Wicked Warning (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 5) (4 page)

C
ourtney and Mitchell Stamper
looked as if the world had eaten them whole and regurgitated them back up at least eighty times. Ivy had no doubt Courtney was a beautiful woman at one time, but worry and grief wore her down over the years, and now she looked like a walking corpse.

Mitchell Stamper was a bull of a man, strong and proud. That’s why the expression on his face – hope mixed with unimaginable fear – tore at Ivy’s heart. He reminded her of Michael Morgan for some reason, and she wasn’t sure if she would ever be able to shake the comparison now that she’d made it.

“Where is she?” Courtney gripped her hands together nervously as Brian and Jack met the shaky couple in the lobby. “I want to see my daughter.”

“We’re going to take you to her in a few minutes,” Brian replied calmly. “We have a few things to discuss first.”

Courtney balked. “I haven’t seen my daughter in six years. Six years! I want to see her right now.”

Brian was used to dealing with overwrought people and he never once blinked in the face of Courtney’s distress. “I understand that, ma’am, and believe you me, I wouldn’t put up with guff if I was in your position,” he said. “We still need to talk before you see her.”

Mitchell must’ve read the conflict on Brian’s face because he grabbed his wife’s elbow and directed her toward a chair. “Sit down, honey. We have to hear them out.”

For some reason, the fact that Mitchell used the same endearment for his wife that Jack did for her gutted Ivy. She wanted to curl up on Jack’s lap and shut out the world for the foreseeable future. That wasn’t an option for anyone.

“So, as I told you over the phone, Jessica walked into a dance here in Shadow Lake shortly before eight,” Brian said. “She was dirty … and confused … and terribly frightened. She did not tell us who she was at the time.”

“So how did you figure out who she was?” Mitchell asked.

“I’m sure you can understand that there was some confusion,” Brian said. “Several people approached her and she passed out. We brought her to the hospital, where she had a negative reaction to my partner and myself.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Courtney asked, confused.

Brian cleared his throat as he got to the meat of the story. “Your daughter has been … mistreated … during her captivity,” he said. “She’s been beaten, malnourished, and sexually abused.”

“Oh, no.” Courtney buried her face in her hands. Ivy knew the woman suspected the worst. That didn’t mean hearing it was somehow easier. “My poor baby.”

“She seems to have a negative reaction to men,” Jack supplied. “We thought it just might be me at first – perhaps because I’m so tall – but she doesn’t want anything to do with Brian or the doctor either.”

“What does that mean?” Mitchell asked. “Are you worried she’s going to have a negative reaction to me?”

“I am concerned about that,” Jack conceded. “I didn’t tell you this to upset you, though. It’s more to make you aware that Jessica’s reaction might not be what you’ve been dreaming about.”

“What aren’t you saying?” Mitchell asked. “Our child was raped and tortured. You’ve already told us that. What else are you hiding?”

“She’s been beaten down,” Brian replied. “She was malnourished, which stunted her growth a bit. The doctor originally believed she was sixteen.”

“Can that be fixed?” Courtney asked.

“She’s going to need some care, but most of the physical ailments should be overcome eventually,” Brian explained. “There is one other issue, and I don’t know how to tell you this so I’m just going to come out with it.

“The doctor did an examination when we first brought her in because she’s in pretty rough shape,” he continued. “We had to do a rape kit for obvious reasons, and the doctor believes your daughter gave birth at some point.”

The silence from the Stampers was positively deafening.

“We don’t know when she gave birth,” Brian said, opting to lay all of his cards on the table. “We don’t know if it was a boy or a girl. We don’t know if it was a live birth. We’re afraid to push her too fast and ask about it.”

“But … what if there’s a baby out there somewhere?” Courtney asked, dumbfounded.

“Who cares?” Mitchell hissed. “It was her rapist’s baby. If there’s any justice in the world, it’s dead.”

Ivy struggled to remain calm. She couldn’t blame Mitchell for his reaction. It was guttural and off the cuff. Still, no matter how the child was conceived, it was innocent.

“It was also Jessica’s baby,” Courtney pointed out. “It’s her flesh and blood … our grandchild.”

