Inn Dire Straits

by Dixie Davis

  Lori tried not to make phone calls while driving too often, but this was definitely a time she’d make an exception. She dialed Doug’s number and put it on speakerphone.

  “Hey, Mom, where are you? We had to set out another round of snacks already.”

  Didn’t sound like she’d woken him. “Again? Is someone selling my pound cake on the black market or something?” She sighed. She hoped she had enough food to last until she could make it to the store again. “I’m on my way back from interviewing Serena.”

  “Oh, really? What did she have to say?”

  “I’ll tell you when I get there — but I have to talk to someone else first. In the meantime, can you and Annie maybe get together with Brett? Somewhere safe. Neither of them should go out alone.”

  “You think they’re both in danger still?”

  “Especially now.”

  “Okay, I’ll take care of her.”

  Lori and Doug bid each other goodbye and she ended the call.

  Lori hurried back to Dusky Cove as fast as she could without getting pulled over. As she pulled into the parking lot closest to the Salt Marsh Boardwalk, her phone dinged with a text message. Once she was parked, she read it: Doug saying that he and Brett and Annie were safe at Salt Water Bakes.

  Lori nodded, finally drawing a deep breath. That would work. It wasn’t like Val was a suspect in the case.

  Lori scanned the parking lot for police officers. Finally, she spotted Eddie, approaching the boardwalk entrance from the other direction.

  Suddenly she realized how lucky she was that other people were arriving in the parking lot now. If Eddie was the killer, he’d have every reason to want her to keep quiet, too — possibly even to kill her.

  Lori called his name and waved as she came closer. He waved back, acknowledging her. “Hi, Mrs. Keyes,” he said once she was close enough. “You had some questions?”

  Lori nodded. “I do.” She took a deep breath to give herself a moment to collect all those very important questions.

  First of all, she should verify Serena’s info. Lori mentally kicked herself for not doing this with Doris earlier — she would have been the best informant in this situation, willing and even eager to gossip and share the information she’s accumulated, but not emotionally attached to the information itself. “Do you have any siblings, Eddie?” she asked.

  He laughed. “I do, but they’re married, too.”

  Lori rolled her eyes. “I don’t know why everyone seems to think that’s the only thing I want to talk about.”

  “Well.” Eddie grew sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck. “We just know you’re not seeing as much of Mitch these days.”

  The name landed like an ice pick in her heart. “Thanks for bringing it up,” she said, her voice full of acid.

  “Sorry,” Eddie said quickly.

  “It’s okay.”

  Eddie pointed to the boardwalk, as if asking if they wanted to walk there. She declined, pointing toward the Salty Dog. “So, your siblings, who are married?”

  “Yeah, I’ve got an older brother, James, out in Texas, and a younger brother, Craig, lives in Bolivia. Why?”

  Lori was definitely not answering that question directly. She tried to think of a way to phrase this neutrally, without betraying what she already knew — or thought she knew. “Do you have any sisters?”

  “Uh . . . no,” Eddie said slowly.

  Lori quirked an eyebrow and let that ask the question for her.

  “I had a little sister.” He offered a sad smile to go with the tone of his voice. “She died.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Lori said. She knew this wasn’t going to be happy for him, but she genuinely liked the guy and it wasn’t easy to see him upset. “I know how difficult it is to lose someone you love.”

  Eddie merely nodded.

  Lori scrambled to figure out which direction to go next. Better to just go for the specific information she needed, without admitting how much she already knew. “Can I ask how it happened?”

  “Uh, yeah, she was hit by a car.”

  So far Serena’s story checked out — but that meant a lot more after the cases Eddie must have worked these last couple days. If he wasn’t the cause of the cases. “Oh, I’m sure this week must have been extra hard for you.” Lori glanced over her shoulder to where they’d found Nate. Eddie had been at the crime scene among the first responders she’d found there. Could he have been there before that? Early enough to kill Nate?

  If the car had been wiped clean of prints, that meant someone smart and experienced had committed this crime. She hadn’t considered that might include a police officer. He’d definitely know to wipe the car for prints.

