Ghostly Charms

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Except this time he did.” Harper let loose a low sigh. “This time he killed you and left you for dead.”

  “And Rain watched the entire time.”

  “I’m not making excuses for her, but she’d been traumatized and was terrified. She probably thought she was next.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Why did you follow her here, Lucas? Why did you come with her instead of staying home?”

  “Because I knew she wasn’t out of danger. I knew, eventually, he would come for her. I couldn’t protect her that first night. I thought maybe I could when he finally got around to going after her a second time.”

  Harper frowned, something occurring to her. “Wait ... are you saying that this individual is in Whisper Cove? Have you seen him?”

  “He’s here. I saw him last night. That’s what jogged my memory.”

  “Do you think Rain has seen him?”

  “I know she has. She was looking out her window and he was standing on the sidewalk watching her. I tried to get him to leave, tried to hurt him, but I don’t have the power.” As if to prove that, he shimmered, and for a moment Harper thought he looked as if he was going to take solid form. It was something she’d never seen before with a ghost and she didn’t know what to make of it.

  “What was that?” she asked.

  He didn’t answer. “I want to hurt him so bad.” Lucas shimmered again and this time Harper was positive he became more solid, to the point where she could no longer see through him. Then he returned to his former etherealness. “I’m going to find a way to kill him before this is all said and done. I know I’m a ghost, but mark my words.”

  Harper sucked in a breath and then calmed herself. She had to maintain control of this situation, at least long enough to get the rest of the information. “I need a name, Lucas. If we’re going to help Rain, then I need a name.”

  “Corey Gamble.”

  The name meant nothing to Harper but there was no reason it should. She was already digging for her phone. “I’m going to place a call. I need you to think long and hard about where Rain might go. You’ve been watching her. We need to find her.”

  “And then what?”

  “We’ll figure it out. Finding her is the most important thing, though.”

  “No, killing him is the most important thing. Rain is secondary.”

  Harper wanted to argue the point, but she didn’t see what good it would do. “Think. That’s what I need from you right now. We’ll figure out the rest later.”

  That was all they could do. Rain was the priority. They had to find her ... and fast.

  16

  Sixteen

  Harper’s text had Jared returning home long enough to unleash a bit of agitation.

  “What part of stay inside, stay safe and don’t give me a heart attack didn’t you understand?”

  Harper recognized he would be annoyed with her interference, but she couldn’t stop herself from responding in kind. “I think what you want to say is ‘thank you.’ I’m not an expert, though.”

  His frown only grew more pronounced. “Are you trying to kill me?”

  “Are you trying to kill me?” she fired back. “You can’t just cut me out of this, Jared. I’m a part of it whether you like it or not.”

  Jared obviously disagreed because he immediately started shaking his head. “You’re not a part of it, though,” he countered. “You’re not a cop. You’re going to be a cop’s wife. That’s it.”

  Her eyebrows practically flew off her forehead. “That’s all I am? Is that going to be my identity? I’m Jared Monroe’s wife and nothing else.”

  “No. Of course not. That’s not what I’m saying.”

  “That’s exactly what you’re saying.” Harper couldn’t bank her fury. “I’m not some meek housewife who is going to have your dinner on the table when you get home from work. If you think that ... then I don’t know what to say.”

  His frustration turned to fear. “Don’t turn this into something it isn’t.” He lowered his voice. “I didn’t take you on because I wanted to change you. I love who you are, but I’m afraid.”

  “Of what?”

  “Don’t you understand? Rain is spiraling. We don’t know what she’s thinking. She could go after you because she blames you for everything going wrong.”

  “I’m not the one who brought Corey Gamble to town.”

  “No, but you’re the one who caused her brother to doubt her. Or at least she thinks that. She’s a teenager. That means, by virtue of her age, her cylinders aren’t always firing together. She’s bound to be irrational.”

  “And you think that means she’s going to kill me? That makes zero sense.”

  “I don’t know what I think.” He chose his words carefully. Honestly, he didn’t have time to fight with her and yet she was giving him no choice. “I told you what happened with Samantha. What if Rain decides to go the same route?”

  “That would mean killing herself, not me.”

  “And if you’re there? What will you do to stop her? What will you risk?”

  That’s when the reality of the situation hit Harper smack in the face. “Oh.” Her voice softened. “You’re afraid that I’ll sacrifice myself to save her.”

  “We both know you would. That’s who you are. I can’t lose you. Don’t you understand that?”

  “I can’t lose you either.” She was legitimately contrite as she reached out and rubbed her hand over his arm. “I don’t want to fight. I had to at least try to talk to Lucas, though. Don’t you understand that?”

  He stared at her a moment and then pulled her into his arms, hugging tight. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “You drive me crazy, though.”

  She smiled into his neck. “Right back at you.”

  He exhaled heavily and centered himself. “You’re okay. That’s the most important thing. Tell me what Lucas said.”

  She laid it all out for him, omitting nothing. When she was finished, he was pensive.

  “That’s basically the scenario I was working with in my head ... other than the part where she was present for the murder. She must be even more messed up about that than what happened to her.”

