Ghostly Charms
Page 4
It was rare to see Zander completely speechless, but Shawn had managed it in thirty seconds flat.
“I think that’s a fabulous idea,” Harper offered. “I will enjoy helping you plan that wedding. This one is mine, though. You’re going to have to come to grips with it.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Zander made a dismissive gesture. It was clear his mind was already on something else. “I’ll have my own wedding one day,” he murmured. “I’ll get to do whatever I want.”
Harper couldn’t hide her amusement as she slid her eyes to Shawn. The horror on his face made her realize he hadn’t understood what sort of minefield he was walking into when he made the suggestion. He did now, and it was going to turn into a thing ... and for once, it was a thing Harper wouldn’t be expected to deal with.
“This is still a great day,” she announced to Jared. “It just keeps getting better and better.”
He kissed the corner of her mouth and smiled. “It really has been the best day. We’re going to have a lot of them, though, because we’re going to have forever together.”
“Stop that,” Zander ordered. “I haven’t been rendered deaf and dumb. I really will get the hose.”
Jared wasn’t bothered by the threat. “You just might have to get it.”
THE NEXT MORNING, SOME OF THE sex haze had worn off, but Harper and Jared were still cuddly buffoons. They couldn’t seem to get enough of one another, although neither half of the couple was complaining.
“I wish you had today off, too,” Harper said as she brushed her lips against his. They were still tangled together under the sheets. “We could hide in here all day and tune out the rest of the world.”
“I could call in sick.” He rubbed his hands over her bare back, enjoying the way the skin felt under his fingertips. She was smooth and soft in the mornings, and his favorite part of the day was waking up with her ... followed closely by falling asleep with her. In fact, he was fine with whatever time he could spend with her. Honestly, he wasn’t sure how he managed to get along without her.
“You need to save your sick days for when the snow starts flying,” Harper countered. “Then we can huddle in front of the fire, naked, all day.”
“True.” He rubbed his stubbled cheek against hers and sighed. “I love you. Even though I have to get up and leave you in this bed, something that I would much prefer never having to do, I want you to know that I love you.”
She giggled at how forlorn he sounded. “I love you, too.”
“Even if I did spill the beans to Zander about the wedding plans?”
They hadn’t talked much about what went down with Zander. Once reality set in about him being able to plan his own wedding, he’d been much easier to deal with. He’d also been hazy and tuned out of the conversation, which was fine with Jared but seemed to bug Harper and Shawn.
“Even if,” Harper agreed, tilting her head back so she could stare into his eyes. “He needed to hear the truth. He’s still going to be a pain, though. I hope you realize that.”
“I do. I figure he’ll be a bigger pain for you, though, since he’ll insert himself in your dress hunt.”
“Yeah. That’s going to be bad,” Harper agreed. “The cake is going to be an issue, too. He’ll want input on the cake.”
“Funnily enough, as long as the cake tastes good, I don’t really care what it looks like.”
“Oh, no.” She adopted a stern expression. “You wanted to be involved in every aspect of the wedding preparations. That means you have to go to cake tastings with me.”
He tilted his head, considering. “Are cake tastings what they sound like?”
“You’ll have to sit in a bakery with me and try thirty different cakes and frostings.”
“And you think that sounds like a hardship?”
She laughed at his earnest expression. “Fair point. I’m probably going to set that up sooner rather than later because we need to give the bakery lots of leeway. As for the design, I don’t really know what to expect. I’m figuring like three tiers and the standard couple on top.”
“Whatever you want on that front is fine with me. I just want good cake.” He leaned in to kiss her. “I want enough for us to take with us on the honeymoon.”
“You’re a very food-oriented individual. I ... .” Whatever she was going to say died on her lips as Jared’s phone dinged.
“Ugh.” He made an exasperated sound deep in his throat. “How much do you want to bet that there’s been another break-in? These kids seem to be ratcheting it up. Hold on.”
Harper was patient as Jared answered the call, watching with overt curiosity as the expression on his face changed from one of annoyance to overt concern. Dread filled the pit in her stomach as Jared asked a few questions and then disconnected.
“This one is bad, isn’t it?” Harper asked in a low voice.
“It’s bad,” he agreed, stroking his hand down her hair. There was nothing sexual about the move this time. It was only to soothe. “It seems that there’s been another break-in. This time at the barbershop. Unfortunately, the owner was there ... and apparently put up a fight.”
Harper was horrified. “Lionel?”
“You knew him?”
She didn’t like how he was using the past tense. “He’s been around Whisper Cove since I was a kid. He was friends with my grandfather. They used to go fishing together. He’s always been something of a wild card because he’s persnickety, but he made me laugh.” Tears pricked the backs of her eyes. “Is he dead?”
“I’m sorry but ... yeah. I’m not sure how yet, but the front window was broken and Lionel was found unresponsive on the floor. He was already dead by the time one of the other business owners crossed in front of the shop this morning. I’m sorry.”
Harper felt sick to her stomach. “I don’t understand how this could happen. I mean ... why was he there so late?”
