“Does anyone else want to volunteer to cover that room?” Mark asked, glancing around the room.
The pizza delivery interrupted any replies that might have been made. While Bessie filled her plate with pizza and garlic bread, she told herself that she didn’t really mind covering for Michael again. She’d volunteered to be on the committee and she didn’t regret it, even if some jobs she had to do were less fun than others. The subject didn’t come up again until everyone was clearing up plates and cups and getting the room ready for the guests who were due to start arriving in only a few minutes.
“Bessie, I suppose I’ll have to ask you to cover for Michael,” Mark said.
“Or Bessie can cover for me and I’ll cover for Michael,” Margaret suggested. “I’m still recovering from all the children yesterday who wanted to write to Father Christmas. I’ll happily let Bessie deal with today’s crowds and cover Michael’s room instead. I did a lot of volunteer work with the Alzheimer’s Research Fund a few years back. My father suffered from Alzheimer’s, you see.”
Bessie wasn’t sure that dealing with lots of overexcited children was a better option, but she could tell Margaret really wanted to switch rooms. “That’s fine with me, if it’s okay with Mark,” she told Margaret.
“As long as the rooms are covered, I’m happy,” Mark replied.
“I’m not far away if it all gets to be too much for you,” Liz whispered to Bessie as the group began to disperse to their assigned locations. “I can change places with you for a while if you need a break.”
“Thanks,” Bessie said. “I hope I don’t have to take you up on that.”
In the end, Bessie made it through the afternoon. Most of the children were very well behaved, and when one or two began to cause trouble, a gentle reminder from a parent that Father Christmas was watching seemed to take care of everything. Bessie was relived when five o’clock finally rolled around and the castle doors were shut. The room wasn’t too untidy, and as they weren’t open again until the final evening on Christmas Eve, there was no rush to straighten and clear up anyway.
“Oh, thank you, Bessie,” Margaret said when the group reassembled in the banquet room just after five. “I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”
“It was fine,” Bessie assured her. “Some of the children were really lovely.”
“I almost missed them,” Margaret said with a laugh. “I’ll be glad to have my own room back on Thursday night.”
“I’ve spoken to the chair of the board at the Alzheimer’s Research Fund, and they’re going to send someone to staff their room for Christmas Eve,” Mark told them all.
Bessie smiled. She hadn’t really minded working the rooms, but she would much rather be out and about, wandering around the castle and chatting to her friends on Christmas Eve.
“It’s been a crazy weekend,” Mark said. “But we’re through it now. Only the big Christmas Eve auction to get through and the first ‘Christmas at the Castle’ is finished. Initial figures suggest that it has been somewhat more successful than we’d originally hoped, so at this point it seems likely that we’ll do it again next year.”
A few people clapped politely. Mark grinned. “I hope you’ll all plan on being involved again next year. But that’s for another day. For today, I’ll just thank you all for your very hard work and send you home. No one has to be back until Thursday afternoon around two. That should give us plenty of time to tidy rooms and double-check that everything is ready. I’m having dinner catered in again, and then the doors will open at seven for three hours of fun, food and fundraising.”
Having been told that they could leave, most people didn’t stay long after Mark finished speaking. Only a short time later, he and Bessie were locking up doors and making their way out of the building themselves. Henry followed them, double-checking every door along the way. Bessie frowned as she noticed how tired he looked.
“Henry, are you okay?” she asked as they reached the street.
“I’m fine,” he answered automatically.
“No, really, how are you?” Bessie asked.
“I just have to pop over the road and check on the catering for Thursday,” Mark said before disappearing into the restaurant across from the castle.
“Henry, you look really tired,” Bessie tried again, resting a hand on his arm as she spoke.
“I am a little tired,” Henry admitted. He glanced around as if making sure they were alone, and then leaned in towards Bessie. “Laura’s been acting strangely,” he whispered. “Like something is wrong, but she won’t tell me what.”
“I didn’t see her here today,” Bessie said.