  “It makes sense,” Harper admitted, dragging a hand through her hair. “I obviously can’t speak for her, but if it were me when I was that age, I would be blaming myself.”

  “She’s a victim, though.”

  “She’s a victim who allowed a killer to walk free. This Corey Gamble kid could’ve killed others for all we know.”

  “That’s true. I’m going to head back to the office and run him.”

  “I could go with you.” Harper was hopeful. “I could call Lucas to join us and maybe he can give us some insight into finding Corey. Right now I have him looking for Rain. I told him to track me down if he finds her, but he’s smart enough to look at the police station.”

  “No.” Jared shook his head, firm. “You’re staying here ... and you’re locking the door ... and, for once, you’re going to listen to me.”

  Harper worked her jaw. “I don’t want to fight.”

  “We’re not going to fight because I don’t want to either. I need to know you’re safe, though. This Gamble kid is a rapist and a murderer. I don’t want you looking for him. You belong here.”

  “Barefoot and cooking your dinner?”

  “Here we go.” He threw up his hands in frustration. “I don’t want to pigeonhole you. I don’t want to take away your autonomy. I most certainly don’t want to fight. I need to know you’re safe, though. You’ll be a distraction to me if I can’t stop worrying about you.”

  “Oh, that’s playing dirty.” Harper made a face. “I want to help.”

  “You’ll help best by staying here. Put your mind to where Rain might go. That’s what I need from you.”

  She considered arguing further but knew it was a lost cause. “Fine.” She took a step away from him and turned so she was facing the wall. “I ho
pe you find her.”

  “Please don’t be angry.”

  “I’m not angry.”

  He recognized that was true. She was hurt, which made it all the worse. “I love you.” He pressed a kiss to her temple and started toward the door. “I’ll be in touch.”

  “Good luck.”

  She sounded forlorn, but there was nothing he could do for her ... at least right now. He left her to sulk, locked (and double-checked) the front door himself, and then pulled his phone from his pocket as he headed toward his vehicle. He knew exactly who he needed to call.

  Zander picked up on the third ring. “This better be good. I’m moisturizing.”

  “Do I even want to know what that means?” Jared groused.

  “I have no idea. I don’t really care, though.”

  “I need a favor.”

  “Another one?” Zander sounded incredulous. “I’ve already done a favor for you this week. I think there has to be some sort of limit.”

  “I’m worried about Harper.”

  Zander let loose an exaggerated sigh. “This is turning into a pattern.”

  “It is,” he agreed. “I’m sorry. She’s angry right now, though, and I’m afraid she’ll do something stupid.”

  “Like what?”

  In succinct fashion, Jared laid everything out. He was thorough but omitted some of the nuances of the case. He didn’t think they were important. “She’s wound up. She blames herself for being mean to Rain, even though there’s no way she could’ve known the truth.”

  “Of course not.” Zander sounded invested on the other end of the call. “What do you want me to do?”

  “Watch her. If she leaves the house, call me. I don’t like where this is headed. We can’t find Rain and there’s a killer running around town. Odds are he’s looking for Rain to shut her up. If Harper finds her first, she’ll insert herself into the situation. Given how unstable Rain is and what this Gamble kid has already done, she could find herself in real trouble. That’s the last thing either of us want.”

  “I’ll agree with you there,” Zander said. “If Harp sets her mind to something, though, she’s going to do what she wants. There will be no talking her out of it.”

  “I’m well aware. That’s why I want you to watch her. At least I’ll know she won’t be alone if she takes off. You can call me and follow her, protect her until I can get to the both of you.”

  “Why don’t I just go over there and force her into a mud mask or something? That might be the more proactive approach.”

  “It might be, but if you do that, she’ll know I called you and it will just fire her up again. The odds of her sitting tight and allowing us to find Rain will be non-existent if she thinks I wrangled a babysitter for her.”

  “That’s true.” Zander heaved out a sigh. “Fine. I’ll watch her. Find Rain quickly, though. The longer she has to stew over there, the more likely it is that she’ll talk herself out of doing as you ask and take off ... and my skin is too dry to face off with a murderer today. That’s why I’m moisturizing.”

  “I’ll do my best. The one thing we have going for us is that Whisper Cove isn’t very big. There are only so many places she can hide.”

  JARED WENT STRAIGHT TO HIS DESK when he got back to the office. Finding dirt on Corey Gamble turned out to be easier than he envisioned. What he found was troubling, to say the least.

  “What did Harper want?” Mel asked as he strode into the office. He looked tired, as if the weight of the world was dragging him down, and Jared had no doubt what was bothering the older detective. It was the same thing that was bothering him.

  “She had information on what happened to Rain.” Jared furrowed his brow as he read the details of Gamble’s record. “We have confirmation that Rain was attacked in Grand Rapids. It happened the same night that Lucas Olsen was killed.”

  “What sort of confirmation?”

  “Lucas told her what happened.”

  Mel rolled his eyes. “So ... you’re saying that we have the word of a ghost to go on. That should go over well in court. I can see it now. ‘No, Your Honor, our probable cause was supplied by a dead teenager. That was more than enough for us.’ He won’t laugh us out of the courtroom or anything.”