“I don’t know. That’s not really the issue, though. Our random group of mischievous kids have now turned into killers. This is involuntary manslaughter if he died during the break-in.”
“Yeah,” Harper dragged a hand through her snarled hair. “I just don’t know what to make of this.”
“That makes two of us. I’ll know more when I get on the scene.” Jared smacked a kiss against her lips and then rolled to escape from the bed. “I have to get going. We’ll talk more about what I’m going to do with you and the cake later.”
“Okay.” Harper forced a smile for his benefit, but the second he left the room she started brooding. She’d always liked Lionel. He was a good man. How this could happen to him was beyond the scope of reason. She didn’t want to think about it ... and yet she had no choice.
Slowly, as if her senses were somehow delayed, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her heart rate picked up a notch. She propped herself on her elbows and shifted her gaze to the window, taking a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the light.
There, by the water and under the tree, a filmy countenance hovered. It was hard for Harper to make out the individual — it was a ghost, after all, and the sun was causing a glare — but she was fairly certain it was a man, although who it was, she couldn’t say.
Lionel?
It made sense that it might be him. He was aware of her gift, tight with her grandfather at one time, and potentially in need of help. He probably died a traumatic death, after all. He might be confused and need help. It was her job to provide that help, and she wouldn’t turn her back on her path now.
4
Four
Mel was already on the scene when Jared arrived. He had a doughnut in one hand, a coffee in the other, and seemed to be surveying the scene with a haphazard eye. Jared knew better. His partner wasn’t always easy to deal with, but he was a good cop. He knew exactly what he was doing.
“Glad to see you made it,” Mel drawled as Jared pulled up short in front of the body. “No Harper today? I thought she was officially joining the team or something.”
“You brought her to talk about wedding stuff.”
“That, too.” Jared had no intention of apologizing. “It all worked out, didn’t it?”
“Obviously not.” Mel bit into his doughnut and thoughtfully chewed as Jared dropped to his knees next to the body and slipped on a pair of rubber gloves.
Lionel was definitely old. He looked to be well into his eighties, although relatively healthy. Jared couldn’t ever remember seeing the man more than once or twice. He got his hair cut at a place near the mall rather than a barbershop. This particular barbershop appeared to have a nostalgic twist, complete with authentic striped poles and long straight-blades for shaving.
“What do we think happened?” Jared asked finally. “There aren’t any marks on him and yet there are potential weapons around.”
“The medical examiner is on his way. He got caught up in rush hour traffic. He’ll know better than me. If I had to guess, though, he probably had a heart attack.”
“Was there something wrong with his heart?”
“Not that I know of, but he was eighty-six. The surprise of someone coming in alone could’ve caused him to drop. That being said, it looks to me like there was a scuffle. The magazine rack has been tipped over and this chair looks to have been knocked off its track a little bit.”
Jared looked at the spot Mel indicated and nodded. “You’re right. He could’ve fallen into the chair as he was going down, though. We don’t know.”
“That’s why we need the medical examiner.”
“Yeah,” Jared inhaled sharply and rolled his neck as he took a look around the rest of the shop. “Do we know why he was here so late at night?”
“No, but his son is on the way. He lives in St. Clair, so it might take him a few minutes. He’s understandably upset.”
“You think? Did Lionel live alone?”
“He did. He was still self-sufficient. He had a place about two blocks from here and no longer drove because he couldn’t pass the eye exam. He managed the walk fine, though. He was still walking a good mile a day.”
For some reason, the statement struck Jared as funny. “He couldn’t see to drive, but people trusted him to cut their hair?”
Mel shrugged. “His clientele was all men over a certain age. None of the younger ones came in here and he refused to cut the hair of kids under the age of thirteen starting about ten years ago.”
“Why is that?”
“He hated kids.”
“You just said he was a father.”
“He hated kids today,” Mel clarified. “He was one of those guys who claimed permissive parenting was ruining the world.”
“Ah. I understand.” And, because he did, Jared moved on. “Did he have any arguments with the kids in town? I mean ... we’ve been working under the assumption that we’re dealing with kids when it comes to these break-ins and maybe they did the other ones as a way to distract us from their real target.”
“That seems unlikely to me,” Mel replied after a beat. “Lionel wasn’t shy about giving the kids grief over the years. There was a time when he wanted to kill Zander.”
“Oh, it’s too bad I never got the chance to meet him. We could’ve bonded over that.”
Mel snickered. He wasn’t delusional when it came to his nephew’s attitude. “Yeah. I’m sure things are going great with you guys right now thanks to the wedding. Zander probably thought he was going to get to plan it with Harper.”
“I honestly think he did.”
“He would’ve married her just for the wedding.”
Jared had never considered it, but upon contemplation, he realized his partner wasn’t wrong. “Yeah. I think he would’ve loved to plan it. He had a bit of a meltdown last night until Shawn reminded him that he could plan his own wedding one day. That seemed to perk him up.”
“Huh.” Mel scratched the side of his nose. “I never really thought about it, but you’re right. He could get married. That wasn’t a reality at one point, but it is now.”
