Harper shifted to cut him off, but he barely paid her any attention.
“You need to leave,” Harper ordered, her voice dripping with authority even though she felt nothing but abject fear. “You can’t be here. This isn’t your home.”
The look Corey shot her was withering. “Nobody is talking to you. Don’t you have ghosts or something to listen to? Yeah, I’ve done my research and I know your schtick. You pretend to talk to ghosts, which makes you an idiot. I’m still going to have to kill you, of course. I can’t have you talking out of turn. If this whole thing has taught me anything, it’s not to leave any witnesses.
“I should’ve taken care of this that first night,” he continued, oblivious to the ghost taking shape in the space behind him. It seemed Lucas had finally arrived, and the venom in his eyes was a thing to behold. “If I’d just killed Rain when I took out that other whiny idiot, I wouldn’t have had to spend the last two weeks over here trying to track down this one after she moved without telling me what was going on.” He jerked a haphazard thumb in Rain’s direction. “You have no idea what a pain she’s become ... and she totally wasn’t worth the effort anyway. All she did was cry that night even though I gave her the ride of a lifetime.”
Harper felt sick to her stomach. He was obviously a sociopath. He didn’t care who he hurt, what lives he ruined in the pursuit to get whatever he wanted. That didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous, though, especially since Jared and Mel were running around the woods trying to catch Andy. Who knew when they would be back.
“I’m not going to let you touch her.” Harper fought the urge to kneel down and help Zander, who was starting to come to his senses ... but seemed slow and confused. “I don’t know how you even got here, unless ... .” Something occurred to her. “You were in the woods when I got there. Andy was supposed to meet Rain, but that was just a cover so you could get to her. You heard Rain and me talking. You followed us back to the house, trailed us along the river.”
“Actually, I followed this idiot.” He pointed at Zander. “He stopped and talked on the phone for a bit — probably to his hairdresser or something because he seems the type — and I thought I was going to lose you.”
“And you called Andy to meet you here?”
Corey bobbed his head. “I did. I needed a scapegoat. This will all go down as his fault. Why else do you think I would hang out with him? The kid is so white trash. I can’t be seen hanging out with trash. Since nobody knows me here, though, I figured I was okay.”
“You can’t blame this on Andy.” Harper saw a thread and began to pull. “He’s out in the woods right now. Jared and Mel are chasing him.”
“And by the time they get back, you’ll be dead and they’ll assume Andy did it. They don’t even know about me.”
Ah, well, now she had the upper hand, Harper realized. She had important information that needed to be conveyed to Corey. “They know about you. You’re Corey Gamble. You live in Grand Rapids. Your father is a prosecutor who has managed to get you out of a boatload of trouble in the past. Not this time, though. This time you’re done. Jared and Mel are well aware of your involvement.”
Instead of reacting with fear, Corey snorted. “Oh, please. Those two couldn’t find their own asses with both hands. My father will make them look like idiots if they even try to bring charges against me, which they won’t because my father won’t allow it.”
“Your father has no power over here,” Harper countered. “He’s not our prosecutor. Our prosecutor loves nothing more than taking on other politicians. He’s made something of a name for himself doing it.”
“Whatever. I’m not afraid.”
“You should be.”
“Oh? This will hardly be the first murder I’ve gotten away with. Just ask Lucas Olsen. Oh, wait. You can’t. He’s dead.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s not here.” Harper took an inadvertent step back when Lucas sparked again. He looked solid, as if he could do real damage. She’d never seen the phenomenon before, but she had her suspicions.
She also had a plan.
“You know I can talk to ghosts, right?”
“So I’ve heard,” Corey sneered. “Are you going to tell me Lucas is here? If so, don’t waste your breath. I don’t believe in ghosts. For the sake of argument, though, even if he was here, he wouldn’t be anything to fear. He was a sniveling, whining, pathetic idiot who died for no reason. He didn’t even fight me. That’s how pathetic he was.”
Corey barely got out the last word before Lucas grabbed him by the throat. Harper watched in horrified fascination as Corey’s eyes went wide and he began working his jaw, as if gasping for oxygen.
“W-what ... ?” He couldn’t move even though he struggled. Apparently he couldn’t breathe either.
Rain shifted on the floor, rolling to her knees so she could watch. The sound she made was one of fear. “Lucas?”
Harper snapped her eyes to the girl. “You can see him?”
“He’s killing Corey.”
He was indeed killing Corey and Harper found she was at a loss what to do about it. Stopping him seemed like a bad idea, so instead she grabbed Zander under the arms and dragged him away from impending doom.
“What’s happening?” Zander asked, his gaze dazed. “What is that?”
“Lucas Olsen.” Harper was grim as she grouped close with Zander and Rain. “I think he’s exerting some revenge.”
