Page 64 of Lost Hours
“Attorney?” Mina asked. “I thought everyone in town used Wally Carpenter for their legal needs.”
“I think pretty much everybody does, but Ernie went to college with Janice, and she’s always been his attorney, as far as I know.”
Mina locked her phone, and the light died on the screen. “I’ve never seen her around.”
“She practices in Medford, and he usually goes to see her there. I’ve only met her once, and that was several years ago.” Daisy narrowed her eyes. “I wonder, since he had a terminal diagnosis, if he was updating his will. He might not have taken care of that since his wife died.”
“I don’t suppose you have a copy of his will,” Nolan said.
Daisy shook her head. “Again, that was personal and not something I had any part of.”
“Would that also be true of his insurance policy?” Mina asked.
“Yes.”
Mina tapped her phone screen and held it out again. “Do you recognize this man, Daisy?”
She gave the phone a long look. “No. Should I?”
“He had lunch with the mayor yesterday. The waitress said they had a heated argument.”
“I don’t know him. I don’t know any man who would argue with Ernie.” She scrubbed her hands together, shredding the tissue she’d been holding. “I wish I could be of more help.”
“You’re doing the best you can, Daisy.” Nolan smiled at her. “That’s all you can do, and we appreciate your help.”
“We do indeed.” Mina shoved her phone into her pocket. “One final question, and we’ll be out of your hair. You wouldn’t happen to know his blood type would you?”
“Yes! Yes!” Daisy gave a vigorous nod. “Finally! Something I can help with. Remember when the Red Cross started doing regular blood drives here last year? We gave blood together every time they came. He’s type O.”
“What about Becca?” Nolan knew they were pushing their luck, but if she had the same type as the mayor, even knowing the mayor’s blood type wouldn’t rule out Becca having been shot at her house. “Did she give blood too? Do you know her type?”
A wide smile spread across her face. “In fact she did. She’s AB.”
“You’re sure of this?” Mina asked.
“Positive. One time, we joked about genetics and whether the AB meant Ernie was her father. To kill time at the bloodmobile, Ernie looked it up online. He showed her that, though it didn’t prove shewashis child, it also didn’t say she couldn’t be. She must’ve gotten her blood type from her mother.”
“Is there any question about Ernie being her father?” Mina asked. “I mean, I’ve never heard any talk about that around town.”
“No!” Daisy slammed her chair forward and sat upright. “Absolutely no question. We were just joking around.”
Or maybe there was some truth to it. What started out as a fun challenge might have raised Becca’s suspicion, and she’d checked into it, then learned that Ernie really wasn’t her father.
Nolan didn’t think this was a solid lead, but it was surely something to look into. Especially with Becca’s disappearance. Maybe they were looking at this all wrong. Maybe she really did have motive and took off after killing him.
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Giving Daisy a smile, Mina rose from her seat. She was motivated more than ever to find Becca and the mayor’s killer. Problem was, their conversation with Daisy now led her to believe they had to find out if Becca’s blood type meant Ernie was her father. Or had she just found out she was adopted, been lied to all of her life, and in anger, killed her father?
Mina needed to speak with Dr. Osborne to see if he could answer that question, and if not, find someone who could. But first, she needed to give Dylan a list of items they could use his help with. He’d been involved in doing something he couldn’t stop when she’d gone in earlier, and he asked her to come back later.
Hopefully, now was later enough. She entered Mayor Sutton’s office, Nolan joining her this time. Dylan, focus fixed on his computer, didn’t look up. She hoped he wouldn’t get angry at being interrupted twice in such a short time.
“Are you in a spot now where I can give you a list of items we need your assistance on?”
He held up a finger, then went back to typing on his laptop. A few minutes later, he looked up. “Had to finish that up so the final image would start.” He leaned the chair back and clasped his hands behind his head. “So what do you need from me?”
“The first thing I’d like you to do,” she said, “is to trace the IP address of the person who completed the online building lease for the escape room.”
