Ghostly Despair (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 10)

by Lily Harper Hart

  Even though she’d just watched him kill a man, Harper couldn’t help being disheartened by the words. “You faked your death?”

  “Of course I did. You didn’t believe that whole amnesia story, did you? I faked my death and escaped to a new life. There was nothing holding me here. I knew there was no way David would tell me where he hid the money, so I had to wait until he was released from prison.

  “I headed to New York because I figured it would be an easy city to disappear in, and I was right,” he continued. “Making a buck in New York is much easier than in Michigan. I don’t think it’s because the people are more intelligent or anything, mind you, but there are simply more people to con.

  “I planned on catching David the minute they let him out of prison, taking him hostage until he gave me my money,” he said. “It didn’t quite work out that way, though. They released him a full week early, so I was behind.

  “I didn’t want to disrupt your life, if that’s any consolation,” he said. “I had no interest in seeing you at all. Then I found out Judy was in town. I thought she was long gone, although it made sense she would come back because she wanted her cut, too.”

  “It wasn’t an accident that she had an accident in the same spot you did,” Harper mused. “You caused it.”

  “I did.” Quinn was blasé, unbothered by his murderous tendencies. “I ran her off the road. She didn’t die, though. I was smart enough to check, but she saw me and called for help right away. I think she fudged the timeline to the cops, though, which put me in a bind. I had no choice but to retreat.

  “I thought the paramedics would release her, but she allowed them to transport her to the hospital,” he continued. “That was on purpose. She thought the hospital staff could protect her. I was worried when I saw David in the parking lot, knew I was working on a truncated timetable. If they decided to work together, I would be at a disadvantage, and I didn’t want that.

  “I still thought I could get into town without running into anyone I knew way back when until I followed David the next day and he came here,” he said. “I was going to confront him, demand my money right here, and end it all ... but then a car showed up and out popped you and Zander. David hid right away; I lost him. You screwed up my plans, which meant I had no choice but to go public.”

  Harper was flabbergasted. “You didn’t even want to see me at all.”

  “You seem surprised. I have fond memories of you — you were so adorable and sweet — but I was hardly in love with you. Still, you have certain ... charms. You also have access to the police, something I figured out quickly when I got back. I needed to know if they knew anything about David, so I showed myself to you ... and then kept coming around.”

  Harper felt like an absolute idiot. “And here I thought you were trying to make a connection.”

  “Not to belabor the point or anything, but you create these problems yourself,” Quinn argued. “You want to see the best in everybody. Nobody can live up to your expectations.”

  “Jared can.”

  “Yes, well, Jared is a modern marvel, isn’t he?” Quinn sneered. “That guy has been all up in my business. I thought he was going to be another country bumpkin police officer, but he’s been watching me far too closely. He stopped by again yesterday to warn me that if I hurt you he would hurt me. Oh, he didn’t say it in so many words, but the message was clear. I wanted to punch him in the face, but that would’ve broken my cover.”

  “And landed you in jail ... or the hospital.”

  “You have a lot of faith in him.” Quinn’s smirk was evil. “You haven’t learned a thing since we were together, have you? People aren’t meant to mate for life, Harper. Nothing is forever.”

  “Some things are forever,” Harper argued. “I don’t really care about your assessment of my private life, though. It doesn’t involve you. I want to know what your plan is here.”

  “I’m going to find my money.”

  “Yes, I get that,” she said dryly. “The problem is, you’ve killed the only man who knows where the money is. How do you expect to get your answers without David leading the way?”

  “That’s where you come in.”

  Harper stiffened. “Me? I don’t know where your money is.”

  “No, but you see ghosts.” Quinn sounded rational, but his eyes flashed with what Harper could only describe as rampant insanity. “I want you to talk to David’s ghost and find out where the money is. There’s no reason for him to keep the information to himself any longer. He’s dead and can’t spend the money. It’s all mine.”

  Harper worked her jaw, unsure what to say. Finally, she went with the truth. “It doesn’t work that way. David isn’t a ghost.”

  “Sure he is. You told me that those who die traumatic deaths come back as ghosts. David died a traumatic death. Get answers from him. I don’t have all day.”

  Harper didn’t consider herself a violent person, but she recognized she could kill Quinn without any qualms if the opportunity arose. “Even if he is a ghost, it takes time for them to come back. They don’t immediately pop into existence.”

  “Well, you’d better make him pop into existence. I am out of patience with this stupid town and you, for that matter. Enough is enough. Find my money. If you don’t, you’re going to be joining David. That’s your motivation. Hop to it.”

  “WELL, THAT WAS A waste of time,” Mel lamented as he and Jared left the home where Patty Lange lived a second time. “She honestly has no idea who her daughter hung around with or what she might’ve been involved in before leaving the area.”

  “No,” Jared agreed, his expression thoughtful as he climbed into the passenger seat of Mel’s cruiser. “She did say that Judy absolutely could’ve returned to town and she wouldn’t have known about it. I don’t know how else to pin down Judy’s movements. She could’ve been working under any number of aliases.”

