Ghostly Worries (A Harper Harlow Mystery Book 4) Read Online Free Page A

it – especially on a day when Zander was forced to take a shower and would have nightmares about mouse droppings and spider carcasses.
    “That’s cool,” Harper said. “I’m glad we got good data. In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t nearly as difficult of a takedown as it could’ve been. Dorothy is in a better place now and Zander will be in a better place when I buy him a new outfit.”
    “And dinner,” Zander added. “Don’t forget you owe me dinner.”
    “I could never forget that,” Harper said. “Speaking of that, though, I thought you might want to take a walk down by the lake with me. We don’t have anything scheduled this afternoon and I figured an ice cream cone might improve your day.”
    Zander narrowed his eyes, suspicion washing over him. “You want to take a walk? Why?”
    “I love taking walks,” Harper replied, averting her eyes. “Why do you think I want to take a walk?”
    “I don’t know,” Zander hedged. Part of him thought he was being unnecessarily rough on his best friend. The other part couldn’t shake the idea that something else was going on. “You didn’t answer my question when I first came in. How did your lunch date go?”
    “Oh, it was good,” Harper said, brightening. “I turned the camera on and we got to talk to one another while eating. It was just like being in the same room together … without being able to touch each other.”
    “Yes, I liked it better that way,” Eric deadpanned. “Personally, I’m not a big fan of public petting and nonstop kissing.”
    “That’s because no one is kissing or petting you,” Molly shot back. “I thought it was cute, but I like it better when Jared comes to visit. He’s really handsome.”
    “He is handsome,” Harper agreed. “Still, this way he was able to get caught up on his work without distractions.”
    “Did he call you a distraction?” Eric was incensed. “That’s rude.”
    “I think he meant it as a compliment,” Zander countered.
    “How is that a compliment?”
    “Well, for one, I’m pretty sure he was saying he’d rather burn the files than focus on them if Harper was in the same room with him,” Zander replied, smirking. “His hands have a mind of their own when she’s around … and his mind is literally muddled the moment he smells her body spray.”
    “Oh, that’s so romantic,” Molly said, her eyes taking on a far-off quality. She was desperate for a boyfriend of her own. A recent scare a few months before frightened her into laying low for a short amount of time, but she was officially ready to get back on the market. If Eric would look in her direction and join her at the market, well, that would be all the better. He wasn’t in the mood to shop, though.
    “I think it’s sickening,” Eric said. “Do we have to spend all of our time talking about dating? We’re intelligent adults, for crying out loud.”
    Zander rolled his eyes until they landed on Harper. He couldn’t take another diatribe from the technology guru. After the day he’d already had, a treat sounded nice. “Let’s get ice cream, Harp. It’s a sweltering day and nothing is better than Blue Moon when you’re trying to beat the heat.”
    “Sold.” Harper hopped to her feet. “I knew there was a reason you were my best friend.”
    Zander cocked an eyebrow. “Our mutual love of ice cream and shirking work?”
    “Exactly.”

    “ I T IS freaking hot ,” Zander said, licking his ice cream as he followed Harper toward the lake. Whisper Cove wasn’t known for being a hotbed of daily activity, but it was positively dead today. The small hamlet was located about thirty miles north of Detroit, so the big box stores were close enough to drive to and yet the town retained its kitschy charm – which was exactly how Zander and Harper liked it. “We need a pool.”
    “We have a lake,” Harper reminded him, pointing. “That’s better than a pool.”
    “Yes, but it’s not in our back yard,” Zander said.