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

J
ack and Ivy
were mostly quiet for the duration of the ride to Ivy’s house, silently holding hands and otherwise remaining mute. Jack didn’t know what to say to offer comfort, so he merely shared his warmth as a form of solace.

Ivy let them inside, stopping long enough to pet an annoyed Nicodemus as he stalked the front hallway. He wasn’t used to being ignored for long periods of time and he made sure his disdain was known before skulking toward the bedroom.

“Are you hungry?”

Jack shook his head. “I probably am, but I’m more interested in sleep.”

“Me, too.”

Jack double-checked the locks before following Ivy to the bedroom. He technically owned his own house on the other side of town, a small fixer-upper close to the river that he’d lost almost all interest in fixing up. He spent every night with Ivy, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. Her home felt like his home and he was content sharing her roof every chance he got.

The couple set about their usual evening grooming tasks, brushing their teeth and hair and climbing into pajamas. When Jack switched the bathroom light off, he found Ivy sitting on the edge of the bed, her expression vacant.

“Tell me what you’re thinking, honey,” Jack prodded, pushing her hair away from her face. “You look … beat.”

“I feel beat,” Ivy said. “I also feel … hopeful. Did you see how good her mother was with her?”

“I think a mother instinctively knows how to comfort her child, even if she hasn’t seen her in years,” Jack replied, pulling the comforter back and gesturing with his hand so Ivy would roll under the covers. He flicked the light off before crawling in beside her, slipping an arm under her waist and tugging her head to his chest. He wanted her close to him. “I think the father is a good man, too. I know what he said about the baby upset you, but … .”

“I understand where he’s coming from,” Ivy said, trailing her fingers over Jack’s muscular chest as she tried to relax. “He didn’t mean he wanted anything bad to happen to the baby. He just meant that he didn’t want his child to go through more pain. I get that.”

“We’re still going to have to press her on the baby,” Jack said. “We’ll do it tomorrow.”

“I’ll think of a way to approach her.”

“It’s not your responsibility, Ivy,” Jack said. “You’ve already gone above and beyond. You don’t have to take the weight of the world on your shoulders when it’s not your battle to fight.”

“I’ll figure out a way,” Ivy said, refusing to engage in a conversation that could potentially turn into an argument. “I hope you’re not too disappointed, but I was thinking maybe we could just sleep tonight.”

Jack chuckled, the sound low and warm. “I don’t have the energy to do anything else,” he said. “I just want to hold you. We can get frisky in the morning if we’re both up to it.”

“Not that,” Ivy scoffed, lightly smacking his chest. “I meant the dream walking.”

“Oh.” Jack was glad the room was dark so Ivy couldn’t see the blush spreading across his cheeks. “I … am so sorry I made that leap.”

Ivy giggled, the sound taking Jack by surprise. “It’s okay. That was the plan before … Jessica.”

“Get some sleep, honey,” Jack said, pressing his lips to her forehead. “I’ll be here all night. No dream walking tonight. I think we’re going to need our rest for what’s to come.”

“I think so, too.”

J
ACK
was a heavy sleeper
. Even when he dream-walked with Ivy he always woke feeling refreshed and relaxed. Something was different about tonight.

Jack didn’t wake, but instinctively he realized Ivy was in distress because he could hear her whimpering. While Ivy controlled the dream magic, Jack occasionally managed to direct it to a place he wanted to visit. This time he focused on finding Ivy, wherever she might be in the hazy dreamscape, because he was convinced she needed him.

Jack popped into being in a small rectangular room. It looked like a basement of some sort, or perhaps an underground cellar. There were no windows and the walls looked like they’d been cinder blocks at one point, but the roots and grime from the outside world eventually overtook them.

There was a metal hook screwed into a plate in the middle of the floor, a chain attached to it. Jack followed the trail of the chain and wasn’t surprised to find Jessica cowering on the other side of a makeshift cot. Ivy, her eyes wild, covered Jessica’s body with her own as the girl’s body shook.

“What’s happening?”

Ivy snapped her eyes to Jack, surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“I came for you,” Jack said, striding forward and frowning when Jessica shifted closer to the floor and mewled like a distressed kitten. “What’s going on, Ivy? Why are you here?”