  “We saw you last night at the first crime scene, right?” Lori asked.

  “Yeah.” Eddie bit his lower lip. “It . . . wasn’t great.”

  “I’m so sorry. Did you know the victim?”

  “No.”

  Lori noted that he didn’t admit that Nate had gone to school with his little sister, but then, it seemed Eddie was a few years older than Annie and Serena, who were older than Corinne. He might not have known his little sister’s friends and especially not her acquaintances.

  “You know,” Eddie began. He paused, looking to the side, and gave a little laugh. “As much as I hate the car accidents and the hit-and-runs, part of me thinks that if I — I mean, if we — can catch the guy who did this, it almost makes up for never getting the guy who hit Corinne.”

  Lori’s heart broke all over again for Eddie. To think this man — this smiling, helpful, happy-go-lucky man who truly epitomized “protect and serve” — was carrying this sort of pain was almost too much. “How long has it been?” Lori managed to ask.

  “Ten years.” Eddie shook his head. “And they still haven’t figured it out. I was just getting out of the academy back then — so frustrating.”

  Lori glimpsed Eddie’s clenched fists. That frustration definitely ran deeper than just words. But deep enough to hurt someone else? To inflict that pain on someone else?

  It felt unlikely — but even if her gut was telling her to believe him, she knew she had to check at least a few facts. They reached the sidewalk outside the Salty Dog and started in a slow circuit around the yellow clapboard building.

  “Where were you when you heard about the accident last night?” Lori asked.

  “Down here, working, with everybody else. We didn’t even have to use the sirens because we were so close.”

  That would explain why Lori hadn’t heard the police cars before they came upon the accident. But if Eddie was working nearby, how hard would it be for him to slip away unnoticed before the accident? “Do you ever get bored working the festival?”

  Eddie cocked his head. “Why would I? All these people to talk to and help, seeing the lightning bugs — way too busy to get bored.”

  “Right.” Too busy to sneak away, too?

  “Besides,” Eddie added, “I was way at the other end of the Salt Marsh Boardwalk last night. Wasn’t like I had a choice.”

  Lori laughed along with him, but she had to acknowledge the underlying point. If Eddie was all the way on the other end of the boardwalk, Lori, Doug, half the town and hundreds of tourists along the boardwalk and shore would have noticed him pass. That might be great if they were trying to establish alibi witnesses for the same time the murder probably happened, but it wasn’t so great if he had been trying to sneak out.

  They rounded the corner of the Salty Dog, catching sight of the boardwalk once again. Four or five groups were already setting up spots.

  “Is the festival always this busy?” Lori asked, mostly to keep the conversation going.

  “Busier every year.” Eddie straightened a little to look past Lori. She glanced back. A couple cars rolled into the gravel lot. As she’d predicted, people were heading to the boardwalk, hours before dark. “I should probably get to work.”

  “Well, thanks for chatting. I’ll see you later,” Lori said and turn
ed away. But she knew she wasn’t done. She only made it a few feet before she stopped and turned back. “Oh, by the way, I didn’t see you at the crime scene this morning. Too much?”

  Eddie shook his head. “My morning off. Had to take my kid to the doctor.”

  While she probably couldn’t verify that without breaking privacy laws, it was the kind of thing someone could corroborate. That made it automatically stronger than, say, watching Judge Judy reruns.

  Lori let her gaze wander off to the middle distance. “What do you think you’d do if you ever did catch up with the guy who did that to Corinne?”

  Eddie drew a deep breath and sighed it out. “You know, that was all I thought about for a solid year afterward. Only thing that kept me going,” he said. He met Lori’s eyes. If he suspected she was checking his alibi and motive, he hadn’t let on, but now he seemed to be making a solemn statement. “In North Carolina, the statute of limitations never expires on felonies like murder,” he said. “I’d arrest him.”

  Lori thanked Eddie again and headed on her way. Maybe she was naïve, but looking into his eyes as he told his story, she couldn’t help but believe him. He was frustrated with not being able to solve Corinne’s case, but he had an alibi for last night, a verifiable one for this morning, and, of course, the power to make sure the people who killed his sister faced the legal penalties for their crimes.

