Aunt Bessie Observes (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 15)

by Diana Xarissa

  “We can always auction off a few bottles of wine,” Agnes told him. “They’re usually surprisingly popular, especially with the younger guests who can’t afford to bid on the larger items.”

  “That’s an idea,” Scott agreed.

  Bessie had slowly made her way over to the corner while the pair had been talking. “It does seem like rather a lot,” she said to Scott. “But it will be better to have too much than not enough.”

  “Yes, that’s very true,” Scott agreed.

  “The last time I saw you at one of these types of things you had a lovely young lady called Fiona with you,” Bessie said. “Will she be joining you tomorrow night?”

  Scott shook his head. “I’ll be bringing a woman called Amber. I met her a few weeks ago at a party across.”

  “I’ll look forward to meeting her. Do you go across often?”

  “Once or twice a month, usually for two or three days at a time. I’m trying to cut back, as I’m meant to be retired, but I’m too young to sit at home, anyway.”

  “Did you ever meet either of the two men who were murdered when you were across?” Bessie asked, trying to sound casual.

  Scott paused and looked at Bessie for a moment before he replied. “No, not at all. I don’t go to a lot of charity functions, really, especially not in the UK. This is the first time I’ve been on a fundraising committee and it’s been, well, interesting. I’m not sure I’ll volunteer again in a hurry.”

  “Oh?”

  “It’s taken up a lot more time than I expected it to. And with having to buy all this wine, it’s cost me more than I’d planned, as well.”

  “You can blame Jonathan and Nathan for that,” Bessie said. “I’m sure Agnes could have secured donations for wine and spirits if those two hadn’t offered to sort it all out themselves.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you’re right, but, well, we’ll see. Perhaps no one else will ever ask me to sit on a committee and I won’t have to give the matter any thought.”

  “Did anyone on the committee ever argue with either man?” Bessie asked.

  “Not that I’m aware of. To be honest, I think most of us were grateful that they were wiling to do so much of the work. Anthony is a dedicated volunteer and he works really hard, but Jacqueline and I are both new to this sort of thing. I’m sure she was as surprised as I was by how much time and effort was expected of us.”

  “I don’t suppose you have any idea who might have killed the two men?”

  Scott chuckled. “I’d heard that you were an intrepid investigator,” he said. “I never imagined that you’d be questioning me about murder, though. In answer to your question, no, I have no idea. It must have been someone from across who followed them here, surely? No one on the island could possibly have had any motive.”

  Before Bessie could reply, Henry and another Manx National Heritage employee walked in the room, carrying a long table. It quickly became obvious that they wanted to put the table exactly where Bessie and Scott were standing.

  “It’s the bar, or it will be,” Henry explained as Bessie moved out of the way.

  Scott took advantage of the interruption to slip out the back door. He called a quick “goodbye” over his shoulder as he went.

  Two smaller tables went on either side of the long one, making a U-shaped bar in front of the boxes of wine and spirits. Janet and Joan began to cover the tables and decorate them.

  “Do you want me to do cards for the things that Mary and George brought?” Bessie asked Agnes.

  “Oh, would you?” Agnes replied. “My hand is cramped from all the writing we did earlier and I really don’t want to write one more word.”

  “I’m happy to do it,” Bessie told her. She quickly took notes on the items and then walked back to the conference room and got to work. She was about halfway through when the door swung open.

  “Oh, it’s just you,” Jacqueline said from the doorway.

  “I am sorry,” Bessie replied with a wry grin.

  Jacqueline shrugged. “Where is everyone else?”

  “Decorating the party room.”

  Jacqueline yawned and then dropped into a chair opposite Bessie. “If I go in there, they’re going to expect me to help, aren’t they?” she asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” Bessie told her. “They seem to have everything under control.”

  “I’m just so busy, you see. I simply haven’t the time to spend the afternoon here sticking cardboard decorations to the walls.”

  “I think you’ll find that they’ve done a better job of it than that,” Bessie told her.

  “I’m sure,” Jacqueline replied.

  Bessie ignored the sarcasm in the other woman’s voice. “So what brings you here today?” she asked.

  “I just thought I should drop in and make sure that Agnes doesn’t need anything. I know that losing Jonathan and Nathan as we did has complicated things for her.”

  “I was wondering if anyone from the committee knew either man before they joined the committee,” Bessie said.

  “Yes, I’m sure the police are wondering that as well. The only logical solution to the murders is that someone came over from across to kill them, though. I’m sure the police must realise that.”

  “Unless someone on the island knew them, maybe even invited them to come over so that they could hide here for a while.”

  “That’s an interesting idea,” Jacqueline said. “Maybe the man they were staying with in Port Erin invited them.”

  “I’m sure the police are checking him out thoroughly.”

  “I still think it was someone from across. No doubt someone came over, killed them both, and went back home immediately. The police will never find the killer.”

  “I hope you’re wrong. I hate the thought of anyone getting away with murder,” Bessie told her.

  “People do it every day. Many of them are so clever that the police don’t even realise it was murder in the first place.”

  “Yes, I suppose you’re right. Do you recall anyone on the committee having a disagreement with either man?” Bessie changed the subject slightly.

