Ghostly Despair
A Harper Harlow Mystery Book Ten
Lily Harper Hart
Copyright © 2018 by Lily Harper Hart
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Contents
1. One
2. Two
3. Three
4. Four
5. Five
6. Six
7. Seven
8. Eight
9. Nine
10. Ten
11. Eleven
12. Twelve
13. Thirteen
14. Fourteen
15. Fifteen
16. Sixteen
17. Seventeen
18. Eighteen
19. Nineteen
20. Twenty
Mail List
Acknowledgments
Books by Lily Harper Hart
One
“Does thou want to taste my wrath?”
Harper Harlow, her flaxen hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, planted her hands on her hips and glared in the direction she believed the ghost she hunted was hiding. “Knock that off!”
“Who are you talking to?”
Zander Pritchett, Harper’s best friend and a co-owner of Ghost Hunters, Inc., tilted his head to the side as he listened for a voice he could never hear. Harper was the talent in their little operation — although Zander would never purposely admit that — and she was the only one who could see and talk to ghosts. Zander provided accounting know-how and enthusiasm ... and the occasional snarky comment.
“Who do you think I’m talking to?” Harper let her agitation out to play as her blue eyes fired with annoyance. “There’s only one other person in this theater.”
“I don’t want to be annoying, but technically there are only two people in this theater,” Zander countered. “You ... and me.” His finger bounced between them. “Whatever you’re talking to isn’t a person.”
“It’s a former person,” Harper argued.
“That’s not the point. It’s not a person now. That’s the point.”
“I don’t understand why we’re arguing at all.”
His dark hair gleaming under the limited light of the Midnight Express Theater chandelier, Zander made an exaggerated face. “We’re arguing because we enjoy it. We communicate best when snark and screaming are involved.”
Harper wanted to argue, but it was impossible. “Yes, well, we have to figure out how to handle this ghost.” She was determined as she faced off with her longtime best friend. “We need to go shopping for Thanksgiving dinner — you were the one who insisted we cook together — and that means we need to go to the store.”
“We have days to shop.”
“The grocery store is a madhouse before Thanksgiving. I want to be done today ... so we don’t have to go back.”
Zander rolled his eyes so hard Harper was surprised he didn’t topple over. “There’s no way we’re going to get everything on the first try. That’s not how cooking a gourmet feast works. We’re going to have to make at least three trips back to the supermarket ... so brace yourself for that and suck it up.”
Harper didn’t like his tone. “Says who?”
“Says anyone who has ever cooked Thanksgiving dinner.”
Annoyed, Harper ran her tongue over her teeth as the ghost behind the curtain started making moaning noises. “Knock that off!” She extended a warning finger in the ghost’s direction. She hadn’t yet been able to get a good look at it — just a good listen — but she was fairly certain it was a female. That explained the drama.
“I maintain that we can get everything we need in one shot,” Harper supplied after a beat. “That’s why we made a list.”
“I’m sure we forgot to put something on the list.”
“No, I’ve been over the list several times. We have everything we need.”
“Oh, well, if you’ve been over it.” Zander offered her an exaggerated eye roll. “What about the capers?”
Harper wrinkled her nose. “Why would we possibly need capers?”
“Because they enhance the turkey.”
“In what universe?”
“The one I’m going to kick you out of if you don’t stop being a pain,” Zander replied without hesitation. “I need capers.”
“Fine.” Harper held her hands up in capitulation. “We’ll buy capers. We can add that to today’s list.”
“I’m going to need fresh acorn squash, too.” Zander refused to back down. “It’s better if we get that fresh.”
Harper recognized exactly what he was doing, and she refused to play the game. “We’re getting the squash from the farmer’s market. It will be fresh and organic that way, two of your favorite things. We won’t have to go to the crowded grocery store for that.”
Zander scowled. “That’s hardly the point.”
“That’s exactly the point.”
The ghost, losing interest with her moaning, floated through the curtain so she could watch the bickering twosome. Overdressed – like a stage star from sixty years before – she was legitimately fascinated with the conversation.
“You’re being difficult just to be difficult.” Zander shook his head and made a show of silently cursing so Harper could know what he was saying without actually having to utter the words. “You’re ruining my Thanksgiving buzz, Harp. You know how I feel about Thanksgiving.”
“I do know how you feel about Thanksgiving,” Harper confirmed, softening. “It’s one of your favorite holidays, after Halloween, Christmas, and Mardi Gras.”
“It is,” Zander agreed. “That’s why I volunteered to host dinner this year.”
Harper harbored suspicions that Zander volunteered to host because he was a control freak who wanted to be in charge of every aspect of the holiday — including decorations and cooking — but she kept that theory to herself. “I’m fine with you hosting dinner.”
