Ghostly Deceits (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 3)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “She said she does it all the time and that you knew about it and nothing was going on,” Josh said.

  Harper’s warm feelings regarding the man were fading fast in light of his tattletale nature. “We should get you out of those clothes, Jared.”

  Jared ignored the suggestion. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with talking to yourself,” he said. “I do it all the time.”

  “Yes, but she was talking about having to leave because of the storm but helping someone once the weather got better,” Josh said. “It didn’t sound like she was talking to herself.”

  “I don’t think it matters,” Jared replied, unruffled. “Was she hurting anyone?”

  “No,” Josh said, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “It was just … odd.”

  “I don’t see what’s odd about it, but if you’re upset I guess she can keep her conversations with herself to … well … herself, if that makes you feel better.”

  “I didn’t mean to upset anyone, least of all Harper,” Josh said. “I just … was worried about her.”

  “You don’t need to worry about her,” Jared said, squeezing Harper’s hand. “She can take care of herself. I’m here to take care of her now, though. Don’t worry about a thing. Everything is under control.”

  “I … .” Josh closed his mouth and nodded. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” Jared said. “Everything is fine.”

  “EVERYTHING is not fine,” Harper practically exploded the second Jared closed their suite door five minutes later. “He thinks I’m crazy.”

  “You are crazy,” Jared said. “What were you doing talking to a ghost in the middle of a dangerous storm?”

  “How do you know what I was doing?” Harper asked.

  “Because I’m not an idiot,” Jared replied, tugging his shirt off and dropping it on the floor. “You don’t generally walk around talking to yourself unless Zander has caused you to flip your lid.”

  “Oh.”

  “Oh,” Jared said, nodding knowingly. “Come here.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Come here,” Jared repeated, his temper wearing thin.

  Harper took an uncertain step toward him and then willingly stepped into his embrace when he opened his arms. “I’m sorry I ruined this trip,” she murmured into his shoulder. “Your friend thinks I’m crazy and I ruined everything.”

  “You haven’t ruined anything,” Jared countered. “This is why I didn’t want to hide your abilities. You shouldn’t be ashamed of them. You’re amazing.”

  “I didn’t know he was behind me,” Harper said. “I didn’t realize I was walking toward a ghost until I was almost on top of her. I thought she was a regular woman and she might need help. The storm was almost on us and … I’m so sorry.”

  “Knock it off, Heart,” Jared said, swaying as he rubbed her back. “You have nothing to apologize for. Josh is the one who should feel like an ass. You weren’t doing anything wrong.”

  “It didn’t help that I was convinced you were going to be stranded on the other side of the lake,” Harper said. “I was on the phone with Zander and he said he was going to make you spend the night with him so you could compare nipples.”

  “If Zander doesn’t stop talking about nipples I’m going to cut his off,” Jared groused. “Everything is okay. I’m here. You’re here. We’re together. This place has a generator so we’re not going to lose power.”

  Harper let him soothe her for a few minutes and then finally felt calm enough to step away. “I really was worried.”

  “I was worried, too,” Jared conceded. “That ferry ride back over here was choppy and uncomfortable. I made it, though. We’re stuck here for the next two days. I heard the ferry operators talking and they were shutting it down after the last ride. We’re together, though.

  “We’ve got a bathtub, shower, wine, and food,” he continued. “What more do you want?”

  “We have a ghost, too,” Harper reminded him.

  “Do you know anything about her?”

  Harper bit her lip and shook her head. “She didn’t speak.”

  “Well, until you know something about her, we can’t do anything,” Jared said. “Now that she knows you can see her, she might show up. I’ll protect you if that happens and you’ll be able to talk to her without fear of discovery.”

  “You really are wonderful.”

  “I know,” Jared said, grinning. “That’s why you’re going to reward me with a shower. You’re already wet so you need to get cleaned up and I need some comfort after my ordeal.”

