Wicked Ghosts_A Harper Harlow and Ivy Morgan Mystery

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I wasn’t trying to boss you around, Heart, but you have to understand that I don’t think it’s safe for you to be wandering around the woods,” Jared argued. “I love you so I’m allowed to be worried.”

  It was a sweet sentiment, but Harper wasn’t moved by it. “Really?” she challenged dryly. “Am I allowed to tell you what you can and can’t do when you leave for your job as a police officer?”

  “That’s entirely different.”

  “How?”

  “Because … it just is.”

  “I think he’s saying it’s different because he has a penis,” Ivy supplied. “Jack is the same way.”

  “I am not the same way,” Jack argued. “Er, well, I have a penis and all, but I’m not saying that means I’m in charge.”

  “Why are you in charge?” Ivy asked, a spatula clutched in her hand. She looked as if she was about to use it as a weapon.

  “I’m not in charge,” Jack replied. “We’re a unit, a team. We’re getting married, for crying out loud. That means we have a partnership. And, if we’re going to argue about this, I’m just going to put it out there. You get your way a lot more than I get mine.”

  “I do not!”

  “Oh, don’t even start.” Jack made an exaggerated face. “Do you know how many times it’s pointed out to me on any given day that I’m whipped?”

  Ivy balked. “Brian and Max don’t count. They’re just messing with you.”

  “That doesn’t mean they’re not telling the truth. They’re also not the only ones to say it.”

  A bit of the fire went out of Ivy’s eyes. “Oh. Who else says it?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Jack lowered his voice. “You’re bossy and I’m fine with it. I love you the way you are.”

  “Do you love me the way I am?” Harper asked Jared. “Even though I’m bossy?”

  “Heart, you’re nowhere near as bossy as Zander so that doesn’t even bother me,” Jared replied. “I know you have a job you love and you like to help ghosts. For the most part, I’m fine with it. I’m not okay with it when you find trouble, though, and you tend to find trouble a lot.”

  “I’m going to bet it’s not nearly as often as Ivy finds trouble,” Jack countered.

  “We’ll make lists later and compare,” Jared suggested, causing Harper and Ivy to roll their eyes in unison. “I don’t want to fight, but I also don’t want to spend the day worrying about the two of you. There has to be a happy compromise that will make everybody comfortable.”

  Harper’s stance softened at Jared’s words, but Ivy remained rigid.

  “I promise nothing bad will happen,” Harper said, patting Jared’s arm in a consoling manner. “You don’t have to worry about us. We’re going to be good.”

  “That’s great.” Jared meant it. “How are you going to be good, though?”

  “Don’t answer that,” Ivy barked, her eyes locked with Jack’s serious brown orbs. “They don’t need to know what we’re doing.”

  “Ivy, it’s not a big deal,” Harper said. “If it will make them feel better … .”

  “They don’t need to know what we’re doing,” Ivy gritted out. “They’re not the bosses of us.”

  “No, Zander is often the boss of me,” Harper agreed. “Between Zander and Jared, though, I’ve determined I can’t really get away with much anymore. It is what it is.”

  “Well, I’m not ready to roll over and expose my belly.” Ivy was firm.

  “Oh, stop being a pain in the butt,” Jack ordered. “Just promise me you’ll stay out of the woods.”

  “No.”

  “Promise me or I’ll call Max and make him babysit,” Jack threatened.

  “I’m not afraid of Max. I can bully Max just like you’re trying to bully me.”

  Jack narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits. “You’re not going into the woods.”

  Jared and Harper exchanged a worried look. They weren’t used to fights like this. When they argued, it was with quick efficiency. They didn’t like fighting so they were happy to get through it and come out the other side stronger for the effort … and especially for the making up. What Jack and Ivy were doing was something completely different.

  “I know I’m at risk of taking sides here, but I can’t stop myself,” Harper said nervously. “We’re not going into the woods. Ivy is going to show me how she makes homemade lotion. I want to try it myself when I get home.”

