Harper Harlow Mystery 19 - Ghostly Endeavor

by Lily Harper Hart

  Jared hiked an eyebrow. “Just like that?”

  “Yeah.” Chuck rubbed his forehead. “I thought I would see it coming, marriage trouble I mean. There were only small signs, though. Apparently they were bigger signs for her. I thought we might be able to try counseling or something, but she had no interest in it. She said she wished me no ill will, but we were done.”

  “And what did you say to that?” Mel queried.

  “I tried to talk her out of it at first. After a night of sleep, though, I started to realize where she was coming from. I think I loved the idea of Cassie more than I loved her. She was never a real person. She was always putting on a facade. When I finally realized that — I mean, really thought about it — I knew divorce was the best thing for both of us. We weren’t attached to one another, not in a meaningful way, and we needed to figure out how we were going to move forward.

  “I wanted a chance at a real relationship,” he continued. “I thought she deserved a real chance at getting what she wanted, too. Staying together just to save face wasn’t going to benefit either of us.”

  “And that’s it?” Jared felt mildly sick to his stomach. He couldn’t imagine not fighting for Harper. Chuck looked like a man who had zero fight in him, though.

  “That’s it.” Chuck held out his hands. “It wasn’t an ugly breakup. We didn’t have any assets to split really. She signed away the house and I gave her a cash payout. We went our separate ways. There was no ill will between us.”

  Mel and Jared exchanged weighted looks.

  “Okay, well, we just need a rundown from you,” Mel said finally. “We don’t have a firm time of death. We have a big block to cover. Where were you last night? We just need the information and then we’ll go from there.”

  “I was here. I was home in bed at eleven o’clock. I haven’t left since then.”

  “Was anybody here with you?”

  “No.”

  “Okay.” Mel was resigned. “We’ll be in touch when we know more.”

  HARPER SPENT THE AFTERNOON HELPING Eric and Molly transfer equipment from Eric’s vehicle to the new storage space. Eric seemed thrilled to have more room — and was eager to help with scheduling burials and interments — so Harper let him chatter away. By the time they were unloading the last bit of equipment, it was late in the afternoon.

  “When do you think we’ll start going out on jobs again?” he asked.

  “Hmm?” Harper was distracted by the growing shadows as they stretched across the property. “I’m not sure,” she said when she’d recovered. “I think we’ll probably take this week to set up and then get back to our regular schedule next week. If an emergency comes in, though, we’ll obviously go out on that.”

  Eric nodded his head in understanding. “We should focus on getting the office set up. We have a lot more space now.”

  “We do,” Harper agreed as she hoisted a bag. “I think this is going to work out well for us.”

  “Oh, it’s going to be amazing,” Eric agreed. He wasn’t chatty under normal circumstances, but nothing could shut him up now. “I’ve been looking for ways to test some of the equipment in conjunction with one another. Now that we’re here — where we have ghostly visitors regularly — I’m going to be able to run some experiments.”

  Harper’s eyebrows drew together. “What sort of experiments?”

  “The sort where we might be able to better trap a ghost with a dreamcatcher if we can mess with the magnetic fields surrounding our trap location.”

  “Oh, well ... okay.” That was a little more scientific than Harper was comfortable discussing given the lateness of the day. “That sounds like a plan.”

  “Right?” Eric continued talking, to the point where Harper had to roll her eyes at his back. She rarely found him annoying. His enthusiasm level today, however, was not something she could fathom.

  They were almost to the front door when she felt something. At first, she almost didn’t recognize the prickling sensation causing the hair on the back of her neck to stand on end. Slowly, however, she turned to survey the grounds.

  The cemetery was quiet. She and Eric were the only ones outside. Nobody was crossing the pathways and heading toward the tombstones. It was blissfully peaceful ... and yet Harper couldn’t shake the feeling somebody was watching her.

  Slowly, she let her gaze bounce between the trees. There was a lot of decorative foliage on the property but none of it was large enough to hide someone for an extended period of time.

