Murder Checks Inn Read online

  There was a thick accordion folder full of papers on the room’s simple desk, and Alex decided he should take those back to Hatteras West with him when he left. There might be something important that needed to be addressed. He also found Jase’s collectibles box, something he’d seen around his uncle his entire life. Alex lifted the lid with bated breath as he stroked the sides of the box, made from the now-gone American chestnut tree. He was tempted to sit down and go through his uncle’s treasures. At the top, Alex could see a Confederate bullet, a few Indian arrowheads, and the fragment of meteor Jase had. There were chips of emerald there, of no real cash value, but ones Jase had found himself in Hiddenite. There were, just like the last time Alex had seen the box, a handful of the steel pennies Jase loved. It was a box full of memories, more than anything else. He could spend all evening going through it, but there wasn’t time at the moment. Alex tucked the box under one arm and walked over to the nightstand. He picked up the last book Jase would ever read. It was titled The Treasure Below. Just then, he heard someone else in the house!

  Throwing the book on top of the bed, Alex moved quickly toward the door. As he approached, he heard something fall in the living room.

  “Who’s there?” Alex shouted as he raced through the doorway, the papers, the collection box and the book now forgotten.

  He got into the hallway just in time to see the front door slam shut. Running to it, Alex tripped over a pile of books that had been upset by the intruder. By the time he got to his feet and jerked the door open, whoever had invited themselves in was gone. There were a dozen stores nearby that the intruder could have ducked into, and Alex knew he’d never find the interloper.

  As Alex stepped back inside, he wondered why anyone would just walk into Jase’s house uninvited. What could he, or she for that matter, have been looking for?

  Alex started leafing through the books that had been disturbed. There was nothing out of the ordinary that he could see as he restacked them. Had it been an accident that they’d been spilled, or had the would-be thief been looking for something in particular?

  He was still on his knees in the living room when there was a knock on the door.

  It was Mor, standing just in the shadows, a weary frown on his face.

  Mor said, “Listen, I hate to interrupt you, but do you have a second? I really need to talk to you. I know the timing stinks, but it’s important.”

  Alex felt his heart race. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, no. At least I don’t think so. Not yet, anyway. Well, maybe, it depends on how you look at it.”

  “That certainly clears things up,” Alex said with a smile.

  His best friend didn’t respond to the jab, and that’s when Alex knew just how serious Mor was.

  Alex walked out onto the abbreviated porch with Mor close behind, and the two men sat on the steps out front, avoiding each other’s gaze.

  Mor said, “Sandra told me I could find you over here, but she didn’t want me to come. She said you needed some time alone. That woman’s an overprotective hen when it comes to you. I don’t remember her being so careful of your feelings when the two of you were dating.”

  “Sandra means well, but I don’t have to have perfect solitude to say good-bye. What’s up?”

  Mor took a deep breath, then said heavily, “It’s Les. He’s talking about retiring again.”

  Alex knew Mor’s partner talked about quitting their business a dozen times a year. Though the man was in his early seventies, he could probably run circles around folks half his age. “Mor, he’s been threatening to quit forever. What makes this time any different?”

  Mor rocked back as he said, “This is the first time he’s ever been serious enough to offer to sell his share of the business to me. Seems he’s found a new girlfriend, and he’s thinking about leaving Elkton Falls with her and seeing the world.”

  That was news to Alex. Normally, in a place as small as Elkton Falls, it was as tough keeping a secret as it was to repeal the law of gravity. The kudzu vine was faster than any regular grapevine known to man.

  “So who is this mystery woman?” Alex asked.

  “I have no idea,” Mor admitted, “but I think she lives in Saint Dunbar.” Saint Dunbar was a town twenty miles away, closer to the mountains than Elkton Falls. It was in such an odd place geographically that it could be raining in Elkton Falls and snowing up a storm in Saint Dunbar. That could explain the mystery. Saint Dunbar was far enough away to be out of the reach of Elkton Falls radar. The kudzu vine only traveled so far when it came to gossip.

