Wicked Ghosts_A Harper Harlow and Ivy Morgan Mystery

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Oh, don’t get gross,” Ivy chided. “We’re not spending time with him out of choice. We’re asking him questions.”

  “Ask away.” The man lifted a beer can and sipped from it. “In fact, if you want to ask your questions naked, I would love to see that.”

  If Harper had a free foot, she would’ve totally planted it in the man’s groin. Since that wasn’t an option, she merely glared holes in him.

  “Logan, do something,” Dan screeched. “They’re hurting me.”

  “Stop whining,” Logan instructed, his eyes landing on Ivy’s face. “They’re tiny little women. How much could they possibly be hurting you?”

  “You don’t want to know,” Ivy replied. “While you’re here, though, we have a few questions to ask. Maybe you can answer them.”

  “You never know.” Logan was smug. “What kind of questions?”

  “They’re asking about Tabitha,” Dan gritted out. “They want to know who she was with Friday night.”

  Whatever he was expecting, that wasn’t it. Logan shifted from one foot to the other, this time taking more than a second to study Harper and Ivy. “Really? And why are you asking about Tabitha?”

  “They’re private investigators,” Dan said.

  “You’re private investigators?” Logan was clearly doubtful. “You don’t look like private investigators.”

  “And you don’t look old enough to drink,” Ivy shot back. “Life is full of surprises.”

  “I guess it is.” Logan drained the rest of his beer. “So what do you want to know about Tabitha?”

  “Quite a few things,” Ivy replied. “For starters, who was she hanging around with that night?”

  “No one. Everyone.”

  “That’s not much of an answer,” Harper pressed.

  “That’s because I don’t have an answer to give,” Logan shot back. “I wasn’t paying attention. I don’t know who she was with. We’ve already answered all these questions for the cops, though. I don’t understand why you’re here asking the same ones.”

  “Maybe we simply want answers,” Ivy suggested. “Have you ever considered that?”

  “Not for a second.” Logan licked his lips as he glanced between Dan, Ivy, and Harper. He made up his mind quickly. “We’re done answering questions. From now on, if anyone wants to ask questions – and that includes the police – he or she can speak to our lawyer.”

  “We’re not done,” Ivy warned.

  “Oh, you’re done.” Logan wrapped his arm around Dan’s neck and jerked him back, using enough force that Harper and Ivy couldn’t hang on to their prey. “You’re totally done.”

  He slammed the door in their faces as Dan continued to whine on the other side.

  “They were really mean,” Dan said.

  Harper slid a sidelong look to Ivy. “Did that go how you imagined?”

  “Not even close.”

  SASHA BUTLER WASN’T HAPPY about the interruption of her day, but she ushered Jared and Jack inside her house all the same. Of course, it was after she graced both of them with an appraising look and there could be no doubt what was on her mind when she offered the men a drink and flirty wink.

  “We’re good, thank you.” Jack squirmed on the couch as he tried to get comfortable. “We don’t want to take up much of your time, but we’re here to ask about the incident with your brother.

  “Incident?” The face Sasha made was one of absolute disgust. “He beat me with a bat. Even after I lost consciousness, he hit me another two times.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” Jack said honestly. “There’s not a lot of information in your case file. I’m curious what started that fight.”

  “I called him a douche and he didn’t like it.”

  Jack waited for her to expand but she didn’t. “And that’s it?”

  “It doesn’t take much to infuriate Logan,” Sasha replied. “He’s a complete and total jerk. He always has been. I blame my mother. Once our father left, she let Logan run wild. He had no rules or boundaries and he grew to be a monster.”

  “And yet you still live with your mother and he doesn’t,” Jared noted. “Why did you stay?”

  “Because my mother is the one who found me on the floor in a pool of my own blood and realized that Logan was the one who did it to me,” Sasha replied. “She kicked out my brother before I even woke in the hospital.”

  “And how did Logan take that?” Jack asked.

