Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3 (18 page)

“Max! What are you doing here? You scared the life out of me.”

Ivy held her hand to her heart as she tried to catch her breath. When she first saw the figure moving by the trashcans, her mind went to a scary place. Now she was just angry. Her brother picked the oddest times to show up and irritate her.

“I came to make sure you were okay,” Max said, making a face. “I saw something by your trashcans when I came up. I got distracted. You really need new cans. That raccoon is never going to leave if it knows you put out a buffet for it every night.”

“You scared me!”

“I’m sorry,” Max said, moving forward and giving Ivy a brief hug. “I actually came here because I wanted to make sure you were safe. I heard about the threatening flowers, by the way. I can’t tell you how great it is to hear about it from someone else. It made my day.”

“How did you hear about it?”

“I played basketball with Sean Nixon up at the high school this afternoon. He told me.”

“Brian has a big mouth,” Ivy grumbled.

“I also heard that Jack Harker spent the night here to protect you,” Max said, lifting his eyebrows. “Is that part of the story true, too? Are you two … ?” Max made a suggestive motion with his hand.

“No,” Ivy said, glaring at him. “He slept on the couch. Stop being … you.”

“Did you want him to sleep somewhere else?”

“Max!”

“You like him,” Max said, refusing to back down. “Don’t deny it. I see it when you look at him. There’s no shame in it. You’re an adult, after all. You’re allowed to like a guy.”

Ivy pinched the bridge of her nose, too tired to keep up the fight. “I do like him.”

“I know. He likes you, too. He can’t take his eyes off of you when you’re in a room together.”

“He doesn’t want anything,” Ivy said, her voice small. “He’s dealing with other stuff. He doesn’t have anything to give. He’s already told me that.”

“That was a little forward of him,” Max grumbled.

“He was honest,” Ivy said. “I admire him for it. I don’t want anything either.”

“You want him,” Max countered. “You just admitted it. Don’t take it back now. We’re finally getting somewhere.”

“Even if I do want him, and I’m not saying I do, but if I did want to try and see if we could have something, he’s not ready,” Ivy said. “Trust me. He’s dealing with other stuff. I’m not a consideration for him.”

“You seem upset about that.”

“I … there’s something about him,” Ivy said. “I can’t explain it. It’s like he
calls
to me.”

“I think it might have something to do with the fact that he’s tall, built, and looks like a Greek god.”

Ivy smirked. “He’s handsome,” she said. “It’s not just that, though. There’s something else there.”

“Have you considered telling him this?”

“No.”

“Why? Ivy, I love you. You owe yourself a chance for some happiness. If this is the guy who can give it to you, don’t you at least want to give it a try?”

“No,” Ivy said, her eyes serious. “I would never try to force a situation that he didn’t want, and he doesn’t want this. I’m not an idiot. I know he’s attracted to me. He’s pretty much admitted it.

“He’s also admitted that he can’t deal with a relationship right now,” she continued. “I’m not sure what drove him out of Detroit, but I know it was terrible. Until he deals with that, there’s no room for anything else on his plate.

“It’s sad. It’s a little depressing. It’s honest, though,” Ivy said. “I have nothing but respect for him. He’s not trying to play games. He’s not trying to hurt me. In the grand scheme of things, he’s really trying to protect us both.”

“That’s very pragmatic,” Max said, rolling his eyes. “You have one little problem, though.”

Ivy waited.

“When your heart gets involved, the best-laid plans fall by the wayside,” Max said. “You can’t stay away from him, and he can’t stay away from you.”

“That’s only because of this case,” Ivy said. “It’s almost over. Chad is in custody.”

“I’m relieved for that,” Max said. “I’m still willing to wager that Jack finds a way to cross paths with you even when this case is over with.”

“Do you want to bet?”

“I think that’s what a wager is,” Max said.

Ivy extended her hand. “Fine. Fifty bucks says that once this case is over with Jack Harker is going to find every excuse in the book to stay away from me.”

Max shook her hand. “Done. When I’m right, I want my fifty bucks in the form of that lilac lotion you make every June.”

Ivy’s eyebrows flew up. “What? Why?”

“The women love it, and they love me when I have it.”

“You really are a pig.”

“I try,” Max said. “Now, why don’t you go inside and fix me something to eat? I’ll make sure these cans are secured and then I’ll be inside.”

“You’re staying?”

“You’re my sister,” Max said. “You’ve been threatened. It’s my job to stay.”

“I told you Chad was in custody.”

“Well, until he’s charged or admits he’s guilty, I’m your new shadow.”

“You can’t be my shadow,” Ivy said.

“Why not?”

“If you’re supposed to be my shadow, I’m going to have to go on a diet,” she said, smirking. “You make me look hippy.”

Max pointed at the door. “You’d better make me an awesome dinner – and I am not hippy!”

“SHE’S
not picking up her phone,” Jack said, frustrated. “Why wouldn’t she pick up her phone?”

Brian extended his hands, palms up. “Maybe she can’t hear it.”

“That cottage is minuscule,” Jack said, pacing. “There’s nowhere inside that she couldn’t hear her phone.”

“Maybe she’s outside.”

Jack balked. “Why would she be outside? I told her to stay inside.”

“Yes, but she’s a woman,” Brian said. “They do what they want when they want. It’s part of their genetic makeup. They can’t help themselves.”

“Did you get Max?”

“I left a message on his cell phone,” Brian said, his face reflecting the helplessness he was feeling. “Maybe they’re together.”

“Maybe they’re not,” Jack snapped, turning on his heel and stalking toward the door.

“Where are you going?”

“To find her,” Jack said. “She’s in trouble. I can just … feel it.”

