No Mortal Reason by Kathy Lynn Emerson Page B

had apparently given up his effort to get a look at the remains. He was no longer anywhere in sight. His companion had moved off, as well. Diana was halfway to her goal when she saw this second man give a start. He’d spotted Luke and Mercy.
    “Unhand that girl!” he bellowed, waving heavily muscled arms in a shooing motion.
    “Father—” the younger man protested.
    “You heard me. Get your hands off her. And you, missy, keep your claws out of my boy.”
    Mercy looked as if she wanted to make a sharp retort, but she apparently thought better of it. Instead, with an anguished look at Luke, who was being hustled away by his father, she fled toward the nearest entrance to the hotel, right past Sebastian and Floyd Lyseth.
    “Is that my Elly down there?” Lyseth demanded.
    Reluctantly, Myron Grant nodded. Along with Howd, Mrs. Lyseth, the preacher, Tressa Ellington, Sebastian, and the workmen, Diana watched in silence as Lyseth stomped up to the hole and peered down into it. Someone had lit a lantern and lowered it so that he could see what lay beneath the old flooring.
    “Can’t tell nothin’ from that.” With a snort, Lyseth left the scene, ignoring everyone, even his wife.
    The preacher stepped up, as if to take his place, but Myron Grant blocked his way.
    “I’ve sent for the coroner,” the preacher said. He sounded almost gleeful about it.
    “I would have done that myself, Riker,” Uncle Myron said in an irritable voice. “Buckley’s a good man. He’ll sort this out.”
    “How long will it take the coroner to get here?” Ben asked.
    “He’s got to come from Liberty. Probably be a couple of hours.”
    “Until he arrives, no one else must disturb the remains.” Ben gave brisk orders to two of the workmen. They didn’t look pleased to be posted as guards, but they didn’t argue with him.
    He had an air of command, and a charisma that most people responded to. Diana felt a sense of pride as she watched him. Ben might have a few faults, but his good points far outweighed them.
    He could even deal with people like Pastor Riker. After a brief exchange of words, he asked the preacher to escort Mrs. Lyseth home. Diana could almost feel Ben exerting the force of his personality to persuade the other man to cooperate without further argument. To everyone’s surprise but hers, Riker agreed to the suggestion, although he couldn’t resist a parting shot at Diana’s uncles.
    “The keeping of summer boarders is a snare of the devil,” he intoned. “Unless you keep a temperance house, even good Christians stray. Here’s just more proof that such sinfulness leads men to desecrate the Sabbath, play cards, drink liquor, commit adultery, and contaminate the local young people.”
    That said, he led away the grieving mother. Except for the two guards Ben had posted, everyone else left, too, and Ben was free to join Diana.
    She shivered when he took her arm. For the first time she became aware that the sun had set. Within a quarter hour, full darkness would descend.
    “Was it really murder?” she asked.
    “It looks that way,” he said.
    * * * *
    Ben was concerned about Diana. She seemed more shaken by the afternoon’s events than he would have expected. He could not imagine that she’d already formed an attachment to members of her family. She’d barely met them. In fact, she’d yet to be introduced to her uncle Myron.
    A woman intercepted them as they entered the lobby. “Dr. Northcote? I’m Mrs. Ellington, the housekeeper. I’m sorry, but the main dining room is not yet ready to serve meals in. We haven’t the staff for one thing. I can provide you with a set meal—nothing fancy, mind you—at a set time, in one of the private dining rooms, but you’ll need to tell me when you want to eat.”
    He was pleased to be offered food at all, given the circumstances. “An hour?” he suggested. Diana must be starving. It had been a long time since what had passed for luncheon on the train. Perhaps that