“We have wonderful beaches,” Anne told her. “And there’s a small railway museum. Otherwise, there’s terrific scenery and lots of great places to walk.”
“I’ll have to make a trip down there soon,” Fenella said.
“Maybe you could ride down with me tomorrow,” Peter suggested. “I’ll be taking Anne home, anyway.”
“I wish I could,” Fenella told him. “But I have a driving lesson.”
“Are you taking lessons from Mel?” Anne asked.
“Yes,” Fenella replied.
“So that’s why you’re so curious about Kay,” Anne suggested. “You’re afraid you’re riding around town with a man who killed his wife and hid the body.”
“Anne!” Peter said. “Mel did no such thing.”
Anne flushed. “I didn’t say he did,” she defended herself.
“I think Mel seems very nice,” Fenella said after an awkward pause.
“He is very nice,” Anne said. “Maybe too nice.”
“What does that mean?” Fenella asked.
Anne sighed and set her empty glass back on the table. “I should have just told the police the whole story,” she said. “It isn’t like it matters, not after all these years.”
“What story?” Shelly demanded.
“Kay met a man,” Anne said. “He was from across, just on the island for a month or so for work. She fell hard, and once he’d gone back across, she found out she was pregnant.”
“When was this?” Fenella asked, confused.
“Oh, before she married Mel,” Anne said. “That was just it. Mel married her because she was terrified of being on her own with the baby. He was too nice, really, as she didn’t really love him. She was still in love with the man from across.”
“I assume she told the man from across about the baby,” Shelly said.
“Oh, yeah, she rang him up. His wife answered, though. He’d neglected to mention that little detail,” Anne replied.
“Poor Kay,” Peter said. “I never heard any of this.”
“Kay did her best to keep it all quiet,” Anne said. “She told me, of course, and she told Mel. She wanted him to take her across so she could get rid of the baby, but he offered to marry her instead. She wasn’t sure about it, but she agreed in the end.”
“But what happened to the baby?” Peter asked. “I never even knew she was pregnant.”
“She lost the baby just a few days after the wedding,” Anne told him. “Mel offered to give her a divorce, but she was so grateful to him that she decided to try to make it work. They were doing really well, too, before Kay disappeared.”
“Maybe she left to go and find the man from across,” Shelly said. “You really do need to tell the police about him.”
“I would if I could,” Anne said. “But she never told me a single thing about him. I never even knew more than his Christian name.”
“Mel might know more, if the police knew to ask him about it,” Fenella pointed out. “Whoever he is, he certainly needs to be questioned about Kay’s disappearance.”
“Mel doesn’t want people to know about him,” Anne said. “He was really in love with Kay and he doesn’t want people to think that she only married him because she was in trouble.”
“But the mystery man might know what happened to Kay,” Shelly argued.
“I can’t see how,” Anne said. “He and Kay hadn’t spoken in over three years, ever since he’d left. She would have told me if he’d been in touch.”
“It does give a different picture of Mel and Kay’s relationship, though,” Fenella said. “And the police need to know about it.”
“Mel will be cross with me,” Anne said softly.
“I can’t believe he’s never told me any of this,” Peter said.
“Like I said, he doesn’t like people to know,” Anne said. “He may even deny it, if you bring it up to him.”
Shelly and Fenella exchanged glances. Was it possible the woman was making up the entire story?
“Round three?” Anne asked, holding up her empty glass.
“That would be my round,” Fenella said. “I’m happy to pay, but I don’t want any more. Two glasses of wine is plenty for me.”
“I’m done as well,” Shelly said. “I need to get home to Smokey, anyway.”
“Smokey?” Anne asked.
“My cat,” Shelly told her.
“Of course,” Anne nodded. “I suppose you have a cat, too?” she asked Fenella.
“I do,” Fenella replied. “Her name is Katie, but she’s at the vet’s office tonight. She was spayed this morning.”
