Ghostly Wrecks (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 6)

by Hart, Lily Harper

  “No, and now that they’ve gone missing I did a more thorough search on them,” Jared replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “Who did the initial search?”

  Mel’s face was blank. “Why?”

  “Because they missed a ton of pertinent information.”

  “Oh, well … .” Mel made a face as he rubbed his forehead. “You see … um … Tina Dobson was hanging around and wanted to help … .”

  “Are you kidding me?” Jared’s frustration doubled as he pushed himself to a standing position. “Get Tina in here.”

  “Are you sure that’s a good idea given her interest in you?”

  “No, but I need to ask her if she ran a search at all,” Jared replied.

  Mel wasn’t convinced, but he did as his partner instructed, disappearing from the room and returning a few minutes later with a smiling Tina at his side. “I found her.” Mel forced his voice to remain level even though Jared was at the end of his rope. “She’s eager to be part of the investigating team.”

  “Yes, I’m sure,” Jared deadpanned. “Tina, can you tell me what you learned when you ran Jessica and Hayley Reiter through the search engine for us?”

  Whatever question Tina was expecting, that wasn’t it. “I’m sorry … I don’t understand.”

  “The search you volunteered to do for Mel,” Jared prodded. “You said there was nothing abnormal about the Reiters and yet it seems you might’ve missed something.”

  Tina’s face was impassive. She showed no shame and only mild confusion. “What did I miss?”

  “Well, for starters, Jessica Reiter isn’t Hayley’s biological mother.”

  “She’s not?” Mel furrowed his brow. “Who is she?”

  “Hayley’s biological mother was Jessica’s good friend and when the mother died – apparently killing herself with pills not long after Hayley was born in a fit of what emergency responders deemed postpartum depression – Jessica moved in ostensibly to help Chad Reiter with the baby,” Jared replied.

  “Oh.” Mel rubbed his chin. “Crap.”

  “Yeah, crap,” Jared intoned.

  “So, what’s wrong with that?” Tina asked, confused.

  “What’s wrong is that Jessica Reiter was a nurse before marrying Chad Reiter and quitting her job to be a homemaker,” Jared replied. “That in itself is not suspect. The fact that the doctors can’t figure out what’s wrong with Chad and Jessica knows a thing or two about mixing medications is suspect. It also doesn’t help that no one other than Jessica said that Hayley Reiter’s biological mother was suffering from postpartum depression.”

  Tina remained oblivious. “So?”

  “So maybe Jessica Reiter poisoned the mother and killed her so she could have Chad Reiter,” Jared snapped, dragging a hand through his dark hair. “This is so not good.”

  “Do you think?” Mel arched a challenging eyebrow. “We need to find that girl … and quick.”

  “Do you think Chad Reiter suspected this and he believes Jessica is a threat to Hayley?” Jared asked.

  Mel held his hands palms up, helpless. “I … don’t know. Jessica is the one with ties to Chuck Detmer, who is now dead. Detmer has ties to Tim Dalton so … I’m definitely not liking Jessica Reiter right now.”

  “You and me both,” Jared muttered, rolling his neck. “Where would they go? The St. Clair Police Department is camped out at the family home. They’re not there. We have the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department watching Dalton’s house. I just … this is about to blow up in our faces.”

  “Yeah, what was your first clue?” Mel shuffled toward his desk when his cell phone dinged to indicate an incoming text message, frowning when he read the words scrawling across his screen.

  “What’s wrong?” Jared asked, swiveling.

  “It’s from Zander but … I’m not sure I understand it.”

  “Read it out loud,” Jared prodded, his heart twisting for some unknown reason.

  “Trouble. Hayley Reiter here. Running. Help.”

  Jared briefly pressed his eyes shut. “That’s it?”

  “That’s it.”

  Jared glanced toward his phone, double-checking to see if Harper sent a text message of her own. His inbox was empty. “We need to get over there right now.”

  “We need backup,” Mel added.

  “Wait, I’m confused.” Tina shifted from one foot to the other. “You think that something bad is going to happen?”

