Ghostly Camping (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 16) Read online

  “A lot of people are upset. I don’t know what that matters, though.” Leo was silent for a beat, realization finally dawning. “Oh.”

  “I’m not saying that’s what happened,” Jared offered quickly. “I’m just saying that ... it could be more than one thing.”

  “Right.” Leo nodded in understanding. “We should probably talk to the husband, right?”

  The way he phrased the question told Jared that he was going to need a lot of help. “I would definitely start with the husband. We also need to get Harris in here. He’s the one running the event.”

  “Do you think he did it?” Leo almost looked hopeful.

  “I think that he’ll be able to tell us who was positioned where for this little game.” Jared chose his words carefully. “We need to know what was supposed to happen and how Leslie ended up where she did.”

  “Good thinking.” Leo flashed a smile for Harper’s benefit. “I’m sorry you had to see this, ma’am. It must be stressful for you. There’s no need to worry, though. We’ll have this figured out in a jiff.”

  Harper stared at him for a long beat and then simply nodded. Really, what was she supposed to say to that? “I’m sure you’ll figure things out.” Briefly, her gaze flicked to Jared. “One way or another.”

  SHAWN AND ZANDER TRACKED DOWN HARRIS. Even though Zander wasn’t keen to traipse through the woods after dark, he knew better than letting Shawn wander around on his own when there was a potential killer in their midst.

  “I’m not saying you can’t take care of yourself,” Zander groused as they returned. “I’m just saying that killers flee from me.”

  “Really?” Shawn drawled. “I seem to remember a time or two ... or ten ... where that wasn’t the case.”

  “They say memory is the first thing to go.” Zander smiled when he caught sight of Harper. “I found our benefactor.” He risked a glance over his shoulder and then frowned. “I don’t think he believes me that there’s a real body. He seems miffed.”

  “I don’t particularly like that word,” Harris argued, pushing his way through the gathering crowd so he could get a gander at what was happening. “What is this? The first discovery is supposed to be made at the way station. Who screwed up?”

  Harper had to press her lips together to keep from laughing. Harris’ reaction was surreal given the circumstances. He obviously hadn’t come to grips with the fact that a real death had landed in the middle of his mystery event. When reality finally set in, she didn’t think it would be pretty.

  “We’re not sure if anybody screwed up, sir.” Leo squared his shoulders and popped his hips. “I’m Detective Leonardo Portman. You can call me Leo, though, because I hate my given name. You wouldn’t believe how many Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles jokes I heard when I was a kid.”

  Harper had to duck her head and bury it in Shawn’s shoulder to keep from laughing. There was nothing funny about the situation and yet Leo couldn’t seem to stop himself from acting like a showman.

  Shawn appeared to be having the same problem because he stroked her head and looked down, using her hair to hide his own smile.

  “Oh, nice,” Zander commented, wrinkling his nose. “Now half my country wants to defect to Germany.”

  Shawn made a face. “What does that even mean?”

  Jared made a shushing noise and fixed his full attention on Harris. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but one of your participants has been killed.”

  “Yes, Julie,” Harris agreed. “She was supposed to have a fake machete to the forehead and be sprawled out in front of the way station with satanic runes spread out behind her. We got these really cool fake luminaries to light the entire area.”

  “Oh, she’s over there,” Jenny offered, drawing Harper’s attention. The ghost hunter hadn’t even seen the other woman arrive. “We checked out all the clues. The scene was very authentic, gruesome.” She gave Harris the A-OK sign with her fingers. “It was much more believable than this scene.”

  Harris smiled. “Thank you, my dear.”

  Jared found he was irritated by the turn of events. “I don’t want to bring everybody down ... .”

  “But you will,” Zander offered.

  Jared pretended he hadn’t heard the dig. “This is a real death, not a simulation.”

  “What?” Harris’ expression was incredulous as he moved closer to Leslie’s body. “Oh, well, this is just ridiculous.” He shuffled a few steps forward and planted his hands on his hips. “Hellooo! This is my event. You can’t just add your fake murder to things. I’m going to have to ask you to get up.”

