“Why were Zander and Eric fighting?”
“Take one guess.”
Jared arched an eyebrow. “Me?”
“Zander went to great pains to make sure everyone knew what happened between us,” Harper explained. “He was trying to send a message to Eric because I can’t seem to make myself be mean to him.”
“I’ll do it for you.”
Harper pinched Jared’s side. “I don’t want to be mean to him. He’s a nice guy. He’s just … oblivious.”
“I don’t think he’s as oblivious as you want to believe,” Jared said. “Still, he’s your employee. He’s yours to deal with as you see fit. If he makes a move on you, though, I’m going to have to beat him up.”
Harper snorted. “Nice. What are you doing today?”
“I’m hauling all of those kids in so I can question them,” Jared replied, the real world intruding on their interlude as he sobered. “I’m hitting Lexie first. For some reason I can’t help but feel she’s important to all of this.”
“It’s funny,” Harper mused. “She wants to be important so badly she can’t help herself, and now that she really is all she wants to do is play a game and gather as much sympathy as possible.”
“I think I’m going to take a soft touch with her,” Jared said. “She likes it when people – men especially – pay attention to her. Maybe if I start out asking about her she’ll be more apt to open up.”
“That’s a good idea,” Harper said, rolling so she was on top of Jared. “Before you go, though, I was hoping you could take a soft touch with me.”
“That’s the best offer I’ve had all morning.”
“HOW was your night?” Mel asked two hours later, leaning against the hallway wall in the police station and watching through the window as Lexie Studebaker shifted uncomfortably in her chair in the nearby office. They were trying to make her sweat before entering.
“It was good,” Jared replied, smiling.
“Don’t be filthy.”
“I’m not being filthy,” Jared countered. “We all had dinner together and hung out, and then Harper and I … went to sleep.”
“Better,” Mel said. “How is Zander taking you moving in on his Harper turf?”
“He seems fine,” Jared answered. “I’m not entirely convinced there’s not going to be a territorial dispute at some point, but for now he seems genuinely happy for Harper and ready to stand back and let her enjoy herself.”
“Zander loves Harper and he’ll do whatever it takes to keep her happy,” Mel said. “He’s also the type to get his panties in a wad when he feels like it, so watch out for that. Even if he does pick a fight with you, though, he would never purposely upset Harper … well, except when he’s trying to pick a fight with her because those two enjoy sniping at each other from time to time.”
“I think they’re cute,” Jared said. “Although, last night things did get a little deep there for a few minutes. Zander told me what happened between Jim Stone and him.”
Mel scowled. “That whole thing was a big pile of crap,” he said. “I wanted to take it all the way down the line, but Zander refused. He didn’t want everyone fighting for him and risking themselves in the process. That kid is a pain in the ass when he wants to be, but he has a good heart.”
“He has a great heart,” Jared agreed. “How come you’re friendly with Jim after what he did?”
“Jim is sorry for what happened back then,” Mel said. “He admits things got out of hand and he felt pressured to back Dominic up. For the record, he’s the only reason Harper didn’t get in a mess of trouble for kicking him in the balls. Once he could breathe again he went straight to the principal and said he provoked her. Harper is lucky she got off as lightly as she did.”
“She’s not sorry.”
“She’s definitely not sorry,” Mel said. “I don’t blame her. She was Zander’s rock during that time. He’s stood by her through a mess of stuff, but no one dared take Harper on back then because she was terrifying.”
“It’s hard to believe something so cute could be considered terrifying.”
“Oh, son, you’ve got it so bad I’m going to have to quarantine you if this keeps up,” Mel warned. “I’m hoping it’s just that heady beginning of a relationship phase you’re going through, because if this goes on for more than a week I’m going to have to kick you in the balls.”
“I’ll take that under advisement,” Jared said, unconsciously shifting his pelvis away from Mel. “Are you ready to question the queen bee?”
“Let’s do it.”
