THE MISSING MINUTES by Rick Hayes

The Missing Minutes
Book Three of the Kōwhai Bay Mysteries

When retired finance expert Dorothy Whitcombe is asked to review the accounts of the Kōwhai Bay Yacht & Bowling Club, she expects a few untidy invoices, missing receipts, and the usual small-town committee chaos. What she finds instead is far more troubling: altered minutes, suspicious payments, a shell company, and the shadow of a man who may have died because he asked too many questions.

Colin Yardley, the club's careful and much-loved treasurer, was found dead at the foot of the clubhouse stairs. Officially, it was an accident. But as Dorothy and the Beacon Point group begin pulling at the loose threads in the records, the numbers tell a different story — one of misplaced trust, quiet intimidation, and secrets hidden in plain sight.

As suspicion spreads through the village, an innocent widow is nearly destroyed by the very investigation meant to uncover the truth. Dorothy must confront not only what happened to Colin, but what it costs to pursue the facts without forgetting the people caught in their path.

Warm, sharp, and quietly moving, The Missing Minutes is a mystery about friendship, accountability, and the dangerous comfort of trusting the wrong person.