He glanced at the letter. “What is it?”
“A letter from Sarah.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “She wrote to you?”
“Yes, sir. The day she died.”
Color seeped up from the collar of his pristine white shirt to his already ruddy cheeks. Cat cleared her throat.
“Sarah asked me to come here before Jay did. She knew she was in serious danger and implicates her killer as being her lover. The thing that makes Sarah’s letter so vital is the way she talks about him. He’s local, sir, which means there’s a big possibility he’s still in the Cove, rather than halfway around the world.”
A muscle jerked and jumped in Bennett’s jaw. “And you’ve held on to this letter since you saw me three days ago?”
Cat met his cool gaze. Whether he was angry at her for withholding the letter or the fact that not only Jay but now Sarah wanted her there, she couldn’t be sure.
“Not at all, sir. She wrote it the day she died but it wasn’t posted until five days ago, which means someone else put it in the mailbox to me, not Sarah. Whoever that someone is would have expected me, or at least waited to see if I arrived. Clearly, they had no choice but to mail it and ultimately facilitate my coming here, or else risk being traced as a possible suspect. I think someone else as well as the killer knew about this letter and feared a paper trail leading us to his front door.”
“Hmm.” He took the letter from her hand and his brow furrowed as he read the spidery script. “When did you get this?”
“This morning. My brother read it to me over the phone last night and then emailed me a copy.”
He closed his eyes. “Jesus, Sergeant. Your brother has read this?”
“He rang me from Reading telling me a letter arrived and possessed the intelligence to realize if the letter wasn’t from Jay, it could be from Sarah.”
He sighed. “All right, all right. It’s good he did.” His gaze turned to the letter once more. “Well, we certainly haven’t identified any boyfriends or close friends who could possibly be a person she would ‘leave the Cove tomorrow for.’”
“Sir, I understand your feelings about Jay Garrett being involved, but whether we like it or not he’s involved by Sarah’s invitation. He has an alibi for the time of her death and I believe he can help. Why else would she want the two of us here if the path to her killer wasn’t in some way connected to us? She wanted our help. That must mean something to her and the killer.”
Bennett snapped his gaze to hers, his face a closed mask. Unreadable even to her, a trained detective. A civilian under arrest stood no chance if he chose to turn up the heat. No doubt they would be quivering in a molded plastic chair, but Cat dealt with scarier threats at home every day and Jay was standing up to demons that belonged in hell. Bennett would be a walk in the park...she hoped.
“Yes, Jay Garratt and his alibi,” Bennett murmured.
Cat frowned as Bennett’s face twisted with derision. “Sir?”
“We’ll get back to that in a second, Sergeant. First I want to talk about what Miss Cole says in this letter implicating a lover. She had sunk to such a low point in her life that she was involved in drugs. Since when have you ever known a woman like that to have a regular boyfriend?”
Where was he going with this? “Well, I—”
“There is no lover. If she was having sex, the man either paid her or owned her.”
Annoyance stung Cat’s cheeks. “I disagree. Sarah was sober enough to write me. If she says she had a lover, I believe her. One way or another, we need to pursue this. I’ll ask around, see what I can find out and let you know if and when I discover anything.”
“She admits to taking money.” He rubbed his hand along his jaw. “Even says it’s somewhere on Cowden Beach.” His eyes met hers and Cat resisted the urge to shiver. They were ice-cold. “Do you think she’s serious when she says the name of the person she thinks capable of killing her is with the money? That seems a very dangerous and stupid thing to do. Sarah Cole never struck me as either.”
Cat stared. “Why would she say it if it wasn’t true?”
He shook his head. “It makes no sense, so I’m still going to work on my theory Miss Cole was a runner for someone. The problem is, despite bringing in every user and dealer we know of in the Cove, none of them are squealing. Believe it or not, whatever their social differences, they liked her. It seems the whole damn town did, yet no one is bringing us any evidence to help find the son of a bitch who killed her.” His jaw tightened and he nodded toward the station. “I’m going inside to get a team down to the beach as soon as possible. I will speak to you again later.”
He moved to walk away and Cat took a step forward. “Sir?”
He turned. “What?”
“What about Jay?”
His mouth curved into a wolverine smile. “Ah, yes, Mr. Garrett and his rock-solid alibi.”
Cat swallowed as trepidation tiptoed over the surface of her skin but she kept her lips tightly closed.
“Garrett is an ex-addict who was hauled in and out of the station several times before his father swooped in, cleaned him up and then passed him a thriving business out of the kindness of his heart.” He narrowed his gaze. “The gentleman you have decided to bring in on an official investigation now lives in a five-bedroom luxury cabin at the top of a hill that happens to have a full, unbroken view of the forest where Miss Cole was found strangled.”
“You still believe Jay had something to do with Sarah’s murder? Even when he has not one but four people who’ve given statements where he was that night?”
