Ghostly Ordeal

by Lily Harper Hart

  Agatha snorted. “Oh, please. There’s no way my son is leaving me a dime. If I paid someone to kill him that would be money out of my own pocket ... and as you can see, that’s money I don’t have. Do you really think a professional killer is going to meet me here, agree to kill my son for a future payout, and then just take me at my word that I’m good for it? I very much doubt it.”

  She had a point. Jared was loath to admit it because he was desperate for another legitimate suspect, but the odds of Agatha taking out her son seemed slim. “I guess that leaves us open to discuss other things.” Jared gave her a small wink in the hope that she would relax. Instead, she continued to glare at him ... which made him uncomfortable.

  “And what do you want to discuss with an old lady, hot shot?” she challenged, causing Mel’s lips to quirk. “Just for the record, you’re wasting your charm on me. You’re way too young and dumb for me to waste my time on. I don’t want a guy I have to teach the ropes to.”

  Jared was almost certain an insult was buried in there, but he managed to refrain from calling her on her attitude. “I’ll keep that in mind, ma’am.”

  “We’re more interested in your relationship with your son,” Mel explained. “We just spent some time with his estate lawyer and were informed that things weren’t always pleasant between you and Carl.”

  “That’s putting it mildly. Carl was ... pretty much the worst son anyone could ever want. I’m not kidding ...and I’m not exaggerating. He was a jerk and a half.”

  “That doesn’t mean he deserved to be murdered.”

  “No?” Agatha didn’t look so sure. “I’ll have to let God be the judge of that. I didn’t kill him. If you really think that and aren’t just marking off a box on your list, I feel sorry for you. You’re wasting your time with me. Even if I wanted to kill him — and there were times, don’t get me wrong — I don’t have the strength to do it physically. I also don’t have the money to do it remotely. That’s on top of the fact that I don’t have the will to do it.

  “Carl was essentially a butt plug in the game of life,” she continued, ignoring Jared’s reaction when he uncontrollably started coughing to cover his laughter. “I’m not an idiot. I know what my son was. He wasn’t a good person and he’s going to be on the receiving end of some hard judgment. I have no doubt about that.”

  “When was the last time you saw your son?” Mel asked.

  “I think it’s been about two years.”

  “Two years?” Jared sobered. “He never came to visit you?”

  “He hated coming here. Said it was for old people. That’s why I pointed out I should be living in a different sort of home. He said I was old and to suck it up, claimed he couldn’t afford to put me anyplace else. He said he didn’t have a choice ... and I definitely didn’t have a choice.”

  “Your son managed to squirrel away about a million dollars,” Mel offered, choosing his words carefully. “A few months ago, he approached his estate lawyer about changing his will. Up until that point, his son was the main beneficiary and you were set to receive one hundred thousand dollars.”

  Agatha made a face so exaggerated she looked like a cartoon character. “Are you messing with me?”

  “No. The thing is, we’ve yet to track down the new will and have reason to believe he might’ve done something ... odd ... with it.” Mel wasn’t sure how else to phrase it. “He didn’t mention anything to you, did he?”

  “I haven’t seen him in almost two years. He didn’t even mention the first will to me. I figured everything would go to Junior. That’s the way it should be.”

  “Even though you’re living in a home you hate?” Jared queried.

  She bobbed her head without hesitation. “Even though. I don’t belong here, but Junior has been through so much in his life that if his father can give him a little bit of peace, he definitely deserves it.”

  “Are you close with your grandson?” Jared asked.

  “I don’t know if ‘close’ is the word I would use,” Agatha hedged. “Fran stops by to see me once a week. She brings me a casserole. I’ve never been one for casseroles, but it’s the thought that counts, right?”

  “Fran visits you every week?” If Jared wasn’t already in awe of the soft-spoken woman this would’ve put her over the top.

  “She does.”

  “For how long?”

  “Since I’ve been in here,” Agatha replied. “Actually, when I was in the hospital, she stopped by twice a week to cheer me on during my physical therapy. She also volunteered her time to help me with my speech therapy.”

