Wicked Places (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 4) (10 page)

“
W
here is everyone
?” Jack asked, scanning the campsite for faces after returning from his fishing trip. The only person present was Melissa – and she didn’t look happy.

“That’s just what I was about to ask you,” Melissa said, lifting a beer to her lips and slamming three large gulps.

“Don’t you think it’s a little early in the day for that?” Jack knew he sounded like a bossy jerk, but he hated seeing Melissa continuously wallow.

“Not really.” Melissa didn’t appear bothered by Jack’s suggestion. “Where are the guys?”

“They walked up to the ranger cabin to get bags of ice.”

“You mean they walked up to the ranger cabin so they could stay away from here a little while longer,” Melissa corrected. “Don’t worry. I’m well aware of how Scott feels about me. The last thing he wants to do is spend time with me if he can help it.”

“You guys need to work out your own issues,” Jack said. “I don’t want to be a part of it.”

“Of course not,” Melissa shot back. “You’re happy with your pink-haired girlfriend.”

“Leave Ivy out of this, too.”

“Why?”

“Because she hasn’t done anything to you and it’s not her fault that you’re unhappy in your marriage,” Jack replied. “I’m not joking with you, Melissa. I can see you’re ticked off at the world. You might have a reason for it. You might not. I don’t want to be a part of it, though.”

Melissa staggered to her feet and took a step in Jack’s direction, her legs unsteady. “Maybe you’re the reason I’m so upset. Have you considered that?”

“I’ve barely talked to you since we got here.” Jack was irritated. “Did you see where Ivy went?”

“She said something about getting a kayak,” Melissa replied. “That was hours ago, though. You know what? She’s probably out practicing her Wonder Woman routine. I can just see her leaping tall buildings in a single bound. She can do everything else. Why not that?”

“That’s Superman,” Jack clarified.

“What’s Superman? Are you saying she’s Superman?” Melissa was clearly drunk.

“No. I’m saying Superman leaps tall buildings in a single bound,” Jack said. “Did Ivy say when she would be back?”

“Ivy doesn’t really talk to me,” Melissa answered. “We don’t have a lot in common. I’m okay with that, though. I want to have a lot in common with you instead.” Melissa ran her finger up Jack’s chest, plastering what Jack was sure she believed to be a flirtatious look on her face. “Do you want to go into my tent with me and take a nap, Jack?”

Jack grabbed Melissa’s finger and shoved it back in her direction. “No.”

“Oh, what? Are you too good for me, Jack?”

“Yes.” Jack was at his limit.

“So, you’re fine with your pink-haired vixen, but a normal woman can’t even compete. Is that what you’re telling me, Jack?”

“You’re drunk, Melissa,” Jack said.

“I think Ivy must be magic,” Melissa slurred, refusing to back down. “I know my husband wants to see her naked – although he already has. You’re infatuated with her. I guess a regular woman can’t compete.”

“Melissa, as far as I’m concerned, no one can compete with Ivy,” Jack snapped. “Now, what direction did she go in when she left?”

“I can’t remember.”

“Go and sleep it off, Melissa,” Jack ordered. “You’re embarrassing yourself.” He turned to leave the campsite, intent on asking the ranger at the cabin when Ivy said she would return with the kayak, but his cell phone dinged with an incoming text message and distracted him.

He pulled the phone out of his pocket and scanned Ivy’s message – which was long – and scowled. “I am definitely going to kill her this time.”

“That would be great for us all,” Melissa intoned, throwing herself in a chair and reaching for another beer. “Make sure you hide her body better than whoever killed that teenager did. You don’t want to go to jail.”

Melissa wasn’t quite done talking to herself. “I don’t know why we came back here after how badly last year’s camping trip went,” she lamented. “This place sucks.”

“Sober up, Melissa,” Jack snapped, stalking toward the woods. “If you’re like this when I get back, we’re going to have a problem.”

“Have fun killing Ivy,” Melissa sang to his back. She was lost in her own little world, and it was one Jack didn’t want to visit.

J
ACK
wasn’t
sure he was in the right place until he saw Ivy step out of the trees and lock gazes with him as he trudged down the campground’s service road twenty minutes later. He broke into a run when he saw her, grabbing her shoulders when he got close enough to touch her and giving her a good shake.

“Are you trying to kill me?”

“Not last time I checked,” Ivy replied dryly. “I’m sorry I had to text you, but you’re going to want to see what Andrew discovered.”

“Who is Andrew?”

