Page 52 of Lost Hours
“Now?” she asked.
“We bought it together, but I’ve had some bad luck in getting enough clients for the business and needed money to live on. So he fronted me the money for my salary and took it off my share of the boat. By now, I figure he has to own all of it, or at least most of it.”
Something a solid businessman would know. “Did you buy the boat outright when you got it or did you finance it?”
“Finance, man. This baby cost more than two hundred grand, and I’ve never had that kind of cash. Or even half of it. So Ernie paid the deposit and financed it in his name. But we drew up a legal agreement stating our ownership details. I helped make the payment whenever the business income exceeded the salary we agreed on.”
“What happens to the boat in the event of Ernie’s death?” she asked.
“Now wait a minute.” He scowled. “You don’t mean you think I killed him so I could get the boat. Well, I didn’t. I don’t even know what’s in his will.”
“Were the two of you close?” Mina asked.
“Close? No, I wouldn’t say that. I saw him more when my sister was alive. After she died, we still got together for a beer every now and then, but we didn’t have much in common.”
“Not even fishing?” Nolan asked.
“Nope. Ernie didn’t like to fish.”
Unbelievable.“Then why in the world did he agree to buy a boat with you?”
“It was a business investment. A good one. Just a few miles offshore, we’ve got forty to a hundred twenty-five feet of water offering the best ocean-bottom fishing opportunities on the Oregon Coast. We were supposed to both make money on the deal. Wasn’t my fault that we haven’t. Just hasn’t gone my way.”
He clearly didn’t take responsibility for the business failure, but she didn’t think he killed his brother-in-law. “Do you have any idea of who might want to kill Ernie?”
He scratched his belly hanging over a tight belt. “Nah, everybody loved him. I suppose some nutso psycho who didn’t like his politics might’ve gone after him. After all, that’s happening all over the world today.”
He could have a valid point.
Mina got out her phone and displayed Smythe’s digital image. “Have you ever seen this man or do you know who he is?”
He studied the picture. “Nope. Never seen the guy before.”
“When was the last time you saw Ernie?”
“Hmm, I don’t remember exactly. Was one day a few weeks ago when I went into his office to talk about my finances.”
“Did he seem unusually concerned or preoccupied by anything?” she asked.
“Maybe a little, but he had a lot on his plate with his job, so I didn’t think much of it.”
“Do you know if he was dating anyone?” Nolan asked.
“Ernie?” Wade let out a boisterous laugh. “Nah, he was a one-woman man, and I don’t think he’d yet moved on from my sister. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that he’s gone.” Wade swung his head. “Guess I better find out about that will to see if I still have a job.”
And there, the man showed his true colors. More worried about his job than mourning the loss of his brother-in-law.
“We haven’t been able to contact Becca to let her know. Have you seen her lately?”
“Bex? Yeah. Last week. On our usual Wednesday night date that we’ve had since she was a kid. We had dinner together at the Rusty Hull. I can’t get enough of those hush puppies.”
“Did she mention that she was going on a trip, or did she seem to be troubled by anything?” Mina asked.
“No trip and no troubles.” Worry took over his expression, the first honest emotion she’d seen from him. “Is she okay?”
“Like I said. We haven’t been able to find her.”
“You’re looking for her though, right? I mean, yeah, you wanna find Ernie’s killer, but he isn’t going to get more dead. She could be hurt and need you.”