Disbelief passed over his eyes. “You really have been sucked into believing whatever that man says, haven’t you? Have you two got something going on that I need to know about? Something that will have you back on a train to Reading quicker than you can draw your next breath?”
Cat’s heart kicked inside her chest and she tilted her chin. “Of course not. We’re friends.”
“Is that so? Well, your friend needs to keep his nose clean and his mouth shut because only two of those four investors were willing to sign statements saying Mr. Garrett never left the restaurant at all during the time they ate and again when they went for drinks at the Jukebox. Apparently, Mr. Garrett left time and again to answer his cell and two of them aren’t willing to testify that he didn’t disappear for longer than half an hour at a time.”
Cat cursed the hitching in her nerves. “Half an hour isn’t enough time to get to Clover Point and kill someone. Surely—”
“Both men have said independently that he could’ve been gone longer. In your experience, Sergeant, how long does it take to throttle someone after a fifteen-minute drive?”
She shook her head. “But that’s speculation. If two of them said he was there...”
“Two out of four is enough for me to keep Jay Garrett under the microscope.” He took a step closer and stared into her eyes. “I also find it interesting that he asked you to come to Templeton. Why not leave the investigation to us when he knew damn well we were following every avenue...including the one leading to him?”
I slept with a suspect. I slept with a suspect.
Cat’s mind whirled as hurt and shame at her stupidity took turns at the front of her mind. “It’s because you suspected him that he rang me. He has no idea any of the men he was with didn’t give him a solid alibi. He hasn’t spent a moment worrying about it when he’s been with me. Don’t you think a man who was suspected of ki
lling his best friend would be jumpy about that unless he knew he was innocent and had an alibi to prove it?”
Bennett stared for a moment longer before raising his hands. “Fine. Maybe he didn’t do it, but until I know for sure, Jay Garrett is a suspect. Just because he was once friends with Miss Cole it doesn’t eliminate him from our inquiries. Understand?”
Cat swallowed against the bitter taste in her mouth. She could not afford to further provoke Bennett if she were to stand any chance of having access to his progress. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Then let’s move on. I’ll get a team down to the beach and let you know if we find anything...or not, if I so choose.”
Annoyance swept over her. He may be right to still suspect Jay but be damned if he wouldn’t acknowledge Jay’s achievements. “Can I just say one more thing? Jay has been clean and sober for nearly three years and didn’t hassle Sarah to reinstate their friendship in that time. Their estrangement was what Sarah wanted, and despite Jay wanting to make amends, he respected her wish to remain apart.”
Bennett raised his eyebrows. “Which doesn’t help his cause. How do we know Miss Cole’s refusal to reconcile drove him to do something you seem to think impossible?”
Cat stared in disbelief. “Even when he was high, he wasn’t violent. Most of the people in Templeton have known Jay his entire life. I can’t believe anyone would think him capable of that.”
“Except me, of course. Is that what you’re thinking? Let me tell you something, Forrester. I might not have lived in the Cove as long as some of my colleagues, but to me that’s an advantage. I look at every resident here with new eyes. No rose-tinted memories to fade my better judgment. I ordered the search of Garrett’s home because it was necessary, and you can continue to look at me like that for however long you like. It won’t bring Miss Cole back.”
Cat struggled with the accusation, of other people thinking Jay capable of such a heinous crime against a woman he held in high respect. Her entire body hummed with frustration and fear that what Bennett said had merit and her professional judgment had been blurred by her love for Jay.
“The fact Mr. Garrett knew Miss Cole personally only adds strength to why he shouldn’t be involved. I want him kept out of this. Do I make myself clear?”
“Absolutely.” She wanted Sarah’s killer found and behind bars. If that meant sacrificing her friendship...and possible relationship with Jay...then so be it. He’d called her here for Sarah and that remained Cat’s priority.
“Good.” He blew out a heavy breath. “And as far as that phone call you received, it led nowhere. The number was untraceable. So—”
“Two calls.”
“What?”
Cat met his unwavering gaze. “He rang again this morning. He’s watching me. Could tell me where I’d been and when I’d been there. I need to stay a part of this, sir. He’s enjoying the contact with me. He’s going to slip up. I’m sure of it.”
His gaze settled on her with the intensity of someone trying to look into her soul. “Then that’s more reason than ever for you to get the hell back to Reading and concentrate on your jurisdiction instead of mine. I don’t want a murdered cop on my hands on top of everything else. Go home, Forrester. You’re not wanted here.”
You are not throwing me off of this. “What about the school, sir?”
He frowned. “What about the school?”
“Have you spoken to the teachers there, the pupils?”
“Of course we bloody well have. What do you take me for?”
Cat didn’t trust herself to answer that. “What did they say?”
“You really don’t listen, do you?”
“Sir, please, I can’t walk away from this. I can’t leave Sarah...or ignore Jay’s plea for help. It’s just not who I am...as a cop or a human being. Please. Let me go to the school, talk to some people there.”
“And what do you think you’re going to uncover at the school that my officers haven’t already?”
