Page 48 of Wild Justice

“It is,” Jay confirmed. “And I only talked to her for a few minutes. That’s it.”

“You didn’t see her before or after that encounter?”

“No. I didn’t see Dana every day. Hell, I didn’t even talk to her every day. Maybe I talked to her…once a week? Maybe less? Like I said, we were trying to be friends.”

“Did she happen to mention to you what she’d done that day? Anywhere she might have been or anyone she might have talked to? I can’t seem to get any details before the sports bar.”

“She probably spent half the day sleeping,” Jay replied with a shrug. “When she works, she’s up until three or four in the morning. Sometimes later. She often doesn’t go to bed until breakfast time. If I were guessing, she probably slept until mid-afternoon. Puttered around the house and got ready for work. She sometimes stops into the sports bar to grab a quick meal before her shift.”

“That would certainly explain why no one saw her during the day,” Lulu said. “That was her usual routine?”

“As far as I know. I mean, I haven’t lived with her for two years. She could have changed it. I can’t say for sure.”

Bill was checked out looking at his phone, and Jay was relaxed enough to take a bite from his donut.

It might as well be now.

“Jay, when did you find out about Dana being pregnant? Was it that night at the sports bar?”

The poor guy practically choked on his chocolate frosted filled with bavarian cream, and Bill’s phone clattered on the table. The blood had drained from Jay’s face, and his eyes had turned into almost perfect circles. Bill, on the other hand, had turned red in the cheeks as he placed his hand on Jay’s shoulder to make sure he didn’t answer the question.

“Wait, wait,” Bill said. “I think we need to take a time out here. I’d like to speak to my client privately.”

“Of course, I’ll give you a moment.”

The Harper sheriff’s station didn’t have a fancy interview room like on television. There was no two-way glass, or a speaker that listened in to the room from the outside. She didn’t know what Jay and Bill were talking about, but she could hear their muffled whispers through the door.

“How much longer?” Deputy Steve asked. “They’re getting antsy. And by the way, that woman is kind of scary.”

“I think you can take her,” Lulu joked. “I don’t believe we’ll be much longer. Offer to order anything they want from the coffee shop. My treat.”

“Everyone loves those croissant sandwiches your brother makes.”

Actually, Chase had a helper in the mornings that did those, but this wasn’t the moment to reveal that fact.

“Whatever she wants,” Lulu assured him. “And her lawyer, too. Hell, turn onThePrice is Rightfor them. Make them feel at home.”

Steve disappeared back into the break room, and a moment later, the door to the interview room opened.

“I’ve spoken to my client,” Bill said. “He’s ready to make a statement.”

“Thank you.”

Lulu stepped back into the room, and it appeared that Jay hadn’t yet recovered from the shocking news. Some color had returned to his face, but he was still paler than usual.

But being surprised didn’t mean that he wasn’t a candidate to be the father. It only meant that Dana hadn’t told him yet.

At this point in the investigation, she didn’t know if there were other potential fathers. Perhaps Glen? Or some other mystery man that Dana had been keeping under wraps? Her gut was telling her that the latter was the more possible alternative, but she couldn’t ignore that Jay might have been cheating on Allie with his ex-wife. Sadly, she’d seen more tawdry relationships.

“You wanted to make a statement,” Lulu said, settling back into her chair across from Jay and Bill.

Jay looked at Bill for approval, and the older man nodded briefly.

“It’s okay. Just tell the truth,” Bill said.

“I didn’t know Dana was pregnant,” Jay said, his words all rushed out and pushed together. “I’m shocked. Really shocked. But then I think that I shouldn’t be. She’d made a few changes lately, and it all kind of makes sense now.”

“Changes?”

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