  “That’s true.” Mel rubbed his chin as he stared through the windshield. “If we’re working under the assumption that Judy was the female accomplice — and that seems to make the most sense — then that means we only have to figure out the male accomplice.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s easier said than done.” Jared frowned when his phone started ringing. “Hold on. I don’t recognize this number. It’s probably a telemarketer. Hello?”

  Mildly curious, Mel watched the color drain from his partner’s face as he listened to whoever talked on the other end of the phone. Jared was intense when he started talking.

  “You stay right there, Molly,” he ordered, jabbing his finger at the ignition so Mel knew to start the car. “We’re on our way. Don’t do anything to draw attention to yourself ... and that includes going after Harper. We’re on our way. I’ll get Harper. Do you understand?” He waited for an answer. “Good. We’re five minutes out. We’ll be there before you know it.”

  He was grim when he disconnected the call and stared out the window. “You need to go to the cornfield by Betty Miller’s house. Harper is there ... and she’s in trouble.”

  “What kind of trouble?”

  “The kind that answers all of our questions,” Jared replied, his stomach twisting as he thought about Harper’s heart-shaped face and blue eyes. “Go fast. Quinn has Harper, and he’ll kill her if she doesn’t produce what he’s looking for. I have no doubt about that.”

  “We’re going.” Mel’s knuckles were white he gripped the steering wheel. “Was Quinn the third partner?”

  “That’s my guess.”

  “It makes sense.”

  “Too bad we didn’t put it together sooner.”

  “I DON’T KNOW WHAT you want me to do.”

  Harper was frustrated and near tears as she stomped through the cornfield, Quinn directly on her heels.

  “I want you to find my money,” Quinn growled, his patience wearing thin. “How many different times do I have to tell you this? That’s my money. I worked hard for it. I want it.”

  “And yet I don’t know where it
is.” In her head, Harper knew she should delay Quinn until help could arrive. There was every reason to hope Molly managed to escape and call for help. In her gut, though, Harper was dealing with a huge mound of fury that refused to dissipate. She was frustrated, and there was only one person to take it out on.

  “You know what? I am really angry with you.” She took Quinn by surprise when she spun to face him, her eyes flashing with anger. “Do you have any idea how I felt when I thought you died in the woods? I kept picturing you cold and shivering with a mortal wound. Instead you were already out of the state and living it up in New York. You’re a truly awful individual.”

  “Oh, don’t be that way.” Quinn made a face. “You were the one thing I didn’t want to leave. Honestly, I wasn’t lying about you being adorable. I enjoyed the time we spent together. I would’ve enjoyed it more without Zander always hanging around, but I had plans for him. He was going to meet an untimely end as soon as I could work out a believable accident.”

  Harper’s blood ran cold. “Oh, well, you’re such a prince.”

  “Don’t take that tone with me.” Quinn was deathly serious. “I deserve some respect. I know you loved me and your heart was broken when you thought I died, but I had to get out of this place. I would’ve gone to prison otherwise.”

  “How did you even do it?” Harper pressed. “Your blood was found at the scene. There was enough blood that everyone believed you couldn’t survive.”

  “That was on purpose. I banked some blood, had it refrigerated, and then used it after I staged the car. It wasn’t difficult.”

  “You banked blood?” Harper was horrified. “That is ... disgusting.”

  “And it worked like a charm,” Quinn shot back. “After the initial search — and you’re right, I was already gone by the time they even started looking — no one was searching for me. I could have a regular life and that’s what I wanted. Did I miss you? Not really. I missed the sex and you were a lot of fun. It’s not as if I was a monk, though. There have been plenty of other women since you.”

  “You are a true joy,” Harper drawled. “I mean ... a true prince in a sea of frogs.”

  Quinn winked. “I think so, too.”

  “There’s only one problem with your little plan.”

  “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

  “Jared knows you’re up to something and he’ll never stop hunting you. You might kill me — I know that’s your plan — but Jared will make it his life’s mission to hunt you down.”

  “Please.” Quinn rolled his eyes, disdain evident. “He’ll be so crushed he won’t even be able to get out of bed. That guy is a total pansy. His whole life is about you. It’s absolutely ridiculous the way he acts.”

  “That’s how a real man acts,” Harper muttered as she moved over a clump of fallen cornstalks. “He’s the best man I’ve ever met. I didn’t even know that men could be as good as him until we got together. I thought all relationships were supposed to be boring and ho-hum before him because that’s what I learned from you.” She paused and gave him a saucy look. “By the way, I never loved you. Not even a little.”

  “Oh, you’re making that up to save face. I happen to know that you searched for me for a year. People all over town have told me that.”

  “I searched for you out of guilt,” Harper countered. “I felt bad that you stayed in Whisper Cove when you had a chance to leave. I understood you hated it here. I should’ve let you go. I thought you stayed because of me. I get I was wrong about that, but the reason I searched for so long was because I felt guilty. I thought you wouldn’t have died if I told you to go.”

  “That’s not very convincing.”

  “Well, it’s the truth. In fact ... .” Harper didn’t get a chance to finish because all the air whooshed out of her lungs as a set of hands reached out of the thick clump of cornstalks to her right.

