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glanced over to see Elise’s eyes tear
up. He nodded softly before continuing. “After Adlai died, my
grandfather inherited the property. The family fortune was still
viable then, but mismanagement of the trust Adlai had set up wiped
out everything but the ownership of the lighthouse and the
forty-odd acres I have now. By the time Dad took over, he was
afraid he’d lose the lighthouse itself. That’s when he decided to
turn the place into an inn.”
    Elise dried her tears, then said, “If I’m
going to work I a full day tomorrow, we’d better get back to the
inn. Alex, I had a lovely evening.”
    Alex stood up too. “I hope I didn’t bore you
with my family history.”
    Elise said softly, “Don’t be silly. Thank you
for sharing it with me. It makes Hatteras West feel like home to
me.

Chapter 7

    Alex paid the bill, leaving a more generous
tip than usual, and escorted Elise back to the truck.
    The weather had changed during their time
inside the restaurant. A heavy fog was starting to roll in, giving
the air a moisture-laden density that he could almost taste. Though
no rain was falling, they were still damp from the mist before they
could reach the dry shelter of the truck interior.
    In the darkness of the truck cab, Elise said,
“We’ve been avoiding the topic all evening, but I think it’s
something we need to discuss before we get back to the inn. Alex,
who do you think killed Reg Wellington?”
    He kept his eyes on the billowing clouds of
fog that blanketed the road as he went over his theories. “I
suppose Junior is the prime suspect. He claims to have been asleep
out on the loop trail when his father was murdered, but I have my
doubts. I know from Reg, and by Junior’s own admission today, that
he stands to inherit just about everything his father had.”
    Elise said, “What do the police think?”
    “I’m not sure about Armstrong. He hasn’t even
bothered to question anyone yet as far as I know, but Doc Drake
seems to trust him, and I have to give him points for that. To be
honest with you, before today I never had much cause to think about
Calvin’s competency one way or another.”
    He saw her nod solemnly in the dim light from
the dashboard. “So that’s why you’re trying to come up with the
answer on your own. Who else is on your suspect list?”
    In his mind, Alex thought about who might
have killed Reg before answering. “Joel Grandy got into a big
argument with Reg last night over a chess game. I had to step in to
keep the two of them from slugging it out. Is it enough reason to
kill a man? Still, Junior and Joel seem to be the most obvious
suspects so far.”
    After a moment of silence, Elise added, “But
you’ve got more people on your list, don’t you?”
    How in the world could this woman read him so
well after only spending a few hours with him? “I admit those are
just my favorites so far. Coming in as long shots, we’ve got Sam
Finster’s mysterious client who’s trying to buy the lighthouse.
Maybe he thought a murder would shut the place down for good. It
could be Barb Matthews. She hates men in general, and it wouldn’t
surprise me one bit if she started her campaign to rid the world of
all of us.”
    “She’s in room 6, isn’t she?”
    Alex nodded glumly. “Since the day before
yesterday. I only had to shift her three times before she was happy
this time. Why do you ask?”
    “I was cleaning her room this afternoon, and
I stubbed my toe on something under her bed. She must have two
dozen rocks hidden under there. I can’t imagine why she bothers
bringing those things to her room.”
    Alex laughed. “That’s nothing. Last year, I
had a pair of retired hairdressers from Florida who collected pine
cones. The only problem was, they didn’t take them with them when
they left. At least I can use the rocks if she leaves them. But
collecting stones doesn’t surprise me as a hobby around here.
Haven’t you heard? We’re on the border of Rockhound Heaven. The
first