She smiled broadly at him. "You're very welcome. Thanks for keeping me company. Call me, Alex. Any time. No strings, no ulterior motives."

As she sped away, Alex suddenly felt someone else's presence nearby.

He normally wasn't all that jumpy, but as Alex got his car keys out, he felt a tap on his shoulder and promptly dropped his keys on the ground.

When he turned around, the last person on earth he wanted to see was standing right behind him.

Chapter 18.

Craig Monroe leaned over and scooped up Alex's keys before he could grab them himself. Instead of giving them back, Craig enveloped them in his meaty fist. The potter's strong hands reminded Alex that he'd easily have the strength to dispatch Jefferson Lee.

"There you are. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever coming back."

Alex's eyes scanned the parking lot for some kind of witness, but it was remarkably deserted for that time of day.

"How's Marilynn doing?"

"Still no change," Craig grunted. "Alex, I need to talk to you."

"I'm listening," Alex said warily.

Craig shook his head. "Not here, it's a little too public."

What was he talking about? The parking lot was practically abandoned.

"Craig, I've got an inn to run. I'm late as it is, and Mor's relieving me at the desk. Can I have my keys? I need to go."

Craig looked surprised that he still had Alex's keys locked in his fist. He gave them to Alex as he said, "Can I come out to Hatteras West later? It's important."

"Okay," Alex said. Anything to get out of the parking lot. "See you later."

At least he'd have a chance to prepare for the encounter, and Hatteras West was his own turf. Alex suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He'd get Mor to hang around and back him up, just in case.

When Alex walked back into the inn, Mor was alone at the desk, looking glum.

"You look like you just lost your best friend," Alex said.

Instead of the playful retort he expected, Mor muttered, "I don't want to talk about it." He stood and grabbed his jacket. "If you don't need me here anymore, I'm getting hungry."

Alex said, "To be honest with you, I was kind of hoping you'd be able to hang around. I'm sure I can find something for you in the refrigerator."

"Sorry, but I've got to hit the road."

Alex said, "Any chance of you coming back later?" He suddenly felt awkward, asking Mor to hang around to protect him.

"No, I need some time to think, Alex. I'll catch you later."

It was just as well that Mor couldn't stay. Alex suddenly felt foolish worrying about the potter. He had no real reason to suspect the man was a murderer.

While he was waiting, Alex wanted to talk to Dave Jeffries and see if they'd found any clues in the ma.s.s of spilled papers at the blacksmith's shop. Alex spoke to the dispatcher at the police station and asked, "Is Officer Jeffries around anywhere?"

The dispatcher said, "I'm sorry, he's on special a.s.signment for the sheriff."

Alex sighed, then said, "Listen, when he gets back in, have him call Alex Winston at Hatteras West, would you?"

"I'll leave him a note, but I can't make any promises. He's probably going to be tied up all night."

Alex hung up the telephone, wondering what else he could do to help solve Jefferson Lee's murder. One thing was certain; there were questions he needed to ask Craig Monroe, and given the man's excitability, even if he hadn't killed the blacksmith, he could still be a dangerous man to back into a corner.

Alex didn't have a gun at the inn; he'd never seen any need for one. He did have several cla.s.sic blunt instruments, though, and he placed the fireplace poker within reach of his favorite chair. Alex decided to light a fire and settle in for the wait.

He was still staring at the burning logs in the hearth when he heard the front door open. Craig Monroe came in, looking carefully around as he did.

"It's awfully quiet here," he said. "I didn't see a single car in the parking lot."

Alex lied, "I've got a guest upstairs, a hiker who walked in from town. He's a big brute," Alex added as he moved closer to the poker.

"I won't take long," Craig said as he slumped onto the couch opposite Alex. "This day has completely wiped me out."

"Any word on your wife?"

"No, she's still unconscious. The doctors won't call it a coma for some reason, but that's sure as h.e.l.l what it looks like to me. She just lies there, hour after hour. I couldn't take it anymore."

Alex decided to end the suspense, one way or the other. "So what is it that's so urgent, Craig?"

"It's about Marilynn," Craig said. His words coming out in a rush, he continued, "We've been having problems lately. She was unfaithful. That's why this happened."

Was he confessing? "You must have been shattered when you found out."

Craig started pacing heavily around the room. Alex tried to keep his eyes on the man all the time, but it was like tracking a hummingbird.

Craig said, "You cannot imagine how furious I was. I still am, if you want to know the truth. That's not the worst part, though. I've got to tell somebody this, it's eating me up inside."

Alex started edging toward the poker. He only hoped he'd be quick enough to use it to defend himself.

Craig was nearly behind him when he said, "Alex, the worst part of this whole mess was the man she was cheating on me with." His voice suddenly turned icy cold. "My wife was having an affair with Jefferson Lee."

So that was Craig's motive; he was a betrayed husband! Alex was suddenly sure that Craig had him in his sights, but why? Alex hadn't seen or heard anything. Forget about subtlety, it was time to protect himself.

Alex started to pick up the poker just as Craig said, "Alex, I love Marilynn more than life itself. She felt so guilty cheating on me that she tried to kill herself. The only other possibility is that she couldn't bear to live anymore when her lover was murdered! Either way, it's all my fault, every bit of it. If I'd just showed her a little more attention ... Alex, that's why her last words are so important to me. I have to know, was she thinking of Jefferson Lee when she did this to herself, or was she worried about me?"

