Ghostly Wedding (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 17)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “He’s gone,” Zander gasped as he caught up with her. “I mean ... well and truly gone.”

  “Yeah.” Despite that, Harper crouched down on the pavement to get a good look at his features. He looked to be in his early forties if she had to guess, although it was possible he was older. He was so pale, and there was blood everywhere, that it wouldn’t have surprised her to find out she was wrong by ten years in either direction. He could’ve definitely been older.

  “Make sure you tell Jared to bring the medical examiner,” she said dully.

  Zander shook his head. “Stella is calling. They’re probably already on their way.”

  “Yeah.” Tentatively, Harper reached out to touch the inside of the man’s wrist. He didn’t move — not that she expected him to — and his eyes remained open and sightless. “There’s no pulse.”

  “There’s definitely no pulse, Harp. This guy’s entire blood volume is all over the road. I’m pretty sure there’s more than one piece, too.”

  The words were enough to snap Harper out of her reverie and she gave her best friend a solid jab in the stomach with her elbow. “Don’t be disgusting.”

  “I was just saying ... .” Zander broke off, sheepish. “Ignore me. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

  That made two of them. They’d seen death, numerous times. They’d seen murder victims, accident victims, and even suicides. The aftermath of this, though, was something neither of them were likely to forget.

  “Do you know what happened?” a voice asked from behind them.

  Harper turned to find, of all people, her father standing in the middle of the road. His vehicle was the third back and he’d turned it off to check on his daughter when she blew past his car. “I didn’t see you,” she said dumbly.

  “I saw you. I wasn’t even sure why we were stopping, but when I saw you, I knew that it was serious. Which vehicle hit him?”

  “It took off that way.” Harper gestured. “It didn’t stop.”

  “It didn’t even slow down,” Zander noted. “We heard the car right before the collision. We were in the dress shop.”

  “Oh, right.” Phil Harlow flashed a huge smile at his daughter. “The big day is almost here. I can’t wait to see you in the dress.”

  Harper didn’t return the smile. She knew her father meant well. This, however, was not a happy occasion. “It’s in the shop. We have to pick it up on our way back.”

  “Stella will watch it,” Zander reassured her. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

  Oh, if only that were true, Harper mused. The body on the ground said there was a lot to be worried about.

  JARED AND MEL TOOK LONGER TO REACH the scene than either of them would’ve preferred.

  When the call came in — and from the woman responsible for making Harper’s wedding dress, no less — Jared instantly jumped to the conclusion that Zander had found some sort of trouble and dragged Harper along for the ride. Once the details started flooding in from multiple calls, though, it became apparent that both Harper and Zander were nothing more than innocent victims.

  Mel parked on the side of the road, leaving the light pulsing but killing the siren. Jared exited the vehicle first and he was halfway across the road before his partner managed to climb out.

  “Harper?”

  Harper turned at the sound of Jared’s voice, relief washing over her. “I thought you would be here right away.” Her tone wasn’t accusatory but the long minutes waiting for Mel and Jared to arrive at the scene had dragged out to the point where Harper thought she might scream.

  “We were out at the Rivers’ ranch,” he replied, instinctively pulling her in for a hug. He didn’t care that half the town was out and about watching. By this time, everybody knew they were getting married in a few days. They’d become famous for public displays of affection. He certainly wasn’t going to curb his natural instincts now.

  Harper sank into the embrace, soaking up his warmth, and then pulled back. “It was unbelievable.”

  “What happened?” Jared scooped his hand down the back of her head before separating and focusing on the body. “Did anybody see who hit him?”

  “We did,” Zander volunteered, moving in from the other side of the road. He had an ice cream cone in his hand.

  Jared scowled at him. “Do you really think now is the time for a snack?”

  “I’m traumatized,” Zander fired back. “I’m also a stress eater, so when I’m upset, I feel the need to eat. My only other option was a sandwich from Maya’s place, and I didn’t think it would look good to be eating pastrami on rye over a dead body.”

