Murder Checks Inn (Book 3 in the Lighthouse Inn Mysteries) (16 page)

Steven came bounding up the stairs. “What’s
all the fuss about? Someone downstairs said they heard a scream. It
wasn’t Ashley, was it?”

Cynthia “said, “She thought she saw someone
outside her room. Where were you, young man?”

Steven admitted, “I was with Sandra in town.
We had a cup of coffee at a place called Mama Ravolini’s.”

Cynthia said, “You actually consorted with
that turncoat?”

“
It’s not like that,
Mother. We didn’t discuss the case at all. As a matter of fact, we
were catching up on old times. We went to school together,
remember?”

“
Oh, I remember, all
right,” Cynthia said, making it sound like some kind of accusation.
It was clear to Alex that she didn’t approve of her son keeping
company with the opposing counsel at all.

Alex said, “Did you see anything suspicious
on your way in?”

“
I’m sorry, everything was
quiet when I came back. Listen, I want to check on Ashley, just to
be sure she’s okay.”

He started toward her room, but Cynthia
said, “Steven, there’s really no need to get worked up over this.
She’s making a great fuss over nothing.”

Steven said, “I’ll feel better once I’m sure
she’s all right myself.”

After he was gone, Cynthia said, “Honestly,
sometimes I

wonder how my children manage without me. Do
you have any of your own, Alex?”

“
No,” he
answered.

“
Sometimes I envy single
people that.” Cynthia added, “Don’t misunderstand me, I love my
children, but they can be so difficult at times.”

Tony came up the stairs and said, “Hey Alex,
got a second?”

“
We’re in the middle of
something right now,” Alex said.

Cynthia said, “Go on, Alex, I can handle
this situation well enough. Goodness knows I’ve done it enough in
the past.”

“
I’d really rather stay,”
Alex said firmly.

“
You heard the lady; she
can handle it.” Tony paused, then said, “Handle what?”

Alex said, “One of my guests spotted an
intruder in her room.”

Cynthia said, “Alex, I’m certain my daughter
was mistaken.”

Tony tugged at his sleeve. “Come on, Alex,
this can’t wait.”

Alex reluctantly followed Tony downstairs
after telling Cynthia he’d be right back. “What’s so urgent?”

“
There’s been a change in
plans. I’m leaving Hatteras West tonight. Let’s face it, Alex,
chances are I won’t be back. I just thought you’d want to say
good-bye one last time.”

Tony couldn’t leave, not while he was still
a suspect. Alex didn’t even want to think about what it would mean
to him on a more personal level. Though the two of them had never
been close, if Tony left now, while Alex still hadn’t resolved his
suspicions, the chasm would stay between them forever.

“
You can’t go now,” Alex
said.

“
Why not? We held the
send-off, and Sandra read the will; no offense, but there’s nothing
left in Elkton Falls for

me. We didn’t get along as kids, and I don’t
see that changing now.”

“
Are you ready to give up
the last chance we’ve probably got to make peace between us?” Alex
asked softly. It was his trump card, the last thing he could say to
keep Tony there.

Tony looked at his brother carefully, then
said, “You really want me to stay?”

“
I do,” Alex said
sincerely.

“
Okay, then, but I’m still
leaving tomorrow night. No matter what. Alex, you’re a hard man to
figure.”

Alex said, “Thanks for staying.”

Tony headed back upstairs to his room. “I
was going to grab my bag and go after we talked. I guess I’ll go
unpack.”

After Tony was gone, Alex felt a tremor of
relief. At least he’d bought another twenty-four hours to find out
if his brother was a murderer and hopefully clear the air between
them if he wasn’t.

It wasn’t much time, but it would have to
do.

First thing in the morning, Alex was going
to have to push in several different directions and see which one
pushed back.

Elise was already sweeping the lobby floor
when Alex walked in the next morning.

“
You’re getting an early
start on things,” he said.

She said, “Alex, I need a favor.”

“
You’ve got it,” Alex
answered.

Elise stopped sweeping and studied him for a
moment. “Don’t you even want to know what it is?”