“He’s killing him,” Rain exclaimed as Corey fruitlessly fought against the rage of the ghost. “He’s really killing him.”
Harper was resigned to watching it happen. Lucas was dangerous enough in his present state that she couldn’t intervene ... even if she wanted to, which she didn’t.
“Yeah. He’s really killing him. It’s going to be okay.”
Even as she said it, she wondered if it was true. She had faith things would work out, although everyone had a long road ahead of them.
19
Nineteen
Two days later, things were finally moving forward ... despite some rather daunting obstacles.
Explaining Corey’s death wasn’t easy. When Jared and Mel returned to the house — with Andy safely in custody — they were in jovial moods. That changed quickly when Harper explained what happened and they rushed inside.
Zander was transported to the hospital. He had a concussion, and the doctor ordered him to take it easy. That meant Shawn had been waiting on him hand and foot for almost forty-eight hours. As amiable as Shawn was, he was starting to chafe. Harper had promised to take over Zander duty later in the afternoon ... after she handled another problem.
Mel had been leery about lying on a police report. Explaining that a ghost had killed Corey wasn’t an option, though, so the official file said that Corey had been killed while grappling with Harper and Zander. The cause of the strangulation had been left purposely vague, with both Harper and Zander claiming they weren’t quite sure how it happened because things went down so fast.
Given the facts of the case, though, and Andy’s confession that he’d been involved in the robberies and Corey’s plan to get his hands on Rain, the prosecutor’s office didn’t have to push that hard to write off the death.
Corey’s father came to town to argue, of course. He didn’t act like a bereaved man, though, in Harper’s mind. He stood in front of the county building, held a press conference about his “poor, misunderstood” son, and then was blasted on eight different sides from the various news media representatives in attendance. Jared figured out pretty quickly that the elder Gamble would try to rustle up some trouble and he headed off the situation by leaking all the evidence against Corey, including Lucas’s death. The father couldn’t get out of town fast enough after that and there was talk he was facing political trouble in Grand Rapids.
Andy was in jail and facing charges, including accessory to manslaughter in Lionel’s death. He swore up and down that everything had been Corey’s idea, but nobody believed him. He was finally facing ch
arges of his own he couldn’t wiggle free from.
Ezra and Rain were researching family therapists and planned to go together. Ezra was making sure that Rain had sessions with him and on her own so she could talk everything out. Even though Harper still had trouble with some of the things Rain said and did, she was hopeful the girl would come out safely on the other side.
That was why she invited her to a special event today.
“I don’t understand,” Rain said as she noted the picnic basket Jared was carrying to the riverbank. “What are we doing?”
“It’s time to say goodbye to Lucas,” Harper replied calmly as they followed behind.
“Goodbye?” Rain was taken aback. “Why do we have to say goodbye? I like him being here ... although I haven’t seen him since that day. It makes me feel safer knowing that he’s around watching over me.”
Harper had no doubt that was true. Still, there were things to consider. “It’s not good for him to stay.”
“Why not? This is his home. Where is he going anyway?”
“There’s a whole other world out there,” Harper replied, smiling when Jared offered her a wink as he spread out the blanket he was carrying. He’d never been on an outing like this with her but thought it was best they do it as a group. Harper was secretly relieved when he volunteered to accompany them. She desperately wanted his support, and he was more than willing to give it.
“What kind of world?” Rain’s eyes lit with intrigue. “Like ... Heaven?”
“I think it depends on what you believe,” Harper replied. “I don’t really like delving too far into the theology of it all because I think that ruins the magic. I just know there’s a better place out there for the dead.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve seen glimpses of it.” Harper reached into her back pocket and removed a modified dreamcatcher. She was the one who came up with the idea of using the dreamcatchers to trap ghosts and send them to their final destination when she and Zander were first starting out. She’d improved on the design a bit over the years, but now she was happy with them. “This dreamcatcher is used to transport the souls to the other side.”
“How?”
“Well ... that’s a good question.” Harper looked to Jared for help and found him grinning. He was obviously enjoying himself … perhaps a bit too much. “It’s just something I knew to do. I don’t know how to explain it. When I use it, though, there are times I can see the other side. It’s only a brief glimpse, but it’s still great to see.”
“Uh-huh.” Rain didn’t look convinced. “Have you seen people over there? Those you’ve lost?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know you didn’t imagine it?”
“Because I have faith.” Harper searched for the right words to explain what she felt to Rain. “This life isn’t enough for me. It’s great, don’t get me wrong. I plan on living it to the fullest. I want more, though. I want forever with Jared ... and Zander ... and Shawn ... and my grandfather who is already on the other side.”
Rain stirred, her eyes narrowing. “Are you just saying this to make me feel better about my parents?”
“No. I’m saying it because I believe it.”
