“Are you worried I’m partaking in the peppermint hot chocolate?”
Jared shrugged. “From what I hear, it’s practically magical. How can you refrain?”
“You jest, but it is downright magical. You have no idea how much I love that hot chocolate.”
“Probably not as much as Harper. I think she’s already had two mugs, and maybe she snuck in a third when I wasn’t looking. I can’t be sure.”
“That should make her downright lovable by the time you can take her home.”
“She’s always downright lovable.”
“Ugh. You guys are sick. I can’t wait until you propose and put me out of my misery. Only men thinking about getting married are as ridiculous as you. Once you’re married, you’ll realize that romance is a myth.”
“Hey!” Jared extended a warning finger and glanced around before continuing. “Don’t say that so loud. You’re going to ruin the surprise.”
“If you would get it over with, there would be nothing to ruin.”
“It needs to be a big deal.”
“See, I think you’re being bamboozled by television and movies to believe that. I proposed to my wife over a bucket of KFC and warm biscuits. She still talks about the proposal.”
“I’m guessing it’s not in a good way,” Jared said drily.
“We’re still married.”
“And it’s a great accomplishment,” Jared agreed. “I’m going to have a great marriage and proposal. You can have both.”
“Fine.” Mel held his hands up in mock defeat. “You do your thing. Just get it over quickly so I don’t have to worry about what I say. You know I’m not good with a secret.”
“I do know that,” Jared confirmed. “Zander gets that from you.”
“And I think we should start making our way around the crowd,” Mel intoned. “If we don’t, there’s gonna be a fight ... with or without the peppermint hot chocolate.”
“Fair enough.”
HARPER WATCHED ALLY LIGHT her candle for Zoe with a mixture of pride and sadness. The woman was barely holding it together, and yet she was leaps and bounds ahead of where she’d been earlier in the day. Karen was with her, sort of her de facto wingman, and they kept close to one another as volunteers made the rounds with the candles.
“It’s a wonderful outpouring, isn’t it?” Shana offered, moving to the spot beside Harper. She already had a candle, although it wasn’t lit.
“There are a lot of people here who clearly care about Zoe,” Harper agreed, shifting from one foot to the other so she could give Shana a sidelong look. “How are you doing with all that’s going on?”
“Are you wondering if this brings back memories of Chloe?”
“I would think it would have to.”
“Well, you would be right. The thing is, though, I think about Chloe all the time whether there’s a missing child or not. Zoe’s disappearance obviously reminds me of what happened, but nothing ever truly stops me from missing her.”
A bubble of sympathy took up residence in Harper’s chest. “I’m sorry. It must be hard for you at this time of year.”
“It’s hard for me every time of year. Christmas isn’t worse or better. In truth, Chloe’s favorite holiday was Thanksgiving. She said it was because turkeys were underappreciated.”
Harper smiled because she knew it was expected. “Well ... she sounds like a wonderful girl. I don’t really remember her that well. We were a bit younger and the high school kids at that point in time were considered mythical creatures by us middle school losers.”
“I think she would’ve grown up to be a wonderful woman.” Shana let loose a long sigh. “Sometimes that’s what I think about, how she would’ve turned out. What kind of mother she would’ve been, if she would’ve had a career or opted to be a homemaker. The sky was the limit for my girl, and I like imagining what could have been rather than what was.”
“I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but you don’t know with absolute certainty that Chloe is dead,” Harper hedged. “She could be out there somewhere.”
“And she purposely stayed away? Why?”
Harper thought of Quinn. “I don’t know that I’m the best person to be sharing this conversation with,” she said ruefully. “My ex-boyfriend came back from the dead a few weeks ago and tried to kill me. My head is all over the place.”
Shana snorted. “I forgot about that. I guess, to you, it’s entirely possible for someone to disappear for years and come back, huh? The thing is, I very much doubt it’s going to happen twice in the same small town. I know she’s gone. I’m a ... realist.”
