Room for Murder - Tim Myers [17]
Alex said, “We need to think about this before we do anything rash. What can the sheriff do, based on what we just heard?” A sudden thought crossed his mind. “Tracy, you could get in serious trouble if Armstrong finds out you checked your ex-husband’s messages. It’s invading his privacy. Even if you get away with it, the voters aren’t going to be happy about it.”
“I don’t care about any of that. Oxford is in trouble.”
Alex thought about it a full minute, then said, “Tracy, let me try to get the sheriff into this without involving you. And do me a favor, stay away from Conner’s answering machine from now on. I can’t see any way it’s a good thing for you to be doing it.”
She ignored his chiding and shook the receiver at him. “Call the sheriff, Alex.”
He agreed, and dialed the sheriff’s office. “He’s at Buck’s,” Alex was told, so he called the Grill.
Armstrong came to the phone and said, “What’s up, Alex? I was just getting a bowl of oatmeal, but it can wait. Find another body out there?”
“Bite your tongue,” Alex said. “I was wondering if you might have seen Oxford Hitchcock around. He was supposed to come out by the inn this morning, but he never showed up,” Alex lied.
“Hang on a second, Alex,” Armstrong said. He must have put his hand over the phone to muffle his voice, but Alex could still hear as the sheriff asked the crowd at Buck’s if anyone had seen the missing mayoral candidate.
Armstrong came back on the line a few seconds later and said, “Nope, he missed a meeting last night and one this morning, too. I wonder what he’s up to.”
Alex had to handle the next part delicately. “I wonder who else might know where he’s at. Listen, if you see Oxford, give me a call, would you?”
The sheriff said, “Sure thing, Alex. Hey, hang on a second. Here comes Conner Shook. If anybody knows where Oxford is, he’ll be the one.”
Alex heard Armstrong ask, “Conner, you seen your candidate lately? He’s missing appointments all over town.”
Conner swore in the background, and Alex heard Buck say loudly, “I don’t care if I am supporting your guy, there’s no swearing allowed in here.”
He heard Conner quickly apologize, then the campaign manager said, “I went to Charlotte on one overnight business trip and the man falls apart on me. Let me check my messages. The battery on my cell phone was nearly dead last night, so I had to recharge it on the road this morning.”
There was a pause, and Alex knew what was coming next.
He heard Conner say, “Sheriff, you’d better listen to this.”
Armstrong said, “Alex, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later.”
When he hung up the telephone, Alex told Tracy, “Conner just showed up at the diner, and he checked his messages while I was on the line. Armstrong’s right there, so they’ll know what we know in a minute.”
Tracy said, “Alex, I’ve got a bad feeling about this. It’s just not like Oxford to vanish like this.”
“Don’t borrow trouble,” Alex said. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
“I hope so,” Tracy said as she started for the door. “Call me if you hear anything.”
He said, “Only if you’ll promise to do the same.”
After Tracy was gone, Alex got out his cart and started cleaning the rooms. With all the interruptions, he was going to have to hustle if he was going to make his lunch date with Lenora, and as much as Alex was worried about what might have happened to Oxford Hitchcock, he could worry just as easily while he cleaned the rooms on his list.
“This is quite nice,” Lenora said as they finished their lunch at Buck’s. She’d carefully avoided all talk of the favor she wanted to ask him, and Alex was glad to leave it alone for the moment. There were more than a few raised eyebrows when folks around town saw him eating with a mysterious stranger, but no one said a word to him. Alex knew as soon as he and Lenora left, the rumors would start flying. It was part of living in a small town, putting up with the gossip of the lightning-quick kudzu vine.
Sally Anne brought the check to their table,