“I can’t remember the last time I left the house without makeup,” she told Mona as she pulled on her sneakers. “I don’t wear all that much, but I always wear some. It’s a habit I got into when I first started teaching. It was the only thing that made me look older than the students.”
“There probably won’t be anyone around at this time in the morning,” Mona said reassuringly. “Just let the dog do what he needs to do and come straight back. He can have a longer walk once you’re ready.”
Fenella mentally crossed her fingers that Mona would be right, and then clipped Winston’s leash onto his collar and headed out. The sun was just starting to come up and the air still had a chill to it as they crossed the road. Fenella tried to be patient with the dog as he sniffed at every blade of grass and inspected every insect he came across. No doubt he and Harvey had a relaxed stroll every morning, but Fenella just wanted to get back inside.
They walked for a few minutes before Fenella noticed the jogger. He was moving down the promenade at a steady pace. “You only know half a dozen people on the island,” she muttered to herself as she watched the man’s approach. “It won’t be anyone you know.”
“Good morning,” Daniel said brightly as he reached her side. “I didn’t think you’d be up and about this early.”
“Winston needed a walk,” Fenella said, feeling herself blushing as she remembered the state of her hair and her lack of makeup. Daniel was the last person on the island she wanted to see her looking like this.
He dropped to a walk and turned around to walk with her and Winston.
“Oh, but we don’t want to interfere with your run,” Fenella said quickly, hoping against hope that the man would jog away and then completely forget that he’d seen her.
“I was done,” Daniel replied. “I usually stop earlier, actually, but I thought I recognized Winston.”
The dog heard his name and barked twice. Daniel rubbed his back and then scratched him behind the ears.
“Maybe you should take him in until Harvey is found,” Fenella said as the man and the dog played together for a moment.
“I wish I could,” Daniel told her. “My ex-wife and I were always going to get a dog, but, well, we talked about a lot of things that never happened.”
Fenella was tempted to ask him a question or two, but she bit her tongue. His marriage was none of her business, really.
“After the night I had, you’re welcome to him,” she said instead.
“He didn’t let you sleep?” Daniel asked.
“He wanted to sleep with me and so did Katie. The pair tossed and turned all night and I barely got any sleep at all,” Fenella told him. She didn’t like to complain, but she wanted him to understand why she looked as dreadful as she did.
“I’m afraid the life of an unmarried policeman doesn’t lend itself well to pets,” Daniel told her. “I work long days and get called out at all hours of the night. Poor Winston would hate that.”
“And he needs to be walked every few hours,” Fenella added.
“That would be a problem,” Daniel said. “Maybe you should get Shelly or Peter to keep him overnight tonight. Or sleep in your guest room?”
“I was in the guest room. They were sprawled all over my bed, so I went into the guest room for the night. Of course, they followed me.”
Daniel chuckled. “Oh, dear. Like I said, maybe you need to persuade Peter to have him tonight.”
“I may have to,” Fenella said, trying and failing to stifle a yawn. “I may try taking a nap after our walk, actually,” she added as the threesome reached the end of the promenade and turned around. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to do anything today if I don’t.”
“I’ll be working on finding Harvey,” Daniel assured her. “Or rather, Gloria will be, but I’ll do everything I can to help her.”
Fenella nodded. “I just hope he’s okay,” she said softly.
“I’d better get going,” Daniel said after another few minutes. “I have a lot to get through at the office before I leave for that course.”
Swallowing a sigh, Fenella nodded and then watched the man jog away. Winston tried to follow, but Fenella had a tight grip on his leash. He barked a few times and then settled back down to walk with her. They were nearly back at Fenella’s building when she tripped and fell to the ground. She dropped the leash as she used her hands to catch her fall. Winston stared at her for a moment and then took off running, straight toward the sea.