“Why did Lucas stay and not my parents?”
“I can’t answer that. Sometimes there’s no rhyme or reason as to why certain souls stay behind. I have theories, of course. I think if a death is violent and the individual is confused about what happened that sometimes they can’t cross over when they’re meant to.
“Even though your parents died in an accident that happened out of the blue, they probably weren’t tortured by what happened,” she continued. “I’m guessing they were comfortable with the fact that they raised two fine individuals and they knew Ezra would take care of you.”
“But he didn’t at first,” Rain argued, and she sounded bitter about it. “He left me with my aunt and didn’t come for me.”
“And I’m sure that hurt your feelings,” Harper acknowledged. “I believe your brother is a good person. I think you do, too. You guys are still feeling your way around one another because this is a brave new world for both of you. Give it time and things will work out, though.
“As for Ezra leaving you with your aunt, I think he wanted to give you a chance to graduate with your friends. He didn’t want to uproot your life. In the end, you both had your lives uprooted. You can’t go back, though.”
“Yeah. I think that’s starting to be your mantra or something.” Rain blew out a sigh and stared at the dreamcatcher. “Why can’t Lucas stay? He protected me against Corey. I like him being around.”
“Because it’s not fair to him.”
“Why not?”
“Because he shouldn’t be here. Every moment he’s stuck here instead of in the other place I told you about, it’s like torture for him. His anger is growing to the point where I’m afraid it’s going to get out of control. It’s not safe for you either.”
“Because of what he did to Corey? He had it coming. He deserved it.”
“I wouldn’t argue with that,” Harper said. “No, honestly, I don’t feel guilty for what happened to Corey. Could we have changed things and saved him? Probably, but I think the world is a better place without him so I’m fine with how things went down. That doesn’t mean Lucas can stay.”
“But ... he’s my only friend here.” Rain jutted out her lower lip. “I need him to be here so I have someone to talk to, even if he can’t talk back.”
Harper opened her mouth to argue, but Jared had already inserted himself in the conversation.
“Everything that comes out of your mouth is ‘I, I, I,’” he noted as he planted his hands on his hips. “You’re worried about what’s best for you. Harper is worried about what’s best for Lucas. He gave his life for you that night. Shouldn’t you be more worried about what he needs than what he can do for you?”
Rain’s cheeks reddened as she averted her gaze. “I didn’t mean to be selfish.”
“No, but that’s what you’re being.” Jared refused to back down despite the warning look Harper shot him. “You’ve been through a terrible ordeal. None of us would ever deny that, including me. The world doesn’t revolve around you, though. It’s time for you to be a better person while working on yourself. We’re all going to be here to help you but that doesn’t mean you can give in to your baser urges. You have to put effort into this as much as the next person.”
Rain let loose a weary sigh. “Fine.” She pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead and wrinkled her nose, earning a smile from Harper. “What do I have to do?”
“Just be here when he passes over. He needs to see you, to know that his death wasn’t in vain. He helped you, and now you’re going to help him. That’s the best you can do, and I’m going to help you do it.”
“Great. I don’t suppose when we’re done, though, if you could stop talking to me in platitudes, huh? You’re starting to remind me of a fortune cookie.”
Jared snorted as he sat on the blanket and pinned Harper with a look. “Just think of it as good practice for when we have a brood of our own.”
To Harper, that sounded like absolute torture. “Oh, our kids are never going to be teenagers. I don’t think I can allow it.”
“We’ll just send them to Zander when they start having attitude.”
“That’s a great idea.” Harper handed the dreamcatcher to Rain and inclined her head. “Put it down and then stand back. When we’re done here, I’ll take you with me to see Zander. I think you two might have fun sharing your bad attitudes this afternoon.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Rain supplied.
“Yup. You guys are definitely two peas in a pod. Now, come on. Let’s help your friend and look to the future. Those are the most important things. It’s time to let go of the past.”
“I’m looking forward to that.” Rain was sincere. “And ... um ... thanks. You’ve done more for me than you should want to do.”
<
br /> “Oh, don’t worry. I’m never going to let you forget it.”
“Yeah. I already figured that out myself.”
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Acknowledgments
I’m a romantic at heart. A true romantic. I love the idea of a happy ending, so much so I have trouble writing a sad one. The world is sad enough. I like escaping in fiction. That’s just me. I like sarcasm and snark – but I’m not sure a sad ending is in me. If you’re looking for an edge like that, you’re probably looking in the wrong place. Just FYI.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Books by Lily Harper Hart
A Maddie Graves Mystery
Grave Homecoming
Grave Insight
Grave Delight
Grave Misgivings
Grave Concerns
Grave Discovery
Grave Decisions
Grave Seasons
Grave Holiday
Grave Haunting
Ghostly Charms Page 19
