“Yes, well, they know what they’re doing better than we do, huh?” Jared rested his hand on his knee. “Oh, I thought you should know that several residents walked up and down the beach and collected any belongings that washed to shore, just like I figured they would. The items are still at the office, but we’ll find a way to get them to you as soon as possible.”
“Thank you. And the boat?”
“The boat is with the state police,” Jared replied, preparing himself for the most important part of the discussion. “They’re running some tests and their forensic team is doing most of the legwork there.”
“I … is that normal?”
Jared shrugged. “It is when you find bullet holes on the deck of a wrecked boat.”
Chad reacted with surprise, but it wasn’t fast enough to fool Jared’s trained eye. For one split second he appeared worried, resigned even. He recovered quickly, though. “Bullets? But … how?”
“That’s what I’m here to ask you,” Jared answered, remaining calm. “Can you explain why someone was firing a gun on your boat?”
“I … no. You have to be mistaken.”
“Well, I’ll certainly ask the state police if they’re sure those are bullet holes, but they generally seem on top of things when it comes to stuff like this so I’m going to go with their theory for now,” Jared said. “You have at least five bullet holes in the deck of your boat. I’m curious how they got there.”
“I … have no idea. This has to be a mistake.”
Jared studied Chad a moment, his expression unreadable. “If you’re in some sort of trouble … .”
“I’m not in trouble,” Chad barked. “You made a mistake. I don’t even own a gun. Check my records. You made a mistake.”
“Okay, well, we’ll keep at it,” Jared said, pushing himself to a standing position. “I hope you’re feeling better soon, Mr. Reiter.”
“And I hope you find what you’re looking for,” Chad shot back. “It’s clearly not what you think it is, though.”
“I guess – for now, at least – I’ll have to take your word for it.”
10
Ten
Jared met Mel in the hallway upon leaving Chad’s room.
“Did he have an explanation for the bullet holes?” Mel asked.
Jared shook his head as he followed Mel to a spot where Chad couldn’t see them from his hospital bed. “He says we must’ve made a mistake.”
“Do you believe that?”
“No, and Chad is clearly lying,” Jared replied. “I’m not sure what he’s lying about, but he’s not telling the whole truth.”
“Where’s the wife?”
“He said Hayley was released and his wife went to secure a hotel room until he’s capable of leaving the hospital,” Jared answered. “I think we need to delve deeper into the family, and we can’t risk him sneaking out of the hospital now that he knows we’re aware of the bullet holes. If he’s hiding something really bad, he might try to rabbit.”
“I can make some calls and have men stationed at both doors,” Mel said. “Do you think we should go with uniforms so he knows he’s being watched?”
Jared tilted his head to the side, considering. “No. Let’s have the guys dress in street clothes. I want to see if he tries leaving the hospital and if Jessica informs him that uniforms are posted at both doors he might not even try.
“If he does try to leave we’ll instruct the officers to delay him until we can arrive,” he continued. “I simply don’t know what to expect from him. He’s lying, but he seems … concerned … about his family.”
“Maybe someone is threatening the family as a whole.”
“I think that’s a distinct possibility,” Jared conceded. “I asked him if he needed help, but he says we made a mistake about the bullet holes. If he is being threatened, whoever is doing it either knows something that could hurt the family or is threatening certain members of the family.”
“The daughter?”
Jared held his hand palms up. “Your guess is as good as mine. We need to go through the family’s financials and background and see what we get from there. Money is always the place to start because it fuels people to do the impossible – even more than sex, which is saying something.”
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
HARPER DRAGGED Zander out to the old Corgan homestead after the daily briefing at GHI indicated they didn’t have anything other than boredom to fill the next few hours. They left their helpers – Eric Tyler and Molly Parker – at the office to answer phones should a job roll in, but excused themselves for the remainder of the morning.
“It’s kind of pretty here,” Harper noted, staring at the ramshackle house. “It was probably the nicest house in the area back in the day.”
