Ghostly Fears

by Lily Harper Hart

  “You said that she might not have died out there,” Jared reminded her. “She could’ve died somewhere else.”

  “Yup. Which means finding where would be practically impossible.”

  “So ... you’re not going because it would be a waste of time?”

  The question caught Harper off guard. “Do you think I should go?”

  “I think it’s unlike you not to even consider it.” He chose his words carefully. “This young woman was your friend. Sure, not to the same level as Zander, but she was most definitely your friend. The fact that you don’t want to look at all is ... confusing. You’re usually gung-ho to help.”

  “I know. It’s just ... .” Harper trailed off. She wasn’t sure how to explain herself. “First off, the prospect of the other psychics and ghost hunters is daunting. I don’t know that I want to be pitted against someone else. It makes me nervous just thinking about it.”

  “Then don’t look at it as a competition. Look at it as an opportunity. This is a young woman you knew. Her father, whether you like him or not, obviously cares enough to pull out all the stops in a last-ditch effort to find her. You have the opportunity to give him some peace. Why not take it?”

  “Because ... because ... .” Harper didn’t have an acceptable answer. She realized that now. “Probably because Zander agreed without asking me and I didn’t like Jessup’s attitude,” she admitted, rueful. “That’s definitely not fair to Jennifer, though.”

  “It’s not,” Jared agreed. “This isn’t about being fair, though. Life isn’t fair. Still, I think you’re going to regret it if you don’t at least give it a shot. As far as I can see, the only thing you’re going to lose in the attempt is time. Jessup is paying for your time, so not even that is true.”

  “Yeah.” Harper stared at the envelope on the table. “Maybe I spoke too soon. It couldn’t hurt to at least read the invitation.”

  “There you go.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Just think about it. I happen to believe you’re going to change your mind once you sleep on it.”

  “Maybe.”

  “I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.” Sensing she was ready to relax, he tickled her ribs and made her squirm. “When Zander climbs into our bed before dawn to make up tomorrow, make sure you guys don’t wake me. I plan to tire myself out with you before bed tonight.”

  Harper’s mouth dropped open. “That’s not going to happen, the making up thing, I mean.”

  “Oh, it’s totally going to happen.”

  “It is not. I’m really mad at him.”

  They both knew that wouldn’t last.

  “Would you care to place a wager on that?” Jared challenged.

  “Absolutely. What are the stakes?”

  His grin turned devilish. “What if I show you instead of tell you?”

  Harper’s eyes flashed with impish delight. “Show me what you’ve got.”

  “Finally, something I really want to do.”

  That went for both of them.

  3

  Three

  Jared wasn’t surprised when he woke up to whispering the next morning. When he shifted to look at the other side of the bed — sure enough — Zander was there and he and Harper were looking over the invitations.

  “I take it you two have made up,” he murmured, rolling to his back. He was shirtless, and he couldn’t remember if he’d tugged on boxer shorts before falling asleep. A quick check told him he had, which was probably because he knew he would wake up to this exact situation.

  “Yes, we’re in love again,” Zander drawled. His hair was a mess and he looked to be in his pajamas. Jared deduced he slept poorly the night before and let himself into their house as soon as he could reasonably explain his presence.

  A quick look at the clock told Jared it was barely seven. “Couldn’t you have waited to fall back in love until after breakfast?”

  Zander solemnly shook his head. “I’m in love with you again, too. Just FYI.”

  Jared groaned. Even though Zander worked his last nerve – and often – the man had charm oozing out of every pore. It wasn’t hard to figure out what kept Harper and Zander attached. They loved each other like siblings ... which meant there would always be breakups and make-ups in their future.

  “I don’t want to be the one to ruin this lovely moment, but ... I thought we had an agreement about when you could sneak into the house and climb in bed with us.” Jared never thought he would utter a sentence like that in his life. He’d said it more than once by now, which was ludicrous. “I thought it was supposed to be a weekend thing. Isn’t that what we agreed on?”

  “Not if Harper and I are making up. I get a pass if we’re making up.”

  Jared thought about arguing, but the look on Harper’s face had him stowing his opinion. “Fine. That can be an addendum to the main rule. However, there will be a limit of how many fights are allowed a month.” He was well aware of how Zander’s mind worked. If Zander thought he’d found a loophole, he would exploit it at every turn. “No more than one fight a month.”

  Zander’s mouth dropped open in mock outrage. “I can’t control my emotions. You know darned well we’ll fight more than once a month.”

  “Then you’ll have to wait until we’re awake to make up. That has to be a rule.” Jared’s gaze was firm when it landed on Harper.

  “He’s right, Zander,” she noted, sighing when Zander glared at her. “It’s only fair. He deserves privacy in his own bedroom.”

  “Whatever.” Zander’s distaste for the conversational turn was obvious. “We’re still in the middle of making up, so you can’t boot me.”

  “There would be no point in booting you now. I’m fine with it.” Jared dragged a hand through his hair and fixed his eyes on a happy Harper. He couldn’t help returning her smile. He would put up with a morning visit from Zander every single day for the rest of their lives if she could always be that happy.