Mel and Jared let themselves into the office and settled across from Lexie. She looked nervous, although she put on a bright smile for their benefit.
“Am I in some sort of trouble?”
“You’re not in any trouble,” Jared said, his tone warm and his face open. “We just need some information about Derek.”
“We’ve run into a wall regarding his death and we’re trying to get any leads we can,” Mel added. Jared and Mel agreed to approach Lexie on her level first to see if they could get her to volunteer anything. If that failed, they were ready to hammer her.
“I miss him so much,” Lexie said. “His funeral is tomorrow. Did you know that?”
“His parents told me,” Mel replied.
“They said I could sit up front with them because we were in love and they know I’m crushed,” Lexie said, making a mournful face that didn’t make it all the way to her twinkling eyes.
“That’s nice for you,” Jared said, swallowing his distaste. “We’re really confused, Lexie. We need to know why Derek was in that park the night he died. Have you come up with anything that might help us?”
Lexie shook her head. “I honestly don’t know,” she said. “We hung out in the park occasionally, most of the time to just share pop and talk, but no one had plans to go that night.”
Jared internally rolled his eyes at the “pop” reference. “Well, I just don’t know what to make of this. Do you know what to make of this, Mel?”
“I’m stumped,” Mel replied, rubbing his chin. “You see, Lexie, the problem we have is that someone told us that you guys were meeting at the park that night. In fact, we know David Martin called Derek and invited him to the park. We have the phone records to prove it.”
That was a lie. They were in the process of getting the phone records, but they didn’t have actual proof of Derek’s statement yet. It didn’t matter because they couldn’t attribute the statement to a ghost if it came down to it. They agreed to keep things vague in case the kids opted to turn on each other out of fear.
For the first time since he met her Jared saw true emotion move across Lexie’s face. It was brief, but for a moment she looked frightened.
“W-what?” Lexie asked.
“Yeah, David called Derek the night he died,” Mel verified. “Derek left a few minutes after that. Derek was heading toward the park. Why would he go there if no one was there?”
“I have no idea,” Lexie said, regrouping. “Maybe the boys decided to go there and hang out without me. They did that sometimes because they knew I didn’t want to be out too late and worry my parents.”
Jared ran his tongue over his teeth. Lexie was a decent liar, and yet he knew she was doing it so it was all for naught. “What did the boys do there when you weren’t around?”
“I obviously don’t know because I wasn’t there,” Lexie said. “I … should I have a lawyer?”
“Do you need a lawyer?”
“Um … .”
“Only the guilty need a lawyer, Lexie,” Mel said. “If you need one, though, you should tell us now so we can get you one. You’re legally an adult, so you have to make the choice on this one.”
“I’m not guilty of anything,” Lexie argued. “Why would you think I’m guilty of something?”
“We didn’t say you were guilty,” Jared said. “We’re trying to figure out what happened to Derek, and as his girlfriend – and the love of his life – w
e naturally assumed you knew what was going on with him.”
Lexie exhaled heavily, Jared’s words causing her to preen. “Derek and I would’ve been happy forever if this hadn’t happened.”
“I know,” Jared said, his voice grave. “You had your whole future ripped away from you.”
“I would think you’d want us to catch whoever killed Derek given that,” Mel added.
“I do want you to catch who hurt Derek,” Lexie said. “I just can’t believe someone would really hurt him. Are you sure he didn’t just fall down or something? That’s the rumor in town, by the way.”
“Well, the medical examiner doesn’t seem to believe that,” Mel said. “We can’t entirely rule it out, though, because it seems Derek was drunk at the time of his death.”
Lexie faltered and Jared got the distinct impression that she was surprised – or very good at feigning it – by that little tidbit. “I never saw Derek drink, so I have trouble believing that.”
“Science doesn’t lie,” Jared pointed out. “Are you saying the medical examiner doesn’t know what he’s doing?”
