“I don’t know that, either,” Fenella replied “I believe someone told me that the men all had lunch together, but I can’t quite recall exactly what was said.”
“You should start taking notes when you talk to people.”
“Yeah, because that wouldn’t be weird or anything.”
“So he died some time after lunch and before you and Shelly and Peter arrived at his door. Do you think he was already dead before you got there the first time that night?’
“If he wasn’t dead, surely he would have answered the door.”
“Not if he was prevented from doing so,” Mona said thoughtfully.
“Someone must have been in the apartment while we were knocking, I suppose,” Fenella said. “They must have left after we did, leaving the door open on their way out.”
“I wonder if the security cameras caught anything.”
“There are security cameras?”
“Of course, but they tend to focus on the lobby. There’s one on every floor, monitoring the lifts, but the killer could have used the stairs.”
“I wonder if the police know about the security cameras.”
“You should ring Daniel and tell him.”
Fenella laughed. “Nice try, but I’m not ringing Daniel. If I see Inspector Hammersmith again, I’ll mention it to him, though.”
“Why did the killer leave the door open?” Mona asked.
Fenella stared at her aunt for a moment. “I’ve no idea,” she said eventually.
“I’ve no idea, either, but it’s an interesting question. Surely the killer had to realize that the body would be found much faster that way. I would have thought they would have preferred that the body not be found for as long as possible.”
“If we’d gone back and not received an answer to our knocks, we would have simply walked away and left it,” Fenella said. “Who knows when the body would have been found?”
“You should ask Neil’s friends about their plans for that evening,” Mona suggested. “Or ring Daniel and tell him to do it.”
Fenella shook her head. “Anything else? Because it seems to me that we aren’t getting anywhere.”
“We’ve come up with three separate reasons why you should ring Daniel,” Mona countered. “Which is two more than I was hoping for.”
Fenella opened her mouth to argue, but then snapped it shut. Arguing with Mona was always a waste of time.
“You should get some sleep,” Mona said. “I’ve been invited to a party at Peel Castle. I really must hurry so that I’m not late. We’re having a tour of the Derby apartments tonight, which will be fascinating, as they were long gone before I was born. I can’t wait to see what they looked like.”
Mona faded away before Fenella could question her about anything. “That’s an interesting new slant on ghost tours,” she told Katie as she got ready for bed. “I suppose if ghosts can come back, then they should be able to visit buildings that no longer exist, shouldn’t they? Or maybe not. Maybe Mona was just teasing like she always does.”
Katie tilted her head and looked thoughtful for a minute before jumping on the bed and making herself comfortable. Fenella wasn’t far behind.
Unusually, the next morning she woke up before Katie. She slid out of bed as quietly as she could and took a shower and got dressed before Katie stirred. After giving the kitten her breakfast and eating a bowl of cereal herself, Fenella stood at the windows and looked outside. It was overcast but dry.
“Just do it,” she told herself loudly.
“Meerroow?” Katie asked.
Shaking her head, Fenella found the keys and then headed out of the apartment. The huge garage under the building was devoid of people as Fenella walked through it to the spaces assigned for her apartment. One was empty and the second held Mona’s gorgeous and expensive shiny red convertible.
“It probably won’t even start. It’s been sitting for months,” she told herself as she let herself into the car. She slid behind the wheel and sighed deeply. Just sitting inside the car felt amazing. The owner’s manual was in the glove compartment. Fenella quickly read through the basic instructions and then pushed the key into the ignition. “Here goes nothing,” she said softly.
The engine roared to life, startling Fenella. “Oh, goodness, now I have to drive the darn thing,” she exclaimed. She took several deep breaths and then cautiously put the car into gear. It stalled immediately.
She closed her eyes and breathed in and out for a full minute before she tried again. This time she managed to get the car moving, and a few moments later she’d managed to drive out of the garage and onto the promenade. With no destination in mind, she found herself retracing one of the routes she’d most often taken with Mel. It wasn’t until she’d actually driven past Daniel’s house that she remembered that the route took her there.
The house was dark and looked as empty today as it had every time she’d passed it since the man had left. “I am not stalking the man,” she said loudly as she drove down the street and randomly turned left.
“It seems as if you might be, just a tiny bit,” Mona said from the passenger seat.
Fenella shrieked and then slammed on the brakes. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
“Going for a ride in my car,” Mona replied. “And you shouldn’t stop in the center of the road. You’ll annoy the other drivers.”
Luckily for Fenella, it was still quite early, and no one else had witnessed her sudden stop. She put the car back into gear and continued on her way.
“Are we going home, then?” Mona asked after a minute.
“I think so. I think I’ve had enough excitement for one morning.”
Mona chuckled. “I hope you don’t mind my dropping in. I’ve missed this car.”
“It is a pretty cool car,” Fenella admitted. “I think I’m going to like it a lot. I may need another one for things like grocery shopping, though.”
“You’ll be surprised how much you can actually fit in the boot,” Mona told her. “It’s practically magic back there. I never had a problem getting my shopping in.”
