Ghostly Visions: A Harper Harlow Mystery Books 10-12

by Lily Harper Hart

  “We heard most of it,” Shawn supplied. “We know that Quinn was working with the other guy, the one from the store, but we’re not sure how it all overlaps.”

  “It’s kind of convoluted,” Jared admitted. “Basically, Quinn was always a scammer of sorts, looking for a quick way to make a buck. He met up with David Harding in college and they worked a few jobs together. When Quinn got the job at the bank, he realized they could get their hands on a lot of money. They needed a third person and David knew Judy, someone both men thought they could control, so that’s how they ended up working together.

  “They each took a hundred grand after the robbery, and David was supposed to hide the rest until they could dole it out,” he continued. “David figured out the cops were after him, though, and buried the money in Betty Miller’s cornfield. He thought it would be better that way in case the cops caught up with him because he couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t involved if they found the cash.”

  “I’m guessing Quinn didn’t like that,” Shawn noted.

  “No, but there was nothing he could do about it,” Jared said. “David was caught and locked away, but all they could truly get him for was auto theft. Quinn’s problem was that the Feds were convinced the robbery was an inside job and that they would look to him eventually. He couldn’t run without creating a manhunt situation, so he faked his death.”

  “Why come back now?” Zander asked, legitimately curious. “Why wait all this time?”

  “Because David got out of prison about a week and a half ago,” Jared replied. “His release was early. Apparently Quinn had a different plan, but it was thrown out the door when David was released. Unfortunately for David, the field was planted differently since his last visit and he couldn’t remember where he buried the money.”

  “That’s a total bummer, huh?” Shawn smirked.

  “He was out there digging a bunch of holes looking for the money, which explains why Betty was convinced the scarecrow was alive,” Jared explained. “She kept seeing movement. It was David, not the scarecrow. I have no proof of this, but I’m going to guess David is the one who pretended to make the scarecrow talk to scare her away. Betty claims otherwise, that the scarecrow was doing it, but that’s the only thing that makes sense to me.”

  “What was Quinn’s plan? I mean ... my understanding is that he killed David. How did he think he would find the money without him?”

  Harper stirred. “That’s where I came in. He thought David’s ghost would tell me where the money was so he could simply dig it up and be on his merry way.”

  “What was he going to do with you?” Zander asked.

  “He said I could go with him, but we all know that’s not what he had planned. If I found the money, he would’ve killed me. Even if I didn’t find the money, he would’ve done the same. He had no problem killing David. He didn’t even blink when he did it. It was ... nothing to him. I was nothing to him either.”

  “Heart, you can’t get yourself worked up about this.” Jared snagged her hand and pressed it to his chest. “He was a sociopath. You couldn’t have known.”

  “Really?” Harper wasn’t convinced. “I was with him for a decent amount of time. It seems to me that’s something I should’ve picked up on.”

  “I think you did pick up on it. You simply didn’t realize it. You said it yourself, you were young. You didn’t want to see evil in the world, so you simply looked the other way. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

  It didn’t feel that way to Harper. “I still think I should’ve known.”

  “You can’t go back and change things.” Jared’s fingers were gentle when they shifted a strand of hair behind her ear. “The most important thing is that you’re okay. You have no idea the terror I felt when Molly called to tell me what was going on. I was sure I would get there too late, and the thought wrecked me.”

  Harper managed a small smile. “You came through. At first, I was freaked out when Mel grabbed me and dragged me into the stalks. Then I saw you and knew everything would be okay.”

  “All I could think about was getting to you. It took every ounce of self-restraint I have not to race across the field and kill Quinn with my bare hands. That walk through the stalks was the longest of my life.”

  “Well, it’s over now.”

  “It definitely is.” Jared wrapped his arms around Harper and held her tight as she curled into him. He could read the exhaustion on her face. She needed quiet time to think and decompress. He would have to force Zander into taking a step back to make sure it happened, but he was prepared and ready when the right moment showed itself.

