Reservations for Murder (16 page)

“It’s awfully quiet here,” he said. “I didn’t
see a single car in the parking lot.”

Alex lied, “I’ve got a guest upstairs, a
hiker who walked in from town. He’s a big brute,” Alex added as he
moved closer to the poker.

“I won’t take long,” Craig said as he slumped
onto the couch opposite Alex. “This day has completely wiped me
out.”

“Any word on your wife?”

“No, she’s still unconscious. The doctors
won’t call it a coma for some reason, but that’s sure as hell what
it looks like to me. She just lies there, hour after hour. I
couldn’t take it anymore.”

Alex decided to end the suspense, one way or
the other. “So what is it that’s so urgent, Craig?”

“It’s about Marilynn,” Craig said. His words
coming out in a rush, he continued, “We’ve been having problems
lately. She was unfaithful. That’s why this happened.”

Was he confessing? “You must have been
shattered when you found out.”

Craig started pacing heavily around the room.
Alex tried to keep his eyes on the man all the time, but it was
like tracking a hummingbird.

Craig said, “You cannot imagine how furious I
was. I still am, if you want to know the truth. That’s not the
worst part, though. I’ve got to tell somebody this, it’s eating me
up inside.”

Alex started edging toward the poker. He only
hoped he’d be quick enough to use it to defend himself.

Craig was nearly behind him when he said,
“Alex, the worst part of this whole mess was the man she was
cheating on me with.” His voice suddenly turned icy cold. “My wife
was having an affair with Jefferson Lee.”

So that was Craig’s motive; he was a betrayed
husband! Alex was suddenly sure that Craig had him in his sights,
but why? Alex hadn’t seen or heard anything. Forget about subtlety,
it was time to protect himself.

Alex started to pick up the poker just as
Craig said, “Alex, I love Marilynn more than life itself. She felt
so guilty cheating on me that she tried to kill herself. The only
other possibility is that she couldn’t bear to live anymore when
her lover was murdered! Either way, it’s all my fault, every bit of
it. If I’d just showed her a little more attention ... Alex, that’s
why her last words are so important to me. I have to know, was she
thinking of Jefferson Lee when she did this to herself, or was she
worried about me?”

The man’s words choked off as he collapsed
against Alex’s chair, sobbing uncontrollably. Through the tears, he
cried out, “What am I going to do if anything happens to her? She’s
my life!”

Alex dropped the poker and patted Craig’s
shoulder. “She’s going to make it, you’ve got to have faith.”

“Alex, I swear to you, if she does, I’m a
changed man. I won’t ever ignore her again. It nearly ripped my
heart out when I found out she’d cheated on me, but this is
destroying me.”

There was nothing Alex could say.

After the tears ended, Craig looked spent.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened to me just now.”

“You’re under a lot of stress. Why don’t you
go up to your old room and try to take a nap? You need to
rest.”

The man obviously felt awkward having Alex
witness his breakdown. “No, I’ve got to get back to the hospital.
The main reason I came out here was to see if Marilynn said
anything at all when you found her.”

“I’m sorry, but she was out of it by the time
I got to her. What were you hoping for?”

He nearly whispered his answer. “I was
praying she might have said she loved me.” As the tears started
flowing again, Craig hurried for the door. “I’ve got to get
back.”

Alex hated himself for thinking it, but he
had to wonder if Craig’s outburst had been spontaneous and sincere,
or if he’d been trying to throw Alex off his trail. If that were
the case, though, why would he admit that his wife was having an
affair with the murder victim? It could only hurt him, giving him a
motive where none was known before. Unless he was leaking the
information to Alex before he knew the police would find out,
painting himself as a wronged man instead of a cold-blooded
killer.

Alex was still twisting the possibilities
over in his mind when the phone rang.

It was Elise.

“Hi, stranger,” he said. “Any news?”

“Dad’s complaining about the hospital bed and
the food. It’s the best sign we’ve had yet.”

“I’m, glad,” Alex said absently.

“Alex, is there something wrong?”

He sighed. “You just caught me at a bad time.
There’s a lot going on here.”

“What’s been happening?” she asked.

At that moment, Dave Jeffries came in. He saw
Alex was on the phone, then tapped his watch.

