Room for Murder (Book 4 in the Lighthouse Inn Mysteries) (20 page)

Elise touched Tracy’s arm. “Good luck. I’m
voting for you.” She smiled at that. “Thanks, Elise. Now I know
I’ve got at least two in my favor.”

Alex protested, “Hey, I’m voting for you,
too.”

She said, “Watch out, folks, it could be a
landslide.”

Finally the line moved into the gymnasium
itself. Mrs. Hurley was at the Voter’s Registration table, the big
leather- bound book open in front of her. Irma Bean, standing right
beside her, said, “State your name and address,” to Alex.

“
Alex Winston, the Hatteras
West Inn. That’s on Point Road, if you’re not sure.”

Irma wrinkled her nose. “Alex, no
foolishness from you, we have to do this by the book.”

Mrs. Hurley said, “Irma, I know more of
these folks than you do. I had Alex in my grade school class in
this very building.”

“
Now, Dot, you know what
the book says.”

Mrs. Hurley smiled gently. “And if I should
forget, you’re right here to remind me, aren’t you?”

Irma flushed slightly as she handed Alex a
ballot.

“
Next,” she said as she
winked at Elise.

“
Elise Danton, also of
Hatteras West,” she said.

Mrs. Hurley scanned the book, then said,
“Sorry, I don’t have you listed here.”

Elise was crestfallen. “I’m not on the
rolls? But I registered three months ago.”

Mrs. Hurley said, “Don’t worry, dear, if
you’re in here, I’ll find you.” She riffled through the pages, then
said, “Here you are. Grianna Monk put you down with the E’s instead
of the D’s. What was that woman thinking?”

“
Most likely she was
mooning over Silas Lake. Seems to me three months ago the two of
them were hot and heavy. Old Grianna could barely spell her own
name back then, let alone somebody else’s.”

“
May I still vote?” Elise
asked.

Irma said, “Absolutely. Here’s your ballot.
Pick up a pen at the table over there, and don’t forget to put it
back when you’re done.”

Mrs. Hurley added, “She can’t be done, she’s
not a roast, Irma. But she can be finished with her ballot.”

Irma rolled her eyes. “That’s what I get for
volunteering with a retired schoolteacher.”

Alex walked to one of the curtained booths
and checked off Tracy’s name on the ballot. He found Elise waiting
for him. “One thing about the Elkton Falls election ballot, you
don’t have to waste a lot of time pondering.”

Irma said sharply, “Hold it down, please.
Folks are trying to vote.”

Alex waved a hand in her direction, then put
his ballot in the welded steel box that sat by itself on a long
maple table. Amy had cobbled the ballot box up in her shop a few
years ago after the last ancient wooden receptacle had finally
fallen apart.

This monstrosity would outlast them all, and
it took three boys from the high school football team to carry it
over to the town hall for the tabulating.

After they were back outside. Elise asked,
“Is that all there is to it?”

“
Anticlimactic, isn’t it?
Tell you what. Why don’t we go over to Buck’s and grab that lunch I
promised you.”

“
I thought you’d never
ask.” she said.

Buck’s was crowded with voters escaping the
rain, and Alex wondered briefly if any work was getting done in
town at all that day except by Buck and Sally Anne.

Sandra was at a booth and waved them over.
“I’m just leaving, if you’all would like a place to sit.”

“
Thanks.” Alex said as he
slid in after her. “Have you heard anything else about Toby
Sturbridge or Oxford Hitchcock?”

Sandra counted out a few bills, then said.
“No, it’s been quiet on both fronts. Our good sheriff appears to be
baffled at this point.” She put her money on the table, then said.
“I’ve got to run. I’m late for an appointment with a new- client.
Alex, your uncle Jase would have shot me for working on Election
Day, but since he passed away, I don’t seem to get any time off at
all. It was good seeing you two.”

Sally Anne hurried over and bussed their
table. “Sorry about that. Things have been crazy all day.” She
added softly to Alex, ‘We need to talk later.”

Alex nodded. “Call me at the inn. I’ll be
back there in an hour or two. Unless it’s urgent,” he added.

“
No, it can wait that long.
Now what can I get you two?”

