“And we can’t investigate every single person on the island to see if we can find a connection between them and Walter,” Hugh said.
“So where does that leave us?” Doona asked.
“I still think Brandon was the killer,” Bessie said. “His family and friends will cover for him, of course.”
“I think we should take a closer look at Constance,” Hugh said. “She lied to the police from the start. Anyway, I find unbreakable alibis very suspicious.”
Doona nodded. “That bothers me as well. It’s almost like she knew she’d need an alibi, which means she must have been involved in some way.”
“Then she talked Brandon into killing him,” Bessie said. “I can see that happening, actually. It may even be more likely than him killing Walter simply because Walter treated his sister badly.”
“They do seem very close, Brandon and Dawn,” Doona mused. “Having said that, maybe his father suggested it to Brandon. Lucas seems to have a lot of influence on both of his children.”
“So maybe Lucas told Brandon to kill Walter,” Bessie sighed. “At the end of the day, I still think Brandon was holding the knife.”
“Maybe Mr. Dunkin found out that Walter was here and hired Brandon to kill him,” Doona suggested.
“We’ve found nothing to connect Mr. Dunkin with Brandon or anyone else in the family,” John told her.
“Maybe he hired someone, then,” Doona replied.
“From what we’ve been able to determine, money is quite tight for the Dunkins. They still haven’t recovered financially from what Walter did to them,” John said.
“So he killed Walter himself,” Doona suggested.
“Maybe,” John replied.
“No one is suggesting Horace or Mike as possibilities,” Bessie pointed out. “I’m crossing them off my list.”
“They’re still on mine,” John told her, “but near the bottom. Let’s just say there seem to be others who are more likely suspects.”
“If Brandon did do it, they’re probably covering up for him,” Hugh pointed out.
“What about the break-in?” Bessie changed the subject.
“I said we’d talk about it later, but there really isn’t anything to discuss,” John told her. “We’re still processing evidence, but we haven’t found any fingerprints that can help. Whoever it was may have worn gloves or they may just have been lucky.”
“I hope their luck is going to run out soon,” Bessie muttered.
“We’re doing everything we can,” John assured her. “I have extra men working on the case on the grounds that it may be connected to Walter’s murder in some way.”
“I hope it is. I’d hate to think that someone broke in here at random,” Bessie sighed, looking around her snug kitchen.
“We’re pretty sure it wasn’t random,” John replied.
A knock on the door a few minutes later interrupted a second round of brownie-eating and nothing useful in terms of the conversation. Hugh let Andy in and then he and John shared their thoughts on the different brownies. Bessie was yawning by the time they finished.
“We should all go and let you get some sleep,” Doona exclaimed. “You’ve had a rough couple of days.”
Bessie didn’t argue. While she was saying goodbye to her friends, Andy tidied the kitchen. They were both in bed only a few minutes later and Bessie was asleep as soon as she closed her eyes.
Chapter 13
Knowing that Andy would be making breakfast, Bessie didn’t bother eating anything before her walk. She wouldn’t feel as guilty about pancakes with maple syrup that way. A small child, maybe two or three years old, was running around the beach and shouting as Bessie let herself out of her cottage. A woman in her thirties, presumably the child’s mother, was sitting on a blanket watching the child run. Bessie gave her a sympathetic smile as she walked past.
“I hope you couldn’t hear him from your house,” the woman said.
“No, not at all,” Bessie replied. She was pretty sure the folks in the holiday cottages weren’t as lucky, but she didn’t mention that to the exhausted-looking woman.
“His father gave him too much sugar yesterday and now he won’t sleep,” the woman continued. “I keep telling him that we can’t treat little Montgomery any differently while we are on holiday, but he doesn’t listen to me.”
“Maybe he should be the one sitting out here, then,” Bessie suggested.
The woman grinned. “He’s cleaning up the cottage. Monty was sick everywhere from tummy ache. I’d much rather be out here, thank you.”