  Jared exhaled heavily, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “You could’ve just told me that.”

  “I was going to, but then you said you weren’t going to allow me to go into the woods and I was annoyed.”

  “Oh, well, I’m sorry for saying that.” Jared cupped the back of Harper’s head and gave her a soft kiss. “That was wrong of me. I really do apologize.”

  Harper beamed. “Apology accepted.”

  They kissed again before slowly turning and finding Jack and Ivy glowering at them.

  “What?” Harper asked nervously.

  “You guys are lightweights,” Ivy grumbled, shaking her head as she turned back to Jack.

  “You could’ve just told me you were going to be making lotion all day,” Jack said. “That would’ve saved us a huge fight.”

  “It was none of your business. You’re my future husband, not my keeper.”

  “Sometimes I think you need a keeper,” Jack grumbled, rolling his neck. “I think making lotion sounds like a fine idea.”

  “You would.”

  “I love the clove scent. Do more of that.”

  “I’m going to call Max and have him find me some morels and I’m going to make a morel lotion,” Ivy tossed back. “We’ll see how you like that.”

  “As long as you stay out of the woods today, I don’t care if you smell like feet for the rest of our lives.”

  Ivy wasn’t convinced. “I’m still mad.”

  “Right back at you.”

  BREAKFAST WAS A TENSE AFFAIR.

  Jared and Harper spent the entire meal huddled together, secretly touching each other’s hands under the table, and casting the occasional worried glances at Jack and Ivy.

  For their part, Jack and Ivy glared at each other across the table and practically dared the other to be the first to speak. Once everyone was finished, Jack and Jared strode toward the door and Ivy stood in the middle of the living room, arms crossed over her chest, and shot lasers out of her eyes in the direction of Jack’s retreating back.

  Jack was at the door, his hand on the knob, when he apparently thought better about leaving an angry Ivy behind. He spun on his heel, stalked to the center of the room and grabbed the front of her shirt to hoist her up on her toes.

  “I know you’re angry and we’re going to fight like crazy later, but I want you to have a good day.” He planted a hard kiss on her mouth. “I love you more than anything. Have fun.”

  He moved to lower her, but Ivy stopped him with a hand on his wrist. “I love you, too.”

  Jack’s expression softened. “Thank you.” This time the kiss he graced her with was soft and full of promise. “Be good.”

  “Be safe,” Ivy shot back.

  She stood next to Harper and watched them go through the big bay window in the middle of the living room. They were silent until the vehicle started backing out of the driveway.

  “So … lotion?”

  “Screw that,” Ivy said. “I have a better idea.”

  Harper was instantly alert. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

  “Probably not.”

  “Is Jack going to like it?”

  “Definitely not.”

  Even though she knew it was probably a bad idea, Harper was resigned to help Ivy. “So … what’s the plan?”

  “We’re going to figure out who killed Tabitha and I know exactly where to start.”

  17

  Seventeen

  “Are you sure about this?”

  Harper chewed on her bottom lip as Ivy disengaged her seatbelt and removed h
er keys from the ignition. They were parked in front of a sprawling house that looked as if someone held the party to end all parties on the front lawn the previous night. It was the house Tabitha visited the night she disappeared and Ivy was determined to question the occupants.

  “It will be fine.” Ivy was calm as she grabbed the door handle. “Trust me.”

  “I do trust you, but I think this is a bad idea.”

  “Then wait here.” Ivy wasn’t in the mood to play games, her earlier argument with Jack fueling her. “It won’t take too long. I’ll show you Max’s lumber yard when we’re finished.”

  “Is it a magical lumber yard?”

  “No.”

  “Then why would I want to see it?”

  Ivy shrugged. “Good point. You wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  Harper opened her mouth to argue, but it was too late. Ivy was already out of the car, the door slamming shut hard enough to rock the entire vehicle, and she was halfway up the driveway before Harper regained her wits and exited the vehicle.

  “Wait up,” Harper called out, internally chastising herself for being such a fool as she scurried to catch up.

