Down Home and Deadly

more minutes , then I told her about Bob calling.
    “Don’t you know he’s brokenhearted?” she said. “I remember how upset I was when Zac was a suspect in Hank’s murder.”
    “Me , too,” I admitted. “That’s all I can think about. It’s hard for me to feel an overabundance of sympathy for Lisa, but no parent should have to go through that.”
    “And sometimes it’s hard to know where to draw the line at protecting our children from pain.”
    I had a strange feeling my sister wasn’t talking about Bob and Lisa anymore. But I knew from experience that whatever was going on, she’d tell me when she was ready. And not a minute before.
    *****
    Gail was at the desk when I arrived at the gym the next morning.
    Her solemn face lit up when she saw me. “Jenna, what are you doing here?”
    “I just stopped by for a few minutes.” No need to tell her why I was here.
    “Guess you heard about Lisa?”
    I nodded. “Bob called me.”
    “Are you going to be here for a while? I get a break in about thirty minutes , and we could talk.”
    I shook my head. “I wish I could stay. I have some things I need to ask you, but right now I have to talk to Lisa then get on to the diner.” I headed toward the office, but she followed me down the hall.
    “Did he give you any details?” She looked around to make sure no one could hear us.
    “Not yet. I’ll be back to swim as soon as I get a free minute, and we can hash everything out.”
    She took the hint and went back to her post. As I neared the open door to the office , I could hear Lisa talking to someone.
    “They had to release me. I have an alibi.”
    It wasn’t because I was trying to eavesdrop that I stood outside the slightly open door. It was merely that I thought it would be bad manners to barge in when she was busy with someone else. Really.
    “A genuine alibi or one you conveniently set up?” a man’s voice snarled.
    “I told you just like I told John. Someone stole that gun. I’ve kept it here in the desk drawer for protection , just like you told me to.”
    The man’s voice was low , and I couldn’t hear his words.
    “Larry, I don’t know who else knew it was here or who took it ,” Lisa said. “ If I did , I’d tell the police . ”
    “Because we both know you’re so trustworthy?” the man roared.
    Finally feeling guilty about eavesdropping, especially now that I realized she was talking to her husband, I reached up to tap lightly on the door. It burst open away from my fingers , and I was face - to - face with a furious man I’d never seen before. “Get out!” Lisa screamed, unnecessarily it seemed, because the man nearly bowled me over in his haste to leave. The overpowering scent of Lisa’s perfume followed him out like a cloud.
    I stared after him. I’d always heard that L isa’s wealthy , older husband, Lawrence Hall, favored Ricardo Montalb á n during his Fantasy Island years. Today he looked more like the madman Ricardo played in The Wrath of Khan .
    “Oh , it’s you.”
    I spun around to face Lisa. “Yes, me.” She sounded less than thrilled , but maybe that was more an irritated residue of the argument than it was my presence.
    “What are you doing here?” she asked flatly.
    Ironic. That was the very question I’d been asking myself ever since I started down the hallway to the office. “Your dad asked me to come by . . . to see if I can help you sort out your problems.”
    “My boyfriend was murdered , and even though Daddy always acted like you could walk on water, I’m pretty sure you can’t do anything about raising the dead.”
    Ouch. I took a step backward. Mentally I was picturing myself saying, “ Sorry, Bob. I tried. ”
    “Other than that I only have one other problem.” She glanced toward the door that Larry had just stormed out of then back at me. “Make that two. Your friend, John , thinks I’m a murderer.”
    “Are you?”
    Her mouth dropped open. “No.”
    “Good. I didn’t think you were.”
    She sat down in the office chair and stared at me.
    I’d shocked her, but at least she’d stopped sniping at me for a minute. “So now that we have that out of the way, do you have any idea who might have wanted to kill J.D.?” I sat down in the chair across from the desk.
    She pursed her lips and shook her head.
    “I know this is hard, Lisa, but you’re going to have to help me. I just have a few questions—”
    She blew out her breath in disgust. “There’s nothing you can ask me