Innkeeping with Murder (4 page)

Alex said, “I don’t have to show you the way,
do I? I’d like to talk to Doc a bit longer.”

Mor retrieved his tool kit and slapped Alex
on the back. “You mean you’re not going to watch? Jeez, buddy, in
that case I can give you a price break if I don’t have to work with
an audience.” Without another word, the big man walked through the
doors toward the complex’s utility room.

Less than a minute later, Alex saw the police
cruiser return up the driveway. He could clearly see Irene sitting
in front, her red beehive hairdo at least forty years behind the
times. From where Alex stood, there appeared to be a strange woman
in back of the car.

Armstrong popped out of the cruiser and
smiled. “I’ve got somebody who says she’s got a job out here.
Claims Marisa Danton sent her.” Heading up the lighthouse stairs,
Armstrong, Irene, and Drake left the two of them alone.

Alex had forgotten all about Marisa’s cousin.
The last thing he wanted was to saddle himself with another Danton,
but he really didn’t have any choice. It was barely possible for
two people to run the inn. He knew he couldn’t manage without help.
Alex just hoped this particular cousin didn’t have the same tearful
tendencies Marisa had.

As she got out of the car, Alex was surprised
to see that the girl was extraordinarily attractive. Long, lustrous
chestnut hair hung past her shoulders, highlighting her gentle
green eyes. Unlike Marisa, this woman possessed a fullness to her
figure that Alex had always preferred over the gaunt, underfed
type. Her ample curves were well defined in her blue jeans and
burgundy short-sleeved T-shirt. As pretty as she was, Alex figured
this little beauty probably wouldn’t lower herself to scrub the
toilets or make beds. Still, it wasn’t like he had many options.
Gamely, he went over to greet her as she pulled a single, well-worn
suitcase from the cruiser’s backseat.

Alex introduced himself. “I’m Alex Winston,
owner and proprietor of Hatteras West.”

She smiled softly as she took his hand. “I’m
Elise Danton, it’s nice to meet you. Marisa told me you were
looking for someone, and I’d like to apply for the job.”

Still shaking the girl’s hand, Alex said,
“You’re hired.”

Elise pulled her hand back abruptly. “You’re
not some kind of wolf, are you?”

Alex spread his open hands out in a show of
innocence. “We won’t know that until the next full moon, will we?
You should be perfectly safe until then.”

Elise wasn’t buying it for a second. “Then
why are you hiring me so quickly?”

It was obvious she was immune to his attempt
at charm as he explained, “Well, it’s not that tough a job, so I
don’t doubt you can do it. Plus, you’re Marisa’s cousin, so I don’t
have to check your references, and finally, you’re the only one
applying for the job.” He shrugged. “What can I say. I’m
desperate.”

“That I understand. Let’s get started.” She
was all business.

He asked, “Would you like a tour of the place
first?”

Elise shook her head. “I can find everything
I need on my own. Just show me the cleaning supplies, and I’ll take
it from there. I understand you’ve got quite a lot on your plate as
it is today.”

Alex breathed a sigh of relief. Elise already
impressed him more than Marisa ever had. There was an air of
competence about her, a familiarity, that made Alex feel hopeful
for the first time in quite a while that things at Hatteras West
had a chance of improving.

Chapter 4

It took Alex less than ten minutes to get
Elise settled into her new job. That was remarkable in itself,
based on how long it had taken Marisa to get acclimated. His new
maid, armed with a set of keys and a cart full of supplies, headed
off to clean the first room on her list.

Alex walked back to the utility room to see
if Mor was having any luck with the boiler.

The big man was putting the last of his tools
back into his steel tool chest.

Alex groaned. “Oh, no. Don’t tell me it’s
hopeless. You’ve at least got to try.”

Mor offered him a huge grin. “Come on, Alex,
lighten up. I’ve already taken care of the problem. You got lucky
today, but I wouldn’t bet on it next time.”

Alex thought of Reg’s body at the top of the
lighthouse and of the impact it would have on his guests, wondering
just how lucky he could be. “Does this mean we have hot water?”

Mor said, “Give the boiler a few minutes to
get

warmed up, and you’ll be back in business. I
bet that water is freezing straight out of the well.”

