Aunt Bessie Provides (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 16)

by Diana Xarissa

  Bessie nodded. “I suppose that’s possible. Surely finding Jackson won’t be all that difficult. If he is still alive, I’d be willing to bet that he’s in prison somewhere.”

  Hugh shook his head. “I’ve already tried that, and he’s certainly not in prison in the UK. I’ve sent requests further afield, but nothing has turned up yet.”

  “I think I need a cuppa,” Bessie muttered, feeling unsettled by the unexpected turn in the investigation.

  Chapter 8

  Doona cleared away the pudding plates and then gave Hugh a second helping while Bessie filled the kettle. No one spoke as they waited for the kettle to boil. Bessie made tea for everyone before she sat back down.

  “Nearly everyone I’ve spoken to has insisted that the body must be Craig Fox,” she said after a few sips of her drink. “I never once considered what might have happened to Jackson.”

  “He’s just one other possibility,” John said. “But I thought he was worth mentioning. He’s another man of about the right age who left the island at that time.”

  “I should have thought of him,” Bessie sighed.

  “Who else is there?” Doona asked.

  “Gary Cook, but he was cleared during the original investigation,” Hugh said. “I’m still going to track him down if I can, though. If nothing else, I’d like to see if he can remember anyone else who left the island around the same time he did.”

  “That’s a good idea,” John said.

  “He was a plumber in Salisbury, wasn’t he?” Bessie asked.

  “Maybe,” Hugh replied. “I’ve done a little bit of digging and I can’t seem to find him in that area. It’s a big country though, the UK. He could have moved anywhere.”

  “Isn’t there some sort of national registry for plumbers?” Doona asked. “Surely they’d know where to find him.”

  “I’ve submitted a request to a couple of different organizations that register plumbers,” Hugh told her. “Now I just have to wait for responses. There’s no guarantee that he’s still working as a plumber, of course, but it’s the best lead we have at this point.”

  “What about Harry Jensen?” Bessie asked. She quickly told Doona all about Harry and his mother and their separate decisions to leave the island.

  “I haven’t had any luck finding either him or his mother yet,” Hugh said with a sigh. “I really feel as if I’m not doing anything but running into dead ends.”

  “It will all pay off eventually,” John told him. “You put out as many feelers as you can and then you wait for results. Usually nothing happens for ages and then you get a bunch of results in one day.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Hugh said.

  “The only other name from my list is Christopher Marsh,” Bessie told Doona. “Someone did ring me and suggest that the body might be his, but he has family on the island. I can’t imagine why they didn’t identify the body twenty years ago if it was really his.”

  “I need to talk to his mother,” Hugh said. “And maybe his brothers and sister as well.”

  “I don’t know Agatha well,” Bessie told him. “The family lived in Douglas. I only really knew them at all because they had a market stall in Laxey for many years. They had one in Douglas as well, which is why the children often worked at the one here. The Douglas one was busier, so Agnes and Aaron usually worked down there on days when both markets were open.”

  Bessie told the others everything she’d heard about Christopher and his siblings.

  “What could siblings fight about that would make one leave the island and stay away for twenty years?” Doona asked.

  “Which child their mother loved best,” Hugh suggested. “I’m an only child, so it’s hard for me to imagine, but it does seem as if siblings will fight about just about anything. I know Grace and her sister still have stupid arguments about things that happened when Grace was a teenager and her sister was little.”

  Bessie nodded. “Siblings don’t need much of an excuse to argue,” she agreed. “My sister and I fought a lot when we were younger, and I suspect that we’d have fought a lot as adults as well, if we’d ever seen one another.”

  “Still, surely Christopher must miss the island and his mother, mustn’t he?” Doona asked.

  “Maybe his mother visits him wherever he is now,” Bessie suggested. “Anyway, he shouldn’t be that hard to find. You’ll simply have to ring Agatha and ask her for Christopher’s address.”

  “Nothing is ever that easy,” Hugh told Bessie. “Agatha is at Noble’s at the moment and I’m hesitant to bother her there.”

