Ghostly Business

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I have to agree with that.” Jared leaned back in his seat and was gratified when Harper leaned into him. She seemed content to be tucked into the nook at his side. “I’m guessing whatever she was doing in there wasn’t something that had been carrying on for decades or anything. In fact, the inspector said he believes all the work to turn the house into something other than what it was originally designed to be happened within the last two years or so.”

  Harper pursed her lips. “How did Patty manage to get construction workers into the house without anybody seeing?”

  “That is the question. Interestingly enough, we found a tunnel inside the house that leads to the basement. From there we found another tunnel that leads out into the parking lot area where all those cars were last night. The exit is conveniently hidden by the big fence.”

  “Really?” Harper knew she shouldn’t be surprised, but she couldn’t contain her disbelief. “Well, I guess that’s ... nice.”

  “Or weird,” Zander offered.

  “It’s definitely weird,” she agreed. “It makes sense, though. Olivia said that Patty’s father was a bootlegger during prohibition. The tunnels would’ve helped him move liquor without the cops being any the wiser.”

  “Whisper Cove is also close to the lake,” Zander said. “It would’ve been a short ride from the driveway to a private dock to transport the alcohol. I mean ... it’s kind of brilliant.”

  “Actually, it is,” Jared agreed. “I’m guessing Patty’s father hid his nefarious business dealings behind a legitimate front so people in the area simply assumed he had a lot of money.”

  “And he left that money to Patty, but her husband gambled and drank it away,” Harper said. “She was in a horrible position. She had no marketable skills and only one way to hold on to her family home.”

  The way she phrased it had Jared cocking his head. “Is that what you’re worried about?” he asked. “Do you think you don’t have marketable skills should something happen down the line?”

  Harper refused to meet his gaze, instead staring at the menu even though she’d already ordered. “I don’t know. I was just thinking. There’s nothing wrong.”

  “There’s definitely something wrong,” Jared countered. “Why do you think I’m trying so hard to figure it out? It obviously has something to do with the depths to which Patty had to sink to hold on to what was hers. You’re never going to have that problem.

  “First off, we’re going to be together forever,” he continued. “You’ll never be on your own. No, don’t bother arguing. I’ve already decided and that’s simply what’s going to happen.”

  Despite herself, Harper was amused. “Oh, yeah?”

  He nodded without hesitation. “Even if the unthinkable happens — which I say won’t so you don’t have to worry — but even if it does, you’ll be well taken care of. You’ll get my benefits.”

  “You’ll also have me,” Zander added. “I won’t let you become a prostitute. You can just move back in with Shawn and me. It will be fine.”

  Jared shot him a quelling look. “I think she’s going to want to keep her own home.”

  “Except I’m more enticing than a house.”

  “Oh, geez,” Harper groaned. “Can we not start this argument again? I don’t know why I was feeling so agitated after the story Olivia told us. It was weird, but I’ve heard worse. I think it was just a chick thing or something, like I felt really sorry for her and my empathy got the better of me. I’m over it now.”

  “I don’t think you’ll ever truly be over it, but I appreciate the effort,” Jared said dryly. “Let’s go back to talking about Patty, though. Did Olivia tell you anything else?”

  “That was basically the gist of it. I mean, she filled in a few little tidbits here and there. Oh, and she said she knew Patty was running a brothel and didn’t hold it against her. Apparently there was a steady stream of guys going in and out of the house. Some of them even got in the occasional fight in the lot.”

  “That’s interesting.” Jared rolled the picture through his head. “I’m trying to find a motive and the best I’ve got is that someone wanted to keep what they were doing a secret. We managed to track down video of the fire last night and identified a few license plates from the video. The first person we talked to who had a vehicle there last night didn’t take things well. I think we’re going to have to come up with a different approach when it comes to questioning these guys.”

  “Who was it?”

  “Mike Todd.”

  Harper thought she’d heard him wrong. “The principal?”

  He nodded. “He was obviously nervous from the moment we walked through the doors. When we told him why we were there he practically freaked out and basically kicked us out of his office.”

  “Well, that didn’t take suspicion off him,” Harper noted.

  “Not at all,” Jared agreed. “We’ll definitely have to go back and question him. Until then, though, we need to figure out a better way to broach the subject with these guys. I don’t think our presence is going to be welcome any way you slice it.”

  “What are you guys talking about?” Jason asked as he appeared at the edge of the table with Harper’s chili. “By the way, I’m just helping out Candy. She’s got the entire floor today because her counterpart didn’t bother showing up. I still expect you to tip her.”

  Harper was amused at the order. “I think we can manage that. Who didn’t show up?”

  “Natalie Dyer.”

  Harper ran the name through her head. “I don’t know who that is.”

  “She lived in that house that caught fire last night, the one old Mrs. Porter owns. Well, I guess owned would be the proper term now. I’m assuming she got caught up in all of that and that’s why she didn’t call in, but it’s still a pain.”

  “Excuse me?” Jared shifted on his seat. “You’re saying you have a waitress who lived with Patty Porter.”

