Murder Checks Inn (Book 3 in the Lighthouse Inn Mysteries) (19 page)

Tony looked steadily at Alex as he said, “Go
ahead. Do whatever you have to do. Just get me out of here.”
Armstrong started to push him into the back of the squad car when
Tony added loudly, “I can’t believe you, Alex. You couldn’t talk to
me before you called the police?”

“
I swear I didn’t call
them, Tony,” Alex said.

“
Yeah, right. Thanks a lot,
Brother.”

After Tony was locked, up in the back of the
squad car, Armstrong said, “You mind grabbing that bag at your feet
for me, Alex? I need to search his room, too, but I don’t want to
leave him alone out here in the patrol car while I’m doing it.”

“
Sheriff, do you honestly
think I’m going to lift one finger to help you when you’re trying
to railroad my brother?”‘

Armstrong said, “I know this is hard on you,
but you have to want the truth to come out. Don’t you owe that much
to Jase? I’m sorry, Alex, but I have to do this. I have no
choice.”

Alex shrugged, then said, “But I don’t have
to help you. Not this time.”

Armstrong said, “Then we’ll play it your
way.” He grabbed the bag at Alex’s feet. “I’ll take Tony into town
and lock him up in a holding cell, then I’ll be back out here to
search his room. Don’t go in there while I’m gone, Alex. That’s an
official police order. I’d hate to find out somebody tampered with
evidence.”

Alex couldn’t stand the thought of his
brother being locked up, but there was nothing he could do about
it. “You’ve got my word I won’t go in there.”

“
Good enough,” Armstrong
said as he got into the cruiser. Alex glanced inside the patrol car
as the sheriff drove off. Tony was staring straight ahead, not even
looking in Alex’s direction as he went past.

Elise met him at the door as he walked into
the inn. “What’s going on, Alex?”

“
As if you didn’t know,” he
said abruptly.

“
What are you talking
about? Was that the sheriff? I was in the laundry room when I heard
the siren. Alex, answer me!”

Alex refused to reply as he hurried to his
room and bolted the door behind him. He needed some time to think.
Elise was the only one he had shared his suspicions about Tony
with. She had to have been the one who phoned in the anonymous tip
to Armstrong. Alex just couldn’t imagine why she’d broken his
confidences so quickly. Was it out of some kind of misguided
loyalty to him? Had she done it out of fear for his life?
Ultimately, it didn’t matter why she’d called the police. Elise had
violated the trust between them, and that was one thing he didn’t
think he’d ever be able to forgive.

There was a repeated knock on his door, and
he heard Elise say, “Alex, I don’t know what’s wrong. Talk to
me.”

When he didn’t reply, she finally gave up.
Alex sat there for half an hour, wondering how things had gotten
into such a mess, and how the two of them were ever going to work
together when she had shattered his trust so completely.

Ultimately, Alex realized he couldn’t hide
in his room forever. He had an inn to run.

Elise was at the front desk waiting for him
when he came out.

She said, “Alex, I want to know exactly what
you think is going on here.”

He shook his head as he reached for the
telephone beside her and punched in a number he knew by heart. When
Sandra answered on the first ring, Alex said, “Armstrong picked
Tony up for questioning in Jase’s murder half an hour ago.”

“
What?” Sandra said. “On
what grounds?”

“
He got an anonymous tip,”
Alex said as he looked intently at Elise.

After explaining the facts but assuring her
that he; thought Tony was innocent, Sandra said, “I’ll go straight
over to the jail. Don’t worry, Alex, I’ll look into this and get
back to you.”

“
Thanks. It’s nice to be
able to count on you.”

After he hung up, Elise said, “Alex, it’s
clear you think I betrayed your trust, but I didn’t call the
sheriff. I would never do that.”

He said, “Then how do you explain it? Who
else knew about the journal in the suitcase, Elise? I didn’t tell
anybody but you. Nadine knew it existed, but not where I’d found
it. Besides, she’s the one who talked me out of calling Armstrong
in the first place, remember? I just wish you would have trusted
me.”

