Harper wanted to point out that Rosie was murdered and dumped on the beach, and since she was strangled the odds were she knew her killer, which means she didn’t judge that person all that well, but she didn’t think that would help matters. “At least tell me if you met this guy online,” Harper prodded. “That’s not revealing his identity or anything. Although, for the life of me I can’t figure out why anyone would hide the fact that he was dating you. I mean … you’re so beautiful.”
Rosie’s vanity was a major weakness, but she was shrewder than Harper gave her credit for. “I know what you’re doing,” she said. “I don’t care what you say. I wasn’t murdered by … him. He loved me. We were going to build the perfect life together. I was going to get a pool and a BMW, for crying out loud. We were just at the beginning.”
“Starting here?” Harper heard the door behind her open, but she didn’t move her gaze from Rosie’s face in case the woman used Jared’s return as a convenient excuse to disappear.
“This was our happy place.” Rosie’s expression was wistful.
“It’s not much of a happy place,” Harper pointed out, remaining calm as Jared sat beside her and rested his hand on her back. He must’ve realized who she was talking to because he didn’t make any sudden moves or take over the conversation. “It’s dirty and small. There’s no air here. How did you breathe?”
“You don’t need to breathe when you have a nice bed,” Rosie scoffed.
The statement made Harper inexplicably sad. “Rosie, I know you don’t want to say who you were dating because it’s some big secret … perhaps you think it’s more romantic, I don’t know … but you need to tell us because I’m certain that this person either killed you or might have a lead on who did.”
“I won’t have you going after him and sullying my name,” Rosie spat. “He’s going to mourn me forever now. I didn’t get the pool … or the boat … or the BMW I really wanted – and I was so close to that – but he will mourn me forever. I’m certain of that.”
“Not everything in life is about material possessions.”
“I’m sure you have to say that because you’re dating a cop, but there will come a day when you realize that money is more important than love. Do you want to know why?”
“No, because I don’t believe that’s true,” Harper replied.
Rosie ignored her. “Love fades. Money lasts forever.”
With those words Rosie disappeared, leaving Harper feeling morose … and a little bit annoyed. “She’s gone.”
Jared kissed Harper’s cheek before speaking, somehow sensing she needed it. “Anything?”
“We might’ve been wrong about her having friends,” Harper said. “She’s awful. I don’t see how anyone could stand to be around her.”
“Well, I actually have a lead on that,” Jared said. “I’m also going to request that the state police come out here and dust this place. We might be able to get a few usable prints and narrow our suspect field. Come on. Let’s get some lunch and you can tell me about your conversation and I’ll tell you about mine. How does that sound?”
“Can we eat at a place with air conditioning?”
“I think I have just the place.”
Seventeen
“I should’ve known.”
Harper grunted her displeasure as Jared led her through the front door of The Landing restaurant, her stomach twisting at the realization that she’d been hoodwinked. For his part, Jared ignored her unhappiness and flashed a charming smile at the hostess.
“I saw the sign yesterday that you were officially open for lunches starting today,” Jared said. “Can we get a seat on the deck?”
The hostess beamed at Jared – while flicking her eyes over Harper – and grabbed two menus from the stand. “Absolutely. Come right this way.”
Jared gripped Harper’s hand tighter as she wiggled and followed the hostess out to the deck. She took their drink orders before leaving and Jared couldn’t help but smile when he caught sight of Harper slouching lower in her chair. “I think you’re prettier when you have proper posture,” he said. “Of course, to be fair, I think you’re pretty regardless so you should probably ignore that statement.”
“Ha, ha,” Harper intoned, darting her gaze around the restaurant. “Why did you bring us here? I don’t want to run into Jason yet. It’s too … .”
“Uncomfortable?”
“I was going to say icky, but that’s an apt word.”
Jared chuckled as he leaned his head back and absorbed the sun’s rays. “You’re a funny girl, Harper Harlow. You always make me laugh. I hope that never changes.”
