Ghostly Holiday (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 11)

by Lily Harper Hart

  Irma shrugged. “I’m part of the Neighborhood Watch, not the Neighborhood Busybody Society. I don’t ask about other people’s business.”

  “Okay, well, thank you for your time.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  “And make sure that gun is registered,” Mel called after her.

  “What gun? I think you’re imagining things.”

  Six

  Harper was ridiculously nervous as she sat in the chair the jail guard indicated. She expected other people to be around during her conversation with Quinn, but the visitation area was eerily quiet. She was thankful for the guard, who didn’t look friendly, but she was starting to wonder if she’d made a mistake agreeing to the request.

  “He won’t be able to throw a chair through the glass, will he?” Harper asked the guard, her nerves taking over. “I saw that on an episode of television once. I really don’t want him to jump on me.”

  The guard furrowed his brow. “Excuse me?”

  “The glass.” She gestured toward the huge wall of plexiglass. “He can’t jump out and try to kill me, can he?”

  “Are you expecting him to jump out?”

  “I’m the reason he’s in here.”

  “Really?” Suddenly intrigued, the guard turned to face her. “I heard stories about that takedown. Supposedly it happened in a field.”

  Harper remembered the location of the final fight very well. “Right in front of a haunted scarecrow.”

  “What?”

  She shook her head. There was no way she would be able to explain things to him in a cognizant manner. “It doesn’t matter.” She forced a smile. “His lawyer called and said he wanted to see me. I can’t figure out why he would possibly want to revisit what happened.”

  “I can think of a reason.”

  Before Harper could question the guard further, a loud clanging sound assailed her ears and she jerked her eyes to the left. Quinn, his hands cuffed in front of him, shuffled thanks to shackles on his feet. The orange jumpsuit he was forced to wear washed out his complexion, and his hair was longer than she remembered.

  “Hello, Harper,” he drawled as he sat across from her. Instead of phones like she’d seen in movies, there was a speaker set at the bottom of the window, so she had no trouble hearing him.

  “Hello, Quinn.” The nerves she’d been feeling for the better part of two hours suddenly disappeared, and all she was left with was rage. “Is there something specific you want? Your lawyer called and said you wanted to talk to me.”

  “I do want to talk to you.”

  “So ... talk.”

  Quinn’s handsome face split into a wide grin that was more obnoxious than pleasant. “Oh, is that any way to talk to the man who held your heart for years?”

  Harper rolled her eyes. “You never held my heart, just that spot in my bowel where I keep my guilt.”

  The guard made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a choked laugh but kept his eyes pointed forward.

  “Oh, don’t be that way,” Quinn wheedled, adopting a whiny tone. “I’m genuinely sorry about what happened. I didn’t mean for it to go down that way. I genuinely didn’t have a choice, though. I was trying to protect you. That’s why I left in the first place.”

  “Oh, really?” Harper shot him a withering look. “Do you really think I’m going to believe that?”

  “It’s the truth. Have I ever lied to you?”

  “You faked your death. That seems like a big, fat lie to me.”

  “Yes, but I was protecting you from my enemies.” As if putting on a show, Quinn offered up an exaggerated look around the room before leaning closer. “I was a bad man who wanted to change thanks to the love of a good woman. That woman was you.”

  Harper wanted to smack him with a chair. It was probably good, she internally mused, that she couldn’t break through the glass and attack him. She would hate to have her own bunk in this place before all was said and done.

  “You know I’m not going to believe that nonsense, right?”

  “But it’s true.” Quinn refused to back down. “I fell in love with you and I wasn’t expecting it. I admit, I first started dating you because I thought you would make a nice front. Plus, well, you were always ridiculously hot.” He graced her with a flirty wink that caused her stomach to churn.

  “I didn’t mean to form real feelings, but I did,” he continued. “Each day, they grew. I got to know you, and before I realized what was happening, I was head over heels.”

