Ghostly Worries (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 4) (11 page)

“I guess you’ve earned it,” Jared said, pressing his hand flat against her back as he pulled Harper as close to him as possible without climbing inside of her. “What’s your question?”

“Why didn’t you tell me what Jason said?”

“Because I knew that’s what he wanted,” Jared answered honestly. “He wanted me to run to you for reinforcement and force you to confront him. I wasn’t lying to him when I said I had faith in us. It’s just … .”

“Zander messed with your head,” Harper finished. “Don’t worry, I’m going to mess with his head.”

“It’s not just Zander, though,” Jared admitted. “When I’m with you I feel as if I’ve known you forever, but this is still relatively new. I have so much faith in you, but part of me was still worried that you might be attracted to him … or maybe he was the one that got away … or you know.”

“I don’t know,” Harper said. “No one ever got away from me because I’ve only ever truly cared about one person catching me. That’s you.”

Jared’s smile was rueful … and relieved. “Right back at you.”

This time the kiss they shared was sweet rather than needy.

“Can we go to bed now?” Jared asked.

“Yes. We’ll take the picnic basket with us for after. I brought the pie Zander tried to bribe me with.”

“And that is why you’re the best girlfriend ever.”

“
G
ood morning
.”

Jared tightened his arms around Harper’s back as she cuddled close the next morning, internally thanking his lucky stars that she wasn’t more high maintenance and didn’t make him grovel for forgiveness.

“Good morning,” Harper murmured, pressing her lips to Jared’s neck as he rubbed his morning stubble against her cheek. “How did you sleep?”

“I slept well,” Jared replied. “I think I would’ve slept better in your bed, if that’s even possible. That feels more comfortable to me these days. I guess I was exhausted, though. I dropped off five minutes after we finished eating.”

“You were exhausted,” Harper agreed, rubbing her finger over his muscular chest. “Are you okay now?”

Jared’s cheeks colored under her studied gaze. “I guess that depends.”

“On what?”

“Are we okay?”

His expression was so earnest Harper almost couldn’t stand it. “We’re great,” she said. “Although … .”

“What?” Jared prodded, pushing a strand of her morning mussed hair away from her face. He loved the way she looked in the morning and any other day he would take advantage of their close proximity … and nakedness … but he didn’t want to push his luck after the abysmal way he acted the previous day.

“You can’t walk away from me without at least talking over the problem,” Harper said, her expression reflecting worry. “You really hurt my feelings when you took off and left me standing there like I didn’t matter. It was as if you just kind of … threw me away.”

“Heart, I’m sorry,” Jared said, every fiber in his being straining under the weight of his shame. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. When I realized what I’d done … it wasn’t just you. I abused my position and made a mockery of being an officer. I promised never to do that.”

“Something tells me you’re being a little dramatic,” Harper said. “Mel isn’t going to hold it against you because he knows how dramatic Zander is. As for Jason … he owes you because he set the whole thing in motion. Who tells someone they just met that he’s going after his girlfriend?”

“Someone upfront about his intentions.”

“I might have more sympathy for him if I hadn’t already explained to Jason that I was with you and that’s where I wanted to stay,” Harper grumbled.

Jared couldn’t help but smile at her righteous indignation on his behalf. “I’m sorry I left you standing there. I was embarrassed … and I didn’t know what to do … and I panicked.”

“I know that. Just … this isn’t going to work if you don’t even give me a chance.”

Jared cupped her chin. “It’s going to work. I’ll do better next time … because I’m sure there will be a next time given Zander’s temperament.”

Harper giggled as she kissed him, slipping her head in the hollow of his neck as he held her. “What time is it?”

“It’s still early,” Jared replied. “We went to bed long before midnight. I should get going, though, because I need to track Jason down and apologize in person.”

“You don’t need to do anything of the sort,” Harper argued. “Jason baited you because he wanted to set you on a certain path. It backfired on him. You don’t owe him anything.”

“I stormed into his restaurant and announced he was under arrest.”

“So? The only witnesses are you, Mel, Zander, and me. I have a bad memory, Mel has bad eyesight, Zander is never going to take Jason’s side, and you … .”

“Feel like I need to apologize.”

“No.” Harper was resolute as she shook her head. “You don’t owe Jason anything. He screwed up. He needs to face some consequences and learn from his mistakes. That’s the only way he’ll ever grow.”

Jared was confused. “What does that mean?”

“It means that Jason is on his own with Zander,” Harper replied. “I was going to try and be a mediator, but I think Jason is going to have to learn the hard way what happens when you order something that’s not on the menu.”

