* * *
Normally, I loved closing up on Sunday night, as it signaled the beginning of my time off. Most people dreaded Mondays. Employees of Smugglers' Tavern saw it as our day to relax, have fun, and take care of life. This Sunday night, though, a lump of dread had settled in the center of my stomach and continued to expand until my complexion transformed from sun-kissed freckles to pickled green. In addition to the drama of the day, with Freddie out, there'd been no time to steal away to go to the police department to make good on my promise. With tomorrow being a day off, I'd do it first thing in the morning. I would also mention her alibi and trust that the police would perform due diligence in verifying Harmony's claim before arresting her under suspicion of murder. It was a long shot but all I had right now.
"You okay, Lilly?" Mandi stopped putting on her jacket to come stand by me.
I nodded. "Just nervous about my visit to see Harmony and Brock." Insecurity nipped at my ankles. "What if…"
Mandi pulled me into a hug and whispered in my ear, "What if they say they're sorry? What if this is the start of something more than you could ever imagine?"
What if I can't forgive them? I returned her hug. "What would I do without you?"
She pulled away, a big smile on her face. "No doubt, you would be lost. I've got your back, and you've got mine, right?"
Her faith in me warmed my heart and gave me courage. "Yes, ma'am." I turned to Tanner, who was leaning against the door looking all GQ-model sexy in his jeans, white cotton shirt, and black leather jacket. "You up for consolation duty should things go horribly wrong?"
Tan closed the distance between us and pulled me into a hug. A girl could get used to all these hugs. "I got you and—" he pulled away with a big grin on his face "—I picked up some rocky road ice cream during my lunch to be used only in case of emergency."
No matter what happened with the parents, I'd won big in the friend department. I grabbed Tan's hand and nodded in Mandi's direction. "Thank you for the pep talk. You're the best friend a girl could have."
Less than ten minutes later we were sitting in Tan's Mustang in the parking lot of the Ocean View Bed & Breakfast. I saw Bree, the owners' daughter and current manager, emerge from the front door. She waved as she came up to the car. "Hi, Tan. Hi, Lilly. What brings you here this late in the evening?"
Stepping out, I walked around to stand next to her. "Thought I might try to have a civil conversation with my parents. Are they around?"
"Your parents? I thought…oh wait…"
"Yeah, they're part of the band. Well, my dad is in the band. Mom's just their biggest fan."
Bree laughed. "Sounds like my parents when it comes to Bon Jovi."
I'm thinking it probably didn't, but it wouldn't be polite to point out that an obsession with an honest-to-goodness star and leaving your family to follow a wannabe star around from state to state weren't quite the same. "Could be. Do you know if they're here now?" A small part of me hoped maybe they weren't and I could take Tan up on the offer for movie and snacks with his family. And rocky road. One must never forget the consoling goodness that comes in quart, pint, and gallon size containers.
She flashed me a smile and arched her eyebrows. "Well, from the resemblance, I'm guessing Harmony is your mom. And your dad?"
"Brock."
"Lead singer, nice." Bree smiled.
"I don't know about nice. I'm pretty sure we put the fun in dysfunctional when it comes to family dynamics." Honesty mixed with a bit of deflection and humor seemed like the perfect combination to utilize right now.
Bree laughed. "I'm sure you're not alone when it comes to family issues, but I get where you're coming from. They're both here. You want to come in or sit out on the porch?"
I liked the idea of being outside. Easier to make a hasty retreat if needed. "You have lights back there?"
Bree nodded. "Even some outdoor propane heaters. Nothing but the best for our guests, no matter what time of year." She motioned with her hand. "Come on. I'll get you settled and then let them know you're here."
We walked around the old home that had been restored to a beautiful bed and breakfast. As we neared the back of the house, a strong odor tainted the crisp, night air. "What in the world is that smell?"
"I wish I knew." Bree looked from side to side. "I suspect Uncle Eddie is up to something again, but I can't figure out what. The smell started late last night."