  Ivy waited, her expression unreadable.

  “I still think this is a bad idea,” Harper said. “Since it’s the middle of the day, though, it probably can’t do any harm.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Ivy clapped her hand to Harper’s arm and grinned. “It will be fine. I need to get a feel for these guys, though. One of them has to be responsible.”

  “And you think he’ll just own up to it because we ask nicely?”

  “Not even a little. I like to think I can recognize evil when I see it, though.”

  Since Harper felt the same way – even though she’d been proven wrong on more than one occasion – she let loose with a sigh and fell into step with Ivy. “How are you going to approach this?”

  “I thought we would just play it by ear.”

  “That sounds dangerous to me.”

  “We’re not going in the house,” Ivy said. “Don’t worry about that. We’re staying out in the open. Nothing is going to happen.”

  “I’m not worried about me,” Harper said, opting for honesty. “We leave tomorrow. I’m worried about you. You’re local and you’ll be the one left behind.”

  “I know how to take care of myself.”

  “Yes, I can’t wait until you use that as an explanation when you tell Jack how we spent the afternoon,” Harper muttered.

  “He’ll be fine.”

  “Really? Were you part of the same argument I witnessed this morning? He’s not going to be fine.”

  “He’ll be totally fine.” Ivy stuck to her guns. “Once I romance the crap out of him and get naked in a bath. I might have to grovel a bit, too.”

  “You guys have a really unique relationship.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “SO THAT WAS AN interesting argument you and Ivy had this morning.”

  Jared was nervous for the entire duration of the ride to Traverse City. Brian was checking leads closer to Shadow Lake so Jack volunteered to be the one to question Logan Butler’s sister about the purported bat attack. It had to be done and there was no sense putting it off.

  “What do you mean?” Jack was the picture of calm as he navigated the heavy traffic on the two-lane highway. “That was a normal argument for us.”

  Jared was flabbergasted. “That was normal?”

  “Are you saying you and Harper never fight?”

  “Of course we fight,” Jared said. “We fight all the time. You can’t be in a relationship – especially one where both sides value truth – if you don’t fight.”

  “See.”

  “We don’t fight like that, though.”

  Jack tightened his grip on the wheel as he cast Jared a sidelong look. “What do you mean?”

  “You guys went at each other hard,” Jared pointed out. “Ivy is a small woman and yet she terrified me. I would sleep with one eye open for the foreseeable future if I were you.”

  Jack snorted, disdain evident. “We’re fine. We made up.”

  “That wasn’t making up. Making up is … .” Jared broke off and mimed kissing and hugging an invisible woman. The show was enough to make Jack bark out a laugh.

  “We’re fine. We’ve always fought that way. Our first interaction was a fight.”

  “You’re a stronger man than I am,” Jared said. “I would cry if Harper and I fought that way.”

  “You would cry?” Jack arched a dubious eyebrow. “Really?”

  Jared shrugged. “I like my woman cuddly and on my lap.”

  “And yet you say things like ‘my woman’ with a straight face.”

  Jared scowled. “I’m just saying that I’ve never fought with Harper the way you and Ivy fought this morning. You don’t even seem bothered by it.”

  “I’m not. We’re fine. We’ll finish making up when I get home tonight.”

  “We both know we’re going to have dinner as a group again tonight, even if we would prefer having alone time with our women,” Jared pointed out. “It’s our last night in town. We can’t separate them now.”

  Jack pursed his lips. “Good point. I’ll make up with Ivy before we meet for dinner. I promise it’s going to be okay.”

  “And you think they’ll be perfectly safe making lotions all day, right?”

  “Ivy knows what she’s doing with the lotions. Trust me. You’ll love the way Harper smells.”

  “I’m actually looking forward to that.” Jared rested his head on the passenger side window. “And they’ll really make lotions all day and not find trouble, right?”

  “They said they would.”

  “But Ivy was still angry,” Jared pointed out. “You’re sure she won’t turn that anger into an adventure, right?”