“No, she asked to be moved to Rushen Abbey for a while.”
“Oh, dear,” Bessie frowned. She liked Laura and she thought that Laura and Henry made a lovely couple. “Did she say why she wanted to move?”
Henry shook his head. “She just said she wanted a change of scenery,” he told Bessie. “She said that all the bad things happening here were giving her nightmares.”
“The poor girl,” Bessie exclaimed. “Perhaps I should ring her and see how she is.”
“I think she’d like that. She’s said nice things about you since your Thanksgiving party.”
“I’m sure I have her number somewhere,” Bessie said. “But give it to me again, just in case.”
Henry recited the number from memory. Bessie jotted it down on a scrap of paper and tucked the paper in her bag.
“I’ll ring her in the next few days and see how she is,” Bessie promised. “Maybe she’s just feeling a bit homesick with the holidays coming up.”
“I doubt that. I asked her if there was anything she missed from across and she said something about being happy that she’d managed to get away. I’m not sure what she meant, actually.”
“I’ll try to talk to her and I’ll tell you how it went on Thursday,” Bessie said. “Here’s Mark,” she nodded towards the man who was now crossing the road back towards them.
“We’re all set,” he said. “Let me get you home,” he said to Bessie.
Bessie gave Henry a quick hug and then followed Mark to his car. The drive back to Laxey was a quiet one as Bessie wondered and worried about Laura and Henry. She was surprised when Mark stopped at her cottage; she’d been so lost in thought she hadn’t noticed where they were.
“See you on Thursday around half one,” Mark told Bessie as she climbed out of the car.
“Lovely,” Bessie muttered distractedly.
Inside her cottage, she fixed herself a light evening meal. She tried to divert herself with her book, but her mind wouldn’t focus. As soon as she was finished eating, she found the scrap of paper and rang Laura.
“Hello, dear, it’s Bessie Cubbon. How are you?”
“Oh, Miss Cubbon, I wasn’t expecting, that is, I didn’t, oh, I mean, I’m fine, really,” the other woman stammered.
“I know you were quite upset by Mr. Hart’s sudden death and the vandalism at the castle. When I didn’t see you there today, I thought I would ring and make sure you were okay,” Bessie explained.
“That’s very kind of you. I’m fine, really. I just asked if I could be moved to a different site. You’re right, the goings-on at Castle Rushen have upset me. I thought maybe a different site would make a nice change.”
“Where are you now, then?” Bessie asked, pretending she didn’t already know the answer.
“I’m at Rushen Abbey,” Laura replied. “It’s shut for the winter, so we’re doing a lot of cleaning and polishing and rearranging a few exhibits before the spring.”
“That does sound like more fun than dealing with the hordes of overexcited children at ‘Christmas at the Castle,’” Bessie said with a laugh.
Laura chuckled. “I enjoyed that too, but the castle was, well, unsettling, I suppose.”
“Do you have a day off this week?” Bessie asked impulsively. “I’d love to buy you lunch and get to know you better.”
“Oh, why, that’s ver
y kind, but I don’t, that is, I suppose I could, but you don’t have to pay.”
“I’ll pay this time, and if we enjoy each other’s company as much as I think we might, you can pay next time. Would that work?”
“I’d like that,” Laura said. “I don’t know many people on the island yet, aside from the people at work. I could do with making some more friends.”
“Excellent, what day works for you?”
“I’m off on Wednesday,” Laura told her.
“Is there anywhere you’d especially like to try?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I don’t really know my way around the island yet or anything. I don’t even know where you live or what’s convenient for you. I assume you live somewhere near Ramsey, as that’s where you had your Thanksgiving feast, but that day was the only time I’ve been to Ramsey aside from when I’ve visited the Grove Museum.”
“I live in Laxey,” Bessie told her.
“I’ve been to the Laxey Wheel,” Laura replied. “But I’m not sure I could find it again if I had to.”
