Innkeeping with Murder - Tim Myers [16]
Alex chose to answer the latter question first, since he didn’t have a clue as to the who or the why. “It appears that he was stabbed in the back of the neck. The doctor says it’s most likely he didn’t suffer, if that’s any consolation.”
Junior shook his head. “Oh, my Lord. What am I going to tell the board?”
Alex watched the man closely as he said, “I suppose this means you’ll be taking over your father’s duties at the company immediately.”
Junior nodded numbly. “I never wanted it to happen this way.”
He started to get up, then plopped back down heavily. In a shaking voice, Junior asked, “I don’t suppose you have a shot of something around here, do you? I could really use a drink to steady my nerves.”
Alex was ashamed of himself. Instead of playing detective, he should be comforting his guest. It wasn’t his job to separate the innocent from the guilty, but it was up to him to take care of his guests, no matter what his suspicions were. “If you like bourbon, I’ve got some Maker’s Mark in my room. I’ll be right back.”
He left Junior alone on the porch and headed inside. Elise was at the front desk studying the sign-in book. When she saw Alex, she was obviously startled, a little like she’d been caught with her hand deep in the cookie jar.
Elise said, “I hope you don’t mind me looking at the guest registry. I just wanted to see if there were any more rooms to clean. Can you think of anything else I should do around here?”
“I don’t have any secrets from you, Elise. You’re welcome to look at everything and anything here. You could do me a favor, though.”
Elise asked warily, “What’s that?”
“I’ve got a despondent man out front who just lost his father. It’s Reg’s son. His name’s Junior, believe it or not. Could you take him a drink and get him off the front porch? The ambulance should be here any minute, and I don’t want him to have to sit there watching while they cart off his father’s body.”
Elise nodded immediately, a look of sympathy crossing her face. “I’ll take care of it.”
Alex retrieved the bottle, two-thirds full, and handed it to Elise. “Thanks. I appreciate you helping out around here on such short notice.”
“No problem,” she said as she filled a single plastic glass from her housekeeper’s cart, then headed outside to the porch.
Alex watched her walk through the door, then glanced down at the registry. It was turned to the week’s current guests, and Alex felt a tug in his chest when his eyes fell upon Reg’s name.
Elise walked back inside a minute later with Junior in tow, the two of them looking rather chummy.
A moment later Alex saw an unfamiliar car drive up. When a large, heavyset woman somewhere in her forties got out of the red Subaru wagon, he realized that it must be Emma Sturbridge. With only ten rooms split between the two houses, Alex usually had a pretty good idea of who was coming and going each night. In the rush surrounding Reg’s death, her scheduled arrival had completely slipped his mind.
Walking out to meet the handsome woman, Alex introduced himself and asked if she was Mrs. Sturbridge.
She took his hand with a grin. “Emma, please. Business must be bad if the owner himself is greeting visitors. I must say I’m flattered by the attention, though.”
Alex liked the woman immediately. There were deep laugh lines around her eyes and the corners of her mouth. Dressed in brand-new denim jeans and a man’s golf shirt, she exuded an air of delight with the world around her. The smile on her face was genuine and inviting.
Alex said, “I’m not trying to discourage you, but there’s been a murder here today. If you’d like to find other accommodations, I’d be happy to refund your deposit and see if I can find another place for you to stay tonight.”
Emma studied him for a moment before answering. “Alex, I’m from Washington D.C. Something like murder isn’t going to put me off my rockhounding. Have you had any big gem strikes around here lately?”
“Not that I’ve heard. You’re a little far from Hiddenite to be looking for emeralds, aren’t you?”
Emma winked. “I’ve got a theory