“Yes, that’s what’s important now,” Harper deadpanned. “We should worry about how embarrassed you are. Hey! Look at me!” She snapped her fingers to get Jessica’s attention. “I’m sorry for what happened to you. I really am. I hope you weren’t involved in Zoe’s kidnapping because it will make me regret feeling sorry for you, but right now I’m sympathetic.
“There’s nothing we can do to help you but find your killer, though,” she continued. “We can’t do that until we find whoever kidnapped Zoe. I don’t know a lot, but I know they’re the same person. So, we need to know who killed you.”
“I don’t know who killed me.” Jessica’s voice was firm as she collected herself. Harper’s words obviously had a stinging effect, because she stopped feeling sorry for herself and focused on the issues at hand. “I don’t remember a lot.”
“Why did you hire someone to follow Luke? Did you really think that would work to get him back?”
“I felt him pulling away,” Jessica explained. “Weeks before he actually called it quits, I felt it. He admitted something to me one night, and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. It bothered me a lot, but he never said anything similar again so I let it go.”
“What did he say?” Harper asked, curious despite herself.
“We’d been drinking and were walking home from the bar. I said the worst mistake I ever made was dying my hair blue when I was in high school. It was wrong for my coloring and washed me out.”
Harper had no idea where she was going with this. “Okay.”
“He said that the worst thing he ever did was abandon Ally and Zoe,” she continued. “He said that he would never be able to make up for it no matter how hard he tried. That’s when I knew things would never be how I wanted them to be, although I fought it for a long time because I didn’t want to admit defeat.”
“So, you assumed he was going to go back to Ally, and that’s why he broke up with you.”
“He claimed it wasn’t true, but I wanted proof.”
“Did you take Zoe? Did you plot to take her?”
“No. I might be immature and full of myself, but I would never hurt a child.”
Harper believed that. “Okay. We’ll figure out who did this, Jessica. In the meantime, you might not want to hang around this place. I think it’s slowing your reactions. Go home, to your house or your mother’s place. Warm up. You might be able to think better after that.”
“Sure. I guess it couldn’t hurt.”
JARED WAS EXHAUSTED WHEN HE walked into the kitchen shortly before nine and found Harper, Zander, and Shawn cleaning up after dinner.
“Hey.” He moved immediately to Harper and gave her a long kiss, his fingers chilly from the cold outside. “How did things go for you tonight?”
“Pretty good,” Harper replied. “I found Jessica’s ghost. She doesn’t know who killed her, but she swears up and down she didn’t have anything to do with Zoe’s kidnapping.”
“Do you believe her?”
“I think I do.”
“We have dinner warm for you in the oven,” Shawn offered, pulling open the range door and retrieving a foil-covered plate. “Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans.”
“Wow. Comfort food.” Jared gladly accepted the plate and moved toward the table. “If Jessica had nothing to do with Zoe’s kidnapping, that means someone wanted to point the finger at her.”
“She makes an intriguing patsy,” Shawn agreed. “She was obviously obsessed with Luke to the point where she was asking about him tonight, but from what Harper said, she was well aware that Luke had regrets about leaving Ally and knew she didn’t stand a chance against the family he’d left behind when it finally came time for Luke to grow up.”
“Yeah, it’s a difficult situation,” Jared agreed. “I need to think on it overnight. My head feels like mush.”
“That’s because you’re working too hard.” Harper sat next to him and moved her hand over his back. “Did you get anywhere tonight?”
“We talked to Jessica’s mother. She was a mess and couldn’t offer us much help. Everything else is a dead end. I can’t help but think we’re missing something.”
“Yes, well ... .” Harper trailed off, pursing her lips. She had no idea what to offer to make him feel better.
Jared made a happy groaning sound as he dug into his food. “This is amazing. Zander, you outdid yourself.”
“How do you know I didn’t cook?” Harper asked suspiciously, annoyance evident when everyone in the room started laughing. “I don’t think that’s an outrageous question.”
