“So maybe Moirrey cut the brake lines before she died,” Rockwell suggested. “I’ll have to talk to my experts and find out how far the car could have been driven before the brakes failed.”
“It’s a theory,” Bessie said doubtfully.
“But?” the inspector laughed. “Come on, I hear the doubt in your tone.”
“I simply can’t imagine Moirrey having the first clue how to cut brake lines. And I really can’t see her crawling under a car to do it, even if she could find out how from somewhere.”
“Maybe her mysterious boyfriend did the dirty work for her.”
Bessie shrugged. “I haven’t had any luck tracking him down,” she told the inspector. “No one seems to know anything about it. I thought I might go and have a chat with Janet Munroe. Maybe she can help me figure out who it was.”
“I’m not sure I like the idea of you visiting suspects,” the inspector frowned. “You know as well as I do how dangerous that can be.”
“I’ll arrange to meet her in a public place,” Bessie suggested. “And you can have Hugh sitting at the next table if you really think it’s necessary.”
Rockwell grinned at her. “Definitely meet her in a public place. Let me know where and when, and I may just have Hugh, or someone, stationed nearby.”
“Fair enough,” Bessie agreed.
“Meanwhile, what can I do about Anne?” Rockwell asked.
“What do you mean?”
“She knows who cut her brake lines or at least she has a pretty strong suspicion. How can I get her to tell me?”
“What makes you think she knows?”
“Nothing specific,” Rockwell shrugged. “Just lots of little things. She’s refusing to have any visitors, for one thing. That suggests that there is someone she really doesn’t want to see, but she doesn’t want to single him or her out. She’s hiding something and I want to know what it is.”
“Well, I can see what I can get out of Andy while he’s taking me home,” Bessie told him.
“That would be good,” Rockwell grinned. “Can you think of anyone, other than Moirrey, who might have had a motive for getting rid of Anne?”
Bessie opened her mouth to reply, but the soup, sandwiches and teacake all arrived at once. For several minutes the pair got on with the important job of refueling their bodies.
“This is good,” Rockwell said as he scooped up the last of his soup.
Bessie laughed. “You sound surprised.”
“Well, hospital food isn’t usually known for being tasty.”
“Oh, this isn’t what they feed to the patients,” Bessie told him. “That’s as dire as you would expect. But they look after visitors and the staff quite well.”
Rockwell shook his head. “You’d think people would get better faster if they were eating well.”
“The problem, of course, is catering to everyone’s very specialised diet. Everyone in hospital is on a low-salt or low-cholesterol or low-something diet. Here in the café, they can add salt and fats and all the things that make everything so delicious but so bad for us.”
Rockwell laughed. “Well, they’ve done a good job with this.” He popped the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth and then buttered his teacake. Bessie washed down her last bite with the last of her tea.
“It was very good,” she agreed. “But you asked me who else might want to get rid of Anne, and I’ve been thinking about that while I ate. If Moirrey is a possible candidate, what about her brother?”
“I’d love to take a closer look at him,” Rockwell told her. “But I was afraid that I was letting my dislike of the man cloud my judgment. What would he gain by Anne’s death?”
“Well, presumably the same thing Moirrey would have gained. I’m guessing the title to Anne’s cottage. He does seem to have been going out of his way to be helpful to Anne and Andy, though.”
“Yeah, very helpful,” Rockwell muttered. “It makes me wonder why.”
“He says it’s because they’re all that’s left of his family,” Bessie told him. “I doubt that he and Anne knew each other well as children, but at least they grew up in the same place at the same time.”
Rockwell shrugged. “I’m trying to get Matthew Barnes to let me see the trust document that was set up before Ewan Teare died. It established everything that Moirrey was fighting with him about.”
“Presumably Andrew Teare has seen it?” Bessie asked.
“I’m not sure,” Rockwell told her. “Matthew Barnes was insisting on Andrew proving his identity before he would talk to him about the estate, but the last I heard Barnes and Andrew were having lots of long meetings. Neither of them wants to tell me anything, of course.”
“Maybe I should have a chat with Mr. Teare as well,” Bessie suggested.
Rockwell frowned. “I don’t like him and I don’t trust him. Make sure, if you do talk to him, that you do it in a public place.”
Bessie nodded. “But he couldn’t have switched Moirrey’s tablets, right? He wasn’t even on the island until after her death.”
Inspector Rockwell didn’t get a chance to comment; he was interrupted by Andy Caine’s arrival.
“Aunt Bessie? Mr. Teare’s just dropped off the keys to our rental car. I can run you home now,” the young man said as he joined them at the table.
“How’s your mum?” Bessie asked.
“She’s resting,” Andy shrugged. “She told me to go and get some lunch and gave me a long list of stuff she wants from home. I didn’t grab any of the right things, apparently. She’s going to try to get some sleep. I told her I’d be back before dinner time.”
“So you should have some lunch,” Bessie suggested. “The food here is quite good.”
Andy shook his head. “That’s okay, there’s loads to eat at home. Mum hit the grocery store yesterday before she went to work and she filled the cupboards. I’ll drop you off and then go home and make myself something. Then I’ll pack up mum’s stuff and bring it to her. I’m going to bring her a sandwich or something as well. She said the food here’s inedible.”
