Innkeeping With Murder

by Tim Myers

  Elisa interrupted. “Mercy. That must have been worth a fortune.”

  Alex smiled softly. “Yes, and that’s what Adlai got for the stone. This was all before the federal income tax, too, so the money was all his to keep. After a while, the stones became more and more scarce. Adlai found a mining company headquartered out West interested in his property, so he sold out. It made him a wealthy man.

  “Three months later, the mining company found the Panther Star.”

  Elise sat up in her chair. “That was found around here?”

  Alex shook his head sadly. “On my family’s land, only it didn’t belong to them anymore. One thousand one hundred seventeen carats. It broke Adlai’s heart when they found that stone. He couldn’t bear to hear the jibes of his old neighbors and friends anymore, always laughing at him behind his back, calling him an old fool for selling out. So Adlai started looking for a change of scenery. Travel was difficult back then, but somehow he managed to end up at the Outer Banks on the North Carolina coast. That’s when he fell in love with the lighthouse at Cape Hatteras.”

  Alex glanced at his watch and said, “We could continue this another time. It’s getting late, and tomorrow is going to come awfully early.”

  Elise pleaded heartily. “You can’t leave me hanging without the full story. I still don’t know why the lighthouse was built here.”

  “Okay, you win.” Alex asked, “Now where was I?”

  Elise eagerly supplied the start-up point. “Adlai had just made it to the Hatteras Lighthouse.”

  “Well, it was love at first sight. Adlai saw that bright diagonal white stripe going up the black tower, and he became bewitched. They say he could be charming when it suited his purpose, and he must have laid it on thick with the lighthouse keeper. Adlai lived with the man and his family as an honored guest in the main keeper’s quarters, regaling them with stories of distant mountains the keeper’s family had never seen. In return, Adlai got free run of the lighthouse and the grounds. To have heard the way my grandfather told it, Adlai dearly loved the brick and stone of the lighthouse.

  “Then he fell in love again, this time with a young woman. The principal keeper’s daughter was just around marrying age, and the two of them started spending more and more time together. The keeper’s concerns turned to delight when Adlai proposed marriage to his daughter Hannah, then his joy turned to sadness when the two announced that immediately after the wedding, they would be heading back here to the foothills.”

  Elise said, “That must have killed her, leaving her family, everything she knew and loved.”

  Alex smiled. “They were in love, and that was the way things were back then. Adlai missed his home, and Hannah was eager to explore the world. After the ceremony, Adlai brought his new bride back to the mountains he loved. Initially, he bought some property near the old farmstead, but he soon grew tired of his old neighbors and friends and decided he and Hannah should have a fresh start together. He looked around, and with Hannah’s approval, they brought the land the inn is sitting on now.”

  Elisa leaned forward. “Tell me about the lighthouse.”

  Alex continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “After four years of wedded bliss and three babies, Hannah nearly died delivering the last child. That was my grandfather Adam.”

  “Hey, do all the Winston boys have names that start with ‘A’?”

  “It’s a tradition the family has kept for as long as anyone can remember. Anyway, Hannah loved Adlai, but she never got over losing the lighthouse, the ocean, and her family. Adlai understood how she felt. He was willing to take her back home for an extended visit to show her parents their new grandchildren as soon as the child she was carrying was born and old enough to travel. But it was no easy birth like the others had been. Hannah nearly died during the delivery, and the strain of the birthing left her too weak to travel, since the trip to the coast was an arduous journey back then. Hannah never got over her homesickness, and her health continued to fail. That’s when Adlai got his idea. He’d build his wife a lighthouse of her very own. It wasn’t the same as seeing her family and hearing the roaring crash of the waves again, but it was the best her husband could do with what he had.

  “They say she thought he was crazy, but secretly delighted with the prospect of the construction. The original Hatteras lighthouse had been dedicated on her fourth birthday, December 16th, 1870. Adlai decided that Hannah’s lighthouse would be finished by her twenty-fourth birthday. The original tower took eighteen months to build, but Hannah’s took only fifteen months, once he managed to assemble a lot of the original construction crew.”