  “What about Molly?” Shawn asked, clearly trying to change the subject. “Is she okay?”

  “Molly bolted into the stalks the second Quinn appeared,” Jared answered. “She reacted out of instinct and is feeling guilty for leaving Harper.”

  “That’s stupid,” Harper muttered. “She did the exact right thing.”

  “Which is what I told her. She’ll be fine once she rests for a bit. I think the same can be said for you.”

  Harper lifted her chin and met his eyes. “Yeah. I’m tired. I’m also cold. I think I’m going to hit the bathroom and take a long bath. I mean ... if you don’t mind.”

  “I don’t mind. I think it’s a good idea.” Jared gave her a soft kiss, one that promised a myriad of things with one gentle touch. “How about I order some Chinese food and we eat in bed tonight, huh? How does that sound?”

  “That sounds like something I’m not invited to,” Zander groused.

  Jared ignored him when Harper nodded in gratitude. “Good. I’ll place the order. By the time you’re done in the bathtub, the food will be here. I figure we can watch some television and shut out the rest of the world.”

  “That’s a good plan.”

  Jared waited until Harper shut her bedroom door before speaking again. “Zander, we need to talk.”

  For his part, Zander was expecting Jared to start barking orders. That didn’t stop him from making a pinched face. “Oh, I hate it when you use that tone.”

  “I know you do.” Jared was calm but refused to back down. “I want you to leave Harper alone for the rest of the night. Tomorrow morning, though, I’m going to temporarily suspend my rule about you climbing into bed with us. I think that will make Harper feel better. I want you to wait until after nine, though. Everyone has the day off and I want to sleep in.”

  Zander was instantly suspicious. “You’re inviting me into bed with you?”

  “There’s no need to make it sound dirty.”

  “I’m simply asking for clarification.”

  “I want you to make Harper laugh,” Jared corrected. “She’s not ready for it yet. She will be tomorrow. You’re the best man for the job.”

  Zander puffed out his chest. “That could be said about almost anything.”

  “Yes, well, I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “What about Quinn?” Shawn asked. “What’s going to happen to him?”

  “He’s in our jail until Friday. Then he’ll be transferred to a federal facility. I believe he has a lot of questions to answer.”

  “Will Harper have to testify?”

  “Probably. I expect the national news media will be all over this place once the story breaks, too. It’s too big not to draw a lot of attention.”

  “We’re not going to be able to shield Harper from that,” Zander noted, serious. “She won’t be able to get away from people wanting to interview her. She won’t like that.”

  “We’ll do what we can to protect her, but I’m not sure how that’s going to work either,” Jared admitted. “We have a few days to make a plan. This won’t break until Friday. That’s good for us.”

  “Yeah.” Zander narrowed his eyes as he studied the police officer. “What about you? How are you feeling?”

  “Thankful. I thought I might lose her.”

  “Some things are meant to be,” Zander countered. “You and Harper are meant to be.”<
br />
  “I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

  “Yeah, well, you saved my best friend. You’ve earned it.”

  “Yeah.” Jared exhaled heavily and rubbed his forehead. “While I have you in a magnanimous mood, there’s something else I want to tell you.”

  “What?”

  “I’m proposing to Harper over Christmas.”

  Whatever he was expecting, that wasn’t it. Zander jerked up his chin. “What?”

  “Don’t act so surprised. You knew it was coming. We’ve talked about this before.”

  “Yes, but I didn’t know it was happening this fast. Why now?”

  “Because there’s no reason to wait,” Jared replied simply. “All I could think about during that drive to the field was how much I love her, how I can’t live without her. Those feelings aren’t going to change. Not a month from now ... or a year from now ... or a decade from now. She’s it for me, and I want to make it official.”

  Instead of melting down like he expected, Jared was pleasantly surprised to see Zander fighting off tears. They were of the good variety, though, not the whiny.