Zander followed her gaze, unimpressed. “There’s no roof.”
“There’s a roof,” Harper argued. “It’s simply … sagging.”
“Honey, if your boobs start sagging that much we’re going to have to authorize a search party because that will mean they’ve gone missing,” Zander pointed out, wrinkling his nose. “This place is gross and it’s getting hot. Let’s go back to the office.”
Harper ignored his rampant complaining and moved forward, directing herself toward the house. “I don’t want to stay long,” she argued. “I simply want to look around.”
“For Jack Corgan?”
Harper shrugged. “Hayley said she heard someone named Jack arguing that night. Jack Corgan’s ghost is known to help boaters. It’s not as farfetched as it sounds.”
“I think you’re deluding yourself, but whatever,” Zander muttered, falling into step with his best friend. “If Hayley did hear the name Jack, it’s probably because someone named Jack was on the boat deck arguing with her parents. That means it was a human, not a ghost.”
“Maybe.”
“But you don’t believe it,” Zander groused, shaking his head. “You’ve always been a stubborn thing. You know that, right?”
“Takes one to know one.”
“And I’m rubber and you’re glue.” Even though he was certain that the climbing heat index was about to give him a whopper of a headache, Zander cracked a smile. “Don’t you think you would’ve seen Jack Corgan by now if he was really hanging around the lake? And, for the record, why are we out here if he’s always seen by the lake?”
“Because I’ve been to the lake numerous times and we’ve never crossed paths,” Harper replied, unruffled by Zander’s tone. “He must split his time between the lake and another location. This location makes the most sense.”
Zander narrowed his eyes. “It only makes sense if you believe Jack Corgan is running around Lake St. Clair helping boaters despite the fact that he probably killed his wives.”
“You remember that story?” Harper couldn’t help but be impressed. “I had to track down Andrew Farmer last night to remind me.”
Zander snorted. “Track down? He fishes a hundred feet away from your favorite hammock spot. It’s not as if you toiled to find him.”
“That’s not what Jared says. I forgot to tell him about that dip in front of Andrew’s favorite fishing hole and he totally fell in.”
Zander smirked at the visual. “How did he take that?”
“Surprisingly well. He’s very patient and rarely prone to dramatic outbursts.”
“Not always, but when it’s important he’s even tempered and delicious.” Zander grabbed Harper’s elbow when she moved to climb the front steps. “Absolutely not. You’ll fall right through the rotted wood. I’m willing to search the outside of this place, but I’m not letting you go inside.”
“I don’t need you to go with me.”
“You’re not going without me.”
Harper cocked a challenging eyebrow. “So now you’re the boss of me?”
Zander didn’t hesitate before shaking his head. “No. I’m your equal. I’m your … soul mate, just in a different way than Jared. That doesn’t mean I won’t risk tickin
g you off to make sure you’re safe.”
“I’m not sure what that means,” Harper countered, her cheeks coloring at mention of Jared. “Do you really think he’s my soul mate?”
“I think we share the job,” Zander clarified, amused by the whimsical hope and shy embarrassment flushing Harper’s face. “As for the other thing, I will totally call Jared and tell him what you’re doing if you put yourself at risk.”
Harper was outraged. “You would tattle on me?”
“I would do almost anything to keep you safe.” Zander grabbed Harper’s hand and directed her toward the side of the house. “We’ll look around where it’s safe, but we’re not doing more than that.”
“You used to be a lot more fun,” Harper groused. “What happened to you?”
“I grew up.”
“What really happened to you?”
A wide grin split Zander’s face. “I realized I love my best friend very much and nothing is worth her getting hurt. Now … come on. Once we’re done here you can treat me to a Cobb salad at Jason’s restaurant. I’ve been craving one, but you know I can’t go in there without you.”
“How come?”
“Well, he still won’t let that whole ‘thunder stealer’ thing go. I think he’s kind of a baby. He does whatever you want, though, and I’m not above using that to my advantage.”