  Jared was incredulous as he moved to slide around Tina. “Yes, I think something bad is going to happen. In fact, I think something bad is happening to Harper and Zander right now.”

  “Oh, well, you say that like it’s a bad thing.” Tina rolled her eyes. “If something bad happens to Harper and Zander this town would be better off. I mean … they pretend to hunt for ghosts, for crying out loud. Whisper Cove and everyone in it would be happier if they never existed.”

  Deep down, Jared knew that Tina Dobson was a selfish person. He knew she was ignorant … spoiled … and prone to saying things that had no bearing on his life. She was shallow and he didn’t care two figs about her opinion. The way she disregarded Harper, though, was enough to make him snap.

  Jared growled as he grabbed Tina by the arms, shaking her a bit as he seethed. “That is the woman I love you’re talking about!”

  Tina’s eyes widened as she took in Jared’s serious expression. “I … love? You can’t be serious.”

  “Oh, I’m serious,” Jared snapped. “I love her. I love her with my whole heart. I … need her.”

  “Son, you’re wasting your breath,” Mel said, gently resting his hand on Jared’s arm. “We need to get moving. We don’t have time for this.”

  “Right. Right.” Jared sucked in a steadying breath, but he didn’t release Tina. For her part, the woman looked as if she was more angry than frightened.

  “I can’t believe you actually think you love Harper Harlow,” Tina snorted. “That’s not how this is supposed to work. You’re supposed to realize she’s crazy – I mean, off-her-rocker crazy – and break up with her.”

  “Yes, well, I’m afraid you’re going to have to get used to disappointment,” Jared gritted out. “For the record, I am not open to any offers from you or anyone else. I’m with someone … and even if I wasn’t, I would never want you.”

  Tina’s face shifted from mildly annoyed to grim. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me,” Jared barked. “Now, we’re going to Harper’s house and we need backup. Can we trust you to call for additional units and the state police and send them in that direction?”

  “Of course,” Tina sniffed, jerking away from Jared and smoothing her shirt. “I know how to do my job.”

  “You didn’t know that Jessica Reiter not being Hayley’s biological mother was significant, so I have my doubts,” Jared shot back, striding toward the door. “Either way, it doesn’t matter. All of the answers are at Harper and Zander’s house. That’s where we need to be.”

  “ARE YOU SURE about this?”

  Shawn remained unconvinced even as Harper pushed Hayley closer to him. They were quiet as they waded in the water that led from the spot where Harper and Jared like to lounge in the hammock to the place where Andrew Farmer preferred to fish.

  “I’m not sure,” Harper replied, keeping her voice low because sound tended to carry on the water. “It’s the best idea I’ve got, though. The fishing hole is isolated … and, well, it has a surprise or two if you know the area well enough.”

  “Aren’t we boxed in there, though?” Shawn cast a worried look over his shoulder. The spot where the group entered the water was almost completely obscured from their field of vision now and the river seemed almost oppressive as they struggled against the current. “If they find us … .”

  “If they find us, there’s a trail leading out,” Zander supplied, offering Hayley a fond smile as she grabbed his hand. The girl was clearly nervous. “We know this area, Shawn. We’ve lived here a long time. It’s going to be okay.”<
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  “I believe you.” Shawn forced a smile for Hayley’s benefit. “Do you think Mel got your text?”

  “I know he did,” Zander replied. “He’s on his way … and he won’t be alone. Everything is going to be totally and completely fine.”

  Hayley shifted her eyes to Harper, her expression unreadable. “Do you believe that, too?”

  Harper nodded. “We have the advantage here. We know the area.”

  “So what happens if they follow us?” Shawn asked.

  Harper’s smile was grim. “Then we let the river secrets help while we make our escape through the woods. We’re not boxed in here. It only feels like it.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  JARED WAS A bundle of nerves as he climbed out of Mel’s cruiser and drew his weapon. He recognized the vehicle parked at the end of the driveway from the bulletin he sent out hours before.

  “This is Jessica Reiter’s SUV.”