  Harper slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a noise she feared would sound like a giggle and turned her wide eyes to Jared. He looked positively furious.

  “Mr. Turnball, this isn’t a joke ... or a bit,” Jared stressed, his eyes flashing with annoyance. He was officially at the end of his rope. “Mrs. Duncan is dead. If I had to guess, she’s been dead for a few hours at least.”

  Leo looked interested. “How do you know?”

  “It’s the state of her body,” Jared shot back. “You called the medical examiner, right?”

  “I did. He’ll be here in five hours.”

  Jared’s eyebrows practically flew off his forehead. “Five hours? Why on earth is it taking so long?”

  “They’re over in Allenville. That’s several hours away.”

  “Why would ... ?” Jared trailed off. “Oh, right. You have one medical examiner for the entire area.”

  “Technically we have three medical examiners for the entire Upper Peninsula,” Leo corrected. “There’s been talk about adding a fourth. This might just push us over the edge.”

  He seemed mildly excited at the prospect, something that irritated Jared to no end. “Good luck.” He rolled his eyes until they landed on an incoming figure. It was Sam, and he looked confused by the scene.

  “Did I miss something?” he asked, glancing around. His gaze never landed on his dead wife. He simply glossed right over her.

  “Um ... .” Jared took an involuntary step forward, unsure what to say. He recognized he needed to ease Sam into his new reality, but things were happening in such a weird fashion he had no idea how to do it.

  “Your wife is dead,” Harris announced, causing Harper’s heart to skip a beat. “Apparently she was out here ... doing something ... and tripped and fell. I’m sorry for your loss. You signed a release upon participation, though, that you wouldn’t sue. Don’t forget that.”

  “Holy ... .” Shawn’s mouth dropped open.

  “What do you mean she’s dead?” Sam looked more puzzled then upset as he moved closer, his eyes finally going to the body on the ground. He looked completely dumbfounded by what he saw. “I ... don’t understand.”

  “She’s dead,” Harris replied dully, matter-of-fact. “She fell, right?” He looked to Jared for confirmation rather than Leo. Harris wasn’t exactly on top of things and yet even he understood Leo was a virtual void of information, Harper mused.

  “We’re not sure what happened,” Jared stressed. “We need to wait for the medical examiner to arrive, and as you’ve already heard, that’s going to take some time.”

  “I don’t understand.” Sam’s expression was completely blank. He didn’t drop to his knees to cry over his wife’s body, or even lash out at law enforcement for playing some horrendous trick on him. Those were both reactions Harper had seen a time or two. He also didn’t go catatonic and refuse to acknowledge what was right in front of him, which was also something Harper had witnessed. Sam, however, barely reacted at all. “When did this happen?”

  “We were going to ask you that,” Jared replied. Sam’s strange demeanor wasn’t lost on him either. “Would you care to tell us where you were this evening?”

  “Where do you think I’ve been?” Sam finally showed an emotion. Unfortunately, it was annoyance. He appeared frustrated Jared would dare question him in the wake of his wife’s death. Harper found the entire thing surreal. �
��I’ve been the exact same places you’ve been. I’ve eaten the same meals, and taken the same tours. What do you want from me?”

  Harper stirred. “Your wife wasn’t with you earlier today, though. I asked about her.”

  “We’re not joined at the hip like the two of you,” Sam shot back. “We do our own thing. This entire trip was her deal. She wanted to participate. I’ve never been a big fan of camping. That’s her thing. She said she wanted to look around. I didn’t realize that was against the law.”

  “But she’s been gone all day,” Harper persisted, searching her memory. “I didn’t see her at breakfast, lunch, or dinner.”

  “Are you suddenly the meal police?” Sam’s tone was harsh. “I’m not her keeper. Neither are you, missy. Maybe you should mind your own business.”