Alex watched with trepidation as Mor began to
fill out a bill. Alex must have caught his friend’s eye, because
when the handyman looked up from his paperwork, Mor was grinning
broadly.

“I didn’t need any parts, all I had to do was
adjust the air intake valve. I’d teach you to do it yourself, but
then where would I be without all these hefty fees I charge you?
All you have to pay for today is my labor. Les said something about
collecting up front, since Marisa threatened on the answering
machine to stick us with your bill from last month.”

Alex tried to return his grin, but couldn’t
manage it. “I don’t blame you a bit for asking. I just hope I have
enough to cover it. How much do I owe you?”

Mor made a careful study of his watch. “Well,
I’ll be. I’ve been on my own time since I left the shop. How about
if I tell Les the boiler fixed itself? That and a cold beer, we’ll
call it even.”

“That sounds like a deal to me. Thanks, I
really appreciate it, Mor.”

Maybe Alex was due to have a little good luck
come his way. More likely, his luck came from having Mor as a good
friend. The two of them had grown up together in Elkton Falls;
they’d even been on the high school football team together when Mor
was a senior and Alex was a sophomore. While Alex wasn’t nearly as
good as his friend on the gridiron, he’d still been enough of a
ballplayer to make the all-county squad during his own senior year,
albeit as a member of the third team.

Alex walked Mor back into the lobby where
they both happened to catch a glimpse of Elise entering a guest
room on the first floor.

Mor whistled softly. “That is one sweet
heartbreaker you’ve got on your hands there. Since when did Elise
sign on at the inn? When you said Marisa was gone, I had no idea
you’d set your sights so high on your next maid. Not that I blame
you. I’d work side-by-side with that young lady any day of the
week.”

Alex said brusquely, “She needs a job, and I
happened to have an opening. Do you know much about her?”

Mor’s eyes twinkled. “Not nearly as much as
I’d like to. From what I hear, she’s just been in town a few weeks.
I ran into her over at the grocery store. Asked her out right off
the bat, too; some opportunities are too good to pass up.”

Alex knew Mor was famous throughout seven
counties as a heartbreaker in his own right. Fathers had been known
to send their eligible daughters out on phantom errands before
calling Mor for a job, just to be sure they were well out of the
handyman’s reach.

“So what did she say when you asked her
out?”

The big man chuckled softly. “She was polite
enough, but I got the message pretty fast that she wasn’t
interested.”

Alex smiled gently at his friend. “I’ll bet
you were floored. Is that the first time you’ve ever been turned
down?”

Mor slapped him on the back. Alex couldn’t
believe how much the harmless-looking tap stung. “Well, she told me
she was engaged, that’s what made the message loud and clear. What
are you worried about? You’re still dating Sandra, aren’t you?”

“Off and on,” he admitted. Sandra Beckett was
a lawyer from town Alex went out with occasionally. They kept it
casual, no real strings between them, which suited Alex just
fine.

Alex added, “To be honest with you, I need a
maid a lot more than I need a new girlfriend. I’ve got my guests,
to consider, you know.”

Mor nodded his head a little too vigorously.
“Yeah, right. I always knew you were a fine one to look out after
your guests. Now how about looking after me for a minute? I’d still
like that beer.”

Alex led his friend back to his own modest
quarters and retrieved a cold beer from the dormitory-sized
refrigerator. Alex had taken for himself the inn’s only room
without a fireplace. Since taking the space over it had become his
own little nook where he could temporarily get away from the
constant demands of running the inn. There was a sampler quilt
hanging on the wall at the head of his bed that his mother had
made. She had loved to tell the story of how Alex had come to her
on a Halloween night in the middle of a rare hurricane appearance
in Elkton Falls. It was their special bond, surviving the storm
together, and Alex missed his mother terribly. He and his father
had been close, but their relationship had been nothing like the
one he’d had with his mother. Alex wondered briefly if his father
was haunting the place, making sure his son stayed on his toes.

It would have been just like him.

Alex took an extra beer out of the
refrigerator for himself and the two men headed for one of the
Backgammon boards set up in one corner of the lobby. It was an odd
time to be playing a game, but he couldn’t face dealing with Reg’s
death. Worst of all, Alex didn’t want to see them carry the body
down the steel steps.

