by Tim Myers
“I’ve got it covered, there’s really not that much left to do. After you take care of Ms. MacLeod, why don’t you go see if you can pry anything else out of Irene?”
“She’s being pretty tightlipped about everything,” Alex said.
Elise smiled slightly. “Come on, Alex, you aren’t trying hard enough. Turn on that Winston charm.”
Alex said, “I would, but I’m saving it all for Saturday night. We’re still on, aren’t we?”
“I won’t back out if you won’t,” Elise said steadily.
Alex pretended to ponder just that, then smiled brightly. “Not a chance.”
As Elise left for the other building, Alex watched her walk away. He was still savoring the warmth of their exchange when Lenora MacLeod walked in, a sketch pad tucked under one arm. Lenora was a striking woman in her late twenties, with long blond hair and hazel eyes, though no one would call her beautiful. There was something about her, though, a bold confidence and assurance, that was almost magnetic.
She said, “Alex? Is this a bad time?”
“No, Ma’am. What can I do for you?”
“When I first arrived, you promised me a personal tour of your lighthouse. I was hoping you could take me to the observation platform and show me the mountains.”
Alex glanced at his watch. He had indeed promised her a guided tour, but this wasn’t the greatest time to leave the front desk.
Lenora caught his expression. “If now is not convenient for you, perhaps we could schedule it for sometime later,” she said, letting her words trail softly away.
“No, now is fine.” He was an innkeeper first and foremost, and this was definitely part of his job. Alex put up a sign that said back in thirty minutes, then led Lenora out the door. Doc Drake still hadn’t arrived on the scene, so Alex still had plenty of time to act as a tour guide to one of his guests.
As they climbed the steel staircase inside the lighthouse, Lenora let her fingers trail along the whitewashed wall inside the tower. “Such fine character it has.”
“I like to think so. It’s been a part of my family for generations.”
“It is a part of you as well, Alex. I can feel it in you both.” Her words were spoken like a declaration.
Alex said, “I can’t deny it. After all, I was born at the bottom of these steps.”
Lenora said, “Would you tell me the story as we climb?”
It was a good thing Alex made it a point to climb the steps on a regular basis. Otherwise he wouldn’t have had the spare breath to talk on their ascent. Lenora must have been in great shape; the climb didn’t seem to faze her at all.
Alex said, “It was on a Halloween night thirty-odd years ago. Hurricane Abby took a freak turn and headed up through Charlotte, then Hickory, and finally straight through Elkton Falls. My mother was nine months pregnant with me, but she refused to evacuate. I don’t doubt Dad realized from the start that getting her to leave was not a battle he could win. Anyway, her water broke about the time the first edge of the storm hit, and he delivered me himself right here.”
“I would think your family would head for a basement, not a tower, in a hurricane.”
Alex said, “Hatteras West is nearly an exact replica of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on the Outer Banks. These lighthouses were built to withstand the punishment of the storms.”
They ascended to the top, and Lenora gasped as she took in the views of the mountains in one direction and the foothills in the other. It was breathtaking at the top, a view Alex could never grow tired of. He only wished there was a fog rolling in for Lenora’s visit. It was truly spectacular watching the bands of gentle whiteness engulf the land below while staying high above it all.
After naming several of the nearby mountain ridges, Alex saw Doc Drake’s car pull up beside Mor’s truck below them.
“Lenora, there’s something I need to take care of. Are you interested in coming back down with me?”
She shook her head. “I want to stay up here and soak this all in, perhaps do a few sketches. You go ahead, Alex. Thank you for the tour.”
“My pleasure. If there’s anything else I can do to make your stay a more pleasurable one, just let me know.”
She smiled slightly, more in her eyes than her lips. Lenora said, “There will come a time when I do just that, but it is not here yet.”
Now what in the world did that mean? “Just let me know,” Alex said as he jogged back down the steps.
He didn’t want Drake to get out of there without giving him a clue as to what exactly had killed Toby Sturbridge.
