Wicked Places (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 4) (14 page)

“
I
hear
you two have been busy.”

Brian Nixon stared at Jack and Ivy through the computer screen, his face hard to read thanks to his distance from the tiny camera, but his grin was unmistakable. They were linked via Skype to make the discussion easier, but now Jack wished he’d placed a regular phone call so he wouldn’t have to put up with his partner’s smug smile.

“We’ve had better weeks,” Jack conceded, weariness overtaking him. “What have you got for us?”

Jack and Ivy sat in an isolated office at the state trooper command center in Gaylord, Trooper Harvey coming close to blowing a gasket when they called him with the location of Melissa’s body. When he arrived on scene he was beside himself, cursing a blue streak as he called Jack and Ivy every name in the book.

He was off dealing with his boss right now, and Jack expected another tongue lashing before the day was out. He couldn’t worry about that now, though.

“I’ll bet you wish you wouldn’t have taken my advice to ask Ivy camping since all of this has happened,” Brian said.

Jack scowled while Ivy lifted her eyebrows.

“Your advice? I thought you wanted me to go camping with you?” Ivy’s expression was bouncing between angry and sad.

“I
did
want you to go camping with me,” Jack said. “I was just afraid to ask you. Brian convinced me I was being an idiot.” Jack turned his furious countenance on an amused Brian. “Don’t put ideas in her head. I have enough going on without you making things worse.”

“He’s telling the truth, Ivy,” Brian said. “He was a nervous wreck about asking you. It was kind of cute. He was considering canceling the entire trip because he couldn’t bear the thought of being away from you.”

“Sadly, I think we would’ve had more fun at home,” Ivy said. “I did take him to Call of the Wild, though.”

“No kidding?” Brian’s eyes lit up. “You loved that place as a kid. I remember taking all of you one weekend when it was raining and we had nothing better to do and you spent hours wandering through that gift shop. I think you could’ve lived there.”

“Jack thought it was fun.”

“I did think it was fun,” Jack agreed, brushing Ivy’s hair away from her face. “We’re going back when things aren’t so … messed up. Speaking of that, please tell me you have information.”

“I have a lot of information,” Brian said. “I’m not sure what’s important, though. There’s a lot of stuff here.”

“Start with Scott,” Jack prodded. “His wife is dead so he’s the primary suspect.”

“Okay, Scott Graham lives in a suburb of Detroit called Pleasant Ridge,” Brian said. “It looks fairly affluent, but his monetary situation suggests he may be living over his means.”

“We heard gossip about that yesterday,” Jack said. “Apparently Scott was up for a promotion at his firm and Melissa had her heart set on some huge house in a gated community, but it all fell through because Scott didn’t get the promotion.”

“I think your friend Melissa had a shopping problem,” Brian said. “I see a lot of activity on their credit cards. My understanding is that she worked as a paralegal for a law firm. She made okay money, but not enough to support her shoe habit. Scott is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. His entire house of cards could topple at any time.”

“Was there a life insurance policy on Melissa?” Ivy asked.

“Good question, honey,” Jack said, tugging her down on his lap so they could get comfortable for the rest of the conversation.

“You two are just as sickly sweet from afar,” Brian complained, making a face. “There is a life insurance policy. It’s worth a half a million bucks.”

“Is that enough to dig Scott out of his financial problems?”

“Just barely,” Brian answered. “He would be able to pay off his debt, but he wouldn’t have much left to play around with.”

“That could be motive,” Jack suggested. “Scott has always cared about appearances. If Melissa divorced him and got half of everything, they would both lose the status they coveted.”

“Melissa seemed more interested in that status than Scott,” Ivy pointed out. “I’m surprised they didn’t come up with some agreement to stay in the marriage for appearances and live separate lives at the same time.”

“Maybe this boyfriend Scott is convinced she was floating the idea of marrying him,” Jack said. “He might’ve had more money so Melissa wasn’t afraid to walk away from Scott.”

