Ghostly Wedding (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 17)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Your night will be much more relaxing than mine,” Harper agreed. “Still, in twenty-nine hours, we’ll be standing in front of each other pledging to spend the rest of our lives together. It’s a big deal.”

  “I’ve already pledged myself to you for the rest of our lives.”

  “Me, too, but it might still be fun to say the words.”

  “I’m looking forward to seeing you in your dress.”

  “I’m looking forward to every minute of our lives that we’re going to share.”

  He went gooey and soft at his core. “How about we spend twenty more minutes doing this and then I’ll prepare the Cookie Crisp this morning.”

  Harper’s laugh was light. “That sounds like the perfect way to start our last day as single people.”

  “I thought it had a nice ring to it.”

  ONCE JARED LEFT FOR HIS SHIFT, HARPER’S FULL attention was on the nurse. Sal had supplied them with a name, and thankfully for them, she still worked at the same facility. After a stop at the front desk to converse with the receptionist, who they happened to know from high school, they tracked down Sheila Bishop in the cafeteria drinking coffee.

  “Do you need something?” she asked as she glanced between faces. She looked to be in her forties and in no mood for games.

  “I certainly hope so,” Harper said as she indicated the empty chairs at Sheila’s table. “May we sit?”

  “I don’t know. You guys look like you might be spoiling for trouble and I’ve only had three cups of coffee so far this morning. You don’t want to take me on.”

  “We don’t,” Harper agreed. “We’re also not spoiling for trouble. We’re just here for a bit of information.”

  “I can’t talk about my patients. There are laws.”

  “This wouldn’t be a patient, at least not officially, and it stems from an incident that occurred about seventeen years ago.”

  Sheila’s forehead wrinkled as she sipped her coffee. “Okay, you’ve officially piqued my interest. What incident are you referring to?”

  “There was a baby, early in the morning, and a new mother who said the baby was in distress.”

  Realization dawned on Sheila’s features. “Oh, you’re with the private investigator. I didn’t realize he’d branched out.”

  “Technically we’re not with him,” Harper replied. “He did loan us his files because we were looking for information on another case. My understanding is that you were the one who had contact with this woman and baby.”

  “I did,” Sheila agreed. “I was actually new on the job at the time. I’d done two years at Detroit Mercy Hospital but decided to move to the suburbs after that. There’s only so many bullet wounds you can see before you get numb to the point of no return.”

  “I can see that,” Harper agreed. “How long were you out here before it happened?”

  “About three months. I was still learning the ropes at this place. Now I practically run it. Back then I was unsure of protocols, though, and I think that’s what cost me in this particular case.”

  “Can you tell us what happened?”

  “Sure. I’m not breaking any laws. The mother and child were never admitted so their health concerns aren’t protected.”

  “We would really like to know,” Harper prodded.

  “I don’t know that there’s much to tell. I was working the night shift, which meant I was still on from the night before. When you’re new, you get all the crappy shifts. Luckily it doesn’t often last for more than a year so you just have to suck it up.

  “I had about an hour left in my shift,” she continued. “I saw the woman in the parking lot before she walked through the emergency room door. She was white as a sheet ... and panicked. She brought the baby directly to me and said she was worried she couldn’t breathe.”

  That was a new tidbit, Harper noted. “She? The baby was a female?”

  “That’s what the woman said. With newborns, it’s not always easy to tell by faces. The baby was wrapped in a blanket so there was no way of knowing for certain. I held her, touched her face and checked her breathing. She seemed fine to me. Sure, she was a little red-faced — that seemed to be this woman’s main concern — but that’s not unheard of right after birth. The event is traumatizing for infants and mothers.”

  “How did the mother look to you?” Zander queried. “I mean ... you’ve seen new mothers. Did this woman look as if she’d just given birth?”

  “No, and that stood out to me. I don’t know a lot of new mothers who take the time to blow out their hair, apply false eyelashes, and line their brows and lips.”

  “That wouldn’t seem like a priority,” Harper agreed. “What happened after you told her the baby looked okay?”

  “I said we would admit her anyway just to be on the safe side, that I would get a doctor,” Sheila replied. “That’s where I made my mistake. I wasn’t certain if I should admit them to the ER or the maternity ward. I broke off to ask, and when I turned around, she was gone. This was after I gave her the paperwork to fill out. She seemed agitated by that and asked if she could just have the baby checked without all the paperwork. She said she was willing to pay cash.”

  “That’s suspect, right?” Zander asked.

  “It’s not normal,” Sheila agreed. “Most people want the paperwork because it’s necessary for insurance. Of course, there are people who don’t have insurance. I’ve never run into any of them having a problem filling out the paperwork even under those conditions, though.”

  “When she left, what did you do?” Harper asked. “I mean ... did you chase her?”

  “I went out to the parking lot looking for her. She’d been worried about the baby, which made me worried. I couldn’t find her, though. She was already gone.”

  “Did you report the incident to the police?”

  “We did, but nobody ever bothered to talk to me until years later. I thought Sal was a cop at first, but then he explained what he was doing, how a teenager from Whisper Cove had gone missing, that she was massively pregnant at the time of her disappearance, and the dates lined up with the report I filed.”

