Ghostly Worries (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 4)

by Hart, Lily Harper

  Zander cocked an eyebrow. “Our mutual love of ice cream and shirking work?”

  “Exactly.”

  “IT IS freaking hot,” Zander said, licking his ice cream as he followed Harper toward the lake. Whisper Cove wasn’t known for being a hotbed of daily activity, but it was positively dead today. The small hamlet was located about thirty miles north of Detroit, so the big box stores were close enough to drive to and yet the town retained its kitschy charm – which was exactly how Zander and Harper liked it. “We need a pool.”

  “We have a lake,” Harper reminded him, pointing. “That’s better than a pool.”

  “Yes, but it’s not in our back yard,” Zander said. “We can’t skinny dip in the lake.”

  “I love you dearly, but I think skinny dipping together would be … weird.”

  “Not you and me together,” Zander corrected. “You and me and our significant others. That’s who I was talking about.”

  “I think a foursome would be even weirder,” Harper said.

  “Not all four of us at the same time. I … I can’t even look at you now,” Zander lamented. “You have a filthy mind.”

  “I know,” Harper said, smirking as she licked her ice cream cone. She opted for bubblegum but was starting to wish she’d gone the Blue Moon route with Zander. His tongue was blue, but the ice cream looked heavenly. “Give me a lick.”

  “I can’t give you a lick after the skinny-dipping confusion,” Zander countered. “It will give me nightmares.”

  “You’re just paying me back because of the whole ghost thing this afternoon,” Harper complained. “I don’t see how you can blame that on me. I had no way of knowing that would happen.”

  “I’m not convinced of that,” Zander said, his voice airy. “Maybe you developed psychic abilities when I wasn’t looking. It would be just like you to go all X-Men and not tell me. Oh, the horror.”

  Harper didn’t want to laugh and encourage him, but she couldn’t help herself. “You know darned well I would tell you if I developed super powers.”

  “Okay, you would tell me,” Zander conceded, hopping up on one of the large rocks that littered the area between the town’s main drag and the beach area. “Would you tell me before or after you told Jared, though? That’s the question of the day.”

  “Are you asking where you are in the pecking order of my life?”

  “Yes.”

  Harper tilted her head to the side, the sun glinting off her blond highlights as she considered the question. “I would tell you first,” she said finally.

  “You took an awfully long time to think about that,” Zander groused.

  “I wanted to be sure.”

  “And what, pray tell, tipped me over the edge?” Zander extended one arm to balance himself on the rock as he licked his ice cream cone.

  “Well, if you want to know the truth, I figured telling you first was in my best interests because I’m going to need help hiding Jared’s body if he doesn’t take the news well and breaks up with me,” Harper said, causing Zander to grin. “I’m always thinking ahead.”

  “Yes, you’re a regular genius,” Zander said, hopping down from the rock.

  The duo lapsed into comfortable silence as they plodded down the beach. Zander had no idea where Harper was going, but he hoped she would stop at the water’s edge so they could do some wading. That was one of their favorite childhood activities and neither one of them outgrew it.

  Instead of heading toward the water, though, Harper adjusted her trajectory and aimed herself in the direction of a building down the way. Zander watched her for a moment to see if she was meandering, but then he realized exactly where she was heading.

  “I knew it!” His bellow was loud enough to cause Harper to jolt.

  “You knew what?” Harper asked, her cheeks flushing with color.

  “I knew you had an ulterior motive when you talked me into coming down here,” Zander said. “You tried to seduce me with those big blue eyes … and the big blue ice cream cone … but I knew you were up to something.”

  “And what am I up to?” Harper asked, shifting her eyes so they didn’t meet Zander’s intense stare. “It’s a beautiful day. We’re taking a walk on the beach. What do you possibly have to complain about?”

  “That.” Zander pointed at the building.

  “What’s that?” Harper asked, faux innocence practically dripping off of her tongue.

