Ivy nodded. “She and Greg were handling the business end of things at the resort. Sasha was involved, too, and it was her job to make sure nobody else encroached on their territory. They got wind that Jason was hanging around there and she was tasked with keeping him away.
“That night she grew angry when she realized that Jason had been covering up just how expansive his operation was and when she left him in a huff, she went straight to them,” she continued. “Betsy lost her cool and kicked Sasha out of the car ... and then proceeded to run her down.”
“Oh, geez,” Greg groused. “Did you tell them everything, Nana? What the ... ? Have you lost your ever-loving mind?”
Betsy, who continued to fight against Jack and Max as she was placed in handcuffs, shot her grandson a withering look. “This is your fault. You said it would be fine if someone on the crew found her. I said we should keep the others from the woods and dispose of her body ourselves but you didn’t want to get sweaty digging a hole.”
Brian’s eyebrows migrated higher and he shook his head. “How long were you two running drugs out at the resort?”
Betsy straightened at the question. “That’s none of your business. I’m not talking to any of you without a lawyer. I’m being railroaded and there’s no way I’m going to help you finish the job.”
“Well, that’s the first smart thing you’ve said.” Brian extended a hand to prod Betsy in front of him. “I’ll lock her in the car and then come back for Greg.” His lips quirked when Jack immediately moved to slide in at Ivy’s side. “I’m sure you guys have some heavy petting you want to do.”
“Oh, don’t encourage them,” Max groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. “I think I’ve seen all the weird stuff I want to see today ... and that includes an old lady trying to bash my sister’s head in with a tree branch.”
Jack couldn’t hide his surprise. “Are you okay?” His hand immediately went to Ivy’s head and he started looking for bumps. “You weren’t hit, were you?”
Even though it was a serious situation — and there was still a dark soul in the woods to deal with — Ivy couldn’t hold back her smile. “I heard her right before she swung and ducked out of the way. I had everything under control. My brain is totally fine.”
“That’s still up for debate.” Jack wrapped his arms around her a second time and weaved side to side. She was safe ... again. She’d overcome unbelievable odds ... again. She’d solved a horrible crime ... again. He was starting to think she could do anything. “We’ll call it a win for today, though.”
Briefly, Ivy rested her head against his chest and let herself lean. It felt good to have the answers, even if they led to even more questions. The biggest was how much Dunham knew regarding what was happening at the resort. She had trouble believing the man knew nothing, but that wasn’t her problem to bear.
Behind her, Alison stirred. She’d been sitting on the ground for the bulk of the show, making sure that there were no sudden movements when the police swooped in to take Greg into custody, but now her curiosity was winning the war over her common sense.
“I don’t want to be the opportunistic weasel of the group or anything,” she started. “I also don’t want it to appear as if I’m using our crew chief’s unfortunate arrest to my advantage but ... what happens to us now?”
Jack opened his mouth to answer, and then realized he wasn’t sure what to say. “I honestly have no idea.”
“Do we report out here tomorrow?” Angel queried.
“No.” Brian, who was returning from the cruiser to collect Greg, shook his head. “I very much doubt they’re going to be able to assign someone to this group in such a short amount of time.”
“But ... won’t we get in trouble for that?” Angel looked legitimately nervous. “I mean, I don’t think anybody wants more time tacked onto their sentences because these guys were worse criminals than us.”
“I think that’s a fair concern,” Brian acknowledged. “I will contact the magistrate as soon as I get back to the office. I’m sure someone from the probation office will contact you with further instructions.”
“We’re going to get credit for today, right?” Alison pressed. “I don’t have a lot of time left and I would hate to think, however entertaining this all was, that I came out here despite the world’s worst hangover and didn’t get anything out of it.”
Ivy pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. It felt somehow wrong given the circumstances. Not everyone in the group was evil, she reminded herself. Alison, for example, was simply a woman trying to make up for a mistake.
“I’ll see what I can swing,” Brian offered. “I can’t promise anything but, given the circumstances, I wouldn’t be surprised if this particular group gets cut loose.”
Jack jerked up his head, hopeful. “How do you figure that’s a possibility?”
Brian held back a sigh, but just barely. “Let’s just say I have a little weight. I didn’t feel it was appropriate to throw around when Ivy was first arrested. This time, though ... I think it will be best for all concerned if she puts the community service in her rearview mirror.”
Hope built inside Ivy, but she didn’t want to get ahead of herself. “Does that mean I should be completely clear of this before the wedding?”
Brian nodded. “Yeah. I’m positive that will be the case.”
Because she didn’t like crying in front of people, Ivy closed her eyes and buried her face in Jack’s chest. He could feel the small sobs wracking her body, though, and he pulled her tighter against him.
“Did you hear that, honey? The wedding is safe. The honeymoon is safe.”
Ivy didn’t respond, and because it
