“How would the ghosts have fit in with that scenario?” Sal asked as he took the seat at the end of the table between Harper and Zander.
“You might be surprised,” Harper replied. “I’m guessing there’s a lot of overlap.”
“Maybe.”
Jason Thurman picked that moment to arrive at the table. “Hey, guys. I don’t have the specials menu up yet, but the seafood pasta you love so much is on it, Harper.”
“Oh, yay.” Harper clapped her hands. “I want that.”
The others placed their orders in a circular pattern until only Zander was left.
“And what about you?” Jason asked, leery. He was used to Zander’s attitude and knew there was no way the man would simply order and let it go like a normal patron.
“I want the avocado salad with extra tomatoes and half the bleu cheese.”
“Okay.” Jason jotted down the order and waited.
“Also, when you have a minute, I want to talk about the table decorations for the wedding. I saw the centerpieces you picked and they’re horrible. Only a straight man who doesn’t have hope for sex in his future would pick those things.”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
“I’m being serious.”
“And I’m not changing the centerpieces.” He pinned Harper with a serious stare. “Can’t you rein him in?”
She held out her hands. “Not in the past twenty-four years. Here’s hoping the next twenty-four years get easier.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Once Jason departed, Sal turned to business. “May I ask why you’re interested in Penny’s case after all this time?”
“Questions came up in regard to another investigation,” Mel replied. “We’re not even sure the two cases are connected, but my partner had questions about Penny and I was pretty new on the force when that case popped up back in the day. Our files are ... lacking.”
“I could’ve told you that.” Sal leaned back in his chair and regarded the older detective with a mixture of curiosity and doubt. “What can you tell me about the new case?”
“Very little. It’s the guy who died at the Main Street intersection the other day.”
“What could he possibly have to do with Penny?”
“He mentioned Montgomery Manor, and when we questioned Lila, she had no idea who he was. Since she’s quiet and keeps to herself, the story about Penny naturally came up because it was big news when it happened. Then, out of curiosity, Jared went digging in the files. There’s not a lot there.”
“That’s because there wasn’t a lot to chase,” Sal said. “I’ve remained on Lila’s payroll for about thirteen years now and I always feel bad when the retainer comes up every year because there’s nowhere to look. She pays, though.”
“That’s because she needs answers before she dies,” Harper supplied. “We just came from her house.” She moved her finger between Zander and herself. “We talked to her. She knows Penny is dead. She feels it in her heart. She can’t escape that tiny part of her that wonders if she was taken prisoner, though. She doesn’t want to give up, because what if Penny comes back? Then she’ll be the mother who gave up on her child.”
“That’s a pretty good read on the situation,” Sal acknowledged. “I’ve come to the same conclusion. Lila is a good person, but she’s completely on her own, other than that butler she has out there. I’m not sure how healthy it is for her to be hanging out with that guy.”
“We met him briefly yesterday,” Jared noted. “He didn’t seem all that bad.”
“Did you talk to him?”
“No, but ... he let us into the house and collected Lila for us. He seemed like a normal guy.”
“Yeah, I would suggest talking to him next time,” Sal said. “He’s a freaking nut as far as I can tell. He’s been with Lila a long time — twenty-five years, I believe — and he considers himself to be in charge of that house.”
“You don’t think he was the one who got Penny pregnant, do you?” Harper queried, a new idea forming in her head. “I mean ... he would’ve been there when Penny was a child. Maybe he groomed her, preyed on her, and then killed her to keep his indiscretion quiet.”
“That seems like quite the leap,” Mel argued. “Did you even meet him when you were out there?”
“No, but Zander and I have been talking about what happened with Penny. There are multiple possibilities for why she didn’t tell her mother who the father of the baby was. One of them involved an older man taking advantage of her.”
“It’s still a leap,” Mel argued.
“I wouldn’t completely rule out the possibility,” Sal countered. “I looked at him ... hard. I got a bad vibe from the guy. The problem is, he doesn’t seem to associate with anybody outside of Lila as far as I can tell. He’s possessive over her, to the point where I’m not even sure he gives her my messages when I call.”
“You should probably bring that up to Lila,” Harper suggested. “I think she would want to know. She was really friendly to us even though she caught us trespassing.”
“She’s a wonderful woman,” Sal agreed. “The thing is, she won’t listen to me when I try to ask her about Wendell. He’s been with her so long she considers him family, and since she doesn’t have any other family, she believes he’s all she has. She clings to him like a life raft.”
“Well ... maybe I’ll talk to her.”
Jared patted Harper’s hand to soothe her. She’d obviously bonded with Lila over the course of her morning with the woman. Trying to talk Harper out of doing something once she’d set her mind to it was virtually impossible. That was a conversation for later, though.
“Tell us what you have,” Mel suggested. “You must’ve talked to Penny’s friends, for example. Did they give you any idea who the father was?”
“They said they didn’t know, and I believe them,” Sal replied. “They were open, said that Penny was initially fearful to tell her mother, but altogether relieved when Lila didn’t melt down. Lila immediately came up with a plan so Penny could still go to school and the girls told me they thought Penny was comfortable with the plan.