  Jason nodded, seemingly clueless to why that could possibly matter. “Yeah. I heard Patty died from smoke inhalation. It’s terrible.”

  “Patty was murdered,” Harper countered, exchanging a quick look with Jared, who was lost in thought. “On top of that, she was running a brothel out of her home. Are you sure this Natalie woman lived with her?”

  Jason was taken aback. “Um ... yeah. A brothel?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “You don’t think Natalie ... .” He trailed off.

  “We won’t know until we can talk to her,” Jared replied. “Do you have a number for her?”

  “I can look through her personnel file.”

  “Do it. We need whatever you can give us ... including information. Get our food and then sit down. We have some things to discuss.”

  Jason swallowed hard. “That sounds ominous.”

  “It could get that way for the people involved in the shenanigans at Patty’s house. For now, we just need information from you ... unless you were frequenting the establishment.”

  Jason’s discomfort turned to agitation as he scowled. “Yeah, that really sounds just like me. Thanks for believing I might be a pervert, man.”

  “Just checking.”

  “You’d better hope I don’t check your hamburger with my tongue.”

  “That sounds dirty,” Zander offered. “I encourage dirty.”

  “Just get the food,” Jared said on a sigh. “We need to know everything you do.”

  “It’s not much,” Jason countered.

  “It’s still more than we have. Hurry up. I don’t want to fall too far behind if I can help it.”

  7

  Seven

  Jared stopped Zander before they left the restaurant parking lot.

  “I need to talk to you.”

  Zander was instantly suspicious. “Hey, I was having an emergency this morning. You said I could have one emergency a week ... and this was it.”

  Jared didn’t bother to hide his eye roll. “I’m not talking about that ... although we might want to def
ine what constitutes an emergency down the road. I’m talking about Harper. Why is she so ... upset?”

  He had braced himself for an argument, but when Zander realized Jared’s concern was for Harper he instantly sobered. “I don’t know. That seemed to come out of nowhere. She’s usually not that emotionally ... raw. I can’t explain it. I thought she was fine up until she wasn’t.”

  “Yeah.” Jared stroked his chin as he glanced back at the restaurant. Harper was inside using the facilities. “I’m a little worried. I can’t figure out what’s going on here. She was fine last night ... and even this morning. This afternoon, though, she was almost jittery ... and that’s not a word I would use to describe her very often.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Even though Zander and Jared often spent their days sniping at one another, they always came together when it was in Harper’s best interests.

  “Just watch her,” Jared instructed. “Try to stick close to her. I need to track down this Natalie Dyer woman. If she really was living with Patty, then she probably has information for us.”

  “No offense, but if I was living in a brothel and it went up in flames, I would run faster than Usain Bolt to make sure the cops couldn’t catch up to me. Why would she possibly stay in the area?”

  “All her belongings are probably in the house.”

  Zander cocked his head. “Okay, I guess I can see hanging around for that. Still, though, I might dump my clothes and shoes — no matter how awesome they are — to get away from potential prosecution. That’s just me, though.”

  “No, I get it.” Jared pursed his lips when the restaurant door opened and Harper strolled out. She looked better, the color was back in her cheeks, but he was still worried. “You take care of my Heart.”

  Zander nodded without hesitation. “I’ve been doing that since I was five. I’m not going to suddenly stop now.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  “DO YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO the house and eat carbs?” Zander asked once Harper and Jared had said their goodbyes and it was just the two of them in the parking lot. “We’ll have to head back and pick up your car at Patty’s house, but I was thinking we could get potato chips and mud masks and watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills while relaxing.”

  The look Harper shot him was withering. “That sounds like a horrible day.”

  “Hey! Mud masks are our thing.”

  “Not the masks ... or even the potato chips. I’m talking about the Real Housewives. I will never think that’s a good idea.”

  “You’re missing an entertainment gold mine. Still, we can watch whatever you want. I’m open to suggestions.”

  “Great.” The smile Harper plastered on her face gave Zander pause. “I think we should go back to Patty’s house and keep watching. That’s my suggestion.”

  “Oh, man.” Zander’s heart sank. “I don’t want to hang out in the trees all afternoon.”

  “Then go home. You can even take my car. I’ll walk back. It’s only a few blocks.”

  Zander immediately started shaking his head. “No. I think we should stick together.”

  Now it was Harper’s turn to be suspicious. “What did you and Jared talk about while I was inside?”

  “How fabulous you are. Don’t be paranoid.”

  “It’s not paranoia when they’re really out to get you. I think someone we both know and love taught me that.”

  “That’s only a thing when it’s happening to me.” Zander refused to allow her to derail the conversation. “If you think Jared and I were talking out of turn, you’re definitely paranoid.”

  Harper wasn’t convinced. “I’m not willing to give up the ghost hunt.” Her tone turned plaintive. “I know you can’t understand it but ... I swear I felt something there. I can’t give a name to it, but I feel that’s where we need to be and I’m not ready to simply throw in the towel after a few hours.”

