Wicked Games (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 17) Page 18

  “I think I figured some of it out.”

  “Good.” He absently moved his hand to her back and started rubbing. “If you come back here and let me hold you for thirty minutes, I’ll help you figure a few more things out.” His voice was flirty despite his sleepy tone. “It will be good for both of us.”

  Even though she knew he needed his sleep, Ivy grew frustrated and started shaking his shoulder. “Wake up.”

  “No, honey. You come back to bed.” His hands were insistent as they grabbed her hips. “I’m not ready to start the day yet. I just want a few minutes with you.”

  Any other morning that would’ve melted Ivy’s resolve. Not today, though. Today she had other things to deal with. “Jack!” She practically bellowed his name, forcing him to wrench open his eyes and glare.

  “There is no reason to yell,” he snapped, his agitation on full display. “Is this how it’s going to be once we’re married? If snuggly mornings with my soft witch, a woman who has icicles for feet and likes to warm them between my calves, are off the table, then I’m not sure what I have left to live for.”

  Ivy’s eye roll was exaggerated. “Jack, we’re going to have plenty of mornings just like that. Maybe tomorrow, if things go well today. I’m not exaggerating, though. I’ve figured a few things out.”

  He let loose a sigh as he rolled to his back and stretched his arm over his head. He was bare-chested — they shared a lot of warmth when they were twined around one another — and the scar above his heart that he used to hide from prying eyes was on full display. He’d been vulnerable with her from the start, although he hadn’t realized it, and she was the one person he knew he could be comfortable with under any circumstances. “I’m going to need more to go on,” he said finally, all remnants of sleep clearing from his eyes. “What have you figured out?” Something occurred to him and he brightened. “Have you figured out the community service thing?”

  She shook her head. “I wish, but no. That’s still an issue.”

  “Then this day sucks.”

  “I think I’ve figured out the reason Sasha was killed.”

  He was fully alert now and he narrowed his eyes. “You’ve figured it out? How?”

  “She came to me in my dream.”

  He might’ve laughed at the simple statement if anyone else uttered it. Ivy’s dreams were anything but ordinary, though. “Tell me.”

  She laid it all out for him in halting terms. She had to backtrack a few times and cover the same ground twice because she was jittery. When she was finished, he was thoughtful ... and annoyed.

  “You think that someone else on your community service crew was selling drugs out at that golf course.”

  “I think that’s a likely scenario,” she confirmed. “We could never figure out who Sasha was with. Heck, I could never figure out why she was dating Jason in the first place. She always seemed better than that.”

  “Except it turns out she wasn’t.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s the sucky part,” she acknowledged. “I don’t think Sasha was the person any of us thought she was. To be fair, though, none of us knew her really well. She was always guarded.”

  “I guess now we know why.” Jack rubbed his chin, thoughtful. “What do you want to do?”

  “We need to talk to Jason. He’s in custody, right? You have access to him.”

  “I do. That doesn’t mean you have access to him. I can’t take you in and allow you to question him.”

  Ivy’s lower lip jutted out. “You’ve taken me in before.”

  “I have not. Don’t exaggerate.”

  “I’ve talked to people after you’ve arrested them,” Ivy persisted.

  “You have, but not in an official capacity. You can’t go with me to question him. Brian will have an absolute fit if I even suggest it.”

  Ivy made a face, but she understood where he was coming from. “Well ... I have community service anyway. After you let us go early yesterday, Greg is going to be in a mood. It’s probably best I’m not late.”

  He was incredulous. “Do you honestly think I’m letting you go to community service after what you just told me? Someone on that crew is a drug dealer ... and a killer. You’re not going out there.”

  Ivy matched him glare for glare. “Um, I have news for you. I’m going to community service. If I’m a no-show, they’re definitely going to tack on more time.”

  “They won’t when I explain things.”

  “They’re not going to care and you know it.” Ivy was firm. “I can’t not go.”

