Cat had spoken first, and it wasn’t a surprise that the topic she’d chosen was Josh.
“I’m not sure what to say about it,” Tate confessed. “Other than, I think Josh’s would-be killer is amazingly inept.”
“I talked to Rachel yesterday,” Cat replied after a long silence. “When we were looking at a house. Before she received the call about Josh, she had mentioned that they were in marriage counseling. She said that she’d been planning to ask for a divorce, but she can’t now because the police would think she was trying to kill him.”
Okay, you have my attention now.
“What? They were having issues? I’ve never heard anything about that. And she told you this?”
“She told me she thought Josh was having an affair,” Cat said with a heavy sigh. “It feels so good to talk to someone about this. I’ve been in a state of some kind of shock since she told me. I didn’t know what to say to her. I’m not sure what reactionshe expected from me, to be honest. It just feels so good to tell someone else.”
“The secret is safe with me,” Tate vowed. “You know I won’t talk to anybody.”
“That’s why I felt like I could trust you. You’re not into gossiping like so many people around town. I know you won’t go blabbing about this.”
“I’m not going to say anything to anyone. But damn, Josh is having an affair? That’s a shock. I thought they were truly happy.”
“I think many people think the same thing. She said he’s having an affair with Lindsey, the dog groomer, but her only evidence was that the dogs are clean and groomed all the time.”
“They were always groomed,” Tate replied. “Hell, those dogs get more attention than most kids. They’re great, but they’re spoiled as hell. Is that all she’s got? Because that doesn’t seem like a lot.”
“She says he acts like a teenager around Lindsey. That he doesn’t act like that around her anymore. Have you seen them together?”
“Not like that. I’ve seen Lindsey at group parties or outings, but I’ve never seen her and Josh together, just the two of them. I don’t think I’ve even seen them talking to one another. Do you think…?”
He couldn’t even say it out loud. It was simply too far-fetched.
“That she tried to kill Josh? No. Not at all. Rachel would never do that. She told me how much she still loved him. She wanted to work things out, but she didn’t think it would happen. Besides, she was in the house that morning, right?”
“I hadn’t arrived yet,” Tate replied. “I can’t verify her whereabouts. She was with you when Josh was run down.”
“She was only with me for about half an hour. Technically, she could have had time to do it, but why on earth would she use her own car? A car that Josh would surely recognize?”
“Especially as the person who hit him had the opportunity to finish the job, so to speak, and didn’t do it. It’s like they just want to scare him.”
“Who would want to scare him?”
“If our friends are to be believed, a whole lot of people, including them. From what I can tell, Josh had been pissing off his friends left and right. There are more than a few suspects who might want to send him a warning.”
“It just doesn’t make sense,” Cat said with a shake of her head. “Why try to scare him if he doesn’t know who is doing it? If he doesn’t know, the scare tactics aren’t effective.”
“Maybe Josh knows more than he’s letting on,” Tate offered.
“And he’s not telling? He’s going to say nothing while Finn searches Rachel’s vehicle for signs of a collision? That’s a shitty thing to do to your own wife.”
“If he’s having an affair, it might make sense. Cast suspicions on your wife, then get a divorce. Everyone won’t blame you for leaving her, even though nothing was ever proven.”
“Remind me not to piss you off,” Cat said. “You have a devious and evil mind. I never would have thought of that.”
“I read too many murder mysteries, including Cooper’s. Now there is a devious and evil mind. Frankly, he scares me with the twists he comes up with. Jane, however, doesn’t appear bothered in the least.”
Tate’s phone buzzed, and he checked to see who had sent him a text.
“It’s my assistant manager,” he explained to Cat. “He needs me right away. He said it’s important. I need to jump in the shower quickly and head over there. He isn’t the type to panic.”
“Go,” she said, making a shooing motion with her hands. “I’ll clean up the dishes. I’ve got this.”
Ten minutes later, they were on the road back to town. Tate dropped Cat off at her mother’s house, pressing a brief kiss on her lips before driving away. His employee, John, hadn’t said what was so urgent, but he’d been clear that it was important, but not an emergency. Nothing was on fire, leaking, or about to explode. He simply needed Tate there as soon as possible.
