by Tim Myers
“How can you think about eating at a time like this?” Michelle asked.
“There’s nothing we can do for the man now,” Jackson said. “We still have to eat.”
“He’s right,” Alex agreed. “I’ll go see when breakfast will be ready.” He knew his guests ate eggs, since they’d taken the egg salad sandwiches Elise had made the day before.
He walked into the kitchen to find Elise cooking a batch of scrambled eggs on the gas cooktop. She looked so natural there, so happy, and he was about to ruin it.
She smiled at him and said, “There you are. I thought you forgot all about me.” Elise must have noticed his expression then. “Alex? What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, but I just found a body.”
Elise dropped her spatula. “Oh, no. Was it washed up on the beach?”
“No, it was in one of our cottages. I’m sorry to tell you this, but Mr. Brown is dead.”
Elise shook her head. “I can’t believe it. How did it happen? He looked so healthy yesterday.”
Alex grabbed a clean spatula and stirred the eggs before they could burn. He wasn’t sure how much food they had on hand, or when they’d be able to get fresh supplies with the road closed.
Elise tried to take the spatula from him. “Let me do that. I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive,” she said.
“There’s one more thing,” Alex said. “Someone hit Brown over the head with one of the cast iron lighthouses. It had to be murder.”
Elise faltered for just a moment before catching herself. “Did you call the police?”
“I tried, but the circuits are down or something. I can’t get any reception here, and the landline doesn’t work, either.”
“Let me try mine,” she said as she handed him the spatula and left the room. He knew that Elise was shaken by the news of a guest’s murder, but she was staying strong, something he knew that he could count on. When the rest of the world was falling down around him, Alex understood that Elise would be a rock for him, and he hoped that she could count on him as well.
She came back a minute later holding her cell phone. “It’s dead. I let the Bennings sit down in the dining room. You need to serve them.”
“They can wait,” Alex said as he pulled the pan of eggs off the burner and wrapped Elise up in his arms. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Just keep holding me,” she answered.
Elise seemed to fit perfectly within his arms, as though the two of them together made one complete person. He held her close and gently stroked her hair, and as he did, he could feel her tensions start to loosen.
After a full minute, he asked softly, “Hey, are you okay?”
She looked up at him, gave him a quick kiss, and then said, “I’m not yet, but I will be. Thanks. I needed that.”
As she pulled away, he said, “No more than I did.”
“Poor Alex. Dead bodies seem to follow you around, don’t they?”
“More than I’d like,” he said. Alex glanced at the pan. “No special orders today. It’s scrambled eggs, biscuits, coffee, and juice. We do have coffee, don’t we?”
“That’s one thing we don’t have to worry about. Our counterparts appear to be big fans of the stuff. And don’t worry, there’s juice in the fridge, too.”
“How about lunch?”
“We’ll deal with that later,” Elise said. “Now go.”
Alex took the pot of coffee and a basket of hot biscuits and walked into the dining room. The Morrisons were in deep conversation with the Bennings, and they all looked expectantly at Alex when he joined them.
“What’s going on, Alex?” Elizabeth asked.
“I’m afraid Mr. Brown has been murdered,” he said simply.
“I told you,” Jackson Benning said.
She chose to ignore him. “Are you sure of that?”
Alex wanted to say that if he was wrong, it was the oddest suicide he’d ever seen in his life, but this was no time for sarcasm. “Trust me, I’m sure.”
“Have a lot of experience with dead bodies, do you?” Greg Morrison asked.
“More than I like to admit,” Alex said.
That put an added chill in the air.
“Well, I’m not staying here another minute,” Elizabeth declared. “Come on, we’re leaving,” she said as she stood and turned to her brothers.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Alex said.
“Do you think you can stop us?” Elizabeth asked pointedly.
“It’s not me. The road is gone.”
“I told you that, Elizabeth,” John said.
She dismissed him with one withering look, and then turned back to Alex. “I don’t like this, sir. Not one little bit.”
“Don’t think for one second that I do,” Alex said. “For now, we’re just going to have to make the best of it until help arrives. Can I get you all coffee?”
“Three,” Greg said as he sat at the table beside the Bennings. “And some of those biscuits in your hand would be nice.”
“Here you go. Scrambled eggs are on the menu, and there’s juice if anyone wants it. I’ll be right back.”
He returned to the kitchen, grabbed another basket of biscuits, and had to fight the temptation to have one himself. The innkeeper in him wouldn’t allow it though. His guests came first.
After Alex delivered eggs and biscuits to everyone and refilled their coffee cups, he returned to the kitchen.
Elise asked, “Have you seen Dutch this morning?”
“No, I just figured he was sleeping in since he was sick.”
Elise grabbed his arm. “Alex, what if there was more than one victim last night?”
That thought had never occurred to him. “I’ll go check on him.”
“Should you get one of the men to go with you?” Elise asked.
“No, I don’t want to get them any more agitated than they already are. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”
“Come back to me,” she said as she kissed him hard and long. “Don’t take any chances.”
