“I guess we’ll see.” Zander wiped his mouth with his napkin and sucked down the rest of his water before smoothing his hair. “How do I look, Harp?”
She nodded at him as she popped another crawdad in her mouth. “Good. No drinking, and be careful.” She leaned forward and smacked a kiss against his cheek. “If you don’t behave yourself, I’ll puke on you again. That’s going to be my new threat whenever you get in over your head, by the way, so get used to it.”
Zander scowled. “You are so much work.”
Harper smiled as she watched him go. “You don’t think I’m work, do you, Jared?”
“Only the best kind, Heart.” Jared kissed her before turning back to Quinn. “So, what do you want from us? I’m not stupid enough to believe you randomly decided to sit at our table.”
“Maybe I’m just being sociable,” Quinn suggested.
“He wants to know about the ghost hunting,” Rowan interjected, ignoring the dark look Quinn cast in her direction. “I’m kind of curious, too. I grew up in St. Clair Shores. That’s only like an hour away from Whisper Cove.”
“Wow. That’s fun.” Harper brightened. “What do you want to know about ghosts, Quinn?”
“Tell me absolutely everything,” he replied. “I want to know anything you can tell me.”
“And then what?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea, but I’m a curious fellow.”
“I can vouch for that,” Rowan said. “He’s a regular busybody.”
Quinn tweaked her nose. “Keep it up. I’m going to add to that list you were making earlier if you’re not careful.”
It was an empty threat and they both knew it. Quinn was simply happy she’d put the dregs of the day behind her. He wanted to keep the conversation moving forward.
“So, tell me about ghosts,” he prodded. “How does it work?”
9
Nine
It was an odd assortment of people.
That’s what Quinn told himself as he relaxed in his chair, rested his hand on Rowan’s thigh under the table, and listened to tales of Harper’s ghost exploits.
Still, as he listened, he couldn’t stop himself from being fascinated.
“Wait ... so you told your parents you saw a ghost when you were little, that your grandfather was already dead, and they didn’t believe you?” Rowan was incredulous. “That doesn’t seem fair. You were just a little girl.”
Rowan seemed fascinated by Harper, Quinn internally noted. She’d spent the past twenty minutes openly gaping as the woman told stories, and she appeared to be completely enamored with the idea of being a ghost hunter. Since Quinn thought the entire idea was ridiculous, he wisely kept his opinion to himself.
“My parents are ... good people,” Harper hedged, looking to Jared for confirmation. “They were just confused by what was happening. They really wanted me to be normal.”
“Being normal is highly overrated,” Jared countered, tucking a strand of blond hair behind an ear as he grinned at her. “I happen to like my women odd.”
“Ha, ha.” Harper rolled her eyes. “You didn’t think the ghost thing was all that cool when we first met either.”
Intrigued despite himself, Quinn leaned forward. “How did you find out she could see ghosts?”
Jared shrugged as he sipped his coffee. “Well, it was my first case in Whisper Cove and I kept finding her in really odd places. She basically told me what she was doing from the start and I thought there was a chance she might be crazy.
“You have to understand: Whisper Cove is tiny,” he continued. “I thought maybe she was the town kook and everyone indulged her fantasies so she wouldn’t feel bad.”
“Town kook, huh?” Harper shook her head and pinched his flank. “You didn’t tell me that part.”
He squirmed as he tried to escape from her determined fingers. “Heart, it all worked out in the end. I came to see you were telling the truth. And, quite frankly, I think I came around a lot faster than anyone else would’ve been capable of doing.”
“That’s not true,” Harper shot back. “Zander believed me from the moment I told him I could see ghosts. He never once questioned me.”
Jared’s expression darkened. “Zander was six, so the idea of ghosts didn’t throw him. He also thought Bigfoot was real back then, if I remember correctly.”
“He still believes in Bigfoot,” Harper admitted, rolling her neck. “I’m just saying ... he always believed me. You took a few days.”