“I don’t know,” Ivy admitted, her eyes roaming the room. “I woke up here. Do you think this is … real?”

“I think we’re in a dream, honey,” Jack cautioned. “Nothing can hurt you here. Nothing can hurt Jessica here either.”

As if on cue, the sound of someone pounding on the other side of a locked metal door caused Jack to jolt. He shifted his attention from Ivy to the door, curious.

“He’s going to kill me,” Jessica said. “He got me and put me back in here. He’s going to kill me.”

“No one is going to kill you,” Ivy soothed. “I’m right here. He can’t get you. You’re in the hospital, Jessica. I promise. This is … a dream.”

Jack arched an eyebrow. “Is that what this is? Are we in her dream?”

“I don’t know.”

“Honey, I’m going to be honest, I don’t think this is Jessica’s dream,” Jack said, choosing his words carefully. “I think this is your nightmare. I think you’re imagining what happened to Jessica and it’s getting the best of you.” Jack extended his hand. “Come with me. I’ll take you to a better place.”

“What if this is real, though?” Ivy argued. “What if this is Jessica’s memory? We might be able to see who did this to her because he’s standing on the other side of that door.”

Jack gave the idea some thought. “Okay,” he said finally, striding toward the door and reaching for a handle. He came up short, frowning as he leaned over to study the flat surface. “There’s no door handle here.”

“Of course there’s no handle,” Ivy snapped. “If there was a handle she could escape.”

“See, this is what makes me think you’re imagining this entire thing,” Jack argued. “You’ve got a picture in your head of the awful things that happened to Jessica. We don’t know if this is real.”

“I’m coming for you!”

The voice on the other side of the door was menacing and Jack couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow. “That sounds like it came straight from a movie.”

“Oh, well, fine,” Ivy hissed. “I’m imagining everything. If you think that’s the case, then leave. I don’t want you here. I’ll figure a way out of this on my own.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Jack said. “We’re a team and we’re in this together. I’m not leaving you here.”

“Well, I’m not leaving Jessica here,” Ivy said, defiantly crossing her arms over her chest. “I made a promise that he wouldn’t touch her again.”

Jack was understandably frustrated. “She’s not here, Ivy,” he said. “You’re not really here. You can’t protect her from something that already happened. You can’t protect her from her dreams.”

“But … .”

“No.” Jack shook his head and extended his hand. “Come with me. Please. I’ll take you to a safe place. You need to rest, and that’s not going to happen here.”

Ivy glanced at Jessica, but the dream girl didn’t appear to see her. Finally, Ivy took a step away from the terrified kidnapping victim and placed her hand in Jack’s. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize for being strong and brave,” Jack said, wrapping his arms around her. “Come on. I’ll take you to the safest place I know.”

Ivy pressed her eyes shut for the trip, and when she opened them again she was dumbfounded. “This is my bed.”

“It’s my favorite place in the world,” Jack said, tightening his arms around Ivy’s waist. “You know we’re already sleeping here in the real world, right?”

Ivy bit her lip and nodded.

“Rest, honey,” Jack said, kissing her forehead. “Turn your brain off. I’ll be right here. I won’t let you slip away again.”

“I didn’t mean to slip away the first time.”

“I know,” Jack said. “If you sneak away again, I’ll find you. I’ll always find you. That’s a promise I will never break.”

Ivy didn’t think it was possible to relax and drift off, but she was wrong. The second time she slipped under was peaceful, and she didn’t wake again until morning.

“
W
HAT
do
you want for breakfast?”

Jack, the newspaper spread out on the kitchen table in front of him the next morning, cocked an eyebrow. “Are you cooking?”

Ivy, her hair still wet from the shower, nodded. “I need something to do with my hands.”

Jack had a flirty suggestion, but he thought voicing it was probably a bad idea. “I would love whatever you want to cook.”

Ivy made a face that would’ve been comical under different circumstances. “Really? How about tofu and goat cheese?”

Ivy was a vegetarian, although she didn’t balk at cooking meat for Jack. He often forgot her sense of humor was sharper than normal in the morning, mostly because they generally preferred spending their mornings in bed.