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  Mor scratched his chin. “I can come up with most of the money, but Les would have to take a note for the rest. Not that he’d mind, but I hate carrying paper like that. But that’s not the real problem, Alex. To be honest with you, the whole thing is just too permanent for my taste.”

  “What’s Emma think about all of this?” Since Mor and Emma had started dating, she’d become a very real part of the handyman’s life, Alex knew.

  “She doesn’t know about it, and I’m not sure I want to tell her. Not just yet, anyway.” Mor stared at his hands a moment, then said, “She’s already been badgering me about my lack of commitment to anything, and now this comes up.”

  Alex patted Mor’s shoulder. “So where does that leave you?”

  “Alex, I swear I don’t know. When I lost that scholarship and came back home, I kind of fell into working with Les by accident more than design. Even though he made me partner a few years later, I still felt like I could pick up any time I wanted to and leave, do you know what I mean? Is Elkton Falls all I’m ever going to know? There’s a whole world out there, my friend, and I’m afraid I’m missing it, staying in one place my whole life. What would you do if you were in my shoes?”

  Alex shook his head. “That’s the whole point, isn’t it? Mor, I’ve seen some of the world, and for me, it just isn’t the same as home. Tony still thinks I’m a fool for taking Hatteras West instead of the money when our folks died, but for me it was the only decision I could make. That lighthouse is a part of me. I could never leave it.”

  Mor nodded. The usual jocular tone of their talks was gone completely, replaced by a heaviness that hung in the air between them. “Don’t get me wrong, Alex, you know I love Elkton Falls. But what I’m worried about is, will it be enough?”

  “I wish I could answer that for you, Mor, I honestly do. I can tell you this. When I’m faced with a tough decision, I draw a line down the center of a sheet of paper, with pluses on one side and minuses on the other, just like Ben Franklin used to do. Sometimes I know the answer before I even finish my list. You might want to give it a try. It’s worth a shot, anyway.”

  “I guess so.” Mor looked back inside the small cottage. “Jase was just renting the place, wasn’t he?”

  “That’s right. In fact, I have to move all his stuff out to Hatteras West in five days. Somebody’s buying the cottage.”

  “You need a hand? With both our trucks, we should be able to make it in one trip.”

  Alex nodded. “That would be great.” He paused a few seconds, then added seriously, “Mor, you need to do what’s best for you, but if you decide to leave Elkton Falls, the place just won’t be the same without you. I don’t know what I’d do around here if you were gone.”

  Mor was about to answer when Sandra pulled up front in her BMW, parking behind Mor’s truck.

  “You two both look like you just lost your best friends in the world.” She glanced at Alex a second, then said, “Sorry, that wasn’t the best choice of words, was it?”

  “Everything’s fine here, Sandra,” Alex said. “We were just taking a break.”

  She glanced at her watch. “Listen, if you two are in the middle of something, we don’t have to go out tonight. Do you want a rain check on dinner, Alex? We can make it another time.” She paused, then added, “I just had another thought. Mor, you’re welcome to come along and join us.”

/>   The handyman stood and said, “No, thanks, but Alex would love to go; I can hear his stomach grumbling from here. I’ve got to get back to the shop.”

  Alex said, “Give me a call later, okay?”

  Mor walked down the last porch steps as he said, “Sure thing. You two enjoy your dinner.”

  After Mor was gone, Alex said, “Just let me lock up, and I’ll be ready to go.” He searched his pockets for the keys but couldn’t find them. “I’ll be right back. I think I left the keys on the kitchen counter.

  Alex found the keys in the bedroom and not in the kitchen where he’d expected to find them, then picked up the folder stuffed with papers from Jase’s desk, the collectibles box, and the book he’d found on Jase’s nightstand. Somehow he felt that it would help him hold onto his uncle a little longer, going through the last things in the world Jase had touched.

  Irma Bean met them at the door of Mama Ravolini’s with a raised eyebrow. “Two for dinner?”