  Harper snorted. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “Come on,” Jared prodded. “I’m a hero for retrieving the wine. I deserve a hero’s welcome.”

  “Well, who am I to argue with a hero?”

  “THIS smells amazing,” Jared said an hour later, leaning closer to his plate and inhaling the pasta dish. “This is exactly what I need after my death-defying trip.”

  Harper arched a dubious eyebrow. “Seriously? Now you almost died?”

  “Yes, and you’re going to have to reward me for that when we get back to our room tonight,” Jared said.

  “You’re lucky I was really worried about you because otherwise this would not fly,” Harper said, although she wasn’t particularly irked. She found Jared’s whims adorable. “I forgot they had another fake body discovery this afternoon. Do we know if it went well?”

  “It went fine,” Josh answered, taking the spot next to Harper at their table and offering her a rueful smile. “I’m sorry you guys missed it. It was my fault and I feel terrible.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Jared said. “The drive wasn’t bad and the only harrowing part was the ferry ride back. I wouldn’t want to do it again, but everything turned out fine. Did you get the wine out of my truck?”

  “We did and thank you.”

  “No problem,” Jared said. “This food looks amazing, by the way.”

  “We’re having surf and turf tomorrow, and that’s really going to be amazing,” Josh said. “I hope you like lobster tails because we have a lot of them and you can have as many as you want.”

  “Sold,” Jared said, grinning at Harper. “I absolutely love seafood.”

  “You like all food,” Harper said, although she returned his smile. “That does sound good. This looks amazing, too, though.” She averted her eyes so she couldn’t meet Josh’s earnest stare.

  “Harper, I want to apologize for earlier,” Josh said. “I was out of line and I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

  “It’s fine,” Harper said, waving him off and remaining fixated on her plate. “It’s honestly not a big deal.”

  “I don’t think that’s true,” Josh said. “You’re upset. I can see it on your face … even though you won’t look me in the eye. The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable.”

  Harper pointedly locked gazes with Josh. “It’s fine.”

  “Let it go, Josh,” Jared prodded. “She’s embarrassed and you’re getting pathetic about making amends. Let’s call a truce and move on. It’s over and done with.”

  “Okay,” Josh said.

  Harper sent Josh a legitimate smile. “It really is okay,” she said. “I was flustered because I lost Zander when we were talking on the phone and you scared me because I didn’t hear you coming up behind me. It’s not a big deal.”

  “As long as you’re okay, I’m happy,” Josh said. “I’m never going to be able to steal you away from Jared if you hate me.”

  “I don’t hate you,” Harper said, allowing herself to marginally relax.

  “And he can’t steal you away from me because I am the ultimate man,” Jared added.

  “And that, too,” Harper said, giggling at Jared’s mock outrage.

  “Speaking of the storm, it’s bound to get loud tonight,” Josh said, changing the conversational topic to something less risky. “The guests are still buzzing about the death this afternoon. It was a maid, if you’r
e interested. They’ll be searching for clues all night and there might be another surprise, although I’m not allowed to broadcast the specifics. I’m actually glad about everything ramping up in the game because that will keep everyone distracted and busy.”

  “What do you want us to do?” Jared asked. “And when you answer, make sure you realize we’re going to bed early because I need to be treated like a hero after my epic trip this afternoon.”

  “You’re a freaking drama queen, man,” Josh said, rolling his eyes. “Just watch everyone and see if they’re having a good time. Tell me if any of the staff isn’t playing the game correctly.”

  “I can guarantee your butler Trask isn’t going to play,” Jared said. “He gave us an earful this afternoon about how turning the house into a hotel was undignified.”

  “He’s … set in his ways,” Josh said. “I like Trask. He’s been around since I was a kid. He’s never been particularly nice to me, but it’s not like he was mean to me either. If I had my druthers my father would force him to toe the line.

