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

  “And now?”

  “Now I’m ready.” Brady’s expression, which always hovered halfway between amused and serious, was deadly serious now. “She had internal injuries, although they weren’t bad enough to kill her straight away. Had she received prompt medical attention, she would’ve likely survived.”

  Brian’s heart sunk to his stomach. “Give me the rundown.”

  “Her ribs on the right side were broken. Her heart was taxed because of the injuries she sustained from the impact — and there was an impact. In addition to the ribs, her hip was broken and she had torn ligaments on her right side. Basically, she drowned in her own fluids because her internal injuries caused blood to empty into her stomach and then, eventually, her lungs. All of that could’ve been reversed or avoided if she’d been taken to the hospital right away, though.”

  “How long did she live after the impact?” Jack queried.

  “About two hours is my best guess.”

  “Two hours in pain,” Brian mused. “Two hours on the ground, abandoned, isolated. That is not the way I want to go.”

  “Me either,” Brady agreed. “The thing is, she probably lost consciousness after about thirty minutes or so. She wouldn’t have realized what was happening after that.”

  “Before, though, she would’ve known.”

  Brady bobbed his head. “She would’ve been aware.”

  “Well, that is not what I want to relate to her parents,” Brian muttered. “Is there anything else you can tell us?”

  “I don’t know what you’re looking for.”

  “Could the driver have thought he hit an animal or something?”

  “That’s not my area of expertise. That’s for you to ascertain. I can only tell you how she died.”

  “She died horribly,” Jack supplied. “She died in almost the worst way possible.”

  “Technically, there are other ways to die that would be worse ... at least for me,” Brady argued. “Any way you look at it, though, this was not a pleasant way to go. I hope you figure out what happened to her.”

  Brian was grim but determined. “That’s our top priority. I can guarantee that.”

  5

  Five

  Ivy was a full ten minutes early and had already started collecting trash before the others arrived.

  “You’re going to make us look bad,” Alison complained as she regarded the industrious witch. “Let me guess, they’re going to let you off early if you do more than the rest of us because you’re engaged to a cop.”

  “She’s not engaged to a cop,” Betsy countered. “She’s engaged to a detective. There’s a big difference.”

  Ivy managed to tamp down her temper — reminding herself that it was just good-natured ribbing — but it was difficult. “That’s not true. I was early because I didn’t want to give Greg a reason to come down on me.”

  “And why would he do that?” Angel asked. She seemed more standoffish than the day before, something that frustrated Ivy to no end.

  “Because he doesn’t want Ivy tattling on him to her boyfriend,” Betsy volunteered. “He’s afraid someone with a detective’s standing could make things difficult for him.”

  Ivy wanted to argue the point, but she had a sneaking suspicion Betsy was right. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you guys what Jack did for a living — no, really I am — but it seemed weird to bring up out of the blue. I didn’t want to intimidate anyone or have you guys treat me differently. Jack’s profession has nothing to do with me.”

  “Oh, no?” Alison cocked an eyebrow. “I have to be honest here. I’m a little curious how you managed to end up on this crew. I mean ... is that story you told about what you did to get arrested even true? For all we know, you could be a child killer and the system is just covering for you.”

  Annoyance reared up and grabbed Ivy by the throat. “I’m not a child killer. Why would you think that?”

  Alison held her palms out and shrugged. “How should I know? It just seems weird to me that you would save a life and end up here.”

  Ivy managed to bite back a sigh, but just barely. “The story is true. The woman I saved was being held against her will. Jack and Brian were interviewing the woman who owned the house at the time because they were suspicious of her — that’s a whole long story that I don’t have time to go into — and while they were following the rules, I snuck around the house and looked in a back window. That’s when I saw Maisie.”

  Betsy stirred, interested despite herself. “Did you know this woman?”

  Ivy nodded. “Shadow Lake is a tiny little town. Everybody knows everybody. The woman in question and I hate each other, if you want to know the truth. We’ve always hated each other. Still, when I saw her through that window, I reacted.

