” Quinn warned. “I’ll throw you in a cell for the rest of the trip if you say another word. Don’t think I won’t. I have the power and I’ll enjoy wielding it.”

  “Don’t do that,” Ivy protested, her voice cracking. “Don’t take him.”

  Jack turned to her, his fight with Quinn abandoned. “Honey, don’t worry about that. He won’t take me away.”

  “He won’t,” Rowan agreed, ignoring the harsh look Quinn shot her. “I won’t let him. This has gotten out of hand. I wanted to have a calm conversation with you guys, not a screaming match.”

  “Then perhaps you shouldn’t have spied on us over lunch,” Jack spat as he returned to his sitting position next to Ivy. “Honey, I don’t want you getting upset. I’m going to handle this. Don’t worry about anything.”

  “What is she worried about in the first place?” Quinn challenged, his eyes narrowing. “Why are you suddenly positioning yourself as her great protector? From everything I’ve seen, she can take care of her herself.”

  “She’s the strongest person I know,” Jack agreed. “That doesn’t mean I appreciate you attacking her.”

  “I’m not attacking her. I’m trying to understand what’s going on.”

  Rowan worked her jaw as she stared hard at Ivy’s rigid features. Suddenly, realization dawned ... and she felt like a blooming idiot. “Shut up.”

  Jack and Quinn continued sniping at one another as if they hadn’t heard her.

  “Shut up!” Rowan bellowed loudly enough to stop both men in mid-sentence. “This isn’t about either of you.” She leaned forward so she could stare directly into Ivy’s eyes. The pink-haired woman was defiant, but Rowan understood what was necessary to move the conversation along. “Weird things happen to me sometimes, too.”

  Whatever she was expecting, that wasn’t it. Ivy arched an eyebrow, surprised. “What do you mean?”

  “You saw. Yesterday, when we were inside and you were taking a break from the sun, you saw my gift. I don’t know that I would call it that, but others do so I’ve gotten in the habit. You saw my gift and know I’m different. It’s okay that you’re different, too.”

  Ivy licked her lips, unsure. “What gift?” she asked finally. “What gift are you talking about?”

  “The symbols on the photographs,” Rowan replied without hesitation, determined to prove she wasn’t a threat to Ivy. “You saw the symbol on your own photograph. I don’t even know what that symbol means. I’ve been trying to figure it out, but I’m at a loss.

  “You saw the one on Margaret Adkins’s photograph, too, though,” she continued. “We talked about it. I said there was probably something wrong with the settings on the camera, but that wasn’t true. I’ve been able to predict people’s deaths with my camera since I was a kid. I think you can do something similar ... although maybe a little more impressive.”

  Ivy rubb
ed her forehead as Jack slid his arm around her waist. “Those symbols you showed me are magical, aren’t they?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been able to get a firm answer on them.”

  “You said you can predict death in your photos,” Jack interrupted. “If Ivy has a symbol on her photograph, does that mean she’s going to die?” He looked worried. “Do I need to get her off this ship?”

  “Her symbol is different,” Rowan replied hurriedly. “I don’t know what the symbol on her photograph means. My friend Sally is from New Orleans and she managed to identify two other symbols I see in my photographs. One is for death, the other for danger. Ivy’s symbol is different. I showed it to Sally and she said it looked like a pagan symbol, one that means ‘crone,’ but she can’t be for sure.”

  Jack’s hand was gentle as he stroked the back of Ivy’s head. “So ... she’s not in danger?”

  “I don’t think so.” Rowan opted for honesty. “I don’t know what the crone symbol means. It’s frustrating for you — I get that — but I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know what the symbol means.”

  “I think I know what it means.” Jack’s expression softened as he met Ivy’s gaze and gave her an encouraging smile. “I think it means she’s a witch ... or close to it.”

  Quinn almost fell off his chair. “Excuse me? A witch?”

  “I don’t particularly like that word,” Ivy hedged. “I don’t use it. My aunt uses it. Felicity. She considers herself a witch and she can do a few things. You know, magical things.”

  “What kind of magical things?” Quinn asked. “Like ... can she turn people into toads?”

  Ivy rolled her eyes. “No. She can read tarot cards and tea leaves. She can contact ghosts in seances. She can see auras. Those types of things.”

  “And what types of things can you do?” Rowan asked, intrigued despite herself. “I heard you guys. I know you see things. I know you saw something last night and you’re convinced it was Emily Little’s death. I don’t want to spread your secret far and wide. I would like to understand, though.”

  Ivy sighed, resigned.

  “You don’t have to.” Jack collected her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to say.”

  “She told me her secret,” Ivy pointed out. “It only seems fair.”

  Jack leveled a dark gaze on Quinn. “If you use this against her ... .”

  Quinn held his hands up in capitulation. “I won’t use this against her. Do you think I don’t understand about wanting to protect the woman you love? I get it. You’re doing this for her.”

  “I am doing this for her,” Jack agreed. “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her.”

  “You don’t have to protect her from me.”

  “You’d better hope not.”

  Ivy let loose a weary sigh as she leaned back in her seat. “I don’t know what you would call me. I don’t like the word ‘witch,’ but it might be the most apt one.”

  “What can you do?” Rowan asked.

  “It started with dream walking.”

  “What’s that?” Quinn queried, legitimately curious.

  “We can share dreams,” Jack replied. “It started not long after we met. We can pick a destination — good or bad — and go together.”

  “That sounds interesting.” Quinn’s eyes lit with excitement. “Do you go to exotic places?”

  “Sometimes.” Jack bobbed his head. “It didn’t start with exotic locations, though. It started with a dirty alley in Detroit.”

