“That’s a good point,” Jared acknowledged. “Do you think you can set it up?”
“I think we can have what you’re suggesting in place in a few hours. Will that do for you?”
“Absolutely.” This time when he swooped in to kiss her she was more receptive. “I think you were born for this performance, Harper. You’re going to knock it out of the park.”
“That’s the plan.” She looked toward Maddie. “I won’t be alone this time, though. I’ll have backup.”
“Then let’s do it,” Nick said. “We’re supposed to be shopping. I don’t want to dwell on this jerk a moment longer than we have to.”
“We’re all right there with you,” Mel said. “I think this is the way to go. In a few hours, we’ll know who our killer is. After that, we’ll put it in the hands of the prosecutor. That’s the best we can do.”
18
Eighteen
They didn’t need darkness for what they had planned so instead of waiting they called the others to the cemetery at six o’clock. Harper was the one making the calls, claiming conversations with a ghost, but everybody was present as their suspects started to trickle in.
“What’s this?” Darren asked, looking around, his gaze automatically falling on Jared. “What are you trying to do here?”
“Have a conversation,” Jared replied easily. “I wasn’t aware that you were coming.”
“Pammy said that she’d gotten a call from a ghost hunter and was upset.” His gaze bounced between faces. “It sounded fishy so I invited myself along.”
The look Pammy shot him said otherwise.
“Or she thought it sounded fishy and insisted you attend,” Jared corrected. “It’s fine either way. We think it’s best if you’re part of this.”
“And why is that?” Darren’s eyes drifted to Cady as she joined the party. “What the ... ? Is this some sort of setup?”
“Not a setup,” Jared replied, shaking his head when Cady opened her mouth. He had no doubt that something hateful was about to escape her lips. He wasn’t in the mood. “We have a few more people coming. Just ... hold it together.”
“It would probably be best if you held it together at opposite ends here,” Mel said, gently nudging Cady to increase the distance between her and Darren. “We promise not to take up too much of your time.”
“I don’t see why we’re here at all,” Pammy countered, her eyes narrowed as she regarded Cady. “I especially don’t see why I have to be around that witch.”
She’d dropped the little girl act, Jared noted. Now she was a woman on fire, agitated, and ready for war. The sweet-as-pie act was for Darren’s benefit. The real Pammy was tough as nails and eager to display it in front of the woman she considered an enemy.
“Am I late?” Janice asked from behind the group, her eyes going wide as she counted faces. “This is quite the party, isn’t it?”
“It is.” Jared showed her to a separate bench, and when he leaned close, he couldn’t miss the scent of whiskey wafting off her. “How much have you had to drink?”
Janice held out her hands and shrugged. “Enough so I no longer feel anything where that jerk is concerned.”
Jared didn’t believe that but there was little he could do about the situation. They had one shot at this. If it didn’t work, they would have to go another route and answers wouldn’t be forthcoming anytime soon. “Have some water.” He cracked one of the extra bottles they’d brought along with them and handed it to her. “We’re just waiting for two more.”
Barbara was the next to arrive and her forlorn expression told Harper that she was both annoyed and fearful at the turn of events. “What am I doing here?”
“We have some things to discuss,” Harper replied. “Why don’t you take a seat?” She gestured toward one of the canvas chairs they’d set up. Since this wasn’t likely to be quick, she wanted everybody to be comfortable.
“I told you before that I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“You might change your mind.” Harper inclined her head toward the pathway, to where the last party guest was making her way toward them. Harper greeted the young secretary with a smile and a head nod and indicated one of the chairs. “You should probably sit, Lexie.”
The girl was obviously surprised to find so many people gathered in the same spot because her wary eyes bounced over faces twice before landing on Harper. “What is this?”
“It’s a reckoning,” Harper replied, tapping one of the empty canvas chairs for good measure. “You need to sit. You’re a part of this.”
“What, exactly, am I a part of?”
“Dr. Morton’s harem.”
Multiple women sucked in breaths, and this time when they looked between one another, there was more than hatred running rampant. There was also fear … and distress … and even a little sympathy.
“I don’t understand any of this,” Barbara snapped. “I also don’t want to be a part of it.”
“You don’t have a choice in the matter.” Jared pointed toward a chair. “Sit down.” His tone left little room for argument.
With a huff, Barbara planted herself in the chair. Lexie sat across from her. Neither woman met the other’s gaze.
“It seems we have a lot going on,” Harper started as she paced between players. This takedown was a bit more theatrical than she was used to but that didn’t mean she wasn’t enjoying herself. “For starters, everybody here — with the exception of Darren, who has his own problems — was sexually involved with Dr. Jeff Morton.”
A murmur ran through those gathered, all the women viciously swearing under their breath. Darren was the first to speak.
“You’re talking about that dead plastic surgeon,” he said. “You’ve got it wrong, though. Cady was the one who had dealings with the doctor. Pammy isn’t part of this.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Darren.” Harper had never talked to the man in her life and yet she felt a certain amount of sympathy for him now. He might’ve been lazy, but he had a good heart at the center of things. It was about to be crushed. “Pammy met with Morton twice a month to work off her debt.”
