An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF
Diana Xarissa
Contents
Dogs and Danger
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Acknowledgments
Encounters and Enemies
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Acknowledgments
Friends and Frauds
Author’s Note
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Guests and Guilt
Acknowledgments
By the Same Author
About the Author
Dogs and Danger
An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy
Text Copyright © 2017 Diana Xarissa
Cover Copyright © 2017 Linda Boulanger – Tell Tale Book Covers
All Rights Reserved
Created with Vellum
For dog lovers everywhere.
Author’s Note
This is the fourth book in the Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Series. I’m really enjoying writing about Fenella and her friends. I hope you are all enjoying the series as much as I am.
As Fenella grew up in the US, this book is written primarily in American English. The story takes place in the Isle of Man, a UK crown dependency. I should say that when the characters who are British (or Manx) speak, they use British English (or Manx) terms, often then explaining them to Fenella. Fenella generally uses American English, although she is trying to adapt.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The shops, restaurants, and businesses in this story are also fictional. The historical sites and other landmarks on the island are all real; however, all of the events that take place within them in this story are fictional.
As ever, my contact details are available at the back of the book, and I’d love to hear from you. Thank you for taking time out of your busy life to spend some time with Fenella and her friends.
1
“It’s really good to have you back,” Shelly Quirk said as she and her friend walked along the Douglas promenade.
“It’s good to be back,” Fenella Woods told her with a sigh. “I really missed the island, even more than I miss Buffalo when I’m here.”
“That’s sort of strange, isn’t it?” Shelly asked.
Fenella shrugged. “I lived in Buffalo for all of my adult life,” she replied. “I really thought when I moved here that I would miss it a great deal. Maybe it was such a huge change in so many ways that my brain is too confused to miss it.”
Shelly laughed. “I don’t think you’re that confused,” she said.
“Sometimes I wonder,” Fenella replied. Not even six months earlier, if someone had told her where she was going to be right now, Fenella would have thought they were mad. No one had been more surprised than she had been when she’d inherited her aunt’s estate, which had included a luxurious apartment with an amazing view of the sea, a fancy convertible sports car, and enough money to support Fenella for the foreseeable future. It hadn’t taken her long to decide to sell her small house in Buffalo, New York, quit her job, cut her ties, and relocate to the Isle of Man, a small UK crown dependency in the middle of the Irish Sea.
She’d moved to the island in March, when it had been cold and rainy nearly every day. Now, in mid-June, the sun was shining and it was warm, but certainly not hot. Fenella was pretty sure she wasn’t going to miss the hot summers that Buffalo experienced.
“So what did you do while you were across?” Shelly asked.
Island residents referred to the UK as “across,” a bit of local vernacular that Fenella had already begun using herself.
“I visited Hever Castle and Hampton Court Palace,” Fenella replied. “And I spent ages visiting galleries and museums and looking at everything and anything that was Tudor in any way.”
“And that’s going to help with your book?”
“I certainly hope so,” Fenella said with a grin. She’d been a history professor at a large university in Buffalo, but her inheritance from Aunty Mona meant that she didn’t need to worry about finding another paying job, at least not right away. What she wanted to do now was write a fictionalized autobiography of Anne Boleyn, a historical figure who had always fascinated her. She was still in the early stages of research, but she was hoping to start putting together an outline for the book soon.
“I really appreciate your keeping Katie for me, especially for the extra week,” Fenella said as the pair reached the end of the promenade and turned around.
“It was no trouble at all,” Shelly assured her.
When she’d moved to the island, Fenella had no intentions of acquiring a pet, but only a few days after she’d arrived, a small black kitten had wandered into Fenella’s apartment and made herself at home. Now Fenella couldn’t imagine life without the tiny, feisty animal.
“I was only planning to stay for a week, but there was so much more to see than I’d realized,” Fenella explained. “I am sorry about changing my plans without warning, though.”
“It really wasn’t a problem,” Shelly said. “Smokey enjoyed having company. She’s rather annoyed now that Katie is back at your flat.”
Fenella laughed. “You can bring Smokey over for a visit anytime,” she said.
Once Katie had moved in with Fenella, Shelly had started thinking about getting a kitten of her own. A visit to the local animal shelter had resulted in Shelly adopting an older animal, though. Smokey was a rather more refined cat, with grey fur and dignified manners, at least most of the time. She seemed to suit Shelly perfectly.
