Wicked Warning (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 5) (18 page)

“Well, I don’t want you getting hurt period,” Jack said. “You’re okay, though. You’ve got photographs to show Jessica tomorrow. We’re still at the beginning of what feels like a really long road.”

Ivy wasn’t sure they were at the beginning of anything, but she didn’t voice her suspicion to Jack. To her it felt as if they were closing in on the end, although she couldn’t figure out why she felt that way.

“Do you want to fight again or go to sleep?” Ivy asked, yawning as she stretched. “I’m not sure I have another fight in me.”

“I want to sleep,” Jack murmured into her hair, tightening his arm around her. “If you’re still in the mood we’ll fight again in the morning.”

“Sold.”

“
Y
ou don’t need
to babysit me.”

Jack dropped the bag of mulch he carried on the floor of the greenhouse the next morning and fixed Ivy with a disdainful look. “I am not babysitting. I’m helping.”

“It feels like you’re babysitting.”

“It feels like you’re giving me an ulcer,” Jack countered, wiping the sweat from his brow. “It’s going to be a hot one today. Are you sure you want to spend all day working in the greenhouse with Jessica? It’s going to be stifling in here.”

“Max is bringing over two of those industrial fans from the lumberyard,” Ivy replied, reaching for a pair of gardening gloves. “I was serious about the babysitting, though. Jessica isn’t going to feel like opening up if you’re hovering.”

“Listen, mouth, I’m not babysitting,” Jack said. “I’m here to watch you show her the photos and then I’m going to plan my day accordingly from there.”

“Oh.” Ivy pressed her lips together, mildly chastised. Part of her believed his explanation. Part of her thought something more was at play. “Do you want to know what I think?”

“Not even remotely.”

Ivy ignored Jack’s words and plowed forward. “I think you just can’t bear to be away from me,” she said. “I think the mere idea of being out of my presence makes you want to cry.”

Jack tried to keep his face stern, but failed miserably. “Is that so?”

Ivy nodded. “After last night, I know it to be true. You can’t convince me otherwise.”

“You know me so well,” Jack teased, dropping a kiss on her forehead before settling on the ground next to her. “That was a particularly nice dream last night. It was a surprise, huh?”

“Yeah,” Ivy said, bobbing her head up and down. “It was an inspired choice. What made you think of it?”

Jack stilled. “I thought you picked it,” he said. “I’ve never even thought about going on a cruise before. I thought that was something you wanted to try.”

“I … huh.” Ivy screwed her face up into an expression that Jack found adorable. “That’s really weird. You know, when I was a kid I always wanted to go on a cruise ship. I thought it sounded like a fun adventure.”

“It does sound like a fun adventure,” Jack said. “We’ll have to look into going on one down the line. We can do research and find a really good one.”

Ivy was surprised. “Would you really want to do that?”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know,” Ivy answered honestly. “You just don’t strike me as a cruise sort of guy.”

“Well, anything that gets you in a bikini in public is my idea of fun,” Jack said. “We’ll definitely look into it. I think a cruise vacation is a spring or fall thing, though. Maybe we can swing it after Christmas. I don’t have a lot of time off this year because I started in the middle of the year.”

“You want to make plans for after Christmas?” Ivy couldn’t stop herself from being amazed.

“Don’t look so shocked,” Jack chided. “I know in the back of your head that you’re thinking about what that means and crap – that’s a chick move, by the way – but I have no problem making future plans with you.”

“Even when I do stupid things like last night?”

It was a test. Jack knew it. “No matter what,” he answered smoothly. “I’m resigned to the fact that we’re going to irritate one another on a daily basis. I’m looking forward to the fact that I expect that to go on for a long time.”

Ivy’s heart warmed at the admission. She wasn’t used to emotional insecurity, but sometimes her feelings for Jack overwhelmed her and she couldn’t help but occasionally think that the rug was bound to be ripped out from beneath her feet if she got too comfortable. “I’m looking forward to that, too.”

