Justice for Sara (16 page)
Authors: Erica Spindler
Tags: #Contemporary Women, #General, #Romance, #Suspense, #Thrillers, #Fiction
Wednesday, June 12
5:30
A.M.
Kat opened her eyes and found Luke gazing at her. “Hey there,” he said softly. “You looked so comfortable, I didn’t want to wake you.”
She smiled. “I was dreaming. And it smelled like you. I opened my eyes, and here you are.”
He trailed a finger along the curve of her jaw. “That desk chair seems to fit you a whole lot better than it fits me.”
She looked around. His office. He’d told her to wait for him.
“I think we better go get those nails scraped.”
For a moment, she didn’t know what he meant, then it all came crashing back down on her. Her cottage in flames. Danny shoving her up against his car. Her raking her nails across his cheek.
“Danny?” she whispered.
“In the cage. Waiting for his lawyer.”
She pulled in a deep breath. “It really happened, didn’t it?”
“It did. And so did this.”
He bent and kissed her. Softly at first, testing. Then deeply. Kat gave herself over to it. Wishing she could hide here, in Luke’s arms.
But she couldn’t. She’d done a lot of hiding in the past ten years, and it hadn’t landed her anywhere good.
She ended the kiss and gazed at him, taking in his face.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
“That I don’t know what to make of all this.”
“Then don’t.” He smiled. “One day at a time, tiger.”
“Tiger? Where’d that come from?”
He straightened and held out his hand. She took it; he helped her to her feet, drew her close. So close their bodies brushed each other. All she would need to do was lean slightly forward and she would be in his arms.
“Because of the sweet job you did on Sullivan’s face. Those scratches aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Plus, he told me you kneed him in the nuts. Good job.”
She smiled. “I could do it again, just say the word.”
“I’d love to see that, but you have a date with the parish crime lab in Covington.”
Wednesday, June 12
6:00
A.M.
The lab tech was waiting for Kat; the process of scraping her nails took less than fifteen minutes. As the tech scraped, bagged and tagged the debris from each nail separately, he chatted with her. Even though it was weird—like a manicure gone noir—the chatter helped relieve the weirdness.
“Done,” the young man said. “You can wash your hands. Feel free to scrub under your nails.”
“Thank you.” She smiled and stood. “That’s a huge relief.”
He smiled back. “Thank you, for making my night.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nice to have someone to talk to. I’m usually doing this to dead people.”
From there, a female officer photographed her bruises. The woman was matter-of-fact but incredibly kind. When Kat commented on it, she replied that working with victims of sex crimes took an especially sympathetic touch.
Kat was about to say that she wasn’t a victim of a sex crime, but then she remembered: Danny kissing her, licking her neck, slobbering all over her. The memory turned her stomach. The realization of how much worse it could have been took her breath. She could have been one of the dead people the tech usually worked on. Or the shattered victim of a rape.
Back in Luke’s SUV, she stared out the side window as he barreled toward Liberty.
Luke glanced at her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m okay.” She met his glance. “Thinking about how lucky I am.”
She didn’t have to explain. He reached across the seat and squeezed her hand.
A couple miles outside of town, Luke got the call that Danny’s lawyer had arrived.
“You up to driving?”
“Absolutely.”
“You’ll go directly to Jeremy and Lilith’s. No side trips or last-minute hunches.”
It was the first time she had thought of them, and she glanced at the dashboard clock. Nearly eight. If they’d noticed she hadn’t made it there, Jeremy would be worried sick.
“I mean it,” Luke went on. “No getting hunches and turning around. Promise me.”
“I promise. Though with Danny in jail, I’m not too worried.”
Luke turned onto his street. She saw her car ahead, parked in front of his house. He pulled up behind it and turned to her.
“He might not have done it, Kat. So, until we know for sure, you play it safe. No more detective work.”
“Don’t worry, I think I’m done with that.”
She climbed out of his car and into hers. After one last glance back at him, she pulled away from the curb. As promised, she headed for Jeremy and Lilith’s place.
Not that she had any interest in doing anything else. She was exhausted. She felt grimy and couldn’t get the smell of smoke out of her head. Or Danny’s fury as he shook her. The murderous expression in his eyes.
Fear sent chill bumps racing up her arms. He was in jail, she told herself. He couldn’t hurt her, couldn’t hurt anyone again.
