Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3 (6 page)

Ivy didn’t believe him. “Tell Brian I’ll be in touch. As for yourself … have a nice life.”

“Right back at you.” Jack stalked off without a backward glance. He couldn’t believe he ever thought she was hot.

“How did it go?”

Jack glanced up from the hamburger he was eating at his desk and fixed Brian with a weary look. “She’s going to check her books.”

“You don’t sound very hopeful with the prospect of her figuring out what the symbols mean,” Brian said, studying Jack quietly.

“She’s got quite the attitude on her.”

Brian smirked. “She always has,” he said. “I think it has something to do with the fact that everyone always thought she was weird when she was growing up. A lot of the kids made fun of her.”

Jack knew he should feel sorry for Ivy, but after her angry words he was having trouble mustering the energy. “Did they make fun of her because she was different, or did they go after her because she was … bitchy?”

“She’s not bitchy,” Brian said, chuckling. “What did she do to you to get you in this state?”

“She accused me of spying on her.”

Brian shifted, his face brightening. “I’m taking it you brought up her time with Max last night.”

“I just asked her not to show the photographs to her boyfriend,” Jack said. “I told her I wasn’t going to arrest her for lying to law enforcement, even though I would totally be in my rights, and she just … flipped out. I have no idea why she’s hiding that boyfriend, but he’s obviously up to no good if she’s so desperate to keep him a secret.”

Brian pursed his lips, fighting the urge to laugh. Ivy clearly hadn’t gotten around to telling Jack that Max was her brother – not her boyfriend – and he wasn’t going to be the one to do it for her. He was kind of interested to see what would happen if Jack was left to his own devices. He was obviously attracted to Ivy. The question was: Would he acknowledge it? “I see. Did you leave the photos with her?”

“I did.”

“What did she say?”

“She said that she would call you if she figured anything out. Then she banned me from her property.”

Ah, there it is.
Jack was agitated because Ivy eradicated the easiest way for him to see her. Brian couldn’t help but wonder if Jack realized why he was reacting this way to Ivy and her fiery attitude. Something told him the boy was in denial – about more than one thing.

“Well, that will be fine,” Brian said. “I like taking to Ivy. I’ve always found her delightful.”

“That’s probably because you haven’t spent enough time with her,” Jack snapped.

Brian swallowed his lower lip, nodding as he tamped down his laughter. “I’m sure that’s it. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep? We’ll approach this from a new direction tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Brian said. “Get some sleep. Hopefully, we’ll have something new tomorrow. If we don’t, we’re just going to keep spinning our wheels here.”

AFTER TOSSING
and turning most of the night, Jack woke up with a new idea and improved resolve. He didn’t need Ivy Morgan to solve the mystery of the symbols. He just needed someone who understood what he was looking for and could think outside the box.

In other words: Ivy Morgan was not the only witch in the area.

After scouring the white pages online, Jack found exactly what he was looking for: The Magic Bag. It was a pagan store in neighboring Bellaire, and the Internet ad promised “supplies for all your magical needs.”

To Jack, that sounded like an invitation.

By the time he parked in front of the kitschy store a lot of Jack’s bravado had slipped. He knew that letting his anger with Ivy get the better of him wasn’t a good idea. He also knew that trying to get all of the answers – and as quickly as possible – was part of being a good cop.

He couldn’t solve Ivy’s attitude problem. He could try and solve this case, though. That was his highest priority.

A set of wind chimes next to the front door served as an alert system for the owner. Even though Jack made noise upon entry, the woman behind the counter didn’t bother looking in his direction.

“I’ll be right with you, detective.”

Jack froze, surprised. How could she possibly know who he was? He hadn’t called ahead. He hadn’t told anyone he was coming, including Brian. He’d sent the older detective a text message saying that he was checking on a lead and then promised to check in later. There was no way this woman could know who he was.

Jack took the opportunity to study her, swallowing the urge to snicker when he saw she was wearing a skirt that was very similar to the ones Ivy wore. It fell to a spot just above the woman’s feet, and Jack was relieved to see she was wearing sandals. Instead of bright pink hair – and a fiery attitude – this woman was older. Jack pegged her age to be in the mid-fifties, and her dark hair – shot through with streaks of gray – was pulled back in a loose bun at the nape of her neck.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, the woman turned her attention from the ledger she was balancing and finally focused on Jack. “I’m Felicity Goodings. How can I be of service?”