  Jacqueline shrugged. “We were one big happy family. I, for one, was grateful for the extra help. Scott complained a little bit about how the pair seemed to take over certain aspects of the event, but he didn’t want to do the work himself, so no one listened to him.”

  “And you didn’t suspect that they might be planning something criminal?”

  “Not for one second,” Jacqueline said firmly. “Of course, Agnes brought them onto the committee. She should have been more careful about who she trusted. Once she’d introduced them to the rest of us, we had no reason to suspect that they were anything other than exactly who they claimed to be.”

  Bessie wondered to herself if she would have been suspicious of the men if she’d met them when they were alive. She’d like to think she would have, but there was no way to be sure. “I’ve been told they were very good at what they did,” she said after a moment.

  Jacqueline laughed. “They may have been, but they both got murdered, which suggests that they weren’t as clever as they thought they were.”

  Bessie finished the card she was writing. When she looked up, Jacqueline was on her feet.

  “I really must dash,” she said. “Please tell Agnes that I was here to help, but ran out of time. I’ll see you all tomorrow. The party starts at seven, doesn’t it?”

  “I believe so, but I’m sure the committee members are meant to be here earlier.”

  “Of course,” Jacqueline sighed. She turned on her ridiculously high heel and walked out of the room, leaving Bessie staring after her.

  “Thanks for your help,” she muttered under her breath before she got back to her careful writing. By the time she’d finished, the room next door looked even better. The bar was finished and the Markham sisters were hard at work setting up the crates to display the auction items. Agnes was working on that while Henry was moving chairs into place in front of where the st
age was going to go.

  “Jacqueline made a brief appearance while I was working on these,” Bessie told Agnes as she handed the woman the cards. “She wanted to help, she truly did, but she simply didn’t have time.”

  Agnes rolled her eyes. “I don’t know what that woman does all day, but whenever there’s any work to do, she sure is busy.”

  “Ah, good afternoon,” Trevor said from the doorway. “Where do you want the wine?”

  Agnes explained about the back door to the building while Bessie crossed to Janet and Joan.

  “That’s Kathryn,” she whispered, nodding towards the door.

  The dark-haired woman was standing next to her husband, frowning. She looked much the same as Bessie remembered her, although Bessie knew it had been years since she’d seen the woman. Everything about the woman screamed money. Bessie was sure Kathryn’s dark blue shoes cost more than most women spent on shoes in a lifetime. The shoes were a perfect match for Kathryn’s dress that was modest but still managed to showcase the woman’s slender figure. Her makeup was impeccable and not a hair was out of the place in the complicated twist on her head.

  “She looks mean,” Janet whispered back.

  “I’m sure she’s very nice,” Joan said, her tone scolding.

  “I’m not,” Janet muttered.

  “I have a box of things for the auction,” Kathryn said in a monotone. “From the people that I rang.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Agnes replied. “Trevor can leave it on the table at the back after he’s unloaded the wine.”

  Kathryn nodded and then slowly began to wander around the room. Bessie began helping the sisters move the large and heavy crates into position. It wasn’t long before they crossed paths with Kathryn.

  “Goodness, I haven’t seen you in years,” Bessie exclaimed. She introduced the woman to Janet and Joan. Kathryn gave them each a tiny nod.

  “But how are you?” Bessie asked.

  The corners of Kathryn’s mouth flicked upwards briefly. “I’m fine. Thank you.”

  “Are you looking forward to tomorrow night? I’m sure it’s going to be a wonderful party.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “Of course, the two murders are upsetting,” Bessie suggested.

  “I knew them,” Kathryn told her.

  “You knew the two men who died?”

  “I’d met them, I should say,” Kathryn corrected herself.

  “Where?” Janet asked.

  “They used to work with a friend of mine,” the woman replied.

  “Before they started stealing, I assume,” Bessie said.

  “I suppose so,” Kathryn told her.

  “I hope you’ve told the police what you know,” Bessie added.

  “I talked to them,” Kathryn replied.

  “What did you think of them?” Bessie asked.

  “The police? They were polite enough,” Kathryn said.

  “No, I mean what did you think of Jonathan and Nathan?” Bessie clarified.

  “They were using different names, but they were fine,” the woman replied.

  “You didn’t tell the police when you realised they were here?” Janet demanded.

  “I’m not involved in all of this,” the woman said, waving a hand to encompass the room.

  Bessie could only assume that Kathryn meant that she hadn’t known that the two men were on the island. Getting answers out of the woman was like pulling teeth, but Bessie was willing to keep trying. She opened her mouth to ask another question, but was interrupted by Trevor.

  “The car is all unloaded,” he told Kathryn. “That’s all we have to do here.”

  “Good,” the woman replied. She turned and took a step away from Bessie and her friends.

  “It’s good to see you, Trevor,” Bessie said quickly. “Are you looking forward to tomorrow night?”

  “Yes, of course. I’m sure it will be a lovely evening,” the man replied.

  “We were just talking about Jonathan and Nathan,” Bessie told him. “Kathryn was telling us that she actually knew the men from across.”