  Mel followed his gaze and nodded. “Yeah. So?”

  “So Zander said they had Hayley, but I doubt very much that Jessica willingly came to the house,” Jared supplied, his mind kicking into overdrive. “I think Hayley knows something and she ran to Harper because she needed help. I think Jessica and whoever is with her followed.”

  “How does that help us?”

  Jared shrugged. “I have no idea, but if Harper is hurt … .”

  “Hold it together,” Mel chided, shifting his eyes to the house. “We need to get eyes inside and see what’s going on. Backup should be here any second.”

  “Screw that,” Jared muttered. “I am not waiting for backup.”

  “EVERYONE comfortable?”

  Harper asked the question with a bright expression on her face even though her heart was racing and she couldn’t shake the feeling that their little corner of the world was about to get smaller.

  Hayley, who was huddled between Shawn and Zander next to a group of trees, scowled. “This sucks.”

  “It definitely sucks,” Zander agreed, rolling his neck. “Do you think they know where we went?”

  Harper wasn’t sure how to answer. “I don’t think they saw us enter the water, but since they’re going to search the house and come up empty … .”

  “She’s going to kill us.” Hayley’s announcement was matter-of-fact. “She was trying to kill my dad and now she’s going to kill us.”

  Harper wet her lips as she regarded Hayley. “How can you be sure? Do you know what she wants?”

  “Money. That’s all she cares about. That’s all she’s ever cared about.”

  “But … how do you think she’s going to get money from this situation?” Harper pressed. “What does the boat wreck have to do with anything?”

  “I don’t think she was planning for the wreck,” Hayley offered. “I think that screwed up her plans.”

  “You’ve got that right.”

  Harper froze when she heard the new voice, slowly swiveling to find Jessica Reiter and Tommy Lupone staring at their small group from about a hundred feet away. Jessica and Lupone stood in the middle of the rushing water, the man armed with a gun, and they didn’t look happy.

  “I guess that answers the question about whether or not they’ll be able to find us,” Shawn said dryly, shifting his body so he could better shield Hayley should Lupone start shooting.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Zander muttered. “Harp, you need to … .”

  Harper held up her hand to silence him, swallowing hard. This wasn’t an ideal situation, but they were hardly out of options. Tommy was armed but shooting in the middle of the day wasn’t a smart move no matter what he had planned. “What do you want?”

  “Oh, well, that’s a fine greeting.” Jessica rolled her eyes. “Hayley, get your butt over here.”

  Hayley ignored her stepmother’s order and cringed, burying her face into Shawn’s side as he stroked the back of her head in an effort to soothe her.

  “You were smuggling, weren’t you?” Harper had no idea why she asked the question. It was the only scenario that seemed to fit the set of facts, though, and she was desperate to drag out this confrontation so Jared and Mel had time to find them.

  “Smuggling is such an … arcane … term,” Jessica replied, her eyes filled with loathing when they locked with Harper’s blue orbs. “Yes, though. That’s exactly what we were doing. Chad had a boat and the lake isn’t very big. It’s easy to make runs between the Canadian islands and the U.S. mainland.”

  “You were also draining Chad Reiter for every penny he had,” Harper added. “He made a good living as a lawyer, but it wasn’t enough to feed your desires. You called your old stepbrother to make a visit and you’re the one who tried to hook Chuck and Chad up, right?”

  “You’re smart for a ghost buster.” Jessica’s smile was evil as she readjusted her stance to keep the water from pushing her toward the opposite bank. “Chuck and I planned on draining Chad from the beginning. It was supposed to take some time … but it ended up going longer than it should have. It wasn’t supposed to be this long of a con.

  “At first I only married him because I thought I could get enough money to be comfortable,” she continued. “Once Chad hit it big on the defense attorney circuit, though, we adjusted our plans.”

  “Because you’re jerks,” Hayley muttered.

  “Shh,” Harper admonished her, shaking her head. “Did you meet Tim Dalton through Chuck?”