  “Not well. He threatened to kill my mother, but since he was facing charges for assaulting me, we came to an understanding of sorts.”

  “And what was that understanding?”

  “He agreed to stay away from us if we didn’t press charges,” Sasha replied. “I didn’t want to back down, but the prosecutor said he’d only be facing a few years in prison. We couldn’t stretch it out longer than that. When he got out, he would have no limitations put on his freedom. I thought this was the better outcome.”

  “Have you seen him since then?”

  “No. One of his dumb friends picked up his stuff, tossed around a few insults while he was packing, and then took off. We haven’t heard one word from Logan since … and that includes an apology for what he did to me.”

  “Which friend?” Jared asked. “We understand he’s living with several out by Shadow Lake.”

  “Caleb Jackman. They’ve been close since high school.”

  Jack pursed his lips as he nodded. Everything he learned about Logan Butler made him more and more convinced he was their likeliest suspect.

  “Can I ask why you’re asking about this now?” Sasha queried. “Is Logan in more trouble?”

  “Logan is a person of interest in a murder.”

  “The woman found in the woods?”

  Jack nodded. “I see news of that has spread over here.”

  “We don’t get a lot of murders so everyone is talking about it,” Sasha said. “I didn’t know she had ties to Logan.”

  “We’re not sure he’s involved,” Jack cautioned. “The victim was a guest at a party hosted by your brother Friday night. No one saw her after that.”

  “And you think Logan could be involved.”

  “It’s a distinct possibility.”

  Sasha chewed on her bottom lip as she internally debated something. Finally, she made up her mind and opened her mouth. “If she was near Logan and she’s dead now, odds are he killed her. I don’t live under any delusions. He’s a murderer in the making – I knew that when he attacked me. Once he starts killing, he won’t stop until you stop him.”

  Jack wasn’t comfortable with her tone. “Then we’ll stop him.”

  “I hope you do … because if you don’t, he’ll rack up quite the body count before he’s finished. I know it. I feel it.”

  Sadly, Jack felt it, too. “We’ll stop him if he’s guilty.”

  “Oh, he’s guilty. I think you already realize that, though.”

  18

  Eighteen

  Ivy caught sight of Nelson Delgado in his yard and quickly pointed herself in that direction.

  “Where are we going now?” Harper asked, curious.

  “That’s Nelson,” Ivy said, keeping her voice low. “He’s the same age as my parents. He’s also one of the town busybodies and he gossips like a fiend. I’m going to bet he knows a little something about these guys.”

  “Oh.” Harper brightened considerably. “That’s a good idea.”

  Ivy tapped her temple, amused. “Jack will deny it, but I’ve been known to have a good idea or two every now and then.”

  “Yes, and you’re completely humble, too.”

  “Ha, ha.”

  Nelson, a rake gripped in his hand, had a suspicious look on his face when the two women approached. It was only after Ivy was close enough for him to recognize her that he relaxed. “Ivy Morgan, as I live and breathe.”

  Ivy returned the man’s easy smile. “Hi, Nelson. How’s it going?”

  “It’s been better.”

  Ivy brac
ed herself because she knew a torrent of complaints were coming her way. She liked Nelson. She often found him entertaining. His favorite hobby was complaining, though. She was used to it.

  “I thought life was good until the cast of Animal House moved in next door,” Nelson continued. “You have no idea how difficult it is to live next to them.”

  “I’m sure it’s a pain.” Ivy adopted a sympathetic tone. “My understanding is that they spend the bulk of their time partying. Do they do that every night or is it a weekend thing?”

  “It’s every night.” Nelson twisted his face, his frustration evident. “The weekends are the worst, though. During the week it’s mostly them and a handful of others. They sit outside – even though it’s still cold after dark – and smoke pot and drink beer. They talk really loudly, and most of it is boasts about the women they’ve taken to bed. They wake me up at all hours of the night and don’t even care.”

