Innkeeping with Murder (17 page)

He smiled. “If you have any life savings
tucked away, now would be a really great time to invest in the inn.
I’ll make you a great deal.”

Elise got up from the couch and started
pacing around the room. “I don’t have any cash, but my grandmother
left me some jewelry that might be worth something.”

Alex said, “I was just kidding. I can’t take
your money. If it comes to that, I suppose I could sell Bear Rocks
to Grandy. I think that’s the only part of the property he’s really
interested in. I could always ask him if I had to.” Alex hated the
words the second they were out of his mouth. Bear Rocks meant
nearly as much to him as the lighthouse itself. Elise must have
seen the hopeless look on his face. “Don’t worry, it’s not going to
come to that. We’ll think of something.” Suddenly the front door
banged open. From the look of Sheriff Armstrong’s hat and uniform,
it had started to rain outside. Armstrong looked somber as he said,
“Any chance I could get a cup of coffee?”

Elise said, “I’ll go make a fresh pot.”

Armstrong nodded. “Thank you kindly, Ma’am.
I’d appreciate that.”

As she went to the urn in one corner of the
room,

Armstrong lowered his voice. “I didn’t want
to tell you this in front of Elise. Another body just turned
up.”

Elise must have been listening anyway. She
walked back to the two men without the promised coffee.

She said, “Sheriff, did you say something
about finding another body?”

“Go ahead, Sheriff, she’s going to find out
soon enough. Who was it?”

Armstrong said, “Now that’s why I came out
here. It was Sam Finster, the real estate man.” Alex moved to the
couch and sat down. Armstrong took off his hat and twirled it in
his hands. “Here’s the funny part. Somebody called in an anonymous
tip and told us where to look for the Cherokee. We get lots of
crank calls, but we check them all out anyway. Would you like to
guess where we found him?”

Alex shook his head. “I’m more curious about
how he died. Care to share that information with me?”

Staring intently into Alex’s face, the
sheriff said, “Tell you what, I’ll give you both facts and see what
you think. We found Finster in his Cherokee about a mile away from
here in the peach grove. It looks like whoever got your friend Reg
took Finster out the same way.”

The grove. Peaches had been one of his
grandmother’s favorite projects around the property, so the family
history went. Apples would have been a better crop for the area,
but it had been said that Alex’s grandfather had never learned to
say “no” to his wife.

The family’s landholdings were once quite a
bit more extensive than the present property. Alex knew I the
current owner of that particular parcel of land, a man named Eggars
who lived in Florida. Alex had even managed to get permission to
pick peaches during the season whenever there was a crop, since
Eggars hardly ever came up to North Carolina. He used the land as
some sort of tax write-off.

Alex asked, “Any idea about the time of
death?”

Armstrong held up his hand. “You’re greedy
for information, aren’t you?”

Alex wasn’t in the mood for stonewalling.
“I’m also a voter, or have you forgotten about the election?”

“Come on, Alex, take it easy. It’s been a
rough couple of days around town.”

Elise spoke up. “Sheriff, you’ve got to
realize that we have a vested interest in finding out.”

“Yes Ma’am, I suppose you do
at that. We’ve got the time of death narrowed down to between 3 and
5
p.m.
today. Doc
Drake says there’s no doubt in his mind that the killer used the
same murder weapon as before.”

Alex stood up abruptly. “Surely you don’t
think Junior killed Reg, pushed Emma, set fire to my inn and
managed to knock off Finster all in a few days.”

Armstrong didn’t back down, matching Alex
inch-for-inch. “You’re living in some kind of fantasy world, son.
Get it through your head. Emma Sturbridge fell or slipped, one or
the other. Some kid probably torched your inn. We haven’t found him
yet, but we will, don’t you worry about that. As far as Junior
Wellington is concerned, pulling him in for questioning was
Hicking’s idea, not mine. Sam Finster, that’s what brings me to the
purpose of my visit.”

Alex said, “Go on, I’m listening.”

The sheriff idly fingered his badge. “There’s
a rumor going around town that you threw Finster off your land this
very afternoon. I hear it got ugly.”

Elise snapped, “You don’t believe Alex killed
him, do you? I’ve only been in town a few weeks, and I’ve already
heard of several people who would be more likely to skewer the
realtor than Alex would.”

