Ghostly Holiday (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 11)

by Lily Harper Hart

  Shawn took a moment to study Zander’s bright red coat and matching boots. “I’m not going to lie. You look like you could do some square dancing if you put your mind to it.”

  Zander scowled. “I can’t believe we’re dating.”

  “That makes three of us,” Harper offered as she walked next to Zander. “I thought for sure you would find something to dislike about him by now. Too bad he doesn’t have overgrown toenails or nose hairs that you could braid, huh, Zander?”

  “Oh, you’re so funny.” Zander poked her side as Shawn laughed. His reputation with men before Shawn was the stuff of legends and involved freaking out over back hair and climbing out a window to avoid having to explain exactly why the relationship wasn’t going to work. Shawn appeared at the exact right time — when Harper and Jared were making plans for the future — and Harper couldn’t help wondering if it was destiny, that perhaps Zander stayed single for as long as he did because he knew she needed him.

  “I think I am funny,” Harper said, slowing her pace so she could study the festival as it popped into view. “It looks fairly normal.”

  “Were you expecting it to change after thirty years of the same thing?” Zander queried. “I can’t ever remember it being different.”

  “No, but with Zoe missing ... .” She trailed off, not wanting to throw a wet blanket over the festivities.

  “They’re having a candlelight vigil for her,” Shawn volunteered. “I heard people talking about it in the gym today. I think people were upset over what happened to the point where they were considering not attending, but I think that would be a shame.”

  “Why is that?” Harper was legitimately curious.

  “Because this community is coming together to find that girl. The festival is just another way for them to come together. When we find her, Zoe is going to be able to look back on this and realize exactly how many people worked as a group to find her.”

  “Oh, that’s a nice way of looking at it,” Harper enthused. “You have a good heart, Shawn. That’s only one of the things I love about you.”

  “I’m guessing you also love me because I regularly take Zander off your hands.”

  “That, too.” Harper giggled when Zander swiped at her, easily sidestepping him and almost crashing into an approaching figure. She had an apology on her lips — she hadn’t even imbibed any of the peppermint hot chocolate yet, so there was no reason to be unsure on her feet — but it died when she realized Jared was the one invading her personal space. “Hello, handsome.”

  Jared grinned as he slipped his arm around her waist and gave her a quick kiss. “Hello, beautiful. You’re in a good mood this evening.”

  “It’s Christmas,” she said simply. “Halloween is my favorite holiday, but there’s still something magical about Christmas.”

  “You’re just looking forward to the spiked hot chocolate,” Zander countered.

  “That, too. You definitely have to try to the hot chocolate, Shawn. You’ll dream about it for the rest of the year. You, too, Jared.”

  “As lovely as that sounds, I believe I’m going to pass this evening,” Jared said. “We need to watch the crowd fairly closely, and I don’t think being drunk is going to help that endeavor.”

  Harper sobered. “Do you think whoever took Zoe is going to be here?”

  Jared held his hands palms out and shrugged. “I have no idea. It’s a possibility, though. They’re having a candlelight vigil. If you don’t want to be considered a suspect, the smart thing to do is attend.”

  “Except you’re going to be watching the attendees,” Harper pointed out.

  “I am, but it’s human nature to pretend to be innocent.”

  “What does that mean for Zoe?” Shawn asked. “If her kidnapper is here, where will she be?”

  “I don’t know the answer to that either.” Jared turned rueful. “We don’t know the kidnapper will be here. We have to watch, though. It’s all we have.”

  “I’m guessing the van turned out to be nothing, huh?” Harper asked.

  “It did. He let us in his house and there’s a legitimate reason for the dogs. He is a sex offender, but it’s one of those things that should’ve never made it on the list.”

  “Like what?” Zander asked curiously. “Are you talking about whacking off in public or something? Because, if so, I totally agree that’s not a crime. It’s gauche, but not a crime.”

  Harper scowled as Shawn choked on a laugh. “That is so gross.”

