Ghostly Deceits (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 3)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I’m pretty sure you don’t want to follow it,” Jared said. “Go back to Hal. What are his financials like?”

  “I wouldn’t say they’re dire, but he’s not exactly rolling in dough,” Mel replied. “I don’t think there’s a lot of money in murder mystery troupes. He does okay, but he doesn’t own a home and he basically lives in a crappy rental in Ohio during his off time, which isn’t much because he’s constantly working.”

  “Does he have any enemies you can find?”

  “Not really,” Mel said. “He doesn’t have ties to anyone because he’s always moving around. I guess you could say he has ties to members of the mystery troupe, but he’s the only long-term holdout. The turnover in that group is pretty high.”

  “I’m guessing it’s because everyone thinks the mystery troupe is a stepping stone to greatness,” Jared said. “Cara thinks she’s going to be a big actress and she suggested I hop on her before that happens because I would regret it afterward.”

  “And what do you think?” Mel asked.

  “I think the only thing I would regret is losing Harper,” Jared said, his fingers drifting over the graceful curve of Harper’s neck. “What about Alice Thorpe?”

  “Alice is another story,” Mel said. “Information on her is tight. I don’t think it helps that she died before the Internet was big, but it seems something else might be going on here.”

  “Like?”

  “Like maybe the Stokes family paid money to lock her records up,” Mel supplied. “There’s no digital information on her other than a few cursory things. We have a date of birth and death. We have a marriage certificate. We have a death certificate. That’s about it.”

  “What does the death certificate say?”

  “She died of a heart attack in her sleep,” Mel answered.

  “How old was she?”

  “Twenty-Nine.”

  “She died of a heart attack in her sleep when she was twenty-nine?” Jared asked, incredulous. “That seems highly unlikely, especially since she told Harper she was suffocated in her sleep not long after she gave birth to Josh.”

  “I can’t speak for the investigators because they’re all long gone,” Mel said. “There might have been a cover up. There might not have been a cover up. We simply don’t know and I’m not sure how we could get that information even if it’s out there to claim.”

  “Have Harper talk to Alice again,” Zander suggested. “She said Alice had an idea who killed her but wouldn’t say who it was. My money is on the husband. It’s always the husband.”

  “In theory, that’s a possibility,” Jared said. “I’ve known Linden a number of years, though, and I’ve never considered him as someone who would be capable of murder. You also have the second wife, who I always thought was the only wife, and she’s extremely unpleasant.

  “Alice told Harper that Janet was her best friend and Josh’s godmother,” he continued. “Josh made it sound as if he’s never gotten along with his mother and things have gotten out of hand recently because of the financial problems. What if Janet killed Alice because she wanted a slice of the Stokes financial pie?”

  “If that’s the case, do you think she’s capable of killing Josh if he stands in her way of spending money?” Mel asked.

  “I honestly don’t know,” Jared said. “There’s a lot to consider here and we only have an hour and a half before dinner. Keep looking and see what you can find. I need to wake up Sleeping Beauty and get her in the shower. We have a lot to deal with over the next few hours and we’re going to have to come up with a game plan.”

  “You need to be careful,” Mel said. “You’re cut off and the police presence on Harsens Island is minimal. Even if you could get help, the Stokes family is like royalty out there. There’s a chance the local boys might not be willing to help.”

  “We’ll keep our eyes open and be in touch,” Jared said. “If you find any information, email it to us. Don’t call us unless it’s really important. We’re going to be following people around and feeling them out tonight. An ill-timed phone call might cause problems.”

  “You’re saying that for my benefit, right?” Zander asked.

  Jared smirked. “Do you know what? I was just thinking when I answered the phone that I actually missed you. I have no idea how long that will last – and not long if your attitude stays like this – but I actually miss you.”

  “Of course you do,” Zander said. “I make everyone’s life richer and fun.”

