by Tim Myers
“Ten dollars each,” Jackson pushed. “Even you can afford that.”
“I could afford a great deal more, but I’m not about to waste my money on the likes of you.”
Jackson shrugged. “That just shows a lack of confidence on your part. I was just trying to make it interesting.”
“Don’t you think things are interesting enough as it is?” Michelle asked.
Jackson didn’t respond to that. As Alex retrieved the Monopoly game from the shelf full of games, he asked, “Who wants to be the banker?”
“You’re the innkeeper,” Michelle said. “You should do it.”
“Fine. Elise, do you want to handle the properties?”
“I can’t think of a reason why I shouldn’t,” she answered as she took the properties from him. It was clear to Alex that Elise wasn’t thrilled by the prospect of playing with a murderer, and if he were being honest with himself, he wasn’t all that excited about it either. But in a skewed kind of way, it made sense. Keeping the killer at the table meant that no one else would die.
At least as long as the murderer was still in the game.
In two hours, Elise, Greg, John, and Michelle had all been eliminated. Alex worried that they might wander off, but each of the losing contestants had horses still in the race, and there was really nothing else to do anyway, so the crowd lingered. Dutch was in the weakest position, then Alex. The two heavyweights, Jackson and Elizabeth, were nearly equal. Jackson had more property, but Elizabeth had more cash. In short order, Dutch was eliminated, and then Alex, after he landed on Boardwalk, one of the few properties that Elizabeth owned. He stayed at the table as banker, and had a close view of the two in combat.
“You go for the throat, don’t you?” Elizabeth asked Jackson as he laughed with glee when she landed on St. James place, a property he had a hotel on.
As he recounted the money she’d paid him, he said, “Life is a game, and games are like life. If you don’t do everything in your power to win, why bother playing at all?”
Alex shot a quick look at Michelle, who was clearly startled by the man’s attitude. Alex was willing to bet that she was seeing a side of him that he’d been careful to hide so far. No matter what happened, Alex was fairly certain that the marriage might not happen at all, regardless of the outcome at the inn. He wondered how they’d ever gotten together in the first place. Love could do strange things to people, he’d seen that as much as anyone, but when the smoke cleared, what was left was how two people related to each other, and the world.
The next turn when Jackson landed on one of Elizabeth’s properties, she took the money from him with barely a smile showing on her face, and she added it to her carefully stacked rows without even counting it.
“You trust me that much?” he asked.
“It’s just a game,” she answered.
Jackson seemed offended by the remark, and he tried his best to beat her, though now it was down to who landed where, and when.
In a long hour, with the lead changing hands a few times, Jackson had the bad luck to land on three of Elizabeth’s hoteled properties, while she’d avoided his altogether.
Even Jackson could see the writing on the wall. He tipped his boot on its side as though he were playing chess and said, “I concede.”
Elizabeth offered a hand to him across the board, and for long moment, Alex wasn’t certain he was going to take it. After Greg growled in the bottom of his throat, Jackson shook her hand, and then quickly let it go.
“Come on, Michelle. Let’s go to bed,” he said.
Michelle shocked them all by saying, “No thanks. You go on. I’m going to stay up awhile.”
Jackson clearly didn’t know what to make of that mutiny, but he didn’t argue about it. Without another word, he grabbed one of the lit candles and made his way to their room.
Elizabeth stretched. “I’m afraid the day has left me quite weary as well.”
She headed for her room, and her two brothers said good night in kind.
Dutch said, “Honestly, I’m not a bit sleepy. Anyone up for another game of Hearts?”
They all agreed, and after they lowered the leaves of the table, they sat and played until well into the night. At one point, Jackson came out of his room with an angry expression on his face. “Are you coming to bed?”
“Not right now,” she said, and he slammed the door when he got back to their room.
“He’s not happy, is he?” Elise asked gently.
“He’ll get over it. Do you happen to have another cot? I think it’s cozier out here by the fire.”
