Ghostly Holiday (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 11)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Harp, what are you doing?” Zander called out, drawing her attention back to the festival. “You need a candle.”

  “Sorry.” Harper forced a smile that didn’t make it all the way to her eyes. “I’m coming. I’ll be right there.”

  SNOW WAS FALLING WHEN Harper woke the next morning and instead of bouncing out of bed, she snuggled closer to Jared so she could watch the large flakes slowly drift to the ground through the window. Jared was still out, his eyes closed, but he instinctively slipped his arms around her as she nestled her face against his shoulder.

  She couldn’t shake the idea that the ghost’s timely appearance the night before was important. Of course, she had no idea who the woman was, so it was possible she’d been dead for years and only drawn to the area because of the crowd. Harper had no way of knowing the woman had information ... and yet something inside niggled for her to go back and track down the lost soul.

  “I can hear you thinking so loudly that I’m afraid you’re going to wake the dead,” Jared muttered around a yawn.

  Harper tilted her head so she could study his handsome face. “I’m sorry I woke you. It’s snowing out. I love snuggling in the snow.”

  He pried open one eye and smiled. “If I could, I would call in sick and we could snuggle all day. I promise to make it happen before winter is over.”

  “That sounds fun.” She rubbed her cheek against his chest. “Did you see anyone of interest at the vigil last night?”

  “Everyone was of interest ... and also boring at the same time, if that makes sense.”

  Oddly enough, that made perfect sense to Harper. “Everyone could be a suspect, but they also could be innocent.”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Huh.” She rubbed her hand over his bare chest as he tugged the covers up to cover both of them, drawing them over their heads and causing her to laugh. “What are you doing?”

  “I want to live here, in this bed tent, with you for the rest of my life.” He kissed her, not caring that he could barely see her in the darkness. “This is a happy place.”

  “You really are feeling schmaltzy these days, huh?”

  “Maybe, or maybe I simply know what I want. Like, right now, I would give up pretty much everything to stay in this bed for the next twelve hours.”

  “What would we do for food?”

  “Make Zander deliver it to us.”

  “Yes, because that sounds like something he would do.”

  “Well, I didn’t say he would be happy about it.” Jared’s fingers were gentle as they brushed her hair away from her face. “You haven’t told me much about your meeting with Quinn. I’m trying not to push, but if you want to talk, I’m here.”

  Harper blew out a sigh. “There’s nothing much to talk about. He tried to manipulate me and failed. Then he tried to get me to agree to change my testimony and failed again. It’s not as if we had some deep and meaningful conversation.”

  “No? I thought maybe he would apologize for what he did to you.”

  “I guess, in his roundabout way, he did. He made up stories and tried to tell me things I knew weren’t true. I didn’t believe him, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “I’m just worried about you. What happened with Quinn was ... out there. It would only be normal for you to question things after the fact.”

  “The only thing I’m questioning is how I didn’t see him for what he was from the start.”

  “You were young.”

  “Yeah, well, young doesn’t mean stupid. That’s what my dad always says.”

  “You mean the man who is fighting over an antique cuckoo clock that doesn’t even work as he continues to battle it out with your mother in a divorce that has been going on for years?”

  Harper sighed. “That would be my one and only father.”

  Jared chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her slim body, pulling her close as they kissed. “I love you, Harper Harlow.”

  “I love you, too, Jared Monroe.” Her eyes sparkled. “You’re acting extremely mushy this morning, though. I find it ... interesting.”

  “I’m acting romantic,” he countered. “Who doesn’t love romance?”

  “Good point.”

  They lapsed into amiable silence, the only sound Harper could register coming from Jared’s heart as it beat against her ear. Then, suddenly, she remembered something and bolted upright. Since the covers were over her head, she got tangled and had to fight her way free.

  “What’s wrong?” Jared asked as he joined her in the real world. “I thought we were having a nice moment.”

  “We were. It’s not that. It’s just ... I saw a ghost at the candlelight vigil yesterday.”

  Jared’s heart dropped. “And you’re just telling me now? Was it Zoe?”

  “No.” Harper vehemently shook her morning-mussed head. “It wasn’t Zoe. It was a woman. She was older. I would say in her late twenties. Part of me thought I should recognize her at the time. The other part wasn’t so sure.”

  Jared blinked several times before speaking. “You recognized her.”

  “I’m not sure.” She chewed on her bottom lip, uncertain. “I don’t suppose you have a photograph of Jessica Hayden, do you?”

  The question caught Jared off guard. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. I’ve only met her once or twice, and we’ve never been what I would consider close. I think that maybe the ghost I saw was her, although I can’t be certain.”

  “Hold on.” Jared slid out of the bed. “I’ll be right back.” He disappeared through the bedroom door, returning two minutes later with his tablet and climbing under the covers as he booted it up. “It will just take me a second.”

  “Okay.” Harper leaned her head against his shoulder as he worked, and Jared planted a hard kiss in the center of her forehead.

  “Here we go,” he said after a few keystrokes. “Is this the woman you saw?”