  “Especially Harper’s,” Jared said. “I know she misses you, too, even if she won’t admit it because she thinks it would bother me.”

  “Give Harper a kiss for me, but not a filthy one,” Zander said. “We’ll keep digging. It sounds like things are going to come to a head there no matter what.”

  “I don’t see any other way around it,” Jared said. “Hal is dead on this property somewhere. The house is huge, but we can’t let these people go until we know how he died and who killed him if he was murdered.”

  “What about Alice’s murder?” Mel asked. “What are you going to do about that?”

  “I’m not sure there’s anything we can do,” Jared replied. “We can’t take the word of a ghost to a judge for a warrant, that’s for sure. I’ll talk to Josh, but … I honestly don’t know if he realizes Janet isn’t his mother.”

  “If he doesn’t, his father certainly did him a disservice,” Mel said. “There’s no reason Josh couldn’t love Janet like a second mother. He deserved to know about his real mother, though.”

  “I agree,” Jared said. “See if you can find anything. In fact, go to Phil. Ask him about Linden. Linden knew Harper’s grandfather and he mentioned going to summer camp with Phil. It’s a long shot, but Phil might know some dirt on the family.”

  “I’m on it,” Zander said. “We’ll figure this out. Don’t worry.”

  “I’m not worried.”

  “Oh, and Jared?”

  Jared stilled with his hand close to the disconnect button. “Yeah?”

  “I miss you, too.”

  Twenty

  “How do you want to handle this?” Harper asked an hour and a half later, slipping her hand into Jared’s and letting him lead her into the dining room. “Are you just going to blurt out that Janet isn’t his mother and then hope Josh’s isn’t upset?”

  “No,” Jared said, leading Harper toward their usual table. “I’m going to play it by ear.”

  “That’s your plan?” Harper wasn’t impressed.

  “Do you have a better suggestion?” Jared asked, pulling Harper’s chair out and making sure she was settled before planting a soft kiss on her cheek and moving to the chair next to her. “I don’t want to play games, but I’m not sure how Josh is going to take this on top of everything else.”

  “You’re worried he’s going to have a meltdown because I said I could see ghosts and now I’m claiming to have talked to his mother – who he didn’t realize was his mother – which means his life will be upended.”

  “I’m not sure what you just said there, but I think that’s pretty much right,” Jared said. “I want to see how Josh is handling the first bit of jarring news before I launch a second batch in his direction.”

  “That sounds like a good idea to me,” Harper said, grabbing the menu from the center of the table. “Ooh, yum, they have surf and turf again. I love steak and lobster.”

  Jared chuckled. “Do you know that one of my favorite things about you is your appetite?”

  Harper stilled, surprised. “Is that a good thing?”

  “It’s a very good thing,” Jared confirmed. “Other than our first date when you were exceedingly nervous and were going to order a salad, you’ve never once looked at a meal and thought you shouldn’t eat it because you wanted to impress me.”

  “Would me not eating impress you?”

  “No. It would make me sad.”

  “Then it seems like a moot point,” Harper said, reaching for a breadstick. “Do you wish I woul
d eat less? Do you wish I was a dainty girl with a tiny appetite?”

  “Absolutely not,” Jared answered. “You’re naturally thin and you spend half of your time running around with Zander to work off whatever you eat. I think you’re beautiful just the way you are. I wouldn’t change one thing about you.”

  “You’re being charming tonight,” Harper said. “Does that mean you want another bath?”

  Jared shrugged. “I would like to take another look at the case of the hopping soap,” he said, grinning. “We have other things to consider first, though.”

  “Like talking to Josh,” Harper said.

  “Like talking to Josh.”

  “Like talking to Josh about what?” Josh took Harper and Jared by surprise when he appeared at the edge of the table. “Where have you guys been all day?”

  “We’ve been multiple places,” Jared answered, recovering quickly and gesturing toward the chair across from him. “Have a seat.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that,” Josh said, although he did as instructed. “Did you guys find anything interesting when you took off out into the storm? I still think that was crazy, by the way.”