“
Elise, you wouldn’t ask if
it wasn’t important to you. Just tell me how I can
help.”

She said, “I need to take off around ten
this morning, and I won’t be back until sometime after five. I can
still do the rooms before I go, at least the ones that are clear of
guests.”

Alex asked, “Would it help to go now? I can
take care of the rooms by myself today. Goodness knows you’ve
covered enough for me lately.”

Elise said, “Why are you being so nice?”

Alex answered, “You’ve been running this
place the last few days without any help from me. I figure you’re
entitled to some time off. Do you want to borrow the truck?” Elise
often did that when she wanted to run errands around Elkton Falls
and beyond, since she didn’t have transportation of her own.

“
No, Peter’s coming by to
pick me up. Are you sure you don’t mind?”

Alex wasn’t thrilled by the prospect of her
disappearing with Peter, but she was a grown woman, engaged to the
man, for goodness sake. She could do whatever she wanted. ‘Take all
the time you need.”

She put the broom away and said, “Then I’ll
call him now.” As she passed Alex, she said, “Thanks, I really do
appreciate this.”

Alex nodded, and less than ten minutes
later, Peter was at the door. It was a trend he wasn’t going to be
all that thrilled about, the fact that Asheford was now only a
quick phone call away.

Alex said, “Elise asked me to tell you
she’ll be down in a minute or two.”

He tried to go back to his list, figuring
out what order to attack it in since he was working solo today. The
main thing, in all actuality, was avoiding conversation with
Peter.

It wasn’t going to happen though, with the
man hovering nearby.

Peter coughed once, and when Alex looked up,
Elise’s fiancé said, “Interesting place you’ve got here, Alex.”

“
You mean the lighthouse
and the keepers’ quarters? Thanks, I think Hatteras West is kind of
special myself.”

Peter smiled. “No, I didn’t mean that in
particular, though it is rather magnificent. I was referring to all
of Elkton Falls. How did the name come about, do you know? There
must have been a great many elk here at one time, I imagine.”

Every school kid in town had cut their teeth
on the story. Alex said, “In all of this area’s recorded history,
there has never been a single elk spotted within twenty miles of
the place.”

Peter raised one eyebrow. “And I suppose
there are no waterfalls nearby, either.”

“
Not a one,” Alex said
truthfully.

“
Then how do you explain
the name?” Peter said, a shortness in his tone that showed his
frustration with being wrong.

“
The man in charge of
updating and recording the names for cities in North Carolina back
in the 1800s was not very happy about his stay here on his way
through town. Evidently the man woke up in a bad mood the day he
rode in, and it proceeded to get worse as his time here wore on.
When he found the tavern was completely full, he was forced to
sleep outside in the cold rain. The next morning, he ran into a
grizzled old man who offered him the worst breakfast he’d ever had
in his life, a cold porridge that could glue boards together. The
government man asked the codger what the name of the town was, and
the old fellow replied it was Elkton, which happened to be the old
man’s name and not the name the city fathers had chosen at all. The
young man looked around the town in disgust and said, ‘Well, all I
can say is I hope that someday soon, Elkton Falls!’ With that he
rode off, and in a fit of anger, he recorded Elkton Falls in his
book, hoping that his prediction would come true someday. It’s the
honest truth that there’s never been an elk spotted in town, and
the closest waterfall, if you can call it that, is all the way over
in Granite.”

Peter wasn’t buying any of it, but the story
was true, as far as Alex or anyone else in town knew.

Elise came over as Alex finished his story,
but Peter wasn’t ready to let it go. “So what was the town’s
original name?”

“
Canawba Valley. To be
honest with you, I like Elkton Falls a lot better,
myself.”

Elise said to Peter, “You asked him about
the origin of the town’s name, didn’t you?”

“
Don’t tell me you actually
believe his story, Elise.”

She said, “I’ve heard it a dozen times
around town; he’s not making it up.”

Peter shook his head as they walked out the
door. “Utterly amazing,” he said a few times before they made it
out.

And then he was gone, with Elise by his
side.