Dutch stood. “I’ll go grab one.”
Alex said, “Hold on. Buddy system, remember?”
Dutch nodded reluctantly, and they went to the storage closet together and got a cot, a sheet, a blanket, and a pillow with its case.
“I’m sure she’s used to better than this,” Dutch said.
“We all are. It’s only for one night, though.”
“I hope you’re right,” Dutch said.
“Do you have any doubt they’ll dig us out by tomorrow?”
He shook his head. “Don’t pay any attention to me. I’m just a little on edge.”
“There you’re in good company.”
When they got back, the card game had been put away, and the table was back in its rightful place against the wall. “We hope you don’t mind, but it’s getting late,” Elise said.
“It’s fine,” he replied. They divided the room in two, with the men’s cots on one side, and the women’s on the other, with the fireplace between them. Michelle fell quickly to sleep, but Dutch soon got up. “I’m coated with sand. I can’t sleep like this. I need a shower.”
“The water’s freezing, remember?” Alex said.
“I don’t care. I was outside longer than you were today. Don’t worry, I won’t be long.”
After Dutch went into the bathroom, Alex asked softly, “Elise, are you asleep?”
“No, I was afraid to. I wasn’t sure which one of us was going to stand guard first.”
“I can do it,” he said. “Listen, before you go to sleep, I just wanted to apologize for getting you into this mess. I can’t believe I dragged you all the way from Hatteras West for you to risk your life here.”
“We’re a team, Alex. I’ll go wherever you go. You know that.”
“I still feel responsible.”
“Did you kill that man?” she asked softly.
“Of course I didn’t,” he replied.
“Then you have nothing to apologize for. Alex, do have a better idea now of who might have done it?”
He looked over at Michelle to see if there was a chance she was feigning sleep, but he doubted she would go so far as to snore to prove her point.
“My money’s on Jackson,” Alex said.
“Mine, too. He’s got quite a temper, doesn’t he?”
“And a killer instinct to book,” Alex agreed. “Did you see the way he looked at Michelle when she refused to go to their room? I don’t blame her for bunking out here.”
“Neither do I,” Alex said. “After what he said, I can see him killing to protect Michelle’s money. I’m willing to bet that he already thinks of it as his.”
“I’m worried for her safety, Alex.”
“We’ll keep an especially close eye on her,” he said.
The bathroom door opened, and Elise said softly, “Good night, Alex.”
“Good night.”
He pretended to be asleep when Dutch came back into the room. The man quickly settled into sleep, and soon, Alex heard heavy breathing from all three of his bunkmates. The fire was dying, so he got up to add a few more logs to it, but that turned out to be his downfall. When the room had been chilled slightly, Alex could stay awake, but the added warmth, along with the stress he was under, put him to sleep before he had a chance to wake Elise.
He was awakened the next morning by a scream, and in an instant, Alex knew that his lapse had cost someone their life.
C
hapter 10
“What happened?” Elise asked as she came awake at the same time Alex did. Michelle was stirring as well, but Dutch was sitting upright on his cot.
“I have no idea. I fell asleep,” Alex admitted as he got out of his own cot. He and Dutch rushed to the sound of the scream as Elise woke Michelle. Alex was just as glad she’d stayed behind. If it was what he feared, he didn’t want her to be with him when they found another body.
The two men discovered Elizabeth Morrison kneeling beside the shower, her gown wet from touching the damp tiles, and Jackson Benning’s head cradled in her lap. Jackson was dressed in his pajamas, and the cord from a robe was knotted tightly around his neck. It wasn’t a pretty sight, and Alex was glad that Elise hadn’t come with him. Greg and John were trying to help Elizabeth up, but she was fighting them every step of the way.
“He might still be alive,” she said as she searched for a pulse. “He’s warm, see?”
Dutch surprised Alex by moving him aside. “I took a first aid class a few years ago. Let me see him.”
The handyman knelt down beside Elizabeth, checked at the neck and wrist for a pulse, and then looked back at Alex as he shook his head. “He’s gone.”
