Finding Justice (24 page)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

I
T
SHOULD
HAVE
BEEN
the
start of a perfect day. The vista at the back of Jay’s cabin was breathtaking.
Cat drew in a long breath. It was one of those idyllic summer mornings when
everything was bathed in golden sunlight, the leaves on the trees barely moved,
and the sky was a perfect blue without a cloud breaking its beauty. Cat’s brow
creased. If only it weren’t for the vivid reminder of the forest, of the place
Sarah took her last breath.

She tightened her grip on the balustrade. It was just past six
in the morning, and Jay was inside the house preparing a quick breakfast before
they went to the beach. Cat refused to miss a couple of vital hours searching
before she met Bennett at the school. Nothing could go wrong. If Bennett killed
Sarah, he would pay. An Inspector. A man in authority. A pillar of the Templeton
community. It made her sick to her stomach.

She stared at the forest. How were she and Jay supposed to look
for the money when the beach undoubtedly already crawled with Bennett’s
officers?

“Cat.”

Jay held his home phone to his chest, his face split with a
wide grin. She frowned. “What is it?”

“They found it.”

Cat’s stomach turned over as disappointment crashed into her
diaphragm. “The police? Bennett has the money?”

He shook his head. “Marian. Marian and George have the
money.”

“Oh, my God. They went down there? Is that her?”

He nodded and held out the phone.

With laughter bubbling in her throat, Cat rushed forward and
snatched the phone from him. “Marian? What happened? You have it?”

“Yes, indeedy. The whole lot. We found it in one of the places
on your list. It’s wrapped in paper with some writing on it but we haven’t
touched anything. I have no idea what it says.”

Cat’s breath left her lungs in a whoosh of air. “But it’s so
early. You shouldn’t... Thank you. Thank you so much. This is fantastic. And the
police? Are they there?”

“Yep, and so far away from the money, they may as well be in
America.” She laughed. “George and I just about peed our pants watching them for
the last half an hour.”

“The last half an hour? But when—”

“Been here since five o’clock. Up with the sun, we were. I
couldn’t sleep for the frustration we didn’t find it last night.”

Cat grinned. “Stay right there. Guard it with your life without
actually...you know what I mean. We’ll be right there.”

“We’ll be waiting. We found it up on Carter’s rock, the smaller
of the two at the far end. Make sure you come in around from the west side. The
police are running their blind asses off on the east side. You don’t want to
risk one of them spotting you and telling that snidey Bennett you’re here.”

Cat laughed. “Got it. West side. See you soon.”

She pushed the button and passed the phone to Jay. “They’ve got
it.”

“Then let’s go.”

He smiled and gestured for her to lead the way into the cabin
when Cat stopped. “Wait.”

Jay turned. “What?”

“I need to ring Bennett first.”

He stared. “Why?”

“If Kyle was telling the truth, I want to see Bennett’s face. I
need to see him when he realizes I have the money. That I suspect him as Sarah’s
killer.”

“We don’t know it’s him, Cat. Kyle could be lying. Until we
know—”

“What if it is? I want to see if he panics, gets angry, rants
and raves. If it is him, I want him to know we know. I want him to know we have
him and his miserable life is never going to be the same again.”

“You’re shaking.” He stepped forward and pulled her into his
arms, held her close.

She stole her arms around his waist and closed her eyes. She
would hold the man she loved just for a moment, just for a few seconds before
she lit the fuse that would lead to an explosion and what she ultimately hoped
was Bennett’s demise. Jay was her peace. Bennett her new chaos. Her mum the
future problem she would face with the man she loved right beside her.

* * *

C
AT
AND
J
AY
GOT
OUT
OF
the car and walked around the front to stare out
across the beach. His fingers wrapped around hers.

“Are you ready for this?”

She turned and smiled. “We’ve got him. As long as the letter
from Sarah doesn’t name someone else we haven’t a damn clue about, of
course.”

“It won’t.” He tugged her hand. “Let’s go.”