  “What I should’ve done was text Jack what I found and retreat,” she continued. “Instead, I opened the window and snuck in like an idiot. I had Maisie half untied before the woman who owned the house came in ... and it was a whole big thing. For Jack and Brian to maintain the integrity of their case, I had to face the music. Otherwise, a killer might’ve been released on the street.”

  “No way.” Alison shook her head. “That’s an outrageous story. What judge would lock you up for that?”

  “One who understood the stakes. I had to face the consequences of my actions if things were going to hold together for the prosecution ... so here I am.”

  Angel exchanged a dubious look with Betsy. “It sounds like crap to me.”

  “Actually, I believe her,” Betsy countered after a beat. “I remember reading about the story in the newspaper. At the time, I thought it was a huge load of bull. I couldn’t understand how the woman in the article was being punished. I guess the law doesn’t care about stuff like that, though.”

  “Pretty much,” Ivy confirmed. “I don’t want to cause issues. I don’t want special treatment. I just want to do what I’m supposed to do and then put this behind me.”

  Alison remained suspicious. “And your boyfriend couldn’t get you out of this?”

  Ivy shook her head, rueful. “He won’t admit to trying, but I know he did. I’m actually glad it didn’t work because it would blow back on him and possibly damage his career. Other than the money I’m out for fines — and the time I’m stuck away from my business — this won’t have much of an impact on me.

  “I mean, I own a plant nursery,” she continued. “There’s only one in town and I have good stock. News has spread about how I was caught, and what I was doing at the time, and business has actually increased. In a few weeks, all of this will be behind me.”

  “Well, at least you have a healthy attitude,” Betsy said. “For what it’s worth, I think it’s crap that you’re here. You saved a woman’s life, for crying out loud. This is only one of the reasons people are reticent to help those in need.”

  “Actually, I wouldn’t change anything,” Ivy admitted. “I would like to think I would do the right thing and call Jack as soon as I saw what was going on inside the house, but I know myself too well. I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from acting impulsively.”

  “Girl, you and me both.” Alison offered up a random fist bump that had Ivy smiling.

  “Thanks.” Ivy returned the gesture, although it was awkward. “I just don’t want you guys thinking I’m above all of this. I don’t. I want to serve my time and then move on.”

  “That’s all everybody wants,” Betsy reassured her. “Trust me.” Her gaze drifted to Greg, who was exiting his vehicle on the side of the road. “He can’t be happy about all of this. I would be careful if I were you. I saw the look on his face yesterday when he realized you were tied to a cop ... and he’s going to make your life miserable if he can manage it.”

  Deep down, Ivy had wondered the same thing. She didn’t want to give voice to her concerns because she was convinced Jack would make a big thing out of it, but having someone else confirm her suspicions was difficult. “What makes you say that?”

  “I’ve been throug
h the system more than once,” Betsy admitted. “I mean ... this isn’t my first time getting caught growing pot. The other two times were before pot was legal, though.”

  Ivy was taken aback. “You’ve been caught more than once?”

  Betsy nodded. “Three times to be exact.”

  “But ... why would you risk being caught again after the first time?”

  Betsy shrugged, noncommittal. “I like pot. I can’t help it. Besides, do you know how many times I haven’t been caught? It’s in the thousands. My odds are actually pretty good.”

  “But ... .” Ivy licked her lips, uncertain what she was supposed to say. “Aren’t you worried that one of these times they’re going to nail you for being a habitual offender?”

  “No.” Betsy’s gaze was clear. “If they try to throw the book at a senior citizen with chronic pain issues — I have joint inflammation like you wouldn’t believe and arthritis coming out of my behind — the newspapers will play it up and people will go nuts on the prosecutor. I know that. What’s more important is that they know that. Basically, that means I’ll keep getting a month of community service here and there. I don’t really mind it. I get to be social when I’m on a crew.”

