Murder Checks Inn (Book 3 in the Lighthouse Inn Mysteries) (17 page)

Alex slid the master key ring back into the
drawer. Tony’s room would have to wait, since he’d be gone most of
the morning, tied up in Hiddenite.

Alex was going to search Ashley’s room while
he had the chance and see if anything turned up there.

Chapter 15

Ashley Trask-Cooper wasn’t nearly as neat as
Alex would have expected. Clothes were thrown everywhere, as if
she’d worked for hours putting together the perfect outfit from
everything she’d brought with her for her week’s stay at Hatteras
West. He neatly folded all her clothes and put them in the bureau
drawers, all the time searching for some sign of evidence that
Ashley had been involved with Jase’s murder or the burglary of his
room the night before.

After putting her clothes away, changing the
sheets, and cleaning the bathroom, the room was neat, but there was
no evidence that Ashley had been the one who’d gone through Jase’s
things.

He was nearly finished with
the room when he noticed a book on the edge of Ashley’s nightstand.
For a moment he thought it was the title he’d taken from Jase’s
cottage, but
when he looked closer, he saw
that it was Treasure of the West, not The Treasure Below title he’d
picked up there, or The Treasure in the Hills from Jase’s office.
What was remarkable was that the three books came from the same
series! What were the odds of that? Could this one have come from
Jase’s library? Alex couldn’t remember if he’d handled the book
himself; the titles had blurred after a while. It might even have
been one that Mor packed.

Alex picked up the book and leafed through
it, but there was no indication that it had ever belonged to Jase.
His uncle didn’t go in for bookplates or inscriptions.

Alex was just setting it back down when a
key turned the lock and the door opened.

Ashley said abruptly, “Alex, what are you
doing in my room?”

Alex said smoothly, “Elise has the morning
off, so I’m cleaning the rooms myself today. I was dusting the
night-stand, and I accidentally knocked your book off. I’m afraid I
lost your place.”

Ashley took the book from his hands as she
said, “Oh, it’s some dreary thing I picked up at a dusty little
bookshop in town to help me sleep. I’ve got to read something, or I
can’t nod off at night.” She looked around the room. “I’m sorry it
was such a mess before. I meant to clean it up myself before you
got to it.”

Alex smiled. “Compared to a lot of my
guests, you’re a neat freak. You weren’t able to spend much time at
Bear Rocks, were you?”

“
I decided to climb the
steps of the lighthouse instead, so I came back for my running
shoes. Care to join me?”

Alex said, “I wish I could, but I’ve got a
lot of work still ahead of me.”

“
A rain check, then.” She
tucked the book in her travel bag, then said, “If you’ll excuse
me?”

“
Of course. I’m finished up
in here.”

After Alex was out in the hallway, he headed
straight for his room. Locking the door behind him, Alex looked
up

Hannah Parsons’s number in the phone book.
She ran Hannah’s Book Shoppe, the only bookstore in Elkton
Falls.

Hannah, a happy octogenarian, answered on
the first ring. “Why Alex Winston, how are you? I’m sorry about
Jase. He was one of my best customers. Sorry I couldn’t make it out
there, but I saw the light from my bedroom window! My, what a
glorious sight!”

“
Glad you liked it. Hannah,
I’ve got a question. Do you remember a book titled Treasure of the
West? It’s a hardback.”

“
Oh, yes, I remember it
well. I sold it to a lovely young woman heading out your way for
her stay at the inn. Are you looking to acquire a copy of your own?
I’m on the Internet now, you know; I could do a search for
you.”

“
No, thanks. I was just
wondering.” So Ashley really had come by a copy of it
legitimately.

Hannah added, “Jase bought a few of the
books in that series himself. The Treasure Below and The Treasure
in the Hills, if memory serves. That man loved to surround himself
with books.”

So that mystery was solved. “Thanks Hannah,
sorry to bother you.”

“
No bother at all, Alex.
Come see me next time you’re in town. I’ve got another lighthouse
history book I’m holding for you, and there’s a new
bed-and-breakfast mystery series I’ve found that’s quite nice.”
Alex kept a great variety of lighthouse-themed books in his inn
library, along with mystery series set in small inns. It seemed his
guests loved those books almost equally.

