“Yes, but you don’t have a criminal mind. Whoever is behind these murders is probably running some sort of massive burglary and smuggling operation. If they found evidence that someone had murdered someone else their first instinct would probably be blackmail, not to ring the police.”
“Aunty Mona, you aren’t making me feel any better,” Fenella said.
“Once we solve the case, you’ll be fine,” Mona said airily. “Tell me about the suspects. What happened today?”
Fenella sighed deeply, but didn’t have the energy to argue. While she made herself some lunch, she told her aunt all about the meeting at the Sea Terminal.
“So Sherry Hampton accused her husband of smuggling; that’s interesting,” Mona said.
“She was just being awful,” Fenella told her.
“I wonder what she means by a lot of money,” Mona mused.
“Probably not all that much. Young people don’t seem to appreciate how much everything costs these days. My students were always talking about how they could live on virtually nothing as if it were a great virtue. I always pointed out to them that it wasn’t too hard to live on a small income if your parents were paying for tuition, room, and board.”
Mona chuckled. “Yes, that’s true,” she said. “I’m sure Harry has saved up a decent little nest egg, but if that’s all he has to support himself through retirement, he may have to get rid of his expensive trophy wife.”
“I’m not sure either of them would mind that,” Fenella muttered.
“I can’t believe Stanley and Florence could be involved in anything criminal,” Mona said. “There was tons of money on both sides, anyway, and Stanley has always been good at making more. As much as I’d like to see them both in trouble with the law, I don’t think they’re involved.”
“What about Justin Newmarket?” Fenella asked.
“He’d be easy to recruit to do some light burglary and heavy lifting, but if we’re looking for the criminal mastermind behind the crimes, I don’t think he fits,” Mona said.
“Maybe he’s just pretending to be dumb,” Fenella suggested.
“I suppose it’s possible. We’ll keep him on the short list. What about the Propers?”
“I don’t know. I’ve only spoken to them a few times. They aren’t my favorite people, but they don’t seem like criminals.”
“Also on the short list, then,” Mona said. “Nick cheated on his wife, after all. Perhaps he’s dishonest in other ways.”
“So you think it was Justin or Nick and Brenda that killed Robert and George Mason?” Fenella asked.
“You didn’t mention Sarah Grosso,” Mona said. “We can’t rule her out.”
“The widow? But why would she have killed her own husband?”
“Maybe she was just tired of him and decided this was the perfect time to get rid of him,” Mona suggested. “Maybe his death doesn’t have anything to do with burglaries or stolen property.”
“She was so upset on Saturday.”
“She seems to be getting over it, though,” Mona pointed out. “You said she was quick to agree with Shelly about how handsome Inspector Robinson is.”
“Well, yes, but she didn’t ask him out or anything. It was just a conversation between women.”
“You don’t know that she didn’t ask him out,” Mona said. “Anyway, it hardly matters. What does matter is that she’s on the short list as well.”
“I forgot about Charlotte,” Fenella exclaimed. “I can’t see her strangling anyone with a rope, though.”
“She could do it,” Mona said. “She’s just nasty enough.”
Fenella grinned. “I nearly forgot that you didn’t like her,” she said.
“Yes, well, she’s definitely on my list, as well.”
“I think just about everyone is on your short list,” Fenella said.
“And that’s why you have to start doing some investigating.”
“Because we were so successful last time,” Fenella said sarcastically.
“Oh, don’t be like that,” Mona said. “It isn’t like you’re working on your book. You’ve nothing better to do.”
“That’s a good point, actually,” Fenella said. “I should be working on my book.”
She got up from her seat and put her dirty dishes in the dishwasher before she headed into the master bedroom. Sitting down at the desk, she glanced around the room.
“Maybe I should make the other bedroom into a proper office,” she said thoughtfully. With that thought in the back of her mind, she opened the biography of Henry the Eighth that was on the top of the pile and began to read. While she struggled to keep focused on the words on the page, she managed to kill a few hours. She was just getting to the part where Henry met Anne when she decided to stop.