  “What’s wrong with her?” Bessie asked.

  “Her doctor wouldn’t give me any information about her condition, but I gathered from what he said that he doesn’t expect her to recover.”

  “Oh, dear,” Bessie exclaimed. She took another sip of tea, thinking about Agatha. “Maybe I should pay her a visit,” she said after a moment.

  John frowned. “You know I don’t like you questioning witnesses,” he said.

  “But she’s not a witness to anything,” Bessie argued. “All we need from her is an address for her son. Providing that shouldn’t be any problem for her. Anyway, I should visit her because we were something like friends many years ago. If I start to talk about Christopher and she gets upset, I won’t push it.”

  John looked as if he wanted to argue, but he washed the look away with a long drink from his teacup.

  “I would be grateful if you could find out anything about Christopher,” Hugh said. “I rang Adam, but I can’t get past his secretary and Brian never returns my calls. Dorothy was on my list for tomorrow, but maybe I’ll wait until you’ve been to see Agatha before I bother her.”

  “If it weren’t for that phone call that I received, I’d have already more or less crossed Christopher off the list,” Bessie told the others. “I mean, surely someone would have identified him at the time.”

  “Unless they murdered him for some reason,” Doona suggested. “Maybe they were all in on it together. Maybe he had a big life insurance policy or something.”

  “If he did, they’ve never collected it,” Bessie pointed out. “As far as I know, at least, he’s never been declared dead.”

  “He hasn’t,” Hugh said.

  “Was there anyone else?” Doona asked.

  “I spent some time today going through missing person reports,” Hugh told her. “So far, I haven’t found any that match up with the body, but I’m going to keep looking. Clarence was right that the man didn’t have to have disappeared within days of the body being found, although I’m not convinced that it’s Anthony Kelly.”

  “What about men reported missing in Liverpool or even London?” Bessie asked.

  “We’re meant to get copies of missing person reports filed anywhere in the UK,” John told her. “They’re kept in an office in Douglas. Pete is going to spend some time on the weekend digging through them, but they all should have been cross-checked against our body when the reports were initially received.”

  “I’ll keep talking to my friends,” Bessie said. “And I’ll try to see Agatha tomorrow. I don’t know what else I can do. I don’t suppose Pete would want my help in searching through the files in Douglas?”

  “I’ll tell him you offered,” John said. “Technically, the reports are open to the public, so you could help, but I suspect he’d rather do it himself. He’ll have his own methods.”

  “I’m sure,” Bessie said. “But I’m offering anyway.”

  John nodded. Hugh had finished his second helping of pudding. Doona cleared up his plate and the tea things and began to run hot water for washing up. John got to his feet.

  “I suppose I should be going,” he said. “Let me know what Agatha says, please. Like Hugh, I have an odd feeling about this case and I’ll feel better once we’ve cleared all of the men on your list.”

  Bessie nodded and then walked the man to the door. By the time she’d shut the door behind him, Doona was finished with the dishes. Hugh
was drying them and putting them away as quickly as Doona had washed them, so all Bessie had to do was a quick tidy-up.

  “Thank you for doing the washing-up,” she told the pair.

  “Thank you for having us over,” Hugh told her, giving her a hug. “I always feel better about my cases after these sessions, even if we don’t do anything more than talk about them. This time I think we may have made some progress, though. You’re going to see Agatha, and John’s given me a completely different perspective on the Craig Fox case.”

  “I’m not sure we haven’t simply made more work for you,” Bessie said. “But I’m glad you feel as if it was helpful.”

  “Maybe I just like spending time with you,” Hugh said, hugging her again. “I always feel about ten years old when I’m here, and sometimes it’s nice to get away from adult responsibilities, even if it is only for an hour or two.”

  “Is everything okay with you and Grace?” Bessie asked, remembering her feeling the other day that something was amiss.