“You have many fine attributes, Heart, but cooking isn’t one of them,” Jared offered. “Oh, and by the way, I’m picking up my mother at the airport tomorrow morning, so I was hoping we could get together for lunch before I have to cut her loose and go back to the case.”
Harper almost fell out of her chair she was so surprised. “What?”
“My mother,” he repeated. “Did you forget she was coming?”
“I thought that was still up in the air.”
Jared made a face. “Christmas is almost here. Why would it still be up in the air? I told you she was coming.”
“Yes, but then I never heard another thing about it. I figured she changed her mind.”
“Well, she didn’t. She’ll be here tomorrow.”
Harper was flabbergasted. “Where is she going to stay?”
“The new house. That’s why we bought the fancy guest sheets.”
“But ... the room isn’t ready.”
“Well, I guess you’ll have something to keep yourself out of trouble tomorrow morning, huh?”
Harper narrowed her eyes to glittery blue slits. “You planned this.”
“Not at all. I’m going to take advantage of it, though. If you’re entertaining my mother, you can’t get into trouble.”
“Don’t underestimate her,” Zander warned. “She can find trouble no matter the circumstances.”
Harper was legitimately worried she was about to test that theory.
Fourteen
Harper couldn’t help feeling that Jared somehow tricked her into believing his mother wasn’t coming for Christmas. Sure, he told her months before that Pamela Monroe planned on visiting her son on the east side of the state over the holidays, but she pushed it out of her mind when no further conversation popped up.
Now she felt as if she was under the gun, and she wasn’t happy about it.
“Get up,” she ordered the next morning, skipping their usual snuggle fest and tugging at the duvet cover as he attempted to pull it over his head. “Get up. Get up. Get up!”
Jared merely opened one eye and stared at her. “It’s not even seven yet, Heart. Why are you torturing me?”
“Why do you think?”
“Did you and Zander inadvertently swap bodies during the night?” Despite the early hour, Jared found he was enjoying the flustered appearance of his girlfriend. “Is this a Freaky Friday kind of a moment?”
“Do you think that’s funny?”
“Not if I have to make out with Zander.”
“Ha, ha, ha.” She planted her hands on her hips. “Your mother is coming. You didn’t tell me, and now we’re way behind. We have to get over to the other house and put everything away before you leave to pick her up at the airport.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.” Jared refused to let her rile him. “Besides, you don’t have to do anything at the other house. I told her it was going to be a mess.”
“I have to get the guest room cleaned and find the bedding I bought ... and stash all the other boxes that are planted all over the house.”
He smiled as she swiped at her hair, which only served to make it stand on end. She was absolutely adorable, and he could think of a few other things he wanted to do besides unpack boxes. “Come back to bed.” He lifted the covers, slanting a pair of decidedly bedroom eyes in her direction. “I’ll make it worth your while if you do.”
On a norm
al morning, the invitation would’ve been impossible to deny. Harper was in a different world now. “Get up!”
“Geez, Heart, you’re taking all the fun out of a lazy morning.” He heaved out a sigh and rubbed his cheek. “Stop freaking out. She’s not staying at the house. She doesn’t care if the guest room is ready.”
Harper stilled. “You said I had to get the guest room ready for her.” Her tone was accusatory. “You said she was coming today.”
“She is coming today. She’s not staying at the house, though. I explained what a mess it is. She’s staying in the hotel. I reserved her room weeks ago.”
“But ... .”
“I was messing around with you last night,” he volunteered. “I thought you would be more likely to stay at home rather than question potential kidnappers if you thought you had to clean the new house from top to bottom.
“However much I would like to keep you safe, though, I’m not comfortable lying,” he continued. “I love you. Yada, yada, yada. She’s staying at the hotel.”
Harper relaxed, although only marginally. “Yada, yada, yada?”
His smile was back. “Come here and I’ll show you what I mean by that.”