Armstrong shrugged. “I don’t suppose you have
an alibi for this afternoon, do you, Alex?”

Alex looked at the floor. “Actually, I spent
the better part of it alone out on Bear Rocks. No one saw me during
the hours you’re talking about, at least not to my knowledge.”

The sheriff nodded. “Those granite stones can
be mighty comfy, can’t they? You sat around there all afternoon,
that’s what you’re telling me?”

That was all Alex was going to stand for.
“Unless you’re ready to make an arrest, I suggest you leave the
property.”

Armstrong headed for the door, but turned
back before going through. “Throwing people out is getting to be a
habit with you, isn’t it, Alex. When I’ve got more questions, I’ll
be back. Let me tell you one more thing before I go. I know you
don’t think much of my detecting abilities, but one fact you can
take on faith. If you killed Finster, I’m going to catch you, and I
promise you here and now that I’ll make sure they nail your hide to
the wall.”

Elise stepped up. “Spare us the dramatics,
Sheriff, and go find the real killer.”

The sheriff walked out, and Elise moved back
to Alex. After he was gone, Elise said, “What a ridiculous idea.
How could anyone seriously believe you killed that man?”

Alex shook his head. “I don’t know what’s
happening around here. It used to be such a quiet, peaceful little
town.”

“I seem to have brought a lot of trouble with
me. Maybe I should have gone back to West Virginia instead of
coming here.”

Alex touched her arm lightly. “Elise, you’re
the only good thing to come out of this whole mess. I don’t know
what I would have done if you hadn’t showed up when you did.”

“You’d still be drying Marisa’s tears,
probably. Life would go on.” She stifled a yawn. “I’m beat. I’ll
see you in the morning, Alex. Don’t worry, we’ll figure this
out.”

Alex stayed on in the lobby, searching for
answers in the dying embers of the fire. He finally got up to make
his last circuit of the property, something he did every night
before going to sleep. Out on the porch, Alex could smell remnants
of the fire in the cool evening air. He thought about going out to
check the lighthouse doors to make sure they were locked, but he
wearily decided that if another body was anywhere on the property,
he didn’t want to find it.

Not tonight, anyway.

Chapter 17

Alex found Elise polishing the front desk
when he came out the next morning. “I’ve got to check on Junior and
see how he’s holding up,” he said. “Do you mind taking care of
things here until I get back?”

She shook her head. “Even if we never get
another guest, there’s enough work around here to last me a
month.”

“Elise, maybe you should come into town with
me. I don’t feel right leaving you out here alone while there’s a
killer on the loose.”

“Alex, I’m not going to run and hide just
because there’s a possibility of danger. Nobody’s going to bother
me here. Besides, I’ll be around people all day.”

“I could at least get someone to stay out
here with you while I’m gone.”

“I’ve been taking care of myself for a long
time, Alex.” Her brave front slipped for a moment. “Just come back
before it gets dark.”

He nodded solemnly. “I promise.”

After saying a final good-bye, Alex headed
into town to see if the sheriff was still questioning Junior.

As he neared the entrance to one of the
property’s walking paths, Barb Matthews tried to wave him down, but
he pretended he hadn’t seen her. There was no way Alex had the
stomach to deal with the sour old woman today. He caught a glimpse
of her in his rearview mirror, shaking her cane at him as he sped
away.

Alex’s thoughts went back to Junior. He hoped
the line of questions hadn’t gotten too intense for Reg’s son.

At the courthouse, Alex walked down the steps
to the basement, where the police station and jail were both
located. The heavy smell of disinfectant reminded Alex of the
hospital, and he made a mental note to go check on Emma Sturbridge
as soon as he finished with Armstrong.

Behind the glass doors of the sheriff’s
office, Alex could see the man asleep in a swivel chair, his feet
propped up on his desk.

Alex coughed gently, and Armstrong’s eyes
popped open. The sheriff said, “Been a long night. I didn’t mean to
fall asleep in the chair. Yow. I think I strained my neck.”

Alex remembered the sheriff’s attitude with
him the night before. He snapped, “Where’s Hicking? Is he in taking
his turn with the prisoner?”

