Page 38 of Lost Hours
“He’s been shot,” she said, unable to say right off the bat that he’d been murdered.
Daisy leapt to her feet. “So he’s in the hospital? I need to get over there.”
Nolan held up his hand. “Wait. He’s not at the hospital.”
“He’s not de…” Her eyes flashed open. “Oh my goodness. He’s dead, right?”
“Yes,” Mina said, wishing there had been a better way to deliver this shocking news.
Daisy fell back in her chair. “But that can’t be. Who would want to shoot him? Everybody loves Ernie. Just everybody.”
“Apparently not.” Nolan offered a sincere look. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Daisy. I know you were close to Mayor Sutton.”
“Close?” Her voice rose. “He was like family. He and my Roger were best friends. How am I going to tell Roger?”
“I know you’ll find a way,” Mina said.
“Yes, I suppose I’ll have to.” She seemed to deflate in resignation of the news.
Mina hated to push her at a time like this, but Daisy would want the mayor’s killer brought to justice. “We have a few questions for you, and then you should go home to tell Roger before he hears about it via the grapevine. If you’re not up to driving, we can escort you home, if you’d like.”
“Yes. Yes.” Tears glistened in her eyes, and she reached for a tissue on her desk, but they were too far away.
Nolan grabbed the box and walked around the back of the desk. He squatted next to her and held them out. She wiped the tears now rolling over wrinkled cheeks, then lowered her hands to the arms of her antique wooden chair.
“I really am sorry, Daisy.” Nolan patted her hand. “Is there anything else I can do to help besides take you home?”
“Aren’t you just the sweetest.” She offered a wobbly smile and looked up at Mina. “Isn’t he just the best?”
Mina nodded, and she really meant it. As he and Daisy chatted about ways to break the news to Roger, Mina drifted off to the past. The Nolan she’d known that summer was exactly the kind of guy who would take Daisy’s hand and offer to help her. To offer her advice and let her talk through her pain. But the Nolan who walked out on her wasn’t that kind of person. So which one was he really?
Could she trust him? Could she believe that he’d left her a note?
She had to do something to regain her ability to trust men. Even with a father and two brothers who were faithful husbands, she couldn’t find it in her heart to trust any guy who wanted to date her.
If she didn’t find a way to get over the betrayal, she would remain single for the rest of her life. Maybe a good thing. For her career anyway. Being a sheriff and a mom at the same time could have its challenges.
Or not. She just didn’t know.
She could go over to Tommy’s house and ask to look through his things. If Nolan really had given the note to Tommy, maybe he’d kept it for some reason. She wouldn’t want to stir up any pain for his mother, but surely she would allow Mina to search his room.
Not now though. When she had some free time. Right now she had a killer, perhaps an abductor to find. That meant they had to question Daisy, but she was fragile, and Mina had to be sensitive.
“When was the last time you saw the mayor?” she asked.
Daisy didn’t hesitate. “Yesterday afternoon around one o’clock. He left for a late lunch but didn’t come back to the office.”
Nolan released her hand and stood. “Was he supposed to return?”
“No. He didn’t have any additional appointments and said he wouldn’t be back for the rest of the day.”
“Was that unusual for him to leave so early?” Nolan asked.
“Normally I would say yes. He was usually still here at five-thirty when I left for the day, five days a week.” Daisy sniffled. “Many days even later. There were times I’ve gone out to dinner with Roger and saw the lights on here when we drove by on the way home.” She shook her head. “We’ll never have another mayor as dedicated as Ernie was.”
Mina agreed, but she couldn’t let that distract her. “But that changed lately?”
Daisy nodded. “He left early at least one day a week for… I don’t know…the past two months, I’d say. He made it clear that I shouldn’t question where he was going. Out of respect for him, I never did.”