  “That’s pretty generous of her considering how your son screwed her over,” Mel noted.

  “I always said that Carl didn’t deserve her,” Agatha noted. “No, I’m being serious. He didn’t deserve her even a little. She was too good for him.

  “What Carl did when he divorced her was ... unconscionable,” she continued. “I knew that marriage wouldn’t last, don’t get me wrong. Fran is a sweet woman, but Carl is the sort of man who is attracted to evil.

  “Still, I thought Fran was better off without him despite the terrible financial state he left her in,” she said. “I thought maybe she would find someone who treated her right ... but that never happened. She seems fine taking care of herself, and Junior is an adult now. She did right raising my grandson. I’ll always appreciate her for that.”

  “And what about Junior?” Jared pressed. “How often do you see him?”

  “Not as often as his mother but more often than most grandchildren would probably stop by. He comes about once a month. He brings me a basket of goodies — some are baked goods from his mother but other items are contraband and he buys them for me anyway — and we sit and play cards for an hour or so.

  “He tells me about school because he’s almost ready to graduate from law school and he’s gearing up to take the bar exam,” she continued. “He’s warned me that he has to study hard for the exam and might miss one visit. I told him not to worry, but he feels bad about it.”

  “It sounds to me as if Fran made sure that Junior was close to you despite what Carl did to her,” Mel said. “She did everything right.”

  “And Carl did everything wrong,” Agatha said. “Listen, my son was a monster. I’m not surprised that he’s dead. In fact, the only thing that surprises me is that no one took him out sooner. It wasn’t me, though. It’s probably one of the people he wronged in a divorce settlement. That’s all I can figure.”

  “We’re looking into that,” Jared said. “The problem is, he screwed over a lot of people. There are so many names to choose from we don’t even know where to start. He never mentioned a name to you, did he? Someone he really messed up maybe. He seemed proud of throwing people’s lives into tumult. I thought maybe he would brag about it to you.”

  “He didn’t talk to me unless he absolutely had to,” Agatha said. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to tell you. I wish I had more information for you ... but I simply didn’t know my son well enough to help.”

  “That’s okay.” Jared forced a tight-lipped smile for her benefit. “I’m sure we’ll figure it out. Until then, we’ll be in touch if we have more questions.”

  “I wish you well.” Agatha’s expression was conflicted. “The problem is, whoever killed my son is likely to have a good reason. He or she might have sympathy on their side before it’s all said and done. My son wasn’t a good person, like I said.”

  “No, but murder is never allowed no matter how bad the person is. We’ll definitely be in touch. You need to take care of yourself, though. That should be your primary goal.”

  “I’m always worried about myself.” She mustered a cheeky grin. “Now, go. Point that charm toward someone else. I’m sure it will be appreciated if you direct it at someone younger.”

  Jared knew just who he wanted to direct it toward.

  “HELLO?”

  Jared didn’t bother knocking before letting himself into the house Zander shared with his boyfri
end Shawn. Until several weeks before, Zander owned the house with Harper. Once the house across the street went on the market, Jared and Harper decided to buy it. That allowed both couples their own space but also made it so Harper and Zander — who were woefully codependent — could spend as much time together as necessary.

  Jared was familiar with the house so he didn’t feel the need to knock. He was almost bowled over by the heavenly aroma of pot roast when he cut through the house after kicking off his shoes.

  “What is that?” he asked, gliding to a stop in the kitchen and lifting his nose. “I think this is what Heaven must smell like.”

  Harper laughed from a stool at the kitchen island. Zander was behind the counter, an apron covering his clothes, and he was clearly putting on a show for Harper and Shawn as he finished up dinner.

  “Don’t you knock?” Zander challenged when he met Jared’s gaze. “Harper doesn’t live here any longer ... thanks to you. That means you have to knock.”

  “Do you knock when entering our house?”

  “That’s entirely different.”