“Gee, I never would’ve noticed.”
“THERE’S MY favorite person in the world.” Jared lifted his head and beamed when he caught sight of a sweaty Zander and Harper straggling through the door of Jason’s restaurant.
“Mine, too,” Jason teased, evading Jared’s hand when the police officer reached out to smack his elbow.
“Thank you.” Zander grinned as Jason rolled his eyes. “I love being popular. Does that mean you’ll give me the friends and family discount?”
“I’m sorry, didn’t you spend years accusing me of being a thunder stealer?” Jason challenged.
Zander refused to be embarrassed, but he did shoot Harper an “I told you so” look. “If the thunder-stealing outfit fits … .”
“Okay, it’s hot and I’m not in the mood for a fight,” Harper intoned, stepping between Jason and Zander and eking out more room with her hip before dropping a kiss on Jared’s mouth. “How are you?”
“I was talking to you,” Jared volunteered. “You’re my favorite person in the world.”
“I know.” Harper offered up a playful wink. “Zander knows, too. Irritating you is merely one of the ways he prefers to entertain himself during the doldrums of summer.”
“Yes, and that’s why we love him,” Jason said dryly. “Do you guys want iced tea? You look as if you’ve been through a really hot wringer.”
“Yes, well, Harper is nothing if not dedicated when it comes to pursuing a lead,” Zander huffed out, sinking into the open chair next to Mel and fixing his uncle with a bland look. “Are you going to buy me lunch?”
“Is there a reason you can’t buy your own lunch?” Mel asked, forcing his gaze up from the stack of papers he was riffling through. “Isn’t Harper paying you enough?”
“Just for the record, Harper and I are co-owners of GHI,” Zander pointed out. “I pay myself. She’s not my boss.”
“That’s too bad,” Jason teased. “She’d be a really cute boss.”
“Oh, don’t make me punch you,” Jared whined, rubbing his hand over Harper’s lower back as she leaned closer to him and grabbed a tomato from his salad. “She’s spoken for.”
“For now.” Jason pursed his lips as Jared scowled. “Geez. You’re so easy. Now I see why Zander enjoys messing with you.”
“Yes, it’s quite entertaining,” Zander agreed. “I want an iced tea and a Cobb salad with extra eggs, light cheese, and dressing on the side.”
“Got it.” Jason mock-saluted before focusing on Harper. “What about you, honey?”
“Don’t call her that,” Jared warned. “She’s my honey.”
“I thought she was your heart,” Jason challenged.
“She’s both,” Jared shot back. “Just … it’s too hot for you to be irritating. Can you table it for the day? We can pick it back up when fall rolls around.”
“That sounds like a plan.” Jason clapped Jared’s shoulder and shifted his eyes to Harper. “All kidding aside – until the fall, apparently – you look a little … wiped out.”
“It’s hot out there,” Harper noted. “It’s stifling and hard to breathe.”
“Which didn’t stop you from making me wander around Jack Corgan’s old homestead looking for a ghost that doesn’t exist,” Zander complained.
Jared’s eyebrows winged up. “You went out to Jack Corgan’s old house? I thought you were going to text me when you decided what you were doing with your morning.”
“Fink,” Harper muttered, shaking her head as Zander sank lower in his chair. “I … it was an impulse visit.”
“Uh-huh.” Jared wasn’t convinced. “You didn’t tell me because you thought I would try to talk you out of it. I know how your mind works.”
Harper shrugged. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to get into a fight after …well … after what happened the other night. I knew I was in no danger and it turned out to be a complete and total waste of time. I was hoping to get through the day without having to admit it because it’s embarrassing.”
Jared rubbed the back of his neck as he planted his tongue in his cheek and regarded Harper with unreadable eyes. “Okay, I don’t want to fight either. Since I’m the one who looks bad whenever we discuss the other night, I’m going to let it go.”
“Thank you.”
