“She’s not dead,” Jared said. “Well, at least as far as I know. Josh didn’t mention losing his mother so I assume she’s still alive.”
“I haven’t seen her,” Harper said. “Linden has been all over the place. He’s been playing a part in the murder mysteries and hanging out with the guests. I guess I just assumed Josh’s mother was gone because she hasn’t put in an appearance.”
“She’s never been what I would call a fun person,” Jared said, putting the frame back together so he could replace it on the wall. “I only met her a few times when we were in college and each time she came to visit it was as if someone made her come.”
“That doesn’t sound like most mothers I know,” Harper said. “Why do you think she was so unpleasant?”
“I have no idea,” Jared answered, straightening the frame so it matched in with the others. “Linden was always happy and wanted to hear about all of our college shenanigans. Janet wanted to be anywhere but near us.”
“That’s sad,” Harper said. “My mother drives me nuts, but at least she’s interested in my life. Of course, in the case of my mother, she might be a little too interested.”
“I think she’s funny,” Jared said. “She reminds me of my mother in some ways, although I think it’s harder for mothers and daughters to relate than sons and mothers. Mothers and daughters fight because they’re so much alike while mothers dote on their sons.”
“Are you saying I’m like my mother?”
Jared didn’t like the tone of Harper’s voice. He recognized a trap when he saw one. “I’m saying that you’re my favorite person in the world.”
“Nice save, but now I’m going to wonder if you’re seeing my mother whenever we do … stuff. Thanks for giving me nightmares.”
Jared involuntarily shuddered. “And thank you for putting that image in my head. That was mean.”
“I think you deserved it,” Harper said, grinning. “I … oh, hey, Josh. We were just looking around.”
Jared swiveled when he realized they weren’t alone anymore, offering Josh a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry if we’re intruding, but we wanted to take a walk after dinner and our options were kind of limited,” he said. “We ended up here. I hope it’s not a problem.”
“It’s not a problem,” Josh said, moving closer to Harper and Jared. “No one ever comes in this room. It’s a shame.”
“How come you’re not using it for the mystery event?” Harper asked. “The guests would love it.”
“Yes, well, I would love it, too,” Josh said. “Unfortunately my mother would have kittens – not metaphorical kittens, real ones, mind you – if anyone dared have a good time in her beloved ballroom.”
“We were just talking about your mother,” Jared said, gesturing toward the photograph. “Harper assumed she was dead because we haven’t seen her. Is she out of town?”
“Oh, no, she’s here,” Josh said, making a face. “She’s ensconced in her suite because she can’t be bothered to mingle with the little people.”
“Tell us how you really feel,” Jared teased. “Is everything okay?”
Josh blew out a frustrated sigh. “My mother is having the toughest time adjusting to our new reality,” he said. “I love my mother, but … she’s difficult. She’s always been fairly distant with me and I have no idea how to talk to her.
“When this all went down she was living in denial,” he continued. “She didn’t want to see what was right in front of her and it was hard to explain something she had no interest in understanding.”
“Did she think you could magically turn the money situation around without sacrifice?” Harper asked, her heart going out to Josh. He was obviously struggling with his mother’s part in his life. She struggled with her mother, too, but it was nowhere near the degree Josh struggled.
“My mother never went to college and she has no head for business,” Josh replied. “She always spent money and never gave a thought to where it was coming from or what would happen if it stopped pouring in. It was … unfortunate … when things took a slide.
“It didn’t help that my father hid the realities of what was happening from her for a good six months,” he continued. “She spent money we didn’t have to lose during that entire time. She bought two cars and took expensive vacations. It was a nightmare.
“When I came home and found out what was going on I basically had to put her on an allowance,” Josh said. “It was quite small, especially when compared to what she was getting before. I sold some of her stuff and took away her credit cards. She pretty much looks at me as the enemy now.
“That was just the beginning, though,” he said. “When we decided to turn the house into a hotel she pitched a fit to rival the biggest divas in the world. She screamed and yelled and threw things. She demanded that we figure out something else to do – and give her the credit cards back – and when I told her this was our last shot she called me a liar and stormed out.
“She barely speaks to me now, and when I asked to use the ballroom for the mystery event, she pretty much threatened to stab me in the neck if I even tried,” he continued. “I decided it wasn’t worth the hassle and let go of the ballroom idea. Things are fine with the space we have, but it would’ve been nice to have a dance party in here on the final night.”
“Holy crap,” Jared said. “What does your father say about all this?”
“My father does his best, but he’s unwilling to even discuss anything with my mother,” Josh answered. “They’re pretty much living separate lives. They even sleep in different bedrooms.”
“That’s sad,” Jared said. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with so much.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Harper said.
“It is what it is,” Josh said. “I can’t change it so I live with it. Out of curiosity, though, how come you were looking at my mother’s photograph?”
“Oh, I was curious about this woman,” Harper said, pointing to Alice. “She looks familiar for some reason, but I can’t seem to place where I think I know her from.”