The man's words choked off as he collapsed against Alex's chair, sobbing uncontrollably. Through the tears, he cried out, "What am I going to do if anything happens to her? She's my life!"

Alex dropped the poker and patted Craig's shoulder. "She's going to make it, you've got to have faith."

"Alex, I swear to you, if she does, I'm a changed man. I won't ever ignore her again. It nearly ripped my heart out when I found out she'd cheated on me, but this is destroying me."

There was nothing Alex could say.

After the tears ended, Craig looked spent. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened to me just now."

"You're under a lot of stress. Why don't you go up to your old room and try to take a nap? You need to rest."

The man obviously felt awkward having Alex witness his breakdown. "No, I've got to get back to the hospital. The main reason I came out here was to see if Marilynn said anything at all when you found her."

"I'm sorry, but she was out of it by the time I got to her. What were you hoping for?"

He nearly whispered his answer. "I was praying she might have said she loved me." As the tears started flowing again, Craig hurried for the door. "I've got to get back."

Alex hated himself for thinking it, but he had to wonder if Craig's outburst had been spontaneous and sincere, or if he'd been trying to throw Alex off his trail. If that were the case, though, why would he admit that his wife was having an affair with the murder victim? It could only hurt him, giving him a motive where none was known before. Unless he was leaking the information to Alex before he knew the police would find out, painting himself as a wronged man instead of a cold-blooded killer.

Alex was still twisting the possibilities over in his mind when the phone rang.

It was Elise.

"Hi, stranger," he said. "Any news?"

"Dad's complaining about the hospital bed and the food. It's the best sign we've had yet."

"I'm, glad," Alex said absently.

"Alex, is there something wrong?"

He sighed. "You just caught me at a bad time. There's a lot going on here."

"What's been happening?" she asked.

At that moment, Dave Jeffries came in. He saw Alex was on the phone, then tapped his watch.

"Listen, Elise, could I call you right back? Someone just came in I really need to talk to."

He could hear her stifle a yawn. "I'm going straight to bed, Alex. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good-night."

" Bye," he replied.

As he was hanging up, the deputy said, "Sorry to interrupt, Alex, but I'm on the clock. I got your message. What's up?"

"I just found out something the sheriff should know. Marilynn Baxter was having an affair with Jefferson Lee."

Dave clouded up. "Alex, tell me exactly what you did at Lee's shop. You didn't take any letters with you, did you?"

"What are you talking about? I told you I didn't touch a thing."

Dave pressed him. "So how did you find out about the affair?"

"Craig Monroe just told me. I thought you should know he had a motive. Why are you so edgy all of a sudden?" Alex asked.

"That was my special a.s.signment. After you left, I started digging around in the shop, and I found a secret cubby with letters from Marilynn to Jefferson Lee. They were pretty steamy. I figured one of them must have fallen out, and you were holding out on me. Sorry I jumped down your throat."

"So, do you think the killer was looking for those letters, or did Jefferson Lee have something else going on?"

"I truly don't know, Alex. Right now, I'm wondering if Craig didn't tell you first to take some of the sting out of us finding those letters. How was he when you talked to him?'

After a pause, Alex said, "He seemed genuinely upset about Marilynn's attempted suicide, but I couldn't say whether he killed Jefferson Lee or not."

"Don't worry, we'll nail him if he did." Dave looked at his watch. "Well, I can't hang around here all night. I've got to get back to Lee's shop and finish up. If you uncover anything else, call the sheriff. If you can't find him, call me, and I'll tell him myself."

'Thanks, Dave."

"Hey, we serve and protect, remember? Talk to you later, Alex."

After the deputy was gone, Alex dead-bolted the inn's front door. It was rare that he could do it, since Alex couldn't lock his guests out, but he was glad for once that he was alone at Hatteras West.

Just in case, though, he dead-bolted the door to his room, too.

Chapter 19.

Alex felt a little silly the next morning unbolting all the locks. What did he think, Jefferson Lee's killer would come for him in the middle of the night? In the fresh light of a new day, Alex knew that the killer would have no reason to come after him. He was the first to admit that his unofficial investigation into the murder had produced very few results.

Alex was just going for his morning walk to the mailbox when Jenny Harris pulled up in her pickup truck. It wasn't all that unusual to find a woman who preferred trucks in the South. Jenny had more reason than most to have one; it was most likely the only way she could haul her heavy maple loom around wherever she went.

She rolled down the window as Alex approached. "Out for your morning const.i.tutional?"

"Just getting the mail. What brings you back to Hatteras West?"

"I think something may have fallen out of my bag while I was packing. I was hoping it might still be up in the room."

"You're welcome to come up to the inn and look around."

"Why don't you collect your mail, and I'll give you a ride back? It'll give us a chance to talk."

Alex said, "I appreciate the offer, but I really need the exercise. Tell you what. The rooms are all unlocked. Why don't you go up and check it out. I won't be long."

"Sounds good," she said as she drove the rest of the way to the inn. Alex wasn't being antisocial; the walk was one of his favorite parts of the day, a chance to be alone with his thoughts for the twenty minutes it took him to stroll to the box and back. In his busiest days of the year, it was the only time he truly had to himself. Elise had offered to walk with him at first, but he'd kept making excuses, and she'd finally stopped asking. It was his time, and he guarded it closely.

After he collected the mail, Alex walked back to the inn, glancing up at the lighthouse as he sorted through his mail. It was mostly bills, a few welcome deposit checks and a ton of junk mail.