  Ivy scratched her cheek. “Do they have women spending the night a lot?”

  “They make a game out of it,” Nelson replied. “They all try to sleep with women and compare notes. I’ve heard them. It’s completely disrespectful. Of course, the type of women they’re attracting is essentially the worst of the worst.

  “You know when you read the bad parts of the Bible and hear about sexually deviant things?” he continued. “I think that’s what’s going on next door.”

  Ivy had to bite the inside of her cheek to hold back a smile. Nelson was laying it on a bit thick – that was his way, after all – and she couldn’t help being amused. “Well, I’m sorry you have to live next to it.”

  “Not as sorry as I am,” Nelson said. “When Brian and your man showed up to ask questions, I thought for sure they would do something about the parties. They haven’t done anything about them, though, and those boys have been partying even harder over the past few days. It’s like they’re trying to drink themselves to death.”

  Ivy was intrigued. “They’ve picked up on the drinking this past week?”

  “They’ve doubled up on the drinking this past week.”

  Ivy pursed her lips as she regarded Harper. “Maybe someone has a guilty conscience.”

  “Or maybe they’re simply worried about the police interest,” Harper countered. “Maybe they didn’t think anyone would tie Tabitha to them and they would get away clean.”

  “They would have to be idiots to think no one would place Tabitha at their house,” Ivy pointed out.

  “You just met the same two guys I did. They didn’t seem like geniuses to me.”

  “No, although that Logan kid was a lot smarter than the other one.” Ivy tugged on her bottom lip as she considered the situation. “How tall did Logan look to you?”

  Harper furrowed her brow. “Why?”

  “I’m just curious.”

  “I would guess he’s about six-foot-one. Why?”

  “Because that would put him really close to Jack’s height,” Ivy replied. “Jack said when they found Tabitha’s car that it was clear she couldn’t have driven it. Whoever set the seat was tall like him.”

  “Oh.” Realization dawned on Harper. “You think it was Logan.”

  “He’s the one with the violent past,” Ivy replied. “We won’t know until the state police lab processes the prints found inside the car.”

  “The state police found prints inside the car?” Nelson’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t even know you guys found the car. Where was it?”

  “Close to the access road over by the old turnpike,” Ivy answered. “Whoever killed Tabitha moved the car there, probably because he or she thought it would go undiscovered for a long time. The killer probably didn’t take morel season into account.”

  “Was any evidence discovered in the car?” Nelson asked. “I mean … can you pin one of these boys to the crime?”

  “Jack doesn’t really share that information with me,” Ivy replied. “He said they found the car and it was obvious that Tabitha didn’t drive herself to the woods. He also said they found several sets of fingerprints inside the car and the state police lab was going to run them. It might take a few days, though.”

  “I see.” Nelson made a tsking sound with his tongue. “I still can’t believe that girl was taken from right next door and I didn’t see it happening. I wish I could’ve saved her.”

  “You can’t watch those guys twenty-four hours a day,” Ivy pointed out. “I know you’re doing your best, but it’s not your job to watch them.”

  “It feels like my job,” Nelson grumbled. “You know, when I first moved out here, I thought it was the best of both worlds. I was outside the township limits but still close enough to head into town and enjoy the festivities when I wanted. It was peaceful here but not so far away I felt isolated.”

  “That changed when these guys moved in, huh?” Ivy was sympathetic. “I get what you’re saying. I like my house being set back from town. If I had people move in next door and then throw parties to all hours of the night, I wouldn’t be happy either.”

  “The cops don’t seem to care.”

  “I don’t think it’s that they don’t care,” Ivy countered. “There’s just not much they can do about it. Plus … you’re outside of the township limits. You said it yourself. I don’t think Jack and Brian can do much about loud parties when they’re being held so far out of town.”

  “That doesn’t mean I should be tortured,” Nelson argued.

