Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3

by Lily Harper Hart

  Kelly turned, smiling when she saw Jordan walking in her direction. “I thought you two got lost in there.”

  “We were just having a discussion,” Jordan said.

  “What about?”

  “You.”

  Kelly faltered. “I … you want to know what happened to me, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Jordan said.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” Kelly jutted her lower lip out.

  “That’s not going to work on me,” Jordan said. “You forget, I’m your big brother. I remember when you used to do that to get your own way when you were a kid. We need to have a talk, kid. It’s time you tell us what’s really going on.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it!”

  “You have to,” Jordan said, refusing to back down. “Mom and Dad raised us to tell the truth, Kelly. I know you don’t remember them as well as I do, but they would be disappointed to think you were lying.”

  “Don’t say that,” Kelly hissed.

  “Just tell us what’s going on.”

  “Kelly, I know you think that keeping whatever this is a secret is the way to go,” Ivy said. “I promise you, whatever it is, we’re going to help you. We’re going to find a way to make this right. We can’t do that if we don’t know what’s going on.”

  “I … .” Kelly’s eyes darted from face to face, conflicted.

  “Do you know what I remember most about you when you were a kid?” Jordan asked, changing tactics. “I remember you used to race home from school because you knew Mom was waiting for you. She always had a pot of tea ready in the winter, and you two would sit at the counter and gossip.

  “You’d tell her about all the things you did during the day,” he continued. “You’d tell her about how a boy smiled at you, or how one of your friends made fun of you, or even how you were going to marry that one boy – I can’t remember his name – who tied his jacket around his neck in the middle of winter and pretended he was Superman.”

  “Jackson Douglas,” Kelly said, making a face. “I can’t believe you remember that.”

  “I remember it all, Kelly,” Jordan said. “I remember that I got home later from school because I had basketball practice. I remember that we would all eat dinner together as a family. Dad would tell us about his day at the resort. Do you remember that?”

  “What resort?” Max asked.

  “Shanty Creek,” Jordan replied. “Do you remember that, Kelly? He worked in security. It wasn’t dangerous or anything. His biggest hassle was usually dealing with underage drinkers and the occasional loudmouth who raised a ruckus at the bar.”

  “I kind of remember that,” Kelly hedged. “I … I remember he took us up there in the winter so we could see the tree lighting ceremony. It was the biggest tree ever. He would buy us hot chocolate, and then we’d go and sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what we wanted for Christmas.”

  “You did that,” Jordan said, shooting a look in Max’s direction. “I was not sitting on Santa’s lap when I was fifteen.”

  “I’m sure you weren’t,” Max said.

  “I’m just making sure you know that because you seem like the type of guy who gets off on teasing people,” Jordan said. “I don’t want you going off on a tangent because you think I was sitting on Santa’s lap as a teenager.”

  Ivy snickered. “Don’t worry about it. Max believed in Santa until he was thirteen.”

  “I did not,” Max scoffed.

  “You did so,” Ivy said. “You were crushed when Dad finally sat you down and told you. I got grounded when I told you, and I was younger than you.”

  “Shut up,” Max said, wagging a finger in Ivy’s face.

  “You believed in Santa when you were thirteen?” Kelly asked, entertainment flitting across her features. “Wow.”

  “I’ll have you know, I still believe in Santa,” Max replied, guileless. “I don’t care who tells me otherwise. I’m always going to believe.”

  “It’s okay to believe in whatever you want to believe in, Kelly,” Ivy said. “No one wants to take away your belief system. I am worried that you’re keeping this secret for the wrong reasons, though.”

  “Whatever it is, we’re going to stand with you,” Jack said. “You have to tell us the truth. That’s the only way we can move forward.”

  “I … can’t,” Kelly said. “It’s too horrible.”

  Jack pushed the heel of his hand against his forehead, frustrated. “Kelly, whoever is after you is willing to hurt anyone who gets in his way,” he said. “Whoever this man is, he kicked down Ivy’s door. He threw her into a wall. She was willing to die to protect you. I don’t want that. I don’t think you do either.”