Elizabeth sobbed once, and then laid Jackson’s head back on the floor. She let her brothers help her stand, and once she was upright, Alex asked her, “What happened?”
“I came in to use the shower,” Elizabeth said. “I didn’t want to use the one in our room, because I was afraid I would wake my brothers. I’d just turned the shower on and was getting ready to get undressed when I heard an odd sound, as though the water was hitting something besides the tiles. I pulled the curtain back, and there he was.”
John stepped in and hugged his sister, with Greg patting her back. “There was nothing you could do for him,” John said.
“I didn’t care much for the man,” Elizabeth admitted, “but I can’t imagine who would hate him enough to kill him.”
“Maybe he saw something he shouldn’t have,” Greg said. “If someone was trying to protect their secret, they could kill.”
Alex had no problem imagining who might have done it. All three Morrisons had words with Jackson the past day, none harsher than Elizabeth, and Michelle had her own reasons to want to be shed of the man. Even Dutch had had an altercation with him.
Once again, there were too many suspects, and not enough clues.
“Somebody’s got to tell Michelle about this,” Alex said.
“Tell her what?” Michelle said as she looked into the bathroom. With everyone else there, there was no real room for her to come in herself.
Alex tried to block her view, but he wasn’t able to do it in time. Michelle saw the collapsed form of her boyfriend on the floor and shrieked.
“Is he dead?” she asked through her sobs.
“I’m so sorry,” Alex said as he tried to move her away from the door.
She held fast at first, but then Elise stepped in and gave him a hand with her. “Come on, Michelle. Let’s go in the other room.”
She let herself be led away, and Alex was grateful for Elise’s calming presence.
After the two women were gone, Alex looked at Dutch and the Morrisons. It was a tight fit in the bathroom with all of them there.
“We need to close off this room,” Alex said. “Let’s go.”
“It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?” Elizabeth asked.
“What’s already been done can’t be helped,” Alex replied. “We’ve already contaminated one crime scene. I won’t let it happen again on my watch.”
He expected a fight, but Alex was pleasantly surprised when they all filed out of the bathroom. They would be cramped in the main quarters for awhile because of it, but that couldn’t be helped. This body was going to stay exactly where it was. After they left the room, Alex locked the door with his key. He had no doubt that Dutch had a copy himself, but he couldn’t worry about that.
Elizabeth turned to her brothers. “Grab what you need. We’re leaving.”
“We can’t,” John said. “You heard Dutch. The road is closed, and so is the beach. We’ll never make it.”
“That was yesterday. This is today.”
Alex fought the impulse to add, ‘and tomorrow is tomorrow’. “The police aren’t going to like it.”
“Well, I have no desire to lose a member of my family to this maniac.”
Greg asked, “What about our luggage? We can’t carry it through the sand.”
Elizabeth looked at him fiercely. “Do you have anything you can’t carry that is worth dying for?”
Greg shook his head.
Elizabeth added, “I didn’t think so.”
She turned to Alex. “You can try to stop us, but I’m warning you, you’ll have a fight on your hands.”
“I’m not going to do a thing,” he answered. If they wanted to take their chances on the roads, he couldn’t honestly blame them. “When you can’t make it through, you’re welcome back here tonight. I wouldn’t wait too long, though. It could be tough finding us in the dark, and I can’t imagine spending the night outdoors here, especially if it starts storming again.”
“If you’re trying to scare us, it isn’t going to work. We’ll take our chances,” Elizabeth said.
They all walked out into the lobby, and Elise asked, “What’s going on?”
“The Morrisons are checking out,” Alex said.
“That’s an unfortunate expression, don’t you think?” Elizabeth asked.
“Sorry. I meant to say that they are leaving the inn.”
“Then the roads are open?” Michelle asked hopefully.
“No,” Alex said firmly.
“Not that you know of, anyway,” John answered. “My sister makes a good point. It’s too dangerous staying here at the inn any longer than we have to. Michelle, you’re more than welcome to join us.”