Darren’s expression twisted. “I don’t understand.”
“Do you want to tell him, Pammy?” Jared prodded. “It might be better coming from you.”
There was no way Pammy would go down without a fight. She was defiant as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Before this goes too far, we have to tell you that Dr. Morton kept meticulous records,” Mel volunteered. “He was so good he made sure to handle your files himself, rather than allow Janice here to see them. You should know that he was dating her, too.”
“Tiny little dick weasel,” Janice muttered darkly under her breath.
“Her?” Lexie was incredulous. “No way.”
“If you thought you were the only one caught up in his terrible world, you’re mistaken,” Jared said. “You were all victims. He was a predator and he did horrible things to all of you. As payback, though, one of you killed him. As terrible as he was, that’s not acceptable.”
“I’m confused,” Barbara interjected. “Are you trying to accuse me of having sex with Dr. Morton? That is ... absolutely ludicrous. I’m old enough to be his mother.”
“And your husband is old enough to be Lexie’s father — maybe even grandfather — and yet that hasn’t stopped him from bedding her,” Harper pointed out, internally cringing when Barbara’s eyes filled with fire.
“I told you that you’re imagining things where that’s concerned,” Barbara gritted out.
“Am I, Lexie?” Harper challenged. “I heard you earlier. You gave Luther an ultimatum. You want Barbara to know about your relationship. This is your chance ... and when Luther questions you about it, you can honestly say that it’s not your fault the information was leaked.”
Lexie opened her mouth and Harper was sure she was going to deny things. She changed course quickly, though
. “Fine. Do you want the truth? Luther and I are in love.” Finally, she met Barbara’s bereaved glare. “I care about you a great deal. You’ve been wonderful to me. The heart wants what the heart wants, though.”
“Oh, don’t be an idiot,” Barbara fired back. “You’re only into Luther because you think he can give you a cushy life. You don’t want to work and you think the cemetery is some great living. Well, I’m here to tell you, that’s not the case.
“We do okay with the cemetery, but it won’t fund his lifestyle, especially when you cut those numbers in half,” she continued. “The house you think you might get? My house? It was left to me by my mother when she died. Luther’s name is not on the deed. My mother insisted on it. In fact, he had to sign off on any claim to the house before my mother would even allow it to pass to us.”
Lexie was clearly caught off guard. “I don’t understand.”
“I’m guessing Luther is a liar,” Harper volunteered. “He told you certain things in an attempt to get you into bed. Then he kept telling you those things to keep you in bed. The truth is, though, he’ll have virtually nothing if he divorces Barbara ... which means he’s not going to divorce her.”
“He is,” Lexie insisted. “He promised me he was going to give me the life I know I deserve. He can’t just take that back after the fact.”
“He can do whatever he wants,” Jared said. “He’s a liar. That’s what liars do.”
“But ... no.” Lexie fervently shook her head. “That’s not right. He promised me.”
“I’m sure you made promises to him, too,” Harper noted. “Do you think sleeping with Dr. Morton breaks those promises?”
Lexie worked her jaw and then shook her head. “It’s not my fault he was a heathen.”
“No,” Harper agreed. “What he did to you and the others makes him a terrible person. Did you tell him that when you killed him?”
Lexie’s shoulder’s visibly jerked. “I didn’t kill him. Why are you saying that?”
Harper studied her face for a long beat. Was she telling the truth? She didn’t know her well enough to gauge.
“He was doing the same thing to all of you,” Jared noted as he seamlessly slid into the conversation. “He was using and abusing each and every one of you. One of you killed him, though. The others are innocent. It would be best if the guilty party stepped forward.”
“It wasn’t me,” Lexie insisted. “I didn’t care enough to kill him. I mean, spending time with that dude was gross — he can last like three minutes and he doesn’t care about anybody else’s needs — but I was willing to put up with it.
“I mean, look at this nose,” she continued, turning so her profile was on display. “How can you not think this nose is worth having to waste ten minutes a month pretending that guy was good in bed? I’d do more than that. I had no reason to kill him.”
Harper wasn’t certain she believed her, but when she glanced at Morton’s ghost, she found him watching the young woman with obvious distaste.
“She’s lying,” he said, fury evident. “I’m good at everything I do.”
“Really?” Harper sensed an opening and decided to take advantage of it. “Let’s have a show of hands. Who here thought Dr. Morton was good in bed? His ghost is present — I wasn’t lying about that — and he says he’s a stallion.”
All four women snorted in tandem.
“Who are you going to listen to?” Morton challenged. “I’m the respected doctor. I’m the one who was in control.”
“You were only in control to a certain point,” Maddie countered, speaking for the first time. “You liked to think you were in control, but obviously one of these women stripped you of that control the night you died. I can’t say you didn’t have it coming, even though I’m not particularly a fan of murder.”
“Definitely not,” Nick agreed, his fingers light as they danced over Maddie’s back. He was remaining close so none of the women could use his beloved as a shield, although none of them looked up to the task. His worry lessened with each passing moment. All of these women looked beaten down, and one of them would break soon.
