“Oh, we don’t have to put up with this,” Brian challenged. “We’re here to help you. If you want to spend your time insulting us ... well ... we can leave.”
Mel gestured toward the door. “By all means, show yourselves out. Just remember, there’s nothing to stop us from going straight to your houses to speak to your wives and confirm your alibis if you do that.”
“Honestly, I think we should’ve done that already,” Jared supplied, leaning back in his chair and giving off a smug vibe he knew would drive some of the men — particularly Brian — through the roof.
“I told you this was a mistake,” Barry hissed, slapping his hands against the table and glaring at the other two men. “They’re chomping at the bit to make us look like fools. We should get different lawyers, not play nice with Barney Fife and ... the other one.”
“Wait ... am I Barney Fife in this analogy?” Mel queried. “I don’t want to be Barney Fife.”
“At least you garnered a name,” Jared noted. “I’m not even good enough to be disparaged through black-and-white television.”
Brian glowered at him. “What do you want from us?”
“We want the truth,” Jared replied simply. “We want to know what you saw that night at Patty’s. We want to know where you were in the house. We want to know if you saw anything, what your relationship with Patty was, and whether you would kill to protect your secret.”
“Oh, well, that sounds ... great,” Jack drawled. “Is there anything else you want?”
“No, that will suffice for now.” Jared’s smile was brutally pleasant. “Let’s start with you, Mr. Trent, where were you that evening?”
Jack exchanged another look with Brian, who still looked defiant, and Barry, who appeared beaten down. Ultimately, he heaved out a sigh. “I was on the second floor with Dolly.”
Jared pursed his lips. “I don’t believe we’ve heard the name Dolly yet.”
“She bears a striking resemblance to the singer, at least where it’s important.”
Jared didn’t need it spelled out further for him. “And how often were you seeing Dolly?”
“Twice a week.” Jack rubbed his forehead. “I don’t need any judgment from you. There’s nothing you can say that will make me feel guilty. My wife is a frigid witch and I crave affection occasionally. I don’t think I should be punished for that.”
“We’re all in the same boat,” Barry added. “We all need affection.”
“Perhaps try getting a dog,” Jared suggested, although he let it go. “What room were you in on the second floor? There were four.”
“The one on the east side of the stairwell when you’re facing north.”
Jared pictured the room in question. “Blue bedspread. It was on the floor.”
Jack nodded miserably. “That would be the one. We were ... doing our thing ... and the smoke alarm went off. At first we thought it was a mistake, like some joker had pulled it to be an idiot, but when it kept going and we smelled smoke we realized that it wasn’t a joke and we left.”
“How did you leave the house?”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you go through the door or the tunnel?”
“Oh, the tunnel. That was one of the first things Patty showed us when we signed on. She wanted us to know that we wouldn’t be trapped if there was ever a raid.”
“Which brings up a good point,” Mel interjected. “Weren’t you guys ever worried that you would get caught? You’re all married. You all have good standing in the community. You all have something to lose if you got caught.”
“You would think that would be enough to deter us, wouldn’t you?” Barry asked ruefully. “It wasn’t though. Sometimes ... sometimes you simply can’t help yourself.”
“I think you didn’t want to help yourself,” Jared shot back. “Still, you had to be worried there was a chance someone would investigate Patty at some point. I mean ... apparently all the teenagers in town knew what was going on at that house.”
“Yeah, all the teenagers knew.” Brian rolled his eyes. “Nobody was going to believe the teenagers, though. The only time they would’ve squealed is if they got caught with pot or cigarettes. They wouldn’t have been believed because it would’ve been assumed they were bartering for a deal. It wasn’t really a concern.”
“Not even at first?”
“At first ... well, at first we were all nervous,” Jack admitted. “It wasn’t until the third time that I started to relax. I only went once a month for the first bit because I was afraid that someone would catch on. After a bit, though, I realized Patty had everything under control.”
“Her father was a mobster, for crying out loud,” Barry added. “She knew what she was doing. Well, until she started losing her mind.”
“Losing her mind?” Mel rested his elbows on the table. “Is that a euphemism for something?”
“No, she really started losing her mind,” Barry replied. “She started forgetting stuff. Once she went through all the rooms and tried to kick everyone out because she thought we were invading her house.”
“She also thought she was a teenager sometimes,” Jack volunteered. “She thought I was her father once and started apologizing for climbing out the window to meet some boy.”
Jared was taken aback. “That sounds like dementia.”
“Or Alzheimer’s,” Mel added. “The regressing thing is definitely in the wheelhouse for both of them, though. How come you guys didn’t report that behavior to the county department on aging? They would’ve checked on her.”
“Seriously?” Brian rolled his eyes. “We could hardly tell them what we knew because then we would have to explain how we knew it. That would’ve been opening ourselves up to serious charges.”
“Or you just didn’t want to lose access to the women,” Jared argued. “That seems more likely to me.”
“Oh, I’ve had it with your attitude.” Brian let loose a haphazard wave. “You’re not going to help us. I don’t see why we should help you.”