Now that she was finally acknowledging him, Jack was at a loss for how to approach her. He decided honesty was the best way to go. “How did you know I was a detective?”

Felicity smiled, the expression warming her round face. “I just … had a feeling. Was I wrong?”

Jack shook his head. “No. I can’t help but feel like you were purposely trying to knock me off my game, though.”

“That’s not a very nice thing to say,” Felicity said, her eyes twinkling.

“I’m sorry,” Jack said, instantly apologetic.

“I didn’t say you were wrong.”

Jack returned her smile. “Well, at least you’re honest.”

“I don’t know any other way to be,” Felicity said. “What can I do for you?”

“I need some help,” Jack said. “We had a murder in Shadow Lake the other night, and someone … a very bad person … carved some symbols into the victim’s skin. I can’t think of any other way to describe them besides occult, and I’m hoping you will be able to look at them and tell me if I’m on the right track.

“Just for the record, I’m not accusing you of being evil and I’m not insinuating all of this is evil,” he continued, gesturing toward the store shelves. “I just don’t know where else to look. I’ve been all over the Internet. I don’t know what else to do.”

Felicity smiled. “Well … that was a mouthful.”

Jack pursed his lips, nodding. “Yes, it was. I got an earful from a local woman yesterday who accused me of some … not nice things … and I wanted to clarify that I am not out to malign anyone.”

“That’s very nice of you,” Felicity said. “I’m not overly sensitive, though. Do you have photos of these symbols for me to look at.”

Jack nodded. “They’re … graphic.”

“I figured they would be,” Felicity said. “I can look at them. I understand the gravity of solving this case. This is a peaceful area, and the last thing we want is something like this to go on when it’s not necessary.”

Jack sighed, relieved. “Thank you for helping.”

“I’m not promising I
can
help,” Felicity cautioned. “I am promising I
want
to help, though. So, how about you show me those photos and we go from there?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I CAN’T
say that I know what these are,” Felicity said, turning a few of the photos sideways so she could focus on them from another direction.

“What can you say?” Jack asked, lifting a candle and studying it before returning it to the shelf. “Do you think they mean something?”

“They obviously mean something,” Felicity said. “You don’t carve symbols into someone’s body if it doesn’t mean something. The question is: Do they mean something to more than one person?”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Jack replied honestly.

“One man can convince himself there’s power in a symbol, even if he makes it up himself,” Felicity explained. “Multiple men can find power in a symbol if it means something to more than one person.”

“That kind of sounds like a riddle.”

“It’s not meant to,” Felicity said. “There is something very familiar about these symbols. I just can’t figure out where I’ve seen them before.”

“Believe it or not, you’re not the first person to tell me that,” Jack said.

“Who else have you shown these to?”

“There’s a local woman in Shadow Lake,” Jack said. “I’m new to the area, and my partner suggested I take the photos to her. The body happened to be found on her property, so I thought she would be willing to help.”

Felicity made a face. “She wasn’t?”

“She was,” Jack said. “She just … has an attitude where I’m concerned. I’m not sure what I did to her, but she doesn’t want to help me. She wants to help the dead woman, and I don’t want to act like she’s not willing to help when she is. I’d just rather get someone else to give me some insight if I can.

“It’s not easy to get a lead when the person with the answers won’t talk to you,” he said.

Felicity’s smile was small but heartfelt. “This woman … did she give you any indication why she was so angry with you?”

“I think she just hates men.”

Felicity wrinkled her nose, confused. “I see.”

“I don’t think you do,” Jack said. “She’s … belligerent.”

“Many men say that about many women.”

“No, this woman is really mean. I thought she was just nervous as first. That’s definitely not the case, though.”

“Maybe she thinks you’re … belligerent … too.”

“I don’t see how that’s possible,” Jack said. “I’ve been nothing but professional and friendly.”

“Well, I still think it’s probably a misunderstanding,” Felicity said. “Do you mind if I scan some of these photos into my computer? I have a program that will match them to any reference materials I have on my laptop. It might take some time, but it will cut down on the legwork.”