  Harper focused on the computer screen, on the pretty brunette with the bright eyes and easy smile. There was a lump in her throat as she slowly nodded. There was no doubt the woman she saw in the park was Jessica. “Yeah.”

  “Are you absolutely sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  Jared heaved out a sigh. “I guess that means she’s dead and not on the run with Zoe.”

  “If she did have Zoe, do you think it’s possible she’s still alive and not alone ... wherever she is? Zoe, I mean. If Jessica took her and is dead … what does that mean for Zoe?”

  Jared recognized what she was saying right away. “I don’t know, Heart. I guess we have no choice but to find out, though.”

  “Definitely.”

  AN HOUR LATER, HARPER and Jared were bundled up and at the park. Jared left his vehicle on the main road and they entered the property from the spot where Harper saw the ghost the previous evening.

  “Right here?” Jared asked, holding out a hand to help Harper over the small fence.

  Harper nodded, her eyes keen as she scanned the area. She had a knit cap pulled low over her ears and a pair of fuzzy mittens on so she could more easily take them off if she felt the need to touch something. “Yeah. She was standing right here.”

  She turned and looked back at the street, which looked normal again. The festival steering committee must have been busy after everyone left the previous evening, Harper internally surmised. There was no evidence the town hosted a party.

  “I was right there,” Harper explained, pointing. “I caught sight of her and started moving in this direction. The street was shut down to through traffic, so I didn’t need to look before crossing the street. I did anyway, and that’s when I lost sight of her.”

  “Well, don’t blame yourself.” Jared moved his hand over her back and scanned the park. It looked empty, desolate even. For some reason, seeing the vacant swings and merry-go-round caused his heart to ping. He was certain Zoe probably enjoyed hanging out at the park, and the only way she would be able to enjoy it again was if they
found her ... and soon. “I guess we should look around.”

  “Yeah.” Harper bobbed her head. “I’ll take this side of the park. You take the other.”

  Jared balked. “Why don’t we stick together, huh?”

  Amused despite herself, Harper had to bite back a grin. “I think you’re being a little ridiculous. It’s the middle of the day and we’re out in the open. Nobody is going to grab me or anything.”

  “I know. It’s just ... fine.” He heaved out a sigh. “It will be quicker if we split up. Don’t go too far, though.”

  “Trust me. I have no intention of spending one more second out here than is necessary. It’s cold ... and I don’t like being cold.”

  “Well, if you’re a good girl, I’ll warm you up later.”

  They split, Jared heading to the west and Harper the east. There were very few places to hide a body given the time of year. In the summer and fall months, the property was drenched in foliage thanks to flowers, bushes, and leafy trees. Now, it was barren, and there were only so many places to look.

  Harper kept her gaze intent on the ground to make sure she didn’t miss any clues, and when she finally moved to the area behind the huge slide she and Zander used to love playing on for hours at a time as kids, she pulled up short.

  She didn’t see the body. Not at first, at least, but a chill swept over her at the exact moment she saw hair fluttering in the breeze. To be fair, she didn’t realize it was hair for a full ten seconds. She saw something odd moving, tried to wrap her head around what it was, and only found the answers when she caught sight of a perfectly manicured hand hiding amongst the hair.

  “Jared,” she called out weakly, rooted to her spot.

  He didn’t hear her. He was too far away.

  She cleared her throat and called out again. “Jared!”

  This time his head snapped in her direction and he broke into a run. He was at her side within seconds, and he put an arm across the front of her body to keep her from rushing forward.

  “Son of a ... .”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Harper said drily. “I think I need to sit down.”

  MEL WAS THE FIRST ON the scene, followed closely by the county medical examiner’s van. Whisper Cove was too small to have their own coroner, so they had to contract with the county for services. Thankfully, they didn’t have to wait long today.

  “What do we have?” Allison Ryan, one of four pathologists the county employed, asked as she snapped on a pair of rubber gloves.

  “Jessica Hayden,” Mel volunteered from his perch close to the woman. He was crouched low so he could look over the body from a fresh vantage point, and he appeared uneasy. “We were looking to question her in the disappearance of Zoe Mathers.”

  Allison’s expression shifted. “I see.” She took a long moment to scan the immediate area. “No little girl?”

  “No. We’ve looked. She’s not here.”

  “Well, I guess that’s something.” Allison carefully slipped her hand into the still-fluttering hair and pressed her fingers against the woman’s neck. “Just making sure,” she said when Jared shot her an agitated look. “That’s part of my job description.”

  “Do you think we didn’t check?”

  “No. I still have to check myself. I’m sorry if you don’t like that.”

  “Whatever.” He moved his hands to Harper’s shoulders and gave them a light rub, which wasn’t easy given the size of her heavy parka. “Do you have a cause of death?”

  “Are you kidding?” Allison’s eyes flashed. “I just got here. I actually have to look at the body before making a determination.”

  “She was struck in the head,” Harper automatically offered. “I’m guessing by that huge rock.” She pointed toward a huge stone located about two feet from the body.

  “What makes you say that?” Allison asked. “And, oh, who are you?”

  “This is Harper Harlow,” Jared automatically answered. “She’s my girlfriend and she was with me when the discovery was made.”