  “They’ve got a unique relationship, though, and my dad doesn’t like bossing Trask around for some reason,” he continued. “Trask basically gets to do whatever he feels like doing. If you see him being obnoxious, tell me. Otherwise just ignore him. That’s what I do.”

  “What is his deal?” Harper asked. “Is he upset because the house isn’t Downton Abbey any longer?”

  Josh snickered. “Pretty much, and that’s an absolutely apt way of putting it. He thinks the house is a status symbol. It’s just a house, though, and if we want to keep it in the family we have to change with the times. He needs to understand it and accept it.”

  “Did you know your dad knows Harper’s father?” Jared asked. “I guess they went to camp together as kids.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Josh said, shaking his head. “It’s a small world. It’s also another reason she should dump you and choose me. Our fathers already like each other.”

  “I’ll have you know that her father adores me,” Jared argued.

  “Is that so?” Josh didn’t look convinced.

  “I believe his exact words upon meeting me were ‘I guess you’ll do.’”

  “Well, if that’s not a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is,” Josh said, laughing heartily. “Now I want to meet Harper’s father and her best friend. Whisper Cove sounds like a happening place.”

  “You have no idea,” Jared said.

  Thirteen

  “I need to walk off this food, and we can’t go outside to do it,” Harper lamented after dinner, leaning back in her chair and patting her stomach. “I’m glad we didn’t have to dress up tonight because there’s no way I would’ve fit into a dress.”

  “You’re beautiful and you know it,” Jared said. “I’m stuffed, too. I know better than to eat that much and yet I can’t seem to stop myself.”

  “You’re a glutton.”

  “Pretty much,” Jared agreed.

  “Maybe we should take a walk down some of these hallways before whatever tonight’s big murder mystery event happens to be goes down,” Harper suggested.

  “We can do that,” Jared said, balling up his napkin and dropping it on the table. “Let’s take a walk.”

  Jared let Harper pick the direction as they left the dining room and he wasn’t surprised she opted for the hallway that led past the library. Instead of turning into that room, though, she kept going.

  “Do you know what’s down here?” Harper asked.

  “No. Do you?”

  Harper shook her head and slipped her hand in Jared’s. “No, but I haven’t seen anyone come down here since we’ve been here. Either it’s storage or they’re hiding something good.”

  Jared snickered. “You’re such a busybody.”

  “I think you have me confused with Zander.”

  “Zander is the king of busybodies,” Jared clarified. “You might be the queen, though. Together you two are an unstoppable gossip force. When you add in Mel and Zander’s mother, I honestly think the world could cease to exist because it will get swallowed into a gossip black hole.”

  Harper barked out a coarse laugh. “That is ridiculous,” she said. “I don’t gossip.”

  “You and Zander spent twenty minutes this past week talking about how Eric and Molly hold their shoulders when they talk to one another and what that could possibly mean regarding a future romance,” Jared pointed out. “Are you saying that’s not gossip?”

  “That is an observation.”

  “Ten minutes after that you talked about how some hairdresser at the salon was getting a boob job and she was going to look like Dolly Parton if she wasn’t careful,” Jared said.

  “That was … okay, that was gossip,” Harper conceded. “Fine. I like to gossip. Sue me.”

  “As long as you admit it,” Jared said, kissing Harper’s cheek. “You’re very cute when you get feisty.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind when you try to get me to take another bubble bath and conveniently lose the soap and have to feel around the tub until you find it,” Harper said, causing Jared to laugh.

  “What? You don’t like that game?”

  “You keep looking in odd places for the soap,” Harper said. “If the soap ended up where you were looking for it we’d have to call Ripley’s Believe It or Not because it would be hopping soap.”

  “Given all the things you can do, I’ve learned never to rule anything out,” Jared said, slipping his arm around Harper’s waist and tugging her to him as he feigned seriousness. “I’ll show you something else that hops later if you’re a good girl.”

  “You’re such a pig.”