Elise pleaded, “I did, Alex! I didn’t call
the police. Maybe Nadine had a change of heart, because I certainly
didn’t call the sheriff. I thought you knew me better than
that.”

As she raced off toward her room, there was
nothing Alex could say. Elise was right; he did know that she would
never go behind his back like that. With a knot in his stomach,
Alex realized that he may have just driven off the best friend and
the biggest ally he had.

Alex stared after her, wondering what he
could do to make things right with Elise. Maybe if he called
Nadine, she’d be able to clear things up. He picked up the
telephone and dialed Jase’s office. There was no answer. Still, it
had to have been her. Nadine was the only possibility left.

Alex stared at Elise’s door, regretting his
earlier behavior. He hadn’t even given her a chance. The stress of
losing Jase to a violent murder and the guilt he felt about
accusing Tony had worn Alex to the bone, and he’d taken it out
on

tier. If Elise said she didn’t call the
sheriff, Alex knew in his heart he could believe her.

He knocked lightly on her room door, then
louder. “Go away,” Elise said in a muffled voice.

“
Elise, I’m sorry. I had no
right to accuse you like that.”

There was nothing but dead silence on the
other side of the door.

“
Hey, I’m on my knees out
here apologizing. You don’t want to miss this.”

As he heard her doorknob start to turn, Alex
quickly dropped to his knees. Elise’s eyes were red as she opened
the door. “I’m listening.”

“
I’m sorry, Elise. I was
hurt and angry and looking for someone to blame, and you just
happened to be in range. I shouldn’t have jumped to
conclusions.”

“
And ...” she said, waiting
for more.

“
And I should have believed
you when you said you didn’t call Armstrong. I’m sorry.”

She reached a hand down to him and helped
him up. “Just don’t let it happen again, Alex. You know how I feel
about my word. When I say something’s true, you can believe
it.”

“
I know, I’m the same way,”
Alex said. “It’s no excuse, but I’m really worried about
Tony.”

Elise said, “I’m probably going to catch
grief for saying this, but how can you be so certain he’s innocent
now? An hour ago you were ready to convict him of murder.”

Alex said, “Elise, I can’t explain it, but I
looked into his eyes, and I knew he was telling the truth. He
didn’t kill Jase.”

Elise said, “Then we’d better find out who
did.”

“
Good enough,” Alex said.
“The first thing we should do is to go talk to Julie and see if she
might not be as innocent is she appears to be.”

Chapter 17

On their way out the door, Alex heard Ashley
Trask-Cooper calling out to him. “Alex, I’ve searched the entire
inn, and I can’t find my brother anywhere.”

It took him a second to realize that Ashley
was talking about the wild-goose chase he’d sent her on so he could
have some time alone with Tony.

“
That’s right, I forgot all
about it. He went into town with your mother. You know, I think I
overreacted. Sorry if I worried you for nothing.’’

Ashley studied him curiously for a moment,
then said, “I’ll be in my room if anyone needs me.”

Alex said, “I’ll be away from the inn for a
little while, so if you need anything—”

Elise interrupted, “We’ll both be gone.” She
tugged Alex’s shirt. “I’m going with you, remember?”

Ashley said, “You mean you’re both going to
leave me | here all by myself?”

“
Ashley, you’ll be fine.
Vernum is around here some

where, and we have other guests, too.
Besides, I expect your family back any minute. Now if you’ll excuse
us ...”

“
Oh, go on,” she said
abruptly as she headed up the stairs.

After they were out on the porch, Alex said,
“I feel bad leaving her alone.”

Elise said, “Alex Winston, if you think
you’re going to go off investigating this without me, you’re sadly
mistaken. Jase wasn’t my uncle, but I liked and respected the
man.”

Alex smiled grimly. “Admit it. You like to
dig as much as I do.”

Elise said, “Somebody’s got to keep you out
of trouble.”

As they headed for the truck, Elise said,
“Why didn’t you question Ashley while you had the chance? She’s
feeling vulnerable, at least if we can believe her. She might tell
you something she wouldn’t ordinarily.”

