Jared felt a sickening sensation wash over him as he calmly flicked his eyes to the water. He expected to find a body floating on the slow-moving waves – why else would Zander be so worked up, after all – but instead he saw something else entirely. “What the … ?”
Harper followed his gaze, her eyes widening when she saw the boat bobbing on the water about five hundred feet from the beach. “Is that the boat we came out here on?”
“The Sally May,” Zander confirmed, nodding.
“But how?” Jared was dumbfounded. “They left heading in the other direction.”
“I don’t know how, but the boat looks empty,” Zander replied. “We’ve been calling out to them and trying to get their attention for the past five minutes. No one answers and we can’t see any movement.”
“Son of a … .” Jared blew out a weary sigh. “Get the members of Michael’s group. I want to talk to them.”
“They’re already on their way.”
JARED MANAGED TO maintain an air of calm until Michael, Steve, Trey, and Finn joined their small group. The façade faded quickly when Michael opened his mouth.
“It’s a boat.”
“Oh, really?” Sarcasm practically dripped from Jared’s tongue. “It’s a boat? I never would’ve figured that out myself. I’m just … tickled pink … that you noticed.”
“Hey, dude, I know you’re straight so you can get away with saying a lot of things, but you can’t get away with that,” Zander noted. “Only gay guys and old ladies can say ‘tickled pink’ without losing their street cred.”
Jared scorched Zander with a murderous look. “Really?”
Zander correctly read Jared’s mood and shook his head. “No. I was just talking to hear myself talk. Carry on.”
“Great,” Jared gritted out. “Yes, it’s a boat, Michael. It’s the boat we came out here on. It’s empty as far as we can tell. Do you want to explain how that happened?”
Michael balked. “How should I know? Perhaps your guy screwed up and lost his way.”
Jared didn’t believe that for a second. “Eric knows how to get back to Whisper Cove.”
“Maybe they came back,” Finn suggested, tilting his head to the side so he could study the boat. “Maybe they reported what happened and came back to help.”
“Then why is the boat out there?” Jared asked.
Finn shrugged. “Maybe it broke down.”
“Then how come no one is on the boat?”
“Maybe they’re down in the hold sleeping,” Finn replied. “No one found any bodies, right? They probably figured no one would be up to see them until at least dawn. Hey, maybe Molly swam out there to find out what’s going on.”
The thought hadn’t even occurred to Jared, and when he risked a look at Harper he found her mulling the same scenario.
“I don’t think she would do that,” Harper said finally. “Why wouldn’t she wake us up instead?”
“Maybe she was excited,” Trey interjected. “She clearly had a thing going on with that other guy in your group.”
Harper’s eyebrows flew up her forehead. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, yeah, they’re totally a couple.” Finn bobbed his head in agreement. “They’re hiding it for some reason, though. I think the dude is the one who made that decision because the chick isn’t happy.”
Harper was flabbergasted … and dubious. “But no. He has a crush on me.”
Jared slid her a sidelong look. “I thought you said he was over that.”
“He is, but I’m not easy to get over.”
It wasn’t a funny situation, but Jared couldn’t stop his lips from curving. “No, and that’s why I plan on keeping you for the long haul. Still … that might explain why they’ve been so snippy with each other. Maybe they are hooking up. I suggested that exact thing to him when he left and he didn’t deny it, although I didn’t use those exact words.”
Harper racked her brain for hints that was true, finally shifting her eyes to Zander. “What do you think?”
Zander held his hands palms up and shrugged. “I think that Molly had a huge crush on Eric and maybe they got drunk together and did the horizontal hula. I’ve always thought that would happen and then Eric would think better of it the next morning and we would ultimately have to fire one of them because the fighting would get so bad.”
Harper wanted to argue with the scenario, but she couldn’t. She’d often thought that might happen, too. “But we would’ve known if they had sex,” she argued. “Neither one of them is good at hiding things.”
“Why do you think they’ve been sniping at one another?” Trey asked.
“I … .” Harper pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead and groaned. “Crap.”
“You’d better be saying that because you think you’re a bad boss for not noticing and not because you’re sad about Eric getting over his crush,” Jared warned, his eyes never leaving the boat. “I don’t see any movement out there, but I guess they could be asleep under the deck.”
“We need to find out,” Shawn said. “We need to know for sure.”
“We also need to know if they made it to Whisper Cove,” Jared added. “I was working on the assumption that Mel was on his way out here. Eric and John might not have made it back to town, though, so that changes things.”
“What if he’s not on his way out here?” Zander asked, fear curling in his belly. “What if we’re stuck here forever?”
“We’re not going to be stuck here forever,” Jared said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “Mel knows when we’re supposed to be back and when I’m supposed to return to work. If we’re not back tomorrow, he’ll worry enough to send someone out here.”
Zander was mollified. “Especially because I’m his favorite nephew.”
“Yeah, he mentions that all of the time,” Jared drawled, his eyes fixed on the boat. “I need to swim out there.”
“The water is going to be cold,” Harper argued. “You might get sick.”
“I won’t get sick, but someone needs to look at that boat,” Jared said. “I think that means I’m the one who has to swim out there.”
