“Not fresh ones that haven’t been embalmed and purposely planted in the ground,” Luther shot back, snapping his fingers out of nowhere.
Harper looked around, bewildered, and then noticed that Lexie had hopped to her feet and was hurrying toward the coffee pot in the corner. That couldn’t be a coincidence. “Did you just snap your fingers to get her to do something?”
Zander shot Harper a quelling look. Now was clearly not the time to get into an argument about the proper way to treat a woman in the workforce. Sometimes Harper went off on tangents — it was something they had in common — but they had to keep their focus today. “Let’s talk about the contract,” he insisted. “Both parties signed it in good faith.”
“That’s because, at the time, I didn’t see what could possibly go wrong,” Luther argued. “Now I do. Dead bodies follow you two around wherever you go. Er, well, technically I think they follow the blonde.” He gestured toward Harper. “Since you two are joined at the hip, though, you get thrown into this mess for good measure.”
“The blonde has a name,” Harper gritted out.
Instinctively, Jared reached over and ran his hand down her arm to calm her. She was clearly close to losing it, and if she did, there would be no salvaging a professional relationship with Luther. While Jared wasn’t in the mood to kowtow to the man, Harper having to move her tours would likely change their lives ... and not in a good way. He didn’t want to see that happen.
“She does,” Jared agreed, his tone even as he drew Luther’s gaze to him. “I understand you’re upset — the body discovery draws attention to the cemetery — but that’s hardly going to cut into your business.”
“No?” Luther’s eyebrows hopped. “Would you want to bury a loved one in a cemetery where people keep getting murdered?”
Jared held out his hands and shrugged. “I don’t know. I haven’t given it a lot of thought. I think, in times of mourning and depression, nobody is likely to care.”
“I care.” Luther tapped his chest. “Besides, I’m sick of people constantly being in my cemetery.”
“You’d prefer nobody come to visit their loved ones?”
“I’d prefer quiet.”
“Here you go.” Lexie appeared at Luther’s elbow and delivered his coffee, her hands nervously fluttering. She didn’t offer the others a mug, not that any of them were all that thirsty. Her full attention was for Luther. “Can I get you anything else?”
Luther never looked at her, but he did do something that caught Harper completely off guard. He ran his hand down her arm, an intimate gesture that he probably didn’t even realize he was making, she guessed. When his hand reached her hand, he gave it a little squeeze ... and then sent her on her way. “I’m good. Thank you.”
Lexie’s smile was purely for him and she practically skipped to her chair.
Harper was officially dumbfounded. Had Luther just flirted with Lexie directly in front of them? Why? Was it an ongoing thing? Was it something they were supposed to be quiet about? Did Barbara know?
Unbidden, Harper’s eyes drifted to the open office door. Barbara didn’t appear, nor could she see Luther’s desk from the angle where she sat. Still, the entire thing was baffling.
“What if we offer you another hundred dollars a week?” Zander volunteered out of nowhere.
Harper made a protesting sound, returning to the here and now with renewed focus, but Zander shut her down with a raised finger, his gaze never leaving Luther’s face. “We’ll add four hundred bucks a month to your payment and adjust the contract accordingly. As part of that deal, though, you can’t threaten to kick us out again while the contract is enforced.”
Luther worked his jaw, the promise of more money obviously piquing his interest. “Fine,” he said after a few moments of contemplation. “Once this contract is up, though, that’s it. I want my cemetery back.”
Zander merely nodded. “I’ll have our attorney write up a new contract and send it to your attorney tonight.”
“Great.” Luther didn’t extend his hand for a shake, instead swiveling in his chair to focus on Lexie. “I’m thinking we should get some Thai food for a late lunch.”
Lexie’s eyes went wide with adoration. “Thai is my favorite.”
Luther’s smile was indulgent. “Get the menu.”
HARPER WAITED UNTIL THEY WERE OUTSIDE TRAIPSING through the cemetery to speak.