“I think he and Shawn will eventually get married,” Jared admitted. “Shawn is good for him, calms him down. And if they get married, eventually they can adopt children and that will distract him from crawling in my bed to gossip with Harper once a week.”
Mel snickered. “He still does that? I thought you put the kibosh on it.”
“I tried but was outvoted.” Jared heaved out a sigh and checked Lionel’s fingertips for signs of skin. “What did he fight with Zander about?”
“He didn’t like how loud Zander was. Quite frankly, that was always his complaint when it came to the kids. He was a firm believer that children should be seen and not heard.”
“He sounds like a true joy.”
“He wasn’t that bad. He was set in his ways, but I figure at his age, he’d earned it. As for fighting with local kids recently, I hadn’t heard anything, but we’ll know more when his son gets here.”
“That sounds like a plan.”
TECHNICALLY, HARPER KNEW SHE should go into the office. She’d skipped out the previous day so she could spend quality time with Jared — something she would never regret — and was due to spend some time with her co-workers. The ghost in the woods, though, kept her from leaving the house.
He was watching her. She had no doubt about that. She’d yet to get a full glimpse of him, but she’d seen a few hints.
It wasn’t Lionel. That much she was sure about. The hair was too dark, the shoulders too broad. It was a younger man. She was guessing he was in his twenties, maybe even younger. It was hard for her to judge. It definitely wasn’t Lionel, though, which begged the question: Who was she dealing with?
Harper left the house and sat on the back patio, her gaze pointed at the spot near the trees where she knew the ghost was hanging out. She wanted to walk over there and demand answers, but she’d been working with ghosts long enough to recognize that if she tried to force the issue, he could flee and never return. No matter who he was, he’d come to her for a reason. She wanted to help, and that meant being patient.
Harper was close enough that she figured the ghost could hear her so she started to talk. “I know you’re out there. You don’t have to be afraid of me. I’m here to help if you need it.”
Nothing.
She bit back a sigh and pushed harder. “You obviously came to me for a reason. Whether it’s because you heard through the grapevine that I can talk to ghosts or something else entirely, I’m not sure. You obviously need help and I’m probably the only one who can offer it.”
Still nothing.
“I’ll be here when you’re ready to talk.” She rested her feet on the footrest in front of her and stared at the trees. She knew the ghost was hiding back there. She could see faint hints of movement here and there. It was obvious that he was hanging back.
“Are you local?” She simply couldn’t stop asking him questions. It was driving her crazy that he wouldn’t engage. She wasn’t exactly known for her patience. “Are you from around here? Did you maybe go on one of my ghost tours in the fall?”
He didn’t answer, but he did shift so she could see his face better. Now, with a clearer view, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was a teenager. She hadn’t heard of any teenagers dying lately — and she tended to keep up on that stuff — but that didn’t necessarily mean anything.
“Were you in an accident?” Her voice was clear, loud, but also full of sympathy. “Is there something you want me to tell your parents? How about a girlfriend?”
This time the ghost’s eyes lasered onto her and he didn’t look away.
“That’s it, huh?” Harper’s heart rolled at the earnest expression on his face. “You left someone behind and you want me to get a message to them. I can’t do that unless you tell me your name, tell me what happened. I’ll find whoever you want me to find. This isn’t the first
time this has happened. I really do want to help.”
The boy, and he really did look like a boy now, worked his jaw. He didn’t speak, though. He just continued to stare.
“Okay. You have two hours,” Harper announced. “I’m going to sit here and enjoy this nice spring day. After that I’m heading out. I will be back, though, so if you don’t get up the gumption now, it won’t be your last chance. Take as much time as you need. I’ll be here.”
WILLIAM PETERSON WAS A FIDGETY MESS when he came through the barbershop door. He seemed to be afraid of what he was going to find and yet determined to see it at the same time. It was a natural reaction to an unexpected death, though, and Jared and Mel were ready for him.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Bill,” Mel started out. “He was a good man.”
“But ... are you sure?” Bill edged farther inside the barbershop, his eyes immediately going to the body on the floor. The medical examiner had arrived and was already working, doing his best to ignore Bill, but the bereaved son couldn’t swallow the sad cry that escaped. “No. Dad.” He dropped to his knees to touch his father, but the medical examiner held up a hand to still him.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t touch him right now,” John Farber said in a kind voice. “I know that’s your first inclination — and I don’t blame you — but you can’t touch him. We need to gather evidence.”
Bill made a sound like a wounded animal but kept his hands to himself. His gaze was on his father for a long time, his lower lip trembling, and then he turned to Mel and Jared. “What happened to my father?”
“We’re not sure yet,” Mel replied, reaching out to gently grab Bill’s elbow and direct him toward one of the chairs at the end of the room. “We have some questions for you.”
“I ... okay.” Bill looked confused. “I don’t understand, though. What happened to him?”
Jared and Mel exchanged a weighted look, and by silent agreement, Mel tackled the questions.
“There have been a rash of break-ins over the past two weeks or so,” he explained, choosing his words carefully. “Up until this point, we believed we were dealing with kids getting into general mischief.”