Ghostly Deceits Part 19

TWENTY.

"How do you want to handle this?" Harper asked an hour and a half later, slipping her hand into Jared's and letting him lead her into the dining room. "Are you just going to blurt out that Janet isn't his mother and then hope Josh's isn't upset?"

"No," Jared said, leading Harper toward their usual table. "I'm going to play it by ear."

"That's your plan?" Harper wasn't impressed.

"Do you have a better suggestion?" Jared asked, pulling Harper's chair out and making sure she was settled before planting a soft kiss on her cheek and moving to the chair next to her. "I don't want to play games, but I'm not sure how Josh is going to take this on top of everything else."

"You're worried he's going to have a meltdown because I said I could see ghosts and now I'm claiming to have talked to his mother who he didn't realize was his mother which means his life will be upended."

"I'm not sure what you just said there, but I think that's pretty much right," Jared said. "I want to see how Josh is handling the first bit of jarring news before I launch a second batch in his direction."

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Harper said, grabbing the menu from the center of the table. "Ooh, yum, they have surf and turf again. I love steak and lobster."

Jared chuckled. "Do you know that one of my favorite things about you is your appet.i.te?"

Harper stilled, surprised. "Is that a good thing?"

"It's a very good thing," Jared confirmed. "Other than our first date when you were exceedingly nervous and were going to order a salad, you've never once looked at a meal and thought you shouldn't eat it because you wanted to impress me."

"Would me not eating impress you?"

"No. It would make me sad."

"Then it seems like a moot point," Harper said, reaching for a breadstick. "Do you wish I would eat less? Do you wish I was a dainty girl with a tiny appet.i.te?"

"Absolutely not," Jared answered. "You're naturally thin and you spend half of your time running around with Zander to work off whatever you eat. I think you're beautiful just the way you are. I wouldn't change one thing about you."

"You're being charming tonight," Harper said. "Does that mean you want another bath?"

Jared shrugged. "I would like to take another look at the case of the hopping soap," he said, grinning. "We have other things to consider first, though."

"Like talking to Josh," Harper said.

"Like talking to Josh."

"Like talking to Josh about what?" Josh took Harper and Jared by surprise when he appeared at the edge of the table. "Where have you guys been all day?"

"We've been multiple places," Jared answered, recovering quickly and gesturing toward the chair across from him. "Have a seat."

"I don't like the sound of that," Josh said, although he did as instructed. "Did you guys find anything interesting when you took off out into the storm? I still think that was crazy, by the way."

"There's a lot to discuss," Jared said, choosing his words carefully. "First off, did you know Hal Baker had ties to Michigan?"

"No," Josh replied. "Is there a reason I should know that?"

"He grew up in Harbor Beach, and while that could be a coincidence, I learned a long time ago that most coincidences are something else entirely," Jared said. "We can't specifically tie Hal to Ha.r.s.ens Island yet, but my partner is looking into his background."

"Why is that important?" Josh asked.

"Because we need to know where he's been if we want to figure out where he is now," Jared explained. "He can't seem to remember what happened to his body. I'm starting to wonder if it's not that he can't remember as much as he doesn't want to remember."

"I don't know what that means," Josh said. "Are you saying he's a liar?"

"He could very well be," Jared confirmed.

"This day just keeps getting freakier and freakier," Josh lamented.

"If Hal is lying, there has to be a reason why he's pretending not to know what happened to him," Jared said. "He seemed angry when Harper discovered him in the library, but it was more like he was angry that no one noticed he was dead than anything else."

"He has delusions of grandeur," Harper said. "I think that's his biggest problem. He thinks he should be something that he's not."

"Which is?" Josh pressed.

"If I had to guess, I think his biggest problem is that he's not famous and he's been marginalized in the minds of others and maybe even himself," Harper said. "He probably had dreams of moving on to bigger and better things at one point like Jared's flirty friend Cara and her fake b.o.o.bs and that dream slipped away a long time ago. That made him bitter."

"I heard you told Zander about Cara, by the way," Jared said, momentarily changing the subject and taking Harper by surprise. "I had no idea that bothered you so much. Zander claims that your jealousy is the same thing as when I go up to you and put my hand on your waist at a social gathering. It's like marking your territory. Do you believe that?"

"Not really," Harper replied dryly. "I'm not jealous, though, so this entire conversation is conjecture."

"You're not jealous?"

"Not even remotely."