  Lori almost felt dirty knowing what she did about what had happened to his sister. After the penetrating stare Eddie had finished with, Lori had nearly confessed to him.

  But, she knew, that wasn’t her place. It was the murderer’s. Serena’s.

  If she’d ruled out Craig and Eddie, and their other brother lived in Texas, it looked like the O’Connor family wasn’t the most likely suspects. Leaving Serena.

  Lori pulled out her phone and looked up a number she tried not to use very often, if ever. She dialed and waited for him to pick up.

  “Chief Branson,” he answered.

  “Chief, it’s Lori Keyes.” She pretended like she didn’t hear his sigh. “Listen, I’ve been talking to people —”

  “I’ll bet.”

  “ — and I think I have a pretty good idea who might have done this.”

  “I’ll bet,” the chief said again.

  Again, she ignored his sarcasm. “Serena,” Lori said. As soon as the name passed her lips, she realized she hadn’t checked Serena’s alibi for this morning. She’d said she was at the memorial, and she’d arrived at the inn just before the sirens started.

  Chief Branson gave a strangled groan. “Don’t tell me you talked to her too.”

  Lori bit her lip and said nothing.

  “What did I talk to you about?” Now he sounded like he was playing the part of her dad.

  How did she deserve another lecture when she was the only person actually getting closer to solving this case? “We’ve got a serial killer on the loose here —”

  “Do not go around saying that. And stay out of this.” Grumbling, the chief ended the call.

  There. He had a viable suspect. Surely he’d call the Hinckley police to pick her up, and within an hour, three murders would be solved.

  Lori pulled into her spot in the Mayweather House’s gravel lot. Although she was far from the road, Lori kept glancing at the street as she crossed the lawns between the Mayweather House and Salt Water Bakes.

  Normally, she wouldn’t worry too much about road safety when it wasn’t even dark. Until she was sure Serena was in custody, however, she wouldn’t feel safe outside. Lori reached the air conditioning of Salt Water Bakes and finally drew a full breath. She was safe — and safely wrapped up in the heavy scent of this chocolaty haven.

  Salt Water Bakes was full, but Lori found Doug and Annie tucked away at a tiny table for two along the back wall. Between them on the table sat a round foil pan filled with a decadent dessert. “Mind if I join you folks?” Lori asked.

  Doug and Annie looked up. Lori thought she caught a glimpse of worry crossing Annie’s face, but once they looked up and saw Lori, Annie and Doug both brightened. “Pull up a chair — if you can find one,” Doug said. “And have some of this brownie sundae. We’re stuffed.”

  Lori, fortunately, had picked up at least one of Val’s secrets, if not one of her recipes. She ducked into the back storage room and grabbed one of the last folding chairs Val saved for busy times like this week. She also picked up an extra napkin and fork on the way back to Doug and Annie’s table.

  Lori did not hesitate to pick up the rapidly melting sundae dish. The bottom of the foil tin was still warm. She dug in, scooping up a bite of both fudge ripple and Val’s famous dark chocolate brownie. The deep, complex flavor of the cocoa was accentuated by the chunks of chocolate laced through the chewy brownie, and the smooth ice cream kept the brownie from being too rich.

  At least one small thing had gone right today. That and avoiding another murder.

  “Wait, where’s Brett?” Lori asked. Had she failed another of the fearsome fivesome?

  Doug and Annie pointed out Brett helping his mother behind the counter. For the first time, Brett actually looked at ease in that apron, filling customer orders. Lori couldn’t miss Val’s concerned glance at her son. Not that she blamed her — she was glad her own son and future daughter-in-law had been here, under her care.

  Lori enjoyed the rest of the brownie while Doug and Annie reminisced about the brownie-studded shake they’d split on their first date. Lori didn’t quite understand the concept of a “shake” that was actually just ice cream mixed with candy. Weren’t milkshakes supposed to be drinkable?