Josh shrugged. “I have no idea who she is,” he said finally. “I’ve never seen her before. I’ve never even really looked at the photos in this room. It’s a little too pink for my liking, although I did skateboard in here one time and I legitimately thought my mother’s head was going to pop off when she found out. I can’t help you with that woman, though. I’m sorry.”
Harper was disappointed but not surprised. At best Josh would’ve been an infant when Alice Thorpe died. “That’s okay,” she said. “I was just curious.”
Jared wasn’t ready to let it go. “We opened the frame because Harper is a curious little thing and it said the woman’s name was Alice Thorpe. Does that ring any bells?”
Josh wrinkled his nose. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I can ask my father if it’s important.”
“It’s not important,” Harper said, shaking her head to send Jared a silent warning. “I was simply curious. She probably just has one of those familiar faces that make people think they recognize her when they really don’t.”
“Probably,” Josh said. “I came to find you guys because they’re about to discover another body. This one is the mistress of the man who died earlier. It’s going to be very soap opera-y. You don’t want to miss it.”
“We definitely don’t want to miss that,” Jared said, reaching for Harper’s hand. “We’re still going to bed early, though. Don’t forget that.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
Fourteen
Jared woke up to the sound of voices the next morning. He figured it was Zander and Harper doing their regular ritual and discarded it as he tried to drift back off, but a rumble of thunder jerked him back to reality.
“Wait a second.”
Jared rolled to his side and found Harper sitting with her back propped up against the pillows. Her cell phone was on top of her bent knees and she was Skyping with Zander.
“You have got to be kidding me,” J
ared grumbled. “Even when we’re on vacation he ends up in bed with us.”
“We’re talking about serious business things,” Harper said. “I’m sorry, but he needed a few answers and I promised I would be available to help him if things popped up. You heard us say we were going to Skype every morning. I didn’t think it would be a problem.”
“No, I’m sorry,” Jared offered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “I didn’t realize it was business.”
“Well, it is,” Harper said. “Go on, Zander.”
“So, anyway, I call Eric to tell him not to bother coming in to work today because of the weather and … well … we have no clients, which is a whole other issue, and I swear I heard a woman in the background,” Zander said. “She called his name and said that breakfast was ready.”
“Maybe it was his mother.”
“Mothers don’t giggle like that when they’re with their sons,” Zander replied. “It’s unnatural … and potentially gross and illegal.”
“How is this about work?” Jared asked.
“Eric is my employee,” Harper replied, unruffled. “That makes it about work.”
“I don’t ever want to hear you say that you don’t gossip again,” Jared chided shifting so he could prop himself up next to Harper and get a gander at Zander through the tiny screen. He wanted to laugh because Zander was in his pajamas and still in bed. In a way, it was like they all really were in bed together. “Harper claimed she doesn’t gossip last night. How do you feel about that?”
Zander snorted. “If we didn’t gossip, we’d have absolutely nothing to talk about except for your nipples and my good looks.”
“I told you,” Jared said, his eyes flashing as he ignored the dig about his nipples. “How are things in Whisper Cove? Is Mel holding up the fort without me?”
“Uncle Mel is fine,” Zander answered. “He misses your handsome face, but when I told him about your abnormally large nipples he got uncomfortable and hung up. You’ve got that reaction to look forward to when you get back, Jared.”
“I can’t wait,” Jared deadpanned, glancing at the window. “It’s really coming down out there again. When I heard you guys talking I assumed it was another morning in Harper’s bed because I was confused, and then I heard the storm and remembered where I was.”
“We actually do have a legitimate reason to talk,” Harper said.
“Yes, Harper misses me and can’t live without me,” Zander said. “You need to remember that.”
“I’m well aware of that,” Jared said. “Did you have another reason for calling?”
“I did,” Harper confirmed. “I wanted Zander to see if he could convince Eric to run a search on Alice Thorpe.”
“That’s actually a good idea,” Jared said, rubbing his hand over his stubbled jaw. “That’s a really good idea. I thought you could ask Linden if we ran into him today, but you shut me down on that pretty quickly last night. How come?”
“Josh is dealing with enough and if Linden is going through half as much as his son, he’s already got a lot on his plate,” Harper explained. “Besides that, if something terrible happened to Alice Thorpe, asking questions about her is going to rile some feathers if we’re not careful.”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it,” Harper prodded. “Alice Thorpe’s ghost is here. When I asked her where she was going to be she pointed at the cemetery. If she has no ties to the Stokes family – and she must not if Josh doesn’t know who she is – how did she end up dead out here?”
“That’s actually a very good question,” Jared said. “Maybe the answer is simple. Maybe Alice died in an accident. Maybe Josh doesn’t know about her because no one ever talks about the accident. We don’t know it’s a murder.”
“We don’t,” Harper agreed. “We don’t know it’s not a murder either.”
“Most ghosts hang around because something really bad happened to them,” Zander offered. “We’ve had a few accidents keep people around, and even fewer people die in their sleep and just get confused so they hang on. The vast majority of ghosts remain behind because they died violently and want revenge.”
“Okay, let’s talk about that,” Jared said. “If Alice was murdered, we’re thinking it was sometime in the eighties, right?”