  Of course, he had no intention of telling Zander that.

  “How did you sleep?” Harper asked, leaning over so she could give him a kiss.

  “Good. How about you?”

  She merely shrugged, telling Jared that her slumber hadn’t been nearly as restful as his. “You should’ve woken me up,” he chided.

  “I didn’t want to interrupt your snoring.”

  He tweaked her nose. “Funny girl. What about the invitations? Is there anything interesting there?”

  “You tell me.” Harper retrieved the invitation from Zander and handed it to her fiancé.

  Jared rubbed his eyes and propped himself up on a pillow before focusing on the rectangular card. “They expect you to stay at the house overnight.”

  “Several nights,” Harper corrected. “It’s part of the package. If we want to get paid, we have to stay even though we’re local. They expect results from this, and they believe we’ll have better luck contacting Jennifer’s spirit if we’re there at night.”

  “What do you think?”

  “I think I’ve seen more ghosts during the day than I have at night, but it doesn’t really matter. I mean ... staying there isn’t going to kill us. Besides, I’ve always kind of wanted to see that house.”

  “You mean castle,” Zander corrected. “It’s not just a house. It’s a castle.”

  Jared looked to Harper for an explanation.

  “It is kind of a castle,” she admitted. “It has turrets and everything. The only houses I’ve seen that are similar are the ones down in Grosse Pointe. You know, the really old ones in the ritzy neighborhoods that survived the blight crackdown.”

  Jared was familiar with the houses in question. “So ... basically you’re saying it’s a mansion.”

  “Castle,” Zander muttered.

  Jared shot him a look. “I get it. You said it was on an island. How does that work?”

  “It’s in Lake St. Clair,” Harper explained. “It’s not a big island and it technically doesn’t seem like an island because it’s only like a quarter of a mile
from land, but you need a boat to get out there unless you’re really motivated for a swim in warm weather.”

  “How big is the island?”

  “About twenty acres,” Zander replied. “It’s big enough for them to spread out — they have things like a boathouse, their own cemetery, a barn, and all that other neat stuff — but it’s not as if someone can get lost on the property.”

  To Jared, the comment was telling. “So, you’re basically saying that you don’t believe Jennifer got turned around and died on the property by accident or anything.”

  “I sincerely doubt it.”

  “Besides, they had searchers out there,” Harper offered. “They had dogs and a lot of volunteers. If she’d fallen and hit her head or something, they would’ve found her.”

  “Right.” Jared rubbed his stubbled jaw, thoughtful. “How would she have gotten off the island? I mean ... how does anyone get to and from the island?”

  “There’s a ferry,” Harper replied. “It can hold a few vehicles, I think. Like three or four. The Jessup family pays for it. They also control it. It’s not as if random people can hop the ferry and ride out to the island.”

  “So, if Jennifer left, she left on the ferry. That’s what you’re saying.”

  “In theory,” Harper hedged. “That’s not quite the way it was done in practice. I happen to know she had her own little boat — she told me about it — and she used to motor it between the island and mainland herself. There was a special place for her to anchor it and then she had her own car in the lot at the marina.”

  “You said she disappeared right before graduation. That would mean it was warmer around then, right?”

  “May is hit or miss. The days are pretty warm, but the nights are still relatively cool.”

  “Okay, if she was determined, though, she could’ve made it off the island herself. Where was her boat found? Was it on the mainland?”

  Harper shrugged. “I honestly don’t know.”

  “You never asked?”

  “I never thought to ask. I was a kid. Er, well, I was technically almost an adult, but it’s not as if I was a grown-up. We were thinking about graduation and all that stuff.” Harper’s cheeks flushed with shame. “And, before you ask, I’m embarrassed that I didn’t bother to look into the details. You’re right. I should know these things.”

  “That’s not what I was saying,” Jared protested. “I just thought you might’ve followed up on the details after the fact. I mean, when you came back from college, you guys started a business pretty quickly, right? I would think finding the ghost of a girl you went to high school with would be right up your alley.”

  “I never really thought about it,” Harper admitted, chewing on her bottom lip. “I probably should have. I’m not certain why I never thought about it. You’re right. It makes sense ... at least on the surface.”

  “Maybe you didn’t think about it because you’re not convinced she’s dead.”

  “Maybe.” Harper’s expression was hard to read. “I don’t know what to think.”

  Jared flicked his eyes to Zander. “What about you? What do you think?”

  “I don’t know what to think either,” Zander replied, stretching. “Jennifer was a really nice girl. She always took time to talk to me, laughed at my jokes. She was one of the few people who didn’t call me names or make fun of me because I was gay. She didn’t ask questions about it either. She simply accepted it and that was it.”

  “I would like to pull some information on this old case before we head out there,” Jared supplied. “What time are we supposed to arrive?”

  Harper’s eyebrows migrated north. “What are you talking about?”

  “Are you saying you two aren’t going?” Jared was legitimately surprised. “I thought for sure you would change your mind once you slept on it.”

  “I did change my mind. It’s just ... you made it sound as if you’re going with us.”

  “I am going with you.” He was matter-of-fact. “I’m part of the team, right?”

