Finding Justice (22 page)

His ruddy cheeks darkened and his sanctimonious smile
dissolved. “Do what I have to do to survive.”

“Survive? You think pushing drugs is the only way to make a
living?” Feeling some of her upper hand returning, Cat cast a surreptitious look
at Jay. He now stood at the counter, his hands curled into fists beneath his
crossed arms. She needed to take control of the situation before she lost
personal authority or Jay erupted without thought or feeling.

She stepped toward Kyle, hating the fact she had to tip her
head back to meet his gaze. “I want to know how well you knew Sarah Cole. So why
don’t you take a seat?”

He leered. “The dead girl? The dead girl found on Jay’s
property?” He smiled at Jay behind her.

“That’s the one. She was my best friend so I’m hungry for
blood. Hopefully not yours but we’ll see, won’t we.”

He ran his gaze languidly over her face and neck before
lingering at her breasts. Her stomach lurched as lust burned like wildfire in
his eyes but she held fast. The sticky sound of Jay’s feet moving across the
filthy linoleum hitched Cat’s nerves higher as he came to stand behind her. She
silently willed him to stay put, to keep control and not pummel Kyle to the
floor the way he deserved.

The seconds passed like minutes until Kyle snorted back phlegm
like the animal he was and shot Jay a sneer over her head before turning away
and sitting astride a battered white chair. “Sarah Cole was your friend. Well,
well, well.” He leaned his beefy forearms across the back of the chair. “So I’m
guessing you and Jay go way back, too.”

“Something like that.” Jay stood so close behind her the
whisper of his harried breathing brushed back and forth over Cat’s crown.

She stepped to the side. Jay didn’t move.

The sound of muted laughter, glass clinking and matches being
struck filtered through the open door, reminding Cat of exactly where they were
and how dangerous a situation this could become. They needed to get out of there
before someone decided to play stoned hero, or before more “clients” arrived
looking for their next fix. The odds were already stacked against them.

Cat brushed past Jay’s frozen form and quietly shut the door
before walking back to stand in front of Kyle.

“So...” Cat stared. “Did you know her?”

His smiled dissolved and his brown eyes hardened. “No.”

“You’re lying.”

A flicker swept over his face. Anger? Guilt? Nerves? Cat
narrowed her eyes and waited.

“Why would I lie?” Kyle grinned. “What is she to me? Nothing.
I’m finding it interesting the cops have brought you in from God knows where,
though. Where are you from anyway, pretty cop lady?”

“It doesn’t matter where she’s from.” Jay took a step closer.
“We want to know why there are rumors Sarah was involved with drug money. If she
was, you’d be the person who’d know about it. Now...how well did you know
Sarah?”

The tension in the room increased. She should be asking Kyle
the questions, not Jay. The emotional strain of being back at the house where he
spent God only knew how many hours showed on Jay’s face, in the curl of his
fingers. Cat’s heart went out to him, her respect for him higher than ever. He
sensed as well as she did that Kyle was the man who could provide at least
another stepping stone in the right direction.

Kyle looked at them, his eyes steely and determined, his
shoulders bunched to just below his earlobes. “I didn’t know her, but I knew
of
her.”

Cat frowned. “Meaning?”

“Meaning she didn’t come to my house for dinner, but she taught
my grandson at Templeton Primary.”

Jay took a step toward Jordon and Cat immediately stood in
front of him, grasped his trembling wrist in her hand. No heroics. No trouble.
If Inspector Bennett found out they were there, he would no doubt have her
suspended and Jay charged with police interference. She’d agreed to share any
information and the inspector would view a visit to the town’s drug lord as
information, so they needed to keep this meeting nice and amicable—on all
sides.

Kyle grinned. “That’s it, Sergeant. Keep Jay under control.
He’s like a viper when he gets going.”

Ignoring the jibe, Cat glared. “So, you didn’t know Sarah,
which makes me think she wasn’t selling drugs or handling drug money.
Agreed?”

He drew on his cigarette, inhaling the poison deep into his
lungs before exhaling. The smoke rose in a cloud between them. “What happened
between you and her, Jay? Not the cop here, the teacher.”

“That’s none of your damn business.” Jay’s voice was like a
growl above Cat’s ear.

