Ghostly Business

by Lily Harper Hart

  Jared assumed the question was directed at him so he shook his head. “No. Why is that important?”

  “Because it has to be maintained at certain levels,” Harper replied. “Certain things ... like the gingerbread trim and original wood porch have to be kept the same and, since it’s so close to downtown, it’s subject to Downtown Development Authority rules. I know that there were some stringent rules being enforced on her because I heard Patty complaining in the coffee shop about the hoops she had to jump through more than once.”

  “That doesn’t seem fair.”

  “It’s not,” Harper agreed. “I happen to know there were times she was close to losing the house. There have been certain people who have always coveted that property — real estate developers and a few members of the DDA — and they managed to push her to the brink a few times, but she always managed to rally and save the house.”

  Jared rubbed his hand over his morning stubble. “Do you think she started running a brothel to maintain the house?”

  Harper held out her hands and shrugged. “I have no idea. If she really was running a brothel, that’s what makes the most sense to me.”

  “Where are her kids?”

  “She didn’t have any kids. Her husband died about thirty years ago. It was just the two of them.”

  “And she never remarried?”

  “No. As far as I know, she never even dated again.”

  “That’s kind of sad.”

  Harper shifted so she could meet his steady gaze. “If I die, I want you to find someone else. I don’t want you to be lonely and sad.”

  He extended a warning finger. “We’ve had this discussion before. I don’t want to talk about it because it’s not happening. I’ll be a sad and bitter man instead. I’ve already decided. You can’t die because you have to save me from that fate.”

  He was a stubborn mule, but his response made Harper grin. “I’m kind of glad you said that because otherwise I was going to have to come back as a ghost and haunt your new girlfriend.”

  “Cute.” He tickled her ribs, causing her to squeal, and smirked when Zander made a face. “I don’t want to hear one complaint. You invaded our bedroom.”

  Zander stuck out his tongue. “I came for advice and you guys refuse to give it to me.”

  “That’s not true.” Harper recovered, although her face was still red from laughing. “You came here so I would tell you that the pressure you’re putting on Shawn is okay. The problem is, it’s not okay. You need to take a step back and let things progress in a natural manner. Otherwise you’re going to blow this up ... and I know that’s not what you want.”

  Zander was silent for several seconds. He worked his jaw, but his eyes remained flat. Harper was convinced he was about to finally acquiesce and agree that he’d been acting like a jerk — stranger things had happened, after all — but then he started shaking his morning-tousled head. “Screw that. I want a proposal. I want us to plan for our weddings together. I want a big deal made out of it. There’s nothing you can do to change my mind.”

  Harper pinched the bridge of her nose and exhaled heavily to rein in her temper. Zander was the sort of guy who refused to listen on a good day. When he was feeling adamant, when he dug his heels in, he was almost extraordinarily ridiculous ... and that was saying something because his normal days were hardly quiet.

  “Dude, you’re going to implode your own life if you’re not careful,” Jared warned when Harper didn’t speak. “Shawn is the best thing that has ever happened to you. I know you love him. He loves you, too. If you push him too far, though ... .”

  Zander jutted out his lower lip. “I just want us to be together.”

  Jared’s stance softened, although only marginally. “I know you do. Shawn wants that, too. Believe it or not, I desperately want it for you. You’re being impossible, though. This manic insistence on demanding what you consider the perfect proposal is going to put a strain on your relationship that I’m afraid you won’t come back from. Is that how you want to see things go?”

  “No.” Zander turned petulant as he sank lower in the bed. “I hate this. Why can’t I just have everything I want at the exact moment I want it?”

  “Because that’s not how life works,” Jared replied, groaning when his phone started chirping on the nightstand. “Ugh. The world is conspiring against me this morning. I just wanted some private time with my girl and it’s nonstop chaos.”

  Harper gave his arm a soothing pat before focusing on Zander. “We should go to the spa or something, maybe get massages. I think you’re a little tense. That might make you feel better.” She darted her eyes to Jared when she realized his face had gone “cop” after answering the phone. “What’s wrong?”

