Wicked Ghosts_A Harper Harlow and Ivy Morgan Mystery

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I would be fine with that if they took off their shirts.” Ivy purposely adopted a teasing tone to lighten the mood. “It’s more that I’m worried about two cops sharing a murder scene. Jack doesn’t always play well with others.”

  Harper tapped her bottom lip, amused. “Jared doesn’t either. They’re both kind of alpha, huh?”

  “Jack’s not always alpha,” Ivy corrected. “He’s got a good heart and is easygoing. He only works himself up when he thinks I’m in danger.”

  “Jared is like that, too.”

  Intrigued, Ivy shifted. “I never thought about it, but since you help displaced ghosts, you’ve probably found yourself at a murder scene a time or two, huh?”

  Harper nodded without hesitation. “Jared doesn’t like it.”

  “Yeah, Jack doesn’t like it either.” Ivy rubbed her palms against her knees. “What about your friend Zander? Is he going to make things better or worse?”

  Harper snorted, genuinely amused. “I love Zander more than just about anything … except for Jared. He’s not what I would consider an easygoing man, though.”

  “Oh, really?” Ivy deadpanned. “I would’ve thought exactly the opposite.”

  “He’s a good man,” Harper stressed. “He’s just … high maintenance.”

  “I have a brother like that. Well, kind of.” Ivy tilted her head to the side. “Actually, Max isn’t all that much like Zander. He’s high maintenance, though. I understand about dealing with high maintenance people.”

  “I find Zander funny most of the time. I can guarantee that Jack and Jared aren’t finding him funny right now, though.”

  Ivy pursed her lips. “I guess we’d better hope Brian gets here soon, huh?”

  “Definitely.”

  “SO DOES SHE SAUTE them in butter or olive oil?”

  Zander was bored, his terror and disgust over finding the body all but forgotten, and he needed someone to entertain him while they waited for additional bodies to clear the scene. Since Jack was the new element and Zander remained fascinated with the topic of morels, that meant Shadow Lake’s newest police officer was currently the center of Zander’s world.

  “I don’t know,” Jack replied, his expression blasé. “I’ve only eaten them once … well, maybe twice … and they tasted like feet both times. I didn’t ask what she cooked them in.”

  “If you didn’t like them the first time, why would you eat them a second?”

  “You’ve seen her.” Jack saw no reason to lie. “When a woman that pretty cooks for you, you darned well eat it if you know what’s good for you.”

  Jared barked out a laugh. “See, that’s not how it works in our world. Zander is the one who does most of the cooking for us. I’m not sure Harper can cook anything.” He looked to Zander for confirmation. “The fanciest she’s ever gotten for me is sandwiches. What about you?”

  Zander shrugged. “She’s great at no-bake cookies.”

  “There’s your answer.” Jared rolled his neck until it cracked. “How long will it take them to get to the road?”

  Jack was irritated by the question, but he did his best to hide it. “They should be back any minute.”

  “I know you think I’m being a worrywart but … .”

  Jack held up his hand to still Jared. “I don’t think that. I understand why you’re concerned. You don’t know this area … or me … or Ivy. I swear Ivy won’t let anything happen to her, though.”

  “I know.” Jared rubbed his hand over his jaw. “I’m starting to wish we’d never come morel hunting. No offense to you, of course, but this isn’t how I expected to spend our day.”

  “You and me both,” Zander lamented. “I wanted to taste some wine and relax. Now look at us. We’re stuck in the middle of a haunted forest with a dead body.”

  Jack furrowed his brow. “Haunted forest? This forest isn’t haunted, at least not as far as I know.”

  “Ignore him,” Jared muttered.

  “It’s going to be haunted when I return home and tell the story,” Zander volunteered. “There will be ghosts zipping in and out and constant moans. Not the good ones, mind you, but the creepy ones.”

  “He runs a ghost-hunting business with Harper,” Jared explained. “This will be part of his spiel when hooking clients.”

  “Ah.” Jack didn’t know what to do with the ghost hunting admission so he decided to ignore it for the time being. “Maybe I should look for them.”

