Ghostly Wrecks (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 6)

by Hart, Lily Harper

  “They won’t be,” Harper promised, vehemently shaking her head. “You need to be looked over by a doctor. They’re going to understand that.”

  “But … what if they don’t?”

  Harper had to remind herself that children saw things through younger eyes, naïve ones, and it wouldn’t help anyone if she allowed her frustration to show. “I will talk to them. If they’re angry, I’ll make sure they know it was my fault.”

  “Really?” The girl looked so relieved Harper had to swallow the lump in her throat to continue.

  “Really.” Harper bobbed her head. “What’s your name?”

  “Hayley Reiter.” The girl’s voice was so low Harper had to struggle to hear her.

  “Okay, Hayley.” Harper beamed. “That’s a pretty name. I like it a lot.”

  “I hate it.”

  “I think that’s a rule when it comes to your own name.” Harper’s smile was legitimate this time. “What hurts, Hayley?”

  “I …. .” Hayley knit her eyebrows as she shrugged. “Everything kind of hurts.”

  “I don’t doubt that.” The familiar looking paramedic – Harper remembered him from high school – patted Hayley’s shoulder to get her attention. “I’m Byron Haskins. Harper and I know each other from way back.”

  “Not that way back,” Harper corrected, wrinkling her nose. “You’ll make her think we’re older than we really are, if you’re not careful.”

  “Yes, but you remember being this age,” Byron countered. “Everyone over the age of twenty seems ancient when you’re … how old are you, Hayley?”

  Hayley swallowed hard, taking a moment to decide if she would continue answering questions or clam up a second time. “I’m thirteen.”

  “Good girl.” Byron squeezed Hayley’s shoulder. “Now, do you have any medical allergies that you’re aware of? I see you’re not wearing a bracelet or anything, but are you allergic to penicillin?”

  “I’m not allergic to anything,” Hayley replied, rolling her neck. “As for what hurts, I’m not lying. I’m sore all over.”

  “I don’t doubt it.” Byron smiled. “We’re going to check you over very carefully when we get to the hospital. Before then, though, does anything hurt so much that you think it should be looked at right away?”

  Harper was impressed by Byron’s tact when it came to talking to the girl on her level. He never talked down to her and remained easygoing when asking questions. Hayley easily slipped into “trust” mode whenever he smiled.

  “My knee.” Hayley jerked her chin toward her right knee. “It hurts bad … and my back.”

  “That’s good.” Byron smiled brightly. “Can you tell me how you were hurt?”

  Hayley blinked multiple times and stared blankly in his direction. “The boat tipped over.”

  “I understand that,” Byron said, never losing his cool. “But I’m talking more about … um … how exactly you were hurt. So, for instance, you were out on the boat in the storm. Did you slide on the deck and bang any part of your body into the railing and hurt yourself that way?”

  “Oh.” Hayley realized what Byron was referring to almost immediately and shook her head. “No. I wasn’t on the deck. I was downstairs. I was reading a book – I was kind of bored with the whole boat thing for the day, honestly – and I accidentally fell asleep.”

  “So you woke up and the boat was already slammed into the beach?” Harper asked, horrified.

  Hayley shook her head, her eyes clouding. “I … I’m not sure exactly what happened. I usually sleep hard so I was surprised when I woke up. I heard voices, though.”

  “Your Mom and Dad?”

  Hayley nodded. “And someone else.”

  Harper rolled her neck until it cracked, absorbing the information to the best of her ability. “Were there other people on the boat when you left dock earlier in the day?”

  “No.”

  “So how did the people get on the boat?” Harper pressed.

  Hayley’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know, but they were yelling.”

  “Your parents were yelling?”

  Hayley pressed her knuckles to her eyes to stem the steady tears. “No. There were men – at least two of them – and they were yelling at Mom and Dad. I was afraid to go up and see what was happening. I’m not sure why but … .”

