Page 40 of Lost Hours
Daisy frowned. “I suppose that’s true.”
“Would you be willing to make a list of local friends and family Becca might have?” Mina asked. “The mayor’s close friends too. We’d like to follow up with them to see if they know where she is or would know a reason someone might want to kill the mayor.”
“I’ll get to it the moment you leave.” Daisy scribbled something on a pad next to her. “You should know. Ernie didn’t have many friends. No close ones that I can even think of. He hung out with his birdwatching club, but otherwise it was just Becca. Me and Roger, too, but we really didn’t do that much together.”
“He was such a social guy, that surprises me,” Mina said.
“He said he spent his entire day catering to people, and when he was off the clock, he just wanted to be alone or with Becca.”
“That makes sense.” Nolan laid a business card on her desk. “Can you take a picture of the list and text it to me at this phone number as soon as you complete it?”
“Of course.”
He rested his hands on the arms of the chair, but gripped them tightly. “Another strong motive behind murder is money. Did the mayor need money or borrow money from someone?”
Daisy puckered her lips. “I don’t know anything about that. He managed all of his personal affairs. Now if you want to know about the city finances, I can tell you all about that.”
That’s an area Mina hadn’t considered. “Is it possible that someone in a city office has been embezzling or siphoning money and the mayor discovered it?”
“Not that I know of.” Daisy tapped her finger on the desk. “I can’t think of anyone who had access to the funds who would be misusing them, but I suppose it’s possible.”
“Who has access to the money?” Nolan asked.
“Our treasurer, of course, and then our accountant.” She sat silently, her head tilted in question. “We have separation of duties to keep theft at bay. Our treasurer deposits the money and our accountant disperses it and pays the bills.”
“Has Mayor Sutton met with either of these people recently?” Nolan asked.
“Now that you mention it,” Daisy’s eyes brightened, and she sat forward, “He did have an appointment with our accountant early in the week. It seemed amiable though.”
“Could I get a copy of the last six months of budget reports for the city?” Mina asked, but didn’t add or even hint at the fact that she wanted them in case the mayor himself was dipping into the money.
“I’ll print them for you right now.” She clicked her computer mouse, tapped on the keyboard, and soon, the printer behind her was humming. “Anything else?”
“Has the mayor seemed off or out of sorts recently?” Nolan asked.
“Um, no.” She shook her head. “Not really. Everything seemed normal.”
“Has he had any unusual visitors lately or anyone you didn’t know or someone acting suspiciously?” Mina asked.
Daisy sighed and flipped through an appointment book. “I wish I could be more help, but no. No one in here that I didn’t know and everyone seemed normal.”
She shoved her chair back with extra force as if frustrated and grabbed the reports from the printer. She straightened the pages with a vigorous tap, then laid them on the corner of her desk. “The reports you want. If you need anything else, just ask.”
Mina swiped to the sketch of Smythe on her phone and held it out. “Has this man been in here or have you seen him before?”
Daisy gave the screen a careful study. “I’m sure I haven’t seen him here, and I don’t remember seeing him out on the street or anything.” She furrowed her brow. “Since he’s not one of the locals, are you also looking outside of town for the person who killed him?”
“We are,” Mina said. “Is there someone outside of Lost Lake who you might consider a suspect?”
She opened her mouth, then closed it to tap her finger on the desk again. “Maybe, but not really. Still, I should mention that Ernie dealt with mayors from other cities and of course other county officials. He seemed to have a good relationship with all of them, except for the mayor of Seaside Harbor. They had a rivalry going, but far as I know, it was friendly.”
Mina jotted downSeaside Harbor Mayor.“Do you know of any locals who own handguns and are proficient in shooting them?”
Daisy shook her head. “You would know more about it than me. I stay away from things like that.”
“We might as well rule you out as a suspect right now,” Mina said. “Where were you yesterday between three and five?”
“Here. A few people stopped by during that time and can vouch for the fact that I was here. Not that I need anyone to vouch for me. You know I would never kill Ernie.” She wrinkled her nose. “Lands’ end! What am I saying? I’d never killanyone.”
