Room for Murder (Book 4 in the Lighthouse Inn Mysteries) (17 page)

At least if it didn’t work, he’d be done
with his “counselor” duties.

Alex knew it didn’t take a genius to figure
out how to get Mor out to Hatteras West. There was always something
going wrong that needed the handyman’s attention, though Alex
prided himself on his own ability to fix a great many of the
problems that popped up. Emma was an eager participant in the
scheme, so she wouldn’t have to be tricked into coming to the
inn.

No. the real problem was bringing the two of
them together without rousing Mor’s suspicions that this was
nothing more than a ploy to get them back together. And as much
Alex liked Emma, he didn’t want to jeopardize his friendship with
Mor. Losing him would be, in a very real sense, like losing a
brother.

It had to be something big enough to get
Mor’s immediate attention, and yet not be too expensive to repair.
After all, they were back on a tight budget at the Hatteras West
Inn since the money from the emerald sale was finally gone.

With a sigh, Alex looked at his brand-new
boiler, picked up a wrench to give it a rap, then realized he
couldn’t bring himself to do it. The lure was going to have to be
something else.

Alex looked around the utility room, trying
to spot a piece of nonessential equipment he could sabotage to get
his friend out to the site in a hurry.

The fuse box would be the perfect diversion.
Alex studied the penciled chart beside the box, found the fuse for
the outside lights, then screwed the ancient round fuse out of the
socket and substituted it with a blown fuse from the trash can near
the door. He made it a point to substitute a smaller-amp fuse than
needed. Mor would come out, spot the problem with the undersized
fuse, and fix it, saving Alex an expensive bill he couldn’t afford
and giving Emma the chance to make peace.

After that, it was going to be in their
hands.

He didn’t want to play marriage counselor
any more than he wanted to run for mayor.

Chapter 15

Mor tossed the burnt fuse up and down in his
hand and said, “What did you do, change this fuse in the dark? It’s
undersized, no wonder it kept blowing on you.”

Alex had left it up to Elise to get Emma out
to the inn, but the woman hadn’t shown up yet, and to Alex’s
surprise, Mor had run right out. It looked as if his careful plan
was about to fall apart.

Alex said, “Sorry I dragged you out for
nothing. Do you have time for a game of backgammon before you
go?”

Mor shook his head. “I’d love to, but with
Les gone, it feels like I’m covering seven counties. I just
happened to be over at Amy’s shop working on one of her torches,
that’s the only reason you got me when you did. That timber-frame
studio she had built is really sweet.”

Amy Lang was Elkton Falls’ local arts crowd
unto herself, supporting herself with her sculptures, and taking
welding jobs on the side when her cash ran low. She also happened
to be one of Alex’s closest neighbors, as the crow flew.

Well, he’d done his part in getting the
split couple back

together. “Thanks for coming out,” Alex said
as he followed Mor to the equipment room door.

Emma was blocking the doorway, a stern look
on her face. “Mor Pendleton, we need to talk.”

“
You’ve said enough lately,
don’t you think?” Mor asked. “Now step aside.”

Emma was large enough to nearly fill the
doorway, and if she was intent on staying there, Alex doubted Mor
was willing to move her. She appeared to agree though, and Alex
slipped past her. But before Mor could follow, she blocked the way
again. “You I’m not done with.”

“
Woman, stand aside,” Mor
said, the edge hard in his voice.

“
You don’t intimidate me,
you big bear. I’m not going anywhere until we talk this
out.”

Alex watched him from over Emma’s shoulder
and saw Mor’s shoulders stiffen, then finally relax.

Mor said, “Of all the dumb, backward,
half-cocked ideas I’ve ever heard in my life, your bone-headed
stunt took the cake.”

Emma said bravely, “Everybody has to be good
at something.”

Mor laughed gently. “You’re a hard woman to
stay mad at, you know that, don’t you?”

Emma hugged him, her tears obvious in her
voice. “Mor, don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

Alex backed away to give them some privacy
and nearly stepped on Elise’s foot. He had been so wrapped up in
the reconciliation that he hadn’t even noticed her approach.