  Elise said, “How romantic of Adlai. Did Hannah love the lighthouse? I know, I bet it cured her, and she lived to enjoy being a grandmother herself I can close my eyes and see her up on the observation deck now.”

  Alex shook his head sadly. “She died nine days before the tower was finished. It broke Adlai’s heart to lose his wife. He shipped his children off to his sister for her to raise. They say that even the sight of those shining little faces that looked so much like their mother broke his heart all over again. For the rest of his life, the light was only lit one day in December every year, the anniversary of Hannah’s birthday.”

  Alex glanced over to see Elise’s eyes tear up. He nodded softly before continuing. “After Adlai died, my grandfather inherited the property. The family fortune was still viable then, but mismanagement of the trust Adlai had set up wiped out everything but the ownership of the lighthouse and the forty-odd acres I have now. By the time Dad took over, he was afraid he’d lose the lighthouse itself. That’s when he decided to turn the place into an inn.”

  Elise dried her tears, then said, “If I’m going to work I a full day tomorrow, we’d better get back to the inn. Alex, I had a lovely evening.”

  Alex stood up too. “I hope I didn’t bore you with my family history.”

  Elise said softly, “Don’t be silly. Thank you for sharing it with me. It makes Hatteras West feel like home to me.

  Chapter 7

  Alex paid the bill, leaving a more generous tip than usual, and escorted Elise back to the truck.

  The weather had changed during their time inside the restaurant. A heavy fog was starting to roll in, giving the air a moisture-laden density that he could almost taste. Though no rain was falling, they were still damp from the mist before they could reach the dry shelter of the truck interior.

  In the darkness of the truck cab, Elise said, “We’ve been avoiding the topic all evening, but I think it’s something we need to discuss before we get back to the inn. Alex, who do you think killed Reg Wellington?”

  He kept his eyes on the billowing clouds of fog that blanketed the road as he went over his theories. “I suppose Junior is the prime suspect. He claims to have been asleep out on the loop trail when his father was murdered, but I have my doubts. I know from Reg, and by Junior’s own admission today, that he stands to inherit just about everything his father had.”

  Elise said, “What do the police think?”

  “I’m not sure about Armstrong. He hasn’t even bothered to question anyone yet as far as I know, but Doc Drake seems to trust him, and I have to give him points for that. To be honest with you, before today I never had much cause to think about Calvin’s competency one way or another.”

  He saw her nod solemnly in the dim light from the dashboard. “So that’s why you’re trying to come up with the answer on your own. Who else is on your suspect list?”

  In his mind, Alex thought about who might have killed Reg before answering. “Joel Grandy got into a big argument with Reg last night over a chess game. I had to step in to keep the two of them from slugging it out. Is it enough reason to kill a man? Still, Junior and Joel seem to be the most obvious suspects so far.”

  After a moment of silence, Elise added, “But you’ve got more people on your list, don’t you?”

  How in the world could this woman read him so well after only spending a few hours with him?
“I admit those are just my favorites so far. Coming in as long shots, we’ve got Sam Finster’s mysterious client who’s trying to buy the lighthouse. Maybe he thought a murder would shut the place down for good. It could be Barb Matthews. She hates men in general, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if she started her campaign to rid the world of all of us.”

  “She’s in room 6, isn’t she?”

  Alex nodded glumly. “Since the day before yesterday. I only had to shift her three times before she was happy this time. Why do you ask?”

  “I was cleaning her room this afternoon, and I stubbed my toe on something under her bed. She must have two dozen rocks hidden under there. I can’t imagine why she bothers bringing those things to her room.”