“It will be the last dinner we have together,” Zander reminded her. “You’ll be in your own place by Christmas.”
Ah, there it is. Harper had been wondering why Zander was being such a pill, but now she understood. He was feeling sorry for himself because they were no longer going to be roommates. She was moving in with her boyfriend Jared Monroe, and Zander’s boyfriend Shawn Donovan was taking her place in the house she currently shared with her best friend. Even though he made a big show of being supportive, Zander vacillated wildly whenever the subject of Harper moving popped up and the effervescent blonde suspected he was about to panic.
“I will be in my own place for Christmas,” Harper agreed, choosing her words carefully. “I guess it’s good that my new place and your place are directly across the road from each other, huh? We counted. It’s like fifty footsteps from your front door to mine. That’s not bad.”
“It’s not good.” Zander folded his arms across his chest and glared at the curtain when it started moving. He couldn’t see the ghost, but that didn’t mean he didn’t recognize shenanigans when they were about to make an appearance. “Knock that off!”
Harper swallowed a laugh at her best friend’s serious expression.
“Now, where were we?” Zander smoothed the front of his tan polo shirt. He was a big fan of dressing for the season. That meant muted browns and oranges for Thanksgiving and festive reds and greens for Christmas. Once Easter rolled around, he would spend two months boasting pastels
that made most men cringe.
“You were about to tell me why fifty footsteps is too far for us to be apart,” Harper replied.
“Right. We’re going into the winter season. You know what that means, right?”
Harper bobbed her head. “Hot chocolate, skiing, ice skating, and snowmobiles.”
Zander shot her a withering look. “That means snow, ice, broken bones, and blizzards. That’s on top of sub-zero temperatures.”
“I thought you liked winter because the clothes are so cute.”
“I’m a big fan of the clothes. Boots and scarves need to be modified for summer because they’re so freaking awesome. That will never change. However, I am not a fan of the way our road ices. What’s going to happen if we get freezing rain? That turns the roads treacherous, so crossing will be akin to risking our lives. We won’t be able to see each other.”
Harper barely contained her eye roll. “Somehow I think we’ll manage.”
“Yeah? Well, I don’t.”
Zander was firm. “I think you should wait until after the snow is finished for the season to move. It will be safer for everyone involved.”
“So, basically you’re saying you want me to stay with you until February, huh?”
“March,” Zander corrected automatically. “We still get snow in March ... and sometimes April. Yeah, April will be better now that I really give it some thought.”
Harper bit back a sigh, reminding herself that Zander didn’t mean to be a pain. He merely said the things he said out of love. “Zander?”
“Yes, Harp?”
“I’m still going to move, but I promise we’ll spend as much time together as we already do even after I move in with Jared. Nothing is going to change. It’s just ... my bedroom is going to be a little farther away now.”
“Maybe I don’t want your bedroom to be farther away. Have you ever considered that?”
“You’re going to be fine.”
“Oh, well, if you say it then it must be true.” Zander adopted a petulant pout as he jutted his lower lip out. “I don’t think I’ll ever get over this betrayal.”
Harper slid her eyes to the curious ghost who hovered two feet away. “You’re lucky. You don’t have to deal with things like this because you’re dead.”
The ghost snickered, her laughter delightfully young and hearty. “And people said I was dramatic in life.”
“He has a way about him,” Harper agreed. “On a different note, though, do you want to go over to the other side? They’re sick of you here, but I’m betting there’s community theater if you’re willing to cross over. That seems right up your alley.”
The ghost was clearly intrigued. “Tell me more.”
JARED MONROE CHECKED his text messages before exiting the police cruiser his partner Mel Kelsey pulled to the side along County Line Road.
“What are you looking at?” Mel asked, his tone laced with impatience. “If you and Harper are playing that dirty text game again, I’m going to report you for abusing official department property.”
“Ha, ha,” Jared sneered, clutching his coat tighter as the wind hit him. “Man, it feels like snow.”
“Not yet,” Mel countered. “It’s a little too early in the season for that. Soon, though. I’m sure we’ll have a day or two of nice weather before it happens.”
“This is a lot colder than I remember it being on the other side of the state,” Jared complained.
“Did you live on the lake on the west side?”
“Close enough.”
“But did you live right on the lake?” Mel persisted. “That’s the difference here. In the summer, the lake offers a comfortable breeze that makes Whisper Cove a lovely vacation destination. In the winter, that same lake makes this a place where snow piles high and the cold is overbearing.”
“How do you live with it?”
“Hot chocolate and warm fires. I believe you have a fireplace in your new house, right? Things should be fine.”
Jared brightened at mention of his new home. “Yeah. Maybe I should place a call and order some wood. We’re probably going to need that, right?”
“If you want to stay warm this winter.”
