Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Don’t call me that,” Ivy said.

  “I … .” Jack pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead. This was a conversation he didn’t want to have. This was exactly why he’d pledged to remain relationship free in Shadow Lake. He was no good to anyone, and despite her personality, he truly believed Ivy deserved the best this life had to offer. He just wasn’t it. “I’m sorry. I … don’t know what to say.”

  “I don’t expect you to say anything, Jack,” Ivy said, keeping her voice even and her eyes focused on a spot over his left shoulder. “I don’t expect anything from you. We’ve been over this.”

  They had been over it … a few times. Then Jack couldn’t stay away from her and opened the door again. He’d told her he merely wanted to hang out. He’d made it clear he didn’t want a relationship. So why did he feel like such a loser? And why did he want to do nothing more than pull her in for a hug and tell her he’d made a mistake?

  “Ivy, I’m a mess,” Jack said honestly. “I’m more of a mess than that girl in there. As you can see, I take normal conversations and turn them into huge firestorms because I don’t know what else to do. I’m … sorry.”

  “I don’t need you to be sorry,” Ivy said, finally lifting her blue eyes to his. Jack saw hurt there even though she was trying to hide it. “I’m too busy for you. I’m also dumbfounded that you would even think I find you attractive.”

  She was giving him an out, but Jack’s ego – and heart – couldn’t take it. “Oh, please,” he scoffed. “You’re desperate to see me without my shirt on again. Admit it.”

  Since the first time he’d stripped his shirt off for her in her kitchen had been due to a nasty bout of Poison Ivy that sounded like a great idea to the feisty woman as she studied him. “I can make that happen,” she warned. “I still remember where the Poison Ivy is.”

  Jack made a face. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “I know exactly what you meant,” Ivy said. “You’re wrong, though. I don’t want to see you with your shirt off. Frankly, I was horrified by your lack of muscle tone. It totally grossed me out.”

  Jack worked out six days a week and he was a walking wall of muscle with an eight-pack. He knew that wasn’t true. Still, he was used to women falling all over him. Ivy was going out of her way to push him away, although he didn’t blame her. “I’ve really let myself go,” he agreed. “I’ll get back in the gym first thing tomorrow.”

  “Good,” Ivy said. “Was there something else that you wanted?”

  Jack arched an eyebrow. “Believe it or not, I didn’t come here to verbally spar with you. I need to know what you found out about your houseguest.”

  “Of course,” Ivy said, feeling stupid for not remembering his true reason for coming to find her. “Her name is Kelly Sisto. She hasn’t told me anything else. I don’t know where she’s from. I don’t know what happened to her. She’s slowly starting to trust me, but it’s going to take time.”

  “You’re going to keep her another night, aren’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  Jack ran his tongue over his teeth, debating how wise it would be to argue with Ivy. Finally, he decided he was going to let it go … for now. “If she tells you anything, will you call me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you make a point of doing it as soon as possible?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay,” Jack said, cracking his neck and glancing around the nursery. “Just to be on the safe side, do me a favor and keep her away from the general populace until we know more.”

  “She’s scared of the general populace.”

  “I know,” Jack said. “Just … be careful. Until we know who hurt her, we can’t be sure that someone isn’t looking for her.”

  “Oh,” Ivy said, realization dawning. “You’re worried someone is going to find her here, aren’t you?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m worried about,” Jack said. “If someone comes for Kelly you’re going to make yourself a target. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, Ivy.”

  “I know,” Ivy said. “Just because you don’t want to date me, that doesn’t mean you want me dead. I get it.”

  She was still hurt. Jack could practically feel it wafting off of her. “I … .”

  “I don’t want to go over this again,” Ivy said, cutting him off. “I know where you stand. I’m not feeling sorry for myself and pining over you. You’re good looking, but you’re not irresistible.”

  Ivy pushed past Jack and moved back toward the greenhouse.

  “I didn’t say I was,” Jack protested.

  “Just … get over yourself,” Ivy said.