“I’ll have an omelet with tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese,” Jack said. “Thank you so much for asking.”

Ivy stuck her tongue out. “That’s what I thought.”

“Come here for a second first,” Jack said, snagging her around the waist as she moved to pass and bringing her in for a hug. “Do you want to talk about last night?”

“I … .” Ivy shook her head.

Jack ran his tongue over his teeth as he considered how he wanted to proceed. “Ivy, I know what happened last night upset you,” he said finally. “I really do think it was a dream, though.”

“I think you’re right,” Ivy said, taking him by surprise. She never said that. She usually preferred digging her heels in and picking a fight over admitting he was right. “That doesn’t mean it wasn’t upsetting.”

“It doesn’t,” Jack agreed, kissing the tip of her nose. “I’m about to say something that’s going to tick you off, though. I’m resigned to it.”

“You want me to take a step back and leave Jessica to the professionals.”

“You are the smartest person I know,” Jack said, shaking his head. “I forget how intuitive you are. That’s always a mistake.”

“I’m not going to do that.”

“And you’re the most stubborn person I know, too,” Jack said, blowing out a long-suffering sigh. “I’m worried, honey. I’m worried you’re going to get caught up in this and lose yourself.

“You’re the most loyal person I know and I understand why you’ve taken it upon yourself to protect Jessica, but I need to protect you,” he continued. “I’m not going to ask you to stay away from her … .”

“That’s good, because you couldn’t make me stay away from her.”

“I could make you stay away from her,” Jack argued, refusing to release Ivy’s waist despite the fact that she wriggled against him. “I could make it so you’re barred from the hospital. I would be in my rights as a police officer to do that.”

“If you do that … .”

Jack cut her off. “I’m not going to do it because I don’t want to lose you,” he said. “I am terrified of you giving all of yourself to Jessica in a manner that will prove detrimental to your emotional health, but I’m also terrified of trying to dictate your life and scaring you away.”

Ivy ceased struggling. “I don’t want to be without you, Jack,” she said. “Even if we fight, I promise not to do something like that.”

“I’m going to take you at your word,” Jack said. “I don’t want to be without you either. I think it might kill me.”

“That sounds a little dramatic.”

“Tell me about it.” Jack pressed a soft kiss to Ivy’s mouth. “You can help Jessica, but I’m begging you not to let this overtake your life. Take the occasional breath. Take the occasional walk with your studly and yet sensitive boyfriend.”

Ivy cracked a real smile. “Studly and yet sensitive?”

“It’s a hard burden to bear, but someone has to do it,” Jack deadpanned, causing Ivy to giggle. “Don’t ever stop doing that either. I love that sound.”

Ivy sighed. “I promised not to get too involved, Jack,” she said. “I can’t give up on Jessica now, though. She needs me.”

“I need you,” Jack countered. “We both know you can’t promise not to get too involved either. Just … try and use your head. Don’t leap before you look. If something happens to you … .”

“What’s going to happen to me?”

“Nothing,” Jack replied. “I won’t let it. There’s still a dangerous man in this area and he’s going to be desperate to silence Jessica. You’re going to look like an appealing target because you’ll be with her.”

“No one will hurt me, Jack,” Ivy said. “If someone tries taking me … .”

“I’ll kill them.”

Ivy offered Jack a rueful smile. “I was going to say that if someone tries taking me, we’d be able to dream walk and I’ll tell you where I am. I promise I’ll be careful. I promise I’ll be safe.”

“I promise you’ll be safe, too,” Jack said. “I won’t let anyone take you. I’ll protect you with my life.”

“You’ve already done that.”

“So have you,” Jack said. “I want you to follow your heart, Ivy, but don’t do anything goofy and get hurt. That will break my heart.”

“I promise.”

“Good.” Jack gave her another soft kiss and then released her. “Now make my breakfast, woman. Throw some hash browns in there as well.”

“That charm thing you have comes and goes, doesn’t it?”

Jack smirked. “I want toast, too.”

“Coming right up … schmuck.”

B
rian met
Ivy and Jack in the hospital lobby. He looked weary, but otherwise appeared relatively upbeat.

“Did she tell you anything?” Jack asked, handing his partner a mug of coffee from the local deli.