IVY
rummaged around the refrigerator for a few minutes, ultimately settling on fresh vegetables and rice. She wasn’t going to go out of her way and cook a feast for Max. That would just be rewarding him for bad behavior.

Her mind was busy with cooking for the next few minutes, but after a few minutes she realized Max was still outside. He was probably trying to entice the raccoon closer so he could catch it. That would be just like him.

She moved to the door and opened it, stepping out onto the front porch and searching the area by the trashcans for her brother.

“Max? Are you coming in or not? I’m not just cooking for me. You demanded dinner. You’re going to eat it.”

He didn’t answer, but Ivy heard shuffling on the far side of the house.

“You’re such a pain,” she grumbled, padding down the steps in her bare feet and peering around the edge of the house. “Max, what are you doing?”

The figure standing there wasn’t Max, and it took Ivy a moment to realize what she was seeing. Her big, strong brother was lying prone on the ground. He wasn’t moving, and from her vantage point, Ivy couldn’t ascertain if he was breathing.

The figure standing over him was holding a large hunting knife, the serrated edges gleaming under the moonlight. There was no blood on it, which was a mild relief, but Ivy realized she was in a load of trouble when she recognized the figure.

“Heath.”

“Hello, Ivy,” Heath said, smiling evilly. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to our little … tête-à-tête.”

“Nice phrase,” Ivy said, fighting to keep her face neutral and her breathing regular as she tried to figure a way out of the situation. “Did you kill my brother?”

“Not yet,” Heath said. “I was disappointed when he showed up. I thought he was going to ruin our evening. Then he saw some raccoon and started following it. It gave me the opportunity to come up behind him without him noticing. He’s just knocked out.”

“That’s good,” Ivy said. “It wouldn’t be a very nice start to our … date … if you killed my brother.”

“Oh, I’m going to kill him,” Heath said. “I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I was hoping you would stay inside for a little bit longer. I was just getting around to my art project.”

Ivy shuddered, knowing full well what he meant by that. “Leave Max alone,” Ivy said. “You’re here for me. He has nothing to do with this.”

“He’s still an obstacle,” Heath said. “He’s standing between you and me … and our happily ever after.”

“He’s not an obstacle,” Ivy said. “You said you came up behind him. He didn’t see you. He doesn’t even know who you are. Please … leave Max alone. You’re here for me.”

“I am here for you,” Heath said, tilting his head to the side as he regarded Ivy. “Did you like my flowers?”

“They were nice.”

“They have certain … properties.”

“I know,” Ivy said. “I run a nursery. I know how to recognize flowers.”

“I guess I didn’t take that into consideration,” Heath said. “You didn’t even pick them up.”

“That’s because I knew they were dangerous.”

“Did you like the card?”

“It was very … expressive,” Ivy said. “Have you been here watching me all this time?”

“Chad left me when you called his manhood into question at the nursery,” Heath said. “That was funny, by the way. He deserves to be taken down a peg or two. He’s got some ego issues.”

Ivy didn’t think Chad was the only one with ego issues. “I don’t understand any of this. Why did you kill Mona?”

“I knew Mona from school,” Heath explained. “She suckered me into giving her passing grades on papers when she didn’t turn them in. She pretended to like me. She said we were going to go on a date.

“Then, when we got caught, she turned on me,” he continued. “She told the board that I pressured her and was demanding sex. She got off with probation and I got expelled.”

“That must have been hard for you.” Ivy had no idea what to do but keeping Heath talking – instead of carving – seemed like a viable option.

“It wasn’t fair,” Heath said. “I was one year away from graduating. Now I never can.”

“You could go to another school.”

“I don’t want to go to another school,” Heath said. “It’s not my fault Mona was a slut.”

“Why did Mona go to the compound? Do you know?”

“At first I thought she was a believer,” Heath said. “I watched her for a few weeks after I was expelled. Every weekend she drove up to that compound. I watched her there – from the exact spot you were hiding the other day – and then I realized she wasn’t a believer at all.”

“What do you mean?”

“She was trying to bolster her position at the college,” Heath said. “She thought, if she could bring Chad’s compound down, she would be able to impress Professor Fowler. She thought she might even win some awards.

“After watching the compound, I realized I had a place there,” he continued. “I approached Chad, but he wanted all the women for himself. I didn’t care about the women. The only woman I cared about was Mona.”

“Because she had to pay?”

“Of course she had to pay,” Heath said. “She ruined my life – and she didn’t follow through with her promise. She didn’t go out with me. So I told Chad I was gay and he let me in. He thought it was a great idea as long as I didn’t move in on his women. That was pretty easy.

“You should’ve seen Mona’s face when she came up for the next weekend and saw me there,” he said. “She was freaking out. She had no idea what to do.”

“Why didn’t she tell Chad what you were doing?”

“The same reason I didn’t tell Chad what she was doing,” Heath said. “We were both working him.”

“Why did you kill Mona?”

“Because she had it coming.”

“But … you worked together for weeks,” Ivy said. “What happened to make you … do what you did?”

“Chad found out what Mona was up to,” Heath replied. “I tried to tell him that she was dangerous, but he wouldn’t listen. Instead of dealing with her the way he should’ve, he banished her.

“He didn’t think a college class project would be enough to bring him down,” he continued. “Of course, he didn’t think anyone but his chosen few knew about the pot field he was growing on the adjacent piece of land.”

“I knew he was hiding something up there,” Ivy grumbled.

“He’s nowhere near as smart as he thinks he is,” Heath agreed. “So I let him banish her. Then, when she was getting ready to leave, I took things into my own hands. She didn’t even see it coming.

“When I approached her, she thought I was there to gloat,” he said. “That changed pretty quickly when she saw the knife.”