They clambered down the steps leading to the beach. Still
holding hands, they walked along the shore toward the hidden spot where Marian
and George waited for them. Wordlessly, they continued forward, silently playing
the charade of a couple out enjoying an early-morning walk along the sand, the
glistening English Channel beside them. Cat’s neck ached with tension, her body
wired to high alert. Jay’s hand tightly gripped hers telling her what she
already knew. This was the point of no return. Sarah’s killer was named on that
paper.

On and on they walked until the sounds of dogs barking and
their owners’ whistles and calls grew quiet. Only the soft breaking of the waves
and the smell of water and seaweed filled the air. Cat’s childhood memories
bounced from one rock to another as the sand dwindled and the craggy
surroundings grew denser. Even though they were out of sight of the holiday
makers and horde of scouring officers at the other end of the beach, they were
still in danger of meeting some curious kids out for adventure as Cat, Sarah and
Jay had been a decade of summers ago.

They reached the base of the rock formation Marian indicated
when she spoke to Cat on the phone, but she and George were nowhere to be seen.
Cat raised a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun and ran her
gaze over the cliff face. It was black, gray and brown, and intensely
foreboding. Ledges jutted out sporadically. Lethal-looking points of rock stood
like sentries here, there and everywhere. If someone took a tumble, it would
mean more than a few broken bones.

She shivered, not quite believing how she, Jay and Sarah spent
so many hours here and all left alive. Pain struck her heart and her breath
caught. Until now. Now Sarah was dead, her life not taken by a slip from a rock
but by a man she loved. Cat’s hands curled into fists.

They had to get him. If Bennett hadn’t killed her, they would
know who had and he would pay for what he had done. Somewhere in those rocks was
the key to Sarah’s murder, the key to her everlasting peace. Cat wasn’t leaving
without it.

“Where are they?” she murmured.

“We’re in the right place, aren’t we?” Jay looked away to
another rock formation to their left. “There were so many places we played as
kids.”

“No, it’s this one. I’m sure of it.”

“Then we wait. Maybe they’ve taken the money and letter
and—”

Cat groaned. “Don’t say that. I specifically told them not to
touch it and to wait for us. I want to see it just as it is. Want to make sure
this is real and not some sort of set-up.” Cat met his eyes. “We don’t know her
killer hasn’t felt the noose tightening. Now that Marian and George have the
money, they’re in danger. What if—”

“Psst! Catherine, over here.” The urgent whisper came from just
above her head.

Cat and Jay tipped their heads back.

“Oh, my good God.” Cat swallowed the urge to laugh out
loud.

George peered over one of the ledges, hunkered down, dressed in
black with his face partially camouflaged with something black streaked across
his cheekbones. He grinned, his teeth showing obscenely white.

“Quick, up here. We’ve got it. We’ve really got it.”

He disappeared and Cat turned to Jay, her eyebrow arched in
question.

Jay shook his head. “I have no words. Let’s go.”

Smiling, she let him take her hand and together they climbed
the rocks they hadn’t visited since they were teenagers. It wasn’t hundreds of
feet high, but it was high enough. They reached the ledge. George and Marian
risked so much by doing this for them, for Sarah. Jay held out his hand to help
her over the final hurdle, and together they stood side by side with George.

Cat frowned. “Where’s Marian?”

“Here.”

Cat turned sharply. Marian emerged from behind another rock Cat
hadn’t noticed behind them, looking like a rotund version of an Amazon woman.
Her face was made up the same as George’s, her black leggings and top so tight
neither left much to the imagination.

Looking from Marian to George and back again, the humor left
Cat at the very real possibility the two of them had risked their lives. If the
killer had caught them with the money, what was to say he wouldn’t have shot
them, beaten them, thrown them down onto the sand, their necks breaking...

Guilt pressed down like a lead weight on her chest. They were
in their sixties and she had indirectly asked them to climb these rocks. Fear
rose inside her as realization of what she’d done broke.

“Why are you both dressed like that?” she snapped, fear making
her words slice the air. “What if Bennett...what if someone saw you? What if you
fell?”

Marian’s smile dissolved and the excited gleam in her eyes
turned to something infinitely scarier. “I beg your pardon?”