Her voice was barely a whisper and Jack caught her chin and pressed a soft kiss to her mouth to anchor the moment. He was ready. Those three little words were on the tip of his tongue. He opened his mouth to say them and … .

“Are we interrupting something?” Brian cleared his throat for good measure as he poked his head through the greenhouse door.

“Of course not,” Ivy said, pushing herself to her feet and dusting the seat of her ankle-length skirt off. “We were just talking.”

“Yes, I’ve often found it easy to talk when you have your tongue jammed down someone else’s throat,” Brian said, shaking his head as he moved away from the door to give Jessica room to maneuver. While the girl trusted Brian and Jack, men still made her involuntarily nervous and Brian was going out of his way to make sure she didn’t feel uncomfortable as he played chauffeur this morning.

“Hi, Jessica,” Ivy said, beaming. “Are you ready to get your hands dirty today?”

Jessica glanced around the greenhouse, her face conflicted. “It’s hot in here and … I’m not sure I’ll be able to breathe without some fresh air.” She almost looked embarrassed to admit it.

“My brother is on the way with industrial fans,” Ivy replied, unperturbed. “He should be here any minute. We can sit under the trees on the other side of the building. It will be cool there and no one will be able to see us. Plus, well, I have some photographs I want you to look at.”

If Jessica was bothered by Ivy’s admission, she didn’t show it. “That sounds great.”

“
Y
OUR
sister has been waiting
for you.”

Max jerked his head up, shifting his attention from the fans he carried to Jack’s lean figure resting against the wall of the cashier’s booth in front of Ivy’s nursery. “Hey, she’s lucky I brought these things out at all,” Max said, shifting one of the cumbersome fans in Jack’s direction. “After the crap she put me through last night, I deserve eight pies and she hasn’t given me one yet.”

Jack took the proffered fan from Max and shook his head. “You’re so full of it,” he said. “You would walk through fire for your sister. Although, to be fair, that is a nice shiner she gave you there.”

“Why are you smiling?” Max asked, annoyed. “It’s not funny.”

“It’s a little funny.”

“Not even remotely,” Max muttered. “Where is Ivy? I need to get back to the lumberyard. I don’t have all day to play delivery boy for her.”

“She’s behind the greenhouse with Jessica,” Jack replied, falling into step with Max. “Jessica is leery about being in the greenhouse because it’s stifling in there. I’m not sure these fans are going to do the trick.”

“Oh.” Realization dawned on Max. “Ivy didn’t say why she wanted the fans. I guess that makes sense. I feel a little bad about complaining the whole ride over. Sure, I was only complaining to myself, but I said some mean things.”

“I’m sure she’ll give you something else to complain about before the day is through,” Jack said, his eyes twinkling. “Did you find anyone to take care of your nursing needs last night?”

Max’s grin was sly. “They were lining up.”

“You’re kind of a pig,” Jack said, grunting as he shifted the fan to avoid a customer. “Don’t you ever want to settle down?”

“Oh, listen to you,” Max intoned. “When you came to town romance was the furthest thing from your mind. Then you took one look at my sister, fell head over heels for her mouth, fought it for a month, and then promptly surrendered.”

“That’s true,” Jack said, unruffled. “And do you want to know what?”

“Oh, this is going to be something mushy, isn’t it?” Max made a disgusted face.

“Definitely,” Jack replied. “The truth is … I’ve never been happier. The best part of my day is walking through your sister’s front door after work each night. I don’t even care when she makes me eat mushrooms that taste like feet.”

Max snorted, his eyes lighting up before he sobered. “I’m glad you and Ivy found each other,” he said. “I’ve never seen her this happy.”

“I’m glad she’s happy,” Jack said. “I’ve never been this happy either.”

“Oh, no way,” Max teased, shaking off the serious moment. “You were a regular ray of sunshine when you came to town. That can’t be right.”