An ambulance had pulled up behind the doctor’s car as Alex trotted down the steps, and Drake was already in the process of examining the body slumped behind Mor’s steering wheel when he caught up with him.
Doc Drake was a wiry little man with more energy than four normal folks. There was a look of intense focus on his face as he concentrated on the body.
Alex asked over the doctor’s shoulder, “Any luck yet?”
Drake shook his head, still partially inside the truck examining the body. Irene stood nearby, filming the examination for her own records.
She said, “Step back, Alex. You’re blocking my shot. What the eye might miss, Irene would have on tape.
After his preliminary examination, Drake muttered, “I can tell you this, there’s nothing all that obvious that just jumps out at me.”
He started shaking his head as he kept looking, checking the eyes, the rigidity of the body, and a dozen other things Alex couldn’t begin to interpret.
Finally, Drake said to the two attendants waiting nearby, “Okay, let’s take him out of the cab.”
As they gently eased the body out of the truck, Irene zoomed in for a closer look. It wasn’t work for the fainthearted, that was certain.
After Sturbridge was on the stretcher, Drake gave the body a more thorough examination. Finally, he raised his head and made eye contact with Alex. “If you want my professional opinion, I don’t have a clue. There are no obvious signs of trauma, at least nothing I can find out here. Alex, it could have been a dozen things, including natural causes. I need to get him to the hospital and take a closer look.”
Irene had vanished, and Alex saw her zooming in on something under Mor’s front seat. He looked and spotted a dozen red roses pushed under the seat.
Irene said, “I wonder if these were from Mor, or from old Toby over there.”
Alex said, “I don’t have any idea. Is there a card with them?” He started to bend down to get a better look when he heard tires crunching on the gravel drive nearby.
Sheriff Armstrong was back, and for a man of his bulk, he joined them with astonishing speed.
“What’s going on?” he asked, fighting to catch his breath.
“We just found something,” Alex said.
Armstrong said, “Alex, why don’t you leave this to the professionals? I’ll come find you when we’re done and bring you up to speed.” He forgot about Alex instantly and turned back to Irene. “Now show me what you’ve got.”
Alex stepped back a few paces, but he wasn’t about to leave. After all, whatever had happened to Emma’s ex-husband had happened at Hatteras West on Winston land, and he had a right to know what was going on.
Alex glanced over and saw the body being quickly loaded into the ambulance as Doc Drake headed for his car.
Alex caught him before he could drive away. “Are you still stumped?”
Drake admitted, “They’re not all as obvious as a knife wound in the back of the neck, Alex. This one’s going to take a little time.”
Alex asked softly, “Doc, give me a call when you find anything, will you?”
Drake said, “Did you know the man, Alex? What’s your interest in this case?”
“He’s Emma Sturbridge’s ex-husband, and she and Mor are most likely going to be the sheriff’s main suspects. Besides, this happened on my land. I feel responsible for it.”
Drake thought about it for a few moments, th
en said, “I’ll see what I can do, but I’m not making any promises.” As Drake got into his car, he added, “You know how the sheriff gets when you snoop, Alex.”
Armstrong tried to catch the doctor’s attention before he could leave, but Drake was deep in conversation on his cellular phone as he drove away.
“Blast it all, I was expecting a report,” the sheriff said.
Alex replied, “He doesn’t know anything yet, just that there’s no obvious trauma.”
Armstrong said, “Alex, I don’t like hearing it secondhand from you. I told you before, I don’t want you getting involved in this.”
“I’m not sure I’m going to be able to oblige you, Sheriff. Your two main suspects are both my friends.”
Armstrong said, “I’m not so sure that buys you a ticket to the dance. Tell me the truth. Mor asked you to poke around in this, didn’t he?”
“He might have mentioned it,” Alex admitted reluctantly.
Armstrong shook his head. “He’s going to make this a hundred times harder than it has to be, I just know it. He’s already screaming about bringing in the State Police, and we don’t even know for sure what happened out here today.”
“Is he still in custody?” Alex asked warily.