“Well, I’ve been through Melissa’s phone records and I can’t find a boyfriend in there,” Brian said. “She talks to some friends in a book club quite often, but they’re all female and I think the book club is code for drinking and complaining about people. That’s all they seem to do in their text messages. She’s also on the phone with Maria fairly regularly, but I’m sure that’s more complaining.”

“What about Scott?” Ivy asked. “He admitted to having an affair.”

“Yeah, he didn’t bother hiding what he was doing,” Brian said. “The secretary’s name is Misty Frank and she’s twenty-one and a bit of a scatterbrain. She posts selfies all over her Facebook page and Scott is in half of them. She calls him her ‘sugar daddy’ in almost every post.”

“What an idiot,” Jack muttered. “How about similar victims?”

“You and I both know that the Detroit area is far too big – and crime laden – to be able to pin down a particular pattern in such a short amount of time,” Brian said. “If Scott is murdering there, I haven’t been able to uncover it.”

“Okay,” Jack said, resting his chin on Ivy’s shoulder. “What about Donnie?”

“Donnie lives north of Detroit, but still close enough to meet Scott for drinks every two weeks or so,” Brian replied. “He works as an accountant for a middling firm. He makes middle five figures and doesn’t appear to live above his means.”

“Anything else?”

“He seems … quiet,” Brian said. “That could be a good thing or a bad thing. He did make one big purchase about a month ago. It’s a diamond ring.”

“I guess that means he’s going to propose to Lauren after all,” Ivy mused.

“I guess,” Jack said. “You didn’t find any relationships he was trying to hide, did you?”

“No,” Brian answered. “He doesn’t seem to be cheating on his girlfriend. He does have an unfortunate fantasy football habit, but I know a lot of guys who have the same problem and he’s only losing a hundred bucks a week at most. He’s not going broke, although he doesn’t have a lot of savings.”

“He lives in Rochester,” Jack said. “Have you been able to track down similar murders there?”

“Again, that area is so populated I haven’t had enough to time to really delve into it,” Brian said. “I have feelers out, but so far I haven’t found any murdered teenage girls.”

“That leaves Alex,” Jack said.

“Alex lives in Bay City and works as corporate finance manager,” Brian said. “You probably already know that. His information is … all over the place.”

“Meaning?”

“For starters, he’s in therapy with his wife once a week,” Brian supplied. “I have no idea what they’re talking about, but it’s been going on for five months. Did you know their marriage was in trouble, too?”

“Not specifically, but it doesn’t surprise me,” Jack said. “What does surprise me is that Alex would go to therapy. He’s never struck me as a big talker.”

“Maybe Maria made an ultimatum,” Ivy said. “If they are going to therapy, though, it doesn’t seem to be working. They barely talk to one another.”

“They don’t openly fight either,” Jack pointed out.

“I think that fighting is a better sign of a healthy relationship than not fighting,” Ivy countered. “At least when you fight you know that there’s enough passion to be angry at someone. Alex and Maria appear indifferent to one another. Not fighting is worse than fighting in some cases.”

“Is that why we fight so much?” Jack asked. “Is it all the passion?”

“Why else do you think you jump me whenever we argue?”

“All right,” Brian intoned, making a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “That will be just about enough of that.”

“Sorry,” Jack said, smirking. “What else did you get on Alex?”

“Not much,” Brian said. “He seems to keep to himself. There are no arrest reports or nuisance complaints from neighbors. Bay City is also small enough we would hear about dead teenagers, and they don’t have any that match our criteria. In fact, the only teenage girl to die from something other than natural causes in that area over the past three years was in a car accident.”

“What about the college?” Ivy asked.

“Bay City Community College?” Brian asked, furrowing his brow. “I didn’t think to check with them, but the campus isn’t big enough that they would be able to get away with their own internal investigation and not involve outside law enforcement.”

“Not
that
college,” Ivy clarified. “What about Central Michigan University? It’s only about forty minutes away. That’s not a huge distance when you’re trying to cover your tracks, and that campus would be teeming with thousands of girls who are young enough to pique our killer’s interest.”

