Death Checks Inn (Aspen Valley Inn 1) (2 page)

He was tall; at least six f
eet and had brown hair with golden highlights from the sun and bright blue eyes. He glanced around with an interested gaze and Lacey proceeded to take him on a tour through the downstairs common areas. He asked a few questions but overall seemed pleased with what he saw. Just as he was explaining that her liquor license would be approved the day before her opening, the radio on his shoulder came to life. Speaking briefly to the person on the other end he made his excuses and hurried out to the cruiser parked in the circular driveway.

As
he, left Charlotte looked at Lacey with a twinkle in her eyes. “So….” she drawled.

Lacey, looking perturbed said “So…what? You more than anyone know that it would take a lot more than brilliant blue eyes to
distract me from focusing on my plans for this business.”

“I
know,” said Charlotte, “but he was very good looking and not just his eyes.”

“Oh, please,”
said Lacey, “don’t even start with me.”

The day
was finally here. The official grand opening of Aspen Valley Inn, proprietress, Lacey Washburn. She was so excited she couldn’t even sit still. She wandered around checking all the last minute details. Her nerves were causing her to question every decision. Should she have hired extra help? No, she needed to handle everything herself. She would be mostly unpaid and overworked but until business and profits allowed for employees she needed to keep her overhead as low as possible. Besides, she knew Charlotte would do everything in her power to help her succeed. In addition, there was also the handyman, Dan. She couldn’t help noticing that Dan had cleaned up nicely for the opening. As she looked him over speculatively, she told him how pleased she was that he had finished the sanctuary in time. Nerves jangling she straightened the carved aspen wooden bowl on the hall table for the tenth time.

Two of her guest
s had already checked in. A sweet honeymoon couple, Miranda and John Braverman had already been settled into the Peacock Suite. Lacey had hoped they would be impressed with the brilliant jewel tones she had used throughout the suite. She didn’t think they had even noticed their surroundings. They only had eyes for each other. With blushing faces, they said they might not make it downstairs for the cocktail and mingle portion of the evening. Lacey smiled to herself thinking of the warm love and passion for each other that was evident on their faces as she showed them around. Was she ever that in love, she wondered?

A few minutes
later, her next guest arrived. This visitor was a middle-aged woman named Heather Mason. She was a widow. Lacey remembered their conversation when Heather had called to make her reservation. Heather told her that she and her husband had always dreamed of sitting at the top of Pike’s Peak. They had wanted to drink in the beauty that had inspired Katharine Bates to write “America the Beautiful” in 1883.

Wistfully,
Heather had said, “My husband, Adam died a few years ago and I promised myself that I would do it for both of us. I retired this year from Washburn University in Topeka. I was an admissions clerk. Now, I am trying to do all the things Adam and I didn’t have the chance to do. ”

As Lacey led her upstairs to her
suite, Lacey mentioned the party tonight. Heather said she would definitely come downstairs and join the festivities once she was settled into the “Miner’s Suite”. This suite was rustic in design but with all the modern comforts. After the brief tour, Heather asked if she could get an early morning wake up call in order to hike up to the peak before noon. Knowing how strenuous that climb was, Lacey looked closer at the woman. She was a hardy Midwesterner who looked in shape for the effort and altitude.

The third reservation,
for two college students had not arrived yet. They had mentioned in their online check in that they may be very late. Lacey sighed and thought, waiting for arrivals is part of an innkeeper’s role. Besides, she had a celebration to host and the time would fly.

The first guests were beginning to arrive.
She hurried downstairs, her long summer maxi dress swirling around her ankles. Half way down the stairs, she came to a complete stop. Charlotte was welcoming none other than Wyatt Graves. She had thought he was handsome in his uniform but now seeing him dressed casually, in his button down shirt and khakis, he looked even more handsome. She felt her face flush as he looked up at her and she realized that she had been staring and probably open-mouthed too. She did her best to gracefully descend the stairs and then held out her hand in greeting.  Rather than shake her hand in a businesslike manner he held on a little too long so that it felt more like a caress.

They smiled at each other and Wyatt spoke first. “Congratulations on both your liquor license approval and your
grand opening,” he said.

She stammered a little and then finally came u
p with something, “Can I get you a glass of wine or some cider?” Her voice came out with a very unattractive squeak.

Charlotte was enjoying
her sisters’ discomfort way more than she should be. She could not remember the last time she had seen her sister awestruck over a mere man. But then again, he was very good looking. He also carried himself with an air of power and control. Surreptitiously she glanced at his left hand searching for a wedding ring. Damn, there was a thin gold band. She sighed and thought to herself that she would have to find someone else that put that sparkle back into Lacey’s eyes. Looking over at her sister, it occurred to her that Lacey had noticed the same no trespassing sign that she had seen. There was a bit of disappointment lingering on Lacey’s face, but neither of them had time to dwell on this because the celebration really moved into full swing. They both hurried into the reception hall to begin their duties as proud owner and hostess of the Aspen Valley Inn.

Lacey looked around at the crowded reception area
and  was very pleased with the number of people who had accepted her invitation and some had even brought a guest or two along with them.  In the hospitality world, the more people who knew about your establishment the better. Most new businesses could not survive without referrals, especially those that had no marketing budget. She had invited virtually everyone from the small town of Elkville , only five  miles from the Inn and many from the larger city of Colorado Springs , about twenty-five  miles to the west. She had focused on business owners and others that she thought would be able to send clients her direction.