  “It’s definitely gross,” Jared agreed, slinging an arm over Harper’s shoulders. “That’s not what he was nailed for. It was public urination.”

  “Oh.” Harper made a face. “That’s ... weird. I didn’t know that was a thing you could get arrested for.”

  “It’s been known to happen a time or two.” Jared pressed his lips to her temple, enjoying the way she snuggled in at his side. “So, I was thinking we would get some dinner together and look around before the vigil. We have a little time before that happens, though. Let’s spend it together.”

  “You read my mind.”

  “There’s no reason you can’t have the hot chocolate either, just because I can’t.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. I’m totally having the hot chocolate. I can’t miss that.”

  “I would say she’s exaggerating about the hot chocolate, but she’s really not,” Zander said. “It is the best thing ever made.”

  “Then let’s get my girl giddy,” Jared suggested. “It will be fun since you’re going to have to be the one babysitting her during the vigil.”

  “Oh, I see how your mind works.” Zander’s expression darkened. “I’m going to pay you back for that when you’re least expecting it.”

  “Bring it on.”

  THE FESTIVAL WAS AS FUN as Harper and Zander remembered, although they had nostalgia fueling them. Jared and Shawn were amused more than anything else, especially when two high school students walked by with shovels. They were complaining loudly to anyone who would listen, and Jared couldn’t stop grinning at their backs.

  “What’s their deal?”

  “Someone has to pick up the reindeer droppings,” Harper explained, snickering as the boys headed toward the end of the street. “Santa is down there to meet with the kids, and you can’t have Santa without reindeer.”

  “Santa, huh? Do you want to sit on his lap and tell him what you want for Christmas?”

  “I think I’ll stick to sitting on your lap.”

  “Good choice.”

  They got plates of food from one of the open restaurants and sat at a picnic table close to the warmers. Jared couldn’t remember ever seeing the town bustling with so much activity.

  “This must be a big deal, huh?” He sawed into his kielbasa as he watched the happy people greeting one another. “I think everyone in town is here.”

  “Pretty much,” Harper agreed, shoveling kielbasa and sauerkraut into her mouth. “Oh, this is marvelous. I only eat this once a year and it’s as amazing as it always is. I love it.”

  “It’s pretty good,” Jared agreed, his eyes busy as they bounced between faces. He was making a big show of being interested in the conversation, but it was obvious that his mind was on other things.

  “Why don’t you tell us what you’re thinking?” Harper suggested, opting to tackle the elephant in the room. “You can’t shut it off. Maybe we’ll be able to help.”

  “I’m thinking that people would notice if someone missed the festival,” Jared replied honestly. “I mean ... I don’t think everyone would obviously notice, but if someone from your particular peer group was absent, you’d probably question that, right?”

  “I would think so,” Zander confirmed. “My entire family is here. They’re down that way.” He jerked his head to point. “Even though I came with Harper and Shawn, if I don’t stop to see them, I’ll be in big trouble. It’s a community event, but it’s the one time of the year when everyone treats each other like family.”

  “So, I
wonder who is missing,” Jared mused.

  “I thought you said that the kidnapper is probably here,” Harper argued. “Are you changing your mind?”

  “Maybe.” He stroked his chin, intent. “There are a lot of people here, more than I imagined. Maybe our culprit wouldn’t feel comfortable with this many people around at one time. Or maybe I’m just making this more difficult than I have to.”

  Harper patted his hand, sympathetic. “I get it. The longer we go without finding Zoe, the more worried you get. You’re doing everything you can do.”

  “Yeah, it’s not enough, though. Most missing children are found in the first twenty-four hours. The odds grow staggeringly lower after that. With each passing hour now, it becomes more and more difficult.”

  “You can’t give up.”

  Jared forced a smile as he turned back to her. “I’m not giving up. If I’ve learned anything from falling in love with you, it’s that miracles are possible.”

  Harper went gooey all over as Zander mimed gagging.

  “That was the schmaltziest thing I’ve ever heard,” Zander complained.

