Page 74 of Lost Hours
“And your approach is more conservative?” Nolan asked.
“Well, yeah.” He cocked his head. “Isn’t that the only way to be?”
“Where were you on Monday between the hours of three and five p.m.?” Mina asked.
“In a stupid meeting.” He shook his head. “We have a department meeting every Monday afternoon where they make us come into the office. It could easily be handled on a video call, but they just want to inconvenience us.”
“Write down the company name and a list of the people who saw you there.” Mina held out her notepad.
He grabbed it and started writing. “What’s this all about anyway?”
“Just information we need for an investigation we’re handling.” Mina continued to watch him as he wrote. The moment he finished, she took back her pad and pen and pocketed them. “Thank you for your information.”
Before he could question her about why she needed the information, she rushed to the door and down the walkway.
“Clearly he didn’t know about the mayor’s death,” Nolan said, catching up to her. “But why didn’t you tell him about it?”
She continued walking. “With his social media proclivity, he’d be all over the sites announcing it. I still rather it wouldn’t get around until we have a good chance of finding the killer.”
Which wasn’t now,she didn’t add and bring them both down. They didn’t have a good chance of it at all. She had to look at that suspect list again and see how she should proceed from here.
In the car, Nolan strapped on his seatbelt and kept his gaze pinned ahead.
She got out her notepad to flip to her suspect list. “We’re definitely narrowing down our list of legitimate suspects. Once we get the affidavits from Janice, she’ll be ruled out. Same goes for Rowe and Harmony, once we verify their alibies. Jude and Becca really weren’t true contenders in my book.”
“But we shouldn’t strike them off.”
“No, but I’m not wanting to throw a lot of resources into looking into them at this point. That leaves the mayor of Seaside Harbor, Wade, and Smythe.”
“The other mayor is a longshot at best, and I think Wade is kind of slimy, but I don’t see him as a murderer. So it seems like we need to put more resources into finding Smythe, unless Dylan brings something to our attention or we run out of other leads.”
“I agree with you,” she said, looking at him. “In theory at least. But we have no way of finding Smythe unless someone recognizes his photograph or Dylan turns something up with the online registration for the mansion.”
“We do still have the financial files for the county to review. That might reveal an additional suspect or point to the Seaside Harbor mayor.”
“Abe might know something after his interview with the guy, and he has quite a few leads he hasn’t reported on. We can get back to him on that.”
“Why don’t we stop by your office and talk to him,” Nolan suggested. “Then if he doesn’t have anything actionable, we’ll head to the inn where we can spread out in the conference room and begin evaluating the town’s records.”
She nodded but wasn’t any more eager to sit and review records than she figured he felt like doing. But investigations were often about doing the tedious work, and that’s where solid leads could be generated.
Let that be the case today.
Oh, please.
Becca had been missing for over thirty-six hours, maybe more, and Mina was certain finding the killer was the key to finding her and bringing her home alive.
20
Mina stepped through the main door into her office vestibule, Nolan hot on her tail. A couple sat in the chairs, a redheaded woman with spiral curls falling softly to her shoulders, and a balding and fit man Mina put in his early sixties. Mina had never seen either of them before.
The woman jumped to her feet, her curls bouncing. “Sheriff Park?”
Mina glanced at Grace, the clerk manning the front desk.
Grace stood and cast an apologetic look her way, then mouthed,Sorry.
Mina took a breath, put on a practiced smile, then turned to the woman. “How can I help you?”