“
Okay, I’ll swing by next
time I’m in town. Thanks again, Hannah.”

“
You’re welcome,
dear.”

So that was a dead end. For the moment,
Ashley was in the clear.

For the moment.

Steven was ringing the small bell at the
front desk as Alex started out of his own room. “Can I help you?”
Alex asked.

Steven said, “Hi, Alex. Mother and I are
going into town, and I was wondering if you could have your maid
clean our rooms while we’re gone.”

“
I’ll see to it,” Alex
said.

“
Good enough. I’ve got to
run; she’s already waiting for ne in the car.”

After they were gone, Alex grabbed his ring
of keys and did a quick sweep and cleanup of Steven’s room first.
As ilex unlocked the door, he had to fight the urge not to sneak
inside. He had every right to be there, had even been invited by
Steven himself. That didn’t stop him from feeling guilty as he
scanned the room while he cleaned, searching for any sign that
Steven was not what he seemed. In the bathroom, Alex found a
medication he wasn’t familiar with. There were a few pills in the
bottom of the small brown description bottle with Steven Trask’s
name on it. After a quick check with Doc Drake’s wife and nurse,
Madge, Alex discovered it was indeed meant for the treatment of
depression. There had been no similar bottle in Ashley’s room. So,
was that proof that Ashley had been telling the truth, or that
Steven had? If Ashley was undergoing treatment for depression, she
was skipping her doses at Hatteras West, and if Steven had his
medication with him, wouldn’t that imply that he was level and
steady? In the end, Alex wasn’t sure what the presence or absence
of medications meant.

The only other thing Alex found in the room
was an open book about famous forgeries in history. Alex studied
the legal pad beside it for a few minutes, then decided the notes
were simply different methods of attacking Julie Hart’s claim on
Mathias’s fortune by trying to disprove the letter that served as
the only proof that Mathias had believed he was his own. Perhaps
Steven wasn’t as welcoming as he wanted the world to believe.

In Cynthia’s room, Alex found another mess.
As an apple, Ashley hadn’t fallen far from her mother’s tree. As
Alex cleaned, he found one of the Hatteras West Inn’s notepads,
stocked in every room, now filled with scribbles, telephone
numbers, and exclamation points peppered throughout. No doubt it
represented her search for legal representation outside the
confines of Elkton Falls. Alex also found a curious item that had
rolled under the bed. It was a complete envelope with Jase’s return
address across the back flap. Alex grabbed the paper and turned it
over. Cynthia’s name and address were typed there, but the envelope
itself was empty. The postmark was blurred, and Alex couldn’t make
out a date other than the current year. So what could it mean? Was
it from the letter that had brought the Trasks to Hatteras West, or
was it a different, perhaps newer communication from Jase? Alex
started to put it back where he’d found it, but he had the right,
even the obligation to take it in his role as housekeeper. After
all, anyone else would have considered it nothing more than
trash.

He tucked the envelope into his shirt
pocket, then rapidly finished cleaning the room.

Alex had found a number of things in the
rooms of the Trask family, but he’d be whipped if he knew what they
meant. Analyzing his finds would have to wait for another, less
frantic time.

For the moment, Alex had one more place to
snoop.

Alex retrieved the suitcase key collection
from the front desk and headed back to Tony’s room. It took Alex
just two minutes to find the proper key to Tony’s suitcase; he’d
become rather adept at it over the years, and it didn’t hurt that
most luggage keys were well-marked. As the lock clicked open, Alex
decided to hurry his examination of the contents of his brother’s
bag. Ashley’s early entrance had startled him, and he couldn’t just
explain away breaking into his own brother’s bag.

Alex didn’t need much time to find something
in his brother’s room after all. Hidden among Tony’s clothes was
Jase’s personal journal, a book that by all rights belonged to
Alex, given the contents of the will. But what should he do about
it? He certainly didn’t have time to read it all, and if he took
it, Tony would know Alex had been in his bag. Alex scanned the last
few entries, but Jase’s handwriting was worse than a doctor’s. It
would take time to decipher the scrawls.

Alex tucked the book under his arm, then
headed back downstairs. He’d make a copy of the last few weeks’
worth of entries, then return the book to Tony’s bag. That way his
brother would never know he’d been in there.

