“It looks wonderful,” Andrew said.
The pair focussed on their food for several minutes.
“Delicious,” Andrew pronounced. “I’m glad we chose this restaurant. It’s wonderful.”
“It is good tonight,” Bessie agreed, “but then, I’ve never had a bad meal here.”
A moment later a loud voice filled the dining room. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time to get back to the bus. Please make certain that you’ve settled your bill before you leave the dining room,” a short woman in a bright red dress said loudly from the centre of the room.
Everyone else in the room began to gather up their things. It seemed to Bessie as if they all began talking at once, as well.
“I didn’t get the bill yet.”
“The bus can’t leave without anyone.”
“Harriet just went to the loo and she hasn’t paid yet.”
“I didn’t get my fortune cookie.”
“Where is my handbag? Jonathan, have you seen my handbag?”
“Where is the loo, then?”
Bessie looked at Andrew and they both chuckled.
“I don’t think that sort of touring is for me,” Bessie said quietly.
“Come on, you two, eat up. My goodness, you’re way behind the others. We have to get back to Port Erin before it gets dark or there won’t be time for ice cream,” the woman in red said as she approached their table.
“I’d hate to miss the ice cream,” Andrew said, giving Bessie a mischievous wink.
“You’ll have to get a move on, then, and get the bill paid quickly, too,” the woman told them. “There isn’t time for either of you to go to the loo, either, so don’t even ask.”
Bessie opened her mouth to tell the woman that they weren’t part of her coach party, but the woman had already turned and begun to walk away.
“Do you think she’ll come back and shout at us some more?” Andrew asked. “If I weren’t so hungry, I think I’d eat as slowly as I could, just to frustrate her.”
“Surely she should realise that we aren’t part of her tour group.”
“She should, which is why it’s such fun pretending that we are,” Andrew laughed.
A few minutes later, the woman began sending people out of the restaurant. “Straight out the door and onto the bus,” she told them, one after another. “We haven’t time to waste. Get on the bus and find seats anywhere. You needn’t worry about where you sat before. Just sit down.”
“She makes bus touring seem such fun,” Andrew said softly.
“Indeed.”
“Are you two still eating?” the woman demanded a moment later. “You’ll have to get that packaged up for takeaway. I can’t wait for you any longer.”
“I believe Harriet is still in the loo,” Bessie said.
The woman glared at her for a minute and then stalked away towards the loos in the corner. As she pulled open the door, their waiter rushed over to them.
“I’m not sure that she realises that you aren’t a part of the tour group,” he said. “I tried to tell her, but she wouldn’t listen to me.”
“We’ll tell her if she ever lets us get a word in,” Bessie replied.
A moment later the woman was back, rushing an older woman out of the loo as she went. “Right, you two are the last ones. Let’s go,” she said sharply.
“We aren’t actually with your tour group,” Bessie told her, “and I’m feeling quite sorry for the poor men and women who are.”
“What do you mean, you aren’t with my group? Why didn’t you say something when I first spoke to you?” the woman demanded.
“Do you really have time to stay here and argue with us?” Andrew asked.
Bessie hid a chuckle behind her napkin as the woman shot him an angry look and then rushed out of the room. As soon as the door shut behind her, Bessie, Andrew, and the waiter all began to laugh.
“I was talking to one of the women on the tour. They’ve been travelling with this guide for a fortnight now and she still hasn’t learned anyone’s name or even bothered to speak to any of them,” the waiter said. “She just shouts at them to get them to go from place to place and then shouts out a little bit of history about each thing when they arrive at the various sites. The woman I spoke with said that they’re all spending their spare time drafting their letters of complaint to the tour company.”
“Which company is it?” Bessie asked.
“Not one of the ones we usually get,” the waiter replied. “They’re here from somewhere near Dover. I believe it’s the first time the company has come to the island, and I’m not sure if they’ll ever be coming back again.”
“If they do, I hope they find a better guide,” Bessie said.
She and Andrew finished their meal and then cracked open their fortune cookies.
“You enjoy solving life’s mysteries,” Bessie read her fortune.
“I suppose that’s accurate,” Andrew said with a smile. “Expect the unexpected,” he read from his cookie. “I’m not sure I like that.”
“Maybe you’ll get unexpected good things,” Bessie suggested.
“I certainly hope so,” he replied.
The walk back to the car was exactly what Bessie needed after her large meal. When they were both in their seats, Andrew stared at the building across the road for a moment.
“I wish I knew which flat was Kenny’s,” he said after a minute.
“For all we know, it could be one at the back. Let’s just go home.”
“You’re right, of course. I’m afraid I’m getting rather obsessed with this case of John’s. At least it keeps me from spending all of my time thinking about Lukas’s case.”
“Maybe you’ll have an email from him when you get back to your cottage.”
“I just might. Now I’m in a hurry to get there,” he laughed as he started the engine.
On the drive back to Laxey, they chatted easily about holidays they’d taken when they were younger.
