Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3 (13 page)

He sounded like a fortune cookie, which was enough to set Jack’s teeth on edge.

“Come on, Chad,” Ivy said, stepping in smoothly. “A young woman died. We have reason to believe she spent time up here. We’re just trying to find out how she ended up in Shadow Lake.”

“Ivy, it’s only because of my great fondness for you that I haven’t had you forcibly removed yet,” Chad said. “If you wish to visit our society by yourself one day, I would be more than willing to give you a tour. If memory serves, you’re open to alternative lifestyles.”

Ivy licked her lips, unsure how to proceed. “But … .”

“Your friend and his … attitude … are not welcome, though,” Chad said. “In fact, I’m going to have to ask you to leave right now. You’re upsetting our balance.”

Jack was about to upset something else when Ivy stilled him with a hand on his forearm. “We’re going,” she said.

Jack shot her an incredulous look. “We are?”

“Yes, honey, we are,” Ivy replied, her eyes sending him a forceful message. “You don’t have a warrant, and we really don’t want to infringe on their religious rights. That would be a big no-no, wouldn’t it?”

Jack growled. “I … .”

“We’re going, Chad,” Ivy said. “It was good to see you.”

“It was good to see you, too,” Chad said. “I forgot how beautiful in mind and body you were. My invitation stands, by the way. I’d love to spend some time with you when you
unshackle
yourself from this one.”

“I’ll consider it,” Ivy said, tugging on Jack’s arm. “We should really be going.”

“Unshackle yourself, Ivy,” Chad called to their retreating backs. “Open your mind. You won’t regret it.”

“I’m going to make him regret something,” Jack grumbled.

“What are you doing?” Jack hissed, reaching for Ivy’s ankle and trying to pull her back as she crawled up the hill.

“I want to see what they’re doing,” Ivy said. “Come on. You can’t tell me you’re not dying to watch them when they think no one is looking.”

“Ivy … .”

“Jack … .”

Jack rolled his eyes. “This is technically illegal,” he said. “We’re breaking the law. They’re freaks, but even freaks have a right to privacy.”

Ivy sighed and rolled to her side, keeping her body pressed low as she regarded Jack. “I’m going to let you in a little secret,” she said. “I’ve broken a law or two in my time.”

“I never would have guessed,” Jack deadpanned.

“I’m going to let you in on another little secret,” Ivy said. “You have, too.”

“I’m a police officer,” Jack reminded her. “I don’t break the law.”

“Ever?”

“Ever.”

“You’re lying,” Ivy said. “If you want to pretend you’re some virtuous stick in the mud, though, go ahead.”

“Following the rules does not make me a stick in the mud.”

“You were going to hit Chad when you thought he hugged me too long.”

“How can you possibly know that?”

“I read your mind,” Ivy said, turning back to her crawling. “I am a witch, after all.”

Jack was pretty sure she was messing with him, but part of him was torn. She had a way of knowing exactly what he was thinking – and it drove him crazy. It also intrigued him. “Fine,” he said. “If we get caught, though, I’m blaming you.”

“I grew up with Max,” Ivy said, unruffled. “I’m used to that.”

Jack grinned. “I’ll just bet you two were hell on legs as kids.”

“If you believe our parents, then yes. From their standpoint, we were awful.”

“What about from your standpoint?”

“Honey, I’m an angel.”

“Honey, something tells me you were a devil in angel’s clothing,” Jack said, crawling up next to her and angling his body so the low branches of a nearby tree hid him. “What do you see?”

“It looks like they’re planting something in the field,” Ivy said, pointing. “It seems a little early to me. I would wait two weeks to make sure it’s not going to frost again.”

“Brian seemed to think they were planting more than vegetables up here.”

“If they are, they’re not doing it in that field,” Ivy said. “Chad isn’t an idiot. He knows not to plant pot out in the open.”

“Chad seemed like an idiot to me,” Jack countered.

“You talked to him for five minutes.”

“Any guy who would cheat on you is an idiot … honey.”

Ivy rolled her eyes. “You should probably stop flirting with me if you don’t want our impulses to get away from us again.”