Bessie nearly laughed out loud as she continued on her way. It was impossible for her to imagine what life would have been like a parent, but once again she felt as if she hadn’t missed out on much.
She walked to Thie yn Traie, and then continued on. It was only the thought of Andy’s pancakes that made her turn around before she got to the new houses. As she walked past Thie yn Traie again, she heard someone calling her name.
“Good morning, Elizabeth,” Bessie called back to the young girl who was making her way down the stairs behind the mansion on the cliff top.
“Good morning,” Elizabeth shouted back. She jumped down the last couple of steps and gave Bessie a quick hug.
“You’re up early,” Bessie said.
“I have lots to do,” Elizabeth replied excitedly. “I’m planning lots of parties for all kinds of people, a wedding, and a holiday to Florida for one of my mother’s friends.”
“I’m glad to hear things are going so well,” Bessie said. “Will you still have time to plan Grace’s baby shower?”
“That’s why I wanted to catch you. I’ve been working on the plans and I’m getting really excited. Mum has lots of great ideas as well. She’s hoping the two of you can get together soon to discuss everything.”
“I’m always happy to spend time with your mother. I’ll ring her later, shall I?”
“That would be great, I’m sure she’d appreciate it. The thing is, I was just wondering, well, have you found out anything more about the murder or the break-in at your cottage?”
Bessie shook her head. “The police are still investigating both cases. I talked to John last night, but he wasn’t able to tell me anything more than that.”
Elizabeth sighed. “Mum is more worried about the break-in than the murder. She’s worried that someone might try and break into Thie yn Traie while I’m here on my own.”
“I don’t think she has anything to worry about. Don’t you have security, anyway?”
“We do, but you know what my mother is like.”
“I’ll see if I can set her mind at rest when I talk to her later today,” Bessie said.
“That would be terrific, thank you.”
“Was there anything else?” Bessie asked, sensing that the girl had something on her mind.
“No, not really,” Elizabeth said. “It’s just, well, I mean, someone said that Andy Caine is staying at your cottage at the moment.”
“He is,” Bessie agreed. “ He’s worried about me and doesn’t want me staying on my own, at least not until the person or persons behind the break-in are found.”
“That’s very kind of him,” Elizabeth said. She looked down at the sand and then gave Bessie a shy smile. “Do you know if he has a girlfriend?”
Bessie did her best to hide her surprise. “I believe he and the girl he was seeing at school are no longer together,” Bessie replied. “You’re welcome to come back to the cottage for breakfast, if you want to ask him yourself.”
“Oh, goodness, no,” Elizabeth said, looking flustered. “I mean, we do need to talk about the baby shower, but I wouldn’t want to impose on your breakfast.”
“It’s no imposition,” Bessie assured the girl. “I’m sure Andy can make extra pancakes without any difficulty.”
“Pancakes? I didn’t actually have any breakfast. I wouldn’t mind some pancakes.”
Bessie grinned. “Come on, then,” she said. “Let’s go see i
f Andy has breakfast ready yet or not.”
When Bessie opened the cottage door, she was greeted by the scent of warm chocolate yet again. “I thought we were having pancakes for breakfast,” she said to Andy, who was once again standing at the cooker.
“I had a lot of leftover chocolate chips after yesterday, so I thought I would throw some into the pancake batter for a treat,” he explained.
“I hope you don’t mind that I brought home a friend,” Bessie said.
Elizabeth had been standing behind Bessie; now she gave Andy a small wave. He flushed and quickly turned back to his cooking. “Of course not,” he said. “I’ve more than enough for three.”
Bessie invited Elizabeth to sit down and then poured the girl a cup of coffee from the pot that Andy had made. She made herself a cup of tea and then sat down next to Elizabeth as Andy handed them each a plate piled high with chocolate chip pancakes.
“There’s maple syrup,” he told Elizabeth.
“Yum,” she replied before blushing and looking down at the table.