“I’ll be careful,” Alex said, and then walked out the back door so he wouldn’t have to go back into the dining room and explain where he was headed.
His hand shook a little as he knocked on Dutch’s door, and when there was no immediate reply, he felt a little queasiness in the pit of his stomach. After another knock, he tried the door handle.
It was locked.
Taking his master key out again, Alex unlocked the door.
Dutch was on the bed, much as Mr. Brown had been.
But thankfully, from the snores that were coming from him, the caretaker was alive and well.
“What did you find?” Elise asked as he neared the kitchen. She was standing outside on the small landing waiting on him. “I should have gone with you.”
“Don’t worry, he’s fine.”
“Are you sure of that?”
He was snoring away when I left him,” Alex said.
“Did you wake him and tell him what happened?”
Alex shook his head. “I didn’t see any point. What can he do at this point? The road’s out, and we don’t have phone service or power. Why add to his worries, along with being sick?”
Elise looked at the sky. The dark clouds had won their earlier battle, and the sun was gone again. The flatness of the land and the stark contrast of the dunes all made the place looked as though it was on another world. “I don’t like this, Alex. It looks as though another storm is coming.”
“If it does, there’s nothing we can do about it. There’s a murderer here, and we’re all trapped together in the same snare.”
He hugged her. “Don’t worry, we’ll be all right,” he said.
“Just don’t leave me,” Elise answered.
“Never,” Alex replied, trying his best to put on a brave smile for her.
They walked back inside together, and Elise pulled two plates out of the oven. “You must be starving.�
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“You didn’t have to wait for me,” Alex protested.
“I didn’t mind,” she said. “Shall we eat here, or join our guests?”
“I’d rather have you all to myself, but it might be better if we eat out there.”
“Agreed,” Elise said as she grabbed the plates.
There were more questions when they walked into the dining room, but Alex and Elise managed to eat anyway. What it all boiled down to was that there was no way to get away from the lighthouse inn. They would just have to wait until they were rescued by the outside world.
Alex just hoped that happened before the killer struck again.
Chapter 5
“We need to get out of here,” Jackson Benning told Alex as soon as the innkeeper finished his breakfast.
“I’m sorry, but you had to see the same thing that I did; the road’s closed.”
“You don’t understand. We can’t stay.” The man was standing so close to Alex he could feel his breath on his cheek.
“What can I do?” Alex asked. “The only way anyone’s leaving here is on foot.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Jackson said. “Surely if we walk the beach we’ll find our way into town.”
“It’s seven miles away,” Alex replied, “and there’s no guarantee that things will be better there even if you make it. Besides, the police are going to want to talk to you. Do you think running away is going to look good to them?”
Jackson looked as though he wanted to hit Alex. “Why would they want to speak with us? We didn’t do anything.”
“Then don’t you think you should stay?”
Alex hadn’t seen Michelle approach, and he didn’t even realize she was there until she spoke. “He’s right, Jackson. We can’t leave.”
“And I’m telling you, we’re not staying,” he repeated, as if his comments were on some odd kind of loop.
“I wish things were different, she answered softly, “but we don’t have any choice.”
Alex was surprised when the woman’s husband acquiesced. It appeared to be the first argument Michelle had won in a very long time.
“Don’t worry. I’m sure it won’t be that long,” Alex said. “They’re bound to dig us out of here soon.”
Jackson didn’t look as though he believed that. “And in the meantime? There’s a killer loose here, you realize that, don’t you?”
“Trust me, I know,” Alex said. “Just be careful, stay around as many people as you can, and watch your back.”
“That’s good advice, but we’re at the edge of nowhere in the cottage you put us in.”
Per your request, Alex wanted to add, but didn’t. “We can take care of that. Why don’t you move into the main quarters? You can have my room, and I’ll sleep on the couch.” It was a hardship, but he’d do it for his guests if it made them feel any safer.
“We couldn’t ask you to do that,” Michelle said.
“Oh yes we could,” Jackson interrupted. He’d given in once today, and Alex doubted he’d be willing to bend again. It was clear by Michelle’s expression that she realized it as well.
“Thank you for your kindness,” she said.
“Give me half an hour to clean your room, and then you can move in,” Alex replied.
Michelle nodded, and Jackson headed back to their cottage to pack their things. He turned and said, “Alex, if you don’t hear from us in ten minutes, come looking.”
“Jackson, it will take us longer than that to pack,” Michelle said.
“Not the way I’m planning to do it,” he answered.
Alex hurried back inside and found Elise waiting for him. “What’s going on?”
“I’m giving my room to the Bennings,” he said. “They don’t feel safe out there on the edge of the property, so I’ve volunteered to sleep on the couch.”
“That’s a good idea. I’ll give my room to the Morrisons,” she said.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“You are,” Elise said. “Why shouldn’t I? We’re a team, remember?” He recognized that stubborn look on her face. Alex had known her long enough to realize it would be foolish to fight it.
