Ghostly Worries (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 4) (9 page)

I
n her head
Harper knew she should go straight to Jared and tell him what Donna related to her. In her heart she had to question him herself, because she was worried if the finger pointed in his direction it would never shift away again.

She found him in his restaurant, the front door open but the main dining room empty as he sat at a table and pored over some paperwork. She took a moment to study him, marveling at how handsome he’d turned out, and then squared her shoulders.

“Knock, knock.”

Jason glanced up, surprised by the interruption but thrilled by the guest. “Harper,” he said, flashing a charming smile. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to talk to you,” Harper said, taking a small step forward as she glanced around at the newly painted restaurant. “This place looks really great. You’ve done a marvelous job here.”

“Thank you,” Jason said, knitting his eyebrows together. “Not that I’m not happy to see you – and please drop by whenever you get an inkling to visit – but you look as if you have something on your mind.”

“I do,” Harper confirmed, pressing her lips together as she considered how to proceed. She hadn’t given much thought on how to approach Jason. She’d been more focused on ditching Zander without making him suspicious. It wasn’t easy, but when she mentioned walking back out to the cottage to talk to Jared, Zander excused himself quickly with some previously unmentioned numbers sheets that needed to be balanced back at the office.

“Is this about Jared?”

Jason’s question caught Harper off guard. “Jared? Why would I be here about Jared?”

“I just thought … .” Jason caught himself before he said the wrong thing. “I don’t know. You two seemed to have a good time last night.”

“We did,” Harper enthused, sitting in the chair Jason gestured toward and accepting the glass of iced tea he poured from the pitcher on the table. “The food was wonderful and the ambiance was nice. Jared was a little disappointed you didn’t have a longer dancing session, but somehow I think he’ll survive.”

“We plan on getting a live band for weekend nights down the road, but I didn’t want that to overshadow everything right away so I told them no more than thirty minutes last night,” Jason said. “I’m surprised Jared is a dancer. He doesn’t look like a dancer.”

“I was surprised, too, but he always manages to keep me on my toes.” Harper’s face lit up with a fond smile. “How did the opening go on your end? People seemed happy with the set-up.”

“We got good feedback,” Jason replied. “We had a couple of snafus in the kitchen, but everything went great, for the most part. I think it’s going to be a good investment.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Okay, Harper, you’re obviously distracted,” Jason said. “You have a reason for being here. You might as well tell me what it is. I have a feeling I know but … I’d rather hear it from you.”

“Okay.” Harper licked her lips. “Were you dating Rosie Sawyer?”

Jason opened his mouth to answer and then snapped it shut, instead screwing his face up into a confused expression. “Who?”

Harper couldn’t read his reaction so she repeated the question. “Rosie Sawyer. I have a witness who saw you with her by the restaurant several days ago.”

“I don’t know who that is,” Jason said, confused.

“That’s the dead woman who was found under your deck.”

“Oh.” Jason made a face. “I didn’t know her name. It’s not like there are daily newspapers around here. I didn’t realize the police had released her identity yet.”

“I don’t think they have, but that’s not really the point,” Harper said. “I need to know if you were dating her.”

“How could I be dating her if I don’t know who she is?”

Harper shrugged. “Someone saw you with her in front of the restaurant a few days ago,” she said. “This individual said you were talking and acting as if you were on a date.” Harper fudged that last detail, but she figured there was no way Jason could call her on it.

“I haven’t dated anyone since I got to town,” Jason clarified. “I’ve wanted to date someone, but I haven’t gotten around to asking yet. As for talking to a woman … I think I know who you’re talking about, but that was really a brief thing.

“A woman approached me outside the restaurant,” he continued. “I think it was on Monday, but I can’t really remember. The days sort of meld together when you’re this busy. Anyway, she wanted to know if I had private rooms for couples where they could eat but be segregated from the rest of the guests. I told her that wasn’t a thing and then she asked about the restaurant and we got to talking. It was hardly a date.”

“Oh.” Harper’s cheeks flooded with color. “I’m sorry. When I heard Rosie was talking to you I had to ask. I mean … she was found under your deck.”