“Listen, Elise, could I call you right back?
Someone just came in I really need to talk to.”

He could hear her stifle a yawn. “I’m going
straight to bed, Alex. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Good-night.”

“ Bye,” he replied.

As he was hanging up, the deputy said, “Sorry
to interrupt, Alex, but I’m on the clock. I got your message.
What’s up?”

“I just found out something the sheriff
should know. Marilynn Baxter was having an affair with Jefferson
Lee.”

Dave clouded up. “Alex, tell me exactly what
you did at Lee’s shop. You didn’t take any letters with you, did
you?”

“What are you talking about? I told you I
didn’t touch a thing.”

Dave pressed him. “So how did you find out
about the affair?”

“Craig Monroe just told me. I thought you
should know he had a motive. Why are you so edgy all of a sudden?”
Alex asked.

“That was my special assignment. After you
left, I started digging around in the shop, and I found a secret
cubby with letters from Marilynn to Jefferson Lee. They were pretty
steamy. I figured one of them must have fallen out, and you were
holding out on me. Sorry I jumped down your throat.”

“So, do you think the killer was looking for
those letters, or did Jefferson Lee have something else going
on?”

“I truly don’t know, Alex. Right now, I’m
wondering if Craig didn’t tell you first to take some of the sting
out of us finding those letters. How was he when you talked to
him?’

After a pause, Alex said, “He seemed
genuinely upset about Marilynn’s attempted suicide, but I couldn’t
say whether he killed Jefferson Lee or not.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll nail him if he did.” Dave
looked at his watch. “Well, I can’t hang around here all night.
I’ve got to get back to Lee’s shop and finish up. If you uncover
anything else, call the sheriff. If you can’t find him, call me,
and I’ll tell him myself.”

‘Thanks, Dave.”

“Hey, we serve and protect, remember? Talk to
you later, Alex.”

After the deputy was gone, Alex dead-bolted
the

inn’s front door. It was rare that he could
do it, since Alex couldn’t lock his guests out, but he was glad for
once that he was alone at Hatteras West.

Just in case, though, he dead-bolted the door
to his room, too.

Chapter 19

Alex felt a little silly the next morning
unbolting all the locks. What did he think, Jefferson Lee’s killer
would come for him in the middle of the night? In the fresh light
of a new day, Alex knew that the killer would have no reason to
come after him. He was the first to admit that his unofficial
investigation into the murder had produced very few results.

Alex was just going for his morning walk to
the mailbox when Jenny Harris pulled up in her pickup truck. It
wasn’t all that unusual to find a woman who preferred trucks in the
South. Jenny had more reason than most to have one; it was most
likely the only way she could haul her heavy maple loom around
wherever she went.

She rolled down the window as Alex
approached. “Out for your morning constitutional?”

“Just getting the mail. What brings you back
to Hatteras West?”

“I think something may have fallen out of my
bag while I was packing. I was hoping it might still be up in the
room.”

“You’re welcome to come up to the inn and
look around.”

“Why don’t you collect your mail, and I’ll
give you a ride back? It’ll give us a chance to talk.”

Alex said, “I appreciate the offer, but I
really need the exercise. Tell you what. The rooms are all
unlocked. Why don’t you go up and check it out. I won’t be
long.”

“Sounds good,” she said as she drove the rest
of the way to the inn. Alex wasn’t being antisocial; the walk was
one of his favorite parts of the day, a chance to be alone with his
thoughts for the twenty minutes it took him to stroll to the box
and back. In his busiest days of the year, it was the only time he
truly had to himself. Elise had offered to walk with him at first,
but he’d kept making excuses, and she’d finally stopped asking. It
was his time, and he guarded it closely.

After he collected the mail, Alex walked back
to the inn, glancing up at the lighthouse as he sorted through his
mail. It was mostly bills, a few welcome deposit checks and a ton
of junk mail.

Jenny was just coming out of his office when
he walked inside. “I was just going to leave you a note. I thought
you were never coming back.”

“Have any luck?” he asked as he put the mail
down on the front desk.

“No, I’m not sure where it’s gone. So, have
you heard anything about Jefferson’s murder? I can’t believe our
esteemed sheriff let Bill Yadkin go.”

“You sound positive he did it,” Alex
said.