  Alex laughed. “That’s nothing. Last year, I had a pair of retired hairdressers from Florida who collected pine cones. The only problem was, they didn’t take them with them when they left. At least I can use the rocks if she leaves them. But collecting stones doesn’t surprise me as a hobby around here. Haven’t you heard? We’re on the border of Rockhound Heaven. The first gold rush in the United States started eighty-five miles from here down near Charlotte. Rubies, sapphires and emeralds have all been found as close as thirty miles from where the inn is standing.”

  Elise sat up straighter in her seat. “Do you think there’s a chance any of those stones in her room are worth anything?”

  Alex shook his head. “Not if she picked them up on her hikes around here. I don’t think there’s ever been anything of value found near here, but the lure of close riches keep the guests coming.” Alex smiled. “My dad used to salt the place just before every tourist season when I was growing up.”

  “Salt it? What does that mean?”

  Alex explained, “He’d go up to a small town a couple of hours from here called Little Switzerland and buy worthless pretty stones to throw out on the grounds of Hatteras West before the brunt of his guests arrived. Whenever a guest found one of his planted stones, Dad would ooh and ahhh. Mom made him stop it, though, because she thought it was dishonest. I still stumble across one now and then myself. I don’t think Dad ever gave it up entirely. It got to be kind of a joke between us.”

  Elise nodded. “That explains the rocks and the other odd things I’ve found, but it doesn’t help us with the murders. It sounds like anybody staying at the inn could have killed Reg.”

  “It’s worse than that. A lot of the locals like to climb the lighthouse steps for exercise. It wouldn’t be out of the question if one of them happened upon Reg and killed him in the lighthouse. I just wish I could come up with some kind of motive. Maybe he saw something he shouldn’t have when he was up there looking around. I keep wondering if Reg spotted a pair of lovers from the observation deck, and somebody wanted to protect the secret enough to kill.”

  As they pulled into the parking lot, the lights in the two separate buildings glowed like wayward pockets of brightness through the thick fog, though the lighthouse itself was shrouded in darkness. For a single moment, Alex was tempted to fire up the Fresnel lens and show Elise how well the beacon worked, but the last thing he needed was problems with the Elkton Falls Town Council.

  Alex was holding Elise’s door open for her when a scream split the heavy veiled night air.

  All Alex could think of was that this time he wouldn’t be too late. The fact that he might be another victim himself never entered his mind. For some reason unknown to him, a killer was making Hatteras West his personal playground, and Alex was going to stop him, or die trying.

  Elise held on to his arm as he tried to pull away. “What was that?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” Alex freed himself from her grip and headed for the keeper’s house at a dead run. It sounded like the scream had come from that direction, but in the heavy fog, it was difficult to tell for sure. He glanced back to see Elise close behind, and he paused to take her hand as they hurried through the misty night. He couldn’t afford to lose her in the fog.

  When they got to the main part of the inn, they found one of the guests, Elizabeth Halloway, shivering in the cold night air. She was a woman who looked otherworldly in the daytime because of her fine porcelain features, golden translucent hair and her marked preference for stark white gossamer-thin dresses. In the dark misty night, Alex almost mistook her for a ghost.

  “Was that your scream, Miss Halloway?”

  The young woman nodded furiously, but couldn’t say a word. Alex waited as she composed herself, taking several gulps of air. Elizabeth Halloway had come to the inn last week, but Alex had yet to share more than ten words with her. She’d exceeded the length of her planned stay by two days, and Alex was frankly grateful for the business.

  He’d noticed that the slim, ethereal blonde liked to take long walks in the woods surrounding the inn and that she was a very private person. She’d even requested on her arrival that no one enter her room during her stay. Marisa had been more than happy to oblige.

  When she could finally speak, Miss Halloway’s voice was cracked and full of fear. “I saw a ghost.”

  Alex tried to keep his tone light. “Surely in this fog everything looks ghostly. It might have been someone going for a late stroll, or even a billowing cloud of fog. Last year I saw a unicorn myself.”