“I hope so, too,” Harper said. “It’s not going to be funny if I kick Jason and make a scene, though. I think you’re underestimating how angry I am.”
“I don’t think you’re angry at all,” Jared countered. “I think you’re embarrassed. What I can’t figure out is if you’re embarrassed on my behalf or Zander’s.”
“Maybe it’s both,” Harper grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Maybe it is,” Jared conceded.
“Or maybe I’m embarrassed because I’ve never dealt with this before.”
“Two men fighting over you?”
“There was hardly a fight.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Heart,” Jared said. “I would’ve fought him. That’s how tight I was wound last night.”
“Are we here because you want to apologize?” Harper asked, shifting gears. “If that’s the case, I already told you it’s completely unnecessary. You don’t owe Jason an apology.”
“Wow, do I know how to pick the perfect time for an entrance or what?” Jason appeared at the edge of the table with Harper’s iced tea and Jared’s lemonade. He placed both on the table before fixing a tight smile on his face. “How are you guys this afternoon?”
“We’re just grand,” Harper said, taking on a faux air of breeziness. “How are you, kind sir?”
“I’m marvelous,” Jason replied, fighting the urge to laugh. “I saw you guys come in and thought I should come over to make sure everything is okay.”
Harper pressed her lips together in a thin smile and didn’t respond.
“Are things okay?” Jason asked, clearly nervous.
“Not yet,” Jared replied, glancing at his placemat before lifting his eyes. “I’m sorry for what happened yesterday. It wasn’t right or professional.”
“Well, it’s not like I didn’t push your buttons.” Jason was going out of his way to be conciliatory.
“You definitely did that,” Harper muttered.
“Excuse me? I didn’t catch that.”
“Ignore her,” Jared said. “She’s having a rough day of it because she’s still fighting with Zander and we’re coming up with an endless series of roadblocks in our investigation.”
“Your investigation?” Jason’s gaze bounced between Harper and Jared. “I didn’t realize Harper was a cop now.”
“She helps me out from time to time,” Jared said evasively. “She’s an invaluable resource.”
“And cute to look at when you’re stuck dealing with murder all day, right?” Jason poked Harper’s shoulder in an attempt to get her to smile. She refused. “Harper, I’m sorry for what I did. I didn’t mean to cause problems.”
“We both made the situation worse,” Jared said. “There’s no reason to dwell on it now. I’m sorry for what I said and it won’t happen again.”
“Does that mean I’m no longer a suspect?”
“No.” Jared shook his head. “While your story makes sense, we haven’t ruled you out.”
“I guess you’re the honest one now, huh?” Jason blew out a sigh. “Well, that makes what I’m about to tell you weird. I didn’t remember it until last night. I had a chance to think over my interaction with that woman … .”
“Rosie,” Harper said, her expression adorably grumpy.
“Rosie,” Jason said, widening his eyes as Jared worked overtime not to laugh. “I did re
member one thing she said to me, but now I’m worried that it will make me look guilty – like I’m trying to deflect or something – if I tell you what that is.”
Jared wasn’t sure how to respond. “Okay.”
“Will it make me look guilty?”
“I don’t know until you tell me,” Jared answered honestly. “The one thing you have going for you is that you would have no reason to hide a relationship with Rosie, and whoever she was seeing found it necessary to do just that.”
“I think you’re safe,” Harper said dryly. “From Jared, that is. I’m still mad at you.”
“Oh, Harper, I’m sorry,” Jason whined. “You were just so pretty when I saw you by the house … .”
“Hey, I can only take so much,” Jared warned, extending a finger.
“Okay.” Jason held up his hands. “Uncle. You two are together and I don’t have a shot. I’ve accepted it.”
“That’s good,” Harper said. “That means I can accept your apology once you’re cleared of being a murderer.”
