Innkeeping with Murder - Tim Myers [50]
No matter. Alex leaned back fully into Mamma Bear’s lap and let the heat from the sunshine-warmed granite seep into his bones.
He nearly fell asleep from the soothing warmth, but a sudden shift in the wind brought him fully back to his senses.
As he lay there, Alex decided to review the suspects who could have possibly killed Reg and started the fire, too.
Junior was out as a suspect, not just because Alex couldn’t believe the man had killed his own father, but because Alex had followed him all morning. Unless, of course, the younger Wellington knew how to start a delayed fire, which would allow him to torch the inn while establishing a perfect alibi for himself.
Alex knew there had to be a hundred different ways to accomplish a delayed blaze, though he didn’t have a clue how one would go about it. Reluctantly, he decided that Junior had to remain a suspect until more evidence came to light.
Alex then considered Joel Grandy. Could he have started the blaze in order to motivate Alex to sell the property? Then why did he kill Reg? He thought about the other people who had been around. Barb Matthews might have burned down the building out of sheer cussedness, Finster was that mean too, but neither one of them had an apparent reason to kill Reg.
As much as Alex hated to consider the prospect, Mor could have easily set the fire before reporting it. But then again, why kill Reg? And how did Emma Sturbridge’s fall factor into the equation?
Perhaps Armstrong and Hicking were right about Emma’s fall. It could have been an accident. He wished she would come out of her coma so she could tell him what had really happened.
By the time Alex was ready to go back to the inn, it was late afternoon. Already the sun had started its decline behind a large stand of white pines that bordered the western edge of the property. As he started to get up, Alex felt something in his neck catch. He tried to work the kink out by moving his head back and forth, but it didn’t seem to help at all.
He really shouldn’t have stayed away from the inn so long. For the first time since taking over Hatteras West, Alex had put his own concerns ahead of those of his guests. He walked stiffly down the path to the inn, pausing only for a moment to survey the scorched earth where the main keeper’s house had stood. The ground was nothing but a black, soggy mess.
When Alex entered the remaining building, he nearly ran into Barb Matthews. Her eyes lit up the second she saw Alex. “Can’t you protect your guests? That fire could have easily spread to this building. You know that, don’t you?”
Alex smiled thinly. “It’s good to see you escaped the fire unharmed, Mrs. Matthews.”
“Unharmed? I’ve been coughing up soot and smoke ever since those firemen came.” The woman tapped her
dragonhead cane on Alex’s chest. “No help from you, that’s for sure. If it weren’t for that handsome young man warning us about the fire, we might have all perished.”
It looked like there was a new Mor Pendleton fan.
Alex said gently, “I’m just glad everyone’s safe.”
When the woman saw that Alex wasn’t going to rise to her bait, she stormed out the front door.
Junior came out of the hallway and said, “Good, she’s gone.” He rubbed his chest gently. “She tapped me so hard I think she left a bruise.”
Alex smiled slightly. “She’s a real ray of sunshine, isn’t she?”
Junior said, “Do you have any plans for dinner? We could grab a quick bite and play a little chess, if you’re interested. It might take our minds off our troubles.”
Alex was suddenly glad for the older man’s company. He made a couple of sandwiches in his kitchenette while Junior set up the chessboard.
Alex carried the platter of sandwiches out to the lobby.
Junior surveyed the offering with a smile. “Now all we need is something to drink.”
Alex could name a few other things he needed