Murder Checks Inn (Book 3 in the Lighthouse Inn Mysteries) (18 page)

“
When was it dated?” Alex
asked.

Nadine looked at the entry, then said,
“Right after Tony’s last visit.” She stared at the paper, refusing
to meet his gaze is she added, “Less than a week ago.”

Alex had so many questions ripping through
his head, he wasn’t sure which one to ask first. “Obviously Jase
didn’t get the opportunity to write a new will. Nadine, I thought
you said that the last time Tony was here was over a month
ago.”

Nadine kept studying the papers in front of
her, refusing to meet his gaze, and Alex knew she wasn’t telling
him everything. “What is it? What are you holding back?”

Nadine sighed, then said, “Alex, I’m afraid
I haven’t been exactly forthright with you. Your brother came to
see Jase four days before the murder. It was late at night, and I
was already halfway down the street when I realized I’d left my
purse on my desk. I started back toward the office, but then I saw
that your uncle wasn’t alone anymore. He and Tony were arguing
about money, and something told me those two men needed some time
alone. Alex, I didn’t mean for you to know just how persistent Tony
was about demanding his ‘share’ of your Uncle’s money. It was
breaking Jase’s heart.”

Alex asked, “Did you tell Sheriff Armstrong
about any of this?”

Nadine said, “I couldn’t bring myself to do
it. Now I think I’ve done something horribly wrong.” Her voice was
barely a whisper as she added, “Alex, I think your brother killed
him.”

“
This is too important to
keep to yourself.”

“
What are you suggesting,
Alex? Do you honestly expect me to turn your brother over to the
police?”

Alex said, “Nadine, do you think I want to
believe he’s capable of this for one minute? It’s a nightmare for
me, thinking that my brother could have killed Uncle Jase. But I
can’t turn my back on the possibility that he did it. And if Tony
killed him, he deserves to be punished for it, brother or not.”

Nadine looked as if she was about to cry.
“Alex, you’re good at solving these things. Talk to your brother
and poke around some more. Don’t just turn your back on him. He’s
the only family you have left.”

“
I can’t shield him if he’s
a murderer,” Alex said.

“
No, but if he’s not,
you’re going to ruin him. You know that, don’t you? Alex, don’t do
this for your uncle. Don’t even do it for Tony. Find the truth for
yourself. It’s the only way you’ll be able to live with the
outcome, no matter what it is. Keep digging,” she said with a fiery
burst. “I have faith in you, Alex.”

“
I’m glad somebody does.”
Alex shoved the copies toward Nadine. “Put these somewhere safe,
okay? And don’t mention this conversation to anyone else. I don’t
want Tony to know you saw him coming back here after
hours.”

Nadine looked taken aback. “Alex, you
honestly don’t think I’m in danger from your brother, do you? My
goodness, I was his teacher, too!”

“
Just don’t take any
chances, Nadine. I’ll call you later if I find anything
else.”

She took his hand in hers and squeezed.
“Alex, you’ll do the right thing. I know it in my heart.”

“
I just wish I knew what
the right thing was,” Alex answered.

“
When you find it, you’ll
know it. Good luck.”

He frowned, then answered, “I’ll need it.
Lock your door after I’m gone, Nadine.”

“
Oh, Alex, you worry too
much.”

Still, he waited outside the office door
until he heard the meaty click of the door locking behind him
before he left.

Chapter 16

As Alex headed back to
Hatteras West, he kept considering the possibility that his brother
had killed their uncle. Could his greed have driven him to it?
Sandra couldn’t have known anything about Jase’s intention to draft
a new
will; she would have said something
to him. Could Jase have drafted a new document himself? Alex
wondered if there had been more than one will in Jase’s safe the
morning he was murdered. If his uncle told Tony about the change
during a confrontation between the two men, Tony
could have clubbed Jase and destroyed the new
will, knowing that the previous one left him all that money. Alex’s
guts were roiling by the time he pulled up Point Road.

Alex had to find Tony and talk to him. The
possibility that his brother was a murderer couldn’t stop him.