“He was never in custody,” the sheriff protested. “I wouldn’t even have bothered taking him downtown if he hadn’t goaded me into it with that grandstanding of his. You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was doing it to protect Emma.”
Alex felt the relief flood through him. “So he’s not one of your suspects, then.”
“First why don’t we let Doc Drake figure out exactly what happened to the man before we start lining up suspects. There will be plenty of time to worry about who did what after that. For right now, though, Emma and Mor are free to go about their business, just as long as they don’t plan to take any trips out of town.”
Alex said, “They’re getting married in a month. I’m guessing they’ll be taking a honeymoon right after that. Most folks do.”
“Truth be told, if I don’t have this wrapped up in a month, I might not be able to stop them, but I’m going to try.”
“Are you at least finished with Mor’s truck? He won’t
be able to work without it.” Mor, along with his partner Les Williamson, owned and operated Mor or Les, Elkton Falls’ premier handyman service.
“I have half a mind to impound it, he’s being such a thorn in my side. But I’m not about to do that,” the sheriff added, killing the protest just breaking Alex’s lips. Armstrong called out to Irene, “How much more time do you need with the truck?”
Irene considered the question for a few moments, then said, “I could do a better, more thorough job if I had it in the police garage. Get a tow truck, Ducky, and let’s haul it in.”
Alex protested, “Is that really necessary? I mean, you always do a good job in the field.”
Irene said, “I’ve got the time to be thorough, Alex. Mrs. Harper cancelled her perm appointment, so I’m free the rest of the day.”
Armstrong said, “Irene, you don’t have to justify your request to Alex. You want Mor’s truck towed in, then that’s the way it’s going to be.” He saw someone driving up to them and said, “Now what’s the mayor doing out here at this time of day?”
Grady got out of his car and approached them. “Hi all. I was out this way running an errand, so I thought I’d come by and see if you’ve made any progress yet.”
Armstrong said, “I’ve got my crew hard at work on it.”
Grady nodded to Irene. “Ma’am.”
“Mr. Mayor.”
Armstrong said, “I told you, as soon as we’ve come up with something, I’ll let you know.”
Grady nodded, then patted Alex’s shoulder. “So, have you thought any more about going into politics?”
Alex said, “No, sir, I’ve got my hands full just being an innkeeper.”
Grady said, “You can do both, Alex.” He started back for his car, then said, “Talk to you all later.”
After the mayor drove off, Armstrong headed to his squad car to call for a tow truck on his radio.
Alex said, “Irene, do you really have to tow Mor’s truck into town?”
Irene said, “This will save Mor a trip out to the inn. He can walk over to the police garage and pick it up in an hour.”
Alex nodded. “I never thought about that. Irene, I’m not asking you to put your neck on the line, but do you have any idea what happened?”
“A man died, Alex, that’s all I can say. Don’t worry, we’ll know more soon enough.”
After the tow truck came and hauled Mor’s truck off, there was no reason for Irene or the sheriff to hang around Hatteras West. They got back into the cruiser and Alex watched them drive away.
He couldn’t imagine what Irene might find upon taking a closer look at the truck.
Alex just hoped if anything did turn up, it wouldn’t point to either of his two friends.
Alex was back at the main desk trying to get a handle on having a full house of guests again when he looked up from the inn’s registry to find the two ladies sharing Room 16 approach.
He greeted them with his best innkeeper’s smile, then said, “Good afternoon, Ladies. We were beginning to worry about you.”
Corki stifled a yawn as she admitted, “To be honest with you, we’ve needed our rest. I never imagined this tour of inns would be so exhausting.”
Jan added, “I never worked so hard in my life as we did at that place in Pennsylvania. Magdalena nearly wore us out with that true Amish experience.”
Alex smiled softly to himself. He’d met Magdalena Yoder years before at an innkeepers affair, and she’d bragged about her penchant for keeping her guests busy with chores, even paying for the privilege. Alex wished wistfully that he’d have the nerve to do that himself.
Well, it was worth a shot. Alex said, “If you two decide you want to get the authentic Lighthouse Experience. I’ve got plenty of rags and cleaners, and the glass around the lens could use a good scrubbing.”