  “Oh, yes, everything is fine,” Hugh said with a wave of his hand. “House-hunting is just exhausting, and we’re both really eager to find something quickly. It’s a bit depressing, though, because we don’t seem to be able to afford anything.”

  Bessie pressed him a bit further, but Hugh insisted that he and Grace were still happy and madly in love. Doona was yawning as Bessie showed them both to the door.

  “I was up late last night, reading a book that I wouldn’t normally read,” she told Bessie in the doorway. “And now I want to go home and finish it, but then I won’t get to bed on time tonight, either.”

  “Only you can decide if the sacrifice is worth it,” Bessie told her, secretly feeling as if she’d finish the book no matter what.

  “If I didn’t have to work at eight tomorrow it would be an easy decision,” Doona sighed as she started down the path to the parking area.

  Bessie shut the door and locked it behind her friends. Feeling fortunate yet again that she’d never had to hold down a paying job, she grabbed her book from the sitting room and carried it upstairs with her. She didn’t have to be at work at all the next day, so she curled up with the book until she’d finished it.

  When her internal alarm woke Bessie at six the next morning, she was momentarily sorry that she’d stayed up with her book the previous evening. After her shower and breakfast, however, she felt like her usual self. A long walk on the beach, in spite of the number of tourists already spread across it, helped even more. While she walked back to her cottage, stepping carefully around dozens of strangers, she came up with a plan for the day.

  Noble’s would be fairly quiet on a Saturday. Anyone that could have been sent home would have gone, and there wouldn’t be any routine exams or tests being run. The first thing Bessie needed to do was to see if Helen was working.

  “I was just about to ring you,” Helen said when she answered Bessie’s call. “The most beautiful gift basket just arrived on my doorstep. I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “I’m glad it arrived safely,” Bessie told her. “I thought you could do with some things to help you relax a little bit. I know the wedding has you stressed.”

  “Not as much today,” Helen replied. “Elizabeth has booked that little café in Lonan for our wedding reception.”

  “The one that does the sample plates?” Bessie asked.

  “That’s the one. Apparently, the owners have been thinking about branching out into weddings and other special events, but they haven’t done any yet. We’re going to be their first, so they’re giving us a very good price for everything.”

  “I know the owners. They’re really nice, and Dan, the chef, does delicious food.”

  “I know. Pete and I try to eat there at least once a month. Dan is going to do a huge buffet with several of his most popular items and a pudding buffet as well. We still need to find someone to make our actual wedding cake, but that shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “I have a friend who does delicious puddings,” Bessie told her. “He’s a student in culinary school now, but he’s home for the summer. Would you like me to ask him if he can do your cake? I’m sure he’d give you a good price, as he’s not really established yet.”

  “If you think he could, that would be another thing I could cross off my list,” Helen said happily. “Elizabeth was going to ring a few bakeries, but I’ll tell her to hold off until after you’ve spoken to your friend.”

  “I can have an answer for you by tomorrow,” Bessie promised. “Or at least, I think I can.”

  “I know proper wedding cakes take ages to soak and everything. I’m not sure anyone can get one ready in a month,” Helen said hesitantly.

  “Maybe you could have something nontraditional, like a chocolate sponge,” Bessie suggested.

  “That sounds wonderful to me, but I don’t think Pete would go for that,” Helen told her. “He’s rather old-fashioned about some things, including just about everything to do with our wedding.”

  “Let me ring Andy and see what he can suggest,” Bessie said. “Are you working today? Maybe I could visit you at Noble’s once I’ve spoken to Andy.”

  “Visit me at Noble’s? I mean, you’re more than welcome and I am working today, but, well, you can just ring me, can’t you?”

  Bessie laughed. “I’m looking for an excuse to be at Noble’s today,” she told the other woman. “I was going to ask you if you wanted to borrow any books or maybe my silver tea service for the wedding, but I can pop in to talk about cakes if that won’t get you into any trouble.”

  “No trouble at all. I’m actually working on the long-term care ward today. We love to get visitors. You may end up having to stay for hours and talk to everyone, though.”