“I think the Morgan mouth must be genetic,” Jack lamented. “Come on. I want to make sure the girls are settled before I head off to work. Jessica didn’t recognize any of the men in the photos from last night. We’re absolutely nowhere on this case.”

“
Y
OU
shouldn’t feel guilty
,” Ivy said, handing Jessica a glass of lemonade before settling on the cool grass beneath the oak tree next to the girl. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I don’t feel guilty,” Jessica clarified. “I feel … lost.”

“I think that’s normal given everything you’ve gone through,” Ivy said. “You can’t expect to reconnect with your old life overnight. It’s going to take time.”

“I also feel disappointed in myself,” Jessica added, running her finger over the condensation on the outside of the glass. “I should be strong enough to lead you right to where I was held and yet … everything is dark when I try and think about it.”

“I think that’s a way for your mind to protect you,” Ivy said. “Something inside of you knows that you’re not ready to revisit that horror. When it’s time, you’ll know it.”

“I want it to be time,” Jessica said. “I know that I’m not going to be able to move on with my life until he’s behind bars. The reporters aren’t going to leave me alone until they have someone new to focus on – and that has to be him.”

“That’s true,” Ivy conceded, her mind busy as she studied the heavy overgrowth that separated the nursery and her house. “How would you feel about taking a walk with me?”

Jessica seemed surprised at the suggestion. “I thought we were working in the greenhouse this afternoon.”

“We can do that later if you feel up to it,” Ivy said. “I have someplace I want to show you first, though.”

“Where?”

Ivy smiled. “It’s a magical place,” she said. “Whenever I need to think, that’s where I go. If you open your heart and mind, I think it can help you, too.”

Jessica blew out a weary sigh. “I’m willing to try anything.”

“Good,” Ivy said, patting her hand. She lifted her head when the telltale sound of arguing assailed her ears. “I think Jack and Max are here with the fans. We’ll let them do the manual labor while we go for our walk.”

“I’m not saying that you’re a woman,” Jack said, rounding the corner. “I’m just saying that your sister is sixty pounds lighter than you and she beat you up.”

“Ivy punches like a guy, though,” Max protested. “I taught her to punch and I wasn’t expecting the blow. I could totally take her.”

“She
does
hit hard,” Jack said. “I … what?” He broke off when he saw Ivy staring at him. “Do I have something on my face?”

“No,” Ivy said, shaking the loving feelings from her head and hopping to her feet. “I was just thinking how handsome you are.”

“And that’s why you’re my favorite person in the world,” Jack said, winking at her.

“And that’s why I’m going to barf,” Max said, rolling his eyes.

“If you want your pies, you’d better refrain from puking,” Ivy ordered. “Can you guys set the fans up in the greenhouse? It’s going to take a little bit of time for it to cool off in there and I want to show Jessica something while we’re waiting.”

Jack knit his eyebrows together, suspicious. “What?”

“Something … magical.”

The corners of Jack’s mouth tipped up. He knew exactly where Ivy was taking Jessica and he thought it was a good idea. Anywhere the girl could relax without people staring at her would be welcome at this point.

“Okay,” Jack said. “We’ll get the greenhouse set up and then I’ll order lunch in an hour or so.”

Ivy stilled. “You’re staying for lunch?”

“I can’t bear to be away from you,” Jack said, grinning. “I thought we already covered that.”

“You two are officially disgusting,” Max snapped. “I am grossed out.”

“As a woman, I would think you’d like my over-the-top attempts at romance,” Jack shot back.

“I’m going to punch you if you’re not careful.”

“Bring it on.”

Ivy shook her head and turned her eyes to Jessica. “Come on. I promise you’re going to love this place. It’s close. You seem to be looking for magic, and this place has it in spades.”

“
H
ow much longer until
we get there?”

Jessica was nervous. Ivy couldn’t blame her given how terrifying her flee to safety through very similar trees surely must have been, but all she could do was offer the girl a reassuring smile.

“Less than a minute,” Ivy said. “It’s just through these trees.”

