Page 36 of Lost Hours
“We need to contact her employer,” Gabe said. “Her friends, family, and acquaintances too. See if she’s visiting any of them or find out when they saw her last or if they know anything about the murder.”
“Or if they know of a reason why anyone would want to hurt her.” El dropped her fork on the plate. “We should especially be aware that the majority of women who go missing and are found murdered are killed by someone they know or are having a romantic relationship with.”
“If she’s typical of someone her age,” Hayden said. “she’ll have social media accounts. I can review those and make a list of people we should contact.”
“Also,” El said. “If she’s simply out of town and unaware of what’s going on, her socials could give us an instant take on what she’s doing right now.”
“I’ll make the friends list,” Hayden said. “But it would be best if someone else reviewed her posts so I can concentrate on the deep dives.”
“You’re the resident charmer, Jude,” Reece said. “You should follow up on the list in person or on a phone call. You might as well check the posts too.”
“That would be my dear friend Reece Waters calling me out.” Jude laughed. “She was with ATF. I’m Jude French, once an FBI agent. You already heard that I can be charming, but you should know Reece is our go-to weapons expert, so you don’t want to make her mad.”
Reece punched him in the arm. “Trust me. He’s far more dangerous than I am. He’ll charm you into something before you know what hit you or make a joke of it.”
He beamed a smile at Reece. “And yet you love me.”
“I do, but I’m not proud of it and will deny it outside of this room.” She laughed.
Nolan was about to apologize for his team’s banter at such a serious time, but the group, including Mina and El, laughed too.
When the laughter died down, Reece cleared her throat. “Becca could be on a business trip. Who does she work for?”
“The county as a social worker,” Mina said. “So it’s not likely she’s out of town unless it’s for training.”
“I’d be glad to see what her supervisor knows,” Reece offered.
Nolan recorded that on the board.
“Something no one has mentioned,” Gabe said. “What if she saw her father gunned down, and she took off, fearing for her own life? Went into hiding somewhere.”
“Good point,” Nolan said. “Hayden, search for any connected properties where she might’ve gone into hiding.”
“The mayor doesn’t own any other property,” Mina said. “Or if he does, he’s never mentioned it, and I’ve never heard anyone else talk about it.”
“Still, look into it, Hayden,” Nolan said. “And then look for secluded properties belonging to any friends or family that she might’ve gone to in the past or when she was a kid. Somewhere she might feel safe.”
“There’ll be friends, maybe family, who won’t be on social media who might know her whereabouts,” Mina said. “I think the best person to make a list like that would be the mayor’s assistant, Daisy. I’ll ask her to give us the same list for Mayor Sutton.”
“We have, of course, put out an alert for her and her vehicle,” El said. “And I’ve already checked with hospitals. No one fitting her description.”
“How likely do we really think it is that she’s just away?” Hayden asked.
“Her car is gone, but her suitcases are in her closet,” Nolan answered, thinking back to his search of her bedroom. “But she could just be gone for the night and took a tote bag or backpack. And if abducted, her captor could’ve taken her car.”
“So fifty-fifty odds, you think?” Hayden asked.
“I’m more leaning toward abduction,” Mina said and shared the 911 call. “The call came in the window of the mayor’s time of death. The female caller said, ‘He’s gone crazy. Has a gun,’ which could easily apply here.”
Hayden scowled. “If it was from her thatdoeschange things.”
“But we can’t prove it, so it’s just speculation again,” Gabe said.
“So back to the hospitals.” Abby leaned forward. “Abby Day, former sheriff. Did your hospital check include the morgue?”
El nodded, but looked a bit put out over the suggestion that she wouldn’t have been thorough.
“We should also canvass the neighborhood,” Mina said. “Not that Becca lives in much of a neighborhood—her property is very secluded—but perhaps someone on the roads nearby caught the killer on their security camera. And we need to do a detailed daylight search of the area too.”