“Yes, but did I ever doubt you once I believed?”
Harper’s lips curved. “No. You were really good that way.”
“I was,” Jared agreed, planting a loud kiss against her cheek and causing her to giggle before focusing on Quinn. The way the man watched him was intense, and he couldn’t quite figure out what information the security chief was trying to ascertain.
“So ... you believed pretty quickly, huh?” Quinn pressed. “That must have been difficult. I’m sure all your training told you that she was crazy and to run away.”
“My training told me that she was up to something,” he clarified. “My heart told me she was earnest and didn’t seem all that crazy. And my hormones ... well, my hormones told me that I couldn’t escape from her. She was it for me and there was no sense fighting.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Rowan cooed, her eyes lighting with amusement. “You knew she was your match even though you thought she might be crazy. Isn’t that romantic, Quinn?”
In truth, Quinn understood exactly what Jared was saying. He accepted what Rowan told him about the omen before he had proof she knew what she was talking about. His heart was essentially gone by the time he had confirmation, so if she’d been wrong, he would’ve already been besotted by the ship’s resident loon. The difference was, Harper put her gift out there on display. Everyone knew about it, and she wasn’t overly worried about people questioning her. Rowan’s gift was still a secret, so Quinn obviously couldn’t share his own stories.
It was a sticky situation.
“I’m romantic,” Quinn said finally, sliding a flirty grin in Rowan’s direction. “Are you saying I’m not romantic? I’m pretty sure I should be insulted.”
“Of course you’re romantic,” Rowan shot back. “It’s just ... Jared fell in love with Harper even though there was a possibility she was the town nut. I find that super romantic.”
“Yes, it would’ve been a love story for the ages,” Jared drawled. “I would’ve taken Harper huge bouquets of fabric flowers at the loony bin as I swept her off her feet. In between bouts of electroshock therapy, we would’ve pledged our love to one another.”
Harper playfully swatted his arm. “I don’t think that making jokes about electroshock therapy is nice,” she scolded around a giggle. “You were with me at the asylum. You saw what was done to the patients there. That certainly wasn’t funny.”
Jared sobered. “I did see. It wasn’t funny.”
Quinn watched the exchange with a studied eye. “After I ran Zander’s name this morning — I needed to do a background check on him for obvious reasons — I stumbled across the news coverage of what happened at the asylum. Is it true you were on television?”
Jared’s lips curved down. “Yeah. It’s true. It was absolutely ridiculous. We tried to keep them from broadcasting the episode, but since we signed releases at the start, there wasn’t much we could do about it.”
“That’s sad,” Rowan said. “I’ve never really watched one of those shows, but now I kind of want to watch your episode. It will be weird to see you on the small screen when I’ve met you in real life.”
“There were a lot of things left out of that episode,” Harper said quietly. “I mean ... a lot.”
“What did they leave out?” Quinn asked. “I read a synopsis on some forum and it said that you guys actually took down a murderer.”
“We did,” Jared confirmed, his hand automatically moving to the back of Harper’s neck so he could soothe her. “It’s a long
story, but suffice it to say, one of the members of the crew was related to a woman who died at the asylum back in the day. He kind of lost his mind ... and a life or two was lost along the way.”
“That’s horrible,” Rowan intoned, her face draining of color. “Obviously you guys are okay.”
“Because we kept our little group together as much as possible,” Jared explained. “I knew we were in trouble and refused to be separated from Harper. Zander was there and we worked out a system so she was never alone. I guessed — and rightly so — that whoever we were dealing with wanted to isolate her.
“Luckily for us, things worked out in the end,” he continued. “Harper helped the trapped ghosts move on, we caught a murderer, and then we got off that freaking island. I don’t ever want to see that asylum again.”
Quinn shifted his eyes to Harper. “What about you? Do you want to see the asylum again?”
Harper shrugged. “I don’t know. It was an interesting trip ... but it was also terrifying. I was exhausted when we finally left. I think I slept for twenty-four hours straight.”
