Forever Hold Your Piece (The Becker Sisters Bridal Series Book 1)

by Elizabeth John

  After Lily left Leo at Aunt Bee’s, they hopped into her van and headed to Jake’s place. She planned on checking in with the officers at her shop, now considered a crime scene.

  She came to a halt behind Jake’s pickup truck because there were police cars parked in front of her store. Yellow crime scene tape cordoned off an area around her shop. News vans were stationed across the street.

  When they got out, Jake went to the passenger side of his truck, yanked open the door, and seized a hoodie sweatshirt. He punched his arms through and zipped up the garment. Lily hid her smirk. She had forgotten all about lending him her dad’s old sweatshirt and Jake had never said a word. Men and their pride.

  “I want to go to my place and check in.”

  “Move fast or get ready to have cameras pushed in your face.” He gestured toward the reporters. “But we should let the officers know we’re next door if they need us for anything.”

  Reporters spotted them and started to race over with their camera equipment and microphones. Lily and Jake hustled toward the young officer guarding the front entrance and told him they would be at Jake’s. The officer said something into his shoulder and another officer soon appeared and held the reporters back. But he couldn’t stop them from shouting at Lily.

  “Miss Becker! Miss Becker! Who killed your ex-fiancé? Did you know he was back in town? How did you feel when you found his body?”

  Jake unlocked his front door and ushered her in before she could respond. But he needn’t have worried. She would have said nothing. Their questions hit her core, like a thirty-pound sandbag, and she couldn’t breathe. Tightness gripped her chest. She tried to inhale, but her lungs tightened.

  Jake faced her and put his hands on her shoulders. “It’s okay. You’re safe here. Take a moment.”

  He was telling her to breathe and saying something about scums of the earth. She wasn’t sure how, but she was sitting on a metal chair. Did he pick her up? The warmth of his hands and his comforting words soothed her. Lily took stock of her surroundings. The windows remained unchanged the past few years—boarded up for hurricane protection during one of the bad storms, and no one ever took them down. A ‘For Lease’ sign stuck to the glass on the front door.

  “Guess I should take this down, huh?” He did, and the sound ripped through and echoed into darkness.

  She narrowed her eyes and flashed him a glare. “You should take the boards off the windows too. They’re an eyesore, and it’s pitch black in here,” she shouted to him as he tapped along the wall for the light switch.

  “Stay there a minute. I don’t want you to fall over something and get hurt.”

  She agreed with his order. Now was not the time to be obstinate and inform him she didn’t appreciate being told what to do. No sense getting injured out of righteousness. While she waited patiently, she remembered him saying that he was originally from Long Island. She was about to question him about that when she heard a grunt, then a “Geez, that hurt!”

  “What’s happened?”

  “Don’t move! I’ve got it.”

  The lights came on and blinded her. When her sight adjusted to the harsh fluorescent lighting, Lily glanced around. Jake moved an open ladder to the side.

  “Some knucklehead left this in my path. Must have been one of the contractors. I smashed into it and banged up my leg.”

  Lily stood up. Jake hadn’t done anything with the place, even though his lease started a few days ago. She ran her finger through the dust on the glass counter where an ancient looking cash register rested.

  “Love what you’ve done with the place.”

  “Very funny. I’ve been busy dealing with the architect and contractors. It’ll be ready for the season.”

  Not convinced, she said, “If you say so.” She shook her head in disgust. He’d need to get started working on this place if he wanted it ready by the spring. “You never gave me an answer before on what made you leave Long Island for New Jersey? Why didn’t you open a bait and tackle shop there?”

  He rubbed his leg when he said, “Dad has family here and always wanted to move to the Garden State. My mom only has my grandmother on her side, and my sister lives in Manhattan. We all thought, why not?”

  His response hit her as too convenient, like a canned answer. “So you’ve hired an architect. What do you have in mind?”