  “You didn’t do anything wrong.” Harper automatically shook her head. “Your parents, no matter what, want you to be safe more than anything. You’re safe. Byron here is going to get you to the hospital and the doctors are going to fix you right up.”

  “But … what about my parents?”

  Harper didn’t want to make promises she couldn’t keep, but she didn’t know what else to do. “Jared will find them and bring them to the hospital. He’s very good at his job. I promise he’ll bring them.”

  Hayley remained dubious but pressed her eyes shut. “Okay. My knee really hurts.”

  “We’ll start on that,” Byron offered, exchanging a quick look with Harper before focusing on his job. “Harper is right. Everything is going to be okay. We’ll fix you right up and by the time we’re done I’m sure your parents will be at the hospital and excited to see you.”

  JARED PUSHED his way through the hospital lobby, weariness overwhelming him as he watched the paramedics transport Chad and Jessica Reiter into treatment rooms. He found them on opposite sides of the boat – both unconscious – and managed to get them in ambulances relatively quickly. Once they were discovered and the state police’s marina division started going over the boat, his biggest concern was getting to the hospital … and Harper.

  Jared ran a hand through his damp hair as he scanned the lobby for a sign of his blonde. He didn’t see her immediately, which worried him, but his heart rate increased when he caught sight of her wan features out of the corner of his eye.

  Harper raised her head when his eyes landed on her, as if sensing he was close. Jared smiled when their gazes locked, taking a step in her direction. Harper was already on her feet as he closed the distance, ready to bury her face in the hollow of his neck and let him hold her. Before they could touch one another, though, Tina Dobson swooped between them and cut off Jared’s avenue of approach.

  “I was so worried about you.” Tina, her face streaked with tears, threw her arms around Jared’s neck and pressed her face against his solid chest. “I thought you would die while you were being a hero and it nearly broke my heart.”

  Harper narrowed her eyes as she watched the exchange, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared. Jared didn’t miss the shift in her demeanor. One moment she’d looked as if she was ready to throw herself at him and the next she reminded him of a woman who was considering throwing a punch at him.

  “I’m fine,” Jared said, wincing as he pulled away from Tina. “I … what are you doing?”

  “I was worried about you,” Tina said, tears coursing down her cheeks. “I didn’t know what was happening when you ran out into the storm – I thought perhaps you were chasing that idiot Harper Harlow or something – but then I realized there was a boat down there and you weren’t chasing that idiot but being the world’s biggest hero instead.”

  Harper narrowed her eyes as she stared at Tina’s back. “Yes. Thank goodness you weren’t chasing an idiot,” Harper intoned, rolling her eyes.

  Tina jerked her head over her shoulder, refusing to separate from Jared, and looked Harper up and down. “Why are you here? This is police business.”

  “She’s here because she found the daughter and rode with her in the ambulance,” Jared gritted out, doing his best to remove Tina’s fingernails from the soft skin around his neck. “How is the girl, by the way?”

  “She’s being treated by a guy I went to high school with,” Harper replied, her tone flat. “Byron – that’s his name – thinks she only has superficial wounds. She’s sore and upset, but she should be fine.”

  “That’s good.” Jared managed to slide away from Tina’s clingy embrace and s
idle closer to Harper. “Are you okay?” His eyes were filled with worry as he finally erased the distance – and final obstacle – between them.

  “I’m fine.” Harper’s voice was chilly as she took a step away from his outstretched hand, the need for him to hold her completely evaporating. “I lost my shoes and I’m sure I look terrible, but other than that I’m fine.”

  “You definitely look terrible,” Tina agreed. “You shouldn’t have run outside the way you did. The boat rescue was a job for the police – not a ghost buster.”

  Harper narrowed her eyes to dangerous blue slits. “Excuse me?”

  “Okay, now is not the time for this.” Jared grabbed Harper’s arm and directed her toward the hallway that led to the vending machines. “How about you and I go down there and talk?”

  “That’s probably a good idea,” Tina said sagely. “You need to yell at her in private.”

