Room for Murder

by Tim Myers

  A quick glance at his watch showed that it was nearly time.

  With a soft, delicate touch, Alex lowered the pole and tapped it gently on the second-floor window. He pulled the pole up, waited ten breaths, then tapped again, this time with more vigor than before. Jerking the pole back toward him, Alex almost lost his balance and fell.

  How would he explain what had happened if he slipped from his perch? The best he could hope for from a fall at that height would be a broken bone or two, and he didn’t even want to think about the worst possibility.

  Alex hit the broadcast button and signaled to Elise. The system was sophisticated enough to allow them to monitor the broadcasts from each other while only receiving from the third set, so their conversations wouldn’t be sent at an inopportune time to the room they were trying to haunt.

  Alex asked, “Any reaction at all?”

  “They heard you, they’ve been fighting about it. The light’s been on for five minutes. Hang on. Okay, they just turned it out again. Give it a few minutes, then hit it again.”

  From her spot in the maid’s closet, Elise could watch their door without being in their line of sight if they came out suddenly.

  Alex waited, staring up at the lighthouse. He was in clear view of the observation platform, but it was closed for the night. What would the sentinel think of his foolishness? Alex had to admit, the lighthouse had seen him do a lot worse, though not lately. With a grin, he saluted the tower with his free hand.

  It was time for another tap.

  After a quick rapping, he pulled up the pole just in time to hear the window slam upward.

  Alex didn’t need Elise’s monitoring to hear the voices inside.

  “What was it, a tree branch?” Sheila asked.

  Paul said, “There’s nothing out here, I keep telling you that.”

  “That wasn’t nothing,” she hissed loudly. “Tell me you didn’t hear it.”

  “So I heard something. It was probably just the wind.”

  She said, “The wind doesn’t knock on your window, you idiot.”

  “Well, there’s nobody out there. We’re two stories up. Do you honestly think somebody’s up on stilts trying to get our attention?”

  She said loudly, “Close that window. You’re letting in a draft.”

  Good. They were unsettled enough for the moment. Alex carefully climbed back to the window and slipped inside. Elise was waiting for him there, having climbed up the scuttle herself.

  “You’ve really got them going,” she said.

  “I know, I heard. Are we ready for phase II?”

  She held up a set of chains he used in winter. “All set.”

  “Okay, here goes.”

  Alex started moaning loudly as Elise walked in increasingly large circles away from him, dragging the chains on the rough pine floor of the attic as she added her own set of groans to Alex’s mix. They were hoping the sounds were split enough to make the pair just below think there were several ghosts above them. Mrs. Nesbitt had warned them early on that she could sleep through a hurricane, and the other rooms in that section were empty, so they didn’t have to worry about disturbing anyone else with their antics. That was the only way Elise had agreed to the charade.

  It was hard not to laugh, and a few of Alex’s groans sounded distinctly like snickers. Maybe they’d think one of the ghosts was insane!

  Finally, they were ready for their crowning touch. Alex motioned to Elise, gestured to the window again, and climbed back out onto the roof. Elise’s job would be to whisper into the microphone, “Leave us, leave us, leave us,” as Alex tapped on the window again.

  Alex got to his previous spot, leaned over, and started to tap as he lost his balance again. The bamboo pole slipped from his hand as he went over, sending his foot through the window! The glass shattered as Alex caught himself and pulled back up on the gutter. That had been entirely too close.

  Alex scrambled back inside, glad he’d worn his work boots instead of his flimsy running shoes. His little stunt could have ended in disaster in a dozen different ways.

  Elise’s eyes were bright in the weak light. “What happened?”

  “I slipped and nearly fell. My foot went through the window as it was.”

  “Alex, are you all right?”

  “I am now, but I think I’ve haunted my last room. I hope the glass didn’t hit them.”

  They turned on the walkie-talkie and listened to the room below.

  Paul said frantically, “I don’t care about the story anymore. I’m getting out of here.”