  “Even though Robert is okay with any improvements I make, I can’t change much it seems since I’m connected to you and the shop next door. I can’t even raise up because of zoning laws or add on back for the same reasons. Here let me show you what I had in mind. Watch your step.” He led her around old paint cans on the floor and fishing rods and gear left scattered about.

  She and her sisters had been in the store a couple of months back and the place looked the same. She questioned if Jake had any idea what he was getting himself into. Did he even know how to run a business? He should have started cleaning the place up and rented a dumpster to throw this junk away. Not much worth salvaging. Why didn’t he pull the boards off the windows and shine them up? At least that might give the appearance of his store’s grand opening eventually coming.

  While she avoided collision with a tackle box missing its lid, a couple of expletives escaped from Jake’s mouth. Instead of heeding his warning about watching her step, she raced up to him. He had gotten a few feet ahead of her and was in the back area of the store.

  “What’s happened?”

  He pointed to the back door, which was ajar. Jake ran a hand through his hair. “I locked this door. Someone broke in here.”

  “Oh, no!” What was going on in her hometown? First her place, now this? She wrapped her arms across her chest, inspecting a mess of papers and bits of fishing tackle in what appeared to be his office.

  “I never got as far as my office this morning because I heard Leo barking and went straight to your place. This could have something to do with your break-in. I’m sure the chief will want to know if anything has been taken.”

  “How will you be able to tell?” The moment she blurted the words, she regretted the unkind truth. The place had stuff everywhere, and she doubted he somehow took inventory when he leased the place. “Sorry. That sounded bitchy.”

  “No, you’re right, this place is a mess, but the realtor gave me an inventory list from the estate. That should be a start.”

  “Maybe one of your contractors came in and left the door open. Did you give anybody a key?” She glazed over the locks. He hadn’t bothered to change them. Now that would have been the first thing she would have done. She tightened her arms against her chest and leaned into her hip when he didn’t answer her right away. Was he trying to form an acceptable answer again? Never mind. Didn’t make a difference. “You know, Old Man Reilly was around forever. And he had a big family. Half this town has keys to this place. I can recommend a good locksmith.”

  He took out his phone and started taking pictures. “And here I thought the realtor handed over all the keys,” he said dryly.

  Was he being sarcastic with her or was he beating himself up for his gullibility? Lily wasn’t sure, but at the moment didn’t care. What she cared about was his lack of ambition for his new venture. Once again, she questioned his motives about the tackle shop. Being a former cop from New York, she would have thought securing his new business would take top priority.

  Unlike Haley, the people around here locked their doors at night because of the summer renters. But the full-time neighbors trusted and looked after one another. Those that lived in the town year-round had keys for one another’s homes. Half the block had keys for Aunt Bee’s house. Someone was always checking in on her.

  “I’ll call the chief. Why don’t you find the list?”

  He nodded. “Okay, I have the paperwork in my truck. I’ll be right back. Don’t touch anything.”
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  Lily rolled her eyes. As if? Ever since Sam dumped her, Lily began watching true crime shows about people marrying people they thought they knew but didn’t really know. Husbands turned out to be domestic abusers or even serial murderers. Wives who slowly poisoned their new husbands. Lily shuddered. She could have found herself in a worse off situation with Sam.

  When Sam left her at the altar, she kept wondering how did she miss the signs? There must have been some clues. After watching the shows over the past year, she learned many people got duped by the ones they loved.

  Lily reached the chief and told him what happened. She was careful not to lean against the counter or knock into anything as she made the call. Jake ran back in with a briefcase.

  “Chief will be here any minute,” she told him. “He was on his way back to my shop.”

  The chief showed up a few minutes later. “I’ll get my fingerprint guys in here. I assume you didn’t touch anything?”

  “The front door and some walls, the light switch and, oh yeah, the ladder.” Jake pointed around the room.

  “And, I um, ran my finger through the dust on the countertop,” Lily admitted.

