Page 11 of Cadaver Lab: Mind Over Murder

“Then why are you interrogating everyone who saw him last night?” Natalie asked.

“This is just fact-finding for the official police report--” Carson’s excuse was interrupted by the arrival of Rick running at full speed through the front window.

Rick, a middle-aged man who’d died in the early eighties, functioned as the deceased community’s chief information officer, just as Mary Brimley did for the livings. And apparently Rick had news as he slid to a stop just short of barreling into the group.

Instinct had Natalie taking a half-step back to avoid the collision she saw coming but the other livings did not. Not that it would matter. Rick would just pass right through her. A creepily strange sensation that both the living and the dead usually tried to avoid whenever possible.

“Oh my god. Did you hear?” Rick asked. “Pompous Doug’s widow is suing Harper.”

Gabe nodded. “Yup. That explains it. All the deputy’s questions. Official report, my ass.”

“Wait, Pompous Doug was married?” Natalie asked before she realized her mistake, on two counts. One, she’d insulted Doug in front of the law by using the unflattering nickname Harper had given him, and two, she had talked to a ghost in front of the livings who couldn’t see or hear him.

Harper’s gaze flew to Natalie.

Meanwhile Carson frowned and turned to Natalie. “Excuse me?”

Gabe’s slow head shake told Natalie she was past fixing this. “Just forget it, Nat, and tell poor Harper what Rick said.”

Rick nodded. “Seriously. You were filmed talking to ghosts on a damn reality show. Give it up, doll. The jig is up.”

“Fine.” She let out a burst of air and turned to Harper. “According to Rick, who just arrived by the way, Doug was married and his widow is going to sue you.”

“Rick who?” Carson frowned.

“One of the graveyard ghosts,” Natalie answered at the same time Harper began her rant.

“Doug’s wife is going to sue me? For what? For talking to him at a Rotary meeting?” Harper spun to confront Carson directly. “She can’t do that. Can she?”

A shadow of doubt darkened Harper’s expression, edging out her visible anger at the possible ramifications of this new development.

Even if she wasn’t found guilty of murder by heart attack by the district attorney, what if the courts awarded the widow a monetary settlement in civil court? Harper made a good living writing. But not good enough to turn over a hefty million dollars or even a couple of hundred thousand to Doug’s widow for the loss of her husband should the court deem it.

Natalie, Gabe and Rick all pivoted to stare at the deputy as well. The man needed to fork over some answers and now.

Carson held strong against the scrutiny for about five long seconds before he finally gave up. “Fine. The widow is looking to bring a wrongful death lawsuit against Harper for causing his heart attack by arguing with him last night.”

“What? He started the argument with me,” Harper declared.

Gabe slapped his forehead with one hand. “And now she just admitted to fighting with the man. Jeezus, Nat, shut her up.”

“Exactly. Tell the doll not to say another word to the coppers without a suit there to represent her,” Rick agreed.

Carson glanced at Natalie and then toward Harper again. “There was also the matter of your unauthorized use of his likeness as a character in a book.”

“Wha—It’s fiction!” Harper reiterated the same refrain as last night at the meeting.

Arms folded over his chest as he looked on, Gabe shook his head. “This is going downhill fast.”

Natalie widened her eyes in warning. “Harper, I think you should stop talking now.”

“About damn time she said something,” Rick muttered.

“A little late, if you ask me. Hope Aunt Agnes has some bail money lying around,” Gabe grumbled.

The ghosts weren’t wrong.

This could get bad for Harper. Very bad. Prison. Financial ruin—from legal fees and possible settlement payments. The devastation of her public writing career. Any or all of the above were possibilities.