“The werewolf.”

“Ivy, I’m really close to losing it,” Jack said. “You were supposed to be kayaking. I got back to camp and found Melissa soused. I have no idea where Maria and Lauren are. You were nowhere to be found. This is just … unacceptable.”

“I’m sorry, Jack,” Ivy said, tugging on her limited patience and reminding herself that she knew this would happen when she opted to strike out on her own for the afternoon. “I stopped by the campsite from last night because I wanted to see if I could find any footprints close to the tree line.

“It was too dark to look last night,” she continued. “Plus, the more I thought about it, I really did believe Hayden saw something that he couldn’t wrap his mind around.”

“A werewolf?”

“No,” Ivy said, biting her tongue to keep herself from saying something truly terrible. “I followed the tracks to a shack. The owner’s name is Andrew Devlin. His family has owned a parcel in the middle of all of this state land for fifty years.”

“And you just wandered off with a stranger who might be a werewolf in his off time?” Jack wanted to shake her again. He wisely kept his hands to himself.

“He’s not a werewolf.”

“Thanks for the news tip.”

“He does sort of look like Grizzly Adams, though,” Ivy conceded. “He knows my father.”

Jack stilled. That made him feel a little better about the situation, although he had no idea why. “Do you want to enlighten me on why we’re out here?”

“Oh, right,” Ivy said, shaking her head. “I was talking to Andrew and he mentioned that he had something he wanted to show me.”

“It wasn’t in his pants, was it?”

“You’re starting to bug me, Jack,” Ivy warned. “He took me about a mile away from his cabin. He found something when he was out fishing today.”

“What?”

“I think I better show you,” Ivy said, turning to move back into the woods. “You’re going to have to walk for about ten minutes. I’m sorry, but I didn’t know how else to direct you to where I was.”

“That makes me feel better.”

“I understand you’re angry, Jack, and I don’t blame you,” Ivy said, keeping her gaze locked on the ground so she wouldn’t trip. In truth, she was afraid to look at Jack. She had a feeling what type of emotions she would find crossing his handsome face if she did, and it wasn’t something she could handle. “I promise I wasn’t in any danger today.”

“You lucked out, Ivy,” Jack countered. “What would’ve happened if your friend the werewolf attacked you? How would I have found you?”

“He’s actually a nice guy.”

“I don’t care!” Jack exploded. “You showed no regard for your own safety today, Ivy. You showed no regard for me either, for that matter.”

Ivy slowed her pace and finally risked a glance at Jack. His cheeks were flushed with angry color and her heart sank when she grasped what he was really saying. “I didn’t think of it that way.”

“You never do,” Jack snapped. “Dammit! This was supposed to be a fun week where we could kayak and cuddle next to a campfire. Instead you’re wandering off into the woods and finding bodies, my friend’s wife is hitting on me, and you’re hanging out with potential murder suspects. This week officially sucks.”

“Wait a second … who hit on you?” Ivy was incensed.

“That’s what you took away from what I just said to you?”

“I … yes,” Ivy admitted, her heart rolling. “Who hit on you?”

“Melissa is drunk as a skunk and she’s feeling sorry for herself because she thinks Scott wants to bend you over the picnic table,” Jack replied. “She decided she wanted to even the playing field.”

“Did you … ?” Ivy didn’t finish the question. She already knew the answer. She didn’t rein in her out-of-control mouth until it was too late, though.

“Did I what?” Jack pressed. “Did I cheat on you? Is that what you’re asking me?”

Ivy’s eyes filled with unbidden tears. She had no idea where they came from. She didn’t consider herself a crier, but here she was getting emotional over something she knew Jack would never do. “No,” Ivy answered, her voice small. “I was going to ask if you set her straight, but I already knew the answer so I cut myself off.”

“Are you crying?”

“No.” Ivy surreptitiously brushed away a solitary tear. “I’m sorry. I know you would never betray me. This has gotten out of hand, and it’s all my fault.”

“It
is
your fault,” Jack agreed.

The couple lapsed into uncomfortable silence as Ivy led Jack farther into the forest. She racked her brain for ways to make up with him, but she feared she’d gone too far this time and he was finally going to walk away when she showed him what Andrew found. To her surprise, Jack reached over and mutely snagged her hand about five minutes after they ceased talking, linking his fingers with hers as they continued to hike toward what Ivy was convinced would spell certain doom for their relationship.

“I thought you were angry with me?”