  “Maybe I should look for them,” Jared corrected. “You need to watch your scene.”

  “You don’t even know where you’re going,” Jack reminded him.

  “And I’m not sure you do either,” Ivy announced, appearing at the edge of the clearing. “It’s not as if you’re Mr. Woods.”

  “There you are.” Jack moved quickly, not stopping until he was at her side. “Are you okay?”

  His reaction surprised Ivy and she could do nothing but smile. “I’m fine. Were you really that worried?”

  “Well … .” Jack shrugged. “I had to answer a bunch of questions about morels and I was convinced I was in my version of Hell. I was definitely starting to get worried.”

  “Aw. So cute.” Ivy tapped his chin as Brian Nixon, Jack’s partner, cleared his throat and walked into the clearing. He had two members of the county medical examiner’s team with him, and he didn’t look happy about the hike.

  “If you guys could stop verbally copulating, that would be great,” Brian drawled. “I can only take so much cuteness before I want to vomit, and I passed my quota about a year ago.”

  “Oh, he reminds me of my partner,” Jared teased, smiling as Harper brought up the rear. He couldn’t say exactly why – it wasn’t as if he thought Ivy was a threat or anything – but he was relieved to see her. “Are you okay?”

  Harper nodded as she joined her boyfriend, giving his hand a firm squeeze. “I’m fine. Ivy and I got along famously. We only pulled each other’s hair once.”

  Jared’s smile slipped. “That’s not what I meant. I was worried you would get lost or … maybe run into someone in the woods who was dangerous.”

  “Sadly, at this time of year the woods are full of morel hunters,” Brian said. “That’s going to make tracking down whoever did this tricky. Where is the body?”

  Jack pointed so Brian could get a look before the medical examiner’s team began working. Brian had been a cop for a long time and he thought he’d seen everything, but the scene on the other side of the bush was enough to turn his stomach.

  “Geez.”

  “Yeah.” Jack absently rubbed his hand over Ivy’s back. “It’s not pretty.”

  “It looks to be a gunshot wound to the chest,” Brian said after a beat. “Although the medical examiner is going to have his hands full with the … other stuff.”

  “What other stuff?” Ivy asked, unease washing over her. “Was she … raped?”

  “Honey, I don’t know.” Jack chose his words carefully. “She’s dressed. We won’t know that until the medical examiner can get to work.”

  Ivy balked. “Then what are you guys talking about?”

  “Ivy … .” Jack felt helpless.

  Brian put his hand on his partner’s forearm to still him. “Ivy, the critters have been busy. We have a lot of scavengers out here. They’ve done a number on the body.”

  Ivy felt sick to her stomach. “Oh.” She stared at her feet a moment, recovering. “Do you know who it is?”

  “That’s a good question.” Jack turned his attention to Brian. “Ivy wanted to see if she could identify her, but I thought it was better to wait for you. I don’t want her to see if she doesn’t have to.”

  “That’s probably a good idea,” Brian confirmed. “Especially since I’m pretty sure Ivy knows the victim.”

  “I do?” Ivy’s heart skipped a beat. “Who?”

  “It’s Tabitha Darden.”

  “How do you know her?” Jared asked, interested despite himself.

  “She graduated a few years be
hind Ivy,” Brian replied, licking his lips. “She’s a waitress at that restaurant out on the highway by Max’s lumber yard.”

  “Who is Max?” Jared rocked back and forth on his heels. “Is he a suspect?”

  “He’s my brother,” Ivy answered, a bit of bite in her response.

  “And he’s not a suspect,” Jack said soothingly. “I thought she looked familiar but couldn’t remember where I recognized her from. Ivy and I ate at that restaurant a couple of weeks ago. I think she waited on us.”

  “She did,” Ivy confirmed. “Now she’s dead.”

  “And it’s our job to take care of her,” Brian said. “I think that means we need some privacy to do it.”

  Ivy immediately started shaking her head. “I can’t just leave.”

