Wicked Games (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 17) Page 15

  15

  Fifteen

  Brian refused to let Jack drive. Knowing his partner the way he did, he recognized it would turn into a dangerous race to get to the site. Since he was the senior member of their partnership, Jack had no choice but to acquiesce.

  That didn’t mean he was happy about it.

  “Can’t you go any faster?”

  Brian kept his eyes on the road, his hands at ten and two, and sighed. “Jack, he’s not going to go after her in front of witnesses. She’s fine.”

  “You don’t know that.” Jack was beside himself. “That guy isn’t exactly the sharpest pin in the bin. He might think he can take her into the woods, kill her, and then pretend she took off like Jason and Marvin.”

  Honestly, Brian hadn’t considered that possibility. He stepped a little harder on the gas pedal but didn’t comment.

  “If he touches her ... .” Jack’s expression was dark as he shook his head.

  Since they were still a few minutes out, Brian knew he had to calm his partner ... by any means necessary. “You said you thought he had a crush on her,” he noted, hoping he wasn’t steering the conversation in the wrong direction. “If he has feelings for her, he wouldn’t dare hurt her.”

  “Unless he thinks she knows something,” Jack snapped. “He might even take things a step further because he has a crush on her. Drive faster!”

  Brian knew better than risking it on the winding road and instead tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “She’s going to be okay.”

  “I put him in charge of her.”

  That’s what was really bothering him, Brian realized. He was frustrated because he’d put a potentially dangerous man in a power position. “He was already in charge of her. You did what you thought was right to protect Ivy. That’s not a bad thing.”

  “It feels bad.”

  “Well, it’s not.” Brian refused to let Jack drag him into the muck. “There’s no reason for Greg to go after her right now. He thinks we believe Jason is the culprit. We also have Marvin as a secondary suspect. The way Marvin was talking, I don’t believe Greg realized he was there the night Sasha was killed.”

  Jack took a deep breath, forcing himself to engage in the conversation ... even though what he truly wished more than anything was to be a starship captain and to demand warp speed to get him to Ivy in the blink of an eye. “I don’t suppose you’ve considered the fact that Marvin could’ve helped her, have you?”

  Brian hesitated and then nodded. “He’s mentally ill, Jack.”

  “I can’t argue the point. The thing is, had Marvin called for help, Sasha could’ve very likely been saved. I’m not saying he’s as guilty as Greg but ... if anyone else had done what he did, we would be charging them with gross negligence at the least. Maybe even depraved indifference.”

  “But that’s not the case with him,” Brian insisted. “It never occurred to him that he could fix things. He’s ... troubled. You heard what he said. His grandmother was horrible to him. Nobody ever got that man the help that he needed.”

  “And I sympathize.” Jack meant it. “Sasha is still dead. I don’t think her parents are going to understand why Marvin didn’t call for help. If it was your daughter, do you think you would be as forgiving?”

  Brian opened his mouth to answer and then snapped it shut, tilting his head.

  “If it had been Ivy, I wouldn’t be able to forgive him,” Jack offered in a low voice. “I mean ... I get that he’s not all there and he can’t help the things he believes. I still wouldn’t be able to wrap my head around doing nothing as someone suffered and died in the woods.”

  “Yeah.” Brian let loose a heavy sigh. “I don’t think I could get past it if it was someone I loved either. I still feel sorry for him.”

  “I do, too. I hope the doctors you got him in with can help.”

  “Me, too.” Brian lifted his chin as they crested the final hill. “Here we go. Do you see her?”

  Jack snapped back to reality and craned his neck as he looked for a hint of pink hair. He let out a relieved sigh when he saw Ivy standing next to a young woman close to the road. “She’s okay.”

  “I told you.”

  “Now is not the time to poke the bear,” Jack warned.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Brian decreased his speed and pulled to a stop on the side of the road. “Do you see Greg?”

  “No, but as long as Ivy is okay, we can take our time to track down that piece of crud.”