Jessica instinctively reached over and clasped Ivy’s hand, causing Ivy’s eyes to widen. “I have no idea why I’m so worked up. I can’t explain it.”

“It’s okay,” Ivy said, squeezing Jessica’s hand. “I understand.”

Ivy led Jessica into a large clearing, the sunlight filtering through the thick foliage even though the stifling heat remained at bay. The grizzled tree in the center of the clearing stared back at the women, his aged countenance seemingly sympathetic as he regarded them.

“That tree looks like it has a face,” Jessica said, exhaling heavily. “I … why does it have a face?”

Ivy smiled. “This is what’s called a fairy ring,” she replied, leading Jessica closer to the tree. “Do you see all of these toadstools?”

Jessica bit her lip and nodded, clearly charmed by Ivy’s special place as her eyes busily roamed the expanse.

“There are a lot of different legends about dragons and witches, but the one thing everyone agrees upon is that fairy rings are magical places,” Ivy said, being careful not to crush the foliage as she picked her way to the center of the circle. “The ring is a place where only good can thrive.”

Jessica knit her eyes together as she studied the mushrooms. “Do you believe that?”

“I do.”

“What if … what if I’m not a good person?” Jessica asked, her voice cracking. “What if what he did to me ruined me forever?”

“I don’t believe something that’s done to you can define you,” Ivy replied, not missing a beat. “You can’t change the heart of a person. Bad can be done to you, but it can’t invade who you are.”

“What do you want to do here?” Jessica asked. “I mean … what do you want from me?”

“I don’t want anything from you,” Ivy replied. “I just want to sit and enjoy an hour in a place where no one can find us.”

“How do you know no one can find us?”

Ivy shrugged. “Because I discovered this place,” she replied. “The only people I’ve brought here with me are Max and Jack. Someone would’ve had to follow us to know where we are. Did you see anyone following us?”

Jessica shook her head.

“Then sit,” Ivy prodded, patting the ground next to her as she got comfortable. “You don’t have to say anything. Just close your eyes and relax.”

Jessica blew out a weary sigh but did as she was told, crossing her legs and resting her hands on her knees as she locked gazes with Ivy. “Do you really want me to close my eyes?”

“You feel magic before you see it,” Ivy teased. “Just … try it. You might be surprised how much you like the quiet this place can offer.”

“I spent years locked in a room where it was quiet,” Jessica pointed out. “I had to talk to myself so I didn’t forget what words sounded like.”

“This is a different type of quiet,” Ivy argued. “Do you trust me?”

“I … yes.”

“Then just give me an hour,” Ivy said. “If you’re still uncomfortable after that we can head back to the greenhouse. It should be much cooler once Max’s fans have a chance to do their job.”

“Okay,” Jessica said, giving in. “If a witch jumps out of that tree, though, all bets are off.”

“I think we both can agree on that.”

“
I
’M
surprised
you’re not following my sister through the woods to make sure she’s safe,” Max teased, pouring a glass of lemonade and sitting on one of the potting benches at the front of the nursery as he watched his father help a customer. “You seem pretty keen on watching her every move.”

“That’s because I like the way she moves,” Jack shot back, sipping his own glass of lemonade and flicking Max’s ear for good measure. He had no idea why, but he felt at ease with Max, almost as if the man was his brother, too.

“You can’t talk that way about my sister,” Max argued. “It’s gross and it’s going to force me to beat you up.”

“I think you’ve done enough fighting for one week,” Michael said, pouring his own glass of lemonade before joining Jack and Max. “It’s a hot one today.”

“Hey, I was sucker punched,” Max said, extending a finger. “You know Ivy doesn’t hit like a normal woman. It’s not my fault she managed to clip me when I wasn’t expecting it.”

“If that’s your story,” Jack intoned.

“Shut up,” Max muttered, causing Michael to chuckle. “Besides, I like it hot. Women wear better clothes in the summer and we’ll be crying in three months when it’s freezing and we can’t go outside.”

