Room for Murder By Tim Myers Book 4 in the Lighthouse Inn mysteries Praise for the Lighthouse Mystery series by Tim Myers “Entertaining ... authentic ... fun ... a wonderful regional mystery that will have readers rebooking for future stays at the Hatteras West Inn and Lighthouse.” —BookBrowser “Myers cultivates the North Carolina scenery with aplomb and shows a flair for character.” —Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel “Tim Myers proves that he is no one-book wonder... A shrewdly crafted puzzle.” —Midwest Book Review “Colorful... picturesque ... light and entertaining.” —The Best Reviews Praise for the Candlemaking Mystery series by Tim Myers “Excellent storytelling that makes for a good reading experience…(Myers) is a talented writer who deserves to hit the bestseller lists.” ---The Best Reviews “A sure winner.” ---Carolyn Hart, author of the Death on Demand series “An interesting mystery, a large cast of characters, and an engaging amateur sleuth make this series a winner.” ---The Romance Reader’s Connection (four daggers) The Lighthouse Inn Mysteries by Tim Myers Innkeeping With Murder Reservations For Murder Murder Checks Inn Room For Murder Booked For Murder The Candlemaking Mysteries by Tim Myers At Wick’s End Snuffed Out Death Waxed Over A Flicker Of Doubt The Soapmaking Mysteries by Tim Myers Dead Men Don’t Lye A Pour Way To Dye A Mold For Murder The Cardmaking Mysteries by Tim Myers written as Elizabeth Bright Invitation To Murder Deadly Greetings Murder And Salutations Room for Murder by Tim Myers. Smashwords Edition Copyright © 2003 Tim Myers All rights reserved. Smashwords Edition, License Notes This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental Dedication For Patty and Emily, My Reasons Why. Chapter 1 “I can’t believe you’re actually letting these blowhards take over the Grand Unveiling like this,” Mor Pendleton said as he and Alex Winston watched the activities on the temporary outdoor stage from the wings of the newly rebuilt Dual Keepers’ Quarters of the Hatteras West Inn. A long shadow fell from the nearby lighthouse, hiding them from the view of most of the crowd. Mor was not only the town handyman who helped keep Hatteras West in good repair, he also happened to be Alex’s best friend in the world. Alex said, “What can I say, I’m shameless. I can use every bit of free publicity I can get for the inn, and I figured having both mayoral candidates come out for the festivities might get us some good press.” Alex owned and operated the Hatteras West Inn, a hostelry featuring a duplicate of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse and Keepers’ Quarters tucked away in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Things were definitely looking up, Alex thought, as he surveyed the new construction. With the completion of the building, Hatteras West finally felt whole again; the absence of the main building had been like a missing tooth for the lighthouse and the smaller Main Keeper’s Quarters. Better yet, maybe now they could actually operate at a profit again. Elise Danton, the Hatteras West Inn’s housekeeper who was indispensable in running the place, came up behind them and said, “Mor, Emma’s been looking all over for you. She says it’s important.” The big man shrugged. “She must not be looking that hard. I’ve been right here all afternoon.” Emma Sturbridge and Mor Pendleton had survived more than a few rough patches in their rocky relationship, and Alex often wondered where the two would finally end up when the smoke cleared. Elise smiled softly. “I’ll just go tell her where to find you then.” Mor said abruptly, “No need for that. I’ll track her down myself. I’ve got a pretty good idea about what’s on her mind.” There was something about the big man’s smile that made Alex pause. Something was definitely in the air today. After Mor was gone, Elise moved up beside Alex and said, “This is so wonderful. We’ve finally got the inn back the way it should be.” Alex said, “Just in time, too. We used up the last of the money from the emerald sale, but it was worth it, wasn’t it? It turned out better than I’d even hoped.” One of Alex’s guests at the inn had discovered a vein of emeralds somewhere on the Winston property, only to take the secret of its location to the grave with her. However, there had been enough quality emeralds found in her possession to pay for rebuilding the Dual Keepers’ Quarters, finally restoring the property to its original splendor. The audience suddenly broke loose with applause. It took Alex a second to realize they were clapping for Tracy Shook, one of the two candidates vying for Grady Hatch’s job as mayor of Elkton Falls. Tracy, a petite blonde around Alex’s age, was nearly hidden by the podium onstage. Alex had grown up with Tracy and her ex-husband, Conner Shook. Though Tracy and Conner had shared the same last name throughout their lives, the two came from opposite branches of the Shook family tree, so far separated that they were less blood-kin than many of the folks who lived in Elkton Falls. Tracy, now running for mayor, had hyphenated her line of Shooks onto her married name, but she’d dropped her husband’s Shook the day their divorce was finalized. In Alex’s opinion, Tracy was what the Elkton Falls government needed: someone with fresh ideas and a new approach to shake things up. Conner, predictably enough, was acting as her competitor’s campaign manager. As Tracy’s opponent, Oxford Hitchcock, took the stage for his own speech, Alex asked, “Elise, is everything ready inside?” They were having a reception in the lobby of the new building after the speeches were finished, and he wanted to make sure everything was just right. “The punch is chilling, the finger foods are on their trays, and I’ve got three college kids decked out in their finest to serve our guests. I heard the chamber group warming up a few minutes ago, and they sounded wonderful.” Alex said, “I’m still not sure about classical music at Hatteras West. It’s a little highbrow for Elkton Falls, don’t you think?” She patted his arm. “Alex, don’t worry, everyone will love it.” “I still say we should have gone with a bluegrass band.” Elise said, “The next time we have a building dedication, we’ll do just that.” Alex sighed. “To be honest with you, I never want to have to go through this again.” “That makes two of us. But don’t worry so much, our troubles are over.” On the stage, Oxford was wrapping up his comments, praising apple pie and motherhood, and the crowd roared again. Oxford was a popular man around Elkton Falls, serving on the Town Council for twelve years as well as handling the treasurer’s duties. He was a stout, heavyset man with a full mane of silver hair and a voice that echoed through the hills. As he spoke, Oxford locked both thumbs under his “signature” suspenders. Oxford Hitchcock was in sharp contrast to Tracy Shook in just about every way: he bellowed, while she always spoke softly, and though Oxford could put away more food than any man, woman, or child at one of his political barbeque events, Tracy never seemed to do more than nibble around the edges of her plate. Oxford was massive and barrel-chested, while she was a slender woman with the biggest blue eyes Alex had ever seen. Tracy and Alex had been friends since elementary school and had stayed close. Tracy and her ex-husband Conner, on the other hand, had grown to dislike each other more and more over the years following their divorce. Conner was running Oxford’s mayoral campaign, and the general consensus at Buck’s Grill was that the only reason he worked with such enthusiasm was to rob Tracy of her chance for victory. Longtime Mayor Grady Hatch took the stage as Oxford walked off, and for the first time that day, the applause was across the board, genuine and heartfelt. Grady had been running Elkton Falls since Alex had been a kid. The mayor’s face was flushed, and there was a rasp in his voice as he talked to the crowd. “Well now, I’m sure you’all are tired of the sound of my voice after all these years, so I’ll make this brief.” There was a burst of laughter from the audience, since Grady was notorious for his clipped comments in public.