  Zander had spent enough time with Harper to read the obstinate tilt of her head. She wouldn’t back down. If she believed strongly in something, she chased it with dogged determination. Obviously she felt this strongly enough to argue over it, which meant Zander wouldn’t win no matter how hard he argued.

  “Fine.” He threw up his hands in defeat. “I’ll hang in the woods with you for a few more hours. If sap ruins my coat, though, you’re buying me a new one.”

  “Deal.”

  HARPER HAD NYLON OUTDOOR CHAIRS in the trunk of her car and to cut down on potential complaints from Zander they retrieved the chairs and returned to their previous spot. From their vantage point they had a clear view of the house, but someone would have to be staring in the exact right spot to see them.

  “I wonder if Patty had more than one girl living with her,” Zander mused after they’d been quiet for a full twenty minutes. “I mean ... it would hardly make sense for Natalie to be the only one.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that,” Harper admitted, shifting on her chair. “What if Patty was going after at-risk girls because she knew she could manipulate them? The idea makes me uncomfortable but Patty was always the sage sort. I think she probably arranged this operation so she was the one getting the most benefit out of things.”

  “But why would a young girl agree to that lifestyle?” Zander challenged. “I mean ... that’s the age when you think you have everything in front of you. The sky is the limit and all that jazz. Turning tricks at an organized brothel right out of high school seems ... like the exact opposite of what a young girl would want to do.”

  “You’re looking at it from our perspective,” Harper countered. “We had good childhoods. Well, I mean in the grand scheme of things. There were no money problems in our families. No drug problems. I think it’s likely Patty was preying on those who were in dire need of an adult figure to guide them ... and she took advantage of the situation.”

  “Well, that’s a nice thing to say about the dead,” a craggy voice called out, causing Harper to practically jump out of her chair when she shifted and found Patty’s ghost watching her from the shadows.

  Since he couldn’t see ghosts — and only on rare occasions managed to hear them — Zander kept talking as if nothing had happened. “I think that bothers me most about all of this,” he said, his eyes still on the house. He obviously hadn’t noticed that Harper’s attention had shifted. “I always thought of Patty as a nice, if somewhat loony, woman. I don’t like thinking of her taking advantage of teenagers.”

  “Oh, who is that one calling loony?” Patty complained, jabbing a finger in Zander’s direction. “He’s considered the looniest resident of the entire town. You’re considered loony, too, just for the record, Blondie. You claim you can talk to ghosts and ... .” She trailed off.

  “And what?” Harper challenged.

  “I was done talking,” Zander replied.

  “I’m talking to Patty.”

  “Oh.” He straightened in his chair and glanced around. “Have you asked her why she was running a brothel yet? I’m dying to know ... and I’m also kind of curious what sort of money she made on the endeavor. Not that I’m interested in doing it myself or anything, mind you. I’m just curious.”

  Harper shot him a quelling look and then turned back to Patty. “You’ll have to excuse him. He just gets excited about certain things ... and apparently brothels are one of those things.”

  Patty snorted and shook her head. “I just realized that I always thought you were a kook because you claimed you could talk to ghosts, but I’m a ghost and you’re talking to me.”

  Harper nodded sympathetically. “Yeah. It’s hard to absorb. Still, if it’s any consolation, you’re doing much better than a lot of the other ghosts I’ve encountered throughout the years. At least you realize that you’re already dead.”

  “There wasn’t much else to believe when I woke up and tried to talk to the strange people in my house. They just looked right through me. Mel and your boyfriend were wandering around my house with anoth
er guy and I was screaming at them ... but nothing.”

  Despite all that they’d learned about Patty, Harper couldn’t help the wave of pity washing over her. “I’m sorry this happened to you. Believe it or not, I understand why you were doing this. You were just trying to hold onto your home.”

  “Actually, that’s not entirely true.” Patty’s expression was rueful when she shifted away from looking at the house and focused on the blonde. “That was honestly the truth when it started. Then I realized how much money I could really make and my priorities ... shifted. I was saving up to move to Tahiti for the rest of my life. I figured I just needed a few more months and I was good to go. I mean ... I didn’t have more than a few good years ahead of me, right?”

  Harper felt inexplicably sad. “I ... don’t know what to say to that.”

  “What did she say?” Zander whispered.

  Harper held up a finger to quiet him and maintained her focus on Patty. “Do you know who killed you?”

  Patty shook her head. “I can remember what happened. I was up on the third floor to take a rest. I usually patrolled the hallways during an event — that’s what I called them — to make sure there were no issues with any of the men. I know you think I’m callous where those girls are concerned, but I really did my best to take care of them.”

  To Harper, that didn’t make a lot of sense. She wanted to argue the point, but since she needed information, she didn’t feel now was the time to call Patty on the statement. “What do you remember?”

  “I was upstairs. I have an office up there. I really wanted my bedroom up there, but it was difficult to climb the stairs ten times a day so I split the difference. I was putting the money in the safe and I heard a noise. I started to turn, expecting to see one of the girls, but I felt pain ... and it was over really quickly.”