Sara.
A lump settled in her throat. Was that the last thing Sara had seen while alive on this earth? Hatred and rage? From the man she had trusted? Who she had thought loved her?
That hurt. Terribly. It made her angry. She hoped he’d fry for it.
“He might not be the one, Kat.”
No, she thought. Luke was playing it safe. She understood. It made sense. But she knew in her gut that Danny had done it. How else could he have seen Sara lying dead in the foyer? He’d set the cottage on fire in an attempt to destroy the journals, to keep his secrets hidden forever.
But why not simply steal them? He’d known she wasn’t home, that she wouldn’t be for some time.
She pushed that thought away. No, Danny had wanted to hurt and punish her. Terrorize her
and
destroy the evidence.
Her cell went off, startling her. With one hand, she fumbled in her purse for it. Not in her purse, so where—
Then she remembered: she’d tossed it on the front seat last night. It must have fallen on the floor or between the seats.
Kat checked her rearview, then pulled to the side of the road. She followed the sound and found the device, tucked up under the front passenger seat.
She grabbed it up too late. Jeremy, she saw, and redialed. “Jeremy,” she said when he answered, “sorry, the phone had fallen—”
“Where the hell are you?”
She was taken aback. “What?”
“We were worried sick.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think—”
“Apparently not.”
It’d been a long time since she had been treated like a rebellious child, and Kat resisted the urge to act the part. “Danny Sullivan attacked me last night.”
The silence was stark. Deafening.
“My God, Kat. I’m— What happened?”
She told him about heading back to the cottage, finding Danny there and confronting him.
“He was drunk,” she said. “And whatever I said pushed his buttons and he … lost it.”
“Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”
“No. I managed to get away.”
“That son of a bitch—”
“There’s more, Jeremy. He killed Sara.”
The silence again. This time almost breathless. “I don’t understand … Did he confess?”
“No, but he said some things … He was
there,
Jeremy. He saw her lying there, dead. Said that he couldn’t get it out of his head.”
“You should have called me.” He sounded shaken. “I would have come to get you.”
“I went to Luke’s.”
“Oh. Right.” He cleared his throat. “I was on my way into the city, but I’ll turn around and meet you back at the house.”
“No,” she said quickly. “Danny’s in jail, and I’m fine. I’m going to shower, then lie down. I’m exhausted.”
“Are you certain? I don’t mind rescheduling—”
“No, please. We can talk tonight.”
He wanted to argue; she sensed it in the long pause that followed her words. But she wasn’t up to it. And she didn’t think it’d be fair to interrupt his life more than she already had.
“Luke is interviewing Danny now, then meeting with the arson investigator. We’ll know more tonight.”
He sighed. “Okay. But keep me posted.”
“I will. I’m sorry I worried you, Cousin Jeremy. I love you.”
Again the pause. “I love you, too, Kit-Kat.”
Wednesday, June 12
8:20
A.M.
Lilith had left Kat a note, directing her to the guest room. She’d laid out a robe and a change of clothes. All the toiletries she might need.
Kat stood under the shower, letting the hot water sluice over her, washing away the smell of the smoke and the sensation of Danny’s hands and mouth on her body. Washing away the ugliness of the night before.
As she wrapped herself in the thick terry robe, Kat realized she was starving. She made her way back down to the kitchen. Although the coffeepot beckoned, the last thing she really wanted was to wake her brain back up.
She needed to give the hamsters up there a break.
She crossed to the fridge, surveyed its contents. She thought about grabbing a yogurt, but decided on a sandwich instead. Turkey, cheese, wheat bread. Avocado. When she finished building it, she poured herself a big glass of orange juice.
“Where were you last night?”
Kat jumped, nearly choking on her first bite of the sandwich.
Lilith. On the keeping room couch, nearly hidden by its high, cushioned back and mountain of pillows.
“You scared the life out of me! I didn’t realize anyone was here.”
“I see that.” As if realizing how harsh that sounded, she added, “I’m working from home this morning.” She laid aside her papers and stood. “Can we talk?”
“Of course.”
“Sit. Enjoy your sandwich.”
Kat sat at the breakfast counter. Lilith stood and made her way to stand directly across the counter from her. Like a counselor preparing to interrogate her witness.
