Ghostly Issues (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 2) (8 page)

“Oh, finally, something to look forward to.” Harper reluctantly let Jared lead her back toward his vehicle, casting one more glance over her shoulder in the hope she would see Derek. He wasn’t there, though.

“I’m going to give you so many things to look forward to you’re going to lose count,” Jared promised.

“Like what?”

“I’m going to make a list before I go to bed.”

“Well, I do like a planner,” Harper teased, giving in to the banter. “If I do decide to forgive you tomorrow, you need to cook a huge dinner for Zander. He wants steak and wine that doesn’t come from a box.”

“I think I can handle that.”

“So the ghost couldn’t tell you anything?” Eric asked Harper the next morning, keeping close to her as she walked up a gravel driveway in the direction of a riverfront cabin. “That sucks.”

Harper forced a smile. Eric wasn’t her first choice of scouting partners – mostly because his crush was becoming increasingly distracting and she was desperate to find a way to force him to look elsewhere for a love interest without hurting his feelings – but Zander was stuck in the office doing spreadsheets and she was still leery about taking Molly out on too many assignments. “He seemed upset,” she explained. “I’m hoping he’ll come around when he settles into his new reality a little more. Unfortunately, if he doesn’t want help, I can’t force him to show up and talk to me.”

“You’d think he’d want to talk to you,” Eric said. “You’re the only one around who he can talk to. That pretty much makes you his best friend right now. Or … at least it should.”

“He’s at that age where you think you know everything and the realization that you actually know nothing is a blow.”

“I guess. You’d still think he would be nicer to his best shot of moving on to a better place,” Eric said. “So, um … how did things go with Jared?”

Harper internally cringed at the question. “They were fine.”

“Fine?”

“Fine,” Harper repeated. She cleared her throat and decided to change the subject before she had to listen to another diatribe about Jared being a douchebag. “Eric, what do you think about Molly?”

Eric stiffened. “What do you mean?”

Harper realized the reason behind the shift in his demeanor right away. “I’m not going to pressure you to date her,” she said, her voice soft. “I think Zander is doing that enough for everybody. I want to know what you think about how she’s been acting since her ordeal.”

“Oh,” Eric said, exhaling heavily. “I don’t know what to think about that.” He followed Harper as she circled to the side of the cottage. “What are we doing here again?”

“The cottage is up for sale and it’s a great parcel,” Harper replied. “Unfortunately strange things keep happening and the real estate agent is convinced it’s haunted. I’m trying to ascertain if that’s true before we quote her a price on clearing it.”

“Do you think she’s making it up?”

“I think sometimes people see things that aren’t there,” Harper replied. “I want to make sure that something is really haunting this place before we talk about a plan of action. If there is something here, we should be able to find it pretty quickly. It’s a small place – only three bedrooms – and since it’s close to the river, there’s no basement.”

“That makes sense,” Eric said. “It’s good you brought me along in case things get dangerous.”

Harper bit her tongue to keep from laughing. Eric was a good guy – a whiz with the computer equipment – but he’d never been in the thick of things when a ghost got out of hand. “I agree. So, back to Molly … .”

“Oh, right,” Eric said. “I don’t know what to think about her right now. Ever since it happened she’s been … unpredictable.”

“You see her more than I do,” Harper reminded him. “Be specific.”

“You’re not going to fire her, are you?” Eric asked, his face earnest. “She’s young and she says stupid things, but … I don’t want you to fire her.”

Harper was floored. “Do you really think I would fire her because she’s going through a rough time after being drugged, kidnapped, and almost killed?”

“No,” Eric replied hurriedly. “It’s just … she’s sad, and I’m worried you think that’s going to get in the way of her doing her job. It won’t. She needs a little more time and then she’ll get over it.”

Harper stilled. “What do you mean she’s sad?”

“Haven’t you looked at her recently?”

“I look at her every chance I get,” Harper replied. “I’m worried sick about her. I don’t want to push her, so I sit there and stare at her and try to think of ways to help her.”

“That’s the exact wrong thing to do,” Eric said. “You need to treat her like you used to treat her. Make fun of her … tease her … tell her to shut up a time or two. That’s what she needs.”

Harper knit her eyebrows together. “Are you just saying that because you like being mean to her?”

“I don’t like being mean to her,” Eric protested. “She likes to argue, though. I like to argue, too. I’m giving her what she wants when I’m mean to her. No one has been arguing with her since she was hurt.”