“So what did I miss while I was gone?” Fenella demanded. She’d returned from her trip on a late flight the previous evening and had collected Katie and gone straight to bed. This was her first chance to catch up with her next-door neighbor, who was also quickly becoming a dear friend.
“I don’t know that you missed much of anything,” Shelly replied.
“How’s Gordon?” Fenella asked.
Shelly blushed bright red. “He’s fine,” she muttered.
Shelly had been widowed nearly a year earlier. While still in shock, she’d sold her home, moved into Promenade View Apartments, and taken early retirement from her teaching job. Fenella’s Aunt Mona had befriended the devastated widow, nursing her through the worst of her grief. Mona had encouraged Shelly to embrace life and Shelly had found new confidence in herself when she’d started wearing bright colors and patterns.
It had taken Fenella some
time to get used to the other woman’s flamboyant appearance, but now it seemed perfectly normal for Shelly to be wearing a bright orange top with a purple skirt that was covered in green dots. Somehow, Shelly made it all look good. While Shelly was still insisting that she wasn’t ready to start dating again, in the past month she’d started spending some time with an old friend, Gordon Davison. Fenella had liked the man when she’d met him, and she thought he was good for her friend.
“Did you see much of him while I was away?” Fenella asked.
“We had dinner together a few times,” Shelly replied. “He’s actually thinking about moving into Douglas. Not because of me, but because he’d like to be more centrally located.”
“How do you feel about the idea?”
“I don’t know,” Shelly admitted. “I don’t know how I feel about Gordon, for that matter. It’s all very strange, really, after being married for nearly my entire life.”
“As I’ve never been married, I can’t possibly comment,” Fenella said.
“How long were you and Jack together?” Shelly asked.
“Ten years, which was about ten years too long.”
Shelly nodded. “But don’t you feel strange, after all that time with him, when you spend time with other men?”
Fenella blushed. Since she’d been on the island she’d been out with three very different men. She was embarrassed to think that she was more attracted to each of the three of them than she had ever been to Jack, even though she’d spent many years with her history professor colleague. “I don’t know about strange,” she said after a minute. “If I’m honest, it feels good. Jack and I were never really more than friends, although we tried hard to make ourselves believe that we were in love.”
“I was madly in love with John,” Shelly told her. “And that didn’t change, even after all of our years together. When he died, I thought I might die as well, and for a time I wanted to, really.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re still here,” Fenella said, giving her friend a quick hug.
“I am, as well. But I can’t help but feel guilty when I’m with Gordon. I feel as if I ought to still be in mourning for poor John. I still miss him terribly, you know, but I can’t help but enjoy Gordon’s company.”
“Do you feel guilty when you spend time with me?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then what’s different about Gordon?”
Shelly sighed. “I can’t help but feel as if he has, well, romantic intentions,” she explained. “Spending time with him feels as if it’s a prelude to something. I’m explaining myself badly.”
“I think I understand,” Fenella told her. “Have you told Gordon how you feel?”
“Of course not,” Shelly said with a giggle. “What if he’s just being friendly? I’ll feel like a complete idiot if I tell him that I just want to be friends if that’s all he thinks we are.”
“Do you just want to be friends?”
“For now, yes,” Shelly said definitely. “I know I need more time to recover from everything that’s happened in the last year. I made a lot of very quick decisions, selling the house and moving and then retiring. It’s time for me start slowing down and making smart decisions rather than hasty ones.”
“It seems to me as if your hasty decisions were all good ones.”
Shelly nodded. “I think I was just lucky,” she said.
Fenella laughed. “Whatever, I’m very glad we’ve ended up being neighbors.”
They were just across the road from their apartment building now, but Fenella wasn’t ready to go home yet. “I did so much walking every day in London that I’m not even tired yet,” she told Shelly. “I’m going to walk to the Sea Terminal.”
“I’m in no rush to get back home,” Shelly said. “I have a mountain of laundry to do and I’m not in the mood for that.”
The pair continued on their way. Fenella took some deep breaths.
“I do think sea air is healthy for me,” she said. “I missed this in London.”
“What else did you miss?” Shelly asked. “Or should I ask, who did you miss?”
Fenella found herself blushing again. “I missed you and Katie awfully,” she replied. “She’s quite angry at me, really. She slept in the spare bedroom last night rather than with me.”