Cat shrugged off Jay’s hand from her elbow and came forward
wrapping her arms around Marian, tears pricking her eyes. “This is serious. You
two look so out of place you could easily have drawn unwanted attention. What
were you thinking?”

“We were thinking we were helping you.”

Cat squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have
snapped. If anything had happened—”

“Now, you stop that.” Marian pulled back and held Cat’s hands.
“I loved Sarah. I want to be here, and that’s the end of it.”

“But—”

“But nothing.” She smiled. “Now, do you want to see the money
or not?”

Cat smiled. “Of course we do.”

“Good.” Marian turned and ducked down behind the tall rock from
which she emerged. Cat glanced at Jay who shook his head as though she had
committed a crime. “What?”

“Are you insane taking Marian on like that?” He shook his head
but his eyes shone with amusement. His sexy mouth lifted at the corner as he
gestured behind him.

Cat looked over his shoulder. George scowled at her. She raised
her hands. “George, I’m sorry. When I think of what could’ve happened...”

George shook his head, silently cutting her off, then muttered
something about death wishes and redheaded cops before following his wife inside
the enclosed cavern.

Blowing out a defeated breath, Cat exchanged another look with
Jay before following on behind. It didn’t take long for her eyes to adjust to
the semidarkness. Marian stood to the side of her, pointing toward a wide slab
of rock down by Cat’s feet. Nodding her understanding, Cat dropped to her
haunches and pulled a pair of latex gloves from the pocket of her shorts. She
snapped them on and met each of her coinvestigators’ gazes before heaving the
slab aside and reaching into the pothole beneath.

Her hand knocked against the package and she pulled it out with
frightening ease. Anyone could have just as easily found this vital piece of
evidence. Including Sarah’s killer. Slowly, she unraveled the plastic bag around
it and placed the bag on the damp ground beside her.

The money was wrapped in a sheet of paper, secured with a
rubber band. Cat glanced at the three faces above her, each of them etched with
concentration and hope. She drew in a breath and snapped off the rubber band,
carefully laying the money down so she could draw off the paper. She turned it
over.

Sarah’s scrawl was shaky, but her words clear and succinct. Cat
cleared her throat and read her dear friend’s words aloud.

“I have not been living the life people
think I have. I’m a liar. A liar who loved her job and her hometown, but if
you’re reading this, Cat, it means God has taken me to Him before I can make
everything worse.

“This is money I stole from Cameron
Bennett, which he stole from Kyle Jordon. Cameron is the inspector of
Templeton Cove police and he’s my lover. The man is dangerous and shouldn’t
be the one looking after our wonderful town. As you’ve found his money, I
know he has killed me. Just as he promised he would.

“I love you, Cat. Tell Jay I love him,
too. Make my lover pay for his mistakes as I regret making Jay pay for
his.”

Cat blinked back the tears burning her eyes and stood. The
silence was unbearable.

She looked from one face to another as Jay, George and Marian
stared at her, expectancy in their gazes where there maybe should have been
fear. She couldn’t have done it without them, but now it was time to get George
and Marian out of there. Bennett’s team would soon make their way down to this
end of the beach.

She swiped her fingers over her damp eyes. No more tears.
“Okay, we have the money and we know Bennett killed her.”

“I can’t believe it.” Marian’s voice cracked.

George stole an arm around her shoulders. “You never liked him,
did you? My Marian’s got a sixth sense about badness and she always said Bennett
was a bad one.”

Marian grasped his hand and they exchanged a wobbly smile. Cat
watched them. They needed to go. She didn’t want their getting hurt on her
conscience, along with every other thing building up there.

“Come on. Jay and I will help you back down onto the beach and
then I want you to go about your normal day-to-day activities, okay? If I have
my way, Bennett’s arrest will be all over the local news by dinnertime, so just
sit tight.”

Marian’s eyes lit up. “You’re going to take him down?”

Cat laughed and her stomach knotted. “That’s exactly what
I’m...” she looked at Jay “...we’re going to do.”