  “And I can’t just let you hang out with a potential murderer.”

  “Well ... then we’re going to have to come up with a compromise.” Ivy chewed on her bottom lip as she considered and then grinned when an answer finally came to her. “I think I know what to do.”

  Jack hated the way her expression twisted. It meant she thought she’d had a brilliant idea, although if history was any indication, it was likely to blow up in her pretty face because that’s what always happened when she tried to outthink the criminal element. She was too moral to take everything into account. “I’m going to hate this, aren’t I?”

  Ivy shook her head, solemn. “I think you’re going to like it.”

  “Then you don’t know me at all.”

  “Just ... hear me out.”

  He heaved out a heavy sigh and lightly brushed her hair away from her face. “Fine. Lay it on me. If I don’t like it, though, I’m going to put up a fight like you wouldn’t believe.”

  “I would expect nothing less.”

  JACK WAS A SPITTING MESS WHEN HE landed at the police station. He’d fought hard against Ivy’s plan ... and lost. He knew before he even started that she would ultimately get her way. She wasn’t a woman who did well with the word “no.” Since he was a man who had trouble with the same word, they were doomed to lock horns from time to time. He was resigned to that ... forever.

  That didn’t mean he could stop himself from complaining.

  “How do you put up with women?”

  Brian stood next to the counter, a mug of coffee in his hand, and eyed his partner with a bemused expression. “And how is Ivy?”

  “She’s the devil.” Jack’s expression was dark. “She’s ... evil.”

  Brian smirked. “I thought she was the love of your life.”

  “She is. That doesn’t mean she’s not evil.”

  “And what did she do now?”

  Jack related Ivy’s dream to his partner. Brian was well aware of Ivy’s abilities, and most of the time he took what she could do in stride, but he was already shaking his head by the time Jack wrapped up.

  “We’re not going to be able to use Ivy’s dream as evidence.”

  Jack rolled his eyes. “I’m well aware. So is she. We have to find the evidence to corroborate what she said.”

  “And how do you suggest we do that?”

  “Talk to Jason. He was in that parking lot. He might be an idiot, but he managed to conduct business at that golf course for a long time. He’s going to know who the other players are.”

  Brian was understandably dubious. “From what you’ve said, he was dating one of the players and didn’t realize it. How do we even know that what Ivy saw was true? It’s possible that she had a regular dream and didn’t realize it.”

  “It’s possible,” Jack agreed. “She believes, though, and I have faith in her.”

  “Oh, geez.” Brian pinched the bridge of his nose and flicked his eyes to the ceiling. “You’re going to spout some romantic nonsense, aren’t you? It’s going to be the type of stuff that would have my wife accusing me of being the worst husband ever if she heard it because she would want me to say the same thing about her.”

  “Ivy is the best person I know.” Jack’s voice was quiet. “She’s ... amazing. Everything she touches is amazing. She believes this. I can’t turn my back on her now.”

  Brian blew out a sigh. “Yup. I knew you were going to say that.” He drained the rest of
his coffee and put the empty cup in the sink. “Well, come on. Let’s interview the meth head. I’m still not convinced he knows anything, but we have to know for certain.”

  Jack found he was profoundly grateful for his partner’s giving nature. “Thanks for that.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Ivy’s still evil, though.”

  “I’m starting to think you’re right.”

  IVY WAS ALREADY WORKING BEFORE the rest of the team showed up. Alison was the first on the scene. She looked grumpy, as if she hadn’t slept at all the previous night, but she greeted Ivy with a wan smile and immediately started helping.

  “Are you sick?” Ivy asked, studying the woman warily. “If you’re sick, maybe you should’ve stayed home.”

  “They don’t give you paid sick leave for community service,” Alison noted. “Besides, my sickness is entirely of my own making. I went out drinking with my brother last night. I’m not sick as much as hungover.”

  “Oh.” Despite the admission, Ivy felt bad for the other woman. “I’m sorry. That sucks.”