  He was a good actor. Harper had to give him that. She understood the game he was playing, though, and she had no intention of falling for it. “Quinn ... .”

  He barreled forward before she could shut him down. “There were things from my past that I wanted to hide from, push aside. I couldn’t, though. People wanted to hurt me, and if they couldn’t get their hands on me, I knew they would have no problem going after you. The only thing I could do to keep you safe was to let them think I was dead. It’s not as if I wanted to leave you.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Harper decided to lure him a bit, if only because she wanted to know what sort of nonsense he would lob at her next. “Why would you possibly come back if you were trying to keep me safe? Did you decide you no longer wanted to do that?”

  “No. It’s just ... I missed you so much. You have no idea the pain I went through, pining for you for years. It hurt every night when I went to sleep.”

  “Good grief. How much fertilizer are you going to shovel on my feet?” Harper challenged, her temper flaring to life. “Do you think I’m stupid enough to fall for this?”

  He mustered an actual tear, which Harper wanted to smack off his face as it slid down his cheek. “I want you to search your heart. You know the truth is there. I’m not your enemy. I was trying to protect you.”

  “Oh, so you’re my hero, are you?”

  “I wouldn’t use that word. I’ve done too many horrible things. I wanted to protect you above all else, though.”

  “You are the worst liar ever,” Harper barked, her tone so loud it caused Quinn to jolt. “The fact that you actually think I might fall for this is horrifying. I’m not stupid. I’m also not weak. I’m not going to believe that story no matter how you spin it.

  “Now, if you want something specific, it’s probably best you tell me before I storm out of here in a huff,” she continued. “I’m too old to play games. And, while you may be bored, and this is the highlight of your day, I have a lot of things on my plate.”

  “Right.” Quinn’s eyes darkened. “Let me guess, does Romeo have something special planned for you? Another picnic at your new house?”

  Harper’s heart skipped a beat. “How do you know about the picnics?”

  “I watched you when I came back to see what you were doing. I wanted to be sure I could drive a wedge between you and the cop.” All pretense of being pleasant fled as Quinn turned down and dirty. “I knew you were dating him before I ever returned. I had people giving me reports on you from time to time. I had no idea you two were as serious as you were until I saw you in action together.”

  “Don’t bother talking about Jared,” she warned, her eyes turning to molten blue fire. “If you say one bad thing about him, I’m out of here. I’m not kidding.”

  “What makes you think I want to say anything bad about him?”

  “I’ve met you. I was there that day in the field. You would’ve killed me ... and Molly ... and Jared ... and Zander. You wouldn’t have even blinked an eye if it meant you would get that money.

  “They found it, by the way,” she continued, enjoying the way Quinn squirmed in his chair. “You probably haven’t heard because they decided not to make a big deal out of it for the news. The bank, of course, took possession of the money, so you don’t have to worry about it being out there waiting to be discovered. It’s gone.”

  “You’re lying!” Quinn’s voice whipped past fury before he could bank it.

  “Hey, that will be enough of that.” The guard ext
ended a warning finger, the slope of his shoulders telling Harper he meant business. “If you can’t control yourself, Jackson, you’re going to have to go in timeout. Do you want to go in timeout?”

  Harper had no idea what “timeout” meant, but she doubted it was a good thing, especially given where they were sitting. “Just tell me what you want, Quinn. I don’t have time for you. There’s a missing girl in Whisper Cove. I need to get back so I can rejoin the search.”

  “Oh, you’re still the martyr, aren’t you?” Quinn hissed. “Only you would donate your time looking for a missing kid. I mean ... come on.”

  “See, that’s why you couldn’t wedge yourself between Jared and me,” she said calmly. “You don’t understand what it is to feel things. You don’t have emotions. You’re a sociopath. You can’t understand giving of yourself because it’s an alien concept to you.”

  “Oh, geez. Have you been watching old reruns of Oprah or something?”