Mor set his hulking frame in one of the
chairs and took a white game piece off the board. “Pick a hand.
Better yet, you can play white, and I’ll still beat you like a
drum.”

Alex suddenly shook his head. “To tell you
the truth, I don’t much feel like playing. I forgot. You haven’t
heard what happened, have you?”

Mor dropped the white piece back on the game
board. “What’s going on?”

Alex brought his friend up-to-date on what
had happened at the inn. When he got to the part about finding
Reg’s body, Alex had to pause to steel himself enough to deliver
the words. It was finally sinking in. Reg was really gone.

“So that’s what Sheriff Strong-arms was in
such an uproar about. I heard him ripping around town right before
I headed out your way. That man is a menace in his patrol car.
Wonder how many wrecks he’s caused himself?”

Alex shrugged, suddenly too disheartened to
rise to the bait.

Mor got up from his seat and said, “Tell you
what. Why don’t we take a raincheck on that game of backgammon?
I’ve got some errands to run in town, and I don’t want to be late
for class.”

Alex nodded as he got up from his seat. “What
are you studying this time?”

Mor said, “I’m taking photography this
semester, and my homework’s due tonight. I brought my camera so I
could snap some photos on the way back to town. I want to get a few
shots of the lighthouse and the inn before I leave.”

“Be my guest.”

Mor and Alex had enrolled in an adult
education class together a few years back, figuring it would be an
excellent place to meet single women and perhaps learn something
while they were at it. After a great deal of debate, they had
settled on a Chinese cooking class. The first night of class, the
only woman in the room had been Mrs. Hurley, the high school’s home
economics teacher for the last fifty years. There were seventeen
men enrolled, and not a single woman. Many of the men dropped out
the first night, having failed to find any eligible women, but Alex
and Mor figured that since they were already there and they’d paid
their tuition fees, it couldn’t hurt to learn something new. Mor
was still taking classes every quarter, finding that he enjoyed
learning new things more than sitting around during the evening
drinking beer with his old buddies from high school, reliving glory
days long gone. Alex joined him in some of the classes during the
off-times for the inn, but he still had the fall leaf season ahead
of him, one of his busiest times of the year.

Alex watched Mor take a few quick pictures,
then walked his friend to his truck.

After Mor was gone, Alex stood in silence
staring at the tower, trying to decide whether he wanted to head up
to the top of the lighthouse and see how Irene was doing or go back
inside and get some paperwork done. He was still debating the pros
and cons when Irene, Doc Drake and Sheriff Armstrong came through
the lighthouse’s paired red doors.

The sheriff walked over to him and said,
“Don’t

worry about a thing, Alex, Irene says you can
have the lighthouse back as soon as the boys from the county come
to retrieve the body.”

By then, Irene and Doc Drake joined the two
of them. Alex turned to Irene, who was, as always, fussing with her
hair. Evidently, she wasn’t used to climbing stairs, because her
pillar of curls was threatening to crash down over her eyes from
all the activity.

She pinched his cheek. “You’re getting cuter
every day, young man. Why don’t you have a wife yet? I see you all
over town with Sandra Beckett. Anything happening there?”

Alex shrugged, feeling his face redden
slightly. Armstrong stepped in and saved him from replying.

“Investigator, we’re on a case. I’d
appreciate it if you wouldn’t harass a potential witness.”

Irene rolled her eyes at her cousin,
reminding Alex of a ten-year-old instead of the sixty-year-old
woman standing before him. “Ducky, why don’t you lighten up a
little.”

It was Armstrong’s turn to redden. The story
around town went that, as a toddler, he’d become so attached to a
yellow plastic duck that he carried it everywhere with him. The
name “Ducky” was obviously one the sheriff hoped the town would
forget. Most of them had, with the one glaring exception of
Irene.

Alex asked, “What did you find out?”

Irene nodded. “Okay, let’s get down to
business. The murder was pretty much what Doctor Drake thought; a
thin sharpened wire was jammed into the victim’s neck.” She paused,
then said. “With all the traffic you get climbing the steps, it was
impossible to pull a legible print off the railing. Sorry I didn’t
have any luck. About the only thing out of the ordinary I found up
there was a handful of rocks.”