“I’m looking forward to winter,” Jack said. “We get snow down south, don’t get me wrong, but I think it’s going to be different this year. I’m thinking of buying a snowmobile.”

“You just want to snuggle up with Ivy and use snow as an excuse for why you don’t have to leave the cottage for a weekend,” Max groused.

“I am looking forward to trying out that fireplace,” Jack admitted, grinning.

“I should probably be offended because I know what you’re hinting at, but since Ivy can’t stop smiling when you’re around I’m going to let it slide,” Michael said. “Don’t forget that’s my daughter, though.”

Jack was instantly abashed. “I’m sorry. That was completely improper for me to say in front of you.”

Instead of admonishing him, Michael chuckled. “I’m not an idiot, Jack,” he said. “You and Ivy are young and I want you to keep that smile on her face. I hope you have a wonderful time with the fireplace this winter. I’m just glad I’ll be in Florida when it happens so I won’t have to see it.”

“That doesn’t save me,” Max pointed out.

“Just let Ivy punch you again and you won’t be able to see anything,” Michael teased.

“I get no respect in this family,” Max grumbled.

“Excuse me, I hate to interrupt, but I need to check out.”

The three men snapped their attention to the cashier’s booth where Marcia Simpson stood and watched them expectantly. They were so caught up in their teasing conversation they hadn’t even seen her walk up.

“I’m so sorry,” Michael said, hopping to his feet. “I didn’t even see you over there. I apologize.”

“It’s okay,” Marcia said, waving off the apology. “It’s hot as the dickens out here today and I don’t blame you for taking a break.”

“There aren’t a lot of people thinking about gardening in this weather,” Michael said, looking over Marcia’s plants before punching a few numbers in the cash register. “When people do come it’s usually really early in the morning or closer to dusk.”

“That’s what I wanted to do, but Frank insisted that I pick up these plants for his mother’s visit right away,” Marcia explained. “I have no idea why we just had to do it now, but … it was easier to sweat than argue with him. Once you’ve been married as long as we have, well, you figure these things out.”

“I hear you,” Michael said, winking. “I’m surprised he didn’t come out here to get the plants himself. That would’ve been the gentlemanly thing to do.”

“Oh, he’s here,” Marcia said, craning her neck so she could survey the nursery. “I just have no idea where he took off to. He said something about checking out the greenhouse, but I don’t recollect which way he went.”

“We can look for him,” Max said, clapping Jack’s shoulder. “We need to check on the fans in the greenhouse anyway. It’s too hot to work in there today without some relief.”

“Oh, is Ivy working in there today?” Marcia asked. “I assumed she was at the hospital with that poor Jessica girl. She’s constantly there now, isn’t she?”

Jack and Max exchanged a look, something silent passing between them. Jack didn’t want Max volunteering Jessica’s whereabouts and he hoped the man got the message without spelling it out. “Ivy is putting in some time in the greenhouse,” he answered. “We’ll see if Frank is there and send him your way.”

“Thanks.”

I
VY
and Jessica
sat in silence for what seemed like forever. Ivy welcomed the relaxing quiet. She couldn’t decide how Jessica felt about it and she refused to break the silence and ask. Finally, Jessica was the one to speak.

“He never really talked to me.”

The words were barely a whisper and Ivy wasn’t sure Jessica really spoke until she opened her eyes and saw the girl staring at her. “Not ever?”

“He didn’t treat me like I was a person,” Jessica replied. “The day he took me he threw me in a hole in the ground and only told me to shut up and be quiet. The next day … the next day was the bad one. You would think sleeping on the ground with bugs and stuff would be terrible, but they got a lot worse.”

“You don’t have to talk about that if you don’t want to,” Ivy said. “I understand how difficult it is. I know what he did to you.”

“It was awful … and it hurt … and I cried out for my daddy,” Jessica said, her eyes filling with tears. “I thought he would come and find me. He didn’t, though.”

“He didn’t know where to look.”

