Room for Murder - Tim Myers [47]
Blast it all! “I can’t believe he’d stoop to this kind of journalism,” Alex said.
Elise said, “The caption’s almost as bad as the photographs are.”
Alex looked at the bold headlines and felt his face grow hot.
It said, fainting candidate needs different kind of support in screaming black letters.
Oh, no. Alex couldn’t believe the part the newspaper was playing in destroying the last shred of hope for Tracy’s campaign.
“Listen, she was the victim here,” Alex said.
“Don’t you think I realize that, Alex? Everybody who matters knows that Tracy had every right to be frightened. Still, the picture of her passed out in Conner’s arms isn’t going to help matters. Elkton Falls is a pretty conservative place.”
“What about Conner? It could hurt him too, couldn’t it?”
Elise shook her head. “It’s pretty obvious the paper’s backing him. The story implies that he was just caring for his ex-wife in her time of need. It makes Tracy look like some kind of weakling, though not in words that are obvious. No, they’ve done a masterful job.”
Alex said, “I won’t stand for it. There’s got to be something I can do.”
The phone rang, and Alex grabbed it.
Mir was on the other end. “Hey. Alex. That press coverage was pretty bad, wasn’t it?”
“You saw the paper,” Alex said.
“Man, everybody in Elkton Falls saw it. I was over at Buck’s for breakfast. You wouldn’t believe the buzzing. It sounded like somebody let a hive loose in there.”
“Are the reactions all bad?” Alex asked already afraid he knew the answer.
“Not from what I heard. Sounds to me like folks are pretty evenly split. I don’t think the newspaper fooled them, or swayed anybody at all. The kudzu vine had already spread the truth about the real story about the mannequin, and folks are pretty riled up about the newspaper painting Tracy so badly. It actually might have helped her, to be honest with you. Nobody likes a bully.”
Alex said, “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day. Keep your ears open, would you?”
“I can’t help myself,” he said before hanging up.
Elise asked, “Who was that?”
“Mor was reporting in from the diner. Seems the smear might have backfired. Tracy’s still in the running.”
Elise nodded. “I’m glad to hear it. Now I’d better get started on Dual. And Alex,” she added, her voice trailing off.
“Yes?” he asked.
“I know you want to rake the newspaper editors and the photographer who took those pictures over the coals, but don’t. We don’t need any more bad publicity for the inn, do we?” Her words were softened with a smile.
“I promise, I’ll do my best to be good.”
“That’s the spirit,” she said.
Another crisis averted, he thought to himself as he started cleaning up after the breakfast bar.
But Alex knew the day was still young, and there was a lot more time for mischief before the sun set.
Alex was checking over the guest register, wondering how they were going to keep the inn full now that they were back to full capacity. Advertising was a necessary evil, since his word-of-mouth trade wasn’t enough to keep them fully booked, but it was a part of the job Alex really didn’t care for. It was frustrating knowing that part of his budget for ads was wasted. If he was being honest with himself, what really bothered him was that he couldn’t know for sure which ads worked and which didn’t, even using the suite number ploy on the return address. Truth be told, most folks forgot to include his carefully disguised tracking information when they made their reservations.
Lenora approached with a sketchbook under one arm and asked, “Why the frown, Alex?”
“Nothing, it’s just the innkeeper’s scourge; paperwork,” he said, trying to ease the tension in his face.
She nodded. “What you need is some fresh air. How about a thirty-minute break so I can make a few quick sketches?”
“You’re relentless, you know that, don’t you?”
Lenora smiled softly. “When it’s important to me, I certainly can be.”
Alex shrugged. “Okay, but I can only