  Alex nodded, and as Irma led them to their table, she said, “So tell me, Alex, how is that wonderful Elise Danton you have working for you?”

  “She’s fine,” he replied, trying to kill that particular conversation before it got started.

  Irma wouldn’t let up, though. “I hope you’re treating her right. My, the way that woman can cook! What an asset she would be here in my kitchen.”

  Alex tried to hide his smile as he saw Sandra bite back a reply. Before she could get anything out, Alex said, “She’s not leaving Hatteras West any time soon, Irma.”

  Irma patted him on the cheek as he sat down. “Good, that’s where she belongs.” Almost as an afterthought, Irma added, “You two enjoy your meal.” As she started to walk away, she turned back to Alex and said, “Be sure to give her my love.”

  Alex agreed to do just that, then looked quickly at Sandra as Irma disappeared into the kitchen. She said, “That’s all I need, an Elise Danton commercial.”

  Alex smiled as he said, “I don’t think she means anything by it.”

  “Don’t bet on it, Alex,” Sandra said as she returned Alex’s smile. “I think she means everything by it.” She paused as their waiter immediately brought them two glasses of wine and a bottle of Alex’s favorite, Chateau Morrisette’s Sweet Mountain Laurel. It was from a vineyard in nearby Virginia, and Alex kept hoping to get a few days off to take a tour of the place someday. As the waiter poured, he said, “Compliments of the management.”

  The waiter added grandly, “Are you ready to order, or would you like some time with your menus?”

  “I think we know what we want,” Alex said as Sandra nodded her agreement. After they’d placed their orders, Sandra took a sip of wine, then said with a smile, “I don’t need Irma Bean rubbing my nose in the fact that you’ve got a crush on Elise.”

  Alex protested, “She’s engaged to someone else. In fact, I just found out her fiancé is moving to Elkton Falls to be closer to her.”

  Sandra took another sip of wine, then said, “Alex, Elise is never going to marry that man.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  Sandra put down her glass and looked into his eyes. “If you ask me, she’s just as interested in you as you are in her. Honestly, I wish you two would go out on a real date, just so you can get it out of your systems. This pining away isn’t doing either of you any good.”

  Alex said awkwardly, “Sandra, you know Elise’s presence didn’t have anything to do with our breakup. We just—”

  Sandra allowed herself a slight smile. “You don’t even have to finish the sentence, Alex.” She patted his hand as she added, “Our breakup was more my fault than it was yours. It was just that I saw so much potential in you, I knew you could do better than spending your life running an inn.”

  Before Alex could interrupt, she said, “Let me finish. Now I know that Hatteras West is where you belong. It’s a part of you. I just wish it hadn’t taken me so long to realize it.” She took another sip of wine, then said, “To be honest with you, I’m kind of glad we’re not dating anymore. I like you much better as a friend.”

  Alex lifted his glass, then paused. “I made my share of mistakes when we were dating, too.” He moved his glass toward her. “Why don’t we drink a toast, celebrating our friendship?”

  Sandra nodded, and their glasses clinked together gently. “To friendship.”

  After a pleasant meal, Sandra drove Alex back to the inn, refusing a cup of coffee as a nightcap by pleading an early court date the next day.

  Alex walked into the inn to find Elise sitting in the lobby by herself. There was a fire in the fireplace, and it seemed to him that it crackled with more sparks as he joined her.

  Elise said, “Good, you’re back. I’ve wanted to talk to you all day, but there never seems to be the chance.” Her words tumbled out in a rush.

  Alex leaned back in his chair as he placed the items he’d collected at Jase’s on the table beside him. “How about now? I’m free if you are.”

  Elise took a deep breath, then said, “Alex, it’s important for you to know that Peter came to Elkton Falls of his own accord. I did nothing to encourage him. In fact—”

  “Elise, you don’t have to explain anything to me. I know you’ve got a personal life of your own. That’s allowed, you know,” he said, trying to ease the sudden tension between them.