“She was more than hurt. She was almost killed.”

“So were you and Zander, and you two were arguing the next day,” Eric pointed out. “You keep treating Molly as if she’s breakable. If you continue doing that, sooner or later she’s going to decide she’s broken.”

The statement was almost profound in its simplicity.

“I didn’t really think about that,” Harper admitted. “I thought she was dead. Collin told me she was dead. When Mel said they found her alive … I was so relieved.”

“I think that you and Zander know how to treat one another because you’re the same age and you’ve been friends forever,” Eric said. “Molly is younger, but all she really wants is to be treated like one of the group. Is there a reason you can’t treat her like one of the group?”

“I thought we were. You take care of the people in your group. We’ve been trying to take care of her.”

“No. You’ve been trying to coddle her,” Eric corrected. “You’ve been treating her as if she’s special and needs a mother, not a friend. You’re not her mother. She has a mother to coddle her. You need to be her friend and treat her like an equal. That’s all she really wants.”

Harper rubbed the back of her neck as she considered Eric’s words. “That’s a pretty keen observation.”

“I do my best,” Eric replied dryly.

“I think you’re smarter than we give you credit for sometimes,” Harper said.

“In that case … I don’t think you should date Jared because he’s going to hurt you again,” Eric said, causing Harper to swallow a groan.

“Let’s see if we can find a ghost, shall we?” Harper asked, veering away from Eric’s pointed statement as fast as humanly possible. “You check that side of the house and I’ll check this one.”

“I can’t see ghosts.”

“I … well … see if you can start,” Harper suggested.

“HOW
did things go with Harper last night?” Mel asked, pulling into the parking lot of the local high school and killing his cruiser’s engine. “Did you two make up?”

“Kind of,” Jared replied, pushing open his door and climbing out.

Mel joined him on the pavement and fixed him with a dark look over the cruiser when they were both outside. “Kind of?”

“She’s being a pain,” Jared admitted. “She wants to make up and yet she’s digging her heels in. I can’t decide if it’s a woman thing or a Harper thing. She’s still kind of a mystery to me.”

Mel chuckled softly. “That’s a woman thing, son. Trust me. Harper isn’t some weird and wonderful creature where stuff like that is concerned. She’s not an anomaly. Did she give you any leeway?”

“Well, she told me to have a nice day outside of GHI, so I grabbed her and kissed the crap out her,” Jared said. “That went on for like ten minutes while Zander and the other two watched from inside and ate all the candy I bought her.”

Mel snorted. “That sounds about right. Then what happened?”

“Then I took her to the park so we could look for Derek’s ghost.”

“And?”

“And we had a big fight about why I didn’t call,” Jared replied. “I explained in excruciating detail what happened and she felt a little better. Then I held her hand and watched her work. She’s still not thrilled with me, but I told her she was going to have to forgive me today no matter what. I guess that means I’m going to have to make dinner for her and Zander – although I’d much rather have a private dinner than a threesome once she thinks I’m cute again.”

Jared glanced at Mel and found his partner glowering in his direction. “What?”

“I wasn’t asking for the down-and-dirty details of your pseudo date with Harper just now,” Mel said. “I was asking what you found when you went to the park in regards to Derek and his death.”

“Oh,” Jared said, realization dawning and causing his cheeks to burn. “Well, in that case, forget I told you all that mushy stuff about my night with Harper.”

“I wish I could forget it.”

“Derek showed up and was … surly,” Jared said.

“What does that mean?” Mel asked, confused. “Derek was always pleasant when I talked to him.”

“That’s because he was a teenage suck-up and you were a cop who was friends with his parents,” Jared said. “He knew you would tattle on him the first chance you got if it became necessary, so he snowed you whenever he was in the same room.”

“You don’t know that,” Mel charged. “He could’ve looked up to me. A lot of people do.”

“I’m sure they do,” Jared replied dryly. “He called Harper a ‘dippy blonde’ and mentioned something about her hanging around with your gay nephew. She tried to ask him what happened, but he said he couldn’t remember.”

“And you’re convinced she was talking to Derek and not air, right?” Mel asked, giving Jared a glimpse of his own surliness.

“You believed she could see ghosts yesterday,” Jared reminded him. “Is there a reason you’re turning on her today?”

“Derek was a good kid,” Mel replied, lowering his voice. “I don’t like her calling him ‘surly.’”