  “How?”

  “Because I said so.”

  “Ah.” Jared ignored Zander’s attitude and moved to Harper, pressing his cold hands to her neck and making her squirm before planting a solid kiss on the corner of her mouth. “Did you miss me?”

  “Every moment of my life spent away from you is terrible,” she teased as he gave her another kiss.

  “What’s up with you guys?” Shawn asked after a beat, his brow furrowed as he watched the adorable exchange. “You guys seem ... off.”

  “They had a fight,” Zander answered for them. “I told you about it.”

  “Oh, right.” Shawn bobbed his head. “Jared took Gloria in for questioning and Harper was upset. I didn’t think you guys were still fighting about it.”

  “We’re not still fighting,” Jared replied, wrapping his arms around Harper’s waist from behind. “We’re making up. It’s going to be a weeklong process. I’ve already decided.”

  “A week, huh?” Harper was legitimately amused. “Do you think we’ll be able to keep this up for a week?”

  “Yup. I think we’re going to enjoy it.”

  Shawn smirked as Zander rolled his eyes.

  “What did you find out about the will?” Harper asked, turning serious. “Did you find it?”

  “Not yet, but we’re still looking.” Jared kept his arms around Harper but scowled as he thought back to his afternoon. “We spent hours going through that house and couldn’t find the will.”

  “What about his computer?”

  “That is there but it’s password protected. The state police are picking it up in the morning and having a tech look at it. Elliot Taubman — he’s the estate attorney we talked to — said that Carl had completed his new will. We just need to find it.”

  “I remember Elliot,” Harper noted. “He golfed with Mel.”

  “He remembers you, too.” Jared’s lips were busy on Harper’s neck. “He says that you and Zander were adorable children but a lot of work.”

  “He was talking about Zander.”

  “He was,” Jared agreed, chuckling when Zander scorched him with a dark look. “Oh, lighten up. I’m sure you were an adorable kid, too.”

  “I was the cutest kid ever born,” Zander agreed without hesitation. “Parents everywhere wanted to trade their kids for me. My mother had to watch me extra close when we were out because she was afraid someone would steal me.”

  “It’s the truth,” Harper added. “He was the child everyone wanted.”

  Jared had heard so many stories from their childhood he knew that wasn’t true. By all accounts, Zander was something of a nightmare to raise. Most people called his mother a saint and then made the sign of the cross to double down when referring to Zander’s antics. He knew better than believing his girlfriend’s well-rehearsed shtick with her best friend.

  “Well, he asked about both of you,” Jared supplied. “He seems like a nice enough guy. He admits that Carl was basically the worst. As far as he could tell, Carl didn’t have any redeeming qualities.”

  “I would definitely agree with that,” Harper said. “Carl hung around the entire afternoon. He kept throwing passive aggressive digs at his son. Junior, of course, couldn’t hear him. I think that’s for the best, though.”

  “How did your time with Junior go?” Jared asked. “Did he let anything slip about his relationship with his father?”

  “I’m assuming it sucked given the way Carl treated his mother,” Zander said.

  “I don’t think they had the warmest of relationships,” Harper agreed. “He would not, however, go into any detail about his father. I tried like eight different ways. You used the word ‘guarded’ when you described him and I think that’s the best word. He won’t say anything bad about his father, which is frustrating because I think that’s a subject we could bond over.”

  Jared snickered. “Yes, well ... what about your mother? Did he say anything about her relationship with his father?”

  “Wait.” Shawn held up his hand to still the room. “I thought we all agreed that Gloria had nothing to do with this. She’s not still a suspect, is she?”

  “She can’t be ruled out as a suspect,” Jared replied, opting for honesty. “Personally, I don’t happen to believe she’s a legitimate suspect. That’s because she would rather die herself than get dirty, though. I don’t believe my gut instinct is going to hold up in court if things go south.”

  “Do you think it will go to court?” Harper looked worried at the prospect.