  Ivy was dumbfounded. “Well ... okay.”

  “As for Greg, you need to be careful,” Alison interjected. “I’ve asked around about him because he seemed more easygoing than a few of the other crew chiefs I’ve worked with and there’s a lot of gossip surrounding him.”

  “He wanted to be a cop,” Angel volunteered. Apparently she was over being angry at Ivy because the smile she sent the conflicted witch was warm and friendly. “He went through the Academy and everything. He couldn’t get a badge, though.”

  Now Ivy was the one intrigued. “How come he couldn’t earn his badge? Does he have a medical condition?”

  “Not unless laziness is a medical condition,” Betsy replied. “Basically, as far as I can tell, he can’t pass the coursework. The academic stuff confuses him and the physical stuff is more than he can manage.”

  “How do you know that?” Ivy was honestly curious. “He doesn’t strike me as the sort who would confide that to someone else.”

  “No, but he ticked off another crew chief,” Alison explained. “Devin Reynolds. I worked with him for a week before coming here. Apparently Devin moonlights as a probation crew chief in his spare time because he likes the money. He’s one of the few chiefs who doesn’t get off on the power, which makes him extremely popular.

  “Anyway, Devin says it’s common knowledge that Greg is bitter about not being able to pass the police exam and he’s got two or three warnings on his record regarding abuse of power,” she continued. “Since absolutely nobody wants to take his job, though, they can’t get rid of him. They have to put up with his crap.”

  Ivy didn’t like the sound of that. “Well ... I would have to think that will come back and bite him eventually.”

  “I would think so, too, but it hasn’t happened yet. I guess anything is possible, though.”

  IVY WORKED TIRELESSLY FOR TWO HOURS. She was relieved that the members of the crew seemed to be willing to overlook the fact that she was engaged to a police detective. She’d been worried, but it seemed to be one of those things she took a bit of ribbing for and then people moved on. That’s exactly what she wanted.

  At a certain point she found herself close to the area where Sasha had been discovered the previous day. An evidence team from the county was out combing the path between the road and the trees. They hadn’t erected police tape, but Ivy was familiar with procedure so she knew to keep her distance.

  “We can’t cross here,” she said to Greg, momentarily forgetting who she was dealing with. It seemed like a pragmatic response and yet the look he shot her was dark.

  “Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do.”

  Ivy was taken aback by his tone. “I just mean ... they’re looking for evidence.” She knew it was a lame statement, but she didn’t know what else to say.

  “There’s no tape,” Jason noted, coming up from behind. He’d been largely quiet the bulk of the day, keeping to himself. Ivy couldn’t blame him. She figured he was traumatized by what happened the previous day. Discovering a body wasn’t something that ranked on anybody’s to-do list. “I think, if they didn’t want us hanging around, they would put up tape.”

  “Except they probably didn’t realize we would be out here again,” Ivy argued reasonably. “Why waste the tape if you don’t need to?”

  “Well, that’s not our concern,” Greg noted. “I’m in charge out here, which means I get to decide where we go ... and I want you to go right over there.” He indicated a spot that was in the center of the path the county workers were obviously using as a centralized location.

  “But ... .” Ivy’s heart pinched as she gauged the defiant look on Greg’s face. “Fine.” She knew better than arguing. It would only make her look bad, and make him angrier than he was ... if that was even possible. “I was just trying to be conscientious.”

  “If you were the conscientious sort, you wouldn’t be here,” Greg noted. “Criminals aren’t conscientious.”

  “I said it was fine.” Ivy’s eyes flashed with anger, although she shuttered the emotion quickly. “I’ll do whatever you want.”

  Greg’s smile turned sly. “That’s exactly what I want to hear.”

  Ivy moved toward the location Greg had indicated, but she didn’t even cross the invisible line in her head before a member of the county crew yelled out for her to stop.

  “Don’t cross that,” the man ordered, hurrying in her direction. “In fact, you shouldn’t even be here. You guys need to move down the road a bit.”

