Ghostly Endeavor (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 19)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I’m really sorry.” Harper exhaled heavily to steady herself. “Did he kill you?”

  Cassie slowly dragged her eyes to Harper. “It’s weird. People always said you could see and talk to ghosts. There were whispers about you in high school after you found that kid.”

  Harper nodded. “I knew about the whispers. People thought I was crazy ... or worse.”

  “I always wondered about you. Your friendship with Zander seemed somehow magical. The two of you were talked about by everyone, but you never let it get you down. You had each other and that’s all you needed.”

  “We got down occasionally,” Harper countered. “I think the difference was we always had each other to prop ourselves up.”

  Zander could only follow Harper’s side of the conversation, but he automatically nodded. “We were the fearsome twosome.”

  Cassie smirked, although not in a friendly way. “It was just the two of you for a long time. Then that cop came to town and everybody was talking about you again.”

  “Oh, yeah?” Harper had to laugh. “What did they say about us?”

  “There were whispers at first, that the cop was going to arrest you. They said he was undercover and playing you. I saw you together a few weeks after you started dating, though, and I knew that wasn’t true. I expected you two to get married and leave town.”

  “Well, we did get married.”

  “You didn’t leave town, though.”

  “No,” Harper agreed. “We didn’t leave town. This is our home.”

  “I don’t see this place as my home. I hate it here. I don’t see how anybody can like it in Whisper Cove really. Five square miles of … nothing. It’s just ... awful.”

  “I think all your memories of Whisper Cove are wrapped up in your father. He’s ... awful and he’s clouded everything you can feel about this place. It would’ve been better if you could’ve gotten out.”

  “I tried.”

  Harper hesitated and then decided to change course with the conversation. “You married Chuck because you thought he could get you out of Whisper Cove, right?”

  “Pretty much. He works at a car dealership. I thought, at the very least, he could get us over to Oakland County or something. That would’ve been a start. He didn’t want to leave Whisper Cove, though. I thought I could talk him into it, pulled out all the stops, and yet he was resistant.”

  “Chuck is happy here. He doesn’t hate Whisper Cove like you do. He was never going to leave.”

  “And that’s why I knew I had to start over.” The chuckle she let loose was raspy. “You should’ve seen my father’s face when he heard I was getting divorced. I thought I’d seen all the colors of his fury, but I was wrong. He had one more to show me.”

  Harper’s stomach refused to relax. “Did he try to hurt you when he found out you were getting divorced?”

  “He demanded that Chuck and I make up, said that no daughter of his was going to become a divorce statistic. He actually said people in our family weren’t allowed to get divorced and that if I wanted someone more exciting than Chuck I should’ve picked better when we started dating.”

  “And what did you say?”

  “I was beyond his disappointment by then. Nothing he says matters to me. Once I was a teenager and truly figured out what he was I knew what I would have to do to get away. I needed to plan, save money, and find a man who was willing to travel. I miscalculated with Chuck. I thought I could manipulate him because he was so amiable. That’s not how things worked out.”

  “Chuck told Jared that the divorce wasn’t difficult, that you both agreed to it and there were no fights over pesky details and finances. Is that true?”

  “Chuck doesn’t fight. He just makes sighing noises and then excuses himself to his workshop. He doesn’t like arguing.”

  “But ... did he kill you?”

  “I don’t know.”

  That was what Harper was afraid of. “What do you remember about the day you died?”

  “I couldn’t sleep. I had a bad dream. Actually, I kept having the same bad dream over and over again. It always left me rattled.”

  “I’m guessing that dream consisted of you being trapped in Whisper Cove.”

  “Yup. I couldn’t get out but everyone else could. Eventually, I was the only one left ... with my father.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  “You didn’t cause it.” She held out her hands. “People always asked me what I was running from when they saw me running. It was a constant joke. I think some of them thought I was running away from my father, or running for fitness.

  “Now, I knew I needed to keep trim if I was going to be able to attract the right sort of man, but that wasn’t why I ran all the time,” she continued. “I wasn’t running away from my father. I was running toward something.”

  “Freedom,” Harper surmised.

  “Yes.”

  “Your father still had an influence on your life,” Harper insisted. “Is it possible he’s the one who killed you?”

  “Anything is possible. I just know I was running, my mind blank, and then I wasn’t running any longer. I woke up in the cemetery. There was nobody around. I recognized right away that something bad had happened, that I was different somehow. I still had to wander around for almost a full day before I figured it out. It was as if my brain wouldn’t work like it was supposed to work.”

  “How did you figure it out?”

  “Yesterday, when your husband and Mel showed up to talk to my parents, I saw them go inside. I was curious — still struggling with what was happening — and followed. I tried to talk to them. I would’ve been excited if they’d acknowledged me. Then I heard them talking to my parents and knew.”

  “And then what?”

  “And then nothing.” She shrugged. “I was upset at first, mad I never got away. Then I realized I had gotten away, just not in the manner I thought I would.”

  “Death can be an escape,” Harper agreed. “The thing is, not everybody comes back as a ghost. Those who do usually have something they feel they need to do before they can rest. I’m wondering what you’re hanging around for. I’m guessing it’s because you want to know who killed you.”

