DeSouza heaved an exasperated sigh. “All right. What is it you want to know?”
“Just to confirm, Fiona Smith-Aidoo succeeded you as chief executive officer of the STMA in April this year, is that correct?”
“Yes, yes. Isn’t this information already in your files?”
“But once she was dead, the position reverted to you?”
“Look, after her death, I was designated acting chief from July to October, and then a special election was held and I was re-elected.”
“Did you get along well with Mrs. Smith-Aidoo?”
“Oh, here we go again.” DeSouza closed his eyes for a tortured moment. “There are all kinds of stories about the rivalry between Fiona and me, but it’s much ado about nothing, and the notion that I might have plotted and executed her demise just to get this job back is just so ridiculous.”
“You were on the radio-”
“Yes, I know. I was on that Skyy FM program, and I said this and that. Maybe I was a little heated, but it was theatrics, that’s all it was.”
He was theatrical-Dawson gave him that. “I was curious about this letter that I found among the Smith-Aidoos’ belongings”-he opened the folder he had brought and took the letter out, sliding it across the table to DeSouza-“signed in your name. Did you write it?”
“Yes, I did,” he said, with an impatient glance. “And what about it? In fact, rather than anything nefarious, this letter expresses my true sentiments. ‘Based on your assurances, I believe you are an honorable woman’ is what I wrote and what I meant.”
“What lead to this letter being written?”
“Between January and April, Fiona was campaigning aggressively for the chief executive position,” DeSouza said, sounding somewhat like he was explaining to a child. “At the time, some people accused me of raiding the STMA coffers in order to build a luxury home. I don’t know where this blatant lie originated, but there was a rumor that Fiona was responsible.”
“But you never had any evidence that the rumor was true.”
“Correct.”
“Is it possible that someone bore malice against Fiona Smith-Aidoo and tried to ruin her reputation by making it appear that she was creating the rumor?”
“I have no idea,” DeSouza said, gesturing with impatience. “You’re asking me an impossible question. I can tell you that I did confront Fiona about it. She was quite insulted by the notion that she was responsible for this ‘gossip,’ as she called it. Obviously, she wanted her objection and denial recorded in black and white, so she sent me a letter to that effect, and I accepted it and replied with this one.”