“Of course, once the children came along, all of our holidays revolved around them. We did a lot of holiday parks and that sort of thing. My wife always enjoyed them at least as much as the children did. I’d have preferred to spend more time at historical sites, but the children were never interested and neither was my wife,” Andrew told her.
He parked his car outside Bessie’s cottage. “I’ll just go and check my laptop for messages. I won’t be long,” he told Bessie as they climbed out of the car.
“I’ll put the kettle on,” Bessie replied, “and get out some chocolate biscuits.”
Andrew grinned and then walked quickly away. Inside Treoghe Bwaane Bessie put fresh water in the kettle and switched it on. As she was pulling down teacups, the phone rang.
“Bessie? It’s Helen Corkill, just ringing you back.”
“My goodness, it seems strange to hear you calling yourself that,” Bessie laughed. Helen had just recently married Peter Corkill, a police inspector with the Douglas Constabulary.
“I’m just starting to get used to it,” Helen replied. “I’ve kept my maiden name for work, but I’m using Pete’s socially. I must say it still makes me smile every time I say it.”
“That’s good to hear. I hope you and Pete will continue to be very happy together.”
“We’re working on it. It’s proving to be something of an adjustment, married life, but we both feel it’s worth some hard work.”
“I’m sure it is. I don’t want to keep you, though. I was wondering if you could suggest a way for me to meet Kenny Wilkins. I understand he works as a lab technician at Noble’s.”
“He does. He’s actually a really good guy. Why do you want to meet him?”
“John has been talking about an old murder case, and Kenny’s involved in it, that’s all. Andrew Cheatham and I have been talking to some of the witnesses, trying to help John out.”
“I’d heard that Inspector Cheatham was on the island. Pete would love to meet him. He’s familiar with his work, of course.�
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“We should have dinner together while he’s here. I’m sure Andrew would love to meet you both.”
“Let me check with Pete and see when he’s free. But you asked about Kenny. John must be looking into Jeanne Stowe’s death. Kenny mentioned her to me once.”
“That’s the murder that John is hoping to reinvestigate,” Bessie replied, “but as Andrew and I don’t have any official standing, we can’t just turn up on Kenny’s doorstep and ask him questions.”
“I’m sure he’d be happy to talk to you, though. He’s still really broken up about Jeanne’s death. He’d do anything to help the police find her killer. Let me ring him and see if I can arrange something. I assume you’d prefer to do this as soon as possible.”
“Absolutely. Tomorrow afternoon would be best.”
Bessie put the phone down and made two cups of tea. By the time she was finished with that job, Helen rang back.
“He’ll meet you at two o’clock tomorrow afternoon in the café at Noble’s. That’s his lunch break, so he won’t have a lot of time, but as I thought, he’ll be happy to speak with you. I told him that it wasn’t a formal investigation or anything, but that Andrew Cheatham was one of London’s top criminal investigators. He’s eager to help.”
“Thank you so much,” Bessie said. “Do check with Pete and ring me back. I’m sure Andrew would love to meet you both.”
Helen promised to do that. Bessie put the phone down and found a box of chocolate biscuits. She was just piling them onto a plate when Andrew knocked on her door.
Chapter 12
“You look as if you have news,” he said as he walked into the cottage.
“I do. I just talked to my friend at Noble’s. She’s arranged for us to meet with Kenny tomorrow afternoon. According to her, he’s eager to find out what happened to Jeanne and happy to cooperate with our unofficial investigation.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“My friend is married to a police inspector who would love to meet you,” Bessie added. “I told her you’d be happy to meet him if we can find a time and a place that fits your schedule.”
“I’m always happy to meet any of your friends, no matter what they do for a living, but it’s a special pleasure talking to other members of the constabulary.”
“Good. She’s going to let me know what works for them. Do you have news as well?”
“I do, and it isn’t as good as yours.”
“Your friend found Dorothy?” Bessie guessed.
“He did. Or rather he found out what happened to her. She died in a plane crash about a year after Flora died.”
“A plane crash?”
“Yes, but not a commercial jet. This was a small private plane, being piloted by her fiancé. The pair were flying from London to Paris for a romantic holiday together when they crashed.”
“I assume it was investigated thoroughly?”
“It was investigated, yes. Unfortunately, the plane crashed into the English Channel and there wasn’t much left of it when the wreckage was found. The bodies were never recovered.”
Bessie shuddered. “Maybe I don’t want to hear the rest of this.”
“Investigators determined that the engines had failed, but couldn’t work out why. No distress call was received before the crash.”
“So it was just a tragic accident?”
“If you believe in coincidences, yes. I’m not fond of them when it comes to murder investigations, though. Neither is Lukas. He’s pushing for more information and might ask that the case be reopened.”
“If we’re right and Betty is behind all of this, how did she cause a plane to crash?”
“Before we worry about that, we have to find Betty,” Andrew replied. “Or Cindy, if that’s who she is. I will say that the more Lukas discovers, the more I’m inclined to believe your theory. I’m hoping to have some answers about the charity tomorrow. On the surface it looks legitimate, but there is a lot more digging to be done before I’ll believe that.”
“And no one knows where Betty is now?”