  “There’s a lot to discuss,” Jared said, choosing his words carefully. “First off, did you know Hal Baker had ties to Michigan?”

  “No,” Josh replied. “Is there a reason I should know that?”

  “He grew up in Harbor Beach, and while that could be a coincidence, I learned a long time ago that most coincidences are something else entirely,” Jared said. “We can’t specifically tie Hal to Harsens Island yet, but my partner is looking into his background.”

  “Why is that important?” Josh asked.

  “Because we need to know where he’s been if we want to figure out where he is now,” Jared explained. “He can’t seem to remember what happened to his body. I’m starting to wonder if it’s not that he can’t remember as much as he doesn’t want to remember.”

  “I don’t know what that means,” Josh said. “Are you saying he’s a liar?”

  “He could very well be,” Jared confirmed.

  “This day just keeps getting freakier and freakier,” Josh lamented.

  “If Hal is lying, there has to be a reason why he’s pretending not to know what happened to him,” Jared said. “He seemed angry when Harper discovered him in the library, but it was more like he was angry that no one noticed he was dead than anything else.”

  “He has delusions of grandeur,” Harper said. “I think that’s his biggest problem. He thinks he should be something that he’s not.”

  “Which is?” Josh pressed.

  “If I had to guess, I think his biggest problem is that he’s not famous and he’s been marginalized in the minds of others and maybe even himself,” Harper said. “He probably had dreams of moving on to bigger and better things at one point – like Jared’s flirty friend Cara and her fake boobs – and that dream slipped away a long time ago. That made him bitter.”

  “I heard you told Zander about Cara, by the way,” Jared said, momentarily changing the subject and taking Harper by surprise. “I had no idea that bothered you so much. Zander claims that your jealousy is the same thing as when I go up to you and put my hand on your waist at a social gathering. It’s like marking your territory. Do you believe that?”

  “Not really,” Harper replied dryly. “I’m not jealous, though, so this entire conversation is conjecture.”

  “You’re not jealous?”

  “Not even remotely.”

  “Guys, as cute as this little foreplay game you’re playing is, I’m dying to know what Hal’s lies might mean in the grand scheme of things,” Josh interjected, his gaze bouncing between Harper and Jared. “I’m glad you like verbally copulating – and that is what you were doing, whether you realize it or not – but there may very well be a dead body in my hotel.”

  Harper glanced around to make sure no one overheard Josh’s pronouncement and then turned her attention back to Josh. “I’m sorry. You’re right. We shouldn’t be focused on our stuff when you have so much going on.”

  “It’s fine,” Josh said, waving off Harper’s apology. “I just … .” He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence because the waitress picked that moment to arrive and take their orders. After requesting three surf and turfs and a few drinks, the threesome returned to their conversation once they were alone. “I’m worried that finding a dead body here during a murder mystery could spell the end of this place before it has a chance to really take off.”

  “You’re really worried about losing the house, aren’t you?” Jared asked.

  “I love this house,” Josh answered. “I really do. I spent my childhood here. If we were to lose it, though, strictly from a personal standpoint, I would be okay. I think even my father would be okay. My mother, though, she is a different story. If we lose this house, I’m afraid it will kill her.”

  Harper and Jared exchanged a look. They had their opening. Now they just had to take it.

  “I don’t really know a lot about your mother,” Jared said, choosing his words carefully as he leaned back in his chair. He was trying to give the appearance of calm ease even though his nerves were tightly coiled. “Did she grow up in this area?”

  “She did,” Josh confirmed, his gaze busily scanning the packed dining room. He didn’t notice the change in Jared’s demeanor, which was probably a good thing. “She was born right here on Harsens Island.”

  “Did she know your father well before they started dating?” Harper asked. “I would imagine that the island is so small they couldn’t help but notice each other.”