  “You get over yourself,” Jack grumbled under his breath, willing his heart to stop flopping around like a fish out of water. He had no idea what she did to him, but she always managed to leave him unsettled. It was starting to get frustrating.

  Six

  “Women are crazy.”

  Brian Nixon glanced up from his computer screen and focused on his partner as Jack stalked into the detectives’ office at the Shadow Lake Police Department. “How is Ivy?”

  Jack stilled. “Who said I was talking about Ivy?”

  Brian snorted. “Son, I don’t pretend to know you very well,” he said. “I do know that Ivy Morgan has driven quite a few men to drink, though, and none of them has spent nearly as much time with her as you have.”

  “I’m not spending time with her.”

  “You played basketball with her,” Brian said.

  “That was one time.”

  “You’ve been sighted out at her nursery twice in the last week – this was before she found a traumatized teenager in the greenhouse – and I happen to know you’re nowhere near ready to think about landscaping at the dump you live in,” Brian said.

  “I was just looking for ideas,” Jack argued. “Wait … how do you even know I was out there?”

  “This town is full of gossips,” Brian said, smiling at his younger partner. “My wife is in the loop. I’m pretty sure I already told you this.”

  “Nothing is going on.”

  “Oh, son, you’re so cute,” Brian said. “I know you believe that. I even know you want it to be true. You can’t argue with chemistry, though, and you and Ivy are like a science experiment gone awry.”

  “Whatever,” Jack said, throwing himself in his desk chair dramatically. “She’s a pain in my rear end.”

  “She’s got a way about her,” Brian agreed. “Did she get anywhere with the girl last night?”

  “Yes,” Jack said. “We have a name to go on. Kelly Sisto. She didn’t tell Ivy anything else, but it’s somewhere to start.”

  “Well, let’s see what we can come up with,” Brian said, starting to type. “Are you going to sit there and daydream about Ivy, or are you going to help?”

  “I’m not daydreaming about Ivy!”

  “Keep telling yourself that.”

  “WHAT do you think?” Jack asked from the passenger seat of Brian’s cruiser as they studied the small ranch house from their spot on the street.

  “It looks like a normal house,” Brian said thoughtfully. “There are toys on the front lawn. The grass is long, but not so long they’re risking getting a notice from the township.”

  After searching through state records, Brian and Jack found a sixteen-year-old girl with the same name who matched Kelly’s description. She was living with a foster family – Derek and Emily Gideon – in a neighboring town, and from all outward appearances, the foster family didn’t appear to be abusive.

  Brian spent an hour on the phone with Kelly’s caseworker, an overworked woman who said she dropped in on the Gideon household once a month. Brian worked overtime not to be accusatory, but he was well aware that state agency caseworkers had more files to follow-up on than hours in a day. Still, the woman insisted she saw Kelly on a regular basis.

  “How do you want to do this?” Jack asked.

  “Very carefully,” Brian said. “We do not want
to accuse these people if they’re not guilty, and yet we need to be firm enough to scare them. We don’t have any evidence, and it looks like there are more kids in this house. We have to be pleasant and act like we’re merely trying to find answers, not trying to blame someone.”

  “I get it,” Jack said. “Are you worried I’m going to fly off the handle?”

  “I’m worried that an abused girl is going to set us both off,” Brian said. “I’m saying it for my benefit, as well as yours.”

  “Let’s do this,” Jack said, pushing open his door and climbing out of the car. “The faster we get some answers, the faster … .”

  “Ivy will be alone in her house again?” Brian suggested.

  Jack scowled. “The faster we can help Kelly.”

  The woman who answered the door looked tired. She was dressed in simple jeans and a T-shirt, and her dark hair was pulled into a loose ponytail. She was holding a crying toddler in one hand, and another shy child was hiding behind her legs.

  Brian pasted a bright smile on his face as he greeted the woman, flashing his badge to let her know it was an official visit. “Are you Emily Gideon?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is your husband home?”