“Let’s keep things simple,” Bessie suggested. “You’re in Douglas, right?”
“Yes, I have a flat near the museum,” Laura replied.
Bessie named her favourite Italian restaurant. “It’s right on the promenade and the food is wonderful. Shall we say midday on Wednesday?”
“That sounds wonderful,” Laura told her. “I’m really looking forward to it now.”
Bessie hung up with a smile on her face. Laura seemed like a nice woman, but moving to a new home later in life could make finding friends difficult. Bessie could only hope that she could help, by being a friend and also by introducing Laura to others. She was still making a mental list of people she wanted to introduce to Laura when someone knocked on her door.
“Doona and John? This is a pleasant surprise,” she exclaimed when she’d opened the door. “Do come in.”
“Hugh’s on his way,” Doona told Bessie after she’d given her a hug. “We thought it was time for a long conversation about what’s happening at Castle Rushen.”
“You should have rung first,” Bessie replied. “I would have baked something.”
“Hugh’s taking care of that,” John assured her, after his own welcoming hug.
Before Bessie could press for more details, Hugh was knocking on the door. Bessie let him in, and once he’d set the bakery boxes on the counter, it was his turn for a squeeze.
“What did you bring?” Doona asked.
“Fairy cakes, fruit tarts and a selection of biscuits,” Hugh replied. He flushed as everyone looked at him. “I was hungry,” he said defensively.
“You’re always hungry,” Doona said with a laugh.
Bessie switched on the kettle and started a pot of coffee brewing as well. The conversation was mostly about Hugh and his girlfriend, Grace, as Bessie fixed the drinks.
“You are going to propose on Christmas, aren’t you?” Bessie demanded. “The poor girl has waited long enough.”
“I hope so,” Hugh replied. “I’ve saved up just about enough for a nice ring, anyway. I’m taking one of Grace’s friends with me ring shopping so she can help me get something that Grace will like. Then I just have to work up the nerve to actually ask.”
“You should ask her father first,” Bessie said. “I know it’s an old-fashioned notion, but I think Grace would appreciate it.”
“I asked her father a long time ago,” Hugh said, blushing. “One night, when we were across on our summer holiday. I’d had a bit too much to drink, you see, just a few beers, really, but more than I usually drink. Everyone went to bed except Mr. Christian and me, and he asked me what my plans were for the future. I just blurted out that I wanted to marry Grace.”
“And what did he say?” Doona asked when Hugh stopped for a moment.
“Oh, he said he was happy to give me his blessing,” Hugh said. “I’m really glad it happened like that, actually, because I don’t think I could work up the nerve to ask him now.”
“Just see to it that you ask her,” Bessie said.
“Yes, I will,” Hugh said, looking down at the table.
Bessie sighed. The poor man was so smitten that he wasn’t thinking straight. Well, if he didn’t ask her at Christmas, Bessie decided she’d have to give him a gentle push.
“Right, are we all ready to talk about the case, or rather cases?” John asked as they all sat down with hot drinks and plates full of treats.
“I’d rather not,” Bessie replied. “I’d rather none of it had ever happened.”
John patted her arm. “I am sorry that you’re mixed up in another murder investigation,” he said. “Maybe the new year will be better for you.”
“I certainly hope so,” Bessie said emphatically.
“But for now, I have two dead bodies and an act of vandalism to investigate and I can use all the help I can get,” John added.
“I was hoping Pete would have the first case all wrapped up by now, at least,” Bessie said.
“He’s working on it,” John said. “But it isn’t as straightforward as we might have hoped.”
“What does that mean?” Bessie demanded.
“We were hoping to find fingerprints or fibers or something left behind by the killer, but in a hotel room like that there is just too much of everything. Besides, a number of key suspects have excuses for having been in the room, which explains away their prints.” He shook his head. “We weren’t able to get anything off the body that even hints at who killed him.”
“But it was definitely murder?” Bessie checked.
“It was definitely murder,” John confirmed.
