Ghostly Interests
Page 6
“I was alone,” Dalton said, crossing his arms over his chest and releasing a shaky sigh.
“What about this Jackie?” Mel pressed. “Were you with her?”
“I was on campus until about six and then I went home,” Dalton said. “I was alone. I don’t have a witness and I don’t need one because I didn’t do anything.”
“Is this like when you weren’t dating Annie?” Jared asked, his belligerence getting the better of him.
“You know what? I think we’re done here,” Dalton said, his tone shifting from nervous to angry. “I don’t have to tell you anything. I’m an innocent man. You can get out of my office right now.”
“We still have questions,” Jared argued.
“Take them up with my lawyer,” Dalton spat. “We’re done.”
“THIS is all so creepy,” Molly said, her eyes wide after Zander finished catching her up on the day’s events. “Do we know how she died yet?”
Despite her interest in Collin, and his half-hearted invitation to a party, Molly begged off and let her curiosity drag her back to the GHI offices. She had to know how Zander and Harper were drawn into Annie Dresden’s murder investigation.
“I don’t know if the cops even know how she died yet,” Zander said. “We only got Annie’s identification because my mother bugged Mel until he gave it up. I don’t think that’s going to happen again since the new cop was not happy when he found out.”
“He’s a tool,” Harper said, her gaze focused on her computer screen as she followed Annie’s digital footprint on Facebook.
“I think you like him,” Zander teased.
“Who does Harper like?” Eric asked, strolling into the office. He gave the appearance of being relaxed, but Zander could read the rigid set of his shoulders from five feet away.
“The new cop,” Zander said. He felt bad for Eric, but it was never going to happen with Harper. No matter how long the man lusted after his best friend she was never going to return the feelings. Jared Monroe was another matter entirely. While Whisper Cove’s newest police officer was prickly he was also attractive, and whether Harper realized it or not, she was reacting to Jared in a way she probably didn’t comprehend.
“How did you meet the new cop already?” Eric asked.
Instead of giving Zander a chance to answer Molly did it for him. If Eric’s crush on Harper was unrequited, Molly’s crush on Eric was eternally doomed. She didn’t see it, just like Eric didn’t see his crush was never going to be returned. When Molly was done Eric was flabbergasted.
“How come nobody ever comes to get me for these little outings?” Eric asked.
“Harper and I were eating lunch when it happened,” Zander replied. “When we came back to the office you weren’t here. She wanted to go to the campus right away. What were we supposed to do?”
“Have you heard about these newfangled cell phone contraptions?” Eric pulled his out of his pocket and waved it in Zander’s face for emphasis.
“No,” Zander said, turning his attention back to Molly. “We need you to keep your ears open on campus. If you hear anyone talking about Annie, find out how well they know her and anything else they can tell us about her day-to-day activities.”
“We already know she was dating a professor,” Harper added.
“She was?” Molly perked up. “Which professor?”
“Michael Dalton.”
Molly’s interest waned. “I wouldn’t get too excited about him,” she said. “Rumor has it that he’ll date anything with the right parts. He’s not particular. He has sex with any co-ed who even smiles at him. He’s got quite the reputation as a ladies man. I think he’s the one who spreads those rumors, though, because he likes people to think of him as some un-gettable lothario.”
“You just said he was gettable,” Harper pointed out.
“Fine. You’re right,” Molly conceded. “Getting him isn’t the problem. Keeping him for more than three or four rolls in the hay is the problem.”
“If everyone knows about his reputation, why does the college keep him on?” Zander asked.
“He’s hot,” Molly said. “His classes always fill up, so as long as no formal complaints are filed against him, he’s golden.”
“That’s just … wrong,” Harper said, making a face. “If he’s notorious on campus, though, I’m not sure what his motive for killing Annie would be. It doesn’t sound like they were serious.”
“Probably not from his end,” Molly said. “I know several girls have gotten their noses out of joint about being dumped by Dalton, though. Everyone thinks they’re going to be the one to tame him and they take it rough when it doesn’t happen.”
“The motive is in what Molly just told us,” Zander pointed out.
Harper furrowed her brow. “It is? I must have missed it.”
“Well, Trixie Belden, Molly said that Dalton gets away with dating his students as long as no formal complaints are filed,” Zander said. “Maybe Annie threatened to file a complaint because of the way he dumped her in the dirt.”
The theory intrigued Harper. “That’s a good point,” she said, rubbing her index finger against her cheek thoughtfully. “That does give him a pretty solid motive.”
“It does,” Zander agreed. “What we need to do is find out what Dalton’s status with Annie was at the time of her death.”
“We also need a firm time of death,” Harper added.
“I’ll call my mom and have her bug Uncle Mel for whatever tidbits she can glean tonight,” Zander said. “Molly, your mission is to find out whatever dirt you can on Dalton. Find out who he is sleeping with now and see if you can find any exes who will be willing to talk to us.”
Molly clicked her heels together and mock saluted. Despite her reaction, the excitement on her face was obvious. “This is going to be so much fun,” she said. “It’s like we’re detectives.”