That was the material that needed her complete attention, and she couldn’t provide that at the moment. A glance at the clock told her that it was only a little bit too early to start on dinner. Deciding she could drag her preparations out, she headed for the kitchen to make dinner for herself and Daniel.
Chapter Eleven
By the time Daniel arrived, the water was boiling and the meat sauce was dangerously close to burning. Fenella turned off the heat under the sauce as she headed for the door.
“I’m sorry I’m a little late,” Daniel said as a greeting. “Paperwork is the bane of my existence.”
Fenella laughed and led him into the kitchen. “Sit down and have a glass of wine,” she suggested.
“I’d better not,” he replied. “Technically, this is probably a working dinner rather than a social one.”
“I’ll put the wine back in the fridge, then,” Fenella said, annoyed with herself for sounding disappointed.
“You’re welcome to have some,” Daniel told her.
“No, that’s okay,” she said. “I’ll have a soda. I love them and I try not to drink too many.”
As Daniel sipped on his own soft drink, Fenella dumped dried pasta into the boiling water. She slid the baguette that she’d smothered in garlic butter into the oven and then shrugged. “I think that’s everything,” she said.
“It all smells wonderful,” Daniel told her.
“The sauce is from a jar,” Fenella admitted. “Although I’ve improved on it, or at least I hope I have.”
“After the day I’ve had, I’ll eat anything,” Daniel said. “I never got any lunch.”
“You need to take better care of yourself,” Fenella told him. “Eating is important. You need to keep your body fuelled.”
“Yes, I know. My ex-wife used to nag me about meals as well,” Daniel told her.
Fenella took a deep breath. “Maybe she wasn’t nagging,” she suggested. “Maybe she was worried about you because she loved you.”
Daniel looked at her in surprise and then frowned. “Maybe I could go out and come back in again,” he said. “I could try harder not to say stupid things.”
“Let’s just pretend you did,” Fenella said. “There’s no point in you walking back and forth. We’ll just start over.”
“Dinner smells wonderful,” Daniel said.
“It’s only jar sauce, but I’ve tried to improve on it.”
“I’m sure it will be delicious. I was too busy with reports to get myself any lunch today, so I’m starving. I’m going to have to start taking better care of myself, really.”
“Yes, you are,” Fenella agreed.
Katie wandered into the kitchen and nibbled her way through her bowl of dry food. When it was empty, she glanced up at Fenella, who shook her head at the tiny kitten. “Meowww,” Katie said, looking away. She walked over to the counter and jumped up onto the empty stool next to Daniel. Before Fenella could say anything, Katie made the leap onto Daniel’s lap. She rubbed her face against his chest and then snuggled down on his lap, giving Fenella a smug grin before she rested her head on her front paws.
“Put her on the floor if she’s bothering you,” Fenella told Daniel.
“Puurrrrrrrr,�
� Katie said as Daniel began to rub behind her ears.
“She’s fine,” Daniel said. “A little affection after a long day helps no end.”
“You could give him a cuddle,” Mona suggested as she appeared on the couch across the room.
Fenella very nearly spit out a reply to her aunt, biting her tongue at the very last moment and covering herself with a forced cough.
“Are you okay?” Daniel asked.
“Fine,” Fenella said. “Just, um, I’m fine.” She glared at Mona and then turned her attention back to dinner. It wasn’t long before the pasta and garlic bread were ready. As Daniel kept Katie happy, Fenella served up generous helpings of spaghetti and piled the garlic bread onto a large serving platter.
For several minutes the pair was quiet as they ate.
“Once you’re finished eating, you need to ask him about the suspects,” Mona said as she crossed the room to stand at Fenella’s elbow. “Ask him who has more money that he or she should have. I still think the widow is a suspect. I’ll bet, if she wasn’t involved in anything criminal, she knew what her husband was up to.”