She wagged a finger. “Uh-uh. You’re in trouble. I can’t believe you didn’t at least tip me off that she was coming. I would’ve remembered if we set a date.”
“She didn’t give me much choice. I thought she forgot about it, too. She called three weeks ago to tell me, I was surprised at the time, and then I forgot.”
“You forgot?”
“Hey, we’ve had a lot going on. Between your ex-boyfriend coming back from the dead and a missing girl, I’ve had other things on my mind. In truth, I thought I told you. It was only after you acted so shocked last night that I realized I hadn’t.”
“The house isn’t ready for anyone to see it.”
“Your parents have seen it.”
“My parents are lost causes. Plus, they already like you. My mother thinks you’re her only shot to unload me. She’s embarrassed because she thinks I can’t hold on to a man other than Zander.”
“Your mother is much nicer to me than she is to you,” he agreed. “You don’t have to worry about my mother, though. She’s easy. She never gives anyone a lick of trouble.”
“Yeah, but ... what does she know about me?”
“That I love you.”
“But ... what about the ghost stuff?”
Realization dawned on his face. “Oh, is that what you’re worried about? She knows what you do for a living. I wouldn’t keep that from her. Besides, you’re proud of it. You should be, by the way. You’re good at what you do. She’ll probably ask a hundred questions, but she won’t judge you for it.”
“Yeah, but ... what if she doesn’t like me?”
“Oh.” He made a sad face to match hers. “Are you worried my mother won’t like you? If so, don’t. She’s going to love you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re lovable.”
“I don’t know.” She glanced around, fearful. “I think I’m going to be sick. Maybe you should spend time with your mother and forget about me until after the holidays.”
“No way.” Jared turned serious. “I need you to be there with me for lunch. She’s dying to meet you.”
Harper sighed at his earnest expression. “Okay, but if she doesn’t like me, I’m going to be all kinds of sad.”
“You’re not going to be sad.” He held open his arms. “Come on. I want to show you how to yada, yada, yada.”
No matter how much she wanted to fight the effort to smile, Harper found she didn’t have the strength. “How can I turn down an offer like that?”
BECAUSE SHE WAS A BARREL OF nerves, Harper insisted Zander and Shawn go with her to lunch. Jared hadn’t exactly okayed the guest list, but she was determined to have people there who genuinely liked her in case things went south.
They met at the hotel restaurant, and Harper was so jittery she bounced between Zander and Shawn as the hostess showed them to their table.
“How do I look?” she asked for the twentieth time.
“You look like I’m going to drown you in a toilet if you don’t stop asking that question,” Zander warned. “Seriously, I wouldn’t let you leave the house looking like a fashion loser, would I?”
“No, but ... .”
“Shut up.” Zander was at the end of his rope as he smoothed his peach polo shirt. “You’re driving me crazy. I’m sick of talking about your outfit. Let’s talk about my outfit. How do I look?”
Shawn bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. “You guys are quite the pair today.”
“You should’ve seen us picking out stuff for prom,” Zander said.
“I’m sure that was delightful.”
“Then you’re imagining it wrong,” Harper said, making small animal noises in the back of her throat when she caught sight of Jared.
He sat at a round table in the center of the restaurant, three places set in addition to the ones he and his mother already occupied. The woman who sat with him was small — if Harper had to guess, she didn’t clear five feet — and she was laughing so hard at something Jared told her that she didn’t bother looking in their direction.
Jared, who was also laughing, did. He got to his feet when he saw her and extended his hand. “Hey, Mom, I have someone I want you to meet.”
Pamela swiped at the corners of her eyes as she hurriedly climbed to a standing position. Her smile was so wide it threatened to swallow her entire face and she pushed Jared aside so she could get a better look at Harper.
“Oh, aren’t you pretty? You are just adorable.” Pamela threw her arms around Harper and engulfed her in a tight hug. Since Harper was a good seven inches taller than her, she had to bend over to accept the embrace. “She’s lovely, Jared. Why didn’t you tell me she’s so pretty?”
