Page 43 of Lost Hours
Mina stuck her foot in it to stop him. “It’s not quite that simple, Mr. Palmer. The Lost Lake mayor was murdered, and his body was found in your mansion last night.”
Palmer took a step back but otherwise seemed unfazed by the shocking news. “I guess that’s why she was calling me then.”
“Seems so,” Mina said. “I’ve reviewed the contract. It’s in the name of Smythe Fitzwilliam. Does that name ring a bell with you?”
Palmer shook his head.
Mina displayed the sketch of Smythe. “Have you ever seen this man before?”
Looking bored now, Palmer shook his head again. Nolan itched to tell him an honorable man had been murdered and demand Palmer pay better attention. That wouldn’t end well if they wanted his cooperation, so he shoved his hands into his pockets instead.
“All of the information in the contract is bogus,” Mina stated. “What do you do to confirm contracts, if anything?”
“After the credit card for a reservation deposit goes through, Harmony calls the provided contact number to confirm they’re the signed renters. She then talks with the renter about their specific needs.”
“But you don’t do any kind of background check to be sure they’re legitimate?” Nolan asked, trying not to sound testy.
“As long as their credit card goes through and the balance is paid before the event begins, we’re good.”
Mina let out a long breath, her frustration obvious. “We’ll be needing the credit card information for this reservation.”
“Like I said, Harmony handles all of that. You’ll have to get it from her.”
Mina took a hard stance in front of the man and handed him her business card. “You don’t seem to understand.You’llget that credit card information for me and text it to my phone number within an hour, or I’ll arrest you for obstruction of justice.”
Nolan knew she couldn’t do that as Palmer had given her a way to get the information. For that matter, he could demand a warrant for it, but if this worked, Nolan was all for it.
He sniffed the air as if it was foul, but nodded. “Have your little tantrum, but I assure you it isn’t necessary. I’ll be sure you have the information within the hour.”
“And you need to stop by my office before noon for fingerprinting and a DNA swab so we can eliminate you from any prints and DNA we recover at your property.”
He looked down on her with hard eyes. “Fine. Anything else?”
“Not at the moment.” She glared up at him. “But a better attitude might be nice.”
He rolled his eyes and pushed the door closed.
“Nice man,” Nolan said on the way to the car. “I loved your comment about a better attitude.”
“No wonder he hired Harmony.” Mina climbed behind the wheel. “They’re two of a kind.”
“We still need to figure out other things for the night.” He closed his door. “Like where the trophies were bought and engraved and who provided the food. Was there a caterer?”
“Already have Abe looking into that among other things. He’ll let me know if he finds anything helpful.” She flipped on a blinker and glanced at him. “I’ve been so focused on the murder I haven’t asked if you have any updates on Becca from your team.”
They could use some positive news right about now, and he wished he had some to share. “They’re working every angle, but nothing yet.”
Mina sighed. “I keep praying that she’s simply taking the week off or a long weekend, and she’ll show up today.”
“Me too,” Nolan said, his prayers echoing her thoughts.
Mina fell silent, and Nolan used the rest of the drive to the airstrip at the inn to review and reply to a long list of emails.
He looked up as the inn and surrounding property came into view. He rarely approached while not driving and was free to take it all in. Majestic. His gaze traveled to the airstrip. An airstrip he owned. Him. A former civil servant. How crazy was that?
“Looks like some of the team has arrived.” Mina lifted her hand from the steering wheel to gesture at the runway.
Four vans holding the Veritas logo on the side door had parked near the edge.