“Well, that was just a kick in the crotch,” she groused.
“It’s only four hundred bucks, Harp,” Zander countered. “We make more than that on a single tour. It’s not ideal, but it buys us some breathing room. We’re either going to have to find another cemetery after that or find a different place for our tours ... and I don’t know that anything is going to appeal to people like a cemetery.”
“Not the four hundred bucks,” she fired back. “Although, I’m not happy about that. He basically extorted us. I’m talking about his affair with Lexie. That is just ... so gross. He could be her father.”
Zander made a face. “Um ... did I miss something?” He turned to Jared for confirmation. “What affair are we talking about here?”
“I don’t know that we have confirmation of an affair,” Jared hedged. “There’s clearly something going on between them, though.”
“There is?” Zander’s eyes bounced between them, obviously baffled. “How did I miss that?”
“You were too busy focusing on saving the tours,” Jared replied, running his hand up and down Harper’s back in an attempt to soothe her. “They’re clearly closer than a normal boss and secretary.”
“He practically held her hand,” Harper muttered, scuffing her foot against the pathway as they walked toward the spot where the body had been discovered the previous evening. “Do you think Barbara knows? I mean ... they all work in the same office together.”
“Of course she doesn’t know,” Zander scoffed. “The wife is always the last to know.”
“Yeah, but she’s observant.”
“She is,” Jared agreed. “She may not want to see what’s right in front of her, though. You said it yourself. Lexie is young enough to be Luther’s daughter ... by a good margin. She’s young and obviously devoted to him. Barbara likely sees her as a threat but doesn’t want to acknowledge it because if she pushes the issue, it might mean a change that she’s not ready to make. Sometimes what you know is easier than what you don’t.”
Harper pinned him with a pointed look. “Just for the record, that’s never going to be me. If you ever cheat with someone, I’m totally shoving a lit bottle rocket where the sun don’t shine and then filming the outcome for YouTube.”
He found it to be an adorable threat. “Right back at you.” He leaned in and kissed her. “You don’t have to worry about that with me, though. I’m never going to want anybody but you.”
“Aw, that’s so cute it makes me want to puke,” Zander drawled, making a face. “It’s likely Jared is right, though. Barbara probably knows something is going on but refuses to acknowledge it. I can’t imagine being in that situation ... although if she knows other people have figured it out, she might kick Luther to the curb to save face in the community.”
Harper’s nose wrinkled. “Why do you look happy about that prospect?”
“Because that means the cemetery could end up in her hands.” Zander’s mind was already working. “She would be so much easier to deal with.”
Harper’s mouth dropped open. “You are not blowing up her marriage just because you want to keep access to the cemetery,” she warned. “Don’t even think about it.”
Zander was suddenly the picture of innocence. “Did I say I was going to blow up her marriage? Why do you always jump to the worst possible scenario? I was just thinking out loud.”
“Oh, whatever.” Harper rolled her eyes until they landed on Jared. “I’m being serious. I’ll hurt you bad if you ever cheat on me.”
“And I’m being serious, that’s not who I am. Besides, I’m addicted to you.
You know darned well there will never be anybody else.”
Because she did know that, she let loose a heavy sigh. “I just feel bad for Barbara.”
“I know.” Jared rubbed her shoulders. “However, I don’t see that there’s anything we can do about that situation. We need to focus on Dr. Morton. After ... we’ll try to think about a way to help Barbara, even though I maintain it’s none of our business.”
“We like being busybodies,” Zander offered helpfully. “It’s what keeps us young.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Harper shifted her gaze front and center, a hint of movement catching her eye. It was almost like a half shadow had moved out from under the sun and she couldn’t place it. Then, out of nowhere, the image solidified and she found herself staring at their dead doctor.
“He’s here,” she said on a whisper, slowing her pace as she held the ghost’s gaze.
“Who?” Jared looked around curiously. “Are you talking about Morton?”
Harper licked her lips and nodded.
