Room for Murder (Book 4 in the Lighthouse Inn Mysteries) (5 page)

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 not 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.

No matter what happened between them, he had
to know one way or another, once and for all, if there was a chance
for romance with her.

Sally Anne set down the basket and said,
“You look like you’ve got the world’s troubles on your shoulders,
Alex.”

He said, “No, I’m just trying to put a few
things in perspective.”

Sally Anne nodded. “I heard about Emma’s ex
showing up here dead. Do they know what happened yet?”

Alex said, “I figured you’d have a better
handle on that than I would. Your diner is a pretty popular place
with the sheriff and everybody else in town.”

“
It’s funny, but we haven’t
seen Armstrong since he got the call to come out here. Dad’s
worried he’s starving himself to death,” she added with a
grin.

As Alex paid Sally Anne’s bill, he said,
“I’ve got a question for you. How’d you like to be my eyes in
town?”

“
You mean like a spy?”
Sally Anne asked eagerly.

“
More of an observer,” Alex
said. When he saw her smile dim, he added, “Okay, to be honest with
you, it’s exactly like a spy.”

Sally Anne said, “How cool. Just tell me
what you want me to do.”

“
Right now, I need you to
keep your eyes and ears open around the diner. I promised Mor I’d
look into Sturbridge’s death, and I’m going to need your help in
town now that both of my buildings are full.”

Sally Anne said, “I was kind of hoping
there’d be more skulking around.”

Alex laughed. “I’ll see what I can come up
with. Seriously, you don’t mind helping me?”

“
Alex, since I lost my
fiancé to the Carolina football program and those perky
cheerleaders they have there, I’ve got way too much time on my
hands. This sounds like fun.” She paused, then added, “If it’s all
the same to you though, I don’t think I’m going to tell Dad. He’s
kind of overprotective of me.”

“
Don’t lie to him on my
account,” Alex said, though he suddenly realized getting on Buck’s
bad side might not be the smartest move, especially since the man
was a former Golden Gloves boxer who still kept in shape by
assaulting a punching bag in his basement.

Sally Anne said, “Oh, he’s a pussycat, Alex.
Besides, he really likes you.”

Alex said, “Let’s make sure we keep it that
way. Thanks for helping, Sally Anne.”

“
My pleasure.”

Elise came out of her room and said, “I
thought I heard voices out here.”

Sally Anne said, “Hey, Elise. I was just
leaving.”

“
Not on my account, I
hope,” Elise said.

“
No, Dad’s waiting in the
car.” She headed for the door and called out, “Bye now,” as she
left.

Elise looked at the basket, then said, “I
wasn’t eavesdropping, but did I hear you ask Sally Anne to help you
with your snooping?”

“
We’re going to have our
hands full with our guests now that both buildings are at full
capacity again, so I asked her to keep an eye on what’s going on
around town.”

Elise said, “I’ve been meaning to talk to
you about that. Are you sure our date Saturday night is such a good
idea? Someone should be here for our guests all the time.”

A chill crept into Alex’s heart. “Elise, are
you having second thoughts about going out with me?”

She said, “Of course not.” Then, after
hesitating, she added, “Why, are you?”

Alex took her hands in his and said, “I know
this is a big step for us, but don’t you think it’s time we found
out exactly what this is between us?”

Elise pulled away. “Alex, I don’t want to
lose your friendship. I’ve got plenty of ex-boyfriends, but you’re
the only best friend I’ve got.”

Alex sighed. “Okay, so we’ll make a pact. If
it doesn’t work out between us, we’ll stay friends, no matter
what.” He added with a grin, “Besides, we’ll have to be, since we
see each other every day.”

Elise said, “You say that now, but what
happens if it ends badly?”

Alex thought about it a moment, then said,
“Elise, I’d rather take that chance than miss out on something that
could be the best thing that ever happened to me.”

Alex wasn’t sure what he expected her
reaction to be to his statement, but seeing her bolt to her room
was not one of the possibilities he would have considered. Shaking
his head, Alex finished his nightly closing duties, made a quick
tour through both buildings, then walked out onto the porch of the
Main Keeper’s Quarters.

The lighthouse looked down at him, its lens
darkened by the night. He was tempted to turn it on, despite what
the Elkton Falls Town Council thought. It was a beacon that was
made to be lit.