  “Get used to it,” Jared ordered, leaning closer to Harper and pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I’m going to keep it up for a very long time.”

  JARED LEFT HARPER WITH Zander and Shawn so he could join Mel at the fringe of the crowd. The older police detective sipped coffee as Jared sidled up, and almost looked amused when he leaned forward to sniff the cup.

  “Are you worried I’m partaking in the peppermint hot chocolate?”

  Jared shrugged. “From what I hear, it’s practically magical. How can you refrain?”

  “You jest, but it is downright magical. You have no idea how much I love that hot chocolate.”

  “Probably not as much as Harper. I think she’s already had two mugs, and maybe she snuck in a third when I wasn’t looking. I can’t be sure.”

  “That should make her downright lovable by the time you can take her home.”

  “She’s always downright lovable.”

  “Ugh. You guys are sick. I can’t wait until you propose and put me out of my misery. Only men thinking about getting married are as ridiculous as you. Once you’re married, you’ll realize that romance is a myth.”

  “Hey!” Jared extended a warning finger and glanced around before continuing. “Don’t say that so loud. You’re going to ruin the surprise.”

  “If you would get it over with, there would be nothing to ruin.”

  “It needs to be a big deal.”

  “See, I think you’re being bamboozled by television and movies to believe that. I proposed to my wife over a bucket of KFC and warm biscuits. She still talks about the proposal.”

  “I’m guessing it’s not in a good way,” Jared said drily.

  “We’re still married.”

  “And it’s a great accomplishment,” Jared agreed. “I’m going to have a great marriage and proposal. You can have both.”

  “Fine.” Mel held his hands up in mock defeat. “You do your thing. Just get it over quickly so I don’t have to worry about what I say. You know I’m not good with a secret.”

  “I do know that,” Jared confirmed. “Zander gets that from you.”

  “And I think we should start making our way around the crowd,” Mel intoned. “If we don’t, there’s gonna be a fight ... with or without the peppermint hot chocolate.”

  “Fair enough.”

  HARPER WATCHED ALLY LIGHT her candle for Zoe with a mixture of pride and sadness. The woman was barely holding it together, and yet she was leaps and bounds ahead of where she’d been earlier in the day. Karen was with her, sort of her de facto wingman, and they kept close to one another as volunteers made the rounds with the candles.

  “It’s a wonderful outpouring, isn’t it?” Shana offered, moving to the spot beside Harper. She already had a candle, although it wasn’t lit.

  “There are a lot of people here who clearly care about Zoe,” Harper agreed, shifting from one foot to the other so she could give Shana a sidelong look. “How are you doing with all that’s going on?”

  “Are you wondering if this brings back memories of Chloe?”

  “I would think it would have to.”

  “Well, you would be right. The thing is, though, I think about Chloe all the time whether there’s a missing child or not. Zoe’s disappearance obviously reminds me of what happened, but nothing ever truly stops me from missing her.”

  A bubble of sympathy took up residence in Harper’s chest. “I’m sorry. It must be hard for you at this time of year.”

  “It’s hard for me every time of year. Christmas isn’t worse or better. In truth, Chloe’s favorite holiday was Thanksgiving. She said it was because turkeys were underappreciated.”

  Harper smiled because she knew it was expected. “Well ... she sounds like a wonderful girl. I don’t really remember her that well. We were a bit younger and the high school kids at that point in time were considered mythical creatures by us middle school losers.”

  “I think she would’ve grown up to be a wonderful woman.” Shana let loose a long sigh. “Sometimes that’s what I think about, how she would’ve turned out. What kind of mother she would’ve been, if she would’ve had a career or opted to be a homemaker. The sky was the limit for my girl, and I like imagining what could have been rather than what was.”

  “I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but you don’t know with absolute certainty that Chloe is dead,” Harper hedged. “She could be out there somewhere.”

  “And she purposely stayed away? Why?”