Jack nodded. “Go for it.”

“It will just take me a second,” Felicity said, gathering the photos to her chest and turning to the back of the store. “Make yourself at home. Look around. I won’t be long.”

“You’re helping me,” Jack said. “Take as long as you need.”

“There’s tea in the pot over there,” Felicity said, pointing. “Help yourself. I’ll be right back.”

Once Felicity disappeared into the back room, Jack busied himself by studying the shelves. He wasn’t sure what to expect in a magic store, but the items on the shelves seemed tame compared to his runaway imagination.

There were candles, crystals, incense and books. There was also a whole wall of wind chimes and dreamcatchers, the latter being an item Jack recognized from his childhood. He was often plagued by bad dreams. His mother bought a dreamcatcher at a local fair and put it over his bed, telling him it would catch the nightmares before they could lodge in his brain.

At such a young age, Jack believed her. After seeing the things he’d seen, though, he knew that wasn’t the case. He still liked the look of them. He was moving closer so he could study them when the door to the store opened. He turned, ready to tell the customer that Felicity would be back in a moment, but the greeting froze on his lips when he realized who was walking through the door.

The woman’s blue eyes registered surprise when they landed on him.

“Just what do you think you’re doing here?” Ivy asked.

Jack was taken aback. “What are you doing here?”

Ivy glowered at him. “I asked you first.”

“I was here first, so I have dibs on the question.”

“That’s not how it works,” Ivy said, placing her hands on her narrow hips as she regarded him. She was dressed differently today, a pair of slouchy cargo pants hanging just low enough that a small strip of skin was visible between the top of the pants and the bottom of her sparkly tank top. The cargo pants were rolled up, and Ivy’s toned calves jutted out above the Nike flip-flops she was sporting. The whole package was appealing – if you liked that sort of thing. And he didn’t like that sort of thing, Jack reminded himself.

Well, at least she’s wearing shoes this time,
Jack internally muttered. “I’m … looking for information on my case.”

“Here? You’re looking for information here?”

“I need to know what those symbols mean,” Jack said, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m sure you understand – given your
attitude
yesterday – I wasn’t sure if you would come through. I needed to find someone else who might be able to help.”

“My attitude?”

“That’s what I said.”

“You’re the spy.”

“I was not spying!”

“What’s going on out here?” Felicity wandered back to the front of her shop, her gaze bouncing between Ivy and Jack curiously. “You two sound like you should be in a boxing ring instead of a store.”

“I’m sorry,” Jack said, immediately apologetic. “That was incredibly rude.”

Felicity focused on Ivy.

“I’m not sorry at all,” Ivy said, nonplussed. “He’s a pain.”

“I see you two know each other,” Felicity said, handing Jack his stack of photographs and slipping between the warring duo so she could give Ivy a brief hug. “I’m guessing this is the woman you were telling me about earlier.”

Jack made a face as he watched the women embrace. “Something tells me you knew I was talking about her all along.” He was starting to feel as if he was caught in a trap.

“I had a feeling,” Felicity said, smiling at him. “I only know two witches in Shadow Lake, and something told me that you weren’t fighting with Luna.”

“And Luna is your mother, right?” Jack asked, glancing at Ivy.

“I’m sure you found that out while you were spying,” Ivy snapped.

“Ivy Morgan! That will be just about enough of that,” Felicity said, waving her finger in the younger woman’s face. “I don’t allow anyone to treat customers that way in my store.”

“He’s not a customer,” Ivy shot back, refusing to give in. “He’s here to get information even though I already told him I would get it for him.”

“After you banned me from your property.”

“Because you were spying.”

“How many times do I have to tell you I wasn’t spying?”

“Just until you believe it,” Ivy seethed.

Felicity held her hands up to silence them both. “Okay … I just … wow. There is so much energy zipping through this room I’m afraid you two are going to start a fire. Let’s start from the beginning, what’s going on?”

“Nothing is going on,” Jack answered, squaring his shoulders. “We just have a difference of opinion.”

“He was spying on me the day before yesterday,” Ivy said. “He sat in his truck and hid while watching me.”

“What were you doing?” Felicity asked.

“Nothing.”

