by Tim Myers
“Nobody showed up,” Alex admitted. “Being directly in the path of a hurricane doesn’t exactly inspire folks to vacation here.” He added, “Don’t worry about us, though, we’ll manage to squeak by somehow.”
“You always do, don’t you?”
Elise came outside and said, “Hey, Ms. Mayor.”
Tracy laughed. “That’s going to take some getting used to, hearing that.”
“I think you’ll manage,” Alex said.
“Oh yes,” Tracy admitted. “Well, I just wanted to touch base with you’all. Alex, if you need anything out here, just let me know. I owe you one.”
Alex grinned. “I’ll remind you of that when I ask you to push the Town Council about letting me light my lens more than once a year.”
Tracy nodded. “You’ve got yourself a deal. Let me dig out of all this hurricane mess and we’ll talk about it then.”
“Sounds good to me.”
After Tracy was gone, Elise said, “I just heard from Emma.”
They’d been trying to track the newlyweds down since the storm, without any success.
“Did they make it all right?” Alex asked.
“So far they’ve spent their honeymoon at Charlotte-Douglas Airport. There’s nothing to worry about, though, they should be leaving for their cruise today.”
“Hasn’t the ship already left port?” Alex asked.
“Yes, but they’re meeting it at the first stop. Emma was understandably relieved to hear that Grady confessed to killing Toby in front of witnesses.”
Alex said, “Do you think she still thought Mor might have had something to do with it?”
Elise shrugged. “Well, she married him, didn’t she?”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Does it really matter, Alex? They’re together. Ultimately, that’s all that counts.”
Alex leaned his broom against the wall and said, “We need to have another talk, Elise. I’m not happy with the way we left things.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Elise said.
“You might not think so, but I surely do.”
Sheriff Armstrong drove up Point Road in his cruiser, and Elise said, “Not now, Alex. Not with the sheriff coming.”
“He can wait.”
Elise shook her head, touched Alex’s cheek lightly, then said, “So can this discussion.”
Armstrong got out of his cruiser and said, “The storm wasn’t too bad out here, was it?”
“I don’t even have to call Smiley O’Reilly,” Alex admitted. “I’ll bet he’s been hopping the last few days.”
Armstrong nodded. “I don’t think the man’s had a wink of sleep since the storm hit. Some folks got slammed pretty hard, and some it barely touched.” Shifting his feet, the sheriff added, “Just thought you might want to know, seeing how you were involved in all this. They just found Grady Hatch.”
“Where was he, heading for the border?”
Armstrong shook his head. “He never made it that far. From the look of things, he tried to head out on foot when he saw his camper all bashed in. The storm must have picked him up and thrown him like an old rag doll. I won’t even make you guess where his body finally ended up. He’s not twenty feet from the spot where he killed Oxford Hitchcock.”
“I never would have believed him capable of murder,” Alex admitted.
“Funny thing, you never know what’s going to set a body off like that. Well, I’d better get back into town. I just wanted to let you know.”
“Thanks, Sheriff,” Alex said.
After he was gone, Alex stayed outside, staring up at the lighthouse. He’d survived his second hurricane inside its safe walls, the first one since he’d been born on that Halloween night years and years ago. It was there for him always, a haven of safety when the world around him was going insane.
Alex looked back inside through the window of the Main Keeper’s Quarters and saw Elise working at the registration desk.
No matter how hard she tried, there was no way Elise could deny the power of that kiss they’d shared.
He’d just have to find a way to convince her that it had been right and good, and not a mistake.
It could be tough going, given Elise’s vulnerability and her fear about ruining their friendship.
But he’d do his best to show her that they belonged together as more than just friends.
It was definitely a task worth taking on.
And now a peek at Booked for Murder, book 5 in the Lighthouse Inn mysteries by Tim Myers.