“We’re like Sherlock and Watson,” Zander agreed.
“We’re more like Scooby-Doo,” Eric said.
Zander pondered the thought. “That means Molly is Thelma, Harper is Daphne, you’re Shaggy, and I’m Fred.”
“I’m Fred,” Eric corrected.
“Who wants to be Fred?” Harper asked. “He dressed like an idiot and he was clearly gay. Oh, wait, that means Zander is definitely Fred.”
“I told you,” Zander said, winking at Eric triumphantly.
“I don’t want to be Shaggy,” Eric argued.
“Then you’re Scooby-Doo,” Zander said. “I love it. Do you want a Scooby-Snack?”
“How did I end up being a dog in this scenario?” Eric was frustrated.
“We all have our lots in life,” Harper replied. “Now everyone get to work. We need to do some research and the best way to do it is going to be at the candlelight vigil on campus tonight.”
“There’s a candlelight vigil?” Molly asked. “How do you know that?”
“Someone posted it on Facebook,” Harper said. “That’s where we’re starting so everyone get your dinner and gear up because we have a murder to solve and a ghost to put to rest.”
“She might be more Thelma than me,” Molly said.
“No, she’s Shaggy,” Zander said, tousling Harper’s hair affectionately. “All she’s missing is the constant pot buzz and shower aversion.”
Eight
“Does anyone else find candlelight vigils creepy?” Eric asked a few hours later.
The St. Clair Community College campus was buzzing with activity, word of Annie’s death spreading like wildfire. While the police weren’t releasing a cause of death, the student population was already passing news of Annie’s brutal murder along as if it was fact. Harper had a feeling they were right, but she didn’t like it when people jumped to conclusions.
“How are they creepy?” Molly asked, her gaze focused on the spot in front of the administration building where people were placing roses before the ceremony. “I think it’s nice. People want to mourn the loss of their friend.”
“That’s pretty jaded,” Molly chided.
“I think it’s realistic.”
Molly and Eric turned to Harper expectantly, as if she was their mother and the deciding factor in their little argument. “I think you’re both right,” Harper said. “I think that whenever death hits young people they can’t help but react because they see themselves as untouchable and someone their age being taken before their time jars them.”
Molly stuck her tongue out in Eric’s direction.
“I also think a lot of these people showed up because there’s a ghoulish factor to media-covered deaths,” Harper said, pointing at the television reporters as they set up on the other side of the action. “People want to be where the excitement is. I’m sure a lot of these people have no idea who Annie is and they don’t really care because they’re more worried about whether or not they can get on television.”
Eric sneered at Molly as she deflated.
“I think it’s a mixture of people,” Harper said. “Like all things in life there are good and bad aspects of death and the way people react to it.”
“Are you in fortune cookie mode tonight?” Zander teased.
“I’m merely waxing poetic,” Harper shot back. She clapped her hands together to draw everyone’s attention away from the spectacle and back to her. “I want everyone to split up and see what they can find out. Don’t wander too far away and Molly, if you see this professor, come and find me. I’m dying to meet him.”
“Will do.”
JAY GRAHAM was holding court amidst his fan club when he caught sight of Harper. She was winding through the crowd and she looked lost in thought. He didn’t care what the dour cop said about how old she was. He liked what he saw and older women were better to play with because they knew what they were doing and were often grateful for the attention from a young stud like himself.
He told his friends he would be back in a few minutes, winked at two girls who had been trying to flirt with him all night, and then started moving in Harper’s direction. He didn’t want to alienate the girls in case he struck out with Harper. He was definitely more interested in her, though.
“Where are you going?” Collin asked, stepping into his brother’s path.
“That hot blonde from earlier today is over there,” Jay said, pointing. “I want to talk to her.”
“She’s way out of your league.”
“No one is out of my league,” Jay countered.
“She is.”
“We’ll just see about that.”
“ARE you sure this was a good idea?” Mel asked Jared, furrowing his brow as he studied the candlelight vigil crowd, which was growing by the minute. “There are too many people here to get a feeling for any one suspect.”
“I’m not interested in questioning anyone,” Jared said.
“Then why are we here?”
“Because I want to see if anyone out of the ordinary shows up.”
“Like?”
“I don’t know,” Jared said, shrugging. “I’m looking for anyone who doesn’t look like he should be here. Some killers get off on watching public displays of mourning when it comes to their victims.”
“We don’t technically know that Annie was a victim of anything,” Mel reminded him. “The medical examiner said he wouldn’t complete his findings until tomorrow morning.”
“Don’t get me started on that,” Jared warned. “Doesn’t it bother you that it’s taking so long?”
Mel shrugged. “We’re not big enough to have our own medical examiner,” he said. “The county has twelve communities that utilize their services when it comes to suspicious bodies. The guy can only do what he can do.”
“Well, it bothers me,” Jared said.
“Partner, from what I can tell, pretty much everything bothers you,” Mel said. “You might want to lay off the caffeine. You’re a little intense.”
“Whatever,” Jared said, rolling his eyes. “I think we should split up and look around. If you see anything suspicious … .”
