Justice for Sara (20 page)

Thursday, June 13
9:46
A.M.

Kat opened her eyes, disoriented and groggy. She stared at the window, the sunny day beyond. For a split second, she wondered where she was. And how she’d gotten here.

Then she moved and pain shot through her left shoulder and neck. And it all came crashing back. The fire. Danny. The crime lab. Lilith, scolding her.

Luke. His arms around her.

She rolled onto her back and gazed at the play of light and shadow on the ceiling. After the confrontation with Lilith, she’d been unable to sleep. She’d tossed and turned, her mind racing. The thought of going through the cottage had been repugnant. She’d wondered if she’d ever be ready. She had considered sticking a For Sale sign in the yard, pulling up stakes and heading back to Portland.

Not now. She would not be driven out. She would not run away. And she sure as hell wasn’t about to be intimated by this coward, whether it was Danny or someone else.

Her phone pinged and she retrieved it from the nightstand. Two messages waiting. Both were from Luke. She hadn’t even heard it ring.

She listened to the first.
Met with the arson investigator. Found the gas can under the house. He’s checking it for prints.
In the second, he said he had news and to call him.

But what surprised her more was the date and time on the display—June 13, 9:50
A.M.

She’d slept for twenty-four hours.

Kat dialed Luke back, got his in-box, left a message and scrambled out of bed, wincing at each movement. She hurt all over. From her head to her toes. She hobbled to the bathroom, relieved herself and started the shower. While the water warmed, she brushed her teeth, then stripped. And caught sight of herself in the mirror. The bruises shocked her. Their number and color. Dark and ugly.

She trailed her fingers over them, tears stinging her eyes. She blinked, thinking of her sister. The horror she had gone through. Aching for her.

Kat closed her eyes. “I promise you,” she whispered, “I don’t care what it takes, or who I have to go up against, I’m not going to stop, Sara. Not until the one who did this pays.”

*

Thirty minutes later, showered and dressed, Kat started downstairs. Halfway down she stopped. Lilith and Jeremy were home. They were arguing.

“What did you expect?” Lilith said. “Don’t be an idiot.”

Kat froze, shocked. She had never heard Lilith speak that way. And to direct it at Jeremy was unfathomable.

“Why are you being such a bitch?”

“I thought you wanted this!”

“I do, dammit!”

“Then why do you continue to do everything in your power to fuck it up?”

“Nice, Lilith. Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“You really expected people to welcome her with open arms?”

They were arguing about her, Kat realized, horrified. It was her fault. She took a step backward, up the stairs.

“She may even be a thief.”

Kat stopped on that.

“For God’s sake, Lilith. You’re being ridiculous.”

“I’m missing some jewelry.”

“Talk to the housekeeper. Or take a look at yourself.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time you lost something, then blamed it on someone else.”

“Right. At least I take care of my shit instead of whining about it like a little girl.”

“Like I said, you’re good at pointing the finger at someone else.”

“I hate you.”

“The feeling’s mutual.”

Kat pressed a hand to her stomach. Lilith resented her. She thought so little of her, she would suspect her of stealing from them? And Jeremy. He hated his wife. He’d called her a bitch.

Kat suddenly realized their voices had grown closer.
They were heading her way.
Heart pounding, she turned and ran as quietly as she could back up the stairs. She didn’t want them to know she’d overheard them. It was going to be difficult enough, knowing what she did, for her to look them in the eye. But if they knew, it would be impossible.

She reached the landing. Figuring there was no way she could make it back to her room without them seeing her, she stopped and turned, hoping it would appear that she had just arrived there.

They came into view. “Good morning,” she called.

Lilith looked up, expression suspicious.

Jeremy smiled broadly. “You were so quiet, we didn’t even realize you were here.”

“I can’t believe I slept so long.”

She reached the bottom of the stairs and he wrapped her in a bear hug. He released her, but held her at arm’s length. “My poor baby. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Shaken but—”

“Dear God.”

Jeremy was staring at her. Kat followed his gaze. Her shirt’s boatneck had slipped, revealing the bruises on her left shoulder.