“So, motive, means and opportunity?” Hugh asked.
“It seems like a lot of people had motives,” John said.
“But not good ones,” Bessie argued. “I mean, the charity volunteers at the castle didn’t like him, but I can’t imagine any of them killing the man just because he didn’t like their decorations.”
“Michael Beach had more reason to dislike him than that,” Doona pointed out.
“Because he could make a fuss over the punch,” Bessie said. “But that still doesn’t seem like much of a motive.”
“What about Richard or Carolyn Teare?” Hugh asked.
“I don’t know,” Bessie said thoughtfully. “He and Carolyn had a fight about something, but she won’t say what. It’s hard to imagine that it could have been that serious, though.”
“Is Richard the jealous type?” Doona asked.
“He’s never seemed to be in the past, but I don’t really know them well enough to be sure,” Bessie said. “I think I’d suspect him over her, though, if I had to choose one of them as the murderer.”
“Who else does that leave?” Hugh asked.
“The other committee members,” John said.
“Oh, none of us had any reason to kill him, surely?” Bessie replied.
“He upset everyone at the castle, didn’t he?” John asked.
“Well, yes, but Marjorie and Mary and I didn’t really mind,” Bessie said. “We just kept working on getting things ready and left Carolyn and Mark to fight it out with Mr. Hart.”
“What if one of them decided they didn’t like the direction Mr. Hart wanted to take the event?” Hugh asked.
“We weren’t going to let Mr. Hart and Carolyn ruin anything,” Bessie said firmly. “We told the volunteers they didn’t have to change anything if they didn’t want to. It would have all worked out in the end.”
“So you don’t suspect any of the committee members?” Doona asked.
“Not at all,” Bessie said stoutly.
“What about Natasha Harper?” Doona suggested.
“I don’t really know much about her,” Bessie replied. “She didn’t get along with Mr. Hart, but no one did, aside from Carolyn. He accused her of stealing his clients, but she didn’t seem upset by it. If she had a motive, I don’t know what it was.”
“She replaced Mr. Hart at the event, didn
’t she? Was it worth killing for the job and the publicity?” Hugh asked.
“I can’t imagine so,” Bessie said. “She was already redoing Thie yn Traie for Mary. She just helped out at ‘Christmas at the Castle’ because she was already here. I suppose she might have received a bit of local publicity, but she works across mostly. She’s only here because Mary is paying for her to be here.”
“Maybe she fell in love with the island and wanted to stay forever,” Doona said. “That does happen to people.”
“But Mr. Hart wasn’t her competition over here,” Bessie pointed out. “He was only on the island because Carolyn brought him over, and he was just meant to be here for two days. He needed to get back to start filming a new television show, apparently.”
“I wonder who’ll be replacing him in that,” John mused.
“I suppose, if it’s Natasha, that could be a motive,” Bessie said. “But I can’t see how she’d be sure she’d get the job if something happened to him.”
John made a note in his notebook. “I’ll see what I can find out about that,” he said. “What about the staff at the castle? Any of them have any reason to kill the visiting designer?”
Bessie shook her head. “He was horrid to Laura and upset her, which made Henry angry, but it’s a long way from upset or angry to murder. Neither Henry nor Laura would hurt a fly.”
“In your opinion,” Hugh said.
“Laura has only been on the island for a few months,” John said. “I’m not sure you can totally discount her. We’re looking into her background to see if she knew Mr. Hart before she moved across.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Bessie said. “But I still don’t think she’s a killer.”
“What about the vandalism?” John changed the subject.
“I can see just about anyone doing that,” Bessie said. “We all hated that room. It was pretty horrible.”
“But actually destroying the room took some effort,” John told her. “Do you really think Mary or Marjorie did it?”
“No,” Bessie shook her head. “Actually, it’s hard to imagine why anyone did it. It seems like pointless destruction. I can’t see that anyone gained anything from it.”
Aunt Bessie Joins Page 16