“Well, when you take into account how much he
hated Jefferson, his horrid temper and the murder weapon itself, I
don’t see how it could be anybody else.”

Alex could think of at least three other
people who could have committed the crime, but he kept the names to
himself. “Did you hear about Marilynn Baxter?”

Jenny nodded her head sadly as she said, “I’m
surprised it took her that long to try.”

“Did I miss something?”

“Yes, but it’s not your fault. Alex, there’s
a fair circuit some of us go on; it’s the only way to pay the
bills. It’s mostly weekends, little fairs like this one where we
have a chance to sell our wares and demonstrate our crafts. It’s
kind of a vagabond lifestyle, and we get to know each other pretty
well. Almost too well, if you ask me. I’ve been waiting for
Marilynn to snap. She’s been fooling around behind Craig’s back for
months.”

“How did you feel when you found out she was
sleeping with Jefferson Lee?”

Jenny dismissed his statement with the wave
of a hand. “It didn’t happen while we were dating. Jefferson must
have gone after Marilynn right after I dumped him. There just
wasn’t any real spark between us.” She inhaled sharply, then
suddenly said, “Oh my God.”

Jenny had suddenly gone white.

Alex asked urgently, “What is it?”

“I just figured out why she tried to kill
herself. I wonder if she killed Jefferson herself! That would
explain why she took those pills. She couldn’t face going to prison
for the rest of her life.”

“Slow down, Jenny. Do you have any proof that
Marilynn killed him? What possible reason would she have for
murdering him, especially the way it was done?”

“Don’t be such a man, Alex. She killed him to
save her marriage. You know she’s powerful enough to do it, working
with her hands like she does. I don’t doubt for one minute when she
tried to end the affair, Jefferson told her he’d tell Craig what
they’d been doing if she stopped seeing him. There’s no doubt in my
mind he would have used every bit of leverage he had. Suddenly it
all makes sense.”

Alex said, “Jenny, don’t spread that rumor
around town. Marilynn’s got enough problems as it is at the
moment.”

“You’re right, Alex. It’s all sheer
speculation, anyway.” She glanced at the clock above the desk. “I
can’t believe the time. I’m late! Gotta run.”

Jenny had been gone less than a minute when
the telephone rang. “Alex, have you heard the news?”

It was Rachel, and she sounded upset.

Alex asked, “What’s happened, Rachel?”

“Marilynn Baxter’s dead.”

Alex felt his heart sink at the news. He
couldn’t believe she was gone! Since he’d been the one to find her,
Alex had been pulling for her to make it with all his heart.

“When did she die?” Alex asked sadly.

“Less than twenty minutes ago. Craig called
and asked me to sit with her while he came out to see you, and I
couldn’t just leave the man alone when he got back. He was so
distraught.”

Alex could believe that. He’d had a feeling
in his gut that Marilynn was going to pull through. He couldn’t
imagine what her husband was going through. “How’s Craig taking
it?”

“He’s under sedation right now. They had a
horrible time getting him away from the body.”

“I can only imagine,” Alex said. “Thanks for
calling, Rachel.”

Alex immediately phoned Doc Drake. When he
was finally put through, he said, “Doc, I just heard about Marilynn
Baxter.”

“Yes, it was a real shame, Alex,” the doctor
said brusquely.

“Excuse me for saying so, but you don’t sound
all that upset about it.”

Doc took a deep breath, then said, “Alex,
I’ve been up all night with two different emergencies, both of my
patients fighting for their lives with every ounce of strength left
in them. Marilynn Baxter threw her life away by choice. I’m sorry,
it might sound heartless to you, but I don’t have any tears left
for her. I’ll save my emotions for the ones fighting for their last
chance.”

In all the years he’d known Doc Drake, Alex
had never heard him sound so cynical. “I’m sorry. I was just
concerned. To be honest with you, I sort of felt like I had a stake
in her well-being, since I’m the one who found her.”

Doc took a deep breath, then said, “Alex, I’m
the one who’s sorry. I’ve been up around the clock, and I still
have a full day of work staring at me. I’m sorry for what I said. I
hate losing any of my patients, you know that. Now, if you’ll
excuse me, I’m going to take a nap. I have seventeen minutes before
my first patient, and I plan to sleep sixteen of them.”