Free Death Checks Inn (Aspen Valley Inn 1) by Sara Robbins Page B

clearly did know each other and it looked very suspicious to Lacey.
    Her mind was racing, thinking back to the last week’s events. She had had several conversations with Tricia and she had never mentioned knowing any of her guests. Hadn’t the Braverman’s been out for the romantic dinner she had planned for them that night? She didn’t remember them even making an appearance at the barbeque.
    She shrugged no need to be melodramatic; there was probably a simple explanation. She went back to the pictures of Heather Mason. Poor dear, she really wasn’t joining in but that was no crime. She was looking closely at the mining equipment but she had probably looked closely at the other exhibits too.
    Lacey looked again at John Braverman’s expression at the top of the stairs. It was a menacing look but perhaps his night of passion with Miranda was being disturbed, she was sure that would make a man angry.
    Nevertheless, she could not think of an explanation for the pictures of Tricia and John. They seemed to be familiar with each other. They were obviously talking about something important.  It just didn’t make any sense.
    She saved the four pictures into a file and then decided to also email them to her smart phone.
    That is what she would do she thought tiredly, she would bring the pictures to show Wyatt when they had coffee in the morning. He would come up with satisfying answers to the questions she had about the pictures.
    She put the computer back on the desk in her little sitting area and climbed wearily back into bed.  Her cell phone rang again and she jumped startled at the sound in the quiet bedroom.
    It was Charlotte just checking in. They talked for a moment about the great evening they had enjoyed and then Charlotte asked if Wyatt was there. Lacey told her that he was working but she wished he were at the Inn.
    “I’m sure you do,” laughed Charlotte.
    “No really,” Lacey said, “I found some pictures I want to show him.”
    “What kind of pictures?” asked Charlotte.
    “Well, it’s weird ,” pondered Lacey, “I found some pictures from the grand opening that just don’t make sense.”
    Charlotte said firmly, “If you found something about those murders you better call Wyatt right now.”
    Lacey reassured her that they were probably nothing and she would talk to him about them in the morning.
    She couldn’t resist teasing her sister just a little about the picture of Cody Westerfield and promised to show her all of the pictures tomorrow.
    They said their goodnights. Lacey turned off the bedside lamp and snuggled into the covers to get some much needed rest.
    She fell asleep thinking about seeing Wyatt in the morning. Her man…she thought sleepily.

Chapter 24
     
    Lacey became gradually aware that something, some no ise was trying to intrude into her sleep-muddled brain.
    Just as her subconscious was rising to the surface complete silence descended again and she drifted back to sleep.
    Then something fell nearby and brought her rigidly upright.
    She was still not completely awake but getting there. She rubbed her eyes and instantly became alert, there it was, something or someone was moving around in her apartment.
    She listened intently, there, that rustling noise. Someone was here! She moved stealthily under cover of the muffled sounds coming from her sitting room and crept carefully to the doorway.
    For a moment, she couldn’t seem to register what she was seeing. She must have inadvertently made some sound because just then, Tricia Moore looked up from the subtle glow of Lacey’s laptop screen.
    Lacey stepped backward and tried to gather her senses and get back into the bedroom and shut the door.
    The sitting area wasn’t that large and in an instant, Tricia was holding tightly to her arm and pulling her towards the small love seat in the window alcove.
    Now, Lacey noticed the small black gun in Tricia’s other hand. Still confused she started to speak.
    Tricia waved the gun close to