Fenella thought about everything she’d heard about Mona. The word magic came up frequently. “Is it really magic, then?” she asked.
When Mona didn’t reply, Fenella looked around. The woman had disappeared again. Sighing, Fenella pulled the car into the garage and then carefully returned it to its parking space. She climbed out and then patted the little car’s hood.
“Thank you. I enjoyed that. We’ll start going out regularly, I promise.” Fenella probably only imagined the sharp “toot” of the car’s horn that followed her words.
Back in her apartment, she paced restlessly for a short while and then forced herself to sit down with her research. Not having to worry about money meant that she could write the book on her own terms. Maybe she didn’t have worry so much about research, not if she didn’t care if the book sold or not.
She fired up her laptop and began to type. When someone knocked on the door, she jumped.
“Ready for lunch?” Shelly asked.
“What time is it?”
“About five to twelve.”
“My goodness, I’d completely lost all track of time,” Fenella exclaimed. “Give me two minutes to comb my hair and freshen up.” She dashed into her bedroom and did what she could with the time she had.
“I gave Katie some lunch,” Shelly said when Fenella came back out. “She told me that you’ve been ignoring her since breakfast.”
Fenella flushed. “I decided to stop researching and just write,” she explained as she found her handbag. “And then I got quite caught up in the story. Thank you for feeding Katie.”
“It wasn’t a problem. Let’s just hope we aren’t late.”
“And let’s hope Adrian shows up,” Fenella added as they made their way to the elevators.
“At least we know the food will be good,” Shelly said.
“I almost wish we were going somewhere further afield,” Fene
lla told her as they walked out of their building. “I took Mona’s car for a drive this morning and now I want to go everywhere in it.”
Shelly smiled at her. “It’s a really great car, but if you drove to the Indian restaurant, you’d have to park it further away than it already is parked.”
“Yeah, I know,” Fenella sighed as they walked into the restaurant that was only a few doors away from home.
“Ah, ladies, there you are,” Adrian said, getting to his feet. “I hope this table works for you both?”
The restaurant was small and Adrian had taken a table near the back. The ones near the windows had views of the promenade and the sea beyond, but as both Shelly and Fenella had better views from their apartments, they didn’t argue as they sat down on either side of the man.
“You’ll have to tell me what’s good,” Adrian said as they all opened their menus.
“I’ve never had a bad meal here,” Shelly told him. “Just make sure you know how spicy you want things and order accordingly.”
Adrian nodded. “I’m lucky that I like my food just about any which way, as long as I don’t have to cook it,” he laughed.
The waiter took their orders and then brought them drinks. When he’d gone, Shelly smiled at the man.
“So how are you?” she asked.
“A bit fed up with the situation, but otherwise fine,” he replied.
“You were planning to stay for a fortnight or more, though, weren’t you?” Fenella asked.
“Yes, but, well, I was hoping to make a few connections and maybe even sort out a couple of deals while I was here. Things simply aren’t falling into place the way I’d imagined.”
“Because of the police investigation?” Shelly wondered.
“Not specifically, more because of Lance’s untimely death. He was an integral part of just about everything we were planning to do on the island.”
‘I thought he was retired,” Fenella said.
“Technically, I think he was,” Adrian laughed. “But men like us never really retire. We’re always looking for another deal. Small businesses are always waiting to be bought up and reimagined, people are always looking for investors to put their ideas or inventions out there, other businessmen are always looking to pull investors into their bigger projects, and more. I could go on all day about the various things that catch my attention.”
“And you and the others were hoping to do some deals with Lance,” Fenella made sure she understood.
“Yes, exactly. Some of the others, most specifically Jared and Neil, were already in the middle of different projects with him, but I came over to talk to him about something completely new.”
“What?” Shelly asked.
Adrian shrugged. “I don’t truly know, but even if I did, I probably wouldn’t tell you, as the project could still happen and secrecy is important in the early stages. As I said, I don’t really know much, anyway. We were supposed to meet the night Lance died to start our discussions.”
“Where were you meeting?” Fenella asked.
“At Lance’s flat. It seemed the best place to avoid being overheard.”
“You must have been planning for a very late meeting, if we were meant to be having drinks with him at seven,” Fenella said.
“We were supposed to be there around nine,” Adrian told her. “But none of us are earlier risers. Starting meetings at ten or even eleven wouldn’t have been unusual for us.”
“You said you didn’t know Lance well,” Fenella said. “What about the others? How well do you know them?”
The waiter arrived with their food before Adrian could reply. Everyone took a few bites before Adrian spoke again.
“I’ve known Neil for some time,” he said. “I’ve said before that I don’t really consider any of them as friends, merely business associates, and that’s true for Neil as much as anyone.” He sighed. “I don’t approve of how he treats women, and if I were a better man, I’d stop doing business with him as a result. As it is, I try to avoid social situations with him. I can’t complain about him as a business partner.”
Fenella nodded. “What about the others?”
“I haven’t known Jared for long, but I’ve heard good things about him from others. The same is basically true for Eric, although Eric had a short relationship with a friend of mine, so I know him slightly better than the others, I suppose.”
