“John isn’t going to be happy if he’s told he has to clear the church before he’s finished with it,” Bessie said softly.
“That’s why I came up with a backup plan,” Elizabeth said proudly.
“Go on, then,” Helen said in a worried tone.
“If we can’t use the church, we can still use their car park,” Elizabeth told her.
“I don’t want to get married in the car park,” Helen objected.
“No, no, I don’t mean that at all,” Elizabeth laughed. “I mean everyone can still turn up at Laxey Church and park their cars there. I have two buses and the church in Lonan on call. The church should be plenty big enough for your ceremony, and the two buses can take people back and forth from Laxey every five minutes or so.”
“That’s a great idea,” Bessie said.
“And Reverend Smith will be waiting for me to ring him in the morning to tell him which church we’re using. He doesn’t mind either way,” Elizabeth added.
“So I can still get married, no matter what,” Helen said with a small sigh.
“Yes, you can,” Elizabeth told her. “For now you need your beauty sleep. Come on, I’m going to follow you home and give you a facial before you go to bed.”
“It’s far too late at night for a facial,” Helen argued.
“It will only take five minutes, and it will relax you,” Elizabeth told her. “After the evening you’ve had, I think you need it.”
Helen looked as if she wanted to argue further, but after a moment she sighed and turned to Bessie. “Thank you for everything,” she said. “I suppose I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
“I’ll be at the church by one, just in case you need anything,” Bessie told her. “Elizabeth can let me know which church I’m meant to be at.”
“Elizabeth can do better than that,” the girl replied. “I’ll come and collect you around half twelve, if that works for you.”
Bessie nodded. She’s been planning to take a taxi, but she hadn’t booked one yet. Getting a ride from Elizabeth would be much easier.
Bessie hugged both women and then let herself into her cottage. She waved from the doorway and then shut and locked the door behind herself. The message light on her answering machine was blinking frantically. Bessie was going to ignore it but then decided to clear the messages before she went to bed. Otherwise there was a real risk that the machine would be full before she got up the next morning.
Nearly all of the messages were from friends who had heard about the body at the church and wanted to get the full story from Bessie. After erasing every message, Bessie only rang one person back.
“Doona? I’m finally home, but I can’t even guess when John might get away,” she told her friend when she answered.
“He texted me about half an hour ago to say that the kids should just stay here tonight,” Doona told her. “I don’t know if he’ll get any sleep at all before the wedding.”
“I hope he’ll manage a few hours,” Bessie replied. “He’s meant to be a witness, and he can’t do that if he falls asleep during the ceremony.”
Doona laughed. “That would be unfortunate, and poor Pete and Helen have had quite enough bad luck, I think.”
“I agree.”
“One of the reasons John is planning to work late is so that he can clear the church, and they can actually have the wedding, of course.”
“Elizabeth has a plan in place in case they can’t use the church. She’s also talked to the chief constable and he’s assured her that the church will be ready.”
“Oh, dear, maybe that’s why John sounded so unhappy,” Doona sighed. “I didn’t realise the chief constable was involved.”
“I don’t think Elizabeth understood the possible consequences of her ringing him.”
“No, I don’t suppose she did. But John would be doing everything he could anyway, as he wants everything to be perfect for Helen and Pete.”
“We all do. Elizabeth was here when Helen brought me home. She’s going to give Helen a facial when they get back to Helen’s flat.”
“I hope she stays with Helen tonight. Helen would be upset and anxious anyway on the night before her wedding. I can’t imagine how she must be feeling under the circumstances.”
“I should have insisted that she stay here tonight,” Bessie said.
“Except she would have had to go home to pack an overnight bag anyway,” Doona pointed out. “I’m sure Elizabeth will take good care of her.”
“I certainly hope so,” Bessie sighed. “I also hope John can solve the murder quickly. I don’t suppose he said anything about having a suspect in custody already?”
“I wish,” Doona replied. “It’s far too early for that, I imagine.”
“But you missed all the excitement,” Bessie told her. “Reverend Doyle’s housekeeper arrived just before I left.”
“Really? I suppose I knew he had a housekeeper, but I don’t know anything about her. Was she devastated?”
“I don’t know. She wasn’t at all what I was expecting.”
“Oh? Do tell,” Doona replied.
Bessie told Doona everything she could remember about Ms. Hamilton. Doona didn’t say a word until Bessie had finished.
“She’s only thirty-something?” was Doona’s first question. “I’m sure Reverend Doyle was in his fifties, wasn’t he?”
“Maybe late forties,” Bessie replied, “but he dyed his hair, so he may have been older than he looked.”
“Maybe she’s older than she looked.”
“Maybe, but whatever age she is, I can’t believe they were living together and, we think, sharing a bed.”
“That is shocking. I really hope that James is wrong about that. I don’t mind people living together, I suppose, but it feels wrong for the vicar to be doing it.”
“Yes, well, we’ll have to see what John finds out. Maybe there’s a logical explanation for it all.”
The pair talked for a few minutes more before Bessie began yawning after every sentence. “I think I need to go and get some sleep,” she laughed.
