It wasn’t really an answer, but it was enough for Harper to suss out the rest. “When did you and Harris start your relationship, Becky?” she asked dully.
“What?” Becky’s lower lip quivered as she shifted her attention to Harper. It was as if she hadn’t been following the conversation.
“How old were you?”
The question was enough to jar Becky back to reality. “It’s not what you think. We love each other. I mean ... we fell in love with each other. Just because the law says it’s not right, that doesn’t mean we can ignore what our hearts tell us.”
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Shawn muttered, resting his hands on his knees as he bent over at the waist. “I just ... this is so wrong.”
“It is,” Harper agreed. “Did your mother attack you, Becky?” She remained focused on the young woman. “Did she threaten you?”
“She said she was going to turn him into the police,” Becky replied dully. “She said he could still be arrested. I thought she would be happy for me when I told her how things were working out. I mean ... I knew I had to keep it secret from her when I was a kid, but I’m an adult now. She should’ve been happy for me.”
“I think she should’ve been a lot of things for you that she wasn’t,” Harper noted. “You still haven’t told me what happened to her, though.”
“She got in my face.” Becky held up her hands. “She threatened to take him from me. He’s all that I have. We were working to build this place together. We had plans.”
“Plans,” Harper echoed. “What about Leslie? Why did you kill her?”
“I didn’t mean to do it.” Becky turned rueful. “It was an accident. She stumbled upon me after I had been arguing with Harris about whether or not you were a good fit for our group. He said yes and I knew otherwise. I just saw her from behind. I thought she was someone else.”
“Who?”
For the first time since she landed on the ground by her mother’s corpse, Becky’s vision cleared. “I thought she was you.”
“What?” Zander squawked, immediately moving to Harper’s side. “Why would you want to hurt Harper?”
“Harris said he needed publicity for his camp. He made a joke about how a real dead body would actually be the best thing that ever happened to him. Then he admitted after the fact that he was telling the truth. A fake dead body could only get him so far.
“He talked about you a lot,” she continued, her tone flat. “He said you were famous, that you talked to ghosts. I figured that a dead ghost hunter would lift this place to mythical levels. I mean ... if you’re famous and you die here, what does that mean for those who come after?”
“It means you’re a sick individual,” Zander shot back. “Why would you think this is okay?”
“We just wanted a happy life together,” Becky replied, morose. “We just wanted to be able to spend forever together.”
Harper had her doubts about that statement. “If that’s true, why were you chasing Jared?”
“I was supposed to. Harris thought if I could seduce Jared you would be more likely to accept his offer and move up here. I didn’t want you to move up here, don’t get me wrong, but the only thing I’ve ever wanted is to make him happy. I had to do it for him.”
Harper pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead, completely dumbfounded. “Was he part of all of it? Did he know about your mother?”
“No. I couldn’t tell him about that. He would’ve been so disappointed.”
“And Leslie? Did he know about her?”
“No. I figured it was best if I kept that to myself, at least for the time being. I probably would’ve told him down the road. Eventually, I mean.”
“Eventually.” Harper felt helpless as she shifted her eyes to Shawn. “We really need to get Jared out here.”
“Yes, but I’m not leaving you with her,” Shawn shot back, his gaze wandering to Zander. “I think you need to get Jared.”
Zander didn’t look thrilled at the prospect but he nodded. “Fine. Don’t let anything weird happen without me, though. You know how much FOMO I have. I’ll never forgive you if I miss out on the good stuff and have to suffer through memories of bad hair. I can only take so much.”
“Duly noted.”
19
Nineteen
Becky was already in the back seat of a patrol car when Harris showed up on the scene. His face was red, as if from some form of physical exertion, and he looked positively furious.
“What is going on here?”
Jared was the first to step forward. “We have some questions for you.”
“Oh, really? Well, I have some questions for you, too. Actually, I have questions for you.” He swiveled to face Harper, his eyes accusatory. “Why aren’t you solving the case? That’s what you’re supposed to be doing. How can you possibly make an endorsement if you’re not even playing the game?”
Harper was dumbfounded. “Are you kidding me?”
“No. Everyone else is out by the cemetery. That’s where the final clues are. You’re supposed to be with them.”
Harper turned her baffled eyes to Jared. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Jared reassured her. “I’ll handle this. I think you’ve gone through enough for one day.”
“Handle what?” Harris snapped. “What is going on?”
“Look in the back of the cruiser,” Jared suggested.
“I ... what?” Harris turned his attention to the patrol car as if seeing it for the first time. His eyes widened when he finally caught sight of Becky. “I don’t understand. What is happening? Why has my assistant been placed into custody?”
“She’s been arrested for the murder of Leslie Duncan.”
“What? That’s preposterous. Why would she want to kill one of our guests?”
“Because she thought it