  The chief grunted. “Everything but the kitchen sink, huh?”

  “Sorry. When we entered, the place was pitch dark except the light from the front door glass. I bumped into the ladder. Someone moved it from where it was against the wall in the back. Now I know it might have been the intruder. Chief, the back door was locked. Now it’s open. Someone was in here.”

  “Okay, after we rule out both of your prints, hopefully we’ll come up with something. Unfortunately, this place hasn’t been cleaned in years. We may find a lot of prints, but not necessarily the burglar’s.” He studied the shop, “Any clue what they might have wanted in here?”

  Jake shrugged. “There’s nothing of value. The realtor said the attic space is loaded with old junk. I haven’t had a chance to peek around up there.”

  Lily sighed. Unfortunately, she guessed the storage space held years’ worth of fishing supplies, tackle stuff. By the looks of the shop, the compact attic was never organized, a dumping ground for overstock or worse—used smelly tackle stuff Old Man Reilly couldn’t part with. When she and her sisters had looked at the place, they didn’t have time to inspect the attic. She shuddered to think of the putrid junk seeping through the ceiling and odors permeating her bridal things.

  Somehow she had to get hold of this place. Her business was sure to be affected negatively when he reopened. She remembered her mother and grandmother doing the happy dance when Old Man Reilly retired and closed it. The two businesses had been side by side for years and were not a good match. Even though now the front entrance was an eyesore, a closed business was better than one that turned off her customers. Brides and fish didn’t mix. Not at all. Unless the fish was being served at the reception on fancy china.

  Lily piped in. “It is a fairly small space. I have old dresses, veils, items I don’t want to part with or can use parts of for my business. But I rarely go up there. It’s not practical for everyday usage. I’m guessing Old Man Reilly used the attic the same way. Wouldn’t surprise me if no one has been up there in twenty years.”

  “Tell you what. Go down to the station. Give your statements. Meanwhile, I’ll have my guys process this scene. When they’re done, Jake check your inventory to see if anything’s been taken. That’s a start.”

  “Chief, my gut’s telling me our break-ins are related.”

  “Yeah something smells fishy here, and I don’t mean that literally,” Lily said, not trying the least bit to be funny.

  But both men turned to look at her and smiled anyway.

  The chief nodded. “I’m going to check with the town clerk on the original design plans for these buildings. It will tell me the dimensions of the attic space.”

  Minutes later, Lily and Jake headed to the station in separate cars to give statements. Lily suspected Jake wanted privacy even though he claimed he wanted to have his car with him in case she couldn’t drive him back.

  He rode her bumper the whole time, and she could see him talking on what must have been a hands-free device. She couldn’t imagine to whom, but her instincts told her the conversation had nothing to do with fishing, tackle, bait or any gear related to the sport.

  She on the other hand, was desperately trying to reach her sisters, and neither of them had answered their international cell phones they purchased. She left vague voice messages, and hoped they called her back soon.

  At the station, they gave brief statements to different officers. Lily waited for Jake to finish, then he followed her to her house. They both went to Aunt Bee’s to retrieve Leo and when they got to Lily’s front door, Jake swept a hand out to block her from entering. “Stay behind me until I know it’s clear.”

  She almost laughed at his command and turned her head to hide her grin. Everything looked normal. But if he wanted to play the serious bodyguard, she was going to let him. First, his directive was sexy as hell, and second, she wanted to stay on his good side. There was a flaw in his fisherman plans, and she was going to make sure she helped expose that defect.

  Pleased, she allowed him to see her smile this time as she followed him going room to room. The place was empty.

  “All clear. Listen, something’s come up, and I have to leave for a bit. You’ll be safe next door at Aunt Bee’s. I’ll have the chief send a patrol car to check on you.”

  The warm fuzzies she’d had for a millisecond vanished. He’s taking off after making a big deal of not leaving her alone?

