Aunt Bessie Decides (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 4)

by Diana Xarissa

  “Scott would still be alive,” Bessie said crisply.

  “Yeah,” Penny waved the thought away as insignificant. “But think how happy William and I could have been together, if only I’d known.”

  Bessie opened her mouth to reply, but the inspector held up a hand. “I think that’s enough for now,” he said sternly. “Let’s get you down the station where you can make a full statement.”

  Penny nodded absently, clearly still thinking about William. Rockwell took her arm and began to lead her away. Behind them, Candy began to laugh.

  “I don’t think any of this is funny,” Adam snapped at her.

  Candy shrugged. “If I don’t laugh, I’ll cry,” she told him. “Scott tried to help Penny out by agreeing to pretend to have an affair with her, and it got him killed. That’s so tragic it’s funny.”

  “You have a sick sense of humour,” Adam snapped at her.

  “And I hope you have some bright ideas up your sleeve,” Candy retorted. “The troupe is booked for three more shows and we’ve just lost our two lead actors.”

  Adam turned pale. “Surely no one expects, that is, how can we possibly….” He shook his head. “Penny signed the contracts. This is her problem not mine.”

  “If we don’t do the shows, we don’t get paid,” Candy reminded him. “I, for one, can use the money.”

  Adam nodded slowly. “I guess the show must go on,” he muttered, spinning on his heel and heading back into the tent.

  Bessie looked at Candy. “Are you okay?” Bessie asked.

  “I’m fine,” Candy replied, not meeting Bessie’s eyes. “And as Adam said, the show must go on.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Hugh drove Bessie and Doona home in Inspector Rockwell’s car. The inspector could get a ride back to Ramsey after he’d finished questioning William and Penny. Hugh would simply leave the inspector’s car at the Ramsey station. The atmosphere on the journey home was subdued.

  “How did you figure it all out?” Doona asked Bessie.

  “I don’t know,” Bessie admitted. “It just suddenly seemed like the only answer that actually made sense. I was thinking about it all day and then, when I was watching them do Romeo and Juliet, I could just see how much in love they were, and that made me even more certain.”

  “They had a pretty messed up relationship,” Hugh said.

  “They certainly did,” Bessie agreed.

  The foursome met for dinner the next night. Hugh brought pizza and Doona brought a Victoria sponge.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d make it,” Bessie told John as she let everyone in. “I assumed you’d have a lot to do with William and Penny.”

  John shook his head. “They both gave me full confessions, even once I called in advocates for them,” he told her. “The hardest part was getting it all down fast enough. Once they started talking, neither of them wanted to stop.”

  “How much trouble will Penny be in?” Doona asked, as she nibbled on a slice of pizza.

  “It depends on what she ends up being charged with,” John replied. “No one seems to think it was a murder attempt, so she’s certainly in less trouble than William.”

  Doona sighed. “It’s all so very sad,” she said. “I just feel so sorry for Scott, who was just trying to help a friend.”

  “Helping a friend by pretending to sleep with them isn’t really helping, though, is it?” Bessie demanded. “If he really wanted to help, he should have helped them work through their problems.”

  “That’s a bit harsh on poor Scott,” Hugh said.

  Bessie nodded. “I know. I think I’m just mad at him for how bad I feel about how everything’s turned out. I’m not sure that even made sense.” She shook her head and then grabbed a second slice of pizza.

  “Let’s talk about something pleasant,” John suggested, opening the second pizza box and pulling out a slice.

  “How are your kids doing?” Bessie asked.

  “They’re terrific,” he answered with a grin. “They’re both really looking forward to the summer holidays, although they still have a month of school to go. Sue’s taking them to Manchester for Tynwald Day weekend, though, so I’m happy to make a day of it with you guys, if the offer is still good.”

  “Of course it is,” Bessie grinned. “It’s just a shame your kids will miss it.”

  “Sue really needs to be with her mum as much as possible right now,” John told her. “And the kids love seeing their old friends, too.”

  “Grace and I are planning on coming to Tynwald Day as well. I have the day off, after all.” Hugh told Bessie.

  “What are you all doing Saturday night?” Bessie asked. “Candy stopped by earlier and gave me tickets to Saturday’s show. She says that we’ll love it.”

  Hugh shook his head. “I don’t think I can take any more Shakespeare,” he said with a sigh.

  John frowned. “I’m meant to be taking the kids to dinner and a movie,” he told them.

  “I’ll go with you,” Doona told Bessie. “I mean, after everything that’s happened, how bad can it be?”

  The foursome exchanged looks, but no one commented. Everyone kept the conversation away from any mention of Scott and the troupe for the rest of the evening. The three pizzas disappeared very quickly, and the Victoria sponge was equally popular.

  “Be careful Saturday night,” John said to Bessie as she let everyone out a few hours later.

  “What could possibly go wrong?” Bessie said with a grin.

  “Maybe I should come,” he replied.

  “Oh, do stop fussing,” Bessie said. “Doona and I will be fine.”

  Bessie packed a much smaller picnic on Saturday afternoon. Doona would be driving, so Bessie packed fizzy drinks instead of wine. She didn’t mind the change, and this way Doona wouldn’t have to watch Bessie drink wine.

