Page 30 of Wild Justice

“Glen Foster is my next stop,” she warned him. “He heard what Allie said. He’ll tell me. And then you and I, and probably Allie, will have to have another conversation. We can do that, or you can just tell me. Either way, there were witnesses, Jay. People saw and heard what went on. I’ll find someone who will tell me.”

Jay’s head fell forward, and his fingers scraped through his hair, making it stand on end.

“She said that if Dana didn’t stay away from me, she’d kill her.”

The words were muffled, and Lulu couldn’t see his face, but she could make out the words just fine.

“Allie threatened Dana with bodily harm?”

“No,” Jay said as his head jerked up, his eyes wide with alarm. “No, she was just mad. She’d never hurt Dana. Once I calmed her down, everything was fine.”

“Where were you and Allie last night?”

“After dinner, we went to see a movie in Springwood. After, we went to her house, and I stayed about an hour. I drove home about ten-thirty or so.”

“Can anyone corroborate that?”

“People saw us at the movie,” Jay replied. “But after that, no. I did call Glen when I got home if that helps.”

“And you stayed home? All night?” Lulu pressed. “No runs to the convenience store? No late-night wandering?”

“No, after talking to Glen, I went to bed. I had to be up early this morning.”

“And Allie? Did you talk to her after you left her house?”

“I sent her a text when I got home. She likes me to do that. And she sent me a ‘good morning’ text this morning about seven which I answered.”

Lulu would check with Jay’s neighbors as to when he came home. They might remember, especially if they were the type in everyone’s business. She’d also check for doorbell video.

For JayandAllie. Right now, the girlfriend had to be on the top of Lulu’s suspect list. She’d threatened to kill Dana just hours before the actual murder.

Could it be this simple? Ask a few questions and get a suspect. It seemed almost too easy, but then she remembered her dad and uncles talking about how most criminals weren’t brain trusts.

Next stop? Allie.

But Jay wasn’t off the list yet. Despite acting reluctant, he’d thrown his girlfriend under the bus when questioned. He’d folded pretty darn quickly, too.

Was Jay using his girlfriend to cover for himself? Or was he the innocent boyfriend caught in the middle of his ex-wife and his current partner?

Lulu didn’t knowwhat to expect when the girlfriend Allie stepped into the house, but the woman was already mad as hell. She hadn’t even asked a question yet. Had Kai said something to her while he was waiting on the porch? Did he routinely piss people off wherever he went?

She’d have to keep an eye on him.

“I can’t believe you talked to her,” Allie berated Jay, tossing a bag of groceries on the kitchen table along with her purse and keys. “Are you crazy? She wants to put you in prison. That’s what cops do. They twist your words all around until you’re behind bars.”

“I’m not looking to put innocent people behind bars,” Lulu said, her tone firm. “What I am interested in is finding the truth.”

“The truth?” Allie spat out. “I seriously doubt that.”

“Honey, calm down,” Jay said, reaching out to pat his girlfriend’s shoulder, but she shrugged him off. “Lulu just asked me a few questions about Dana. That’s it. She has a few questions for you, too. Just talk to her, and then we can all move on from this.”

“Talk to her? I’m not talking to her,” Allie replied, her voice going up an octave. “Not without my lawyer there. She wants to put you or me into prison for that slut. Who cares who killed her? I don’t, and you shouldn’t either.”

What a sweetheart. A people-kind of person. What does she do for a living? Foreclose on homes?

“You’re not helping yourself here,” Lulu said. “I only have a few questions. We don’t need this to become adversarial.”

“I don’t care,” Allie shot back, her face red with anger. “You need to leave him alone. You probably want him for yourself. I’ve heard about you. You’re not any different than Dana?—”

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