Ghostly Worries (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 4)

by Hart, Lily Harper

  “Oh … um … hi.”

  “Hello.” Dr. Oliver Kennedy knelt down so he was on an even level with Harper and Zander and glanced between them. “Is this the person I’m supposed to be drilling?”

  “In your dreams,” Zander muttered, crossing his arms over his chest. “There’s nothing wrong with my teeth.”

  “Cecelia says you have a cavity.”

  “Well, Cecelia is a crackhead,” Zander announced. “She also might be a murderer.”

  Harper slapped Zander’s knee hard as she fixed a pleasant smile on her face. “My friend was having a panic attack and he prefers to be in a safe location when that happens,” she said. “I was just trying to talk him out of his mental funk.”

  “Liar,” Zander hissed, smacking Harper’s knee. “You’re on my list of bad friends today … and it’s not just because of the constant drilling comments.”

  “I see.” Kennedy’s expression was unreadable and Harper couldn’t decide if he was going to call the police and report them for being quacks or laugh in their faces. “Do you want to come out of there?”

  “Sure.” Harper moved to roll to her knees, but Zander grabbed the belt loop on her shorts and tugged her back. “What are you doing?”

  “We’re good here,” Zander said. “I would prefer a little … distance … you know, for my panic attack.”

  “You look pretty good for a guy having a panic attack,” Kennedy remarked. “Shouldn’t you be breathing into a bag or something?”

  “I don’t like playing to anyone’s preconceptions.”

  “I see.” While he initially appeared amused, Zander’s refusal to climb out from underneath the table was obviously starting to grate Kennedy. “How can we come to a mutually satisfying agreement? I don’t know about you, but it’s lunchtime and I really want to eat my sandwich.”

  “We just need to go outside and get some air,” Harper said. “My friend is deathly afraid of dental work and we think it would be better for everyone involved if we took some time to think about things and then went to our regular dentist for the drilling.”

  “I’m not letting him drill me either,” Zander argued. “I take perfect care of my teeth. I do not have a cavity. That woman was lying, which makes sense because she’s clearly crazy and possibly a murderer.”

  “See, that’s the second time you’ve said that and I’m starting to get a bit nervous with the assertion,” Kennedy said. “Why do you think Cecelia is a murderer?”

  “Because she was talking badly about your other employee.”

  “Sarah?”

  “No.”

  “Judith?”

  “No, numbnuts.” Zander was exasperated. “Your dead employee. She said Rosie died on purpose and basically admitted to being happy about it. Then she cackled and smiled like a crazed carny and said she was going to drill me. That’s not going to happen and I’m not coming out from under this table until I’m certain she’s gone … or in custody.”

  Harper couldn’t be sure, but for a brief moment she thought she saw something other than weary amusement flit across the dentist’s face … and it wasn’t a pleasant expression. “We should really be going.”

  “Why would you be talking about Rosie with Cecelia?”

  “Because we’re helping the police in their murder investigation and we thought we should talk to you people and get the scoop,” Zander replied, not caring in the slightest that he was blowing their cover. “It’s obviously a good thing we did, too, because your hygienist is a loon.”

  “A loon, huh?” Kennedy didn’t look nearly as affable now as he did moments before.

  “She’s a loon,” Zander said, warming to his subject. “We heard her talking to the chick behind the glass out front and she told her that we were trying to play some freaky dentist sex game.”

  “That sounds like Cecelia,” Kennedy. “So, let me get this straight, you didn’t really come here for a cavity, right? You came here because you’re looking for Rosie’s killer, if I’m understanding you correctly.”

  “Exactly,” Zander said, rolling his eyes.

  “Zander … .” Harper had no idea why, but her inner danger alarm was pinging so loudly she wanted to scream to shut it up. Zander was oblivious to her distress, and the shift in Kennedy’s demeanor.

  “I don’t understand why you would come looking here,” Kennedy said. “I told the police everything I know.”