“Because, if you don’t, we’ll go straight to your wives to confirm your alibis,” Mel said, not missing a beat. He enjoyed having that particular threat in his back pocket to wave around, which is why he kept using it. “We haven’t so far because we didn’t want to unnecessarily blow up lives as we were trying to sort this out, but we can’t hold off any longer. We need answers, and you’re going to give them.”
“That means you’re going to sit here and answer every single question we throw at you, sometimes two or three times, and you’re not leaving until we’re satisfied you’re not killers,” Jared added. “Do you have a problem with that?”
Brian looked as if he was going to continue arguing but Barry and Jack shook their heads. They were obviously resigned to their fates.
“Just get it over with,” Jack ordered. “I can’t take this any longer. I think I’m getting an ulcer.”
“Oh, that’s a sad story.” Jared clicked his ink pen and opened a notebook. “Go back to where everyone was that night. We want a picture of where everybody was in the house. We’ll move on from there.”
17
Seventeen
Harper and Zander met Molly and Eric in the parking lot in front of the petting zoo’s stable. Eric was already in deep discussions with Henry, the owner, and Harper had to hurry to catch up with them before negotiations ended.
“What’s going on?”
Henry Pickler was in his seventies. He’d owned Whisper Cove Stables (which now also included a petting zoo for the tourists) — a staple of the tourist season — since long before Harper was born. He was friendly, gregarious, and had allowed her to ride for free the summer she had convinced herself she needed a horse to escape from her arguing parents. She was eager to help ... and curious.
“I’m not sure what’s happening,” Henry admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s so weird. Like ... weird weird. Something is in there spooking the horses and ... throwing things.”
“
Throwing things?” Harper arched an eyebrow. “Ghosts don’t usually throw things. Are you sure someone isn’t messing with you?”
“Unless they’re invisible, then I’m pretty sure. If ghosts don’t throw things, though, what am I dealing with?”
That was harder for Harper to ascertain. “I don’t know. Poltergeists tend to throw things.”
“And what’s the difference?”
“Poltergeists are fueled by rage. They can’t control their actions.” Harper cocked her head as she stared toward the stable, which looked largely silent. “Where are the horses?”
“We got them out.” Henry gestured toward the park down the beach. “They’re all just kind of sitting there hanging out. We couldn’t leave them in the stable because the noise was freaking them out.”
“No. I can see that.” Harper was beyond confused. “What I don’t understand is why you suddenly have a spirit haunting you. Nothing out of the ordinary has happened before, right?”
Henry shook his head. “This is literally the first time. One of the saddles fell from the bench it was on to start and I thought it might be the wind. Then some of the straps started flying across the room and I thought I was imagining it. When I realized the horses were feeling it, too, though, well ... I knew something had to be done.”
“What are you thinking?” Eric asked as he studied Harper’s face. He was always interested in the science of the takedown above all else while Molly, who happened to be his girlfriend, loved the lore.
“I don’t know.” Harper absently scratched the side of her nose. “I seriously ... do not know. I don’t understand how a disruptive ghost could’ve been here for any period of time and nobody saw it.”
“Can’t it be new?” Henry challenged.
“In theory, but nobody has died. I guess somebody could be dead and we don’t know it but ... that’s fairly rare in Whisper Cove.”
“That’s not true,” Molly countered blankly. “Somebody has died. That woman who was running the brothel.”
Henry stirred. “Patty? You think it’s Patty?”
Harper hesitated. “I ... don’t ... know.” She looked to Zander, conflicted. “She is a ghost. We’ve seen her, talked to her. The interactions have been mildly odd but there haven’t been any violent acts associated with the conversations.”
“If you’ve seen her, why didn’t you do that thing to help her move over to the other side?” Henry challenged. “I don’t know much about what you do, but I’m well aware that’s the gist of it.”
“Because it wasn’t time. We needed to find out who killed her before she could pass over. Once that was handled I had every intention of helping her. We simply weren’t there yet.”
“Because she wouldn’t help you?” Henry furrowed his brow. “Why wouldn’t she help you? I would think that was top on her list now that she has her mind back.”
Harper froze. “Her mind back? What do you mean?”
“She was losing her mind.” Henry was matter-of-fact. “She had Alzheimer’s. The doctors diagnosed her six months ago. They were on her to get her affairs in order so she could move to a home, although she was fighting it. She said there was nothing wrong with her.”
Harper found she was scrambling to catch up. “How do you know that? I mean ... did Patty tell you that?”
Henry nodded, not missing a beat. “We went to school together. I don’t know that I would say we were close but, occasionally, when she needed to talk she came to me. She always loved the horses. She wanted one as a kid, but her father, while indulgent, wouldn’t allow pets. He always said if they ever had to run ... .” He trailed off.
“We’re aware of Patty’s background,” Zander reassured him quickly. “She told us herself. I ... don’t understand, though. Is that why she’s been so off when we try to talk to her? Can ghosts get Alzheimer’s?”