Anne sighed. “Women like you make it so much harder for the rest of us,” she complained. “I don’t think single women should be allowed to own cats. We should be content on our own, without turning into sad, lonely cat lovers.”
“I’m neither sad nor lonely,” Shelly said tartly.
“Single women of a certain age aren’t the only people who keep cats for pets,” Fenella pointed out. “It isn’t like either of us is keeping dozens of them, either.”
“Yes, well, whatever,” Anne said. “I don’t have any pets. I’m quite happy on my own.” She looked over at Peter and then flushed and looked down at the table. “Or maybe with a male companion now and again,” she said softly.
“Peter, did you want another drink?” Fenella asked, getting to her feet.
“Oh, no, I think I’m good for tonight,” he said. “I’d like to get home, really.”
“Oh, come on, Peter,” Anne coaxed. “The cat ladies can get off home and we can have another round, surely?”
“If you really want another drink, I have wine in my flat,” Peter said.
“Oh, really?” Anne murmured. “What are we waiting for, then?”
She was on her feet, swaying slightly, before Peter and Shelly stood up. The foursome made their way to the elevator and then walked together out of the pub. Shelly waved to a few people along the way, but Fenella didn’t recognize anyone.
“Isn’t it a lovely night?” Anne asked as she wound her arm around Peter. “Maybe we should have a walk on the promenade before we go to bed.”
“I don’t think so,” Peter said. “It looks as if it might rain.”
Anne looked up at the sky and then sighed dramatically. “I suppose you’re right,” she said. “Another time, maybe.”
Shelly and Fenella walked behind the couple, with Shelly making faces every time Anne spoke. Fenella had to keep biting her tongue to stop herself from laughing at Shelly’s antics. The foursome crossed the apartment building’s lobby together and then boarded an elevator.
“Isn’t this cozy?” Anne asked. “Are you going to follow us to Peter’s door, as well?”
“As we all live on the same corridor, we are, actually,” Shelly said. “Is that a problem for you?”
Anne frowned, but was saved from having to reply as the elevator door opened on the sixth floor. Shelly and Fenella let Peter and Anne out of the elevator and then watched as they made their way to Peter’s door.
“Um, good night,” he called back to them. “I’ll see you both tomorrow.”
“Yes, but not too early,” Anne added. “I shall want to sleep late.”
Peter glanced at Fenella, a slightly desperate look on his face. He shrugged and then led Anne into his apartment.
“He looked terrified,” Shelly remarked.
“She’s interesting,” Fenella said.
“She’s horrible,” Shelly corrected her. “And poor Peter is stuck in there alone with her.”
“Peter’s been married twice,” Fenella pointed out. “He should know his way around women.”
“Peter is just too nice for his own good,” Shelly sighed. “Mark my words, we haven’t seen the last of Anne Maxwell.”
With Shelly’s dire prediction ringing in her ears, Fenella let herself into her own apartment. “Katie?” she called out of habit. Tears sprang into her eyes as she remembered that Katie wasn’t there.
&n
bsp; “Honestly, she’ll only be gone the one night,” Mona said from her seat in the living room.
“I know,” Fenella said. She tapped on her phone and then smiled at Mona. “And I can see that she’s going just fine, as well.”
“I know she is,” Mona said. “I went and paid her a visit.”
“You did? You can? How was she?”
“She’s fine,” Mona told her. “A little uncomfortable, but fine otherwise. She’ll be back to normal in a day or two.”
“I hope so.”
“How was your evening?” Mona asked.
“Interesting,” Fenella said. She told her aunt all about Anne Maxwell, including the story about Kay and the man from across. When she was finished, Mona was frowning.
“The police need to find that man,” Mona said. “And you need to get that woman away from Peter.”
“Peter can look after himself,” Fenella said.
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“He’s known Anne for years. They grew up together.”
“Yes, and she’ll use that to her advantage. I just hope he lets her know that he lost a lot of money in his last divorce. He’ll be far less attractive to her if she thinks he’s nearly broke.”
