Room for Murder - Tim Myers [39]
As soon as he heard Sally Anne’s voice, Alex asked her o hold on and said, “Elise, can you spare me for a minute?”
“I can handle this, Alex,” she said. Once he was away from Elise and their guests, he asked Sally Anne, “So what’s up? I figured you’d be jammed with your breakfast crowd.” He could hear the noises of the full diner in the background.
“I just had to call and give you an update,” she said. Conner Shook just left. He’s got some kind of bomb he’s topping on Tracy tonight at the debate. I don’t know what it is, but he was pretty smug about it when he was talking to Dad.”
“Did you call Tracy and tell her? I don’t know if she’s still home, but if she’s not there, you could try her at Shantara’s.”
“Both lines were busy,” Sally Anne said.
“They’re probably talking to each other. Why don’t you try them and I’ll see if I can get through later myself. Anything else?” Alex asked.
“Let’s see, I heard that Luanne Trist is pregnant, Don Rainer made a big donation to your Bridge Committee, oh, and Emma and Mor are on the skids, but you probably already knew that. The biggest thing is that Oxford Hitchcock had a fight with his lady friend in Lenoir right before he died. The sheriff’s going over there this afternoon to talk to her.”
For a small town, a lot seemed to be happening around Elkton Falls. “Thanks for keeping me up to speed, Sally Anne.”
She paused, then said, “There’s something I’m forgetting. Oh yeah, Irma Bean’s all up in arms about a new restaurant coming to town. She was trying to get Dad upset, but he’s not all that worried. He says they won’t be competition for us, but Irma’s frantic.” In the background, Alex heard Buck yell, “Sally Anne.”
“I’ve got to go. I’ll call later, Alex,” she said as she hung up.
Alex thought about what Sally Anne had said as he helped Elise clean up after their guests were through with their meals.
“No bad news, I hope,” Elise said.
Alex emptied the trash. “I’m not sure what to make of it. It turns out Oxford had a fight with his female companion not long before he was murdered. The sheriff’s going to talk with her this afternoon.”
“And you’d love to go with him, wouldn’t you? It’s okay with me if you can talk him into it.”
Alex said, “I appreciate the offer, but I know Armstrong. He’s not going to want me horning in on any of his investigations any more than I already am. No, I’ll stay here and clean the inn with you.”
They split up, as was becoming their custom, and tackled most of the rooms before lunch. Alex was speaking with a travel agent from England about a tour stopping at the inn when Jan and Corki approached the desk, their bags in their hands. The phone call quickly wrapped up, and Alex said, “I forgot you ladies were leaving us today.”
Corki said, “We’re off to another inn.”
Jan added with a twinkle in her eye, “And another souvenir. I’m not entirely certain the Grove Park really qualifies as an inn, despite its name. What am I saying? Who cares? I’m getting a massage tonight.”
Alex knew the Grove Park Inn in Asheville was a truly elegant place, and he shuddered when he thought about the comparisons the ladies would be making that night. “I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.”
“Your lighthouse will be tough to beat,” Corki said. “It was especially nice of you to turn the light on just for us.”
Alex grinned. “I just wish I could do it every night. I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
After the ladies were on their way, Alex figured it would be the perfect time to clean their room, even though there were no new guests scheduled until the next day. He found Elise finishing up Mrs. Nesbitt’s room.
“Why don’t we knock this one out together,” he said as he opened the door to Jan and Corki’s room. Elise nodded and started on the bathroom while Alex dust-mopped the honeyed hardwood floor under the bed.
There was something under his mop; he could hear it skitter across the floor as he drew it to him.
There, along with a wrapper for a candy bar and a torn postcard of the inn, Alex found one