Wicked Places (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 4) (16 page)
Read Wicked Places (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 4) Online
Authors: Lily Harper Hart
“Melissa figured it out, didn’t she?” Ivy pressed. “That’s why you killed her.”
“Yes,” Alex confirmed. “She had sex with her husband in the trailer and then met me in the woods for our scheduled rendezvous. I could smell Scott on her. Now, I didn’t want that woman, but the idea that she would touch that loser when she was supposed to be meeting me was too much to take.
“I called her a whore and she took it personally,” he continued. “Then she told me that she knew I was the one who killed Kylie. She followed me that night.”
“Why didn’t she say something?”
“And blow her perfect façade out of the water?” Alex snorted. “You’re giving Melissa way too much credit. She wanted me to give her money to keep her mouth shut instead. She was an idiot.”
“So, what? You hit her over the head and dragged her down to a kayak?”
“I used my belt to hook her hands and ankles over the sides of the kayak, securing them underneath so she had nowhere to go, and paddled her over to the camp,” Alex supplied. “We had a couple hours of fun there. She screamed a lot. Then I stabbed her in the neck and collected her blood. I knew you would check the clearing first. I figured you would waste time looking for Melissa there and no one would ever discover her body at the camp.”
“I guess it sucks to be you,” Ivy said. “Now your whole plan is smoked.”
“All thanks to you,” Alex said. “I knew tonight that Jack was going to catch me. Scott took off like an idiot and bought me some time, but there’s no way Jack will believe he’s capable of murder once he talks to him.
“I had a choice, I could run or I could stay behind and have one more bout of fun,” he said. “I opted for the fun … and you.”
“You probably should’ve chosen to run,” Jack said, a gun in his hand as he moved into the clearing.
Ivy sighed, relieved. “Jack.”
“I’m right here, honey,” Jack said, keeping the gun trained on Alex as his longtime friend debated his options.
Alex clutched the knife tighter and focused on Jack. “How did you find us?”
“Andrew Devlin saw you drag Ivy into the woods and met us on the trail by the campsite,” Jack replied. “He knew exactly where you were.”
“The werewolf strikes again,” Alex muttered. “Where is Scott?”
“In custody.”
“How did you know it was me?” Now Alex was the one buying time.
“I just had a feeling Scott wasn’t capable of murder,” Jack answered. “When both you and Ivy were gone from the campsite, I knew it was you. You’ve always been jealous. The only play that would make any sense for you is to try and take her out to punish me.”
“You should’ve died when your partner shot you, Jack,” Alex intoned. “You deserved it. Instead, you clung to life and … got everything you ever wanted. It’s unbelievable how you luck into things.”
“Step away from Ivy,” Jack ordered, gesturing with his gun.
“Do you think you can shoot me in time to keep me from stabbing her, Jack?” Alex asked. “I’m kind of interested to see if you can.”
“If you move toward her, I will kill you,” Jack said.
“I want to die, Jack,” Alex said. “We both know I’m not going to do well in prison.”
“Don’t move toward that woman,” Harvey ordered, stepping into the small area behind Alex and splitting his attention.
“Oh, wow, that was smart,” Alex said. “You brought help. You wanted to make sure your precious Ivy was safe. She’s smart and pretty, Jack. You made a good choice.”
“I know,” Jack replied, his tone deadly. “Don’t make me kill you, Alex. You can live out the rest of your days in prison. You owe some parents a few answers. Do the right thing for once in your life.”
“I don’t think so,” Alex said, adjusting his grip on the knife. “I think I want to take my chances instead. I think I can get to Ivy and slit her throat before you shoot me. If I do, I win. If you shoot me before I get to her, I win. Either way … I win.”
Alex didn’t wait for Jack to respond, instead taking advantage of the lull in the conversation and lunging toward Ivy. Jack was ready for the move and he pulled the trigger without blinking an eye.
Ivy gasped as she covered her head, swiveling quickly when Alex’s lifeless body fell at her feet. She scrambled to a standing position and bolted in Jack’s direction. He caught her in mid-air, clutching her close.
“No,” he whispered into her hair. “I win.”
“
I
knew
you would find me,” Ivy said two hours later, accepting a cup of hot chocolate from Jack in one of the conference rooms at the state police outpost. She’d just finished being debriefed for what felt like forever.
“I wouldn’t have been able to find you if it wasn’t for Andrew,” Jack said, rubbing the back of her head. “I’m sorry I left you.”
“You couldn’t have known that would happen, Jack,” Ivy chided. “I didn’t see it coming either. When Scott took off like that … .”
“In my heart, I knew Scott wasn’t capable of murder,” Jack argued. “He was an idiot … and disloyal … and altogether moronic in some instances, but he wasn’t a murderer.”
“Alex has been killing a long time,” Ivy said, resting her head against Jack’s chest. “He killed the girl you had a crush on in college.”
