Rough Justice (Cainsville 5.5)

"I wouldn't call it bick--" Gabriel began, but she stopped him with a look.

"Can you move behind him, please, Gabriel?" she asked. "In case he decides to bolt."

"I have no idea what's--" Johnson said.

"You killed your wife."

Gabriel's head shot up. Fortun

ately, he was on the other side of Johnson now, so the man didn't see his surprise.

"What?" Johnson said. "My wife was murdered by Alan Nansen because he lost control and hit my car and left the scene."

"Mmm, he bears responsibility, sure. His actions could have killed her. But yours did. You took advantage of the scenario he set up. Kathy was seriously injured, and you...well, you just waited to see what would happen. How badly injured was she? What if you were a little slow to call 911? What if you just...observed for a while? I've been called cold-blooded, but I can't imagine doing that to anyone, let alone someone I loved."

"You have no idea what--" Johnson cut himself short. "I didn't do that."

"You did, and you got away with it because they never caught the other driver, so there was no reason to dig deeper, no reason to suspect your story. But then Heather Nansen had an inconvenient attack of conscience and sent you an apology and blood money. You tracked her down and decided to kill two birds with one bullet. Put Heather in such fear for her life that she got a gun. Then you sent Alan a text message--"

"What?"

Olivia paused, her eyes narrowing. After a moment, she went on. "You lured Alan home. Heather shot him. But the police didn't find the texts, so it was ruled an accident, which wasn't what you wanted. You contacted the police with a tip that Alan had been lured home by his wife."

"No, I never..." He trailed off. "I never did any of that."

"Which isn't what you were going to say." Olivia gave him that same piercing look. "You objected to the texts and the call. Those two things specifically."

Gabriel caught her eye and motioned.

She gave a long, slow nod. Then she said, "You broke in and stole Heather's phone to--"

"I never stole--I never did anything. You're crazy." He stepped back. "I'm leaving now, and if you try to stop me..."

He backed into Gabriel and then wheeled, brandishing the knife.

"Put the knife down, Keith," she said. "We're just talking. Warning you. We have proof that you were the person who broke into the Nansens' house, who came back twice more. Clearly, you were trying to spook her into buying--"

"I was only trying to spook them, okay? You know what they did to my wife. Not me. Them. That was my revenge. Scaring them."

"For murdering your beloved wife? Seems a little...underwhelming, don't you think?"

He glared at Olivia. "I hadn't decided what to do."

"Oh, I think you had. I think you'd decided to kill Heather Nansen to safeguard your secret. You're just a really, really shitty assassin. Three times you tried to get into the house. You only managed it once, but you kept coming back, hoping to silence her before another attack of conscience sent her to the police. Heather buying the gun and shooting her husband? That was a completely unexpected outcome."

"You have no idea what you're talking--"

"Keith Johnson," Olivia said. "You are guilty of the murder of Kathy Johnson." She lifted the gun. "Now run."

The color drained from Johnson's face. He took a slow step back.

"No..."

A snarl rippled from the forest, and the alpha hound shot out. Johnson spun. Then Lloergan burst from the trees on his left side. She was herding him, not stopping him, but when Johnson saw her--a smaller cwn, a disfigured cwn--he let out a howl of rage and charged. Lloergan stopped short, confused. Johnson kept charging, the knife raised.

"No!" Olivia shouted and ran at them.

Gabriel tackled Johnson. They grappled, and again, that knife sliced far too close to his face. He let Johnson swing it wildly and then grabbed his arm, pinning it before wrenching the knife away.