Tan and I took seats on the porch swing. Bree set a couple chairs facing the swing to make conversation easy. I wasn't confident that would help, but it wouldn't hurt either. "I really appreciate this."
Bree nodded. "Sure thing. I'll let them know you're back here, and then I gotta run to the store. They're eating me out of house and home."
"Thanks, Bree." After she left, Tan took my hand and used his feet to start a slow swinging motion for us. His arm went around me, and I snuggled in. "Thanks for being here with me tonight. It means a lot."
His lips felt warm on my temple. A gal could get used to this, even if she shouldn't. Just for a moment or three…maybe four…then I'd reassert my independence.
"You two look pretty cozy," Harmony teased as she sat down in front of us. Brock remained standing.
I sat up straight but maintained my hold on Tanner's hand. I also ignored her observation. "I'm here. What did you want to talk about?" It wasn't my intention to be abrupt, but warm and fuzzy wasn't available at the moment.
Brock zipped up his leather jacket and shuffled his feet before finally making eye contact with me. "Look, I have to take a trip into Seattle to talk to someone. Can we catch up tomorrow? I promised we'd talk, and I want to keep that promise."
A snide remark hovered on the tip of my tongue, but he appeared to be trying. He was more nervous than I was, if his body language were any indicator. If he could make an effort, I could too. "Okay, but not too early. It's my only day off."
He laughed. "Do I strike you as a morning person?"
Despite the situation, I smiled. "Guess we have that in common."
His smile thawed a little more of the ice wall I'd built to protect myself from being hurt again. "How about we meet here at ten tomorrow. This place brings in breakfast from this awesome bakery in town."
"The Cinnamon Sugar Bakery," I supplied.
Brock nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. You drink tea or coffee? Wait. Let me guess."
For some reason, it annoyed me he was so charming. I nodded and gestured for him to guess. Tan chuckled and returned me to my nestled position against him. It was warmer there anyway.
"Tea. You enjoy herbal teas, black and green. Your favorite is green tea though. Maybe with just a little honey?"
My mouth gaped. "How?"
Harmony interjected with a smile, "Because that's my favorite too."
Brock leaned over and kissed Harmony on the cheek. "That's right, babe. It is. I gotta run but should be home by two."
"Good luck. Love you."
"Love you too."
They'd obviously kissed and made up. Once Brock cleared the corner of the porch, I focused on Harmony. "Looks like the trouble in paradise has been resolved."
She shrugged. "We fight. We make up. It's what happens when you have two very passionate, creative people who act before they think." Her gaze flitted to Tan. "Are you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?"
Her use of that word forced me upright. "Harmony, this is Tanner Montgomery, a good friend of mine."
She leaned forward to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you, Tanner. Why don't you want to be my daughter's boyfriend?"
Tan had the good nature to chuckle. "Well, ma'am, I'd love to be her boyfriend, but she's dead set against it."
"Why?" Harmony's face scrunched in confusion before she buried her face in the crook of her arm to cough. She must've forgone the vapor rub this time or the lingering smell from whatever Uncle Eddie was up to overpowered it.
"Are you serious?" I couldn't believe she was asking such a question. "Isn't it obvi
ous?"
Harmony rocked in her chair, calm despite my verbal outburst. "Not obvious at all. You're a young, beautiful woman. He's a very handsome young man. You're obviously attracted to each other. I know I'm a little out of touch with the youth of today, but this isn't obvious to me at all."
Removing myself completely from Tan and the swing, I stood and paced to the end of the wraparound porch and then back before calming enough to answer. "Because for you and Gram, love is an all-consuming kind of deal. Once Grandfather was gone, not only did she never find love again—she never looked. She was still young and had plenty of love to give. And you…" I exhaled slowly. "You abandoned me and Gram to follow the love of your life. He's everything to you."