“I don’t care,” Mitchell said, choking up. “If she doesn’t want to talk about it, she shouldn’t have to talk about it. We’ll never bring it up. It’s her business.”

“There are larger issues at play here, Mr. Stamper,” Brian said, choosing his words carefully. “The child, no matter when it was born, would be under five years of age. That’s an innocent human being … and we have no idea where it’s at.

“The baby could’ve died at birth,” he continued. “Jessica is very small and frail. She might not have been able to provide a hospitable environment and deliver a healthy baby. It might’ve died at birth … or some unknown time after. We don’t know, but that doesn’t mean we can just let it go.”

“Why not?”

“Because a rapist might have your grandchild,” Jack interjected. “A rapist might be doing terrible things to that child right now. We need to know what happened to that baby, no matter how awful the answer might be.”

“What do you want us to do?” Courtney was resigned, and Ivy couldn’t help but admire the woman’s strength and fortitude.

“First we want you to reunite with your daughter,” Jack answered. “Her captor told her you were dead and she was … upset … when she found out otherwise.”

“Wait … are you saying my daughter wanted us dead?” Mitchell was flabbergasted.

“No,” Ivy said, hurrying forward. She’d promised Jack she would remain quiet, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. “She gave up the dream of going home because she thought no one was looking for her. Now she realizes you were always looking for her, but the fact that you never found her is … painful.”

Courtney nodded. “I guess that makes sense,” she said. “Who are you?”

“This is Ivy Morgan,” Brian answered smoothly. “She’s Detective Harker’s girlfriend, and she was with him at the dance when Jessica entered. Because she’s afraid of men, Jessica has gravitated more toward Ivy. We allowed Ivy to stay because we were worried about yanking her away and traumatizing Jessica all over again.”

“Oh,” Courtney said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Have you spent time with her?”

Ivy nodded.

“How is she?”

“Confused,” Ivy replied. “She’s been through a lot and she doesn’t know who took her. She was young when he kidnapped her and she’s having a really hard time wrapping her head around the fact that he lied.

“She hasn’t exactly been forthcoming with her ordeal and I didn’t want to push her,” she continued. “She’s let a few things slip … including that whoever this man was, he threatened to kill her should she ever escape. She’s terrified of him finding her.”

“Won’t he know she’s been found?” Mitchell asked. “Won’t this be big news?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” Brian replied. “I’m going to remain here overnight with Jessica just to be on the safe side. Detective Harker and Ivy will return home and by morning we should have a schedule for constant protection.”

“Why can’t she just tell you where she was held?” Mitchell asked. “I understand that she never knew this man’s name. She was isolated and never had a chance to discover it. She has to know where she escaped from, though.”

“I’m not sure she does,” Ivy said. “She said she ran through a lot of woods and her feet were bleeding. They’ve been bandaged, by the way, but she’s going to be moving slowly for a little bit. She kept looking over her shoulder thinking someone was following.

“She said she didn’t pay attention to where she was going – or where she escaped from,” she continued. “Basically she said she just ran until she found people … and that happened to be us.”

“I’m glad it was you she found,” Courtney said, causing Ivy’s heart to lodge in her throat. “I can tell you have a good heart. If Jessica latched onto your kindness, it’s because she saw it, too.”

“Thank you,” Ivy said. “You should know that one of the things she comforted herself with over the past six years was you. Er, well, a specific memory of you.”

“Me?” Courtney looked hopeful.

“She said she went to a different place when things got really bad,” Ivy explained. “That place was the park you took her when she was little. The first thing she asked for was a photograph of you because she forgot what you looked like and was desperate to remember.”

“My poor baby,” Courtney said, a fat tear sliding down her cheek. “I want to see her now.”

“Okay,” Brian said, nodding. “We don’t want you to push her right away. Go in there and … do what comes naturally. She’s your child. She’s been through a lot, but she’s still your child.”

“Thank you,” Mitchell said, extending his hand as he stood. “I didn’t mean what I said about the baby. It’s just … that’s my baby.”

“I know,” Brian said, his voice cracking. “We’re all playing it by ear here. We have to take it one step at a time. That’s all we can do.”

“
W
HAT DO
you think
?” Jack asked a half hour later, his hand resting on Ivy’s hip as they stood next to the nurse’s station and watched Jessica interact with her parents through the glass window in her room.