After they’d ordered, it wasn’t three
minutes before Sheriff Armstrong came in. He waved to a few of the
folks present, then ambled over to Alex and Elise. “What brings you
two into town with an inn full of people?”

“
We’re not that full at the
moment. Besides, we came in to vote,” Elise said. “Have you cast
your ballot yet?”

Armstrong said, “First thing this morning.
It was a real privilege to see a ballot without my name on it.”
Since the sheriff’s elections had been switched to every other year
opposite the mayoral elections, the sheriff was enjoying the second
year of his unique three year term.

Alex had wanted some time alone with Elise,
but having the sheriff at their table was too good an opportunity
to pass up. “Care to join us?” he asked. “We just got here.”

“
No sir, I’ve already
eaten, but thanks for asking.”

Alex said, “Then we can cut to the chase.
Have there been any developments you can talk about?”

Armstrong said loudly, “We’ve got a list of
suspects we’re looking closely at right now. I expect an arrest to
be made any day now.”

Alex said, “Okay, you’ve made your public
service announcement to the crowd. Now, what’s the truth?”

Armstrong said in a near-whisper, “I’m no
closer to finding the killers than I was the day each man died.
Truth be told, I’m beginning to wonder if I shouldn’t bring state
troopers in on both these cases. Blast it all, I’m still the
sheriff, I want to do it myself. I’ll get them, don’t you worry
about that.”

As Armstrong moved to another table, Alex
said, “I’m sorry I invited him without asking you first, but I had
to know about his progress.”

Elise said, “I don’t mind. I was surprised,
though, to hear you invite someone else out on our date.”

Alex laughed. “Oh, no, I’m not making that
mistake again, labeling something a date. It puts entirely too much
pressure on both of us.”

She said, “I suppose so,” then studied her
menu.

After they ordered, Elise said, “I’ve been
wondering about something, Alex. Do you think there’s a chance the
same person killed Toby Sturbridge and Oxford Hitchcock? It’s hard
to imagine two murderers roaming around Elkton Falls at the same
time.”

Alex said, “I kind of doubt they’re related.
To be honest with you, I wonder if the person who killed Toby even
realized it at the time. That had to be an accident. Who would ever
suspect a blow to the chest could kill a man? Oxford, on the other
hand, took a board to the head. There was nothing accidental about
that.”

“
It just seems like a
coincidence that both men died so close together.”

Alex nodded. “It was a run of bad luck for
Elkton Falls, no doubt about that, but murders happen in small
towns, too. Sometimes I think they’re more noticeable than the
homicide statistics in the big cities.”

Sally Anne brought them their plates, and
Alex noticed there was a folded note under his. Sneaking it out, he
glanced down at his lap and read it.

don’t call me. i’ll come oUt to the inn
later.

Alex looked up to find Elise studying him.
“Is it in code, or can you read it without your decoder ring?”

Alex handed her the note under the table.
After she read it, Elise said, “I think Sally Anne’s enjoying her
little spying venture with you.”

“
I think you’re right.” He
took a bite of his club sandwich and added, “She’s in the perfect
place to hear things, though. I wonder what she’s got to
say.”

Elise said, “I couldn’t even begin to
guess.”

After they finished, Alex said, “Okay, one
more stop at Shantara’s to restock our glass cleaner and we can
head back to the inn.”

“
If somebody hasn’t walked
off with it by now,” Elise said with a smile.

“
Hey, the only time I had
that problem was when we had the Golden Days Fair out there, and
I’m never going through that again.”

“
Are you forgetting Sarah
March? I still can’t believe what she did.”

A few months before, one of their guests, a
woman named Sarah March, had taken every lightbulb from her loom
upon checking out. It had taken Alex a second to realize they were
really gone when he switched on her lights and nothing had
happened.

He said, “Okay, maybe we’d better head on
back.”

Elise said, “Oh, Alex, I’m just teasing. We
have time to pick up the cleaner.”

Chapter 18

“
Have you heard the news?”
Sally Anne asked Alex that evening is she brought by her
delivery.

