Her brow crinkled with annoyance. “Can you tell me what business that is of yours?”
“It’s none of my business. I just assumed he’s got you on a cocktail of pills.”
“Not a cocktail. Two. Something for depression and anxiety.”
I shared a subtle look with JD.
“Oh, so that makes me a killer now? I’m mentally unstable? Is that what you’re getting at?”
I raised my hands in surrender. “I’ve offended you. I’m sorry. These are just questions we ask everyone. Regardless of your feelings toward your father, we need to find out who killed him.The more information we have, the better. I’m sure that’s not hard for you to understand.”
“No,” she said, softening. “I get it.”
"Can you tell me where you were last night between 10:00 PM and midnight?”
Her annoyed brow tightened. “Where do you think I was?”
"I don’t know. As much as I’d like to be, I’m not a psychic,” I said in a casual tone, not too snarky. “We’re just trying to get a picture of where everybody was at the time of the murder.”
Her eyes narrowed at me. "I was here at my apartment.”
"Can anyone else verify that?”
"No. I was alone last night. In case you haven't been keeping up on current events, I'm not the most social person in the world. I don't have a boyfriend. My father stole that ability from me. How can I trust any man if I can't trust my own father?”
It was a disturbing truth.
"Tell me about Hunter. What was his relationship like with your father?”
14
Hailey scoffed. “Relationship? My father didn’t have a relationship with Hunter. My father used Hunter as a verbal punching bag, berating him constantly, always comparing him to Christian. It was just another form of abuse. Nothing Hunter did was ever good enough for my father. Is it any wonder he turned to drugs and alcohol? Dad would say he was just trying to set a high bar, but it was unrealistic.” Her eyes filled, and the tears spilled over. “Mom turned a blind eye to all of it. She never wanted to admit any of it was happening, but she knew. I know she knew.” Her jaw tightened. “I hate them both!”
She broke down into sobs, standing there in the doorway of her apartment.
JD and I shared an awkward glance.
It was a heartbreaking story.
“Can you think of anyone who may have wanted to harm your father?”
She looked at me like it was a ridiculous question, and it probably was. “Something tells me you’re going to have a lot of suspects.”
I dug into my pocket and handed her a card. “Please get in touch if you think of anything that might be helpful.”
She laughed. “Right now, I’m rooting for the bad guy.”
“Fair enough,“ I said.
“It seems like you and your brother stand to inherit most of your father’s estate.”
Her jaw clenched tight again, and her cheeks reddened. “We both deserve it after all we’ve been through. But I don’t want or need his money.”
Something told me she was going to take it, nonetheless. It all spends the same.
“Do you know where we can find your brother?”
“Why? So you can harass him too?”