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help you God …
It was obvious Lilith hadn’t spoken with Jeremy since they had talked, but Kat was curious about what the other woman had to say. She took another bite of the sandwich, waiting.
“Liberty is a small town, Kat.” She smoothed a hand over the granite countertop. “And small towns have tongues that like to wag.”
Kat nodded and Lilith went on. “Jeremy is embarking on the most important journey of his life. It’s what he’s been working for, what
we’ve
been working for, all along.” She looked Kat directly in the eyes. “You understand that, don’t you?”
“I do, Lilith. If this is about last night—”
She held up a hand, stopping her. “You’re a grown woman. If you want to play patty-cake with the town sheriff, it’s none of my business. But because what you do reflects on Jeremy, it is my business.”
“Someone saw my car at Luke’s all night.”
It wasn’t a question, but Lilith answered anyway. “Yes.”
“I can explain.”
“Please, don’t. I think you should leave Liberty.”
“Are you kidding me? You know why I’m here, how important it is.”
“And you know how important this moment is for Jeremy. I’m asking you to do it for him.”
“Because someone saw my car at Luke’s?”
“Not just that, Kat. The vandalism to the cottage. The resurgence of talk about the murder. The reopened case. Now the fire. Jeremy has been so good to you. He was good to Sara.”
Kat stared at Lilith, stunned. And hurt. It felt like a betrayal. On the most elemental level.
Lilith must have read the emotion in her eyes, because she reached over and touched her hand. “I hope you understand, Katherine. This isn’t about
you.
It’s not personal.”
Her attempt at warmth. It felt like a chill wind. Kat pulled her hand away, hurt becoming anger. “It’s
you
who doesn’t understand, Lilith. You haven’t spoken with Jeremy, have you?”
“This morning. Before he—”
“Danny Sullivan’s in jail. He attacked me last night. That’s why I was at Luke’s house, Lilith. Not for what you so delicately called patty-cake. In case you’re interested, I was also at the Saint Tammany Parish Crime Lab getting my nails scraped and getting these documented.”
She pulled aside the collar of the robe Lilith had provided, revealing the bruises. Lilith gasped and Kat went on. “But that’s not the really big news. It looks like we might have our guy, Lilith. The one who killed Sara.”
Lilith’s entire countenance changed, from righteous determination to shocked disbelief. She brought a hand to her chest. “But I— Oh my God, Sara’s killer … but who? Danny Sullivan?”
“That’s right, good-old-boy Danny. So maybe having me around awhile longer will be a good thing. Bring in the sympathy vote. Poor Jeremy Webber, his only family, falsely accused.”
Lilith didn’t apologize, but Kat didn’t give her the opportunity. She wrapped what was left of the sandwich in a napkin and left the room.
Chief Stephen Tanner
2003
Two days after the murder
Tanner stood as Lilith Webber entered his office. Petite, dark-haired, she was not so much beautiful as stunning, one of those women who knew how to work with what the good Lord had given them. The bit of research he had done on her revealed an impeccable pedigree: Uptown professional family, Sacred Heart Girls’ Academy, undergraduate degree at Tulane University, Loyola law school, associate at Thomas, Mouton, Price and Dunne.
“Mrs. Webber,” he said, motioning the chair in front of his desk, “thank you for coming in this morning. Please, sit down.”
She did. He saw that she clutched a handkerchief in her left hand.
“I can’t believe this has happened,” she said.
“None of us can, Mrs. Webber.”
“We moved over here to … get away from all the crime. And now, look. This is worse than anything that happens Uptown. Much worse.”
That wasn’t actually true, but he wasn’t about to correct her. He also wasn’t about to tell her that in his estimation, this crime had nothing to do with community and everything to do with family.
“Jeremy said … he told me … Sara was beaten to death with a”—she choked back a sob—“a baseball bat. Is that true?”
“It is, Mrs. Webber.”
“Oh, my God.” She pressed the tissue to her nose. “I don’t know if I’ll ever sleep again.”
“We’ll catch the person who did this, I promise you that.”
“Thank you.” She wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m just so distraught.”
“I understand. And I’ll try to be as quick as possible.”
“Today’s my anniversary,” she whispered. “Jeremy and I were married six months ago today.”