“Remember that she’s officially Cindy,” Andrew reminded her. “Lukas spoke to her mother. Her father passed away some years ago. Her mother hasn’t seen her since before the fateful skiing holiday. She did tell him that she’d reached out to Cindy a couple of times, asking her to get in touch, but she’s never had a reply.”
“If she reached out to her, she must know where Cindy is.”
“She has an address for her, yes. It’s a flat in London that Cindy owns. Lukas had someone in London check and it appears that no one is living there at the moment. Lukas’s friend asked around and no one in the building could ever remember seeing anyone going into or out of the flat. He tried talking to the building’s manager, but the man was only friendly until Cindy’s name came up. Then he shut down and refused to say anything else.”
“Why would she kill the other three women? She’d already gone to prison for Betty’s murder. Was it just because they knew her real identity?”
“I suspect that might be at least part of it. We may have to wait until Lukas finds her to learn the rest of it.”
“I don’t want you to leave the island until Cindy or Betty or whoever she is found,” Bessie exclaimed. “It would be like reading a murder mystery where the last chapter is missing.”
“Unfortunately, real-life crime is often like that. Remember, this case has been haunting my friend for thirty years. I promise to let you know the outcome if and when my friend finds Cindy, though.”
Bessie had to be happy with that. The pair drank their tea and nibbled some chocolate biscuits while they talked about Betty and Cindy and the other women. When they were done, they took a long walk on the beach together.
“I think I’m glad I waited until September to come to visit you,” Andrew said as he skirted around a pair of small children building a sandcastle. “I imagine the beach was much busier during the summer months.”
“It was, indeed,” Bessie agreed. “It feels almost quiet now, with only a few people around.”
“I’m not sure I’d call this quiet,” Andrew laughed. A group of teenagers were playing loud music from a huge portable stereo system set up behind one of the cottages. A little girl, maybe three years old, was sobbing loudly as her mother tried to get her to come inside their cottage. Beyond that, two dogs were chasing one another up and down the beach, and both were barking constantly.
“It’s been much worse,” Bessie told him, “but in another week or two, everyone will be gone and I’ll have the beach all to myself for the winter.”
“Do they ever hire out the cottages in the winter?”
“They haven’t before, but I suppose they might if someone was interested.”
“I may have to ring up and see about that,” Andrew said lightly.
A few minutes later he walked Bessie back home again. “I’ll collect you at nine and we’ll go and see about some insurance,” he told Bessie.
“I’m looking forward to talking to both Max and Kenny, and then sharing everything with John and the others. I hope John can reopen the case. I feel as if we’re close to finding a solution.”
It wasn’t quite late enough for Bessie to go to bed, so she read for a short while. For some reason she simply couldn’t get interested in the latest cosy mystery that she’d bought, though. Maybe it was because the two cases she was involved with were much more interesting than the fictional one the author described, she thought as she washed her face and got ready for bed. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow and she slept soundly until two minutes before six.
As she locked her door behind her, ready for her morning walk on the beach, she was surprised to hear her name being called.
“Bessie? I thought you’d be out and about around now,” Andrew said as he crossed the sand towards her.
“I hope you didn’t have trouble sleeping,” Bessie told him.
“No, not at all. I slept incredibly well and then woke up
at six, wide awake and ready to start my day.”
“You need a nice brisk walk on the beach,” Bessie suggested.
“As it is far too early to head to Ramsey, and the fresh sea air seems to be doing wonders for my health, I’m going to have to agree with you.”
Bessie headed, as she usually did, for the water’s edge before turning and heading towards Thie yn Traie in the distance. Andrew fell into step beside her.
“I hope you don’t mind my coming along,” he said after a few minutes. “I’m sure you enjoy the peace and quiet of your morning stroll.”
“I do, but you’re more than welcome to join me while you’re here. You’ll be back in London before we know it.”
“I’ve been thinking about seriously looking at property over here, but I hate the thought of being away from my children and grandchildren. I may have to look at moving somewhere near the sea in England, though. The air really does seem to agree with me.”
Bessie felt an odd rush of disappointment and relief at the same time. She was really enjoying Andrew’s company, but she wasn’t sure she wanted him to move to the island. He was more than welcome to visit regularly, though, she thought as they passed the stairs to Thie yn Traie and continued onwards.
“It feels as if we’re the only people awake anywhere,” Andrew said a moment later.
“This stretch of beach is always quiet, even when the holiday cottages are completely booked with holidaymakers,” Bessie told him. “If we keep going, we’ll eventually reach the new homes that were built in the last year. They’re right on the beach, and I believe someone is living in most, if not all of them.”
“Are some of them still for sale?”
“No, they’ve all sold, but at least one was purchased by a couple from across. They intend to use it as a holiday home, I understand.”
Before much longer, the houses came into view. As far as Bessie could see, all the curtains in every home were tightly shut.
“It appears everyone is still fast asleep,” Andrew said.
“I suspect at least some of the residents are up and getting ready for work, but you’d never know it from out here.”
Aunt Bessie Solves Page 18