~ ~ ~
The next day, Lily and Jake stopped at the police station to check in with the chief. They crammed into his office.
An officer appeared at the door. “There’s a guy out front I think you ought to see.”
“Who is it?” the chief demanded.
“Claims he’s the dead woman’s brother,” the officer said.
“Check him out and then bring him to the interview room.” When the officer left, the chief stood. “Follow me. I want you both in on this conversation.”
In the interview room, they all sat across from Haley’s brother. Lily noted the resemblance right away. He shared the same dark hair and fair skin as his sister. Haley had been of petite statue, and although she couldn’t be sure since he was sitting, she could tell he wasn’t much taller than herself. Both the chief and Jake had several inches on him. Nothing else stood out about his appearance except for the greenish tinge to his complexion.
The chief held some paperwork in front of him and glanced at them then looked at Haley’s brother. He introduced Lily and Jake. “I’m sorry about your sister, Greg. We’ve been trying to reach you.”
Greg didn’t ask why Lily and Jake were there, and he didn’t look surprised. No one enlightened him.
“Tell me what happened to my sister.” Greg grabbed the edge of the table turning his knuckles white.
“How did you find out about Haley?” the chief asked. “I didn’t say anything in my messages, and her identity wasn’t released to the public.”
Greg tightened his grip on the table. “When she didn’t come home that night, I texted her. She didn’t answer. I went out looking for her.”
“So you lived with your sister?” the chief pressed.
Greg nodded and leaned forward as if to share a confidence with the chief. “I drove along the streets near the shop. Then I saw the cops and ambulance. One of the bystanders told me a young woman was shot on the beach. He described someone who looked like Haley. Please, who did this to her?”
Lily sat next to Haley’s distraught brother. His arms quaked, his knee jerked against the table. Weird that her new assistant never mentioned she lived with him. Wasn’t that something that should have come up in casual conversation? Even weirder was that Lily thought his name was Fernando.
The chief dug out the picture he had shown Lily and Jake earlier and pushed it toward Greg. “Do you recognize this woman?”
Greg studied the image. “Did she kill my sister?”
“Do you know her?” the chief asked again.
“I don’t think so.” Greg ran his hands through his hair. “Maybe without the hat and glasses. Who is she?”
“We were hoping you could tell us,” the chief said.
Lily glanced at Jake who wore an odd expression on his face. Perhaps out of respect for the chief, he forced himself not to butt in, but the twitch in his jaw revealed he was troubled.
Since the chief had asked the both of them to hear the interview, Lily gathered he wanted their input too. She wasn’t going to hold back.
“Greg,” Lily said, “Haley never mentioned you lived with her. To be honest, I think that’s strange.”
Since Lily had no qualms about speaking, Jake seemed to take that as the signal to join in. “Greg, it’s obvious we think you’re not telling us something, and if you want the chief to tell you more about your sister, come clean, man. Like why you assumed the body found was Haley’s.”
Lily watched enough crime dramas to know this was the part where the person being questioned ‘lawyered up’ or confessed everything. Hopefully, whatever Greg was hiding didn’t warrant reading him his Miranda Rights.
Greg slumped in his chair and blinked back tears. “I’ll tell you everything as long as you promise me you’ll find my sister’s killer. Give me whatever paperwork I need to sign. I don’t want a lawyer.”
The chief held a pen in his hand. “Are you saying you waive your rights?”
Greg swiped at his tears with the ends of his sweatshirt and reached for the pen. “I don’t care what happens to me now that my sister’s gone. Even though I need a lawyer and shouldn’t say a word before one gets here, the longer we wait, the more her murderer is going to get away with it. And I won’t let that happen.”
The chief read him his rights and pointed to a paper. “Sign here.”
After Greg signed, the chief took back his pen and sat back, crossing his arms. “We’re all ears.”
“I don’t know where to start.”
“At the beginning is always good,” Jake suggested.
The chief reached for his notepad. “Where’s this cousin that lied about Haley’s employment?”
“She skipped town when, um, Haley told her you all knew about the bogus reference. Went back to South Dakota.”
The chief wrote that down. “That’s good, Greg. You’re doing good.”
Greg nodded and asked for something to drink. The chief spoke to one of the officers. A couple of minutes later, he brought in an assortment of sodas and some water.
Meanwhile, Greg began his tale, which sounded more fantastic as he spoke. At first Lily couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Greg started his story by saying he and his sister uprooted themselves from South Dakota to find the man responsible for ruining their financial lives.
“Four years ago, my mom was receiving treatment for cancer. Her illness was terminal, but we hoped the treatment would prolong her life. While receiving treatment at the hospital, there was a gala fundraiser and many of the patients were invited, including my mother. That’s where she met Larry, one of the benefactors. Our mother began a relationship with him against our wishes.”
He chugged his root beer. “They married, and Larry convinced Mom to give him control over her finances and healthcare. Haley and I were cut off from her, and when she died a few months later, we had no say over her funeral arrangements or burial. Larry refused to let us in our childhood home to go through her things. Then we heard he left town right after she was cremated and had a simple ceremony with one or two selected friends. Selected by Larry. We broke into our own mother’s home and soon learned he took anything valuable.”