Harper pursed her lips. “I don’t want to tell you your business — and I get why it’s important for you to be able to put the past behind you and look forward — but you really shouldn’t have told Ally to accept that Zoe was gone. We don’t know that she’s gone yet. There’s still a chance we’ll find her.”
“I didn’t tell her she was gone. I said she had to pull herself together and be strong, because whether Zoe is gone or not, Ally is no good to anyone if she curls up in a ball and stops living her life. I certainly didn’t mean for her to embrace the fact that Zoe is gone for good. If she took what I said that way ... well, I guess there was some miscommunication.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Harper said, brightening considerably. “Ally is barely on her feet. She might’ve only heard what she wanted to hear.”
“That’s true. You wouldn’t believe the things I imagined I heard in the weeks surrounding Chloe’s disappearance. I thought everyone was saying something they weren’t because my nerves were shot, my emotions fragile. It took me forever to crawl out of that hole. I don’t want the same thing for Ally.”
“None of us want that for her. No one is ready to give up, though. We’re going to find Zoe. I have faith ... and I want Ally to have it, too.”
“There might come a time when she has to give up the fight.”
“Maybe. It’s not today, though.” Harper flashed a small smile before moving to her left. “I need to get a candle and then find Zander and Shawn. It was nice talking to you, Shana. What you’re doing for Ally is wonderful. She probably doesn’t realize it yet, but she will ... one day.”
“I’ll see you around, Harper. I ... oh, wait.” She screwed up her face, something occurring to her. “Did you ever track down the owner of the van?”
“I didn’t, but Jared did. Turns out it was a dead end.”
“Oh?” Shana looked disappointed. “I’m sorry to hear that. I was hopeful that would prove to be a vital clue.”
“No. It turns out the guy was a sex offender, so they really thought they were getting somewhere, but he was delivering furniture and simply didn’t have time to carry out the deed. And, well, he was on the sex offender registry for public indecency, not a sex crime. It’s a whole big thing. He’s not a suspect, though.”
“Well, that’s too bad. I hoped he would lead you to Zoe.”
“We all did. I’ll see you around.” Harper offered a half-wave and turned to find Zander and Shawn. She’d barely made it through the crowd, to where she thought they would be standing, when she pulled up short.
There, standing on the far side of the gathering, was a forlorn woman. She had long dark hair and glittering eyes. If Harper didn’t know better, she would’ve assumed she was crying. That was impossible, though, because the woman wasn’t there for the candlelight vigil. She was there because she was dead, which meant she had numerous other problems.
“Oh, well, crap,” Harper muttered, her heart rolling. “This isn’t a Christmas miracle.”
Ten
Harper tracked the ghost as she sidled through the crowd, barely paying any attention to the people she crossed paths with as she moved away from the bustling activity.
For her part, the ghost loitered on the other side of the fence that separated the main drag from the park. Harper didn’t immediately recognize the woman — and had no reason to believe she had any
thing to do with Zoe’s disappearance — but she couldn’t drag her eyes away from the specter.
The ghost didn’t look at Harper, instead studying the group of people toward the center of the action. Harper didn’t as much as look over her shoulder because she already knew who was standing there. Ally. She was surrounded by the people supporting her and trying to hold it together with all eyes on her.
Harper swallowed hard as she hit the street, took a moment to look both ways, and then turned back to the woman ... only to find her gone. She pulled up short, her heart thumping hard, and scanned the park for signs of movement. Unfortunately, the ghost that had been there only moments before was gone, and there was no indication where she went.
“Harp, what are you doing?” Zander called out, drawing her attention back to the festival. “You need a candle.”
“Sorry.” Harper forced a smile that didn’t make it all the way to her eyes. “I’m coming. I’ll be right there.”
SNOW WAS FALLING WHEN Harper woke the next morning and instead of bouncing out of bed, she snuggled closer to Jared so she could watch the large flakes slowly drift to the ground through the window. Jared was still out, his eyes closed, but he instinctively slipped his arms around her as she nestled her face against his shoulder.
