Ghostly Distress (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 9)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Uh-huh.”

  “It took like five minutes of looking at her.” Jared smirked, amused at his memories. “Tell me about the opening of the business, though. What was up with that? And what does it have to do with Colin?”

  “Listen, I don’t know what to tell you about that because I tried to keep my professional interests separate from their … um, aims … for a long time after they opened GHI,” Mel explained. “I told you before that I have trouble believing in ghosts and yet, despite that, I never doubted Harper was special, that she had a certain ability.

  “When they started the business, everyone in both families tried talking them out of it,” he continued. “We were all worried about people staring at Harper, pegging her as different, and maybe somehow trying to exploit her.”

  “What about Zander?” Jared queried. “Weren’t you worried about him?”

  Mel immediately started shaking his head. “Not even a little. He always loved being the center of attention. It was easy to understand why he thought GHI was a good idea. Harper was another story. She was always quiet and never wanted to talk about what she could do. Starting a business was the exact opposite of hiding her abilities so … we were all concerned.”

  “It obviously worked out,” Jared prodded. “How did Colin come into play? I just wanted to know when his crush on Harper started.”

  “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Harper and Zander ignored everyone who laughed at them when they started the business and they decided to host a walk at the cemetery – one that no one had to register for because they didn’t expect more than a handful of people to show up – and Colin was one of the first ones there.”

  “He was a kid, though, right?”

  Mel nodded. “He was eighteen but definitely a kid. He was always moony over Harper, even when he was in middle school and she was graduating high school. She was sweet to him, which probably did him a disservice because if she’d been mean he would’ve moved on and you wouldn’t be giving him the stink eye.”

  “I don’t want her to be mean. I just don’t like the way he looks at her. She treats him like a kid, but he’s technically a man.”

  “Ugh.” Mel made a face. “I can’t believe you’re getting worked up over a recent college graduate when you’re getting ready to move in with your girlfriend. Colin Thompson is not a threat.”

  “I didn’t say he was a threat,” Jared said. “I merely said he irritated me.”

  “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” Mel straightened as the medical examiner’s aide approached and handed him a sheet of paper. “Colin Thompson is completely harmless. So what if he has a crush on your girlfriend?”

  Jared wanted to argue further, but he knew it made him look petty. “Fine. You’re right. Colin Thompson is a boy and I’m a man. I should be above things like this.”

  “Great.” Mel tapped his finger against the sheet of paper. “We have Maggie’s address and notification information. We should probably head that way. We can’t do anything else until we get time of death from the medical examiner, and that won’t come until tomorrow.”

  Jared nodded, turning serious. “Then we should do it.”

  MAGGIE HARRIS WAS a local girl, but she didn’t live with her family. Her mother and father moved to Florida full time the year before and her only living grandparents were in a home two counties over. What Maggie Harris did have, though, was a roommate … and she was utterly flabbergasted to find Jared and Mel on her front porch shortly before eleven.

  “W-what are you doing here?” Heather Bancroft was in her mid-twenties – just like Maggie – and she was clearly shaken.

  “Hey, Heather.” Mel forced a smile as he held his hat in hand. “I don’t suppose we could come in for a few minutes, could we?”

  “Um, sure.” Heather dubiously looked between Mel and Jared as she turned on her heel and walked into the living room, leaving Jared to shut the front door. “Is something wrong? Is it my mom?”

  Mel immediately started shaking his head. “It’s not your mom, Heather.”

  “It is someone, though, right?”

  Mel nodded. There was never an easy way to break news of this sort so he decided to rip off the bandage and tell her straight away. “We found Maggie tonight. I’m sorry to inform you of this, but she’s dead.”

  Heather’s mouth dropped open as she worked her jaw, but no sound would come out. Mel decided to fill the silence with something soothing while he waited for her reaction.

  “I’m sorry to have to call on you so late … or at all … but we have a few questions,” he said.

  Heather mutely nodded. “Right. Yeah. Questions.” She flicked her eyes to Jared. “Are you sure it’s Maggie? I mean … you haven’t been in town very long. You might have mistaken her for someone else. That happens, right?”

  Jared took pity on her and decided not to take the question as an insult. “Not really. We checked her fingerprints, though. We found her purse on the scene. We’re sure it’s her.”

  “I was there, too,” Mel added gently. “I saw her. I recognized her. It’s definitely Maggie.”

  “Oh, my … .” Heather sank into a nearby chair, her strength waning as Mel stripped away the last hope she had that everything would work out. “I don’t understand how this happened. I just saw her.”

  “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.” Mel settled on the couch across from Heather. “You guys worked at the bank together, right?”

  Heather bobbed her head. “We knew each other from high school and were friendly but not friends. That changed when we both got jobs at the bank and decided to move in together. It just made sense from a financial standpoint. We were both trying to put money away.”

  “Was she troubled by anything recently?” Mel asked.

  “I … troubled? No. She was in a good mood.” Heather knit her eyebrows. “Wait … you wouldn’t be here if it was an accident. Well, you might be here, but you wouldn’t be asking a bunch of questions and looking the way you two look. That means something else is going on, right? You think something happened to her.”