  “I didn’t even know I was dead.”

  “Maybe when you first woke up, but that doesn’t mean you won’t remember. I’ve seen it happen multiple times. Death is so jarring you block out the actual event. When you do finally remember, that’s when you’ll understand why you stayed ... and most often when you’ll be ready to cross over to the other side.”

  “Oh, I won’t get to cross over. I’ll be stuck here forever. That’s my lot in life. Whisper Cove.”

  “No.” Harper was adamant when she shook her head. “You can have more. There’s another place out there. I’ve seen it. Well, only glimpses of it. I know it’s wonderful and peaceful, though. You don’t have to stay here forever.”

  “That might be true for other people. For me, though, I’m trapped. I know it and there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m never getting out of this place. That’s my curse.”

  “Cassie ... .” Harper didn’t know what to say so she left the other woman’s name hanging. As she searched for answers, movement at the Merriweather house caught her attention. When she looked in that direction again, she found John had moved to the lawn and had his phone in his hand. He was also glaring at the spot where they stood in the shade under the tree.

  “I know what you’re doing here,” he called out, anger positively dripping from his tongue. “I know the scam you’re running on this town. I won’t stand for it.”

  Harper shifted her eyes to Zander, who was very slowly getting to his feet. “What should we do?”

  “Since I know you’re going to turn down my suggestion of ice cream, I was thinking we might borrow somebody’s truck and run him over,” Zander replied. “Barring that, I’m at a loss.”

  “I’m calling the cops!” John snapped. “You’re going to be arrested and then every
body in this town is going to know what a charlatan you are. Most of us already know you’re a fraud. Everybody will know now, though.”

  For some reason, the statement grated on Harper more than it should have. She’d heard the complaint before — and from people she’d known her entire life — but John casting aspersions on her was more than she could take.

  “Go ahead and call the police,” she shot back, storming out from beneath the tree. “Let’s get them down here. Then we’ll ask them if me being on the sidewalk is worse than you being an abusive jerk. Go ahead and call them.”

  John hesitated, the phone positioned close to his ear. He looked worried. Then his gaze hardened. “You can’t threaten me, little girl. I know what you are. You’re a fraud, and I’m going to make sure you’re locked up. I won’t stand for any nonsense.”

  Harper planted her hands on her hips. “Go ahead and call. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Cassie floated closer to Harper. John couldn’t see her, and even though the ghost hunter’s gaze was locked on her father, Cassie knew the exact moment when Harper sensed her. “He won’t back down,” she said in a low voice. “He won’t stop until he destroys you. That’s what he likes to do.”

  “I’m sure that’s true,” Harper replied. “I don’t care, though. There’s nothing he can do to me. I refuse to be frightened of him. He’s a bad man. You said it yourself. It’s time he was taken down a notch or two.”

  “That will only infuriate him more. He won’t rest until he ruins you ... like he did me.”

  Harper briefly flicked her gaze to the ghost, her heart shredding when she registered the distraught look on Cassie’s face. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve dealt with more than one bully in my life.”

  “Not like him. He’s a monster, not a bully.”

  “I’m still not afraid of him.” Harper refused to back down. “If he wants to make a scene, we’ll make a scene. I guarantee we’re better at it than he is. I mean ... I have Zander. He’s a master at creating a scene.”

  “That’s right.” Zander bobbed his head as he joined the group. “If he wants to be a jerk, then I know exactly what to do.”

  Harper didn’t ask what that was. She had a feeling she was better off not knowing.

  12

  Twelve

  Jared and Mel were not happy when they arrived on the scene and found Harper and Zander standing in the middle of the road having a screaming match with the father of their victim.

  “You really should try some breathable fabrics,” Zander called out as they exited their cruiser. “Not only would you feel better, but you would look better ... and almost anything would be an improvement over your current wardrobe. Although ... not a wife-beater. You’re too portly to carry it off and it’s a little spot-on for what everybody in this town believes you do for sport.”

  “Nobody asked you,” John screamed back, adding a derogatory slur at the end relating to Zander’s sexuality. “You should hear the things people in this town say about you.”

  “The people in this town love my fashion sense!” Zander’s face was red from exertion. “They think I’m a gem. Isn’t that right?” He looked toward Mel and Jared for support.

  “We love you dearly,” Mel replied automatically. “You’re my favorite nephew.”

  “I’m your only nephew.”

  “Well, that doesn’t change the fact that you’re my favorite.” Mel held out his hand when John flung another insult toward them. “I think that will be enough of that.”

  John stilled, as if realizing he had an audience for the first time. Slowly, his gaze tracked to the porches of the neighboring houses and registered the fact that they were drawing a crowd. “They’re trespassing,” he said, changing course. “I want them arrested.”

  “Oh, we haven’t been anywhere near his house,” Harper complained. “We were on the sidewalk.”

  “Staring at my house!”

  “So what?” Now that she was in it, Harper had no intention of backing down. “There’s no law that says we can’t stare at a house.”

  “There’s not,” Jared agreed. “I’m still curious what you’re doing here.” His tone was gruffer than Harper expected. “I thought you were working in the cemetery office today.”