  “Of course I don’t,” Kelly said, her voice cracking. “It’s just … you’ll hate me.”

  “We could never hate you,” Ivy said. “We’ve all made mistakes. Every single person here has made mistakes. That’s how you grow as a person. No one can go through life without making mistakes. It’s impossible.”

  “She’s right,” Max said. “She should know, she made a mountain of them when she was your age.”

  “She did?” Kelly asked hopefully.

  “She did,” Max said. “She dated a guy who cheated on her with everyone in town. As an adult, he bought liquor for kids just so he could have someone to hang around with. Then he started his own cult.”

  “I’m so glad you’re focusing on me,” Ivy grumbled.

  Jack rubbed the back of her neck soothingly. “Let’s focus on me,” he said, drawing Kelly’s attention away from Ivy. “You know Ivy and I were fighting the other day, don’t you? Do you know why?”

  “Because she invaded your privacy,” Kelly said.

  “That’s … kind of why,” Jack said. “She didn’t really invade my privacy. I was upset and lashed out at her because that’s how I saw it at the time, but the truth is, I was having trouble dealing with a secret of my own.”

  “Does it have to do with those scars on your chest?” Kelly asked.

  Jack swallowed hard. “I … .”

  “Kelly, it’s not important what Jack’s secret is,” Ivy started, working overtime to try and help Jack out of a sticky situation.

  “Yes, it is,” Jack said, interrupting her. “We can’t ask Kelly to tell her secret if I’m keeping one, can we?”

  “Jack … .”

  Jack ignored her. “I didn’t always work as a police officer in Shadow Lake,” he said. “I used to work in Detroit. While I was down there, I found out my partner was doing some illegal things. Instead of turning him in right away, I confronted him and told him that he had to turn himself in.

  “That was a mistake,” he continued. “I … I did the wrong thing. I thought I was doing it for the right reasons, but I wasn’t. It backfired on me. Instead of turning himself in, my partner hunted me down on the streets like a dog and he … shot me … twice.”

  Max’s mouth dropped open. “Holy crap.”

  Jordan’s eyes widened at Jack’s admission. “Wow.”

  Ivy put her hand on Jack’s waist to anchor him. She was the only one who could know exactly what he’d just given up, and she’d never been prouder of anyone in her entire life. All of the reasons for not dating him flew out the window at that moment, and all she could think about was kissing him again. Sadly, they had an audience.

  “Did you almost die?” Kelly asked.

  “Yes,” Jack replied. “I was in a coma for three days, and I was in the hospital for three weeks. I made a mistake, and I almost paid the ultimate price. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you.”

  “I … .” Kelly’s gaze bounced from serious face to serious face. “Can I think about it tonight? Can I please have tonight?”

  “I … .” Ivy wanted to tell her yes, but she didn’t know if it was the right thing to do.

  “You can have tonight,” Jack said carefully. “Tomorrow you have to start talking, though. I want you to think long and hard about what happened, and I want yo
u to get yourself together however you have to so you can tell us what we need to know.”

  Kelly nodded solemnly and took a step forward. Ivy was surprised when the teenager gave Jack a hug. It was small and tentative, but Jack returned it. When Kelly stepped back, her face was a myriad of unexpressed emotions. “I’m going to go to bed now. I … just need to think.”

  “Okay,” Ivy said.

  “I’ll walk you back to the house and say goodbye,” Jordan said. “We’ll make plans to get together again.”

  “Really?” Kelly asked, her eyebrows lifting.

  “You’re not shaking me again, kid,” Jordan said. “We’re going to figure out a way so I can have regular visitation. It’s all going to work out. I promise.”

  Max, Jack, and Ivy watched brother and sister shuffle toward the house. Once they were inside, Max turned his attention to Jack and Ivy. “I’m going to put off the painting for a few days,” he said. “You can live with the ugly color for now, Ivy. I … you’re the bravest man I know, Jack. I’m proud you’re dating my sister.”

  “We’re not dating,” Ivy said.