“
I can’t see her killing
Jase, can you?”

“
Alex, someone did. Why not
Ashley? Do you honestly think she’d be more inclined to talk with
her mother around? Cynthia doesn’t seem to be the type to let her
children go around unsupervised, no matter how old they
are.”

“
Maybe you’re right. What
possible excuse can I use to talk to her now?”

Elise grinned. “Come on, Alex, turn on that
charm of yours. Julie can wait while you talk to Ashley.”

Alex asked, “So what are you going to be
doing while I’m interrogating a suspect?”

Elise said, “I’ll be eavesdropping nearby,
of course.”

Alex tapped on Ashley’s door. It took her a
moment to answer. “Who is it?” she said without opening it even the
slightest crack.

“
It’s Alex Winston. Do you
have a minute?”

Alex heard the chain come off and the lock
slide open.

“
Certainly. Come in. What
happened to that errand you
were going to
run with your maid?”

Alex said, “We decided to put it off for a
little while. I didn’t want you to think for a minute that I’d
desert you like that.” Alex felt a little uneasy being alone with a
female guest in her room. He added, “I was thinking we could talk
out on the porch. It’s such a glorious day.”

Ashley agreed, and they were soon seated on
a pair of rockers overlooking the lighthouse. “So what’s on your
mind?” she asked as she rocked gently back and forth in the
breeze.

“
I just wanted to check on
you and see how you’re handling all of this. It must have been hard
for you, discovering you have a sister the day your father’s will
was supposed to be read.”

Ashley stopped rocking. “I don’t have a
sister, no matter what that letter says.”

“
Do you think there’s a
chance that Mathias would lie about something as important as
that?” Alex asked softly.

“
I wouldn’t put it past
him, even if that letter is legitimate.”

Alex asked, “Do you have any reason to
believe it isn’t?”

Ashley said, “I don’t know what it could
possibly hurt by telling you that Steven doesn’t believe that
letter is from our father at all. If you can believe it, he’s been
holed up in his room studying a book about forgery techniques to
prove Father never wrote it in the first place.”

“
But what if it is
real?”

“
If you’re looking for
motives for my father’s erratic behavior, you’re not going to have
much luck asking me. I never did understand him.”

“
He sounds like he was a
fascinating man,” Alex said as he noticed Vernum trimming the lower
branches of the trees near the inn. At least Ashley couldn’t see
him from her spot. Alex only hoped the arborist didn’t come any
closer and interfere with his questioning.

After a few moments of silence, Ashley said,
“He was quite aggravating as a father. I can’t imagine how much
more exasperating he was as a husband. I honestly don’t know how
Mother put up with him for as long as she did.”

Alex asked, “She divorced him right after he
left, didn’t she?”

Ashley shook her head. “That’s a common
misconception Mother wants the world to believe. Why, my own
brother doesn’t even know they aren’t really divorced. Mother got
tipsy one night and confessed to me that she’d never bothered,
thinking that someday it might be to her advantage to still be
married to him.”

“
Now that’s interesting,”
Alex said, slowly rocking in the chair.

“
What do you mean?” Ashley
asked.

“
Well, if there is a
significant estate, and everyone seems to think there is, she most
likely stands to get a healthy cut of it.”

“
And she deserves every
penny she gets, Alex!”

“
I’m not saying otherwise,”
Alex quickly added.

Ashley frowned, then said, “Well, I resent
the implication that my mother could have possibly had anything to
do with this mess.”

“
I’m just looking for the
truth. I know you all came in different cars. Why was
that?”

“
It just seemed easier that
way.”

“
I suppose that’s true,” he
said.

“
And what do you mean by
that? Alex, I don’t like the way this conversation is going, and I
won’t sit here while you question me about my family.”

Alex said, “Wait a second,” but she was
already gone. Vernum still trimmed, oblivious to what had happened.
The man truly was in his own little world when he was working with
his tools.

Elise quietly joined him from the corner of
the building

where she’d been standing out of sight,
listening. “Well, that went well.”