Ghostly Worries (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 4) (7 page)

“
H
ow was your day
?” Harper slipped her hand into Jared’s as they walked up the cobblestone pathway that led to The Landing a little before eight. He looked tired, but when she broached the subject of attending the opening, he gave her no argument, instead changing into dress pants and a shirt in record time. He cleaned up well. “I didn’t get a chance to ask you before I ambushed you with this.”

“You didn’t ambush me, Heart,” Jared countered. “You brought up a subject and I thought it was a good idea.”

“So how was your day?”

“Long,” Jared admitted, squeezing her hand. “We got a few tidbits, but we’re still trying to turn them into leads.”

“Meaning?”

Jared related an entire day’s worth of interviews in a few short minutes. When he was done, Harper was flummoxed.

“So Rosie Sawyer spent her time picking out men online and then rating them by how much money they made?” Harper wrinkled her nose, making an expression Jared found utterly adorable. “I hate it when the victim isn’t likable.”

“Yes, that is a bummer,” Jared agreed, releasing Harper’s hand and slipping his arm around her slim waist. “Did I tell you how pretty you look tonight? I’m a big fan of the dress.”

Harper glanced down at her simple floral frock. It was long enough to make sure she didn’t inadvertently flash anyone but short enough to show off her tanned legs. The spaghetti straps gave her shoulders a “barely there” appeal and Jared couldn’t stop marveling at her sculpted arms as they walked.

“I … um … thank you.”

“Oh, you’re cute when you’re embarrassed,” Jared said, kissing the tip of her nose. “I hope this place has good food because I’m starving.”

Harper stared at the line at the front of the door for a moment, conflicted. “Maybe we should go somewhere else tonight,” she suggested. “You’re already tired. We might have to wait an hour to get in here.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Jared said. “We’ll put our names in and then wander over to the sand and sit. If I’m lucky, the wind will be just strong enough to blow your dress up.”

Harper made a face and remained silent while Jared gave the hostess their names. The young woman looked him over appreciatively, but he seemed oblivious to her attention. He led Harper to a secluded spot on the beach where they were close enough to hear the hostess call for them and yet far enough away to have a conversation without prying ears picking up the details.

“Here.” Jared made room between his legs, allowing Harper to rest her back against his chest and keep her hands on the edge of her skirt should it fly up thanks to the wind. “Oh, it feels good out here. The breeze is nice.”

“It’s been so hot this week,” Harper lamented. “I was hoping we could go down to the river and hang out this weekend, but if you’re still working on this … .”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Jared said, brushing his lips against her ear. “We have a few days before that. I’m motivated now. You know how much I love to hammock.”

Harper giggled at the secret joke. Before dating her, Jared had never been in a hammock. Now he was addicted to the one she and Zander erected close to the river. He wanted to spend every moment he could in it – as long as Harper was with him, of course. “We can hammock as often as you want.”

“That’s good,” Jared said, resting his hands on top of Harper’s and helping her keep the dress in check. “I think I’m addicted to hammocking. I now know why people don’t talk about it. It’s a life-changing event.”

“You’re cute.”

“You’re cuter,” Jared said, inhaling deeply as the fresh lake wind kissed his skin. “What did you do today?”

“I came down here looking for Rosie.”

“Any luck?”

“She’s down here,” Harper replied. “I saw her. She’s hiding, though. I don’t know if she’s confused … or scared … or just doesn’t like me.”

“Who couldn’t like you?” Jared tickled Harper’s ribs, delighting in the way her body melded against his. After a few moments of play, though, he sobered. “We might need you to talk to her. We can’t find her phone so we have no idea what dating service she was using. We have a call in to the phone company, but they’re citing privacy laws and such.”

“What about Rosie’s parents? Can’t they sign off on it?”

“Her father is dead and her mother is in Arizona,” Jared replied. “We’re working on it.”

“What do you think about what the co-worker told you about Rosie?” Harper asked, genuinely curious. “If she stalked some of these guys, they might have killed her because she got too aggressive or something.”

“I’ve considered that,” Jared said. “If she went after them, though, why not call the police?”

“Maybe he didn’t think the police would understand,” Harper said. “I mean, think about it. Whenever you hear about stalking and domestic violence it always features a female victim. It’s considered ‘nutty but harmless’ when a woman chases a man around. If a man does the same thing he’s considered dangerous. Maybe he didn’t think the police would believe him.”

“That’s a possibility.”

“What about the medical examiner?” Harper asked. “Did you get a cause of death?”