  He had cancelled the contractors at the shop. Lily couldn’t imagine what was urgent. Out of plain curiosity, she wanted to ask him where he was off to, but since they were technically strangers, she’d come off as nosy. She opened her mouth to say that she’d be fine at her own home, but he cut her off.

  “No arguments. Trust me on this, Lily. Go next door. I’ll call you when I’m on my way back.”

  Lily leaned against the doorframe and watched him leave, fully aware that he hadn’t ask her to join him.

  Chapter 10

  Jake checked the time on his phone again. She was late. Figures. He gazed out the windows of the diner and watched the sporadic traffic go by, hoping he’d catch a glimpse of his client exiting her car. He would have preferred to sit on the opposite side of the restaurant in the booth where a group of old-timers sat with rolled up newspapers, drank coffee, and reminisced.

  From their relaxed body language, Jake guessed the men were great friends. He looked beyond their bald heads to enjoy the view of the bay’s water splashing up against the docks, a luxury that would end momentarily. He had a few minutes to meet with Claire for her command performance, then he needed to get back to Lily and keep tabs on her.

  He had some reservations about whether she was innocent of any involvement in Sam’s death, but from the research he did on her, besides the obvious motive of revenge, he didn’t see Lily as a killer. Some called him cynical. Not true. But he wasn’t a fool. Ruling her out at this point would be careless; however, there were others who wanted Sam dead more. Like his client.

  Claire strolled in wearing a black leather jacket, skin-tight jeans and knee-hi black leather boots. The booth filled with retirees twisted their heads to ogle her. Although a bit past Jake’s acceptable dating age, he had to admit, the woman knew how to attract the opposite sex. The oversized sunglasses were too much of a dramatic touch. Not that he was interested. If he were, he would have sent a warning signal to the geriatric men that she was off limits and he didn’t appreciate the drool dripping from the corners of their mouths.

  Right now, dating was on the same rung of the totem pole as cleaning out his parents’ garage. While he wasn’t opposed to either idea, now wasn’t a good time. He’d get around to doing both, but neither was a priority
. This case took top billing.

  Claire slid into the booth across from him and stripped off her glasses. “I wanted you to find the son of a bitch, not kill him. He got off too easy,” she whispered across to him with a smile.

  He looked around to see if anyone was within earshot. The waitress who brought him coffee earlier wiped a counter near the kitchen. An elderly couple sat a few booths away. The old guys wolfed down burgers. The moment was safe enough to whisper. “You know I didn’t kill him.”

  “Pluh . . . ease,” she purred.

  Her flirting grated on his nerves, bordered on pathetic even. Sadly, she didn’t get that she was wasting her efforts on him. If he were going to be interested in anyone right now, the woman would be someone like Lily.

  Everything about Lily was perfect. She was smart, ambitious, and drop dead gorgeous. Cared about her family, friends, and little dog. He also liked that she was funny, kind, but most of all, he enjoyed being around her. His back rebelled with a twinge. Whoa. That idea came out of left field. As did a vision of her long, pale blond hair and waiting-to-be-kissed ruby lips.

  “Jake?” Claire growled, bringing his attention back to her.

  Again, he kept his voice low. “So from the picture I emailed you, you’ve identified him as Simon?”

  “That’s the weasel all right. I would have rather seen a picture of him dead, not smiling in an engagement photo. I quite enjoyed the story of the discovery of his body. The wedding dress was a nice touch, Jake. I needed that laugh. I’ll have to pay you extra for that.” Claire picked up on his cue and brought her voice down an octave, not wanting to bring negative attention to herself after all.

  He wrapped a hand around his coffee mug, unnerved by her callousness. He’d seen her type before, usually in handcuffs. “You know I didn’t kill him, Claire. And I didn’t put him in a dress. You can’t tell anyone that. The chief on the case is withholding that fact. I don’t know when or even if the chief will make that public knowledge. But since I’m not a cop anymore and I’m working for you, I thought you should know.”