  Instead of reacting with anger, Harper merely pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead and sighed. “What is it you want, Quinn?” she pressed. “If you don’t tell me, I’ll simply leave.”

  Quinn opened his mouth in such a way Harper was convinced he had something snarky to say. Instead, he adjusted his stance and offered a smile. “I want to talk to you about your testimony.”

  “Oh, really?” All Harper could hear in her disappointed mind was “I should’ve seen this coming” over and over again on a loop.

  “You’re a good person,” Quinn said. “You don’t want anyone to suffer, and that includes me. If you testify that I was innocent, that there was a mistake, they’ll let me off. I promise to never bother you again if you do this one thing for me.”

  “No.”

  “Harper, you owe me.”

  “How do I owe you?”

  “You moved on from my death rather quickly. Heck, without a body, you basically moved in with another guy even though you had no idea if I was still out there fighting to get back to you. That was hurtful, my dear.”

  “Oh, that’s rich.” Harper shook her head as the reality of what Quinn truly was washed over her. “You’re worse than a sociopath. It really doesn’t matter, though. I’m not helping you. You’re a murderer, and I have no doubt you’ll kill again if you get the chance. If you thought you would be able to charm me ... well, I guess you’re mistaken.”

  “If you’re not willing to help, why did you bother to come?” Quinn snarled.

  “Because I wanted to see the monster in his cage. I’ll sleep better at night knowing that you’re in here and never getting out.”

  “You’d better hope that I don’t. You’re the first one I’ll go after if I get out of this hole.”

  “Well, then I guess I need to tell the truth in my testimony so you don’t get out of here, huh?”

  “This is your last chance to help me,” he hissed. “If you leave now, I’ll never forgive you.”

  “Good. I guess that means we’re finally on level footing. It only took years for me to wise up and make sure that happened.”

  FELICIA HAYDEN SEEMED SURPRISED to find two police detectives standing on her front porch. Still, she didn’t as much as question Jared or Mel before ushering them inside.

  “It’s getting cold out there,” she commented, wiping a light dusting of snow from Mel’s coat. “I guess it’s that time of year, isn’t it? Do you want some coffee?”

  “That would be nice,” Mel said, following Felicia into her cozy kitchen. He waited until she delivered warm mugs of coffee to him and Jared before speaking again. “We have some questions, Felicia.”

  “I figured as much.” The woman cocked her head to the side, considering. “I saw the news about that poor Mathers girl. I’d assumed you would be working on that until you found her. Did something else take precedence?”

  “No.” Mel shook his head and sipped. The coffee tasted heavenly after a long morning of searching and questioning. “We’re still looking for Zoe. In fact, as part of that search, we were trying to talk to Jessica. We haven’t been able to track her down, though.”

  “Jessica?” Felicia wrinkled her nose. “I don’t understand.”

  “She was involved with Luke until recently,” Jared started. “We need to ask her a few questions about the dissolution of that relationship.”

  This time the face Felicia made was right out of a sitcom. “Oh, of course. I should’ve put that together myself. I knew that dating Luke was going to come back to bite her. Would she listen to me, though? Oh, no. She knew better … and look what it got her.”

  “I take it you weren’t a fan of the relationship,” Mel noted drily.

  “I was embarrassed by the relationship is more like it,” Felicia replied. “I mean ... Luke Mathers? He’s worse than the gum you find stuck to the bottom of your shoe. He’s a terrible man. I mean ... a really terrible man.”

  “How did Jessica and Luke hook up?”

  “They met at the gym. Well, I guess they knew each other before that, but just in passing. They worked out together one night and the next thing I knew Jessica was constantly smiling and giggling as she told me about what a great guy he was.”

  “How long did they date?”

  “Several weeks. Thankfully, I didn’t have to see them together very often. Jessica was smart enough to keep him away from me.”

  “Was she worried Luke would be rude?”

  “She was worried I would smack him over the head with a golf club. I still have her father’s old set laying around because he never took it with him after the divorce. I’ve been debating what to do with them.”