“As for who she was dating, that’s another issue entirely,” he continued. “All three of those girls told me Penny had grown secretive over the six months before she disappeared. They thought she had a crush on someone, not that she was actually seeing someone, and didn’t press her. When Penny showed up pregnant, they were all thrown for a loop.”
“What about kids at school?” Jared asked. “Did they ever see her with any of the boys?”
“She had male friends — and I interviewed them as well — but as far as I can tell, Penny wasn’t having a sexual relationship with any of them. I can be intimidating when I want to be and none of the boys changed their story or acted nervous. They were all upset about what happened to Penny because they genuinely liked her, but none of them cracked.”
“Have you ever gone back and interviewed them again?” Mel asked. “I would think, as adults, they might see things differently than they did as kids.”
“As a matter of fact, I have,” Sal confirmed. “Two years ago, I went back and interviewed everyone again. I even interviewed Wendell because Lila requested he cooperate with me. He wouldn’t have done it willingly. His story didn’t change, though.”
“So, you’ve ruled him out?”
Sal hesitated. “I can’t rule him out because I don’t like him. His alibi was flimsy, too. He said he was in a park, by himself, reading a book when Penny disappeared.”
“And she disappeared from the library parking lot,” Mel mused. “That is a flimsy alibi.”
“Lila will never believe it’s him unless you come up with concrete evidence,” Sal said. “I don’t know that you can come up with that sort of evidence given how much time has passed. I mean ... maybe if you found her body. That seems like a lost cause this far out, though.”
“Nothing is a lost cause,” Harper insisted, her gaze falling on the files. �
�Is this everything you’ve amassed?”
“It is.”
“Do you mind if Zander and I go through it?”
Sal’s lips quirked. “I didn’t realize you were on the police department’s payroll.”
“We’re not, but we’re invested. I promise we won’t let anything happen to your files.”
Sal worked his jaw, considering. “Okay, I’ll let you borrow the files, but only because I’m curious if you’ll come up with something. I’ve read the stories about you in the newspaper. You’ve solved some weird cases. If you can solve this one and give Lila some peace, I would be grateful.”
“I’m going to give it my best shot.”
“I’m sure you will.”
11
Eleven
“He was interesting,” Harper noted as Jared stood with her next to her car after lunch.
“He was,” Jared agreed, plucking a random twig from the back of her hair. “Are you okay going through the files?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t have volunteered if I wasn’t okay with it.”
“I know but ... you seem pretty invested in this.”
Harper knew what he wasn’t saying and it rankled. “I’m not going to ruin our wedding.”
“Did I say you were?”
“No, but you’ve got that look.”
“I don’t have any look when it comes to you other than my ‘I love you more than life itself’ look and you know it.”
A smile ghosted around her lips, unbidden. “I love you, too. As for this ... if we don’t find answers before the wedding, there’s no reason I can’t continue looking when we get back. Penny has waited this long for justice, she can wait a few weeks longer.”
“I don’t disagree. The thing is, I’m not sure you can let it go long enough to have a good time on our honeymoon.”
“I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to find answers before the wedding. I’m not going to allow this to ruin things for us, though. You have my word.”
Jared studied her face for a long beat and then nodded. “Okay. If you can go through the files and find answers, I think it would be best for all of us. Just ... do what you can.”
“That’s the plan. What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. Humphrey has to be our focus. Mel is already annoyed that I keep turning the conversation back to Penny.”
“Maybe it’s something we can do as a newly married couple when we get back,” Harper suggested. “I mean ... it can’t take all of our time. We can still give it some time, though.”
“We can.” He cupped the back of her head and gave her a soft kiss. “I’m glad you weren’t arrested.”
“I’m telling you, Lila is a good person.”
“And that only makes you want to help her more.”
“It does,” Harper agreed. “She needs answers. She says that not knowing is worse, although I’m not certain if she’ll feel that way if we really can put Penny to rest. I mean ... she’s been living with a certain amount of numbness for the past seventeen years. The emotional blow she takes when there’s confirmation might be more than she can absorb.”
“Do you really think that?”
Harper hesitated and then held her hands palms out. “I don’t know. I mean ... think about Quinn.”
Jared scowled. The last thing he wanted to talk about was Harper’s former boyfriend, a man who faked his own death and only came back because he thought he might be able to get rich with a return visit. He threatened Harper’s life while toying with her emotions, and Jared absolutely hated the man. “Do I have to?”
Harper chuckled. “I’m talking about my emotions regarding Quinn,” she clarified. “I always felt somewhat bereft when it came to what happened to him. Even though it was difficult, haunted me on some levels, it was better when he was missing because the truth of what he was and what happened was worse.”
“I get what you’re saying. This is different, though. Penny is Lila’s daughter. The baby was lost, too, and that was a double blow. Lila has nothing left. I think she needs answers, no matter what they are.”
