Page 35 of Wild Wolf
Jack and I drove up to Rock Island and pulled into the gravel lot of the freestanding steel building that had a blue awning. The place was surrounded by a chain-link fence topped with razor wire. A few work trucks were parked in the lot, dusty and covered with grime. There was a small concrete mixer and a generator on a trailer. A couple flatbed trucks for hauling lumber and other items were parked in the lot.
We hopped out and walked into the small lobby that had a few chairs, a reception desk, and a plastic plant in the corner for ambiance.
Loretta sat behind the desk and greeted us with a smile as we stepped inside. "Good afternoon, gentlemen. How can I help you?"
I flashed my badge and leaned against the counter. "How's your day going?"
"It was going pretty good until you showed up. Something tells me it might take a turn."
I chuckled. "Now, why would you think that?"
"I don't know. You two look like trouble.”
I laughed again.
JD pointed a thumb at me. "He's a troublemaker."
I looked at him like he was crazy.
"What can I do for you, gentlemen?"
"I'm sure you're aware, but Hannah Quinn was murdered last night.”
A look of disdain curled her lips. "I heard something about that, but if you're looking for sympathy, you're not going to find it here."
"I didn't think we would.”
"I'm gonna save you some time and trouble. I didn't kill her. Though I sure thought about it a few times.”
"Care to tell me where you were between 9 and 11:00 PM last night?”
"I was at home." Her brow crinkled with concern. "Do I need an attorney?”
"Just standard questions, ma'am."
She scowled at me. "Standard, my ass. I'm a suspect because of our history.”
"I'm pretty familiar with your history, but I'd like to hear your version of it.”
She hesitated a moment, then exhaled. "That woman killed my daughter. She wasn't paying attention, and now my daughter is dead. There's no way to bring her back. And apparently, there is no way to get justice. Maybe karma finally decided to serve justice. But you know what, knowing she's dead doesn't really make me feel any better. It doesn't bring my daughter back.”
"Sounds like you’ve got quite the motive."
"I'm not going to deny that. But I'm sure I'm not the only one that had it in for Hannah Quinn. I got the impression that she wasn't well-liked in the community.”
“Can anybody verify your whereabouts last night?”
“Well, I live with my turtles and my cats. Unless you can get something out of them, you’re gonna have to take my word for it.”
"When was the last time you had any contact with Hannah?”
"I don't think I’ve had any direct contact with her in a number of years. Not since the civil suit was dismissed, and then I only communicated with her through the attorneys. It wasn't about the money. No amount of money would bring my daughter back. I just wanted vindication in a court of law. I wanted someone else to know that she was guilty. She was distracted. I lost two people I loved that day. Frank never recovered after that. He drank himself to death.” Loretta shook her head. "That woman destroyed my life. So, forgive me gentlemen, but you're not going to get any tears here.”
The phone rang.
“Coconut Construction and Remodeling, how can I help you?” she said in a cordial tone. "One moment, please." She pressed a button, putting the caller on hold, then addressed us. "As you can see, gentlemen, I need to get back to work. If you have any more questions, get in touch with my attorney.”
“What size shoe do you wear?”