He had to know the truth.

Alex was surprised to find Elise on the
front porch, sitting on one of the rockers facing the
lighthouse.

“
I thought you were going
to be gone all day,” he said.

“
Plans change,” Elise
answered. “You did a nice job on the rooms.”

“
Thanks,” he said
absently.

“
What’s wrong, Alex?” Elise
said levelly.

“
I’m sorry. I’ve just got
something I have to take care of. Elise, do me a favor, would you?
If I’m in any ‘accidents’ over the next few days, tell Armstrong to
check into it, no matter what it looks like.”

He started to brush past her when she leapt
from the chair. “What’s going on?”

“
Never mind. Forget it,
Elise, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“
But you did. Alex, I’m
worried.”

He said evenly, “I am, too. That’s why I
need to talk to Tony.”

Elise wouldn’t get out of his way. “Why
don’t we take a walk, and you can tell me about it before you do
whatever’s on your mind.”

“
I’m sorry, I have to do
this now,” he said.

She put her hand on his and said, “Sometimes
it helps to talk it through first, Alex. What have you got to lose,
five minutes of your life? It might help you sort out how you feel.
It’s worked before.”

That was true enough. Alex had often used
Elise as his sounding board in the past. Maybe he was too close to
Tony and Jase to look at things rationally.

“
Okay, you’ve convinced
me.”

Elise smiled. “Good. Why don’t we go up to
the top of the lighthouse? You always seem to think better up
there.”

Alex looked up and saw two figures at the
top. Tony and Ashley were still up there. “How about Bear Rocks
instead?”

Elise followed his gaze up, then said, “Bear
Rocks it is.”

As the two of them walked down the path to
the rock formations, Elise said, “Talk to me, Alex.”

“
I think my brother might
have killed Jase,” he said in a

burst of words. Somehow voicing them made it
all seem real.

Elise said, “I know you well enough to
realize you’ve got some evidence to back that up. What makes you
think Tony might have killed your uncle?”

After Alex explained Tony’s late-night visit
to Jase, the angry journal entry, Tony’s strong financial motive,
and the possibility of his being written out of a new will, Elise
said, “You’ve certainly built a strong case against him. Are you
saying you’re discounting the disappearance of Mathias Trask’s will
completely? It still looks like a strong motive to me.”

“
Tony could have taken it
to divert suspicion from his real intent, Elise.” There was a
sudden noise in the woods nearby.

Elise said, “What was that?”

“
Probably two squirrels
chasing each other over territory rights.”

Elise turned back to the problem. “So what
are you going to do about it?”

“
What can I do? I’m going
to confront Tony and find out the truth.”

Elise said softly, “Alex, if he did kill
Jase, why would he tell you the truth? What’s it going to cost him
to lie to you?”

Alex shook his head. “You don’t understand.
It doesn’t matter what he says. I can tell when Tony’s lying. I’ve
always been able to. He’s never gotten away with a lie with me in
his life.”

“
I don’t know, Alex, it
sounds risky to me.”

“
Elise, don’t you see? I
can’t stand not knowing! If he comes after me, so be it. One way or
another, I’ve got to know the truth.”

Elise said, “Then I’ll go with you. There’s
safety in numbers.”

Alex said, “Elise, as much as I appreciate
your offer,

Tony’s not going to admit anything with you
around. You know as much as I do now. If anything happens to me,
tell Armstrong, and don’t let up on him until he’s cracked the
case.”

She leaned forward and kissed him on the
cheek.

Alex pulled away and asked, “What was that
for?”

“
Luck.”

Alex’s legs were shaking as he started for
the lighthouse stairs, but his condition had nothing to do with the
arduous ascent ahead of him. To his surprise, Tony and Ashley met
him near the bottom of the lighthouse, their tour evidently
over.

“
There you are,” Tony said.
“We were beginning to wonder about you.”

Alex said, “Ashley, did you know Steven was
looking for you? He said it was important.”

Ashley said, “Steven’s sense of importance
doesn’t often match mine.”