“Oh, heck,” Fenella said, thinking of a much stronger curse word in her head. Years of teaching undergraduates had taught her to censor her speech. She didn’t have a problem with cursing if the situation warranted it, but she rarely found herself in such a situation. As Winston began to splash in the water, she started to think that today was the day, however.
“Winston, get back here,” she shouted. The wind seemed to carry her words away. Whether it was the wind or not, Winston certainly ignored her.
“Winston, I mean it, get over here,” she yelled as she headed across the promenade and down the steps to the beach. Her sneakers sank into the wet sand as she stomped her way toward the animal, who was clearly having a wonderful time leaping into the waves.
“Winston, come here,” she said sharply. The dog glanced over at her and then bounced up and down several times in the cold water, splashing Fenella all over.
“At least I haven’t showered yet,” she said to console herself, as she tried to work out how to get close enough to Winston to grab his leash without getting totally soaked in the process. It quickly became apparent that catching Winston and staying dry were not both going to happen. For a moment, she was tempted to leave the dog on the beach and just go home.
He isn’t really your problem, a little voice whispered. She took a deep breath and forced herself to ignore the little voice. Wading into the cold sea was something of a shock. She grabbed Winston’s collar and pulled him out of the water as quickly as she could. He gave her a sad face as she marched him away from the sea. As she found the end of the leash and let go of his collar, he shook himself dry. Cold and sandy water seemed to cover Fenella from head to toe.
“At least Daniel has already gone,” she muttered to herself as she led Winston back up the steps and onto the promenade. “We’re going home now,” she told the animal as he tried to pull her along the walkway. “I need a shower rather desperately.”
They crossed the road and Fenella tried to sneak across the building’s lobby as inconspicuously as possible, hoping she wouldn’t see anyone she knew. The elevator seemed to take forever to arrive, and when the doors opened, Peter walked out.
“Good morning,” he said. “I knocked on your door, but you weren’t at home. I was going to offer to take Winston for his morning walk.”
“If only you’d been a few minutes earlier,” Fenella replied. “But now he’s had his walk and a good splash in the sea, and we’re both filthy.”
“I think Winston could do with a bath,” Peter agreed.
Fenella was just grateful he hadn’t said anything about how badly she needed one. “You’re welcome to take him for another walk later,” she said.
“I have to be at the office today, probably for most of the day,” he replied. “But I should be home by half five or six at the latest. I’ll come by when I get home. No doubt Winston will want another walk, whatever time that is.”
“No doubt,” Fenella said grumpily.
She boarded the elevator and rode to the sixth floor. When the elevator doors opened, she gasped. If Winston hadn’t started out of the car, she might have tried to close the doors and silently slip away. As it was, Winston bounded forward, eager to meet another new friend.
“Fenella? I didn’t know you’d acquired a dog,” Donald Donaldson said as he rubbed the top of Winston’s head.
“I haven’t,” she replied. “He isn’t mine.”
Donald raised an eyebrow. “Should I ask more questions, or is it not any of my business?” he asked
her.
Fenella swallowed another sigh and then shrugged. It was just possible that Donald, rather than Daniel, was the last person on the island that she would want to run into with her hair a mess and her face bare of makeup. Now she was also covered in sand and water. What would Mona do, she asked herself. Hold her head high and pretend she looked wonderful, was the obvious reply.
“What brings you here?” Fenella asked a question of her own.
“I wanted to see you,” he replied. “I got back on the island late last night and I wanted to see you before I went into the office today. I’m not usually that impulsive, but I’ve missed you.”
Fenella felt herself blush. “I need coffee,” she said. “Do you have time to join me for a cup?”
Donald glanced at his expensive gold watch and then nodded. “Only just one quick one,” he replied. “After all that time in the US and then London, I haven’t been at my office here in months. I have a lot of catching up to do.”
Of course, Fenella couldn’t find her keycard in the bottom of her handbag. She could feel Donald watching her as she dug through tissues, pens, receipts and all of the other clutter that filled the bag. Eventually she found the card and let them both into her apartment.