  Max snorted. “Shut up and give the poor guy a break. I think, after tonight, he deserves it.” He started moving toward his truck. “Oh, and Jack? Your secret is safe with me.”

  Ivy watched her brother go, love bubbling up. Once he was out of the driveway, she kept her eyes from Jack’s face – frightened to see the emotion percolating there – and wrapped her arms around his waist as she hugged him. “You’re the bravest man I know, too.”

  Jack pulled her tight, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. “Let’s hope it’s enough,” he said. “We can’t wait another day for her to tell us the truth. I have this feeling … we’re running out of time.”

  Ivy had the same feeling.

  Twenty-Four

  “Good morning, honey,” Jack said, kissing Ivy’s neck as he pulled her close the next morning. This was starting to feel like his morning routine, and he was enjoying it. He couldn’t help but think he would enjoy it more if they were in a bed, but for now, he didn’t have the energy to complain.

  “Good morning,” Ivy murmured.

  “How did you sleep?”

  “Good,” Ivy said. “I really enjoyed your dream about taking me fishing, by the way. That was a special kind of torture.”

  Jack smirked. He loved fishing. When he’d directed his dream in that direction, he’d forgotten to take Ivy’s vegetarianism into account. Still, the arguing was a turn on – like it always was. “No one said you had to fish. You could’ve watched me fish.”

  “You challenged me to a fishing competition,” Ivy said. “I couldn’t ignore that – especially when I knew that we weren’t killing real fish.”

  “I still won.”

  “I let you win,” Ivy countered. “I didn’t think your manhood could take being beaten by a girl.”

  “My manhood is not up for debate,” Jack said, grinding himself against her softly to let her know what he was referring to.

  “Oh,” Ivy said, her eyes widening. “I … .”

  “It’s not time to talk about it yet,” Jack cautioned.

  “But … it’s kind of right there.”

  “It is,” Jack agreed. “It’s the morning. That can’t be held against me.”

  “Apparently it can be held against me, though,” Ivy said. Despite her words, she didn’t pull away from him. “Do you think I can pick dream activities in the future? I don’t mean every night, but if we’re going to be sharing dreams, I’d like to be in charge occasionally.”

  “Oh, honey, you’re going to be in charge whenever you want,” Jack said, kissing her neck again. “I … ugh … we need to get this Kelly situation taken care of. I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.”

  “What happens if you change your mind once Kelly is gone?” Ivy asked, her voice small. “I … what if you’re only feeling this because you’ve been around me so much lately.”

  She was worried. Jack knew why, and he didn’t blame her. “Honey, I’ve been feeling this since I met you. I … I really don’t want to have this conversation when we could be interrupted. Please, just have faith in me. We’ll talk about this when it’s just the two of us.”

  “Okay,” Ivy said, giving in.

  “I do have one question,” Jack said, glancing down to the spot at the end of the couch where their feet were tangled together. “Why do you always poke your feet out from the end of the blanket? You’ve done it every night we’ve been together. I’ve woken up in the middle of the night and covered your feet, and yet every morning when I wake up, they’re poking out from under the covers again.”

  “I don’t know,” Ivy mused. “I’ve just always done it. Even when it’s the middle of the winter I like my feet out from under the covers. I can’t explain it.”

  “I find it cute,” Jack said. “I have no idea why, though.”

  “Your feet are out, too,” Ivy pointed out.

  “My feet are out because they didn’t want your feet to be lonely,” Jack said. “My feet are … chivalrous.”

  “Oh, nice,” Ivy said. “I like to know that you’re always brave and true.”

  “I am brave and true,” Jack agreed. “I’m also loyal.” He lowered his mouth so it was close to her ear. “I’ll always be loyal to you. Please don’t … worry about that.”

  “I’m trying not to worry,” Ivy said. “It’s just … you were so adamant.”

  “You were adamant, too.”

  “I was adamant because you were adamant.”

  “Oh, whatever,” Jack groaned. “Can we just agree, for the moment, that we’re done being adamant?”

  “I guess,” Ivy said, moving to climb off the couch. “I suppose I should make breakfast. We might have a big day in front of us.”

