Ghostly Worries (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 4) (3 page)

“Then why are we here?”

“Because I want to see what he’s done with the place,” Harper replied, shrugging. “You have to be a little curious. He left town to play the guitar and now he came back to open a restaurant. How does that even happen?”

“That’s a good point,” Zander said, following Harper toward the restaurant. “I don’t care what he says, though. If his clam chowder is gross, I’m going to tell him. I won’t bite my tongue and let him get away with murder a second time just because he has a nice smile.”

“You do that,” Harper said, smirking as she approached the restaurant’s front porch. “Wow. It looks like he’s been doing some work here, huh? I didn’t even realize that this place has been power-washed.”

“It does look better,” Zander said grudgingly. “That doesn’t mean the chowder will be good.”

“Let the chowder go,” Harper instructed, moving to the side of the building. “I just want to see what the deck looks like. I’ve always loved the deck at this place. Maybe once it’s opened Jared and I can come here and have a romantic dinner or something.”

“Only after you’ve sampled it with me, right?” Zander pressed, following Harper as she walked toward the water. “We agreed to try all new restaurants together before risking our upchuck factor on innocent dates.”

“We made that promise when we were sixteen,” Harper reminded him.

“So?”

“We were also dateless.”

“Whatever,” Zander said. “I don’t want to come here anyway. Maybe if everyone boycotts Jason will go away and never return.”

“I can see you’re in a healthy mental place right now,” Harper said, smiling when she saw the deck. It was freshly painted and looked wonderful. “I wish you’d give Jason a chance. I think you might like him if you give it a shot.”

“That’s never going to happen,” Zander said, heading toward the large rocks along the beach instead of staring at the deck. “Once you steal Zander Pritchett’s thunder you never get a chance to embrace the storm.”

Harper mulled the statement. “I don’t think that makes sense.”

“Yeah, I heard it as soon as I said it,” Zander said ruefully. “There was no need to comment on it.”

“Sorry,” Harper said, moving around the base of the high deck so she could look at the new support beams underneath. The way the restaurant was built into the beach bluff it allowed the deck to be high enough to offer a beautiful view of the lake. “I … .” Harper broke off when something caught her attention in the shaded area under the deck.

“What did you say?”

Harper moved closer, swallowing hard when she realized what she was looking at. “We need to call the police.”

“And have them shut the restaurant down? That’s a great idea.”

Harper shook her head as Zander shifted his eyes to her. It was only then that he realized all of the color had disappeared from her cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” Zander asked, instantly alert.

“There’s a body under the deck.” Harper was matter-of-fact as she tried to rein in her out-of-control emotions.

Despite himself, Zander brightened. “Well, that’s good,” he said. “A murder rap will definitely shut him down.”

Harper scowled. “Make the call.”

“I’m on it.”

“
W
hat have you got
?”

Jared Monroe scanned Harper’s face for clues as he approached the isolated lakeside restaurant. When Zander called his uncle Mel Kelsey to report finding a body, the man was understandably dubious. Mel loved his nephew and he took his job as a police officer very seriously. Zander was prone to dramatic fits, though, so the partners were leery when they approached the scene.

Harper didn’t initially speak, instead pointing toward the shaded area beneath the deck. Jared ran his hand down the back of her head, concern etched across his features, and then he moved in the direction she indicated. It took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, but when they did, he immediately walked back in Harper’s direction.

“What is it?” Mel asked.

“It’s a young woman,” Jared replied. “She doesn’t look very old. Definitely not over thirty.”

“Drowning?” Mel almost looked hopeful.

“I don’t think so,” Jared answered. “She’s pretty banged up, and some of that might’ve come from the water if she spent any time there, but the body doesn’t look as if it has been … um … nibbled on.”

Mel nodded curtly. “Any obvious signs of death?”

“I didn’t look for very long because I want to tape this area off before we draw a crowd, but she’s got some discoloration around her neck.”

“She was strangled?” Zander’s eyes widened. “Holy crap. I just thought it was some drunk idiot who had one too many and drowned before washing up here.”

Jared forced a thin-lipped smile. “The water doesn’t reach up this far, even at high tide,” he said. “The water line is down on the other side of those rocks. I don’t think she was in the water.”

“I wonder why not,” Mel mused, rubbing his chin as his partner moved closer to Harper. “The water is a better spot to dump a body. It removes forensic evidence.”

“Yes, but a body also floats to the top and the lake has been packed with people because of the heat so it would’ve been discovered first thing this morning if dumped in the water,” Jared said, slipping his arm around Harper’s waist as he pulled her in for a hug. “Whoever put the body here probably thought it wouldn’t be discovered for a few days at least. This place has been closed since I moved here.”

“It’s opening soon, though,” Mel pointed out. “I read an article about it in the newspaper.”

“Well, maybe our killer isn’t up on Whisper Cove business news,” Jared said, pressing a gentle kiss to Harper’s cheek as he embraced her. “Are you okay, Heart?” He’d taken to calling her that because he wanted a nickname Zander didn’t utilize. That put “Harp” out of the running, and she was so feisty all of the generic offerings didn’t seem to fit her personality.