Alex had been happy enough to let Elise go
before he’d discovered Peter was involved, but there was another,
ulterior motive that made him even happier he’d sent her off
early.

Cleaning the guest rooms by himself would
give Alex the opportunity to search for whatever clues he could
find that might point to Jase’s killer. In Alex’s opinion, every
suspect involved with the case, with the exception of Julie Hart,
was staying at Hatteras West, at least until that night. As he
finished straightening up the lobby, Alex realized that Julie had
access to the inn herself, being so close to Hatteras West.
Certainly, it was a long drive from Amy’s to the inn, but if Julie
cut through the woods, she only had two miles to cover, and the
young woman certainly looked fit enough to make that round trip
easily.

But Alex couldn’t worry about her now. At
the moment, he had to focus on the guests staying with him at
Hatteras West. If nothing came of his in-house investigation, then
he could turn to Julie as a suspect. Besides, the sheriff was
probably covering that ground himself.

It was time for Alex to look where no one
else was searching.

Tony was the first one up. He met Alex in
the lobby. , “Hey Alex, do you have any interest in going to
Hiddenite with me today? Since I’ve got the time, I thought it
might: be a fun trip.”

The two had gone there countless times
searching for gems as boys. It had been one of the few times Tony
and Alex had actually gotten along.

“
I wish I could, but Elise
is off for most of the day, and I’ve got to hang around here and
run things.”

Tony said, “That’s fine, I’ll stay with you,
then.”

The last thing Alex wanted was Tony hanging
around the inn, especially when he wanted to search his brother’s
room.

Alex said, “Tell you what. Why don’t you go
on to Hiddenite, then pick something up at Buck’s for lunch for us
on your way back, and we’ll eat out on the porch. I should have a
lot more time this afternoon.”

Tony said, “I suppose I could do that. See,
Alex, this is why I’ve been telling you to sell this white
elephant. You’re as tied to this place as if you were married to
it.”

“
I love being an innkeeper,
Tony. What else would I do with myself if I weren’t running
Hatteras West? Listen, have a good time. I’ll see you around
lunchtime.”

Tony agreed, and after Alex was certain the
BMW was long gone, he headed up to his brother’s room.

It was time to do a little spying.

Tony had made his own bed, and his suitcase
was at the foot of it, packed and ready to go. There was a lock on
it, and ordinarily, Alex wouldn’t dream of prying it open. However,
the issue of personal privacy didn’t concern him all that much at
the moment, not when he was looking for a possible clue about
Jase’s murder. Alex tried to convince himself that he was looking
for proof Tony didn’t do it as much as evidence that he might have.
In his heart, no matter their past differences, Alex didn’t want
his brother to be guilty, but logically, he couldn’t dismiss him,
either.

Fortunately, he didn’t have to do anything
as drastic as breaking into the luggage. Alex locked the door and
headed down to the main desk. In a drawer there, he had a ring
filled with master keys to just about every suitcase brand made,
all except the custom lock jobs. Too many of his guests had locked
themselves out of their own luggage over the years, and Alex had
bought the keys from a friend in NewCon who ran a locksmith
service.

Alex was just opening the drawer when Ashley
came downstairs.

“
What are doing,
Alex?”

“
Just looking for a lost
key,” he said.

Ashley asked gently, “Do you have a
minute?”

He nodded. Tony should be gone for a while.
“What’s on your mind?”

“
I want to apologize for
last night. Mother’s probably right; I do have an overactive
imagination at times. Nothing seems to have been taken. I must’ve
been mistaken. Sorry for all the trouble.”

“
No trouble at all,” Alex
said. He wasn’t so sure she was right. With all that was going on
at the inn, it was too easy to believe that someone had indeed
crept into Ashley’s room without her knowledge. He didn’t have the
slightest desire to tell her that, though.

Alex said, “So, where are you off to
today?”

“
I thought I’d check out
Bear Rocks. Steven told me they were really quite
fascinating.”

Alex nodded. “Enjoy yourself, but be
careful. Some of those rocks are tough to climb if you’re not used
to them.”