She was smiling as a few tears tracked down
her cheeks. “Now why are you crying?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Alex, sometimes you can
be such a man.”

“
Thanks. I think,” he
added, still unsure whether it was a compliment or not.

Elise said, “Let’s give them some privacy to
finish patching things up.”

“
Okay by me, I didn’t want
to be their mediator in the first place.”

She touched his shoulder lightly. “I don’t
know why, you’re very good at it.”

He grinned. “Okay then, I’m going to retire
undefeated, one for one.” He took a deep breath, then added,
“Unless there’s a chance you want to give me a shot at being two
for two.”

“
How can I do that?” she
asked.

“
Well, there’s another
couple around here I’d really like to see get together,” he said as
earnestly as he could manage.

She just shook her head, but he could see a
slight smile come to her lips before she turned away. At least he
hadn’t lost the knack for making her smile. It was something,
anyway.

They worked at cleaning the lobby together,
sweeping and dusting well after the last traces of lint were gone,
waiting to see if their plan had worked. Twenty minutes later, Mor
and Emma came out into the lobby holding hands.

Mor said, “If you two are still willing, the
wedding’s back on. Not only that, but we’re moving it up.”

Alex slapped him on the back.
“Congratulations.”

Elise hugged Emma and said, “I’m so happy
for you both.”

As the two women went into a whispered
conversation regarding the on-again wedding plans, Mor said, “Wrong
fuse, huh? You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?”

“
Hey, it was dark in there.
Anybody can make a mistake.”

Mor put one arm around Alex’s shoulders and
said, “Yeah, and you kept me from making a big one. Thanks.”

“
No problem. So I guess
we’re going to have that non-bachelor party after all.”

“
Looks like it,” he said
with a grin.

And at least one couple that belonged
together was back on track.

Alex wished he’d been as successful with
Elise, but seeing his best friend happy was enough.

It had to be; it looked like that was all
Alex was going to get.

“
This is it,” Shantara told
Alex as they loaded the last of his supplies into Alex’s truck.
“I’ll let you know when those bulk soaps get in.” Shantara gave
Alex a huge price break on the disposables he needed to run the
inn, with just a few conditions attached. Alex had to pick up the
goods himself, something that was no hardship, since he usually
welcomed an excuse to visit her at her general store. The only
other condition was one night’s stay a year at the inn in the Main
Keeper’s Suite, the one Mrs. Nesbitt was occupying now. Shantara
usually picked a time when the inn was slow and she could afford a
day and night away from the store. She’d picked January 28 for that
year, a time when Alex had to fight to keep the budget above
water.

Alex said, “Just give me a call and I’ll
pick the rest of my things up. How’s Tracy holding up?”

Shantara frowned. “There are a thousand
rumors flooding around the kudzu vine. Some folks are claiming she
bumped Oxford off herself. I even heard somebody say they saw her
around Mor’s truck the day that stranger died. You want to know
something, Alex? I think Conner’s spreading them himself.”

“
I wouldn’t put it past
him,” Alex said, “but I wouldn’t worry about it too much either.
Folks around here are too smart to fall for it.”

Shantara raised one eyebrow at him. “Just
like they were too smart to believe Finster’s rumor about your
lighthouse becoming an amusement park?”

A local Realtor, in an effort to get Alex to
sell out, had started that rumor, along with a dozen others, and
Alex well remembered how much grief the stories had caused him.
“You’ve got a point, but I don’t know what anybody can do about
it.”

“
Tracy’s offering to take a
polygraph test, but the sheriff won’t do it. He says he’s got too
much on his hands as it is, and he won’t give in to the
grandstanding.”

Alex said, “He’s got a point. Do me a favor,
though. Don’t start any rumors of your own, okay?”

She patted his cheek. “Alex, you’re such a
sweet man. Do us all a favor. Don’t ever go into politics, okay?
The sharks would eat you alive.”

“
You don’t have to worry
about me, I’m happy enough being an innkeeper.”

