Innkeeping with Murder - Tim Myers [31]
Elise shook her head, and Alex wondered what could shake her so. Elise, unlike her cousin Marisa, was a strong woman with a deep spirit.
He said, “Wait a second. Let me get you some water.”
Alex hurried into the lobby and got a glass from behind the desk. He thought about adding some bourbon, but decided it was too early in the morning for that, even for medicinal purposes. Instead, he filled the glass with icy well water and offered it to Elise.
“Calm down, take a drink, then tell us what happened.”
Elise took a healthy swallow of the cool water. When she spoke again, her voice was steady and solid, though more subdued than Alex was accustomed to.
“Mrs. Sturbridge was out on Bear Rocks. That’s where she must have fallen. Mor Pendleton was hiking on his day off and found her at the base of one of the formations. He called an ambulance on his cellular phone and went with her to the hospital.”
Bear Rocks was a part of Hatteras West’s property, even though the formation was tied to the lighthouse area by the narrowest of trails. Alex wasn’t surprised they hadn’t heard the sirens. A dense copse of heavy hickory, oak and maple trees buffered the guest quarters, shielding them from even the most obvious sounds. Alex’s father had cleared a parking area off the highway for townsfolk who wanted to hike or picnic at the site. It was more a public park than Winston land, though the property’s deed was in Alex’s name.
A related question came unbidden to Alex’s mind. Why was Mor Pendleton out hiking in the first place? Alex knew the man’s football injuries still nagged him with pain. He was the last person Alex would think would take up hiking as a hobby or a form of exercise. He’d have to ask his friend about that later. Right now, Alex had Mrs. Sturbridge’s welfare on his mind.
Alex asked, “How bad is she?”
Elise patted his arm gently. “I’m sorry, the doctor said she’s still unconscious, Alex. They just called from the hospital to tell us what happened.”
Alex pulled away and headed for the front door as he called out over his shoulder to Elise. “I’m going to go see if there’s anything I can do.”
Elise caught up with him, and Alex noted that Armstrong was not far behind. She said, “Should I go with you, or stay at the inn?”
“I need you here.” Alex grabbed his coat and turned to Armstrong. “Are you coming?”
The sheriff must have been feeling mulish, having his questioning sessions so harshly interrupted. “Why should I? The lady fell off some rocks. You’d better hope your insurance is paid in full. She’ll probably sue the place right out from under you.”
Though the family had opened the rocks to the guests of the inn and the townsfolk, there was no doubt that legally Alex was personally responsible for anything that happened on his land. Maybe he should have taken his brother’s advice and deeded Bear Rocks to the county before anyone was injured on the property.
It was too late to worry about the liability now.
Alex snapped, “You don’t think the two incidents could be related? Maybe Emma Sturbridge saw something, and someone was trying to make sure she didn’t have the chance to tell us about it.”
Armstrong snorted. “You’re stretching, Alex. If I were you I’d take the lady some flowers and candy in case she comes out of it. As for me, I’ve got a murder to solve.”
Alex kept his mouth shut and headed to his truck. In his rearview mirror, he spotted Elise waving good-bye.
As Alex drove to the hospital, he worried about his guest. He was hoping with all his heart that Emma Sturbridge was holding on. Alex honestly liked the woman, but that wasn’t the main reason he desperately wanted her to revive. He had to believe her plunge and Reg’s murder were related. At that moment, she held the best chance of identifying the killer, and her own assailant. It was only the faintest of hopes, but it was all Alex had.
Alex made his way through the halls of the hospital until he got to the intensive care unit nurse’s station. Nearly out of breath, he said, “I’m here to