Wicked Games (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 17) Read online

  “What’s wrong?” Michael asked absently. “Do you see something you don’t like?”

  “You could say that.” Ivy reached over and snagged her father’s hand, squeezing tightly. “I need you to call Jack and get him out here, and I need you to be nonchalant when you do it.”

  Michael furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand.”

  “Tell him Jason Fortin is out here, and tell him to come in without his sirens so as not to scare him off. Do it now. I’ll keep an eye on Jason.”

  16

  Sixteen

  There were times as a kid that Ivy fancied herself a spy. She liked the idea of skulking around, changing into a variety of ornate disguises, and saving the world from evildoers. She was much greater at the job in her mind than she was in practice, though, and despite her best efforts, Jason caught sight of her when she was cutting behind the second greenhouse.

  “I’m not here to hurt you,” he announced, his hands shooting into the air above his head.

  His reaction gave Ivy pause. “How did you even see me?” She was annoyed her plan to approach him without drawing attention hadn’t even gotten off the ground.

  Jason inclined his head toward the reflective greenhouse windows. “You’re not invisible.”

  “Ugh.” Ivy made a face and folded her arms across her chest as she regarded him. “What are you even doing here? How did you find me?”

  “Um ... you’re a pink-haired woman who got arrested for saving the life of another woman. You were all over the newspapers.”

  “Right.” Ivy hated it when she acted slow, and that’s exactly how she felt this afternoon. “That doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.”

  “I need your help. You’re engaged to that cop, the grumpy one who looks as if he wants to knock heads together like a professional wrestler anytime somebody looks at you.”

  “Keep your hands in the air!” Michael snapped, appearing behind Ivy and brandishing a pitchfork. “I will totally fork you to death if you make a move.”

  Jason arched an eyebrow. “Who are you?”

  “Don’t worry about who I am.”

  Jason cocked his head to the side, considering. “How many dudes do you have willing to kill people for you? I’m only asking out of natural curiosity. I mean ... it’s obviously none of my business. I still want to know, though. Are you magical or something?”

  To Ivy, that was a loaded question. She opted to avoid it. “We’re not here to talk about me. We’re here to talk about you. Why did you track me down?”

  “Because I need your help.” Jason was solemn. “I’m in trouble.”

  “I’ll say you’re in trouble,” she agreed. “Jack and his partner are looking for you because you’re a suspect in Sasha’s death. They know you two were dating ... and that you wrecked your other girlfriend’s car and didn’t tell her. You look guilty to them.”

  “I am guilty,” Jason agreed. “Just not of what you think I am. I’m a ... loser. I wouldn’t disagree with that. I’m not a murderer, though.”

  Despite herself, Ivy was intrigued. “Are you honestly telling me you can explain away all these coincidences?”

  Jason nodded, solemn.

  “Then you’d better do it fast,” Ivy prodded. “Jack and Brian are on their way.”

  “That’s what I was counting on. I wanted you to be with me when they took me in. They’re less likely to shoot me if you’re here.”

  Ivy made a face. “Why would they shoot you?”

  “I watch the news. Unarmed black men are shot all the time by the cops.”

  Ivy was bewildered. “You’re white.”

  “Barely.” Jason shook his head. “That’s not what’s important, though. Sasha and I were dating. The thing is, she was only one of my girlfriends.”

  Ivy’s nose wrinkled in disgust. “You’re gross.”

  “Hey, I’m in demand.” Jason was matter-of-fact. “I’m young and girls think I’m a bad boy. You’d be surprised how many women that attracts.”

  “Stupid women.”

  “They’re not stupid.”

  “Maisie?”

  “Okay, she’s stupid a lot of the time,” Jason conceded. “She’s not naive, though. She’s only in it for the fun. That’s one of the reasons I like her.”

  “Yeah, Maisie has had fun with half the town, son,” Michael noted. “You might want to get yourself tested or something.”