  “What do you think?” Eric asked out of nowhere, drawing Harper’s attention back to him. “Do you think it’s a good idea?”

  Harper had no idea what he was talking about. She nodded her head all the same and tried to force the earlier dread that had been coursing through her out of her mind. “I think you’re going to come up with some really cool experiments,” she replied automatically, hoping he wouldn’t be able to figure out she’d stopped listening.

  “It’s going to be great,” he agreed. “I cannot wait to get fully settled. I think this is going to do wonders for our business.”

  Harper hoped that was true. So far, though, owning the cemetery had been more difficult than she’d anticipated. Of course, that was because of the body. She was hopeful that wouldn’t turn into an everyday thing.

  5

  FIVE

  Harper found herself going to the front window of the main cemetery building at least five times over the course of the afternoon. She would stare through the glass, looking for hints of movement, and each time she came up empty.

  That didn’t stop the feeling of dread from washing over her each and every time.

  When it was finally time to head home, Zander stopped her in the lot.

  “Shawn says he wants to wait to do the barbecue until tomorrow,” he said. “Is that okay with you?”

  Harper, still distracted, nodded. “It’s fine. You don’t have to worry about it. Jared was just trying to appease me – and so were you – when he agreed and you suggested it.”

  Zander, always the jokester, hesitated and then nodded. “Part of this is my fault.”

  He was more serious than Harper would’ve anticipated. “Only part of it?” She managed a smile, although it was small. “You don’t think the fact that you interrupted our honeymoon has anything to do with the fact that he’s angry?”

  Zander balked. “Hey, it’s not my fault we decided to take the same vacation. It was a coincidence.”

  Harper arched an eyebrow and waited.

  “Fine.” Annoyance etched across Zander’s handsome features. “I’ll apologize again ... even though it wasn’t my fault. Personally, I think he should be over this. We’ve gone on a trip together since it happened.”

  “Yes, and he was annoyed during that trip, too.” Harper hesitated and then decided to go for it. “I need you to make a better effort to get along with Jared.”

  Zander balked. “I’m not the difficult one.”

  “You’re just being you,” she readily agreed. “The thing is ... he needs room to be himself, too. You can’t always run roughshod over him. We’re all going to be together for a really long time. I want you two to be friends.”

  “We’re friends.” Even as he said it, Zander made a face. “Or maybe it’s more like we’re family,” he corrected after a beat. “Family always knows exactly how to irritate one another. You act as if he never irritates me. It’s not always me.”

  “Not always,” Harper agreed. “He recognizes when he goes too far, though. You don’t seem to recognize that.”

  “Oh, I recognize it. I just like taking it even further in those instances. It’s an exercise in acceptance.”

  “Ah.” Harper bobbed her head in understanding. “That’s just another facet of you being you. Here’s the thing, though, I need you to occasionally moderate yourself. Not all the time — I love it when you’re you — but occasionally it would be welcome if you actually took Jared’s feelings into consideration. He is my husband, a
fter all.”

  Zander was silent a beat, working his jaw, and then he grudgingly nodded. “Fine. I’ll take his feelings into consideration.”

  Harper leaned over to hug her lifelong best friend. “Thank you.”

  “You still like me best, right?”

  She’d been expecting the question. “We’re bonded for life, Zander. Nothing will ever change that.”

  HARPER TEXTED JARED ABOUT THE change in their dinner plans and picked up Chinese food on the way home. Jared was already in the kitchen — barefoot and wearing a ratty T-shirt and knit shorts — and he grinned when he saw her.

  “There’s my wife,” he drawled, accepting the bag of food from her and placing it on the counter before pulling her in for a romantic hug. “Have I mentioned exactly how much I love you?”

  “Not today.” She returned his smile. “I always like hearing it, though.”