“
No, I’ve been waiting for
you. I must confess, your note has me curious,” Alex said. Ever
since Sally Anne had passed him her message at the diner, Alex had
been wondering what she had to share.

“
Not that. This is huge and
hot info. They can’t come up with a winner.”

“
How’s that possible?” Alex
asked. “There weren’t any hanging chads or other ballot problems
like Florida had a while back.”

Sally Anne said, “Don’t kid yourself. We got
a call from me Board or Electron; for soup and sandwiches, and I
talked Dad into letting me deliver it to the courthouse. From what
I heard over there, they kept corning up with different totals.
Tracy won by three votes one time, and Conner won by two the next.
They’ll probably be there all night.”

“
I knew it was going to be
close, but I can’t believe they’re having so much trouble with a
handful of ballots.”

Sally Anne said, “You should have heard them
arguing over some of the votes. One woman checked off both
candidates, then wrote her own name in the write-in spot. They
threw that one out, but there some with smudges that a couple of
folks wanted to disqualify, and I don’t know what else was
happening. They threw me out before I had the chance to hear
anything else.”

“
Tracy must be going
crazy,” Alex said as he stored the muffins and pastries next to the
breakfast bar. “So, what was your other news?”

Sally Anne said, “I overheard at the diner
that Conner and Mayor Hatch were out this way together a couple of
days ago, and they weren’t too happy with each other.”

Alex didn’t have the heart to tell her that
he’d already heard that himself from Lenora. “He was probably
pushing for an endorsement.”

“
Well, from what I saw, he
didn’t get it.” Sally Anne added, “I’d better run. I want to be
back at the grill in case the board needs anything else. This is
the most excitement we’ve had around here in a while.”

Alex almost added, “If you don’t count
murder,” but he kept that to himself. There was nothing to be
gained by bringing the waitress back to the reality of
homicide.

The next morning, Lenora checked out before Alex
even had the chance to put the buffet out.

“‘
I’m going to be sorry to
see you go,” Alex said as be filled out her credit card
slip.

“
I can never stay in one
place too long. I become attached, and it becomes harder and harder
to leave. Alex. I want to thank you for your cooperation in
modeling for me.”

“
I was glad to do it.” He
lowered his voice so Elise wouldn’t hear his next words. “I’m going
to miss our conversations. I truly enjoyed talking to
you.”

She leaned forward and kissed him on the
cheek. “The pleasure was mine as well.”

Alex looked up in time to see Elise look
away. There was nothing he could do about that now.

“
Let me help you with your
bags,” Alex said as he handed her the receipt from her
bill.

“
That would be greatly
appreciated,” she said.

As Alex followed her out the front door, he
called to Elise, “I’ll be right back.”

“
Take your time. I’ve got
this covered.” There was a definite touch of frost in her
voice.

Outside, Lenora said, “I’m sorry if I’ve
caused any difficulties between you and Elise.”

Alex laughed softly. “Any difficulties were
there long before you got here.” He handed her one of her sketch
pads and said, “Hey, I never got to see these.”

She took them from him and said, “Good
things come to he who waits.”

After her luggage and pads were stowed
safely away, Lenora said, “Remember what I said, Alex. Have
patience in all things.”

He said, “That’s not one of my strong
points.”

She touched his cheek lightly with her hand,
then said, “It is a trait worth cultivating.”

After she was gone, Alex headed back inside.
Elise met him at the door and said, “We’re running low on guests
again, aren’t we?”

Alex nodded. “I had three cancellations
because of the pending hurricane. Nobody wants to travel right now,
even if we’re nowhere near its path. I heard on the news last night
that it could come inland as soon as tonight.”

Elise said, “I’m just glad we’re far enough
in not to worry about it, though a rainstorm could ruin the wedding
tomorrow night.”

Alex said, “Are you kidding? I don’t think
Mother Nature herself wants to mess with Emma Sturbridge on her
wedding day.”

“
Are you and Mor still
intent on having a bachelor party tonight?”

Alex said, “It’s almost a crime to call it
that, but yes, Mor and Les and I are having it out here tonight.
Les just got back into town, sporting a suntan and a peeling red
nose. How about Emma? What’s she going to do while we’re chewing
over old times?”