“I thinksome peoplethought they had a slam dunk, but then Kyle joined the race. That meant there was more competition.”
I frowned. There were other candidates besides Kyle. The list wasn’t long, but why would anyone fixate on only Kyle as their competition? “You said ‘some people’ thought they had a slam dunk. When you say ‘some people,’ who exactly are you referring to?”
“You know exactly who, Sheriff. You must know who the front runner is to unseat you.”
“Liam James?”
“Bingo.”
“So, it’s your belief Kyle was… killed… to keep him from becoming sheriff?”
“Yes. Or more to the point, to prevent someone else fromnotbecoming sheriff.” Pervis glanced up, resentment shimmering in his eyes. “Kyle could have won, you know? He definitely could have.”
I grimaced. “Now, this subject is a little awkward for me, Pervis. Surely you can understand that? I’m actually hoping to keep my job.”
His gaze flickered. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.”
I hesitated. “So, you think Liam did something to Kyle at the mixer? You really believe that?”
“I… I… definitely think it’s a possibility. Either him or Quinn.”
“Who do you think called Kyle telling him to ‘back off’?”
“It had to be Quinn or Liam, right? They both resented him.”
“But you said Kyle didn’t recognize the voice of the man on the phone. Wouldn’t he have recognized Liam’s or Quinn’s voices?”
His gaze flickered with momentary confusion. “Whoever it was could have been disguising his voice.”
“Maybe,” I said skeptically. “Did you see Liam or Quinn near Kyle at the event?”
“No.”
“It would be hard to do something to Kyle without being near him. Perhaps the phone call Kyle received had nothing to do with Quinn or Liam. Was Kyle having issues with anyone in his personal life? Maybe he had a disgruntled coworker or something?”
Pervis winced. “He was between jobs at the moment.”
“Oh.”
“I… I was paying all the bills,” he said softly. “I work down at the feedstore. I offered to get Kyle a job there too, but he… he wasn’t interested.”
“No?”
Shaking his head, Pervis said, “He wanted to focus on the campaign.”
“Huh.” Seemed to me he could have still focused on the campaign even if he’d worked during the day. Maybe he just hadn’t wanted to work? Or perhapshe’d felt working at the feedstore was beneath him? “I’m sure that put a lot of pressure on you.”
“Yes.” He glanced up, pain in his watery eyes. “But I didn’t mind. Kyle was always the smart one. The one with aspirations and dreams. I… I was glad to finally be helping him for a change.”
That dull ache in my chest returned as I watched Pervis. “I really am so sorry.”
He wiped at his eyes. “I’m telling you, there’s no way Kyle accidentally ate peanuts. Like I said, the only thing he consumed was water. Someone tampered with his water, I just know it. If it wasn’t Liam James or Quinn, it was someone, Sheriff.”
“Did you seeanyonenear Kyle’s water the day of the mixer?”
“Not specifically near his water,” he murmured. “But… I was kind of distracted. I did see Quinn backstage. Right before Kyle was about to speak.”
I’d also seen Quinn coming out from behind the stage. I’d forgotten about that. “Did he come near you two?”