“Ask him who killed him so we can move forward,” Zander insisted. “It would be nice if just one of these ghosts came out and told us who is responsible for a change. I mean ... we do all the heavy lifting. It gets annoying.”
Harper couldn’t argue with the sentiment, but she knew it was never going to be that easy. She opened her mouth to call out to the ghost, but it was already too late. He held Harper’s gaze for a beat longer and then shimmered into nothing.
“I don’t think he’s ready to talk,” she said ruefully.
“Why?” Jared was hoping, just like Zander, that they would finally have a direction to look.
“He disappeared. The good news is that we know he’s hanging around so we’ll likely have another chance to talk to him. The bad news is, I don’t think he’s coming back anytime soon.”
“Well, then we’ll just have to keep pressing the old-fashioned way,” Jared said. “We’ll chase his patients. I don’t see what else we can do.”
9
Nine
Jared called Mel to see where the older detective wanted to meet up. Since they were still waiting for Janice to come through with the patient files, he suggested Jared have lunch with Harper, which the younger detective was more than willing to do, and then check in again after lunch. Of course, that meant Zander had to be included.
“I don’t see why you’re being such a baby,” Zander said as held open the door to one of their favorite diners. “I’m a witty conversationalist who always elevates meals above what they would’ve been without me.”
Jared rolled his eyes. “You’re ... something.”
Harper snickered as she strolled in ahead of them, pulling up short when she caught sight of Maddie and Nick at a table. “Do you think we should join them?” she asked.
Jared followed her gaze. “I happen to know they were chasing clues this morning. It couldn’t possibly hurt.”
Intrigued, Harper tilted her head. “They were chasing clues?”
“They were at Morton’s office about thirty minutes before us. The secretary, who can’t seem to stop talking, told us. Apparently she knew Maddie back at the hospital, too.”
“Oh.” Harper pursed her lips. “Did she give you anything good? I mean ... you don’t suspect them, right?” She wasn’t certain why it was so important to her that Jared not think ill of Maddie and Nick. It was, though. She felt in her gut they were on the up-and-up and wanted him to agree.
“I don’t suspect them,” Jared reassured her. “I can’t completely rule them out, but they don’t seem to have much of a motive.”
“Maybe they’re a serial-killing team and they go from town to town flashing those mega-watt smiles and disarming everybody with their cutesy adoration for one another,” Zander suggested. “I don’t lean that way, but I have to think there’s not a straight man alive who wouldn’t fall for that body she’s got going there.”
Harper narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”
“You’re hot, too, Harp.” Zander patted her shoulder. “Very hot. She is freaking smoking, though. She also kind of glows or something when she smiles. If I wanted a woman, she’s the one I would want.”
Harper knew it was stupid to be jealous, but she couldn’t help herself. “Why would you want her instead of me?”
“I want you,” Jared reminded her. “Remember me? I’m the guy who gave you that big ring on your finger. I’m the only one you should care about.”
“Do you think she’s hot?” Harper queried.
Jared recognized the potential trap right away. “Absolutely not. She’s hideous.”
Harper gave him a firm elbow in the ribs, causing him to cough. “You are a horrible liar.”
Jared ruefully rubbed his side. “What do you want me to say, Heart? She’s very pretty. Zander’s right about the glow. That has to do with the pregnancy, though. No matter what, no matter the woman, I’m always going to choose you. You’re my soulmate.”
“Aww,” Harper and Zander said in unison, causing Jared to scowl.
“Keep it up,” he warned. “I’ll lock Zander out of the house for a month if you guys gang up on me. That’s the rule.”
“You have a lot of rules,” Zander noted, moving in the direction of the other couple’s table. “Like ... I’m only allowed to climb into your bed once a week. I don’t particularly like that rule either.”
Maddie and Nick looked up at the sound of voices, smiling when they realized who was coming to join them.
“Do you mind if we sit?” Harper asked.