“Like what?” Jake asked.
“Jewelry. Mom had a lot of baubles and some unique pieces. Dad’s family was in the business. When Dad died years ago, he left Mom financially comfortable.”
“I’m still not hearing why you think your sister was murdered,” the chief said curtly.
“Larry took advantage of our dying mother. We made it our mission to find out what we could about him and soon learned he wasn’t a hospital benefactor. He acted wealthy, but it was all a con. He targeted our mother to get her money when she died. We had no idea where he’d run off to until we came across a picture of him on the Internet.”
“He was in the news?” Lily asked.
“Not exactly. There was coverage of the terrible storm you had here on the east coast. Larry was camera shy but got captured in one of the infamous pictures that kept circulating all over the media for months. The picture was taken in front of both of your shops. You know the one of how you suffered little damage because of the dunes while the homes and businesses on the surrounding blocks were destroyed?”
A sinking feeling crawled around the pit of Lily’s stomach. She knew what Greg was about to say before he even said it. She didn’t want to hear it. Couldn’t.
“So you followed Larry out here? You think he killed your sister?” Jake said. “Was it because she found him and threatened to expose him?”
Lily stole a glance at the chief and from his expression she concluded he was thinking what she was thinking.
“Larry didn’t kill my sister.”
“What makes you sure?” Jake asked.
“Larry’s already dead.”
/>
Please don’t say it. Lily clutched the armrests on the chair.
Greg peered into her eyes. “I believe you know my good old stepdad as Sam.”
Chapter 25
Jake jolted upright. He didn’t see this development coming. Larry was Sam? He needed to hear more about Greg’s theory before he drew any conclusions, but he had several questions darting about in his brain. Patience. Let’s drain this guy of whatever information he has and then go from there.
He’d be walking a tightrope since he wanted to pump the guy for information, yet he couldn’t reveal what he already knew from his investigation. He watched Lily’s shocked face and guilt pelted him. He cared about her. How could he continue a relationship with her and keep the truth from her at the same time?
“Go on,” the chief said.
Greg polished off his root beer and popped the tab on a cola. The hiss bounced off the sparse walls of the room and amplified in the silence. Lily sat wide-eyed, shocked, the chief’s anger simmered as his jaw twitched, and Jake’s confusion about Claire’s involvement kept him honed in on every word.
Greg slurped from the can, then wiped his mouth across his forearm. “Larry made a living by taking advantage of wealthy women. He covered his tracks well, and we had no proof. The police determined he stole someone’s identity because the real Larry died ten years earlier at the ripe old age of eighty-six.” He sighed as if he had told this story a hundred times. “We went through all the proper channels. There’s an open ongoing fraud and identity theft case. The guy preyed on my mom and pretended to be somebody he wasn’t, but what dear old stepdad did that was unforgiveable was that he took the last precious months of our mother’s life away from us.”
“Not to mention her jewels and money,” the chief said. “Seems like motive for murder. Are you confessing to Sam’s murder?”
“I didn’t kill him. The idea crossed my mind, and if he wasn’t already dead, I can’t swear that I would have let him live after I pummeled him.”
Jake reached for a water, crushing the bottle as he drank. He would have gotten more out of this guy by now, but the chief had a laid-back approach. Things moved faster in New York and this quaint New Jersey shore town hadn’t experienced many murders. The chief was taking the time to dot all ‘i’s and cross all ‘t’s. Time was a luxury they didn’t have.
“Tell me more about the picture that caused you and Haley to followed Larry/Sam here. Do you have a copy?” Chief poised his pen prepared to write.
Jake had to do something with his hands. Maybe if he took notes too, he would feel more like himself, comfortable in his own skin. From his jeans pocket he fished out his pad and its accompanying pen.
Lily shot him a perplexed look when he gave away a hint of his true nature. As a cop and now a PI he always carried the notepad to jot down quick notes or observations. Fisherman didn’t walk around with writing implements, and Jake knew he’d have some explaining to do with Lily later.
“We got a safety deposit box at the local bank. All our evidence and important personal papers are hidden there. Haley’s real name is Olivia. Since we were trying to keep a low profile and our true identities hidden, we rented a box.” Greg shook the empty soda can.
“Spell out her real full name for me, and which bank, specifically?” the chief asked.
Greg revealed the information, and Jake took notes, recognizing the bank building as the one a couple of blocks away from the shops. Made sense. Haley wanted the bank to be close enough to work to deposit her paycheck and have easy access to the safety box.
“I’d like to see that picture,” Lily said with a trace of pain in her voice.
Of course she would. She loved the guy once.
“I can find it on the Internet,” Greg offered.
Although they knew he was once a cop, Jake didn’t want to tip his hand from fisherman to PI. He had to be careful and not appear aggressive in his questioning. That wasn’t going to be easy. “Can we recap what you’ve told us? Larry/Sam mistreated your mom and stole your inheritance. You and Haley decided to search for him and found this picture on the Web. Then you moved clear across the country, hid your true identities, all on the notion that he was here?”
