Ghostly Endeavor (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 19)

by Lily Harper Hart

  He smirked. “World,” he automatically corrected. “I don’t feel as if I’m allowed to melt down over a ghost.”

  “Jared, we’re allowed to feel what we feel.” She used her most pragmatic tone. “That’s one of the reasons we work. None of our feelings are wrong. We simply need to express them and accept how the other person feels.”

  “That sounds wise.”

  “I am wise.”

  His smile widened. “Okay, then I guess I have to say it. I don’t want you tackling this ghost ... or poltergeist ... on your own. I’ve seen that movie and it doesn’t end well.”

  Harper pressed her lips together in an attempt not to laugh but failed. “It’s nowhere near the movie, but I understand why you would be concerned.”

  “I think I should stick close to you today.”

  “Um ... isn’t that going to make doing your job difficult?”

  “Oh, yeah.” He bobbed his head. “I still haven’t figured out how I’m going to convince Mel that Take Your Wife to Work Day is a real thing.”

  Harper let loose a little sigh. “You’re not going to like what I have to say,” she started.

  “I guarantee I’m not. In fact ... .” Jared trailed off when the door to their bedroom flew open to allow Zander entrance. His demeanor changed in an instant. “What did we say about popping by on a weekday?”

  Zander, dressed in expensive pajama pants and a matching monogrammed top, fixed Jared with a dark look. “There’s a caveat for important business.”

  “And what’s your business?” Jared demanded. “It had better not be your need for a pedicure like last time. That’s still not an emergency.”

  “Oh, grow up.” Zander flopped on the bed, making sure he was on Harper’s side and not sharing covers with Jared. “This morning it’s not me having the emergency.”

  Jared flicked his eyes to the door at the sound of feet, his eyebrows hopping when he realized Shawn was also invading their space. Shawn, for crying out loud, the calmest man in the world … at least usually. “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, listen to him,” Zander complained. “How come Shawn doesn’t get a ‘you’re invading my personal space’ diatribe? Why is it only me?”

  “I think it might have something to do with the fact that you’re a regular guest and Shawn is a first-timer,” Harper offered.

  “It’s still not fair.” Zander plucked Harper’s hand off the comforter. “We really should make time for manicures and pedicures. Your hands and feet are looking rough.”

  Harper snatched her hand back. “I think they look fine.”

  “And I can feel your feet against my leg and know your toenails are like claws.”

  “Those are my feet,” Jared countered. “Harper’s legs are on top of mine, so those are my feet.”

  “Then you and I definitely need a spa day,” Zander replied, not missing a beat.

  “We’ll schedule one,” Jared promised, taking Harper — and Zander for that matter — by surprise. “We need to deal with the poltergeist first. With that in mind, what’s up?” He turned back to Shawn.

  “I can’t sleep knowing there’s a poltergeist out there,” Shawn volunteered, plopping down on Jared’s side of the bed without invitation. “I was up all night.”

  “All night,” Zander intoned in agreement.

  “We need to take care of this today.” Shawn was firm. “I need my solid seven and a half hours of sleep a night. I’m a mess without it.”

  “Seven and a half hours, huh?” Jared eyed Shawn with curiosity. A year before, extra people in his bed would’ve thrown him for a loop. Now he didn’t even bat an eyelash. “That’s oddly specific.”

  “If he gets eight hours, he’s slow all day,” Zander explained. “Most people think it’s weird, but I think it’s adorable.”

  “That’s because you’re oddly specific about things, too,” Jared noted. “As for the poltergeist, I agree we need to deal with it. I was just trying to convince Harper to spend the day with me so she’s not alone as part of my seek-and-destroy plan.”

  “I think that’s the worst possible way to handle this.”

  Jared had to do a double take when he realized that Shawn — not Zander for the first time ever — was the one who said it. “Excuse me?”

  “Harper can’t hunt down answers if she’s locked in a cop car with you,” Shawn explained. “She has to search for answers on the poltergeist. That ... evil, evil poltergeist. She has to focus on the ghost, and you have to focus on the murder.”

