Murder Checks Inn - Tim Myers [40]
Tony nodded. “And then there were two. It’s just you and me, Bro, the last of the Winstons.” He looked out into the distance another minute or two, then said, “Thanks for coming up here with me, but I know you’ve got a ton of work to do.”
“Not a problem,” Alex said as they went back inside the lighthouse. As the two brothers walked down the stairs, Alex wrestled with the possibility that Tony could have had anything to do with Jase’s death. It was hard to believe that the man he’d just spoken to could have been capable of such a brutal act. Alex felt guilty for even considering it, but even as he chided himself for the thought, another voice whispered that their trip up the lighthouse steps could have all been for show, a way for Tony to make amends and ease his conscience about what he’d done. No matter how much it troubled his heart, Alex had to admit to himself that there was no reasonable way he could eliminate Tony as one of his suspects.
Elise met them at the bottom of the lighthouse.
Tony said, “Well, I’d love to hang around, but I’m heading into town to look up a few old friends. I’m glad we had the chance to talk, Alex.”
“Me, too,” he said as he brother headed for his car.
Elise waited until Tony was gone before she told Alex, “The sheriff just called.”
Alex asked, “Has he made any progress on the case?”
“No, he wanted to know if you needed crowd control tonight. I said you’d call him back later. It sounds like most of Elkton Falls is coming out to the inn.”
“I never even thought about all the people who loved Jase. Tell the sheriff to call Shantara Robinson and get her
to round up her crew from the Golden Days Fair. She’ll know what he means. No doubt Jase left a budget for cleanup, too, knowing him.”
“I’ll call him right away.” Elise studied a sparkling new pendant watch pinned to her shirt, then said, “The caterers should be here in ten minutes, and the band will come along an hour later.”
Alex gestured to the watch. “Is that new?”
“Yes,” Elise said simply.
“From Peter?” Alex asked.
Elise said, “No, he brought it to me from my parents.”
“Any reason in particular?” he asked.
Elise mumbled something, and Alex said, “Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”
“Today is my birthday,” Elise admitted.
Alex said, “I’m so sorry, Elise, I didn’t know.” He added with a shake of his head, “You never exactly filled out a formal application when you came to work for me.”
“You had your hands full at the time, if I remember it correctly.”
“I usually do. Happy birthday, Elise. I just wish we could have celebrated it under better circumstances.”
“Thanks, Alex.”
He said, “You know what? I think I’ll call Armstrong myself. Why don’t you take the rest of the afternoon off, in honor of your birthday?”
“I can’t do that to you, Alex; you’ve got your hands full here.”
He said, “I won’t take no for an answer, Elise. Think of it as my birthday present to you.”
Elise said, “To be honest with you, there’s nowhere I’d rather spend my birthday than at Hatteras West.” The smile spreading across her face was genuine. It was the part of her that kept pulling him in, a joy in her words and heart that attracted him to her. Okay, the fact that she was stunning didn’t hurt, but Alex had long since looked past her outer beauty to find the even lovelier woman just beneath the surface.
He’d have to make it up to her, missing her birthday like that. Maybe when things settled down some, he could take her out to dinner.
And then he remembered that all her evenings would be taken, now that Peter Asheford was in Elkton Falls to stay.
That evening, as the party started to gear up, Alex saw Irene Wilkins hovering near the edge of the crowd. He cut through the well-wishers and said, “Why don’t you come join me?”
She had been crying, he could see that even with the fading light of the day. “I can’t, Alex.”
“Irene, you know you belong here. Jase would have wanted you around.”
She shook her head. “I thought I could take it, but it’s too painful. Forgive me,” she said as she hurried away. Alex watched her go, sad that Jase’s farewell