“Sometimes I think you missed your calling, Ivy,” Brian said, chuckling. “I didn’t think of that, but you’re right on the money. I’ll place a call to the Mount Pleasant Police Department and campus security. I don’t suppose you want to join the force with Jack and me and solve crimes on a regular basis, do you?”

“I don’t think my relationship with Jack could survive that much togetherness,” Ivy teased, earning a squeeze from Jack.

“I think it’s a great idea,” Jack said. “I could be your boss, honey. Think of all the fun we could have.”

“In your dreams,” Ivy said. “I would be your boss.”

“Well, that would be fun, too.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be more help,” Brian said. “I’ll check on the Central Michigan University angle and get back to you. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know what we’re going to do, but I’ve decided that no matter what happens this is our last night staying at the campground,” Jack said. “The more the noose tightens, the more desperate our killer is going to get. I’m starting to feel … uneasy.”

“I thought you wanted everyone to stay,” Ivy said. “Why did you change your mind?”

“Because whoever killed Melissa went to a lot of trouble to make sure her body wouldn’t be discovered,” Jack replied. “Not only was it discovered, but you’re the one who did it again. Someone is going to start looking at you as a mighty big threat after tonight. I can’t have that.”

“But … .”

Jack cut her off with a curt shake of his head. “No. We either figure out who the guilty party is tonight or leave it for the state police. I won’t risk you.”

“I think that’s a solid plan of action,” Brian said, winking. “Be thankful that he cares enough about you to protect you at all costs, Ivy. That’s a good thing. You two be careful, and I’ll be in touch.”

“Thank you.”

B
Y THE
time
Trooper Harvey joined Ivy and Jack twenty minutes later, everyone was ready to put all of their cards on the table.

“Do you want to explain to me how you found this one?” Harvey asked.

“Ivy thought the kayaks would be a good way to dispose of a body because they were located so close to our campsite,” Jack explained. “We both agreed that dumping blood in the clearing was an attempt to distract law enforcement. We decided to go out on the lake and see if we could figure out where Melissa’s body was dumped.”

“How did you happen upon the old summer camp?”

“I recognized it from when I was a kid,” Ivy answered. “The east and west sides of the lake were too cluttered with houses. That would’ve been a huge risk. That left the summer camp, and it’s been in the news because of that land development thing so I knew it was empty.”

“Well, you’re either incredibly intuitive or unbelievably lucky,” Harvey said. “Either way, the coroner is putting Melissa Graham’s death at between midnight and 2 a.m. on the evening she disappeared. We’ll have a better number tomorrow.”

“Are you going to make an arrest?” Jack asked.

“We don’t have enough evidence to make an arrest,” Harvey said. “We’re leaning toward the husband for obvious reasons, but we can’t rule out your other two friends and no one wants to jump the gun and arrest the wrong man.”

“We’re going back to the campground tonight,” Jack said. “We’re leaving tomorrow, though. I don’t feel comfortable staying when I know that Ivy is going to be a target. I do have an idea about how we can make all of this come to a head tonight, though. If you’re interested, that is.”

Harvey leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers on his chest and narrowing his eyes as he regarded Jack. “I’m listening.”

“I know how to smoke our killer out.”

“
Y
ou know exactly
what we’re doing tonight, right?” Jack kept his voice low as he walked back to the campground with Ivy. “We can’t afford any mistakes.”

“We’ve been over the plan fifty times, Jack,” Ivy said, her blue eyes alert. “I promise I’ll follow your instructions. Don’t worry about me.”

“If I was capable of going through life not worrying about you we wouldn’t be together,” Jack shot back. “I’m going to lose a friend tonight any way you look at it. I might lose all of them. I find that I don’t really care about that. I definitely care about losing you, though.”

“You’re very sweet.”

“I’m being serious.”

“Jack, I promise I will do exactly what we discussed,” Ivy said. “Focus on what we have to do and not what you’re worried I may do. I won’t screw this up.”