“She didn’t refer to him that way,” Jared volunteered. “I did.”

“You couldn’t see or hear him.”

“I could hear Harper talking to him, and she told me what he said during the drive home,” Jared explained. “I got the gist of what she was saying without her having to tell me, though.”

“Maybe Harper is crazy. Have you ever thought about that?”

“Don’t call my girlfriend crazy,” Jared warned.

Mel made a face that would’ve been comical under different circumstances. “She’s barely talking to you and now you’re referring to her as your girlfriend? How does that work?”

“She’s going to forgive me.”

“You hope.”

“I know,” Jared corrected. “Don’t talk badly about her. I don’t like it.”

Mel’s somber expression slipped into a smile. “Fine. You’re right. I shouldn’t talk badly about her. She’s a good girl … even if she is crazy.”

“If you say it again I’m going to tell Zander you were talking badly about his best friend,” Jared threatened. “Not only will that earn me points with him, but it will also get you in big trouble with your sister when Zander tells her what you’ve been doing.”

Jared was new to the Whisper Cove game and yet he already knew exactly where to hit Mel and make it hurt.

“That’s low,” Mel said. “You’re my partner. You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Then don’t say anything bad about my girl.”

“You’re unbelievable,” Mel said, shaking his head and moving toward the school. “You haven’t even been out on an official date with Harper yet. Don’t you think you’re moving too fast?”

“It feels as if I’m stuck in quicksand,” Jared admitted, falling into step with Mel. “I need her to forgive me today. I think I’m going to have to cook her dinner. Zander is demanding steak and wine that doesn’t come from a box.”

Mel heartily guffawed. “Yeah. One of our cousins brought wine in a box to a reunion two years ago. He’s still bellyaching about it. He has high standards.”

“Of course he does. He’s best friends with Harper.”

“Son, you’re starting to sound sappy and whipped,” Mel said, gesturing toward the front door of the school and holding it open so Jared could slip inside ahead of him. “I haven’t seen a lovesick pup like yourself since I was in high school.”

“Get used to it,” Jared said. “Once I get Harper to forgive me, I’m going to be talking about her nonstop.”

“And that differs from now how?”

Jared shrugged. “Hopefully they’ll be happier conversations.”

“That would be a nice change of pace.”

Whisper Cove’s guidance counselor Jim Stone waited in the front lobby for Mel and Jared to appear. They’d called ahead of time so he was expecting them.

“Hey, Mel,” Jim said, shaking the older officer’s hand. “It’s good to see you. I wish it was under different circumstances.”

“You and me both,” Mel said. “This is my new partner Jared Monroe. Jared, this is Jim Stone. If anything is going on in Whisper Cove’s high school scene, Jim here knows about it.”

Jared shook the guidance counselor’s proffered hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” Jim said. “I’ve heard a lot about you since you hit town. You’re cream of the gossip crop right now. You should be proud.”

Jared wasn’t sure what to make of that. “Really?”

Jim smiled. “There’s a rumor you’re dating Harper Harlow. Is that true?”

Mel snickered. “Oh, man. I forgot you had a crush on Harper, Jim. That’s going back ten years now since you guys were in high school together. Don’t you think it’s about time to let that go?”

“I never did get that date I always wanted with her,” Jim replied, his eyes twinkling. “I’m still holding out hope she’ll realize I’m the man of her dreams and drop everything and run into my arms.”

Jared fought his bristling temper. He had no reason to dislike Jim. He was merely making a joke about a woman he went to high school with. The knowledge that Jim had a thing for Harper set Jared’s teeth on edge for some reason, although he tried to play it off. “We’re dating,” he said. “I guess you missed out again.”

Mel arched a challenging eyebrow. “Since when are you two officially dating?”

“We will be dating once she gets over being ticked off,” Jared clarified. “We’re … pre-dating.”

Jim chortled. “I didn’t know that was a thing outside of teenage circles,” he said, gesturing toward the hallway. “Let’s take this to my office, shall we? There aren’t a lot of kids hanging around, but we do have a few derelicts who have to attend classes or they won’t graduate.”

“I thought school was done for the summer break,” Jared said, scanning the hallway as they moved through the school. Whisper Cove was tiny, which meant the high school was practically miniscule. Still, Jared found it interesting to catch a glimpse of the inner workings of the school when it felt mostly empty.