“I’m fine,” Harper said, pulling back to meet Jared’s steady gaze. “This isn’t the first body I’ve seen.”

“That doesn’t mean it wasn’t jarring,” Jared said, tucking a strand of her honey-colored hair behind her ear. “Can you give me your statement now, or do you need a minute?”

“I can give it to you now.”

“I think I should ask the questions since this looks to be a murder investigation,” Mel interjected. “Your relationship with Harper could cause problems if this goes to trial.”

Jared narrowed his eyes. “How so?”

“I don’t think the judge is going to like testimony that involves ‘and then I hugged her to make sure she was okay before asking any questions,’” Mel replied honestly.

Jared blew out a long-suffering sigh. “You have a point,” he said. “Go nuts. If you question her I can keep hugging her.”

“And then I can throw up and tease you mercilessly when we get back to the office,” Mel said, rolling his eyes until they landed on his nephew. “How are you, sport?”

“Yes, and the judge is going to love that coming up in testimony,” Jared remarked dryly.

Mel ignored him. “What were you guys doing out here anyway?”

“We went for ice cream,” Harper explained. “It was hot and we finished up our last job early.”

“Is that the one where Zander got covered in mouse poop and cobwebs?” Jared asked, his eyes momentarily twinkling. “Please tell me you took photos of that, by the way.”

“Ha, ha,” Zander intoned, making a face. “You’re a regular comedian. You know that, right?”

“I’m performing my stand-up routine in your living room this very night,” Jared shot back, not missing a beat.

“Oh, geez,” Mel said, removing his hat and running a hand through his thinning hair. “You two are like a squabbling married couple. It’s like
The Golden Girls
on the beach.”

“I love that show,” Zander said, smiling.

“It’s a pretty good show,” Jared agreed.

“So you guys came down here for ice cream,” Mel prodded. “What drew you to the lake?”

Zander and Harper exchanged a quick look that wasn’t lost on Mel or Jared.

“Spill,” Jared pressed.

“We ran into an old high school friend at our job this morning,” Harper volunteered. “He was Jenny’s client at Dorothy Stevens’ old house. We chatted for a few minutes – you know, caught up on old times because we hadn’t seen each other since the summer before senior year – and he mentioned buying this place. I figured we might as well check it out while we were out here. I’ve always liked the deck here.”

“Even though the chowder sucked,” Zander added.

“The chowder
did
suck,” Mel agreed, shifting his eyes to the parking lot near the bluff when he saw a non-descript van pull into the empty lot. “The medical examiner is here and will be down in a minute. We called even though we weren’t sure what you really found.”

“I can’t believe you doubted me,” Zander complained.

“I didn’t doubt you,” Mel clarified. “I just … you sometimes see things that aren’t really there.”

“Like when?”

“Like the time you called me and told me that you were convinced a yeti was living in the outhouse by the hunting shack on Dad’s property so there was no way you could be expected to attend the annual hunting trip,” Mel replied, not missing a beat. “Now, I know you made that up because you hate hunting, but you can understand why I wasn’t sure when you first made the call.”

“For the record, I do hate hunting,” Zander conceded. “That doesn’t mean the yeti story wasn’t real.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Mel said. “Just so I have this right, you came out here to see how the restaurant was coming along and just stumbled upon the body?”

“Harper wanted to see the deck,” Zander replied. “She had grand visions – which she wouldn’t stop yammering about – of bringing Jared here for a romantic meal.”

“Oh, that’s sweet,” Jared said, kissing Harper’s forehead before taking a step back. It was one thing to kiss his girlfriend in front of his partner. It was quite another to coddle a witness in front of the approaching coroner.

“Yes, it’s very sweet,” Zander said, making a face. “She didn’t even care that we made a pact in high school to always visit restaurants together before taking dates in case the food made us throw up.”

“Oh, good grief,” Jared muttered, shaking his head. “Every time I turn around you guys have a new pact.”

“Welcome to Whisper Cove,” Mel said brightly. “You can set your watch by the newspaper delivery and Zander and Harper’s pacts.”

“What a fun town,” Jared said. “Okay, guys, I need you to go over there so we can handle the next part. I won’t keep you too long, but we might have some more questions before we cut you loose.”

Zander obediently stepped away, but Harper hesitated.

“What’s wrong?” Jared asked.

“I didn’t see a ghost.” Harper kept her voice low so only Jared could hear. “If she was murdered, I’m not sure it was here.”

Jared was aware of Harper’s ability, and while he struggled with it in the beginning, he’d learned to accept. “Okay, Heart. We’ll take it one step at a time.”

“
W
HAT DO
you think
?” Mel asked, leaning over one of the county’s assistant coroners as she worked. Whisper Cove was tiny so it couldn’t afford its own medical examiner. They were forced to rely on the county’s cadre of death detectors and it was never a pleasant experience when locals and county personnel mixed. “Was it murder?”

“It’s a little soon to be sure, but I don’t think this was natural,” Cheryl Dobson, a longtime figure at the county medical examiner’s office, replied. “The only thing I can say with any certainty is that she didn’t spend a lot of time in the water.”