"Guys, as cute as this little foreplay game you're playing is, I'm dying to know what Hal's lies might mean in the grand scheme of things," Josh interjected, his gaze bouncing between Harper and Jared. "I'm glad you like verbally copulating and that is what you were doing, whether you realize it or not but there may very well be a dead body in my hotel."

Harper glanced around to make sure no one overheard Josh's p.r.o.nouncement and then turned her attention back to Josh. "I'm sorry. You're right. We shouldn't be focused on our stuff when you have so much going on."

"It's fine," Josh said, waving off Harper's apology. "I just ... ." He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence because the waitress picked that moment to arrive and take their orders. After requesting three surf and turfs and a few drinks, the threesome returned to their conversation once they were alone. "I'm worried that finding a dead body here during a murder mystery could spell the end of this place before it has a chance to really take off."

"You're really worried about losing the house, aren't you?" Jared asked.

"I love this house," Josh answered. "I really do. I spent my childhood here. If we were to lose it, though, strictly from a personal standpoint, I would be okay. I think even my father would be okay. My mother, though, she is a different story. If we lose this house, I'm afraid it will kill her."

Harper and Jared exchanged a look. They had their opening. Now they just had to take it.

"I don't really know a lot about your mother," Jared said, choosing his words carefully as he leaned back in his chair. He was trying to give the appearance of calm ease even though his nerves were tightly coiled. "Did she grow up in this area?"

"She did," Josh confirmed, his gaze busily scanning the packed dining room. He didn't notice the change in Jared's demeanor, which was probably a good thing. "She was born right here on Ha.r.s.ens Island."

"Did she know your father well before they started dating?" Harper asked. "I would imagine that the island is so small they couldn't help but notice each other."

"I think they were high school sweethearts or something," Josh said. "It's hard for me to remember, mostly because I can't look at their relationship now and reconcile all of the stories I heard as a kid. According to the stories they were like Cinderella and Prince Charming. According to reality, they were more like Ike and Tina Turner without the beatings, of course. It makes me sad to think they lost the happiness they had when they were prom king and queen and now they have nothing but unhappiness."

Harper licked her lips. She was personally offended on Alice's behalf. Those were her stories and Janet stole them for her own life. Even worse than the stories, though, she stole Alice's son, too. "Do you think your mother always dreamed of living in this house?"

"What do you mean?" Josh asked, confused. "Are you asking if she set out to trap my father or something?"

That was exactly what Harper was asking, but she didn't want Josh to know that. "No," she said, shaking her head. "Of course not. I used to dream about this house and I didn't even live on Ha.r.s.ens Island. I imagine most of the girls in town dreamed about living here."

"Oh, I suppose that makes sense," Josh said. "She's never really talked about anything like that with me, though. In fact, I can't remember any conversation we've shared that's lasted more than five minutes since I hit p.u.b.erty. Even then, when I started dating, her idea of having a talk was warning me to make sure I wore a condom because she wasn't taking care of any little accident should I screw up."

The admission made Harper inexplicably sad. "I'm really sorry to hear that," she said. "My mother drives me crazy, but she always wants to talk to me no matter what ... and talk ... and talk ... and talk."

"It's never been any different for my mother and me," Josh explained. "I don't know any different so I can't expect anything different. Does that make sense?"

"Not really," Harper said, her heart rolling. "Josh, are you sure the name Alice Thorpe doesn't mean anything to you?"

Josh knit his eyebrows together, confused. "Should it? Is that the name from the photograph in the dining room again?"

Harper nodded.

"I swear I've never heard it before," Josh said. "Why does it matter?"

"Um ... ." Harper had no idea how to respond.

"Josh, we've found out a few things since we separated from you this afternoon," Jared said, his voice soft and gentle. "I'm a.s.suming you didn't find anything when you searched the storage rooms, by the way."

"I would've told you if I had," Josh said, his frustration evident. "Tell me what's going on. Other than my initial reaction to Harper's announcement, I think I've been a darned good sport about all of this. I don't like the thought of you guys keeping stuff from me."

"We're not keeping stuff from you," Jared clarified. "It's just ... what we have to tell you is going to be difficult and I'm not sure that you're ready to hear it given the rough day you've already had. We don't have a lot of choice in the matter, though."

"And Alice has a right to be remembered," Harper chimed in.

"And Alice is the ghost you were talking to by the road when the storm hit, right?" Josh asked. "You said you were going to help her once the storm cleared. Is that where you two disappeared today? Did you find Alice?"