  Greg, clearly annoyed, puffed out his chest. “And who are you?”

  “Deacon Barnes,” the man replied without hesitation. “I’m with the medical examiner’s office.” His eyes briefly landed on Ivy and recognition sparked there. “Aren’t you Jack Harker’s fiancée?”

  Ivy’s face heated in the face of the man’s insistent gaze. “Um ... .”

  “She’s a criminal,” Greg volunteered. “She’s fulfilling her debt to society, which means I’m in charge here, not you.”

  Deacon rolled his eyes, although his gaze returned to Ivy quickly. “You’re fulfilling your sentence for that thing that happened at Lucy Thompson’s house.”

  Ivy nodded. “I am.”

  “I’m sorry about that. It’s crap that you’re out here.”

  “It’s fine,” Ivy reassured him quickly.

  “You’re not supposed to be talking to the criminals,” Greg argued. “It’s against the rules.”

  “Oh, stuff it.” Deacon made a face. He was obviously annoyed. “I don’t know what your deal is — actually, I do know what your deal is, and I don’t care — but this is a crime scene. You can’t taint it. You need to move your crew five hundred feet that way.” He pointed for emphasis.

  Greg wasn’t the sort to tuck his tail between his legs and run unless he had no other choice. “And I suppose you’re going to enforce this rule that I don’t believe is really a rule.”

  “No.” Deacon folded his arms across his chest. “That’s not part of my job description. If you continue to make this difficult, though, I will be forced to call the local authorities and let them sort this out.”

  Ivy’s heart pinged. She knew exactly what that would mean. Jack. He would melt down if he was called out here and Greg inundated him with attitude.

  As if reading her mind, Deacon sent her a sympathetic look. “There’s no reason to turn this into a thing. Just take them down the road.”

  “I don’t see why my duty is somehow less important than your duty,” Greg argued.

  “Because a woman was killed out here,” Deacon replied reasonably. “The police are deeming that death suspicious and we’ve been tasked with looking for evidence. I think prosecuting a potential murderer is more important than picking up garbage.”

  That was the ex
act wrong thing to say to Greg because his cheeks heated as his eyes fired. “Oh, well, I can see what sort of attitude you have. Well, I’ll have you know, we’re not going anywhere. If you have to call someone, then call them. You do you and I’ll do me ... and then we’ll see where we land. How does that sound?”

  “Completely unnecessary,” Deacon replied on a sigh, although he was already tugging his phone out of his pocket. “Have it your way, though.” He sent Ivy an apologetic look before turning on his heel and walking away from Greg to place his call.

  Ivy felt distinctly uncomfortable as she shifted away from Greg. She could practically feel the anger radiating off him and it made her cringe.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Jason said in a low voice, speaking directly to Ivy for the first time. “He always gets like this. He’s got Little Man Syndrome. He wants to be a big man, but he’s destined to be a little man because he’s got a bad attitude.”

  “Yeah. I can see that.” Ivy rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t see why he has to be this way, though. It’s going to turn into a thing.”

  “And you’re going to be caught in the middle,” Jason noted. “That sucks for you.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t think I have much say in the matter.”

  “Definitely not,” Jason agreed. “Your boyfriend is going to come out here, pick a fight with Greg, and then Greg is going to take it out on you, which is going to frustrate your boyfriend and cause him to pick a fight. It’s a vicious circle that won’t end as long as you’re a member of Greg’s team.”

  That was exactly what Ivy was afraid of. “This sucks.”

  “It does.” Jason’s face was blank. “I mean ... Greg doesn’t even care that Sasha is dead. All he cares about is that he has the biggest brass balls on this side of the road. It’s disgusting.”

  Ivy was taken aback and she took a moment to study Jason’s profile. He’d said Sasha. He hadn’t referred to the young woman by her full name, or called her “the victim.” He’d said the name in such a way that Ivy couldn’t help but be suspicious.