Room for Murder (Book 4 in the Lighthouse Inn Mysteries) by Tim Myers Page B

style. He’s selling his
house and buying a motor home, if you can imagine that. That life
might be perfect for him, but I’ve got to have my roots.”
    “ Sometimes I think about
traveling,” Elise admitted.
    “ So where would you go if
money were no object?” Alex asked. “France? Ireland?
Australia?”
    Elise said, “No, there’s too much in America
I haven’t seen. Do you know what I’d really love to do? There are
so many wonderful lighthouses in our country; I’d give anything to
see them all.”
    Alex laughed. “You’re worse than I am. Do
you know where I went on my last vacation?”
    “ I didn’t think you took
vacations,” Elise said.
    “ It’s tough with the inn
and all, but three years ago I shut down for a week and drove to
the Outer Banks. I spent all my time haunting the lighthouses out
there. I even made a new friend on the coast with his own
lighthouse inn.”
    “ I think that’s a perfectly
sensible vacation.”
    Alex said, “Tell you what, next time you can
go with me.”
    “ Perhaps,” Elise
said.
    “ Hey, that wasn’t a
proposition. I was just making conversation.”
    Elise bit her lower lip, then said, “Can you
finish up here? I just remembered something I need to take care of
immediately.”
    “ Absolutely.”
    After she was gone, Alex wondered what he’d
said to set her off. There was no doubt about it. Since their
disastrous date, things had taken a decidedly awkward turn between
them, and no matter how hard he tried to break the ice dam, he
couldn’t manage more than chipping a few small chunks away at a
time.
    Elise came back just as he finished folding
the last sheet.
    “ Your timing is perfect,”
Alex said. “I just finished.”
    From the expression on her face, Elise was
in no mood for joking. “Alex, something’s happened. Somebody just
tried to break into Mrs. Nesbitt’s room.”
    Alex said, “In broad daylight?” As he
hurriedly left the laundry room, he asked, “What happened?”
    “ She’s in the lobby. You
need to talk to her yourself.”
    As Alex and Elise rushed out into the lobby
of the Main Keeper’s Quarters, they found Mrs. Nesbitt sipping a
cup of hot tea in one of the rockers near the windows in front
    Alex said, “Are you all right?”
    She nodded. “Honestly, I hate to be causing
such a fuss. It was probably nothing.”
    Alex took the rocker beside her. “Tell me
what happened.”
    “ I was going to go out for
a walk, I even got on the path to Bear Rocks, when I suddenly
changed my mind and decided a nap would be more in order.” She
looked apologetic as she added, “I can still do nearly anything I
set my mind to, but sometimes I need a little more rest than I used
to.”
    Alex smiled. “I’ve seen you on your walks. I
couldn’t keep up with you.”
    She answered his smile with one of her own.
“I know better than that; running an inn is hard work. My sister
worked an entire summer at an inn in Nantucket in the fifties.”
    Elise prompted her. “Tell him what
happened.”
    Mrs. Nesbitt said, “As I said, I decided to
rest, so I went back up to my room and stretched out on my bed for
a quick nap. I had just fallen asleep when I heard someone trying
my doorknob. At first I assumed it was either you or Elise, but you
both knock before you try your key. When the door started to open,
I’m afraid I screamed.”
    Alex suddenly went cold. “Are you certain
your door was locked when you laid down?”
    Mrs. Nesbitt said, “I’m positive. Alex, I’m
not about to take a nap with an unlocked door anywhere but in my
home.”
    He patted her hand. “Would you be more
comfortable switching rooms? I might be able to talk the newlyweds
into swapping with you, if you’d feel more comfortable somewhere
else. They mentioned an interest in this building.
    She laughed gently. “It will take more than
that to drive me out of my favorite room. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
She sat there a moment, then added, “You know, now that I think
about