Alex was just copying the last page when a
familiar voice behind him said, “What’s up, Brother?”

Tony was back!

Alex turned to Tony, making sure the copies
were out of his line of sight. “Catching up on my records. You
wouldn’t believe the forms I have to fill out around here. You’re
back early. What happened to Hiddenite?”

“
I decided it wouldn’t be
any fun by myself. Tell you what, why don’t I help you finish up
the rooms, then we can go to Buck’s together and grab something to
eat.”

Alex said, “You don’t want to spend your
last day here cleaning, do you?”

Tony said, “Just let me change, and I’ll be
right with you.”

Ashley came downstairs, and Alex called her
over. “Still going up to the top of the lighthouse?”

“
I am,” she said. “Did you
change your mind about the tour? I’d love to learn more about the
history of this charming place.” Ashley had certainly done an
about-face regarding Hatteras West.

Alex said, “I’m really jammed, but my
brother Tony knows almost as much about Hatteras West as I do. He
grew up here, too. I’m sure he could tell you some fascinating
stories about our history.”

Ashley was a pretty woman, away from her
husband and children, and just as Alex had guessed, Tony rose to
the bait. “I know more than you’ve forgotten, little Brother. I’ll
be glad to take you, Ashley.”

“
Are you sure it’s not too
much trouble?”

Tony said, “Part of the Winston service,
ma’am.”

Alex whispered, “Thanks, this will really
help me out.”

“
No problem.” Tony turned
to Ashley. “Are you ready for the grand lighthouse
tour?”

“
Absolutely.”

As soon as he was sure they were well on
their way, Alex folded the copies and tucked them into his back
pocket. His hands didn’t stop shaking until the journal was safely
back in Tony’s bag upstairs in his room. Alex did a perfunctory
sweep of the place, straightening a few things as he searched, but
he didn’t come across anything else that looked out of the
ordinary.

Alex decided to lock himself in his own room
downstairs and see if he could come up with a way of breaking the
code of Jase’s handwriting, but after ten frustrating minutes, he
decided he was going to have to call in an expert.

After making sure Nadine was still in the
office wrapping

things up, Alex put a sign on the desk that
said, ‘Gone into town. Back Soon’, and left.

Tony was shouting something from the top of
the lighthouse as he drove by, but Alex pretended not to hear. “Oh,
Alex, I’m thrilled you found Jase’s journal.”

Alex handed Nadine the photocopied pages,
and she asked, “Don’t you have the original?”

Alex said, “It’s still at the inn.” He
didn’t bother explaining. He wasn’t ready to share his suspicions
with anyone yet about exactly what Jase may have written in his
journal.

“
Very well.” Nadine
retrieved a pair of reading glasses and tackled the sheets. After a
few moments, she said, “Oh, my. Are you certain you want to hear
this, Alex?”

“
I’m a grown man, Nadine, I
can take whatever Jase had co say. Give it to me straight from what
he wrote.”

Nadine said, “Very well,” then she started
to read. “‘Alex seems happy enough fighting to keep his inn alive,
it’s hopeless going it alone, but his heart’s in the right place.
That boy needs a good woman by his side. Elise Danton? No, she’s
already got someone. I must see if there’s anyone in town I can
interest him in. That boy deserves some happiness in his life.’
Alex, there’s more, but it’s along the same lines. Shall I
continue?”

“
No, you can skip ahead.”
He’d thought he recognized his name a few places in the pages, but
that was all he’d been able to decipher. He’d deal with Jase’s
feelings later; right now, he was looking for clues.

Nadine continued, “‘Tony is in desperate
need of money again. I wish I could say it was a surprise, but I’d
been expecting it. There was a new twist though, an ugly one at
that. He came to me today demanding his inheritance! The impudence
of that boy! I’m drafting a new will as soon as I get the chance!
He’s out! Alex can use it all to prop up that inn, if he so
chooses, or he can sell everything and make himself a fresh start!
I’m finished with Tony, that’s the only thing I know without
hesitation or reservation. I made a mistake not giving Alex half of
everything before, and I mean to correct it, and soon!’” Nadine
looked up. “It gets kind of blurry here; he was clearly upset when
he wrote this.”