Wicked Season (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 7) Read online

  “My father is the chief.”

  “Oh, well, that’s convenient,” Denise said, keeping her voice light and airy. “That means you must know everyone who lives in town.”

  “I do.” Ava knew when she was being primed for something and she braced herself for what she sensed would come next. “What is it you want to know?”

  “Tell me about Ivy Morgan,” Margaret prodded. She was much more blunt than her daughter. “What do you know about her?”

  Ava shrugged. “Ivy’s family has lived here as long as my family has. Despite that, going to school together and everything, we don’t exactly run in the same circles.”

  “Is that because she has pink hair?” Denise asked, letting her snarky side come out to play.

  “No, it’s because she’s a witch.”

  Ava’s answer was so simple that Margaret was convinced she must’ve misheard her. “I’m sorry but … a witch? I don’t even know what that means.”

  “Oh, don’t get me wrong, Ivy doesn’t call herself a witch, but everyone knows that she’s weird,” Ava supplied. “Her aunt owns a magic shop a couple of towns over. She tells everyone who will listen that she’s a witch. Ivy and Luna are much more subdued, but Ivy has done some weird things over the years.”

  “Define weird.”

  “Well, a couple of weeks ago she discovered a body in the corn maze,” Ava offered. “She seemed to know it was there even though no one else noticed it. She passed out and went to the hospital and everything. I heard Jack carried her out of the maze – he went all romance hero or something – but I wasn’t there to see it.

  “Anyway, a few days later she was attacked by the murderers,” she continued. “Yeah, there were two of them. They chased her into the woods and somehow Jack magically found her even though it was dark and he had no idea which direction they ran. If she wasn’t a witch, how do you explain any of that?”

  Margaret honestly didn’t know what to think. It sounded like a terrible situation, but there was hardly anything magical about the outcome. “It sounds like Jack got lucky when he found her.”

  “Yeah, well, let me tell you something else.” Ava’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “When Jack came to town everyone was interested in him. There aren’t a lot of eligible men in that age bracket and everyone wanted a piece of Jack because he’s so handsome.”

  “I can see that.” Margaret crossed her arms over her chest and waited. She didn’t like the way Ava’s eyes gleamed when talking about her son.

  “From the first day he got here Jack only had eyes for Ivy,” Ava volunteered. “He told everyone – including me – he had no intention of dating because he wasn’t interested in being tied down. The next thing we know he’s spending all of his time at Ivy’s house and they’re inseparable. He’s suddenly thrilled to be tied down … to her. They even went on picnics together. It was ridiculous.”

  Margaret arched her eyebrow. “And you think Ivy cast a spell to make him fall for her?”

  “Well, when you say it like that it sounds stupid,” Ava groused, picking at her top so she wouldn’t have to make eye contact. “That entire relationship has been weird from the beginning, though. I’m telling you something odd is going on. I mean … Jack wouldn’t even look twice at me and I baked him cookies.”

  “Uh-huh.” Margaret glanced at Denise, something unsaid passing between them. “Well, thank you for the information. Can you show me to my son’s office now?”

  “This way.”

  “THE MEDICAL examiner says Ron was shot twice in the chest and both wounds were fatal,” Brian said, dropping a file on Jack’s desk as he moved to sit at his own. “The first wound would’ve taken a bit of time for Ron to bleed out, but even if he’d made it to the hospital he wouldn’t have survived.”

  “That means that whoever did it fired the second shot just to be on the safe side,” Jack mused, rubbing the back of his neck. “Whoever did it wanted to make sure Ron never had the chance to talk to anyone.”

  “Yeah, that’s pretty much what I was thinking,” Brian agreed, bobbing his head. “I think the obvious place to start is with the financial information. I’m pulling all of the deeds from the clerk’s office so we can go over them. I don’t know where else to look.”

  “All of the workers said the same thing yesterday,” Jack said. “They all said Ron was a great boss and had no enemies. He wasn’t sleeping with anyone that we can tell, which means the motive wasn’t romantic. It has to tie to the money and property.”