  “Are you okay with that?” Jared asked pointedly. “I want to make sure before I move forward. I would rather deal with meltdowns now instead of in the future.”

  “I guess that depends,” Zander hedged, recovering quickly.

  “On what?”

  “If I can help you pick out Harper’s ring.”

  Jared’s lips curved up. In truth, he’d always wanted the persnickety man with him for that particular task. “Sure. As long as you promise not to give away my plan. I want to make it something special.”

  Zander mimed crossing his heart. “I promise. I would never ruin this for her. I love her, too.”

  “I know you do. That’s why we’re going to do this together.”

  “Cool.” Zander shot Jared an enthusiastic thumbs-up. “By the way, you know I’m going to be obnoxious when it comes to finding the exact right ring, don’t you?”

  “I never doubted it.”

  “As long as you’re aware.”

  Shawn snorted at the two men, amusement lighting his handsome features. “You guys are going to be a fearsome twosome going forward. I’m looking forward to watching it unfold.”

  “That makes two of us,” Zander said, his eyes sparkling.

  “Three,” Jared corrected. “There are three of us in this, and we’re going to make all of Harper’s dreams come true. I’ll settle for nothing less.”

  Ghostly Holiday

  A Harper Harlow Mystery Book Eleven

  One

  “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

  Zander Pritchett, his dark hair gleaming under the pink gel bulbs in the jewelry store, fixed Jared Monroe with a challenging look as they stood in front of the display case. There was a dare there, an “if you don’t do what I say, I’m going to punish you” provocation.

  For his part, Jared merely shook his head and studied the rings in front of him. When he asked Zander to accompany him so he could pick out the ideal token of affection for his girlfriend — he was determined to drum up the perfect Christmas proposal even if it killed him — he didn’t see the harm in the invitation. Now he realized it was a mistake, but there was very little he could do about it.

  “It’s the most wonderful time of the year,” Jared replied dully, his eyes flat as he studied an emerald cut solitaire that made him think of his girlfriend.

  Harper Harlow was many things. She was gregarious, chatty, tons of fun, and strong. She didn’t go for a lot of frills, so Jared was convinced that a simple ring was the way to go. Zander, Harper’s best friend, kept pointing toward absolutely ridiculous offerings and declaring they were the way to go.

  Basically, the two men were at loggerheads and it didn’t look as if the tension was going to ease anytime soon.

  “May I see this one?” He pointed toward the ring that caught his attention and the woman behind the counter — her name tag read “Laura” — smiled serenely as she jangled her keys and opened the door.

  “Absolutely.”

  If Laura was bothered by the amount of time Jared and Zander had spent hopping from display case to display case, she didn’t show it. In fact, the weird smile never left her features. She almost looked drugged. Of course, Jared rationalized, if he had to put up with hundreds of Christmas shoppers he would adopt a defensive expression, too. She was probably trying to find a way to survive the day.

  “Here we go.” Laura removed the ring from the case and handed it to Jared, allowing him to lift it and stare at the twinkling gemstone.

  “This is kind of nice, huh?” Jared asked Zander hopefully.

  Instead of agreeing, Zander merely shrugged. “I think it’s boring. This one over here has a diamond and eight different other gemstones set up in a rainbow arc. That’s much more exciting.”

  Jared heaved out a sigh and reminded himself that Zander was doing him a favor. While Jared and Harper had only been together several months — although they’d changed each other’s lives in that time — Zander and Harper had been joined at the hip since they were children. They were the best of friends, so close they fought separation (even when irritated with one another). Jared wanted Zander involved in the process ... even if it meant Zander would drive him crazy until the proposal was on the books and Jared could refer to Harper as his fiancée rather than his girlfriend.

  “She won’t like that ring,” Jared argued, his temper getting the best of him. “I mean ... it’s ridiculous.”

