Page 32 of Wild Justice

“She’s seeing boogeymen behind the couch,” Lulu agreed with a smile. “I don’t want her man, but she wasn’t in the mood to hear that. But it makes you wonder what fantasies she’s built in her head about Dana.”

“She said she hated Dana when she and I were talking,” Kai replied. “She didn’t bother hiding it either. She told me that Dana had cheated on Jay with Glen Foster.”

“There was a rumor around town about that, but I never saw any proof. There are rumors about a lot of things, and most of them don’t amount to a pile of spit. Did she say anything else?”

“She said that she had an alibi. She and Jay spent the night at her house.”

“That’s interesting,” Lulu replied with a shake of her head. “Jay has a very different story. He said that he left Allie’s house about ten-thirty. He had to be up early for work.”

“Who do you believe?”

“At this moment? Neither of them. They could both be liars,” Lulu shot back. “I don’t believe an alibi until I can confirm it.”

“You’re a very cynical person, Lulu. Did anyone ever tell you that?”

“Not really. I think I’m just being a realistic investigator. I need evidence to prove someone is a killer - or that they’re not - so I’m looking for more than what someone said when I questioned them. I need facts. Provable facts.”

“Can I ask what else Bradford told you?”

“If I tell you, you can’t print it,” Lulu warned. “Because it’s inflammatory, and right now I don’t know what’s true and what’s not. I don’t want anyone’s life getting ruined because of this investigation.”

“Promise,” Kai said. “I won’t print it.”

“Jay said that Allie threatened Dana’s life. However,” she said with a hard tone. “I don’t know if he was telling the truth. He said she didn’t mean it, and it sounded like she might say stuff like that all the time. He also didn’t stonewall me much, almost immediately throwing his girlfriend to the wolves.”

“Are you the wolf in this scenario?”

“I am. Anyway, that’s why I want to talk to Allie. She needs to speak for herself. When she’s calmer.”

“Can you make her show up tomorrow for questioning?”

“I can make her be there, but I can’t make her answer any questions. She has the right to remain silent, and I respect that.”

Kai had the distinct feeling that Allie wasn’t going to cooperate in any way, shape, or form. But the woman did appear to have a strong motive and opportunity.

Was Dana killed because she was a romantic rival for Bradford’s affections? It was a theory that needed to be investigated.

8

“We’re here,” Lulu called out as she pushed open the door to Chase’s house. “Can we help?”

She and Henry were having dinner with her brother who had delusions of grandeur in the kitchen. He was pretty darn good, although she loved to give him a hard time about it.

He liked trying out new baking recipes for the coffeeshop, but now and then he liked to experiment with a savory dish. That’s where she and Henry came in. They were the guinea pigs. Luckily, there had only been a few times that Chase had made something inedible. Even he hadn’t been able to choke it down, so they’d all gone out for pizza instead.

“I’m in the kitchen,” Chase yelled. “Come join us.”

“Us?” Henry echoed. “Who else is here? I thought the rest of your family wasn’t coming tonight.”

“That’s what I thought, too.”

Chase now lived in their grandparents’ former home. Grandpa had died about five years ago, and Gran had passed on a few years later. Lulu’s dad and mom had said that it didn’t seem like Gran wanted to go on without her husband of more than sixty years.

There had been some arguments and tears about Chase taking over the home. He’d been adamantly against it, saying that the aunts and uncles should take it, and it would be disrespectful to live there. But Uncle Jason and his wife Aunt Sarah had moved to North Carolina about ten years ago to be closer to their grandkids, and Uncle Sam and Aunt Cindy only spent summers in Montana now. They spent the winters in Arizona, and they didn’t want a larger home to maintain anyway. Her parents had their own house that they were extremely happy with, and they didn’t want the hassle of moving.

Jason and Sarah had offered their home on the ranch to Lulu anytime she wanted to move back home. She’d taken them up on their offer, and was only waiting for furniture to be delivered so she could move in.

All of the family wanted someone living on the ranch even if they weren’t actively working it. Since Lulu and Bennett had been living outside of Montana at the time, that meant Chase. He still hadn’t been able to make many changes. Every time he tried, he’d get sentimental and change his mind. The both of them had spent so many wonderful times here with their grandparents.

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