“I see Winston has been in the sea again,” Mona said as she stood up and took in Fenella’s bedraggled appearance. “I’m not sure inviting Donald in was the best choice.”
Resisting the urge to snap at her aunt, Fenella unhooked Winston’s leash and then made her way into the kitchen. She got a pot of coffee brewing before she did anything else.
“Meerrooww,” Katie complained next to her empty bowls.
“You had breakfast,” Fenella reminded her. “Donald, please come in and have a seat,” she added, feeling as if her manners had deserted her, along with her dignity and any chance she had of continuing her romance with the sophisticated man.
He slid onto one of the stools at the kitchen counter and smiled at her. “I’d love to hear how you came into possession of that lovely dog,” he said.
“His name is Winston and he belongs to a man who lives in the building next door,” Fenella explained “Shelly and I found Winston running on the beach yesterday. His owner seems to be missing. Shelly was going to keep Winston until the man turns up, but her cat hates dogs, apparently.”
Donald stared at her for a minute and then chuckled. “Whereas your cat seems to love dogs.” He nodded toward Katie, who had given up on demanding more food and gone to snuggle Winston instead.
“Yes, she seems to like him a great deal,” Fenella agreed. “They both slept with me last night.”
“Lucky them,” Donald said lightly.
Fenella felt herself blushing. She quickly turned around and began pulling down coffee mugs and whatever else she could think of to hide her embarrassment.
“Admire the man’s tie,” Mona hissed at her.
Fenella poured Donald a cup of coffee and set it on the counter in front of him. “That’s a lovely tie,” she remarked as she did so.
“Thank you,” Donald said. “My daughter bought it for me. She has good taste, I think.”
“She does,” Fenella agreed. The tie was dark blue with a very subtle pinstripe and some sort of texture as well. Fenella really did like it, and she found herself wondering what Donald’s daughter was like.
“Did you tell me that she’s in New York?” she asked as she poured her own coffee.
“She is, which is one of the reasons why I stayed in the US for so long,” Donald replied. “She loves it there and loves big cities, unlike me. I’d like for you to meet her one day. I’m hoping she’ll visit over the summer, but she may not manage that. I suppose there’s always Christmas.”
“Christmas seems a very long way off,” Fenella said.
“You could come with me to New York the next time I’m going,” Donald suggested. “I could introduce you to Phoebe and you could see the sights while I’m working.”
“Don’t say no,” Mona said sharply. “Tell him it’s an interesting idea.”
“That’s an interesting idea,” Fenella said, feeling foolish.
“But I’m hoping that I’ll be on the island for the foreseeable future,” Donald told her. “I’ve rescheduled a few things and made arrangements for some people to come here rather than my going to them. I should warn you, I’m hoping to spend a great deal of time with you while I’m here.”
Fenella found herself blushing again. “I’m meant to be working on my book,” she said after an awkward pause.
“And you have other men in your life,” Donald said. “But when I go after something, I usually get it.”
“Go after something?” Fenella echoed. “I hope you aren’t referring to me as if I were some small company you want to buy or a new car or something.”
Donald chuckled again. “Not at all,” he said. He reached across the counter and took her hand. “I’m going to be totally honest with you, no games. I’m attracted to you and I’d really like to get to know you better, much better.”
Fenella swallowed hard, feeling as if her heart skipped a beat or two. She couldn’t deny that there was chemistry between the two of them, but she was also a little afraid of the man who seemed out of her league.
“Say something,” Mona whispered. “Remind him that your dance card is quite full, but you’ll try to squeeze him in when you can.”
“I can’t,” Fenella blurted out.
Donald frowned. “You can’t what?” he asked.
Mona sighed and shook her head as Fenella tried to work out how to rescue the situation. “I’m sorry. I’m so very tired,” she said after a moment. “I’d like to get to know you better as well.”