  “Oh.” Quinn was chagrined. “She helped you through what happened with your partner.”

  “I watched him almost die over and over again,” Ivy corrected. “He figured a way out of there himself. He took me with him when he left.”

  “That sounds like a real bonding experience,” Rowan encouraged.

  “We definitely bonded early.” Ivy mustered a wan smile for Jack. “There’s been other things since then, though.”

  “Like what?”

  “I saw through the eyes of a killer once, watched him work.”

  “That sounds less entertaining,” Quinn said, shaking his head. "Is that it?”

  “No.” Ivy decided to lay everything out there. “I’ve had a few psychic visions, including popping into someone’s head last night. I think it was Emily Little. She was being chased and I know she accessed the deck from the door you found us standing by a little while ago. I recognized that lighthouse painting ... unless there’s more than one painting like that on the ship.”

  “No.” Rowan emphatically shook her head. “I know the painting you’re talking about. It’s the only one I’ve seen on the ship. I know because I like it and always pay attention when I pass.”

  “There’s something moody about it,” Ivy agreed.

  “Did you see who was chasing Emily?” Quinn asked. “Did you see a face? Or even a glimpse of hair or eyes.”

  “No. I’ve tried going back and accessing the memories. If Emily knew who was after her — and I’m pretty sure she did — she didn’t share the information with me.”

  “Can you go deeper?” Quinn asked. “I mean ... can you do that dream-walking thing and go deeper to see what happened?”

  “I don’t think so.” Ivy knew honesty was her only course of action, so she stuck with the truth. “I saw a flash. I thought I was seeing the future, that we would have more time. I can’t control what I see, or feel. Sometimes it happens and I don’t even realize it.”

  “She’s called to me a few times when in danger,” Jack volunteered. “She was in a grocery store before Christmas and someone wanted to hurt her. I instinctively knew where she was and which way to enter the store to save her. She showed me how to do it.

  “There have been other times, too,” he continued. “What happened last night was a first. We both assumed we had more time. If we’d known it was so imminent ... I don’t know what we would’ve done. I would’ve tried to do something, though.”

  “I don’t doubt that.” Quinn turned weary as he rubbed his forehead. “Here’s the thing, we believe that Ivy had the vision while the attack was happening. Demarcus said he saw you guys in the lobby right after the power came back on. The doctor puts Emily’s time of death during the blackout. I don’t happen to believe there was any way you could’ve stopped it.”

  “Really?” Ivy looked so hopeful it squeezed Jack’s heart.

  “Really,” Quinn confirmed. “There was nothing you could’ve done.”

  “I believe I already told you that,” Jack said. “How come you didn’t believe me?”

  Ivy gave him a rueful look. “Because you’ll say whatever is necessary to make me feel better. Quinn doesn’t have to say things like that unless they’re true.”

  “I’m still better than him,” Jack muttered under his breath, causing Ivy to let loose a legitimate smile.

  Quinn decided to let the dig go. “I think we need to pool our resources. We have a better chance of figuring out what’s going on if we work together.”

  “How do you expect to do that?” Ivy asked.

  “You and Rowan have special abilities. I think, if you put your heads together, you might be able to come up with some answers.”

  “What about you?” Rowan pressed. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to keep investigating the only way I know how.”

  “You should have Jack help you with that,” Ivy suggested, biting back a grin when Quinn frowned. “He’s a police detective ... and very good at his job. If the two of you work together, you might figure things out faster.”

  “Oh, well, I don’t know.” Quinn held his hands palms out. “I don’t want to ruin his vacation.”

  “I’m with Ivy,” Jack interjected. “You can’t ruin anything as long as I have her.”

  Something about Jack’s tone stirred Quinn. He knew exactly how the other man felt. “Fine.” He heaved out a sigh. “We’ll all work together. We just need to figu
re out where to start.”

  “I have an idea on that,” Rowan said. “Although ... I’m not sure you’re going to like it.”

  Fifteen

  The conversation was tense after Rowan and Ivy admitted to their abilities. For their part, the women were more curious than accusatory. The men, however, were determined to protect their women and became excessively agitated with one another.

  “It seems to me that you guys should be able to figure out something together,” Quinn started.

  “That’s easy for you to say,” Jack muttered. “Your woman takes photos and then sits back to see if anything happens. My woman has to hop into heads of killers and victims and put herself on the line. That doesn’t seem very balanced to me.”

  “Excuse me?” Quinn arched a challenging eyebrow. “What did you just say to me?”

  “I believe he called me his woman,” Ivy answered for Jack, her eyes darkening. “As if I’m property.”

  Jack wrinkled his nose. “Oh, don’t pick a fight, honey. I’m not in the mood.”

  “Maybe I’m not in the mood,” she challenged. “Have you ever thought of that?”

  “And we’re fighting about what again?”

  Ivy stared him down. “I’m not your property.”

  “Fine.” He held up his hands in capitulation. “You’re not my woman. You’re your own woman. I have no claims to you whatsoever.”

  “Oh, don’t turn into a baby.”

  Rowan snickered as Ivy rolled her eyes. “You guys are funny.”

  “Yes, I often wear a red nose and do a clown dance,” Jack drawled.

  “While pounding his chest, pointing at me, and chanting ‘mine, mine, mine,’” Ivy added, her annoyance obvious.

  “Hey, we’re getting married,” Jack pointed out. “That means you’re technically mine. Forever. You don’t hear me complaining because I’m yours.”

  “I don’t refer to you that way,” Ivy pointed out. “I like to think we share two lives that often overlap. We choose to be together because we’re mutually giving and loving individuals.”