Chapter 24
Chapter
Twenty-Four
The next morning, Cat kissed Tate goodbye and drove to the other home that Winnie wanted to show her. This time, there wouldn’t be any pressure to like it. Tate had made it clear last night that he wanted her to eventually move in with him. He wanted to take that next step.
Last night, she’d hesitated slightly, not wanting to jump into anything too quickly or too soon.
But this morning it all seemed a bit silly, to be honest. They were in love.
They weren’t children anymore. They were grown adults who knew what they wanted out of life and love, and they wanted each other. Why waste time?
She’d even called Winnie this morning, expressing that she might be putting her home search on hold for a little while.
Her friend had encouraged her to see the house anyway, saying she might fall in love with it.
She could always buy it as an investment.
Cat had relented, and now she was pulling into the shaded driveway of a three-bedroom brick ranch with two and a half baths.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Winnie gushed as Cat exited her vehicle. “Think about how it will look in the spring and summer. All these trees, and wait until you see the back deck. It’s amazing. The neighborhood is one of the best, too.”
Winnie said that about every house, from what Cat could tell. To be fair, all the neighborhoods had been good ones. Winnie knew her job. She’d only shown Cat houses that fit all her criteria.
Unlocking the front door, Winnie stepped back so that Cat could enter. The foyer was small, but it opened up to an expansive open-concept living room and kitchen.
Sigh. Another open-concept.
She wasn’t against them, but she wasn’t for them either. Sometimes it might be nice to have a wall so that company didn’t see dishes in the sink.
“Wait until you see the primary bedroom,” Winnie went on. “A huge shower and a soaking tub, plus double sinks. Lots of vanity space.”
Cat could admit she loved to spread out her makeup where she could easily see it. A pedestal sink simply wasn’t going to do it.
The bathroom was as lovely as promised, and the bedroom was large with two bright windows on either side of the headboard. Even the walk-in closet was good.
“I told you,” Winnie said knowingly, giving Cat a smug grin. “You love it, don’t you? It’s exactly what you were looking for.”
The other two bedrooms weren’t fancy, but they were good-sized with adequate closets, along with the jack-and-jill bathroom in between.
“I want you to see this deck,” Winnie said, leading the way back to the sliding glass doors off of the dining room that were already open, letting the fresh air and sunshine spill into the home.
It was the first halfway nice day of the year, the kind that teased that warmer weather was around the corner.
“The owners have really put some time and sweat into the backyard area. If you wanted me to, I could ask them to leave the grill. I bet they would. We can ask for the lawnmower, too.”
If Cat bought this home, she was planning to hire a lawn service. She’d be itching and sneezing like crazy just from the pollen and freshly-cut grass. The mere thought had her scratching the skin around her wrist. There wasn’t enough Benadryl in the world for her to be able to do yardwork.
The back deck was huge, leading out to the yard with more shade trees and even a little birdbath underneath the branches. It was chilly outside, but the day was pleasant and sunny. Winter was finally retreating.
Winnie stepped to the middle of the deck and spread out her arms, smiling widely.
“Can’t you see yourself here hosting a fun barbecue? There’s even room to put in a pool.”
“I don’t think there’s room for a pool.” The sun’s rays landed on Winnie’s necklace, glinting in the bright light. “That necklace is very pretty. I don’t think I’ve seen you wear it before.”
Still smiling, Winnie lifted it so that Cat could take a closer look.
“It’s one of my favorites. It was a gift. It’s an opal. I wear it a lot, but sometimes it’s hard to see with the blouses and cardigans I wear.”
An opal. The exact same shape and setting as the earring they’d found in Tyler’s blue cashmere sweater.
“A gift? How lovely. Who gave it to you? Glen has amazing taste.”
Winnie looked down at the pendant, a misty expression on her face.
“It wasn’t Glen.” She touched her ear with her right hand. “Usually, I wear it with the matching earrings. It’s a set, but I’ve misplaced one somewhere. I’m sure I’ll find it. I’m a bit haphazard about organizing things. It’s probably rolled under the bed or into a drawer. I’m sure I’ll find it.”
Trying to hide a shaky breath, Cat could feel the blood drain from her face, but she kept a smile pasted on, hoping she didn’t look like she’d just found out something she probably shouldn’t know.
Winnie had to be WinHeights.
Tyler and Winnie? Winnie had a husband. They’d been married, supposedly happily, for years.
“It’s a beautiful piece,” Cat heard herself say, swallowing hard. “Really stunning. I’ve always been partial to opals.”
“It’s my birthstone.”
Even if Winnie was WinHeights, it didn’t mean she’d shot at Tyler. Yes, she’d threatened him, but as Finn had pointed out, that didn’t mean she’d done anything about it. People made threats every day, and few actually followed through. Winnie didn’t look like a killer.
Still, it was awkward knowing Winnie had been cheating on Glen.
She needed to send a message to Tate and Finn that she’d found the person who was probably WinHeights. After all, how many women in Winslow Heights could Tyler have been sleeping with at the same time?
Maybe I shouldn’t ask that question. I might not like the answer.
Cat pulled out her phone and, as inconspicuously as she could, sent a quick text to Tate.
“Well, the person obviously has immaculate taste,” Cat responded, taking a couple of pictures of the backyard before tucking it back into her pocket. Let Winnie think that it was all about the house. “What a wonderful birthday gift…from a friend.”
“It wasn’t a birthday gift. It was a just-because gift. How about we go see the kitchen?” Winnie said, sliding open the glass door. “If you don’t already love to cook, you’ll want to in this kitchen. It’s perfectly designed. Check out the backsplash. The tile is handmade.”
The kitchen was gorgeous, done in splashes of green and blue with white cabinets and a marble island large enough to prep food, but not too large to get in the way of the flow between the sink, refrigerator, and stove.
Gleaming copper pots hung over the island, while a few small appliances dotted the long countertops. Clearly, the kitchen was well-loved. She wasn’t much of a gourmet, but she could pull together a decent meal when the occasion called for it.
It was all lovely, but the fact was, she wasn’t going to buy this house. If anything, it made her more sure about moving in with Tate. He had a house that already felt like home. Yes, this place was great, but it wasn’t home .
Because Tate wasn’t here.
She couldn’t picture herself cooking in this kitchen, or lounging around the living room watching television, or reading a book. Someone was going to love living here, but it wouldn’t be her.
Cat needed to wrap up this home showing, get back in her car, and call the sheriff’s office.
The identity of WinHeights just might be the break in the case Finn was looking for.
“I was hoping to get a cup of coffee,” Finn said. It was too early for the tavern to be open yet, but Tate had unlocked the front door for deliveries. “I usually get it at the bookstore, but their coffeemaker is on the fritz.”
“No problem. I brewed a fresh pot not long ago. For here or to go?” Tate asked, heading behind the bar.
“To go, I’m heading out for some business.”
“How do you take it?”
“Just plain black.”
The sheriff shifted on his feet, clearly impatient to be on his way. Tate filled the paper cup and slapped a top on it.
“I hope they get the coffee machine fixed soon. That and their snacks from Piper are a huge part of their business.”
“They had some angry, caffeine-deprived customers from what I could see. Lucy and Jane were giving out free cookies to try and keep them calm.”
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.