  Jack tightened his arms around her waist and pulled her back down. “Five more minutes,” he said. “This is the day we’re going to solve this. I know it. I want five more minutes of … this … before I have to face whatever horrors we’ve got coming our way.”

  It wasn’t much of a hardship, so Ivy relaxed back against him. “Okay. Five more minutes. Then I’m going to make breakfast and you’re going to make coffee.”

  “Deal.”

  “ARE we working in the greenhouse today?” Kelly asked, her eyes wide as they fixed on Ivy an hour later. Ivy was fresh out of the shower, her hair still damp, but she could read the worry on Kelly’s face.

  “We are,” Ivy said. “I thought that being away from everyone – just the two of us – would be a nice way to spend the afternoon.”

  Kelly was resigned, and yet resolute at the same time. “Okay. Um … is it all right if I go and get set up in the greenhouse first? You still have a few minutes to get ready, and I want to … get comfortable.”

  “I think that’s fine,” Ivy said, sympathy rolling off of her. “This is really going to be okay, Kelly. I promise.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Kelly said. “I just need a few minutes to collect myself. Should I take some bottles of water down?”

  “That’s a good idea,” Ivy said. “I’ll be about twenty minutes behind you.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  Once the teenager was gone, Ivy went about her normal morning routine. After drying her hair, she tied it up in a loose ponytail so she wouldn’t have to worry about it. She was dressed and almost out the back door when someone knocked on the front door.

  Curious, Ivy left the picnic basket she’d packed on the kitchen table and shuffled to the door. The man she found standing there was not who she was expecting. He was … average. He was average height. He had average looks. He even wore nondescript clothing. “Can I help you?”

  “I hope so,” the man said. “My name is Gil Thorpe. I’m … Kelly Sisto’s guidance counselor.”

  “Oh,” Ivy said, realization dawning. “Jack told me he questioned you. He said you were trying to help Kelly. How can I help you?”

  “
Well, ever since Detective Harker and his partner came to visit me, I haven’t been able to get Kelly out of my head,” Gil said. “I … can I come in?”

  “Of course,” Ivy said, pushing the door open and ushering the nervous man inside. “Please, have a seat.”

  Once they were settled, the look Gil sent Ivy was plaintive. “I know this is none of my business,” he said. “I’ve told myself a hundred times to stay out of it. It’s just … I grew rather fond of Kelly. When you’re in a position like I am, you know you can’t help all of the students.

  “Heck, I know I can’t help most of the students,” he continued. “I just want to be able to help Kelly.”

  “It sounds like you’re good at your job,” Ivy said. “It’s actually good that you’re here. Kelly is ready to tell me what happened to her today. I was just on my way to go to her. You might be able to give me some insight into what to expect.”

  “Kelly isn’t here?” Gil asked, disappointed.

  “Not technically,” Ivy said. “She’s just over at my nursery. You can’t see it from here, but it abuts the back of my property. It only takes me five minutes to walk through the woods to get there. So, she’s here … but not here … if that makes any sense.”

  “Ah, I see,” Gil said. “You said Kelly was going to open up to you today? Does that mean she’s been quiet up until now?”

  “She’s been pretty tight-lipped,” Ivy said. “She’s talked about some of her feelings regarding her parents’ death, and we reintroduced her to her brother last night.”

  “Jordan? I had no idea he was still in the area.”

  “Actually, he’s not far away,” Ivy said. “He’s living over in Gaylord. Once we get Kelly set up in a more permanent home, they’re going to schedule regular visitation days and get to know one another again. I think seeing him did her a world of good last night.”

  “Is that why she’s suddenly interested in talking?”

  “I think she’s always wanted to tell me the truth,” Ivy said. “Something keeps stopping her. I think … I think she’s ashamed.”

  “What does she have to be ashamed about?” Gil asked.

  “I’m honestly not sure,” Ivy said. “Jack mentioned an older boyfriend, and I’m starting to think she kept him a secret for a reason. Maybe he pressured her into doing something illegal. I have no idea if that’s the truth, but that’s my current theory.”