Key to Murder (Book 6 in the Lighthouse Inn Mystery Series) Read online

  Emma raised an eyebrow. “Are you asking me to check up on your friends?”

  Alex shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that. Just make sure they’re doing okay. Harry’s best friend has been over here twice since we got here, so it’s not like he won’t be expecting it. It’s just the neighborly thing to do.”

  Mor nodded. “We’ll drop by tonight.” He glanced at his wife, and then added, “That is, if we get on the road before noon.”

  Emma glanced at her watch. “We could have left half an hour ago if you hadn’t wanted to look for more seashells, as if we didn’t already have a trunk full of them.”

  Mor seemed embarrassed by the revelation of what they’d been up to. “You know they aren’t for me, they’re for Lester. He loves ‘em, for some reason.”

  “Tell him he can come himself, if he wants to,” Elise said. “We’ve got room.”

  “At least for now, but the way things are going today, that might not be true soon.”

  “Things picking up?” Mor asked.

  “I just hope Harry and Barbara are this busy,” Alex said.

  After they shared hugs all the way around, even a brief one between Mor and Alex, the married couple was off.

  As Alex and Elise watched them drive away, he asked, “Is there a part of you that wishes we were going with them?”

  “I miss Hatteras West,” she admitted, “but I’ll stick with you.”

  “I’m glad of that,” Alex said as he put an arm around her.

  “Because you’d miss me too much?” she asked.

  “There’s that, and the fact that my cooking would probably run all of our guests off.”

  Elise laughed and hugged him a little tighter. “You’ve got a point, there.”

  They were just about to go back inside when a large black SUV drove down the crushed shell drive toward them.

  “Who could this be?” Elise asked.

  “I don’t know, but I’m not sure I like it. If this keeps up, we’re going to have to move Dutch back into his old room.” Dutch was the part-time handyman who lived at Captain Kidd. Harry had told Alex that in exchange for the occasional odd job around the place, Dutch stayed in a small cottage that was really not much more than a gardener’s shed.

  “Let’s hope not,” Elise said. “I don’t have the heart to evict him.”

  “I’m not sure I do either,” Alex said.

  Three adults somewhere in their forties got out of the SUV, though it could have held twice as many people.

  The two men wore fashionable clothing, slacks and nice shirts. They stretched as though they’d been driving for some time while the stylish woman in a navy blue suit of her own approached them. “We’re the Morrisons, and I must say, we didn’t expect a welcoming committee,” she said.

  “If we knew you were checking in, we might have planned it,” Alex admitted.

  She turned to one of the men. “John. They didn’t know we were coming.”

  “I made reservations for the tenth, Elizabeth,” John said.

  “That’s great, but it’s the ninth,” Alex replied. “And you don’t have reservations here for either date.”

  “John,” she called out, and one of the men approached.

  When he neared them, Elizabeth said, “The innkeeper tells me that we don’t have reservations here at all.”

  John frowned. “This is the Kidd Motel, right?”

  Alex shook his head. “Sorry, it’s the Cape Kidd Lighthouse Inn. The place you are looking for is on the other side of town.”

  Elizabeth looked around. “I like it here.”

  “So do we,” Alex answered.

  “Then we’ll stay. You do have room for us, don’t you?”

  “We’ve got the space available,” Elise said.

  “Three rooms?” the woman asked.

  “Better than that. We have three individual cottages open, if you’d like them. Why don’t we get you signed in?”

  She looked at the two men before she’d budge. “Greg, stay with the car. John, perhaps you should keep him company.”

  John didn’t look pleased by the command, but Greg seemed delighted. Alex got the impression that the farther he could be away from Elizabeth, the better.

  She walked into the inn, with Alex and Elise trailing her. Alex was about to say something when the woman stopped at the door and asked, “Are you two coming?”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Alex said.

  As she checked the three of them in with a credit card, she remarked, “I’m glad we were able to beat the storm here.”