  “I’ve got news for you, the ice cream is a bad look, too.”

  “Oh, whatever.” Zander rolled his eyes and licked his ice cream. “You’re not even here. I’m going to my happy place.”

  Jared waited, and when Zander didn’t leave, he decided to prod him. “I thought you were going to your happy place.”

  “He means in his mind,” Harper volunteered. “He creates an idealistic society when things get overwhelming, one where he serves as king and can issue edicts on a regular basis.”

  Briefly, Jared wondered how he’d yet to hear about this quirk, but then he realized it didn’t matter. He would likely never catch up on all the weird things Zander did on any given day. He was fine being surprised, and even left in the dark on some occasions.

  “Well, that’s lovely.” Jared blew out a sigh as he watched Mel kneel next to the body. “Who is he?”

  Harper held out her hands and shrugged. “I honestly have no idea. I don’t recognize him.”

  “What about everybody else? I mean ... has he ever visited Zander’s mind palace?”

  “I’m not sure he’s local,” Mel replied, cocking his head. “I don’t recognize him either.”

  Since Mel had lived in Whisper Cove the bulk of his life, and the town wasn’t overly large, to Jared that meant they were dealing with a visitor, not a resident.

  “He could’ve just moved here, I guess,” Mel hedged. “If he’s new, I wouldn’t necessarily know.”

  “The medical examiner is on the way,” Jared volunteered, snapping on a pair of rubber gloves before reaching into the dead man’s pockets to search for a wallet. “Hmm.”

  “Nothing?” Mel made a face. “Who walks around without identification in this day and age?”

  “I walk around the neighborhood without my purse,” Harper countered. “I mean ... I could easily be hit and left for dead and I wouldn’t have identification on me. The difference is that everybody in this town knows me.”

  Since the notion of Harper being struck by a vehicle and stolen from his life left Jared feeling uncomfortable, he merely shook his head. “Mel is right. Why was he downtown without identification? He didn’t even have a wallet to buy anything.”

  Why Harper felt the need to stand up for a dead man she’d never met she couldn’t say, but she was in it now. “Maybe he did just move to the area. Maybe he lives two blocks away and just wanted to get a feel for the town.”

  “Or maybe someone stole his wallet,” Zander suggested, his eyes closed as he licked his ice cream cone. “Maybe a pickpocket lifted his wallet in the bakery and assumed the guy was trying to get it back and ran him over to escape?”

  “Is that the sort of thing that happens in your mind palace?” Jared queried.

  “Nobody needs your snotty attitude.” Zander licked again. “I’m just saying there are multiple reasons why he might not have had a wallet on him.”

  “He could have a vehicle, too,” Harper noted. “Maybe he left the wallet inside, forgot it or something. He could be parked anywhere.”

  Jared nodded in agreement. He hadn’t really considered that, but parking in downtown Whisper Cove was abundant if you knew where to look. “That’s actually a good idea.”

  “I’m full of them.”

  “You are,” Jared agreed, managing a smile. “Where were you guys when this went down?”

  “T
he dress shop.” Harper inclined her head. “We were just finishing up when we heard the car. It was speeding down the road, like really loud. We commented about how it wasn’t safe and then we heard someone screaming.”

  “Do you know who was screaming?”

  Harper shook her head. “We saw the collision, but it was from a distance.”

  “And an angle,” Zander added.

  “What about a license plate?”

  “It happened too fast.” Harper was apologetic. “We weren’t really looking. It was over in a few seconds, and by the time we registered that the vehicle had struck someone, it was already gone. It just blew through the light and continued.”

  “Can you describe the vehicle?”

  “It was red. I know that. I’m not familiar with cars, though. It looked sort of sporty. That’s the best I can do.”

  “Okay.” Jared rubbed his chin, considering. “The medical examiner is on his way. We’re going to have to block off this intersection and get the sheriff’s department in here to do their accident recreation thing. While that’s happening, we need to question the witnesses.”

