“Unavailable?”
asked Buck.
“Yes
sir, as in you can't stay here,” said the balding man. “I would
offer you another room, but we currently have no vacancies. We are
booked up through next week for the blueberry festival.”
Buck
looked at his companions. They shared the same wide eyed look of
disbelief.
“What
happened?” Buck asked.
The man
leaned over the desk and sighed. His metal name tag, which read
“Charles Cooper,” clinked against the granite surface. “Well,
I suppose you'll find out soon enough,” said Charles in a hushed
tone. “This morning, the cleaning staff found the former occupant
of your room dead. The poor fellow had his throat slit. A truly
grizzly scene. Your room has become a crime scene, so there is
really nothing we can do for you. I truly am sorry.”
“That's
awful!” said Shirley Sue.
“Now
if you'll excuse me, I have to finish giving my statement.” Buck
watched as Charles maneuvered out from behind the desk and walked
over to the police officer. The officer put down the newspaper he
was reading and stood up from the cushy lounge seat he had been
sitting in.
“I
guess this means we're gonna have ta stay with Emma,” Roger said.
“She
did say we were welcome anytime...” Buck trailed off. “Don't get
me wrong, I love our sister, but... I can't stand how she mothers
us.”
Buck's
shoulders sank as he felt the last bits of excitement fade from his
chest. He looked at Shirley Sue. Her normally bright disposition
had turned stormy, with her face twisted into a frown. The trio
turned to the exit. Buck watched as a woman entered the vestibule
and then strolled into the lobby. Her shoulder length brown hair was
buffeted by the air currents as she walked. She smiled at the party
and waved.
“Hi
guys!”
“Hi
Sar... um Dep... er Sheriff Smith!” stumbled Roger.
She
laughed at Roger. “Relax, I'm off duty. It's just Sarah.
Besides, you can't go around calling your date to the wedding Sheriff
all night.” She winked at him. “You folks getting moved in?”
“We
were, but they don't have any vacancies,” sighed Buck. “And our
reservation was, well... canceled. We'll explain later.”
“Oh
that's too bad, I-” Sarah said as she was interrupted by a voice
behind her.
“Sheriff
Smith? The Sheriff Smith from Franklin?”
They
all turned to face the police officer.
No comments:
Post a Comment