  “He’s in his office. Can I ask what this is about?” Emily asked, shuffling nervously.

  “It’s about Kelly Sisto,” Brian said.

  “She’s at the library.”

  Jack and Brian exchanged a look.

  “No, ma’am, she’s not,” Brian said. “Can you please get your husband? We have a few questions for you.”

  “But … we haven’t done anything,” Emily said.

  “Ma’am, get your husband.”

  DEREK Gideon was a short man with a big waistline. His ample stomach hung over his waistband, and his round face was red as he greeted Brian and Jack with a welcoming – and yet forced – smile.

  “How can I help you?”

  “We need to ask you some questions about Kelly Sisto,” Brian said, shaking his head when Emily offered him a glass of iced tea. “We understand that she’s your ward.”

  “She’s been living here for the past fifteen months,” Derek said. “Has she done something?”

  “No,” Brian said. “We’re trying to find out what happened to her.”

  “I’m not sure what you mean,” Kelly said, clasping her hands on her lap. “Nothing has happened to her.”

  “When was the last time you saw Kelly?” Jack asked.

  “This morning,” Emily said. “She got up early and said she was going to the library to read. She doesn’t like to spend a lot of time with the younger kids.”

  “Ma’am, we know that’s not true,” Jack said. “Kelly didn’t spend the night in this house.”

  “I … .” Emily broke off, biting her lower lip and shooting a look in her husband’s direction.

  “What’s going on?” Derek asked.

  “Kelly was found in Shadow Lake yesterday,” Brian said. “She was hiding in a greenhouse at a local business. Her arms were bruised, and she was traumatized to the point where she screamed when anyone tried to approach her.”

  “I … that’s not possible,” Derek said. “She has a curfew. She has to be in this house by nine every night.”

  “And you’re saying you saw her last night?”

  “Of course,” Derek said. “We’re diligent foster parents. We take care of the kids the state places with us. I don’t know what you think … .”

  “I’ll tell you exactly what I think,” Jack interrupted. “I think you take kids from the state to get the paycheck. I don’t think you’ve seen Kelly in days, maybe weeks even. I think you’re trying to cover your asses, but it’s not going to work because we’ve had Kelly for the past twenty-four hours. Stop lying.”

  “Don’t you dare accuse me of anything,” Derek snapped.

  “We’re not accusing you of anything,” Brian said, shooting Jack a dark look before focusing back on the Gideons. “I raised a few teenagers. I know how troublesome they can be. We need to put a timeline together, though. Something happened to Kelly, and we need to know what.”

  “Why don’t you just ask her?”

  “She’s not keen on talking right now,” Brian said.

  “What happened to her?” Emily asked.

  “We’re not sure yet,” Brian replied. “She’s … adjusting … right now. When she’s ready to talk, she’ll talk.”

  “She should be with us,” Derek said. “We’re her guardians.”

  “She’s … good where she’s at,” Brian said.

  “She’s safe,” Jack added.

  “Are you insinuating she wouldn’t be safe here?” Derek asked. “We’re good foster parents. We take this job very seriously.”

  “Obviously,” Jack replied dryly. “A good foster parent always lies to law enforcement about a child in their care.”

  “Hey, you have no idea what we’re dealing with here,” Derek said. “We’ve got four mouths to feed under this roof, and that’s not counting us. Kelly is a teenager. She doesn’t need constant supervision.”

  “No one was suggesting she did,” Brian said. “The fact remains that Kelly has been gone for at least twenty-four hours. You either knew and didn’t report it or you didn’t know. I’m not sure which prospect is worse, quite frankly.”

  “Kelly doesn’t always stay here,” Emily said.

  “Shut up, Emily,” Derek snapped.

  “No,” Emily said, shaking her head. “She’s a teenager. She kind of … comes and goes as she pleases.”

  “I thought she had a curfew,” Jack said.

  “She does,” Derek said.