  Doona was a few minutes early, which suited Bessie, who was ready to go. They chatted about nothing much on the drive across the island. Bessie was feeling slightly uneasy about the evening ahead.

  “It could all go spectacularly wrong, couldn’t it?” Doona asked as she pulled into the car park.

  “I rather expect it to,” Bessie replied. “They only had a few days to figure something out. I called Henry today and he assured me that there will be a show tonight, but he couldn’t tell me what show it was going to be.”

  Doona laughed. “Well, that isn’t anything new, is it?”

  The pair made their way up the steps to the castle. Doug was sitting in the ticket booth and he waved Bessie and Doona through.

  “I’m sure you have tickets. Don’t worry about finding them,” he told Bessie with a grin.

  “I do have them,” Bessie assured him. They were, however, somewhere in the bottom of her bag and she decided it wasn’t worth putting the picnic down to try to dig them out.

  “Henry has a spot picked out for you,” Doug told them as they walked past him.

  “No more special treatment,” Bessie said insistently.

  “Fight it out with Henry,” Doug said, laughing.

  The pair made their way into the castle grounds. They were early, so there weren’t many people there yet. Henry must have spotted them right away, because he was headed towards them when Bessie saw him.

  “I have your spot all set up,” he told Bessie with a grin. “No objections now. This was on orders from the cast.”

  Bessie opened her mouth to object anyway, but Doona interrupted.

  “We’ll take it,” she told Henry. “Lead the way.”

  Bessie shot her an angry look, but Doona was marching along behind Henry and didn’t see it.

  It was their usual spot, really, right next to the small tent in front of the stage. This time, there were a handful of folding chairs set out, with a small table in front of them.

  “I knew you’d be bringing a picnic,” Henry said, gesturing towards the table.

  “Thank you, Henry,” Doona said. “This is perfect.”

  Bessie added her thanks. �
�But it really isn’t necessary,” she added.

  Henry just grinned and headed back towards the castle entrance.

  Doona quickly slid into a seat and put her hamper on the table. “I could get used to all this special treatment,” she told Bessie with a smile.

  “It makes me uncomfortable,” Bessie said, sitting down next to her.

  “Well, it shouldn’t,” Doona told her. “You’ve been through a lot lately. You’ve earned a bit of special treatment.”

  Bessie added her own hamper to the table and then opened it. The pair fixed themselves plates full of cold meats and cheeses, fresh crusty bread and butter, a bit of fruit and a few more biscuits than were strictly good for them.

  A few minutes into their feast, the tent flap opened and Candy poked her head out. She waved, and then turned and said something to someone in the tent before walking the short distance between the tent and Bessie and Doona.

  “Hello, ladies, thank you so much for coming,” Candy said with a beaming smile. “I hope you enjoy the show tonight. We’ve put a lot of effort into it.”

  “I’m sure it will be wonderful,” Bessie said, politely untruthful.

  “I’m really looking forward to it,” Doona said.

  “I have to get ready now, but stick around after the show,” Candy told them. “We have some exciting news to share with you.”

  She was gone before Bessie could ask any questions. “Well, that’s intriguing,” Bessie said to Doona.

  “They deserve some good news, after everything that’s gone on,” Doona replied.

  A few minutes later, just minutes before the show was due to start, Sienna and Adam emerged from the tent. They were both dressed in elaborate Elizabethan dress. Sienna was on crutches and she made her way slowly towards the stage with Adam hovering by her side. Adam helped her up the handful of steps on to the stage and then Sienna crossed to a small stool that had been placed near the front of the platform. She settled in, adjusting her long skirt until her cast was no longer visible. Adam took the crutches away and Sienna smiled out at the audience, some of whom cheered.

  Adam carried the crutches off stage and then returned to the centre of the platform to address the audience. His introduction was broadly similar to the one William had given to the schoolchildren, except tonight, apparently, the emphasis was going to be more on the hidden “adult” humour in the scenes.

  Bessie frowned. She hadn’t come to see “adult” humour, but an hour later, when they broke for a short interval, she had to admit that they’d done a wonderful job of making the show funny and a little racy, without being crude or offensive.

  “They are really good,” Doona said. “Sienna’s better than I expected.”

  Adam had apologised for her inability to move quickly during his introduction, suggesting that the scene changes would take a little bit longer than ideal, but it didn’t seem to disrupt the flow of the performance.

  “I’m amazed that they managed to incorporate some of the local performers into so many of the scenes and get them up to speed so quickly,” Bessie said.

  “I guess they didn’t have much choice,” Doona replied. “They couldn’t do every scene with just the same three people, no matter how talented they are.”

  The interval was only a quick ten-minute one, and Bessie and Doona simply continued making their way through the contents of Bessie’s hamper. The second half of the show was as entertaining as the first, even if Juliet had to sit on a stool rather than stand on a balcony. When it was all over, Bessie and Doona joined the rest of the crowd in a rousing standing ovation.

  As everyone around them began to gather up their picnics and pack up, Bessie and Doona settled back in to wait for the cast.