  “I think they were high school sweethearts or something,” Josh said. “It’s hard for me to remember, mostly because I can’t look at their relationship now and reconcile all of the stories I heard as a kid. According to the stories they were like Cinderella and Prince Charming. According to reality, they were more like Ike and Tina Turner – without the beatings, of course. It makes me sad to think they lost the happiness they had when they were prom king and queen and now they have nothing but unhappiness.”

  Harper licked her lips. She was personally offended on Alice’s behalf. Those were her stories and Janet stole them for her own life. Even worse than the stories, though, she stole Alice’s son, too. “Do you think your mother always dreamed of living in this house?”

  “What do you mean?” Josh asked, confused. “Are you asking if she set out to trap my father or something?”

  That was exactly what Harper was asking, but she didn’t want Josh to know that. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Of course not. I used to dream about this house and I didn’t even live on Harsens Island. I imagine most of the girls in town dreamed about living here.”

  “Oh, I suppose that makes sense,” Josh said. “She’s never really talked about anything like that with me, though. In fact, I can’t remember any conversation we’ve shared that’s lasted more than five minutes since I hit puberty. Even then, when I started dating, her idea of having a talk was warning me to make sure I wore a condom because she wasn’t taking care of any little accident should I screw up.”

  The admission made Harper inexplicably sad. “I’m really sorry to hear that,” she said. “My mother drives me crazy, but she always wants to talk to me no matter what … and talk … and talk … and talk.”

  “It’s never been any different for my mother and me,” Josh explained. “I don’t know any different so I can’t expect anything different. Does that make sense?”

  “Not really,” Harper said, her heart rolling. “Josh, are you sure the name Alice Thorpe doesn’t mean anything to you?”

  Josh knit his eyebrows together, confused. “Should it? Is that the name from the photograph in the dining room again?”

  Harper nodded.

  “I swear I’ve never heard it before,” Josh said. “Why does it matter?”

  “Um … .” Harper had no idea how to respond.

  “Josh, we’ve found out
a few things since we separated from you this afternoon,” Jared said, his voice soft and gentle. “I’m assuming you didn’t find anything when you searched the storage rooms, by the way.”

  “I would’ve told you if I had,” Josh said, his frustration evident. “Tell me what’s going on. Other than my initial reaction to Harper’s announcement, I think I’ve been a darned good sport about all of this. I don’t like the thought of you guys keeping stuff from me.”

  “We’re not keeping stuff from you,” Jared clarified. “It’s just … what we have to tell you is going to be difficult and I’m not sure that you’re ready to hear it given the rough day you’ve already had. We don’t have a lot of choice in the matter, though.”

  “And Alice has a right to be remembered,” Harper chimed in.

  “And Alice is the ghost you were talking to by the road when the storm hit, right?” Josh asked. “You said you were going to help her once the storm cleared. Is that where you two disappeared today? Did you find Alice?”

  “We needed to find Alice because we needed help,” Harper supplied. “Even though Hal says he can’t remember where his body is, I have trouble believing he’s telling us the whole truth. Some ghosts don’t remember everything about their deaths and that’s actually pretty normal. That makes them belligerent and needy, though. Hal is going out of his way to help and coming up with absolutely nothing. That feels somehow wrong to me.”

  “Okay,” Josh said. “What do you think is going on?”

  “We found Alice down in one of the mausoleums,” Harper said. “She was laid to rest there about thirty years ago.”

  “That would mean she’s a relative,” Josh said. “I don’t remember any relatives with the last name Thorpe.”

  “That’s because she was going by her married name at the time of her death,” Jared interjected quietly.

  “And what was her married name?”

  “Stokes.”

  Josh was confused. “Are you saying she’s some distant relative of mine and she died on the property? I guess that’s not out of the realm of possibility, but I was under the impression that only certain people were buried in the mausoleums. There’s limited space so you had to be a full family member to get a spot.”