  “What do you think?” Harper asked. “I mean ... you had to get a feel for the woman. Do you think she gave birth to the baby she brought in?”

  “That wouldn’t be my first inclination, but stranger things have happened. I had to fill in on the maternity floor for a full month once and the things I saw when I was up there ... you would be stunned. I once saw a woman give birth in a rainbow wig even though her head was sweating and causing the thing to slide off every time she pushed. One woman applied makeup every hour so she would look good in photos after the event. Most people don’t bother with that stuff. Some genuinely care, though. It’s not my place to judge.”

  “Right.” Harper worked the situation through her head. “What about her body, though?”

  “That’s where I can’t reconcile the possibility of her giving birth. She wore jeans and a T-shirt. Both were fitted. There was no pooch.” Sheila moved her hands over her stomach. “I don’t care what shape you’re in, or how fast you bounce back, you’re going to have that pooch for a bit. This woman’s stomach was flat as a board.”

  “Do you know how old she was?”

  “That’s sometimes hard to gauge. I would put her at roughly twenty-five. That’s one of the reasons I didn’t question her panic. New mothers often freak out, especially if they’re young.”

  “You didn’t get a blood sample or anything from the baby, right?”

  “No, and I really wish I had,” Sheila said. “Honestly, it would’ve been better if I didn’t hand the baby back and instead rushed them immediately to the maternity floor. I was unsure of myself back then, though, and that’s a mistake. I didn’t realize how big of a mistake it potentially was until Sal tracked me down.”

  “Would you be able to recognize the woman if you saw her again?”

  “I ... think so. I mean, I can’t guarantee it. It’s been seventeen years. I�
��m fairly confident I could, though.”

  “Well, hopefully we’ll be able to come up with some photos for you to look at down the road.” Harper tugged on her bottom lip, considering. “What about the baby’s coloring? Was she blond? Dark hair? Dark eyes?”

  “The baby was bald, eyes blue. That’s not uncommon and you’re not going to find your missing baby that way.”

  Harper’s smile was rueful. “I figured. It’s just ... difficult. This case is cold, but I can’t shake the possibility that there could be a baby out there somewhere waiting to be found. Er, well, a teenager now.”

  “I assume you’ve written off the mother,” Sheila noted. “You haven’t mentioned her.”

  “Written off? I don’t know that I would phrase it that way. The odds of her being alive if someone simply wanted the baby seem pretty slim, though.”

  “I don’t disagree. What if the woman I saw and the baby’s mother were working together, though? Maybe the mother was too weak to take the baby to the hospital and she got a friend to do it? Maybe I saw the friend, which was why she was so out of sorts.”

  “I hadn’t really considered that.”

  “What about now?”

  Harper hesitated and then shook her head. “It doesn’t feel right. I obviously can’t rule out the possibility, but I think we need to be looking for the father or a woman who managed to cross paths with Penny in Whisper Cove. Those are the scenarios I’m leaning toward.”

  “Well, good luck. The world could use some good news. Finding out a baby long since thought dead is alive would fit into that category.”

  “I’m right there with you.” Harper graced Sheila with her warmest smile. “Thank you for your time. We’ll likely be in touch again.”

  “Good luck.”

  “Thanks. I think we’re going to need it.”

  14

  Fourteen

  Harper and Zander went for ice cream upon returning to Whisper Cove and planted themselves in the shade in front of the police station as they debated what to do next.

  “I think we should go to a spa,” Zander announced, causing Harper to frown.

  “A spa? I guarantee we’re not going to find answers at a spa.”

  “No, but we will find massages and facial scrubs. In case you’ve forgotten, we talked about doing that together before the wedding.”

  Guilt rushed over Harper, but she tamped it down quickly. “I think this is more important.”

  “You’re only saying that because you haven’t had a good massage in years.”

  “Jared gives me massages all the time.”

  “Sex massages don’t count.”

  “They’re not sex massages.”

  Zander rolled his eyes as he licked his cone. “How many massages has Jared given you that haven’t led to sex? Be honest.”

  “I ... don’t have the specific numbers.”

  Zander pinned her with a dubious look. “Don’t bother lying, Harp. You’re horrible at it.”

  “That’s just how things go.” Harper had no idea why she felt the need to stand up for Jared when it came to massages, but she was determined. “Massages are meant to be sexy.”

  “Uh-huh. How many times do you get sexy with the female masseuse at the spa?”

  “That’s different.”

  “How so?”

  “She’s not attracted to me. Jared is. He can’t help it if his hands wander.”

  “Oh, you’re so full of it. He’s a dirty pervert and you know it.”

  “Oh, really? How often does Shawn give you a massage that doesn’t lead to dirty things?”

  “Shawn and I aren’t animals.”

  Harper made a face and waited.

  “See, I don’t feel comfortable answering that question,” Zander said after a beat. “If I say that all our massages are chaste events, you’ll accuse me of having no game. If I say that all of our massages lead to cuddle games, you’ll say I’m a hypocrite. There’s no winning for me.”