  Jared opened his mouth to argue but when he flicked his eyes to Harper, he found her smiling. “You were about to say the same thing to me before they came in, weren’t you?”

  “Yup.” Harper saw no sense in lying. “That’s exactly what I was going to say to you. Being glued together today isn’t going to help anybody.”

  “But ... .” Jared pressed the heel of his hand to his forehead. “I’m worried about you being out there alone.”

  “She won’t be alone,” Zander argued. “She’ll be with me.”

  Jared didn’t respond, other than making a whining noise.

  “I’ll be with them, too,” Shawn offered. “I know I didn’t react all that well under pressure last night, but I promise to be better. I’ll be with them the entire day. I’ve already got someone lined up to cover my shift at the gym.”

  Jared ran his tongue over his teeth, debating. Ultimately, he sighed. “Okay. Just ... don’t let anything happen to my Heart.” He cupped Harper’s chin and smiled at her. “I can’t live without it.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Harper reassured him, wrapping her fingers around his wrists and smiling. “I have no idea what we’re going to do but hopefully it will only take us a few hours to figure it out. While we’re doing that, you can focus on the murder. The answer might involve our stuff intersecting with your stuff.”

  “That would be nice, huh?”

  “Actually, it would.”

  JARED WAS STILL AGITATED WHEN he got to the office.

  For his part, Mel had become accustomed to his partner’s moods and he wasn’t at all surprised to see the other man almost bristling.

  “Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?” Mel drawled.

  Jared shot him a dirty look. “Do you think that’s helpful?”

  Mel’s shrug was noncommittal. “I don’t know. I’m assuming you and Harper had a fight. That’s the only thing I know that puts that look on your face.”

  “We didn’t fight.” Jared flung himself into his desk chair. “We simply had a poltergeist attack last night and I voiced my concerns about Harper not being with me today.”

  Mel blinked several times and then raised his coffee mug to take a sip, buying himself a precious few seconds to respond. When he was ready, he smiled. “So ... how about them Tigers?”

  Jared scowled. “You need to get over it. My wife can see and talk to ghosts. I’ve come to grips with it. You should, too. I mean ... you are the one who told me about her abilities when I first took this job.”

  “Honestly, I told you about that because I thought it would nip the combustible chemistry thing you guys had going in the bud. I wasn’t keen on the idea of you dating my nephew’s best friend.”

  “See, I like to think of her as Harper,” Jared drawled. “That’s just me, though. She’s a person ... with feelings and emotions.”

  “And I see those emotions and feelings spilled out all over you today.”

  “No, we’re not fighting.” Jared blew out a sigh. “I’m just worried. I’ve never seen ... anything like that before.”

  Even though it pained him, Mel decided it was best to acknowledge the problem. “You actually saw a ghost?”

  “Poltergeist,” Jared replied. “I guess there’s a difference. All my knowledge comes from that movie.”

  Mel’s mouth dropped open. “That’s not going to happen, is it?”

  For some reason, the abject horror on his partner’s face was enough to have Jared looseni
ng up a bit. “I have it on good authority — meaning my beautiful and smart wife — that it isn’t going to happen.”

  “That’s good. I don’t want to see that haunted clown doll.”

  “Me either. I would also prefer not getting eaten by a tree.”

  Mel took another sip of his coffee. “I guess I don’t know what to say,” he hedged. “I’ve never been in a situation like that.”

  “Neither have I and I swear it’s scarred me.” Jared told him about the previous night, leaving nothing out. Well, he left the part out where he reacted like a terrified teenager and his wife had to hold him all night. When he was finished, he eyed his partner for a reaction.

  “I think I would’ve had a heart attack,” Mel admitted finally. He didn’t call Jared a liar or tease him. Instead, he shuddered and shook his head. “I can’t believe you stayed in that house after that.”

  “I couldn’t very well ask Harper to go to a hotel.”