“I prefer knowing where you’re going to be for safety reasons, though,” Jared reminded her. “You’re obviously okay so I don’t want to dwell on it.”
“Oh, you guys get more and more boring with each passing sentence,” Jason supplied. “Did you find Jack Corgan’s ghost?”
“No.”
“Did you find anything at all?” Jason pressed.
“No.” Harper looked downtrodden as she heaved out a sigh, sank into her chair, and focused on Jared. “Did you find anything?”
“We did,” Jared confirmed, sobering. “After talking to Chad Reiter this morning, I realized he was holding something back. We ran his financials.”
“The look on your face tells me that you didn’t come up with anything good,” Harper noted. “Go ahead and tell me. I know you don’t believe that Jack Corgan was on the boat so whatever you’ve got might offer some form of explanation.”
“It might,” Jared conceded. “It also might open up more questions.”
“It seems Mr. Reiter was living pretty close to the edge when it came to his finances,” Mel interjected. “He was in deep trouble on his mortgage and car payments.”
“Business problems?”
“He’s one of the most sought-after criminal attorneys in southeastern Michigan,” Mel replied. “He should be financially set given some of the payouts he’s gotten over the past three years. He made more than a million alone on that Grosse Pointe guy who had the sex dungeon in his basement.”
Harper screwed up her face in concentration. “Wasn’t that guy convicted?”
“Yeah, but Chad Reiter still got paid,” Mel pointed out. “We haven’t been able to delve very deep yet – we just have the basics so far – but it appears that Mr. Reiter was a regular visitor to the casinos in Detroit.”
“So … gambling debts?” Harper tilted her head to the side. “Maybe Hayley heard people arguing over gambling debts on the deck of the boat. I mean … gamblers would shoot a boat. That’s not just a television thing, right? They’re mobsters. They cut heads off horses. Of course they would shoot a boat.”
Jared smirked as he captured her hand and pressed her fingers to his lips. “Have I mentioned that you’re my favorite person in the world?”
Harper returned the smile. “Once or twice.”
“I feel it very strongly today.”
/> “Oh, I’m totally going to barf,” Jason complained.
“Join the club.” Zander grabbed a handful of papers from Mel’s stack. “What are we looking for during our working lunch?”
“Anything that stands out,” Mel replied. “Are you actually going to help us?”
“There’s air conditioning, Cobb salads, and endless iced tea,” Zander replied. “What do you think?”
“I think you’re a pain in the keister.”
“I’m also handsome and wise,” Zander said. “I bet I find something interesting before you do.”
Mel was unruffled by the challenge. “You’re on. Loser buys lunch.”
Jared pursed his lips as he stared down his partner and Harper’s best friend, both already embroiled in the work. “Why do I feel as if I’m going to be the one who ends up paying?”
“Because you’re a total loser and you’re going to spend more time staring at Harper than working,” Jason replied.
“That seems like a fair tradeoff to me.” Jared’s grin was lazy as he linked his fingers with Harper’s and caused Jason to make a disgusted face.
“I’ll be back with the iced tea in a few minutes.”
“Bring extra ice,” Zander called out to Jason’s retreating back.
“Yes, sir.”
“You’re still a thunder stealer, by the way. I don’t want you to forget that.”
Jason’s smirk brightened his already handsome face and caused Harper to giggle. “I will never be able to forget that. I’m thinking of having it added to my business cards.”
11
Eleven
Jessica Reiter paced outside the police department when Jared and Mel returned to their office, and she didn’t look happy when the two detectives exited their vehicle and began trudging up the sidewalk.
“This doesn’t look good,” Mel muttered, gathering the stack of files Jared carried as he kept his gaze on Jessica. “What do you think she’s going to say?”
“I have no idea, but I’m guessing it’s not anything good,” Jared replied. “Act really grave as you carry the files inside, maybe even kind of shield them as if you’re trying to hide them from her so she’ll wonder what we have.”
Ghostly Wrecks (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 6) Page 9