“Honey, I’m not worried about you screwing it up,” Jack said, lifting their linked hands and pressing a soft kiss to Ivy’s knuckles. “I’m worried we missed something and you’ll end up in danger. I need you to be vigilant.”

“Of course I’m going to be vigilant,” Ivy said. “I can’t miss the massage you’re going to give me the minute we get home. That would be criminal.”

“You’re massaging me first.”

“Maybe we can figure out a way to massage each other,” Ivy suggested.

“We do that every night,” Jack snickered, causing Ivy to blush. “You’re massaging the heck out of me when this is over. You can’t back out. I want lotions and the whole bit.”

“If this plan works out, I’ll do the massage naked,” Ivy whispered.

“You are absolutely my favorite person in the world,” Jack said, dropping a hot kiss on Ivy’s lips as they approached their campsite. “Keep your eyes open, honey. This is about to get hairy.”

Maria was the first to notice Jack and Ivy’s arrival, and she didn’t look happy to see them. “It’s about time,” she snapped. “You’ve been gone all day. You insisted that we stay even though it’s dangerous, and then you took off and went on a romantic picnic. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“You’re not my mother and I don’t have to explain my actions,” Jack replied. “We haven’t been having a romantic picnic, though. In case you didn’t notice, we took off on kayaks when we left this morning and we’re walking back. Would you care to know why that is?”

Maria’s face shifted from accusatory to worried. “What happened?”

“Gather everyone together around the fire,” Jack instructed. “I have some bad news.”

It took Maria less than five minutes to collect everyone, and once the five-member group was settled in chairs Jack took the opportunity to study the familiar faces he’d known for so long. He was convinced one of them was a killer. Now it was time to find out which one.

Scott was the first to speak, and although he looked miserable and sick, his voice was strong. “What’s going on? Did you find information about Melissa?”

“Melissa is dead,” Jack said, going for a dramatic announcement rather than a soft sell. “Her body was discovered on the other side of the lake this afternoon.”

“What?” Lauren was horrified, her hand flying to her mouth. “How … why … when … but … .”

“She was killed the night she disappeared,” Jack supplied. “The coroner believes she was struck over the head and transported to a summer camp on the opposite side of the lake. She was then stabbed in a neck so the killer could collect her blood and her body was dumped in a shack on the property.”

“But … why?” Donnie asked, his face plaintive.

“I can’t give you all of the answers you’re looking for right now,” Jack said. “We don’t know why anyone would go after Melissa. I have a lot to talk to you guys about, so everyone needs to prepare themselves for a really long discussion.

“First off, the police are aware of your financial problems, Scott,” he continued. “They know about the life insurance policy and they know that you’re about to go bankrupt. There’s no sense lying about any of that when they get here to question you.”

“And when will that be?” Alex asked. “Shouldn’t he have a lawyer?”

“They should be here in about an hour,” Jack replied. “If he needs a lawyer, he should definitely get one. That’s not my business.”

“How was Melissa’s body discovered?” Lauren asked. “Did kids find it in the shack?”

“The summer camp is not in operation,” Jack replied. “It’s for sale and there’s a fight between a land developer and the neighbors, so the body could’ve conceivably gone undiscovered for a long time.”

“Who found it?” Maria asked.

“We did,” Jack said, resting his hand on Ivy’s knee. “Ivy went to the camp when she was a kid and was familiar with the unrest regarding it, so it made sense to check it out.”

“It made sense?” Alex arched a dubious eyebrow. “How did it make sense? You said Melissa’s blood was discovered close to where the first body was dumped. Why wouldn’t you focus your search there?”

“Because police dogs scoured that entire area yesterday, and if there was a body close to that location they would’ve found it,” Jack replied, locking gazes with Alex. “It was pretty obvious that the blood was dumped in the clearing as a forensic countermove. Once we knew that, the next step was to discover where Melissa’s body was really discarded.”

“I don’t want to be the only jackass of the group, but have we considered that perhaps Ivy is the culprit?” Donnie asked. “No offense, Ivy. You’re smoking hot and you seem nice. You also discovered three bodies. That can’t be a coincidence.”

