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

going on?” Alex
asked.
    “ It’s Oxford
Hitchcock.”
    “ What about him?” Alex
asked as his heart went cold.
    Armstrong took a deep breath, let it out
slowly, then said, “It’s bad news, Alex. He’s dead.”

Chapter 7

    Alex asked, “I don’t suppose there’s any
chance he died of natural causes, is there?”
    Armstrong shook his head. “No, there’s no
doubt about it. Somebody walloped him upside the head with a board.
It looks like they snuck up on him and hit him from behind.”
    Alex took it all in, then asked quietly,
“Where was he, at his house?”
    “ That’s the oddest part of
all. We found Oxford hanging under the old covered bridge. He fell
through one of those big holes your committee is trying to patch
up. Anyway, his suspenders caught on one of the braces below, else
he would have drifted down the river toward Charlotte by now. A
couple of teenagers were down by the river making out and the guy
flashed his light up under the bridge. We had the devil of a time
getting the body down.”
    Elise came out into the lobby, dressed in a
thick robe. “What’s going on? Is it something about Mor or
Emma?”
    Alex said, “No, it’s something else
entirely. You can go back to bed if you’d like.”
    Ignoring him, Elise said, “What happened,
Sheriff?”
    “ Somebody killed Oxford
Hitchcock at the old covered bridge,” the sheriff answered
calmly.
    Elise shook her head in disbelief. “Why
would anyone do such a thing?”
    Armstrong said, “That’s what I’m aiming to
find out. Alex, do you have any idea where Tracy Shook is?”
    “ Sheriff, you can’t
seriously consider her a suspect. I’ve known Tracy all my life. I
can’t see her doing something like this.”
    Armstrong rubbed his scalp. “Alex, every
murderer in the history of the world knew somebody, and the fact
is, just about every one of them had friends. People do things for
the craziest reasons.”
    Alex couldn’t believe the sheriff was
serious. “You actually believe she’d kill him to get a job that
pays nine thousand dollars a year? You’re way off on this one.”
    Armstrong took off his hat, then rubbed a
hand through his hair. “Alex, I didn’t come out here for
crime-fighting tips, I’m looking for Tracy. Once I talk to her,
maybe we can clear her right off the bat, but you can bet your last
hat I’m going to talk to her tonight.”
    “ Sorry, I haven’t seen
her,” Alex said.
    Armstrong looked at Elise. “And you,
Ma’am?”
    “ No, I’m sorry I can’t
help.”
    Armstrong nodded briefly, then put his hat
back on. “If she comes out here, call me. I don’t care what time of
day or night.”
    “ I still say she didn’t do
it,” Alex insisted.
    Armstrong just smiled. “You’re forgetting
one thing, Alex.”
    “ What’s that?”
    The sheriff said, “You don’t get a
vote.”
    After the sheriff was gone, Elise said, “I
can’t imagine anyone killing that nice man, and I certainly can’t
see Tracy doing it.”
    “ The sheriff’s way off on
this one.” He stretched, then added, “I can’t see getting to sleep
any time soon. Care to join me for a hot chocolate?”
    She stifled a yawn. “Thanks for the offer,
but I’m going back to bed.”
    “ Good night, then,” he
said.
    Later, Alex went to sleep wondering who had
cause enough to kill Oxford Hitchcock. To Alex, he was just a
typical politician, but to someone, the man must have been a real
threat.
    At least Alex wasn’t involved in that
particular investigation. He had enough on his hands trying to get
Mor and Emma off the sheriff’s list of prime suspects for Toby
Sturbridge’s death.
    Alex opened the newspaper the next day to
see if there were any new details about Elkton Falls’ latest
murder. The headline announcing the murder took up half the page,
accompanied by a head shot of the victim and tons of background,
but it didn’t offer anything he didn’t already know. Alex wondered
briefly if Armstrong had ever found Tracy, but