“We’re theorizing that one of you met Morton here,” Jared explained. “To me, a cemetery is a weird place for a meeting, which leads me to believe Barbara or Lexie make the most sense. Of course, Morton has indicated himself that he enjoyed having interludes on top of graves ... so none of you are off the hook.”
“I can vouch for that,” Janice said as she sipped her water. She seemed to be enjoying the show. “He got off on doing it in the cemetery. I can also vouch for him being bad in bed. I mean ... talk about selfish. He was basically a three strokes and done, dude. He reminded me of a teenager having sex for the first time he was so bad.”
“Take that back,” Morton hissed, stalking in Janice’s direction. “I’m good at everything I do.”
“She can’t hear you,” Maddie said.
“Then tell her what I said. She’s the one who is bad in bed.”
“Yeah, I think I’ll pass.” Maddie was over Morton and his wild claims. “You’ve abused them enough.”
“They’re making up lies.”
“Somehow I doubt it.” Maddie offered Harper an encouraging smile. “It’s probably time to wrap this up.”
Harper returned the smile. “I was thinking the exact same thing.”
“So, here’s the thing,” Jared said, turning regularly so he could see each woman’s face. “Whoever did this likely won’t get charged with first-degree murder. Should I be telling you that? Absolutely not. Can I guarantee it? No.
“The thing is, Morton was an absolute tool,” he continued. “He used and abused people, put them in horrible situations, and apparently he was bad in bed.”
“Make him stop saying that,” Morton raged.
Everybody ignored him.
“If nobody owns up to killing him, then we will start digging deeper,” he continued. “That’s deep on each one of you. The guilty party might not care necessarily, but I believe you all have things you want to keep secret.
“For example, Barbara, you seem adamant about keeping your marital problems with Luther hidden. I don’t know why you would want to stay married to him, but that’s your business. You, Lexie, will be the laughingstock of the town if it gets out that you were Luther’s mistress because the truth is, pretty much everybody knows he’s not going to leave Barbara because he doesn’t want to be penniless.”
Lexie made a growling sound and stared at the ground.
“As for Cady, your relationship with Heath will be explored in excruciating detail,” Jared offered. “You might actually be in the best position of all, what with your addiction problems and surgery ... issues.” He gestured toward Cady’s ample chest but refused to stare.
“That brings us to you, Pammy.” Jared faced down the final woman. “You seem to have it in your head that you’re going to sucker Darren in and get him to marry you. He seems to do okay financially, but I think what you really want is someone to boss around. He’s going to realize sooner or later that you’re snowing him and end the relationship so you’re going to be high and dry. The specifics of your arrangement with Morton will be made public.”
Jared turned again. “Actually, the specifics of all your relationships will be made public as we try to track down the individual responsible for Dr. Morton’s death. It will be a long, loud, and annoying investigation. If someone wants to admit their guilt, though, I’m sure that will be taken into account when it comes time to present the case to the prosecutor’s office.”
Jared lapsed into silence and let the women stew for a few moments. When someone finally spoke up, he couldn’t say he was surprised. He wasn’t even disappointed. He was just relieved.
“It was me,” Lexie said in a small voice, multiple eyes snapping to her. “I’m the one who did it.”
Jared nodded in understanding as he watched the woman stare at her hands. “I was leaning toward someone with ties to the cemetery. Honestly, th
ough, I’m not sure I blame any of you.”
“He pushed me to it,” Lexie insisted, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. “I told him I didn’t want to be with him any longer — I’m in love with Luther — and he just kept laughing at me.”
“He laughed at you because you wanted to break away from him?” Maddie queried.
“He laughed at me because I said I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Luther. He doesn’t understand the bond we have.”
Barbara let loose a disdainful snorting noise. “You don’t have a bond. Luther is simply lazy and horny. You were in the office, fresh meat so to speak. That’s why he focused on you.”
“This wouldn’t have happened if you had just let him go,” Lexie exploded. “He was too frightened to tell you. If we’d stuck to my plan, he would’ve divorced you and we would’ve moved someplace Jeff couldn’t find us. That’s what I wanted.”
“How did it happen?” Jared queried.
“I wasn’t planning it.” Lexie refused to look away from her hands. “He approached me when I was leaving work that night, said I’d missed our date. He was ticked, called me a whore, and said it was time to do what he’d paid me to do.”
Even though the young woman was a murderer, Maddie found she had sympathy for Lexie. “He put you in a bad position,” she said. “You felt you had no way out.”
“He could’ve let me go. That’s all that I wanted.”
“He didn’t, though.”
“No.” Lexie was morose. “He grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me. Hard. He told me I was an idiot and he would ruin my life by putting a lien on any future earnings if I didn’t do what he wanted.
“If he put a lien on me, Luther would’ve found out about the surgery ... and maybe the other stuff,” she continued. “I was furious and just wanted him to shut up. He wouldn’t listen to me. I was so mad ... and sad ... and afraid. I reached out to grab something to hit him with.”
Ghostly Graves: A Harper Harlow and Maddie Graves Mystery Page 19