  “What storm?” Alex asked.

  “You haven’t heard? There’s a tropical storm moving in down the coast. It’s supposed to hit tonight. I thought you people would be savvy about watching the weather out here, isolated as you are.”

  “We normally live in the mountains,” Alex admitted. “We swapped inns with friends of ours.”

  “They picked an excellent time to leave,” Elizabeth said.

  Elise asked tentatively, “Is it supposed to be bad?”

  “Who knows? These things have a tendency to blow themselves out. Would we have come if we thought we were in any danger?”

  Alex didn’t know what they might do, but he promised himself to turn on the radio and check for forecasts. They didn’t have a television at the inn, Harry had explained. Their guests liked to get away from the world, something that was impossible with around the clock access. He hadn’t missed it until now, but Alex was beginning to realize just how isolated they really were.

  At least they had paying guests, though.

  In fact, it appeared that the Cape Kidd inn was going to be nearly full. With that and a possible storm coming inland, it was all going to be a little too exciting for Alex’s taste.

  So much for a quiet and restful vacation he and Elise had been hoping for.

  Chapter 3

  “Alex, these people are impossible,” Elise said as she burst into the dining room of the inn where he was setting the tables. It was nearing six, and they were going to be so full that Elise might have to eat in the kitchen. Alex would join her if he could, but he’d be serving dinner and waiting on their guests. That was one reason he liked that fact that they just served breakfast at the Hatteras West. Elise had been steadily pushing for a dinner menu for nearly a year, but the only way Alex would agree to that was if they hired a couple of kids from a nearby college to wait tables.

  “You know as well as I do that guests can be a little demanding,” Alex said. “We just have to swallow it and smile.”

  “I know that,” Elise said, a rare burst of irritation coming from her. “But the Bennings are insisting on a vegetarian menu. I tried to explain that I didn’t have much on hand in the way of supplies, but they wouldn’t listen.”

  “What are we having?” Alex asked.

  “I made beef stew for the main course tonight.”

  He loved her cooking, and his mouth instantly began to water. “They could always pick out the meat,” Alex said.

  “And the liquid, too? It’s beef broth, Alex, and it’s infused in everything. You have to say something to them.”

  Alex nodded. He’d dealt with his share of demanding customers in the past. “As soon as I tell them, can I eat before I have to serve everyone else? You know how grumpy I get if I don’t get my meals on time.”

  She patted his cheek. “Don’t worry. I’ve got a bowl ready for you in the kitchen,” she said.

  Alex nodded, and then walked out through the dining room door. The Bennings were there, and Jackson was not at all pleased, though he could swear that Michelle looked amused by the fuss.

  “May I help you?” Alex asked.

  “We need a vegetarian diet,” Jackson said, “and your cook said it was impossible.”

  Alex did his best to keep his voice calm and level. “Sorry, but those requests have to be made a week prior to your stay. We have to stock the kitchen, after all.” Alex didn’t know if this was true or not, but it
might be the best way to diffuse the situation.

  “Are you saying your chef can’t make us anything at all to eat?” Michelle asked. “It doesn’t have to be fancy. We aren’t that choosy.”

  Alex was about to comply with her perfectly reasonable request when Jackson grabbed his wife’s arm. “Forget it. We’ll eat somewhere else.”

  “Jackson, there’s no reason to be that way,” she said. “There’s a storm coming, and it might get bad. I’d rather eat here.”

  “We’re leaving,” he said.

  Michelle shot a look of apology to Alex, and then the two of them left.

  Alex walked back in and found that Elise was gone. He headed for the kitchen and took in a deep breath of the glorious aroma of beef stew. As promised, she had a bowl on the counter for him, along with a thick slab of his homemade bread. He headed straight for the food when she cut him off.

  “What did they say?”

  “The problem’s solved,” Alex answered as he looked around for a spoon. If he didn’t find one fast, he was going to use the bread and sop up as much of the liquid goodness as he could.