“No, but she seems to be thrilled to have her parents around,” Brian replied. “Thanks for this, by the way. The coffee here tastes like mud.”

“I figured you needed something to jolt you awake,” Jack said.

Ivy arched a challenging eyebrow. “You figured?”

Jack shot her a flirty grin. “Who paid for it?”

“I offered to pay for it,” Ivy argued. “I’m the one who told you to stop in the first place.” She extended the brown paper bag in her hand. “We got you eggs, hash browns, bacon, and toast, too. I know that’s your favorite breakfast.”

Brian gladly accepted the bag, taking everyone by surprise when he planted a kiss on Ivy’s cheek. “You are the best woman in the world – other than the one I’m married to, of course.”

Ivy beamed. “I’m pretty fond of you, too.”

“Stop flirting with my woman,” Jack chided, sitting on the chair across from Brian. “Have the parents said anything to you? Have they asked her about the baby?”

“I talked to Mitchell this morning and he said they haven’t talked about her ordeal at all,” Brian replied. “I can’t say I blame him. How do you ask your child what her kidnapping and torture were like?”

“We have to ask her about that baby,” Jack said. “We have to know. The fact is, we’re allowing a horrible person to remain free out of fear of upsetting her. We have to press her on this.”

“If you do that she’ll shut down,” Ivy argued. “She’ll feel trapped with everyone coming at her at once.”

“On the flip side, if we approach her as law enforcement officials and say we absolutely need the information, she might be more likely to talk,” Jack pointed out. “We’re authority figures and she’s been trained to … listen … to authority figures for years.”

“You mean fear,” Ivy corrected. “I won’t let you terrorize her, Jack.”

Jack narrowed his eyes. “Yes, that really sounds just like me, doesn’t it?”

“Okay, you two, the fighting is probably good for your sex life, but it’s not what we need right now,” Brian said, flipping his eggs on top of his hash browns. “I know you don’t mean to jump all over each other – or maybe you do, who knows – but we need to work together as a team.”

“I’m sorry,” Jack said, holding his hands up as he locked gazes with Ivy. “I didn’t mean to give you the impression that I was going to go into that room and attack her. I just want to approach her from a professional position so she knows how serious this is.”

Ivy sighed and ran a hand through her long hair. “I know you don’t want to hurt her, Jack,” she said. “I just … I’m afraid if we take the wrong step she’s never going to recover.”

“I get that,” Jack said, tentatively moving his arm to Ivy’s back as she sat on the arm of his chair. “Will you forgive yourself if there’s a child out there who dies because we don’t ask Jessica the hard questions?”

Ivy balked. “I … never really thought about it that way.”

“I don’t want to hurt Jessica for anything,” Jack said. “She’s been through more than any one person should ever have to deal with. That child, no matter how it was conceived, is not to blame for this, though.”

“If we press her and she tells us the kid died we’ll let it be,” Brian added. “We can’t leave a child in jeopardy. You have to know that, Ivy.”

“I do.” Ivy dejectedly hung her head as Jack pressed his hand against the small of her back. “I’m just really worried about Jessica’s state of mind. She’s already showing signs of disassociating from her ordeal. This might push her over the edge.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Brian said. “The girl is struggling. Her parents being around helps. While she’s not as comfortable with her father as she is her mother, she’s clearly happy to see him and much more relaxed around him than any other man.”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Ivy asked.

“It is,” Brian confirmed. “She still woke up screaming in the middle of the night. She had a nightmare.”

“I think that’s to be expected,” Jack said. “I don’t think Jessica is the only one who had a nightmare last night.”

Ivy shot him a pointed scowl. “Did you have to bring that up?”

Jack shrugged. “Nightmares are normal things when you have a good heart,” he said. “Jessica is going to have a lot more nightmares before they go away. Heck, they may never go away.”

“Yeah, this one just took everyone by surprise,” Brian said. “Her mother held her until she fell back asleep.”

“Did she say what it was about?” Ivy asked.

“You.”

Ivy stilled. “I’m sorry, but … what?”

“She said she was back in the room she was held in and you were there trying to protect her,” Brian replied. “Then Jack showed up and took you away and left her alone to deal with … some bad stuff.”

