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“Did he know Costa?”
“If he did, I was unaware of it.” She stopped and her features turned thoughtful. “Now that I think about it, I believe the bankdoeshold the mortgage on the Baron property. But I don’t know the details of that.”
“Would Costa have handledthat transaction?”
“It’s certainly possible, but I don’t know for sure. I don’t have the authority to look into client accounts and disclose them to anyone.”
“Okay, do youknowBaron personally?” asked Decker.
Hayes pursed her lips. “No, I do not.”
“You sound a bit hostile,” said Jamison.
Hayes gave her a piercing stare. “My grandfather died inone of the Baron mines. And my mother did backbreaking work at the textile plant for years. Then she showed up one day for her shift and there was a sign on the door saying that it was closed. Permanently. No warning. And there was supposed to be a pension plan. But that was gone too. She died soon after, probably from all the stress.”
“But hadn’t the Barons long since sold out by then?”asked Decker.
She folded her arms over her chest and looked at him crossly. “And do you really think the Barons would’ve treated their workers any differently if they’d still been in charge?”
Decker said, “What else can you tell us about Costa? Did he come in to work the day he went missing?”
“Yes. He worked all day. Mr. Beecher, our president, called the police whenBrad didn’t show up for work the next day and we couldn’t reach him.”
“But nothing seemed out of the ordinary at work that day?”
“Not that I’m aware of. He seemed fine. The police asked me that too, but I told them the same thing.”
“And after work, did he have plans that night?”
“Not that I’m aware of, but then again, he wouldn’t have told me.”
“Did Costa have any problems with anyone here?” asked Decker. “Or maybe with one of his clients?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“You keep saying that a lot,” said Decker. “Wouldyou be aware of it?”
She bristled a bit but said, “I’m his secretary, so I probably would. He got along fine with everyone here. In fact, everyone liked him. He was a very happy person. As far asclients, the bank has had to call in some loans and foreclose on some properties, certainly. But people here pay their bills if they can. If they can’t and they have to lose their homes or their cars, they understand that. A contract is a contract.”
“Very fair-minded of them,” said Decker, whose tone betrayed that he did not actually believe this.
“Will you be going to Mr.Costa’s residence next?” Hayes asked.
“Why?” said Decker.
“You might want to water the flowers, is all.”
“So you’ve been there?” said Decker.
“I assisted with some of his business get-togethers,” she said primly.
After they left the building, Jamison said, “Well, she was tight-lipped, but maybe she doesn’t know anything either.”
“Or maybeshe was just lying,” replied Decker.