  “So that’s where we focus for now,” Brian said, scratching his cheek as he studied Jack’s serious profile. “Did you and Ivy make up?”

  “We did.”

  “That’s it? You’re not going to give me more than that? What happened to the guy who couldn’t stop talking about his pink-haired wonder?”

  Jack heaved out a sigh as he rolled his neck and leaned back in his chair. “I begged her to forgive me and she did. I didn’t cry, but I would’ve pulled out the tears if necessary. Is that what you want to hear?”

  “It’s mildly entertaining, but I was expecting a bit more.”

  “I told her that she’s the most important thing to me, and that’s the truth,” Jack offered. “She’s okay. My mother is being difficult, but I kind of went off on her last night. I let her know that trying to alienate Ivy wasn’t going to be an option.”

  “No offense, son, but most mothers I know won’t just let something go because their son tells them to do it,” Brian pointed out. “How are you going to handle this? You can’t leave your mother and sister at the rental while you’re working a case and climbing into bed with Ivy every night. They aren’t going to take that well.”

  “Well, then they should’ve called before showing up,” Jack argued. “I am not neglecting Ivy because my mother has a bug up her butt. If I have to get into it with my mother, I’m prepared to do it.

  “This whole thing caught me off guard,” he continued. “I didn’t expect to fall in love with Ivy. It happened, though. We’re together and I don’t want to change that. In fact, I’ll fight anyone who threatens what I’ve managed to build here.”

  “Including your mother?”

  “I’m not afraid of my mother,” Jack replied. “She’s a formidable woman, but I’m in love with another formidable woman. I won’t compromise Ivy to make my mother happy. It’s not going to happen.”

  “That’s bold talk,” Brian noted. “You seemed afraid of your mother yesterday.”

  “I was surprised by my mother’s appearance yesterday,” Jack clarified. “I am not afraid of my mother.”

  Brian’s mouth curved in a manner that set Jack’s teeth on edge. “That’s good,” he said. “Your mother is heading this way … and she looks determined.”

  Jack groaned as he swiveled, his eyes locking with his mother’s disappointed gaze. “Oh, crap.”

  “At least you’re not afraid,” Brian teased, pushing himself to a standing position before focusing on Margaret and Denise. “Welcome, ladies. Were we expecting you?”

  “We just wanted to see where Jack works,” Margaret replied, seemingly unruffled by the dirty look on Jack’s face. She flashed a warm smile in Brian’s direction, as if she sensed he would be her best ally should she choose to battle for office supremacy with Jack. “It’s just a lovely space. We only saw the building from the outside yesterday, so we’re thrilled to see it in its entirety today.”

  “You just said it was too small and underwhelming,” Ava pointed out.

  Margaret scorched Ava with a dark look. “I said it was quaint.”

  “That’s not what I heard.”

  “Then clean the cobwebs from your ears, girl,” Margaret barked, glaring at Ava a full thirty seconds before turning to Brian. “So, who wants to give me a tour before lunch?”

  Brian grinned as he shifted his unreadable eyes to Jack. “I think you’re on, sport.”

  “And I thought this was going to be a good day,” Jack muttered
.

  IVY BLEW on her hands to warm them as she entered the diner shortly after noon. She stopped by the police station to relay to Jack what she heard at the McDonald farm, but when she found the department empty and cruisers parked in the lot she assumed he was eating.

  Ivy caught sight of Brian first and smiled when she heard him belt out a riotous guffaw. He seemed to be having a good time. She moved around the corner so she could catch sight of Jack and pulled up short when she realized Margaret and Denise were tucked around the table with Jack and his partner.

  Ivy didn’t regard herself as a coward, but she seriously considered walking right back out the door and texting Jack her gossipy tidbit rather than face his mother so soon after their disastrous introduction. Once Denise shifted her eyes toward the door and locked gazes with Ivy, though, she knew that was out of the question. Instead she pasted a fake smile on her face as Denise leaned in to whisper something to Jack.