  Jared lifted his eyes and pinned his partner with a harsh glare. “Don’t give me grief. I’m doing the best I can. Harper is already mad at me because I’ve cut her out of the investigation. I’m going to be paying for that hardcore later. I don’t need you making things worse.”

  “I’m not trying to make things worse.” Mel was calm as he sat on the corner of Jared’s desk. “It’s the truth. We can’t secure a warrant without probable cause and there’s no judge in the free world who will give it to us on the word of a ghost.”

  “I’m not worried about probable cause right now. I’m worried about finding Rain. I take it you didn’t have any luck.”

  “Not even a little,” Mel confirmed. “I checked the cemetery and the playground at the elementary school. I checked the alley behind the library and that plot of land over by the park that is covered with trees. I checked the beach ... and the access by the river ... and the little picnic table area between the coffee shop and the newspaper building. She’s nowhere to be found.”

  “That’s troubling.” Jared rolled his neck until it cracked. “I have some troubling information, too. The kid we’re looking for is named Corey Gamble and he has a record so long I don’t understand how he’s not in prison.”

  “Is he a minor?” Mel moved behind Jared so he could read over his shoulder.

  “He’s eighteen now. He was seventeen at the time he killed Lucas.”

  “Allegedly,” Mel muttered.

  Jared ignored him. “He’s been arrested for sexual harassment, malicious destruction of property, auto theft, drinking and driving, possession of meth, and forcible battery.”

  “You’re kidding? How was he not put in juvenile lockup?”

  “I don’t know.” And that was what was troubling Jared most. “Most of this stuff happened before Lucas was killed. If he’d been locked up, that boy would still be alive.” On a whim, Jared reached for the phone on the desk.

  “Who are you calling?” Mel was legitimately curious. “Don’t you think we should be out looking for Rain? If this kid really is in town, she could be in real trouble.”

  “I want to know why this Gamble kid is still on the loose.” Jared furrowed his brow and waited for the individual on the other end of the call to pick up.

  “Detective Jansen,” a gruff voice announced.

  Jared introduced himself with little preamble and then jumped into the heart of matters. “I don’t want to take up much of your time, but we have reason to believe that Corey Gamble is in Whisper Cove, that he’s here to terrorize or hurt a teenaged girl, and we’re wondering why he’s on the loose instead of being locked up.”

  Instead of being offended, or feeling attacked, Jansen let loose a low growl. “Because his father is the county prosecutor.”

  Jared was taken aback. “Are you kidding?”

  “No. The kid is a sociopath. Everyone here knows it. He’s going to commit murder at some point and then his father won’t be able to cover up from him. The father is Chad Gamble and he’s a career politician, slick as spit. He’s been involved in a scandal or two himself, including with two women who were facing theft charges until he opted not to prosecute after they had sex with him. We can’t prove that, of course, but everyone knows it.”

  “That explains a few things,” Jared mused. “As for Corey committing murder, I’m pretty sure he already has. You have an open case on the books over there. The murder of Lucas Olsen. Gamble is your guy, although I believe he’s over here now stalking Rain Porter.”

  Jansen’s sigh was pronounced. “I knew that girl saw something. She was white as a sheet the next day when we questioned the kids at the party, wouldn’t make eye contact. It was obvious she was terrified, but she wouldn’t own up to what she knew. The
re was nothing we could do without a witness.”

  “There’s more.” Jared internally debated telling Jansen everything and then opted to go for it. Gamble would be prosecuted on the west side of the state first, unless he really did manage to kill Rain, and then all bets were off. “We believe that Lucas interrupted Gamble assaulting Rain. We think Lucas tried to protect her and was killed for his efforts. Rain saw it happen but was already traumatized and didn’t say anything.”

  “Well, that’s just ... crap.” Jansen viciously swore under his breath. “I didn’t think about what Gamble could’ve done to the girl. I thought she was protecting him because she had a crush on him. The alternative didn’t even occur to me.”

  “You can’t know everything,” Jared reassured him. “The thing is, Rain is missing. She took off last night because she was angry with her brother. We’re pretty sure Gamble is in town and we’re going to start looking. We need to know everything you can tell us about the kid, though.”

  “You need to be careful.” Jansen was grave. “He might only be eighteen, but he thinks like a much older criminal. Because of who his father is, he truly believes he can get away with anything, that the long arm of the law can’t touch him. So far, he’s been proven right because his father has dug him out of more trouble than imaginable.”

  “What about the judges there?” Jared pressed. “Why don’t they go over his head?”

  “Because the father is as terrifying as the son. They’re afraid of him because he’s a vindictive ass. He could ruin careers by virtue of his position.”

  “You don’t sound afraid of him.”

  “That’s because I’m two months from retirement. He can’t touch me. I would certainly like to take him down before I leave my job, though. It would help me sleep better at night.”

  “I don’t know that we can help you with the father. If we can pin the son for a crime over here, though, the father won’t be able to get him out of trouble.”

  “That’s a fact.” Jansen sounded intrigued. “If you find the kid, be forewarned, his father has a collection of weapons, including some ridiculous sword he got from Asia. He brags about it. The kid has access to all those weapons.”