  Jared held up a finger to still her as he listened, nodding occasionally. “Give me an hour,” he said finally. “I need to shower and get dressed. I’ll meet you there.” He hit the button to end the call and slowly tracked his eyes to Harper. “That was Mel.”

  “I figured.” Harper sensed trouble so she let him talk at his own pace.

  “Patty’s autopsy is complete. They finished late last night. She was stabbed in the back. Twice.”

  Harper was horrified. “No. Why?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “I’m betting this brothel rumor is starting to look intriguing,” Zander noted.

  “It actually is,” Jared agreed. “I don’t know what to think, but this is not good.”

  To Harper, that was the understatement of the year.

  4

  Four

  Plans for breakfast were discarded and Jared was in and out of the shower quickly. He took the time to give Harper a kiss goodbye, stroking his hand down the back of her head as she stood in the kitchen with Zander.

  “What are you going to do?” he asked as he tugged on his coat.

  “What makes you think I’m going to do anything?” Harper queried as she sipped her coffee.

  Without asking, Jared took the mug from her and drank it himself before answering. “I’m familiar with your work.” He grinned when she made a face. “I know you,” he reiterated. “You’re not going to be able to stay out of this. I would appreciate knowing where you’re going to be now that this is officially a murder investigation.”

  Harper rubbed her cheek and accepted the mug back as she considered the question. “I guess I’m going looking for a ghost.”

  “Patty?”

  “She’s the obvious choice.”

  “Does that mean you’ll be hanging around the downtown area?”

  “Probably. Why?”

  “Because I happen to love you and want to keep you safe,” Jared replied, opting for honesty. “All this talk of a brothel — and the sort of business that goes with it — makes me nervous. I mean ... did you guys see anyone last night who shouldn’t have been there?”

  Harper thought back to the sight of Barry escaping from one of the rooms with a young blonde in tow. “Maybe,” she hedged.

  Jared folded his arms over his chest and adopted a stern expression. “Talk. Things were so chaotic that I didn’t have much of a chance to think about what was happening after the fact. I was more worried about getting back to you.”

  “I honestly didn’t see much,” Harper reassured him. “A local real estate agent came flying out of one of the rooms with a woman.”

  “A young woman,” Zander stressed. “A young woman who isn’t his wife.”

  Jared shot him a look. “I get it. What’s his name?”

  “Barry Watkins,” Harper supplied. “He’s kind of a ... difficult ... man.”

  “He’s a douche canoe,” Zander volunteered. “His wife is mean, though. I can see why he was looking for loving from an outside source.”

  Jared made a face. “Anyone else?”

  Harper shook her head. “No. Although ... there were a lot of cars behind the house. I noticed at the time but didn’t think much of it because I assumed people drove in from the outlying neighborh
oods to see what was happening. There were a lot more cars than normal, though, and they were kind of hidden behind that fence thing Patty had erected a few months ago.”

  “Do you think the fence is part of the brothel business?” Jared was honestly intrigued at the notion. “Like ... did she erect it to hide the cars?”

  “I don’t know.” Harper held her hands palms out. “I mean ... I knew Patty. I wasn’t that close with her, though. She was a peculiar old bird.”

  “Very peculiar,” Zander agreed. “I’m not just saying that because it turns out she was a sex connoisseur either. I’ve always thought she was weird.”

  “Thank you, Zander.” Jared shook his head, thoughtful. “I don’t even know where to start on this one. We should’ve thought ahead and tried to get photos of the license plates in that small lot.”

  “At the time you thought it was likely the fire was an accident,” Harper pointed out. “You’re not omnipotent and all-knowing.”

  “I am,” Zander offered.

  Harper ignored him and remained focused on Jared. “You couldn’t have known what was happening. I’ve lived here the bulk of my life and I had no idea.”

  “Do you believe the brothel theory?” Jared queried.