Booked for Murder
By Tim Myers
Chapter 1
“I know I shouldn’t admit it, but I’ll be glad to see the last of that monstrous emerald,” Elise Danton said as she and her employer, Alex Winston, watched the final group of gawkers pass through the lobby of The Hatteras West Inn on their way to see the Carolina Rhapsody Emerald. The spectacular gem was currently being exhibited in one of the guestrooms of the Main Keeper’s Quarters, but the show was nearly over.
Alex said, “We were lucky to get it. Reston Shay hasn’t had that stone out of his vault in ten years. Look how many folks have come to Hatteras West to see it.” Alex owned and operated The Hatteras West Inn, a property nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains sporting a replica of the Hatteras Lighthouse on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The inn’s guests stayed in either the Dual or Main Keepers’ Quarters; it was a heavy workload for just two people, but somehow they managed well enough. Unfortunately, part of that was due to the inn’s constant less-than-stellar occupancy rate.
Elise frowned, her nose crinkling slightly. “These people aren’t paying guests, Alex. I hate to bring this up, but that’s what we need right now.”
He didn’t need the reminder; nobody knew the precarious state of their finances better than Alex did. Now that they had both buildings of the inn up and running at full capacity, he’d hoped to bring in enough to actually stop using red ink in his account books, but it hadn’t panned out that way. Emeralds had been found on Winston land by one of their guests, but the location of the strike had vanished with her when she’d died. The sale of the stones she had managed to discover had been enough to rebuild the Dual Keeper’s Quarters building after a tragic fire, but what had once seemed like an abundant source of money eventually ran out.
“Don’t worry. Things have a way of working themselves out,” Alex said, wishing he could rely on something more substantial than hope in comforting Elise. “Let’s forget about business for now and enjoy the emerald while we still can. Reston is picking up the stone in less than an hour, along with that troop of armed bodyguards escorting him all over Elkton Falls.”
Elise followed Alex as they trailed behind the last of the crowd to the guestroom where the stone was displayed. It sat perched atop a glass pedestal resting firmly on an elegant square of lush red carpet directly in the center of the room. They had moved the furniture out for the occasion, and the space looked bare without it. In a roped off area the size of a parking space stood the Carolina Rhapsody, one of the biggest, deepest green emeralds in the country. As Alex stared at the glistening stone, he felt the blood surge in his veins. Alex’s great-great-grandfather had been a famous rockhound in his own right, and the call of the jewel still ran strong in Alex.
“It is beautiful, isn’t it?” Elise said with reverence as she studied the emerald.
“Breathtaking,” Alex agreed. There was a cathedral-like quality to the stone that made him whisper in its presence.
One of the stragglers, a woman from town named Rose Lane who was infamous for her bad temper and curt manner, blocked Alex’s view of the stone as she moved close enough to brush against the rope. That brought a big, meaty uniformed security guard with suspicious eyes out of the shadows.
“You’ll have to step back, Ma’am,” he said in a gruff voice that shattered the hushed tone of the room.
“I just wanted a closer look,” Rose said. Her voice bristled with
abruptness, daring him to defy her. Rumor had it around Elkton Falls that she’d been too mean to marry, and she’d gotten worse with every birthday.
“Sorry, the roped area is off limits.”
She looked as if she wanted to push it, but after studying his bulk and the hard lines of his face, she wisely decided to back off.
Not without a grumble, though. “Why does he display it if he doesn’t want folks to get a good look?”
The guard didn’t reply, but he also didn’t move until Rose was well away from the perimeter. Once she was safely back, the guard returned to the shadows. Reston had been most specific about the display, darkening the room around the emerald and setting up a spotlight that shone down on it like a beam from Heaven. Alex had to admit the affect was worth the man’s fussy precision. The Carolina Rhapsody looked absolutely stunning.
As most of the crowd started to leave, Alex approached the guard. “I’ll bet you’ll be glad when this is over, Cliff.” It had taken Alex the entire time of the exhibit to get the man’s name, and in all honesty, he still wasn’t sure if it was his first name or his last.