  Jack raised his eyes and grinned when he saw Ivy, the expression causing her chest to warm. He hopped to his feet and moved in her direction, opening his arms and pulling her in for a hug before she could utter a word.

  “There’s my girl.” Jack stroked the back of her cool hair and frowned. “Why aren’t you wearing a hat? It’s cold out. You’ll catch a chill.”

  “I’m fine,” Ivy said, hoping her facial expression came off as placid rather than annoyed when she tilted up her chin. “I stopped by the department looking for you, but it was empty. I figured you were here. I left my car over there and walked across the town square because it was quicker. I wasn’t outside for a long time.”

  “Well, come sit down and eat with us,” Jack instructed, grabbing her hand. He grimaced when he felt her cold fingers. “Where are your gloves?”

  “You’re kind of a bossy dude today, huh? There’s no need to father me. My gloves are in my car.”

  “I would really appreciate it if you didn’t equate me with your father,” Jack chided. “That makes me feel really gross because I have definite ideas for you tonight and you’re going to ruin it if you compare me to your father.”

  This time Ivy’s eyes danced with mirth at his earnest expression. “That sounds fun. The ideas, I mean, not the father stuff. I … um … how are things with your mother?” She kept her voice purposely low even though she knew Denise and Margaret keenly watched their interaction.

  “It’s okay,” Jack replied, smoothing Ivy’s hair. “My mother called the department ‘quaint’ and offended Ava. Brian has been entertaining them with Shadow Lake stories. We just placed our orders. It’s been fairly calm so far.”

  “Okay. I honestly just overheard something at the McDonald farm and wanted to share the information with you. Perhaps I should tell you and go. I don’t want to ruin your lunch.”

  Jack’s smile slipped. “You’ll ruin my lunch if you leave.”

  “Jack, they don’t want me here.”

  “I want you here.”

  Ivy briefly rested her hand on Jack’s chest, taking solace and strength from his steady heartbeat. “Okay. I’ll have lunch with you guys.”

  “Thank you.” Jack pressed a firm kiss to Ivy’s mouth before gripping her hand and leading her toward the table. “Ivy dropped by for lunch,” he announced. “She went out to the McDonald farm before this and said she overheard something.”

  “Really?” Brian was intrigued as he shifted his eyes to Ivy. “What did you overhear?”

  “Well, first off, when Jack told me that they had fresh turkeys at the McDonald farm I didn’t know you had to pick out a live one and watch them kill it for you,” Ivy said. “That was an eye-opener.”

  Jack chuckled, amused. “What did you think I meant?”

  “I thought they had a refrigerated section or something,” Ivy admitted. “That’s not important. Aunt Felicity is picking up the turkey from the market.”

  “I’m sorry, honey,” Jack teased, stroking her cheek with his finger. “That must’ve been traumatizing.”

  “I can just see it now,” Brian said, amused. “How did Felicity take it?”

  “Better than me,” Ivy replied. “Anyway, when we walked to the back of the barn we overheard Lionel and Darren arguing about money. They said something about streamlining the process and that now more than ever they had to be on their toes.

  “Now, I know they could’ve been talking about anything, but they seemed really intense,” she continued. “It could be nothing, but it could be something. They never went into detail and seemed kind of annoyed when they realized I was there. I thought you should know, though.”

  “We theorized Ron’s death had something to do with money,” Brian said, rubbing his chin. “Ivy is right that it could be nothing. We don’t have anything else to go on, though, so there’s no harm in checking it out.”

  “We’ll do it after lunch,” Jack said, his fingers idly rubbing the back of Ivy’s neck. “I’m kind of glad you didn’t go out there alone, honey. I’m not saying they’re guilty, but someone out there is definitely a killer.”

  “I can take care of myself,” Ivy reminded him.

  “You’ve told me that a hundred times.” Jack kissed the tip of her nose. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to take care of you.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Ivy rubbed her hand over Jack’s knee to warm her fingers. “I’m starving. What’s on special today?”

  Brian recited the specials as Jack let his eyes drift to his mother’s face. He saw the keen interest she lobbed in Ivy’s direction, her eyes focusing on his hand as he rubbed Ivy’s neck and shoulders. Instead of stopping, he shot her a defiant look, almost daring her to say something.