“Excellent. Let’s start with dinner on Friday evening, shall we?” Donald asked. “I’d like to do it sooner, but I have business dinners tonight and tomorrow night.”
“Tell him that he hasn’t given you enough notice and that a week on Friday would be satisfactory,” Mona coached her.
“Friday sounds good,” Fenella said.
“Wonderful. I’ll collect you at seven and I’ll book a table somewhere special,” Donald replied. “I’m hoping this will be the first of many evenings spent together.”
“Let’s take it one day at a time for now,” Fenella said.
“Good answer,” Mona told her.
Donald nodded. “I’ll get out of your way for now, then. I’ll see you on Friday. I shall try to resist the urge to ring you between now and then, but I might just ring to check on how you and Winston are getting on.”
Fenella sighed. “Hopefully, Winston will be back with his owner before Friday,” she said. “I’m not sure I want to leave him here if I’m not home.”
“If you need me to, I can arrange for someone to come and stay with him while we have dinner,” Donald said.
“Let’s see how it goes,” Fenella muttered. “The police might find his owner today.”
“I hope so, for your sake,” Donald said. “And now I must get to the office.”
Fenella trailed behind him as he walked to the door. Before he opened it, he turned and looked her up and down.
“It’s a brand new suit,” he muttered before he took a step closer to Fenella and then pulled her into an embrace. The kiss made Fenella tingle from head to toe. When Donald stepped back, she gasped.
“You’ve sand all over you,” she said apologetically.
“It was worth it,” Donald replied. He ran a finger down her cheek. “I’ll see you Friday,” he added before he let himself out of the apartment.
Fenella leaned against the door, waiting for her heart rate to return to normal. She’d only taken one step before someone knocked.
“If that’s Donald, you must play harder to get,” Mona said. “He’s used to women being difficult.”
“That isn’t me,” Fenella protested. She opened the door and forced herself to smile at Daniel. He’d already seen her without her hair and makeup done. He probably wouldn’t ev
en notice the added layer of sand and mud she’d acquired.
In the doorway, Daniel blinked several times. “Um, I suppose you just got back from your walk,” he said after a moment.
“Yes, only just now,” Fenella lied. “I was just about to get in the shower, actually.”
“Why don’t you do that,” Daniel said. “I’ll go and talk to Shelly first.”
“About what?” Fenella demanded, suddenly worried for Harvey.
“We’ve had another missing person report,” Daniel told her. “Another man from the building next door has disappeared.”
5
Fenella was more nosy about the case than embarrassed about her appearance. “Come in and tell me everything,” she invited the man. “I have a fresh pot of coffee ready.”
Daniel nodded. “Can you ring Shelly and invite her to join us?” he asked. “I’d like to talk to you both at the same time.”
While Daniel settled in at the kitchen counter, Fenella called Shelly. The other woman was at the door only a moment later.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as Fenella let her in.
“Someone else has gone missing,” Fenella explained. “Daniel wants to talk to both of us about it.”
“Oh, dear. I hope it isn’t anyone I know this time,” Shelly replied. She dropped onto a stool next to Daniel as Fenella pulled down coffee mugs and began to fill them.
“I’ve no reason to believe that either of you know the man,” Daniel said. “The only thing that connects the two cases is that both men lived at Derby Apartments.”
“So who is it?” Shelly asked as Fenella set a plate of cookies on the counter in front of her.
“A man called Mortimer Morrison,” Daniel said as he looked expectantly at Shelly.
“Mortimer Morrison,” Shelly repeated. “That doesn’t sound at all familiar.”
Daniel frowned. “He also has a dog,” he told them. “A small one called Fiona.”
“Do you have a picture of him or the dog?” Shelly asked. “I may well have seen them in the area.”
Daniel pulled out his mobile phone and switched it on. After a moment he held it up to Shelly. “This is the best photo we have of Mortimer,” he told her. “It’s been taken from the veterinarian’s security camera, so it’s pretty bad.”
An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF Page 7