“Yeah, Jared,” Zander intoned, his tongue practically dripping with sarcasm. “Why did you tell your mother that Harper was such a dog?”
Jared’s scowl was pronounced, but before he had a chance to give Zander a piece of his mind, Pamela was already directing her attention to Zander.
“You must be Zander. Jared said you were a flashy dresser. Look at this outfit. It reminds me of Miami Vice.”
Harper tried to swallow her laughter, and couldn’t. The mutinous look on Zander’s face would have her laughing for days. “Oh, you’re Sonny Crockett.”
“Ha, ha, ha,” Zander muttered, extending his hand. “Mrs. Monroe, I can’t tell you how happy I am to meet you.”
“Oh, that’s not greeting enough for me.” Pamela jerked Zander into an equally enthusiastic hug, laughing gaily as he awkwardly patted her back. “Jared was just telling me stories about you. I can’t wait to hear more of them. It sounds as if you have quite the happy home.”
“Not always,” Jared muttered, earning a stern look from Harper as Pamela turned her attention to Shawn.
“That means you must be Shawn, right?” Her smile for him was as bright as for everybody else. “Jared says you’re the peacemaker in the group when everyone starts fighting. It was the same way for me in my family because I had three sisters. I was always the peacemaker.”
“It’s not so bad,” Shawn countered. “They only get out of hand four or five times a week.”
“Oh, I can tell I’m going to like you.” She gave him a hug, insisted that everyone call her “Pam,” and had to be forced into her seat by Jared before she would settle. “So, tell me everything about yourself.” Her eyes were on Harper as she spoke. “I hear you can see ghosts. What’s that like?”
“Oh, well ... .” Harper paused, a menu in hand. “It’s different. I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Basically she just stands around and talks to air most of the time,” Zander explained. “Occasionally we get a rowdy ghost who doesn’t want to leave and it throws things. While I can’t see the ghosts, I can see the breaking crockery and stuff. That’s alwa
ys fun … unless I get hit in the head, which has been known to happen.”
Harper made a face. “When have you ever found that fun?”
“Every single time.”
“Yes, that’s why you whine for hours after each event,” she muttered, shaking her head. “Name one time you’ve ever liked it when a ghost threw something at you.”
“I can’t think of a time off hand, but I’m sure one exists.” Zander raised a hand to quiet Harper so he could focus on Pam. “So, tell me about Jared as a kid. Was he a pain in the butt? Did he boss around the other kids? Did he always have freakishly large nipples?”
Harper was mortified by the last question. One look at Jared’s ruddy cheeks told her he was equally flummoxed. Pam, though, laughed so hard Harper was surprised she didn’t cough up a lung.
“Oh, you are everything Jared described,” Pam enthused, rubbing her hands together. “He said you suck all the oxygen out of a room and he was right. I think we’re going to be the best of friends.”
Despite herself, Harper felt a small pang of jealousy lodge in her throat. Their whole lives, Zander was always the one who had an easier time making friends. She shouldn’t have been surprised that he schmoozed Jared’s mother before she had a chance to make an impression.
“That sounds delightful,” Zander agreed. “I think you should bond with Harper, though. She has a terrible maternal influence. She needs more help than I do.”
“Hey!” Harper shot him a look. “I have your mother.”
Zander chuckled. “That’s true. We’ve always shared my mother.”
Pam’s gaze was quizzical when it landed on Harper. “I was under the impression your parents were alive ... and local. Isn’t that what you told me, Jared?”
“They’re both local,” Harper answered. “They’re just ... a lot of work.”
“So much work,” Zander echoed. “This week they’re fighting over garden gnomes.”
“Fighting over?”
“They’re getting divorced,” Jared explained to his mother. “They’ve apparently been getting divorced for a long time. They fight over very odd things ... like spoons and garden gnomes.”
Ghostly Visions: A Harper Harlow Mystery Books 10-12 Page 33