I sat down next to Tan again but didn't take his hand. "I can't risk being swallowed whole and losing myself completely in another for the sake of love." I turned to look at him. "No matter how wonderful the possibility of love might be." It was hard for most people from normal relationships to understand, but the examples I had to learn from made falling in love feel like a one-and-done kind of deal. I cared about Tan, but we were both young. If I gave my heart to him and he broke it or, God forbid, something happened to him, that was it. I couldn't be certain I'd ever be able to love again. That kind of commitment terrified me.
Several moments of tense silence passed before I decided to break the tension. "Now that we got that out of the way, my turn to ask you a question."
Harmony pulled her bottom lip between her teeth—another thing we had in common when we were nervous or scared—but nodded. "Sure."
I know she expected some deep question about how she could leave me, but I wanted to lighten things up. Needed to lighten things up. "What's up with the Band-Aids?"
Her laughter was rich and eased the remaining awkwardness since my revelation and theories on love. She wiped her eyes from the tears of mirth that had managed to escape and asked, "That's what you want to know?"
"Don't think I'm letting you off the hook from the more serious stuff, but right now I'm curious." This also gave me an opportunity to ease into the more life-altering questions. Band-Aids first, abandonment issues later—much later.
Harmony held up her hands to show four bandaged fingers—two on the left, two on the right. "Brock is teaching me to play guitar. The fingers get sore until the callouses develop. Once the skin hardens some, you can apply more pressure to the strings without it hurting."
Plausible explanation. Interesting even. Before I could respond, Tan's phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen. "Please excuse me for a moment. I need to take this."
Once Tan was out of hearing, I decided to at least tiptoe into serious territory. "I understand that life on the road was no place for a child, but why didn't you ever come visit or call? I spent my whole life believing my parents didn't love me."
"Oh, baby." Harmony cut me off as she slid forward in the chair to take my hand. "I know it looks that way, but nothing could be farther from the truth. It was because I loved you so much that I stayed away."
I shook my head. "That doesn't make any sense."
Her eyes closed for a moment, and she exhaled slowly. After what felt like an eternity, she squeezed my hand. "You don't know what a mess I was during my younger years. Not that I don't have problems now. Instead of Raine, my middle name should've been Rebel. Looking back, I think my anger over my father never coming home from war had me doing everything except what was expected. Mom was the picture of patience."
Remembering how Gram had never raised her voice or gotten angry with me had me nodding my head in agreement. Of course, I had never given her much cause to get angry or yell, but teenage years were challenging thanks to those nefarious hormones Tan and I spoke about the previous night.
Harmony smiled. "Anyway, after having you, I was anxious to get back to my life of partying, rock and roll, and other things I'm embarrassed to admit. You can fill in the blanks with stereotypes. I did them all. By the time I settled down enough to be a responsible adult, you were a teenager. From Mom's letters, there was no doubt you were happy and settled in your life. After screwing up so bad the first fifteen years of your life, no way was I going to show up like a bad penny and screw with your teen years." She lowered her head. "I didn't want you to turn into me."
I released her hands to wipe the errant tears that had slid down my cheek without permission. I hated when they did that. "I get it, I guess. Though a letter or birthday card would've been nice. Even if I was angry at you, that's better than believing you didn't care."
"You're right. I did tell you I was a screw-up."
Moment of truth. Forgive, or at least start the forgiveness process, or return to the isolation of not having a family to share in your life. "You made some bad choices, but you like green tea and hate bugs, so there's hope." I was cautious but couldn't deny there was a part of me that wanted to put the pain of the past behind us and move forward. Especially with Gram gone now, they were the only family I had left.
"We do have that in common, don't we?" Her teary smile matched mine.
"We do. And…" I paused, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth before putting myself out there. "Maybe we can take some time to learn what else we might have in common?"
Harmony stood and pulled me into a hug. I reveled in the first real hug I could remember getting from my mother. Though there was still a lot to work through, this was an important first step.
Tan clearing his throat broke us apart. "Sorry to interrupt, but Lilly, we need to go."