  “Maybe that will happen in jail.” Jason brightened at the thought. “I’ll have to remember to request that. Anyway, we don’t have a lot of time. It’s important that you believe me before your boyfriend gets here.”

  “I don’t think I’m going to have nearly as much weight with him as you seem to think I do,” Ivy countered.

  Jason waved off the comment as if it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. “I dinged up the car in the golf course parking lot. I was there selling meth.”

  Ivy frowned. “I don’t understand. Was Sasha with you?”

  He nodded. “She didn’t realize what I was doing. She wanted to date a bad boy, but she didn’t want to see any of the bad boy behavior. I tried to keep it away from her. The thing is, I have bills to pay. When I got the call, I simply couldn’t ignore it because she was with me.”

  “Actually, I think you could ignore it, but we’ll let that go for now,” Ivy drawled. “How did you get separated?”

  “She broke up with me and left in a huff when she realized I was there to meet one of the golf pros. I assumed she caught a ride back with one of the workers. I mean, I wouldn’t have left her there. I’m not that guy. She knows a lot of the people who work out there, though.”

  That made sense to Ivy. The golf course was filled with younger workers, on the course and in the restaurant, many of whom would’ve gone to school with Sasha. “Did you call her to make sure?”

  “I did the next day. The thing is ... .” He trailed off, genuine grief twisting his handsome features.

  “She was already dead by then and you didn’t know it,” Ivy deduced.

  “She must’ve decided to walk. That’s all I can figure.”

  “Why would someone run her over?” That was the part Ivy was having trouble with. “She was a good girl who made a bad decision. I mean ... you’re like the worst decision ever.”

  “I am,” Jason agreed, his smile rueful. “I knew I would never get to keep Sasha. She was too good for me. I’m going to end up with someone like Maisie because that’s what I deserve.”

  “Nobody deserves Maisie,” Ivy countered, letting loose a sigh. She honestly didn’t know what to make of the story. “Did you see anyone out at the golf course that night, anyone who might’ve wanted to hurt her?”

  “I wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t even think about it. All I cared about was the deal.”

  Ivy’s stomach roiled in disgust.

  “If you think I’m proud of myself, I’m not,” he insisted. “I feel sick over what happened. If I could take it back, I would. I can’t, though.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Ivy was resigned to helping him. She believed the story. He really had no motive to kill Sasha. He was too lazy, a loser of the highest order. That didn’t make him a murderer.

  “Tell your boyfriend you believe me. He’ll believe me if you do.”

  “I think you’re giving me too much credit.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  Ivy slid her eyes to Michael, who had relaxed his stance but remained alert. “What do you think?”

  “I think he’s pathetic and no kind of a man. I don’t think he’s a murderer, though.”

  “Not that.” Ivy shook her head. “Do you think Jack will take my opinion into account?”

  Michael’s eye roll was exaggerated. “You really don’t have a firm grip on your faculties right now, do you? Of course Jack is going to take your opinion into account. He’ll tackle Jason and threaten to rip his arms off if he touches you when he sees him, but he’ll ultimately believe him because y
ou do.”

  Something occurred to Ivy. “He’s right. We need to move you to a clear spot and have you lay face-first on the ground, Jason. That way Jack won’t hurt you when he sees you.”

  Jason nodded without offering up a word of a complaint. “I’m all for not getting hurt.”

  “Come on.” Ivy gestured for him to follow her. “Do you want a bottle of water while you’re waiting with your face in the dirt?”

  “That would be nice.”

  “I’M MAD.”

  Jack could hardly contain his annoyance when he arrived at the nursery and found Jason had already surrendered to his fiancée and her father. He was quiet during the car ride back to the police department — a trip he insisted Ivy make with them — and waited to unload only after Jason had been processed.

  “I’m really mad.”

  Ivy was used to Jack’s temper so she merely rolled her eyes. “You’ll get over it.” She futzed around in the small departmental kitchen, making a face when she opened an empty cupboard. “No tea?”