  Instead of warming to Alex’s humor, Miss Halloway turned on him with a fiery scorn in her eyes. “I said I saw a ghost, and that’s exactly what I meant.”

  Elise stepped closer to her, and Alex admired her calm poise. “No one’s doubting your word for a moment. Where did you see it?”

  Miss Halloway pointed one long, slim finger at the lighthouse. “It was going up the steps. I saw a light flash by each window. Then, in a break in the fog, I saw a ghastly white face peering out of one of the windows. I shall never forget those haunted eyes.”

  Elise said, “My goodness, you’re shivering. Why don’t we go brew a pot of hot tea while Mr. Winston checks the lighthouse.”

  Miss Halloway nodded absently, her eyes still on the lighthouse as she headed for the lobby of the annex. Elise shot one backward glance at Alex as the two women walked off into the fog. He wasn’t sure what Miss Halloway had really seen, but after the murder earlier in the day it was something he would have to investigate. The killer may have returned to the scene of the crime, perhaps in search of an incriminating piece of evidence left behind. Taking a heavy flashlight and a croquet mallet from the storage shed near the lighthouse’s front steps, Alex hurried to the tower.

  Sure enough, the normally locked door banged gently in the breeze. Had he locked the door after the ambulance attendants had removed Reg’s body? For the life of him, Alex couldn’t remember. For an instant, he considered calling Sheriff Armstrong to investigate the mysterious light, but Alex knew there wasn’t enough time.

  Pausing at the outer door, Alex peered through the gloom of the darkened interior of the lighthouse. As he entered the lower landing, he saw that there was indeed a dim light moving above him.

  Someone was up there.

  Alex shut off his own flashlight, hoping that whoever was at the top of the lighthouse had failed to see it. He quickly shoved the light into his back pocket and grasped the metal handrail, still clutching the mallet with his free hand. Alex silently inched his way up the steps, always keeping his eyes on the shifting beam of light above him.

  He stopped at the eighth landing, wondering if he should continue up or go back for reinforcements, when the light started down the top stairs toward him! Hugging the wall beside the steps, Alex hoped that whoever was coming down would miss him with their light.

  The beam caught him squarely in the face.

  “Who is that? Lower your light.” Alex’s voice rang out with more confidence than he felt.

  “What are you doing stumbling around in the dark? I almost shot you.” He quickly recognized the voice as Sheriff Armstrong’s.

  Alex replied, “I could ask you what you’re doing up here yourself.”
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br />   Armstrong turned his light toward the rounded wall and away from their faces. The sheriff grinned. “I had a thought to check the lens itself for evidence. If Wellington saw someone heading toward him he didn’t trust, I figured he might have stashed something in the lens housing. It’s the only hiding place worth a hoot up there.”

  Alex was impressed. He hadn’t thought to look around for a dying clue. “Did you have any luck?”

  Armstrong shrugged. “Just a couple more of those rocks we found before.”

  Alex explained, “Reg probably picked them up on a walk across the grounds. They’re everywhere.”

  Armstrong replied, “Maybe he was going to drop them off the top of the lighthouse.”

  “Reg had more sense than that.”

  Armstrong grinned eerily in the light. “Son, don’t ever underestimate a man’s capacity for foolishness.”

  Alex shrugged. “If you’re done looking around tonight, why don’t you come inside and get a cup of hot tea? Elise is brewing up a fresh pot for one of our guests.” Alex chuckled softly to himself.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Miss Halloway is the reason I was checking out the lighthouse. She said she saw a ghost climbing the stairs.”

  Armstrong smiled. “I thought I saw someone through the fog. Should I sneak around back and tap on the window? That’ll give her a good jolt.”

  “I’m losing enough guests as it is. Let’s not add to the stampede.”

  The two men walked down the metal stairs, talking mainly about the fog. When they got to the lobby, Alex asked Armstrong to wait out on the porch while he explained to the ladies what had happened. Instead of being relieved, Miss Halloway looked more flustered than ever.