  Trevor raised an eyebrow and then slid an arm around his wife. “She’d met them, anyway,” he countered. “But they were perfectly legitimate in those days. They worked for a charity in London and they did solid work.”

  “Had you met them, as well?” Bessie asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Trevor replied. “I’ve met a great many people in my life, both here and across. It’s possible that I met them at some event that I attended with my wife, but if I did, I certainly didn’t remember them when I saw them here.”

  “I was wondering if they had any disagreements with anyone on the committee,” Bessie said as casually as she could.

  “There were a few insignificant incidents,” Trevor said. “Nathan and Scott had words about one of the jobs that Nathan offered to take over. Scott had been planning to do it and may even have spent some time on it. He wasn’t happy when Agnes agreed to let Nathan manage it all.”

  “Really? I would have thought Scott would have been grateful to have less work to do,” Bessie remarked.

  “I’m sure he was, on reflection, but at the time he wasn’t happy,” Trevor told her.

  “Anything else?” Bessie asked.

  “Oh, Jacqueline and Jonathan developed some sort of odd flirtation,” Trevor replied.

  “Jacqueline Garrett?” Kathryn asked. “I can’t see it.”

  “I’m sure it was all Jonathan, trying his luck, but Jacqueline didn’t put him in his place as I would have expected her to do,” Trevor replied.

  “She’s getting old,” Kathryn said, as if that were the last word on the subject.

  “And it’s getting late,” Trevor exclaimed. “We must dash.”

  Kathryn nodded. Bessie and the sisters watched them walk out of the room together.

  “I didn’t like her,” Janet said as the door swung shut behind them.

  “She didn’t say enough to make an impression,” Joan argued.

  “And I wasn’t impressed,” Janet shot back.

  Bessie and the others spent another hour working on the room before they needed to head back to Laxey.

  “I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to finish everything tomorrow,” Janet told Agnes. “We did a lot today.”

  “You did do a lot and all of it is incredible,” Agnes replied. “I can’t thank you enough for your hard work.”

  “It was fun,” Janet told her. “Although I wouldn’t want to do it every day.”

  “I’ll stay and get the rest of the auction items on display,” Agnes told her. “Then the only thing we have to worry about tomorrow is the stage.”

  “Which is going to be built this evening,” Henry assured her. “The pieces are too large for them to move around the building while there are customers here. They’ll get everything moved in and put together as soon as the museum shuts for the night.”

  “Perfect,” Agnes beamed. “And we have more than enough to drink, as well. The nice young man who is doing the catering was here this morning and I’m sure he’s going to do a wonderful job. I really do think it’s all going to work out in the end.”

  Bessie nodded. “I’m sure it will,” she said emphatically.

  A minute later Bessie followed Janet and Joan across the car park back to the car. It was nearly time for the meeting with John and the others.

  CHAPTER 12

  By the time they were back in Laxey, Bessie was regretting that she’d offered to cook dinner. She was tired after her long day and what she really wanted was to sit down with her feet up. Still, she’d offered; she was going to have to deliver.

  “I need to get home to check on Aggie,” Janet said as Joan parked the car behind Bessie’s cottage. “She’s not used to being home alone all day.”

  “Would you like me to come in and give you a hand with dinner?” Joan asked Bessie.

  “Oh, would you?” Bessie replied. “I’m rather more tired than I thought I would be. I’d
be thrilled to have some help.”

  “I’m happy to help,” Joan assured her. “Janet, can you bring the pudding over when you come?”

  “Yes, of course,” Janet agreed.

  They all climbed out of the car. Janet took a few steps and then stopped. “Bessie, would you mind terribly if I brought Aggie over as well? Maybe just for a little while? She’s used to having people around nearly all the time and I’m sure she’s very lonely at the moment.”

  “You may bring her,” Bessie said hesitantly. “But maybe just for a short while.”

  “If she starts to annoy you, please tell me. I’ll take her straight home again without any complaints,” Janet promised. “Or rather, I won’t complain. I can’t promise that Aggie will be as polite.”

  Bessie laughed and then she let herself and Joan into her cottage. With Joan’s help, it seemed to take no time and very little effort before a rich tomato sauce was bubbling on the stove. A pot of hot water was nearly at the boil and two loaves of bread had been spread with garlic butter and were ready to go in the oven.

  “I can’t thank you enough for your help,” Bessie said as she poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot that Joan had set brewing before they’d started cooking.

  “I told you, I’m happy to help,” Joan replied. “I love to cook, even when I’ve been busy doing other things during the day.”

  “I can’t say I love to cook,” Bessie told her. “I don’t usually mind, though.”

  Janet was at the door only a moment later, with Aggie in one hand and the Bakewell tart in the other. “It smells so good in here,” she said as Bessie let her in. “I’m starving.”

  “You’ll have to patient,” Joan told her. “We won’t be putting the pasta in until everyone is here.”

  “I could just have a tiny slice of pudding,” Janet suggested.

  Bessie laughed at the shocked expression on Joan’s face. She knew the sisters well enough to know that Janet had only said that in order to shock Joan.

  Before the pair could argue further, someone knocked on the door. Bessie opened it to John and Doona and greeted them each with a hug.