  “I love you.” He was earnest as he stroked his hand over her hair. “More than I ever thought possible.” His cheek resting on top of her head, he opted to ask the question that had been plaguing him since he received the text about dinner. “Is Zander mad?”

  Harper knew what he was asking. “He’s not. Shawn was the one who asked to change dinner plans. As for Zander ... .” She hesitated, debating, and then pushed forward. “I’ve asked him not to go out of his way to irritate you more than a few days a week. He’s said he’s going to try.”

  Guilt reared up and grabbed Jared by the throat. “Harper, you didn’t have to ask him to do that. I’ll be better.”

  “I don’t want you to have to be better.” Harper opted for honesty. “I just want us to all get along.”

  “Well, I’ll make more of an effort.” He pulled back far enough to stare into her eyes. “Truth be told, I’m still agitated about the honeymoon. I know I said I would let it go. It’s just ... he bugs me.”

  Harper pressed her lips together, amusement bubbling up. “I know. He did wrong for our honeymoon. The thing is, he knows that, too. He can’t apologize more than he already has, though. That’s not his way. He really is sorry.”

  “I think you want him to be sorrier than he is.”

  “No, he knows he took it too far. He can’t always see the line until he’s already crossed it.”

  “Well, it’s time to let it go.” Jared meant it. “Zander is part of our family. I should be used to him by now.”

  “You should be,” Harper agreed. “It’s okay, though. He was way, way wrong on our honeymoon. That’s why he’s pushing the way he is now. He wants to force you to snap at him and then he can be the victim.”

  Jared stilled. “Wait ... .”

  “He’s always been this way. When he was a kid, he would do the same thing to his mother.”

  “You’re basically saying that if I ignore him then it’s like torture for him because he won’t get his way.”

  Harper’s eyebrows drew together as she regarded her husband. “Well ... I don’t think I said it exactly that way.”

  “But that’s what you meant.”

  Harper sensed trouble. “You’re going to torture him with acceptance now, aren’t you?”

  “Yup.” Jared’s grin broadened so it encompassed the lower half of his face. “I think it sounds fun.”

  “That’s the opposite of getting along.”

  “No, it’s not. We’re going to get along so well you’re going to be amazed.”

  Harper had her doubts. Still, Jared getting a win over Zander right about now would do a lot to balance the scales between them. “Do what you want. I don’t want to be the one who receives the complaints, though.”

  “Of course not.” Jared beamed at her. “We’ll make sure Shawn has to deal with those.”

  Harper fought the urge to smile ... and lost. “I think it’s going to be a long couple of days.”

  “It will be fine,” Jared insisted, pulling her back for another hug. “Now, let’s eat our dinner. You want an update on what we found this afternoon regarding Cassie, right?”

  “Absolutely.” She was happy to put talk of Zander behind them and grabbed the bag of food. “Can you pour some iced tea?”

  “It would be my pleasure.”

  IT TOOK THEM ABOUT FIVE MINUTES TO get everything they needed on the table. Jared was a sesame chicken guy so he dived straight in. Harper preferred chicken and vegetables and had a little routine she liked to follow when eating. That routine included dumping three packets of restaurant soy sauce on her fried rice before mixing the two sides of the container.

  Once she started shoveling food in, Jared launched into the tale of their day.

  “The medical examiner says she was definitely strangled,” he said. “He puts time of death around four in the morning.”

  “What was she doing in the cemetery at that time of day?”

  “That I can’t answer. Some people prefer running at night … or really early morning I guess in this case.”

  “Still, that doesn’t seem smart.”

  “It doesn’t,” Jared agreed. “As for Chuck, he was pretty matter-of-fact. He said that he thought Cassie was one person and she turned out to be another. He didn’t sound bitter as much as resigned. He essentially blamed himself for not seeing her true nature.”

  “That could’ve been an act,” Harper argued as she dug into the package of crab rangoon. “I mean ... I’ve never thought of Chuck as stupid. If he is our killer, he likely knows that he would be a suspect and had answers prepared.”