  “I would have.”

  “Well, she would’ve laughed, told me to suck it up, and then made me feel like a coward who couldn’t even hold himself together long enough to comfort his wife.”

  “She wouldn’t have laughed, but I get what you’re saying. How did it all work out?”

  Jared pictured the way he’d woken up with his head on Harper’s chest, her protecting him. “We’re fine,” Jared replied stiffly.

  “That’s kind of a vague answer.”

  And that’s all you’re going to get, Jared silently insisted. “What do we have going on today?”

  “Helen Baxter is coming in,” Mel replied, opting to shy away from pushing his partner. He’d obviously been thrown for a loop the previous evening and Mel didn’t want to make things worse.

  “And who is Helen Baxter?” Jared asked, confused. He was thankful to have something to focus on other than the poltergeist.

  “She’s with Child Protective Services. She should be here any second.”

  Jared held out his hands. “I don’t understand why you have her coming here.”

  Mel’s expression turned dark. “Because a long time ago, I asked them to observe Cassie in school. I was thinking maybe there was something to Harper’s theory that John was to blame.”

  “Oh.” Jared stretched out his legs in front of him. “That’s not a bad idea. If she observed Cassie back in the day, she’ll probably have some insight.”

  “That’s what I’m hoping.”

  HELEN BAXTER ARRIVED FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER. She was dressed in simple linen slacks and a black top. Her smile was friendly but there was a wariness to her eyes Jared recognized.

  She’d been in the trenches, seen some of the worst things imaginable, and she was always prepared for things to go sideways.

  “Thank you for stopping in,” Mel offered as he gestured toward the chair across from his desk. “We would’ve come to you. You didn’t need to come out here.”

  “I’m on my way out to St. Clair County,” Helen replied as she sat. “This is on my way. It makes things easier.” She hesitated and then barreled forward. “I’m not sure what you want from me. I’ve been in administration for years. I’m no longer out in the field.”

  “I know.” Mel flashed a smile that didn’t touch his eyes. “You were in the field a long time ago, though. I called you to check on a little girl here, one I was convinced was being abused.”

  Helen nodded without saying a word. “Cassie Merriweather.”

  “You remember her?” Mel couldn’t contain his surprise.

  “I remember them all,” Helen replied. “That’s why I’m in administration now. This job will eat you up and spit you out if you’re not careful.”

  “Do you remember the specifics of Cassie’s case?” Jared queried.

  “I pulled her file when I got the request from Detective Kelsey.” Helen pulled it out. “You asked me to check on her because you were convinced there was abuse happening frequently in the home.”

  “And you ultimately ruled there wasn’t abuse,” Mel said.

  Helen shook her head. “I ruled we couldn’t prove abuse. Cassie had no marks on her body. She very much presented as a terrified child, however. This case was one of the ones that always haunted me. I was convinced Cassie was being abused — if not physically, most certainly mentally — but there was literally nothing I could do.

  “Cassie had never been admitted to the hospital for an injury,” she continued. “She didn’t have broken bones as a child. She had chicken pox, which was normal, and was examined by a doctor at the time who found nothing to concern him. She wasn’t underweight or malnourished. She was a normal little girl ... except for the fear.”

  “You suspected her father was breaking her down mentally,” Jared said.

  Helen nodded. “I think that’s a foregone conclusion. Cassie’s reactions reminded me of those a child from a war-torn country might have. She most definitely had PTSD, which is weird to think about occurring in a child, but she was frightened all the time. She wouldn’t answer direct questions. She also cowered behind her mother.”

  Mel shifted in his chair. “I didn’t remember you talking to Mary.”

  “Given the things you related to me at the time, I figured it was likely that Mary was undergoing the same abuse.”

  “And?”

  Helen lifted one shoulder. “And I’m not a psychologist. Mary showed the same signs as Cassie, although not as pronounced. That’s not uncommon in adults. Mary had normalized her experience and now it was no longer traumatizing.”