  “You’re not leaving me behind,” Sheila yelled.

  “Hey, you’re on your own. If you’re not ready in two minutes, I’m out of here, with or without you. Pretending to be married to you was just about more than I could take. I’m not about to hang around here and let a ghost get me. If you want to write the story, be my guest, but I’m not touching it.”

  “You wouldn’t dare leave me here alone,” she screeched.

  “Just watch me.”

  Alex tried to fight the laughter bubbling in his throat, but a few sounds still escaped before he could get himself back under control.

  Sheila snapped. “Did you hear that? They’re coming back.”

  “I’m going. Now.” Paul shouted loudly enough for them to hear without the aid of the walkie-talkies.

  “Wait for me. I’m coming, too.” Sheila screamed.

  Alex and Elise waited a few minutes at the window, then watched the two of them hurrying out to their car in the parking lot, trailing errant articles of clothing along the way.

  Elise said, “Oh, Alex, we shouldn’t have.”

  He shrugged. “Now if they write about hauntings at the Murder Inn, they can draw from their own experiences.”

  As he started down the scuttle, she said, “What do we do now?”

  “You go back to bed. I’ve got to get a piece of cardboard and patch that window until I can fix it in the morning.”

  He’d half hoped Elise would offer to help, but she stifled a yawn and said, “See you in few hours then.”

  He was at the door when Mrs. Nesbitt came out of her room. “Alex Winston, what in the world is going on around here?”

  “Sorry,” he said sheepishly. “We had a little trouble, but it’s all been taken care of now. I thought you were a heavy sleeper.”

  “I am, but that ruckus could have wakened the dead.” She looked at the room where the reporters had been staying. “Were they the cause of it?”

  “Indirectly. Don’t worry, they just checked out.”

  She nodded her approval. “Good riddance. You want to know something? They weren’t lighthouse fans at all.”

  “It takes all kinds,” Alex said.

  After Mrs. Nesbitt retired, Alex swept up the broken glass inside the Joneses’ room, relishing how much fun it had been doing something active to deal with that particular problem.

  Patching the hole, he regretted not being able to do anything more constructive to help Emma, Mor, and Tracy with their problems.

  There were some things a good haunting just couldn’t fix.

  “I wonder if this rain is going to keep people from voting,” Alex asked as he looked out the front windows of the inn the next morning. It was pouring outside, a steady rain that had started at dawn and seemed to intensify with each passing hour.

  Elise said, “What I’m wondering about is which candidate it will hurt the most.”

  Alex leaned against the desk. “I’ve got a feeling every vote’s going to count in this election. I’m going to go myself right after lunch.”

  “I’d like to go with you, if you don’t mind.”

  Alex smiled. “I didn’t realize you’d registered here. I’d love to have you go with me. That’s why we have signs for the desk. We should have the rooms finished by then, now that things are slowing down.”

  Elise said, “Don’t worry, Alex, business will pick back up.”

  “Maybe we shouldn’t have run t
he Jones twosome off. Any publicity would be better than what we’re getting now.”

  “Think about it. Do you really want the inn full of the kind of people who read The Tattle Tale?”

  He smiled. “I’ve got a feeling the nightly hauntings would get a little old after a while.”

  “So let’s be happy with the guests we have. I need some time off later after we vote. Emma and I have a few last- minute arrangements to make for the wedding.”

  “What do you need besides a minister and a marriage license?”

  She shook her head. “You’re kidding, right? Irma

  Bean’s doing the reception: she’s even taking care of the wedding cake. We’ve got the Mountain Express performing at the reception, you should approve of them since they play a lot of bluegrass, and Shantara’s helping us line up our wait staff. This is going to be some celebration.”

  Alex said. “It would be even better if we knew for sure what really happened to Toby Sturbridge. I’m pretty sure Sheriff Armstrong isn’t too optimistic about finding the killer now, though he won’t admit it. I think he’s losing interest since he’s been trying to figure out who killed Oxford Hitchcock. A local victim’s bound to get priority over a stranger nobody around Elkton Falls is going to miss.”