“Of course not,” Lexie scoffed. “It’s just … maybe someone slipped something in his Coke. I’ll bet that’s what happened. Someone slipped something in his Coke when he wasn’t looking and he got so drunk he fell down and hit his head.”
Jared leaned back in his chair. “Who would do that, Lexie?”
“I … have no idea. Everyone loved Derek.”
“If everyone loved Derek, and he never drinks, that means something doesn’t add up here,” Jared said. “Derek was drunk when he was killed. What do you think that means?”
“I don’t know what you want me to say,” Lexie said, crossing her arms over her chest. “I wasn’t there. I didn’t think anyone was there. I don’t know why you’re treating me like this.” His lower lip trembled. “I’m in mourning. Can’t you see that?”
Mel and Jared exchanged a look. Lexie Studebaker was quite the actress. She clearly knew more than she was letting on, though.
“Well, I think you should think long and hard about what all of this means,” Mel suggested. “This isn’t something that’s going to go away. My partner and I are going to be working on this until we know exactly what happened to Derek.”
“And then someone is going to pay for his murder,” Jared added. “I just hope it’s the right person, because someone might try to frame someone else in an effort to clear his or herself if we’re not careful, and then things are going to get ugly.”
“Really ugly,” Mel intoned.
“I think I’m done here,” Lexie said, her fear and trepidation vanishing in almost an instant. “No, you know what? I’m definitely done here.”
Seventeen
“We have to go back out to the Donnelly house,” Zander said, causing Harper to shift her eyes from her computer screen.
“Why?”
“Because Jenny Porter just ambushed me while I was downtown picking up our lunch – this is why we should never go out on the street when other people are around, by the way – and claims that the house is definitely haunted and we need to do an exorcism right now.”
Harper made a face. “We don’t do exorcisms.”
‘That’s what I told her and she told me to shut it,” Zander said, dropping a deli bag on Harper’s desk. “So, as soon as you’re done with your lunch, I think you and Eric should go out there.”
Harper balked. “Eric and me? No way.”
Zander sat at his desk and opened his own bag, fixing Harper with a serious look. “We both know it’s time you gave Eric the talk,” he said. “If you don’t, he’s going to spend the next six months moping.”
“Why six months?” Harper asked, unwrapping her sandwich. “You don’t think Jared is going to bolt after six months, do you?”
Zander made a face. “I think Jared is whipped for life, Harp. Don’t flip yourself out over an offhand comment. If you’re going to start doing that, I’m going to have to punch you. Since I can’t punch a girl, that means I’m really going to have to punch Jared. No one wants that.”
“Jared would kick your ass,” Harper argued.
“Says you,” Zander shot back. “I’m in prime condition, baby. I box at the gym.”
“And he’s been trained to kill people.”
“Yes, but he’s all fuzzy-wuzzy over you,” Zander said. “He’s distracted. I would be on him before he even realized what was happening.”
Harper made a mournful face. “I don’t want to talk to Eric,” she admitted. “Where is he anyway?”
“He’s getting lunch down at the hot dog stand on the corner because he’s still mad at me,” Zander answered.
“He’s still mad about yesterday? He needs to get over it.”
“That’s why you’re taking him on this job,” Zander said. “He’s mad at me because he can’t internally rationalize being angry with you. You’re his heart’s desire. The problem is your heart is already taken, and even if it wasn’t he wouldn’t be the one you’re looking for.”
“But … .”
“No,” Zander said, wagging a finger. “You have to tell him. He’s not going to move on unless you make things clear to him. I can’t do this for you. He doesn’t believe me when I say you’re not interested. He doesn’t want to believe me.”
“I don’t want to hurt his feelings.”
“I think it’s too late for that,” Zander said. “That’s why you have to do it now.”
“Fine.”
“Good,” Zander said. “Now eat your sandwich and tell me all about your romantic night with Jared. How did sex the second time around go?”
“I hate you sometimes.”