“I understand that, but I still feel betrayed and I don’t know how to get past it,” Jessica said. “He never talked to me except to tell me to shut up. If I cried or whimpered he would hit me. I learned to be quiet.

“The day he pulled me out of the cellar thing and marched me into the woods, he only ever told me to walk,” she continued. “I thought for sure I was going to die … and you know what? I would’ve welcomed it because it meant I wouldn’t have to go through another night with him.

“Instead he moved me into the bunker room,” she said. “It was lighter and I could stretch out more, but it was a different type of cage and he slapped a chain around my ankle so it was a bigger room, but the freedom was less, if that makes any sense. I lost more hope then. I think it was because I knew he planned on keeping me forever and there would never be a chance for me to escape.”

“How did you escape?” Ivy asked, genuinely curious.

“He had to come into my room to fix a light one day and he forgot his screwdriver,” Jessica replied. “He would leave me in there for days at a time without visiting – although when he would visit, he would stay for hours and hurt me over and over so I preferred being ignored even though I didn’t get food those days – so I used the screwdriver on the chain around my ankle.

“I knew it would take a long time so I had to work on the chain in a spot where it dipped beneath the floorboard so he wouldn’t see it,” she continued. “It was slow going, but I worked on it every moment I could. Sometimes my fingers hurt so much I thought they were going to fall off. Finally I got the chain off. Then I had to figure out a way out of the room.

“I was going to wait for him to visit it again and then run, but the thought of doing that when I finally managed to muster some hope again almost crushed me so I worked on the hinges,” she said. “I saw my father take hinges out of a door once and it was surprisingly easy. I managed to open up the door after about an hour and I got out of the bunker but … it was so bright. I hadn’t seen sunlight in a long time.

“I kind of froze,” Jessica admitted. “I was terrified and I had no idea what direction to run. I remembered what direction the house was, though, so I ran in the opposite direction and didn’t look back. I was sure he was going to find me and track me down, but I made it to town. The first place I saw was the barn and I just … ran. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“You were very brave,” Ivy said. “That was smart, too. Are you sure you don’t know who he is? There has to be something that you can remember to lead us to him. It could be a minor detail. Like … did he ever wear coveralls or anything with a name on it?”

Jessica screwed up her face in concentration. “I can’t think of anything,” she said. “He always smelled like gasoline, though. I don’t know why.”

“Hmm.” Ivy searched her mind for another avenue of attack, and as she did her eyes restlessly roamed the edge of the clearing. She involuntarily gasped when she found a man looking at her from about twenty feet away. She hadn’t even heard him approach. “What are you doing here, Frank?”

Jessica whipped around, surprised they weren’t alone. When her gaze landed on Frank Simpson, her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed with color. “Oh, no.”

“It’s okay,” Ivy said. “He probably needs something at the nursery.” She pushed herself to a standing position and dusted off the seat of her skirt. “My dad is back at the nursery if you need help with something. He knows how to find everything there, and if we don’t have it, we can order it.”

“I already found what I was looking for,” Frank said, his eyes trained on Jessica. The suggestive leer on his face caused Ivy’s stomach to roll. “You shouldn’t have run away. Now you’re going to have to be punished.”

“He found me,” Jessica whimpered, her hand flying to her mouth.

Ivy didn’t waste any time, instead grabbing the girl’s arm and jerking her to a standing position. “Run,” she hissed.

Jessica didn’t move, fear overwhelming her.

“Run!”

Ivy’s bellow jerked Jessica out of her glacial state and when the woman pushed the younger girl in the direction of her cottage and then stepped forward to cut off Frank’s avenue of attack Jessica finally found her footing. She raced toward the edge of the clearing, pulling up short when she realized Ivy didn’t follow her.

“What about you?”

“Get Jack,” Ivy ordered. “Tell him Frank Simpson is the man who took you. He’ll understand and know what to do.”

“Are you sure?”

“Don’t argue,” Ivy said, holding her hands out as Frank closed the distance between them. “Run!”