  “I totally agree.” Ivy rolled her neck as she glanced back at the house. She could see the curtain moving in the far window and knew that at least one of the young men – probably more than one – watched her from the window. “Let me ask you something, Nelson. Do you think the men next door are capable of taking a woman into the woods and hunting her?”

  “Hunting her?” Nelson’s eyebrows flew up his forehead. “What makes you think that’s the case?”

  Ivy explained about the wounds on Tabitha’s feet. “Her boots are still out there somewhere. Heck, maybe they have evidence on them for all we know. She was definitely chased through the woods, though. The state police have evidence on the slug found in Tabitha’s chest and I think Jack and Brian have mentioned testing various guns in the area to rule out people, but the boots might be even more important.”

  “What are you thinking?” Harper asked, studying Ivy’s profile for a long beat. “You’re not seriously considering going looking for the boots, are you?”

  That was exactly what Ivy was considering. “Maybe.”

  “Jack and Jared aren’t going to like that,” Harper warned. “We said we wouldn’t go into the woods.”

  “I know that, but I think I know where the boots are.”

  Harper’s eyebrows flew up her forehead. “You do? How?”

  Ivy knew she couldn’t explain about the dream in front of Nelson so she merely shrugged. “Call it intuition. I think I know where they are, though, and if we find them we might have the final piece of the puzzle Jack and Jared need to figure out which one of the guys is responsible for this.”

  Harper wasn’t convinced. “They’re going to be angry.”

  “Yes, but they’ll also be thankful if we find the boots.”

  “But … .”

  Ivy shook her head. “I honestly think I know where they are. We can check and be in and out of there in twenty minutes. If we find them we can call Jack. It will be easy … and then maybe this thing will be solved before you leave.”

  “Jared would prefer it that way,” Harper mused, rubbing the back of her neck. “Okay. I guess it can’t hurt to look.”

  “So … wait. You guys are going into the woods to find that poor girl’s boots?” Nelson was dumbfounded. “You actually think that’s going to help solve this? Just call your boyfriend and make him arrest the fools next door.”

  Ivy held her hands palms up and shrugged. “It obviously can’t hurt to look … and Jack will do what he can about the boys.”

  “No, I guess it can’t hurt to look.” Nelson l
et loose with a smile. “If you could find answers and get those boys arrested by the end of the day, I would be forever grateful.”

  Ivy shot him an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “We’ll do our best.”

  “I know you will.”

  JACK AND JARED MADE THEIR next stop the house on the highway. After talking to Logan Butler’s sister they were both eager to question the man himself a second time.

  “Do you think they’ll talk to us?” Jared asked when Jack parked in front of the house.

  Jack shrugged. “If they were smart, they would send us on our way. They don’t seem overly smart to me.”

  “They’re not complete idiots either,” Jared pointed out. “They haven’t said anything to tie themselves to Tabitha’s murder.”

  “No, they’ve all said – almost phrased it exactly the same way, in fact – that they don’t remember what happened that night,” Jack noted. “They clearly got their stories together before we started questioning them.”

  “Or they were really so drunk and high that night that they don’t remember what happened.”

  “You believe them?” Jack cocked a questioning eyebrow.

  Jared shrugged. “I don’t have any reason to doubt or believe them. I think we’re missing part of the big picture.”

  “I think we are, too, and that bothers me.” Jack rolled his neck. “Sasha seems adamant that her brother is a killer in the making.”

  “I noticed that, too. Of course, from her perspective, he could very well be. He almost killed her, after all.”

  “If he’s really such a jerk, though, why didn’t he go back after her?” Jack asked. “If he’s a psychopath – and that’s what Sasha seems to indicate – then what’s stopping him from finishing what he started?”

  “Maybe he’s smarter than you’re giving him credit for,” Jared suggested. “He knows he would be the prime suspect if something happened to his mother or sister. Sociopaths are often smarter than the average population. Maybe he’s a sociopath instead of a psychopath.”