“Yeah, she was strangled.”

Harper cringed. “That’s not a pleasant way to go.”

“No, but I still think someone had to care about her – at least a little – to put her body under the deck the way they did,” Jared said. “If someone thought she was trash they would’ve thrown her out like garbage. She was placed under that deck, not thrown or discarded.”

“And her phone and purse are missing,” Harper mused. “That either means someone wanted you to believe it was a robbery or … .”

“Someone wanted to hide something on that phone from us,” Jared finished. “I know. There are just too many variables. We have to keep plugging away until we get somewhere.”

“Well, we can eat dinner and then go straight home,” Harper offered. “You look as if you’re dead on your feet.”

“Oh, no,” Jared said, shaking his head. “You’re not getting off that easily. I heard this place has dancing. You have to dance with me first.”

“You dance?” Harper was surprised.

“I’m going to dance with you,” Jared clarified. “If you think I’m letting you dress up like this and not dancing with you, you’re crazy.”

Harper didn’t fancy herself a “girly” girl, but she couldn’t hide her smile when she locked gazes with Jared. “I think it’s going to be a good night.”

“I know it is,” Jared said, pressing a soft kiss to Harper’s mouth. He was so engrossed in what he was doing he didn’t notice the figure standing next to them until he heard a man clear his throat. When Jared shifted his eyes in that direction he found Jason watching them.

“I’m sorry,” Jason offered lamely, holding his hands up. “The last thing I wanted to do was bother you, but … .”

“You’re not bothering us,” Harper said hurriedly, double-checking her dress to make sure everything was still covered. “We just decided to enjoy the beach while we were waiting for a table.”

“I’m a little bothered,” Jared admitted, groaning when Harper elbowed him in the stomach. “What? We were in the middle of something.”

“I don’t blame him for being bothered,” Jason said. “I saw your names on the list and I have a table for you, though. I thought I could sneak you out to the deck and no one would know you cut the line.”

“Oh, well, I’m not bothered any longer,” Jared said, climbing to his feet and helping Harper to a standing position. “Now I’m thrilled you interrupted us.”

“Thanks,” Harper said dryly. “I’m glad to know food rates higher than me.”

“Oh, food doesn’t rate higher than you, Heart,” Jared countered. “When I can combine your company with food, though, I know it’s going to be a good night.”

“Smooth.”

“I’ve been practicing.”

“
Y
OU AND
Harper seem happy
.”

Jason sat across from Jared two hours later, running his finger over the moisture ring left by his beer on the tabletop. His opening was a smashing success and he took a break to chat with Harper and Jared when there was a lull in the action.

Between the seafood dinner – which both Harper and Jared enjoyed – and the two songs to which Jared pushed Harper around the dance floor, the couple had a wonderful night. Jared had a feeling that was about to change.

“Does that bother you?” Jared asked, narrowing his eyes as he sipped his beer. Harper stood over by the bar catching up with a waitress she knew from high school. She seemed oblivious to the serious conversation going on back at her table. Jared watched her, enjoying the way she tossed her head back and laughed. She didn’t appear to have a care in the world.

“Why would that bother me?” Jason asked, feigning innocence.

“Maybe because you’ve been watching her all night,” Jared replied, opting not to play games. “You might think you were being subtle, man, but I noticed it.”

“I guess you would,” Jason said ruefully. “You’re a police officer so you’re trained to notice those things.”

“I would’ve noticed whether I was a police officer or not,” Jared said. “I spent the entire night looking at her, too, so our gazes often crossed. The difference is she’s my date.”

“I know that,” Jason said, blowing out a weary sigh. “Trust me. I know. Harper told me in excruciating detail this afternoon that you two were together.”

Jared stilled. “She didn’t mention running into you.”

“Does that bother you?”

Jared rubbed the back of his neck as he leaned back in his chair, Jason’s verbal challenge tickling a nerve. “Touché.”

“I don’t want to be your enemy, man,” Jason said. “You seem like a genuinely nice guy and Harper appears to adore you.”

“But?”

“But … I can’t stop thinking about her,” Jason said. “When I saw her at that house yesterday, it was as if all the oxygen had been sucked from the world and she was the only thing left keeping me standing.”

“I know that feeling,” Jared said. “We’re together, though. I understand you guys had some brief fling in high school, but everyone is an adult now and I’m not the type to play games. Harper is my girlfriend, and I plan on keeping her that way.”

