“He’d have kept going for hours,” Daniel said as he jogged up to the bench.
“He has an awful lot of energy. It’s exhausting.”
“I’ll try to help out again tomorrow. I really enjoyed having a run with him.”
“I’d be hugely grateful. Everyone says that Harvey took him everywhere; he must be used to being out and about for most of the day. I’m sure I’m a disappointment to him.”
“I’m sure he’s hugely grateful to you,” Daniel objected. “And I am as well.”
“For what?”
“You’ve improved my mood no end,” Daniel said. “I came over feeling mad at the world and now I feel quite content.”
“I’m sure Winston should get most of the credit for that,” Fenella told him, flushing from the unexpected praise.
“He gets some, but you get some as well,” Daniel replied. They’d been walking slowly back to Fenella’s apartment as they talked. At her door, Daniel stopped and smiled at her. “Thank you for tonight,” he said. “I’m going to miss you when I’m away.”
Before Fenella could think of how to respond, Daniel leaned forward and kissed her gently.
She might have let herself get lost in the kiss, but it seemed that as soon as their lips touched both dogs began to bark.
“Thanks, guys,” Daniel said to the noisy animals. “That was almost a romantic moment.”
Fenella had to laugh. “Better luck next time?”
“I certainly hope so,” Daniel said.
The dogs stood with Fenella and watched as Daniel walked back to the elevators. When he’d disappeared inside the car, she opened the door to her apartment and led the dogs inside.
“Now it’s time for bed,” she announced. “I’d quite like to have my bed to myself tonight.”
7
Of course, the animals had their own ideas about the sleeping arrangements. By the time Fenella had taken out her contact lenses and washed her face, all three of them were stretched out across the king-sized bed in the master bedroom.
“Really? You all want to sleep in here? I suppose if I go to the other bedroom, you’ll just follow me.” Fenella sighed and then crossed the room. Katie was in her usual spot in the exact center of the bed. Winston was sprawled across the bottom of the bed, taking up nearly half of it. Little Fiona looked larger than normal as she lay with her head on Fenella’s pillow.
“Okay, folks, move over,” Fenella said loudly. It took a few minutes of pushing and shoving, but Fenella finally managed to make a large enough space in the bed to climb into. She switched off the light, convinced that she’d never get to sleep with her three companions.
“Woof?” The noise was soft and very close to Fenella’s ear. “Woof?” it came again.
Fenella opened one eye and jumped when she focused on the other eye that was only inches from her face.
Fiona licked her face and then made another soft sound. A glance at the clock showed Fenella that it was morning, even later than the time that Katie usually woke her. She stretched and then looked around the bed. Katie was still in her spot. Fiona was on the pillow next to hers and Winston had snuggled up against her while she’d been asleep.
“Who wants breakfast?” she asked the animals.
The animals were off the bed and into the kitchen before Fenella found her slippers. Once the job of feeding them was out of the way, Fenella took a shower and got dressed as quickly as she could. No doubt the dogs would be eager for a walk once they’d eaten.
It was a lovely morning as Fenella crossed the street and began to walk the two dogs down the promenade. She kept the walk short, taking care of business and not much else. “We’ll have a lot more walks throughout the day,” she promised both dogs as she headed toward home. “Maybe I’ll even take you both with me to do some shopping or something.”
“There you are,” Shelly called as Fenella guided the dogs along the sidewalk. “I should have known that you’d be out with the dogs.”
“Good morning,” Fenella replied.
“How are you this morning?” Shelly asked. “I hope the menagerie let you get some sleep last night?”
“Actually, I slept really well,” Fenella told her. “We all snuggled up together in my bed and it was quite wonderful, if I’m honest.”
“That’s good to hear. Maybe you’ll want to keep the dogs after all.”
Fenella looked at her canine companions and shook her head. “I’m enjoying their company, but partly because I know it’s only temporary. Katie and I will both feel better when it’s just us again.”