“I don’t think you’re being fair to Anne,” Fenella said. “You’ve never even met her.”
“No, but I don’t like what you’ve told me about her,” Mona replied. “Besides, you said Shelly doesn’t like her. That’s enough for me. Shelly is an excellent judge of character.”
“I need some sleep,” Fenella said. “I have another driving lesson tomorrow.”
“Excellent. You can ask Mel about the man from across and the baby,” Mona replied.
“No I can’t,” Fenella gasped. “That would be incredibly rude.”
“Surely it would be better coming from you than from the police,” Mona said. “At least this way he’ll know that Anne has been talking out of turn, and he’ll be ready when the police come knocking on his door.”
Fenella sighed. “I’m going to bed,” she said. “I’ll think about it tomorrow.”
Her sleep was restless, though, filled with driverless cars that kept going around and around her as she tried to walk across the promenade. She was starting to get quite desperate, as she had to try to stop Peter’s wedding, but she couldn’t get across the street. She knew that Anne had sent the cars especially to stop her, which made it all much worse.
“Stop the wedding,” she yelled as she sat up in bed. She blinked and looked around the room. Her alarm would be going off in exactly three minutes. Sighing, she flopped back down on the pillows and shook her head. Maybe the sea air was responsible for all of the odd nightmares that had plagued her since she’d been on the island.
When the alarm rang, she switched it off and took herself to the bathroom for a shower. She was ready to go at eight o’clock. After pacing around her apartment for several minutes, she decided to take her excess energy out for a long walk on the promenade instead. As much as she tried to dawdle as she went along, she was still standing at Mr. Stone’s office door a quarter of an hour early. The door was locked, leaving Fenella to pace in front of the building for fifteen minutes. Just before nine, the young receptionist arrived.
“You should have rung the bell,” she told Fenella, pointing to a small doorbell. There was a sign over the bell that read “Ring for service out of hours.”
“I didn’t see it,” Fenella admitted.
“Mr. Stone stayed here last night,” the girl said as she unlocked the door. “He would have let you in early.”
“Ah, Ms. Woods,” the man himself said a moment later as Fenella took a seat in the waiting room. “Katie’s all ready for home.”
Fenella followed him eagerly into the small recovery room. She glanced around the room, feeling as if she’d memorized nearly every inch of it as she’d stared at it on her phone’s screen. Katie was still in the same large cage, but she looked up when Fenella walked in.
“Mmerrow,” she said softly.
“Hello, you beautiful thing,” Fenella said. “I’m sorry I had to put you through this.”
“She’ll be fine in a few days,” Mr. Stone told her. “I’ve used self-dissolving stitches, so I won’t need to see her again to remove them. I’m sure you’ve read through the instruction sheets. Do you have any questions?”
As Fenella had more or less memorized the pages of instructions that she’d been given, she couldn’t think of a single question to ask. She shook her head and then swallowed hard as Mr. Stone picked up Katie and put her in Fenella’s arms. Don’t cry, she told herself sternly.
“If you have any problems or concerns, don’t hesitate to get in touch,” the man told her. “I’m always just a phone call away.”
Fenella nodded and then began the short walk home, carefully carrying her precious cargo. In the apartment, she carefully laid Katie on a new cat bed that she’d just purchased.
“Mr. Stone says you won’t be jumping on and off the furniture for a day or two,” she told Katie. “I thought you might like this bed instead.”
“Merrroow,” Katie said tiredly.
Fenella had put the bed in the kitchen, near Katie’s food and water bowls. After making sure that both bowls were adequately filled, Fenella wandered into the living room. She still had time to kill before her driving lesson, and clearly Katie wasn’t in the mood to play with her.
She looked through a few books and finally settled in with a new biography of Henry the Eighth. The author took a slightly different approach to the subject, which Fenella found interesting. She nearly lost track of time and ended up rushing slightly in order to be at the curb when Mel arrived.