“I’m not going to go behind your back and be underhanded,” Jason said. “That’s really not my style.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” Jason said. “I want a chance with her, but I won’t do anything to jeopardize her happiness. If I think I have a chance … .”

“You don’t.”

“Are you sure?” Jason challenged. “She told me you two have only been dating for a few weeks. That hardly seems like enough time to form a lasting relationship. Heck, that’s less time than Harper and I dated in high school.”

“Yes, but I’m not some high school kid,” Jared said. “Harper and I have already been through a lot. You’re not a threat to us.”

“I don’t know what that means,” Jason admitted. “What have you been through?”

“It’s really none of your business,” Jared said, leaning forward so he could dig into his back pocket and retrieve his wallet.

“Oh, you don’t have to pay,” Jason said, waving off Jared’s efforts. “It’s on the house.”

“I pay my bills,” Jared said, pulling four twenties out and dropping them on the table. “Have a nice night. The food was great. I hope the restaurant does well for you.”

Jason widened his eyes. “That’s it? Aren’t you going to threaten me to stay away from Harper?”

“That’s not really my style,” Jared replied. “If I thought you were a physical threat to her it would be another story. I’m not the boss of anyone, though, so you can do as you wish because I refuse to dictate to anyone in this situation.”

“And what if I wish to ask Harper out?”

“Knock yourself out.” Jared kept his tone friendly even though he really wanted to punch the seemingly upfront restaurant owner. “I trust Harper and I have faith in what we have.”

“You’re an honest guy,” Jason said. “I like that about you. That doesn’t change the fact that I want a chance with Harper.”

“I guess it doesn’t,” Jared said, locking gazes with Harper when she realized he was preparing to leave. “The only warning I’ll leave you with is this: Don’t ever think about hurting her. I won’t take that well.”

“Why would I hurt her?”

Jared shrugged. “I’ve seen crazier things in my life,” he said, taking a step away from the table. “You have a nice night.”

“You, too,” Jason intoned.

“Oh, I’m going to have a great night,” Jared said. “I’m going home with my girlfriend after a big meal. It doesn’t get better than that.”

“I guess I deserved that,” Jason grumbled.

“I guess you did.”

“
I
hate you
!”

Harper found herself trapped in darkness. Everything around her was black, and even though she didn’t feel as if she was locked in a box – or her worst nightmare, a coffin – she felt stifled by the environment.

“I’m not playing this game with you for one second longer.” The second voice was lower than the first, more masculine. It had a tinny quality to it, though, as if Harper was listening from a great distance away. “I told you this would happen and yet you refused to hear the words coming out of my mouth. You have no one to blame but yourself.”

The first voice, this one distinctively feminine, returned. “Don’t threaten me! You’re in no position to do anything of the sort. You knew what I wanted when this started and now you’re acting like you’re the victim. You’re not a victim!”

The unmistakable sound of one person slapping another assailed Harper’s ears and she reached out to see if she could find a wall … or piece of furniture … anything really to give herself a landmark. Her hands met with nothing but air.

“Oh, don’t play that game with me,” the man snapped. “You’re the one who is constantly playing the victim. If I have to hear you whine one more time … .”

“Who is whining?” The woman was shrill and angry, but try as she might Harper couldn’t pin down a location for the voices. Inherently she knew she was dreaming, that she was locked in her own head, but that didn’t stop her heartbeat from racing as she fought to maintain a normal breathing pattern.

“That’s all you do is whine,” the man shot back. “I’m … done. Do you hear me? I’m done!”

The sound of scuffling, perhaps someone shoving a chair across a hardwood floor, filled the air. Harper held her breath, briefly wondering if a fight was occurring before a door slammed shut and everything went silent. Harper pressed her eyes shut, willing herself to wake up. When she opened them again she found herself in a different location. This time she was standing in a field staring at a cabin in the woods. It had trees on three sides and a small access point to the river on the other.

Harper snapped her head to the right and then the left, pulling up short when she caught sight of the dead woman from beneath the deck. She hadn’t looked at her for very long the day she discovered the body, but Harper would’ve recognized those pronounced cheekbones and dark hair anywhere. “Rosie?”

The woman didn’t glance in her direction, instead opting to scowl at the cabin. “He ruined everything.”

“Who?” Harper was excited despite herself. She had no idea what was happening as she worked overtime to tamp down the dissipating panic from moments before. “Who ruined everything?”

“Look,” Rosie instructed. “You’ll see what he ruined if you just look.”

“Look at what?”

