Under Pressure

In the quietest of whispers, she confessed, “I overheard it all.”

Leese’s hands tightened. “And the killers know it?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“See,” Justice said, his hands out, “this is what I was trying to get to, the deets on how you know what you know.” He grumbled low to himself, “Accusin’ me of supporting abuse. That’s bullshit.”

He looked a little wrecked that she’d ever misunderstood, so Cat gave him an apologetic nod. “They were all in Webb’s boathouse, only I didn’t expect to find anyone there.”

Leese barely breathed. “Webb too?”

She nodded. “It was too late in the season to take out the boat and it’s not like Webb or his buddies like to fish. But we’d gotten that early freeze and I wanted to capture everything in photos to paint it later, maybe even to use as a project for the class, to show them how the ice sparkled and...” Dumb. So very, very dumb. None of that mattered now. “Anyway, when I got close I heard people talking. That didn’t make any sense to me because no one used the boathouse in the winter. At first I listened, trying to figure out who was there. I was going to report them.” To Webb, who she’d figured would run them off. She’d been such a fool.

“That’s what most people would do,” Leese assured her.

“If only it had been vandals, or someone just trespassing. But it wasn’t. By the time I understood what they were talking about, it was too late.” Over and over they’d said her name, Georgia Bell, a young lady who’d been used, and then murdered.

As if she was no one important, as if her death didn’t matter.

To them, she’d been an expendable girl, easily discarded.

“I was standing there, I guess almost in shock, when they stepped out and...saw me.”

Leese tightened his jaw.

“There was no place to hide. I was in my black coat, jeans and boots, standing in the white snow. It’s not like they could have missed me. I tried to bluff, like I hadn’t caught anything important. I tried to act surprised to see them, but welcoming.” As usual, because she knew them all, had met them many times. Closing her eyes, she said, “But I guess they could still tell. They looked at each other as if coming to some silent agreement.”

Hand to her throat, Sahara asked, “An agreement for what?”

“To get rid of me too. To remove the possibility of me telling anyone what I’d heard.”

Gently, Leese said, “You can’t know that for sure.”

But she did. “Webb looked...” Devastated. Destroyed. But still resigned. “I could tell he wouldn’t defend me. Or maybe it’s that he couldn’t. I’m not sure.”

“Because you don’t know for sure if he’s involved,” Justice said.

“I would never have believed it if I hadn’t heard them all talking. They admitted having Georgia killed, her throat cut—” What level of horror had that young girl faced? “—her body disposed of on the island. When asked, Webb agreed to help provide alibis for them. The plan was that he’d claim they’d been with him, at his home, the weekend Georgia went to the island.” Believable, since the men had been to his home before. “I’d say that makes him pretty damned guilty.”

Leese nodded. “Agreed.”

“But how would that cover all their tracks?” Justice asked. “They had to get to the island somehow, right? There must be records...”

Sahara answered. “For enough money, the helicopter pilots would keep silent, bury the paperwork—and do whatever was asked. The super wealthy always have those who will cover for them.”

Cat drew a shuddering breath.“The way those men all looked at me...” She couldn’t forget how Tesh had slowly smiled, his visible anticipation for what he probably saw as an opportunity.

For too many years that lech had wanted her and he’d seen this, her giant faux pas, as his best bet to get his hands on her.

“Cat?”

She met Leese’s gaze.

“You keep saying ‘them.’ Who are we talking about?”

If she told the truth, would they even believe her? Cat had her doubts, so she hedged. “It was Webb and another man meeting, plus two personal guards.”

“So four men, total?” Sahara asked.

“Yes. Tesh was one of them.”

“He’s associated with your stepfather?” Sahara clarified.

“Yes.”

Leese glanced back at Sahara. “You knew he was her stepfather, not her dad?”

“Yes, but to me he seemed as concerned and genuine as any father could be. He said Cat was out on her own, and he wanted her protected because she’d lived such a pampered life. He was afraid her naïveté would get her into trouble.” She frowned. “I hate that I was apparently duped.”

Leese came back around to Cat. “Tesh works for Webb?”

“For the other man, actually. But Webb has known him for a long time. Since I was...” That invisible fist closed on her throat again. “Eighteen.”

Because he didn’t miss much, Leese muttered, “The same age as Georgia.”

She nodded. “Webb considered him trustworthy, so there were times he ‘borrowed’ him for special tasks. More than once Tesh was assigned to watch over me.” During those times, he’d refer to her as Kitten even though he knew it annoyed her. As she’d matured she grew to understand that Tesh didn’t consider her a person so much as his own personal pet.

“I met the man.” With visible irritation, Leese said, “That’s like hiring the fox to watch the henhouse.”

Cat agreed. “I hated it. The way Tesh looks at me, it’s always given me the creeps.”

“Saw it,” Justice said. “Dude wants you bad.”

“More than that,” Leese said. “He feels some ownership.”

“No.” Cat pushed out of his arms and backed away from him. “He has no reason to—” She squeaked when Leese pulled her right back in.

“I said he feels it, not that he has a right to it.”

She blinked fast, startled by how quickly he’d moved, and pretty darned pleased to be close to him again. “Oh.”

Keeping her right there, Leese turned them both to face Sahara. She looked fascinated. And once again titillated.

“We ran into Tesh on the way here.”

“Do tell.”

While Leese related the story to Sahara, Cat eased away from him and returned to her coffee. The caffeine kick could only help, so she took a big drink. When she caught Justice watching her, she frowned.