  “I don’t disagree. He seemed legitimately surprised to hear about her death, though.”

  “Hmm.” Harper rummaged in the takeout bag until she came up with the package of egg rolls. “Do you really think he’s innocent?”

  “He doesn’t have an alibi. He says he was home alone.”

  “The problem with that is, as a recently single guy, he would be alone at home unless he was dating someone.”

  “That is true.”

  “So ... what’s the plan?”

  “Well, we’ve made notification to Cassie’s parents. They refused to sit down for an interview, though. They said they were in too much shock to deal with it today. We’re going back tomorrow and are hopeful they’ll be able to point us in the right direction. As of right now, we have nothing.”

  Harper’s lips quirked into a scowl. “Has Mel warned you about John?”

  “You mean the father?” Jared bobbed his head. “I believe Mel referred to him as ‘unpleasant’ and left it at that.”

  “He’s way more than unpleasant. He’s pretty much a jerk.”

  “Can you give me an example of jerky behavior?”

  “Sure. On Halloween, he would set the timer on his sprinklers to go off right at eight o’clock so it would surprise all the kids in the immediate area and ruin their Halloween costumes and makeup.”

  Jared frowned. “Seriously?”

  “Yup.”

  “Well, that does make him a jerk. It doesn’t make him a murderer, though.”

  “Oh, he’s probably not a murderer,” Harper agreed. “I’m guessing he’s the reason that Cassie was so desperate to get out of Whisper Cove, though. That story Chuck told you, about how she was so needy for money and status to get out of Whisper Cove, I’m betting John is the reason.”

  Jared’s forehead creased as he considered the statement. “He didn’t say much during our visit. His wife, on the other hand, was a mess.”

  “Mary.” Harper nodded in agreement. “She’s not a jerk like John. She is kind of beaten down by life, though.”

  Jared shifted in his seat. “Beaten down how?”

  “Are you asking me if John physically hurts his wife?”

  “Maybe,” Jared hedged. “I just ... didn’t see hints of that when I was there. I mean ... John was angry. I just assumed he was angry because he’d lost his only daughter.”

  “Well, I don’t know John especially well. I didn’t know Cassie all that well either. I’m going to guess that John isn’t the type of man w
ho would risk incurring the wrath of the police by yelling at his wife in the aftermath of his daughter’s death. That’s just a hunch, though.”

  “Hmm.” Jared planted his bare feet next to Harper’s under the table. “I guess I’ll have to pay better attention tomorrow.”

  “Is that it?” Harper queried. “Is that all you got?”

  Even though it was a serious conversation, Jared found himself grinning. “What more would you like, beautiful wife of mine?”

  Harper returned his grin. “I don’t know. I was kind of hoping you would wrap this up right away. It is my place of business now, after all.”

  “Well, we haven’t gotten that lucky.”

  “That’s a bummer.”

  “A total bummer,” he agreed as he leaned in to plant a kiss on the corner of her mouth. She tasted like chicken and baby corn, and for some reason he found it to be an intoxicating combination. “I’m sure we’ll find more answers tomorrow. I’m guessing Cassie’s ghost isn’t hanging around, huh? It would be great if we could get some answers from her.”

  “It would be,” Harper agreed. “I didn’t see her, though.”

  “She could still pop up.” Even though he’d never thought ghosts would be part of his investigative technique, Jared found he was ready to accept whatever help he could get these days … especially when Harper was the one doling out the help. “She might still be in that limbo place you talk about.”

  “She could still pop up,” Harper agreed. “Stranger things have happened.”

  “Well, here’s hoping.” Jared lifted his glass of iced tea and grinned when she did the same, waiting until after they’d clinked them together and drank to speak again. “So, do you want to stuff yourself on all this Chinese food and then spend an evening conversing about books with me in bed?”

  The question threw Harper for a loop. “I ... um ... .”

  “I was thinking we would focus on romance books tonight,” he added.