  “As long as he gives up on the idea that Mor or Emma had anything to do with her ex-husband’s death, I don’t care. The thought of that man even being on the grounds still gives me the shivers.”

  Alex said, “I hate the fact he terrorized Emma as much as you do, but he still didn’t deserve what he got.”

  Elise was about to say something else when Lenora walked in.

  Elise said, “I’ll talk to you later. I’ve got to get started on those rooms.”

  After she was gone, Lenora said, “I hope she didn’t leave on my account.”

  “We’ve got a busy morning ahead of us if we’re going to vote in the election today.”

  Lenora smiled softly. “So, are you voting for green or red?”

  “I’m not voting by color. The entire town’s gone crazy with red and green, gold and blue. I’ve been supporting Tracy since I first found out she was running for mayor. I just hope she wins. Is there something I can do for you?”

  “Alex, I’m afraid it’s nearing the time for me to move on. I plan to check out tomorrow, and I was wondering if you’d have time to pose for me one last time today.”

  He scratched his head as he studied the register. “I’d love to help, but I’ve got my hands full the next twenty-four hours.”

  She nodded. “I understand. Perhaps I could follow you around as you work this morning and get a few quick sketches while you clean.”

  “You’re a hard lady to say no to, aren’t you?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t mean to be so persistent, but it’s important to me.”

  Alex was about to decline, then surprised himself by agreeing to her idea. “If you can’t think of a better way to spend the morning, you’re welcome to tag along with me.”

  She smiled brightly. “Wonderful. When do we get started?”

  “Now’s as good a time as any. We’ll do your room first.”

  All morning long, Lenora followed Alex around, talking little but sketching furiously. She was filling up sheet after sheet on her pad, focusing on him as he cleaned floors, scoured bathrooms, made beds, and dusted furniture.

  He said, “Am I going to be able to see these before you go?”

  “Perhaps I’ll share one of them with you. We’ll see.”

  Elise knocked on the door later when he was working and said, “Alex, I need more...” Her words died as she spotted Lenora in the room with him. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were with someone.”

  “She’s shadowing me today,” Alex said.

  “I won’t interrupt, then,” Elise said.

  Lenora looked up from her sketch pad and said, “Please go about your business, you won’t disturb me.”

  With Elise’s gaze still on Lenora, she said, “I need more window cleaner and we’re out in the supply closet.”

  Alex went to his cart and handed her his bottle. “This is my last room and I’m just about finished. I’ll get more from Shantara later.”

  Elise merely nodded as she accepted the cleaner, carefully avoiding eye contact with either one of them as she left.

  Now what was that all about, Alex wondered. He tucked the last corner of the blanket in on the bed and said. “That’s it. You’ve got to be tired of sketching me by now. You must have drawn a dozen pictures today.”

  Lenora closed the pad and held it close to her. “I could draw you for a week. Alex. There’s something about you, something deep and clear that I can’t seem to capture. I wish you could pose for me in my studio.”

  “Where’s that?” Alex asked.

  “Paris.” she answered simply.

  “Unless you’re talking about Paris, Kentucky, there’s not much chance of that. I don’t do much traveling in Europe.” Truth be told, Alex had never been west of the Mississippi, let alone outside the United States. Being an innkeeper held two major drawbacks for travel; not enough time or money.

  “A pity, that,” she said. “I’d like to give you something for your trouble.”

  Alex smiled. “I’d never admit it to anyone else, but I kind of enjoyed it.”

  “Still, you deserve something,” Lenora said.

  “Draw something for me, then,” he said, joking.

  Lenora merely nodded. “Thank you again, Alex.”

  He found Elise downstairs waiting on him. She said, “Where’s your shadow?”

  “She’s finished with me,” Alex said.

  Elise replied, “If you say so.”

  Alex said, “I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we grab lunch at Buck’s after we vote?”