“I’ll call you and let you handle it,” Mel said, fighting to tamp his irritation down. “Lord knows I could never do my job without you.”
Jared ignored the sarcasm. “I’m going to start over there.”
HARPER watched the students with a trained eye and heavy heart. Some of them were genuinely upset. She could ignore the outliers because she understood their need to be a part of this, but she truly felt for the students struggling with the questions of mortality and what lived beyond the human veil.
She was so lost in thought she didn’t notice a shadowy figure moving in on her until it was already upon her. She jumped when she turned, finding Molly’s eager face mere inches from her own.
“You scared the crap out of me,” Harper said, lifting her hand to her heart. “Don’t do that.”
“I’m sorry,” Molly said. “I thought I would come and see how you were doing. I’m not having much luck. Some people are really upset, but no one knows of any enemies Annie had or how she ended up in Whisper Cove. As far as I can tell she didn’t have any ties to the community.”
“What have you found out?”
“Her parents live in Sterling Heights and she attended Utica High School,” Molly said. “She seemed well liked and other than her stupid decision to sleep with Professor Dalton she wasn’t known as much of a dater.”
“Well, that’s disappointing,” Harper said. “I was hoping we would get a few leads.”
“Can I ask why this is so important to you?” Molly asked. “Is it because you were the first person she saw once she realized she was … dead?”
“It’s because she looked lost and I want to make sure she’s found before everyone forgets her,” Harper replied. “I … I don’t know why I can do the things I do. I believe I’m meant to help people, though. If I can’t help Annie then what good are my abilities?”
“You’ve helped a lot of spirits move on,” Molly reminded her earnestly. “It’s not possible to help everyone.”
“I know that,” Harper said, her face softening. “For some reason I really want to help Annie, though. I can’t explain it.”
“Then we should help Annie,” Molly said. “You’ll figure it out. You always do. I have faith.”
Harper gripped Molly’s hand briefly. “Thank you.”
“Now that’s what I like to see. I love it when two hot women pet each other in public.”
Harper stiffened when she heard the voice, swiveling her shoulders until her eyes met Jay’s predatory gaze. “Why am I not surprised to see you?”
“I think you were secretly wishing for it,” Jay said, winking.
“I think you’re delusional,” Harper replied.
“You’re Collin’s brother, aren’t you?” Molly asked, dragging Jay’s attention away from Harper. “I’ve seen you on campus. Your brother told me you two spend a lot of time together.”
“How do you know Collin?” Jay asked.
“We met on campus today.”
“You go to school here?” Jay looked surprised. “I find that hard to believe.”
“And why is that?” Molly asked, her hands on her hips as she leaned forward. “Do you think a woman with pink streaks in her hair can’t pass a college course?” She was used to people underestimating her, but that didn’t mean she liked it.
“No,” Jay said, holding his hands up in a placating manner. “I just meant that I would’ve remembered seeing someone as hot as you on this campus. I wasn’t trying to offend you.”
“Oh,” Molly said, marginally relaxing. “I … um … sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jay said, chuckling. “I like fiery women.”
Harper rolled her eyes until they landed on another familiar figu
re. It looked as if Collin was coming to see what sort of hijinks his brother was involved in. “Hi.”
Collin returned Harper’s greeting with a shy smile. “Hi. Um … my brother isn’t doing anything horrible, is he?”
“Of course not,” Jay said, glaring at his brother. “You don’t always need to make excuses for me. You know that, right?”
“I wasn’t making excuses.”
“Well … don’t.”
“I’m going to leave you guys to chat,” Harper said, fixing her pointed gaze on Molly. “I’m going to look around. I’ll see you in a little bit.”
Since Molly was more interested in Collin than the murder investigation she merely nodded distractedly. “Yeah. I’ll be right behind you.”
Harper was halfway across the administration building’s expansive lawn when a student caught her attention.
“Hi, Professor Dalton.”
Harper snapped her head in the direction of the voice and followed the gaze of the waving brunette. When her gaze landed on the professor, who was returning the gesture, she realized why Dalton was so popular with the female student body. He was definitely attractive. She squared her shoulders and changed her direction, moving for Dalton with a purpose – and what she hoped was a friendly smile. If he thought she was up to something, her approach would be over before it even began.
“Hi,” Harper said, stepping into Dalton’s path. “Are you with the faculty here?”
“I am,” Dalton said, looking Harper up and down with hungry eyes. “Are you a student here? Surely not. I think I would remember you.”
“I’m not a student,” Harper said. “I’m here because I heard the news and felt horrible for this poor woman.”
“Yeah, it’s a tragedy,” Dalton said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Whenever a student dies I can’t help but wonder how God could take someone so young and leave so many wretched people behind.”
He was trying to be profound, but Harper could see right through him. “Yes. It is awful. Did you know her?”
“I knew her in class.”
“Was she a good student?” Harper pressed.
“They’re all good students.”
This was getting her nowhere. Harper realized that. Dalton was so used to playing games that he couldn’t stop himself from doing it in the midst of a real tragedy. “When did you and Annie break up?” The words were out of her mouth before Harper had time to think better of them.