  Jared and Harper moved down the hallway, following the bending corridor until it led them into an ornate ballroom. Harper sucked in a breath when she saw it, the pink walls and exquisite chandeliers knocking her for a loop.

  “Wow,” Jared said, releasing Harper so he could move farther into the room. “I had no idea this was here. This is so … .”

  “Beautiful,” Harper enthused, her eyes wide as she tried to drink everything in.

  “I was going to say tacky and ostentatious, but we can go with your word,” Jared said, grinning when Harper shot him an evil look. “It’s just so … pink.”

  “That’s because it was designed in the 1970s,” Harper said, moving to the nearby wall so she could study the photographs on display. “Wow. Look at this. That’s William Milliken. He was Michigan’s governor back in the eighties.”

  “How do you know that?” Jared asked, peering at the photograph. “He looks like your everyday random white dude.”

  Harper made a face. “My grandfather was obsessed with writing him letters,” she said. “He used to complain about things he did all the time. I never understood why he was upset, but boy did he like mailing complaint letters.”

  Jared snickered. “I wish I could’ve met him. He sounds fun.”

  “I wish you could’ve met him, too,” Harper said.

  “Would he have liked me?”

  “Since you’re always making dirty suggestions, probably not,” Harper said. “If you behaved yourself in his presence, he definitely would’ve liked you.”

  “Did he like Zander?”

  “He loved Zander. He thought he was cheeky. That was the word he always used to describe him.”

  “Zander is definitely cheeky,” Jared said. “I can think of a few other words to describe him, too.”

  “Don’t be mean about my Zander,” Harper chided, moving to the next photograph. “No way.”

  “What?” Jared followed Harper and widened his eyes when he saw the photograph. “Is that Sonny Bono?”

  “That looks to be after his Sonny & Cher days but before his political days,” Harper said. “I wonder if he had ties to Michigan.”

  “That would be my guess,” Jared said. “Oh, look, the eighties came to the Stokes’ house. Even the rich weren’t spared the atrocity of eighties hairstyles.”

  Har
per laughed as she stared at the three women in the photo. Their hair was as wide as it was long. She leaned forward after a moment, frowning as she tried to get a better look at the woman on the far right.

  “What’s wrong?” Jared asked.

  “I can’t be sure, but I’m almost positive this is the ghost I saw today,” Harper said, pointing.

  Jared knit his eyebrows together and stared at the woman in question. She was pretty, beautiful even. Her hair was long and tinged with red highlights. Even though her hairstyle was ridiculous by today’s standards, you could tell she was the belle of whatever ball she was attending.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure,” Harper said. “That’s her. It’s weird. I told Zander her clothes seemed dated and he was horrified to think she might be trapped in the eighties for all of eternity.”

  “Did the ghost look the same age as this woman?” Jared asked, pointing.

  “Pretty close,” Harper said. “I think the ghost looked like she was in her twenties or thirties. She might have been younger. I honestly didn’t get a good look at her because I was so amped up due to the storm.”

  Jared removed the frame from the wall and turned it over. “I was hoping there would be some identifying card or something, but I guess not.”

  “Open it,” Harper instructed. “My grandmother always writes the names of people on the back of the photographs, not the frames. Most people don’t have boxes of photographs hanging around these days so it’s kind of fallen out of habit, but if there’s going to be any sort of identifying marker on there, it will be inside of the frame.”

  Jared did as Harper asked, pulling the cardboard buffer out and smiling when he saw cursive handwriting. “It looks like you were right … again.”

  “You should just assume I’m always right and reward me accordingly,” Harper said, glancing at the names. “Janet Marcil, Theresa Coolidge, and Alice Thorpe. According to this, my ghost’s name is Alice.”

  Jared flipped the photograph over again and studied the three faces. “I didn’t realize it right off, but Janet Marcil is Josh’s mother,” he said. “She looks a lot different now, but that’s her.”

  Harper stared at the brunette in question. “When did she die?”