Jack stilled. He had been flirting with her. He just didn’t expect her to call him on it. “I … do you want to talk about that?”

“Not really,” Ivy said. “I prefer living in denial.”

“Why?”

“The same reason you do,” Ivy said. “I’m not looking for anything. I know you’re not looking for anything. I think we’re better off not looking for anything together. This constant flirting is going to get out of control if you’re not careful.”

“Meaning?”

“If you call me ‘honey’ one more time I’m going to rip your shirt off right here.” They were bold words, but Ivy couldn’t bring herself to meet Jack’s serious gaze and back them up with a pointed glare. She didn’t have the courage. She was afraid she would have to follow through on the threat if she lost herself in the molten chocolate depths of eyes.

“Noted,” Jack said. “For the record, though, if I was looking for something … I wouldn’t look past you.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Jack waited. “Aren’t you going to return the compliment?”

“Not right now, honey,” Ivy said, her tone teasing. “Look over there. What do you think that is?”

Jack reluctantly tore his gaze from Ivy and focused on the back of the building she was gesturing toward. “They look like barracks,” he said. “I think they sleep in there.”

“Those are big buildings to sleep in. There has to be something else in there.”

“I’m guessing Chad takes one of the buildings all to himself,” Jack said. “He doesn’t seem like a guy who likes to bunk down with others – unless he’s going to have sex with them.”

“And you’re basing that on the conversation I just witnessed?”

“He wanted to initiate you into his harem,” Jack said, his face serious. “If I hadn’t been here … I’m not sure what would’ve happened. I think he would’ve put the full-court press on you, though.”

Ivy waited.

“That’s a basketball metaphor.”

“I know what a full-court press is,” Ivy snapped.

“Oh, right, Max,” Jack said. “I’m guessing he played a lot of sports in high school.”

“I played basketball, too.”

Jack was surprised. “On a team?”

“No. I didn’t play well with others. I did play on the court at the high school with Max, though. I’m really quite good.”

“You’re
quite
good?”

“I’m amazing.”

The double meaning of her words wasn’t lost on Jack. The harder he fought her pull, the more he started to realize it might be a losing battle. He was almost ready to admit he wanted to lose. Almost. “We’ll have to play one day,” he said. “I’d like to see these mad basketball skills you’re boasting about.”

“Oh, we’re going to play,” Ivy said. “And when I win, you’re going to owe me something big.”

“Like?”

“Oh, I’m not going to tell you,” Ivy said.

“Why? Are you afraid I’ll lose on purpose?”

“What?” Ivy’s cheeks colored when she realized what he was insinuating. “No more flirting.”

“Then you need to follow your own rules,” Jack said. “You were the one who flirted first this time.”

“I was not flirting.”

“Then what were you talking about?”

“I was going to make you weed my flower garden,” Ivy sniffed.

Jack grinned. That was a lie. He didn’t need to be a witch to know that. “I see. Well … I will happily weed your garden when you beat me at basketball.”

“Good,” Ivy said. “I hate weeding. I love planting, but weeding is a pain.”

“What are you going to do for me when I win?”

“I guess I’m going to weed your garden,” Ivy said.

“I don’t have a garden,” Jack said. “I might want something more … proactive … from you.”

“See, that’s flirting,” Ivy said.

“I was talking about cleaning my house.”

Ivy groaned. “You were not.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I can read your mind.”

“Is that a witch thing?” Jack asked.

“That’s a woman thing.”

The duo was so caught up in their verbal foreplay they didn’t notice the robed figure detaching from the trees to their left. Heath was almost upon them before Jack’s spatial impulses kicked in and he rolled over to put himself between Ivy and the interloper.

“What are you doing out here?” Heath asked accusingly. “This is private property.”

“We were just … hunting for mushrooms,” Ivy said, blinding Heath with a smile.

Heath furrowed his brow, although his face softened as he regarded Ivy. “Mushrooms?”

“It’s morel season,” Ivy said. “Jack here is a city boy. He’s never been morel hunting.”

“What makes you think there are morels here?”

“I’ve been hunting for morels since I was a kid,” Ivy replied, refusing to back down. “I know where to look.” Her eyes lit on familiar sight and she reached over and plucked the mushroom so she could hold it up for Heath’s inspection. “See.”