  “I ... don’t know.” Harper had been searching her heart for an answer to that question since Rain dropped the brothel bombshell on them. “I’m not quite sure what I believe.”

  “Well, give it some thought. If you come up with an opinion later, share it with me.” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms before leaning in to give her a kiss. “If you go ghost-hunting, I need you to be careful and not get yourself in trouble. There’s a killer out there and if he or she believes that you’re closing in ... .” He purposely left it hanging.

  “I know the drill.” Harper offered up a sunny smile. “I promise to be safe. I have been taking care of myself for a really long time, though. You don’t have to worry.”

  “You’re my life. Of course I’m going to worry.” He gave her another kiss and then pulled away. “Zander, make sure she doesn’t get in trouble.”

  Zander offered up a mock salute. “Absolutely. I’ll serve as her babysitter and boss for the entire day.”

  Jared chuckled at the mutinous look on Harper’s face. “Heart, make sure that Zander stays out of trouble, too.”

  “Oh, absolutely,” Harper mocked. “I’ll serve as his boss and babysitter for the entire day.”

  “You guys have fun but be careful. I’ll be in touch if I learn anything.”

  “A BROTHEL?”

  Mel was already at his desk when Jared entered the office they shared. He had a cup of McDonald’s coffee on his desk and a breakfast sandwich halfway devoured sitting next to it.

  “Yeah ... and how come you didn’t get me a sandwich?” Jared hated sounding petulant — he considered that Zander’s exclusive territory — but now that he saw the food he was hungry.

  “Because you were with Harper and I assumed you were eating with her.”

  “Harper doesn’t cook.”

  “No, but you guys go out for breakfast all the time. How was I to know this wasn’t one of those mornings?” Mel took great joy in biting into his sandwich and methodically chewing as he made “yummy” noises to distress his partner. He swallowed before speaking again. “Let’s go back to the brothel thing.”

  “I don’t know much,” Jared supplied, dragging his gaze away from the sandwich. “Rain mentioned it to Harper last night. Apparently it’s common knowledge that Patty was running a brothel out of her house.”

  “No offense to Rain, but she hasn’t lived here very long. How could she possibly know that?”

  “She told Harper that kids at school were talking about it. Patty was apparently sending out feelers for eighteen-year-olds.”

  “Huh.” Mel rubbed his chin. “I don’t know what to say. I mean, Patty has always been weird — she used to dress up like a grim reaper for birthdays at the senior center and taunt people that she’d be seeing them soon — but a brothel is one of those things that seems impossible to hide.”

  “Harper pointed out there were a lot of cars there last night. They were parked behind that weird fence thing. We need to know who those cars belonged to. She mentioned a real estate agent named Barry.”

  Mel furrowed his brow. “Barry Watkins?”

  “I’m pretty sure that’s the name.”

  “I didn’t see him.”

  “If it’s the guy I’m thinking of, he took off outside of the house about ten minutes before you got there. I didn’t see him loitering outside, but I had other things on my mind.”

  “Yeah. You were focused on making sure everybody was out of the house. At the time, we assumed it was an accident ... although you would still think we would notice a bunch of random people fleeing the house.”

  “Unless they did it through the back door,” Jared noted. “I think we should head back over there and take a look.”

  “I think you’re exactly right.” Mel bobbed his head. “I just need to finish this delicious breakfast sandwich first. It’s got eggs ... and sausage ... and a bun that tastes like it’s been dipped in maple syrup and yet isn’t soggy. It would be a crime to abandon this sandwich.”

  Jared made a growling sound deep in his throat and shook his head. “You’re a pain.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m just eating breakfast and minding my own business.”

  “Well, hurry up. I want to stop by McDonald’s on our way to the scene so I can get breakfast, too.”

  “I don’t know that we have time.”

  “We’ll make time.”

  “If you say so.”

  “Now who is being the pain?”

  “I’m pretty sure it’s still you.”

