Page 56 of Wild Justice

“I did. He didn’t care. Allie makes him feel needed, and that’s what he wants. It’s not going to end well, but what can I do? He won’t listen to reason.”

“Do you think Jay still loved Dana enough that he wouldn’t want anyone else to have her if he couldn’t?”

“If you’re asking me if Jay could have killed Dana, the answer is no. He wouldn’t do it.”

“And Allie?”

“Now that’s a different story altogether.”

“Did Allie threaten Dana that night at the sports bar?”

“Yes, but she’s done that before, so I didn’t think anything of it. She seems to think that Dana wants Jay back, which is not the reality. But Allie isn’t all that concerned with reality,” Glen replied. “I think deep down, Allie knew that Jay still had feelings for Dana. If you’re asking if Allie is capable of killing Dana, my answer would have to be yes. I don’t like to throw the word around, but she’s crazy. One day, she started to scream and pull her hair out because Jay and I were watching a football game on television.”

“What did you do?”

“Leave,” Glen shot back. “I hit the bricks and didn’t look back. I offered to take Jay with me on my way out, but he didn’t want to go. He just caved and did whatever she wanted so she’d stop. I don’t play that game. I was out of there.”

Jay and Allie’s relationship, frankly, sounded like a nightmare. An unhealthy, dysfunctional nightmare. They both desperately needed to be needed, and somehow, they’d found each other. Whether that was a recipe for long-term happiness, Lulu didn’t know. She could call Colt and ask him. He was the one with all the psychological knowledge.

That reminded her that she needed to call Brianna. They hadn’t talked since she started the job, although Brianna had sent a lovely card, congratulating her. It wasn’t like them to go too long without talking.

“Listen,” Glen went on. “I don’t mean to sound like I don’t like Allie. I’m sure she has some good qualities. I just haven’t seen them. Did she kill Dana? Probably not. But she’s not mentally healthy, and I think it’s something she could do. She blamed Dana for everything bad in her life. If it rained on her picnic, somehow it was Dana’s fault. Know what I mean?”

“I do. Thank you for talking to me today. By the way, where were you after you left the sports bar that night?”

“I’ve been seeing a woman over in Corville,” Glen replied with a smug grin. “She and I closed down a little bar near her house, and then I spent the night there. She can vouch for me along with about twenty other people at the bar. We were there until about two. I didn’t kill Dana. I didn’t have any reason to.”

Lulu thanked Glen for his time and headed back to her SUV. If anything, this visit had strengthened her suspicions about Allie. She had a strong motive, stronger than anyone else’s.

It was time to find out about her alibi. Was she lying - again - or had she been home all night with her roommate?

Next stop Kathleen Meadows.

15

“Want some company?”

Kai was sitting in the coffeeshop, working on his lunch of a sandwich and iced tea. He’d been deep in thought about the investigation, not hearing Henry approach his table.

“Sure, have a seat,” Kai offered.

He liked Henry. The guy seemed to have a genuine and honest vibe, and he cared a great deal about Lulu. If Kai’s relationship with her was going to have any sort of future, it would be a good idea to get along with her close friends.

There were things he didn’t know about Henry, of course. The man had already hinted about them, but Kai wasn’t the type to dig deeply into personal and delicate issues unless he was invited.

“Thanks, I didn’t want to walk over there.” Henry nodded toward the corner of the coffeeshop. “Lisa is here, and I don’t want to get into it with her.”

Kai glanced in the direction Henry indicated. Lisa was an attractive woman, chatting animatedly with two other female friends. So far, it didn’t seem like she’d noticed that Henry was here. Where Kai was seated was blocked by several other tables, but if she looked in their direction…

She’d probably see them.

“Are you going to ask me questions about it?”

Henry appeared amused that Kai hadn’t jumped on the subject. Did he get those sorts of questions all the time? That had to get old after a while.

“I wasn’t planning to.”

Henry was openly laughing now.

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