Room for Murder - Tim Myers [41]
“You didn’t do anything stupid, did you?” Mor asked.
“No, not what you’re thinking, but I surely made plenty of mistakes.”
Mor finished his sandwich with one bite, took a swig of chocolate milk, then said, “Did anything happen that can’t be fixed?”
“That’s kind of what I wanted to know about you and Emma,” Alex said, holding his ground.
Mor seemed to think about it, then shrugged. “I’ll get over it. I’ve gotta tell you, it stings to have her think I could do something like that.”
Alex knew he had to tread lightly now. He said, “It’s hard to believe he died waiting for you in your truck. Listen, I understand if you didn’t want to tell Armstrong, but are you sure you didn’t speak to him before you found him?”
Mor stood, and Alex realized yet again just how physically powerful his friend was. Intimidation alone would stop most men from pushing, but the two of them had been friends too long for Alex to let that happen.
Mor said, “I told him the truth, Alex. I didn’t say ‘Boo’ to the man, and I surely didn’t lay a hand on Toby Sturbridge, not that I wouldn’t have been tempted if I’d known he was here.”
Alex nodded. “That’s good enough for me.”
“I’m so glad you believe me,” Mor said sarcastically as he wadded up the wrapper from his sandwich and shot it at the trash can. It ricocheted off an old-fashioned jukebox waiting for parts and trickled lamely into the can.
“Bank shot,” Mor called out after the fact.
Looking for some way to end their conversation on a better note, Alex asked, “Hey, are you going to the debate tonight?”
Mor said, “Are you kidding? It’s going to be better than anything on television, that’s for sure. I’m getting there early so I can get a good seat.”
“I’ll see you there, then. Save me a spot. And Mor, think about what I didn’t say.”
Mor nodded. “I’ll try my best not to.”
As Alex left, he realized he’d done all he could. Now it was up to Mor to swallow the remnants of his hurt pride and move on with his life.
That was one thing Alex couldn’t do for him.
While he was in town, Alex decided he might as well go by Armstrong’s office and see if he’d gotten back from his interview with Oxford’s lady friend. Maybe he’d found something to divert his suspicion away from Tracy. With the election just around the corner, any kind of cloud over her candidacy could spell disaster for her and put Conner Shook in the mayor’s office.
The sheriff was at his desk, frowning at a stack of papers in front of him. Alex could sympathize. As an innkeeper, sometimes he felt he was drowning in paperwork, and he didn’t have to deal with nearly as much bureaucracy as the sheriff must have faced every day.
Alex sat in the chair across from the sheriff and said. “Have got a second?’ I’d like to talk to you.”
Armstrong leaned back in his chair and said. “Yeah. I’ve been meaning to come back out to the inn, but things have been a little crazy around here lately.”
“What’s on your mind?” Alex asked
The sheriff riffled through the papers, then pulled out an official-looking document with the North Carolina state seal on it. He tossed it at Alex, then said “It’s the report from the medical examiner in Raleigh. Sturbridge died from a blow to the chest.”
Alex caught himself before he admitted he already had that particular bit of information. He studied the report, then said, “It looks like it didn’t take much, did it?”
Armstrong said, “No, but any way you cut it, it’s still murder.”
“So what are you going to do now?”
The sheriff said, “I’m not going to bother sitting down with Emma Sturbridge and Mor Pendleton and talking. Sandra won’t let them say a word. I’ve got to dig into it a little deeper before I approach anybody else.”
Alex said lightly, “I heard a rumor that you were going to talk with Oxford Hitchcock’s girlfriend today. Any luck with her?”
Armstrong snapped, “I swear this town needs something to do besides keeping tabs on me. Yeah, I talked to her, but she’s in the clear.”
Alex said, “That must have been some alibi.”
The sheriff nodded. “She was in Hickory