Ghostly Business

by Lily Harper Hart

  Harper swallowed hard at the notion and accepted the dreamcatcher Eric handed her. The device was of her making. Somehow, she just “knew” how to create it when it was time years before. Now she used it to help spirits pass to the other side ... whether they were willing to make the trip or not.

  “Is there anything I should say to her?” Harper asked Henry. Honestly, she was buying time. She wasn’t quite ready to share space with Patty now that she knew the truth. If Patty really had been influencing her emotions — and she didn’t blame the woman because she obviously couldn’t control what was happening — what was to stop that from happening again? Harper didn’t want to go on another emotional roller coaster if she could help it.

  “We weren’t that close.” Henry was rueful. “I listened when she talked because I figured I was the only one who did. I told her she should make up with Olivia. I never did understand why they had a falling out. They were good for each other.

  “Patty helped Olivia come out of her shell and Olivia helped Patty see when she was taking a step over the line,” he continued. “I know Patty missed her when she severed the friendship, but she refused to go back.”

  “She told Olivia something from her past and was embarrassed after the fact,” Harper explained. “She could never get over it.”

  “Well ... that sucks but there’s nothing we can do about it now. I can get Natalie down here. You need to help Patty if you can. I mean ... if that’s even her.”

  “It’s her.” Harper was certain of that. “I should’ve realized there was something wrong with her from the start. I don’t know why I didn’t see it.”

  “Do you want me to go in there with you?” Zander queried.

  Harper shook her head. “It’s okay. I don’t think this one is going to get out of control.” She wagged the dreamcatcher. “I’m going to try and talk her down. If that doesn’t work, I’ve always got this.”

  Zander leaned forward and gave her a hug. “Good luck. If you need me, I won’t be far away. We’ll monitor on the infrared and see if we can see anything. I hate to say it, but now that we know what was going on with her, this is kind of interesting from a research standpoint.”

  Harper was affronted. “She’s not a science experiment.”

  “She’s not,” Eric agreed hurriedly. “Still, the way she’s been acting is ... intriguing. We could do a paper on it. The paranormal periodicals would be all over us if we did. It’s something to think about.”

  “Later,” Harper clarified. “It’s something to think about later. For now, I need to focus on Patty. You should get Natalie and we’ll go from there.”

  Henry nodded without hesitation. “I’ll have her down here in ten minutes. Don’t send Patty away until Natalie gets a chance to say goodbye. I think it might be important to her.”

  Harper hesitated and then nodded. “I’ll do my best. Just get her down here.”

  THE STABLE WAS QUIET WHEN HARPER initially entered. It didn’t feel eerie or ominous, but the atmosphere was thick with energy. The sound of something hitting a wall at the back of the structure caught her attention and she headed in that direction.

  She checked every stall until she got to the last one. That’s where she found Patty’s ghost. The woman had her back to Harper and was staring into nothing. From the slope of her shoulders, Harper recognized that Patty was struggling. She wanted to help. She simply didn’t know how she was going to carry it off.

  “Hey.” Harper’s voice was soft as she greeted the ghost.

  Patty turned swiftly, her eyes filled with fire, and Harper held up her hands in surrender to keep the ghost at bay.

  “Do you remember me?” Harper’s voice was clear, free of cracks, but fear coursed through her all the same. “We’ve been hanging out the past few days.”

  Patty made a face. “Of course I remember you. I’m not an idiot.”

  “I didn’t mean to suggest you were.”

  “Then why would you ask such a stupid question? I know darned well we’ve been talking. I haven’t lost my mind yet.”

  The offhand comment made Harper distinctly uncomfortable. “I’m sorry you’re going through all of this.” She spoke from the heart. “I wish you would’ve told someone. I know it seems unlikely given all you’ve gone through with the DDA, but there are people in this town who would’ve rallied to help you.”

  “Even if they found out what I was doing?” Patty challenged.