  Jack considered torturing her, but he didn’t have it in him. He stalked into the next room and opened his top desk drawer, returning with a tin of her favorite loose-leaf brand and a latched infuser he purchased just for her.

  She grinned when she saw it was a moon. “My hero.” She opened her arms to hug him, but he refused to move closer.

  “I’m really mad,” he repeated, for what felt like the tenth time. “How could you take on a murderer by yourself?”

  Ivy let loose a long and drawn-out sigh. “I didn’t take on a murderer. I took on a meth dealer.”

  “Do you think that’s better?”

  “He’s an inept meth dealer.”

  Jack threw his hands into the air and stomped his feet as he moved to the coffee station. “I think you want to drive me crazy. There can be no other explanation for some of the things you do.”

  “And I think you’re being a big baby,” she countered. “I had the situation under control the entire time.”

  There was no way Jack would allow her to slide on that exaggeration. “Your father says you tried to sneak up on him, but he caught your reflection in the greenhouse windows. The only reason this turned out so well is because he was determined to turn himself in.”

  “Well, my father often sees what he wants to see.”

  “You inherited that trait from him.”

  Ivy glared at him. “He’s in custody, Jack. You got the exact outcome you wanted. How is that a bad thing?”

  He extended a warning finger. “We’re going to fight hard over this later. You’ve been warned.”

  Rather than be appalled by the statement, Ivy grinned. “Does that mean we get to make up after?”

  Despite his resolve to stay angry, Jack’s lips quirked. He managed to blank his face after the fact, but it took monumental effort. “We’ll talk about it later.” He turned to the door at the sound of shuffling feet and found his partner entering the room.

  “Is it safe?” Brian asked, his gaze bouncing between faces. “I do not want to get sucked into a fight if you two are still going at it.”

  “We’ve decided to table the argument for now,” Jack replied. “What’s the status of our two guests?”

  “They’re in separate rooms and both of them are unhappy. Greg thinks we should cut him loose, and I’m not sure we have the right to hold him. He brought up some rather uncomfortable points.”

  “He did,” Jack agreed. “I don’t know any judge that is going to take Marvin’s word over that of a community service chief, even if he is a total douche.”

  Anxious to get caught up, Ivy sidled closer to Jack. “What’s the deal with Marvin?”

  Jack slid her a sidelong look, debating. “Maybe I don’t think you need to know that information.”

  She frowned. “You can’t cut me out now just because you’re irritated that you didn’t get to tackle Jason.”

  “That is not why I’m mad!”

  “Oh, geez.” Brian pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “Have you guys ever considered getting counseling? I think a mental health professional would have a field day with the two of you.”

  “We’re perfectly sane,” Jack replied. “I’m simply saner than her.”

  Ivy snorted. “Oh, that’s a load of crap if I ever smelled it.”

  Before Jack could fire back a hot retort, Brian held up his hand. “While I understand the two of you are under a great deal of stress right now, it’s better if you don’t pick unnecessary fights with one another when we have a big problem in front of us.”

  “What problem?” Jack queried, genuinely confused. “We have all our suspects in custody.”

  “Yes, but we agree Marvin is unlikely to be our culprit because he simply doesn’t have it in him. Jason’s story doesn’t make him a good guy, but it’s likely he’s not a murderer. That brings us to Greg, who as far as I can tell, has no motive and will never be held on the word of a man who talks to imaginary friends.”

  Jack frowned. “Well, when you put it like that ... .”

  “I still don’t understand why you dragged Greg in,” Ivy persisted. “What evidence do you have on him?”

  Brian waited for Jack to respond. When he didn’t, he heaved out a sigh and addressed Ivy himself. “Marvin claims he was out at the site two nights before he was scheduled to show up. He says new locations freak him out and he wanted to get familiar with his surroundings before more people flooded the area.”

  Ivy thought back to her brief interactions with the man. “That actually makes sense.”