Once the crowd had been served with refreshments she took her place at the top of the first set of stairs and formally addressed them. Thanking them all for coming, she invited them to join her for a tour. Even those that were familiar with the property before she purchased it were curious to see the transformation. The Inn had spent many years as a sprawling ranch, home to llamas and horses and even some cattle. There were several outbuildings dotting the twenty-acre property. Some would probably have to be torn down as dilapidated as they were but the old-fashioned barn would be renovated into their new event facility. It had been built to last and as they
say, it had good bones.  Lacey envisioned casual and elegant weddings, family gatherings and even business seminars hosted in the cavernous space.

Lacey proudly showed everyone around. They oohed and ahhed over the common areas and the special touches she had added to make the Inn both relaxing and luxurious. She could only show them the two
yet unoccupied guest suites but they all got the general idea. Each suite had its own tiny sitting area and private bath. Lacey valued her privacy and knew that her guests would too.

The dining area, where guests would linger over a scrumptious breakfast before exploring the local sights was cozy. Country chic was how she would describe the decorating style. Only Charlotte and
she knew the hours that were spent scouring flea markets and garage sales to find just the right mix of furniture and décor. Charlotte was very knowledgeable when it came to antiques. She had found some genuine pieces and some good reproductions that had not broken the budget.

The third floor of the Inn had been designated as Lacey’s private living area and she did not lead the tour through her tidy one bedroom apartment.

Charlotte rented a house in town. Eventually, as time and money allowed they would renovate one of the small farmhouses on the
property for her to live in.

Lacey was very conscious of Wyatt’s quiet presence throughout the tour. They concluded the tour back at the reception area.

After more mingling and enjoyment of the wine and appetizers, the guests began to leave. Each one enthusiastically promised to spread the word about the Inn and its amenities. Lacey stood at the double entry doors and personally thanked each guest as they left. Wistfully she said goodbye to Wyatt knowing that they would never be anything more than friends. Lacey thought it was ironic that after ten long lonely years, the first male who interested her was not available. As she and Charlotte cleaned up, they chattered about the successful evening. Tired but pleased they congratulated themselves on their hard work.

“Well, I really need to get
home,” said Charlotte, “but I wanted to wait until the last guests check in.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” replied Lacey, “I’m an innkeeper now and I can greet and settle them when they arrive. Besides, I’m too wound up to go right to sleep,” she said with a smile. Hugging her sister warmly she sent her on her way. She hummed as she busied herself with a few tasks in the kitchen. She wanted to prepare the green chile and egg casserole that would be tomorrow’s breakfast. She realized that the honeymooners had not emerged from their suite and even Heather Mason had only briefly attended the gathering before heading to her room. Oh well, she thought, it did take a few days to adjust to the six thousand foot altitude. She would be sure to remind all of her guests to drink plenty of water and not exert themselves too much on their first day.

Just
then, the old-fashioned dinner bell located on the deck near the entryway jingled.

“
Ah, my final guests are here,” she said. She opened the door and greeted the two young girls who were standing on the wide wrap around deck. “Suzy and Joan, right?” Lacey asked.

The girls giggled and smiled. They looked to be around
eighteen to twenty years old and wore the standard uniform of girls that age, worn jeans and a t-shirt. Each held a bulging backpack as their only luggage. She offered to fix them a snack or something to drink.

Joan,
a petite redhead, said, “Oh no thanks. We’re tired and have a lot planned for tomorrow so if you’ll just show us to our room we’ll be fine.”

Suzy who was blonde and slightly taller
added, “Yeah, we are planning to bike through Garden of The Gods tomorrow and we are so psyched!”

She was referring to a beautiful national park nearby that was famous for its red rock formations and fabulous bike
and hiking trails.

Lacey led them upstairs to the only double suite and watched as they chose beds and threw their backpacks onto the floor. After making
sure they didn’t need anything she told them goodnight and wearily dragged herself up to the third floor. Suddenly she was too tired to even shower. Washing her face and brushing her teeth she fell into her bed and into a deep satisfying sleep.

After what seemed like only
seconds, she jumped up, not sure what had awakened her.  Alert and listening she realized someone was screaming. Not even bothering with her robe she quickly headed down the stairs to the second floor, turning on lights as she went.

As she reached the second floor
landing, she noticed the Braverman’s looking confused and disoriented in the hallway. Joan and Suzy were huddled together nearby and Suzy was crying. They all seemed to be unharmed.

As she moved down the
hallway, she almost ran into Heather Mason. She was standing at the top of the stairs staring down to the ground floor with a stricken look on her face. Lacey followed her gaze and there at the bottom of the stairs was a man. Not moving, unnaturally still, with what looked like blood pooling under his prone figure.

Shaking her head to clear her brain, Lacey hurried to the bottom of the stairs.
She leaned over the body and struggled to turn him over. As she stared into the sightless eyes, she knew he was dead. She checked for a pulse and confirmed that he was indeed dead. As she pulled her hand away, she stifled a gasp as she noticed that her hand was covered in blood. Sticking out of the victims’ chest was an antique railroad spike.

She looked up at t
he huddled group on the landing above.

“Who…what…happened….who is this?
” she shouted.

Heather Mason pointed shakily and
said, “It’s my husband. It can’t be but it is, it’s my husband, Adam.”

Just
then, the front doors burst open. Wyatt Graves and another man who appeared to be a deputy rushed in quickly taking in the scene.

Wyatt pulled
Lacey back from the body, leaned down to check for a pulse and said, “What happened here? We got a nine one one call from someone in this house.”