  “I’m sure you did,” Harper said, putting her best pretty smile on display so he would hopefully buy her act. “We were just bored and wanted to play detective. I always fancied myself as Trixie Belden growing up.”

  “I was Trixie,” Zander countered. “You were Honey.”

  “I was not Honey.”

  “I still don’t understand why you would come here,” Kennedy said, annoyance positively rolling off of him in waves. “I mean … why would you possibly think someone here had something to do with Rosie’s death?”

  “Because Rosie was after a doctor and you’re kind of a doctor,” Zander replied. “She also had no problem going after married men and you’re married. She got a love nest in the woods so she could have sex with her love bunny and my uncle says they’re getting the place dusted for fingerprints to find out who she was canoodling with.”

  “I didn’t hear that part,” Harper said.

  “That’s because you were throwing up last night when Jared and I got caught up on the case,” Zander said. “We thought maybe you were sleeping with Rosie, Doc – which seems likely – and that you might’ve killed her to keep it quiet. Now we’re leaning toward the hygienist, though. She’s batshit crazy and really hated Rosie.”

  “Uh-huh.” Kennedy glanced over his shoulder and stared at the empty hallway a moment before turning back to Harper and Zander. “And you guys are hiding here because you think Cecelia is going to kill you?”

  “Or drill me,” Zander said. “I can’t decide which one is worse.”

  “I’m leaning toward killing you myself,” Harper hissed.

  “What did I say?” Zander was out of sorts. “I just want to go home and eat some ice cream, Harp. This entire day is going down the toilet and it’s all your fault.”

  “This day is definitely going down the toilet,” Kennedy said, groaning as he struggled to a standing position and slipped a hand into his lab coat pocket. “You guys should probably come out from under there and be on your way.”

  “Okay,” Zander said. “You have to promise the deranged hygienist isn’t going to drill me, though.”

  “I promise she won’t take a step in your direction.”

  “Come on, Harp. You can buy me lunch as payment for this dismal morning. That won’t be your only punishment, but it’s a nice start.”

  This time Harper was the one grabbing Zander’s arm and dragging him back under the table.

  “What, Harp? He said he would protect us.”

  “You’re not done having your panic attack yet,” Harper instructed.

  “I’m not?” Zander was confused. “Okay, but I’m not breathing into a bag. I’m committed, but I’ve never liked that look.”

  “Okay, guys, enough is enough,” Kennedy said, his patience wearing thin. “Get out from under there.”

  “We’re good,” Harper said, crowding closer to Zander.

  “Get out!”

  “I CONFIRMED everything Jason told you with his wife … er, ex-wife … and she pretty much laughed in my face when I said we were looking at him as a murder suspect,” Mel informed Jared as they met in the dental practice’s parking lot. “She told me he wasn’t driven enough to be a murderer.”

  “That sounds about right,” Jason muttered. “I feel so … loved.”

  “Ignore her,” Jared said. “What do you think about Harper’s text?”

  “I think that Harper and Zander often do absolutely idiotic things and this is probably a case of that,” Mel replied, not missing a beat. “That being said … something about this place didn’t sit right with
me from the beginning.”

  “Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Because I didn’t want to point the investigation in a specific direction unless I was absolutely sure,” Mel replied. “The state police took fingerprints at the cottage and they’re running them now. I asked them to put a rush on it given what’s going on.”

  “You think it’s Kennedy, don’t you?”

  “I think he makes the most sense,” Mel conceded. “We all know what Rosie was looking for in a man and looks weren’t important. Money was, though. Kennedy isn’t what I would call wealthy, but for this area he’s definitely richer than the average resident.”

  “Harper and Zander are hiding from the hygienist, though,” Jared pointed out. “They think she’s trying to drill them. That’s what Harper texted, by the way. I wouldn’t use that word and can’t quite figure out why she did.”

  Jason snorted, earning a sidelong look from Mel.

  “Why is he here?”