“I love you, too.”
“WHY are we back here again?” Eric grumbled an hour later, trudging up the driveway to the Donnelly house and reminding Harper of a petulant teenager.
“Because Jenny claims more mysterious things have happened and she’s going to show us this time,” Harper replied. “She’s just finishing up a showing at another house and then she’s heading in this direction.”
“You said there wasn’t a ghost here, though. Does she think you’re going to magically conjure one?”
“I have no idea,” Harper said, studying his dour profile for a moment. “I’m sorry I made you come out here with me. If you want to go back, you can take my car and I’ll catch a ride with Jenny.”
Eric was instantly contrite. “That’s not what I was saying,” he said. “I just … I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry about,” Harper said, sensing her opening. “It’s just … .”
Eric cut her off. “Zander sent me out here because he doesn’t want to be around me, didn’t he?”
“That’s not it.”
“Are you guys going to fire me because I got in that fight with Zander? If so, I understand. It was completely unprofessional.”
Harper sighed. She couldn’t put this off another second. “We’re not going to fire you, Eric,” she said. “You’re a great colleague and you have an outstanding work ethic.”
“Then why did Zander send me out here with you instead of coming himself?” Eric challenged. “You two are in love with each other again. It’s not like he wants to get away from you.”
“He sent you with me because he thought we should talk,” Harper said, squaring her shoulders. “I think we should talk, too.”
“About what?” Eric’s face was unreadable.
“You know about what,” Harper said, choosing her words carefully. “Here’s the thing, Eric … .” She had no idea how to finish the sentence.
“You don’t like me that way,” Eric supplied for her. “I know you don’t. I’m sorry if you feel I’ve been … coming on too strong.”
“Personally I’m flattered that you would even think of me in that regard,” Harper said. “I really am. I just don’t have romantic feelings for you. I hope we can stay friends. I don’t want to upset you … or hurt
you … or embarrass you. We have to get past this, though.”
“You don’t like me because of Jared, right?”
“I have very strong feelings for Jared,” Harper confirmed. “Even I can’t explain how I managed to fall for him so quickly. If Jared didn’t exist, though, I still wouldn’t have romantic feelings for you. I don’t want you getting the wrong idea.
“He’s not standing between us,” she continued. “He’s standing in front of me, which is where I want him to be, but there can never be an us even if Jared disappears tomorrow.”
“Well, that was brutally honest,” Eric muttered.
“I’m really sorry,” Harper offered.
“You don’t have to be sorry,” Eric said, straightening and extending his hand. “Still friends?”
Harper shook his hand, even though she felt ridiculous doing it, and smiled. “We’ll always be friends, Eric.”
“Then I have absolutely nothing to complain about.”
“I’M sorry I’m late. My showing took longer than it was supposed to.”
Jenny Porter, her red hair streaming behind her, scampered up the front walk, jangling a set of keys in her hand.
“That’s okay,” Harper said, pushing herself away from the wall she’d been leaning against. “We haven’t been waiting that long.”
“It’s good to see you, Harper,” Jenny said, giving Harper a quick hug and smiling at Eric. “Who are you?”
“I’m sorry,” Harper said, remembering her manners. “This is Eric Tyler. He works with Zander and me.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Jenny said, gracing Eric with what could only be described as a flirtatious smile. “Wait … you only work with Zander, right? You don’t do anything else with him, do you?”
Eric forced a tight smile. “We just work together.”
“Whew! That’s a relief,” Jenny said, opening the door of the cottage and fixing Harper with an apologetic look. “I’m wildly attracted to gay guys for some reason. Whenever I look at a guy now and think he’s hot I just assume he’s gay.”
“Welcome to Zander’s world,” Harper teased.
“Yes, well, I’m afraid I jumped on him downtown,” Jenny said, leading Harper and Eric inside. “He didn’t look happy to see me.”
Ghostly Issues (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 2) Page 13