“I heard this Sarah bird was the one who got your ass thrown
into rehab.” He took another pull on the cigarette before grounding it out on
the surface of the filthy Formica-covered table beside him. “Hope you didn’t
come back to kill her for her trouble.”

“I owe Sarah my frigging life, you moron.”

He grinned and shrugged. “Just asking.”

Cat tightened her fingers around Jay’s wrist, silently pleading
with him to let her take the lead. Silently telling him she understood how hard
this was for him to go through—and silently telling him Sarah was with them,
cheering them on and there was no fear of her messing this up. Cat stared deep
into Kyle’s eyes, renewed determination spreading through her.

“Where do you think all these rumors came from, Kyle? The ones
about Sarah’s drug involvement, that it was her who got Jay into rehab and then,
of course, that she stole a hefty amount of money, drug money, from her
killer?”

Something flickered in his gaze before he blinked and it was
gone. “Has the money been found?”

Cat stared.
Got you.
“Why? Is it
yours?”

He laughed, but when he pushed his hand through his hair, it
trembled. “’Course it ain’t mine. Do you think anyone in their right mind would
steal from me?”

Cat shrugged and released Jay’s wrist as his trembling abated.
She meandered away from Kyle and around the small kitchen. She felt his eyes
penetrating her turned back and knew the mention of stolen money hit the
intended target. Money was all Kyle cared about. Money and power. Murder and
morality were low on his scale of personal concerns.

“Maybe not directly, but how about indirectly? Have any of your
runners lost money they owed you over the past couple of months?”

“None because if they did, they’d be dead.”

She spun around and charged toward him, planting her hands on
the back of the chair so quickly, Kyle leaned back lest she smack her head into
his. Jay gripped her elbow. Whether to stop her or help her, she couldn’t be
sure.

“Sarah’s dead. Was it you? Did you take your fat drug-coated
hands and stick them around her throat and squeeze until blood seeped from her
nose? Did you?”

“No,” he roared, standing and shoving the chair forward. Cat
toppled backward into Jay’s waiting arms and Kyle dug his hands into his hair.
“I do not go around killing innocent women. That girl was my grandson’s teacher.
I didn’t touch her and she never ran for me, got it?”

“Then where did she get the money?” Jay yelled.

Kyle stared at him, his chest rising and falling. “How the
bloody hell should I know?”

Cat stepped from Jay’s arms toward Kyle. “If you really don’t
know, I’ll put my ass on the line you suspect something that could help us. Now,
why don’t you do the right thing for once in your life and help the cops put a
good woman to rest?”

The seconds passed with each beat of her racing heart but Cat
didn’t take her eyes from Kyle’s or move when Jay turned away from her and
leaned his hands against the wall, his head bowed. The situation grew more risky
with each minute they were there but Cat refused to leave with nothing. What
else could she throw at him? What else could she offer Kyle as an incentive? She
opened her mouth to feed him whatever crap she could think of when he spoke.

“Cops.” He snorted.

Cat fought her frown. “What about us? We interfere with your
business from time to time?”

His smile made her shiver. “The cops are just fine and dandy to
me.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Is that so?”

He continued to smile, but she said nothing, knowing he would
break before she did.

“Do you know for a fact she had some money?” Kyle asked.

She lifted her shoulders. “It’s speculation at this point, but
I think it’s warranted. Why?”

He tipped his head back and stared at the damp-stained ceiling.
“Did the cops tell you that or someone else?”

What was going on here? He looked smug. Ahead of the game. Cat
glanced at Jay who lifted his head and met her eyes. He shrugged, indicating he
didn’t know where Kyle was going with this, either. Adrenaline seeped into Cat’s
veins as she sensed something coming. A breakthrough. A deal. Something.

“Does it matter how we know?”

Kyle dropped his chin and his gaze shot to Jay. “Who told you
there was money taken? I need to know.”

“No one told me. They told the sergeant. Why do you think they
would have told me?”

“Because the likelihood is it’s someone who knows your
weakness. They know you’re an addict.” He shook his head. “Don’t look at me like
that. You’ll always be a slave to it.”

Cat crossed her arms. “Who’s ‘they’? You keep saying ‘they
know.’”