  “Absolutely.” Harper bobbed her head. “You’re also a part of the team who has a job.”

  “Which I don’t have to return to until Monday at the earliest. It’s the weekend. If you guys are still there by the time I’m expected back, I’ll make my decision then. As for now, I don’t see why you can’t consider me part of the team.”

  “Are you sure?” Harper was pleased but dubious. “You really want to go with us?”

  Before Jared could answer, Zander inserted himself into the conversation. “Hold up.” He raised his hand. “If your boyfriend is going, then my boyfriend is going. There’s no way I’m going to be the third wheel again.”

  “I think that’s a fabulous idea,” Jared enthused. “If Shawn is there, you’ll be less likely to sleep in our room with us.”

  “Oh, you wish.” Zander rolled his eyes, although he looked intrigued at the prospect. “I wonder if he’d be interested in going.”

  “I’m guessing he would,” Harper offered. “The thing is, we need to take Eric and Molly, too.” She was referring to their co-workers and friends at Ghost Hunters, Inc. — or GHI to those in the know — and she was earnest as she delivered the news. “They can’t be left behind a second time.”

  Jared focused his full attention on the invitation again. “It doesn’t say you’re limited as to the number of people you can bring with you. It just says to call this butler guy with the number of guests and time of your arrival.”

  “And you honestly think they won’t put up a fight for six guests?”

  “Zander said it’s a castle,” Jared pointed out. “I’m betting they have room.”

  “I’m betting they do, too.” Zander wiggled off the bed, happily grinning as he grabbed his coat from the chair in the corner. “I need to get home and pack. I also need to talk to Shawn. He might not even realize I’m gone.”

  “You didn’t tell him before you left?” Jared made a face. “You’re an astonishingly good boyfriend.”

  Zander refused to be dragged into another fight. “Harp, call me when you know the details of our pickup. I’ll see you later this afternoon. I love you.” He gave her a quick kiss, one that was designed to irritate Jared. Instead, it made the taciturn cop smile. “I’m not real thrilled with you,” Zander announced, meeting Jared’s gaze.

  “You love me, too, and you know it.”

  “Not right now.”

  “Oh, now that really hurts.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Zander hurried to the door. “This is going to be fun. I can’t wait to find Jennifer’s ghost. I bet she has fun stories to tell.”

  Harper kept her smile in place until he disappeared and then she let her real emotions take over.

  “Why are you frowning?” Jared asked.

  “Because you’re right. I don’t know that I believe Jennifer is dead. Part of me thinks she really did run away.”

  “Why is that an issue? If she’s not dead, her father should be happy.”

  “Unless she really doesn’t want to be found.”

  “You don’t have to find her if she’s still among the living. That invitation says you’re required to talk to her if she’s dead. That’s it.”

  “I guess you’re right.” She forced a smile and turned to him. “I’m starving. What do you think about making breakfast and then hashing out a few of the logistics on this? I’m glad to have you along for the ride, by the way.”

  He chuckled. “Do I have to refer to you as my boss?”

  “Yes. I’m going to be really bossy.”

  “Somehow I think I can live with that.”

  HARPER AND JARED WERE JUST SITTING down to eggs, hash browns, toast, and bacon when the front door of the house popped open.

  Initially, Jared assumed it was Zander returning for whatever packing catastrophe he’d managed to come up with in thirty-five minutes. Instead, though, he found Phil and Gloria Harlow meandering through the house ... and they were holding hands.

&nb
sp; “Oh, geez.” The comment was out of his mouth before he thought better of it.

  When Harper lifted her head and found her parents entering the dining room, she was flabbergasted. “What are you guys doing here ... and together?”

  Instead of apologizing — which any normal parent would’ve done — Gloria went on the offensive. “Can’t we visit our only daughter?”

  Harper considered her answer for a full beat. “No.” She shook her head. “You two have to knock ... and stop doing that.” She jabbed a finger toward their linked hands. “That is just too much.”

  “You’ve seen people hold hands before,” Gloria countered, frowning when Phil moved to separate himself from her. “Don’t let her boss you around. She has to learn that not everything is going to be done on her timetable, and to her preferences.”

  “This is her house,” Phil said. “If she’s uncomfortable ... .”

  “Oh, I’m uncomfortable.” Harper shook her head and stared at her plate. She often wondered why she couldn’t have normal parents. Sure, there was probably no textbook definition of “normal” when it came to parents, but anything different from how her parents acted would be welcome. “You guys are supposed to be getting divorced.”

  “Well, that’s what we’re here to talk to you about,” Phil hedged. He looked distinctly uncomfortable, to the point where Jared felt sorry for him.

  “Do you want to sit down?” Jared offered, gesturing toward the other end of the table. “There’s coffee in the pot. We ate all the food, but I could make more if you’re hungry.”

  “We’ve already eaten. Thank you, though.”

  “Wow, everyone is so polite,” Harper intoned, wrinkling her nose when Phil pulled out Gloria’s chair so she could sit. “So very, very polite.”

  “Is there something wrong with that?” Gloria challenged, her eyes flashing.

  “There’s so much wrong with what you two are doing that I don’t know where to start.”