  “What the ... ?” Quinn was shocked, incensed, when he realized they weren’t alone. The fact that Harper practically disappeared in front of his eyes was enough to jolt his system and had him grappling for his gun. “Is that little Molly coming back to play?”

  “Not quite,” a dark voice said, moving behind Quinn as the unmistakable sound of the hammer being pulled back on a firearm filled the air. “I thought you would rather play with me instead.”

  Quinn froze with his hand on the gun, which remained in his waistband. He recognized Jared’s voice, and it was the last thing he wanted to hear. He also understood the cop meant business, and that probably wouldn’t bode well for him.

  “What are you doing here, Detective Monroe? I think you’ve got the wrong idea.”

  “No, I don’t. Now take your hands off that gun or I will blow your head off. I won’t even think twice about doing it.”

  Harper poked her head out of the cornstalks even though Mel tried to drag her away from the scene. She couldn’t look away. The expression on Jared’s face was chilling, but she’d never been so happy to see anyone in her entire life.

  “I don’t know that I think that’s in my best interests,” Quinn hedged. “I don’t think I’m built for prison, so maybe I should force you to take me out.”

  “If that’s your decision, I’m happy to oblige you.”

  It was a dare of sorts. Quinn knew that. When he met Harper’s serious gaze, he realized she knew it, too. She believed without a shadow of a doubt that Jared would kill him. Even though he wasn’t keen on going to prison, Quinn valued his own neck too much to risk it.

  He pulled his hands away from the gun and held them up, defeated. “Fine. I just want you to know, though, I blame all of this on David. He fouled things up from the beginning. It was the perfect plan otherwise.”

  “Yeah, the perfect plan,” Jared agreed as he confiscated Quinn’s gun. “Two people are dead. That doesn’t sound like the perfect plan to me.”

  “I guess it depends on which way you look at it. On what’s important to you.”

  Jared’s eyes snagged with Harper’s, warmth washing over him at the sight of her smile. “I guess it does depend on what’s important to you. The sad thing is, you never had the appropriate priorities from the start.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I know so.”

  Twenty

  Zander and Shawn were pacing the house when Jared and Harper arrived. They heard the bulk of the tale through the grapevine — a panicked Eric melting down thanks to a phone call from Molly — but Zander refused to relax until he saw Harper with his own eyes.

  “Harper!” He jerked his best friend into a smothering hug as Jared shut the door. “I was so worried. I can’t believe I didn’t go with you today. I’m so sorry.”

  Harper patted his back before extricating herself from the painful embrace. “I’m okay. I’m not hurt or anything. David Harding is another story.”

  “Good.” Zander smoothed Harper’s messy hair. “Now I can say ‘I told you so’ without feeling guilty.”

  Even though she’d been through the wringer, Harper couldn’t hold back her chuckle. “I guess you’ve earned that.”

  “No, he hasn’t,” Jared countered, leading Harper to the couch so she could sit. He removed her shoes himself, shooting Zander a warning look before settling beside her. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

  “Hey, I’ve been suspicious of that guy since I met him,” Zander argued, slapping at Shawn’s hand when he tried to draw Zander away from the couch. Instead, Zander flopped into the spot on the other side of Harper and grabbed her hand. “People should listen to me more often.”

  “Yes, we all agree that you’re a genius,” Jared drawled, dragging a restless hand through his hair. “We’ll throw you a party tomorrow, okay? For the rest of the day, let’s table the crowing.”

  “I think that’s a good idea,” Shawn agreed, his eyes on Harper’s pale face. “Are you sure you’re okay, Harper? No offense, but you don’t look so good.”

  Harper offered him a rueful smile. “It’s been a long day.”
/>
  “We heard most of it,” Shawn supplied. “We know that Quinn was working with the other guy, the one from the store, but we’re not sure how it all overlaps.”

  “It’s kind of convoluted,” Jared admitted. “Basically, Quinn was always a scammer of sorts, looking for a quick way to make a buck. He met up with David Harding in college and they worked a few jobs together. When Quinn got the job at the bank, he realized they could get their hands on a lot of money. They needed a third person and David knew Judy, someone both men thought they could control, so that’s how they ended up working together.

  “They each took a hundred grand after the robbery, and David was supposed to hide the rest until they could dole it out,” he continued. “David figured out the cops were after him, though, and buried the money in Betty Miller’s cornfield. He thought it would be better that way in case the cops caught up with him because he couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t involved if they found the cash.”

  “I’m guessing Quinn didn’t like that,” Shawn noted.

  “No, but there was nothing he could do about it,” Jared said. “David was caught and locked away, but all they could truly get him for was auto theft. Quinn’s problem was that the Feds were convinced the robbery was an inside job and that they would look to him eventually. He couldn’t run without creating a manhunt situation, so he faked his death.”

  “Why come back now?” Zander asked, legitimately curious. “Why wait all this time?”

  “Because David got out of prison about a week and a half ago,” Jared replied. “His release was early. Apparently Quinn had a different plan, but it was thrown out the door when David was released. Unfortunately for David, the field was planted differently since his last visit and he couldn’t remember where he buried the money.”

  “That’s a total bummer, huh?” Shawn smirked.