Sasha snorted. “Jason isn’t nearly the criminal mastermind that he thinks he is. Why do you think he came to you to protect him from your boyfriend? He’s a poser.”
Poser. The word reverberated through Ivy. She was missing something. “Were you killed because of something you were doing, Sasha?”
“You mean trying to get out of this town?”
It was a sentiment Ivy was familiar with, although not from personal experience. She’d never felt it. Not only was Shadow Lake her home by default, but she also happened to love the town. Others, though, felt trapped by the confines of small-town life. Most of the kids who graduated from the local high school were desperate to get out. They wanted to sample city life, even if they ended up moving to a different area once the realities of a new world seeped in. Since there was no industrial base, there weren’t a lot of options for teenagers planning a future. For people like her and Jack, things worked out. Not everyone was that lucky, though.
“Where did you want to go?” The question was lame but Ivy was still trying to reason things out and it gave her a buffer.
“Does it matter?” Sasha’s eyes flashed with impatience. “Anyplace is better than here.”
“I guess.” Ivy rubbed the back of her neck. “I know you think I’ve figured out who killed you, but ... I really haven’t. If you could tell me, that would be great.”
“You know.” Sasha’s voice turned dark and dangerous.
“I don’t. I’m sorry. I keep racking my brain and I don’t have an answer.”
“You know.” Sasha’s tone was accusatory. “You just don’t want to help me because you think I’m evil.”
“Oh, that’s not true,” Ivy protested, shaking her head. “I mean ... you have a dark soul. It’s obviously still running around because I saw it that night at Jason’s house.” She paused a beat. “Hold up. What were you doing at Jason’s house? He wasn’t the one who killed you.”
“He killed my dreams,” Sasha shot back hatefully. “He’s the reason I ended up dead in the first place. If he’d just stuck to the original plan and not tried to branch out ... .”
“Branch out?” Ivy’s eyebrows drew together. “Wait, do you mean with the meth dealing? Were you involved in that?”
The look Sasha shot her was withering. “Have you not been listening? I didn’t want to stay here. I hated it here. I hated everything about this place. My parents wouldn’t give me the money I needed to get out, though. They said I had to work for it ... even though there were no jobs here.”
“Oh, geez.” A theory started taking shape in the recesses of Ivy’s mind. “You were dealing, too. You were only dating Jason because you either wanted to keep an eye on him, or maybe even steal his clients. That’s the answer to the riddle.”
“And what riddle is that?” Sasha asked, a smug smile on her face. “Is my complicated life vexing you?”
Ivy ignored her snarky attitude. “I couldn’t figure out why you were dating Jason. You seemed above him. Maisie? She’s a total loser magnet. She makes sense. You, though ... you seemed above that.”
“I was above that. I was so much better than him. The true crime was that he didn’t realize it.”
“He didn’t kill you, though.” Ivy wasn’t certain of much, but she was sure of that. “Someone else was there that night, someone you were working with.”
Sasha smirked. “You’re getting closer.”
“Someone who was familiar with the area where you were found,” Ivy muttered, more to herself than anybody else. “Someone who was working on my crew. He or she knew you would be discovered in the woods.”
“I guarantee that wasn’t set up out of the goodness of anybody’s heart.”
“Probably not,” Ivy agreed, thoughtful. “The answers are right in front of me, though.”
“They are,” Sasha agreed, shifting closer. Her eyes were on fire. “Now wake up and solve my murder, you incompetent idiot! I might not have been able to escape like I wanted, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want others to pay for what was done to me. It’s up to you to see that happens. So ... wake up right now!”
18
Eighteen
Ivy woke with a start, bolting to a sitting position in bed, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Jack.” His name was a tremulous whisper on her lips.
“Hmm.” His eyes were still closed, his face serene in sleep. On a normal morning, Ivy would’ve been more than happy to snuggle close to him and rub her cheek against his morning stubble. It was one of her favorite rituals to start the day. There were more important things happening today, though.
“I think I figured some of it out.”
“Good.” He absently moved his hand to her back and started rubbing. “If you come back here and let me hold you for thirty minutes, I’ll help you figure a few more things out.” His voice was flirty despite his sleepy tone. “It will be good for both of us.”
Even though she knew he needed his sleep, Ivy grew frustrated and started shaking his shoulder. “Wake up.”
“No, honey. You come back to bed.” His hands were insistent as they grabbed her hips. “I’m not ready to start the day yet. I just want a few minutes with you.”
Any other morning that would’ve melted Ivy’s resolve. Not today, though. Today she had other things to deal with. “Jack!” She practically bellowed his name, forcing him to wrench open his eyes and glare.
“There is no reason to yell,” he snapped, his agitation on full display. “Is this how it’s going to be once we’re married? If snuggly mornings with my soft witch, a woman who has icicles for feet and likes to warm them between my calves, are off the table, then I’m not sure what I have left to live for.”
Ivy’s eye roll was exaggerated. “Jack, we’re going to have plenty of mornings just like that.