“We both should. We have a wedding to go to tomorrow, and I’m responsible for two children as well. I need as much sleep as I can get.”
“Do you need any help with the children?”
“No, not at all. They’re both really good kids, or at least they have been so far. We’re going to walk over to John’s in the morning so they can get ready for the wedding there. Then they’ll come to the church with me, unless John would rather do things differently. I suspect he’ll be working tomorrow, except for during the wedding, so I’ll probably have the kids all day.”
“If you need some suggestions for things to do with them, just ask. I’m sure they’d love to see the island’s heritage sites, but if that doesn’t appeal, I can ring a few friends and find out what children their age like to do during the summer months.”
“Thanks, Bessie. I may take you up on that. I’m hoping that John can solve the case quickly, though, and then he can worry about entertaining Thomas and Amy.”
Bessie put the phone down and made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. It took a few minutes for her mind to settle, but once she was asleep, she slept soundly. Her first thought when she woke up the next morning was of Helen. “I hope the poor woman is okay,” she said to her reflection as she combed her short grey hair. “It’s meant to be the happiest day of her life, after all.” Her mirror image didn’t bother to reply.
Toast with honey and a cup of tea didn’t really satisfy Bessie this morning. She found a box of stale cereal in the cupboard, but that didn’t appeal, either. What she really wanted was pancakes or waffles smothered in maple syrup, preferably with bacon. That was the breakfast of her childhood in America and something she often craved when she’d had an upset. It felt far too indulgent for most mornings, though, including this one.
A light rain was falling as Bessie headed out for her morning walk. It seemed to stop and start as she went, but she simply ign
ored it on her steady march towards Thie yn Traie. She felt like continuing, but she wanted to be available if Helen or Elizabeth needed anything, so she turned back for home once she’d reached the steps to the mansion.
“Ah, good morning,” a loud voice called across the beach as Bessie walked.
Bessie forced herself to smile at the new arrival. Maggie Shimmin was a nice woman, really, and Bessie liked her and her husband, Thomas. The couple owned the holiday cottages that ran between Bessie’s cottage and Thie yn Traie, and Bessie knew that they worked hard to make sure that their guests were good neighbours. It was just that Maggie tended to complain a lot and gossip even more. Bessie wasn’t really in the mood for Maggie this morning.
“My goodness, what a miserable morning,” the fifty-something woman greeted Bessie.
“It’s a bit damp,” Bessie agreed.
“Which makes our guests grumpy,” Maggie said, “which means I have to come over and listen to them complain.”
“I believe it’s meant to improve later.”
“I hope so. But how are you, Bessie?”
“I’m fine. How are you?”
Maggie rolled her eyes. “You know how it is. I’ve done something awful to my back, but I’ve no time to have it looked at during the summer, do I? Thomas is trying to do most of the heavy lifting and whatnot, but sometimes things need to be done, and I’m the only one available. He’s doing all of the shopping now, because we have to buy so much for the cottages, but that means I have to deal more with the guests, which isn’t my favourite thing to do. But you know me; I never complain.”
Bessie hid a smile. “Of course not.”
“But today’s Helen Baxter’s wedding day, isn’t it?” Maggie asked before Bessie could start walking away. “She’s marrying that inspector from Douglas, the one who’s always frowning, isn’t she?”
“Yes, Pete and Helen are getting married this afternoon. I must say Pete smiles a great deal more these days, though.”
Maggie waved the thought away with a hand. “Yes, but they were getting married at the Laxey Church, weren’t they? What are they going to do now?”
“As far as I know, they are still getting married at the Laxey Church,” Bessie told her.
“Hmph, it’s okay for some, I suppose.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“When we had our little incident in our cottage, the police wouldn’t let us back inside for days. Somehow, though, they’ve managed to make the church available in less than twenty-four hours. Doesn’t seem quite right to me.”
“In this case, the body wasn’t found in the church,” Bessie told her. “The area where the body was found will be surrounded by police tape for some time, I would imagine.”
“But it’s the church’s vicar who’s been killed,” Maggie argued. “That must mean that the church is integral to the investigation.”
“Maybe, but that’s a decision for the police to make, not us.”
“I’m just saying that if I were having a wedding there today, I don’t think the police would be in such a hurry to accommodate me.”
“Well, Helen and Pete have made alternate arrangements in case the police aren’t done with the church,” Bessie told her. “They aren’t asking for any special treatment, either.”
“But who would want to kill Reverend Doyle?” Maggie asked. “He’s only been here for a few weeks. It must have been someone from across.”
“I’m sure the police are doing everything they can to answer that very question.”
“I hear he had a young woman living with him,” Maggie said in a low voice. She glanced up and down the empty beach, as if worried about being overheard. “My source told me that she turned up at the vicarage last night dressed for a party.”
“It’s my understanding that the vicar had a live-in housekeeper.”
“Ha! From what I’ve heard, that woman was not a housekeeper. The question is, why didn’t any of us know about her?”