“I know it sounds extreme, but Haley and I had nothing to lose. Larry took everything of importance to us. We’ve been plotting revenge ever since. When we saw that picture, we couldn’t believe our luck. We had to come here. In the picture, Larry was pointing to your shops. He looked distressed. He had to have a connection to one of the shops, but we didn’t know which one. When we discovered you had a job opening for an assistant, we thought we hit the jackpot.” Greg avoided direct eye contact with Lily.
“One of our cousins worked in a fancy New York City bridal shop. As a favor, she doctored up a glowing reference letter for my sister. She gave my sister pointers since she never worked in bridal before. People rallied around us knowing what Larry did. They’d do anything to help.”
“I can’t believe I fell for her act,” Lily said. “I feel stupid. I am gullible.”
Jake was about to blow a gasket. “You did nothing wrong, Lily. No one would have thought to mistrust Haley or Sam.”
The chief interjected, his simmering anger beginning to boil. “So you followed the picture as a lead. Came out here, found Sam, and killed him. Then what? What happened to Haley, Greg? Did you kill her too?”
“No! I told you. I didn’t kill Larry, Sam, whatever his name was at the moment. And I would never hurt my sister. Why would I come here willingly if I killed either one of them?”
The chief shoved the picture at Greg. “Who’s this woman talking to your sister?”
“I swear I don’t know. We knew no one in this town except the people we met when we moved here. Maybe she’s a customer of the shop.” Now Greg gazed at Lily, hope streaming from his expression.
Jake started to scribble words on his pad as thoughts flew faster than his pen could capture. That was Claire in the picture. Was she playing him all along and knew Haley? Did she know more about Sam’s death than she led on? If not, why was she talking to Haley and about what? No way was their meeting a coincidence. As soon as he could get away he needed to find Claire and hash things out. He didn’t like games and hoped she wasn’t playing him.
“Okay, Greg, let’s say you didn’t kill Sam. Then who did and why?” the chief demanded. “You had motive. You had opportunity. Here’s what I think happened. When you and your sister moved here, Haley learned Sam was Lily’s ex-fiancé. Somehow you found out where he’d been hiding this past year and you and your sister blackmailed him into meeting at the shop. You killed Sam while your sister was the lookout. Only something goes wrong and you were still at the shop when Lily got there and you attacked her.”
“No, it didn’t happen like that. I swear I didn’t kill him. Please, you got to believe me.”
“Tell us what happened, Greg,” Lily said softly. “We want to believe you.”
“Haley and I had been casing the area for months hoping to see Larry/Sam. When she started working, I continued. We had no idea you were going to marry him. About a week before Sam’s death, I spotted and followed him. He snuck around your backyard, Lily. Then he crawled under your house.”
Lily gasped. “Oh my God.”
“Once again, I couldn’t believe my luck and didn’t let him out of my sight after that. Haley and I kept watch on him. We hardly slept. He was staying at the hotel right down the street, under a different name, looked different too. Then one night I followed him to your shop. Haley kept tabs on you and said you wouldn’t be in until that early shipment. The alarm was off when I went in after Sam. He must have turned it off somehow.”
“Sam didn’t know the code,” Lily said.
“It wasn’t Haley. I know you think it was, but it wasn’t. And she didn’t do i
t the time before that either. She was trying to stay under the radar. It was easier and better to look like a fumbling idiot assistant than protest her innocence.”
“Then what?” the chief prodded.
“When I followed him in the shop, it occurred to me he must have hidden my mother’s jewels in there. Haley told me he left town on Lily’s wedding day. I got to thinking maybe he hadn’t planned on leaving suddenly and had to stash the stuff he had stolen. Why else would he be here?”
“So you surprised him and shot him.” Jake stated the obvious. This guy could spin a story.
“No! I don’t have a gun. Never have. I didn’t want anyone to notice my car. I parked a couple of blocks away and ran back. I figured whatever he was up to would take him awhile. By the time I found Larry/Sam, he was already dead.”
The chief leaned forward and spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted, “You expect us to believe someone other than you also followed Sam? Shot him and had time to dress him in a gown before you arrived? Then Lily showed up?”
“I dressed Sam in the gown,” Greg screamed back, smashing the empty soda can in his hand.
The chief slammed his hand into the table. “Stop lying!”
Lily went pale and sucked in a breath. On her exhale, she frowned and squinted at the same time, confusion written all over her pretty face. “Why?”
“The guy was dead! He had to pay. He took everything from us!” A crooked smirk formed on his lips. “Then I couldn’t believe my luck. There was this gown, hanging above his body. I dressed him in it. To humiliate his corpse. Someone would take a picture, leak it to the press. Larry’s dead. Dressed like a bride. Would be all over the Internet. But that didn’t happen! Why didn’t that happen?” Greg burst into sobs and clung to the smashed soda can.
Chapter 26
Jake finished his call and put his cell phone back on the desk in his makeshift office. The lead he had about Sam proved to be a dead end. For the second day, Jake spoke to people in South Dakota who had known or come in contact with Larry and revealed little more than they already knew. Larry/Simon/Sam was a chameleon.
Forever Hold Your Piece (The Becker Sisters Bridal Series Book 1) Page 20
