Finding Justice by Rachel Brimble Read Free Book Online Page B

her energy into finding the killer without
closing her eyes to the truth. It was out there waiting to be uncovered. Cat
Forrester never left anything uncovered.
    She pushed to her feet and marched into the ensuite bathroom.
Jay might have suffered problems in the past seven years, but so had she.
Whatever those problems, they didn’t make him a killer.
    She’d shower and change and then phone Chris to see how things
were at home. Trying to act as though the lavish silver-and-gray-tiled
bathroom—complete with silver faucets and thick gray towels stacked on chrome
shelves—was the norm for her, Cat stripped off her clothes and stepped into the
open shower. The hot water slid in torrents over her head and down her body.
Closing her eyes, she soaked her hair as she relived the anger and self-hatred
in Jay’s eyes when he confessed his addictions.
    God knew there would be plenty of time for them to talk during
the coming days.
    She opened her eyes and reached for the shampoo. This wasn’t a
time for accusation. It might be the perfect time for a few revelations...from
both of them. But asking him about the drugs and how that affected his
relationship with Sarah was vital, whether he liked it or not. There was a very
real possibility the drugs were the reason for their estrangement. Addiction
killed friendships like arsenic killed people.
    Digging her nails into her scalp, Cat scrubbed her hair as
though scrubbing out the turmoil, shame and disappointment of not being able to
“fix” her mum. Jay didn’t know her mum as anything other than glamorous Mrs. F.,
as he used to call her. Telling Jay about her deterioration brought a harsh
sense of fear and betrayal to Cat’s conscience. She feared his reaction to her
as well as to her mum. Added to that was the horrible feeling that if she shared
their family secret, she was talking behind her mother’s back. Painting her in a
way Julia would rather die than Jay know.
    Cat squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn’t tell him; it was too
hard. Shame wavered inside her. Shame for her mum and herself that their lives
had changed so completely upon the demise of just one man—her father. Jay was
clearly braver than she would ever be. She respected him all the more for
it.
    Twenty minutes later, with her hair wrapped in one towel and
her body in another, Cat padded barefoot into the bedroom. She sat down on the
bed and pulled her tote bag toward her, fumbling inside for her cell phone.
Finding it, she dialed home.
    Chris picked up. “Hi, Sis. How’s it going?”
    Ignoring his question, Cat drew in a breath. “How’s Mum?”
    Silence.
    Cat frowned, annoyance prickling at her nerves. “Chris?”
    “She’s okay. She’s had a drink and gone to bed.”
    “In what kind of state?”
    “Coherent, laughing, wondering if you’ll have sex with Jay
Garrett again.”
    Cat’s eyes widened. “What? She said that?”
    He laughed. “Yep, kind of wondering the same thing myself.”
    Feeling as though she was in a parallel universe where she was
the only one not finding their mum’s alcoholism amusing, Cat glared into the
empty room. “Looking after Mum isn’t a game, Chris. She’ll try to lull you into
a false sense of security. You don’t know what it’s like—”
    “Listen, I’ve thought about everything you said...or shouted
last week. You’re needed at the Cove. I can take care of Mum until you get
back...but when you do, things are going to change.”
    Cat rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. Didn’t you say you and
Melinda have set a wedding date? What are you going to do, ask Melinda if it’s
all right to move Mum into your new marital home for a while? You really think
one night of dealing with Mum and you know what’s what?”
    “No, but Melinda is on board with this and no one is moving in
with anyone. Mum is moving out.”
    Cat swallowed and pressed her hand to her stomach.
Rehabilitation. “What are you talking about?”
    “Just concentrate on what you have to do