  “That is The Landing,” Zander answered. “That is Jason Thurman’s restaurant. That is … deceitful!” He pointed at Harper in such a manner she had to glance down and check to make sure she wasn’t wearing a scarlet A on her shirt.

  “Oh, fine,” Harper conceded, irritation taking the place of embarrassment. “I was curious about the restaurant. Sue me.”

  “I’m considering it,” Zander said, making a face as he fell into step next to Harper. “I can’t believe you lied to me. I really can’t believe you used ice cream as a cover to do it.”

  “I didn’t lie,” Harper hedged. “I just … aren’t you curious? This restaurant has sat empty all season and it had terrible food the last two years it was in operation. It’s a great location. If Jason fixes it up … .”

  “The only thing Jason can fix up is my annoyance level,” Zander said.

  “What is it with you and him?”

  “I don’t like him,” Zander replied, not missing a beat.

  “Is this because he took off without giving me notice when I was seventeen years old?” Harper asked, amused and touched at the same time. “I was crushed back then, but I got over it.”

  “Yes, I remember,” Zander said. “You cried in my lap for weeks.”

  “That’s what you do when you’re a teenager,” Harper pointed out. “I can’t believe you’re still holding a grudge over this. You can’t hang on to high school forever.”

  “It’s not just what he did to you,” Zander sniffed. “It’s what he did to me, too.”

  Harper stilled. “What did he do to you? Did he make fun of you for being gay?” Her eyes flashed as the possibility flitted through her mind. She was as loyal to Zander as he was to her. She’d taken on more than one bully during their teenage years and she wasn’t opposed to going after another even though high school was long since behind them.

  Zander considered lying but thought better of it. “No, he never did anything like that,” he said. “He didn’t seem to care that I was gay. If that’s going to rile you up just … step off, missy.”

  “Then why don’t you like him?” Harper asked, confused. “He was a nice guy. We dated for like two months when we were teenagers. There’s no reason to dislike him.”

  “Do you really want to know why I dislike him?”

  Harper nodded.

  “Do you really want to know?” Zander repeated, taking on a dramatic tone.

  “Yes,” Harper said, fighting the urge to laugh at the serious look on his face.

  “It’s because he stole my thunder.”

  Harper opened her mouth, but she had no idea how to respond to that so she let it fall shut.

  “Go ahead and make fun of me, but he always swooped in and stole attention from me whenever he got the chance,” Zander said. “When I wanted to play the guitar in elementary school for Show and Tell, what happened?”

  “He played the guitar.”

  “That’s right.” Zander made a disgusted face. “The problem was he could actually play the guitar. Who can play the guitar when they’re eight?”

  “Well … .”

  “Don’t answer that,” Zander warned, extending a finger. “It wasn’t just the guitar. In fifth grade he won the spelling bee and I really wanted that ribbon. It matched my new tie. In middle school he made the football team.”

  “You didn’t want to be on the football team,” Harper argued. “You said the helmets made your hair look bad.”

  “That’s not the point,” Zander snapped. “I wanted to be the mascot, but he voted against changing it. I couldn
’t be a seahorse. The costume made my hips look wide.”

  “Oh.” Harper bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

  “It only got worse in high school,” Zander said. “He went out of his way to pretend he was my friend and all the while he was trying to steal you from me.”

  “Is there a chance he really wanted to be your friend because he found you interesting?”

  “Of course not,” Zander replied. “Wait … that came out wrong.”

  “Zander, it doesn’t matter,” Harper said, hoping she could cut him off before he got a full head of steam. “Jason can’t steal your thunder because you’re the ultimate … thunderstorm. It’s impossible to steal your thunder.”

  “Then why are we here?”

  “Because I want to see what he’s done with the place,” Harper replied, shrugging. “You have to be a little curious. He left town to play the guitar and now he came back to open a restaurant. How does that even happen?”

  “That’s a good point,” Zander said, following Harper toward the restaurant. “I don’t care what he says, though. If his clam chowder is gross, I’m going to tell him. I won’t bite my tongue and let him get away with murder a second time just because he has a nice smile.”