“I agree with Donnie,” Maria said. “Ivy is the newest face. We didn’t have problems with our friends going missing – and being murdered – until she came along.”

Jack was expecting the attack. “Ivy has already been cleared,” he said. “She has an alibi for when the first victim went missing. She’s also not strong enough to carry a dead body to a kayak, paddle it across the lake, and then carry it into a shack. Besides that, she was with me when both Kylie and Melissa went missing. As far as alibis go, that’s a pretty good one.”

“Maybe she had help,” Scott suggested. “Maybe that werewolf guy she found in the woods is her partner and they’ve been doing it together. What did Melissa ever do to you?”

“I think you all know I’m not a killer,” Ivy replied, refusing to get upset. Jack warned her that they would turn on her. “Besides, I don’t have a motive.”

“Who here has a motive for all three of these murders?” Lauren challenged. “I’ll tell you who. No one.”

“I have no idea who has a motive for all three murders,” Jack said. “When we catch the killer, we’ll have a better idea about motives. Whoever killed the two teenagers is obviously a sexual sadist. As for Melissa, maybe she discovered who the killer was and he had to shut her up. We just don’t know.”

“I thought you said the state police didn’t give you any information on the second body you found?” Alex pressed. “Are they going public now? And if it was just bones, how can they be sure there was a sexual component?”

“I’m not privy to all their evidence, but they know exactly who the bones belong to,” Jack said. “Her name was Hannah Gibson. She went missing almost exactly a year ago – when the six of you were here camping.”

A hush fell over the group, everyone sucking in deep breaths as the reality of Jack’s words rippled through the uneasy undercurrent washing over the campsite.

“How can they be sure?” Maria asked. “Just because she went missing when we were here … .”

“Don’t even float that theory,” Jack chided. “We all know that you’re grasping at straws. Someone here is a murderer. I don’t suppose the guilty party would like to confess right now and save me invaluable time, would they?”

Five frightened gazes bounced around the circle. Jack couldn’t ascertain if anyone was faking fear.

“You all have been putting on a show since we arrived,” Jack said. “The police are scouring through all of your backgrounds even as we speak. Once they get the forensics back, then someone is going to prison for the rest of their life … and the rest of us will never be the same.”

“What do mean they’ve been going through our backgrounds?” Lauren asked. “How can they do that? That’s an invasion of privacy.”

“We have three dead bodies, Lauren,” Jack countered. “Your privacy concerns don’t mean squat to law enforcement. Do you want to know what they’ve already found out? I would love to tell you.”

“I’m not sure that’s necessary,” Maria hedged.

Jack ignored her. “Let’s start with Scott,” he said. “We know Scott here has been seeing an idiotic girl named Misty Frank. She’s barely out of her teens and refers to Scott as her ‘sugar daddy’ on Facebook. He didn’t bother hiding his indiscretion.

“We also know that Scott is about to go belly-up financially,” he continued. “Melissa had a shopping problem. By the way, Scott, if she was having an affair she was doing it with a disposable cell phone. The police have been all through her records, and with the exception of her book club and Maria, she didn’t make regular calls to anyone.”

Maria made a funny face that wasn’t lost on Ivy. Instead of interrupting Jack when he was on a roll, though, Ivy filed it away for future reflection.

“Then there’s Donnie,” Jack said. “He seems to live a pretty clean life except for the fantasy football losses. He did buy a big ring about a month ago. I’m guessing that’s for Lauren. I’m sorry if I ruined the proposal, but I’m sick of secrets.”

“You bought me a ring?” Lauren’s voice was soft. “Really?”

“I was going to propose in front of everyone on our last night here,” Donnie admitted. “That changed after the Melissa thing, but … you know I love you. I don’t want to lose you.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Lauren sighed.

“Yes, it’s truly wonderful,” Jack deadpanned. “Of course, he could be a murderer, so I would refrain from saying yes until we’re sure he’s in the clear.”

