Reservations for Murder (11 page)

Jenny said softly, “You know, the whole time
we were together, I always felt your heart belonged more to this
inn than it did to me.”

Instead of trying to explain again how much a
part of him Hatteras West was, Alex just smiled and said, “What can
I say? She’ll always be my first love.”

Earnestly, Jenny asked, “Alex, do you
honestly believe any woman will accept second place in your
heart?”

Alex laughed heartily. “Jenny, if I’ve
learned one thing over the years, it’s that anybody I get involved
with will have to love Hatteras West almost as much as I do.”

Jenny shook her head and smiled softly. “Good
luck finding her, Alex, and I mean that sincerely.”

Alex caught himself whistling as he walked
down the hall to the laundry room. It looked like Jenny had finally
accepted the fact that there was nothing but friendship between
them, and memories left from their past.

“Why the broad smile?” Emma asked as he
walked into the small laundry room. There was a mountain of white
cotton sheets in the basket in front of her, and she’d been
systematically converting the jumbled mess into a pristinely
organized stack.

As Alex grabbed a sheet and started folding,
he said, “I’m just happy to be alive today.”

“My, you’re in a particularly good mood,
especially with Elise gone.”

“Emma, I can’t do anything about that. But
this is my home, and there’s no place in the world I’d rather be.”
He chuckled slightly as he put the folded sheet onto the pile and
grabbed another one from the basket.

“Alex Winston, sometimes you don’t make any
sense at all.”

He patted her cheek and said, “Just
sometimes? Emma, I thought you knew me better than that.”

She couldn’t help joining him in his
laughter; his mood was that infectious. “You’re an odd bird, Alex
Winston, you know that, don’t you?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

They were just finishing up the last of the
laundry when Shantara came in. “There you are. I’ve been looking
all over the inn for you.”

Alex realized he’d forgotten to put the
proper sign on the front desk in case one of his guests needed him.
He had a whole batch of ready-made signs telling them where he was,
including one that said, I’m in the Laundry Room if You Need
Me.

Shantara’s eyes, usually so deep and intense,
had a very worried look about them.

“What is it?” Alex asked, his good mood
suddenly gone.

“It’s over, Alex, I can’t fake this anymore.
I’m canceling what’s left of this disaster right now before
something else bad happens.”

Chapter 13

“You can’t cancel the fair,” Alex said.
“Shantara, people are counting on you.”

She looked ready to burst into tears. “What’s
the use, Alex? This entire weekend is going to be remembered
forever as the Murder Fair.”

Alex suddenly felt his blood turn to ice.
“Has something happened to Marilynn Baxter?”

Shantara shook her head. “I haven’t heard
anything about Marilynn. She’s probably safe at home by now. I’m
talking about Jefferson’s murder. Surely that’s enough, isn’t
it?”

Emma said calmly, “Shantara, if you shut the
fair down now, whoever killed Jefferson Lee will most likely get
away with it. What are the odds the sheriff is going to be able to
track down the killer if the majority of his suspects fly the coop?
You can’t let that happen, not while it’s in your hands.”

“Mrs. Sturbridge, how can I ask people to pay
to see a young blacksmith who may or may not show up, a pottery
team who’s doubtful, and another blacksmith gone because he was
murdered on the spot? The only exhibitors I know I can count on are
Jenny and Rachel. It’s not much of a show with just the two of
them.”

Emma said, “Shantara, I’ve told you before,
call me Emma, please. You’d better believe all of Elkton Falls will
come out here today! If nothing else, they want to see what’s going
to happen next!” She cut off Shantara’s protests with a raised
hand. “I’m not saying you should cater to their base desires, but I
certainly think you have every right to continue your fair. I, for
one, have been looking forward to seeing Jenny Harris do her
weaving demonstration this afternoon. Not only that, but I missed
Rachel Seabock making a Shaker chair yesterday, and I want to be
certain I see it today.” She turned to Alex and winked so Shantara
couldn’t see. “In fact, Alex and I were just discussing that very
thing, weren’t we?”

“Absolutely,” Alex said. “You can’t
disappoint the people who really care about the old-time crafts.
That was one of the reasons you did this, remember?”

