Innkeeping with Murder (10 page)

Alex said, “To be honest with you, I’ve lost
my taste for it. Do you really need me?”

“Your guests are bound to be a little more
cooperative if they see the hotel owner with me. Besides, if they
aren’t in, I’d like a quick peek into their rooms. I can’t do that
without you and your key.”

Alex reluctantly caught up with Armstrong as
he headed toward the next occupied room. This one belonged to Emma
Sturbridge.

Chapter 9

Alex said, “I keep telling you, Sheriff, Mrs.
Sturbridge just arrived last night. She can’t possibly know
anything about Reg’s murder.”

“Why don’t we talk to her anyway? She may
have seen something on her way in.”

Alex knocked a final time before using his
pass key to enter the room. There was no sign of the woman
anywhere. As he had suspected, Emma Sturbridge kept her belongings
neat and orderly. He could usually tell after meeting his guests
for the first time what kind of tenants they’d be.

“Wonder where she’s off to?”

Alex turned to the sheriff. “She’s another
rockhound. Where do you think?”

Armstrong let the gibe pass and pivoted out
of the room. “Who’s next on your list?”

“Joel Grandy.”

“Is he another one of your harmless
guests?”

Alex had to admit he wasn’t sure, as he
shared his

observation of the chess argument with the
sheriff. Armstrong looked pleased. “Finally, another legitimate
suspect. Unlock the door.”

Alex ignored the sheriff and knocked loudly
first. Grandy swung the door open before Alex had a chance to rap a
second time.

“What can I do for you gentlemen? I was just
getting ready to go into town.”

Armstrong stepped deftly in front of Alex and
took over the interview. “I’m investigating the murder of Reg
Wellington. I understand the two of you had words the night before
last about a chess game.”

Grandy looked directly at Alex as he spoke.
“I already explained the incident to my host.”

Alex lifted his hands in apology to the man.
He hated passing gossip on to Armstrong, but his friend had been
murdered, and he was determined to find the killer. It was no time
to be concerned with good manners. Armstrong continued. “Why don’t
you go over it for me. Tell me why you two nearly came to
blows.”

Grandy stepped back from the doorway, and the
other two men quickly followed him into the room, “My God, it was
an innocent chess game. Surely you don’t think I’d murder someone
over a friendly match, I never laid a hand on him. Ask
anybody.”

“It didn’t sound too friendly to me the way
it was described.”

Joel shrugged. “Tempers flared a little, but
I didn’t kill him. There’s been enough death in my life lately
without my adding to it. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I
recently lost my wife to cancer.”

Armstrong changed tacks. “Where were you
between the hours of three and five yesterday afternoon?”

Grandy leaned into the sheriff. “Unless
you’re planning to arrest me, I’m through with you and your
questions.”

Armstrong replied, “You may be a material
witness to a murder, so I’m formally requesting that you stay on
site until I’m done with my preliminary investigation.” Alex
started to protest, but it was too late. Armstrong turned on his
heel and started out of the room. Alex didn’t know whether to
follow or not, until the sheriff turned to him with a steely gaze.
“Let’s go.”

Alex didn’t like either man’s bullying tone,
but he wanted to stay close to Armstrong in case the sheriff
learned anything new about the murder.

Once they were in the hallway, Alex asked,
“Why did you give him such a hard time?”

Armstrong frowned. “I didn’t like his
attitude. People should have more respect for the law.”

Alex was about to reply when Elise joined
them. The second he saw her face, Alex knew that something was
wrong.

“What’s happened? You’re as pale as a
ghost.”

“It’s about Mrs. Sturbridge.” Elise’s voice
was as weak as her complexion.

Armstrong stepped in front of Alex to get
closer to Elise. “What happened? Don’t tell me she’s been murdered,
too.”

Elise shook her head, and Alex wondered what
could shake her so. Elise, unlike her cousin Marisa, was a strong
woman with a deep spirit.

He said, “Wait a second. Let me get you some
water.”

Alex hurried into the lobby and got a glass
from behind the desk. He thought about adding some bourbon, but
decided it was too early in the morning for that, even for
medicinal purposes. Instead, he filled the glass with icy well
water and offered it to Elise.