  She had enough dessert to keep her occupied right now, though. Just as Lori was finishing her sundae, Annie excused herself to go to the restroom. When she was gone, Doug leaned over the table and lowered his voice. “I want to ask her tonight.”

  It took Lori a minute for her brain to catch up with the topic that was clearly foremost on her son’s mind: proposing to his girlfriend.

  Doug pointed across the bakery at the front windows. The sky was beginning to turn the vibrant oranges and reds of sunset. “I wanted to try to propose at sunset down on one of the docks. Is that possible?”

  Lori thought for a second. A few of the houses along the riverfront did have docks or even narrow piers that extended out past the shallows of the river for boat launches, but the Mayweather House and Salt Water Bakes didn’t.

  Val would know who did. “Let me see what I can do,” Lori told him. She hopped up with her foil tray and headed over to Val at the counter, dumping her tray in the trash along the way.

  Once Val heard Doug’s plan, the worry left her face for the first time. “Let me make a call,” she said, beaming.

  Lori couldn’t help but return the smile. It felt like she’d been waiting forever for this, and it was finally happening.

  By the time Annie returned from the bathroom, Val had arranged everything. Doug stood from the table and held out a hand to Annie. She eyed his hand and then him. “What’s up?”

  “I thought we might go for a walk.”

  Annie glanced at Lori. “Do you think that’s a good idea? I mean, is it safe?”

  “It’s probably safe if you stay away from the roads.” She hoped.

  No, the walk to the dock two houses down from them wouldn’t involve getting close to any roads — the historic homes along Front Street would shield them. “I’m sure you’re fine,” Lori tried again.

  “Okay.” Annie finally took Doug’s hand. He placed her hand on his arm to escort her out, but paused and leaned back to whisper to Lori.

  “Can you go get her phone? It’s plugged in in her room, and I know she’ll want to call her parents.”

  Annie cocked an eyebrow. “What are you whispering about?”

  “Nothing,” Lori said quickly.

  “A surprise later,” Doug said, covering with a mysterious smile.

  Annie shot him a skeptical look, and then Lori. “Okay, weirdos.”

  D
oug laughed and pulled her away. Lori clasped her hands and watched them go, walking off in the orange light, the setting sun reflecting on the water.

  She couldn’t believe this was finally happening. Her baby was going to propose — he was going to get married!

  Lori bid Val goodbye and hurried back across the yards to the Mayweather House. She’d give them a few minutes. Doug would probably have to work up to the proposal, and then they’d want to celebrate alone, probably, before Lori came barging in with Annie’s parents by proxy.

  Lori grabbed her set of keys from the office and headed downstairs to Annie’s room. Once again, she wished she’d had a chance to get real furniture down here before Doug and Annie arrived. Having your future daughter-in-law sleep on an air mattress wasn’t great hospitality.

  Lori flipped on the light and scanned the room. Did she know what she was looking for? She couldn’t recall what Annie’s phone looked like. She didn’t see a charger plugged in to the outlets around the room, so she started on the hunt. Digging through a guest’s belongings went against all her innkeeper instincts, so Lori tried not to go too deep into Annie’s things.

  No phone by her shopping purchases, no phone around her bed, no phone on her suitcases, no phone near her towels. Lori shook those out, tucking them over her arm to replace with clean ones.

  That really left only one place to check: the laundry pile. It was close to an outlet; maybe her plug had fallen back there. Lori gingerly poked at the clothes there. She didn’t want to find Annie’s underwear any more than Annie would want her to. Lori changed tactics, shifting the whole pile with her foot instead.

  The light hit something — a phone. Lori grabbed it and pushed the button to turn on the screen, but it made no response.

  Right. If she’d been charging it, it was likely low on batteries, and it certainly hadn’t been plugged in for a while. Lori checked the charging port. Her phone used the same kind of charger. She could just plug in Annie’s phone in her office and let it charge for a few minutes to give her enough battery to call her parents.

  In the meantime, she could catch up on a little cleaning. She hadn’t had a chance to finish the regular housekeeping at all today. Lori headed upstairs. Where had she stashed that basket of clean towels?