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days or weeks or how ever long it takes will be
tough—”
    Her shoulders tensed. “Days, Jay. We’ll find her killer in
days.”
    He smiled. “Great. Days. With you leading this investigation,
the bastard who killed Sarah will be locked up in no time.”
    “Or bitch.”
    He flinched. “A woman? No way.”
    Her gaze bored into his, a dart of concentration spearing
between her brows as she studied him. “Why do you say that?”
    He shook his head. “Jesus, if a woman could do that...”
    Cat lifted her shoulders. “Why not?”
    His cheeks heated. Her suspicion was clear in her eyes. She was
questioning him. He was a suspect. He swallowed against the ball of frustration
that lingered bitterly in his mouth. “Well, I suppose a woman could...but God, I
hate to think any woman capable of such a degree of violence. To actually choke
the life from someone?”
    She continued to stare awhile longer before she slowly eased
her hands from his. “I’m saying these things because we can’t afford to dismiss
any possibility. Between us, we’ll find out what happened. He or she will not
get away with killing our best friend.” She closed her eyes. “I can see her,
Jay. I close my eyes and I can see Sarah laughing and joking on the beach, or
running around with her beloved dog, Scruffie. Now she’s gone. Dead. No white
wedding. No kids. No future.”
    She opened her eyes and rubbed her fingers at her temples.
“Let’s go inside.”
    As they walked, Jay fought the urge to take her hand knowing
she was in pain. He sensed her mind was working, her shoulders had yet to drop
down from her earlobes. She was a cop. She needed time to think and he wouldn’t
be the one to disturb her. They reached the front door and he slid the key into
the lock and pushed open the door.
    “After you.”
    She laid her hand on his forearm. “I think we need to start
with these rumors.”
    He shook his head. “It’s a dead end. When I found out she was
killed, I went to the local drug haunts—”
    Her eyes widened. “How would you know about drug haunts?”
    Shit. Suspicion flared in her eyes once more. He lifted his
shoulders. “I don’t know the places. I just assumed them.”
    She stared. “Like where?”
    “The park. The housing estate toward Marchenton. You know, the
seedier places around the Cove.”
    “Did you find out anything?”
    “Nothing. No one claimed to see her hanging around or talking
to anyone. I’ve spoken to people at The Harbor pub, the shopping center,
Caroline’s Coffee Shop. They all mentioned she might be involved in drugs
somehow, but it didn’t sound like Sarah at all.”
    “Why? What did they say?”
    “That she was different. Edgy. Jumpy. Losing weight. But no one
had seen her high or out of control. I just don’t get it. The fact I hadn’t
spoken to her in months is like a lead weight on me, Cat. I didn’t know what she
was going through. I didn’t know her at all.”
    She dropped her gaze to the ground between them. “There’s
something I should tell you. Let’s go inside.” She looked up.
    Jay’s unease hitched up a notch. Words battled on his tongue as
questions whirled in his mind. Had she gained access to police information? Did
she know more than he did and purposely kept it from him? Did she think him
entirely guilty and intended arresting him? Nausea swirled in his gut. He
gestured toward the open door. “After you.”
    Cat walked into the open plan living room ahead of him. Jay
tossed the keys onto the table by the door and then joined her. He inhaled a
shaky breath. “Cat?”
    She faced him, her face inscrutable. “The day you rang me
asking me to come, I was afraid to commit to anything straight away. I needed
time to get over the shock of Sarah being killed before I could view her death
as a murder investigation.”
    “And?”
    “I started finding out what I could about her life before she
died. I’m glad to say I uncovered—”
    “Wait a minute.” Jay held up his hand and