  “It does,” Brian agreed. “He says he was in the woods the night Sasha was killed. He saw it happen. He didn’t see Jason do the deed, though. He pointed the finger at Greg.”

  Ivy’s mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me?”

  “No.”

  “Well ... that’s your answer. Greg did it.”

  Jack made a sound halfway between a snort and a grunt. “What’s his motive?”

  “He’s mean.”

  “Other than that.”

  “I ... don’t know.” Frustration bubbled up. “What’s Marvin’s motive for lying?”

  “Maybe he’s not lying,” Brian suggested. “I’ve been giving this some thought and I’ve come up with a rather unfortunate theory.”

  “And what’s that?” Jack queried.

  “What if Marvin did hit Sasha — on accident of course — and he couldn’t deal with what happened so he ‘imagined’ a different scenario?”

  “I ... .” Jack was about to discount the theory but, when he considered it, he realized it was a legitimate possibility. “We were wondering how he could sit back and do nothing, just leave Sasha to die alone in the woods. Maybe he disconnected or something when it happened.”

  Ivy was horrified at the prospect. “Oh, I hadn’t put that together yet. The Sasha thing. If he saw her get hit, he could’ve called someone and got her help.”

  “He could have,” Brian agreed. “His mental state is ... messy.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Right now he’s under the care of a psychologist. She’s trying to figure out what’s wrong with him and what medications might fix those issues. We don’t have any contact with him — honestly, we didn’t think we would need it — and she says she needs a few days to figure things out.”

  “I don’t think that’s unreasonable,” Ivy noted. “I mean ... you guys can wait a few days.”

  “Can we?” Jack wasn’t convinced. “You do realize we just took your crew chief in for official questioning, right? We’ve tried to play it off, but he’s unlikely to find what happened funny.”

  Ivy had been wondering about that herself. She didn’t want to put herself in the center of things, though. Sasha was dead. Obviously she was the priority. “I’ll just have to suck it up.”

  Jack didn’t like that idea at all. He might’ve been angry, but the thought of Ivy suffering because he and Brian might’ve jumped the
gun was too much for him. “Just ... hold on a second.” He lifted his hand, indicating Ivy should remain in the break room, and then went to the room where Greg was waiting. “I’m sorry we were delayed,” he started.

  “You’re sorry?” Greg was practically spitting he was so mad. “I’ve been sitting here for more than an hour. You said I was free to go ... and then changed your mind. What’s up with that?”

  “We got an emergency call.” Jack did his best to remain calm. “Jason Fortin showed up at Ivy’s plant nursery and we didn’t have time to dilly-dally. We needed to take him into custody.”

  “Because he’s your killer?”

  Jack hesitated and then held his hands palms out. “We’re not sure yet. We’re still ascertaining exactly what happened that night. We do have new information, though, and that’s a plus.”

  “So, can I go?”

  “Absolutely.” Jack bobbed his head and forced a smile he didn’t feel. “Given what’s happened, though, we think it’s best if you call your superiors and request a switch for Ivy. She might be safer moving to another crew.”

  Greg was silent for a beat, one eye narrowed. Then he shook his head. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

  “And why not?”

  “Because my crew is already down two people and I think something weird happened today.”

  “You think something weird happened today?” Jack’s temper was bubbling toward the surface and it took everything he had to rein it in. “What do you think that is?”

  “I’m not sure, but I’ll figure it out.” He tapped the side of his forehead. “You said yourself that I have a unique mind.”

  Jack wanted to point out that he hadn’t meant that as a compliment, but he managed to keep his mouth shut.

  “I don’t think I want to cut your girlfriend loose until I know exactly what you thought you were doing.” Greg strode toward the door. “I refuse to let myself be manipulated, and I can’t help thinking that’s what all this has been ... one big manipulation.”

  “That’s not true.” Jack found he was desperate to fix things. “Ivy had nothing to do with what happened today.”