“Be good while I’m gone,” Fenella called to Katie. A quick peek showed her that the kitten was fast asleep in her bed.
“Next time, you’ll drive from here,” Mel told her as she slid into the passenger seat. “You need to get used to driving on busy roads, and especially on the street where you live.”
Fenella nodded, even though the thought of driving on the promenade made her feel sick. Mel drove back out to the same residential neighborhood and then switched off the car.
“Right, your turn,” he said.
Fenella took her place behind the wheel, feeling as if she were sixteen again and new to driving in every way.
“Start the car and put it into drive,” Mel coached her.
Fenella turned the key and then slammed her hand into the car’s door as she reached for the gear stick that wasn’t there. She sighed and put her right hand back on the steering wheel. Reaching out with her left hand, she put the car into drive.
They drove around the quiet streets a couple of times before Mel directed her to turn onto a busier road. Within seconds, she encountered her first roundabout. Mel talked her through it gently.
“Thank goodness there wasn’t anyone else around,” she said as they continued on their way.
“It won’t always be this quiet,” Mel pointed out. “You need to learn to deal with traffic as well as the roads.”
Fenella felt as if she was focusing every bit of her brain on driving. It was exhausting. After half an hour, she had cramps in her hands from holding on to the steering wheel so tightly, as well.
“Let’s take a break,” Mel suggested. “Turn left at the next junction and we’ll stop on a quiet street so you can stretch.”
Fenella followed the instructions eagerly. She needed a break, although she would have preferred one that offered coffee, and maybe a slice of chocolate cake as well. When she’d parked the car, Mel turned and smiled at her.
“Get out and stretch your legs,” he suggested. “We can take ten minutes or so off. It won’t count towards your lesson time.”
Climbing out of the car felt wonderful. Fenella walked up and down the sidewalk several times, flexing her fingers and inhaling deeply. After a moment, Mel joined her.
“I understand you were talking to Anne Maxwell last night,” h
e said.
“I was having a drink with Peter Cannell,” Fenella explained. “She came over and joined us.”
“And told you some story about me marrying Kay because she was pregnant by another man,” he said.
“She did,” Fenella confirmed.
“Did you believe her?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Fenella replied. “It’s really nothing to do with me, anyway.”
Mel nodded. “Just for the record, I’m not that nice of a person.”
Fenella wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she simply nodded. After an awkward moment, a thought popped into her head.
“How did you know that I’d met Anne last night?” she asked.
“Oh, she rang me from Peter’s flat last night, more than a little drunk and sobbing about giving away all of Kay’s secrets. I felt quite sorry for Peter, really.”
“You aren’t worried that she’ll go to the police with the story?”
“She can tell it to whoever she wants,” Mel said with a shrug. “It won’t be more true for having been spread all over the island.” Fenella nodded. “I think she was just trying to impress Peter,” he told her. “She’s been in love with him since primary school.”
Back behind the steering wheel, she pushed that thought out of her head and returned her focus to driving. It wasn’t long before Mel had her making her way down the promenade.
“And here we are,” he said as she stopped the car at the curb in front of her apartment building. “That wasn’t too bad, was it?”
“It was fine,” Fenella lied politely.
“Monday, we’ll start working on the various maneuvers you might need,” he told her. “Reverse parking and those kinds of things. Once I know you’re comfortable with all of them and with driving in traffic, we’ll switch back to the other car.”
Fenella nodded unenthusiastically. It was only as she was crossing the lobby that she suddenly thought of Katie. Increasing her pace didn’t help much, as she still had to wait for the elevator that seemed incredibly slow today.
“Katie, I’m back,” she called as she walked into her apartment.
The tiny animal didn’t appear to have moved the entire time Fenella was gone. Her tiny little furry ball of energy was worryingly quiet as Fenella checked her food and water bowls. They hadn’t been touched.
Cars and Cold Cases Page 10