Ivy ushered Courtney and Mitchell into their daughter’s room and then left them in peace. Jessica burst into tears the moment she saw her mother, and instead of reacting out of fear or distress, Courtney climbed into the bed with Jessica and held her until the young woman’s body stopped shaking. For his part, Mitchell offered a bevy of warm smiles and small touches to Jessica’s hand. He did not make any sudden moves, and he went out of his way to be agreeable.

“I think they’re wonderful parents who are going to have years of hard work in front of them,” Ivy replied. “I think they’re going to make it, though. They’re strong … and they’ll be strong together.”

“That’s beautiful, honey,” Jack said. “I meant about Jessica, though. Do you think she’ll tell them about the baby?”

“No.”

Jack stilled, surprised. “Do you want to at least give that question some thought?”

Ivy shook her head. “She’s disassociating from what happened to her,” she said. “She wants to pretend it didn’t happen. That means she’s going to pretend the baby didn’t happen. Whether it’s alive … or dead … she’s not going to volunteer anything.”

“Then we have a problem,” Brian said. “We cannot ignore that baby’s existence.”

“I agree,” Ivy said, resting her head against Jack’s shoulder. “Give it the night to think of a solution. There must be something we’re overlooking.”

“I don’t see where I have much choice,” Brian said. “By the way, it’s getting late. Why don’t you take Ivy home and get some sleep, Jack? You can come and switch out with me in the morning.”

“Okay,” Jack said, slipping his arm around Ivy’s shoulders. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay here with her tonight? You look beat. I could take Ivy home and come right back.”

“No, that’s not what I want,” Brian said. “For some reason – and no, I can’t explain it – I think I should be the one to watch her tonight. I’m a father. I … want to do it.”

“Okay,” Jack said, unruffled by his partner’s tone. “I understand.”

“Besides, you need to take care of Ivy,” Brian said, offering the couple a wan smile. “She’s had a long day and she did some amazing work. She deserves some sleep.”

“And a massage,” Ivy added, causing Jack to groan.

“Definitely a massage,” Brian said. “I’ll make sure the Stampers know where the hotel is, although I don’t think they’ll be leaving tonight. I’ll be in contact with you tomorrow morning, Jack.”

“Okay,” Jack said. “Try and get some sleep, even if it is on a couch.”

“I will. You two do the same.”

Jack linked his fingers with Ivy’s as he directed her toward the front of the hospital. He paid zero attention to the visiting woman at the front desk, but Ivy pulled up short when she saw her.

“Marcia?”

Marcia Simpson, blond spiral curls spilling out in every direction, shifted her eyes to Ivy. “Ivy Morgan,” she said. “I heard you were here helping that disheveled girl who showed up at the dance. After you left, that’s all anyone could talk about. We put a basket together to give the poor dear.”

Marcia held up a wicker basket full of books, magazines, candy, clothing items, and other supplies.

“That’s really nice,” Ivy said, fighting her weariness. “She’ll probably love that eventually.”

“I wanted to take it back to her, but … this woman … won’t let me by.” Marcia cast a dark look at the secretary. “She’s been very rude.”

“I was told no one could enter,” the secretary replied, unperturbed. “I may be rude, but I’m following orders.”

“No one can go back there, Mrs. Simpson,” Jack said, reaching for the basket. “I’ll make sure she gets this, though. It was very thoughtful.”

“Well, think nothing of it,” Marcia clucked. “It’s just … Thomas Spencer was talking about her nonstop and then she became all I could think about. I want to help take care of her. I think we should all pitch in and help her until she starts feeling well enough to talk.”

“She’s talking,” Ivy said. “She’s in with her parents now, though. They need some time alone.”

“Oh, she is talking?” Marcia looked surprised. “Ava said she wasn’t saying anything.”

“Of course she did,” Jack muttered, disgusted. “Don’t worry about Ava … and don’t listen to a thing she says. This case is going to remain a private matter, though, and the girl isn’t taking visitors.”

“That’s too bad.” Marcia looked momentarily disappointed before brightening. “Well, please give her our gift and tell he we’re praying for her recovery.”

“We’ll do that,” Ivy said, smiling. “Prayers are always welcome.”