In reply, Cliff raised one eyebrow.
Alex filled in, “It can’t be easy guarding something worth three million dollars.”
The guard said, “It’s just another job to me.” The man’s gaze never stopped as he spoke, going around the perimeter of the room to the windows to the doorway and then back again. From a security point of view, it had to be a challenge keeping track of the many ways to get at the emerald, though Alex knew that the guard’s only responsibility was to watch over the stone while it was actually at Hatteras West. Reston Shay’s squad picked the emerald up every day precisely at five p.m. and delivered it again the next morning at ten.
“Well, it won’t be long now,” Alex said as he and Elise left the room.
Someone was waiting for them at the desk of the Main Keeper’s Quarters when they walked back into the lobby. Alex suddenly realized he’d forgotten to put up his sign announcing they would be back soon.
“May I help you?” he asked as he took his place behind the registration desk.
The lady in question had brightly dyed red hair pulled back in a ponytail, and wore a floral print dress that matched her flashy running shoes. Over one arm she carried a huge, woven egg basket partially covered with a square of cloth that perfectly matched her dress, and there was the pleasant aroma of baked goods that hovered around her. “I’m Fiona White, and I’ve got a muffin for you.”
“No thanks, I just ate,” Alex said, wondering how all the odd birds managed to ultimately wind up at Hatteras West.
Not deterred in the least, Fiona said, “My dear boy, you don’t understand. These are free samples to announce my presence in Elkton Falls. I’m opening up my shop in town. I’m the Muffin Lady.”
She said the last as if she were announcing the arrival of the Queen.
Elise said from behind him, “We’ve got a muffin supplier already, but thanks for coming by.”
Fiona stood her ground. “You may be under the impression that what you’ve been serving are muffins, but I’ve got the real thing.” She held back the cloth, and Alex caught a glimpse of the golden brown muffins inside.
As Elise started to say something, Alex added, “What can it hurt? I’ll try one.”
Fiona smiled brightly as she dove into her basket and pulled out a rich copper muffin the size of a small boy’s head. “How about a Pumpkin Delight?” She handed Alex the muffin, then turned to Elise. “And for you, let’s see ... Blueberry Surprise? No, that won’t do at all. I try to match the muffin with the person, it’s a game I play. I’ve got it.” She reached in and pulled out a yellow muffin with flecks of something inside. “Banana Bonanza sounds like your match.”
Elise didn’t take the offered muffin, but said instead, “Actually, I wouldn’t mind tasting the blueberry.”
Fiona laughed with delight. “I knew you’d say that. Here you go. Enjoy.”
Fiona watched intently while Alex and Elise tried their muffins. Alex couldn’t believe the earthy explosion of pumpkin from the first bite. “What’s in this?” he asked as he held the muffin aloft.
“An old family recipe. So may I put you down for a selection of two dozen every morning for your guests?”
Alex was about to agree when Elise said, “We’ve got a supplier right now who is giving us a very good price on our orders.” Truth be told, the muffins Alex got from Buck’s Grill were serviceable, but they couldn’t approach the ambrosia he held in his hand. He would personally love to have these particular muffins every morning himself for breakfast, but the food at the inn was Elise’s area of responsibility, and he was glad to let her have it. He had enough things to keep up with on his own.
Fiona said to Elise, “Why don’t you taste your muffin first, then we can discuss terms.”
Elise shrugged, pinched off a bit of muffin, then sampled it. If it was anything like the bite Alex had just taken, she would be hard pressed hiding her reaction.
“Perhaps we’ll be able to do business,” Elise said. “First we need to discuss prices and delivery schedules though.”
Alex said, “Why don’t you two use my office? I’ve got some work to do out here anyway.” It was no hardship for him to give up his office to them. Alex had been pestered throughout the day by guests treating his private space like some kind of lounge. He’d found Reston Shay there waiting for him that morning, and then not an hour later, after answering a summons from one of the suites, Alex had returned to find Melva Flump tapping her fingernails on his desk, demanding postcard stamps and maps to area attractions.