  “You do that,” Harper said, smirking as she approached the restaurant’s front porch. “Wow. It looks like he’s been doing some work here, huh? I didn’t even realize that this place has been power-washed.”

  “It does look better,” Zander said grudgingly. “That doesn’t mean the chowder will be good.”

  “Let the chowder go,” Harper instructed, moving to the side of the building. “I just want to see what the deck looks like. I’ve always loved the deck at this place. Maybe once it’s opened Jared and I can come here and have a romantic dinner or something.”

  “Only after you’ve sampled it with me, right?” Zander pressed, following Harper as she walked toward the water. “We agreed to try all new restaurants together before risking our upchuck factor on innocent dates.”

  “We made that promise when we were sixteen,” Harper reminded him.

  “So?”

  “We were also dateless.”

  “Whatever,” Zander said. “I don’t want to come here anyway. Maybe if everyone boycotts Jason will go away and never return.”

  “I can see you’re in a healthy mental place right now,” Harper said, smiling when she saw the deck. It was freshly painted and looked wonderful. “I wish you’d give Jason a chance. I think you might like him if you give it a shot.”

  “That’s never going to happen,” Zander said, heading toward the large rocks along the beach instead of staring at the deck. “Once you steal Zander Pritchett’s thunder you never get a chance to embrace the storm.”

  Harper mulled the statement. “I don’t think that makes sense.”

  “Yeah, I heard it as soon as I said it,” Zander said ruefully. “There was no need to comment on it.”

  “Sorry,” Harper said, moving around the base of the high deck so she could look at the new support beams underneath. The way the restaurant was built into the beach bluff it allowed the deck to be high enough to offer a beautiful view of the lake. “I … .” Harper broke off when something caught her attention in the shaded area under the deck.

  “What did you say?”

  Harper moved closer, swallowing hard when she realized what she was looking at. “We need to call the police.”

  “And have them shut the restaurant down? That’s a great idea.”

  Harper shook her head as Zander shifted his eyes to her. It was only then that he realized all of the color had disappeared from her cheeks.

  “What’s wrong?” Zander asked, instantly alert.

  “There’s a body under the deck.” Harper was matter-of-fact as she tried to rein in her out-of-control emotions.

  Despite himself, Zander brightened. “Well, that’s good,” he said. “A murder rap will definitely shut him down.”

  Harper scowled. “Make the call.”

  “I’m on it.”

  Four

  “What have you got?”

  Jared Monroe scanned Harper’s face for clues as he approached the isolated lakeside restaurant. When Zander called his uncle Mel Kelsey to report finding a body, the man was understandably dubious. Mel loved his nephew and he took his job as a police officer very seriously. Zander was prone to dramatic fits, though, so the partners were leery when they approached the scene.

  Harper didn’t initially speak, instead pointing toward the shaded area beneath the deck. Jared ran his hand down the back of her head, concern etched across his features, and then he moved in the direction she indicated. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, but when they did, he immediately walked back in Harper’s direction.

  “What is it?” Mel asked.

  “It’s a young woman,” Jared replied. “She doesn’t look very old. Definitely not over thirty.”

  “Drowning?” Mel almost looked hopeful.

  “I don’t think so,” Jared answered. “She’s pretty banged up, and some of that might’ve come from the water if she spent any time there, but the body doesn’t look as if it has been … um … nibbled on.”

  Mel nodded curtly. “Any obvious signs of death?”

  “I didn’t look for very long because I want to tape this area off before we draw a crowd, but she’s got some discoloration around her neck.”

  “She was strangled?” Zander’s eyes widened. “Holy crap. I just thought it was some drunk idiot who had one too many and drowned before washing up here.”

  Jared forced a thin-lipped smile. “The water doesn’t reach up this far, even at high tide,” he said. “The water line is down on the other side of those rocks. I don’t think she was in the water.”

  “I wonder why not,” Mel mused, rubbing his chin as his partner moved closer to Harper. “The water is a better spot to dump a body. It removes forensic evidence.”