“How old is Josh?” Harper asked.
“He was born in 1988.”
“Okay, if Alice died here in the eighties and Josh was born in 1988, she could’ve conceivably died before Josh’s birth,” Harper said. “Her hair indicates eighties fashion, but when I saw her ghost it was still big but somehow tamed from what we saw in that photograph.”
“The eighties really were unkind to fashion,” Zander mused. “I wonder who thought of ratting hair and overdosing on Aqua Net, took a look in the mirror and said ‘that looks awesome, we should start a trend’ and then showed that hairstyle to other people? It’s just unnatural.”
Harper couldn’t stop herself from giggling and even Jared was amused. “People toned down the ratting late in the eighties but still had big hair, right?” she asked.
“Pretty much,” Zander replied. “I’m not an expert on the era because I think it should be wiped from the history books, but that sounds about right.”
“That would mean she died in the late eighties,” Jared supplied. “Once the nineties and Nirvana hit, the excess of the eighties was a thing of the past and angst and pouting of the slacker generation was the new trend.”
“Ah, the introduction of flannel as a legitimate fashion choice instead of the last resort for lumberjacks,” Zander said. “That was also a horrible time for fashion.”
“I’m guessing Alice died after Josh’s birth, but there’s no way of knowing until we can talk to her,” Harper said. “There’s no way to find her until these storms pass. Do we know more about when they’re going to end?”
“I think they’re supposed to roll through all day,” Zander answered. “I slept like a baby last night. I love a good thunderstorm. Was it loud out on the island?”
“I couldn’t hear over Harper’s snoring,” Jared replied.
“I do not snore,” Harper said, playfully slapping Jared’s arm. “That’s you.”
“I didn’t snore,” Jared argued. “After our bath, I was out like a light.”
“Yes, Harper told me about your baths and the hopping soap,” Zander said. “That’s very original.”
Jared shot Harper a disgusted look. “Do you have to tell him everything?”
“Pretty much.”
“Can’t you leave a few things for just you and me to know about?” Jared prodded. “I’m not talking about everything, just a few things.”
“I guess,” Harper said, giving in. “Do you want to take a shower and not tell him about it?”
“You just told him about it,” Jared pointed out.
“That was an accident.”
“Whatever,” Jared made a face and turned his attention back to Zander. “If you find anything out about Alice Thorpe, give us a call. I’m not sure where to look for information on her and we don’t exactly have access to computers out here.”
“I’m on it,” Zander said. “I’m bored anyway. It will probably be the most fun I have all day, which is a little sad. Maybe I’ll turn a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills marathon on to entertain myself while I’m doing it.”
“Don’t be a cliché,” Harper said.
“It’s not being cliché when I make fun of them,” Zander said. “I can’t seem to help myself.”
“Okay, well … make sure and mock them for me, too,” Harper said.
“I definitely will.”
“Other than that, I think we’re all caught up,” Jared said, reaching for the phone.
“What are you doing?” Zander asked, wrinkling his nose. “Don’t you even think about disconnecting that phone. I’m not done talking to Harper yet.”
“Oh, you’re done talking to Harper,” Jared said. “It’s time for us to do something private an
d for you to be cut out of the information highway. We’ll call you if we get anything … and I’m pretty sure Harper will call you this afternoon when she thinks I’m not looking because she’ll want to gossip again.”
“Don’t you hang up that phone,” Zander warned.
“Goodbye, Zander.”
“You still have huge nipples!”
JOSH was already seated at what Harper had come to consider “their” table when she and Jared made their way into the dining room shortly before nine. He greeted them with a wide smile and pushed the carafe of coffee in their direction.
“You two look happy this morning,” he said. “Did you have fun going to bed early last night?”
“I’m not answering that question on the grounds that it might upset Harper and I don’t want to risk that in case I need a nap this afternoon,” Jared answered, pouring mugs of coffee for both of them. “How was the murder mystery event after we left?”
“Oh, well, the guests had fun going through the clues regarding the affair,” Josh answered. “They were pretty spicy. I have to hand it to the guy who wrote them because there was a lot of giggling and suggestive winks.”
“Oh, really?” Harper asked, sipping her coffee. “How did that go over?”
“Let’s just say you and Jared weren’t the only ones to retire early and leave it at that, shall we?”
“I’m fine with that,” Jared said. “What’s the news on the weather? Zander filled us in a little bit, but he’s prone to dramatic fits so I want to hear it from you just to be on the safe side.”
“You already talked to Zander this morning?” Josh asked, his eyes lighting up. “Did you talk to each other as a group, or was this an individual thing?”
“I know what you’re thinking and I don’t care if you make fun of me,” Jared said. “I woke up to Harper and Zander talking and thought I was back at Harper’s house. It turns out they were Skyping – ostensibly about work – and they had gossip to share. We also talked about the weather.”
“How fun,” Josh said, smirking. “Well, as for the weather, we’re definitely stuck here for the day. The storms are supposed to roll through with breaks in between, but even during the breaks it’s supposed to drizzle.
Ghostly Deceits (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 3) Page 11