  “Chuck has always had interesting friends,” Jessica replied. “I wasn’t keen on teaming up with Dalton from the start, but we didn’t have a lot of options. The plan was to force Chad into a position where he would have no choice but to hand over the bulk of his money. Then I would be able to leave him and live a comfortable life while planning our next job.”

  “He didn’t play according to the rules, though, did he?” Harper pressed. “You’ve been married to Chad for more than ten years. You thought you would be able to clean him out a lot quicker than you’ve managed.”

  “To be fair, the plan changed when Chad became the face of big crime in the area,” Jessica explained. “We decided to go from a short game with little hope of a big payoff to a long game that could set us up for life.”

  “Who is us?” Harper shifted her eyes to the bored-looking attorney with a gun. “How do you play into this?”

  “I’m just here for the free food,” Lupone replied dryly. “It really doesn’t matter what I’m doing here. I’m not in the mood to feed your teenage dream amateur sleuth fantasies. Now, give us the girl so we can get moving.”

  Harper warily flicked her eyes to Hayley. She still didn’t understand what was going on and she knew she was running out of time. “We called the police,” she said after a beat. “They’re on their way.”

  “Oh, really?” Tommy didn’t look impressed. “You called the police and then fled down the river? That would’ve been smarter if you were quicker, by the way. We went through the house but caught sight of you wading into the water because you didn’t move fast enough. Just a little tip for next time.”

  “Yes, well, I’ll keep that in mind.” Harper shifted her eyes to Jessica. “The police know. They know you’ve been poisoning Chad. They know you were illegally smuggling things on the boat. They know about the bullet holes. They know about all of it.”

  “If that’s true, why haven’t they arrested me yet?” Jessica challenged.

  “They went to arrest you last night,” Harper lied. “You weren’t at the hotel. They’ve issued a bulletin and they’re looking for you.” That wasn’t exactly a lie. It wasn’t the complete truth either.

  “What were you smuggling? I never did figure out that part. What happened the night of the wreck? Were you supposed to be delivering something and your plan got messed up?”

  Jessica didn’t appear bothered by the question. “That’s exactly what happened,” she said. “I was supposed to take the boat out alone. Chad decided to join me at the last minute. He screwed everything up.”

 
“But what were you transporting? Whatever it is, Tim Dalton was looking for it after the wreck and didn’t find it. Where is he, by the way?”

  “Medical marijuana,” Jessica answered, blasé. “It’s easy to get your hands on these days and you can make a lot of money for very little expended time if you know the right people.”

  “And Dalton knew the right people,” Harper mused.

  “You don’t have to worry about him,” Lupone replied. “We’ve … handled … that situation.”

  He said it in such a cold manner Harper couldn’t stop herself from involuntarily shuddering. “You killed him, too?”

  “Not yet,” Tommy replied. “We need our ducks in a row before that happens.”

  Harper could read between the lines. “You mean that Dalton is your scapegoat, right?”

  “You’re smarter than you look,” Lupone intoned, grinning. “I guess you would have to be for a cop to put up with your antics. I loved reading about your ghost business, by the way. It made for a good laugh – and allowed me to get Tim out of jail. His attack on you at the zoo almost ruined everything.”

  “I thought the boat wreck almost ruined everything,” Harper challenged.

  “For Tim, not for us,” Jessica replied. “He didn’t realize that things were about to shift.”

  And that’s when things finally slipped into place for Harper. “He’s your patsy.”

  “He is,” Lupone confirmed. “You don’t think I was representing him for my health, do you?”

  “You were going to take the money from the smuggling and cleaning out Chad Reiter and run,” Harper said, talking more to herself than anyone else. “Dalton thought the money was lost during the boat wreck, but you guys managed to keep it hidden without tipping off him or the cops.”

  “Pretty much.” Jessica beamed. “We only have a handful of things to handle and then we can put this behind us. Do you want to guess what those things are?”

  Harper opened her mouth to respond but a hint of movement to her right caught her attention. Jack Corgan’s ghost floated through the trees, his gaze on her. She wanted to ask him what he knew but figured Lupone wouldn’t take it well if she started talking to thin air.