Innkeeping with Murder - Tim Myers [62]
Barb Matthews turned back to Elise, and for a split second Alex considered jumping her and wrestling the deadly shaft out of her hands. But he hesitated a moment too long before acting, and the old woman pressed the blade closer to Elise’s chest. It was an exact duplicate of the stiletto-bladed cane Alex had just seen in Les’s catalogue.
Barb Matthews snapped, “I’m warning you, Alex, if you try anything, she’s going to die.”
He backed up a few steps.
“That’s better,” she said. “Do you want to tell her what’s going on, or shall I?”
Alex said, “I can give it a try; I’ve figured most of it out. Somehow you have the impression there’s a deposit of precious stones around here. You must have heard about my great-grandfather.”
The Matthews woman snorted. “I heard about him all right. Those original jewels were found right here on this property, weren’t they?”
Alex looked at the woman in shock. “Are you insane? Why would I sit on a fortune in gems and not do anything about it? It just doesn’t make any sense.”
A look of doubt crossed Barb Matthews’s face, then dissipated as quickly as it had come. “Okay, you didn’t know the truth yourself. But there are precious stones here. I have proof!” She reached into her pocket with one hand and pulled out a handful of small green stones. “I found these emerald chips during my first visit here. They’re genuine, I had them tested. And where there are chips, there are whole gems nearby!”
Alex said, “You found these on the property! They were salted.”
A burst of cold fury escaped the older woman’s lips. “What are you talking about?”
“My father thought a few gem-finds on our land would increase the tourist trade. When Mom found out about what he’d done, she hit the roof. So Dad backed down and retrieved all the stones he could remember planting in the landscape. Evidently he missed quite a few.”
Barb Matthews hissed, “That’s impossible. You’re lying.”
Elise said, “It’s true. Alex told me about it a couple of days ago.”
In a fit of rage, the slight older woman lunged at Elise with the palm of her free hand and shoved her over the rail! As she fell, Alex prayed she would stay close to the tower instead of cartwheeling over, since the lower balcony extended out farther than the upper one. He heard a ringing thud as Elise made contact with the platform below. It was still a ten-foot fall, and Alex knew it was enough to seriously hurt her if she hit at the wrong angle, but at least she had a fighting chance.
In desperation, Alex dove for Barb Matthews. He was too far away, and she managed to keep her hold on the blade. Alex saw the sharp point gleaming in another flash of lightning as she raised the weapon toward his chest. The wind assaulted him with growing fury, but Alex was so focused on the blade that was poised to skewer him, that he barely registered the wind’s presence.
He yelled, “What are you going to do, kill everyone who suspects you?”
Barb Matthews seemed to think about that very thing for a moment. “There’s still a way out for me. Even if you’re telling the truth and this property is as worthless as you think it is, I won’t have to go to jail. No one would believe that a little old woman like me would be capable of murder, and with you gone, there won’t be anyone left who suspects me.”
Alex said, “Why did you drag Elise into this? It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I lured your maid up here because I was sure she’d found my emeralds. You know I told you people not to clean my room, but she did it anyway. I convinced her you were up here waiting for her. You should have seen the little fool rush up to be with you. It was pathetic.”
Alex felt sick about having been used as bait. “You’ll never get away with this.”
Barb Matthews laughed. “I’ve already got my story ready. Two secret lovers in a double suicide leap off the lighthouse tower. The press will eat it up.” She shook her head in disgust. “I should have killed you first. I know your brother would have sold me the property the second after he inherited it from