Despite the surreal nature of the situation, Jared couldn’t help but smile. “Does that mean you’re my personal … menu? Huh. That’s kind of dirty no matter how you try to clean it up, isn’t it?”

Harper’s laughter was so adorable Jared’s heart warmed at the sound of it.

“It is, but I know what you mean.”

“What are you going to do about Zander?” Jared asked, pressing his lips to Harper’s forehead as he tightened his grip on her. “It seems to me he needs some punishment, too.”

“Oh, don’t worry about Zander. He’ll shoot himself in the foot before it’s all said and done. He’s obsessed with Jason, but now he’s going to be paranoid that Jason, you, and I are all out to get him. He’ll make a fool of himself much easier than we could ever do. We just need to sit back and enjoy the show.”

“Are you sure?”

“Trust me. I’ve known Zander long enough to know when he’s going into self-destruction mode. We’re nearly there.”

“I do. You know that, right?”

“What?”

“Trust you,” Jared said, cupping the back of her head and lowering his voice. “I trust you with my heart.”

“That’s good, because I trust you with my heart, too.”

Jared closed his eyes as he basked in their shared warmth, internally groaning when he caught sight of the clock. “I don’t want to get up and start my day. I would rather stay here.”

“Really?” Harper was unruffled by the prospect of getting up. “I’m excited to start my day.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I’m starting my day in the shower … and I don’t plan on being alone,” Harper teased, kissing the tip of Jared’s nose before pulling away from him and scurrying toward the bathroom.

“I love the way your mind works,” Jared said, tossing the covers off and following her. “I think this is going to be a good day after all.”

“
S
O WHAT
is
on your agenda today?” Harper sat across from Jared in the booth of the local diner an hour and a half later. Jared sipped his coffee and picked over the remains of his breakfast while Harper munched on her toast. “If an apology is in there, we’re going to fight.”

“I have to go back out to the cottage,” Jared answered, flashing a smile. “I won’t apologize, although I can’t guarantee I won’t at least try to make some sort of amends if I run into Jason again.”

“That’s because you’re a good guy,” Harper said. “Do you want some help?”

Jared cocked an eyebrow. “I would love some help, but … don’t you have work?”

“We don’t have anything scheduled today and if someone calls the office Molly or Eric will get in touch with me,” Harper replied. “I’m not keen on seeing Zander when things are still so fresh. After our nice night together I’m not exactly thrilled with the idea of ruining everything with a screaming fit.”

Jared’s expression was unreadable but his eyes were sympathetic. “You know you’re going to forgive Zander, right?”

“Yes.”

“Why not get it out of the way?”

“Because he deserves to do some squirming and I’m really angry with him,” Harper explained. “I love him dearly, but … he is a lot of work.”

“He is. I would love some help, though. You might be able to see something I miss. You’re psychic now, right? Isn’t that what Zander said?”

Harper’s previously flirty expression turned serious. “I don’t know. It does bother me that I had a dream of a cottage I hadn’t seen in a really long time and somehow knew it was important to Rosie. Doesn’t that bother you?”

“Not particularly,” Jared said. “I already knew you were special.”

“Oh, so cute,” Harper cooed. “Still, though, why do you think it happened?”

“You had dreams before,” Jared said. “You had one when we stayed on Harsens Island.”

“That didn’t turn out to be true, though,” Harper reminded him. “I think that was merely my subconscious mind’s way of extrapolating data and thinking it through while I was asleep.”

“You are a geek,” Jared teased. “Whatever it is, I wouldn’t fight it. You figured out an important piece of the puzzle. I don’t know how you did it. We might never know how you did it. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the gift and use the information to solve this case.”

“So, what do we know?”

“We know that Rosie had a job, but her big ambition in life was to snag a man who was rich enough that she probably wouldn’t have to work.”

“And she wasn’t above doing underhanded things to secure what she wanted,” Harper added. “Stalking was apparently perfectly fine in her book. I couldn’t get that out of my head when I was bringing your picnic over last night, by the way.”

“Oh, Heart, if that’s stalking then you can chase me around anytime,” Jared teased, resting his hand on top of hers on the tabletop. “Rosie’s type of stalking seemed to be of the malevolent nature.”

“We need to find out who she dated,” Harper said. “Any of those guys could’ve had a motive for killing her if she wouldn’t go away quietly.”

“That’s true,” Jared said. “I’m more interested in who she rented the house for. That book story she told Jenny seems … out there.”