  “I thought I might need backup if they were really on to something and I wasn’t sure how far out you were,” Jared replied. “Plus … I feel sorry for the guy. He married a terrible woman.”

  “Like Rosie,” Mel intoned.

  “Kind of like Rosie,” Jared conceded. “I still don’t know what to think of any of this, and I specifically told both of them to stay out of this investigation over breakfast this morning.”

  “That was like waving a checkered flag at a NASCAR race,” Mel said. “It’s too late now. Let’s just go in there, save the dumb duo, and then sort out the rest of it once we get the fingerprints information back from the state police. If Kennedy is the guy Rosie was seeing, his fingerprints will hit because his records are on file thanks to the stored pharmaceuticals on the premises.”

  “Okay,” Jared said. “I’m still annoyed with both of them. In fact, the second I see them … .” He broke off when he saw a female figure scurry out the side door of the office and hurry in their direction. He recognized her right away. “Isn’t that Cecelia?”

  Mel nodded. “She looks … .”

  “Terrified,” Jared finished, taking a step forward. “What’s going on?”

  “I have no idea,” Cecelia said. “All I know is that a crazy woman and man came in and said they had an emergency, then they disappeared before I could get the doctor to fix a cavity, and now they’re hiding under a table in the side office and Dr. Kennedy is waving around a gun.”

  Jared’s stomach flipped at the news. “Excuse me? A gun?”

  “I didn’t even know he owned a gun,” Cecelia complained. “I have no idea what this world is coming to, but apparently everything is about to spin off its axis. I just know I’m going to have to find another job after this. Do you know what a pain that’s going to be?”

  Jared ignored the question as he reached for his own sidearm and strode toward the door Cecelia used to make her hasty exit.

  “Shouldn’t we have a plan?” Mel called to his back.

  “I do have a plan,” Jared replied. “I’m getting my girl … and then I’m going to kill her.”

  “IT WAS you.” Harper briefly pressed her eyes shut as Zander gripped her hand and shrank back as far as possible under the table. “You killed Rosie.”

  “I didn’t mean to, but yes,” Kennedy said. After his brief outburst he’d taken on a decidedly calmer tone. “She seduced me. You know that, right? I never thought I was the sort of man who would cheat on his wife, but she just wouldn’t stop.”

  “I’m sure that’s true, but that doesn’t mean you had to kill her,” Harper said.

  “I had no choice,” Kennedy said, his tone weary and sad. “Rosie rented that cottage and insisted I keep meeting her out there. I didn’t want to, but I was caught. She said she was going to tell my wife. I was going to lose everything.”

  “You could’ve told your wife the truth on your own,” Harper pointed out. “She might’ve forgiven you.”

  “She wouldn’t forgive me for betraying her, and I don’t blame her for feeling that way,” Kennedy argued. “She’s a good woman and I made a promise to her that I didn’t keep. I tried ending it with Rosie so many times I lost count. Finally, I got it together and met her at the cottage to tell her it was over.

  “She didn’t take it well and insisted she was going to call my wife,” he continued. “She took photos when we were together and everything. It was sick … and wrong … and I just couldn’t handle it for one more second. I wrapped my arms around her neck and … it was over before I realized what was happening.”

  “You strangled her.”

  “I did.”

  “She thought you were going to leave your wife and be with her,” Harper said. “I think she was going to try and force your hand eventually. You probably realized that, though.”

  “I did realize that,” Kennedy said. “She said she was on birth control, but I knew she wasn’t taking it. The joke was on her, though, because I had a vasectomy years ago. She was going to trap me with a pregnancy. I could see the frustration every month when it failed. It was one of the few joys I got out of the entire situation.”

  “You know the police are going to track everything back to you, right?”

  “I don’t know that,” Kennedy said. “You and your friend thought it was Cecelia. I have one shot of making this right for my wife.”

  Realization dawned on Harper and it made her sick to her stomach. “You’re going to kill us and tell the police Cecelia did it. Then you’re going to tell them that she killed Rosie because … what … she had a crush on you?”