  HARPER AND ZANDER TRIED TO look normal as they walked down the sidewalk that led to the downtown area. They hugged the white picket fence that surrounded Patty’s property and stared at the house. It looked empty, although that didn’t necessarily mean anything. The sidewalk was a great distance from the windows. Still, Harper would’ve expected some movement around the structure.

  “Do you think the firefighters are done?” Zander asked as they rolled to a stop next to the streetlight.

  “I don’t know.” Harper’s expression was hard to read despite the fact that Zander had known her for the better part of his life. “I want to get a closer look inside. Do you think if we go around the back we’ll be able to look?”

  Zander was incredulous. “You just promised Jared you would stay out of trouble not an hour ago.”

  “I have no intention of getting in trouble.”

  “Um ... crossing the tape at a crime scene is the best way I know to get into trouble.”

  “Well, I think you’re reading the situation wrong.” Harper suddenly found something in the middle of the vacant yard to catch her attention. “I don’t want to break the law. I’m simply looking for Patty’s ghost. If you really think about it, I’m carrying out a public service.”

  Zander snorted. “Please. That sounds like something I would say.”

  Harper faltered. “I ... huh. It does kind of sound like something you would say. I wonder how that happened.”

  “You’re finally coming to your senses.” Zander slung an arm around her shoulders and glanced right and left to make sure nobody was watching them. “Let’s stroll around back. I’m not saying we can get inside, but if there’s a chance, it will be away from the looky-loos on Main Street.”

  “Good point.”

  DALE SORENSON SERVED AS A SHARED fire inspector for the county. Most cities had their own inspector on the payroll, but Whisper Cove was too small. They opted to contract with the county to borrow their expert when it became necessary. Thankfully, Sorensen was the diligent sort and he’d been on Patty’s property since before the sun rose.

  “It’s definitely accelerants,” he told Jared and Mel as they approached. “Is that a bacon bagel from McDonald’s?” H
e lifted his nose, scenting the air like a bloodhound.

  Jared clutched the sandwich tighter. “It is and you’re going to have to get your own. This is mine.”

  “I’m fine with that.” Sorenson waved off the statement. “I’m watching my cholesterol anyway. My wife would kill me. Those things are basically heart attacks in yellow wrappers.”

  “Yeah, but what a way to go.” Jared bit into the sandwich with gusto, causing Sorenson to smile.

  “As for your fire, it was definitely deliberately set.”

  “To cover up the murder?” Mel queried.

  “That’s the interesting part.” Sorenson pointed toward the back door. “Come this way. I want to show you something.”

  Mel and Jared exchanged looks.

  “That sounds ominous,” Mel muttered as he fell into step behind the fire inspector.

  Sorenson led them through the door and pulled up as he indicated a hallway full of doors. “This place is set up like a hotel.”

  “Or a brothel,” Jared muttered as he munched his sandwich.

  Sorenson jerked his eyes to the younger detective. “A brothel?” At first he looked dubious. Then, as his eyes bounced from door to door, realization dawned on his face. “Oh, geez. That’s exactly what this place is. Honestly, I’m relieved. That makes the exit I found so much less weird.”

  “Exit?” Mel drew his eyebrows together and watched as Sorenson moved to a wall panel.

  “The only reason I noticed this was because there was a slight indentation,” Sorenson explained, pressing his hand against a small square in the wallpaper. “I started pressing on the wall because I thought maybe there was a chance water got stuck inside — which could turn into an issue when it comes to gathering evidence — but then this happened.”

  There was an audible click as the wall panel fell inward, revealing a dark tunnel.

  “Where does that go?” Jared asked, his breakfast sandwich suddenly forgotten. “Is it lighted?”

  “There are emergency lights.” Sorenson pointed toward square contraptions on the walls. “I don’t know if they were operational at the time the fire hit, though. If they were and clicked on, it seems they would still be running. I’m going to have to test them. As you can see, they’re not. It’s possible the batteries just ran down, but I don’t know how likely that is.”