Jeremy’s face flooded with angry color. “That son of a bitch. I’ll tear him apart.”

She straightened her shirt. “I’m fine. Really.”

“You’re not.” He frowned. “Those bruises—”

“Are nothing. It could have turned out lots worse.”

He could have killed her.

As if Jeremy was thinking the same thing, he squeezed her hand. “I’m grateful, too. If anything happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do.”

“He’s in jail, Cousin Jeremy. He can’t hurt anybody from there.”

“Thank God,” Lilith murmured.

Kat didn’t look at Lilith. She couldn’t, and hoped it wasn’t so blatant that the other woman noticed. “I’m going over to the cottage now, to get a look at the damage.”

“Come and have something to eat first,” Jeremy said. “We’ll keep you company.”

“I can’t,” she lied. “I’m meeting Luke there. In fact”—she glanced at her watch—“I’m already late.”

“Have you heard anything yet?” Jeremy asked, falling into step with her.

“It was definitely arson. They’re going to see if they can get prints off the gas can they found under the house.”

“Keep me posted, okay?”

She said she would and he walked her to her car. She opened the door, but he stopped her before she climbed in. “You heard us fighting, didn’t you?”

She hated to lie to him, but she just couldn’t admit she had. Maybe later, but not now. “You were fighting? Is something wrong?”

“No. We’re both under a lot of pressure right now and it’s got us sniping at each other. No big deal.”

“I hate you.”

“The feeling’s mutual.”

“I hope I’m not the cause of your stress.”

“Of course not. It’s this running-for-office thing. It’s a big step.”

“A very big step,” she agreed.

He smiled then. “The truth is, you’re like a ray of hope for me.” He glanced over his shoulder. Lilith had appeared on the porch. “I’ll let you go. Keep me posted, okay?”

She said she would and started to back out. He stopped her again. “Be careful, Kit-Kat. I’m worried about you.”

She smiled. “I’m worried about me, too.”

As she drove off, she glanced in her rearview mirror. Lilith had joined him. They stood with their arms around each other. Once again the united front.

Kat turned her gaze back to the road. Were they apologizing now, Kat wondered. She’d heard of couples who fought viciously, saying unforgivable things to each other in the heat of the moment, then apologized just as passionately and moved on until the next blow-up. She never would have thought Jeremy and Lilith had that kind of relationship.

That they had each other’s back, yes. That they would plunge a knife in it, no.

Jeremy Webber
2003

Ten days before the murder

Jeremy had to admit, unequivocally, he was a happy man. Not even thirty years old and he owned a big, beautiful home, was a rising star at a prestigious law firm and had a brilliant, beautiful wife. He had it all, and the future looked as bright as the sun.

That hadn’t always been the case. Though he often reminded people of his connection to McCall Oil, he wasn’t truly family. He wasn’t blood, and without that, the keys to the kingdom would never be his.

When he was ten, his mother had finally gotten the guts to leave his abusive, no-good old man. She’d packed them both up and run to her wealthy sister in Liberty.

He hadn’t realized at the time what that was going to mean for the course of his life, and how being in the McCall fold would change everything.

They’d been very generous toward him, had bought him his first car, paid for his schooling, even left him some money and property when they passed. His uncle Peter had treated him almost like a son.

Jeremy had learned the full extent of his uncle’s faith in him only after his death. He’d appointed him, fresh out of law school, the executor of their estate, a position that paid him a fat yearly stipend.

Lilith tapped on his office door, then poked her head in. “Love, Sara’s here to see you.”

Sara stepped in and he stood, smiling warmly.

“Why didn’t you call?” He came around the desk and hugged her. “We could have prepared lunch.”

“Could we speak privately?” She looked apologetically at Lilith. “It’s really personal.”

“Of course. Can I bring you anything?”

“No, but thank you.”

Though Lilith’s expression remained unchanged as she backed out of the room, Jeremy knew that the request had hurt her feelings. It upset her that neither of his cousins had warmed to her.

“Come sit down,” he said. “Tell me what’s up.”

Sara nodded and took a seat on the small, dark leather sofa. It wasn’t until that moment that he realized she was upset.