  “I think I enjoyed that even more than Wednesday’s show,” Doona said.

  “I definitely did, because I wasn’t having to think about who killed Scott throughout the whole thing,” Bessie replied.

  Doona smiled. “There is that,” she said. “But I think Adam and Sienna and Candy work really well together. They seemed less tense without William watching their every move.”

  “We certainly were,” Candy said. “William was, well, difficult is the best word. He was difficult to work with.” She had emerged from the tent in jeans and a T-shirt with “Manx National Heritage” printed across it. Adam wasn’t far behind, and he was helping Sienna across the uneven grass. They too were now casually dressed.

  “He was difficult and he was a murderer,” Sienna said in a soft voice. She shuddered and leaned into Adam, who slipped an arm around her. “I can’t believe that he killed Scott. I just can’t get my head around it.”

  “Well, whatever the reason, you were all wonderful tonight,” Bessie said, smiling at them. “I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed your show.”

  “Thanks,” Candy said. “I guess we were pretty good last night, too.”

  “Did you get a standing ovation last night as well?” Doona asked.

  “Yeah, and something a bit better.” Adam grinned, giving Sienna a squeeze.

  “Come on, then, don’t keep us in suspense,” Bessie said.

  “One of my friends from London came over to see the show last night,” Candy told her. “I didn’t even know he was here, but he saw the show and after it was over he, well, he made us an offer we can’t refuse.”

  “How wonderful,” Bessie said. “To do the show elsewhere or something else?”

  Candy laughed. “Oh, something else, for sure,” she replied. “After tomorrow’s matinee, I don’t think any of us will ever do Shakespeare again.”

  Sienna laughed. “I just hope I stop dreaming in iambic pentameter.”

  “So what will you all be doing?” Doona asked.

  “I’m going to be managing these two,” Candy said with a grin. “That will be a full-time job, for sure.”

  “And Sienna and I have been offered roles on Market Square,” Adam said excitedly. “They’ve decided to have Scott’s character go missing. I’m going to play his brother who flies in the from the US to try to find him.”

  “And I’m Adam’s girlfriend, who comes along with him,” Sienna added.

  “What a wonderful opportunity for you all,” Bessie said with a smile.

  “We’re all over the moon,” Candy replied. “We have tomorrow’s show to do and then the production company is flying us back to London on Monday. Our new adventure starts with rehearsals on Monday afternoon.”

  “And you’re not acting?” Bessie asked.

  “Not for now anyway,” Candy said with a shrug. “Maybe something will turn up, but I’m happy managing these two anyway. There’s no doubt in my mind that they’re going to be huge stars.”

  “In that case,” Bessie grinned. “I insist on getting your autographs now, while you’re still willing to talk to me.”

  Everyone laughed, and the trio happily signed sheets of paper in the small notebook Bessie habitually carried. After that, there was an awkward pause before Candy spoke.

  “The thing is,” she said, looking at the ground, “well, we’re all just so very grateful to you for figuring out what happened to Scott and everything.” She sighed. “We really can’t thank you enough for helping us all out. I’ve paid your friend for my room, by the way, out of my share of what the troupe is getting for the shows here. I, um, paid for Penny’s room as well. It didn’t seem fair that you get stuck with the bill, but I couldn’t see her paying from prison.”

  Bessie smiled “Thank you,” she said. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you.”

  Candy flushed. “As I said, we’re all so grateful. It was the not knowing, you know? I kept looking at them all, wondering who killed Scott and why. I couldn’t sleep at night, and I’m sure Adam and Sienna were the same.”

  “It was awful,” Sienna said. “I was so afraid that Adam had done it that I could barely function.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Adam said, dropping his arm from around Sienna. She grinned at him.

  “I
didn’t really think you’d done it,” she told him. “But I couldn’t imagine anyone doing it, not really. It all sort of feels like a bad dream, even now.”

  Adam nodded. “It doesn’t feel real,” he agreed with Sienna. “But at the same time, I feel immensely grateful to you,” he told Bessie.

  Bessie just laughed. “Promise me you’ll remember me when you’re rich and famous,” she teased.

  “We will,” the three told her solemnly.

  “And have fabulous lives,” Bessie added with a smile.

  The group hug that followed felt like a suitable goodbye.

  Glossary of Terms

  Manx to English

  fastyr mie

  good afternoon

  kys t’ou

  how are you?

  moghry mie

  good morning

  skeet

  gossip

  ta mee braew

  I’m fine

  Thie yn Traie

  Beach House

  Treoghe Bwaaue

  Widow’s Cottage (Bessie’s home)

  English to American Terms

  advocate

  Manx title for a lawyer (solicitor)

  aye

  yes

  bill

  paper money

  biscuits

  cookies

  booking

  reservation

  boot

  trunk (of a car)

  car park

  parking lot

  chippy

  fish and chips take-out restaurant

  crisps

  potato chips

  cuppa

  cup of tea (informally)

  diary

  calendar

  exercise kit

  exercise clothes

  fairy cakes

  cupcakes

  fizzy drinks

  soda (pop)

  flat

  apartment