“Well,” Shantara wavered, but Emma steamed
on.

“Tell you what. Why don’t I walk around the
grounds with you, and we’ll make certain everything’s ready for the
paying guests. You don’t mind if I skip out for a few minutes, do
you, Alex?”

“Go right ahead. I’ve got everything here
under control.”

Alex nodded his approval as the two women
left. He had liked Emma Sturbridge from the moment he’d met her as
a guest at the inn. There was such an air of confidence about her,
a sheer and utter serenity that made him feel that nothing could go
wrong whenever she was around.

It was a feeling in great demand lately, and
in very short supply. He’d only met one other person on earth who
made him feel that everything would turn out all right, no matter
how glum things looked at the time.

And she was currently three hundred miles
away.

After Alex finished his early morning chores,
it was still too early to start on the rooms, so he decided to
catch up with Emma and Shantara and see how the preparations for
the last day of the fair were going. He had his own list of things
to do for the Lighthouse Lighting ceremony that night, but all that
could wait. By the time he got caught up with his day’s work once
the rooms became available for cleaning, the exhibits would be all
packed up and gone.

Jenny was already working at her booth,
moving the shuttle back and forth at a furious pace as her feet
tapped out different codes on the wooden pedals below her. She
could really fly. In front of her, a soft pattern of blues, greens
and grays emerged from the yarn. How did she ever manage to keep
all those tiny threads of yarn straight? She offered him a quick
nod accompanied by a brief smile, then went back to work.

Rachel Seabock was hard at work on a piece of
oak wedged securely in her handmade bench that included a clamping
vise on one end. She was working the wood with a long, two-handled
knife as Alex approached. “Wow, that edge looks sharp,” he said as
she peeled a curled shaving from the wood.

“It’s a drawknife, and it has to be; this oak
can be tough to work.”

“You’re really good at what you do, aren’t
you?”

Rachel said, “Are you surprised to find a
woman working with her hands?” as she jerked the knife through the
wood again.

“I’m surprised anybody can master these old
tools. My dad taught me woodworking with power tools. I can’t
imagine doing it all by hand.”

“It’s different, but to be honest with you,
that’s why I like it.” She slapped her bench and said, “My dad made
this shaving horse, but everything else I use is mine. That’s how I
met Bill in the first place. I needed a new froe, and he made me
one out of a car spring.” Rachel frowned a moment, then added,
“Alex, I’m really worried about him.”

Alex looked over at the blacksmith, who was
hammering a piece of steel into submission, a scowl plastered on
his sweating face. “What’s wrong with him?”

“When he didn’t show up here last night, I
went back to his house and waited for him there. He didn’t come
home at all, and he won’t talk to me this morning. Why can’t he see
I’m just trying to help?”

Alex had to measure his words carefully.
“Rachel, he’s a grown man. Maybe he needs to work things out for
himself.”

“Well, maybe he doesn’t know what a good
thing he has until he loses it,” she said abruptly. “If he doesn’t
straighten up soon, he’s going to find out, because I’m not going
to be there for him if he keeps this up.”

“Would it help if I talked to him?” The last
thing in the world Alex wanted to do was to come between the
lovers, but he couldn’t stop himself from making the offer.

Rachel considered it a moment, then said,
“No, you’d better not say anything to him. No offense, but you’d
probably only make things worse.”

“If there’s anything I can do, let me
know.”

Alex watched her work the oak blank, drawing
the metal across the wood with a sure and steady hand. It amazed
him how much raw physical strength a traditional woodworker needed.
It was a lot different than flicking on a power tool’s switch, and
he found a new admiration for someone with the ability to do things
the old way.

Alex drifted away as the crowds started to
come in and gather around the crafters. Shantara’s gatekeeper must
have collected the money early in an attempt to stem a rushing
tide.

If that was the case, she’d failed miserably.
Alex couldn’t believe all of the townspeople he saw. Shantara
joined him as he watched many of the fair visitors head inexorably
for the murder scene, bypassing the few craftspeople actually
working.

