Page 27 of Wild Justice

“I was dating Todd. I am sorry.”

She didn’t have any memory of Kenny asking her out. None. Zip. If he’d asked her, he’d been vague as all hell.

“It all worked out because I started dating Kate Watson. We’ve got two kids now. So, what are you doing here? Does your car need work?” His eyes widened as she realized the reason on his own. “Oh, right. Jay was married to Dana. You were looking for him. Is he a suspect? Do you know who did this yet?”

“He’s not a suspect,” Lulu rushed to answer. She didn’t need gossip like that making the rounds. “We just needed to talk to him about Dana. If he knew anything about her friends, her daily habits. That sort of thing. It’s more of a fact-finding mission.”

“They haven’t been married for a couple of years, you know,” Kenny said. “But they stayed pretty friendly. Until Jay started dating Allie, of course. She’s a jealous one. Didn’t like Dana one bit. She said she hated her. Poor Jay was caught in the middle. I felt for the guy. You know, for a while there we thought he and Dana might reconcile, but then Allie came along. It was too bad because Dana was a hell of a lot of fun. Just like you, Lulu. Allie seems like she’s got a stick?—”

“Kenny,” a voice hollered, interrupting whatever he was going to say. “It’s time for your shift. Let’s go.”

It was the manager who was yelling from the doorway to the shop. He was scowling at Kenny as if the other man had done something wrong.

Interesting.

“Duty calls,” Kenny replied cheerfully. “It was nice seeing you again, Lulu.”

“Looks like Kenny’s getting an earful,” Kai said as they watched Kenny through the large picture window go into the office with the manager.

“It does. I’ll say it again. What does Jay have to hide?”

“Maybe it’s the manager who has something to hide, not Jay.”

Lulu would keep him on her mental list of people that she’d probably want to talk to again. In the meantime, they needed to find Jay Bradford.

What would he have to say about Dana? Had they been on the road to patching up their marriage?

And what about Allie? Lulu wanted to talk to someone who “hated” Dana.

Enough to kill her?

7

Kai had been watching Lulu’s expression when she’d talked with Kenny at the auto body garage. When the man had mentioned that Lulu wasfun, she’d flinched. Just a little. Most people wouldn’t have even noticed, but Kai had spent his years as an attorney studying body language.

Studying how people held themselves, where they put their hands, and other behaviors like that had given him an edge when it came to dealing with people. Were they lying? Were they telling the truth? Were they even listening?

She’d had a physical reaction to Kenny’s statement. Even Kai, who hadn’t grown up in Harper, and had only visited in the summer, knew that Lulu had a bit of a wild reputation. He’d always thought she was spontaneous and a little bit of a daredevil. He also didn’t think those were negative traits. Frankly, he wished he had more of that for himself. He was careful and watchful by nature, taking his time to make a decision.

It had made him a good student and attorney, and even a good journalist. But it made him wonder if perhaps he was…boring.

“Remember, if Jay says that you can’t be there when I talk to him, you can’t stay,” Lulu said as they walked up the driveway.

Jay Bradford lived in a small Craftsman-style home in a newer neighborhood on the east side of town. The lots weren’t large, but they were all neat as a pin and well cared for. Jay’s house was painted a dark green with bright white trim. Two rocking chairs and a small table sat on the front porch along with several potted plants.

“Got it,” Kai replied. “I won’t go if I’m not wanted. I do appreciate you bringing me along.”

“I’m probably crazy for doing it,” Lulu sighed as she knocked on the front door.

“Maybe you secretly like working with someone,” Kai suggested.

“I don’t think that’s it.”

“Or maybe it’s my charm and sense of humor.”

Luckily - for him - Lulu didn’t get a chance to answer. The door opened, and a resigned Jay Bradford stood on the other side. He had to have been anticipating this visit once he heard about the murder of his ex-wife.

“Hi, Jay. I can see that you heard about Dana. I’m so sorry for your loss. Can I talk with you? I have a few questions.”

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