Ivy’s voice was so sad it caused Jack’s heart to roll. “I am angry with you,” he said. “I don’t want you to think something bad is going to happen because we’re fighting, though. I know where your head keeps going, and I figure the only way to drum that out of you is to show you that I meant what I said when I promised I wouldn’t leave.”

“But … you’re about to be really furious with me.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to walk away.”

“Are you sure? I think I might deserve it after today,” Ivy said. “I didn’t think about what I was doing. Actually, that’s not true. I knew you would be angry. I still did it.”

“I know.”

“I’m sorry, Jack. I really am.”

“I know you’re sorry,” Jack said. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you the way I did. It’s not fair. I knew when we started dating that you had a mind of your own. That’s one of the things I like most about you.

“I need you to think before you do things,” he continued. “You’ve already done this. We can’t go back in time and fix it. We have to move forward. I don’t want you crying, and I definitely don’t want to keep yelling.”

“You’re going to yell when you see what Andrew found,” Ivy interjected.

“Well, we’ll deal with that when it happens,” Jack said. “How close are we?”

“Close,” Ivy replied. “It’s right over here.”

Ivy led Jack through a thick crop of trees and into a meadow, smiling in greeting when Andrew swiveled in their direction.

“I see he found you,” Andrew said.

“He always does,” Ivy said. “Andrew Devlin, this is Jack Harker.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jack said, his manners ever-present as he shook the stranger’s hand.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Andrew deadpanned.

“Now is not the time to be crotchety,” Ivy warned. “There’s no reason to be a jackhole.”

Andrew chuckled. “I really like you. You make me laugh.”

“She definitely has a way about her,” Jack agreed. “Show me what you found.”

“It’s right over here,” Andrew said, leading Jack toward a small grouping of rocks at the far side of the clearing. “I almost didn’t see it when I was walking past today, but for some reason I thought it looked weird so I decided to check it out.”

“Jack, wait,” Ivy said, pulling up short and tugging on his hand.

“What?”

Ivy threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Jack was initially reticent, but he ultimately gave in and returned the embrace.

“What was that for?” Jack asked when they separated.

“I just wanted to make sure I got to touch you one last time.”

“Don’t get melodramatic, Ivy,” Jack said. “Nothing is changing in our relationship no matter what you’re about to show me. Well, that’s not entirely true. I’m going to cuff you to me for the rest of this trip when we get back to camp, but other than that everything is going to be fine.”

“You haven’t seen what I want to show you yet,” Ivy said.

Jack moved to Andrew’s side and glanced down at the spot the grizzled man pointed toward, frowning when he realized what he was looking at. It was a human skull. It was almost completely covered with grass and errant flowers, but the telltale empty eye-sockets knocked Jack for a loop as they stared back at him.

“I was going to drive to town and call the police this afternoon,” Andrew explained. “That’s when I ran into your friend and I figured you two could help with this situation.”

“Oh, Ivy,” Jack muttered. “This is so bad.”

“Are you going to break up with me now?”

“No,” Jack answered. “I am worried the state police are going to lock you up and I’m only going to see you through a prison window for the next twenty years, though.”

“What should we do?”

“I suggest praying,” Andrew said.

“I suggest … crap,” Jack muttered. “This is absolutely going to bite.”

B
y the time
Ivy and Jack made it back to the campground, they both felt as if they’d been through the wringer. Twice. This time State Trooper Tad Harvey was nothing less than beastly when he questioned Ivy about how she managed to discover a body in the middle of nowhere. No matter how angry he was with her, that got Jack’s hackles up and the two men almost came to blows in the middle of a crime scene.

Five curious faces landed on the couple as they trudged into the campsite shortly after dark. Jack was relieved to see Melissa wasn’t present, which hopefully meant she’d passed out while he was gone. That was the last thing he wanted to deal with.

“What happened to you two?” Donnie asked, his eyes wide. “Did you guys go native in the woods?”

“We’ve been dealing with the state police,” Jack replied, rolling his neck until it cracked and directing Ivy toward the open chairs on the far side of the campfire.

“Do you want me to cook you dinner?” Ivy asked. She sounded as weary as Jack felt.

“I’m okay, honey,” he said, snagging her around the waist and dumping her on his lap when she moved to sit in a separate chair. He wanted her close.

“Why were you dealing with the state police?” Scott asked. “Where did you even go?”

“Yeah, when we got back to the campsite with the ice, we found Melissa zonked out by the fire and everyone else gone,” Alex said. “Maria and Lauren walked down to the boat launch to look around, but we had no idea where you and Ivy took off to.”