“You couldn’t sleep while there because you were afraid?” Rowan queried.
Harper shook her head. “I expended a lot of energy while we were there because of the number of ghosts that needed to cross over. Communicating with them isn’t always easy, and the ghosts on the island had been left behind for a really long time. They were a little set in their ways.”
“We returned to the island a few days after that anyway,” Jared added, his expression darkening. “Harper wanted to put the spirits to rest.”
“You can put them to rest?” Rowan was impressed. “How?”
“Zander and I created this dreamcatcher thing,” Harper explained. “It’s a trap of sorts to immobilize the ghosts, but when we spring it, the ghosts are transported to the other side.”
“And what’s there?” Quinn asked.
“I don’t know.” Harper opted for honesty. “I don’t know ... and I’m not sure I can explain the things I’ve seen. It’s peaceful, though. I’ve only gotten brief glimpses. There’s something beautiful about it. No fear ... or sadness. No regret.”
“It sounds lovely,” Jared drawled. “You’re not going to find out how great it is in its entirety for a very long time, though. We have another eighty years together before we’ll be visiting ... and at the exact same time.”
Harper snickered, genuinely amused. “You have plans for us to die together, huh?”
Jared shrugged. “That would be ideal, like that chick movie Zander made me watch with the old people dying together.”
“The Notebook,” Harper volunteered, grinning. “That’s a great movie.”
“That movie is a steaming pile of ... .”
Harper extended a warning finger. “If Zander hears you saying that, he’s simply going to make you watch it until you change your mind. You know how he is.”
Jared captured her finger and grinned. “Sadly, I do know. It will be our little secret.” He leaned in for a kiss that was so sweet it nudged a sigh out of Harper.
Rowan grinned at them, completely enamored. Quinn recognized the look on her face. She was bonding with Harper and she didn’t even realize it. He sensed trouble, but he couldn’t call her on her attitude until they were in private. Harper obviously didn’t care that people knew about her gift. Rowan was another story.
“You guys are cute,” Rowan announced. “I love how cute you are.”
“I love being cute,” Jared replied, smiling indulgently as Harper poked his side.
“What about your relationship with Zander?” Quinn asked. He wasn’t quite done digging for information. His instincts told him it was unlikely Zander was a murderer, but his instincts had been wrong a time or two. He was nowhere near done asking questions.
“What about my relationship with Zander?” Jared asked, leveling his gaze on Quinn. “There’s nothing funny about our relationship, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Oh, their relationship is hilarious,” Harper countered. “It’s like spending time with The Three Stooges. Jared and Zander spend hours every day smacking each other on the head.”
Quinn snickered at the visual. “I bet. It must be difficult to have another man stealing so much of your fiancée’s attention.”
“I realized a long time ago that Zander was always going to be part of the package with Harper,” Jared explained. “He’s more than her best friend. They’re often joined at the hip. He’s part of our lives and that’s never going to change.”
“Do you all live together?”
“Not any longer.” Jared recognized that Quinn was digging for specific information. Since he didn’t think it could possibly hurt Zander — and perhaps actually help — he opted to play the game. “When I first met them, Harper and Zander lived in this adorable cottage together. It was close to the river and they were co-owners.
“Once Harper and I started dating, the cottage started feeling a little closed in,” he continued. “I knew that Zander would melt down if I moved Harper too far away from him, so when the cottage across the road came up for purchase, I knew exactly what I had to do.”
“Oh, you moved across the street?” Rowan’s eyes sparkled. “That’s a great idea.”
“That seems invasive to me,” Quinn muttered.
“It’s a compromise,” Jared corrected. “Harper and Zander work together. She finds trouble because of the ghosts. I like knowing Zander and Shawn are across the road should something happen if I’m working a late shift or something.