“I was not spying on you,” Jack said, feeling increasingly irrational. “I was looking over the spot where the body was found. I just happened to see you with your boyfriend. Since you told me you didn’t have a boyfriend while I was questioning you, I just found it suspicious.”

Felicity arched an eyebrow. “Since when do you have a boyfriend?”

“He’s talking about Max,” Ivy said.

“I see.” Felicity glanced between the two glowering faces for a moment, deciding there was only one way to solve this little dilemma. “Everyone meet me in front of the store. We’re going to lunch.”

“I’m not here for lunch,” Ivy protested. “I’m here to talk to you about those symbols.”

“And Jack wants to talk about them, too,” Felicity said. “I loaded them into my computer and the search is running, but it’s going to take some time. While we’re waiting, we’re all going to lunch together.”

“I’m not really hungry,” Jack said. “I’m fine waiting here.”

“Me, too,” Ivy said, wrinkling her nose.

“Well, I’m hungry,” Felicity said. “I’m not leaving you two in here to yell at each other for an hour. You’re both coming with me. I don’t want to hear one argument.”

“But … .” Jack broke off, unsure. It appeared there was no way out of this situation.

“I don’t want to,” Ivy said, pouting.

“You’re going, Ivy,” Felicity said. “Don’t make me physically drag you out of this store.”

“Oh, Auntie.”

Auntie?
Jack realized the new informational tidbit made sense. Of course they were related. If he didn’t have bad luck he would have no luck at all.

“ISN’T
this nice?” Felicity asked, grinning widely as she glanced between Ivy and Jack. They’d settled on a local diner that boasted some of the finest vegetarian fare in town, and after ordering, Jack and Ivy were now taking turns shooting glares at one another across the table.

Felicity knew her niece well enough to know what was going on, even though she didn’t think she’d live long enough to actually see it. She didn’t know Jack at all, but she could see the same emotional turmoil rolling off him in waves.

There was enough sexual attraction manifesting between the two of them you could almost cut it with a knife. Since neither one of them wanted to deal with it they were letting the baser part of their personalities do it for them. In other words: They were  acting like children.

“It’s great,” Ivy said sarcastically.

“Listen, young lady, you’re being incredibly rude,” Felicity said. “I happen to know this is not the way you were raised. Don’t make me have a talk with your mother.”

Ivy stuck her tongue out. “She’s still not back in town.”

“She’ll be here very soon,” Felicity replied. “She’s my sister. We’re in contact all the time. I have a very long memory. Enough is enough with you.”

The look Jack shot Ivy was one of triumph.

“I wouldn’t get too high on your horse,” Felicity said, turning to him. “You’re not acting much better. I know she knows better. I can’t say the same for you.”

Jack sighed. “I apologize. I think your niece just brings out the worst in me.”

“I don’t think that’s the first time she’s heard that,” Felicity said. “Ivy, don’t you have something to say to Jack?”

“I accept your apology.”

Felicity kicked her under the table.

“Ow! Fine. I’m sorry, too.”

“Thank you,” Felicity said, turning her attention back to her iced tea.

“You still spied on me,” Ivy said.

“I’m not going over this again,” Jack warned. “I don’t spy on people. I just happened to see you with your boyfriend.”

Felicity was intrigued by the fact that Ivy refused to correct Jack’s erroneous assumptions about Max. Was she trying to make him jealous? If so, it was working. Of course, Jack wasn’t internally admitting he was jealous so he would never acknowledge it. His aura was red, but there was a dark gray at the center. That meant he was hurt, and if Felicity had to guess he’d been injured both physically and emotionally. The physical ailments were in the past. The emotional ones were still clawing at the surface. A softer pink hue was intermingling with the other layers, though, and that was because of Ivy. She was … doing something to him.

“Okay, let’s start over,” Felicity said, deciding to change tactics. She had no intention of blabbing Ivy’s secret, but she also wasn’t going to let her niece torture Jack when he didn’t deserve it. “Ivy, I’m sure Jack is sorry he spied on you and … your boyfriend. Can’t you just be the bigger person and forgive him?”

“I have the right to privacy in my own yard,” Ivy said.

“You also had a dead body in your yard and Jack is a police officer,” Felicity pointed out. “Don’t you think he has a right to solve the crime?”

“I … .”