  “Something like that,” Kennedy replied. “I haven’t figured out all of the details yet, but I will. I’ll do it for my wife.”

  “The cops already know we’re here,” Harper said, opting to try fear instead of reason. “We texted once we were under the table. They’re on their way.”

  “Then I guess they’ll find the two of you dead and me wounded from trying to fight Cecelia off,” Kennedy said. “I’ll tell them I tried to protect you, but Cecelia was like a crazy person. They’ll believe me because Cecelia has a certain reputation.”

  “Oh, this is just bonkers,” Zander complained. “I can’t believe we’re in this situation. This is totally your fault, Harp!”

  “I still maintain it’s your fault,” Harper shot back. “You could’ve stopped me.”

  “And I think it’s both your faults and I’m going to scream and yell like you wouldn’t believe later tonight,” Jared announced, appearing in the doorway behind Kennedy and pressing his gun to the man’s back. “Put your weapon down.”

  Kennedy’s eyes widened as he realized the game was over. “But … my wife.”

  “You should’ve thought about that before you let Rosie seduce you,” Harper chided. “You didn’t have to sleep with her.”

  “She made me!”

  “No, you let her make you,” Harper clarified.

  “Put your gun down,” Jared repeated, his voice cold and hostile. “I am not messing around.”

  Kennedy stared at his hand for a moment, as if weighing his options, and then he dejectedly dropped the gun onto the floor and held his hands up. Jared retrieved his cuffs from his belt and remained focused as he took Rosie’s murderer into custody.

  “You have the right to remain silent … .”

  “This is still your fault,” Zander muttered.

  Twenty-Three

  “You’re in so much trouble I don’t even know where to start.”

  Jared leaned against his police cruiser and crossed his arms over his chest as Harper rested her head on Zander’s shoulder. The mess from the arrest was still sorting itself out and because he had to take multiple statements, Jared could do nothing but offer Harper a hug – and a warning about what was to come later – before spending the next two hours dealing with more pressing issues.

  “I still maintain this was Zander’s fault,” Harper protested. “He could’ve stopped me from going inside and didn’t.”
r />   “Really?” Jared shifted his eyes to Zander. “What do you have to say about that?”

  “She’s lying.”

  “I figured that out on my own,” Jared said, slipping his hand behind Harper’s neck and pulling her away from the safety of Zander’s presence. “Why did you come here after you promised me you wouldn’t?”

  “I didn’t promise you I wouldn’t come here,” Harper argued. “I promised I wouldn’t get involved with the work you were doing today. Did I lie?”

  “I … .” Jared screwed his face up into an adorable scowl as he tried to decide how to answer.

  “Oh, give it up, man,” Jason said, moving to the spot next to Zander. “We all know you’re going to forgive her.”

  “We do know that,” Zander agreed, narrowing his eyes at Jason’s proximity. “What are you doing here?”

  “Stealing your thunder.”

  “You make me want to kick you,” Zander muttered, annoyed.

  “How about instead I invite everyone for dinner tonight?” Jason suggested. “It’s on the house … you know, for new beginnings and such.”

  “I’m pretty sure I’m busy,” Zander sniffed.

  “I’m pretty sure you’ll be there and you’re going to be pleasant and nice,” Jared corrected. “This guy has had a rough go of it, too, and no matter what you thought he was doing in high school … and elementary school … and middle school … I think you might have been wrong.”

  “The only thing I have been wrong about is mistaking the crazy hygienist for a murderer,” Zander said. “I still feel kind of bad about that.”

  “She was acting weird,” Harper said. “She had it coming.”

  “I like your take on matters better,” Zander said. “I’m over feeling bad. Yay!”

  Jared rolled his eyes until they landed back on Harper’s angelic face. She was doing her best to bat her eyelashes and cuddle closer to him and he was having a hard time concentrating on the anger he knew he should be feeling instead of the overwhelming urge to hug and kiss her. Thankfully Jason saved him from having to make an immediate decision.