  Jared slowly drifted in front of Harper, so Sam had no choice but to look at him. “Ms. Harlow doesn’t deserve your attitude. She’s asking reasonable questions. I think it would behoove you to answer them.”

  “Oh, of course you think that.” Sam rolled his eyes. “I don’t know what to tell you. Leslie said she was going to entertain herself all day. I’m not sure where she went, what she looked at, or who she interacted with. I don’t know what to tell you.”

  Jared worked his jaw and focused on Harper. He had no idea what to say.

  “Why don’t we just wait for a determination from the medical examiner?” Leo suggested, inserting himself into the conversation as the tension built. “We can’t do anything until we know how she died. Let’s wait for that.”

  8

  Eight

  Jared suggested Shawn and Zander take Harper back to the campsite at a certain point, but she refused to leave without him. Ultimately, Jared waved off the other couple, worked another two hours, and then agreed it was time for bed.

  “We could’ve stayed,” Harper offered as they walked back to the campground, fingers linked. “I know you want to see this through.”

  He released her hand and slid his arm behind her back, kissing her forehead as she snuggled close at his side. “I have a feeling the medical examiner’s office is going to take a long time. They might not make a determination for days at the rate they work. I mean ... this isn’t my case.”

  Harper tilted her chin so she could study his strong profile. “That doesn’t mean you don’t feel as if you should be doing something. I get it. I’m right there with you.”

  “I know.” He rested his cheek against her forehead, enjoying a moment of solitude, and then asked the question he wanted to ask but couldn’t when they were surrounded by people. “I don’t suppose her ghost is hanging out, huh?”

  Harper shook her head and sighed. “I mean ... that’s not to say she’s not out there. I didn’t see her, though. Of course, it’s possible she didn’t die where we found her, right?”

  Jared smirked despite his weariness. “You’re such a smart cookie.” He poked her side and offered up a weak grin. “I guess you have been paying attention at my crime scenes, huh? Tell me why you think that.”

  Harper wasn’t in the mood to play games, but she recognized that Jared was still working out his thoughts on what happened and wanted to compare how closely their opinions aligned.

  “She had a lot of blood on her clothing,” Harper noted, giving in. “There wasn’t any on the ground that I could see. I mean ... it’s possible that it was absorbed but usually there’s discoloration when that happens. She was on the grass, not the dirt.”

  “I noticed that, too,” he agreed. “I don’t think she was killed there.”

  “What about her time of death?” Harper was genuinely curious. “Is it possible that she was killed as early as last night?”

  Jared tilted his head, considering. “I’m not an expert. I mean ... that wouldn’t be my first inclination. Stranger things have happened, though. It was cold last night. Not below thirty-two degrees or anything, but it was cold enough that maybe her body would’ve been protected.”

  “Do you believe Sam?” The more Harper thought about the man, the more she disliked him. “I mean ... his story doesn’t make sense, right?”

  Jared hesitated and then shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s hard to fathom a man having that reaction to the death of his wife.”

  “He didn’t seem to care.”

  “No, he didn’t. The thing is, not everybody processes grief in the same manner. It could be that he was in shock.”

  “He didn’t seem all that shocked. He almost seemed relieved.”

  Jared jerked up his chin. “What makes you say that?”

  “He didn’t cry. He didn’t reach out to touch her hand, or stroke her hair. I know that’s not ironclad evidence, but most people I’ve seen who are grieving want some tactile contact with the victim. It’s a catharsis of sorts, like saying goodbye.”

  “We would’ve stopped him from touching the body. At least I would’ve stopped him. That could contaminate evidence, although I’m fairly convinced they don’t have very good technical teams out here to process whatever is found.”

  “He didn’t even try, though.”

  “Were you watching for that?”

  She nodded. “All I kept thinking is ‘what if.’ What if it was you, and I stumbled upon a group looking at you the way we were looking at Leslie? I would not have stood there like an idiot and not reacted. I would’ve thrown myself on you, cried until they had to sedate me, anything other than what he did.”