  Even though they were operating under serious circumstances, Brian couldn’t keep his smile from emerging. “You’re the picture of benevolence.”

  “Bite me.” Jack was the first to emerge from the car and it was his tall frame that drew Ivy’s attention. She took a step in his direction, a question on her face, and then stilled. Jack hated that he couldn’t sweep her into his arms and offer a hug. He knew better, though. They had to keep this professional.

  “Is something going on?” Betsy asked, joining the small group by the side of the road. “Did you hear about the collector’s editions and want to see them for yourself?”

  Alison snickered, but Ivy kept her face neutral.

  “Do I even want to know what that means?” Brian asked, taking up position beside Jack.

  “It’s a long story,” Alison replied.

  “We found a box of porn and Greg took it,” Betsy explained.

  “Actually, in hindsight, it’s not a long story at all,” Alison drawled.

  Under different circumstances, Ivy might’ve smiled. She could read the anxiety on Jack’s face, though, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. He was one of those guys who expressed every emotion, despite his best efforts. “Something has happened,” she murmured.

  “We have ... more information,” Brian clarified, looking around. “Where is Greg?”

  “I wasn’t kidding about the porn,” Betsy replied. “He decided that he didn’t want us being sexually harassed by the images and took it into the woods.”

  Brian’s forehead creased. “I ... are you being serious?”

  Ivy clasped her hands together and nodded. “He’s kind of a creepy guy. I mean ... like really creepy. We haven’t seen him in a good hour.”

  Jack felt like punching someone, namely himself. “I told him to watch you!”

  Brian slid his partner a sidelong look. “You were just freaking out during the car ride here because you thought he was going to be spending too much time with her. You can’t have it both ways.”

  “Yes, I can.” Jack wasn’t about to ratchet down his righteous indignation. “All of this is complete and total crap. Which way did he go?”

  Ivy pointed. “What’s going on?”

  Jack opened his mouth to answer, but Brian shut him down with a head shake.

  “We can’t really discuss an ongoing investigation,” Brian explained. “Right now, we simply have some things to discuss with Greg.”

  “And, since we’re going to have to do it back at the police department, you guys are free to go,” Jack added.

  Ivy hesitated. “Are you sure you have the authority to do that?”

  Jack scorched her with a look. “This gives me the authority.” He gestured toward his badge.

  “Yeah, but ... .” She looked to Brian for help. “I don’t think anyone here wants time added onto their sentence.”

  Brian shot her a kind smile. “I get that. You don’t have to worry about it. You won’t be punished for us cutting you loose. You’ll also get credit for the full day. It will be easier for us if you’re gone when we ... track down ... Mr. Decker.”

  Ivy sensed trouble but knew better than to question them in front of witnesses. Jack would catch her up on the details at home, just as soon as he could. “Okay, I’m happy to leave early. There’s just one thing.”

  “What?” Brian feigned patience, but it was wearing thin.

  “Jack wouldn’t let me drive here myself today, so I have no way to get home. I guess I could walk down to the
lumberyard and see if Max is there, but he might be out on a job or something.”

  “Max isn’t there,” Brian said. “We called him when we were heading in this direction. Jack thought it might be a good idea to have him check on things.”

  There was a lot unsaid beneath the statement, but Ivy didn’t push. “Then I don’t have a way home.”

  “You can ride with us,” Jack offered. “You can sit up front and I’ll ride in the back with Greg.”

  Brian immediately started shaking his head. “That right there is stepping over a line and you know it.”

  Betsy cleared her throat to draw everybody’s attention. “I’m heading that way anyway. I can drop her at home.”

  Ivy was relieved. She didn’t want to witness a full-blown fight between Jack and Brian. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah. We can theorize about why these two fine-looking detectives want the porn enthusiast during the ride.”

  Ivy mustered a genuine smile. “I really appreciate it. Thanks.”