  Harper straightened and regarded her husband with cool-eyed trepidation. “We decided to take a walk.”

  “A walk, huh?” Jared wasn’t buying that for a second. “And you just so happened to end up over here. How?”

  “It’s a small town,” Harper replied smoothly. “We were in many neighborhoods before we passed through this one.”

  “Oh, she’s lying,” John protested. “They’ve been standing in that same spot staring at my house for an hour. They’re probably casing the joint because they want to rob me. I hear tell that’s what all the fruits do because they need money to feed their drug habits.”

  It took Jared a moment to work out what John was insinuating. “I get that being a bigot is your thing — along with being a bully and all-around jerk — but it would be best if you didn’t say anything like that again.”

  “Oh, yeah?” John’s eyes were on fire. “What are you going to do to me if I state the truth? I can’t wait. You know what? Arrest me.” He held out his hands so they could slip a set of cuffs on him. “I would love to go in front of a judge and have you explain how telling the truth is against the law.”

  “It’s pretty simple,” Jared shot back. “This would fall under the auspices of the hate speech law.”

  John shook his head. “Truth is not hate.”

  “It’s only your truth,” Mel countered. “It’s not everybody’s truth ... by a long shot. Now ... shut up.” He shook his head when John opened his mouth to argue yet again. “Shut. Up. We’re going to take down these complaints in an orderly fashion, starting with you two.” He focused on Harper and Zander.

  “Oh, I see how it is,” John intoned. “You’re going to give them favoritism. I should’ve expected it. You’re the uncle of the fruit and the other one is the husband of the fraud. I see how this is going to go.”

  “Don’t say that again!” Jared hissed, his temper getting the better of them. “I mean it!” Zander drove him crazy – that was putting it mildly – but he hated it when verbal attacks were launched at the man’s sexuality. Zander’s annoying traits didn’t stem from him being gay. They stemmed from him being Zander. “I’ve had it.”

  “You know what?” John wasn’t the sort of man who could back down. “I hate it, too. I’m going to head inside and call the local television stations and see if they’d like a story. I’m betting they’ll be more than willing to hear the truth.”

  “You do that,” Mel said, pointing toward the porch. “Go up there and call the news stations. I’m dying to hear how that plays out. Until then, we’ll be questioning these two.” His gaze was dark when it landed on his nephew. “What were you even thinking?”

  “We were thinking that Harper has a lot of things she needs to ponder,” Zander replied, not missing a beat. “She does her best thinking over coffee and walks. We weren’t doing anything wrong. We didn’t go near that house.”

  “And you didn’t think standing on the sidewalk staring at the house was a bad idea?”

  “Of course not.” Zander couldn’t be shamed. Not by anyone, including his favorite uncle. “It’s not as if we were going to demand answers from him. We ruled that out almost from the beginning and only had one temporary lapse where we considered it again.”

  “You ruled it out.” Mel rolled his eyes to the sky, as if asking for someone above to give him strength. “Well, that’s something I guess.”

  Jared decided to take a softer tone with his wife. He could tell by the rigid set of her jaw that she was spoiling for a fight. John would’ve been a happier target for her but since the other man was out of her reach, that meant she was likely to fly off the handle with Jared. “Harper, why did you come over here?”

  “Because I can’t shake the feeli
ng that John is at the center of this catastrophe,” Harper replied evenly. “He’s the reason Cassie was so unhappy. He’s the reason she wanted to get out of Whisper Cove so desperately. He might even be the cause of her death.”

  Jared’s eyebrows drew together. “What do you mean? Are you saying John killed his daughter?”

  “Cassie doesn’t remember who killed her.”

  “Wait ... you found her ghost?” That had Jared shifting gears. “What did she say?”

  “She said her father is a world-class jerk. She said she wanted out of here and believes her death means she’ll be forever trapped.” Harper glanced around, fruitlessly searching for the ghost. She’d lost sight of her during the yelling bout. “I guess she either got bored of watching the fight or tired of listening to her father spout the same nonsense she had to hear her entire life. She’ll be back, though, and we’ll talk more.”

  “So, she basically told you nothing,” Mel surmised.

  Harper pinned him with a “do you want a piece of this” look. “She can’t remember. It’s still new to her. Give her time.”

  “Fair enough.” Mel had watched Harper grow up and he recognized that she was straddling a very fine line. Her meltdowns were few and far between, but they were terrifying when she committed. “You still shouldn’t be out here. That’s a grieving family.” He jabbed his finger at the house. “You can’t harass a grieving family. You should know better than that.”

  “We weren’t harassing him,” Harper shot back. “We were just ... thinking. Then Cassie showed up and we were talking. He’s the one who took it to an uncomfortable place.”

  “It’s all his fault,” Zander agreed. “We’re innocent in all of this. If you’re going to arrest someone, it should be him. I’m far too pretty for jail.”

  “If I arrested you, I would be the one being tortured,” Mel groused. “Your mother would hunt me down.”

  “She’s good at that.” Zander smiled at him. “Does that mean we’re free to go? There was talk of ice cream earlier and I think I have my heart set on that.”