“I wouldn’t think that’s possible,” Eric replied automatically. “It’s my understanding that the ailments of the body don’t cross to the other side. I’ve done a lot of research on this.”
“It’s not an ailment of the body, though,” Harper argued, staring at the stable and shaking her head. “It’s an ailment of the mind. It might be different. I ... just don’t know.” She tugged on her bottom lip, her brain busy.
“You’re thinking of what Jared said, aren’t you?” Zander challenged. “He says he’s been worried about you because you seem off and erratic. He suggested you were starting to channel ghosts. Now you’re wondering if you’re channeling a sick ghost on top of everything else.”
“It makes sense,” Harper said finally. “I mean ... it makes more sense than anything else. Patty can’t control her emotions. She would be filled with anger over what happened to her. She would have all of these feelings and not know what to do with them.
“Also, her memory might be shot,” she continued. “I always thought it was weird that she managed to gain control of her situation as fast as she did and not remember who killed her. It’s the Alzheimer’s. It’s informing her reactions ... and making her do things.”
“What has she done?” Molly asked, legitimately curious. “How many times have you talked to her?”
“A few.” Harper flashed a rueful smile. “The first time was when Zander and I were sitting outside of her house. She appeared right after we saw one of the girls who worked for her. Natalie. It was as if she was following the girl and happened upon us.”
“And how did she act?” Eric queried.
“Fairly normal. I mean ... she wasn’t perfect, but I assumed it was because she was still getting used to her new reality. I didn’t realize ... .” She trailed off, a sick feeling filling her stomach.
“You couldn’t have realized,” Henry offered, awkwardly patting her shoulder. “There’s no way you could’ve possibly understood what you were dealing with. Patty was embarrassed by what was happening. She didn’t want anyone to know.”
“She shouldn’t have been embarrassed,” Zander admonished. “It wasn’t her fault.”
“That didn’t matter. She’d always been on her own, self-sufficient. The idea of going into a home broke her. She wanted to kill herself at one point, but I talked her out of it. In truth, I think she came to me because she needed to be talked out of it.
“She didn’t want to die but, most of all, she didn’t want to wither away and be forgotten,” he continued. “I promised to always visit even if she didn’t know me. I figured that was the least I could do.”
Tears pricked the backs of Harper’s eyes as she considered what the woman had gone through. “I feel so sorry for her. I also should’ve realized. When she appeared out of the darkness last night to warn me to run at the house, her eyes were wild and she wasn’t entirely there. I don’t know if she grasped what was happening, but she was the reason I got it together fast enough to rush in and help Jared.”
“Do you think she knows who killed her?” Molly queried.
“I think, deep down, she does know,” Harper replied. “I really wish I would’ve known all this when we saw Natalie. Now she’s long gone and can’t help us.”
Henry stirred. “Natalie? That’s the young girl who was living with Patty, right?”
Harper bobbed her head. “Patty was helping her out. I’m starting to think that Natalie was helping her out, too. Patty was smart. Even if she didn’t want to deal with what was happening to her, she knew enough to understand eventually things would fall apart. She would’ve tried to hold them together as long as possible, though, and that’s where Natalie came in. She filled in the gaps and smoothed things over with the customers. I really wish I could talk to her.”
“Um ... I might be able to help you there.” Obviously uncomfortable, Henry shifted from one foot to the other and rubbed his hand over his chin. “I might know where Natalie is.”
Harper snapped her head to him, surprised. “You might know?”
“Fine. I know. She’s staying in the cabin up the lake. I ran into her the day before yest
erday and she was freaking out about what happened to Patty. I felt bad because I knew she’d been helping take care of Patty so I allowed her to stay in my father’s old hunting cabin. It’s not exactly the Ritz, but she was grateful.”
Harper blinked several times in rapid succession, absorbing. “Can you get her here?” she asked finally.
He nodded. “I can, although ... you’re not going to have your boyfriend arrest her, are you? Natalie told me what was going on at Patty’s place. I’d heard rumors, of course, but told myself they weren’t real. That girl might’ve been doing technically illegal stuff, but she has a good heart.”
“Are you kidding me?” Harper practically exploded, forcing Zander to raise his hands in a placating manner and step between them.
“We don’t want anything to happen to Natalie,” Zander promised. “Honestly, we want to help her. This entire thing is a mess, though. We need to figure out who killed Patty. It’s important.”
“I assumed she was killed for money,” Henry argued. “Natalie said she had a lot of it in the safe upstairs.”
“And it’s now gone, so that’s possible,” Zander agreed. “The thing is, last night Harper and Jared were there looking around and they were attacked. Jared almost died. That means Harper is ... a little worked up. She can’t help it if she barks at you in that state.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “I’m not worked up.”
“You’re kind of worked up,” Zander countered. “It doesn’t matter, though. It’s okay. Henry can get her here. While we’re waiting for that, you can go in and talk to Patty. If she doesn’t remember who killed her at this point, then maybe there’s no reason for her to stick around. Maybe it’s time for her to pass on because it’s the kindest thing for her.”
Ghostly Business Page 17