Ivy’s mouth dropped open as she shifted her eyes to Jack. “What time did she have the dream?”

Jack’s heart sank.
Could Jessica really have drawn Ivy – and later him – into her nightmare?

Brian shrugged, seemingly missing the furtive glances Jack and Ivy exchanged. “I don’t know. I think it was a little before two or so.”

Jack sighed. That was about the same time he found Ivy in the dreamscape. “Well, hopefully her nightmares will force her to tell us what’s going on,” he said. “Right now we have to focus on the baby.”

“I think we should all go in together,” Brian said. “Her parents are in there to make her feel safe. She already likes Ivy. Now is the time to do this.”

“I agree,” Jack said. “Finish your breakfast. I have a feeling things are about to get … intense.”

J
ESSICA
glanced
up as the three new faces moved into her small room. She shrank when Jack looked to be heading for her bedside, and he wisely hung back with Brian so they were closer to the door as Ivy stepped forward.

“Hi, Jessica,” Ivy said. “How are you feeling? You look as if you’ve got some color back in your cheeks, which is a good thing.”

“She ate eggs and toast this morning,” Courtney said, smiling. “The doctor said it’s a good thing because it will take some time to build up healthy eating habits.”

“I haven’t had eggs in years,” Jessica admitted. “I forgot how good they tasted.”

“Oh, yeah? What have you been eating for breakfast?” Ivy asked, sitting in the open chair next to Mitchell. By tacit agreement, Brian and Jack opted to allow Ivy to ask questions first and only intervene if they felt it necessary.

“Mostly nothing,” Jessica replied matter-of-factly. “Occasionally I got one of those breakfast bar things. That was like only once a month, though.”

“I see.” Ivy’s heart rolled. Pressuring this poor girl after everything she’d been through felt unnatural. “Well, now you can have whatever you want for breakfast. I’m sure your parents will enjoy introducing you to new things.”

“I can’t wait to make her favorite blueberry pancakes again,” Courtney said, smoothing Jessica’s hair down. “In fact, I was hoping to talk to the doctor and see if we can take Jessica home today.”

Ivy scanned Jessica’s face to see how the girl felt about the suggestion, but it was unreadable. “I think the doctor wants her to stay at least one more night,” she hedged. “Her feet need looking after and Dr. Nesbitt mentioned wanting to keep IVs going because they’re pumping her body full of nutrients and vitamins.”

“I know,” Courtney said, wrinkling her nose. “It’s just … Jessica really wants to see her room.”

“And we really want to get her home,” Mitchell added. “It’s been a long time since she’s been there.”

Jack cleared his throat, tossing a friendly smile at Jessica as he remained standing near the door. “I understand Jessica wanting to go home, but when that happens we’re going to want to make sure we have a police officer present at all times,” he said. “I know you want to put this ordeal behind you as soon as possible, but there’s still a bad man out there and until we find him … .”

Realization washed over Courtney. “You’re afraid he’ll come after her again, aren’t you?”

“I’m afraid that someone might be desperate to make sure Jessica never gets a chance to tell her story,” Jack clarified. “The sooner she does that … well … the better off everyone will be.”

“I don’t know who he is,” Jessica said, her expression earnest. “I never knew his name. It’s not like he introduced himself.”

“Okay, then try and give us some hints about him,” Brian suggested. “What do you remember about the day you were taken? Witnesses said you were seen riding your bike close to the downtown area shortly after three that afternoon. You disappeared. No one ever found your bicycle. You essentially vanished.”

Jessica licked her chapped lips and darted a concerned look in her father’s direction. “Um … that seems like a long time ago. I remember riding my bike … and I was worried I was going to get in trouble because I stopped at the store to buy some licorice. I wasn’t supposed to eat candy before dinner.”

“That’s okay,” Mitchell said, not missing a beat. “You can have as much candy as you want now. It’s a father’s prerogative to change his mind.”

Ivy smiled. It reminded her of something her father would’ve said – and probably did say at some point over the years.

“I heard a car door shut when I was eating the licorice,” Jessica said. “I was on that bridge over the little river. I was only a few minutes from home, but I wanted to finish the candy first.”