“Okay,” he said, caving in. “You take the couch, and I’ll sleep on one of the cots. We have several of those on hand, so if the Morrisons want to share your room, two of them will have to be on cots.”
“Care to guess who gets the bed?” Elise asked with a smile.
“If it’s not Elizabeth, I don’t have a clue.”
“Need help packing your things and cleaning your room?” she asked.
“If I’m going to be out of it in ten minutes I do. Do you mind lending me a hand?”
“No, after we do your room, we’ll clean mine,” Elise answered.
Alex asked, “What if the Morrisons want to stay where they are?”
He was answered by Elizabeth Morrison storming into the building. “We demand a room inside as well. I’ve spoken with the other guests, and they tell me that you’re giving up their lodging. I hate to be stuffy about it, but we expect the same courtesy.”
“Are you saying that you don’t mind sharing a room with your brothers?” Alex asked. “I’d hate to ask you to endure that kind of hardship.”
“There’s no need to worry about us. We can manage just fine,” she said.
“Give us twenty minutes, and it’s yours,” Elise said.
It was clear Elizabeth had been expecting a fight. She wasn’t sure what to do with herself, a condition Alex doubted she’d experienced much in her life. “Why don’t you go pack in the meantime, and tell your brothers to do the same? We’ll have two cots set up in the room and have it cleaned as soon as we can.”
“We won’t wait over an hour,” she said.
“It should be half that, if we can get busy right now,” Elise said sweetly.
Elizabeth got the hint. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”
Working together, they soon had both rooms cleaned and their belongings packed away. It always amazed him how the most mundane tasks were more enjoyable when Elise was by his side. “We can store our bags in the hall closet for now,” Alex said.
“I’m amazed we were able to fit two cots in that room. They’re going to be bumping into each other all day in there.”
“Thankfully, that’s their problem, not ours,” Alex said. “Do you want the couch tonight, or one of the cots?”
“Neither one look all that comfortable. We’ll flip for it later, how does that sound?”
“Fine by me. It appears that we’re going to have our very own slumber party.”
Elise nodded. “Not my idea of a working vacation, but we’ll manage. Alex, are you worried about a killer being amongst us? What if they strike again?”
He frowned. “I’m hoping that whoever killed Brown had their own reasons to do it. If we’re lucky, the killing is over.”
“But what if it’s not?” Elise asked, the fear clear in her voice.
“I don’t like it, but what can we do? Walking that beach could be treacherous, and if we all stay together, maybe nothing else will happen.” He had a sudden thought. “What about Dutch? Where are we going to put him? He can’t just stay in that cottage of his, isolated from the rest of us.”
She shrugged. “I guess he just volunteered to be our chaperone tonight.”
Alex laughed wryly. “I’ll go tell him the good news. It’s time he woke up, anyway.”
“What if he’s still sick?”
“Elise, to be honest with you, I don’t think there’s anything much wrong with him. Once he finds out what happened, my guess is that he won’t be able to wait to join us.”
Alex started for the door, and was surprised to find Elise on his heels. “You don’t have to come with me, you know.”
“I don’t have to. I want to. From now on, we’re on the buddy system. Hi, buddy.”
“Hi,” he said, and gave her a quick kiss. “If I have to have a buddy, I’m glad it’s you.”
She squeezed his hand. “Me, too.”
They walked outside toward Dutch’s cottage, and Elise looked around. “This is the first time I’ve been out here. That must have been some storm.”
“According to our handyman, it’s not all that unusual to have these this time of year. Funny, Harry never mentioned it.”
“Did you tell him about the black bears that were spotted near Hatteras West last month?”
Alex smiled a little. “It may have slipped my mind.”
“There you go. I don’t think either one of you wanted to jinx this lighthouse swap.”
“You’re probably right.”
They got to Dutch’s cottage, and after Alex knocked three times, there were no response.
Elise looked worried, but he tried to reassure her. “Don’t worry, he didn’t wake up before, either. I had to use my master key to check on him.”
“Open the door, Alex. I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
Alex did as Elise asked, and a tight knot formed in his gut as he opened the door. He wasn’t at all sure what he would find there, but he had a hunch he wouldn’t like it.
It was a relief seeing the bed empty, but when Alex approached the small bathroom, it was empty as well.
Apparently their handyman had felt good enough to leave his cottage.
The question remained, where had he gone?
An hour later, the handyman himself walked into the main quarters, his pants and shoes covered in wet sand. The entire roster of their guests were there, trying to pretend that they didn’t suspect each other of murder.
“Where have you been?” Alex asked. “We were worried about you.”
“No need to be,” Dutch said as he ran a hand through his long hair. “I wanted to see if we could walk out of here along the beach. I’ve got a feeling no one relishes the thought of staying here tonight, and that includes me.”
“Can we make it out?” Jackson asked.
“No chance,” Dutch said. “The dunes are washed out about a mile from here, and there’s no way around them, unless you’re prepared for a very rough swim. The waves are as big as I’ve seen them in ten years.”
“What about in the other direction?” Elizabeth Morrison asked.