"We needed to find Alice because we needed help," Harper supplied. "Even though Hal says he can't remember where his body is, I have trouble believing he's telling us the whole truth. Some ghosts don't remember everything about their deaths and that's actually pretty normal. That makes them belligerent and needy, though. Hal is going out of his way to help and coming up with absolutely nothing. That feels somehow wrong to me."

"Okay," Josh said. "What do you think is going on?"

"We found Alice down in one of the mausoleums," Harper said. "She was laid to rest there about thirty years ago."

"That would mean she's a relative," Josh said. "I don't remember any relatives with the last name Thorpe."

"That's because she was going by her married name at the time of her death," Jared interjected quietly.

"And what was her married name?"

"Stokes."

Josh was confused. "Are you saying she's some distant relative of mine and she died on the property? I guess that's not out of the realm of possibility, but I was under the impression that only certain people were buried in the mausoleums. There's limited s.p.a.ce so you had to be a full family member to get a spot."

"I don't think he's getting what I'm trying to say," Jared said, rubbing the back of his neck as he searched for the right way to tell Josh the truth.

"Janet isn't your mother," Harper announced. "Alice Thorpe was your mother. She died in her sleep. The death certificate says she had a heart attack, but she was really smothered. Janet was her best friend and somehow she ended up married to your father in the aftermath of your mother's death, but she's not your real mother."

Josh's mouth dropped open as Harper's words washed over him. "W-what?"

"Nice job, Heart," Jared chided, making a face. "You have zero tact sometimes. You're very sweet most of the time, but other times you completely lose your head. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that Josh has a right to know who his mother is."

"There was still a better way to tell him," Jared said, turning his sympathetic eyes toward Josh. "Are you okay?"

"That's not true, right?" Josh asked. "What she just told me, that's a lie ... or a game ... or something other than the truth."

"It's the truth," Jared countered. "I don't know everything that is going on, but I do know that Alice Thorpe was married to Linden Stokes. The marriage lasted almost ten years. Right after your birth, Alice was found dead in her bed. It was ruled a heart attack, but ... ."

"But she was murdered," Josh finished, rubbing his chin as the words sank in. "How is this possible?"

"Are you sure your father never hinted around that Janet wasn't your mother?" Harper asked, her heart going out to Josh. "Maybe he said something that didn't jump out at you at the time but now in hindsight it makes you wonder if he was trying to tell you something."

"My father has always been warm and loving toward me," Josh said. "He's never lied to me. Even when we were in real financial trouble and he was embarra.s.sed, he never lied to me. Why would he do this? Why would he lie about this?"

"Maybe he was upset himself," Harper suggested. "Alice said she and Linden were high school sweethearts and very much in love. She said Janet was her best friend and had ... um ... jealousy issues. She was also your G.o.dmother."

"That sounds like the history I heard for my mother ... I mean Janet," Josh said, his face pale. "Are you saying that my real mother is dead and Janet stole her story and pretended it was her story?"

Josh looked enraged.

"I'm saying that something very bad happened to Alice and we need to figure out what it was," Harper clarified. "I also think that Hal's death plays into what happened to Alice, although I have no idea how."

"We need to get answers about Alice," Jared prodded. "Who do you think would be the best one to ask?"

"I know exactly who we're going to ask," Josh said, reaching into his pocket so he could retrieve his cell phone. "He can't hide from me forever. It's time I got the truth. He owes me the whole story about my mother at the very least. It's time he told me about her."

TWENTY-ONE.

L inden didn't appear worried as he cut a path through the dining room and moved in his son's direction. Josh was terse on the phone but held things together long enough to ask his father to join him for dinner. Once he disconnected he turned into a sweating mess and Harper and Jared spent the intervening five minutes trying to convince him everything was going to be okay.

Linden approached the table with wary eyes. He offered a few of the guests head nods and waves, but never veered from the path he picked. He greeted everyone at the table with a watery smile and then sat, steepling his fingers as he waited for Josh to make his intentions known.

"What's wrong?" Linden asked finally, unable to take another moment of silence.

"What makes you think anything is wrong?" Jared asked, his hand resting on top of Harper's.

"Because Josh is obviously upset and you two look as if you'd rather be in front of a firing squad than me right now," Linden answered. "I'm not an idiot. Talk."

"I have to ask you something," Josh said, licking his lips. "It's a hard question, and I'm worried it's going to upset you ... or take you by surprise ... or make you really angry. I have to know, though."