His eyes locked on hers. “
They
are
the people circulating these rumors. Rumors that bring cops like you knocking on
my damn door, nosing into stuff that has nothing to do with you.”

“My friend’s death has everything to do with me and I’m going
to keep coming after you until you tell me what you know. That missing money is
yours, isn’t it? It’s your money and Sarah was either running for you or
sleeping with you. Now, which one was it before I let Jay rip one of these chair
legs off and bash out every last gram of regret you helped him snort up his nose
or inject in his veins?”

Kyle’s jaw tightened, his eyes flashed sapphire with rage, but
his smile broke and turned wolverine. “I’d like to see him try.”

Cat matched his smile. “Don’t tempt me, Kyle. If you don’t
start talking, I swear to God you won’t have just little ol’ me to worry about
but the humiliation of the entire town knowing Jay gave you a kicking. Now
talk.”

Kyle’s gaze shot from her to Jay and then the door. Cat watched
him like a predator, waiting for him to bolt. Her left hand hovered above the
pepper spray hidden beneath her shirt.

“Do you know what?” He laughed and sat back down. “I ain’t got
nothing to lose by telling you what I know because if I’m right, you’re finished
anyway. You ain’t never gonna get who killed her locked up and you ain’t gonna
find that money.”

“Tell us.” Cat glared. “Tell us what you know.”

He met her gaze, his blue eyes burning into hers. “Was it a cop
who told you about the money?”

“Why?”

“I ain’t asking because I don’t know. I’m asking because it
matters which cop told you.”

Cat watched him. A tiny splinter in the case was about to
break. “It wasn’t the cops. It was Sarah. Sarah told me.”

He stared and slowly his eyes shone with knowing and the
corners of his mouth curled in disdain. “Don’t insult me, cop lady. I know it
wasn’t Sarah because she couldn’t confide in anyone. Not after she took up
with...” He stopped, his smile stretching to a grin. “Whoops, nearly blew the
whole thing wide open.” He laughed.

Jay passed her in a blur, knocking her to the side in his haste
to get to Kyle. Before Cat could reach for her spray as backup, Jay had Kyle’s
arms wrenched behind his back and the bulk of his body leaning over the rusted,
filthy sink.

Kyle cursed and spat, spittle and sweat mingling as he
struggled against Jay’s fierce, resentment-filled hold. The man was going
nowhere.

“Now, what were you saying?” Jay said between clenched teeth.
“Sarah couldn’t confide in anyone after she took up with...”

Kyle remained silent except for grunting and cursing with the
exertion of trying to get Jay off him.

“Just give us the name of who she was seeing, and we’ll be on
our merry way as though today never happened.” Cat glared.

He laughed. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with, pretty
girl.”

Jay wrenched his arm up a notch and Kyle swore in such a way it
would’ve made Al Capone blush. “Then tell us.”

“Let’s just get one thing straight before I tell you anything,
okay?”

Cat shook her head and smiled. “You’re in no position to start
bargaining. Now just spit out what you know.”

“I ain’t bargaining, I’m asking.”

She and Jay exchanged a look. “Asking what exactly?”

“The reason you came here.” Kyle stared into the sink. “It had
nothing to do with me, right? You’re here about that teacher, nothing else?”

Jay spun him around and Cat met Kyle’s eyes. They shone with
something akin to defeat, but not quite. Almost as though he had found his moral
compass and felt obligated to tell her something but it twisted his gut at the
same time. What was going on here? What was Kyle insinuating? She tilted her
chin.

“If you’re concerned about our arresting you for what’s going
on in here, then yes, we’re here about Sarah, nothing else.”

“Then call off your lapdog and I’ll talk.”

Cat gave a curt nod and Jay dragged Kyle back to his vacated
chair and shoved him onto it. He stood behind Kyle like a sentry, his glare
fixed on the back of Kyle’s head.

“Well?” Cat pressed. “Who was Sarah seeing? Whose money did she
take?”

Kyle smiled, his teeth showing white in the fading light.
“You’re going to love this.”

Cat’s stomach rolled uncomfortably and the hairs on her arms
raised. “Get on with it.”

“I’m only telling you this because that bastard told me the
buyer never paid up, not that his bloody girlfriend stole it from him.”