All Night Long

Kirbyville.”
    Addison looked more uneasy than ever but he stood his ground. “Uh, how much extra is the honeymoon suite?”

    Luke leaned on the counter. “For you two? No extra charge. Provided you obey all the regs, of course.”
    On the other side of the lobby Irene raised her eyes to the vaulted ceiling.
    “Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” Addison grabbed his wife’s hand and dragged her toward the door. “Com n, Janice. I got us the honeymoon suite.”
    “I can’t wait until we go back to Kirbyville to tell everyone about this,” Janice said, alight with anticipation.
    The pair dashed outside.
    Luke folded his arms on the counter and watched the young couple through the window. “Honeymooners. Gotta love ‘em.”
    “It looked more like you were trying to scare them,” Irene said.
    “Why would I do that? Marriage will scare them pretty damn quick. No need for me to speed up the process.”
    “I’ll bet you don’t get a lot of repeat business here at Sunrise Lodge, do you?”
    He spread his hands. “What did I say?”
    “It wasn’t what you said, it was how you said it. You talked to that poor young man as though he was a raw recruit in boot camp. He’s on his honeymoon, for heaven’s sake, and judging by the fact that he and his wife booked a room here, I expect they’re on an extremely limited budget.”
    “Give me a break. All I did was check them into a cabin.”
    “The honeymoon suite, hmm? I wasn’t aware that this lodge had one.”
    “Management takes the view that if you spend your honeymoon in one of our cabins, said cabin is, by definition, the honeymoon suite.”
    “I see. Logical.”
    “Certainly struck me that way” Luke said.
    “Nevertheless, you could have been a little more gentle with Mr. and Mrs. Addison.”
    “All I did was ask them to fill out the damned forms.”

    “Luke, you made them very nervous.”
    He went around the end of the counter to pour himself another cup of coffee. “You know, I’m startin o think that’s the biggest problem with the innkeeping business.”
    “What?”
    “The clientele. They’re undisciplined, untrained and unpredictable.” He watched the Addisons climb into an aging Ford 1 pickup and drive off toward Cabin Number Ten. “Yeah, gotta say, if it weren’t for the paying guests, this wouldn’t be a bad line of work.”
    She shook her head. “Where’s Jason?”
    “He left right after breakfast. Something about a meeting with a supplier later this morning. What ar ou up to today?”
    “I called an old acquaintance here in town, Sandra Pace, and asked her if she knew who has been taking care of the Webb house. Turns out it’s Connie Watson, the same woman who cleaned for Pamela an er father all those years ago when I lived here.”
    “You’re going to talk to Watson?”
    “Yes.” Irene glanced at her watch. “Thought I’d drive out to her place now. I’m hoping to catch her before she leaves for the day.”
    He exhaled slowly. “Meaning she doesn’t know you’re coming?”
    “I was afraid that if I called her and tried to make an appointment, she might refuse to talk to me. Lik lot of other people in town, Connie has reasons to be loyal to the Webbs.”
    “I’ll go with you.”
    “That’s not necessary Luke.”
    “I said I’ll go with you.”
    She looked troubled. “It’s probably best if you don’t get any more involved in this thing.”

    “Jason said something along those lines, too.”
    Shadows deepened in her eyes. “He did? Well, he’s right. You live in this town, after all. You’ve got a business here, although, given the way you’re running it, I’m not sure how you’re going to make enough to pay the taxes. But that’s another issue. The point is, you should try to stay out of this mess. Anything that involves the Webbs is more than a bit dicey here in Dunsley.”
    “Dicey in Dunsley.” He smiled a little. “Got a ring to it.”
    “I mean it,” she said tensely. “I really think you should stay clear of this situation.
    Obviously your brother feels the same way.”
    “What you and Jason don’t seem to grasp is that it’s way too late for all the good advice. I’m already u o my, uh—” He broke off, clearing his throat. “My neck in this thing.”
    “It’s not too late.” She set the mug down so hard on the table that tea splashed onto the scarred wooden surface. She grabbed a napkin and hastily blotted up the drops.
    “You’re just being stubborn.”
    To Luke’s