  “You have no idea. My head feels as if there’s a mariachi band inside banging to get out.”

  “I don’t have any aspirin to offer or anything. I’m sorry.”

  Alison waved off the offer. “It’s okay. I took four tablets right before coming here. Hopefully they’ll kick in soon.”

  “Yeah.” Ivy glanced around, her eyes keen as she scanned the foliage surrounding them. “I’m thinking Greg is going to be in a bad mood when he gets here. You should probably brace yourself for that.”

  “Do we have your fiancé to thank?”

  Ivy was sheepish. “He might’ve ... irritated ... Greg a bit. If it’s any consolation, I’m pretty sure Greg is going to be taking out his aggression on me.”

  “Greg is the sort of douche who likes to make everybody pay,” Alison countered. “I don’t foresee that changing anytime soon. You might be the one getting the most hatred, but he won’t leave the rest of us alone. Have no fear.”

  Because Ivy knew she was right, all she could do was nod and sigh. “Still, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. We’ll survive. As you’ve said a million times, in a few weeks, this will be nothing but a memory.”

  “Yeah, but even I didn’t know how difficult those few weeks were going to be.”

  “Now that right there is a true story.” Alison offered up a playful wink. “It’s going to be okay. I can guarantee everyone on this crew has been through worse. We’ll muddle through ... somehow.”

  Ivy could only hope she was right.

  JASON WAS BLEARY-EYED AND SLOW WHEN Jack and Brian led him into the interview room. He appeared confused regarding his location, and exactly who he was dealing with.

  “Did my mom send you?”

  Jack had little patience on a normal day. Given the fact that he was terrified to be separated from Ivy for too long, that was magnified today. “Are you kidding me?”

  Brian held up a hand to still his partner, shooting him a quelling look. “I’m Detective Nixon. This is Detective Harker. We’re the ones who arrested you at the nursery yesterday.”

  “Oh, right.” Jason dumbly nodded. “You’re Ivy’s man. Honestly, dude, you’re really lucky to have snagged her. She is smoking hot.”

  Jack scowled. “We’re not here to talk about Ivy.” Just keep her safe, he silently added. “We need to talk to you about the business you were running up at the golf course.”

  “Allegedly running,” Jason corrected.

  Jack’s frown grew more pronounced. “You admitted to your guilt when we arrested you last evening.”

  “Allegedly.”

  Fury practically rolling off him in waves, Jack ran his tongue over his teeth and debated the myriad of ways he could put the hurt on Jason. Before he could select one, Brian cleared his throat to garner the younger man’s attention.

  “Jason, I need you to get it together.” Brian was firm without being cold. He had a fatherly aura, and he used it to great effect now. “I understand that we woke you up and you’re still wrapping your head around things, but what we’ve called you here to talk about is important.”

  Jason nodded sagely. “Allegedly.”

  Jack threw his hands in the air and made to stand, but Brian shot him a warning look.

  “Not allegedly, Jason,” Brian argued. “None of this is on an alleged basis. It’s not even about you, so it doesn’t matter what you say. We want information on other people.”

  Oddly enough, rather than placate Jason, the words had the opposite effect. He immediately began shaking his head. “I ain’t no rat.”

  “Do you want to go to prison forever?” Brian challenged.

  “I ... no.” Jason’s face drained of color. “Wait, that’s not a possibility, is it? You guys said last night you were going to try to get me into rehab. That’s better than prison.”

  “And we stand by that. We need information, though. More, we need your help.”

  Jason remained unconvinced. He leaned back in his chair, folded his arms across his chest, and fixed Jack with a steely-eyed stare that seemed almost otherworldly given what they knew about the man. “I can’t rat on people. It’s against the code.”

  Brian pursed his lips, debating, and then decided to change course. “You like Ivy, right?”

  Jason hesitated and then nodded. “She’s pretty cool. I mean, she’s smoking hot — I think you guys already know that — but she’s pretty cool on top of that. Most chicks are just hot, not cool. She’s both. She’s a rare find.”