  “It’s unique,” Zander countered. “Look at it. You’ve got a huge diamond, which is a necessity. Then you have an amethyst, ruby, sapphire, emerald, aquamarine, citrine, and tanzanite surrounding it. What’s not to like about that? Harper is a unique person. She should have a unique ring.”

  “That ring is one of our most popular sellers,” Laura offered, her smile suggesting she was trying to be helpful. “It’s expensive, but worth it if you love someone.”

  Jared made an exaggerated face. “So ... basically you’re saying that this ring isn’t unique because you’ve sold a buttload just like it ... and that I’m going to make a rotten husband because I don’t want to spend the money on that ring. Am I missing anything?”

  Laura was blasé. “I was simply trying to help.”

  “Ignore him,” Zander volunteered, making a clucking sound with his tongue as he shook his head and turned away from the garish ring. “He’s nervous about becoming a husband. It’s normal ... at least if I’m to believe what movies and television have shown me over the past twenty years.”

  Jared scowled. “Are you trying to drive me crazy?”

  “I don’t know. Is it working?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then I’m trying to drive you crazy.” Zander winked as he nudged Jared to the side with his hip and focused on the ring Jared had picked out. To both of their surprise, Zander didn’t brush away the ring selection right away ... like he had with every other ring that earned Jared’s attention.

  “Well, this isn’t terrible,” Zander said finally, removing the ring from the velvet display and sliding it on his finger so he could look at it. His hands were much larger than Harper’s, so the ring didn’t make it past the first knuckle. Still, his eyes gleamed with interest as he studied the stone.

  “What can you tell me about this ring, Laura?” he said after a beat.

  “That ring was acquired through an auction,” Laura replied, grabbing a clipboard from the back of the display. On it, the specifics of each ring were listed, and she appeared bored as she read them off. “It’s a platinum setting, emerald cut, color G, and clarity is listed at VS1.”

  “How many carats?” Zander queried.

  “Two.”

  Zander pursed his lips as he stared at the ring. “It’s kind of nice,” he hedged after a moment’s contemplation. “The other one is more colorful. This one ... well, this one ... .” He trailed off, l
etting loose a sigh. “This one does kind of look like her.”

  Hope flared in Jared’s chest. “You actually like the same ring as me? We’ve been at this for hours and that’s yet to happen.”

  “I didn’t say that,” Zander shot back, haughty. “I simply said this wasn’t terrible.”

  Shrewd, Jared narrowed his eyes. “I think you like it.”

  “And I think you’re full of yourself.” Even though he said the words with feeling, Zander kept the ring elevated and sighed. “She would love this ring.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah. This is her. I would love the other ring but this one ... it’s simple but eye-catching. It’s not so big it would overpower her hands, which are small. It’s ... her.”

  Jared was so giddy he wanted to do a little dance. “I’ll take this one.” He snagged the ring from Zander’s hand and shoved it toward Laura. “I want a pretty little box for it.”

  “Okay.” Laura’s expression was back to reflecting the monotony of the day. “Don’t you want to know how much it costs?”

  Jared hadn’t even considered that. He was resigned to the fact that the ring would be expensive. He was prepared to pay whatever it took to get Harper the perfect ring. The moment of truth had him girding himself. “Lay it on me.”

  Laura told him in a flat tone that caused the color to drain out of his face.

  “Wow,” he muttered when he absorbed the total. “That’s a lot of money.”

  “It is,” Zander agreed, somber. “Harper would be okay if you got her a smaller ring.” It was rare for Zander to be cognizant of other people’s feelings, so his response caught Jared off guard.

  “You’re actually suggesting I buy her a smaller ring?” Jared was understandably dubious. “When did that happen?”

  “I don’t know.” Zander held his hands out and shrugged. “I just keep picturing Harper’s face when she finds out you signed yourself up for indentured servitude to pay for this thing.”

  Jared blinked several times and then shook his head. “It’s okay. I’ve got the money.”