Murder Checks Inn - Tim Myers [57]
By the time Alex reached the porch, he found Armstrong putting handcuffs on his brother.
“What’s going on, Sheriff?”
“I’m taking your brother in for questioning, Alex, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t get in the way.”
“On what grounds?” Alex asked with a sinking feeling in his gut.
“We just got an anonymous tip that led to a break in the case. That’s all I can say.” He turned to Tony. “You okay with me grabbing your suitcase, too, or do I have to get a warrant for it?”
Tony looked steadily at Alex as he said, “Go ahead. Do whatever you have to do. Just get me out of here.” Armstrong started to push him into the back of the squad car when Tony added loudly, “I can’t believe you, Alex. You couldn’t talk to me before you called the police?”
“I swear I didn’t call them, Tony,” Alex said.
“Yeah, right. Thanks a lot, Brother.”
After Tony was locked, up in the back of the squad car, Armstrong said, “You mind grabbing that bag at your feet for me, Alex? I need to search his room, too, but I don’t want to leave him alone out here in the patrol car while I’m doing it.”
“Sheriff, do you honestly think I’m going to lift one finger to help you when you’re trying to railroad my brother?”‘
Armstrong said, “I know this is hard on you, but you have to want the truth to come out. Don’t you owe that much to Jase? I’m sorry, Alex, but I have to do this. I have no choice.”
Alex shrugged, then said, “But I don’t have to help you. Not this time.”
Armstrong said, “Then we’ll play it your way.” He grabbed the bag at Alex’s feet. “I’ll take Tony into town and lock him up in a holding cell, then I’ll be back out here to search his room. Don’t go in there while I’m gone, Alex. That’s an official police order. I’d hate to find out somebody tampered with evidence.”
Alex couldn’t stand the thought of his brother being locked up, but there was nothing he could do about it. “You’ve got my word I won’t go in there.”
“Good enough,” Armstrong said as he got into the cruiser. Alex glanced inside the patrol car as the sheriff drove off. Tony was staring straight ahead, not even looking in Alex’s direction as he went past.
Elise met him at the door as he walked into the inn. “What’s going on, Alex?”
“As if you didn’t know,” he said abruptly.
“What are you talking about? Was that the sheriff? I was in the laundry room when I heard the siren. Alex, answer me!”
Alex refused to reply as he hurried to his room and bolted the door behind him. He needed some time to think. Elise was the only one he had shared his suspicions about Tony with. She had to have been the one who phoned in the anonymous tip to Armstrong. Alex just couldn’t imagine why she’d broken his confidences so quickly. Was it out of some kind of misguided loyalty to him? Had she done it out of fear for his life? Ultimately, it didn’t matter why she’d called the police. Elise had violated the trust between them, and that was one thing he didn’t think he’d ever be able to forgive.
There was a repeated knock on his door, and he heard Elise say, “Alex, I don’t know what’s wrong. Talk to me.”
When he didn’t reply, she finally gave up. Alex sat there for half an hour, wondering how things had gotten into such a mess, and how the two of them were ever going to work together when she had shattered his trust so completely.
Ultimately, Alex realized he couldn’t hide in his room forever. He had an inn to run.
Elise was at the front desk waiting for him when he came out.
She said, “Alex, I want to know exactly what you think is going on here.”
He shook his head as he reached for the telephone beside her and punched in a number he knew by heart. When Sandra answered on the first ring, Alex said, “Armstrong picked Tony up for questioning in Jase’s murder half an hour ago.”
“What?” Sandra said. “On what grounds?”
“He got an anonymous tip,” Alex said as he looked intently at Elise.
After explaining the facts but assuring her that he; thought Tony was innocent, Sandra said, “I