Page 17 of Wild Wolf
“I left and went next door to see the kids.”
"Through the back door?" I asked.
Carolyn nodded.
"Did you step in any blood?”
Her shoulders rose and fell. "It's possible. I tried not to.”
"Let me see the soles of your shoes.”
She showed me. There was no blood on her shoes or clothing. You couldn’t have stabbed someone this many times and not gotten covered in blood.
“I’ll need contact information for Grant,” I said.
She nodded and dug out her phone. I handed her a card. Carolyn texted the info.
"Is there anyone else that she was at odds with?” I asked.
Carolyn thought about it for a moment. "I’m not really sure. Hannah could be a strong personality.”
“In what way?”
“She wasn’t always easy to get along with. She liked things her way.”
“How was your relationship?”
“Oh, we could fight like anyone else. But at the end of the day, I’d have taken a bullet for that woman.” She paused. “You should talk to Scout Carrington.”
“Who’s that?”
“Hannah’s best friend. She might be able to tell you more about her feud with Sutton.”
“Feud?”
“That damn pumpkin carving contest.”
JD and I shared a look.
Carolyn‘s eyes rounded with recognition. “Oh my God, I didn’t even think about that. The pumpkin!” Her mind processed everything. “Do you think Sutton came over here, and they got into an argument?”
"Tell me more about Sutton.”
"Well, Scout can tell you more than I can. She'll know all the details. But you know how the Stingray Bay women are. They're always trying to one-up each other. That pumpkin carving contest has become a major deal. The way these women brag about the trophy, you’d think it was an Olympic gold medal.” Carolyn gave a disapproving look. "You'd think they'd have better things to occupy their time with, but some of these women have too much money and too much time—and not enough attention from their husbands, if you know what I mean.”
JD and I waited for her to continue.
"There was some big brouhaha about the contest last year. Everybody thought Sutton was going to win. Then something happened to her pumpkin. Some drunk guy stumbled onto her carving table, knocked the pumpkin to the ground, and it did what pumpkins do when they hit concrete. It split open. Ruined her creation. She blamed Hannah. Said she paid the guy to do it on purpose. Accused my sister of bribing judges. You know, nonsense like that. Ever since then, those two have been at each other's throats.” Carolyn's eyes filled again. "Maybe Sutton took it too far.”
"You have contact information for Sutton?”
"I don't. That's not a bitch that I like to talk to.”
I thanked her for her cooperation.
We interviewed the kids individually, but they didn't have much to add. Obviously, still traumatized by the event, they were in a daze. I asked if their father had been by the house, and neither said they had seen him.
Both children had blood on the soles of their shoes from when they discovered their mother. It explained the multiple sizes and tread patterns. There wasn’t any blood spatter on the tops of their shoes. I didn’t think the kids were responsible. That was something too heinous to even consider.