  IT DIDN’T TAKE JACK AND BRIAN LONG to find Greg. He was seated two rows in, his back to a tree, and a magazine open on his lap. Jack found he was relieved that the man’s pants appeared to be fastened and both hands were visible and accounted for. Greg was furious when they told him they wanted to talk to him at the department. He grew enraged when they emerged from the woods and he found his workers had been sent home.

  “I’m going to report you for this,” he hissed.

  “You’ll live,” Brian shot back.

  They left the box of magazines in the woods, something else that irritated Greg to no end, and by the time he was settled in the interview room he was spitting mad.

  “You’ve called the fire now,” he muttered.

  “I’m not quite sure what that means,” Brian noted.

  “It means that you’re going to wish you’d never met me.”

  “I’m pretty sure we’re already there,” Jack noted, leaning back in his chair. “We found Marvin.”

  Greg frowned. That clearly wasn’t the tack he was expecting. “Is he dead or something? If so, that can’t be blamed on me. I had nothing to do with it.”

  “He’s not dead. Right now he is at the hospital, though. He’s under observation.”

  “What happened to him?” Greg looked legitimately confused. “He wasn’t run over, too, was he?”

  “No. It seems Marvin has some anxiety issues, though. He’s suffered from them for the better part of his life.”

  “How is that my fault?”

  “We’re not saying it’s your fault. We are trying to ascertain if the story he told us is correct, though.”

  “A story about me?” Greg’s eyebrows practically flew off his forehead. “I never did anything to that guy. If he told you otherwise, he’s lying. In fact, he was so weird I wanted to avoid him as much as possible.”

  “Because he talked to himself?”

  “Um, yeah. Nobody sane does that.”

  “I would disagree, but that’s neither here nor there.” Jack slid his eyes to Brian, debating. Since he had the existing relationship with Greg, it had been decided he would lead the questioning. Now that it was upon him, he wasn’t certain how he wanted to proceed. “Marvin doesn’t like new environments. When he’s sent to one, he tries to stake it out ahead of time. That’s what he did when he was assigned to your road crew.”

  Greg blinked several times and then shrugged. “Do you want me to give him an award for that or something? It’s weird. What do you want me to say?”

  Jack managed to keep his temper in check, but just barely. He wasn’t a fan of Greg’s attitude. He figured a lot of people could say that, though. “Marvin was out there the night Sasha Carmichael was struck.”

  Greg’s expression didn’t change. “So, he knows who killed her? Was it Jason? Is that why you dragged me here? Did you want to tell me away from people who might tip him off that you’re looking for him?”

  Jack exchanged another look with Brian and then shook his head. “Marvin said you’re the one who hit Sasha.”

  “Me?” Greg’s snort was disdainful. “You can’t possibly believe that.” He paused a beat. “Wait ... you do believe that. Oh, you guys are the worst cops ever. I don’t suppose it occurred to you to consider the source. That guy spends all of his time talking to himself. I’m guessing he thinks imaginary people are there talking back at him. How can you possibly take his word for it?”

  Loath as he was to admit it, Jack realized Greg had a point. “We’re not accusing you. We’re simply trying to rule you out as a suspect.” He was desperate to keep Greg from taking the current situation out on Ivy, which seemed likely. “We didn’t want to bring it up in front of your crew because we didn’t want them coming up with alibis if we have to bring them all in for questioning.”

  “Oh.” Greg nodded sagely. “That makes sense. Good thinking. Was she hit the night before she was found?”

  “Actually, it would’ve been the night before that,” Brian answered.

  “Um ... let me think.” He pulled out his phone and looked at the calendar. “Oh, wait, they have trivia at the bar on the highway on Wednesdays. I was there.”

  “Can anyone corroborate that?” Jack queried. His mind was already on Amy.

  Greg shrugged, seemingly unworried. “Someone there would have to remember me.”

  “Okay, well ... I guess that’s all we need for now.”