Bessie laughed. “It sounds as if you’re going to have a busy afternoon. We’d better get moving. I don’t want to hold you up.”
“Thanks.” Andy smiled gratefully at Bessie. She rose from the table and reached into her handbag for her wallet.
“Lunch is on me,” Inspector Rockwell said before Bessie had managed to find it.
“Oh, that isn’t necessary,” Bessie replied.
“Maybe not,” Rockwell shrugged. “But I insist.”
Bessie grinned at him. “That’s mighty kind of you.”
“We’ll be leaving at least one uniformed constable on duty outside of your mother’s room while she’s here,” Rockwell told Andy. “You’re the only person who will be allowed in to visit, although I intend to try to have a word with her at some point. We’ll need a formal statement from her before too long, as well.”
Andy frowned. “I’d really appreciate it if you’d just leave her alone for today,” he said after a moment’s thought. “She really needs rest and to not be thinking that maybe someone tried to kill her.”
“I can appreciate that,” Rockwell replied. “But the sooner I can get a statement from her, the sooner I can start trying to figure out who did it. Surely she’ll sleep better knowing that that person is behind bars?”
Andy shook his head. “I just don’t know,” he said quietly. “It all seems impossible. None of this seems like real life, you know? I suppose you don’t because you’re police and you probably deal with this sort of thing every day. But in my life, in my mum’s life, no one tries to kill other people. This is the stuff of fiction, you know?”
Inspector Rockwell smiled at the young man. “I get that, really I do, but unfortunately it is real life at the moment and I need all of the cooperation I can get.”
“I guess. When I come back I’ll talk to mum, see if I can persuade her to talk to you. Maybe she’ll feel better after a nap, anyway.”
/> “I certainly hope so,” the inspector told him. “Bessie, I’ll see you tonight,” he reminded her.
“Indeed,” Bessie grinned. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Bessie and Andy left the café and walked back through the hospital.
“Mr. Teare said that he left the car on the next street,” Andy told Bessie.
The hospital was located near downtown Douglas. It had its own small car park, but there was never enough room in it for all of the staff and visitors who needed it. There were numerous parking restrictions on the streets that surrounded the hospital and Bessie suspected that the highways administration made a fortune issuing parking tickets to the many hospital visitors who parked on the streets without paying attention to the restrictions or time limits.
Bessie followed Andy around the corner. He stopped in front of an almost brand-new saloon car that had a hire car sticker on its rear bumper.
“This must be it,” Andy said as he pushed the remote entry button on the keypad. The car beeped once. Andy tried the passenger door and it opened. “Here you go,” he said, holding the door for Bessie.
Once Bessie was safely tucked up inside the car, Andy moved around to the driver’s door and climbed in. Bessie sat patiently while he adjusted his seat and moved the mirrors to and fro. Finally, he checked that he could find the indicators and the windscreen wipers.
“Okay, I guess we’re good to go,” he said to Bessie, sliding the key into the ignition.
The car roared to life and Andy carefully eased it out of its parking space. “I’m not used to anything this fancy,” Andy muttered as he manoeuvred the car down the narrow road.
Bessie kept quiet until he’d made his way out of Douglas and onto the coast road. He kept his speed reasonable and seemed to relax as he settled in to the journey.
“I’m glad your mum seems to be okay,” Bessie said as they began their trip.
“Yeah, the doctor says she should be fine as long as she takes it easy for a few days. She wants to go home, of course, but the doctor said she has to stay until Monday. He wants to keep an eye on the bump on her head, apparently.”
“It certainly seems to have made her grumpy,” Bessie laughed.
Andy laughed with her. “Yeah, she’s not usually that bad.”
“Did she say anything to you about who might have done it?” Bessie asked.
Andy sighed. “She refused to even discuss that,” he told Bessie. “I was hoping she might have some idea, but she won’t even consider the possibilities.”
“Do you have any ideas yourself?”
“Not really,” Andy sighed. “I’ve been away for ages and I haven’t been good about keeping in touch. If it was dad that crashed, I would have suspected mum, but I can’t imagine anyone wanting to kill mum.”
“You father is still across, isn’t he?”
“I guess,” Andy said vaguely. “Mum’s better at keeping track of him than I am. I haven’t talked to him.”
Bessie frowned. “Surely if he were here, he would be staying at the cottage with you and your mum?”
“Don’t know,” Andy shrugged. “I’m not sure what’s going on with mum and dad. And I am not going to ask my mum about it, either. She has enough to worry about right now without worrying about dad.”
Bessie swallowed a dozen questions. “For what it’s worth, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt your mother either,” she said eventually.
“It must have been an accident. The brakes probably just wore out. Mum was terrible about looking after that car.”
“The police seem pretty certain that the lines were cut,” Bessie said doubtfully.
“Maybe someone cut the wrong brake lines,” Andy said. “Mum left her car at the restaurant last night and got a ride home with the head chef. Maybe someone was after the owner or someone else who leaves their car there.”
“I suppose that’s possible,” Bessie said. “I’m sure Inspector Rockwell will check into every possibility.”