  Harper thought of Quinn. “I don’t know that I’m the best person to be sharing this conversation with,” she said ruefully. “My ex-boyfriend came back from the dead a few weeks ago and tried to kill me. My head is all over the place.”

  Shana snorted. “I forgot about that. I guess, to you, it’s entirely possible for someone to disappear for years and come back, huh? The thing is, I very much doubt it’s going to happen twice in the same small town. I know she’s gone. I’m a ... realist.”

  Harper pursed her lips. “I don’t want to tell you your business — and I get why it’s important for you to be able to put the past behind you and look forward — but you really shouldn’t have told Ally to accept that Zoe was gone. We don’t know that she’s gone yet. There’s still a chance we’ll find her.”

  “I didn’t tell her she was gone. I said she had to pull herself together and be strong, because whether Zoe is gone or not, Ally is no good to anyone if she curls up in a ball and stops living her life. I certainly didn’t mean for her to embrace the fact that Zoe is gone for good. If she took what I said that way ... well, I guess there was some miscommunication.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it,” Harper said, brightening considerably. “Ally is barely on her feet. She might’ve only heard what she wanted to hear.”

  “That’s true. You wouldn’t believe the things I imagined I heard in the weeks surrounding Chloe’s disappearance. I thought everyone was saying something they weren’t because my nerves were shot, my emotions fragile. It took me forever to crawl out of that hole. I don’t want the same thing for Ally.”

  “None of us want that for her. No one is ready to give up, though. We’re going to find Zoe. I have faith ... and I want Ally to have it, too.”

  “There might come a time when she has to give up the fight.”

  “Maybe. It’s not today, though.” Harper flashed a small smile before moving to her left. “I need to get a candle and then find Zander and Shawn. It was nice talking to you, Shana. What you’re doing for Ally is wonderful. She probably doesn’t realize it yet, but she will ... one day.”

  “I’ll see you around, Harper. I ... oh, wait.” She screwed up her face, something occurring to her. “Did you ever track down the owner of the van?”

  “I didn’t, but Jared did. Turns out it was a dead end.”

  “Oh?” Shana looked disappointed. “I’m sorry to hear that
. I was hopeful that would prove to be a vital clue.”

  “No. It turns out the guy was a sex offender, so they really thought they were getting somewhere, but he was delivering furniture and simply didn’t have time to carry out the deed. And, well, he was on the sex offender registry for public indecency, not a sex crime. It’s a whole big thing. He’s not a suspect, though.”

  “Well, that’s too bad. I hoped he would lead you to Zoe.”

  “We all did. I’ll see you around.” Harper offered a half-wave and turned to find Zander and Shawn. She’d barely made it through the crowd, to where she thought they would be standing, when she pulled up short.

  There, standing on the far side of the gathering, was a forlorn woman. She had long dark hair and glittering eyes. If Harper didn’t know better, she would’ve assumed she was crying. That was impossible, though, because the woman wasn’t there for the candlelight vigil. She was there because she was dead, which meant she had numerous other problems.

  “Oh, well, crap,” Harper muttered, her heart rolling. “This isn’t a Christmas miracle.”

  Ten

  Harper tracked the ghost as she sidled through the crowd, barely paying any attention to the people she crossed paths with as she moved away from the bustling activity.

  For her part, the ghost loitered on the other side of the fence that separated the main drag from the park. Harper didn’t immediately recognize the woman — and had no reason to believe she had anything to do with Zoe’s disappearance — but she couldn’t drag her eyes away from the specter.

  The ghost didn’t look at Harper, instead studying the group of people toward the center of the action. Harper didn’t as much as look over her shoulder because she already knew who was standing there. Ally. She was surrounded by the people supporting her and trying to hold it together with all eyes on her.

  Harper swallowed hard as she hit the street, took a moment to look both ways, and then turned back to the woman ... only to find her gone. She pulled up short, her heart thumping hard, and scanned the park for signs of movement. Unfortunately, the ghost that had been there only moments before was gone, and there was no indication where she went.