Page 82 of Wild Justice

“I admire your optimism regarding our fellow man. I wish I shared it. So, if you were to continue looking into Allie where would you start? You can’t change her motive. It is what it is. What about the pipe found in her closet? That’s something that could be manipulated by another person. Who else had access to Allie’s apartment?”

This was where Lulu’s mind had been going since Allie’s arrest.

Others couldn’t change Allie’s behavior regarding Jay Bradford. They also couldn’t change the fact that Allie had been out driving that night - unless they’d lured her into doing it, but Allie hadn’t said that it had been anyone else’s idea.

It was only the murder weapon that could be played with in some way.

“Exactly,” Lulu agreed. “Why on earth would Allie store a murder weapon in her closet? I know, I know. Stop thinking with logic. But come on…even a panicking killer would think to toss the pipe in the lake, never to be found hopefully. Getting rid of the pipe in the lake is the only reasonable explanation for moving Dana’s body there, although they could have thrown the pipe in the lake and left Dana in her garage. Once again, their logic escapes me. Would you store a murder weapon in your closet?”

“I’ll admit that it seems like a dumb move,” Kai replied. “Allie knew she was a suspect. Even after being questioned, she didn’t think to move it or get rid of it in some way.”

“Maybe she thought the police were watching her.”

“Whose side are you on?” Kai joked.

“Just playing devil’s advocate with my own theories. I don’t want you to humor me. Tell me if I’ve wandered into stupid territory.”

“A life in prison is on the line,” Kai said. “I don’t think you can be too careful. So, who did have access to Allie’s apartment?”

“Her roommate, but she didn’t have a motive,” Lulu replied.

“That we know of.”

“True, but I’m going on what we know. Jay probably had access, I’m guessing. Even if he didn’t have a key, he’s probably been there. No one would think it strange for him to be visiting her. He could have snuck off to the bathroom and hid the pipe in the closet. I’m just not sure how strong a motive he had. If what Dana’s friend says is true, he still had feelings for her.”

“I think we have to take that with a grain of salt,” Kai said. “We don’t know for sure that he did. But what about a maintenance person or Allie’s landlord? Wouldn’t they have access?”

“They would, but they don’t have a motive. Unless they were working with someone who did.”

“You’ve always thought that this might be a two-person job. Maybe our killer has an accomplice. Someone who helped him or her carry Dana’s body that night. Someone willing to help cover their crimes. But if we’re open to that theory, we have to be open to another. The accomplice might be Allie’s, and she was double-crossed. She thought she had an ally, but instead, they helped point the finger at her to the police.”

“With friends like that, who needs enemies?”

“There’s no honor among thieves,” Kai quoted. “That may have been the plan all along.”

“You’re giving someone a lot of credit here, when you warned me that criminals don’t always use logic.”

“You’re right,” Kai agreed. “But someone might have spent some time thinking this through, not under any pressure at all. Right now, we have four possible people who could have been Allie’s accomplice - her roommate Kathleen, her boyfriend Jay Bradford, a maintenance man, and a possible landlord, although that could be one and the same as the maintenance person. Who else might have access to Allie’s apartment?”

“Pest control?” Lulu suggested. “And any of Kathleen or Allie’s friends, too. It might be a long list. Maybe even neighbors.”

“Sounds like they need to be checked out one by one,” Kai replied.

The district attorney might be satisfied they had the right person, but Lulu still had some doubt. When they returned to town, she was going to dig a little bit into the unanswered questions.

Just to be sure.

23

“Loosen up, Lulu. Have some fun.”

Lulu shouldn’t have come here tonight. She and Kai had been convinced by Chase and Henry to come out for a quick drink now that they had returned to town. They’d hit the barbecue joint for dinner, and then headed to one of the local watering holes. One of Chase’s friends from his high school years had a band, and they were playing tonight.

The band was pretty good, too, playing covers of famous rock songs. They were good musicians, and the lead singer had a good voice. People were dancing and even singing along to a few songs, and Chase had chided her for not letting loose a bit.

“You should be celebrating,” he said. “I’ve seen you dance on top of a bar in your favorite cowboy boots on a far less happy occasion than finding a killer. What’s going on?”

Lulu didn’t regret her wild and woolly ways - much - but she liked to think that perhaps she’d matured a bit over time. Dancing on top of a bar was fun, but it didn’t seem like something that a sheriff should do.

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