Reservations for Murder - Tim Myers [19]
Alex nodded. “Sure, you know you’re welcome to it. Is there any chance I can sit in on the interviews?” he asked casually.
“Normally I’d be okay with that. Alex, but I’d rather do this in private, if you don’t mind.”
“I understand.” Alex said, trying to hide his disappointment. He would rather have been included in the interviews, but he’d been present before only by Sheriff Armstrong’s grace, and it looked like he’d used up his share of it, at least for the moment.
“Don’t worry. I’ll track you down before I go and let you know what happened.” Armstrong said as he walked out the door.
Alex made sure he had plenty to do in the main lobby the rest of the day. He wasn’t spying: there truly was dusting and sweeping to do, but he did want to be close when the suspects left. If he was really lucky, he might even overhear something. At this point, anything would help.
Evans was in his chair as Alex worked, watching the world pass him by outside the inn’s windows.
“Young man, I envy you,” Evans said as Alex dusted off a collection of lanterns his grandfather had amassed. They were displayed prominently in one corner of the lobby on a stand Alex’s father had built just for them.
“Grab a rag, Evans, there’s plenty of dusting for everyone,” Alex said, smiling.
The older man chuckled. “I don’t mean I envy your daily tasks, I’m referring more to this life you lead. Interesting people traipse in and out of your life on a daily basis, and you have a beautiful home to live in with a wondrous lighthouse next door. You’ve truly got it all, young man.”
Alex refrained from adding the realities of being an innkeeper: blocked toilets at two in the morning, guests who believed if it wasn’t nailed down it was free for the taking, and all of the bone-wearying, mind-numbing work that had to be started fresh each and every day. In spite of it, not because of it, Alex loved Hatteras West, but he was also very aware of the tremendous amount of work involved in keeping it afloat. The fact that Evans Graile, a guest, sat enjoying the beautiful day while Alex, the innkeeper, worked steadily away punctuated the point more than anything he could ever say.
“It’s a good life, Evans,” he agreed, meaning it deep in his heart.
Alex heard raised voices coming from his office, so he moved to the front desk a few paces away from his door, where he pretended to go over the register receipts as he listened in.
The voices were suddenly much clearer now. Jenny Harris was in the office with Sheriff Armstrong, and from the sound of it, there was quite a battle going on.
Alex saw the knob on his door spin. It gave him just enough time to bury his nose in the register before the door opened.
“You know where to find me,” Jenny snapped at the sheriff as she stormed past Alex without even a nod.
Armstrong walked over to Alex, shaking his head. “She always was a little high-strung, wasn’t she?”
Alex knew that better than Armstrong ever would. “I take it she objected to your line of questioning,” he said with a slight grin.
It defused the tension in Armstrong’s face. “You might say that. She’s got to realize I know she was dating Jefferson Lee as recently as a few months ago. Of course she’s going to be a suspect on my list.”
Alex had known about Jenny and Jefferson; the two had struck him as an odd pairing, but love was sometimes indiscriminate in the couples it brought together.
Armstrong said, “Alex, I wouldn’t say no to a soda. You have any in your fridge?”
Alex nodded. “Help yourself. In fact, I think I’ll join you.” He retrieved two drinks, thought about offering Evans one, but realized the man would never consume anything but his special blend of tea.
Besides, Alex wanted some time alone to pump the sheriff.
As they drank their sodas in his office, Alex asked, “So how do things look?”
“There are just too many people who had a reason to hate that man! I never cared for Lee myself, but I look like one of his biggest fans compared to what I’ve heard these last few days. I don’t care if