The look of concern on his face worried me. "Is everything alright?"
He shoved his hands into his pockets. "If you want to stay, I can come back and get you. But I have to go."
Tan had been there for me since the beginning. It was obvious he needed support now, and I wouldn't abandon him. I looked at Harmony. "Can we catch up tomorrow?"
She hugged me again. Yeah, a girl could get used to that. "Sure thing, baby. Hope everything is okay."
Tan and I walked in silence until we were in the car. I couldn't wait any longer. "Tan, please, tell me what's wrong."
"My mom called. My sister hasn't come home and isn't answering her phone. Ruby also called. Your phone must be on silent, as she said she tried you first. Anyway, Vernon heard from his contacts, and they have a cause of death. They both thought you'd want to know, even though you hadn't asked for the favor."
They know me well. I really liked those two and was glad they were in my life. "What was the cause?" I was sure he'd been strangled, but I'd learned to never assume when it comes to what actually killed a person. Learned that lesson the hard way.
Tan rested his forehead on the steering wheel. "Death by strangulation. The murder weapon—" He turned his head to look at me with those beautiful blue eyes of his. I saw compassion, which worried me. I didn't even know Donny, so why would Tan be feeling sympathy for me?
"What? What was he murdered with?" I needed an answer like five minutes ago.
"Guitar strings."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"Let's see if we can find your sister," I offered in a rush of words that came within seconds of his revelation about the murder weapon.
Tan shook his head. "Let me take you home. You have a lot to process. Though it could be coincidence, the fact that Donny Z was murdered with guitar strings and all but one member of the band plays guitar." His gaze, a very light blue thanks to the dashboard lights, offered sympathy as he continued, "And now we know your mom was learning to play as well."
I sighed. "Which makes everyone but the drummer, Johnny Jones, a potential suspect. Though, I'm guessing he would have access to guitar strings too, even if he doesn't play." I frowned. "Technically, anyone could have access to guitar strings. It's not like you have to have a special permit to buy them."
Tan nodded. "True, though the members of the band have more motive than just your average string buyer off the street. Let me take you home. You can have some of that green tea you like and settle
into your warm bed. I need to find my sister."
I chuckled. "I'm thinking after the last few days I've had, wine would be more appropriate. But, more importantly…" Leaning across the space between us, I grabbed his hand and squeezed. "Tanner Montgomery, you are one of my best friends. You have been there for me every step of the way since I took the job at Smugglers' Tavern. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help you now?"
"Not a very good one?" His lips quirked into a small smile.
"Exactly. So let's go. Do you know her usual hangouts?"
He maneuvered the Mustang out of the parking lot. I turned around to see if by any chance Harmony was on the front porch to wave good-bye. It was a long shot, but one I wanted to take. My PLH level inched up a level when she turned from heading in the front door to wave good-bye. Though I was sure because of the lighting she wouldn't be able to see me, I waved back.
Movement on the side of the house caught my attention. I couldn't make out who it was, but two people were holding hands, walking around to the back. I caught a flash of denim but no other identifying factors. Just two lovebirds sneaking off into the night. Squeezing Tan's hand again, I reassured him, "We'll find her." Tan's sister, Ashley, could be his twin if it weren't for the years separating them. Her hair was longer, of course, but the ocean blue eyes were identical. She'd also been making her presence in the family known by playing the role of troublesome teen. Her mother had been on the receiving end of most of the attitude, from what Tanner had shared with me.
We headed toward town. Being it was November and very late at night, not many people were out and about. Though the weather was more temperate here than in other places, Hope had explained to me that tourism dropped off significantly after Halloween and started picking up again late February to early March. A lot of the seasonal shops had closed for now.
Tan drove us up and down the quiet streets as we looked for any sign of life. The pier hosted only sea gulls and the spray of water as the occasional swell battered against the sturdy wood. "Let's try the park area. She's been known to go there to think." Tan offered the suggestion as he turned off Main Street and onto Cliffside Drive.
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