“Calm down, take a drink, then tell us what
happened.”

Elise took a healthy swallow of the cool
water. When she spoke again, her voice was steady and solid, though
more subdued than Alex was accustomed to.

“Mrs. Sturbridge was out on Bear Rocks.
That’s where she must have fallen. Mor Pendleton was hiking on his
day off and found her at the base of one of the formations. He
called an ambulance on his cellular phone and went with her to the
hospital.”

Bear Rocks was a part of Hatteras West’s
property, even though the formation was tied to the lighthouse area
by the narrowest of trails. Alex wasn’t surprised they hadn’t heard
the sirens. A dense copse of heavy hickory, oak and maple trees
buffered the guest quarters, shielding them from even the most
obvious sounds. Alex’s father had cleared a parking area off the
highway for townsfolk who wanted to hike or picnic at the site. It
was more a public park than Winston land, though the property’s
deed was in Alex’s name.

A related question came unbidden to Alex’s
mind. Why was Mor Pendleton out hiking in the first place? Alex
knew the man’s football injuries still nagged him with pain. He was
the last person Alex would think would take up hiking as a hobby or
a form of exercise. He’d have to ask his friend about that later.
Right now, Alex had Mrs. Sturbridge’s welfare on his mind.

Alex asked, “How bad is she?”

Elise patted his arm gently. “I’m sorry, the
doctor said she’s still unconscious, Alex. They just called from
the hospital to tell us what happened.”

Alex pulled away and headed for the front
door as he called out over his shoulder to Elise. “I’m going to go
see if there’s anything I can do.”

Elise caught up with him, and Alex noted that
Armstrong was not far behind. She said, “Should I go with you, or
stay at the inn?”

“I need you here.” Alex grabbed his coat and
turned to Armstrong. “Are you coming?”

The sheriff must have been feeling mulish,
having his questioning sessions so harshly interrupted. “Why should
I? The lady fell off some rocks. You’d better hope your insurance
is paid in full. She’ll probably sue the place right out from under
you.”

Though the family had opened the rocks to the
guests of the inn and the townsfolk, there was no doubt that
legally Alex was personally responsible for anything that happened
on his land. Maybe he should have taken his brother’s advice and
deeded Bear Rocks to the county before anyone was injured on the
property.

It was too late to worry about the liability
now.

Alex snapped, “You don’t think the two
incidents could be related? Maybe Emma Sturbridge saw something,
and someone was trying to make sure she didn’t have the chance to
tell us about it.”

Armstrong snorted. “You’re stretching, Alex.
If I were you I’d take the lady some flowers and candy in case she
comes out of it. As for me, I’ve got a murder to solve.”

Alex kept his mouth shut and headed to his
truck. In his rearview mirror, he spotted Elise waving
good-bye.

As Alex drove to the hospital, he worried
about his guest. He was hoping with all his heart that Emma
Sturbridge was holding on. Alex honestly liked the woman, but that
wasn’t the main reason he desperately wanted her to revive. He had
to believe her plunge and Reg’s murder were related. At that
moment, she held the best chance of identifying the killer, and her
own assailant. It was only the faintest of hopes, but it was all
Alex had.

Alex made his way through the halls of the
hospital until he got to the intensive care unit nurse’s station.
Nearly out of breath, he said, “I’m here to see Emma
Sturbridge.”

A stern-looking young nurse glanced up from
the chart in front of her and asked, “Are you a relative of the
patient?”

Alex said, “No, but I’m the closest thing to
a friend she’s got around here.”

The nurse’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry. No one
can go in but immediate family.”

Alex asked, “Can you at least tell me how’s
she doing?”

“Wait here. I’ll check.”

In five minutes, the nurse came back. “Come
with me. You can peek through the Intensive Care window, but that’s
as close as you can get.”

Alex thanked the nurse and followed her into
the hospital’s restricted area. The smell of chemical cleaner
permeated the air. Alex wondered for the thousandth time if the
odious scent had any other function but to disguise the smells of
death and dying.

