Ghostly Camping (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 16)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “And Becky led you to Holly?” Harris appeared to be having trouble absorbing the news. “I don’t understand how this happened.”

  “Then let me explain it to you,” Jared offered. He laid everything out in a cool and concise manner. It didn’t take long. When he was finished, he waited for Harris to respond.

  “You haven’t told me how Holly died,” Harris said finally.

  “That’s because we’re not certain how it happened yet,” Jared replied. “That will be up to the medical examiner to decide. Becky is no longer talking.”

  “No longer talking.” Harris appeared lost in his own head as his eyes traveled to the young woman, who stared straight ahead and didn’t respond to his presence. “I don’t understand how this happened. I just ... don’t understand.”

  “What is it you need clarification on?” Jared queried. “Becky admitted to both deaths, although she called Leslie’s murder an accident. She was aiming for Harper.” His voice took on an edge. “Harper was only a target because of you.”

  The statement was enough to snap Harris out of his reverie. “Wait. You can’t possibly think that this is my fault.”

  “Your fault? Singular? No.” Jared shook his head. “You had a hand in all of this, though. What you’re guilty of is almost worse than what Becky is guilty of ... and she killed two women, so that’s pretty impressive.”

  “I’m not guilty of anything,” Harris fired back. “All I did was open a business.”

  “And now that business will be infamous,” Harper pointed out. “Two deaths, a worker who lost her mind. It all lined up nicely for you.”

  “If you think I take joy in that poor girl losing her mind ... you’re crazy,” Harris hissed. “I helped raise her after her father died. I’ve known her since she was a small child. I love her.”

  “You love her.” Jared’s stomach twisted. “And that, right there, is the problem at the heart of this. She did this because she thinks she loves you.”

  “She’s troubled,” Harris insisted. “She’s out of her mind. Any psychologist will see that.”

  “I think you might be right.”

  Harris was taken aback. “You do?”

  “I do. I think that a therapist is going to have to weed through an unholy mess in that girl’s brain to get to the truth. She knows what she did. She simply doesn’t see it as wrong. That’s a textbook case right there.”

  “See.” Harris brightened considerably. “It wasn’t her fault.”

  “She still killed two people, including her mother,” Jared insisted. “You haven’t even asked why her mother was here. Aren’t you curious about that?”

  “I ... well ... I know why Holly was here.”

  “You do?” Jared arched an eyebrow. “How is it that you know?”

  Harper deduced the answer before Harris could respond. “Because he saw her. She went after him before she even saw Becky. She wanted him to call off the relationship, thought she might be able to force his hand. She was obviously wrong.”

  A muscle worked in Jared’s jaw as he debated how to push forward. “Did you know that Becky killed her mother?” he asked finally.

  “Of course not!” Harris was scandalized. “I had no idea that anything happened. Holly was out of her mind when she arrived, accusing me of ... all manner of things.” His lips curled into a sneer. “She was delusional. She kept saying we had a connection, but it wasn’t true.”

  “In her mind you likely did have a connection,” Jared agreed. “She obviously didn’t realize you’d been having sex with her daughter when she was a minor, though.”

  Color shot through Harris’ face, but it wasn’t shock Harper registered there. It was fear.

  “That is the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard,” Harris shot back. “How can you even accuse me of something that sick? That girl is like a daughter to me.”

  “And that’s why it’s sick,” Harper said softly. “You groomed her, took advantage of a sad child who lost her father and was stuck with a mother who didn’t particularly like her. Holly had dreams of getting away. She got pregnant instead. She blamed Becky for stealing her dreams. You saw that, read the trouble between them, and took advantage. Becky was easy pickings for you.”

  Harris turned on Harper. “I didn’t take advantage of anything.”

  “Are you denying you had a relationship with Becky?” Jared queried.

  “Of course I am.” Harris straightened his shoulders. “I’m a father figure to her, nothing more.”

  “I guess that will be up to the prosecutor to prove,” Jared replied. “I’m pretty sure I know how all this went down, and you’re going to have your hands full proving your innocence.”

  “I don’t have to prove my innocence. They have to prove my guilt. That’s how the system works.”

  “I know you’re guilty,” Harper said. “I don’t know who you’re trying to fool, but it’s not going to work on us. I know what you are.”

  “Do you?” Harris held her gaze for a long beat. “I guess that means you won’t be endorsing my camp.”

  Now it was Harper’s turn to be shocked. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I am. Just because you think I’ve done something wrong — which I haven’t — you have to agree that I’ve supplied a unique entertainment experience here,” Harris pressed. “Our business partnership can still thrive.”

  Harper could do nothing but shake her head as she turned on her heel and headed for the tent.

  “Was that an answer?” Harris called to her back.

  “I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for an endorsement,” Jared offered. “It’s not going to happen.”

  “There will be others,” Harris insisted. “This is only the beginning. I don’t need her.”

  “No, you need a lawyer.” Jared stepped away as the local police officers swooped in. “I’m pretty sure your camp is going to be notorious, but not for the reasons you believe. I wish you well in prison.”

  “I’m not going to prison!”

  “You keep telling yourself that.”

  LATER THAT NIGHT, UNDER THE SKYLIGHT, Harper and Jared came together. He held her pressed tightly to his side, brushing his lips against her forehead as she got comfortable.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked in a soft voice.

  Harper shook her head. “Not really. There’s nothing to say.”

  “I know this trip didn’t go how you planned, but I’m hopeful this won’t dissuade you from considering another potential endorsement in the future.”

  “Maybe. If I do, it won’t be a campground, though.”

  He snickered. “I’m sorry camping wasn’t everything you hoped it would be.”

  “I’m sorry, too. I wanted this to be fun for you. It was anything but.”

  “Are you kidding?” He pulled back far enough so he could study her face. “I happen to think it was a fabulous trip.”

  “How can you possibly believe that?”

  “I got to spend time with you. I ate some good food, including s’mores. That’s a great time to me.”

  “You’re such a guy,” she said on a laugh, poking his side. “Only you could turn a trip that ended with two bodies into a reason to exalt the food.”

  “I am easily entertained,” he agreed, tucking the sleeping bag tightly around her back. “Despite that, I’m guessing you’re going to want to get out of here early tomorrow.”

  “Will you be upset if I say yes?”

  “No.”

  “Then I really want to get out of here as early as possible tomorrow.”

  He laughed. “I think we can manage that. We’ll even save breakfast for the road.”

  “There is one thing I have to do before we go.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Set two souls free.”

  He nodded. “Right. I’ll go with you.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “I want to. This is something I feel we should do together.”

&nb
sp; “You’re not just saying that because you feel the need to watch me, are you?”

  “I would like to point out that you did stumble over a killer again today, despite your best efforts.”

  “She wasn’t a violent killer.”

  “I think Leslie Duncan and her mother would disagree.”

  Harper pursed her lips. “You have a point. Okay, we’ll do it together.”

  “And then we’ll head home.”

  “I just want some Starbucks and a McDonald’s breakfast sandwich for the road.”

  “I think I can manage both of those things.”

  “And that’s why we’re a good team.”

  “The best ever,” he agreed, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. “It’s our last night under the stars. We should probably enjoy it.”

  “It’s not our last night under the stars. We have a hammock at home. I promise we can put that to good use as soon as we land.”

  “Now I can’t wait to get home.”

  “Yup, we’re definitely a good match.”

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  About the Author

  Amanda M. Lee and Lily Harper Hart

  I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.

  If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.

  Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  For more information:

  author@amandamlee.net

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&
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