It took Harper a moment to realize what she was looking at. The ghost had hidden herself so well in the dappled underbrush that she was almost invisible. Harper almost gasped when she finally made out the full picture in front of her. The woman wasn’t young — nor really old — probably a bit over forty and definitely not fifty, and she boasted brown hair and eyes. She stood straight and watched Harper move up and down the tree line. She didn’t say a word.
Harper debated how she wanted to address the woman and ultimately decided that being direct was the only way to go. “Hello.” Her greeting was soft as she stopped a few feet away from the ghost and fixed her steady gaze on the woman. “I’m Harper Harlow. I believe you were in my dreams last night.”
The woman’s eyes went wide, shock positively reverberating off her.
Harper held up her hands in a placating manner, sensing that fear would drive the woman to run. “Please don’t be afraid of me. I mean you no harm. I was just hoping we could talk for a little bit.”
The ghost appeared legitimately bewildered as she looked to her left and right, as if searching for someone else to be the source of Harper’s attention. The ghost hunter understood the woman’s confusion.
“I’ve been able to see and talk to ghosts since I was a kid,” Harper offered helpfully. “I’m not sure why I’m capable when so many others aren’t, but it’s something I’ve grown accustomed to. What happened last night in the dream was real. I was really there. Leslie was really there.”
The ghost didn’t respond. If possible, Harper was convinced she’d turned even paler than on first glance.
“You don’t have to be afraid of me,” Harper reassured her. “I swear that I mean you no harm. I can help you if you open yourself up to it. You don’t even have to trust me. Just ... talk to me.”
The woman opened her mouth, and Harper’s heart skipped a beat, hope building to a crescendo. Before she could say anything, though, loud voices to the south had Harper snapping her head in that direction. She scowled when she realized Becky and Harris were invading their quiet morning.
“Oh, that’s just perfect,” Harper muttered, annoyance threatening to bubble up. “Don’t worry about them,” she offered, turning back to the ghost. “They’re annoying but harmless. In fact ... .” She trailed off when she realized the ghost had disappeared, taking a moment to search deeper into the woods in the hopes the ghost had simply retreated a few steps. Unfortunately, she didn’t get that lucky. Whoever the woman was, she’d disappeared ... again.
“Oh, if I wasn’t ticked off earlier,” Harper lamented, stomping her foot against the ground and turning, her eyes landing on a beaming Harris. “I’m definitely ticked off now.”
11
Eleven
“How are things?”
Harris was all smiles as he joined the group, Becky close at his side. He seemed thrilled to find Harper and the others participating in the game, although there was a nervous edge to his façade.
“We’re doing well,” Jared reassured him, shooting Harper a warning look. He seemed to be able to read her expression and recognized that she was about to lose her cool. “It’s a very interesting game.”
“It is,” Harris agreed, his gaze moving to Harper. “Did you find a clue, my dear?”
Harper pursed her lips, debating, and then shook her head. “I’ve come up empty so far.”
“No ghosts?” His eyes twinkled.
Even though she understood he probably didn’t mean to come off as condescending, Harper had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from scowling. “Not so far.”
Sensing trouble, Shawn drifted closer to the blonde, offering Harris a sunny grin before sliding his arm around Harper’s shoulders. “There technically wouldn’t be ghosts here since nobody really died. She can’t talk to what doesn’t exist.”
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about that.” Harris’ smile never wavered. “You have quite the reputation in Whisper Cove, young lady.”
The “young lady” part rankled more than it probably should have, but Harper managed to hold it together ... barely.
“When I first started researching individuals who I thought could help with the marketing aspect of my little endeavor, there were other names that popped up first,” he continued. “Evian Springs was one.”
Harper didn’t bother to hide her eye roll. “I’m familiar with Evian’s work.”
“She’s been in numerous newspaper articles,” Harris agreed.
Jared’s expression was hard to read. “Who is Evian?”
“She’s the worst,” Zander supplied, using the tip of his shoe to scuff at the ground. “She’s a fraud. She pretends to have the same ability Harper has and hires her services out for parties.”
“I found her interesting,” Harris hedged.
“I’m sure you did.” Zander’s tone never shifted. He was a businessman first and foremost, but he was growing tired of Harris’ nonsense. “She has a vast following on social media. She’s been touting her abilities to anybody who will listen, for years.”
“She found a missing child,” Harris persisted.
“You mean the little girl who happened to go missing at the house next door to where she lived?” Zander’s eyebrows raised in challenge. “There have been whispers regarding that. Friends of the mother, who has been tight with Evian since grade school, say they concocted that plan together, and the girl was never really missing.”
Harris balked. “You have no proof of that, though.”
“No,” Zander readily agreed. “We have no proof, and yet it’s pretty obvious to almost everybody. Evian doesn’t have the gift. She pretends to, but she’s not the real deal. She’s an actress, not a medium.”
Harris was quiet for a beat, working his jaw, and then his smile returned with a vengeance. “That’s neither here nor there.” He was a showman of sorts, too, Zander internally