They arrived at the Intensive Care Unit, and
Alex peered through window at Emma Sturbridge. He had to take the
staff at their word that it really was Emma. The hale and hearty
woman Alex had met the night before was now enshrouded in hoses,
cords and monitoring equipment. There was barely enough of her
showing to make a proper identification.

A pretty young nurse working inside spotted
Alex and came out. “Hi. I understand you were asking about Mrs.
Sturbridge. Do you know her very well?”

Alex shook his head. “She’s staying at my
inn, Hatteras West.”

The nurse smiled softly. “I’m Theresa
DeAngelis. I just moved to Elkton Falls, but I’ve already heard all
about your place. It sounds charming.”

“Thanks.” Alex gestured toward Emma. “How’s
she doing?”

Theresa stopped to consider the question.
“Between us, it’s too soon to tell. The doctor can probably tell
you more, but he’s on rounds right now.”

Alex asked, “Did she manage to say anything
when they brought her in?”

Theresa shook her head. “She hasn’t so much
as quivered a finger since she’s been here. I don’t know if
anyone’s told you, but she’s in a coma.”

Alex asked, “If she comes out of it, even for
just a moment, would you have someone call me at the inn?”

Theresa’s smile was filled with compassion.
“I’ll make sure somebody lets you know, even if she wakes up on a
different shift.”

Alex said, “I’d really appreciate that.”

The nurse nodded, and Alex added his good-bye
and left without turning back. The sights and smells of the
hospital were making him nauseous. Suddenly, the only thing Alex
needed was fresh air. He stumbled out a nearby exit into the
bright, autumn day and leaned against the coarse stone of the
building’s exterior wall. The stone was warm on the back of his
neck from the sunlight, and the smell of marigolds in a nearby
flowerbed helped him forget the noxious odor of that corridor. It
was hard for Alex to believe that the robust woman he had joked
with the night before was fighting for her life on the other side
of the wall.

Chapter 10

Since Alex was already in town, he decided to
pay a visit to Mor or Les’s fix-it shop. He had a few questions for
his old friend. Mor Pendleton was perched on his stool behind a
long wooden workbench. The top was currently covered with the inner
workings of an ancient cash register. The walls of the shop were
filled with shelves, housing everything from a discarded vacuum
cleaner chassis to a dismantled hand pump that Alex recognized as
being the same kind that was used at the inn when he was growing
up. There were magazines everywhere, from Soldier of Fortune to
This Old House. Alex knew Mor’s partner, Les, was a junkie for a
particular form of the printed word, and he subscribed to just
about every magazine he could get his hands on. School-kids doing
fundraisers absolutely loved the crusty old man.

Mor was so deep in thought, tinkering with
the register’s bulky pieces, that he failed to hear Alex came
in.

Alex picked up a piece of the register and
said, “Looks like this one’s down for the count.”

Mor grinned at Alex. “These old printwheels
are the dickens to fix, and to top it off, I can’t get parts
anymore. I’ve been robbing old machines to keep a few of them
running, but there aren’t that many left to vandalize.”

“Why don’t you tell the owner to give up and
come into the electronic age?”

Mor’s smile widened. “In the first place,
that would lose us business. In the second place, this particular
register happens to belong to Irma Bean. We swap repair work for
free meals, and Les and I are both too set in our ways to take up
cooking on a full-time basis.”

Alex nodded absently and laid the part back
down on the workbench. “I hear you found one of my guests at Bear
Rocks today.”

Mor nodded solemnly. “She was in pretty bad
shape. Have you heard how she’s doing?”

“I just saw her at the hospital. She doesn’t
look good.” Alex picked up a large bright cog with a few specks of
grease on it and twirled it in his fingers. “When did you take up
hiking?”

Mor looked down at the printer again and
removed another part. “There’s the problem. I sure hope I can
scrape up another paper-advancing gear. What did you say?”

Alex laid the cog back down on top of the
workbench and asked, “When did you start hiking?”

As Mor worked, he explained, “A specialist in
Charlotte told me it would be good for my knees to start walking
some. I didn’t want to go around town, so I figured you wouldn’t
mind if I worked out on your loop trail.”

Alex said, “It’s always open to you, you know
that. When did you start? I’m surprised I haven’t seen you around
before.”