  “You can,” Jack argued. “In fact … .” He looked to Jared a moment, conflicted. “Why don’t you take Harper, Zander, and Shawn back to wherever they’re staying. I get the feeling Jared wants to hang out here – at least for a little bit – and that way the four of you will be out of the eye of the storm.”

  “What storm?” Zander raised his eyes to the sky. “It looks sunny to me … not that I’m not anxious to get out of these trees, mind you. If it rains, I really will start screaming. I may never stop either.”

  “We can’t have that,” Jared drawled, fighting the urge to roll his eyes as he locked gazes with Harper. “I would like to hang around a bit. Are you okay heading out with Ivy?”

  Harper nodded without hesitation. She was intrigued by the pink-haired woman and she was eager to learn more about her. “We can take our vehicle since it will fit more people. How are you going to get back to the hotel, though?”

  “I can get him there,” Jack replied. “I’ll need to pick up Ivy anyway.”

  “That sounds like a plan then.” Zander was eager to depart. “Let’s go.” He gestured emphatically to get everyone moving. “The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can check each other for ticks.”

  “Is that a euphemism for something?” Ivy asked, curious.

  “Yes, it’s a euphemism for the fact that I don’t want to get Lyme disease and die.”

  Ivy chuckled despite the situation and lifted her mouth to accept a quick kiss from Jack. “I think I’m going to like him.”

  “That is a terrifying thought,” Jack said. “Are you okay with this? I didn’t mean to stick you with them at the hotel but … they could probably drop you at the house if you don’t want to hang with them.”

  “I’m fine.” Ivy wasn’t huge on socializing, but she wanted to know more about Harper’s business. “Just do right by Tabitha. I’ll be perfectly okay.”

  “Okay.” Jack stroked his hand down the back of her head. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “Oh, geez.” Brian made a face as he glanced between Jack and Ivy before shifting his attention to Harper and Jared. “There’s a lot of petting and kissing going on here.”

  Jack snorted at his partner’s distressed tone. “You’re going to have nightmares, aren’t you?”

  Brian nodded. “You have no idea.”

  “THANKS FOR ALLOWING me to stay.”

  Jared offered Jack a heartfelt smile as they watched the medical examiner’s team do their work, the two techs busy as they took photographs and collected evidence while the three police officers stood to the side and observed.

  “It’s fine,” Jack replied. “I understand you’re going to be curious. I would be in your place so … .”

  “Have you always lived up here?” Jared replied. “Is this the only police department you’ve ever worked for?”

  “I think he’s asking if you know how real crime is solved in the big city,” Brian teased.

  Jared balked. “That is not what I was asking.”

  Jack made a dismissive sound in the back of his throat. “Ignore him. He likes creating trouble when he’s bored.”

  “He sounds like my partner,” Jared noted.

  “Oh, yeah? What’s he like?”

  “He’s Zander’s uncle.”

  Jack choked out a laugh. “Oh, geez. You poor, poor soul.”

  “I’m glad to see you two are bonding, but we should probably move to the side here a bit,” Brian ordered as one of the technicians came through with a bag of evidence. “I think they’re going to move her fairly soon.”

  “To answer your earlier question, I used to work in Detroit,” Jack volunteered. “I was with that department for seven years before … well, before I moved up here.”

  The answer startled Jared. “Really? I always pictured myself ending up there. I only moved to Whisper Cove to be close – I lived on the west side of the state before then – and get a foothold in the area.”

  “Why would you want to work in Detroit?” Brian asked. “That area is dangerous.”

  “That’s why I always dreamed of going there,” Jared admitted. “Now, though … .” He took on a far-off expression. “Now I’m not sure that’s what I want.”

  Jack studied him for a long beat. “Because of Harper?”

  Jared shrugged, noncommittal. “I’m sure you think it’s weak to base my life decisions on what’s best for her rather than myself, but I can’t see any scenario where her worrying about me coming home every night – and she would worry herself sick – is a good thing.”

  “You’re wrong about me thinking it’s weak. On the contrary, I think it’s strong. All the decisions I make these days involve Ivy. I want what’s best for her. I can see where you would want what’s best for Harper.”

