“He probably dropped the gun off so it could be destroyed,” Jack said. “He couldn’t be caught with that gun after my death … and I think he assumed I was already dead when he left. I closed my eyes and held my breath and pretended to be gone.”
“That’s what kept you alive,” Rick said. “There’s one other thing … .”
“What?”
“There’s something off about Marcus’ autopsy,” Rick explained. “I wanted to go through it sheet by sheet in case there was any mention of a gun in his pocket. I thought maybe it got lost at the coroner’s office or something.”
“Well, don’t keep us in suspense,” Brian prodded. “What did you find?”
“There’s only one signature on Marcus’ autopsy when there should be two,” Rick replied. “The coroner who signed it was fired about three months ago for stealing from the deceased.”
“What do you think that means? It’s probably just an oversight.”
“I agree,” Rick said. “It would be remiss not to at least float the other theory, though.”
“What theory is that?”
“The one where maybe Marcus didn’t die in that fire and he’s still out there,” Rick said. “We’re trying to track down that coroner, but he’s apparently fallen off the face of the earth. What if Marcus didn’t die and someone else was in that crash? The coroner easily could’ve lied in exchange for money. I wouldn’t put it past him.”
Jack hopped to his feet, his heart pounding. “I … um … need to get to Ivy.”
“Are we done?” Rick asked.
“I don’t like this,” Jack said. “I don’t want her alone.”
“Go,” Brian said, waving him off. “We’ll catch up tomorrow morning.”
Jack nodded. “Yeah … I … yeah.” Jack strode out of the room without looking back, his mind busy.
Once he was gone, Brian and Rick focused back on each other.
“Do you think he’s still alive?” Brian asked.
“Probably not,” Rick said. “I didn’t want to leave Jack exposed if it’s a possibility, though. Marcus would definitely have revenge on his mind. Jack toppled his entire empire. He was selling drugs while working as a police officer. He was apparently making big money.”
“Could Marcus kill his own mother?”
“Marcus shot Jack without blinking twice,” Rick said. “I think Marcus is capable of almost anything.”
“Well, see if you can track down that coroner,” Brian instructed. “I’m going to call all of the hotels and inns in this area again and ask about any guests – including males. We’ve been going on the assumption that this was done by a female for almost a day now. I would hate to think we were wrong.”
“There still has to be a woman involved,” Rick reminded him. “Jack talked to someone on the phone.”
“Maybe he talked to the real Laura and she’s involved in this with her brother.”
“Maybe,” Rick said. “We basically have a whole lot of theories and no facts right now. You keep in touch and I’ll do the same. We have to keep Jack safe.”
“That won’t be easy,” Brian said. “He’ll die to keep Ivy safe.”
“That’s the way he’s made.”
“I THINK you’ll be happy with your choice,” Ivy said, smiling at her customer as the woman paid for her new bush with cash. “Hopefully that will cut down on your mother’s spying.”
“That would be nice,” the woman said, bending over so she could lift the plant. “I don’t suppose you could help me carry this to my car, could you? It’s heavier than I thought.”
“Oh, sure.”
Ivy moved to help the woman, but her father appeared and nudged her away with his hip.
“Don’t even think about it, little missy,” Michael chided. “You were told not to lift anything heavy with that shoulder.” He shot a bright smile in the customer’s direction. “I can carry this for you.”
The woman faltered. “Oh, I … she doesn’t look hurt.”
“Looks can be deceiving,” Michael said, hoisting the plant with a grunt and then straightening. “Lead the way and I’ll load this up for you. Ivy, if you watch that register for five minutes then I will relieve you of your duties for the day and send you home to your love muffin.”
Ivy made a face. “I’m going to let the nickname slide and thank you for the offer,” she said. “That sounds like the best news I’ve heard all day.”
Nineteen
“Hello, honey,” Ivy said, batting her eyelashes at Jack as he let himself into her house a little after five.
Jack smiled. He couldn’t help it. She was the highpoint of every good moment he’d experienced since moving to Shadow Lake. He locked the door behind him, double-checking it to make sure, and then carried the pizza box into the kitchen.
After depositing it on the kitchen table, he pulled Ivy into his arms and scorched her with the hottest kiss he could muster.
When they separated, Ivy’s eyes widened as she ran a finger over her lips. “That was a really nice greeting.”
“That’s because the four hours we spent apart felt like four years,” Jack said, hoping he sounded boisterous. He didn’t want to worry Ivy. He wanted a nice night. He was hoping she wouldn’t ask too many questions and force him to ruin things for the two of them.
“Did you get anywhere on the case?”
“Um, we found a few things,” Jack said, turning his attention back to the pizza box. “Why don’t we use paper plates so we don’t have to clean anything up?”
“I can live with that,” Ivy said, hopping toward the cupboards and returning with a small stack of plates. “What did you find?”
“I am so hungry I could eat a horse,” Jack said, evading the question.
Ivy narrowed her eyes into dangerous slits. She wasn’t an idiot. She knew darned well he was hiding something. “Spill, Jack.”
“I … what?”
“Oh, don’t flash that cute grin of yours at me and expect me to turn into