“I get that,” Jason said. “What I don’t get is why you beat around the bush to ask the question. Did you think I was hiding something from you?”

Harper held her hands palms up and popped her shoulders up and down. “I didn’t know what to think,” she said. “I just knew I had to ask you about it because … well … I was worried you would become the prime suspect.”

“So you came straight to me instead of Jared,” Jason mused, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess I should be thankful for that.”

“Just so you know, I’m still going to have to tell Jared what I found out,” Harper warned. “I promised not to keep things from him. Since I found Rosie’s love nest in the woods and he caught Zander and me arguing about breaking in – and whether or not a child-eating tick lived inside – I kind of owe him one so I can’t keep this from him.”

“I … um … have no idea what to say about most of what you just said,” Jason said, offering a hollow laugh. “I understand you have to tell Jared. He has a job to do.”

“He’s good at it, too.”

“I’m sure he is,” Jason gritted out, annoyed that yet another conversation between Harper and himself revolved around Whisper Cove’s newest police transplant. “I guess you’re still happy with him, huh?”

Harper nodded. “Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve very sure,” Harper said, wrinkling her nose as something occurred to her. “You said you had a feeling you knew why I was here but then you had no idea who Rosie was.”

“I … um … what?” Jason was flustered.

“Why did you think I was here?” Harper asked.

“I thought you just dropped in for a visit,” Jason lied.

“I don’t believe that for a second.”

“Perhaps I thought you stopped by for a booty call,” Jason said, flashing a smile that didn’t make it all the way up to his eyes.

Harper crossed her arms over her chest. “Spill.”

Jason blew out a frustrated sigh and dragged a hand through his tousled hair. “Okay, but you’re really not going to like it.”

“That seems to be the theme of the day.”

“
C
OMB
your hair
, slap on some aftershave, and get moving,” Zander announced, striding into the police station without knocking and fixing Jared with a pointed look. “Jason is making a move on your woman. Oh, you’re probably going to need your gun, too.”

Jared pressed his index finger to the file he was perusing so he wouldn’t lose his spot and shifted his eyes to Zander. “What?”

“Oh, good grief,” Mel intoned, smacking his hand against his forehead. “I can already tell this is going to be a massive meltdown in the making.”

Zander ignored his uncle. “Jason Thurman is a murderer and he’s moving in on your woman even as we speak.”

Jared heaved out a heavy sigh. “I see. I’m not sure which one of those things I should handle first, but I’m leaning toward the murderer part. Let’s start there.”

“Harper and I had that job at the library,” Zander said. “Do you remember?”

“Miss Daisy? Yeah.”

“Miss Swoosie,” Zander corrected. “She was a real trip, too. Harper ended up soaking wet and Donna was mad as the dickens. It took us two hours to get her, but things worked out in the end … and I didn’t even get dirty.”

“Bully for you,” Jared said, tamping down his irritation. “How does that turn Jason into a murderer?”

“While we were in the basement – Harper had to put the dreamcatcher on top of a toilet to catch Miss Swoosie because she was floating above the tank … it was so cool – Harper noticed that there were some books on a library cart,” Zander explained.

“Zander, if this story doesn’t get to the point in exactly thirty seconds I’m going to make sure you get dirty,” Jared warned.

“Fine.” Zander’s eyes flashed. “Donna told Harper the books were for a woman who was looking to snag a man with money. Harper described Rosie and Donna said she was the woman who wanted them.”

“Okay.” Jared was still confused. “So Rosie was getting self-help books from the library. That’s an interesting tidbit, but I’m still confused how it makes Jason a murderer.”

“I’m getting there!”

“Not fast enough,” Jared shot back. “I would like to finish this paperwork before it gets dark tonight so I can spend some time with Harper.”

“You won’t be able to do it at this rate because she’ll be dead!”

“Zander!”

“Okay.” Mel hopped to his feet and held his hands up to silence the squabbling men. “Zander, tell us what’s going on and do it in as few words as possible. If you drag this out, I can’t be held responsible for what happens to you. I’m pretty sure Jared can take me.”