He didn’t comment, and she brought the hankie to her face once more. Her diamond caught the light and winked at him. Biggest damn diamond he’d ever seen. It’d been the talk of the town for a while.
“Daddy used to call me his little steel magnolia. He and Mama both, they said I came out of the womb knowing what I wanted and how to get it.” She lifted her tear-soaked eyes to meet his. “And I did, Chief.”
“Why are you telling me this, Mrs. Webber?”
“Because I thought it was true. But you can’t control everything. Life … things happen and suddenly … everything changes.”
She began to cry. A knot formed in his throat. He cleared it away. “I’m so, so sorry.”
“The day before yesterday, I was looking forward to my anniversary. Making plans. How can I feel safe now?”
“You’ll feel safe again, Mrs. Webber. Time heals all wounds, isn’t that what they say?”
She nodded again, visibly pulling herself together. “Of course. Everything will be fine. Of course it will.” Something about her tone conjured the steel magnolia her parents had called her. “How can I help you, Chief?”
“Let’s start with Sara and Katherine’s relationship. What are your thoughts there?”
“When Jeremy and I first started seeing each other, they seemed really close. It was sweet. But that began to change.”
“How long ago?”
She thought a moment. “Months before the wedding. On my wedding day, there was all sorts of drama. Kat’s behavior was horrid. I felt so sorry for Sara.”
And for herself, too, he thought. “Did Sara confide in you?”
“Not at all.”
“Really? Considering your ages and relationship through Jeremy, that surprises me.”
“My life was across the lake, hers was here. Between my planning our wedding and being a new associate at the firm, we didn’t have time to get to know each other that well. I’d thought with us living over here now, that she and I might…” She let the thought trail off. “She confided in Jeremy. And he confides in me. It’s been really hard on him. A burden, what with trying to manage their estate for them and their personal problems. Most people just think he’s lucky to be part of McCall Oil; they don’t understand the headaches that have come with it.”
“He called it that? A burden?”
“God, no.” She shook her head vehemently. “He’s never complained, not once. That’s my observation.” She looked away, then back, her eyes wet with fresh tears. “He loves those girls. Sara particularly. And now”—she brought a hand to her mouth, taking a moment to compose herself—“he’s planning her funeral.”
“I understand Sara was seeing someone, another teacher from the high school.”
“Yes. Danny Sullivan.”
“Do you know, was it serious?”
“I think it was. I think that’s what she told Jeremy.”
“Had you met him?”
“Yes. Several times.”
“What did you think?”
“I had my reservations.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because she was such a wealthy young woman. You have to be careful when you have so much. I hate to be harsh, but people aren’t always honorable.”
“As much as you wish they were.”
“Yes.”
“Jeremy was concerned as well?”
“Yes. He was thinking about hiring a private detective, just to make certain Sullivan was on the up-and-up.”
“Any reason in particular for that?”
“Not that I recall.”
“What about Katherine, did she have a boyfriend?”
“Not one she was talking about.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Sara thought she might be sneaking around with someone.”
“Did she talk to you about it?”
“No. Again, she and Jeremy talked. She was considering boarding school for Kat.” She leaned slightly forward. “I was afraid of how Kat would react to that.”
“Afraid? Why?”
“Of what she might do.”
As if realizing how that sounded, she pressed her lips together and sat back.
Tanner decided to face the comment head-on. “Do you think maybe Sara did tell her? And that she reacted … badly?”
“You’re asking me if I think Kat could have killed her sister?”
“Yes.”
She shifted her gaze ever so slightly. “I don’t want to think that.”
“But you believe it’s possible?”
“I didn’t say that, Chief Tanner. And I won’t.”
“Then what will you say, Mrs. Webber?”
“That in a rage people can do monstrous things, ones they would have never thought possible.” She looked down at her hands, folded in her lap, then back up at him. “And that scares me.”
She thought the girl had done it. That Katherine McCall had flown into a rage and beaten her sister to death. Because of her husband, she couldn’t say it, but it scared the hell out of her.
Tanner stood. “Thank you for coming in, Mrs. Webber. I appreciate your time.”
“You’re very welcome.” She followed him to his feet. “Can you tell me, what’s going to happen next, Chief Tanner?”
“I think we’ll be making an arrest. Soon. And then you’ll be able to sleep again, Mrs. Webber.”