“Plus, well, you’ve met him,” he continued. “He needs to be close to Harper or he will completely fall off the rails. Harper isn’t as intense as Zander, but she likes having easy access to her best friend. This way, they’re like five hundred feet apart. Plus, we have better river access so we can have a hammock.”
“I ... what does a hammock have to do with anything?” Rowan asked, confused.
“Hammocking is my favorite summer sport.”
“I don’t think that’s a sport, man,” Quinn countered, grinning. “I also don’t think that’s a word.”
“Oh, it’s more than a word. It’s a lifestyle.”
Harper laughed when Jared moved his face to her neck and gave her a noisy kiss. “He loves his hammock,” she explained.
“I guess so.” Quinn pursed his lips as he crossed and uncrossed his legs at the ankles. “I guess it’s fair to say that you believe Zander isn’t a suspect in the murder of Tasha Vale, huh? I’m guessing you wouldn’t allow Harper to hang out with him if you thought he was dangerous.”
Jared’s expression was amused. “Yeah, you don’t believe Zander is a murderer,” he drawled. “You interviewed him — which you had no choice but to do — but you don’t believe he’s guilty of what happened to that woman any more than I do. You’re obviously struggling to narrow down suspects, though. If you need help, I can lend an ear.”
“Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time I’ve investigated a murder,” Quinn said. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m fully capable of investigating without your help.”
“I didn’t say you weren’t capable,” Jared shot back. “This is my job, though.”
“It’s my job, too. I appreciate the offer, but I have to keep the investigation clean. I don’t think it would look good if the good friend of my chief suspect helped me solve the case.”
“Zander isn’t your chief suspect, though,” Jared pressed.
“Just because I don’t happen to believe he’s the man we’re looking for, that doesn’t mean that I can completely rule him out,” Quinn argued. “He was on the deck when she was killed. He wasn’t all that far away. He should’ve heard something. The fact that he didn’t ... well, it’s suspect.”
“He was drunk,” Harper countered, her eyes flashing. “If he’d been awake, he would’ve helped. He would’ve saved her.”
“Or died with her,” Jared said.
Harper’s expression
turned dark. “Don’t joke about that.”
“I’m not joking, Heart.” Jared stroked his hand down the back of her head. “I didn’t mean to upset you. That wasn’t a joke, though. We got lucky that Zander was only dead to the world. There’s a chance our killer didn’t even know he was there. Otherwise, honestly, what’s the difference between one murder and two?”
Harper was appalled. “Don’t say things like that. He’s okay. He’s over there playing Sherlock Holmes with the psychic. I don’t want to think about him not being okay.”
“I know.” Jared slipped an arm around her slim shoulders and pulled her close. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It was mean and insensitive. I won’t say it again.”
Harper didn’t look convinced. “I don’t like thinking about it.”
“I know.” Jared kissed her forehead and met Quinn’s steady gaze over the table. “What? I didn’t mean to upset her. Don’t give me that look.”
“No, that’s not why I was staring,” Quinn said. “It’s something you just said. I never considered it.”
“What did I say?”
“I assumed that Zander was with Tasha on the deck right before it happened, that maybe they were talking and he passed out or something,” Quinn replied. “That might not be what happened, though. If someone was watching Tasha and she was talking to Zander, then he would’ve been a threat no matter how recently he passed out.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Jared said, his hands busy over Harper’s back as he hugged her. “I think I’m missing your point.”
“I told you the video footage is hard to see,” Quinn explained. “It turned foggy after midnight and Tasha was close to the railing. I didn’t really look for Zander, though. I zeroed in on the area right around the time of death. Maybe, if I look earlier in the evening, I’ll see Zander and that will go a long way toward clearing him.”
“Technically, I think you’ve already cleared him,” Jared persisted.
“I can’t base an investigation on my gut,” Quinn said. “I know that’s not what you want to hear, but Zander will remain a suspect until I have a reason to rule him out.”
Ghostly Seas: A Harper Harlow and Rowan Gray Mystery Page 9