Rosie was frustrated. “Look!” she shrieked as she pointed. “Look what he did!” Rosie finally turned to face Harper and when she did Harper gulped at the ugly purple wound around the woman’s neck and the way her eyes bulged out of her graying features. “Look!”

Harper took an inadvertent step back in the face of the woman’s fury and found herself bolting awake in the safety of her bedroom. She swallowed her gasp to the best of her ability as her heart pounded loud enough to drown out the ambient noise of the running pedestal fan.

Jared slumbered peacefully next to her, his face placid in sleep. He didn’t stir despite her jolting awake, and Harper struggled to calm herself so she wouldn’t wake him. He was tired. He needed his rest.

Harper wasn’t sure she would be able to get back to sleep, but for lack of anything better to do she settled back in her spot and rested her head on Jared’s shoulder. He automatically tightened his arm around her back, never stirring.

Harper couldn’t stop running the dream through her head.
What did it mean? Did it really happen? Look at what?

Despite her belief that sleep wouldn’t reclaim her, Harper drifted off several minutes later. Perhaps her subconscious could solve what her sleep-deprived brain couldn’t. If not, even a dreamless slumber was welcome.

“
W
HAT
are you doing today
, Heart?” Jared asked over breakfast the next morning, taking a moment to study the lines of Harper’s face. She looked weary for someone who should’ve gotten a full night’s sleep. “Are you okay?”

“What? I’m fine.” Harper tightened her hands around her coffee mug and forced her eyes to Jared. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“I don’t know,” Jared answered honestly. “You just look really tired. Did you sleep okay?”

“I did,” Harper confirmed. “I had a weird dream that woke me up, but other than that I slept like the dead.”

“Slept like the dead,” Zander mused as he sat across the table from them, his hair still tousled from sleep. “Have you ever thought about what a weird saying that is?”

“Not really,” Jared replied, his eyes never leaving Harper. “Why didn’t you wake me up after your nightmare?”

“I didn’t say it was a nightmare.”

“You kind of insinuated it,” Jared countered. “You should’ve woken me up.”

“You were snoring and cute,” Harper said, flashing a genuine smile. “I had no interest in waking you up.”

“You should’ve woken me up,” Zander groused. “I’m used to nightmare patrol. That’s my job.”

Jared scowled. “Your job? Why is it your job?”

“Because I’m the one who had to check under the bed for monsters when we had sleepovers in elementary school,” Zander replied. “It’s always been my job.”

“I seem to remember you running and jumping on the bed while I checked for monsters,” Harper challenged. “That was before our sleepovers were declared illegal during our middle school years.”

“I used to run and jump on my bed, too,” Jared said, resting his hand on top of Harper’s. “I thought my sister’s ugly doll was haunting me and would hide under the bed and try to scratch my eyes out after everyone went to sleep.”

“That’s horrifying,” Zander said.

“That is horrifying,” Harper agreed. “I was never afraid of dolls. I didn’t like them, but I wasn’t afraid of them. I was, however, terrified of clowns. Whenever the carnival came to town every year I would hide behind my dad because I thought they were creepy.”

“Everyone is afraid of clowns,” Zander said. “I think you’re remembering the monster patrol wrong, though. I was clearly the hunter while you were the damsel in distress.”

“That’s such crap,” Harper groused. “You used to hand me the tennis racket before I did it.”

Jared chuckled lightly, but he couldn’t put his worry regarding Harper’s pale features behind him. “What was your nightmare about?”

“It wasn’t really a nightmare,” Harper replied. “It was just a weird dream with people shouting and then Rosie was there and she pointed at a cabin and told me to look.”

“Look at what?”

Harper shrugged. “I have no idea. “It was a really weird dream, though.”

“It sounds like a weird dream,” Jared said, rubbing his thumb over her cheek. “You should’ve woken me.”

“Why? Then we both would’ve been awake.”

“Yes, but I would’ve kissed the dream away,” Jared teased, pressing his lips to her cheek. “That’s what I’m here for.”

“Wow, and I thought you were hanging out strictly because you’re the resident eye candy.”

“That, too.” Jared brushed a soft kiss against her lips before turning to Zander. “So why were you guys allowed to have sleepovers in elementary school but not middle school?”

“Because my mother still labored under the delusion that I was straight and that Harper and I would show each other our naughty bits if given the chance,” Zander replied.

“I thought your mother was fine with you being gay?”

“She is,” Zander said. “Back then she still held out hope I would give her grandchildren. Once I told her Harper and I compared private parts in first grade – and it was an extremely underwhelming experience – she kind of let it go. Our sleepovers were back on by high school.”