“Ivy decided she wanted to find the werewolf from last night, so she followed a set of footprints close to that other campsite until she found a shack in the middle of the woods,” Jack replied.

“That doesn’t sound like a good idea to me,” Maria chimed in.

“Yes, well, we’re over that now,” Jack said. “She found the werewolf, by the way. It’s a really crabby guy named Andrew Devlin. He looks like Santa Claus on steroids. He asked Ivy to go for a walk in the woods because he wanted to show her something, and she decided to go.”

Ivy pressed her lips together to make sure she didn’t say anything that might set Jack off again. He was exhausted, and the last thing she wanted to do was push him over the edge. That didn’t mean she liked the way he was talking about her, but she wasn’t willing to turn it into an argument.

“He wasn’t a pervert, was he?” Scott asked.

Jack narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like how Scott instantly jumped to that conclusion. “No. He was an old grump. He wasn’t a pervert, though.”

“What did he show you?” Lauren asked.

“A body.”

The group fell silent for a moment, stunned disbelief washing over the collective gathering. Then everyone started talking at once.

“Are you serious?”

“Who was it?”

“How did they die? Was it another animal attack?”

“Was it another teenage girl?”

“Is this guy Ivy found a suspect?”

Jack blew out a frustrated sigh. “Um … that’s a lot of questions all at once,” he said. “The body was older. It was actually just a skeleton. Some of the bones weren’t there, and the state police guys believe scavengers carried them off. We might never know a cause of death.

“We don’t know if it was a man or a woman right now, and we probably won’t find out until tomorrow,” he continued. “Ivy and I have to go to the state police outpost and answer more questions first thing in the morning. They cut us loose tonight because they need more information before they move forward.”

“They can’t honestly consider the two of you suspects,” Alex scoffed. “You said yourself the body has been there for a long time. They’ll probably never figure out who it is, let alone what happened.”

“I don’t think they legitimately consider us suspects,” Jack said. “I do think Ivy discovering two bodies in one week makes things … difficult.”

“I’m sorry,” Ivy murmured.

“I know,” Jack said, brushing her hair away from her face and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. “It’s okay.”

“What about this guy you found in the woods?” Lauren asked. “Do you think he could be a suspect?”

“I think he’s happy being left to his own devices and he has no motive for killing anyone,” Jack replied.

“You don’t know that,” Alex pressed. “He could be a deviant. You spent two hours with the guy.”

“If he was a deviant and responsible for a murder, he wouldn’t have volunteered to take Ivy to the scene and not touch her,” Jack said. “He’s harmless. He seems like a good guy, although his social skills leave a little bit to be desired. He’s not a killer.”

“If you say so,” Alex muttered.

“What do you think the police want to talk to you guys about tomorrow?” Donnie asked.

“I think they want to see if our stories change,” Jack answered. “I also think they’ll be placing calls to my partner and anyone else in Shadow Lake who might have dirt on us before we even get there.”

“What happens if they try to arrest you?” Maria asked.

“They can’t arrest us,” Jack replied. “We haven’t done anything, and they have absolutely nothing on us but suspicion.”

“I hope you’re right,” Donnie said. “That would be a bummer ending for our camping trip.”

“It will be fine,” Jack said, resting his chin on Ivy’s shoulder for a moment.

“I’m really tired,” Ivy said.

“I am, too,” Jack said. “Let’s go to bed. After what you’ve put me through today, I deserve a long massage.”

“I think you’ve definitely earned it.”

A
FTER
saying goodnight to everyone
, Jack and Ivy retired to their tent and wordlessly stripped out of their clothes. Ivy climbed into a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top, while Jack settled for his boxer shorts.

“Are you okay, Ivy?”

Ivy lifted her eyes and forced a weak smile. “I’m fine. Are you okay?”

“Come here a second,” Jack said, patting the spot between his legs as he settled on the sleeping bags. Ivy crawled to him, snuggling close as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. “I know you’re upset. I don’t want to start another argument, but we need to talk for a second.”

“I thought you wanted a massage.”

“I thought I did, too,” Jack admitted. “It turns out what I really want is to crawl into this sleeping bag and go to sleep. I am mentally and physically exhausted, and I think you’re probably worse off than I am. That doesn’t mean we’re going to bed without talking this through.”

“Are you going to yell?”

“No.”

“Do you want to yell?”

Jack chuckled. He couldn’t help himself. “I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy fighting with you,” he said. “I prefer fighting over little things, though. This is a big thing.”