“We figured that out ourselves,” Jared said. “The body isn’t bloated.”

“And it hasn’t been here for a long time,” Cheryl said. “I’m going to estimate the body was dumped during the overnight hours.”

“I’m surprised it’s not worse off,” Mel admitted. “The heat is a monster. I would think that would increase decomposition.”

“In theory, yes,” Cheryl said. “It’s cool under the deck, though. The sun doesn’t hit that area directly at any time of day and the proximity to the lake keeps the sand cool. For our purposes, we couldn’t ask for a better scenario given the weather.”

“Which begs the question of why anyone would be stupid enough to dump a body in this location knowing that,” Jared said, rubbing the back of his neck as he shifted to study the growing crowd. Because of Whisper Cove’s size gossip spread like wildfire. The town knew about the death before Mel and Jared had a chance to digest it. “Maybe we’re dealing with a heat of the moment thing. Maybe someone panicked and didn’t realize what they were doing.”

“Or maybe someone knew exactly what they were doing and felt remorse so they tried to put the body in a place where it wouldn’t be shredded by the elements,” Cheryl suggested. “I have no idea what to tell you on the motive. I’ll get a report together as soon as possible when we get her back to the office, though. She’s young and she looks to have taken good care of herself. Someone has to be missing her.”

“Thanks.” Jared watched the medical examiner zip up the body bag before directing her aides to roll the gurney up the sandy embankment and toward the parking lot. “For a small town, this place sees a lot of death.”

“It does indeed,” Mel agreed, sighing. “We need an identity before we can move forward. I have men scouring the area for a purse or wallet, but as it stands what we need right now is a positive hit on the fingerprints.”

“I guess we should find out who owns this place,” Jared said. “Harper said she knew him. Do you know who she was talking about?”

“Actually, I did hear who bought this place, but for the life of me I can’t remember what my sister told me,” Mel said, his eyes bouncing between faces until they latched onto Zander. “My nephew will know, though. I … huh.”

“What?” Jared followed Mel’s gaze, frowning when he caught sight of a handsome man approaching Harper and Zander on the beach. Harper’s smile wasn’t forced when she greeted him … and neither was the hug. “Who is that?”

“That is Jason Thurman,” Mel replied. “He’s the owner of this restaurant.”

“You just said you couldn’t remember.”

“That was before I saw Jason,” Mel said. “Things clicked into place when I saw him hug Harper.”

“Why would she hug him?” Jared asked, hoping the question came off as general curiosity instead of raging jealousy. “I was under the impression that Zander and Harper only hung out with each other in high school.”

“They did … for the most part,” Mel said. “Jason didn’t graduate with them. He spent his senior year in Interlochen.”

“The music school?” Jared perked up a bit. “Did he play the flute or something?”

“He played the guitar,” Mel answered, internally grinning at his partner’s scowl. “He and Harper dated for like two months before he left. There were a lot of dramatic teenage tears when the love story came to an abrupt end.”

Jared made an exaggerated face. “Love story? They were teenagers.”

“Of course they were,” Mel said, clapping Jared on the back. “Come on. We need to question the new owner.”

“
I
JUST
can’t believe
this,” Jason said, licking is lips as he studied the crime scene tape. “How did this even happen?”

“Well, someone killed a woman and shoved her body under your deck,” Zander replied. “Where were you last night?”

“I know that,” Jason said, ignoring Zander’s pointed question. “I just … I don’t remember things like this happening back when I lived in Whisper Cove the first time around.”

“Things like this always happened here,” Harper said, her eyes landing on Jared and Mel as they approached. “We just lived in a bubble so we didn’t notice. Here come the police.”

Jason turned expectantly, extending his hand to shake Mel’s as the familiar face closed the distance. “Officer Kelsey.”

“How are you, Jason?” Mel asked.

“Good. Well, good-ish. I wasn’t expecting this.” Jason gestured to the scene on the beach. “I was hoping for a big crowd for the opening. This wasn’t what I had in mind.”

“I suppose not,” Mel said. “This is my partner Jared Monroe.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Jason said.

“Likewise.” Jared’s face was unreadable as his busy gaze moved between Harper and Jason. “How long have you been back in town?”

“A few weeks,” Jason replied. “I bought this place, but a lot of the upgrades happened while I was still living in Chicago. I came back and forth but have been here for two weeks now.”

“I don’t suppose you know of a long-haired brunette woman who would have a reason to hang around this area, would you?” Jared asked, causing Jason to shake his head. “What about help?”

“I’ve hired a few people, but I know all of them and no one fits that description,” Jason said. “I just … this is terrible. Do you think I’ll be able to open on time?”

“I don’t know,” Jared replied, arching an eyebrow. “I guess we’ll have to see how things go.”

“I’m sure it will be fine,” Harper supplied. “In a few days people will forget about this.”

“I don’t think people are going to forget a dead body was found under the deck,” Jason said. “Hopefully, they’ll overlook it because this town loves a new restaurant.”

“Yes, that’s what really matters,” Zander deadpanned, rolling his eyes. “Come on, Harp. We need to get back to the office.”