Murder Checks Inn (Book 3 in the Lighthouse Inn Mysteries) by Tim Myers Page A

unthinkable
thought floating around in his mind? Could Jase’s murder have been
committed because of greed closer to home? He couldn’t imagine Tony
actually murdering their uncle, but Nadine had said he was in dire
financial trouble, and people had killed for a lot less than a
hundred thousand dollars.
    As much as he hated to admit it, Alex
realized that if he looked at his uncle’s murder objectively, Tony
had to be considered a suspect.
    “ Hey Alex, are you all right?”
    Alex looked up from the box he’d been
staring at to find Mor a few feet away. He’d been so lost in his
thoughts that he hadn’t even heard his friend come back in. “Sorry,
I must have zoned out.”
    “ You’re entitled to, buddy.
This has got to be hard for you.” Mor looked around the room. “So
what happens to all this? Do we pack it all?”
    “ Sandra’s handling the
cases Jase was working on, except where they were going against
each other, so she’s getting a lot of the files. A lawyer from
Hickory’s coming over to handle the rest. He hinted to Sandra that
he might be interested in buying the entire practice.”
    “ So you might see something
out of this after all?” Mor asked.
    “ From all accounts, there’s
not much to buy. Jase ran this law office as a hobby more than
anything else. I’m glad he did; he was happiest when he was working
on a case. I’ve got his personal books. That’s all I care
about.”
    Mor said, “I understand how you feel, but
you’ve got to be pragmatic, too. I know what Hatteras West costs
you to operate. If this guy makes an offer, I’d get what I could
out of it.”
    “ We’ll worry about that
when the time comes.” He looked around once more, then said, “Let’s
go. There’s nothing else here for me.”
    As they stowed the last box in the truck,
Mor said, “Well, that’s one way to burn a morning. Let’s go over to
Buck’s and grab some lunch.”
    Alex said, “I don’t know if I should. I’ve
left Elise alone all morning.”
    “ So what’s another half
hour going to hurt?” Mor hesitated, then said, “Tell you what, I’ll
even buy. You’re not going to get a better deal than that. What do
you say?”
    “ I say we go before you
change your mind,” Alex said. “Why don’t we walk over? It’s a
pretty day, and I could use the fresh air.”
    “ Why not,” Mor agreed, so
they headed over to Buck’s on foot.
    Buck’s Grill was jammed, nearly overflowing
with the noonday crowd. Sally Anne, Buck’s daughter, barely had
time to nod toward them as she hustled past with a tray heavily
loaded with food.
    Irene Wilkins, the beautician/criminologist,
called them over to her booth. “Would you two gentlemen care to
share a table with me? It’s the only way you’ll eat sitting down
today.”
    Alex slid in beside her and said, “Now how
can we turn down such a gracious offer? But Irene, are you sure
your reputation can handle being seen with the two of us?”
    Mor winked at her as he added, “I’m not sure
anyone’s name could survive that particular blow. Just don’t tell
Emma about this when she gets back. She has a tendency to get
jealous when I pay too much attention to another woman.”
    Irene laughed heartily, catching the other
diners’ attention for a moment before they went back to their
discussions. Though the food was good enough, Alex believed most of
the customers were there as much for the conversation as they were
for the meal.
    Irene asked, “So how’s life at the inn,
Alex?”
    “ Never a dull moment. We’re
trying to get everything ready for tonight.” He glanced at his
watch. “In fact, I should be there right now, but Mor offered to
buy lunch, and I wasn’t about to pass that up.”
    Mor said, “Keep your voice down, will you? I
have a reputation to uphold.” He glanced at the crowd and said,
“Tell you what, why don’t I go ahead and order for us at the
counter? Sally Anne’s really hopping, and I’m hungry enough to eat
a moose.”
    “