“Whoever it is had to be someone desperate to keep their relationship a secret,” Harper said. “I can see only one reason for that because Rosie was an attractive woman and most people would be thrilled to be seen out and about with her on their arm.”

“You think she was seeing a married man, don’t you?” Jared was intrigued by the suggestion. “She would have plenty of access at the dentist’s office. She would even know limited financial information.”

“Like if someone needed to go on a payment plan for dental fixes they were out, but if someone paid in cash they were a possibility?”

Jared shrugged. “I’ve heard stranger stories,” he said. “I wonder if there’s a way to find out if she dated any of the clients at Kennedy’s office.”

“You said Kennedy tried to keep out of his employees’ personal lives so if none of her co-workers have that information … .”

“I know,” Jared said, leaning back and smiling at the waitress as she stopped by long enough to top off his coffee. “Do you think it’s weird that we haven’t been able to find any other friends? It’s as if she didn’t socialize with people who weren’t men.”

“Before Molly started working for us the same could’ve been said about me,” Harper mused. “I’ve always preferred hanging out with men over women.”

“Thank goodness for me,” Jared said, tracing a lazy circle over the top of her knuckles with his index finger. “Your best friend just happens to be gay. Rosie didn’t appear to have a best friend. Doesn’t everyone have a best friend?”

“Who is your best friend?”

Jared opened his mouth to answer and then shrugged. “Point taken,” he conceded. “I’ve had a lot of friends over the years, but since I moved to this side of the state your social circle has kind of become my social circle.”

“Does that mean I’m your best friend?”

“I think you just may be my best friend,” Jared answered. “If not, I think that leaves Zander and after what he talked me into doing last night that is a frightening thought.”

“Well, you’re still getting settled,” Harper said. “I’m sure you’ll find some sort of fishing buddy … or gym buddy … to pound chests with and disparage women. Hey, maybe you and Jason can be buds when the dust settles.”

Jared rolled his eyes. “That sounds … painful. I’d rather spend my time with you.”

“That was a good answer,” Harper said. “Rosie was in this area for more than five years, though. She didn’t have direct ties to Whisper Cove for all of that time, but she must’ve had a friendship circle somewhere. What’s the deal with her body?”

“That was a nice conversational shift,” Jared said, shaking his head. “What do you mean? Her body is still at the medical examiner’s office.”

“But … why?”

“Because she was murdered.”

“It’s a good thing you’re handsome,” Harper chided, wagging a finger. “I wouldn’t put up with the lip if you were ugly.”

“I’m sorry,” Jared said, his dimples coming out to play. “What do you want to know about her body?”

“The autopsy is done,” Harper replied. “Shouldn’t a funeral home have taken possession of the body? You said her mother lived in Arizona? Why hasn’t she shown up to pick up her daughter’s remains? For that matter, why isn’t she beating down your door to find out who killed her daughter?”

“Huh.” Jared rubbed his free hand over the back of his neck as he mulled Harper’s words. “You know, that’s a really good question. Mel talked to the mother and I didn’t think much of it because she’s obviously not a suspect since she lives in another state.”

“I think we’re looking at this in the wrong way,” Harper said. “Something happened to make Rosie the way she was. Fine. She wasn’t a nice person and she might’ve had some personality issues. She still had to have friends, or at least acquaintances, who thought the same way she did. We need to find them.”

“We still can’t find her phone,” Jared said. “The phone company said that the phone went off the grid at about six the night she died. The last cell tower ping was here in Whisper Cove … and we only have two cell towers. All we know is that she was on the south side of town … which is a big area to cover.”

“Both the restaurant and the cottage would be covered by that cell tower, right?”

Jared nodded, licking his lips. “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but I’m going to say it anyway,” he said. “We can’t officially rule Jason out as a suspect despite what he told us. It makes sense but … .”

“But we don’t know for sure if he’s telling the truth,” Harper finished. “I get that. I just didn’t want him to be your only focus. If he’s one of your suspects, though, that makes sense.”

“I’m surprised you’re being so agreeable about this,” Jared admitted. “I thought for sure you’d be hopping around and flapping your arms as you yelled to anyone who would listen that he was innocent.”

“I remember Jason from when I was a kid,” Harper said. “That Jason wasn’t capable of killing someone. I don’t know this Jason and pretending that he’s incapable of something with the limited knowledge I have would be a mistake.”

“You’re wise and beautiful,” Jared said, lifting her hand and pressing a soft kiss to the palm. “Thank you for forgiving me.”

“There was nothing to forgive,” Harper said. “Zander did this. He’s the one who needs forgiveness.”