Shelly laughed. “She’ll get over it. She’s just making sure you appreciate how much she missed you.”
“I don’t think she missed me at all. I’m sure you and Smokey were great fun to stay with.”
“I really enjoyed having her. Smokey got tired of some of her antics, though. She’s rather more mature than Katie and she wasn’t as eager to run around the flat and chase shadows,” Shelly said.
“Oh dear, poor Smokey.”
“I think she secretly enjoyed it,” Shelly told her. “You know, like when adults play games with small children. They complain about it, but I think they really enjoy themselves. Anyway, whenever Smokey seemed too annoyed, I simply took Katie over to your flat and let her run around there. That seemed to keep everyone happy.”
Fenella nodded. “I feel as if I can never thank you enough,” she said.
“Don’t be silly,” Shelly replied. “I’ll do it again tomorrow, if you’d like. Katie was fun and no trouble at all. But now you must tell me what’s going on between you and Peter, and you and Daniel, and you and Donald.”
Blushing again, Fenella shrugged. “I only got back last night. I came straight home, picked up Katie, and went to bed. I haven’t even spoken to anyone, except for you, and that’s only because you came and dragged me out for a walk.”
Shelly laughed. “It’s a beautiful day. Fresh air and exercise are good for us both. Sometimes, just sometimes, on days like this, I wonder if I should have adopted a dog instead of a cat.”
Fenella nodded. “I never wanted a pet of any sort, but if I’d had to choose one, I think I might have gone with a dog over a cat as well. Now that I have Katie, I’m perfectly happy with her, but I’ve always thought a dog would be nice.”
“You never had pets in the US?”
“No. Jack doesn’t like animals, and before Jack I never felt settled enough or ready for the responsibility.”
“John and I talked once in a while about getting a dog,” Shelly said thoughtfully. “When we were first married, we thought we should wait until the children came along, and then, when they never did, we decided that we liked having our freedom too much. We never really did anything hugely spontaneous, but we both liked to feel as if we could.”
“I probably would have stayed in London longer if I didn’t have Katie to get back to,” Fenella admitted.
“I would have kept her longer.”
“I know, but I missed her too much,” Fenella laughed. “Anyway, London isn’t going anywhere. I’ll probably go back again in August for another couple of weeks. I have a lot more research to do and I’d love to get to places like Blickling Hall. It was too far away from London for this trip, but it’s where Anne was born.”
“Did you talk to Peter at all while you were away?”
Fenella grinned at the specific question. She was doing her best to avoid talking about the men in her life, but she couldn’t wriggle out of such a direct question. Peter Cannell was Fenella’s other next-door neighbor. He was in his sixties and was a semi-retired successful businessman. Fenella found him attractive, but he had two ex-wives that complicated things.
“He texted me once or twice,” she said. “And I let him know when I changed my plans. It was all just friendly.”
“Was it now? And is that good or bad?”
“I have no idea,” Fenella admitted. “I like Peter a lot. He’s sweet and kind and funny. If he were the only man I knew on the island, I’d probably be doing everything in my power to get him to spend time with me.”
“But there’s also Daniel. How much did you talk to him while you were away?”
“Again, just the odd text,” Fenella said with a sigh.
Daniel Robinson was a CID inspector with the Douglas Constabulary. In his late forties, he was gorgeous and sexy, but Fenella only seemed to see him when she found herself caught in the middle of a murder investigation. She’d been caught up in a surprising number of murder cases lately, which meant she’d seen a great deal of Daniel, but she’d have much preferred to see him socially rather than professionally. Having helped him with a few cold cases recently, she’d hoped their relationship was developing, but he’d barely responded to her texts while she’d been in London.
“And what about Donald?” Shelly asked.
“He took me to dinner twice when I was in London,” Fenella told her.
“He did? Why didn’t you tell me? Tell me everything,” Shelly demanded.
Fenella laughed. Donald Donaldson was a handsome and very wealthy businessman who seemed determined to sweep Fenella off her feet, if only he could stay in one place long enough to do so. Fenella wasn’t sure how she felt about the man, who was far more worldly and sophisticated than any other man she’d ever known.
“I wasn’t even going to tell him I was going away,” Fenella told her friend. “He’s been away more than he’s been here since I’ve been on the island. He rang me the night before I was due to leave for London to let me know he was back on the island, though.”
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