“She does.” Harper leaned in so she could rest her head against Jared’s shoulder. “I have every intention of enjoying our wedding and honeymoon. I won’t let this derail anything. Until then, though, I figure there’s no reason I can’t spend at least a little bit of my precious time searching.”
“I just want you to be happy.” He kissed her forehead. “I know you won’t be happy until you solve this. I’m not going to stand in your way.”
“That’s probably good.”
“Probably.” He wrapped her in his arms and hugged her. “Try to keep out of trouble. If you could refrain from getting arrested, that would be great, too. Oh, and if your life is threatened so close to the wedding, I’m totally going to melt down.”
“Wow. That was a rather detailed warning.”
“I just want you to know the stakes.”
She laughed as she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. “I can’t wait to be your wife.”
“And I can’t wait to be your husband.”
Before they could grace each other with a hotter kiss, Zander emerged from the restaurant, his chest puffed out. “I handled the problem with the centerpieces,” he announced. “Jason is re-doing them. Also, he’s banned me from the restaurant. We’re probably going to have to enact ‘Operation Harper Smooths Things Over’ in the next day or so.”
Harper’s lips twitched. “I saw that coming.”
“We all saw that coming,” Jared agreed. “Am I the only one who kind of wants Jason to ban him from the wedding? What? Don’t look at me that way. I was just joking.”
Harper wasn’t so sure. For now, though, she let it go. “I’ll text if I find anything in the files.”
“And I’ll text if we get anywhere, although I’m not expecting miracles.”
Harper cocked her head. “I don’t know. Everything feels pretty miraculous since we found each other.”
“I feel the exact same way.”
A TIP FROM ROCKY’S COLLISION HAD Jared and Mel descending on the Whisper Cove garage an hour later, hopeful they were finally going to get somewhere. The car in question wasn’t the one they were looking for, though.
“That’s definitely not the same vehicle,” Jared noted as he looked over the red vehicle in question.
“Sorry.” Rocky, who had only recently taken over the business from his retiring father, held out his hands. He had long black hair, which was pulled back in what Jared would describe as a loose man bun, and grease on his cheek. “I thought it was worth a shot.”
“No, we definitely want to know if any red vehicles are brought in,” Jared said hurriedly. “That’s not the vehicle from the video, though. The damage to the vehicle we’re looking for would be to the front end.”
“Do you know how much damage we’re talking about?”
Jared shook his head. “The video footage was bad. It came from equipment that was out of date six or seven years ago.”
“That’s the thing with technology,” Rocky noted. “It doesn’t last all that long. I’m sorry to have wasted your time.”
“You haven’t wasted it,” Mel, his hands on his hips, stated. “In fact, you might be able to help us in another way.”
“I can certainly try.”
“We have video. Can you look at it and tell us what you think?”
“Sure.” Rocky moved over to a table in the center of the room and wiped his hands on a rag before accepting Mel’s phone. He furrowed his brow as he watched the images scurry across the screen. “This is the best you have?”
Mel grimaced. “Unfortunately.”
“Well, it’s ... pretty brutal. The front end of this car will definitely be damaged, but I think the bulk of it will consist of a dented grill and maybe some depression on the hood. Can I ask if there was glass at the scene?”
Mel nodded.
“That’s likely the headlight on the left side. I wonde
red.” Rocky nodded, as if confirming something to himself. “Here’s the thing, I think the vehicle is likely drivable despite the damage. This looks deliberate to me. That means only an idiot would take their vehicle into a legitimate garage given the media coverage this has gotten.”
“So, you think someone likely dumped the vehicle in the woods or something,” Jared mused.
“Actually, that would be really stupid,” Rocky countered. “You can’t control who finds a vehicle if you dump it that way. This is a suburb of Detroit, though. There are other ways to dump a vehicle.”
Mel’s forehead creased. “You’re talking about a chop shop.”
“If I was going to commit murder with a vehicle — and that honestly wouldn’t be my first choice — I most certainly wouldn’t risk getting the vehicle fixed. I would take it to a place in the city and pay them to make it go away.”
“I don’t think just anybody knows how to find those places,” Jared pointed out. “All we know about the driver is that she’s female and blond. Now, I don’t want to cast aspersions on women — and I’ll deny being sexist to my dying breath if anybody tells my fiancée — but I wouldn’t think most women would know to even look for a chop shop.”
“I’m totally telling Harper,” Mel deadpanned.
Jared ignored him. “A random person shouldn’t be able to find one of those places, right?” he pressed.
Rocky shrugged, noncommittal. “I would have no problem finding one of those places. I think people in the city would have an easy time. I guess you’re right about a woman from the suburbs, although if she planned this murder ahead of time, she likely covered her bases. I mean ... who wouldn’t?”
“I think you’re giving her too much credit.” Jared couldn’t wrap his head around what Rocky was suggesting. “I’m a police officer and I would have no idea where to look for a chop shop.”
“There’s only one in these parts that I know of,” Rocky explained. “It’s not as if it’s out in the open. You’re right about that.”
“There’s a chop shop in Whisper Cove?” Jared couldn’t hide his surprise. “Where?”
Ghostly Wedding (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 17) Page 12