As Elise and Fiona disappeared inside the office, Alex took another bite of the pumpkin muffin. It was just as good as the first had been. He saw Elise’s blueberry muffin sitting on the registration desk and decided to sneak a bite to see if it matched his own.
It turned out that Elise had missed her calling; she should have been an actress. The blueberry was very nearly better than the pumpkin.
He trusted Elise to make the best deal for them, but even if she decided Fiona was too expensive for the inn, Alex knew he wouldn’t be able to resist buying one now and then for himself.
Twenty minutes later, with the Muffin Lady long gone and the final work for the day completed, Alex found Elise taking inventory in their supply room.
“Busy?” Alex asked as he watched her go through the checklist on her sheet.
“Give me one second,” she replied as she continued with her work. Alex smiled in admiration. Elise’s inventory system was part of their increased efficiency at Hatteras West since she had come onto the scene. Alex shuddered slightly as he remembered life before her arrival. Elise’s predecessor—her cousin Marisa—a born crier if ever there was one, had nearly driven him crazy with her constant tears. With Elise on the scene, his world had settled into a blissful routine of competence. However, his heart had been thrown into turmoil since then, too. They had tried a disastrous date the month before, a debacle that still stung. There was still something between them, there was no doubt about that, but finding their way to what it might be was more perilous than he’d expected. Dancing the fine line between love and friendship was proving to be difficult. Someday, someday soon, he was going to ask her out again, and this time he planned to be better prepared for it than he had been before.
At last she finished her list. “Okay, what can I do for you?”
Alex said, “I wanted to see if you were interested in one last look at the Carolina Rhapsody before Reston gets here.”
“You never get tired of staring at it, do you? I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to get one more look.” As she spoke, there was a loud clamor out front, and Alex realized they’d waited too long.
Reston was in the lobby, along with his entourage.
The dapper fellow said, “There you are. We’re getting ready to move the stone for the final time. Want one more peek before we do?”
“That would be
great.”
Reston offered Elise his arm, and she smiled slightly as she took it. It was obvious the older man still considered himself a temptation. As Alex followed behind them, he heard Reston say to Elise, “If you’d like, you may hold the emerald for a moment.”
“Thanks, but I’d be too afraid I’d drop it.”
“Nonsense,” Reston said, “If something should happen, which I’m sure it won’t, the emerald is fully insured. I insist.”
Elise nodded. “I’d love to, if you’re sure.”
“Absolutely,” Reston said as they neared the room.
One of his escorts went through the door first, and Alex saw the man’s entire body stiffen.
“What’s wrong?” Alex asked as he tried to see around the bulky form.
“Call the police,” the guard said as he hurried into the room.
Alex held off obeying the order. After all, he couldn’t bring Sheriff Armstrong up to speed if he didn’t know what had happened himself.
Reston looked ashen as stumbled into the room, Elise’s arm released and forgotten. Alex saw Cliff’s body lying on the floor at the base of the pedestal. An object he was well familiar with was protruding from a sharp angle out of the guard’s chest, a stain of blood slowly spreading on the uniform. The murder weapon was a lighthouse letter opener sent to him by one of his guests.
Buried to the hilt in the man’s chest, it looked as if the lighthouse, or at least the image of it, had played a part in another victim’s demise.
“The emerald is still there,” Alex heard one of the guards say as his partner checked for a pulse.
The man kneeling beside Cliff shook his head after finding none. “He’s dead.”
Alex decided it was time to make that call to the police. He found Sheriff Armstrong in his office, and quickly secured the man’s assurances that he’d soon be out there along with Doc Drake and Irene Wilkins, Elkton Falls’ beautician/crime scene specialist. Alex hung up and returned to the room where the emerald was being displayed.