  “What do you want me to do?” Harper asked.

  Jared hesitated. “There’s really nothing you can do. There’s no ghost, right?”

  Harper shook her head. “Not so far. That doesn’t mean one won’t show up.”

  “Well, until that happens, there’s literally nothing you can do.”

  Harper didn’t like to admit it, but she found she was forced to agree. “It’s kind of a bummer of a day.”

  “You have your dress, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then better days are to come. I have to get to it, though.”

  “Go.” Harper waved him off. “Do your job. I’ll be hanging around, at least for a little while.”

  Jared wanted to ask why, but he knew better than pressuring her. “Maybe you should get some ice cream, too.”

  “It’s a thought. I’m not sure I’m up to eating, though.”

  Given the state of the body, Jared couldn’t really blame her.

  THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS WAS figuring out who had seen the incident and who was hanging around simply to gawk. The amount of people who had witnessed the actual collision was larger than Jared was anticipating.

  “You, too?” He couldn’t hide his surprise when he came upon Phil, who was sitting in the shade in the designated witness area drinking from a bottle of water.

  “I guess so.” Phil didn’t look thrilled at the prospect of being questioned, especially by his future son-in-law. “I was a few cars back.”

  “Did you see the incident?”

  “Not really. I heard a car revving its engine, but I couldn’t really tell if anything had happened. All I know is that the traffic stopped and then I saw Harper running out of the store and directly toward ... something. I figured I should make sure she was okay. When I caught up to her, that’s when I saw the body.”

  “I don’t suppose you recognize him.”

  Phil swallowed hard. “If I’m being honest, I didn’t look. Not really. I ... it was too much.”

  “It was definitely too much.” Jared clapped his shoulder and sighed. “How was Harper when you caught up?”

  Phil shrugged. “Stalwart. How is she always when things like this happen?”

  “This was a little different from the normal trouble she finds.”

  “True but ... it was still horrible.” Phil involuntarily shuddered. “It was bad. She didn’t look away, though. She even tried to check for a pulse. Everybody could see he was dead and yet she still tried.”

  “That’s who she is.” Jared blew out a sigh. “In this particular instance, I don’t think she’ll have a reason to be involved. That should come as a comfort.”

  “I figured out a long time ago that Harper was going to do what she was going to do. It never mattered how I felt about it. I don’t think it’s going to matter how you feel about it either.

  “I’m not saying that to be a jerk,” he continued hurriedly. “I know she loves you. I know she values your opinion. It’s just ... sometimes she can’t help herself. She’s a good girl at heart and when she sees injustice, she wants to fix it.”

  Because he knew Phil was right, Jared simply nodded. “She’s definitely a good girl.”

  “She’ll be a good wife.”

  Jared managed a grin. “I’m well aware.”

  “She’s not like her mother. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with being like Gloria or anything. It’s just ... Harper has always been different. You know how parents fight over what aspects their kid got from them? Gloria and I have never done that because Harper is her own person. She got very little from us.”

  “I wouldn’t say that. She got a few personality quirks from you.”

  “Maybe, but mostly she’s her own person. That’s probably why she turned out so good.”

  Jared didn’t know what to say. It was rare that Phil could be counted on to be so observant.

  “She’s definitely her own person,” he said finally. “She’s still part of you. You should take pride in that.”

  “I do. I also worry for her.”

  “I do, too. I wouldn’t change her, though.”

  This time the smile Phil managed was legitimate. “I wouldn’t change her either. She’s amazing. Like ... completely amazing. I think you guys are a good match.”

  And that was the nicest thing Phil had ever said to him, Jared decided. “If you didn’t see the actual accident, you can go. We’re only interested in interviewing people who had a unique view.”

  “Then I would check with those kids over there.” Phil jerked his thumb toward the park across the way, to where a small group of teenagers loitered about. “They were there when the accident happened. I don’t think anyone had a better view than them.”