  “How exactly did you solve it?”

  “They’re gone,” Alex said. “Is there a spoon around here?”

  “You threw them out?”

  He shook his head. “Not me. I know better. They left of their own accord.”

  “Now they aren’t even staying at the inn? I probably could have whipped something up for them if they’d just asked nicely.”

  “They aren’t leaving, they’re just going to get something to eat outside the inn,” Alex replied. “Now, give me a spoon, or I’m going to start using my fingers.”

  She handed him a spoon, and he dug in. Alex couldn’t believe how wonderful the simple meal was. He respected the Bennings choice in what they consumed, but he knew he could never follow that particular path. He loved what he ate too much now to give any of it up.

  “Tell them I’ll have something for them tomorrow,” she said.

  “If I see them first, I will,” Alex promised between bites.

  He was nearly finished when Elise said, “It’s six o’clock, Alex.”

  “Another few minutes won’t kill them,” he said with a smile. “They can wait out in the hallway until I’m finished.”

  She took the spoon from him playfully and smiled. “Guess what? You’re finished.”

  “At least save me some for later,” Alex said as he washed his hands in the sink.

  Elise laughed at the request. “You’ve had enough, don’t you think?”

  “Not even close.” He leaned in and kissed her, something he doubted he’d ever grow tired of doing. “You’re pretty wonderful, you know that, don’t you?”

  “That’s what you keep telling me,” Elise said. She swatted him lightly with her towel. “Now, our guests are waiting.”

  Alex saluted and added a smile, and then put on his best server’s expression. It was time to face his hungry guests.

  He just hoped they appreciated their meals as much as he had.

  To his surprise, the man Brown was the only one waiting when Alex opened the door to the dining room. He wore the same clothing he’d had on earlier, but his clothes were wrinkled, as though he’d slept in them. Part of his afternoon must have been spent taking a nap, something Alex was envious of. Alex put on his best smile and said, “Feel free to sit wherever you’d like.”

  Brown nodded, and then headed for the table farthest from the kitchen and facing the door. As he took the seat with his back to the wall, Alex walked over and joined him.

  “Tonight we’re having homemade beef stew, artisan bread, and banana pudding for dessert. Sorry we don’t have more choices, but we weren’t expecting anyone tonight.”

  “Stew’s fine,” Brown said as he opened a newspaper and completely obscured his face as he began reading. It was rude, but there was nothing Alex could do about it.

  “Sweet tea to drink?” Alex asked. He didn’t know much about the man named Brown, but the drawl of his accent told him the man had been born in the South.

  “Fine,” Brown said, not looking up from his paper.

  Alex glanced out into the hallway as he headed for the kitchen, but no one else was out there yet. The handyman, Dutch, liked to eat with them, and normally he was prompt when it came to getting fed for free. Alex wondered where he was, but then quickly forgot about him the second he saw Elise standing at the sink doing dishes, her lustrous dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.

  Alex saw there were five waiting bowls on the serving counter. She asked, “Is everyone out there?”

  “No, so far, it’s just Brown. If you ask me, that man talks too much.”

  “What did he say?” Elise asked, clearly interested.

  “Let’s see. First he said, ‘Stew’s fine’, and then he said, ‘fine’ when I asked him about sweet tea. The man’s a real motor-mouth. He’s got his head buried in a newspaper, and the way he’s holding it, it’s hard to tell that he’s even there.”

  “No one else is eating?” Elise asked.

  “Give them time. I’m sure the Morrisons will be along shortly.”

  “What about Dutch?” she asked. “He’s never been late for a meal since we arrived.”

  “That I was wondering about myself. Should I go look for him?”

  “No,” she replied. “He’ll find his way in.”

  Alex grabbed the pitcher of sweet tea, then put it on the tray with a bowl of beef stew and a thick slab of the artisan bread he’d made himself. Elise loved to cook, but Alex had really grown fond of baking lately, especially bread. This loaf had a dark, crisp crust, with a center that was filled with light and flavorful goodness.