As Alex stowed the last box on the back of
his truck, he saw Grady Hatch across the street coming out of
Buck’s Grill.

“
I need to talk to the
mayor for a second, Shantara. Thanks again.”

She smiled. “Glad to be of service, Alex.
You don’t have to restrict your visits to pickup days, you know
that, don’t you?”

“
It’s usually the only time
Elise will let me out of the inn,” Alex said with a
laugh.

“
How’s that going?” she
asked gently. “I heard about your big date.”

“
You and the rest of Elkton
Falls. It didn’t work out, that’s all I’ve got to say about it.”
Before Shantara could ask for more details, Alex added, “I really
do need to talk to Grady.”

“
You men, any excuse not to
confide in someone else.”

“
Yeah, you’re absolutely
right, Shantara,” he said as he rolled his eyes.

She was still laughing as Alex crossed the
street.

He called out, “Mayor, do you have a
second?”

Grady Hatch appeared to be deep in thought.
It took two more hails from Alex before he realized he was being
paged.

“
Sorry about that, Alex, I
was thinking about something else. Looks like Hurricane Zelda’s
coming ashore somewhere off the Outer Banks. I’ve got several
friends out there, you know.” The mayor usually spent his vacations
on the coastal islands, claiming it was hard to believe he could
drive eight hours and still be in North Carolina.

“
I’m kind of partial to a
particular landmark out there myself,” Alex said with a
smile.

“
That’s right, the other
Hatteras Lighthouse is out that way. There’s something else
occupying my thoughts, though,” the mayor said.

“
Is the open road calling
your name?” Alex asked lightly.

“
Yep, that must be it. What
can I do for you, Alex?”

Alex wasn’t certain he wanted to talk about
his concerns on Main Street. “Do you have a minute? You could walk
me back to my truck.”

Grady glanced at his watch, then said, “I’ve
got just that. Is it important?”

Alex nodded, but held his tongue until they
were back at his pickup. Somehow it seemed easier for men to talk
with their feet on the back bumper of a pickup truck, their gaze
locked ahead and not on each other.

Alex said, “I need to talk to you about
Conner Shook.”

The mayor said, “I’m keeping out of this
election, Alex. I made a promise, and I’m sticking to it.”

“
That’s what I want to talk
to you about. I heard you had a pretty lively conversation with
Conner the other day out my way.”

The mayor’s breath sharpened. “What did you
hear?”

“
Relax, Grady. I just hope
you didn’t agree to anything, since it sounded like Conner was
pressuring you pretty hard.”

Grady pulled his foot off the bumper and
said, “You know what, Alex? That’s one of the things I’m not going
to miss about Elkton Falls. The compulsion this town has for
knowing everybody else’s business just isn’t healthy.”

“
It’s a part of living in a
small town, you should know that better than anybody else. So is
that what happened? Was Conner pushing you for an
endorsement?”

The mayor nodded slowly. “I turned him down,
just like I did the first dozen times he asked me. But the man’s
persistent, I’ve got to give him that.”

“
Don’t give in, Grady. You
don’t want to be painted with the same brush as Conner just as
you’re leaving us.

Stay out of the election, just like you
promised you would.”

Grady looked sharply at him. “Is that a
threat, Alex?”

He was honestly startled by the accusation.
“Of course not. I just think we should all keep out of it and let
the voters decide.”

“
That’s what I’ve been
trying to do,” Grady said.

Alex admitted, “I haven’t made it a secret
that I’m backing Tracy, but then again, I don’t have any pull
around here.”

Grady said, “Don’t sell yourself short.
Either one of them would be nervous if you ever decided to run
against them.”

Alex tried to laugh it off. “I’ve got
something to run as it is, and Hatteras West takes every minute
I’ve got.”

Grady’s expression softened. “Listen, I’m
sorry I snapped at you. I just wish it were all over so I could
start my retirement.”

Alex said, “It won’t be long now. The
election’s just around the corner.”

“
It can’t get here fast
enough for me, Alex.” He glanced at his watch. “I’m really running
behind, I need to scat.”