“But … why are you guys on the ground?”

“Well … .” Ivy racked her brain. “Jack was trying to get fresh. I was just explaining to him that I’m not interested. He’s not taking it well. He fell to the ground, and I was trying to make him feel better so he wouldn’t keep crying.”

Jack scowled. “Really?”

“It’s okay,” Ivy said, patting his arm. She internally cringed when she felt the now familiar spark that always accompanied their shared touch. “You’re not the first man to lose his mind over me.”

“Obviously,” Jack replied dryly. “I just met another one.”

Now it was Ivy’s turn to scowl. “Don’t go there.”

“I’m not the one who started it,
honey
.”

“It sounds like he has a crush on you,” Heath said. “You should probably stop leading him on. It will just make things harder on him if you lead him on.”

“You’re right,” Ivy said. “I often forget the power I have to make men fall in love with me.”

Jack rolled over to his back and pushed himself into a sitting position. “You do have a certain … power.”

“She’s pretty,” Heath said.

“She is pretty,” Jack agreed. “She’s also a rampant pain in the … .”

“You need to get out of here,” Heath said, glancing over his shoulder. “If you’re going to look for mushrooms, you should do it farther down the road. Chad won’t like knowing you guys were up here.”

“Then you probably shouldn’t tell him,” Jack said.

“I … .” Heath looked conflicted.

“Don’t worry about it,” Ivy said, drawing Heath’s attention back to her. “We’re going to go down the road. I need to find enough mushrooms to make my famous Alfredo. We won’t keep looking here. I promise.”

“I … you need to go,” Heath repeated.

“We’re going,” Jack said, climbing to his feet. “Trust me. I’ve had just about all of this place as I can take.”

Ivy shot one more reassuring smile in Heath’s direction and then followed Jack down the hill. When it was just the two of them, Ivy directed the conversation to the pink elephant in the field.

“Chad has roving patrols checking to make sure no one is watching them.”

“I figured that out, too,” Jack said. “That definitely means he’s up to something.”

“What if one of those buildings isn’t for sleeping,” Ivy suggested.

“You think that’s where he’s growing  pot?”

“It would make sense. He doesn’t want anyone spying on him, and there are rumors of some nice bud being available for purchase out here. Of course, the field could be hidden in the woods and he could just be using the buildings to dry it.”

Jack arched an eyebrow. “How do you know that?”

“I’m a naturalist witch,” Ivy said. “People always assume I’m looking for herbal relief. You would be stunned at the drug offers I’ve gotten.”

“I never thought of that,” Jack said, rubbing the back of his neck. “We still don’t have enough for a search warrant. All we know right now is that Chad is creepy … and we’re fairly certain he’s up to something. We have no idea what. Growing pot is one thing. I don’t like it, but it doesn’t tick me off like murder does.”

“I still think he knew Mona,” Ivy said. “It’s been a long time, but I can tell when he’s lying.”

“Well, let’s go back to Shadow Lake,” Jack said. “I want to tell Brian what we’ve uncovered – even though it isn’t much – and then I need to get some dinner.”

“Speaking of dinner, we need to go and search those woods over there before we leave,” Ivy said, pointing toward the opposite side of the road from where Jack was parked.

“Why? Do you think Chad is hiding something there?”

“I need morels,” Ivy said, holding up the mushroom for emphasis. “I really do make a fantastic Alfredo pasta.”

“Those things look … gross.”

“If you keep saying that I’m not going to give you any pasta.”

“Maybe I don’t want your pasta.”

“Oh, you want my …
pasta
,” Ivy said, her eyes sparkling. “You don’t want to want it, but you want it.”

“I don’t like mushrooms,” Jack said, refusing to engage in the flirting. “I’m not big on pasta either.”

“You’re hunting for mushrooms, and that’s the end of it,” Ivy said, charging the rest of the way down the hill.

“You really are bossy,” Jack called to her back.

She ignored him. It was just as well. If they threw any more veiled sexual comments at one another in the guise of food he was going to be the one ripping his own shirt off before reaching for hers.

This was getting out of control – and fast.