  Margaret studied him a moment, her expression thoughtful, and then she straightened in her chair. She looked … determined. Jack could think of no other word to describe her expression. He had no idea if the change in her demeanor was a good or bad thing, but he was leaning toward bad. He was convinced she wasn’t done messing with Ivy. The only question was: What would she do next?

  Nine

  “So what are you doing for the rest of the day?”

  Ivy was nervous despite Margaret and Denise making a big show of being friendly over lunch. They were so congenial she let herself relax, if only marginally. Once the meal was finished, though, the edginess she was feeling for the bulk of the past twenty-four hours returned.

  “Us? I thought we would hang around with Jack,” Margaret replied. “He’s the reason we came to visit, after all.”

  “That’s not really possible.” Jack did his best to appear relaxed even as he stiffened. He sensed a potential landmine and was determined to throw himself on it rather than let Ivy accidentally fall victim to his mother’s machinations. “I have work to do.”

  “But … we’re visiting.”

  “And we still have a murder to solve,” Jack said, his tone firm. “I can’t keep you with me all afternoon. Brian and I have to run financials and we might have to leave to interview people.”

  “Well, then I guess we’re on our own,” Margaret said, shifting her eyes to Denise. “Where is the nearest mall?”

  “In Traverse City,” Ivy answered. “It’s a good forty-five-minute drive. I can get you a map, if that helps.”

  “We have GPS.”

  “Well, great.”

  Jack slipped his arm over Ivy’s shoulders and levied a dark look on his mother. “I think the mall would be a great idea. That will keep you and Denise out of trouble all afternoon. There’s nothing you love better than spending money.”

  “Oh, don’t take that tone with me.” Margaret wagged a finger in Jack’s face. “You can’t make fun of us for doing what comes naturally. All women love to shop. It’s genetic.”

  “Ivy doesn’t.” The words were out of Jack’s mouth before he thought better of uttering them. “I just mean that she rarely goes to the mall and she seems fine with that.”

  “Perhaps she doesn’t have money to spend,” Denise suggested. “I mean … she makes shower
gel and lotion for a living. It’s no fun to go to the mall if you can’t buy anything.”

  “She does much more than that,” Jack snapped, taking his sister by surprise with his vehemence. “She runs an entire business. It just happens to be a seasonal business. I, for one, am happy she’s taking a break. Some of her summer days stretched from eight in the morning until eight at night and she was exhausted.”

  “Ivy is a wonderful businesswoman,” Brian added. He wasn’t trying to help Jack argue his case as much as he was taking up for Ivy. He didn’t like the way Margaret and Denise looked at the woman. He’d known Ivy since she was a small child and he was extremely fond of her. “People drive from all over to stock up at her nursery. She’s a whiz in the garden.”

  “Amongst other places,” Jack teased, stroking the back of her head. “Don’t disparage what Ivy does for a living.”

  “I was hardly disparaging anything,” Margaret said primly, her shoulders squared. “If that’s what you thought … .”

  Jack cut her off with a hard glare. “I know exactly what you were doing. I’m telling you right now that it’s not going to be tolerated.”

  “Fine,” Margaret barked, shifting her chilly eyes to Ivy. “I’m so sorry I offended you.”

  “You didn’t offend me.” Ivy hated herself for averting her gaze. Jack’s mother terrified her, though. It wasn’t that she was afraid of fighting with the woman – Ivy loved a good argument – but she didn’t want to put Jack in an untenable position. That seemed unfair given everything he’d been through. “It’s fine.”

  Jack scowled. “It is most certainly not fine.”

  “She’s probably never been around a nursery so she’s not aware how it works,” Ivy said. “That’s okay. You can’t expect her to know everything.”

  Instead of being happy that she took her side – which was exactly what Ivy hoped for – Margaret made an exaggerated face as she rolled her eyes. “I can stand up for myself. I don’t need you pleading my case. He’s my son.”