Murder Checks Inn - Tim Myers [46]
“Father specified in his will that it was to be just the three of us here this week, our original little family. I’m sure he had no idea what was going to happen.” She sighed, then added, “I’ve been so mad at him for so long, my heart goes cold whenever I think about him.”
“Surely he wasn’t all bad,” Alex said.
“I know he was only human, but he abandoned us, Alex, and I doubt I can ever forgive him, certainly not as quickly as Steven has.”
Alex looked into the night, then said, “Siblings don’t always agree, do they?”
Ashley said, “Not in my house they didn’t.” She brushed her hands together, as if freeing them of crumbs. “Let’s change the subject,” she said, “to something more pleasant.” She looked around the grounds and said, “It must be quite wonderful running your own business. You don’t have to answer to anyone.”
Alex laughed. “Don’t you believe it for one minute. As an innkeeper, I’m working for a new boss every time another guest checks in. I do everything in my power to make everyone’s stay a good one, but it’s not always easy. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but it can be a real challenge at times.”
“I suppose,” she said. “Still, the place has grown on me.”
Alex remembered Ashley’s remarks when she first came to Hatteras West. Had she truly undergone a change of heart, or was she trying to get on Alex’s good side for some unknown reason?
“Well, it’s been a long day,” Ashley said as she moved toward the door.
“Good night,” Alex called to her.
After she was gone, Alex stayed on the porch, taking in the sweet sounds of the night, wondering what tomorrow would bring.
A sharp scream came from inside, shattering the calm he was just beginning to feel.
“Help! Someone help me!”
Alex rushed inside, fearful of what he was about to find. The voice, though distorted by the scream, was one he’d just heard.
Ashley was in trouble.
Chapter 14
Alex found Cynthia already in Ashley’s room by the time he got up there.
“What happened?” he asked, slightly out of breath as he searched the room with a quick glance.
“Someone ... someone was up here,” Ashley said as she pointed to the open window.
The curtains fluttered in the breeze, and Cynthia said, “Now, now, Ashley, it was most likely just the wind.”
Ashley said fiercely, “I’m telling you, mother, when I unlocked my door, I heard someone scrambling around inside. By the time I got the door open, they were gone.” She looked fiercely at her mother. “I closed that window before I came downstairs for the wake.”
Cynthia said, “Perhaps Alex or his cleaning lady opened it.”
Alex shook his head. “I was tied up outside during the festivities, and Elise wouldn’t go into a guest’s room after five p.m. unless she was invited to do so. We don’t turn down the covers at Hatteras West unless it’s requested ahead of time.”
Elise joined them and said, “I heard a scream. What happened?”
Alex ignored her question for the moment. “Elise, did you open this window today?”
She shook her head. “Absolutely not. I haven’t been in this room since eleven this morning. Now, will someone please tell me what happened?”
Cynthia explained, “Ashley thinks someone was in her room tonight.”
“Mother, why don’t you believe me? What possible reason would I have to lie?”
Cynthia said, “No one’s accusing you of lying, dear, but you could be mistaken.”
Alex walked over to the window. He looked outside but couldn’t see anyone on the roof. It was possible, though, that someone really had been there. The porch roof was just below Ashley’s room, and someone determined enough could climb up and gain access. So why hadn’t he heard anyone climbing up? Alex had been sitting there quietly for some time. Surely he would have heard something. Unless the trespasser had gone in through the room door, then made their escape when Ashley had suddenly reappeared. Once again, whoever had broken in had real guts; either that, or a complete disregard for being caught. A thought suddenly struck him. The boldness required to climb out Ashley’s window was the same kind of fearlessness