“Well, that’s something to look forward to,” Jason deadpanned, causing Jared to smirk. “Anyway, Rosie and I mostly talked about the difficulty of opening a restaurant in a town the size of Whisper Cove. She said she heard restaurant owners were poor, but I explained that a restaurant could pull in a nice living in a smaller town with a steady tourist population.”
“I’m betting she asked what you considered a ‘nice living,’” Jared prodded.
Jason knit his eyebrows together. “How did you know that?”
“Just call it a hunch.”
“I told her what I expected to make by the end of the year and it didn’t really blow up her skirt – not that I was looking to do that,” Jason said. “Anyway, she kind of talked about herself a little bit and one of her off-the-cuff remarks was that because Whisper Cove’s male pickings were slim she met a group of women at the ice cream shop on Thursdays and they talked about their online dating profiles and stuff. I thought it was a little weird for her to volunteer that, but she didn’t see anything wrong with it.”
Jared shifted his eyes to Harper. “That’s a new wrinkle,” he said. “Did you know there was a group of women meeting to discuss dating men at the ice cream shop on a weekly basis?”
“Yes. I’m their leader,” Harper said, making a face. “Of course not. How would I possibly know that?”
“Okay, crabby,” Jared said, offering her an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “Take it down just a little bit.”
“I jokingly asked if it was a cougar group because … I don’t know … it seemed funny, but she didn’t like the crack and took off relatively quickly after that,” Jason said.
“It’s probably more of a barracuda group than a cougar group,” Jared said, leaning back in his chair. “She didn’t mention any names, did she?”
“I didn’t remember her name so even if she did I’ve long since forgotten them,” Jason said.
“What do you think, Heart?” Jared flashed a dimple-laden smile. “Do you want to go to the ice cream shop with me tonight?”
“Well, I do like ice cream,” Harper said. “I’m still kind of mad at you for springing this on me, though.”
“You’ll feel better after the chowder and sandwich I’m bringing out for your lunch,” Jason said. “I promise nothing tastes like feet – no matter what Zander says.”
“We didn’t order yet,” Harper protested. “That’s very … bossy.”
“We only offer fish sandwiches and soup until next week when we open up our full lunch menu.”
“Oh, well, then strike the bossy remark,” Harper said.
“So, am I more or less of a suspect now?” Jason asked, locking gazes with Jared.
“I haven’t decided yet,” Jared answered honestly. “I’ll tell you after I have ice cream with my girl and we see if this lead pans out.”
“Yeah, keep rubbing it in,” Jason lamented.
“I plan on it.”
“OKAY, Heart, who looks hungry for a big, fat wallet?”
It might’ve been nothing more than an enhanced ice cream date, but Jared was taking his job seriously as he led Harper toward the ice cream shop shortly before six. He was dressed down in cargo shorts and a T-shirt to give the appearance of relaxation, but Harper could tell he was intent on scoping out the possible female suspects as a bevy of people littered the pier area close to the shop.
“You know that most girlfriends wouldn’t be thrilled with the amount of attention you’re showing everyone else but your date for the evening, right?” Harper enjoyed teasing him, especially now that he’d apologized to Jason and seemed to be back to his old self.
“Oh, I’m going to show you plenty of attention later,” Jared said, squeezing Harper’s hand. “I just want to see if there really is a wallet-loving women’s group that meets here every Thursday. If we miss out we’re not going to get a chance to find them again until next week.”
“I didn’t even consider that,” Harper admitted, flashing an apologetic smile. “I shall stop whining and allow you to do your job with the stipulation that we go for a walk under the stars before heading to your house tonight. Agreed?”
Jared stilled. “We’re spending the night at my place again tonight?”
Harper averted her eyes. “Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”
“I don’t ever have a problem with spending the night with you, but … don’t you think you should go home and make nice with Zander? You dug around your car trunk to find shorts and a tank top to change into rather than go home and risk running into him. That seems a bit passive aggressive to me, and I’ve never known you to be that way.”