Bessie found the entire situation amusing. She never would have expected to see worldly and sophisticated Elizabeth Quayle blushing over pancakes in her cottage. Andy seemed quietly confident as he filled his own plate. He sat down opposite Elizabeth.
“I should thank you again for sending so much business my way,” he said to Elizabeth after everyone had taken a few bites. “I’m almost too busy now, really.”
“Should I stop referring clients to you?” Elizabeth asked. “You’ve been ever so good about meeting everyone’s needs, even on short notice. I’m not sure who else I could find who would be as flexible and produce such excellent results.”
Andy flushed. “Thank you,” he said. “I’m on the island for another month. I suppose I could handle a few more orders before I go back. And I can make a list for you of some of the island’s best bakers. I’m certainly not the only one here who can get you what you need.”
Elizabeth nodded. “And that’s a good thing, since you’re leaving soon.”
“I’ll only be gone for six months to finish the course,” he told her. “Then I should be home for good. I certainly don’t plan on leaving again, at least not for a good while. I may do some short courses elsewhere to learn new techniques or styles, but nothing like the eighteen months of culinary college.”
“You’re going to open your own restaurant once you’re back, aren’t you?” Bessie asked.
“That’s the plan,” Andy told her. “Mum thinks I’m crazy, because restaurants are very hard work, and I don’t really need the money. I can’t imagine what else I’d do with my time if I don’t start a restaurant, though.”
“You could do catering,” Elizabeth suggested. “I could probably keep you busy doing birthday parties and weddings most weekends. I was worried about starting a party planning service. I didn’t know if there would be any actual demand for my services, but I’m already almost too busy as well. I never imagined so many people wanted help planning their events.”
“Maybe you could do catering and also open a bakery or something like that,” Bessie said. “That might be less work than an actual restaurant, and I’m sure you’d enjoy doing all of that baking.”
“I truly would,” Andy nodded. “I’ve promised myself that I won’t make any decisions until I finish school. One of our classes next semester is all about starting a business, actually. I’m fortunate that I don’t have to worry about writing a business plan or finding investors and all of that, but we’re meant to be spending some time talking through all of the different options and their relative likelihood of success.”
“I’m sure you’ll be successful, whatever you decide to do,” Bessie said.
“And Doncan is already on board to make sure I don’t spend too much on the business and end up broke,” he laughed.
The trio ate their pancakes and chatted about the weather and nothing much until Elizabeth glanced up at the clock. “My goodness, I must dash,” she said. “I didn’t realise it was that late.”
Bessie walked her to the door. “I’ll ring your mother later,” she told the girl.
“Excellent.” Elizabeth looked at Andy. “I may have to ring you later to talk about a wedding cake. Should I ring Bessie’s or use your mobile?”
“Oh, use the mobile,” Andy told her. “I would never answer Bessie’s phone.”
As Bessie shut the door behind the girl, she remembered that Elizabeth had wanted to talk about Grace’s shower. It was too late now, but the more she thought about it, the more convinced Bessie was that the shower had only been an excuse to spend some time at Bessie’s cottage. Bessie suspected that Andy was the real draw, whatever Elizabeth said.
When Bessie rang Mary Quayle a short while later, Mary was quick to invite Bessie to lunch. “Let’s go to Lonan and see how Dan and Carol are getting on,” she suggested.
Bessie rarely said no to lunch at the little café in Lonan where the day’s special was always a sampler platter of amazing creations. Andy was busy working on bread dough, with no plans to go out.
“I want to try different amounts of yeast and varying rising times,” he told Bessie. “Since I’m more or less stuck inside, this is the perfect time to do it, because I can monitor everything closely.”
“You aren’t stuck inside,” Bessie said, aghast.
“I didn’t mean it quite that way,” Andy laughed. “Since I’m choosing to stay inside all day, how’s that?”