  “I doubt it.” Jared stroked his hand down her hair to soothe her. “That possibility is a long way off. We’re nowhere close to making an arrest. This will change could be a powerful tool on the motive side. Your mother is lacking in motive.”

  “What about Phil, though?” Zander asked. He wasn’t facing Jared so he missed the dark look that flitted over his friend’s face. “If he and Gloria have secretly been together all this time, it makes sense to me that he might be jealous of the men she was dating. Maybe he killed Carl because he thought there was a chance the relationship would last.”

  When no one immediately responded to the statement, Zander glanced up from his food ministrations and frowned. Harper’s glare was hot enough to cause blisters to break out on his skin.

  “Or, I could just shut up and cook,” he said after a beat.

  “I think that would be good,” Jared agreed, moving his hands to Harper’s neck so he could rub at the tension. “Right now, we’re trying to find the will. We know what the old one said, how the funds were divvied up. Now we need to look at the new one.”

  “Do you think that will be the final clue you need?” Harper asked.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know. I certainly hope so, though. The sooner we can put this one behind us, the better.”

  Sixteen

  The snow was coming down when it came time for Harper and Jared to leave.

  “Look at that.” Harper brushed her fingers against the window and shook her head. “I guess it’s good we only have to cross the street, huh?”

  Jared moved his hand up and down her back as he considered the scene. “It’s still going to be virtually impossible to get your car out. I didn’t realize it was snowing this hard.”

  “Stay here,” Shawn suggested, moving behind them. “Harper’s old room is still basically her room. We put a new bed in so we can use it as a guest room but there’s no reason you guys should have to go out in that.”

  Jared wasn’t happy with the suggestion. “It’s only across the road.”

  “And a little way down,” Shawn teased. “You could twist an ankle or fall if you’re not careful.”

  “No. We’re heading home. It’s literally only three inches of snow, although it looks as if the plow has come by and buried the end of the driveway. We can make it.”

  “Fine.” Shawn held up his hands in surrender. “I just thought Harper and Zander
might want to have a slumber party or something.”

  “I have no doubt that will eventually happen,” Jared said. “It can wait until the weather really calls for it.” Jared grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the door. “You’ll be able to watch us through the window to make sure we finish our trek.”

  “If we fall, call the police,” Harper teased, laughing when Jared tugged her knit cap over her head far enough to cover her eyes. “I’ll figure out a way to get my car out tomorrow morning.”

  “We have a snow blower,” Jared said. “I’ll handle our driveway and come over to do yours. That should make getting her car out relatively simple.”

  “That sounds like a plan.” Shawn waved as they left, casting his gaze to Zander when he joined him in front of the window. “I tried to get him to let her stay. He was adamant they were going home.”

  “It’s fine.” Zander wasn’t particularly perturbed as he watched Harper and Jared slip and slide at the end of the driveway. Harper was laughing so hard she bent over at the waist. “They seem happy, right?”

  The question caught Shawn off guard. “Yeah. Is there a reason they wouldn’t seem happy?”

  “They had a fight.”

  “Couples fight. We fight all the time ... mostly because you’re rigid and won’t let me decorate.”

  Zander made a derisive sound in the back of his throat. “That’s not even a real fight. That’s a fake fight so we can make up. They had a real fight over Gloria.”

  “I didn’t realize it was that serious.”

  “It’s not as if they were in danger of breaking up or anything, but it was a real fight.” Zander was thoughtful as he turned away from the window. He had a lot on his mind these days and he was never sure how to prioritize it. “You’ve met Gloria. You don’t think she could be a murderer, do you?”

  Whatever question Shawn was expecting, that wasn’t it. “Are you really worried about that?”

  “I’m ... not sure.” Zander moved closer to the window so he wouldn’t have to strain as hard to make sure Harper and Jared made it home. He felt weird watching over them as if he were a worried parent, but he couldn’t stop himself. “If Jared arrests Gloria and she actually gets charged for murder ... .” He purposely left the rest of the sentence hanging.