“I’m mad at him.”
“I get that, but … come on, Heart. How many times has he texted you today?”
“I have no idea.”
Jared arched a challenging eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. “How many?”
“Three hundred and twelve.”
“Good, grief. I hope you have the unlimited data plan.”
“We do,” Harper sniffed. “We bought it together.”
“Harper, I understand why you’re upset with Zander,” Jared said, adopting a reasonable tone. I’m not exactly thrilled with the guy either. You have to forgive him, though. You’re going to make yourself sick if you’re not careful. Carrying around a grudge isn’t healthy for you.”
“I’ll take it under advisement,” Harper said. “If you don’t want me spending the night at your house, I’ll just … sleep in my car.”
“Do not be absurd,” Jared admonished. “We’re spending the night together. If that’s at my house … fine. Just, please give what I said some thought.”
“I will do that.”
Her tone told Jared she was going to do the exact opposite. “Okay, Harper, I give up on that front for the night. Why don’t we split up and see if we can figure out who this purported group of barracudas is, shall we?”
“It would be my pleasure.”
“SO, DOES anyone look hot and wealthy?”
Harper gave up trying to be smooth and operate under the radar after her second ice cream cone. By the time she hit her fourth treat – which just happened to be a hot fudge sundae – she had a bit of a stomachache and a monster headache. She couldn’t take much more aimless chatting without getting anywhere.
“I’m sorry, but … what?” The redhead and brunette Harper approached gave her a look that promised pulled hair and catty remarks if she wasn’t careful.
“I’m looking for a rich man,” Harper said. “Can you help me find one?”
“What is it exactly that you think I do for a living?” the redhead asked, horrified. “It’s because my skirt is too short, isn’t it? I told you this skirt was too short, Rhonda!”
“No, I’m sorry.” Harper felt bad about giving the woman a complex. “I’m just … looking for a rich guy.”
“We’re all looking for a rich guy,” the brunette said. “Didn’t you come he
re with the hot guy over there?”
Harper nodded.
“Then, honey, thank your lucky stars and spend some time with him,” the woman said. “Those women over there are going to eat him alive and you’ll never get anyone that hot again.”
Harper had a feeling the woman was right and she dejectedly scuffed her flip-flops against the pavement as she trudged over to Jared. He had a fan club consisting of four women and one teenager.
“How often do you work out?” One of the women, a dippy-looking bottle blonde touched Jared’s muscular arm and gave it a good squeeze. “I’m betting you work out all of the time.”
“As often as possible,” Jared replied, keeping his tone friendly but his expression closed off. “There you are, Heart. I’ve been looking all over for you.”
The touchy-feely woman frowned when she saw Harper approach. “You didn’t say you had a girlfriend.”
“Actually, I did,” Jared countered. “You just didn’t listen.”
“I don’t feel so well,” Harper admitted, pressing her hand to her flat stomach.
“That’s because you ate your weight in ice cream,” Jared shot back. “I saw you eat three cones.”
“I had a sundae, too,” Harper admitted ruefully. “I think I should’ve stopped after the third cone.”
“I think you should’ve stopped after the first cone, but come on,” Jared said, reaching for her arm. “I’ll take you home.”
“Wait a second,” the blonde said, her hands landing on her hips. “You were talking me up thirty seconds ago and now you’re leaving with her?”
“I was not talking you up,” Jared argued. “I asked you if there was a group of single women who regularly meet up here because I was looking for women on the prowl.”
“That does kind of sound like a pickup line,” Harper offered, her stomach revolting as she took a step. “Hold on. I need to … just hold on.” Harper rested her hands on her knees and swallowed a loud burp as she bent over at the waist.
“Oh, that’s so hot,” Jared deadpanned, although he was concerned enough to rub her back. “Heart, you really don’t look so hot.”
Ghostly Worries (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 4) Page 14