With a mischievous grin, Alex decided to do
it anyway. After grabbing a flashlight, he headed up the tower’s
steps. Just a few brief seconds of light surely couldn’t hurt
anything.

As his hand reached for the plain button
switch his grandfather had installed, Alex felt a flutter of
anticipation in his stomach. He never got tired of lighting the
beacon.

When he pushed the button though, nothing
happened. The old switch had finally died. He’d have to call Mor in
the morning and have him take a look at it. Though Alex had the
nominal skills to fix lots of things around the inn in a pinch, he
normally left the electrical work to Mor. Disappointed that the
light wouldn’t shine that night, Alex walked out onto the
observation platform, playing his flashlight over the railing as he
walked.

Once he was securely in place, he turned off
his light and looked out in the vast darkness around him. It took
nearly fifteen minutes for his eyes to grow accustomed to the
darkness. In the stillness of the night, the sounds around him were
intensified and amplified. It was one of the many reasons he loved
the lighthouse so much. The beacon had more shifting moods and
facets than most folks ever suspected.

The next morning, Alex found Elise setting
up their continental breakfast bar for their guests, with fresh
coffee, orange juice, and the supplies Sally Anne had dropped off
the night before. The bar added to their expenses, but with the
accompanying room rate increase, they actually made more profit off
each guest who came to Hatteras West. It was one of Elise’s touches
Alex liked so much, providing a nice service while raising their
revenues at the same time.

“
That smells good,” he
said.

“
The coffee?’’ Elise asked.
“I’d be glad to get you a cup.”

“
You know me better than
that. I like the smell, not the taste. So, when are we going to
start offering sweet tea with our little spread here?”

“
Whenever you want to get
up early and make it,” Elise said.

“
You’re in a good mood
today.” Alex said.

“
I always wake up happy,
you know that.”

Alex said. “I do. We know each other’s
patterns pretty well, don’t we?”

Elise said softly. “So all the mystery’s
gone, is that what you’re trying to say?”

Alex laughed softly. “Just the opposite. I’m
looking forward to seeing more of you than I already have.”

“
Not on the first date, you
won’t” Elise said.

Alex stammered, “That’s not what I meant. I
was...what I meant to say...”

She finally took pity on him and snapped him
lightly with a tea towel she had used for the muffins. “You can
stop squirming; I know exactly what you meant.”

Alex was about to say something else when
Lenora walked in. “That coffee smells like ambrosia.”

“
Help yourself,” Alex
said.

As she poured a cup and selected a blueberry
muffin, Lenora said, “Alex, I was hoping you had some spare time
this morning. I really need to speak with you.”

“
Sorry, I don’t normally
have any free time until around lunch,” Alex said. “We keep pretty
busy till then.” He and Elise worked at their housekeeping chores
together in the mornings, though they would probably have to adjust
their schedules now that they were running two separate
buildings.

“
That will be fine. May I
treat you to a meal at this Buck’s Grill I keep hearing
about?”

“
No need. We can go Dutch,”
he said.

“
Ah, but then I can’t ask
you my favor. I’ll meet you here at noon.”

After she was gone, Elise said, “I know it’s
none of my business, but what exactly was that all about?”

“
I don’t have the slightest
idea. But hey, how can I say no to a free lunch?”

“
Well, you could always try
‘no’. Then there’s ‘no thank you’, ‘sorry I can’t’ and the old
reliable ‘no Ma’am, but I appreciate you thinking of me’. Any of
those would work.”

Alex said, “It’s just lunch, and she is our
guest. Besides, I’ve got to admit, this whole ‘favor’ thing she’s
been dropping hints about has me intrigued. I can’t imagine what
she wants.”

Elise cocked her head to one side, then
said, “No doubt that’s her intent. Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll
find out soon enough.”

The bickering honeymoon couple joined them,
filled their plates and mugs, then grabbed a table away from
everyone else, presumably so they could have some privacy.

Alex asked Elise, “So, should we keep tag
teaming the rooms together, or should we split up now that we have
so much ground to cover?”

Elise said, “Tell you what. You take Main
and I’ll handle Dual. We can do the sheets after lunch together, if
you get back from your rendezvous in time.”