Cat lifted her shoulders. “I have no idea, but I tend to have a good affinity with kids. And they notice things we don’t. It’s worth another try.”
He studied her. “If you go to the school, I’m coming with you. Trust has to be earned, Sergeant, and right now you don’t have mine.”
Cat inwardly cursed. It wasn’t what she wanted, but it was clearly the best he was going to offer her. She nodded. “Deal.”
“Fine. Then we’ll meet outside the primary school tomorrow at ten o’clock. I’ve got a debriefing first thing. Don’t be late.”
“Yes, sir.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CAT STRODE FROM THE parking lot struggling with a mix of excitement and trepidation. On one hand, she had managed to maneuver another way in to ask questions and get Bennett to trust her judgment—on the other, she understood more than ever just how precarious a position Jay was in as far as Bennett was concerned.
Only two out of the four men who were with him that night were willing to sign their names confirming Jay would not have had time to disappear for a long period of time and come back without them noticing.
In Cat’s mind, Bennett’s thinking was shaky at best. Even if he truly believed Jay would have had time to kill Sarah and return to the nightclub, surely Jay’s demeanor and general concentration would have roused suspicion. Bennett hadn’t offered any more of what the men had said. The men who held Jay’s future in their hands.
She understood Bennett was giving her the bare minimum, and she respected that. She wouldn’t have been any different if she had been heading up the investigation. It didn’t make her uneasiness any easier to bear, however.
So, what next? She glanced at her watch. She had half an hour before Jay arrived to pick her up and take her to the bakery to see Marian and George. Her chest tightened. She loved George like a father. And now she had to ask him the biggest favor she’d ever asked of any civilian—a favor that would certainly put him in harm’s way.
She moved along the sidewalk, her usually confident gait weakening with each step. She could see no other option but to send George and Marian to the beach if there was any hope of not drawing any attention to whoever was making the phone calls to her.
Was he watching her now? Was he the killer or just some sicko who had somehow found out about her working on the case and knew she’d come to Templeton from out of town? Anger raised the hair on her nape. Did he know about Sarah’s letter?
Cat sat on a wall to wait for Jay. A headache snaked its way across her brow and she lifted her fingers to her temples. She tried to massage the pain away, knowing an aspirin would be needed along with a cool glass of water once they got to the bakery. She tried to focus her mind on happier times in a bid to ease the tension, and thoughts of her and Jay’s lovemaking filtered in. Her body traitorously heated from the memory. It never should have happened. She never should have surrendered to a single moment of selfish need.
Jay loved her and she loved him. That was not the issue. It was the fact that only her heart pleaded his innocence. She had no evidence to eliminate him. True, the facts and evidence didn’t condemn him, but they didn’t extricate him, either.
Damn it, Jay. Why did she have to be found on Clover Point? Why did you have to do what you did at the school that day? Why couldn’t you have just told Bennett about Sarah calling you?
Jay’s car came around the corner and Cat stood as her palms turned clammy. What was she supposed to say to him? She worried her bot
tom lip as he drew to a stop by the curb. Did she tell him about the weakness of his alibi? That two of the four men he relied on hadn’t delivered? Or did she keep that information to herself?
He lowered the window. “How was it?”
“Fine.” Cat walked around the hood to get in the passenger side. She opened the door and slid into the seat, purposely concentrating her gaze on the seat belt as she buckled herself in.
“Cat?”
She turned. His brow was etched with concern, his gorgeous cocoa eyes on hers. “What happened?”
Indecision raged a war inside her. He was a civilian. A suspect. “I can’t talk about it. Let’s just get to the bakery.”
He took her hand. “I’m going nowhere until you tell me what happened with Bennett.”
She hadn’t expected any different. Jay didn’t get to where he was by giving up easily or taking no for an answer. Her shoulders slumped and she looked at their joined hands. “Bennett still suspects you.”
“What?” His eyes widened. “Why isn’t my alibi enough? Why is he so determined I had something to do with this?”
Cat looked at him. His cheeks were red and his mouth tight. Frustration hovered around his every muscle. She sighed. “We have to accept Bennett has a job to do and without evidence to eliminate you, he’s doing it well. It’s me who’s acting unprofessionally, not him. I’m letting my feelings get in the way of what’s right for Sarah. And that’s wrong. Really wrong.”
“You’re right to listen to those feelings. Cat, I swear to you. I had nothing to do with Sarah’s death. Nothing. Jesus, if I’d been there to meet her...”
“I know.” She stared at his bowed head and resisted the yearning to kiss him. “For now we have to concentrate on what we can do and not what we can’t.”
He looked up. “The money?”
She nodded, her gaze falling to his lips. “What happened between us last night can’t happen again, Jay. We can’t happen. Let’s just focus on finding the money and then maybe, just maybe, we can clear your name and find the man who took our best friend’s life. I don’t want our relationship becoming a problem that leads to Sarah’s killer getting away with what he’s done. Do you understand?”
Finding Justice Page 18