“I’ll call after work.” Jared put a notation in his phone calendar before checking his messages a second time. He knew his phone would’ve dinged if Harper texted, like she promised, but he couldn’t stop himself from hoping that he somehow missed her update.
“What’s your problem?” Mel asked, reading his partner perfectly. “Why do you keep looking at your phone?”
“Harper and Zander are on a job.”
“So? That’s good. That means they’ll bring money in during the holiday season. Since I have a feeling you and Harper will go overboard for Christmas — I know you will because Harper and Zander already go overboard and you’re a schmuck where your girlfriend is concerned — the money will come in handy.”
“I don’t care about that,” Jared countered. “She was supposed to message when she was done, though, and I’m worried. She said it would be a quick job, and they’ve been at it for at least two hours.”
“You could always text her,” Mel pointed out.
“I don’t want her to think I’m checking up on her.”
“But that’s what you want to do.”
“Kind of,” Jared hedged, sheepish. “I just want to know she’s safe. Sue me.”
Mel chuckled, genuinely amused. Jared hadn’t yet been in town a full year, but he was getting used to his partner’s moods and attitude. Watching Jared fall in love with Harper had been a genuine delight. Since Mel had known the girl since she was a small child — he was Zander’s uncle, after all, so he had a first-row seat to watch their hijinks over the years — he was happy to play witness to a real-life love story. Unfortunately for him, that love sometimes took on a fervent tone.
“She’s fine. She’s been taking care of herself for a very long time.”
“I know that.”
“If you know that, why are you obsessing about her? For all you know, she simply could’ve forgotten to text. She’s probably having pumpkin coffee with Zander and laughing about whatever goofy thing their ghost did. Don’t have a conniption fit — especially when you have no reason to do it.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” Jared pocketed his phone and turned his attention to the scene in front of him. “So, what are we doing out here again?”
“Accident,” Mel replied grimly.
“I figured that out myself when I saw the car in the ditch. It looks as if emergency personnel are already out here, though. With only one vehicle, do they really need us on the scene?”
“The car rolled,” Mel explained. “We have to take measurements. The way it is, the driver was already lucky. This bend is sharp, and a lot of cars end up in the water over yonder once the weather turns bad and the roads icy.”
Jared followed Mel’s gaze to the lake. In the summer, it was a beautiful place to enjoy lazy weekends while reading a magazine and hanging with his girlfriend. Now, with the trees bare and the wind biting, there was something stark about the view. “I take it to mean you’ve had a lot of accidents out here.”
“We have,” Mel confirmed, scratching his cheek as he inclined his chin. “In fact, this is the area where Quinn Jackson went missing. His car was found in almost the exact same spot, but we never found him ... or his body.”
Jared slowed his pace, his stomach twisting at the words. He recognized the name. Quinn Jackson was long before his time, but he occasionally felt as if he knew the man because he’d been dating Harper at the time of his disappearance. When Jared first hooked up with Harper, he worried she was still mourning the man she loved. Very quickly, he realized that Harper never loved Quinn. She cared about him, felt guilty because she couldn’t track down his ghost and offer relief, but she didn’t love him. That’s what she told Jared anyway.
He had no reason to mistrust her, Jared reminded himself as a shiver ran down his spine. She�
��d never been anything but completely and totally honest with him. That’s one of the reasons he was initially leery about dating her. She hunted ghosts, for crying out loud, and she was proud of it.
Chemistry is a funny thing, though, and Jared found he couldn’t stay away from her. He was head-over-heels in love in what felt like the blink of an eye, and he had no intention of looking back. He was happy, they were moving forward. Still, Quinn Jackson was one of those figures who hid in the shadows and intermittently popped up at the exact moment Jared didn’t want to think about him. He would probably never be completely out of their lives.
“This is the spot, huh?” Jared took a long beat to look over the rough terrain in every direction. “I can see why he would’ve gone over the road here, but not why you couldn’t find his body. A lot of this space is open.”
“Except there’s a big expanse of open area that way.” Mel pointed for emphasis. “The assumption was he sustained injuries in the accident. A lot of blood was found on the car door. His path led in that direction before disappearing.
“The medical examiner theorized that he had a head injury of some sort and was confused,” he continued. “Had he stayed here, we would’ve found him. He was probably trying to get help, though, and instead he walked to his death.”
“So, you believe he’s still out there somewhere?”
Mel shrugged. “Where else would he be? We may never find his body because it’s been so long. It’s sad but ... what can you do?”
“Nothing, I guess.” Jared turned his full attention to the shaken woman sitting on the back of the ambulance. A female paramedic with sympathetic eyes busily checked over the trembling woman for injuries, but it was clear the mental toll the accident took on the driver was worse than the physical toll. “How are you feeling?”
Ghostly Despair (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 10) Page 1