  When he walked into the dining room, he found the Morrisons standing impatiently by the door, as though they’d been waiting for him for hours.

  “Feel free to sit wherever you’d like,” Alex said as he delivered the food to Brown. He noticed that the man looked the three new guests over carefully before returning his attention to his paper. It was almost as though he was disappointed seeing them there.

  Alex put the food down in front of Brown, and then asked, “Will there be anything else?”

  “Just the check,” Brown said. “I might have to leave soon.”

  What an odd thing to say. Where would he go, with the growing bad weather outside? Alex replied, “We’ll add it to your bill. That will come under that incidental hundred you left.”

  “Good enough.”

  Alex shook his head slightly as he moved to the Morrisons. Working at Hatteras West had taught him that guests could be the oddest folks on earth, but Brown was setting the bar even higher than Alex had seen before.

  Thankfully, the Morrisons were all happy with stew, and as he served them, Alex admired the way they dug in.

  Alex was heading back to the kitchen for a quick word with Elise when he saw their handyman start in through the door. Dutch had a full beard and long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. His clothes were most likely from Good Will, but they were clean and in good repair, and his worn shoes had a shine to them. Dutch nodded to Alex, glanced into the room, and then left just as suddenly.

  Alex was concerned about the expression on the man’s face.

  “Dutch, are you okay?” Alex asked as he caught up with him in the lobby.

  “To be honest with you, I’m a little under the weather,” Dutch said. “I felt a little queasy just then. I’m not sure I’m up for company tonight.”

  Well, he was certainly pale enough. “Some of Elise’s stew is just what you need.”

  “I hate to ask, but would you mind bringing me some at my cottage?” Dutch asked plaintively. “I don’t think I could make it to the kitchen and back.”

  “I suppose I could,” Alex answered, not entirely sure that waiting on the handyman was part of his job description. But if the man was truly ill, which Alex didn’t doubt, how could he say no? “I’ll bring you some tea and bread, too.”

&nbs
p; “You’re a life saver,” Dutch said as he rushed out the door.

  Alex joined Elise and said, “I need one stew and all the trimmings to go.”

  “Alex, I promise you there will be enough left for you when we close.”

  “It’s not for me. Dutch is feeling a little under the weather.”

  A look of concern spread on Elise’s face. “How terrible. Let me fix something up for him.”

  Alex watched as she gathered a little basket together, transferring some stew into a Tupperware container, adding a bottle of sweet tea, and a generous portion of Alex’s bread. She frowned for a second, and then added a vase with one of the flowers from the kitchen, a bouquet Alex had just bought for her the day before. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Of course not,” Alex said. He loved the nurturing side of her, and she’d taken good care of him during a bout he’d had with the flu a few months before. While Alex had felt like dying in his room, Elise had managed to run the inn at Hatteras West, with just a little help from their friend, Emma.

  Alex took the tray out, then glanced around the dining room. It appeared that no one even noticed him, but he wasn’t even at the lobby door before the man Brown caught up with him.

  “Where are you taking that?” Brown asked, as though he was accusing Alex of something.

  “Our handyman’s under the weather,” Alex explained.

  “Oh,” Brown replied, as though he were disappointed with the response.

  The man was seriously odd, and Alex vowed to keep an eye on him.

  It was beginning to rain, so Alex grabbed a raincoat, then covered the tray with another one that Harry and Barbara provided to their guests. He was standing on the porch waiting for a break in the rain when Michelle and Jackson drove up in their car.

  “What’s that?” Jackson asked. “I didn’t think you did room service.”

  “We don’t,” Alex explained. “It’s for our handyman. He’s under the weather.”

  “It looks like we all will be soon, the way it’s pouring,” Michelle said. “Please tell him that we hope he’ll get to feeling better.”

  Behind him, Alex heard one of the shutters come loose in the wind and bang against the side of the main quarters.