Shantara came up beside him and said, “You
know, the smartest thing I did was to make every day require a
different event ticket. I read on the Internet that a lot of
organizers offer show passes good for both days, but I didn’t want
the hassle of another ticket to keep track of. I’m getting people
back I never expected to see out here again. At least there aren’t
any worries about the fair making money.”

Alex said, “Shantara, a lot of the people
might have come out to see the murder scene, but I’m willing to bet
they’ll stay for the craft demonstrations since they’re already
here. Your exhibitors are getting truck-loads of new exposure.”
Before Shantara could cut him off, Alex added, “I hate to see a
murder committed here more than you could imagine, but we didn’t
have anything to do with it. It’s no more my fault for rebuilding
the Main Keeper’s Quarters than it is yours for organizing this
fair.”

“I suppose you’re right, but I’ve got a
confession to make, Alex.”

He leaned forward so he wouldn’t miss a word.
Shantara wrestled with telling him something, then changed her mind
at the last second. Instead of whatever it was she’d been wanting
to say, Shantara added limply, “I’ll be glad when this is
over.”

“Shantara, is there anything you’d like to
talk about? We could go into my office. You know I’m here for you,
don’t you?”

She looked tempted for a moment, then said,
“I’m sorry, Alex, there’s just no time.” Almost whispering, she
added, “It’s too late, anyway.”

Alex was about to press her further when Bill
Yadkin yelled, “Shantara! I need you over here. Now!”

She squeezed Alex’s shoulder as she said,
“Sorry, I’ve got to go.”

“We’ll talk later,” Alex said hopefully.

“Absolutely,” she answered with no conviction
at all as she walked away.

Shantara’s aborted confession left him
troubled. He’d seen enough of the fair to last him a lifetime. Now
that the exhibitors were into their day, Alex could work on the
rooms, and in the process, perhaps discover something about what
was really going on at Hatteras West.

Evans Graile was at his usual spot when Alex
walked in. “Morning, Evans. How are you today?”

“I’m ambivalent, my friend. I hate to see the
fair end, it’s been such a prime source of entertainment for me,
but I do relish the last few moments of solitude at Hatteras West
before I leave. I’ll be checking out tomorrow.”

Alex was startled by the news. “I didn’t
think your house would be done for another month.” Honestly, with
the new construction bills triple what he’d expected, Alex had been
glad for Evans’s steady contribution to his financial
well-being.

“The house won’t be ready, but I’m growing
restless here. I thought a European trip might be in order.”

It was nearly impossible for Alex to believe
that this near shut-in was going on a tour of Europe! “What made
you decide to do something so drastic on the spur of the
moment?”

Evans stared at his hands as he admitted, “If
you must know, it was Jefferson Lee’s death.”

As Alex started to apologize, Evans said,
“No, dear boy, I don’t blame you for what happened, not in the
least. I didn’t sleep at all last night. It finally sank in that
someone was actually dead! That young man’s murder just showed me
that none of us know the number of our days left, and I’m not going
to fritter away another minute sitting around watching the world
pass me by! No, sir, I’ve spent enough time on the sidelines to
last me the rest of my life.”

It was a statement filled with irony,
considering the fact that Evans’s eyes never left the crowds
milling about outside as he spoke.

“Are you going on this trip alone?” Alex
asked.

“No, I’m not quite up to that,” he admitted.
“I’ve invited my cousin Harry Roberts to go with me. We’ll make it
a bachelor tour and have a grand old time.” Alex knew Harry left
the house even less than Evans did. He wondered if the two of them
would even leave their hotel room once they arrived in Europe, but
he admired their spirit.

“Well, we’re going to miss you, Evans, but I
hope you two have a wonderful trip.”

“I know we shall, Alex. Tell you what, I’ll
send you a postcard from the Tower of London. I’ve always wanted to
go there, and I’m going to do it before I’m too old to enjoy the
experience.” He rubbed his hands together vigorously. “And high tea
in England! I can hardly wait!”

The world was just full of surprises.

Alex got Elise’s cart from the closet
upstairs and started toward the first room on his list. He wanted
to be certain he was out of Jenny’s room before she came back.