  “Not a problem,” Bessie assured her. “I used to visit there quite regularly, actually, when I was younger. I stopped when I got older than some of the patients.”

  Helen laughed. “I never think of you as anything other than ageless,” she told Bessie.

  Bessie liked that idea. She put the phone down and then found Anne Caine’s phone number in her address book.

  “Hello?” Andy Caine sounded as if he’d just woken up.

  “Andy? I didn’t mean to wake you,” Bessie said.

  “Aunt Bessie, you can wake me anytime,” the man replied. “How are you?”

  “I’m very well, thank you. How are you?”

  “Oh, I’m doing okay. I’m single again, which was disappointing for a while, but I’ve been out with friends a few times since I’ve been back on the island and it turns out there are plenty of fish in the sea.”

  Bessie laughed. “There are indeed.”

  “If you were hoping to find Mum at home, you’ve just missed her,” Andy said. “She had a few errands to run and then she’s going to the shop. You can pop up the hill to see her any time after ten.”

  “Thank you, but I was ringing to speak with you, actually.”

  “I promise I will come and see you soon. I’m just getting settled in, really.”

  “That isn’t why I rang, but I will hold you to that, anyway,” Bessie told him. “I rang because a dear friend of mine is getting married next month and needs a wedding cake.”

  “Next month? Please tell me they want a sponge cake.”

  “No, apparently the groom wants a traditional cake.”

  “Fruitcake should mature for six weeks or more,” Andy replied. “I mean, I could make one for next month, but it won’t be nearly as good as it would be in August.”

  “If you can make one, I’d like you to,” Bessie said. “I’m sure it will be delicious, even if it could have used more time to mature.”

  “I’ve actually been playing with fruitcake recipes this week. One of our first projects when we get to school in September is catering the college’s annual Christmas feast. I’ve been trying out different types of fruitcake, heavier ones and lighter ones. Which do you think your friend would prefer?”

  “I’ve no idea. I
didn’t realise there were different types.”

  “Well, I make different types, even if other people don’t,” Andy laughed. “And I happen to have half a dozen samples, if you think your friend would like to try them.”

  “Samples? Really?”

  “None of them are properly mature, of course, but I’ve baked about twenty fruitcakes in the past week. I can take a small slice off of any or all of them for your friend to try. And, actually, I can use some of them for her wedding. They won’t have six weeks to mature, but they’ll have a few days more than if I started baking them today.”

  “Andy, you are amazing,” Bessie said.

  The man laughed again. “It was just dumb luck that I’ve been working on fruitcake. When can I meet this friend and get her to try the samples?”

  “How about this afternoon?” Bessie suggested. “If you don’t mind a trip to Noble’s, that is.”

  Andy agreed easily and then Bessie rang Helen back. “Maybe see if Pete can join us,” she suggested after Helen agreed to the meeting.

  “I will do. I think we should meet in the café rather than the ward, though, otherwise everyone will want to try all of the samples and there won’t be any for me to try.”

  “The café won’t mind?”

  “They’re shut on a Saturday afternoon,” Helen said.

  Bessie spent a happy morning with another good book and then made herself a light lunch. While she wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone, she was hoping for a few cake samples herself and didn’t want to be too full to enjoy them. Andy arrived not long after one o’clock for the drive to Douglas.

  Bessie greeted him with a hug. “I think you’ve grown taller since I saw you last,” she exclaimed. “But I don’t suppose that’s possible.”

  Andy shook his head. “I haven’t really, but maybe I’m standing up a bit straighter now that my life is going so well.”

  Bessie nodded. Even in just a moment or two she could see how much the man had changed in the past year. Of course, his life had changed rather dramatically as well. He’d learned that the man he’d always thought was his father wasn’t, that his real father had died, and that he was heir to a considerable fortune. Lesser men might have taken the money and treated themselves to a lavish lifestyle, but Andy had invested most of it, only using a small portion to pay for the culinary school training he’d always dreamed of having.