Fenella stood up suddenly, forcing Mona to take a step backwards. “Would you like more of anything?” she asked Daniel.
“Another drink would be great,” he said.
Fenella glared at Mona as she stepped past her.
“I think that’s just rude,” Mona said. “You nearly stepped on me. You wouldn’t behave like that if I were still alive.”
“I wouldn’t be here,” Fenella hissed back.
“Yes, that’s true, but still,” Mona said. “Ask the gorgeous inspector about Charlotte, too. I never did like that woman.”
Fenella carried two more cans of soda to the table and filled up the inspector’s glass and her own.
“I’m sure you don’t want to talk about work,” she said. “So what shall we talk about?”
Daniel shrugged. “How are you finding the island?” he asked. “I’ve been here for three months or so and I still feel like everyone treats me as an outsider. I’ve been told I can expect that to improve in another ten or fifteen years.”
Fenella laughed, but Mona shook her head. “Maybe twenty,” she said.
“It’s different for me,” Fenella said. “I was born here, for one thing, and I don’t get out much, either. Shelly and Peter have been very welcoming and I don’t know very many other people.”
“Whereas I meet new people every day, usually under the worst possible circumstances,” Daniel said. “I sometimes feel as if they’d be more honest with me if I were a Manxman.”
“Goodness, I hope not,” Fenella said. “I can’t imagine lying to a policeman simply because he isn’t a local.”
“I didn’t mean lying, exactly,” Daniel said. “It more like they answer my questions but don’t ever elaborate. I feel as if I’m missing out an a lot of local gossip because I’m a stranger.”
“No doubt that’s true,” Fenella said. “But surely there are some men and women at the station who are local and don’t have that handicap.”
“Maybe, but I’m CID,” Daniel explained. “I knew moving to the island would be a big adjustment, but I suppose I’m surprised at how very different it is from everywhere else I’ve ever worked.”
“I hope you aren’t thinking about leaving,” Fenella said quickly. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she blushed. Goodness knows what Daniel would think of her now.
“I like it here a lot,” Daniel told her. “The island is beautiful and the crime rates are low. It’s only when I’m in the middle of an investigation like this one that I start to feel like I’m at a disadvantage.”
“Hopefully, this will be the last murder investigation for a long while,” Fenella said.
“The murder investigation isn’t as difficult as the investigation into the burglaries,” Daniel replied. “It’s a small island and I can’t help but feel that there must be people who know something about what’s happening, but I can’t get anyone to talk to me.”
“And now it looks as if whoever is behind the burglaries is eliminating his or her accomplices,” Fenella said.
“Exactly,” Daniel said. “I knew when we spoke to the men and women who work for the ferry company that someone was hiding something. I actually had a list of three or four people that I was going to talk to again because I was suspicious of them. George Mason was on that list.”
“How frustrating,” Fenella said.
“That’s one word for it,” Daniel replied.
“Not to change the subject, but I have ice cream for dessert,” Fenella said. “I can’t seem to bring myself to call it pudding, as pudding is a very specific thing in the US. I don’t have any of that, although it does sound good, now that I’ve mentioned it.”
Daniel smiled. “Ice cream sounds good,” he said. “I won’t argue with you, whatever you want to call it.”
“Mint chip or chocolate chip cookie dough?” Fenella asked.
“After my day, I think I deserve a scoop of each,” Daniel told her.
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Fenella said.
“For goodness sake, the man was telling you all sorts of things about the case and you interrupt for ice cream?” Mona demanded. She stomped back and forth across the kitchen, waving her arms. “Get him talking about the case again. Find out who the main suspects are. I’m dying of curiosity.”
“You’re already dead,” Fenella said.
“I’m sorry?” Daniel asked.