“I heard your statement to Harvey,” Jack said, idly running his fingers up Ivy’s spine. “Harvey is going to send searchers out to the well tomorrow morning. At least Sydney will be at rest now.”
“I’m sorry you had to kill your friend.”
“I’m not,” Jack said. “I’m glad I got to you in time.”
Harvey joined the couple a few minutes later, his expression rueful. “We’re cutting Scott loose and your other friends are here to collect him,” he said. “They say they’re leaving town right after and want to say goodbye to you.”
“Tell them I said goodbye,” Jack said. “Tell them I wish them well. I won’t be going up there, though.”
“Are you sure?” Ivy asked, her blue eyes conflicted as they searched his face. “They’re your friends, Jack.”
“I don’t think they are,” Jack replied. “Not any longer, honey. We’re old acquaintances, and I have nothing to say to them. I don’t want to see them … not now, at least.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Harvey said. “You should know that we’re probably going to be in touch with you over the next few weeks as we try to sort out Alex’s list of victims. We’re also going to have to talk to his wife, and she doesn’t seem thrilled with any of this.”
“Did she suspect it was Alex?” Ivy asked.
“She says she didn’t until Jack mentioned phone calls between Melissa and her house,” Harvey answered. “She said she wasn’t talking to Melissa. That meant it had to be Alex.”
“We should’ve remembered that,” Ivy said. “Maria told us that Melissa only came around when she was forced or wanted to brag. That was our clue and we missed it.”
“We had a lot of clues to sift through, honey,” Jack said, rocking Ivy slightly as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m not sure I believe Maria didn’t suspect Alex. I guess it doesn’t matter now.”
“We’ll sort it all out,” Harvey said. “Why don’t you guys get out of here. I would suggest checking into a hotel instead of returning to the campground. That place is probably filled with bad memories for you.”
“Not all the memories are bad,” Jack said. “Besides, if what you say is true, we’ll have the campsite to ourselves. I think that sounds like the best thing to happen to us for this entire trip.”
Harvey shook Jack’s hand and offered Ivy a tight smile. “Good luck.”
“You, too.”
J
ACK
and Ivy
were almost to Jack’s truck in the parking lot when four faces moved into their path, forcing Jack to shift Ivy closer as his protective instincts took over.
“Jack,” Donnie said, his voice small. “We were hoping to run into you before we left.”
“I’m too tired for this,” Jack said. “I don’t want to have some deep discussion. I don’t want to hear how you had no idea Alex was doing what he was doing. I am sorry I tackled you, Scott, but you kind of had it coming.”
“What am I supposed to do now?” Scott asked.
“Go home.”
“What about me?” Maria asked.
“You’re going to have a lot of questions to answer, but then you can go home, too,” Jack said, his voice devoid of warmth.
“What are you going to do?” Lauren asked, her gaze bouncing between Jack and Ivy. “Are you just going to walk away and never look back?”
“We’re going back to camp to get some sleep,” Jack said. “Then we’re getting up early tomorrow morning and packing up our stuff. Then we’re going back to Ivy’s house where she’s going to give me the best massage ever. Then we’re going to go on with our lives.”
“You forgot one thing,” Ivy interjected.
“What?” Jack asked, confused.
“We have to stop out at Andrew’s place so I can thank him for sending you after me,” Ivy said.
“We definitely have to do that,” Jack said.
“So, that’s it?” Donnie pressed. “You’re done with us?”
“I think you guys need to find out who you are and stop living lies,” Jack answered. “You’re never going to be happy as long as you’re pretending to live one life while actually living another. Maybe we’ll run into each other again down the road. Maybe it will be a happy occurrence. For now, I have the life I want … and the woman I want. I have no interest in living a lie.”
“I hope you all find happiness,” Ivy offered, letting Jack lead her around his old friends and toward their future. “I hope when things settle down, you all figure out where you’re supposed to be.”
Jack opened Ivy’s door and helped her into the cab of his truck, pressing a sweet kiss to her lips before risking a glance over his shoulder. His friends remained rooted to their spots, staring in their direction with morose looks on their faces. “They’re lost.”
“You’re found, though,” Ivy said, running her finger down his cheek.
“I definitely am,” Jack said, giving her another kiss. “Do you want to pick up dinner on the way back to camp?”
“Let’s just go to sleep,” Ivy said. “I’ll buy you breakfast on our way home tomorrow.”
“At least we know things will be dull tonight,” Jack said, chuckling. “I … .” He didn’t get a chance to finish his statement because a mournful howl filled the air and drowned out the rest of his response.
Ivy widened her eyes. “It’s the dogman.”
“You did that on purpose.”
In the end, it didn’t matter if the dogman was real. Everything about their relationship was, and that’s all either of them cared about.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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