  “I’m not going to yell at her,” Jared snapped, his eyes flashing. “I want to talk to her in private.”

  “But … why?” Tina wrinkled her nose. “Do you think ghosts made the ship crash into the beach?”

  “That did it.” Harper lunged in Tina’s direction, but Jared snagged her around the waist, cutting off her forward momentum.

  “I’m not afraid of you,” Tina called out, although she wisely took a step away from Harper. “Everyone knows you’re crazy and think you can see ghosts, but I’m not afraid of you. I think Jared is – that’s why he’s dating you, after all. He probably thinks you’re loony and will kill yourself if he breaks up with you. He’s too good of a guy to risk something like that. It’s a little pathetic on your part, though.”

  “I’ll show you pathetic.” Harper was tall so she easily managed to reach around Jared’s shoulder and make a swipe for Tina’s throat.

  Jared put all of his effort into keeping Harper from making bodily contact, directing her toward the far end of the hallway as he pinned Tina with a warning look. “Don’t you dare follow us.”

  “Oh, don’t worry.” Tina reassuringly patted his arm. “I don’t want to watch you crush the crazy ghost chick. I don’t get off on stuff like that.”

  Jared let loose with a growling sound as he navigated Harper down the hallway. He waited until he was sure it was just the two of them – Tina was not only out of earshot but sight as well – before releasing Harper.

  “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Harper’s eyes flashed as she jerked away from Jared and his accusatory tone, running a hand through her hair and smacking into the snarled bun. “What am I doing? You can’t seriously be blaming this on me.”

  “I wasn’t planning on blaming anything on you,” Jared answered, opting for honesty. “You’re acting like a child, though, so I’m reconsidering my options.”

  Harper’s eyes clouded and Jared immediately wished he could take back the statement. He half meant it as a joke, although he wasn’t adverse to Harper realizing she was acting out of sorts. “I see.”

  “Harper … .”

  Harper held up her hand to silence him. “No, you’re right. Worrying about myself when we have a situation like this is immature and pathetic.”

  “I wouldn’t use the P-word.”

  Harper ignored Jared’s lame attempt at a joke. “The girl’s name is Hayley Reiter. She said she was sleeping below deck when she woke up to the sound of voices. She said there were at least two people on deck with her parents, both men, and she didn’t recognize the voices. Did you find them?”

  Jared nodded, his heart sinking when he took in Harper’s detached countenance. “Jessica and Chad Reiter. They’re both unconscious. The paramedics believe Chad has a head injury, but they’re not sure about Jessica. She was breathing, but they’re worried that she took in too much water.”

  “Do you have a prognosis yet?”

  “I just got here.”

  “Yes, well … .” Harper worked her jaw as she stared at the ugly pastoral painting on the wall. “I should probably get back home so I can get out of your way. I figure you’ll have a late night with questioning the Reiters and everything and don’t need random civilians getting in the way.”

  “I probably will,” Jared conceded. “If I can make it back to the house, though, I will do my best to at least get a few hours of sleep with you. You’re not a random civilian, you’re my favorite civilian.”

  “Right.” Harper pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead, refusing to let Jared’s words soften her stance. “I need to get going. I’m tired … and sore … and I lost my shoes.”

  Jared glanced at the muted linoleum and mustered a wry smile. “I’m sorry about the dress.” He could tell it was ruined. “I’ll buy you one just like it to replace it. We can do the pirate thing when you get the new one.”

  “You don’t have to do that.” Harper refused to make eye contact. “It’s not your fault that this happened. It’s simply one of those things.”

  “Yeah, but you bought the dress because I had a work party.”

  “I bought the dress because I wanted to look pretty for you,” Harper corrected. “It doesn’t matter now.”

  Jared grabbed her hand before she could pull further away. “You always look pretty for me. I … I don’t know what to say. I feel as if I should apologize for something, but I didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “No, you didn’t.” Harper pressed her lips together and forced her eyes to meet Jared’s steady gaze. “I’m sorry your night got ruined. I’m tired and I want to get out of these clothes so I’m going to call Zander and have him pick me up. I hope you’re not too late with the questions or anything.”