  Harper nodded ... and then stilled. “I like to think there are definitely people here who would’ve helped you despite the brothel.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t like that word?”

  The woman’s annoyance made Harper smile. “I’m sorry. I just ... the people of Whisper Cove are good and giving. While a few individuals would’ve made a fuss over what you were doing, the bulk of the people would’ve been okay with it. They would’ve wanted to help. They would’ve done whatever it takes to help you keep your home.”

  “If you say so.” Patty turned back to the stall. “Where are the horses?”

  “Henry took them to the park. They were upset about the things you were throwing around.”

  Patty made a face. “I wasn’t throwing anything around.”

  “Henry says you were.”

  “Well, Henry is ... .” She trailed off and pursed her lips.

  “Do you remember being upset?” Harper queried after a beat.

  Patty nodded absently. “Actually, I do. Now I remember. I did throw things. I didn’t mean to scare the horses. I ... that was terrible. I never wanted to be that person.”

  Harper was at a loss and didn’t know what to say.

  “That was my greatest fear,” Patty added, her voice taking on a far-off quality. “I didn’t want to frighten people. I didn’t want to stir pity. I just ... wanted to be me. I knew I was running out of time to do that, though.”

  “You never got the retirement you were looking for.” Harper felt inexplicably sad for her. “You never got to that beach.”

  “No. I really didn’t.”

  Harper blew out a sigh and shook her head. “I can help you get to a better place. There’s more out there than this. I don’t know if you’ll find your beach, but I have to believe you will. That’s just how great the other place is.”

  Patty held her gaze for a beat and then nodded. “Anything has to be better than this.”

  “Yeah. I ... just have to ask one more time. Can you remember who killed you? Can you remember what happened?”

  Surprisingly, Patty’s reaction was different this time. She dumbly nodded and sighed. “Yeah. I remember everything.”

  Harper’s heart leapt at the possibility. “Who was it? Who killed you?”

  “It was me,” a voice called out from behind her, causing every muscle in her body to freeze. “I’m the one who did it. Apparently now I’m going to have to add you to the mix, too. I just ... can’t believe it’s come to this.”

  Harper’s heart plummeted to her stomach. Just when she felt as if things couldn’t get worse ... they did. Wasn’t that always the way?

  18

  Eighteen

  “So, basically you were split across two floors.” Jared industriously drew on the map he had laid out of Patty’s house. He wasn’t exactly an artist, but he wanted something visual to look at. “What about the others?”

  “It’s not as if we dig into other people’s business,” Brian shot back on a scowl. “The whole point of going to a place like that is because nobody asks questions.”

  “Mostly because you all have something to lose if you’re caught,” Mel mused.

  “Except for Teddy Dobkins,” Jack countered. “He was just eighteen and enjoying himself. I guess he could’ve gotten in trouble if his mother found out but ... what are the odds of that?”

  “Better now,” Brian hissed when he saw the look Jared and Mel exchanged. “I don’t think they realized Teddy was there.”

  “We didn’t,” Mel agree
d, grinning. “I’m looking forward to talking to him, though. He’s always been a little ... turd.”

  Jared knew his partner was going to say something else and refrained and it made him have to swallow a laugh. He’d only been in town for a little over a year, but he knew Teddy. The kid never met a bad situation he didn’t want to make worse. “We’ll make sure to talk to him in front of his mother.”

  Barry’s lips twitched, but he didn’t say anything. Brian looked legitimately upset at the prospect.

  “Is that it for us?” Jack queried. “I mean ... can you rule us out?”

  “Not really,” Mel replied. “We need to be able to rule someone in before we can start striking people from the list. Besides, you guys were all there.”

  “What’s our motive?” Brian challenged. “I mean ... why would we want to ruin a good thing?”

  “I don’t know. Perhaps it has something to do with the wad of cash Patty had hidden in her upstairs safe that has conveniently gone missing.”

  “Um, no offense, but we’re not exactly destitute,” Barry pointed out. “I don’t need the couple thousand dollars Patty probably had stashed.”