  “What happened?” Jared prodded. “I mean ... if you were convinced abuse was happening, why wasn’t Cassie taken?”

  “Because there was no proof of abuse.” Helen was matter-of-fact. “You can’t just take a child with no proof. Like I said, Cassie had never been in the hospital. She had no unexplained broken bones or bruises. Even the principal and teachers at the school said they’d never seen a single mark on her.”

  “That’s probably because John knew people would be looking,” Jared argued. “He’s a jerk, but he’s not an idiot. Given his attitude, he was careful to make sure Cassie never showed signs of physical abuse.”

  “I actually believe that John Merriweather didn’t physically abuse Cassie,” Helen countered. “I guess it’s possible he did a time or two and thought better of it after the fact, but as for sustained physical abuse, it didn’t play for me. Men like John realize that emotional abuse is more powerful than physical abuse a lot of the time ... and they feed off it. John probably terrorized Cassie to the point where she only got a few hours of sleep a night. That would’ve heightened her emotional responses. He would’ve liked that.”

  Jared let loose a sigh and rubbed his forehead. “I can’t help thinking people failed Cassie.”

  “I agree with you,” Helen said. “There comes a point on this job where the faces haunt you. Cassie’s face still haunts me. Now that she’s dead ... .” She trailed off and shook her head.

  “Like I said, I’m not an adult psychologist,” she continued. “Cassie was likely damaged emotionally at a young age, though. Can I ask you a question?”

  Mel nodded encouragingly.

  “Did Cassie have trouble forming relationships as an adult? You would’ve discovered the answer to that over the course of your investigation.”

  “She was interested in someone getting her out of Whisper Cove,” Mel replied. “Apparently moving one or two towns over wasn’t enough. She needed someone to provide her with the means to essentially leave this world behind.”

  “Her escape fantasy.” Helen bobbed her head. “That’s common in cases like this. During John’s abusive verbal outburst, she likely had a safe place in her head to escape to.”

  “Let me ask you this.” Jared drew Helen’s eyes to him. “Do you think it’s possible John killed Cassie? We know that Cassie had basically cut off contact with her parents before her death. There might’ve been a little contact between her and her mother. There was none with John, though
. When we talked to him, he didn’t seem upset his daughter was dead. He seemed furious that she had gotten divorced and embarrassed him, but her death was nothing more than an afterthought.”

  Helen stroked her chin. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “John has an explosive personality. I read the email you sent me, though. You said whoever killed Cassie caught her in the cemetery when it was still dark out.

  “She was driven to run to keep in shape, so she was disciplined,” she continued. “She learned that from John. He, however, wouldn’t have followed her to the cemetery I don’t think. It’s far more likely he would’ve tried to draw her someplace else if he wanted to kill her. He would’ve thought about it before doing it, and this sounds like a crime of opportunity or passion if I’m understanding what I’m reading.”

  “No, you’re understanding it,” Mel agreed. “That’s why we’re having so much trouble. Cassie didn’t form bonds with people and now she’s dead. The only people we know she had significant bonds with at one point were her parents.”

  “I think everybody wants it to be John,” Jared volunteered. “Maybe that’s hampering our ability to see the big picture.”

  “Either way, Cassie was a woman who never got her escape,” Helen said. “That makes it all the more tragic.”

  Jared couldn’t disagree. “Thank you so much for your time.”

  “Don’t mention it. I wish you luck. This is a tragedy all around.”

  “It is.” Jared stood so he could show Helen out of the office. “It’s one we have to break down if we want to figure it out.”

  “Good luck.”

  “Thanks. I think we’re going to need it.”

  16

  Sixteen

  Harper was determined as she sorted through the equipment in the cemetery storage room.

  “I don’t understand what we’re doing,” Zander complained as he watched her work. “I just ... don’t understand.”

  “We’re going to find Cassie.”

  Shawn, who was busy scanning the amassed equipment, jerked his head in Harper’s direction. “Wait ... we’re doing what?”