Alex expected her to agree when she surprised him. “I don’t think it’s a good idea that any of us go,” she said firmly. “I’m staying right here. I trust Alex and Elise.”
“With your life?” John asked.
“Yes,” she replied, but Alex noticed that it lacked some of the confidence it had earlier. “Besides, Dutch is staying, too. Right?”
She turned to look at him, and the handyman answered with a smile. “There’s no place I have to be but here.”
“You’re making a mistake,” Elizabeth said.
“Not as big a one as you might be,” Michelle answered.
Elizabeth turned to Elise and said, “You know you’re welcome as well.”
“I go where Alex goes,” she said simply, and he felt his heart skip a little faster at the sound of it.
“I’m staying,” Alex replied. “This might not be my inn, but I’m responsible for it, and I won’t just abandon it, no matter what the circumstances.”
Elise nodded her approval, but John looked at them both as though they were crazy. “It’s your funeral. Strike that. It’s your decision. That’s what I meant to say.”
“Elise,” Elizabeth asked, “would it be possible to get some bottles of water before we go?”
“Sure. We’ve got plenty in the storage room,” she answered, after first waiting for Alex’s nod of agreement. They were a team, and neither one of them was afraid to consult the other if it was needed. The water was a resource, but fortunately, they had plenty to spare.
After the Morrisons took two bottles each, Elizabeth turned to Alex and said, “I’d love to say that it was fun, but I would be lying.”
“I just hope you know what you’re doing,” Alex said.
After they were gone, Dutch pulled Alex aside and asked, “Should I follow them?”
“You’re leaving too?” Alex asked.
He shook his head. “I just want to make sure they don’t double back and try to get rid of us, too. Once I’m sure they’re on their way, I’ll be back.”
Michelle looked frightened. “Do you think that’s
possible they’d come back for us?”
“It could happen, and it’s easy to prevent, so why not keep an eye on them?”
Alex nodded. “If you’re sure,” he said.
“Positive. See you later.” As he headed out, he said, “I wouldn’t mind a few waters for myself. It might be a long walk.”
Elise got them for him, and Dutch left.
Five minutes later, Michelle said, “Something just occurred to me.”
“What’s that?” Elise asked.
“What if Dutch is the killer? Could we have just given our blessing for him to hunt the Morrisons down and pick them off, one at a time?”
“But he had no beef with Danvers,” Alex said.
“That we know of,” Michelle said.
Elise asked, “Would you two mind moving this into the kitchen? I thought I’d get an early start on lunch.”
“Do you think we’ll be here that long?” Michelle asked. “I’m spooked staying here another night, if you know what I mean.”
Alex said, “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the police are here by dusk. I heartily doubt that we’ll have to spend another night at the inn.”
The relief on her face was clear. The strain of the last few days was wearing on her, replacing her once-ready smile with a constant worried frown.
Elise must have noticed it, too. “Come on, Michelle.”
As their guest followed her, Elise turned back to Alex. “Coming?”
“It’s a little chilly in here,” he said. “I might get a fire started while you two work on lunch.”
“Excellent idea. We’ll keep the doors propped open so we can hear you, and then we can have a picnic out here in front of the fire.”
After the women were gone, Alex started laying the fire and thinking about the folks who’d just left. It was true that the Morrisons had a beef with Danvers, but what could have caused them to kill Jackson? Had he seen one of them do something incriminating, like leaving the man’s cottage after the murder? The three of them had barely left each other’s company since they’d arrived, so it was unlikely that one of them could commit murder without the other two knowing about it. Loving family was one thing; conspiring to cover up two murders was something else altogether. Elizabeth Morrison was strong, there was no doubt that, but just how forceful a grip did she have on her brother’s lives? He could understand Greg going along with her on just about anything, but John had shown real spirit from the beginning. Alex couldn’t see him hanging for his sister, no matter how much he loved her.