“That’s a very good question,” Bessie said. In a small village like Laxey, it seemed almost impossible that no one had noticed and commented on the woman’s presence. Bessie knew that Maggie’s circle of friends thrived on gossip and that many of her older friends were involved in the local church. Ms. Hamilton should have been the most talked-about person in the village.
“I knew he had a housekeeper,” Maggie said, “but I never actually saw her. When I visited the vicarage, he made a comment or two about her, but she wasn’t actually at home when I was there. And everyone I’ve spoken to says that same, that the vicar mentioned her occasionally, but no one actually saw her. I suspect we all would have started to wonder about her soon, though.”
“No doubt,” Bessie replied dryly. Everyone would have been prepared to give the new vicar time to settle in before they’d have started speculating on his household arrangements.
“I didn’t like Reverend Doyle very much anyway,” Maggie said. “He didn’t seem very dedicated to his calling, at least in my opinion.”
Bessie wondered what Maggie had wanted the man to do. Presumably he’d refused her request, which was why she was questioning his dedication. “I’d barely spoken to him,” she told Maggie.
“There was just something odd about him. I didn’t trust him.”
By the end of the day, Maggie would be telling everyone that she’d suspected all along that the man would end up murdered, Bessie thought. She only wished that she spoken to Maggie about him before he’d died. No doubt she would have heard a very different opinion. “It’s still tragic, what happened to him,” Bessie said.
“Oh, yes, tragic,” Maggie echoed. “Do you know exactly what happened? I mean, I’m told it’s a murder investigation, but I don’t know more than that. Was it very obviously murder? When you saw the body, could you tell right away?”
“I didn’t see the body,” Bessie replied. At least not most of it, she added to herself. “John Rockwell noticed that something wasn’t right in between the gravestones, but he sent everyone away before he went to investigate.”
“And he hasn’t told you anything more?”
“I haven’t even really spoken to him since the body was discovered. He took my statement last night, but he didn’t tell me anything at all. He just asked me questions.”
“You should ring him up and ask him what’s going on,” Maggie said.
“I couldn’t possibly.”
“Oh, but surely we all have a right to know what’s happening. I mean, a vicar was murdered in his own churchyard. Surely the good people of Laxey need to know why. We could all be in danger, after all.”
“No doubt Dan Ross at the local paper will take a similar position with the chief constable. I don’t know how much luck he’ll have, but I suggest you get your news from there.”
Maggie frowned. “You will let me know if you hear anything, won’t you? The guests will all be asking, you understand. Some of them are already edgy because of the unfortunate incident in the last cottage. Another murder might drive some of them away.”
“John will be doing everything he can to work out what happened. In the meantime, you should hope that your guests are too busy enjoying their holidays to pay attention to the local news.”
“At least this time the beach itself won’t be swarming with police,” Maggie said.
“Have you worked out what you’re going to do with that cottage?” Bessie asked.
Maggie shrugged. “I think we should start trying to rent it out again, but the rental agency that we use in Douglas doesn’t agree. According to them, at least half of the guests who book with us ask specifically not to be booked into that cottage. They reckon that if people were booked in there and then found out later what had happened there, they’d complain bitterly.”
“I hope it isn’t hurting your business too much.”
“Oh, we raised the rates on all of the other cottages to cover for it,” Maggie told her, “but we’ll have to raise them ever higher if we’re
going to start tearing that cottage down to rebuild it.”
“I hope you can find a solution. But now I really must go,” Bessie said. “I have a million things to do before the wedding.”
Maggie nodded. “And I’ve guests to see to,” she said, turning and walking quickly away.
Back at home, Bessie checked her answering machine. No new messages. She paced around the kitchen for a few minutes and then looked at the clock. It was too early to start ringing people. She was standing in the middle of the kitchen and trying to decide what to do next when the phone rang.
Chapter 4
“Hello?”
“It’s Helen,” the voice on the other replied. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“Oh, goodness, no. I get up at six every morning.”
“I thought you’d be an early riser,” Helen said. “I was hoping to lie in today, but, well, I can’t sleep.”
“Do you want to come here, or should I come there?” Bessie asked.
“Oh, I didn’t, I mean, I don’t know,” Helen replied. “I’m just wide awake, and I don’t know what to do with myself.”
“What were you planning to do today?”
“Well, I thought I might get married,” Helen laughed, “but I know what you mean. I was going to have a very lazy morning at home, take a long, hot bath, and then I’m meant to be at Thie yn Traie for eleven. Elizabeth is going to do my hair and makeup, and she said something about a light lunch before we have to be at the church for one.”
“Well, you’re more than welcome here at any time. I’ll be home all morning. Then you’ll only be a short distance away from Thie yn Traie.”
“Maybe I will come up,” Helen said. “I’m making myself crazy here, having all sorts of second thoughts about everything.”
“You’re more than welcome.”
“I’ll see you in a short while, then.”
Bessie put the phone down and then spent a few minutes tidying the cottage. Once she’d finished that chore, she refilled the kettle and switched it on. Tea was going to be necessary.
Aunt Bessie Questions (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 17) Page 5