  Elise twisted a hair tie in her hands. “You’re more than just my boss, Alex; you’re my friend. The thing is—”

  She didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence. Ashley Trask-Cooper took that moment to come downstairs. “Mr. Winston, there you are. I simply must have a word with you.”

  “In a minute,” Alex said holding one hand up as he turned to Elise. “You were saying?”

  “It can wait,” Elise said as she stood abruptly.

  “Elise, it had to be important, or you wouldn’t have brought it up.”

  “Alex, we can talk later.”

  And before Alex could say another word, she was gone.

  Chapter 7

  “What is it, Mrs. Cooper?” Alex said with little attempt to hide his ire. He was upset that his conversation with Elise had been so curtly interrupted.

  The woman standing before him was obviously used to being treated with more diplomacy than Alex was showing, but she didn’t let his abruptness faze her. Instead, a transformation much like her mother’s came upon her. Ashley Trask-Cooper was suddenly quite charming as she said in a soft, friendly tone, “Alex, I know we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot, and I’d like to correct that right now. Call me Ashley; everyone else does. And I’ll call you Alex, if you don’t mind. It is Alex, isn’t it?”

  “That’s right. So what can I do for you, Ashley?”

  “Frankly, I’m worried about my brother. Have you seen him today?”

  Alex said, “To be honest with you, I’ve been in and out most of the afternoon and evening. You might want to ask Elise if you’re really concerned. She’s been here at the inn all day.”

  Ashley shook her head. “I’m sure it’s nothing. He’s probably just blowing off some steam. He’s certainly done it enough in the past. His moods can take such tortuous swings, and it’s been a tough day for all of us.”

  Me, too, Alex added to himself. “I’m sure he’s fine,” Alex said aloud. At least Ashley’s mother had possessed the decency to feign sympathy over Jase’s death. Most likely Ashley was so wrapped up in her own little world that she didn’t even notice that Alex had just lost someone dear to him.

  Ashley touched his arm briefly, then offered him a slight smile as she said, “Thank you, I feel better just having spoken with you. I’m sure I’m just being silly. Good night, Alex.”

  “Good night,” he said as she headed back up the stairs to her room.

  Alex was used to a certain breed of guests who wanted to be on a first-name basis with the staff, trying to kid themselves that they really did believe all people were created equal. The truth was, he had a sneaking suspicion that what they rea
lly believed was that some were created just a little more equal than everyone else. To be fair, there was also the much more genuine type that wanted to be on a first name basis with the whole world, the people who didn’t know any strangers; there were just friends they hadn’t met yet. Mrs. Hurley, the home economics teacher who taught adult education classes at night, was one such person. She’d once been in a minor car accident while traveling in Texas, and by the time she’d been discharged from the hospital, she’s made a dozen new friends who visited her regularly in Elkton Falls.

  Alex ran into all types running the inn, and he was thankful that on the whole, his guests were a wonderful, friendly bunch who loved the lighthouse and grounds nearly as much as he did.

  After Ashley was gone, Alex found himself wondering for the hundredth time why Mathias Trask had insisted on the Hatteras West Inn as the place for the reading of his will. Alex had never heard of the man, and he’d spent most of his life in Elkton Falls. Mathias must have moved away when Alex’s mother and father had been running Hatteras West.

  Most likely the man had fallen in love with the lighthouse as a boy and had wanted his family to share a last moment with him there.

  Alex could think of a whole host of worse wishes to make.

  The next morning, Alex and Elise worked together in the laundry after cleaning the rooms. Since the loss of the Dual Keepers’ Quarters, they found things went smoother if they worked together doing the daily chores that were involved in running an inn. Once the new building’s construction was complete, they’d have to split up again to make the most efficient use of their time, but for now, their days were mostly spent together.

  Nothing was said about their truncated conversation the night before, and Alex knew he’d have to give Elise all the time she needed to bring it up again. Though they’d never gone out on a single date, Alex knew her better than he had most of the girlfriends from his past.