  Jared swallowed the mad urge to laugh at the woman’s deadpan delivery. Now was not the time.

  “What about their breakup?” Mel asked. “My understanding is that Luke dropped the bomb on Jessica with very little notice. He said she was upset but accepted it quickly. Was that your take on the matter, too?”

  “She thought she could change him,” Felicia explained. “I’m sure that every woman who has taken him on over the past decade thought the same thing, and that includes Ally. None of these women ever learn until they’re forced to grapple with his selfishness on their own terms.

  “She thought things were going her way right up until he ended things,” she continued. “She was so stunned, all she could do is call him a few names before storming out. Because he’s the world’s biggest jerk, he actually had a box with her stuff — items she left at his house during overnight visits — ready for her. He wanted to make sure she had no reason to come by again. Told her that would make it uncomfortable for her and he was really doing her a favor.”

  “He sounds like a real prince,” Jared supplied. “What about after, though? You said she was surprised and didn’t have a chance to react. What about after she settled?”

  “She was angry and hurt, although I think she realized she dodged a bullet,” Felicia replied. “Things could’ve been much worse. He could’ve knocked her up and abandoned her like Ally. He could’ve given her a venereal disease. The man is not picky when he chooses his partners. Things definitely could’ve been worse.”

  “Yes, well .... we still need to find Jessica,” Mel pressed. “We need to be able to cross people off our suspect list if we’re going to find Zoe.”

  “Why would she have anything to do with Zoe’s disappearance?”

  Mel shrugged, noncommittal. “Maybe because Luke dumped her and Zoe is a tangible tie to him. Sure, he hasn’t raised her, but he is her biological father. Even he would have no choice but to capitulate to the will of a kidnapper to save that little girl.”

  “And you think Jessica is capable of kidnapping a three-year-old child?” Felicia was incensed. “I think you should get out of my house.”

  Mel held up his hands in surrender. “I don’t think Jessica had anything to do with it. I have no choice but to formally rule her out, though. We have a missing child. Time is of the essence.”

  “Well, I don’t know where Jes
sica is,” Felicia said. “She’s been angry with me since the breakup because I might’ve been more unsympathetic than she expected regarding her feelings. She’ll get over it, though. She’s probably moved on to some other guy already. I mean ... I love my daughter, but she has bleeding tragic taste in men.”

  “When was the last time you talked to her?”

  “A few days ago, right after Luke broke up with her. She was a sobbing mess and I told her to suck it up and get over it. I mean ... everyone knew he was going to dump her. That’s what he does.”

  “And you’re positive she wouldn’t take Zoe, right?” Jared asked, ignoring the anger flitting across the woman’s face. “We have to ask. I’m sorry.”

  “I can guarantee she wouldn’t take that kid,” Felicia said. “She doesn’t even like kids. She never wanted them. She started telling me that when she was ten and I thought it was something she would grow out of, but she never did.

  “That’s one of the reasons she thought she was such a good match for Luke,” she continued. “He didn’t want kids; she didn’t want kids. That was a romance for the ages in her book. She thought she had a good chance of snaring him for that reason alone.”

  “And you have no idea where she is?” Mel tried one more time. “We don’t want to arrest her, simply rule her out.”

  “I honestly don’t.”

  Mel wasn’t convinced. “Would you tell me if you knew?”

  “Probably not, but it doesn’t matter. I really don’t know.”

  “Okay, well, if she calls, it’s important you get in contact with us. We need to find that little girl. The sooner we can rule out Jessica, the better.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Seven

  Harper texted Jared that she was free and clear of the jail and would talk to him about what transpired later. She stressed she was fine, that there was nothing to worry about, and insisted that he focus on work rather than her.

  Jared did none of that.

  “What do you think happened?” He stared at his phone as Mel navigated through the familiar Whisper Cove streets. “Do you think he tried to get her on his side?”