Ring for Murder (Lighthouse Inn Finale) by Tim Myers

lighthouse. The four of them stood there in silence, as
though they were afraid to break the mood that seemed to surround
them all. It was as though the lighthouse beam had muted even the
night sounds around them.
    Mor finally said, “Well, if we’re going to
get an early start on our hunt, we’d better call it a night.”
    He shook Alex’s hand, waved to Elise, and
then started to walk to his truck.
    “Should we stay here with you tonight?” Emma
asked. “You might need to have friends around you at a time like
this.”
    “No, we’ll be fine,” Elise said. She hugged
her friend, and then Emma joined her husband. Elise’s parents were
on the road headed for Williamsburg, and the other family and
friends who’d come for the celebration had left as well. It
appeared that no one wanted to linger at the inn, and Alex was glad
for it. This was a time of mourning, not just for his brother, but
for the loss, at least for today, of the wedding he’d so
desperately hoped to have.
    He and Elise walked inside, and Alex
offered, “Should I light a fire to take the chill off?”
    She shook her head. “Not tonight. If you
don’t mind, I think I’ll turn in a little early.”
    He was disappointed to hear it, but he tried
not to show it. “I understand.”
    She turned to him and asked, “Do you,
Alex?”
    “I get it, Elise. You’re as sad as I am,”
Alex said.
    “I wanted with all my heart to be Mrs.
Winston by now,” she said.
    He wrapped her up in his arms. “It’s just a
delay, Elise.”
    She looked up at him. “Do you promise me
that, Alex?”
    “With every fiber of my being,” he said.
“Nothing else matters right now than finding Tony’s killer. The
second we do, I’m proposing to you again.”
    Elise smiled up at him. “Not necessary. You
have a standing yes anytime you want to cash it in.” She kissed
him, and then pulled away. “I don’t know how you do it, Alex, but
you always seem to know how to make me feel better.”
    “What can I say? You bring it out in me,
too.”
    “Good night, my love,” she said.
    He smiled at her. “Good night. I do love
you.”
    Elise nodded gently. “I’m depending on
it.”
    After she was in her room, Alex wondered if
he should turn in himself. This day had turned into an awful
mockery of what they’d had planned, and he remembered one of his
favorite sayings. ‘Man plans, God laughs.’ It was never more true
than it was right now.
     
    Alex would have been pleased the next
morning if he’d woken up to rain, sleet, snow, or even hail. It
would have done much better to match his mood than the bright
sunshine peeking in through his window. What right did the world
have being happy on a day he should have been on his honeymoon? He
got ready quickly, and walked out front, wondering what he needed
to do to go in search of the suspects he’d met yesterday. They had
to have a plan, but so far, Alex was stumped. Even the sheriff
wasn’t at all certain he’d be able to track down the man and woman
from the rehearsal dinner. What chance would the four of them
have?
    Alex was still wondering about it when there
was a knock at the front door. It was too early for Mor and Emma,
and Alex wondered who it might be. If it was a wandering tourist
looking for a place to stay, Alex was going to have to disappoint
him.
    To his shock, it was the man Tony had gotten
into an argument at the dinner. It was all Alex could do not to cry
out. “May I help you?”
    The man nodded. “I need a room, and I was
wondering if you could help me.”
    “I’d be delighted. How many nights will you
be with us?”
    “As long as it takes,” the man muttered
under his breath. Alex heard it, anyway.
    “As long as what takes?” he asked.
    “What? Never mind, I was just talking to
myself.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a roll of bills.
“Will this do for now?”
    Alex nodded as took the cash. He would have
offered the man a free room if it meant getting him to stay at the
inn.