  There was a hesitation to Elise’s reply, and Alex added, “We can go Dutch if you’d like.”

  Elise shook her head. “No, I’d be delighted to join you for lunch as your guest.”

  It wasn’t exactly the second date he’d been hoping for, but at least it was something.

  Chapter 17

  “I can’t believe the polls are this crowded for a local election,” Elise said as she and Alex waited in line to vote at Elkton Falls Elementary School.

  “Don’t forget, this is one of the highlights of the social season,” Alex said with a smile. “It’s a perfect excuse for everyone to get together.”

  Up ahead of the long snaking line, Alex saw Conner on one side of the entry to the gymnasium, with Tracy right across from him. They were handing out badges, buttons, pencils, and flyers to any voter who would take them. Elkton Falls was pretty strict about letting their candidates roam around. It was a good rule, Alex thought, brought on by the year Lester Ferngate accosted nearly everyone in sight when he was trying to unseat Grady Hatch.

  Grady himself was walking down the line, stopping for a word now and then and shaking a lot of hands. When he got to Alex, he faltered a step, then said, “Glad you folks could make it out. I just have one question. If you two are here, who’s watching the inn?”

  Alex said, “We thought they’d be able to manage on their own long enough for us to vote.”

  Elise asked, “So how does it feel with your final term as mayor winding down?”

  Grady said, “You want to know the truth? I thought I’d enjoy it more without the pressure of trying to get elected, but it’s taken some of the zip out of it, I can tell you that.”

  Elise smiled. “You can always run again in two years.”

  He laughed at that. “No, Ma’am, my days of public service are over. It’s hard to say where I’ll be two years from now.”

  Alex asked, “Is everything all right?”

  Grady slapped him on the shoulder. “Everything’s just fine, Alex. All is well.”

  As the mayor moved on, Elise said, “He seems preoccupied, doesn’t he?”

  Alex could have shared with her the talk he’d had with the mayor, but he d
ecided not to. “He’s most likely got a lot on his mind.”

  Smiley O’Reilly came out of the polling booth with a flag sticker on his lapel. Smiley had a habit of dropping the first few words of every sentence he spoke, which could get confusing when he was pitching some of the insurance he sold.

  He stopped by them and said, “Folks. Old truck still running, Alex?” The twinkle in his eye was bright

  “Better than yours,” Alex said with a chuckle.

  Smiley rolled his eyes, tipped his cap to Elise, and said, “Ma’am.”

  After he was gone, Elise said, “I love this town. Where else are you going to meet such interesting people?”

  “We’re unusual, but I’m not sure I’d go as far as saying we’re all that interesting.”

  She said, “Oh, but you are.”

  As they approached the two candidates’ positions, Conner struck first. “Any chance you’ve changed your mind, Alex?”

  He replied, “No, I’m voting for Tracy.”

  Conner still smiled brightly. “Have a pencil anyway. I’ve got a ton of them.”

  Alex just shook his head, and Conner moved on to Elise. “How about you, fair lady, do you have any interest in a badge? I’d be glad to pin it on for you.”

  She smiled and said, “No, thanks. I just wouldn’t feel right taking it, seeing that I’ll be voting for your ex-wife.”

  Conner laughed. “Man, this is a tough crowd.”

  A young woman behind them said, “I’d love a badge,” and Conner turned his charm on her.

  Alex said to Tracy, “He hasn’t changed a bit, has he?”

  “No, that’s always been one of his problems. He still thinks this is for junior class president.”

  Elise asked, “How is it going so far?”

  “I think the town’s pretty evenly split, if the way folks are acting is any indication. It’s too close to call, that’s for sure.”

  Alex said, “I’m just glad those newspaper photographs didn’t hurt you.”

  She smiled gently. “Hurt me? If anything, they gave me a higher profile than I had before. I’ve had several folks tell me how rotten I was treated by the press, and a few even said they changed their votes for me after seeing the way they behaved.”