  “It was apparently much closer to a million,” Jared supplied. “Would you be willing to kill for that?”

  Brian was obviously taken aback. “A million? But ... how?”

  “Patty had been running various business endeavors for close to a decade,” Mel replied. “Not everything she did was in the confines of her own house. She only turned to that when her age became a factor.”

  “I have to wonder if she realized she was slipping mentally when she started up the brothel, too,” Jared mused, more to himself than the others. “She had to be aware that something was happening.”

  “She was aware,” Jack volunteered. “She didn’t want to talk about it, though. Honestly, I was a little worried about her. When I brought it up, though, she got really short with me. She clearly didn’t want to acknowledge that something very bad was happening.”

  “She was embarrassed,” Barry said. “She was always a sharp woman. You expect to get slower physically with age ... have more aches and pains. Losing your mind, though, that’s the absolute worst thing.”

  “On that we can agree.” Mel rubbed the back of his neck. “To wrap things up, it was reported that the three of you were talking in the hallway before the fire started. Also, after the house evacuation, you were all seen on the sidewalk together. What were you talking about?”

  “If you’re asking if we were laughing about ruining our fun after the fact, we weren’t,” Brian said bitterly. “Basically we were trying to figure out how to get our vehicles from the parking lot once they were blocked in. We were all freaking out.”

  “That’s after,” Jared pointed out. “What were you doing talking inside the house?”

  Jack cocked his head to the side, considering. “Honestly, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I would be lying if I said we never talked to one another. The longer things went on, the less ... fearful, I guess that would be the right word ... we became.”

  “It was complacency,” Barry agreed. “It was stupid on our part, but it’s not as if we can go back and change things.”

  “So ... you’re saying you weren’t talking in the hallway that night?” Mel narrowed his eyes as he studied each of the men in turn. “That runs counter to the report we got.”

  “We weren’t talking,” Brian said. “Why would we lie about that? We’re not guilty of killing Patty. That’s the last thing we wanted. It was obvious she was going to have to close up shop — and probably sooner rather than later — because of what was happening with her mental state. We didn’t want to hurry that.”

  Mel shifted his gaze to Jared. “What do you think?”

  “I’m curious why he would lie about the conversation,” Jared admitted. “It seems like a weird lie to tell unless ... .” He trailed off, his mind busy.

  “May I ask who told you we were talking?” Jack queried. “I mean ... if you tell us, we might be able to shed light on why he would lie.”

  “It was your buddy Brett,” Mel answered after a moment’s contemplation. “He was the one who suggested you had more to hide than you were letting on.”

  “That’s probably because he’s the one in financial trouble and he didn’t want you looking at him too hard.” Brian’s bitterness was palpable. “That’s also why he probably played nice with you when you first came around. Losing his marriage wouldn’t be half the blow going to prison would be.”

  “What do you mean?” Mel leaned forward. “Why does Brett need money? I was under the impression he was doing pretty good.”

  “That’s what he wants everyone to believe,” Barry replied. “Let’s just say that sex isn’t his only vice.”

  “We’re going to need more than that,” Mel prodded as Jared’s phone started buzzing with an incoming call. “Can’t you shut that off?”

  Jared ignored the admonishment and stood, turning his back on the men as he answered. “Zander, what’s up?”

  “Brett has a gambling problem,” Jack volunteered. “He’s basically in debt up to his eyeballs and keeps spending money. He’s told me on more than one occasion that he can turn things around. He’s a true addict.”

  “Which means the money Patty had at the house would help him,” Mel mused. “I wonder if he was aware of how much she had.”

  “I don’t see how,” Brian countered. “We didn’t know. How could he?”

  “I don’t ... .” Mel broke off when Jared viciously swore and shoved his phone in his pocket. “What’s wrong?”