  “Yes, but a body also floats to the top and the lake has been packed with people because of the heat so it would’ve been discovered first thing this morning if dumped in the water,” Jared said, slipping his arm around Harper’s waist as he pulled her in for a hug. “Whoever put the body here probably thought it wouldn’t be discovered for a few days at least. This place has been closed since I moved here.”

  “It’s opening soon, though,” Mel pointed out. “I read an article about it in the newspaper.”

  “Well, maybe our killer isn’t up on Whisper Cove business news,” Jared said, pressing a gentle kiss to Harper’s cheek as he embraced her. “Are you okay, Heart?” He’d taken to calling her that because he wanted a nickname Zander didn’t utilize. That put “Harp” out of the running, and she was so feisty all of the generic offerings didn’t seem to fit her personality.

  “I’m fine,” Harper said, pulling back to meet Jared’s steady gaze. “This isn’t the first body I’ve seen.”

  “That doesn’t mean it wasn’t jarring,” Jared said, tucking a strand of her honey-colored hair behind her ear. “Can you give me your statement now, or do you need a minute?”

  “I can give it to you now.”

  “I think I should ask the questions since this looks to be a murder investigation,” Mel interjected. “Your relationship with Harper could cause problems if this goes to trial.”

  Jared narrowed his eyes. “How so?”

  “I don’t think the judge is going to like testimony that involves ‘and then I hugged her to make sure she was okay before asking any questions,’” Mel replied honestly.

  Jared blew out a long-suffering sigh. “You have a point,” he said. “Go nuts. If you question her I can keep hugging her.”

  “And then I can throw up and tease you mercilessly when we get back to the office,” Mel said, rolling his eyes until they landed on his nephew. “How are you, sport?”

  “Yes, and the judge is going to love that coming up in testimony,” Jared remarked dryly.

&
nbsp; Mel ignored him. “What were you guys doing out here anyway?”

  “We went for ice cream,” Harper explained. “It was hot and we finished up our last job early.”

  “Is that the one where Zander got covered in mouse poop and cobwebs?” Jared asked, his eyes momentarily twinkling. “Please tell me you took photos of that, by the way.”

  “Ha, ha,” Zander intoned, making a face. “You’re a regular comedian. You know that, right?”

  “I’m performing my stand-up routine in your living room this very night,” Jared shot back, not missing a beat.

  “Oh, geez,” Mel said, removing his hat and running a hand through his thinning hair. “You two are like a squabbling married couple. It’s like The Golden Girls on the beach.”

  “I love that show,” Zander said, smiling.

  “It’s a pretty good show,” Jared agreed.

  “So you guys came down here for ice cream,” Mel prodded. “What drew you to the lake?”

  Zander and Harper exchanged a quick look that wasn’t lost on Mel or Jared.

  “Spill,” Jared pressed.

  “We ran into an old high school friend at our job this morning,” Harper volunteered. “He was Jenny’s client at Dorothy Stevens’ old house. We chatted for a few minutes – you know, caught up on old times because we hadn’t seen each other since the summer before senior year – and he mentioned buying this place. I figured we might as well check it out while we were out here. I’ve always liked the deck here.”

  “Even though the chowder sucked,” Zander added.

  “The chowder did suck,” Mel agreed, shifting his eyes to the parking lot near the bluff when he saw a non-descript van pull into the empty lot. “The medical examiner is here and will be down in a minute. We called even though we weren’t sure what you really found.”

  “I can’t believe you doubted me,” Zander complained.

  “I didn’t doubt you,” Mel clarified. “I just … you sometimes see things that aren’t really there.”

  “Like when?”

  “Like the time you called me and told me that you were convinced a yeti was living in the outhouse by the hunting shack on Dad’s property so there was no way you could be expected to attend the annual hunting trip,” Mel replied, not missing a beat. “Now, I know you made that up because you hate hunting, but you can understand why I wasn’t sure when you first made the call.”