“Donna said that she felt sorry for Rosie because her priorities were all screwed up but then mentioned she saw her a few days ago and that gave her hope Rosie would get over herself,” Zander said. “She said she saw Rosie with Jason.”

“Really?” Jared rubbed the tender spot between his eyebrows. “Shouldn’t Jason have mentioned that the day we saw the body?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” Zander snapped.

“Unless he doesn’t know,” Mel said. “The body was covered for certain and I’m pretty sure it was already gone by the time he showed up. We haven’t released the name.”

“Yeah, but everyone knows it,” Jared argued.

“Only the people we surround ourselves with,” Mel pointed out. “There’s a very real possibility Jason had no idea who was under that deck.”

“Or there’s a very real possibility he knew the area and hid the body there because the odds of someone finding it were slim,” Jared said.

“I guess that’s a possibility, too,” Mel conceded.

The two men lapsed into silence as they considered the scenario. It was too much for Zander to bear. “What about Harper?”

“What about her?” Jared asked, annoyed. “Why isn’t she with you? I would think she’d come with you to tell me this. Unless … is she still wet? You said she got wet at your job.”

“She’s not with me because she made up a lie about walking back out to the cottage to find you.”

“Why would she do that?” Jared asked.

Instead of answering, Zander cocked a challenging eyebrow. It took a few moments for things to slip into place for Jared.

“Son of a … .”

“There it is,” Zander intoned. “Now, come on. Either Harper is in danger of being murdered or Mr. Butthead is trying to get to first base. Both of those scenarios are terrible in my book.”

“Let’s go,” Jared said, clenching his jaw. “I’m going to kill her.”

“
Y
OU SAID
what to Jared
?”

Harper’s face was an immovable mask as she locked gazes with Jason, causing him to swallow hard.

“I really thought he would’ve told you what I said.” Jason gripped his hands together on top of the table. “I was kind of counting on it, in fact.”

“Because you thought I would get angry at him for questioning my loyalty and come and talk to you,” Harper surmised.

“Pretty much,” Jason admitted. “I need you to know that I was up front with him. I told him I was interested in you and I had plans to ask you out.”

“And I told you that I was with Jared and I was happy in my relationship.”

“Yeah, but … you haven’t been together very long,” Jason argued. “I thought that meant I had a chance.”

“You don’t,” Harper snapped, shaking her head. “I can’t believe you said that to him.”

“I can’t believe he didn’t tell you,” Jason lamented. “I thought for sure that would be the first thing out of his mouth when you guys got home.”

“Just out of curiosity’s sake, what did Jared say to you when you told him you were going to go after me?” Harper felt guilty for asking the question given Jared’s blind faith in their relationship but she was dying to know.

“He said that he believed your relationship was strong and that you guys were happy,” Jason answered. “He said that he had every intention of keeping you happy and wouldn’t turn himself into some controlling jerk to hold onto you.”

Harper’s chest warmed at the admission. “That sounds like him.”

“Yeah, he’s practically perfect,” Jason deadpanned. “I hate him for that, by the way.”

“Jason, I’m sorry that you’re upset, but … no, you know what? I’m not sorry,” Harper said. “I spent a lot of time alone before Jared showed up and I’m not apologizing for having my life exactly how I want it for the first time ever.

“It’s not anyone’s fault that things happened the way they did,” she continued. “Some things are beyond planning. I knew the second I saw Jared there was something different about him, though. I felt him inside of me that very first day.”

“Was it the muscles?”

“The dimples.”

Jason scowled.

“It was also his heart,” Harper added, opting for honesty. “Jared is extremely important to me. I don’t want anyone but him.”

“I’m sorry,” Jason said. “The last thing I wanted was to make you uncomfortable or ruin your happiness. I just thought … .”

“I know what you thought and it’s truly flattering,” Harper said. “I also know that we can never be anything other than friends.”

“Because of Jared?”

“Because of me,” Harper replied. “I look at you and see fond memories. I look at Jared and hopefully see my future.”

“Well, I’m happy for you,” Jason said. His tone didn’t match the words and caused Harper to arch a dubious eyebrow. “Okay, I’m mostly happy for you. Hey, I need twenty-four hours to feel sorry for myself. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”