She couldn’t shake the idea that the ghost’s timely appearance the night before was important. Of course, she had no idea who the woman was, so it was possible she’d been dead for years and only drawn to the area because of the crowd. Harper had no way of knowing the woman had information ... and yet something inside niggled for her to go back and track down the lost soul.
“I can hear you thinking so loudly that I’m afraid you’re going to wake the dead,” Jared muttered around a yawn.
Harper tilted her head so she could study his handsome face. “I’m sorry I woke you. It’s snowing out. I love snuggling in the snow.”
He pried open one eye and smiled. “If I could, I would call in sick and we could snuggle all day. I promise to make it happen before winter is over.”
“That sounds fun.” She rubbed her cheek against his chest. “Did you see anyone of interest at the vigil last night?”
“Everyone was of interest ... and also boring at the same time, if that makes sense.”
Oddly enough, that made perfect sense to Harper. “Everyone could be a suspect, but they also could be innocent.”
“Pretty much.”
“Huh.” She rubbed her hand over his bare chest as he tugged the covers up to cover both of them, drawing them over their heads and causing her to laugh. “What are you doing?”
“I want to live here, in this bed tent, with you for the rest of my life.” He kissed her, not caring that he could barely see her in the darkness. “This is a happy place.”
“You really are feeling schmaltzy these days, huh?”
“Maybe, or maybe I simply know what I want. Like, right now, I would give up pretty much everything to stay in this bed for the next twelve hours.”
“What would we do for food?”
“Make Zander deliver it to us.”
“Yes, because that sounds like something he would do.”
“Well, I didn’t say he would be happy about it.” Jared’s fingers were gentle as they brushed her hair away from her face. “You haven’t told me much about your meeting with Quinn. I’m trying not to push, but if you want to talk, I’m here.”
Harper blew out a sigh. “There’s nothing much to talk about. He tried to manipulate me and failed. Then he tried to get me to agree to change my testimony and failed again. It’s not as if we had some deep and meaningful conversation.”
“No? I thought maybe he would apologize for what he did to you.”
“I guess, in his roundabout way, he did. He made up stories and tried to tell me things I knew weren’t true. I didn’t believe him, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I’m just worried about you. What happened with Quinn was ... out there. It would only be normal for you to question things after the fact.”
“The only thing I’m questioning is how I didn’t see him for what he was from the start.”
“You were young.”
“Yeah, well, young doesn’t mean stupid. That’s what my dad always says.”
“You mean the man who is fighting over an antique cuckoo clock that doesn’t even work as he continues to battle it out with your mother in a divorce that has been going on for years?”
Harper sighed. “That would be my one and only father.”
Jared chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her slim body, pulling her close as they kissed. “I love you, Harper Harlow.”
“I love you, too, Jared Monroe.” Her eyes sparkled. “You’re acting extremely mushy this morning, though. I find it ... interesting.”
“I’m acting romantic,” he countered. “Who doesn’t love romance?”
“Good point.”
They lapsed into amiable silence, the only sound Harper could register coming from Jared’s heart as it beat against her ear. Then, suddenly, she remembered something and bolted upright. Since the covers were over her head, she got tangled and had to fight her way free.
“What’s wrong?” Jared asked as he joined her in the real world. “I thought we were having a nice moment.”
“We were. It’s not that. It’s just ... I saw a ghost at the candlelight vigil yesterday.”
Jared’s heart dropped. “And you’re just telling me now? Was it Zoe?”
“No.” Harper vehemently shook her morning-mussed head. “It wasn’t Zoe. It was a woman. She was older. I would say in her late twenties. Part of me thought I should recognize her at the time. The other part wasn’t so sure.”
Jared blinked several times before speaking. “You recognized her.”