  “Yeah, well … I would also never hear the end of it from Zander,” Jared added, easing the tension.

  Jack snorted. “That right there is a bonus.” He scratched at the back of his neck as the medical examiner poked his way through the bushes. The man looked tired … and grave. “What do you have?”

  “It’s only preliminary right now, but I would say she hasn’t been sexually assaulted despite the fact that her shoes are missing,” he replied.

  Jack craned his neck to stare back at the body. “I didn’t even notice that. Ivy’s so often barefoot – even in the dead of winter – that it didn’t strike me as odd.”

  “So her shoes are missing,” Brian mused. “I doubt she walked out here in bare feet.”

  “There are a few marks on her feet, but until I get her in the lab I won’t be able to know if those are from running in the woods or animals,” the medical examiner said. “As for time of death, I can’t give you a window yet. The scavenger damage is extensive. For a ballpark, I’m going to say she’s been out here for three to four days.”

  Jack did the math in his head. “So maybe Friday or Saturday?”

  “Yeah.”

  Jack turned to Brian. “If she’s been gone that long, why has nobody reported her missing? She’s a young woman. There must be someone looking for her.”

  “We need to find out,” Brian agreed. “We also need to figure out how she ended up in the middle of nowhere. There’s not a lot out here.”

  Brian planted himself in the middle of the clearing to draw a mental map. “Ivy’s nursery is that way, but she’s essentially the only thing over there,” he said. “There’s a small group of houses that way to the north. To the east over here is the highway that leads to Max’s lumber yard, but there’s several other businesses and houses on that road, too. To the south there’s nothing but the river and a few houses.”

  “We need to figure out what she was doing before she disappeared,” Jack said. “Assigning a motive when we have no idea what Tabitha was doing with her life – other than working at a restaurant, that is – isn’t going to help us. We need more information to figure this out.”

  “Then we’d best get started,” Brian said. “As far as I know, Tabitha lived in that apartment complex over on Plum Street. I think Nancy Decker was her roommate. We need to start there.”

  “Then let’s get to it.”

  5

  Five

>   “Hey, Helen.”

  Ivy greeted the hotel proprietress with a wide smile upon entering the facility. Harper knew she shouldn’t be surprised that Ivy knew the woman – it wasn’t a well-populated area, after all – but she was amused all the same.

  “Hey, Ivy. What are you doing here?” Helen glanced between faces. “Isn’t your party short by one body?”

  “He’s out in the woods risking death by tick,” Zander explained. “I don’t understand it either.”

  Helen did her best to hide a smirk. “I take it the morel hunting didn’t go well.”

  “It could’ve gone better,” Harper said. “We came back to get some lunch and hang out.”

  “The dining room is open and you can seat yourselves.” Helen’s expression was thoughtful as she focused on Ivy. “What’s going on?”

  “We stumbled over a body while hunting for morels,” Ivy replied. “Jack and Brian are out there dealing with it now.”

  “As is Jared,” Harper added.

  “He’s a police officer.” Zander was trying to be helpful, but the expression on his face as he scoured his arms and legs for unseen ticks made him look more comical than serious. “All the cops are out being … um, cop like … so we decided food was in order.”

  “I see.” Helen watched Zander for a moment, shaking her head. “What are you doing?”

  “Lyme disease,” Zander answered simply. “I just know I’m going to get Lyme disease.”

  “He thinks he’s been infested with ticks,” Harper explained. “He won’t listen when people explain that’s unlikely.”

  “Ah.” Helen tried to bite back a smile, and failed. “I hope you survive the Lyme disease.”

  “That makes two of us,” Zander said. “If I die, I’m coming back to haunt everyone who thought it would be a good idea to hunt for mushrooms in the middle of nowhere … especially now that I know the mushrooms taste like feet.”

  Ivy snapped her head in Zander’s direction. “Did Jack tell you that?”

  “Um … .” Zander’s cheeks colored as he backed off the statement. He knew better than ratting out a man to his girlfriend, even if he was fascinated by said girlfriend and her pretty pink hair. “No. Why would you ask that?”