“Maisie is not a grateful individual. She’s not pleasant ... or nice ... or giving. If their positions were reversed, and Ivy was the one being held captive, Maisie would’ve walked away from that window without a second glance and left Ivy to her fate.”
And that was the part that bothered Jack the most. He was well aware Maisie wouldn’t have returned the favor, so it felt as if Ivy was being punished for being a good person who ultimately saved a bad one. He wouldn’t love her the way he did if she wasn’t who she was, but he hated — absolutely hated — that she was being punished for a good deed. It frustrated him to no end. “Let’s just get this over with.” He pushed open the passenger door. “Maybe you should handle the questions. I might be tempted to wrap my hands around her neck if I get too close.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” Brian agreed.
It was the middle of the day during summer break but the library was surprisingly busy. There looked to be some sort of reading group in one corner and there was a woman dressed up as a clown enthusiastically reciting a book to smaller children to the left.
“Ugh.” Jack involuntarily shuddered. “Clowns are the worst.”
Brian hiked an amused eyebrow but didn’t say anything as he strolled to the help desk. There, a petite woman in her forties worked. She seemed harried, as if she was behind, but she had a smile on her face when she lifted her chin to greet whoever was approaching. She almost looked relieved when she realized it was Brian.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve never been so happy to see anyone in my entire life,” the woman announced. “If you could find Maisie Washington and arrest her for being the laziest woman in the free world, I would greatly appreciate it.”
Jack’s lips quirked as amusement washed over him. He managed to keep a straight face, but it took effort.
“Hello, Carrie.” Brian’s smile was genuine as he regarded the woman. “I don’t know if you’ve met yet, but this is my partner Jack Harker. Jack, this is Carrie Gunderson. She’s volunteered at the library for ... well ... as long as I can remember.”
“Yes, and no good deed goes unpunished,” Carrie groused, shaking her head. Still, despite her obviously foul mood, she pinned Jack with a bright smile. “You’re the detective who is engaged to Ivy Morgan, correct?”
Jack nodded. “Yes.” He braced himself for the woman to say something nasty — half the women in town seemed to get off on trash-talking his fiancée — but her smile only widened. “I absolutely love Ivy. She used to come in here all the time as a kid ... and even when she was a teenager. She helped me with a few reading groups when she was in high school.
That was news to Jack. “She likes to read. She can spend an entire weekend when it’s snowing out curled up in front of the fire with her devil cat and a book.”
Brian snickered. “I thought you and the cat were getting along better.”
“He wants to kill me.” Jack’s expression momentarily flashed dark. “I’ve woken up three times over the past month with him sleeping on my face and he digs his claws in when I try to move him.”
Carrie snickered. “That just means he loves you.”
Jack was not the delusional sort so he didn’t believe that for a second. “Yeah, he loves Ivy. He’s convinced I’m stealing his woman so he wants me dead. We wage silent war on each other. I’m used to it now.”
“Uh-huh.” Carrie’s eyes, still twinkling with amusement, landed on Brian. “You’re obviously here for a reason. I’m almost afraid to ask why.”
“We’re looking for Maisie,” Brian replied. “Is she here?”
“If she was here, I wouldn’t be ready to tear my hair out,” Carrie replied. “She took off about an hour ago with Ava Moffett.”
“Ugh.” Brian shook his head. “That right there is a nasty duo. Do you happen to know where they were heading?”
“She didn’t volunteer that information,” Carrie hedged, her eyes darting to Jack. “I heard them talking, though. I thought maybe you were here to tell me she’d been arrested or something. I guess I’m not that lucky.”
“Why would she be arrested?” Jack queried, legitimately curious.
Carrie took a deep breath and decided to blurt it out. “Because she and Ava found out where Ivy was doing her community service and they decided to head out there to torture her. They were making big plans.”
Jack viciously swore under his breath as he turned to stalk toward the exit.
“Are you sure?” Brian’s heart sank as he absorbed the words. The last thing he wanted was another scene on the side of the highway. This wouldn’t go well for anyone, including Ivy.
“I’m sure.” Carrie was apologetic. “I’m sorry. Maybe I should’ve called you. I didn’t feel it was my place, though.”
“It’s okay.” Brian patted her hand. “This was probably bound to happen from the start. We’ll take it from here.”
“YOU MISSED SOME,” AVA CALLED out gaily as she dropped a candy bar wrapper about ten feet from Ivy.
The moment the two women had arrived on the scene, Ivy knew she was in for hours of misery. Her two nemeses hadn’t disappointed, and since Greg was watching her like a hawk, she had no choice but to pick up after the snarking and giggling duo.
Ivy kept her face blank as she walked over and speared the wrapper. Her plan of action the second Maisie and Ava decided to make a spectacle of the operation was to refuse to interact with them. It was difficult, but unless they could get a rise out of her, it would be no fun for them. She was hopeful that would mean they would lose interest quickly. So far, it hadn’t happened.
“Who are they?” Betsy