  “We know something happened to her,” Jared clarified. “That’s not a question. We need information about her activities over the last few days, though. When was the last time you saw her?”

  “Um … how did she die?”

  Mel smiled kindly at Heather. “We can’t talk about that right now. We’re waiting for confirmation from the medical examiner. We can say that however she died wasn’t an accident, but that’s all the detail we can share at this time. What we need from you is information about Maggie and the way she lived her life so we can find out who did this to her.”

  “Who did this to her?” Heather’s voice sounded lifeless and dull. “I don’t even know what to make of this. I keep thinking that it must be a dream and that I’m going to wake up at any second.”

  “I wish I could answer that question, but we don’t know who did this,” Jared replied. “That’s why we’re here. We need to know the last time you saw her.”

  “Yesterday.” Heather’s voice was hollow. “We both worked at the bank and then we came back here and got dressed for a party.”

  Jared leaned forward, intrigued. “What party?”

  “The one out at the old Standish barn on the highway,” Heather replied. “They have a costume party every year. This is the third year in a row that we’ve attended.”

  Jared looked to Mel for further information. “Do you know about that party?”

  Mel nodded. “Yeah. It’s a big deal for the locals. I think most people of a certain age go.”

  “I didn’t go,” Jared pointed out. “Harper and Zander didn’t go.”

  “Harper and Zander give tours five nights a week in October,” Mel reminded his partner. “They don’t have time to go to a party. Everyone else over the age of twenty-one – and some who only have fake IDs – find their way there on the Friday before Halloween. It’s tradition.”

 
“So you went to the party together?” Jared prodded Heather. “Did you get separated?”

  Heather shrugged. “I … well … I know this is going to sound bad – especially given how things turned out – but we never planned on going home together. We both were going to hook up with someone, go home with them, and then just catch up today.”

  “But you didn’t catch up today, did you?” Mel asked.

  “No, but I didn’t really think much of that either,” Heather admitted. “I just thought Maggie found someone she really hit it off with and I was happy for her.”

  “Did you see her with anyone at the party?”

  “No. The minute I got there, someone put a drink in my hand and I lost sight of her. I didn’t see her at all after that. I … you don’t think someone at the party did something to her, do you?”

  Mel and Jared exchanged a weighted look.

  “That’s exactly what we’re going to find out,” Mel replied after a beat. “We need to know who was at that party. Tell me about everything and everyone you can remember.”

  HARPER WAS ALREADY ASLEEP when Jared let himself into her bedroom. It was after midnight and the house was quiet when he used his key to let himself in. He was looking forward to a time when he would be able to share a roof with just her, but for tonight he was glad that she wasn’t left alone to wait for him to finish work. That was one of the things he worried about most.

  “Hi,” Harper murmured as she shifted and cuddled against him.

  “Hey, Heart.” Jared kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her as he tucked the covers tightly around both of them. “I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay.” Harper’s voice was full of sleep and Jared knew she would drift off quickly. “Did you find out anything?”

  “Not a lot. We can talk about it tomorrow.”

  “Any suspects?”

  Jared chuckled as he rubbed his hands over her slim back. “We can talk about it over breakfast.”

  “Okay.” Harper rubbed her cheek against Jared’s solid chest. “Did you make notification?”

  “Yes. To her roommate. Her parents are in Florida. Mel is waiting until tomorrow morning to call them.”

  “That’s a call no one ever wants to get.”

  “No one ever wants to give it either.” Jared danced his fingers over Harper’s back, briefly wondering if she would slip into sleep right away. He waited for a long beat and then asked the obvious question as a test. “Did you and Zander make up?”

  “We weren’t really fighting.”

  “You said he suddenly doesn’t want you to move,” Jared pointed out. “I want you to know that I had a very long talk with him before I even brought this up to you because I was afraid of a meltdown. He said it would be fine.”

  “I know.” Harper wasn’t bothered in the least by Zander’s theatrics. “You don’t have to get all worked up or anything. Don’t let Zander bother you. He’s just talking to hear himself talk right now.”

  “So … what? Do you think he’ll let this whole thing go and stop giving you grief about moving?”

  “No. He’s going to keep giving both of us grief for weeks after we move.” Harper stifled a yawn. “He can’t help himself. He’s opposed to change.”

  “You’re moving across the road,” Jared offered. “You won’t be very far away. We need privacy, though. I need privacy.”

  “That’s what I told him. Don’t worry.” Harper lightly tapped her fingers on Jared’s chest to soothe him. “He’s okay with the move. He’s mad at himself because he’s okay with it, but he really is okay with it.”

  Jared ran the convoluted logic through his head. “If he’s okay with it, why did he pick a fight with you today?”

  “Because he wants control of our decorating process.”

  “I thought that was something you and I were supposed to do together.”

  “It is, but Zander loves to decorate.” Harper tipped her mouth up and kissed Jared’s jaw. “Don’t worry. It really will be okay. I know exactly how to handle Zander. I’ve been doing it for a very long time.”

  “I know.” Jared involuntarily shuddered when her busy lips, which were busy close to his mouth, sent a chill down his spine. “I thought you were tired, Heart. You don’t seem all that tired to me.”