“Of course not.” Maddie gestured toward the open chairs. “I think we’re one seat short, though.”
“I’ve got it.” Zander snagged a chair from an empty nearby table and plopped it at the end, positioning himself between Maddie and Nick. It was a strategic move, but he ignored the dark looks Harper and Jared were shooting him. “We were just talking about you.”
“Oh, yeah?” Maddie found she was amused by Zander’s gregarious nature. “I hope you were saying nice things.”
“Definitely.” Zander bobbed his head. “I was explaining how hot you were and how if I was straight you would totally be my girlfriend. Harper was trying to decide if that meant she should be jealous and Jared over there was making a big deal about how he thought you were hideous.”
Jared’s jaw dropped. “I ... he ... .”
Nick chuckled at Jared’s obvious discomfort. “Don’t worry about it. I know exactly why you said whatever you said.”
Jared recovered quickly. “You need to ignore anything he says. He exaggerates to get attention. It’s his thing. Even negative attention will do.”
“Maddie’s grandmother is the exact same way,” Nick offered. “In fact, they’re so similar, I think the world might implode if they were ever in the same room together.”
“She sounds delightful,” Zander enthused. “When can I meet her?”
“She’s up in Blackstone Bay holding down the fort,” Maddie replied, absently rubbing her stomach. “What that really means is she’s holding parties in her apartment and terrorizing her arch nemesis with toilet paper.”
“She has an arch nemesis?” Harper couldn’t hide her delight. “So does Zander. They really are a perfect match.”
“They should definitely meet then,” Maddie agreed. “I think I’m going with a salad, Nicky.”
Nick shook his head. “That’s not enough food, Mad.”
“I know, but the only soup they have on their menu is cream of broccoli and that’s going to give me a funky stomach. Don’t you remember the cream of mushroom debacle from two weeks ago?”
“Oh, right.” Nick scratched his chin. “What if we get a sandwich to split, too? That at least would be something substantial.”
“Are you having trouble with food?” Harper asked. She found she was genuinely curious. While kids weren’t on the menu anytime soon for her and Jared, they both agreed they wanted at least one baby ... someday. Maddie was essential
ly living her future, and she wanted to see how things would turn out.
“Cream-based stuff,” Maddie replied. “I don’t know what it is. I didn’t have a problem before I got pregnant. I even had to change to almond milk.”
“Yes, and it’s very gross,” Nick intoned.
“I told you to get your own milk,” Maddie shot back. “There’s no rule that says you have to eat the same thing as me.”
“It makes no sense to buy two kinds of milk. It’s fine.”
“Then stop complaining.”
Harper pressed her lips together, mildly surprised by the display of annoyance. As a defense mechanism, she decided to change the subject. “How did the baby shopping go?”
“Pretty well.” Maddie brightened considerably and dug into her purse, returning with the brochure for the furniture they’d ordered. “What do you think?”
“Oh, neat.” Harper happily paged through the brochure. “This is so much nicer than the stuff they had when I was a kid. I didn’t know you could so easily convert a crib now.”
“Yeah. That was one of the main selling points.” Maddie chewed on her lip a beat and darted a look at Nick. “It was a little expensive, but Nick pointed out we wouldn’t have to buy new furniture in a few years so we were both sold on it.”
“I think it’s really nice.” Harper flipped another page. “What color did you get? I love the Giggle Gray.”
Jared almost choked on his glass of water. “Giggle Gray?”
“All the colors are like that,” Nick replied. “The bedding was Silly Slate.”
“Well, that’s ... weird.”
Nick nodded in agreement. “It is. Maddie is happy, though, so that’s all that matters.”
“You’re happy, too, right?” Maddie prodded.
“You’re my wife, Mad. No man has ever been happier.”
Jared hid his smirk behind his menu. “Nice save, man.”
“It’s the truth. Even when she’s crabby from the hormones she’s my favorite person in the world.”
Ghostly Graves: A Harper Harlow and Maddie Graves Mystery Page 9