“You’re not going alone,” Shawn argued, reaching for his shirt. “I’ll go with you.”
“Wait a second.” Harper wasn’t happy with the situation. “I don’t want you going out there alone.”
Jared flashed a patient smile. “That’s why Shawn is going with me. I’ll be fine. I won’t be but a half hour at the most. If I find the others there, we’ll all swim back together.”
Harper darted a look at Zander to see what he was thinking. “Are you okay with this?”
“I don’t know,” Zander replied, his expression serious. “I don’t think Jared should go alone, though, so I guess I have to be.”
“That doesn’t mean you should be separated from Shawn.” Harper made up her mind on the spot. “I’ll swim out there with Jared.”
Jared immediately started shaking his head. “Absolutely not.”
“Why?”
“Because the water is cold.”
“You said it wasn’t that bad.”
“Yeah, well … no.”
Harper crossed her arms over her chest, her stubbornness coming out to play. “I want one good reason why that has nothing to do with me not having a penis.”
“I … .” Jared worked his jaw as he tried to think of a reason. Finally he could do nothing but shake his head. “Fine. If you get a cold, though, I’m going to force you into bed for a week and make you eat chicken noodle soup and take constant baths with me.”
“I think you’re supposed to come up with a punishment instead of a reward in situations like this, dude,” Shawn noted.
Zander nodded sagely. “Those are both things she likes.”
Jared rolled his eyes. “Fine. Then I’ll make you go to the bathroom in front of me, Heart. How does that sound?”
“Like some really kinky thing none of us what to be involved in,” Trey replied, grinning when he sa
w the dark look on Jared’s face. “What? I’m just trying to lighten the mood.”
“Whatever.” Jared heaved out a sigh as he looked Harper up and down. “I have my boxer shorts. What are you going to swim in?”
“I’m wearing a sports bra and boy shorts,” Harper replied. “It’s just like a bathing suit. In fact, it covers more than my bathing suit.”
Jared took on a wistful expression as he remembered a certain beach day over the summer, and the itsy-bitsy bikini she wore to enjoy it. “I really miss hammocking.”
Harper snorted a laugh as she reached for her shirt. “Come on. I need to know what’s out there.”
Jared followed suit. “Okay, but you do what I say when we reach the boat. Do you understand?”
Harper mock saluted. “Yes, sir.”
“Oh, that’s hot,” Trey intoned.
Jared extended a warning finger. “Turn around.”
Trey chuckled. “Do you really think I’m going to ogle your girlfriend or something?”
“Turn around or I will thump you,” Jared seethed. “I’m not kidding.”
“Wow. You guys are absolutely no fun.” Trey turned his back as Harper disrobed, crossing his arms over his chest. “I can’t wait for this job to be done.”
“I think we all agree with that,” Jared said. “All I want is my girl and off this island. It can’t happen fast enough.”
15
Fifteen
Harper gritted her teeth as she waded into the water. She insisted on being the one to accompany Jared so there was no way she would complain about the temperature. She stroked out quickly, her muscle memory taking over as she valiantly tried to keep her mind busy. Thankfully the boat wasn’t far away so it wouldn’t take them long to get to it.
Jared watched her out of the corner of his eye, internally chuckling at the way she clenched her jaw. She was freezing but would never admit to it. That wasn’t her way. She was far too stubborn. Sometimes he found the trait annoying. Other times he found it endearing. This was an example of the latter. He hadn’t been keen on leaving her even though he knew Zander would protect Harper with his life. Now he didn’t have to make the choice.
They reached the boat at the same time. On a normal day, Jared would’ve considered himself a gentleman and hoisted Harper up on the ladder ahead of him. He was too worried what he would find onboard, though, and swung onto the ladder before she could.
“Follow me but be ready to jump back in the water in case we find something bad.”
Harper mutely nodded. She had an inkling what the “something bad” Jared worried about was. Thankfully for both of them, when they reached the top of the ladder they found it completely empty.
“Anything?” Harper furrowed her brow as she glanced around.
“No sign of anyone,” Jared replied, rubbing his hand over her cold skin. “Stay here a second.” He disappeared beneath the deck to scan the small cabin below but was back within less than a minute. “Empty.”
Harper swallowed hard. “Any signs of a struggle?”
“No. It’s just empty.” Jared exhaled heavily through his nose and moved to the boat controls, frowning when he found the ignition empty. “The keys are gone.”
Harper considered herself fairly intuitive, but she had no idea what that meant. “What do you think happened?”
“I think someone took the keys.”
“I figured that out myself,” Harper said dryly. “Why would they do that?”
“I have no idea,” Jared answered. “There are a couple of theories that fit the scenario.”
“What are they?”
Jared noticed Harper shivering and tugged her to him so he could share some of his body heat. He was nowhere near as cold as he thought he would be, but she appeared to be suffering greatly.
“The first is that Eric and John made it to Whisper Cove, alerted Mel to what was going on, and decided to head back to the island despite the storm,” Jared explained. “They wouldn’t have been able to get too close to the island due to the waves so they dropped anchor and swam in.”