“Oh, I was just, um, fighting with the ice cream, or rather, it’s fighting with me,” she stammered. “It doesn’t seem to want to scoop nicely, that’s all.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow and gave her a faint smile. Fenella ignored Mona, who was laughing loudly, and got the ice cream into bowls.
“Here we are,” she said. “After we’ve finished, maybe we should take a walk on the promenade and enjoy the spring weather.”
“That isn’t nice,” Mona said.
Fenella smiled at her aunt. It wasn’t her fault that Mona couldn’t come along, was it?
“I think I’d better head for home after this,” Daniel said between mouthfuls. “I have a very busy day tomorrow, starting with talking to the dead man’s parents.”
“Oh, dear, that doesn’t sound pleasant,” Fenella said.
“They’re across in Manchester,” he told her. “Someone from their local constabulary had to share the news with them. Tomorrow I have to question them to see if they knew anything about their son’s job here on the island.”
“And to see if they knew that he was involved in criminal activity,” Fenella said.
“Yes, well, I won’t quite put it like that,” Daniel said. “From everything I’ve heard about them, they are a lovely older couple who live very quietly within their means. George was the youngest of three, and from all accounts his older brother and sister are model citizens. I’m just going to ask them a few soft questions about the man’s job and his friends. I’m hoping he might have said something to them about the people he worked with, and maybe he gave them a name or two of people who aren’t ferry company employees.”
“That would be too easy,” Fenella said.
“Yes, I know, but I have to try. A lot of police work goes like that. You never know where or when you might get an unexpected break.”
“You’re certain he was involved in the burglary ring?” Fenella asked.
“We have several reasons to believe that he was involved in something criminal, not least because he was murdered,” Daniel corrected her. “It’s far too early in the investigation to be certain exactly what he was involved with, though.”
“Surely someone else must know something,” Fenella said thoughtfully. “The two dead men can’t be the entire burglary and smuggling ring, can they?”
“We’re pretty sure the murderer is also involved,” Daniel said dryly.
Fenella laughed. “I’ve been assuming the murderer is the mastermind behind
the scheme,” she said. “But there must be other people involved as well.”
“I suspect so, based on the number of homes that have been hit and the scale of the suspected operation,” Daniel said. “But it’s really all just speculation at this point.”
“If I were involved and two of my associates had been murdered, I’d be at the police station begging for help,” Fenella said.
“I can only assume that their fear of the murderer is greater than their desire to see him or her behind bars,” Daniel said. “Or their fear of going to prison themselves is greater than their fear of the murderer.”
“Prison sounds lovely and safe, really,” Fenella said.
“But not as pleasant as being free and able to spend your ill-gotten gains,” Daniel pointed out.
Fenella nodded reluctantly. “I’d still go to the police,” she said.
“Which is why you’re never going to make it as a career criminal,” Daniel said with a laugh. He got to his feet, gently setting Katie on the floor as he did so. “And now I need to go home and try to get some sleep. Tomorrow is another day.”
Katie walked between his legs, rubbing her back against him as he headed for the door.
“I think she likes you,” Fenella said.
“She’s a sweetheart,” Daniel replied.
Fenella opened the door for him. He turned and stared into her eyes for a moment. “Thank you for dinner,” he said quietly. “And for the conversation. I feel better about, well, everything now.”
“I’m glad I could help, although I don’t feel as if I did anything,” Fenella said.
Daniel smiled and then took a small step closer to her. Feeling as if the whole world had suddenly stopped, Fenella held her breath and waited for the kiss she was sure was coming. The sound of a door opening in the corridor had Daniel taking a step backwards.
“Ah, Daniel, I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Shelly said brightly. “I was just coming to see if Fenella wanted to go to the pub.”
Fenella sighed deeply. What she really wanted was to have two more minutes alone with Daniel.
“I was just leaving,” Daniel explained. “I came over to get Fenella to sign her statement.”
“Which I never did,” Fenella reminded him.
Boats and Bad Guys (An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Book 2) Page 17