“Was it a good relationship?” Shelly asked.
Adrian chuckled. “It was pretty disastrous, but from what I know of both of them, I suspect they should share the blame for that equally. My friend, Ginger, goes through men at a pretty steady rate. Eric isn’t any better, but in this instance I think they both behaved badly.”
“But you’re happy to do business with him?” Shelly wondered.
Adrian flushed and took a long drink of water. “As I said before, I try to avoid social situations with my business colleagues. Many of them seem to treat women differently to the way I was raised to treat them. When I first started out, I swore I wouldn’t do business with anyone like that, but over time, as I met more and more of the same type of man, I found that I didn’t have much choice, not if I wanted to succeed.”
Fenella bit her tongue rather than tell Adrian what she thought. While she might think she’d never compromise her principles in that way, at least he seemed to acknowledge what he’d done. He even seemed embarrassed about it.
“What do you think of Laura?” Fenella asked as she finished her lunch.
“Laura? I’m not sure what to think of her, if I’m honest. She’s obviously very wealthy and well connected on the island. I can’t quite work out what she’s doing with Neil. Then again, I can’t quite work out what Neil is doing with her, either.”
“What do you mean?” Fenella wanted to know.
“I don’t understand why she puts up with Neil, who flirts with other women in front of her and ignores her half the time when they are together. I also don’t understand why Neil keeps taking her to events when he clearly wants to flirt with other women. Every time I see her with him, I wonder why she’s there.”
“I wondered that at the pub last night,” Shelly told him.
“Exactly. Neil rang me and suggested that we meet for a drink last night. I was just bored enough to agree. I thought from the way Neil worded the invitation that it was just going to be the two of us. I was almost as surprised to find Jared and Eric there as I was to see Laura.”
“Did Neil give you any explanation for why the others were there?” Fenella asked.
“He didn’t have a chance. They were already there when I arrived and I didn’t go back after I walked you two home.”
“And you haven’t spoken to him since?” was Fenella’s next question.
Adrian shrugged. “He’s been texting me all morning, but I haven’t bothered to read the messages. I suppose you could say I’m avoiding the man.”
“Why?”
“It’s probably more accurate to say I’m avoiding all of them, really. I’m just tired of them. When we worked together before on various projects, I’d see Neil for an hour or two once or twice a month. I think we’ve just had too much togetherness while we’ve been on the island.”
“Does that mean you won’t be moving here?” Shelly asked.
“I don’t know, really. As everyone has said all along, the tax advantages are considerable, but, well, we’ll see what happens, I suppose. Lance’s unsolved murder is worrying.”
“I’m sure the police will find the killer,” Fenella told him. “They’re very good.”
“I’m sure they are, but as I understand it, the longer it takes the less likely it is that the crime will ever be solved,” Adrian replied.
“I don’t know. Since I’ve been on the island, the police have solved a few thirty-year-old cold cases. They never give up, you know, especially not on murder cases,” Fenella told him.
“I hope they don’t expect us to stay here for thirty years,” Adrian said. “I have a lif
e to get back to across.”
“I’m sure you’ll be free to go soon,” Fenella said. “It would be good if they could solve the murder before you go, but you won’t have to stay if they don’t manage to do that reasonably quickly.”
“I wouldn’t mind staying so much if we could spend more time together,” he replied. Then he flushed and shook his head. “That came out wrong. I don’t want either of you thinking that I’m anything like Neil or Eric when it comes to women. All I meant was that I’m enjoying your company. I much prefer it to spending time with Neil and the others. But I suppose if I were you two I’d want to avoid all of us, and I can’t say as I blame you.”
“Have you done any sightseeing since you’ve been here?” Shelly asked. “The island has two amazing castles, a few excellent museums, and some other fascinating historical sites.”
“I went to that party at Peel Castle, but I didn’t get to see anything other than the inside of a few marquees,” the man told her. “What I could see of the castle by moonlight looked interesting, though.”
“You should go and do some sightseeing while you’re waiting for the police to finish,” Shelly told him. “You’ll appreciate the island a lot more once you’ve seen more of it.”
Adrian nodded. “You’re probably right, but I’m afraid I’m probably too lazy to do anything on my own. Neil was going to arrange a few tours for us, but with everything else that has happened, he’s probably forgotten all about it. I don’t suppose you could suggest a good tour guide?”
Shelly looked at Fenella and then shrugged. “I’ve lived on the island my entire life and I used to teach elementary school. I’ve been around every site at least a hundred times, I’m sure. And Fenella has a PhD in history. Between us we should be able to tell you everything you need to know about every site.”
“Is that a serious offer? Because I’ve nothing else to do with myself for the next few days. I’d love to see a few sights with you ladies.”
Shelly looked at Fenella, who shrugged. She didn’t have anything on her social calendar and Adrian was easily the nicest of the men Neil had brought to the island. Seeing a few sites with him might be interesting.
Friends and Frauds (An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Book 6) Page 21