  “Okay, I’ve had just about enough of this,” Brian said. “When was the last time you saw Kelly? If you say this morning … or last night … I’m going to have a caseworker out here every day for the next month, even if I have to pay them out of my own pocket.”

  Jack arched an eyebrow, surprised and impressed.

  “We saw her four days ago,” Emily said, resigned. “She stopped in to get some fresh clothes and do some laundry.”

  “How often does she stay here?”

  “A couple nights a week.”

  “Where does she stay the other nights?” Jack asked, rampant dislike for the Gideons rolling through his stomach.

  “She has a few friends,” Emily said. “She usually sleeps on their couches or … I don’t know … maybe she has a boyfriend.”

  “Are you saying you have no idea where she spends her nights?”

  “She’s here two or three nights a week,” Emily said. “She comes in after we’ve gone to bed most of the time. Then she eats breakfast with us and takes off again.”

  “As long as she keeps her grades up and is here for social worker visits, we kind of let her do her own thing,” Derek said. “She’s an easy kid. She doesn’t get in trouble, and she doesn’t talk back.”

  Jack made a face, disgusted. “Well, don’t worry about seeing her again,” he said, getting to his feet. “She’ll be relocated. I can guarantee that.”

  “Wait a second … .”

  “No,” Jack snapped. “She’s a teenage girl, not an adult. You guys paid so little attention to her you didn’t even know she was missing. We’re done here.”

  “No, we’re not,” Brian said. “I’ll be notifying the state about the situation in this house as soon as I get back to the office. If I were you, I’d be expecting a visit. Something tells me your status as foster parents is going to be studied rather closely.”

  “I want to see Kelly,” Emily said. “I’m sure, if you give me a chance to talk to her, I can work this all out. We are not bad people.”

  “I have no idea if that’s true or not,” Brian said. “I do know that you’re negligent people. Don’t leave the area. I have a feeling we’re going to be back for another chat once Kelly is ready to open up. Even if you don’t see us, though, you’re going to be seeing some people who look a lot like us.”

  “Yo
u can’t do this,” Derek said. “You’re messing with our livelihood.”

  “Sir, don’t ever tell me what I can and can’t do,” Brian said.

  “I THOUGHT you said to remain calm,” Jack said once they were back at the cruiser.

  “Is that guy still standing?”

  Jack nodded.

  “Then I remained calm,” Brian said, clearing his throat to ward off his disgust. “Can you believe those people didn’t even know she was missing?”

  “Sadly, I’ve seen situations like this before down in the city,” Jack said, referring to his former life as a Detroit police detective. “You would be horrified to see some of the foster home situations I’ve seen.”

  “I understand that,” Brian said. “I don’t condone it, though. That girl could’ve been killed and they never would’ve been the wiser as long as they had the checks to cash.”

  “Well, she’s out of there now,” Jack said. “Do you think they’re the ones who hurt her?”

  “I don’t know,” Brian said. “They seem more lazy than anything else. They don’t seem particularly smart either. I just … don’t know.”

  “We need Kelly to start talking,” Jack said.

  “We can’t force her,” Brian said. “I don’t know everything, but I do know that. Kelly needs to feel safe before she confides in anyone. Ivy is our best chance, no matter how much that bugs you.”

  “It doesn’t bug me,” Jack countered. “I know Ivy is a good person. It’s just … she drives me crazy.”

  “That’s hormones, son,” Brian said, winking. “The only way Ivy Morgan is going to stop driving you crazy is if you give in and embrace the hormones.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “It’s going to happen,” Brian said. “You’re not ready yet, but you’ll get there. I have faith.”

  “I really dislike you sometimes,” Jack grumbled, climbing into the cruiser.

  “You’ll live.”

  Seven

  Where am I?

  Ivy was dreaming again. Instead of the woods surrounding her house, though, she was on a dark street. She didn’t recognize her surroundings, the tall buildings jutting into the sky marring the skyline and serving as a gentle reminder that she was in a city – which she rarely went to if she could help it.