“He’s not a murderer and you know it,” Lauren said, recovering her senses enough to unleash a new bout of anger on Jack. “What is wrong with you?”

“I’m nowhere near being done,” Jack said, ignoring Lauren’s outrage. “The police also know that Maria and Alex have been in therapy for months. It doesn’t seem to be working. They barely acknowledge one another. Still, it’s suspect.

“The good news for all of you is that local police departments close to where you live haven’t been able to track down similar victims,” he continued. “You’re from heavily populated areas, though, and that’s going to take more digging. They’re also branching out to check Central Michigan University’s unsolved crimes because of Alex’s proximity to the campus.”

“I’m glad to see you have so much faith in us,” Alex said, his jaw clenched. “Did your partner betraying you and leaving you for dead make you lose faith in all humanity?”

“Or did you only lose faith in us?” Maria added.

“This has nothing to do with faith,” Jack said. “Facts don’t lie. Whoever grabbed Melissa was from this camp. It couldn’t have been a woman working alone, and it’s doubtful given the gossipy nature of this group a team could’ve gone undetected. That means the killer is a man.

“I know it’s not me,” he continued. “That leaves Donnie, Alex, and Scott.”

“So, that’s the way it is, huh?” Donnie asked, clasping his hands together on his lap. “You forged a new life and forgot your friends from your old one? Is that how you can see us as killers?”

“I don’t want to see any of you as killers,” Jack countered. “I can’t ignore the evidence, though.”

“You said that you were waiting on forensics,” Alex said. “What does that mean?”

“Oh, whoever killed Melissa left a mountain of DNA evidence on her,” Jack supplied. “They’re rushing it through the lab. The state trooper we’ve been dealing with hopes to have a match by the time he gets here.”

“But how?” Alex pressed. “You need to compare DNA against other DNA to get a match.”

“Ivy and I collected DNA from everyone yesterday,” Jack explained. It was a calculated lie, and it was the second part of his plan. “We got it from your hair brushes and shoulders when you weren’t looking and bagged it in our tent.”

“You’re trying to set us up!” Lauren said, her legs shaking as she climbed to her feet and wagged an accusatory finger in Jack’s face. “Ivy is doing this to clear herself and throw one of us under the bus.”

“I guess we’ll find out very soon,” Jack said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “It shouldn’t take long to finish the comparisons. As soon as it’s done, we’ll know who the guilty party is and they’ll be arrested.”

Scott jumped up from his chair, kicking it in Jack’s direction as he made his move. “I’m not going to jail!” He broke into a run, racing away from the campsite. Jack had his answer, although he couldn’t help but feel a little sorry about the outcome.

“Stay here, Ivy,” Jack warned, hopping to his feet. “You know what to do.”

Ivy watched as Jack tore off into the dwindling light. There was no way Scott could outrun him. It was almost over.

“
I
CAN’T
believe
that just happened,” Maria said, her mouth hanging open. “I just can’t believe it was Scott.”

“Why not?” Lauren argued. “It made sense for him to be guilty. Why else go after Melissa? We all should’ve seen it.”

Ivy internally rolled her eyes. She couldn’t wait to be away from these people.

“What do you think will happen when Jack catches up to him?” Donnie asked, his eyes wide. “He won’t kill him, will he?”

“Jack won’t kill him,” Ivy said. “Scott isn’t a physical threat. Unless he’s carrying a knife that no one saw – which I guess is possible because he had to have a weapon when he slaughtered Melissa – Jack will probably only tackle and cuff him.”

“Hey, um … I’m sorry we accused you.” Lauren said the words, but Ivy could tell she didn’t mean them. “You’re the newbie, though, so … .”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ivy said, pushing herself up from her chair. “This is going to be over soon. Come tomorrow, we’ll probably never see each other again.”

“Does that mean you’re going to keep Jack away from us?” Maria asked.

“I would never keep Jack away from anyone,” Ivy clarified. “If he wants to see you, he’s more than welcome to visit. If I never see you people again, though, it will be too soon.”