“That’s just … wow.” Jared shook his head as he sipped his coffee. “I guess I never thought about how different it would be to have a best friend of the opposite sex at that age. I can see your parents being overprotective.”

“That was his mother, not my parents,” Harper clarified. “My parents claim they knew the day they met Zander that he was gay. Once he volunteered to sort through Mom’s closet and toss out everything that was more than two seasons old, I think that sealed the deal.”

Jared barked out a laugh.

“Well, if the woman would’ve relinquished the shoulder pads in the nineties like she was supposed to, none of that unfortunate incident would’ve happened,” Zander said. “She had silk shirts in there, too. I told her silk was only appropriate for robes and bras and she banished me from her closet.”

“Ah, good times,” Harper intoned, grinning.

“They sound like good times,” Jared said. “You didn’t answer my question from earlier, though. What are your plans for the day?”

“Looking for Rosie’s ghost. We have another job at the library after lunch, but before that I’m looking for Rosie.”

Jared licked his lips, hating himself for feeling insecure and asking the next question. “Are you going out to Jason’s restaurant?”

Harper shrugged. “Probably. Why? Is that a problem?”

“No, of course not. Just text me every so often so I know you’re okay. I would be inconsolable if something happened to you.”

“I’ll make them dirty texts,” Harper teased, kissing the tip of Jared’s nose before getting to her feet. “I need to get ready for another scorching hot day. I’ll talk to you later.”

Jared watched her go with a mixture of adoration and trepidation. When he turned back to his empty breakfast plate and coffee he found Zander staring at him. “What?”

“That was going to be my opening line,” Zander said. “What’s your deal? I saw the way you flinched when Harper said she was going back out to The Landing. Did something happen last night?”

Jared averted his gaze. “What makes you think something happened?”

“Oh, you’re a terrible liar,” Zander said, blowing out a frustrated sigh. “Talk. Was the food at the restaurant terrible? Did the chowder taste like feet?”

“The food was good,” Jared replied. “Neither of us had the chowder. Harper had shrimp linguini and I had the fish and chips.”

“Was it busy? Please tell me the people of Whisper Cove realize Jason is a thunder stealer and shunned him,” Zander prodded. “If he could close the restaurant by the end of the week, that would be good for me.”

“He was busy and popular,” Jared said. “I think half of the single women in town were there and all of them went out of their way to talk to him. He was the life of the party.”

“And?”

“And he only had eyes for Harper,” Jared admitted, his stomach flipping. “I feel like the worst boyfriend ever. She’s never done one thing to make me think she’s untrustworthy and yet … .”

“You don’t distrust Harper,” Zander interjected. “You distrust him. If he stole my thunder, trust me, he’s not above trying to steal Harper.”

“He flat out told me he was going to try and do that.”

Zander stilled. “I’m sorry, but … what?”

“He waited until Harper headed toward the bar to catch up with some woman you guys went to high school with and then told me that he’s interested in Harper,” Jared replied. “He said that since we’ve only been together for a few weeks he doesn’t feel guilty about it, but he’s not going to go behind my back and try to undermine me. Everything he plans on doing is overt.”

“What a sneaky snake.”

Jared cocked an eyebrow. “I thought it was pretty forward of him.”

“That’s because you don’t see what he’s doing,” Zander said. “He wants you to think he’s a noble guy out to give the princess two choices, but in reality he wants to put you at ease so his black knight can swoop in and kneecap your white knight.”

“You need to watch fewer Disney movies,” Jared said dryly. “He was honest about his intentions. I don’t know what more I could ask from him.”

“You’re so naïve. What did you say to him?”

“That Harper and I were happy and I planned on keeping it that way.”

“Did you … I don’t know … tell him that if he made a move you were going to punch him in the nuts?” Zander asked.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because … that’s not what I want,” Jared said. “Harper is not the type of woman who wants to be controlled. If that was his plan – and part of me can’t help but wonder if it was – then he made a mistake because I’m not going to do that.”

“So you’re just going to have faith in your relationship and sit back and do nothing?” Zander was incensed.

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

“Oh, you idiot,” Zander hissed. “You’re so lucky you have me you don’t even know it. When you realize it, though, I want a day pass for that spa out on the highway. I want a hot rock massage, pedicure, and facial. Be prepared to spring for the deluxe package.”

Jared narrowed his eyes. “What are you going to do?”

“Duh! I’m going to save the day. That’s what I always do.”