  “That was Zander.” Jared fought to maintain his temper, although it was a losing battle. “He’s at the stables. Harper is inside. Alone. She’s trying to talk to Patty’s ghost. She’s the one haunting the stables.”

  “Oh, geez.” Brian rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe we’re talking about ghosts all of a sudden. That is just ... the cherry on top of the sundae of a ridiculously stupid day.”

  Jared ignored the sarcastic comment. “They have the cameras on the building because they’re trying to monitor the situation. Someone has entered the barn from the opposite end. It’s Brett.”

  Mel immediately got to his feet. “You mean the Brett we told not an hour ago that Harper was talking to Patty’s ghost?”

  “That would be the one.”

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” Mel didn’t need prompting. “He’s been misleading us from the start. He’s the one we’re after.”

  “And he has Harper at a disadvantage,” Jared said. “Zander is watching and doesn’t know what to do. He says he’s going to put on his cape and go into superhero mode if we don’t hurry.”

  “Oh, well, great.” Mel made a face. “That’s exactly what we need.”

  “We have to get over there.” Jared was plaintive. “This is about to blow up in our faces.”

  “We’re going. As for you three ... we’ll be in touch.”

  “Does that mean you’re not going to tell our wives?” Jack called after them.

  Neither detective answered. They had bigger things to worry about. Harper was in trouble ... again ... and this time she was isolated and on her own. She needed backup ... and now.

  HARPER WASN’T SURE WHAT TO DO. Her previous interactions with Brett were few and far between, and no matter how she tried to stretch her memory, she couldn’t wrap her head around a single promising encounter.

  “Hello.” She licked her lips as she regarded him. He stood about twenty feet away, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. If he had a weapon, he wasn’t showing it. Whether that was a good or bad sign, she had no idea. The fact that he was openly admitting to killing Patty seemed to fly in the face of reason. “So ... you killed Patty, huh?”

  “I did.” He bobbed his head, his jaw clenched. “You already knew that, though, didn’t you?”

  “Actually ... .” Harper slid her eyes to Patty’s ghost. She looked furious as she glared a
t her murderer. Any veil the illness had dropped over her eyes was well and truly gone, at least for now.

  “Don’t bother denying it.” Brett looked absolutely disgusted as he took several menacing steps in her direction. “I already heard from your boyfriend about what you’re up to. I always knew you were a freak, all that ghost stuff you spouted as you led tours through the cemetery was utter nonsense, but I was convinced you were harmless. I guess I was wrong.”

  “Stay away from me.” Harper scrambled to keep distance between them, pressing herself closer to the stall. She knew better than going inside — that would cut off any avenue of escape open to her — but locking herself in might ultimately be her only option. She didn’t think she could outrun him.

  “Oh, don’t do that.” Brett’s tone was taunting. “You’re the one who opened this door. Now it’s time you faced the consequences.”

  Desperate to keep him talking and give her time to think of a way out of the situation, Harper racked her brain for a way to distract him. “Why did you kill Patty? Was it the money? How did you even know about that?”

  “He heard it from me,” a female voice offered from the shadows behind Brett, causing Harper to snap up her head and Brett to swivel quickly.

  “Natalie?” The change that washed over his face was profound. “What are you doing here? I thought you left.”

  “I wanted to.” Natalie’s eyes were filled with fire when she stepped into the light. “I really did. I wanted to put this whole ugly mess behind me. I couldn’t, though.”

  “I’m so glad you’re still here.” Somehow, in ten seconds’ time, Brett had turned into a soft pile of goo. “I was worried I would never see you again. I’m so glad you’re here. Now we can do everything we talked about.”

  Harper cocked her head, dumbfounded. “Wait ... you guys planned this together?”

  Brett nodded happily as Natalie shook her head.

  “No.” Natalie was firm. “I wouldn’t have turned against Patty. Not like this. I ... knew about the money.” She appeared hesitant as she pleaded her case. “I loved her. I wasn’t lying when I said that. I absolutely, positively loved her. She was the mother I never had.”