  Jared narrowed his eyes as he regarded the teens. He recognized one of them, and although the girl had been working overtime to right some wrongs, she still made him leery. “Thanks. I guess I’ll head over there next.”

  “Good luck.”

  Jared worried he was going to need it.

  RAIN PORTER LAUGHED WITH HER FRIENDS EVEN as her body language shifted. Jared’s approach made her nervous. She still thought he was ridiculously handsome, but since she’d made false accusations against him months prior, he’d purposely kept his distance as much as possible. She didn’t blame him, and wasn’t surprised he grabbed his partner before making his way over. He didn’t want to be alone with her in case she caused trouble a second time.

  “It’s the fuzz,” Rain called out, going for levity. “Everybody run.”

  Jared didn’t crack a smile. In truth, the girl made him unbelievably nervous. “We just want to ask about the accident.”

  “We didn’t do it,” a young blonde with bright green eyes volunteered almost immediately. “We don’t even have cars. We were just hanging around the park.”

  “He knows that,” Rain volunteered. She didn’t want Mel and Jared to grow frustrated right off the bat. “They just want to know what we saw.”

  “That’s exactly what we want,” Jared agreed, forcing a smile he didn’t feel as he glanced between slouching bodies. He recognized the others, although not well enough to put names to the faces. That meant Rain would be their touchstone. “My understanding is that you guys were over here when the accident happened.”

  “We were,” Rain confirmed on a head bob. “We were just hanging out, not doing anything bad.”

  “Of course not,” Mel prodded. “We just need to hear about the accident. We don’t care about anything else.”

  “We’re not a hundred percent sure,” the blonde volunteered. “You should talk to somebody else.”

  Rain shook her head. “We saw it. We’re sure. They’re not going to do anything to us for telling the truth.”

  “It’s really none of our business.” The blonde’s tone was pointed. “We shouldn’t get involved in things tha
t aren’t our business.”

  Mel’s lip curved as he regarded the girl. “You’re Jessica Tate, right?”

  The girl stiffened. “Maybe. Why?”

  “Because I happen to know your father works in the clerk’s office. If you would prefer, we can call him and make sure it’s okay to interview you. As you’re still a minor, he can okay it.”

  The unspoken threat wasn’t lost on Jessica. “You mean you’re going to tattle on me for not narcing on some other person.”

  “Well, since a man is dead, I wouldn’t exactly phrase it that way. If that’s the way you want to look at it, though, knock yourself out.” Mel made to pull out his phone, but Jessica emitted a hissing noise to stop him.

  “Fine. What do you want to know?”

  Mel didn’t even have the energy to be smug. “Tell us what happened.”

  “It was quick,” Rain volunteered, drawing their attention to her. “I mean ... really quick. We saw the guy crossing the road. He was minding his own business, not doing anything, and he was obeying the laws. He waited to cross until the sign thing was white.”

  Jared nodded encouragingly. “Then what happened?”

  “This red car came out of nowhere.”

  “Did you get a plate?”

  “I wasn’t looking. Sorry.”

  “That’s fine. Just tell us what you saw.”

  “She sped up.”

  “Who?”

  “The woman driving the car.”

  Well, that was something new, Jared mused. Nobody else had seen the driver. “You’re sure it was a woman?”

  Rain nodded. “She had long blond hair. I didn’t see a face, so I don’t know if she was young or old. If I had to guess, she was older than us but not really old or anything. When she saw the guy, she sped up and actually pointed her car directly at him.”

  Jared was taken aback. “Wait ... you think she did it on purpose?”

  “I know she did. She actually had to dip to the left a little bit to hit him. There’s no doubt she was doing it on purpose.”

  “Did she slow down after striking him?”

  “Nope. She kept going really fast and headed that way.” Rain pointed in the same direction Harper had indicated earlier. “She didn’t slow down at all.”