Tate made a mental note to fill a huge carafe with coffee and take it over there. He had one in the back that they used for when groups would rent the place out for big parties.
He slid the cup to Finn across the bar.
“Piper’s cookies should help. They make everyone happy.”
Tate’s phone buzzed on the countertop.
“You get that. I need to get out of here,” Finn said, heading towards the door. “Thanks for the coffee. You’ve made my morning.”
“Glad I could help,” Tate said, checking his phone.
He’d received a text from Cat, which was always good. Just seeing her name on his phone made his heart skip a beat.
He read the text, then read it again to ensure he had it right.
Cat had found out the possible identity of WinHeights. If true, the other women’s contact names started to fall into place. KaSeattle might be Kate in Seattle, and so on. Tate had assumed it was some kind of code Tyler had set up, and as usual, the simplest answer was the right one. He’d been making it far too complicated.
He needed to tell Finn right away. Could he catch him before he drove off? This might be the break they’d been waiting for.
Yelling over his shoulder to his chef prepping food in the kitchen, Tate raced out of the tavern to find Finn just about to pull out of his parking space. He waved his arms, and Finn stopped, rolling down his window.
“What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“Cat thinks she knows who the WinHeights contact is. It’s Winnie Gardner.”
“Yes, I know,” Finn sighed. “I received the phone records this morning. It took a while because the judge had to sign off on the subpoena. I’m going to talk to her now. That’s my important business.”
“She’s not at home,” Tate explained. “She’s showing Cat a house not far from here. Cat said she was going to wrap things up there and call you. Has she yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then they’re probably still at the house. You should go there,” Tate urged. “In fact, I’ll go, too. I’ll be right behind you.”
“You can’t be with me when I question a person of interest,” Finn argued. “I don’t mind you and your brothers’ questions most of the time, but this could be dangerous.”
“Exactly,” Tate agreed. “Cat is with Winnie, and for all we know, Winnie shot Tyler. I’m not leaving her alone with a maybe-killer.”
“If Winnie doesn’t think Cat knows anything, she’s probably not in any danger,” Finn argued. “Besides, Winnie may have been seeing Tyler, but that doesn’t mean she shot him. They could be two unrelated things.”
“True, then it’s not a big deal for me to go.”
Finn sighed loudly, his head falling back onto the headrest.
“Fine. Get in. But you’ll stay outside when we get there. If Cat is still there, I’ll send her outside while I chat with Winnie. Do you understand?”
“Got it. I just want to make sure Cat’s okay.”
Because without Cat, there was no future. Tomorrow would be worth getting out of bed for.
Chapter
Twenty-Five
“I’m goingto need to think about this,” Cat repeated. “This is a big decision, and I want to talk to Tate about it first. I’m sure you understand. I sent him a couple of pictures of the backyard to see what he thinks.”
“Of course, but even if you don’t live here, this could be a terrific investment property. Think about it. This is a great opportunity, especially now that you’re not bringing in those big supermodel bucks.”
Cat had invested wisely and hadn’t put all of her income up her nose. She was going to be fine whether she bought the house or not. But she didn’t much care for Winnie’s words or tone. It was the first crack in the jovial realtor’s facade that she’d seen since returning to town.