  For some reason, the words caused Jack’s heart to ping. She was a rare find, and he wanted her removed from danger.

  “She’s very cool,” Brian agreed. “I’ve known her since she was a little girl. She was even cool back then.”

  “Awesome.” Jason nodded. “What’s this got to do with her?”

  “She could be in danger.” Brian’s affect never changed. “Someone on your community service crew killed Sasha. We’re certain of that now. We believe she was involved with a rival drug dealer. Do you have any idea who that might be?”

  Jason’s eyebrows knit together and the look on his face reflected bafflement. “Um ... I think I would know if she was selling drugs. She didn’t like it that I was selling drugs. There’s no way she would’ve been doing it.”

  “How certain are you of that?” Jack queried. “I mean to say, did she ever make mention of her aversion to you selling drugs before that last night?”

  “I ... um ... no.” Jason shook his head. “She knew I sold drugs when we started dating. I told her ... because some chicks like that. You know what I mean.” He leaned to the side and offered Jack a coy wink.

  “How would I know what you mean?” Jack argued.

  Jason didn’t answer. “She said she was fine with it until I went up to the golf course that night. That’s when she freaked out.”

  “But you weren’t surprised by that,” Brian pressed.

  Jason shook his head. “No. Not even a little bit. I’ve dated plenty of chicks who fall apart when they realize I’m telling the truth. Most of them think I’m all talk. I’m a man of action, and that makes tender women freak.”

  “Sasha wasn’t a tender woman, though,” Brian supplied. “She was working with another dealer, and it’s someone who had ties to the golf course. Would you happen to know who that is?”

  “A lot of people deal at the golf course. There’s a hotel up there for the guests and you would be surprised how many people need a good doobie when they’re on vacation with the kids.”

  “I wouldn’t argue with that,” Brian agreed. “Was the golf course anyone in particular’s territory?”

  “Not really.” Jason honestly looked baffled. “I mean ... nobody was supposed to go over there because of the big guy’s son. Nobody listened to that, though. It was one of those things that was a rule but not really a rule. You know what I mean.”

  Jack and Brian exchanged looks.
Jason seemed to be circling a point, but not really getting anywhere.

  “What do you mean by the ‘big guy’s son’? Is that a euphemism for something?” Brian asked.

  Jason was blasé. “I don’t know what that means. The euphemism thing. He’s the boss’s son. The guy who owns the resort. He handled a lot of the traffic up there. I never met him or anything. I heard he was a real jerk, though. I did my best to avoid him. I never had a problem.”

  Brian leaned back in his chair, his expression cloudy.

  “Do you know who he’s talking about?” Jack asked.

  “I know who the big boss is,” Brian replied. “Brad Dunham. He’s owned the resort for a good five years now. He doesn’t have a son, though.”

  “Yes, he does.” Jason bobbed his head. “It’s not his real son, though. It’s his ... um ... stepson. That’s who it is.”

  Brian’s frown deepened.

  “Does he have a stepson?” Jack asked.

  “I’m not sure.” Brian picked up the phone on the corner of the table and pressed a button, waiting a beat before speaking to whoever answered on the other line. “Ava, it’s Brian. You’re familiar with the resort, right?” He didn’t wait for her to answer. He already knew she was familiar with the property because she went trolling up there for dates all the time during the summer months. It was a well-known fact.

  “Does Brad Dunham have a stepson?” he continued. “I don’t know his wife very well. I seem to remember talk that she had a child from her previous marriage, but then I never followed up on it.” He was quiet again, his expression never changing. “Do you happen to know the son’s name?”

  Jack watched his partner, curiosity etching across his face and his belly. He knew the second Brian received the information they’d been waiting for. He also knew whatever information was being delivered wasn’t good.

  “What is it?” Jack asked when Brian slammed the phone into the cradle and hopped to his feet.