  “I’m starting to think that the pizza gave me a second wind of sorts.”

  “Is that a fact?”

  Harper giggled when Jared tickled her ribs and flipped her to her back in one smooth move, leaving her breathless as she widened her eyes and locked gazes with him. “I’m definitely getting a second wind.”

  “And here I was trying to be gentlemanly and quiet when I came in,” Jared teased, nuzzling his nose against her cheek as he kissed his way around her soft skin. “I guess I just should’ve thrown myself on you and beat my chest like Tarzan when I came home to make you feel loved, huh?”

  Harper’s laugh was so sweet it warmed Jared’s heart. “I like it when you pretend to be Tarzan. Definitely do that next time.”

  “Sure.” He kissed her firmly on the mouth. “Now that I have you awake, though, I want to hear everything about the president of your fan club. I’m willing to torture you to get the information.”

  It took Harper a moment to realize what Jared was referring to. “You can’t be serious. Colin is harmless.”

  “So I’ve heard … repeatedly. I still like torturing you when I can do it with kisses.”

  Harper’s eyes lit with mirth. “So … what are you waiting for?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.” Jared swallowed Harper’s giggles with a kiss. “Prepare yourself for some intensive interrogation, missy. I’m in charge now.”

  “That sounds like a fun game.”

  “You have no idea.”

  4

  Four

  “Hey, Heart.”

  Harper woke to find Jared cuddled close, his arms wrapped around her, and a bright smile on his face. They were cocooned together under the blankets and she couldn’t think of a place she would rather be.

  “Hi.” She sounded a bit breathless as she stretched and kissed the tip of his nose. The events of the previous evening came back to her quickly when she realized her shirt was hanging off the nearby lamp and her cheeks flushed with heat and pleasure at the memory. “I guess we didn’t get dressed again before going to sleep, huh?”

  Jared shook his head, genuinely amused. “Nope. Not even a little.” He rubbed his nose against her cheek. “I love how warm and soft you are in the morning. Have I ever told you that?”

  “Oh, and here I thought you loved everything about me.”

  “I do.” Jared poked her taut stomach. “I especially love mornings we get to spend together, though.”

  “I love mornings like that, too,” Harper admitted. “We still should’ve gotten dressed.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because it’s Sunday.”

  Jared furrowed his brow. “So? Since when are you a calendar watcher?”

  “Since … .” Harper broke off and pointed toward the door, her lips curving when it popped open on cue to allow Zander entrance. He was dressed in a set of monogrammed cotton pajamas, his hair already brushed, and he made a beeline for Harper’s side of the bed.

  “It’s starting to get cold,” Zander announced, tugging at the covers even as Harper made a big show of keeping him from slipping underneath. “It will be winter before you know it. I’m so not looking forward to that.”

  “No one is,” Harper agreed, keeping a firm grip on the blanket.

  “What are you doing?” Zander slowed his efforts and frowned at his best friend. “Why are you trying to stop me from getting in bed with you? It’s Sunday. I’m allowed to be here on Sundays. That’s the rule.”

  “I know.” Harper shot a pointed look to Jared. “Do you want to tell him what the big deal is?”

  Since Jared was the one who instituted the rule about Zander only being allowed
to visit their bed one day a week – and this was after months of fighting and grappling for control – naturally he would have to be the one to explain the problem this morning. He wasn’t keen to be part of that conversation, though, so he merely shrugged. “I don’t care what you tell him. Just get him out of here.”

  “I heard that.” Zander stopped his manic cover manipulation. “I don’t really care what you do or don’t like this morning. This is my Harper time and you don’t need to be here.”

  Jared narrowed his eyes. “Excuse me? You have been with Harper almost fifteen hours a day for two weeks straight. I barely get to see her. I don’t think you want to start comparing who misses her more.”

  “Oh, whatever.” Zander theatrically rolled his eyes. “You said I could only visit on Sundays so here I am. You can’t change the rules now.”

  “I believe my initial rule was that you could only visit once a week on work days,” Jared grumbled. “You whined so hard and so long about that rule I finally had to give in and give you Sundays, even though that’s one of the few days Harper and I often have off together.”

  “All I hear when you whine like that is ‘blah, blah, blah,’” Zander deadpanned. “Now let me under the covers. It’s cold. I don’t like being cold.”

  Zander had seen her naked enough times Harper didn’t have a problem with it happening again. She knew Jared was another story, though, and she didn’t want to start their lazy Sunday morning together with a meltdown.

  “Zander, I think we should postpone our morning ritual until tomorrow,” Harper hedged.

  “What? No!” Zander was agitated. “I don’t want to postpone it. I’ve been dreaming of this meeting of the design minds since last Sunday morning. I even brought a catalog.” He held up a Restoration Hardware catalog for emphasis. “Now, let me in!”

  “Oh, geez.” Jared pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t wait until we have our own place and can wake up alone every Sunday morning.”

  “As you like to continuously point out, it’s right across the road and five hundred yards isn’t going to stop me from visiting Harper when I need a fix of my favorite person in the world,” Zander sneered.