“I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time,” Ivy said, licking her lips. “Calling someone to ask permission to do something doesn’t come naturally to me.”

“I don’t want you to ask permission,” Jack clarified. “I want you to be who you are without killing me with worry in the process. Trouble seems to find you, honey. I don’t know why, but it does.

“I don’t want to boss you around, no matter what you might think to the contrary. I also don’t see myself as some sort of king who gets to rule you,” he continued. “I do see myself as a man who would be extremely upset if something happened to you.”

“I know.”

“Ivy, what would you have done if you found something dangerous in the woods today?”

“I don’t know,” Ivy replied. “I’m sure I would’ve figured it out.”

“How?”

Ivy shrugged. “I can’t answer that without a specific scenario.”

“Okay, what if you found out that Andrew was a murderer and he tried to grab you?”

“I would’ve kicked him in the nuts and ran into the woods so I could hide.”

“The woods that he knows better than you?” Jack prodded.

“I know you have a point, and I can’t rebut anything you’re suggesting,” Ivy said. “I don’t have an excuse for what I did. It wasn’t smart. I really am sorry.”

“I don’t want you to keep repeating that, and I really need you to stop worrying about infuriating me to the point where I’m going to leave you,” Jack said. “We’re in this together right now. I don’t just mean this camping trip either.

“I knew the second I saw you that you were going to change my life,” he continued. “I’m not sure how I knew it. I’m not sure if you felt what I was feeling. There was just something inside of me that couldn’t let go of the idea of you.”

“I felt something, too.”

“I’m glad,” Jack said. “I would hate to go out on this emotional limb on my own. I don’t want you to stop being you. Just … think before you do things.”

“Should I ask myself ‘what would Jack do’?” Ivy teased.

“That’s exactly what I want you to start doing,” Jack replied, tickling Ivy’s ribs and flipping her so she was on her back on top of the sleeping bags. He lowered himself on top of her and kissed the tip of her nose. “Now, you’re going to owe me the world’s longest massage when we get home. I want you to do it right, though. I want those lotions you have all over your house to be used because I love the smell of them.”

“I promise to massage you until you cry.”

“No more crying, Ivy,” Jack said. “I don’t like it when you cry. As for that Melissa thing today, I don’t know if you should say anything to her tomorrow. She was so drunk I have doubts she’s going to remember what she did.”

“Yes, but now that I ask myself ‘what would Jack do’ before I make any decisions, I have to say that I think you would say something if the situation was reversed,” Ivy countered. “If someone hit on me – drunk or not – you would not take it lying down.”

Jack ran his tongue over his teeth, conflicted. “You have a point.”

“I always have a point.”

“Not always, little missy,” Jack said, mock growling as he kissed her neck. “If you want to say something to Melissa, I think you’ve earned it. From where I’m standing, though, you should know she’s a very unhappy woman.”

“I noticed that before you did.”

“Let’s not get into a ‘who is smarter than who’ contest, okay?”

“Fine,” Ivy said, blowing out a frustrated sigh. “I understand what you’re saying about Melissa. She seems to be genuinely miserable. Her husband is a jackass, too. I still don’t like her hitting on you. You’re mine.”

“Oh, now who is being possessive?”

“I won’t say anything as long as she doesn’t do it again,” Ivy said, giving in. “I hope you know that these people are really starting to bug me, though. I know they’re your friends, but I just can’t picture you spending a lot of time with them.”

“College was a long time ago, honey,” Jack said. “People change a lot in their twenties. I would like to remain friendly with the guys, but it’s not like I see them being a big part of my future. It’s more like they’re going to be an occasional part of my past that visits once a year.”

“Do you see me being a big part of your future?”

“Are you fishing for compliments?” Jack challenged.

“I’m asking an honest question.”

“Ivy, when I look at you, all I see is our future,” Jack said. “I know we haven’t been dating long, and I know I fought getting together, but I can’t imagine being without you. The thought makes me feel ill.”

“That was a really good answer, Jack.”

“I’m full of good answers.”

“Why don’t you pick the spot for us to dream tonight, and as soon as we’re together, I’ll show you what I think of that answer.”

“Sold,” Jack said, offering Ivy a scorching kiss before separating so they could crawl inside the sleeping bags. “Do you want a daytime or nighttime setting?”

Ivy killed the lantern and then rolled to her side, resting her head against Jack’s chest as he tugged her close. “Surprise me.”