The Extinguished Guest (A Lexie Starr Mystery, Book 2) (30 page)

"Maybe something good will come out of this, after all. It'd be nice to see Wyatt
find a mate in Veronica. I hope she likes to cook, even if she isn't all that fond
of eating."

"Yeah, Wyatt deserves a good wife, whether it is Veronica or some other gal. Which
reminds me, did I tell you Cornelius asked me about reserving the entire Alexandria
Inn for the last weekend in May?"

"No, why would he want to do that?"

"He said he just asked Rosalinda Swift to marry him, and she's accepted his proposal,"
Stone said.

"My goodness! Well, how wonderful for both of them!"

"They want to have the rehearsal dinner, the wedding, the reception, the whole works
right here at the inn, where they discovered their love for each other. They even
plan to spend their wedding night here, along with a number of the guests who'll be
coming from out-of-state for the wedding. And Cornelius tells me Rosalinda has agreed
to seek help for her alcohol addiction. She'll be attending her first AA meeting tomorrow
night, in fact."

"That's terrific news, Stone. I really am happy for them. I hope she can overcome
the alcoholism. Then maybe she can keep Horny Corny, the old sex pistol, in check."

"And they haven't scheduled the date yet, but the Poffenbargers are going to reserve
the inn one weekend in June. They want to renew their wedding vows and got the idea
to do it here at the inn from Cornelius and Rosalinda. Otto told me he's going to
be the one to wear the pants in the family this time around. Patty is going to join
the Jenny Craig program in town to help her with the weight loss."

"Oh, I'm so happy for all of them. It's about time Otto took a stand, isn't it? You
know, Stone, I don't think this grand-opening fiasco will hurt the future success
of the Alexandria Inn at all. It may even turn out to be a draw—people coming here
out of curiosity or morbid fascination. Just think of how popular it'd be if we could
get it billed as a haunted house?" Stone laughed with me at the idea. But already
the wheels in my mind were turning. I could surely come up with a haunted house concept
for the inn to attract customers in October, at least.

"You may be right, honey," he said. "Human nature makes people react in odd ways,"
he said. "This sure has been an unbelievable and unforgettable grand opening for the
inn, don't you think?"

"It sure has. If the first week was this exciting, what do you think the second week
will be like?" I asked.

"With any luck at all, it will be boring and uneventful."

"Gee, do you really think so?"

"No, not really," Stone replied, with a chuckle and a shake of his head. "Something
tells me as long as you're around, my life will never be boring and uneventful."

"I'll see to it that it isn't. I promise!"

The End

Want more from Jeanne Glidewell?

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HAUNTED

A Lexie Starr Mystery

Book Three

Excerpt from

Haunted

A Lexie Starr Mystery

Book Three

by

Jeanne Glidewell

HAUNTED

Reviews & Accolades

"Haunted is fast paced, complex... and has just the right hint of romance."

~Jill Churchill, author of the Jane Jeffry and Grace and Favor cozy mystery series

"I love Lexie Starr. She can get into more trouble without half trying than anyone
else I've ever read. Jeanne Glidewell's books always make me laugh!"

~Alice Duncan, author of the Angels, Spirits, and Pecos Valley series

"Good afternoon, Ms. Sneed. I'm so sorry to learn of the death of your son. How are
you feeling?" Mr. Wright asked with obvious insincerity. The sickeningly sweet voice
he used to speak to her was almost nauseating to me. "We'll need to make some alterations
in your legal documents."

"Who are you?" She asked. She pointed a long, gnarly index finger at him, and then
at me, and asked, "And who's your wife here?"

"I'm your attorney, Ms. Sneed. I'm Sheldon Wright, of Hocraffer, Zumbrunn, Kobialka.
and Wright," he said. Then he pointed my way with his thumb, and spoke in a disparaging
manner. "And, trust me, this woman is not my wife."

"You're an attorney? Am I being sued?" Melba asked. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No, of course not. As you know, your son has recently passed. I'm here to update
your power-of-attorney, and of course, your will. It's routine for my law firm to
keep these documents current, just in case the unexpected happens," he explained.
"We always put our clients first, because we need to protect your interests, of course."

"The only thing I'm interested in is finding out why I'm here and when I'm getting
out," she spat out, literally. Bits and pieces of God knows what flew out all over
the bed. Melba ran the back of her hand across her frothy mouth. I now was in danger
of puking up my lunch.

I'd sat silently up to this point during Mr. Wright's conversation with Melba. I reached
out now and patted the hand she hadn't swiped across her mouth as briefly as I could.
"I imagine they'll be releasing you soon, my dear. I'm sure they'll let you out to
attend Walter's wake this evening. You know, you really don't have to deal with all
this legal stuff today if you don't want to. Next week is soon enough, after things
have settled down, and by then you'll be in a better condition to deal with them."

"Okay," she responded. It was clear she was confused, and I was sure she didn't have
a clue what she was agreeing to. Still, I couldn't resist tossing Mr. Wright an "I
told you so" look. Two could play at his game, I thought.

"And who are you again?" Melba asked me. I realized then that nothing beneficial or
informative was going to come out of this visit with Melba. I doubt she could have
come up with her own name, much less mine, or Mr. Wright's.

"I'm Lexie Starr, Melba. Your son was working for my partner and me when he mysteriously
died. The police have determined that an unknown assailant killed Walter, so I'm trying
to help the detectives discover who that person is. I also feel I should make sure
you're being treating adequately. I feel a bit responsible—"

"Aha!" Melba exclaimed. "So you're the one who's responsible for all this?"

"Oh, no, Melba—"

With Melba's last remark, spittle had sprayed all over my shirt. I couldn't wait to
get home, remove my clothes, and boil them.

"So, Ms. Starr,
are
you responsible for all this?" Mr. Wright asked. Now he had the same "I told you
so" look on his face I'd worn moments earlier. "Why exactly do you feel so responsible?
Is it guilt? Negligence? Or what? Are you here to try to talk Ms. Sneed out of her
money? What exactly do you have to gain personally from being here, trying to pretend
you honestly give a damn about what happens to Melba?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" I nearly shouted. "I honestly do give a damn, you jerk! Walter
was working for me when he was killed. I was at the house when it happened, but I
had no idea what was going on in the parlor while I was in another part of the house.
That's what I meant by feeling responsible. I had nothing to do with his death, I
have nothing to gain from it, and I certainly don't want a dime from Ms. Sneed. Like
I said before, I was very close to Walter. I would give anything, and do anything,
to bring his killer to justice."