Corki held her palms up in the air. “No more work for me. All I want to do is eat and sleep. I’m ready for a real vacation.”
Jan chimed in, “Absolutely. Alex, we came down for directions to Mama Ravolini’s. We’ve heard great things about the restaurant. Is it far?”
Alex took out a highlighter and traced the route on a photocopied map of Elkton Falls for the ladies. As he handed the sheet to them, Corki said, “Don’t wait up. We’re going to see every bit of nightlife Elkton Falls has to offer.”
As the two women drove away, Alex knew they’d most likely be back before he extinguished the lobby fire for the night at 10 p.m. Elkton Falls just wasn’t all that exciting in the evening, and honestly, that was one of the things he loved about living in the small town.
Alex was ready to call it a night when a couple in their thirties came crashing into the inn.
The woman was hounding the man even as they burst through the door. “I told you this was it, Paul. ‘Follow the lighthouse,’ you said. ‘We’re bound to get there sooner or later,’ you said. If that farmer hadn’t given us directions, we’d still be driving around in circles.”
“Sheila, if you think you can do better next time, you drive. At least then you won’t be on my back about the directions.”
Alex asked, “May I help you?”
“We want the Main Keeper’s Suite. That’s the best room you’ve got in the old building, isn’t it?” the woman barked out.
“I’m sorry, but that room is reserved for the next two weeks.”
Sheila turned to the man beside her and said, “I told you we should have called ahead. But no, you were sure it would be vacant.”
Paul protested, “Hey, the reservations were your job. Don’t lay this one on me. I can’t do everything.”
As they caught their breaths before starting in on each other again, Alex said, “We do have one room available, but I’m afraid it’s n
ot in this building at all. It’s in the Dual Keepers’ Quarters over there.” He pointed through the window to the building next door.
“It’s brand new, isn’t it,” the woman said disdainfully.
“Bright and shining. In fact, this is the first night it’s officially open.”
“So much for our historic honeymoon,” the woman snapped at her spouse.
The man stepped forward and said to Alex in a low voice, “Listen, I know this is late notice, but couldn’t you do a little shuffling for us? I can make it worth your while.” As he made his request, he slid a hundred-dollar bill across the counter.
Alex refused to touch the bill. “I’m truly sorry, but I can’t help you. Mrs. Nesbitt reserves that same room every year. If you think you’d be happier elsewhere, there are quite a few places in Hickory to stay, and it’s not that far away.”
The woman shouldered her way past her new husband and said, “I’m sure whatever you have here will be fine.”
Alex nodded. “Good enough. I just need you to sign in and we’ll get you settled. Will this be cash or charge?”
The woman retrieved the hundred and slipped it into her purse as she said, “Pay the man, Paul. Put it on your credit card.”
He obviously wanted to protest, but one look at his glaring bride told him this was not a battle worth fighting.
As Paul filled out the registration, his bride said, “I’m going to go look at the lighthouse. Come get me when you’re ready.” As she went out onto the porch, Alex heard her mutter, “That’s just wonderful. It’s not even lit up.”
Alex offered to lead the way to their room after they’d settled the billing, but the man refused his aid. “I can handle it from here.”
“Good night, then, Mr. Jones.”
“Good night.” As he walked out, Alex heard Jones say under his breath, “Man oh man. What have I gotten myself into?”
Chapter 4
Sally Anne came in with a basket of fresh muffins for the next day’s breakfast just as Alex was about to douse the fire in the lobby and head off to bed. Corki and Jan had returned hours ago and were tucked safely in, along with the other guests of the Hatteras West Inn. Elise was in the middle of reading Carl Sandburg’s Lincoln, a set of volumes Alex had inherited from his late uncle Jase, and she’d left him earlier for the privacy of her room. Was it his imagination, or was there a new awkwardness surrounding them now that their first date was nearly upon them? Alex had to admit, he was a little hesitant to meddle with their friendship and working relationship by throwing romance into the mix, but the pull he felt for her was too strong to ignore.