“Well, yes and no,” Jim said, showing Jared and Mel into his office and shutting the door to lock out prying ears. “We technically finished classes last Friday. Instead of hosting summer school, though, the faculty stays on two extra weeks so we can prod the last few lazy students to catch up. It’s just easier on everyone to stay rather than come back.”

“That makes sense.”

“So, are you really dating Harper?” Jim asked.

“I really am,” Jared replied, scowling when Mel cleared his throat. “Stop doing that.”

“He wants to be dating Harper,” Mel clarified. “He had a good shot at it before he ticked her off. Now she’s playing hard to get … although he’s determined to get her.”

“And what do you think?” Jim asked.

Mel shrugged, noncommittal. “If I had to place a bet … I would put my money on him. He and Harper seem to like each other … when she’s not mad.”

Jim shook his head ruefully. “That’s kind of a bummer. I was hoping to have a shot with Harper one day.”

“You went to high school with Harper?” Jared asked, hoping he didn’t sound as territorial as he felt. He had no idea why Jim’s teasing interest in Harper caused his hackles to go up.

“I did,” Jim said. “She was quiet and kept to herself mostly, although Zander was gregarious and refused to let her completely disappear. They were joined at the hip even then. It drove me nuts.”

“They’re still joined at the hip,” Mel said. “Zander can’t pick out his clothes in the morning without Harper’s input, and they fight like cats and dogs whenever the mood strikes.”

“I still maintain I would’ve had a shot with Harper if Zander didn’t hate me,” Jim lamented.

“Why did Zander hate you?” Jared asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

“I mixed plaids and stripes one spring.”

“Oh,” Jared said, furrowing his brow. “I … seriously?”

“No,” Jim said, slapping his knee as he laughed. “It’s funny that you fell for that, though. I’ve told that joke so many times most people roll their eyes.”

“Jared is still getting used to Harper and Zander’s dynamic,” Mel explained. “He doesn’t completely get their unique blend of codependence yet.”

“Zander and I had a … misunderstanding … senior year,” Jim explained. “I was on the football team and some of the other guys were razzing him about … .” Jim broke off, unsure. “It really sounds horrible now.”

Jared had a feeling he knew what the football team was “razzing” Zander about, and he didn’t like it. “I’m taking it Harper didn’t take that well.”

“That’s one of the few times I saw her completely lose control,” Jim said. “I didn’t go after Zander, but I didn’t do anything to stop the other guys from going after him. I was a coward and … well … Harper doesn’t like cowards. I asked her to the spring dance two days later and she threatened to set me on fire. I’ve never gotten over it.”

Despite himself, Jared couldn’t help but smile. “Well, I’m sure you regret it now.”

“I do,” Jim agreed, nodding. “I regret it more because of Zander than Harper, though. When you’re young and looking at things from a narrow perspective you don’t realize the damage you’re doing until it’s too late to fix it.

“Whisper Cove is – and was – a small town,” he continued. “Zander was different, and I thought that meant something at the time. Now that I’m an adult and sitting on the other side of this desk I can see how wrong I was.”

“You could apologize to Zander,” Jared suggested. “He’d probably appreciate it now. He’s an adult. He must understand that you were a kid and you didn’t mean for anything to happen.”

“Oh, I’ve tried apologizing to Zander three times,” Jim said. “Each time Harper gets between us and threatens to set me on fire again.”

Jared visibly relaxed. “She’s feisty.”

“She is,” Jim agreed. “Good luck with her. I hope she forgives you. She hasn’t threatened to set you on fire, has she?”

Jared shook his head. “I guess I’m not that lucky.”

“Not that I don’t love talking about Harper and her feisty personality – for days on end, mind you – but we’re here to talk about Derek Thompson,” Mel prodded. “I need to know what you can tell me about him.”

“Yeah, that’s a terrible thing,” Jim said, leafing through the file on his desk. “I pulled his file after I got your call. There’s not a lot in here because he wasn’t a troublemaker. He had a few detentions for being rowdy, but nothing even remotely serious.”

“He was a good kid,” Mel said, starting to sound like a broken record.

“I don’t know what you want me to tell you,” Jim admitted. “Derek was popular with the boys and girls. He was active on the football and track teams, and he tore through a lot of the female population before settling on Lexie Studebaker. He was with her for half the year … and I think they were still together when he died, although I’m not a hundred percent positive.”

“What kind of relationship did they have?” Jared asked.