“And then what happened?” Ivy prodded.

“I felt a hand go around my mouth,” Jessica replied, pressing her eyes shut. “I didn’t see him right away. I thought … I thought it was my dad at first. I thought he was angry about the candy.”

Mitchell made a strangled sound in the back of his throat but otherwise remained quiet.

“He carried me to his truck,” Jessica said. “He threw me in the back and tossed my bike in there, too. I … don’t remember how long we drove. I tried to get out, but the window things were locked.”

“Window things?” Jack asked. “You said he threw you in a truck. Did it happen to be a truck with a cab over it?”

“I … don’t know what that means,” Jessica said.

“Did the back of the truck have a top?” Ivy asked using her hands for emphasis.

“Oh, yeah,” Jessica replied. “It was an old truck.”

“What color?” Brian asked.

“I think it was supposed to be gray, but it had a lot of rust on it,” Jessica replied. “I tried to break out the windows. I thought I would be in trouble because my parents always warned me about talking to strangers. I promise I didn’t talk to him. He just … grabbed me. I didn’t see him coming.”

“It’s okay,” Courtney said, gripping her daughter’s hand.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Mitchell said. “I shouldn’t have been so hard on you about the candy.”

“What happened when he got you to his house?” Jack asked.

“I don’t want to talk about that.” Jessica pressed her lips together and stared at the ceiling.

“Don’t ask her about that,” Mitchell hissed.

“I think Jack wants to know where the man put Jessica,” Ivy interjected smoothly. “He wasn’t asking about the bad things. If we want to find this man, we need to know a little about the property so we can search land deeds.”

“Oh,” Mitchell said, instantly contrite. “I’m sorry for what I said.”

Jack held his hand up. “It’s fine. I understand.”

“I never went in the house,” Jessica explained. “He pulled me out of the back of the truck and dragged me around the side of the house. It was kind of a cabin thing more than a house. He pulled my hair really hard. There was a hole in the ground on the side of the house. It had doors and he threw me in there and closed the doors. I lived like that for years. It was dark … and quiet. I could never hear anything but the sound of the doors opening.”

Ivy tilted her head to the side. That didn’t sound like the room from Jessica’s dream. “Was there ever a door that didn’t open from above?”

Jessica nodded. “He kept me in the room with the overhead doors for a long time,” she said. “I lost track of time, in fact. Then one day he pulled me out. I thought he was going to kill me.

“He walked me to a barn thing on his property,” she continued. “I thought it was the end and he was going to bury me in all of the trees. Instead he took me in the barn and there was a set of steps. He had a bunch of stuff stored in a long hallway and he forced me to a room at the end of the hallway. I lived there after that.”

“What kind of stuff did he have stored?” Ivy asked.

“It looked like food … gasoline … batteries. That type of stuff. There was a lot of it in there, though. I have no idea why he would need so much at one time.”

“He sounds like a prepper,” Ivy mused, talking to herself more than anyone else.

“Did she just explain something?” Jack asked, confused.

“Oh, no, Ivy is right,” Brian said, his eyes lighting up. “The barn and the way Jessica describes it, I think that’s a bunker. It sounds as if she was in a root cellar at one point, which means the house itself is probably really old.”

“What’s a prepper, though?”

“It’s someone who thinks the world is going to end and stocks up food and other supplies so they can live out their days as the world around them dies,” Mitchell supplied. “It’s been in the news some lately.”

Ivy nodded. “There are specific stores dedicated to buying food items that last a long time.”

“That’s a good lead,” Brian said.

Jack was still trying to wrap his head around the “prepper” notion. “So they think there’s going to be a nuclear apocalypse … or zombie infestation?”

“Kind of,” Ivy hedged. “It’s more like they’re planning for the electrical grid to go down or a natural disaster. It’s a real thing.”

“That’s a great lead, though, Jessica,” Brian encouraged. “Between the truck, the prepper stuff, and the land deeds for older homes, we should be able to start looking hard at some people.”

Mitchell looked relieved to hear the news. “Then she can come home with us, right?”

“Not yet,” Brian clarified. “She has to stay here tonight. We’ll talk about letting her go home with you tomorrow.”