  “How many?” Harper pressed.

  “I’m not answering that.”

  “Don’t make me wrestle you down.” Harper was deadly serious. “I know all your tickle spots. I’ll make you cry in public. I know how much you hate that.”

  “I don’t hate crying in public. I hate blowing my nose in public.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Harper let loose a haphazard hand wave. “You’re definitely a hypocrite.”

  “Take that back.”

  “No.”

  “Take it back or I’ll wrestle you down.”

  “You would have to catch me first and we both know I’m more athletically inclined than you.”

  Zander’s mouth dropped open. “I’m an Olympic athlete.”

  “When have you ever been to the Olympics?”

  “You don’t need to go to be considered an Olympic athlete.”

  “Um, I’m pretty sure that’s the way it works. To be an Olympian, you need to be invited to the games.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “It is.”

  “It’s not.”

  “It is.”

  “It’s not.”

  “It is!” Zander practically roared he was so annoyed.

  At that exact moment, Jared and Mel happened to be walking out of the police station. Their gazes automatically went to Harper and Zander, who looked ready to throw down.

  “What’s this?” Jared asked, his hand landing on Harper’s shoulder. He could practically feel the agitation vibrating under her skin.

  “Nothing,” Harper replied, her eyes never leaving Zander’s face. “We were just discussing ... something.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing important.”

  “Oh, don’t lie,” Zander snapped. “We were discussing me being an Olympic runner.”

  “When were you in the Olympics?” Mel asked blankly.

  “You don’t have to be in the Olympics to be an Olympic runner.”

  “You do so.”

  “You do not.”

  “You do so.”

  Harper slapped her hand to her forehead. “And now you know what we were arguing about.”

  Jared didn’t know if he should be amused or irritated. “Oh, well ... okay.” He dropped a kiss on the top of Harper’s head and started massaging her shoulders. “How did your visit with the nurse go?”

  Harper tried to force herself out of her bad mood. “It went okay. She says that a blond woman in her mid-twenties came in with a newborn, but she doesn’t believe the woman gave birth. She said she was new at the hospital, wasn’t sure where she should send her, and the woman balked at filling out paperwork and disappeared when she was trying to get direction on what to do.”

  “No name?”

  “No.”

  “Well, that’s something, but I don’t know how we’ll find this woman so many years after the fact.”

  “I don’t either. Zander and I decided to have some ice cream to think about things, one thing led to another, and now we’re here.”

  “What one thing led to your discussion about Zander being an Olympic runner?”

  “It’s not important.”

  “Uh-huh.” Jared didn’t believe that for a second. “Zander, what led to your fight?”

  “I told her we should be at a spa instead of chasing old mysteries and that she deserved a real massage,” he replied. “She said you gave her massages, but I said sex massages don’t count. Then she was hurtful.”

  “Oh, geez.” Mel rubbed his forehead. “I don’t understand how the two of you get anything done. No, I’m being serious. If this is how you communicate with one another, I’m thinking therapy might be in order.”

  “We’re professionals,” Zander replied. “We don’t need therapy. Although, to be fair, I’ve always liked the notion of paying someone to listen to my grievances. We’re talking about someone who can’t start talking about their crap when I’m still in the middle of dissecting my crap.”

  “I think therapy would be a go
od idea for you,” Jared agreed. “Just out of curiosity, how long is this fight going to last? We have somewhere to be and I’m not keen on leaving before you two are in love again.”

  “We’re in love,” Harper reassured him. “You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Zander and I can handle our own affairs.”

  “Well, I love you best,” Jared said as he dropped a kiss on her shoulder. “I happen to love the sex massages and agree that Zander is not an Olympian.”

  “Don’t make me come over there,” Zander growled.

  Jared ignored him. “If you’re still feeling sad in an hour or so I can listen to your grievances, Heart. It’s up to you, though.”

  “I’m sure we’ll be fine. I’m just going to wrestle Zander down and beat the crap out of him once I’m done with my ice cream.”

  “Oh, well, that sounds fun.” Jared flashed a smile and gave her shoulders another squeeze before releasing her. “I’ll be in touch. We have leftover Chinese food for dinner tonight, our last meal together. I might be persuaded to have lunch with you guys if you can afford to wait for an hour or so.”

  “That might be fun.” Harper brightened considerably. “We could have Mexican.”

  “You can’t have Mexican the day before your wedding,” Zander argued. “Do you want to be tooting as you walk down the aisle?”

  “Maybe I do. Why do you care?”

  “Oh, geez.” Jared felt as if he was caught between a rock and a Zander place. It wasn’t unusual for Zander and Harper to snap at each other like siblings. He wasn’t expecting it so close to the wedding, though. “We need to go. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “We’re fine,” Harper promised. “I’ve got everything under control. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Okay.” Jared met Mel’s gaze and shook his head. “Are you ready?”

  Mel nodded.

  “Just out of curiosity, where are you going?” Harper queried.

  “The funeral home. Denise Humphrey is going to be there making arrangements for Peter’s service. We thought it was best to touch base with her again.”

  “Do you think she’ll have more information?”