Andy nodded. “I guess. It all just feels so unreal, you know?”
Now Bessie nodded. “I know exactly what you mean,” she told him. “But if your mum does know anything or suspect anyone, she needs to tell Inspector Rockwell. The person behind this, whomever his or her target was, is dangerous.”
“I’ll talk to her when I get back, really I will,” Andy told her. “And I’ll find out where dad is, too.”
The rest of the journey was a quiet one. Andy focussed on driving the unfamiliar car safely along the coast, while Bessie made a mental list of all the things she needed to do. At her cottage, she was quick to thank the young man for taking time to drive her home.
“It’s no problem, I had to come back to Laxey to get mum’s stuff, anyway. And I really appreciated your helping me out this morning.” He paused, blushing. “I know I sort of panicked. Thank you for everything.”
“It wasn’t any trouble,” Bessie told him. “I was happy to help.”
Andy nodded. “Well, I appreciated it a lot. I’ll bake you something nice as a thank-you once mum is settled.”
“No one ever bakes for me,” Bessie laughed. “That would be a real treat.”
“Soon, I promise,” Andy told her. Then he was gone, off to pack his mum’s bags and get back to Douglas.
Bessie let herself into her cottage and set her bag down with a sigh. The day was over half over and she didn’t feel as if she’d accomplished anywhere near what she had meant to do.
Chapter Ten
Bessie’s message light was flashing frantically at her, so she grabbed a pen and paper and pressed play. She took note of each caller and then rewrote the list in the order in which she wanted to return the calls. That made Doona her first priority. Doona’s home phone rang several times and then the answering machine picked up.
“Oh, hello, it’s Bessie, just returning your call.” Bessie frowned into the phone. She’d really wanted to talk to Doona. She started to replace the receiver when she heard Doona’s voice.
“Bessie? Are you still there? I’m here.”
“Oh, there you are,” Bessie laughed into the phone. “Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“No,” Doona laughed. “You caught me at a great time. I just got back from lunch in Douglas. I could hear the phone ringing when I got to the door. You know how you tell yourself it doesn’t matter? That the machine will take a message? Well, I kept telling myself that, all while trying to hurry like an idiot. I dropped my keys twice and then I couldn’t get the key to turn properly and, ah, never mind. I’m glad I got to you in time, anyway.”
Bessie laughed again. “Of course you could have just called me back,” she pointed out.
“But it’s so much more fun to nearly kill myself trying to get to the phone in time.”
“So, how are you?” Bessie asked.
“I’m okay,” Doona replied. “I mean, I hate being suspended, but I’m still getting paid so I won’t have to start selling off all of my possessions just yet.”
“Well, I am glad to hear that,” Bessie chuckled. “Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow? My treat, somewhere nice.”
“Oh, Bessie, ordinarily I’d love to, but I’ve already made plans with Andrew. Since I’m not working, we’re spending a lot if time together. I’m showing him the island.”
“As long as you’re not sitting home, being bored, I’m happy,” Bessie replied untruthfully.
“Oh no, I’m having a wonderful time with Andrew. It’s been years since I’ve been to most of the heritage sites. I think I’m enjoying it all at least as much as he is.”
“Well, that’s good to hear,” Bessie said, with forced cheer.
“Tomorrow we’re heading to the House of Manannan. I’ve actually never been there before, so we can enjoy the experience together.”
“It’s only been open a short time. I was lucky to get an early tour. It’s very good,” Bessie told her. “Manx National Heritage did a great job bringing the island’s history to
life and there are lots of interactive displays as well. You should enjoy it.”
“I’m sure we will,” Doona answered. “Although I think I’d have fun doing just about anything with Andrew.”
“Oh?”
“Bessie, he’s just wonderful. He’s been all over the world. He keeps talking about all of the places he wants to take me, once the estate is all settled. I’m trying to remember to take it slowly, but he’s just about the most interesting and worldly man I’ve ever met.”
Bessie struggled to find the right words for her reply. “I’m glad he’s making you happy,” she said eventually, just before the silence grew uncomfortable. “But I am worried about things moving too quickly. There’s so much you don’t know about him.”
“He’s told me pretty much his whole life story,” Doona replied. “Even the details he knows I probably don’t want to hear about, information about old girlfriends and that sort of thing.”
“I still don’t understand why he stayed away so long,” Bessie said.
“I don’t think he really knows the answer to that either. I think, after a while, coming back just seemed too hard. He was making good money, living a good life. I guess he figured he didn’t need anything from anyone here.”
“Surely he must have wondered about his parents and his little sister,” Bessie argued.
“You, of all people, should understand that things can drive families apart,” Doona told her friend.
Bessie was silent for a moment. Doona knew her life story, of course, even the parts Bessie wasn’t proud of. Bessie’s parents had forced her to return to the island when she was seventeen, leaving the man she loved in America. When he attempted to follow her across the ocean, he hadn’t survived the crossing. Bessie had never forgiven her parents for making her leave and for inadvertently causing Matthew’s death. Now, many years after her parents had passed away, she would have appreciated a chance to reconcile with them.
Aunt Bessie Believes Page 14