“It looked just like hers,” Josh replied. “For a minute, I thought it was Rachel.”
Oh. Oh, this wasn’t good. Rachel’s gaze swung from her husband to Josh, and then back to her husband.
“Of course, it wasn’t me, sweetheart. I was over in Daleville looking at some property. Remember? I told you about that this morning.”
Josh’s brow knitted together, and he shook his head.
“I don’t really remember, but then I rarely listen to you when you talk.”
In any other situation, Josh admitting to not listening to his wife when she talked would be hilarious. After all, to the friend group, Josh and Rachel were couple goals.
When Josh was off the pain medicine, he and Rachel were going to have one blowout of an argument. The couple wasn’t as happy as they all thought they were. It would be a shock, but it wasn’t unheard of for people to put on a good front for the public.
Rachel looked like she wanted to say something to Josh, but was aware that others were watching.
“Where were you earlier today?” Finn asked. “Just asking so that we can close this loose thread.”
It was one hell of a loose thread. Right now, Finn might be thinking that Rachel tried to kill her husband. Not once, but twice.
“Cat and I were looking at a house. And before that, I was in Daleville just like I said to Josh.”
Rachel had swung by and picked Cat up before they went to the home viewing. In total, she estimated that she’d been with Rachel less than thirty minutes before the call about Josh’s accident had come in.
“You were in Daleville? Did you see or talk to anyone there?” Finn asked. “Anyone at all? Coffee shop, maybe?”
“No,” Rachel replied with a shake of her head. “I went there to look at some empty property that a client might want to build on. I wasn’t really in the town, but just outside of it. I didn’t talk to anyone or go anywhere but the property.”
“That’s fine,” Finn assured her. “What about the roads you took? Did you take main roads? We have traffic cameras that we can look at and see your car.”
Rachel pressed at her temple while fidgeting in her chair. Her front teeth sank into her bottom lip, and for a moment, Cat wasn’t sure that her friend was going to answer the question.
“I took some backroads. I like driving on them since they’re usually quiet and deserted. No traffic. I enjoy listening to music while driving. I’m afraid I can’t prove to you that it wasn’t my car, but I can assure you that it wasn’t. I would never do something like that. I love my husband. Josh, tell him that we don’t hate each other.”
Josh hadn’t spoken up during the entire exchange, and it was clear as to why. Lying back on the pillow and still hooked up to something good in the IV bag, he’d fallen asleep. Whatever he was on had knocked him out cold. He was softly snoring, completely unaware of the tension in the room.
“Rachel, if you could write down your route for me, I can try and find a traffic or red light camera somewhere that can verify where you were. In the meantime, I’d like to get a look at your vehicle. If there are no marks on your car, that would lead me to believe that it was another SUV that knocked your husband off the road.”
“Of course, you can see it. Come by anytime. I have nothing to hide. In fact, you can walk outside and see it right now. It’s in the parking garage. I love my husband. I would never do what you’re insinuating. That’s downright disgusting.”
“I simply have to confirm,” Finn replied. “It’s my job, Rachel. I want to rule you out completely, so I can concentrate on the person who actually did this.”
Rachel dug into her purse for a moment and then pulled out the keyring before handing it to Finn.
“Here are the keys. Knock yourself out. I’ll be here…taking care of my husband.”
Finn didn’t reply, simply accepting the keys. Rachel stood and fussed over Josh, still asleep, covering him with the blankets and adjusting the pillow. She’d turned her back on Finn, clearly done with the sheriff and his questions.
Cat didn’t believe that Rachel had tried to kill her husband. They might not be as happily married as they liked to portray, but nothing that she’d seen said homicidal spouse. Rachel had denied having anything to do with her husband’s attempted murder.
Plus, Josh was extremely well-liked in their community. Surely no one would want him dead?
But then…Cat had been gone from this little town for over a decade. Did Winslow Heights have even more secrets it was hiding?
Chapter
Fourteen
Tate clutchedthe bouquet of flowers in his hand as he knocked on Cat’s door. He was nervous, but he wasn’t exactly sure why. It wasn’t as if they hadn’t been on a date before. They’d been on hundreds. They’d kissed. They’d expressed their desire to start again. There was no mystery, no wondering if she felt the same.