Alex hated to lie, but he had to get Tony
alone. “He looked a little upset to me, to tell you the truth.”

Ashley said, “I’d better go find him,” then
disappeared quickly inside the inn.

Tony started toward the inn, too, but Alex
touched his arm lightly. “We need to talk.”

Tony pulled away as he said, “So, we’ll talk
on the front porch.”

“
Why don’t we sit here on
the lighthouse steps,” Alex insisted. “We’ve got a lot more privacy
here.”

Tony said, “Fine. What’s on your mind,
little Brother?”

“
I just have one question
for you, and I want the truth. Tony, did you kill Uncle
Jase?”

Tony snapped, “Have you lost your mind? What
are talking about?”

Alex said, “I know Jase was cutting you out
of the will, and I also know how desperate you were for money.”

Tony said, “How did you find that out?” A
look of suspicion crept across his face. “Did you go through my
things, Alex?”

“
Why not? You went through
mine. I kept trying to figure out why someone would search through
Jase’s possessions, first when they were on Mor’s truck, and then
again in my room. You were looking for the journal, weren’t
you?”

“
Get a grip, Alex. I don’t
know what you’re talking about.” All the signs were there; his
brother was lying.

Alex snapped, “Come on, Tony, I found his
journal in your suitcase.”

Tony said, “Okay, I admit it. I took it
after we left Sandra’s office that day she read the will. Alex, I
expected Jase to follow up right away when he said he was writing
me out of his will. Nobody was more surprised than I was when
Sandra read the version that left me all that money. You’d better
believe the first thing on my mind was getting my hands on that
journal before Armstrong started snooping around. I knew how Jase
recorded everything in his life in there. I followed you over to
his house, and the second you disappeared into his bedroom, I went
in to look for it myself. It wasn’t that tough to spot; it was
right on the stand by the door. I nearly had a heart attack when
you came out of that room, but I didn’t have a choice. That journal
would have set me up as a murderer, and I had no desire to be the
sheriff’s only suspect for a murder I didn’t commit.”

“
Do you expect me to
believe you, Tony?” His brother’s body language, the tone of his
voice, even the way he stared at Alex screamed that he was telling
the truth. But that couldn’t be. There were too many facts that
pointed straight at his brother.

Tony jammed a finger into Alex’s chest. “I
told you, I’m not lying! Do you really think I could have killed
him? The last time I saw Jase, he was mad as a wet cat, but he was
still very much alive. Jase was furious with me the last time we
spoke, and I’ve got to live with that for the rest of my life. I’ll
never have the chance to say how sorry I am about everything.” Tony
looked Alex straight in the eye. “I did not kill our uncle, Alex.
You know what? I’m past caring what you believe. Now get out of my
way. I’m leaving Hatteras West forever, and I’d advise you not to
try and stop me.”

As Tony blew past him, Alex knew in his
heart that his brother was indeed telling the truth!

Alex hurried after him as Tony went upstairs
to retrieve his bag, anxious to catch up with his brother and try
to set things right between them. After all, if Tony left Hatteras
West now, he knew his brother would never come back.

Alex was surprised to hear a police siren as
he raced toward Tony’s room. What had happened now to bring the
sheriff back to Hatteras West?

Tony had his bag in one hand as he blew past
Alex toward the front door.

Alex said, “Don’t go like this. We need to
talk about it.”

Tony said, “I’m finished talking, Alex. I
wish I could say it’s been nice being related to you, but I’m not
going to lie to you.”

Alex watched him storm out the front door,
thought about it for three heartbeats, then decided to go after him
before his brother was gone forever.

By the time Alex reached the porch, he found
Armstrong putting handcuffs on his brother.

“
What’s going on,
Sheriff?”

“
I’m taking your brother in
for questioning, Alex, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t get in
the way.”

“
On what grounds?” Alex
asked with a sinking feeling in his gut.

“
We just got an anonymous
tip that led to a break in the case. That’s all I can say.” He
turned to Tony. “You okay with me grabbing your suitcase, too, or
do I have to get a warrant for it?”