Innkeeping with Murder - Tim Myers [44]
Alex said, “Surely he’s been grooming you to take over for some time. Reg always talked about retiring up here so he could be closer to the inn.”
Junior snorted. “Don’t believe a word of it, Alex, he loved his work. Not only that, but I don’t think the company will survive without him. Dad was the glue that held everything together. I don’t care about that right now. I just want to mourn him as his son.”
Alex patted Junior on the shoulder and said, “Listen there’s a diner about two miles ahead. Why don’t we all get a bite of breakfast?”
Junior wiped his face with a handkerchief. Alex noticed that the man really was fastidious about his appearance. He began to guiltily wonder if Junior could have actually found a clean spot on the loop trail to take a nap. It didn’t explain the grass-stained outfit he had given Armstrong, but could Junior simply have made a mistake? Were these tears because of the man’s loss, or motivated by remorse for killing his own father? Now Alex somehow doubted that Junior could have done it.
Junior tucked the handkerchief back into his pocket. “Thanks, but I don’t want to spoil your plans. Why don’t you two go ahead? I’m going back to the inn to pack. It’s too tough staying there, Alex. Everywhere I look, I see something Dad loved.”
Alex said, “Why don’t we head back with you? Suddenly I don’t feel so easy leaving the inn at a time like this. We’ll put on a pot of tea and see if we can convince Elise to make something special. She’s really a great cook.”
Junior smiled slightly. “That would be nice. I’ll follow you back.”
As Junior got into his car, Alex headed to the truck. Elise had a puzzled look on her face.
He said, “We’re going back.”
Elise managed to hide her disappointment. “Why, what’s going on?”
Before starting the truck, Alex leaned over and looked her straight in the eye. “Elise, do you believe in hunches?”
“Sometimes that’s all we have to go by. Why?”
Alex repeated his conversation with Junior after he started the truck and headed back toward the inn. “I don’t believe that man had anything to do with his father’s death. He’s too torn up right now. I believe he’s sincere.”
Elise said, “You told me he said himself he can’t run the business without his father. Could it be the enormity of what he’s done has finally hit home?”
Alex shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve got to admit that thought crossed my mind. I still don’t think he killed Reg, though.”
They were just pulling on to Point Road when Alex saw the smoke.
Elise caught sight of it at the same time.
She said, “Is someone burning leaves and branches this early in the fall?”
Alex clenched his hands on the steering wheel as he raced up the road. He knew nobody near him did any regular burning this time of year. Besides the land that Alex had, the rest of the acreage surrounding Hatteras West was owned by people who lived out of state. That left the smoke coming from somewhere too close to home.
Alex felt a sickness in the pit of his stomach that made talking impossible. In two minutes, his worst fears were confirmed. As they pulled into sight of the two structures where guests stayed, only one building remained standing. The main keeper’s house, the place Alex had grown up and spent his formative years in, was burned to the ground.
From the look of things, only the dedicated work of the town volunteer fire department had managed to save the other building, now a lone twin left standing beside the lighthouse. Alex felt himself crying as he stopped the truck away from the firefighters. The pile of rubble, still smoldering under the steady stream of water from the fire truck, held just about every tangible memory of Alex’s childhood. And now it was all gone.
Chapter 14
Alex looked up to see Mor approach the truck. At first, it was hard for Alex to recognize him; the big man was covered with ashes and black soot. Alex stumbled out of the truck and nearly fell when his feet hit the ground.
“What happened?” His throat