“I’m not sure.” She chewed on her bottom lip, uncertain. “I don’t suppose you have a photograph of Jessica Hayden, do you?”
The question caught Jared off guard. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. I’ve only met her once or twice, and we’ve never been what I would consider close. I think that maybe the ghost I saw was her, although I can’t be certain.”
“Hold on.” Jared slid out of the bed. “I’ll be right back.” He disappeared through the bedroom door, returning two minutes later with his tablet and climbing under the covers as he booted it up. “It will just take me a second.”
“Okay.” Harper leaned her head against his shoulder as he worked, and Jared planted a hard kiss in the center of her forehead.
“Here we go,” he said after a few keystrokes. “Is this the woman you saw?”
Harper focused on the computer screen, on the pretty brunette with the bright eyes and easy smile. There was a lump in her throat as she slowly nodded. There was no doubt the woman she saw in the park was Jessica. “Yeah.”
“Are you absolutely sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Jared heaved out a sigh. “I guess that means she’s dead and not on the run with Zoe.”
“If she did have Zoe, do you think it’s possible she’s still alive and not alone ... wherever she is? Zoe, I mean. If Jessica took her and is dead … what does that mean for Zoe?”
Jared recognized what she was saying right away. “I don’t know, Heart. I guess we have no choice but to find out, though.”
“Definitely.”
AN HOUR LATER, HARPER and Jared were bundled up and at the park. Jared left his vehicle on the main road and they entered the property from the spot where Harper saw the ghost the previous evening.
“Right here?” Jared asked, holding out a hand to help Harper over the small fence.
Harper nodded, her eyes keen as she scanned the area. She had a knit cap pulled low over her ears and a pair of fuzzy mittens on so she could more easily take them off if she felt the need to touch something. “Yeah. She was standing right here.”
She turned and looked back at the street, which looked normal again. The festival steering
committee must have been busy after everyone left the previous evening, Harper internally surmised. There was no evidence the town hosted a party.
“I was right there,” Harper explained, pointing. “I caught sight of her and started moving in this direction. The street was shut down to through traffic, so I didn’t need to look before crossing the street. I did anyway, and that’s when I lost sight of her.”
“Well, don’t blame yourself.” Jared moved his hand over her back and scanned the park. It looked empty, desolate even. For some reason, seeing the vacant swings and merry-go-round caused his heart to ping. He was certain Zoe probably enjoyed hanging out at the park, and the only way she would be able to enjoy it again was if they found her ... and soon. “I guess we should look around.”
“Yeah.” Harper bobbed her head. “I’ll take this side of the park. You take the other.”
Jared balked. “Why don’t we stick together, huh?”
Amused despite herself, Harper had to bite back a grin. “I think you’re being a little ridiculous. It’s the middle of the day and we’re out in the open. Nobody is going to grab me or anything.”
“I know. It’s just ... fine.” He heaved out a sigh. “It will be quicker if we split up. Don’t go too far, though.”
“Trust me. I have no intention of spending one more second out here than is necessary. It’s cold ... and I don’t like being cold.”
“Well, if you’re a good girl, I’ll warm you up later.”
They split, Jared heading to the west and Harper the east. There were very few places to hide a body given the time of year. In the summer and fall months, the property was drenched in foliage thanks to flowers, bushes, and leafy trees. Now, it was barren, and there were only so many places to look.
Harper kept her gaze intent on the ground to make sure she didn’t miss any clues, and when she finally moved to the area behind the huge slide she and Zander used to love playing on for hours at a time as kids, she pulled up short.
She didn’t see the body. Not at first, at least, but a chill swept over her at the exact moment she saw hair fluttering in the breeze. To be fair, she didn’t realize it was hair for a full ten seconds. She saw something odd moving, tried to wrap her head around what it was, and only found the answers when she caught sight of a perfectly manicured hand hiding amongst the hair.
Ghostly Visions: A Harper Harlow Mystery Books 10-12 Page 29