  Jared’s expression softened as he moved his hand over her back. “They would’ve had to lock me up to keep me from touching you,” he agreed, internally shuddering at the thought. The mere idea of losing her caused his innards to freeze and his heart to grow cold. “Not everybody loves the same way, though. I got the feeling from the way you described your first meeting with them that the marriage wasn’t all that happy.”

  “I know.” Harper understood what he was getting at. She simply couldn’t accept it. “The thing is, at one point they obviously loved each other enough to get married. They looked at each other and said ‘That’s my soul mate.’ How did they lose that feeling?”

  Jared realized that not all of the melancholy surrounding his fiancée was because of the death. With their wedding growing closer, she was starting to question the big things in life ... like how to sustain a marriage over the long haul. He knew that because he’d been wondering about the same things.

  “Hold up.” He unzipped their tent and glanced inside to make sure nobody had snuck in to attack them. The odds were long, but there was obviously no way to ensure it, and there was every possibility they had a murderer on the loose. Once he was convinced it was safe, he ushered Harper into the tent and zipped it behind them.

  “I think you’re struggling with bigger questions than we can solve tonight,” he noted, kicking off his shoes. Even though he would’ve preferred crawling into their bed and tuning out the rest of the world, the sleeping bags looked mighty inviting. “Sam and Leslie aren’t us. We’re never going to turn out like them.”

  Harper stripped her shirt over her head but left the support tank top she wore underneath in place. All she really wanted to do was pass out. Finishing this conversation, though, seemed necessary. “How do you know that we’ll never end up like them?”

  “Because my love for you is all-consuming.”

  That earned a smile. “I feel that way, too. There are times I look at you and wonder how I managed to draw a breath before you were in my life. Don’t you think Sam and Leslie felt that way before they were married, though?”

  He took a moment to consider his answer and then shook his head. “No. I don’t think all people love alike. I think you and I, for example, have one of those loves that’s bigger than anything that came before or will ever come.

  “We ... love with our whole hearts,” he continued. “I know it sounds corny, but I believe in destiny. We were destined to be together.”

  Harper went warm all over. “That’s really sweet.”

&
nbsp; “You’re really sweet.” He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss before moving to the sleeping bag and pulling it open. “Climb in.”

  She did as instructed, waiting until he settled next to her to snuggle close. They wrapped themselves around one another and got comfortable.

  “I guess I don’t understand how two people could end up together if they didn’t feel the same sort of love,” she admitted after a beat. “I mean ... I don’t want to be judgmental or anything, but isn’t that the whole point of marriage? You want someone to share your life with. That doesn’t mean a year ... or five years ... or even ten years. It means forever.”

  “I can’t speak for Leslie and Sam, but I think it’s possible that some people marry because they believe it’s as good as it’s going to get.” His smile was rueful against her forehead. “It’s not the sort of life I would want to live, but I get it. Sometimes loneliness can be too much.”

  “I guess.” Harper closed her eyes. “The thing is, that saying about there being a thin line between love and hate is often true. Maybe Sam fell out of love with her and decided to hurt her. I mean ... it is a murder-mystery event. He might’ve thought it would be a good way to hide his actions.”

  “Maybe,” Jared conceded. “It would make more sense to me to hide the body if that was his plan, though. The woods are thick up here. Finding the body wouldn’t necessarily be easy. Leslie disappearing would be better for him than a murder investigation.”

  “I didn’t think of that.” Harper’s body was tired, to the point where she suddenly felt limp as a noodle. “What do you think Harris is going to do? I mean ... do you think he’ll cancel the event?”

  “No,” Jared replied automatically. “I think he’ll use the notoriety of what happened — whether it’s an accident or murder — to further his brand. I mean, this is actually good for him.”

  Harper’s eyes sprang open. “What?” She honestly hadn’t considered that. “You don’t think he killed her to drum up attention for this place, do you?” She was horrified at the thought.