  “Of course.” Jack said the words, but he couldn’t stop the niggling bolt of worry from jumping into his chest. “I’m almost positive.”

  “How positive?”

  Jack considered the question for a long beat. “I’ll call Max before we interview the sister. I’ll send him over to check on them.”

  “I don’t want Max there,” Jared argued. “He’s hot for my girlfriend.”

  “Max is just flirty. He would never move on Harper. Besides, he’s our only option.”

  Jared was resigned. “Fine. If he hits on Harper, though, I’m totally going to slap him around.”

  “He’s used to it. We’ve had a few fights since I started dating his sister.”

  “Who won?”

  Jack’s smile was sly. “Who do you think?”

  Jared answered without hesitation. “Ivy.”

  Jack shrugged. “You’re not wrong.”

  “YOU MUST BE DAN.”

  Ivy recognized the portly young man answering the door thanks to Jack’s very spot-on description.

  “Do I know you?” Dan rubbed his cheek, his eyes crusty from sleep. He looked as if he was sleeping off a four-day bender … and he didn’t smell much better.

  “My name is Ivy Morgan. I’m a private investigator and I’m looking into the death of Tabitha Darden.”

  Harper widened her eyes at the lie but kept her mouth shut, impressed at the way Ivy delivered the statement.

  “You’re a private investigator?” Dan’s expression was hard to read but there was something lecherous about the tilt of his head as he glanced between the two women. “You don’t look like a private investigator.”

  “That’s why I’m so good at my job,” Ivy said. “I’m here to ask you a few questions about Friday night. I believe you had a large party that evening, correct?”

  “We have a large party every night,” Dan replied. “That’s why we’re the most popular guys in town.”

  Harper had to bite back a snide remark at the boast. If Dan was the most popular guy in town she’d eat her own foot. “That must be difficult for you,” she drawled. “Being so popular, I mean. You’re probably beating off the wome
n with a stick.”

  “I am,” Dan confirmed. “In fact … do you want to see the stick?” He made a move for his belt loop, causing Harper’s stomach to twist. Ivy grew up with a very obnoxious brother, though, and she knew exactly how to handle a man like Dan.

  “We’re good.” She shot out her arm and grabbed Dan’s wrist, using her thumb and forefinger to grab the pressure points at Dan’s thumb joint and causing him to groan as a jolt of pain washed over him. “Do I have your attention now?”

  Dan attempted to jerk away, but Harper stopped him with a well-placed stomp on his instep, putting all her weight on top of his vulnerable foot so he had no choice but to remain where he was.

  “That hurts!” Dan complained.

  “It’s going to hurt worse if I punch you in your special place,” Ivy warned. “Now, I’m done messing around. Who was Tabitha hanging out with that night at your party?”

  “I don’t know,” Dan whined. “I wasn’t paying attention. She never paid attention to me so I had no interest in paying attention to her. She thought she was too good for me.”

  “I can’t imagine why,” Harper drawled. “You had to see her with someone that night. The house isn’t that big. She was either talking to someone … or drinking with someone … or making out with someone. I know you know who it was.”

  “She made out with everyone she could get her hands on,” Dan shot back. “She wasn’t exactly picky. She’d have sex with anyone who offered her free joints. She was a total slut.”

  Ivy pinched harder, causing tears to well in Dan’s eyes. “She’s dead. Have a little respect for the dead.”

  “I don’t know what you want me to say,” Dan screeched. “I didn’t see her with anyone. I don’t know anything. I … you’re really hurting me!”

  “What in the hell is going on here?” The door opened further to allow another young man, this one strikingly handsome with jet black hair and a chiseled jawbone, a prime position for the show. He looked like one of those bad boy motorcycle heroes from the cover of a romance novel. He widened his eyes when he saw what Ivy and Harper were doing but made no move to stop them. “I see you’re making friends, Danny.” He clapped the whimpering boy on the shoulder. “These chicks are a definite step up from the women you usually spend your time with.”