  Allison narrowed her eyes. “Since when do police detectives take their girlfriends to murder scenes with them?”

  “Harper has a special skill set,” Mel interjected. “She’s the reason we knew to look in the park in the first place.”

  “Uh-huh.” Allison stared so hard at Harper it made the ghost hunter uncomfortable. “I think I’ve read stuff about you in the newspaper. You were the one who was almost killed by the guy who came back from the dead, right?”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” Jared exploded.

  “I’m simply trying to understand what she’s doing here.”

  Harper was too cold to continue playing games. “I can see ghosts,” she volunteered, ignoring the wild look in Mel’s eyes as he fanned his face behind the medical examiner. “I run a ghost-hunting business where we try to help displaced souls cross over. I saw Jessica’s soul last night, although she disappeared quickly. It didn’t sit well, so we came back this morning to look for her ... and found this instead.”

  “I see.” Allison flicked her eyes back to the body, moving her hands to the back of Jessica’s head before speaking again. “She was definitely struck on the back of the head. I don’t know that I can say it was with that rock, though.”

  “There’s blood on the rock,” Harper volunteered. “I saw it when we were waiting for you.”

  “Oh, well, then maybe it is the murder weapon.” Allison brightened considerably. “That will save time, huh?”

  Harper slid Jared a sidelong look and found him watching her with unreadable eyes. “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You obviously have something on your mind.”

  “I just find you adorable. I like that you’re your own person and aren’t embarrassed to say whatever comes to your mind.”

  “Yes, I’m a wonder and a joy,” she drawled, rolling her neck and turning to her left when she caught sight of a uniformed officer. “Isn’t that David Packer?”

  Mel turned to look and nodded. “Yes. We sent him to search the area on the other side of the park for Jessica’s vehicle. We’re hoping to get lucky there, because otherwise, we have no idea where her car is. That’s a loose end I don’t like.”

  “We have a lot more loose ends than that,” Jared argued. “None of this makes any sense.”

  “Well, at least we have another direction to look in.” Mel straightened and focused on David. “Anything?”

  “We didn’t find her car on the access road on the far side of the park,” David replied, fighting to catch his breath. “We did find it at the library, though. It was just sitting there, right out in the open.”

  “Seriously?” Mel started to move. “Show me.”

  They left Allison to do her thing with the body and hurried to the sidewalk. Whisper Cove wasn’t large, and the library was only two blocks away. Harper’s heart was pounding as she fought to keep up with Mel’s long strides.

  “Did you look inside?” Harper asked, the cold air causing her lungs to hurt. “Did you look in the trunk to make sure Zoe isn’t there? If she was there all night, she could be frozen.”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Mel chided. “All we have is a car so far.”

  They remained silent until they arrived at the vehicle in question. Immediately, Mel and Jared split, with each taking a different side of the vehicle.

  “It looks clean,” Mel noted, shielding his eyes from the limited sun. “Zoe definitely isn’t in there.”

  “No, but her hat is,” Jared said, pointing toward a spot behind the passenger seat. “She was wearing a hat with cat ears, right?”

  Harper nodded, her stomach twisting as she looked over his shoulder. “That’s too small to be an adult’s hat.”

  “We need to open the trunk right now,” Jared insisted, tugging on the passenger side door. “It’s locked.”

  Mel tried his side, but it didn’t open. “Stand back,” he ordered David, using the
butt of his gun and smashing it against the window. The glass shattered into a million pieces, and Mel reached inside and hit the trunk button on the dash. “Go,” he ordered Jared, inclining his chin.

  Jared didn’t need to be told twice. He raced to the back of the car and grabbed the trunk lid, internally praying he wasn’t about to see the worst thing in the world, and then shoved it open. To his immense relief, the trunk was empty. There was no little girl trapped inside.

  “Phew,” he muttered under his breath, wiping his brow with the back of his hand. It was a true testament to his fear that he managed to work up a sweat in below-freezing temperatures.

  “She’s not in there,” Harper said, relief positively rolling off her. “That’s good, right?”

  “It’s better than the alternative,” Mel said. “We still have a problem, though. If Jessica had Zoe’s hat, where is she?”

  “I don’t know, but this case is getting weirder and weirder,” Jared said. “None of this makes any sense.”

  “Which is why we have to start at the beginning. I have no idea what’s going on here, but we’re missing something ... and it’s something important.”

  Eleven

  Jared took Harper to Jessica’s house, but only because he hoped she would be able to find their missing ghost. He ordered her to stay in the car long enough to force open the front door — he was legitimately worried there would be a body inside — but when he came up empty, he briefly allowed her to enter.

  “Don’t touch anything, Heart,” he warned, keeping watch out the front window. “You don’t have much time. The state police are sending over a crime scene unit, and they should be here in ten minutes. No offense, but I don’t want to explain what you’re doing here. It didn’t exactly go over well with the medical examiner.”

  Harper couldn’t muster the energy to be offended. She didn’t have time. Instead, she cruised through the house — keeping her mittens in place — and tried to swallow the bubble of disappointment clogging her throat by the time she was finished.