Chapter 40
Allison woke up refreshed after the evening with Paula. She could hardly remember the last time she’d enjoyed an evening out in the past year.
After a good night’s sleep, her mind was sharp and she was organized and focused. She called Detective Derning but got no answer. She left a brief message and asked him to call her back when he had time. It didn’t take long.
“Hi, Allison. Detective Derning. I was on another call. What can I do for you?”
“Good morning, Detective. I have a quick question. I received a call yesterday from Mary Ann Mallory. She told me she was Sean’s cousin in California.”
“Yes, Allison, she’s the one I got in touch with after Sean died.”
“Okay. I wanted to ask your opinion about something she said. She told me she was the only family Sean had, and that
