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

front
of the main desk.
    “ I’m over here,” he called
out, emptying the trash can topped off with The Tattle Tale, a
weekly supermarket gossip sheet that favored alien babies and Elvis
sightings, into his cart’s bin. He never would have pegged the
newlyweds, with their “his” and “hers” matching notebook computers
as readers of the rag, but then that was one of the most
interesting things about being an innkeeper: folks were constantly
surprising him. From the rumpled blankets and pillow in the comer,
it looked as if Mr. Jones had spent last night on the floor again.
If the way the two of them argued was any indication, Alex wondered
if the man ever got to actually sleep in the bed.
    Tracy said, “Alex, I just had to come by and
talk to you. Have you heard the news?”
    “ Armstrong told us last
night. I’m sorry about Oxford. I know he was a friend of
yours.”
    Tracy said, “I’m sorry too, for more reasons
than you can imagine. That’s not what I’m talking about, though. I
won’t even make you guess. This is all so insane. Conner’s decided
to take Oxford’s place and run against me. He’s already got his
campaign slogan: ‘Vote for the Right Shook’. Can you believe
that?”
    Alex said, “I hate to say it, but it sounds
exactly like something Conner would do. Did Armstrong find you last
night?”
    She nodded. “He tracked me down at Mama
Ravolini’s. The first quiet meal I’ve had since I started this
campaign, and the sheriff joins me for a late dinner to interrogate
me. He even asked me for an alibi, if you can imagine that.”
    “ I told him you couldn’t
have done it. Was he satisfied with your whereabouts?”
    Tracy said, “Not particularly. I was home
alone most of the afternoon when I wasn’t out searching for Oxford.
I had the phone off the hook so I could get some peace and quiet,
and nobody came to my door, so I guess I don’t have any alibi at
all. I didn’t kill him, Alex. We were opponents, but I genuinely
liked the man.”
    “ Don’t worry, Armstrong
will find the real killer.”
    “ I hope so. I can’t imagine
what Conner will do with all of this.”
    Alex said, “Tracy, you can take the gloves
off now and get a few shots in yourself. You know Conner’s
weaknesses better than anyone else in the world.”
    A mischievous grin crossed her face. “You
know what? This might be fun after all. He’s been hiding behind
Oxford sniping at me. Now let’s see how he likes it out on the
front lines.”
    “ There’s the spirit,” Alex
said, glad to see the fire in his friend’s eyes.
    “ I’m not letting him get
away with this ‘Right Shook’ business either. I’ll show him who the
right Shook is. Alex, thanks for the pep talk.”
    “ Hey, what are friends for?
Is Shantara still helping you with your campaign?”
    “ Oh yes. That’s where I’m
going right now. With all of her customers, we’ve got a built-in
support system.” Shantara Robinson ran Elkton Falls’ general
store/craft gallery/mercantile. Tracy had chosen well. Not only was
Shantara well liked by the community, but she had nearly as many
visitors every day as Buck’s Grill. Alex knew Buck had backed
Oxford Hitchcock, but he wondered if there was a possibility that
the big man would swing his support to Tracy instead of
Conner.
    Alex asked, “Have you thought about talking
to Buck about supporting you now that Oxford’s gone?”
    “ I tried, but he’s backing
Conner. I understand, he supports his party.” Tracy smiled as she
added, “Sally Anne’s pulling for me though, so I’ve got a spy in
the enemy camp.”
    With her dual assignments, Alex wondered
when Sally Anne had time to wait on her customers.
    Tracy said, “I’ve got to run, Alex. Thanks
again for all your support.”
    “ Let me know if there’s
anything I can do. I mean it.”
    She patted his cheek. “I know it. Bye
now.”
    Alex finished his cleaning chores for the
morning and was just about to look for Elise to offer her