“So where are they?”
“I have no idea. Under that scenario, they met with trouble before they got to us. Maybe the ghosts didn’t bother us because they were busy with John and Eric.”
“And what happened to Molly under that scenario?” Harper pressed. “How do you explain her disappearance?”
“Heart, I don’t know. None of the scenarios plug every plot hole. They’re merely a jumping off point.”
“What is your other scenario?”
“Someone knew that they were out here and waited for them on the beach, perhaps even enticing them to swim in somehow,” Jared replied. “I’m not sure how they knew … maybe they heard something we didn’t and came out to investigate.”
“And then what?” Harper asked. “Whoever it was killed them?”
“Or took them captive.”
“To what end?”
“I don’t know.” Jared figured Harper was tired of hearing that answer, but he didn’t have another one to give her. “I think that we need to seriously consider the fact that not everything happening right now is ghost related, though.”
Harper dug her fingers into Jared’s flank. “You think we have someone dangerous with us, don’t you?”
“I think that’s the only answer that makes any sense,” Jared replied. “I think it’s entirely possible that Lucy walked off to force your hand. That doesn’t explain why she’s still missing, though.”
“That doesn’t mean the ghosts didn’t do something to her.”
“What?” Jared pulled back slightly. “What could they do to her? I’m not being difficult. I really want to know.”
“Ghosts can affect the physical world,” Harper reminded him. “The last ghost Zander and I took down hurled apples at us.”
“Yes, you smelled like an odd little pie.”
“Ha, ha.” Harper tapped her finger against his chest. “Ghosts can hurt humans if they have enough energy behind them. The ghosts at the asylum have a lot of rage fueling them, maybe a little mental illness, and a whole lot of isolation, so they have a lot of anger to get out.”
“Do you think it’s possible for a ghost to kidnap someone? I’m talking about taking them without us knowing and keeping them captive.”
Harper tilted her head to the side, considering. “Yes. I don’t know how probable it is, but I do think it’s possible.”
“Okay, where would a ghost be able to keep someone that wouldn’t be easy to mount an escape?”
“Hmm. Good question. You’re using your brain.” Harper flicked Jared’s ear as she thought. “We looked over the plans last night. Did anything stick out to you?”
“Apparently you have a better construction brain than me because none of it looked odd to me. You have better instincts for this stuff. What do you think?”
“I think that we need to look at it logically,” Harper replied. “They needed lockdown wards, right? They had legitimate mentally disturbed individuals here. That means they needed to be able to lock some of the wards for their own security.”
“That makes a lot of sense, Heart.”
“It also means we’ve been looking in the wrong place from the start,” Harper pointed out. “I was afraid of the basement because a lot of terrible things happened there. The rooms are on the second floor, though. I’m sure equally terrible things happened there and that was the place the souls called home at the time of their deaths.”
Jared caught on to what she was saying. “So … upstairs?”
Harper nodded her head. “Upstairs. It’s the only logical place to look next.”
“Then let’s get going.” Jared cast one more glance around the boat and shook his head. “The anchor is down. The boat isn’t going anywhere. Hopefully we’ll be able to find the keys.”
“If we find Molly and the keys, I want to get out of here,” Harper said. “We can send someone back for Lucy and the others.”
“What about Eric?”
Harper chewed on her bottom lip. “I want Eric, too, but we have no idea if he’s even on the island. He could be back in Whisper Cove for all we know. Maybe he told Mel what was happening and stayed behind and John came back on his own.”
“That’s definitely another possibility,” Jared conceded. “If Molly and Eric were involved, though – even if it was going wrong – I don’t think he’s the type of guy who would leave her to fend for herself. I also don’t think he’s the type of guy who would leave you and Zander. He would happily leave me.”
“He would.” Harper cracked a wan smile. “Maybe he stayed behind to ride on a different boat with Mel, though. I can see him doing that.”
“I can, too.” Jared rubbed the top of his head as blew out a heavy breath. “We don’t have nearly enough evidence. I don’t know what to make out of any of this.”
“The only thing we know for sure is that someone from their team probably has to be involved,” Harper said. “That means, once we get back to shore, we need to stay with Shawn and Zander no matter what. No more splitting up.”
“No more splitting up,” Jared agreed. “There are only four of us now. We have to remain together.”
“Both groups are down two people,” Harper mused. “We’ve lost Eric and Molly. They’ve lost Lucy and John. Do you think that’s on purpose?”
“I don’t know. I know I don’t like the fact that two women appear to have been kidnapped. You’re sticking close to me no matter what. I don’t care how quirky you are about going to the bathroom in front of me.”
“I went while we were swimming.” Harper was sheepish. “I couldn’t help myself.”
Jared snorted. “I’m fine with that. You’re going to have to get over going on land, though. I’m not taking you swimming whenever you have to go.”
“I’ll just stop drinking liquids.”
Jared sighed, resigned. “We’ll figure it out. Now, come on. We need to get back to the island. Once there, we’re sticking close as a foursome.”
“And then we’re heading to the second floor,” Harper said. “I think that’s our best bet.”
Ghostly Asylum Page 14