Armstrong stood up from the chair and
stretched. “Naw, he left around midnight. There was a drive-by
shooting in Viewpoint.” As he dusted himself off, the sheriff said,
“Listen Alex, I’m sorry about last night. That trooper’s got me so
jumpy I’m seeing shadows. You know I don’t think you killed Sam
Finster. It’s just that we’ve gone a long time with nothing too
serious happening around here, and now all at once folks are
dropping like flies.”

Alex waved it off. “I’ll accept your apology
if you accept mine. Losing the main keeper’s quarters shook me up
more than I realized. Is Junior still in the lockup?”

“Take it easy, Alex, we’re not going to hold
him. There’s not enough evidence against him, and he swears up and
down he didn’t do it. I for one am beginning to believe him.”

Alex felt better as soon as he heard the
news. “Can I take him back to the inn with me then?”

Armstrong frowned. “I’d really rather you
didn’t.”

“Sheriff, if you’re not going to charge him,
you’ve got to let him go. What possible reason do you have to keep
holding him here?”

Junior answered that question himself,
walking out of the back area in a robe two sizes too big for him
and a towel around his neck. It was obvious he’d just gotten out of
the shower.

Junior grinned the moment he saw Alex. “I’m
going to hang around and give Calvin here a few tips on running his
reelection a little more efficiently. I used to be one devil of a
campaigner, and I understand our friend has a tight race on his
hands. It’ll feel good getting my hands into it again.”

Armstrong perked up. “Alex, did you know
Junior helped run the state campaign for John Anderson’s
presidential run in 1980? He’s a real pro.”

Alex decided not to point out that Anderson
had run a distant third in that particular race. “That sounds
great. You sure you don’t mind, Junior? I’d be glad to give you a
ride back to the inn. You’re not under any obligation to stay here,
you know.”

Junior managed a weak smile. “I want to do
this, Alex. To be honest with you, I see Dad everywhere I look
around Hatteras West. This gives me something to do to keep my mind
occupied, and I’m close enough if something breaks.”

None of it made any sense to Alex, but it
seemed the two men had actually worked out some kind of friendship
during the night.

Junior coughed politely. “There’s just one
more thing. Do you think someone could gather up my things and
bring them into town for me? I don’t feel much like going back to
the inn until the memorial service.”

“I understand. So you have a place to
stay?”

“I’m going to rent a house in town for the
time being. I’ve already made the arrangements.”

Alex said, “I thought you’d be getting back
to your company.”

Junior shook his head. “I’m not leaving until
we find out who killed my father. There will be plenty of time to
pick up the reins when I get back. In the meantime, the department
heads can manage without me.” He offered his hand to Alex. “Thanks
for believing in me. If there’s anything I can ever do for you,
just say the word.”

For a moment Alex considered asking Junior
for a loan so he could rebuild the main keeper’s quarters, but
owing money to Reg’s son would be the same as owing money to the
bank, and Alex wasn’t about to do that. There had never been any
kind of mortgage at Hatteras West, and Alex would continue the
tradition, even if it I meant he’d be forced to sell the place.

Alex asked Armstrong, “Do you have any other
leads on what’s been happening at the inn? Somebody killed Reg and
Finster, and that building didn’t burn down by itself.”

“Take it easy, Alex. Hicking’s requested a
full team to look into it. They should be out later on today. I’m
in over my head, I admit it. If Hiram Blankenship wants to say I
folded under pressure, so be it.”

“What are we supposed to do in the meantime,
Sheriff? There’s a killer on the loose.”

“Alex, those SBI guys are the best. They’ll
catch him; just give them a chance.”

Alex left the jail and headed toward his
truck in a sudden downpour of rain. After a quick stop at the
hospital, he had to get back to the inn. Alex hated leaving Elise
alone with a murderer still on the loose, no matter what she said.
Maybe he could get someone out there to look after her while he was
gone. Who could he call? He couldn’t trust the only men he could
ask for help; they were all suspects. He could go back and ask
Armstrong, but he knew the sheriff would plead his manpower
shortage again. Maybe he should try to find Elise’s fiancé. No,
from the look on her face last night, that subject was off-limits
between them. Besides, Alex had no idea how to find the man, even
if he was staying nearby.