Bessie still didn’t like it, but she didn’t argue any further. Instead, she went upstairs and got herself ready for lunch with her friend. Mary was always impeccably and expensively dressed, so Bessie pulled on a black dress and low heels. She even added a touch of makeup to her face before combing her hair. She was watching for her friend when the black limousine pulled into the parking area. A uniformed chauffeur was at her door a moment later.
“Miss Cubbon? Mrs. Quayle is waiting in the car for you,” he said when Bessie opened the door.
Bessie exchanged glances with Andy before locking the door behind herself and following the man to the car. He held open the passenger door and Bessie slid inside. Mary was already sitting comfortably with a glass of something in her hand.
“I wasn’t expecting the fancy car,” Bessie said in a whisper.
“He can’t hear you,” Mary told her, “not unless we want him to hear us, of course.”
“How, um, interesting,” Bessie said, feeling completely out of her element.
Mary glanced at the driver, who was now driving slowly away from Treoghe Bwaane. “Our regular driver had to have some surgery and won’t be back for at least six months, if ever. We’ve had dozens of applicants for the position, so we’re trying out a few of the best. George is using one man to get all around the island today on business, and I’m having this man drive us to lunch. Maybe, after lunch, you’d like to go home via some long and scenic route?”
“I don’t see why not,” Bessie said.
“Would you like a drink?” Mary asked, waving the glass in her hand. “It’s far too early for me to drink. This is just juice, but you’re welcome to anything. Part of the driver’s job is to keep the drinks cabinet back here fully stocked. Tomorrow I shall check to see if he’s remembered to refill everything when he puts the car away tonight.”
Bessie took a bottle of water from the drinks cabinet and poured some of it into a glass. She’d only taken a single sip when they arrived at their destination.
“We shall have to drive more after lunch,” Mary said as the driver opened their door, “and drink more.”
The little café was busy, but that was always the case. Dan Jenkins, one of the owners, was seating guests himself.
“I had a quiet moment in the kitchen, so I came out to help,” he told them as he showed them to the only empty table in the room. “Now I shall go back and check on everything that’s busy baking.”
He was gone before Bessie could ask him about the day’s specials or his
wife. A pretty young waitress was at the table moments later. “Mrs. Quayle, how lovely to see you again,” she said brightly. “Can I get you drinks?”
Mary and her husband, George, were investors in the small café, so Mary always received extra-special treatment from the staff. They ordered drinks, but before the girl could walk away, Bessie stopped her.
“What has Dan prepared today?” she asked the waitress.
“Today he has been baking,” the girl replied. “Our entrée sampler has small squares of shepherd’s pie, cottage pie, and lasagne, as well as a small piece of pork tenderloin baked with stuffing inside.”
“That all sounds amazing,” Bessie sighed. “I’m afraid to ask about pudding.”
“Again, the theme is baking,” the girl said. “You get a chocolate chip cookie, a small piece of chocolate cake, a tiny individual apple pie, and a small portion of bread and butter pudding.”
“I know I’ll never be able to manage it all,” Mary said, “but I can’t possibly not order everything.”
The girl smiled. “I’ve only worked here for a month and I’ve already put on a stone,” she said. “It’s been completely worth it.”
While the girl went to get their drinks, Bessie looked around the room. “It’s full of men in suits again,” she said to Mary. “They must have all driven up from Douglas for lunch.”
“I understand it’s the place to bring colleagues whom you wish to impress,” Mary told her.
“I’m so happy for Dan and Carol,” Bessie replied. “I was worried when they first opened that the location would be a problem for them.”
“We were as well, but the building was affordable. Luckily for us and for them, it’s turned out just fine.”
“That’s because Dan is a genius,” Bessie suggested.
“He’s certainly very talented. I expect he gets a lot of offers from Douglas-area restaurants.”
“He does,” the waitress said as she put their drinks down, “but when I answer the calls he always tells me to tell them he’s not interested. Having his own place was always his dream and he’s not going to give that up for anything.”
Aunt Bessie Questions (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 17) Page 20