He sat beside her. “What’s wrong? Is it Kat again?”

“It’s always Kat.” She let out a long breath. “But not just Kat this time.”

He waited. When, after a couple moments, she didn’t say more, he prodded her. “You can tell me anything, you know that. I’m here for you.”

She twisted her fingers together. “I feel like a complete idiot. I thought … I’d hoped…”

Again he waited. This time she continued without a nudge. “I thought I was in love. Or maybe, I think I am.”

“Danny?” She nodded. Her eyes filled with tears. “Did you two have a fight?”

“No. But—” She cleared her throat. “He asked if he could borrow some money.”

“Oh, boy.”

“I know, that’s the way I felt.”

“What did he need it for?”

“To open an athletic training facility. He said it’s a great opportunity. A former LSU player came to him with the offer; he gave Danny the first crack at partnering with him.”

“Did he say who the player was?”

She shook her head. “And I didn’t ask.”

“How much money are we talking about?”

“Seventy-five thousand. Cash.”

“That’s a lot of money.”

“That’s what I told him and he—” She bit it back.

“What?”

“He reminded me I was worth millions. That seventy-five grand was nothing to someone like me. We fought and he said … he said if I loved him, I’d do it. That my hesitation meant I didn’t believe in him.”

“That pisses me off. I thought Danny was a stand-up guy.”

“But—” She looked hopefully up at him. “This doesn’t mean he’s not, does it?”

“I don’t know what to tell you.” He paused. “Did he show you a business plan?”

From her expression he saw that Danny hadn’t. “Look, ask him for one, I’ll look it over.”

“He said time was of the essence. If he waited too long, he’d lose the opportunity.”

Jeremy frowned. Either Sullivan was pulling the wool over her eyes, or somebody was pulling the wool over his. Business moved fast, but not that fast.

“You’re right to be cautious. I’m going to do a little checking around. In the meantime, you stall him by asking for a business plan.”

“What do you mean, check around? Like, check up on him?”

He covered her hands with his. “Sweetheart, what do you really know about Danny Sullivan?”

“Jeremy, we’re … we’re talking about marriage.”

Jeremy worked to hide his dismay. “You haven’t been seeing each other that long.”

“Six months. We get along really well. We’re both teachers.”

“Did he propose?”

“No. But I think … I have this feeling he will.”

“And you’ll say yes?”

“I think so. Or at least I did, before this.” She hugged herself. “I need your opinion on something.” She paused, drew deep breath. “It’s about Kat. I’m thinking of sending her to boarding school.”

She could have knocked him over with a feather on that one. He wondered if Sullivan had been the one who’d planted that seed. Get rid of the annoying little sister so they could concentrate on their romance.

Jeremy thought better than to say that out loud. “What brought this on? I thought things were better?”

“I thought so, too.” She twisted her fingers together. He could tell this decision was agony for her. “I just have this feeling. That she’s … up to something.”

“Her grades are good?”

“Fine. Not great, but fine.”

“And she’s playing softball?

“Yeah.”

“Then what?”

“How do you know if a kid’s doing drugs? I should, I’m a high school teacher. But it’s different when it’s your own family.”

“Shit, Sara. That’s big.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Drug-test her. Take her to a doc-in-the-box or buy a home test at the drugstore.”

“I feel bad about doing that. She’ll think I don’t trust her.”

He laughed without humor. “You don’t. And that’s okay. She needs a mother, not a best friend.”

“But I’m not her mother! I
should
be her best friend, we’re sisters.”

“Sorry, Sara, but the drunk driver who killed your folks changed all that. For the time being, you’re the only mama Kat has.”

She nodded and stood. “I needed that. Thanks.”

He got to his feet. Gave her a quick hug. “That’s what I’m here for.”

She started toward the door, then stopped. “I really might want to do this.”

“Send Kat away?”

“No, marry Danny. Lend him the money. It’s different when you’re married. It’ll be our money, not just mine. Our life he’s investing in.”

A flicker of panic settled in the pit of his gut. This could change everything. “Please, for your sake, Sara, don’t agree to anything yet. You’re a very rich woman. I want to protect you.”