Felicity cut her off. “Or are you so worried about yourself that you don’t want a brutal murder to be solved?”

Ivy scowled. “That is ridiculous.”

“I agree,” Felicity said. “I think it’s time you let it go.”

“Fine,” Ivy said, sighing dramatically. “I forgive you for spying on me. You’re unbanned from my property. Just … don’t do it again.”

“I’ll try to refrain,” Jack said dryly.

“You could be nicer,” Felicity said, poking his strong shoulder and marveling at the muscles that rippled beneath his shirt. “I’m sure you understand that Ivy is feeling a little exposed. That’s been her home for her entire life. She’s always felt safe there. Now she feels … vulnerable. And, if I know her, she’s also feeling guilty. She’s probably spent the past forty-eight hours wondering if there was something she could’ve done to save that girl. That’s a lot to carry around.”

Jack pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead, frustrated. “I’m sorry. I didn’t really think about that. I just … I’m sorry.”

“Good,” Felicity said, brightening. “Apologies all around. Everyone can move on now.”

Ivy grudgingly nodded. “I really am sorry. I shouldn’t have been so mean to you. I just don’t like the idea of people watching me. After finding the body … it just creeps me out.”

“I should have taken that into consideration,” Jack said. “I honestly wasn’t spying. I was just trying to get a feel for the scene. I think better that way. I was trying to picture how the victim ended up there.”

“It must be hard to be a police officer,” Felicity said. “You’ve probably seen a lot.”

The gray in Jack’s aura flared, the hurt taking over. “I’ve seen more than my fair share.”

That was obviously the truth. “Tell me about Detroit.” Felicity couldn’t help herself. Jack’s vibes had a mind of their own, and the source of his turmoil revolved around something terrible that happened to him in the city.

Jack balked. “What are you talking about?”

Felicity ratcheted back her inner probe. “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business. I shouldn’t be delving into things you’re not ready to talk about. What happened to you is … .”

“Nothing happened to me,” Jack said, shifting in his chair angrily. “Who told you something happened to me in Detroit?”

“No one,” Felicity said, holding her hand up. “I just … I sensed you were having some trouble. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to invade your privacy.”

“You sensed I was having some trouble?” The dark glint in his eyes caused Felicity to inadvertently shudder as a quick flash of ravaging hate arced out from his soul.

Without even realizing what she was doing, Ivy reached across the table and wrapped her hand around Jack’s wrist, drawing his attention to her. The air around them sparked, and Jack’s eyes softened as they met Ivy’s concerned face. The pink in his aura pushed in on the gray, tamping down the hurt he was so desperate to hide. “She doesn’t mean anything by it. She just has … feelings about people. It’s okay.”

Jack nodded, momentarily mesmerized by Ivy’s face. “I … .”

“This is a difficult thing for all of us to deal with. I know I’ve been … obnoxious. I’m sorry. No one is trying to upset you,” Ivy said. “We all need to work together to find out who this girl is, and what happened to her.”

Jack cleared his throat, the spell breaking as Ivy slowly retracted her fingers. “I’m sorry for … snapping at you. This whole case is … throwing me. Whenever I don’t understand what’s going on, I tend to get my hackles up. I think Ivy is right, though. We need to work together, not turn on each other.”

“Okay,” Felicity said, exhaling heavily. “Um … I think the best way to proceed is for me to see what I can find on the symbols. I’m sure you have other things you want to check out. I’ll be in touch the second I find anything.”

“Good,” Jack said, rubbing the tender spot between his eyebrows. When he risked a look back in Ivy’s direction, he found her eyes trained on him. Instead of the animosity he’d found there earlier, he saw nothing but softened interest flowing through her now. “I’ll keep in touch with you, too.”

Ivy forced a small smile for his benefit. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure it out.”

Felicity couldn’t hide her grin as she watched the interaction. It was if they were in their own little world. She couldn’t help but wonder if that world would strengthen or crumble in the coming weeks. Personally, she was rooting for it to strengthen.

Jack Harker might just turn out to be the man her tempestuous niece needed to finally break through and touch her well-protected heart. Of course, Ivy might also be the person to soothe Jack’s troubled heart – if he gave her the chance, that is.

It was certainly going to be entertaining to watch either way.