Jim shrugged. “That’s always hard to say because teenagers are the kings and queens of drama,” he answered. “The problem you have with kids this age is that they feel things so keenly they’re convinced it’s love and that it’s going to last forever.

“When I was in high school most of the girls thought they were going to marry their prom dates,” he continued. “Do you know how many did? Two. Do you know how many of those are still married? None. It’s … very theatrical. That’s the one thing that never changes about high school.”

“What aren’t you trying to say?” Jared prodded. “Now isn’t the time to be coy. Derek is dead and there’s a good chance he was murdered.”

Jim stilled. “You don’t know how he died?”

“We know he died from a blow to the head,” Mel replied. “The problem is we’re still trying to ascertain if he fell or was hit. The medical examiner is going over the toxicology results right now and we should know more in a few hours … tomorrow at the latest.”

“I don’t know how to feel about that,” Jim admitted. “These kids believe they’re immortal, so an accident will elicit a different sort of drama than a murder.”

“Go back to Lexie,” Jared ordered. “Tell us about their relationship. It’s okay. We’re not going to go after her because of something you say. We’re trying to get a feel for his life away from his parents.”

“Lexie is a cheerleader who thinks she’s going to be on top of the world for the rest of her life,” Jim explained. “She’s very pretty … and she knows it. She doesn’t particularly seem … dialed in, I guess would be the proper way to put it … to what others are feeling.”

“What does that mean?” Mel asked, confused.

“I think he’s saying she’s a bully,” Jared supplied.

Jim shot Jared a rueful smile. “That’s putting it nicely,” he said. “Lexie finds power in tearing others down. She’s been validated for two straight years as queen of the Whisper Cove social scene. I think she’s going to get a rude awakening when she goes off to college and realizes she’s a no one in a sea of other no ones, but until then she enjoys torturing others.”

“Can you be more specific?”

“Well, she makes fun of kids for the way they dress and if their parents can’t afford the right shoes,” Jim responded. “Whisper Cove isn’t a rich community. It’s not a poor one, though, either. Lexie seems to unilaterally decide what is cool and everyone just … lets her.”

“How did she and Derek hook up?”

“I have no idea. I’m into the gossip scene, but even I’m not into it that far. I just know they hooked up over Christmas break and decided to rule the school together for the second half of the year.”

Mel narrowed his eyes. “What does that mean?”

“Derek was a good kid,” Jim said. “He also had a mean streak and he was very competitive. He and Lexie fed off each other. I was glad they were accepted to different colleges because I think some separation would’ve been good for them.”

“Derek was going to Central Michigan University,” Mel explained for Jared’s benefit. “Where is Lexie going?”

“She got accepted to Western Michigan University … but just barely,” Jim replied. “In fact, she’s had some academic problems. She’s one of the students here this week to make up for a few … lapses … during the school year.”

“What kind of lapses?” Jared asked.

“Lexie is a smart girl who doesn’t want to apply herself,” Jim said. “She thought she could coast through on looks and what she thinks is charm, and then she was waitlisted at Western. Apparently her father placed a call … and gave a hefty donation … and she suddenly found herself part of the student body. She still hasn’t received her diploma because she failed algebra, though, so her attendance at Western is contingent on passing the next two weeks here.”

“And that’s what she’s doing right now?” Jared pressed. “Algebra?”

“She and a few other students failed algebra because they rubbed Dan Stevens the wrong way,” Jim offered. “He retired at the end of the year and his replacement is running the auxiliary classes this week and next.”

“How many kids in that class were tight with Derek?”

“I think most of them were,” Jim said, searching his memory. “I can take you down there if you want. It will probably be easier to question them in a contained environment.”

“That would be helpful,” Jared said. “Is there anything else you can tell us about Derek before we talk to the kids?”

“Just that I think he would’ve outgrown his small-town mentality and realized what was important eventually,” Jim said. “At his heart, Derek was a good kid who sometimes made bad decisions. Since I know what it’s like to make bad decisions when you’re that age and live to regret them, I saw a lot of potential in him.”

“But not in Lexie?”

“I don’t want to say she’s a bad person,” Jim cautioned. “She’s just … got a lot of growing up to do. You can tell when someone is a fully formed human as a teenager. Lexie is nowhere near being a fully formed human yet. She’s … eons … away.”

“Well, I can’t wait to meet her,” Jared said.

“You probably won’t be saying that in twenty minutes. Come on. I think they’re all eating lunch in the courtyard right now.”