  Jared’s heart squeezed. “Harper … .”

  “I really should get going.” Harper pulled away, refusing to meet Jared’s worried gaze. “I hope the Reiters are okay. I’ll … um … see you soon.”

  “You will,” Jared confirmed, anger threatening to overwhelm him. He wanted to follow her more than anything, make things right. He had a job to do, though. That took priority. “I’ll be at your house as soon as humanly possible.”

  “Okay. Well … Good luck.”

  “Yeah. You, too.” Jared watched her go, his heart aching. He caught a glimpse of Tina, a sly smile on the woman’s face as Harper passed. The expression was enough to make Jared want to punch someone, even though he would never harm a woman. “Well, this is not how I saw this night going.”

  4

  Four

  Jared was exhausted when he let himself into Harper’s house shortly before three. His entire body ached, and the thing he wanted most was to climb into bed and wrap himself around his girlfriend and enjoy what little sleep he could wedge in before greeting a new day.

  Zander waited for him on the couch, somehow looking weary and restless at the same time, and Jared knew that effortless sleep probably wouldn’t be much of a possibility.

  “I’m really tired,” Jared volunteered, keeping his voice low as he locked the door and fixed Zander with a pleading look. “I don’t want to fight.”

  “I don’t want to fight either.” Zander looked almost as tired as Jared felt. Almost. “I would much rather be asleep in my bed, which is not empty for a change, but instead I decided to wait for you.”

  “May I ask why?”

  Zander held his hands palms up and shrugged. “Why do you think?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I already knew.”

  “Harper.”

  Jared heaved out a sigh, resigned. “What did she say?”

  “Not a lot, but I knew she was upset because she barely said a word from the moment I picked her up until we got back to the house,” Zander replied. “Then she excused herself to take a bath and went to bed without saying goodnight. She always says goodnight.”

  Jared rubbed the back of his neck as he stared down Zander. There were times he found the man unbelievably obnoxious and demanding when it came to Harper. There were other times he knew that Zander would fall on a rusty sword without compl
aint to protect his best friend. This was an example of the latter. “Did she say anything?”

  “Just that there was a boat mishap.”

  “Ugh.” Jared groaned as he lowered himself to the couch. “It was not the night I thought it was going to be.”

  “So … what happened?”

  Jared filled Zander in on the evening’s events, omitting nothing but truncating the story because dragging it out seemed more painful than educational. When he was done, frustration bubbled up as he gripped his hands together. “I don’t see how things went from being perfect to crap so quickly.”

  Zander snorted, amused by Jared’s obvious discomfort. “You wouldn’t understand that because … well … you’re you.”

  “I have no idea what that means.”

  “She’s jealous.”

  “I get that.” Jared rolled his eyes. “She doesn’t usually get jealous, though. That’s my job, right? I don’t understand what happened.”

  “I don’t know Tina Dobson very well, but from everything Uncle Mel has told me about her I think she’s pretty much a complete and total slutbag,” Zander explained, causing Jared to smirk. “Mel says she tries to get through life on the power of flirting and nothing else.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Mel doesn’t allow her to flirt with him because it makes him uncomfortable,” Zander explained. “My uncle is a good guy and he’d rather be chilly to Tina than give her false encouragement.”

  “And you’re saying I’m somehow different?”

  Zander cocked a challenging eyebrow. “Aren’t you?”

  “I’ve never given that woman one reason to believe that I would possibly be interested in anything beyond a professional relationship,” Jared argued. “Aside from that, though, I’ve gone out of my way to prove to Harper that she’s the only one I want in my life.”

  “I’m not arguing with you,” Zander supplied. “The only reason I’m so nice to you is because you’re head over heels for my best friend. If I thought otherwise I would kick you in the nuts and shave you bald while you slept.”

  Jared pursed his lips. “You’re a freaky guy sometimes.”