  IVY THANKED BETSY PROFUSELY WHEN the woman dropped her off at the cottage. Betsy seemed thrilled with the location of the house, even mentioning that the way it was set back from the road made it perfect for growing pot. Since Ivy was officially done walking on the wild side of the law, all she could do was nod ... and then wave goodbye before disappearing inside.

  Since she was off early, Ivy decided she should probably check in at the nursery. She still had no idea where her keys were — which was fine — so she cut through the woods and pointed herself toward the property. She was relieved when she emerged on the other side and found the nursery was relatively quiet. That would allow her to talk to her father without risking anyone overhearing.

  “You’re not on the lam, are you?” Michael queried, a smile ghosting at the corners of his mouth. “I can’t be caught aiding and abetting a fugitive.”

  “Ha, ha.” Ivy made an annoyed face. “You’re so funny. Oh, wait, you’re not.”

  “You’re crabby.” Michael sobered as he regarded his only daughter. “Did something happen?”

  “So much has happened I don’t know where to start.” Since she was a daddy’s girl at heart, Ivy launched into the tale of her community service, leaving nothing out. When she was finished, she felt better — cleaner even — for having unloaded on him. “And, to add to everything else, I kind of guilted Jack into going glamping with me for our honeymoon and now I feel guilty.”

  Despite the serious nature of the situation, the misery lining his daughter’s face, Michael barked out a laugh. “Oh, everything is always so dramatic with you. You’ve been that way since you were a kid. I don’t even know what to say to all that.”

  Ivy glared at him. “How about commiserating with me and telling me I’m getting the short end of the stick?”

  “You are getting the short end of the stick, my dear. You’re a realist, though. You know there’s nothing you can do to change things. You just have to go through it.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel better.”

  “Yeah, well ... .” He instinctively reached forward and brushed her hair away from her face. “As far as the glamping thing goes, Jack wouldn’t have agreed to it if deep down he didn’t want to do it.”

  “Oh, we both know that’s crap,” Ivy argued. “He agreed because he feels helpless and sad. He blames himself for what happened. He thinks he should’ve been able to get me out of it. He can’t, though, and he’ll basically give me anything he can think of to make me feel better. The other day he bought me three bouquets of flowers, a full cake, and a pie.”r />
  Michael snickered. “He knows the way to your heart.”

  “He is my heart and now I think I should let go of the glamping dream.”

  “If you know he hates camping, why did you pick it?”

  “Because I love camping and happen to believe we’ve simply had a run of bad luck. When we have kids — and that’s down the road a bit so don’t get too excited — but when we do, I want to take them camping. I used to love it when you and Mom took Max and me camping. I want our kids to have those memories.”

  “And you think the glamping will make Jack appreciate camping?”

  “I think it’s the best shot I have.”

  Michael let loose a long sigh ... and then grinned. “More drama. Ivy, the truth of the matter is that Jack will be happy as long as he’s with you. He doesn’t care what you do. If you’re happy, he’ll be happy.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because I’ve met the man, and anyone who has met him knows that’s the case. Do you want to know what I think?”

  “Only if you’re going to agree I’m right.”

  He barreled forward anyway. “I think you’re fixating on the honeymoon because it’s one of the few things in your life you can control right now. It’s perfectly natural ... and I’m willing to bet Jack realizes that.”

  “Maybe.” Ivy chewed on her bottom lip and switched her gaze to the nursery. “How are things here?”

  “Busy in the mornings and dead after lunch. Things will pick up again after dinner.”

  “I’m sorry I dumped all of this on you.”

  “It’s only a few weeks and I happen to enjoy it. Don’t worry about that. Worry about Sasha Carmichael. Do you really think somebody purposely hit that girl?”

  “It’s starting to look that way, although I have no idea what information Jack and Brian uncovered this afternoon. They obviously couldn’t tell me in front of everyone else. In fact ... .” Ivy trailed off, her gaze going to the greenhouse at the back of the property. There, a furtive figure moved into her sight line ... and she recognized the face almost immediately. “Holy crap.”