Reservations for Murder - Tim Myers [57]
Shantara said, “Why, Alex, it’s such a generous gift. You shouldn’t have.”
Alex laughed as he looked at the extravagant price printed heavily on the tag. “I didn’t. Maybe I’d better go ahead and hang it back up.”
She pulled away from him. “No, I think I’ll take your advice and buy this for myself.” She winked as she added, “Maybe I can talk Jenny into extending her discount to me just this once. I make a profit on everything I sell for the crafters, but it’s certainly not half.”
Alex said, “I’m here for a reason besides your sunny presence. I want to ask you something.”
“Fire away.”
As Shantara moved to dust some of Marilynn and Craig’s pottery on the shelf, Alex said, “I keep coming back to the reason Jefferson Lee was killed, and I can’t understand something. You’ve been around these crafters longer than I have. Do you think Craig Monroe would kill Jefferson if he found out the man was having an affair with his wife?”
Shantara frowned, but she showed no shock from the news.
“So you know about that, too,” Alex added gently.
“I’m afraid everyone in our little circle did. Craig confronted Jefferson right after he found out. I was there, along with the other crafters. It got ugly, but their confrontation never came to blows. Alex, to be honest with you, Craig Monroe would do a great many things to make Jefferson Lee’s life miserable, but I can’t imagine him killing him.”
“Could you be wrong?” Alex asked.
“I could be, but I don’t think so. I’m not saying he couldn’t kill Jefferson, but he wouldn’t use an iron skewer; he’d be more likely to attack the man with his fists, if you want my opinion. Did I say something wrong?” Shantara asked when she saw the frown on Alex’s face.
“No, I had a thought, but now it’s gone. Okay, if Jefferson wasn’t killed for competition or love or money, why was he killed?”
“Just because you’ve ruled out a motive for one suspect doesn’t mean you can’t apply it to a different person. There was a lot Jefferson Lee was keeping close to the vest. I can’t prove it, but there’s no doubt in my mind that he had more than one girlfriend when he was murdered.”
Suddenly it struck home, that elusive clue he’d been grasping for. That was the key Alex had been trying to get his hands on!
He enveloped Shantara in his arms and lifted her off the ground in a hug.
“What was that for?” she asked when he put her back down.
“You just gave me the last piece of the puzzle I needed. I know who murdered Jefferson Lee.”
“Don’t keep it to yourself. Who did it?”
Alex backed down from the strength of his earlier statement. “Knowing it is one thing. Proving it will be something else entirely.”
“So tell me your suspicions. I don’t mind a little idle gossip.”
Alex shook his head. “Shantara, what if I’m wrong? I’m not going to smear a good name any more than I have to. I’ve got to dig a little deeper before I’m ready to share my theories with anyone else.”
As he was leaving, Shantara called out, “Just don’t dig too deeply, Alex. You don’t want to end up digging your own grave.”
As Alex left the shop, a thousand thoughts boiled over in his mind. Did he have enough evidence to go to the sheriff? Did he have any choice? What if his delay caused another murder?
No, he couldn’t live with that.
Ready or not, Alex had to find the sheriff and tell him who the real murderer was, before they could strike again.
Alex searched all over Elkton Falls for Sheriff Armstrong. The dispatch office wasn’t any help at all. The sheriff was off on two hours of personal time, and he couldn’t be disturbed, even if Alex could get the dispatcher to admit knowing where Armstrong was.
Alex decided to ask for Dave Jeffries instead. After all, he knew Dave well enough to tell him his suspicions. Unfortunately, the deputy was out of the office and couldn’t be reached, either. Alex wondered who was protecting the citizens of Elkton Falls if the sheriff and his best deputy were out of touch. He finally left a message requesting that the sheriff or the deputy come