“I’m just waiting for Gordon,” Shelly said. “We’re going to look at two flats in the building next door.”
“Are you? See if you can ask a few sneaky questions about Mortimer and Harvey,” Fenella suggested. “Maybe the building management knows something about one or the other of them.”
“No doubt they’ve spoken to the police, but I’ll see what I can do,” Shelly said. “You can come along, if you’d like.”
Fenella glanced down at the dogs. “I’m not ready to leave these two alone in my apartment.”
“Bring them as well,” Shelly suggested. “Gordon won’t mind, as long as they behave.”
While Fenella was thinking about the offer, Gordon climbed out of a car that he’d just parked on the opposite side of the road. Shelly waved as he crossed to them.
“Good morning,” he greeted them both. “How is everyone this morning?”
While they exchanged pleasantries, Fenella studied the man. She knew he was in his mid-sixties, just a few years older than Shelly. He was a widower with dark hair and green eyes that seemed to focus on Shelly quite regularly. Fenella thought he was attractive and she knew he was smart and friendly.
“Are you coming along on this venture, then?” he asked Fenella.
“I don’t want to be in the way,” she said.
“The more the merrier,” he told her. “I’d love another opinion on the flats. I’m rather too susceptible to estate agents’ sales pitches and Shelly always sees the good in everything. It would be great if you could offer a genuinely honest opinion.”
“What about the dogs?”
“It’s meant to be a pet-friendly building,” he told her. “Let’s find out what that means.”
Fenella laughed as he took Winston’s leash from her and then turned and offered his arm to Shelly. “Let’s go and see what my estate agent has found for me now,” he said.
Fenella and Fiona followed the couple as they escorted Winston into the building. Both dogs seemed excited to be on familiar ground, but they stood quietly while Gordon spoke to the woman at the small desk in the lobby.
“Clive isn’t here yet,” Gordon told Fenella and Shelly a moment later. “But the building manager has offered to start showing us around while we wait.”
The large man with a red face who had confronted Fenella and Shelly when they’d taken Winston joined them a moment later. “Ah, you’ll be the man wanting a flat, then?” he said. “I didn’t realize you had dogs, but that’s quite alright. We’re a pet-friendly building, aren’t we?. Your dogs are welcome here as long as you clean up after them in the common areas. That won’t be a problem, will it?”
“They aren’t my dogs,” Gordon replied. “They belong to my friend, Fenella.” He performed introductions that were complicated by the fact that he didn’t know the man’s name.
“Ah, yes, I’m, Walter Blake,” the man said after Gordon had done his best. “I’m the manager of the building, responsible for general upkeep and the like. My office handles booking the common areas for events and that sort of thing as well. Why don’t I show you some of those facilities while we wait for Clive?”
Shelly and Fenella exchanged glances. The man had shown no sign of recognizing either of them, or the two dogs.
The little group toured a small and rather dingy room that Walter insisted on calling a “party space,” and also looked into a room that held two exercise bikes and a treadmill. All three
were angled to face a small television, and both the television and one of the bikes had “out of order” signs on them.
“That’s disappointing,” Fenella remarked.
“We have an arrangement with the fitness center on the corner. Our residents can purchase a membership there at a considerable discount. This room is barely used. You’d want to join the fitness center, wouldn’t you?” Walter said.
“Maybe it would be used more if all of the equipment worked,” Fenella suggested.
Walter shrugged. “We also have a communal garden,” he told them. “And each flat has an allocated parking space under the building. We have everything you could want, right?”
“I’d love to see the garden,” Shelly said.
The man smiled tightly and then led them out through a door at the back of the building.
“It’s a bit of a stretch, calling it a garden,” Fenella said as she looked around the small area that was mostly covered in cracked concrete.
“We’ve been planting new trees every spring,” the man replied defensively. “They take time to get going, don’t they?”
Fenella looked at the handful of spindly trees, most of which were devoid of foliage, and shrugged. “I don’t think they’re getting enough light back here,” she said.
“Maybe not,” the man replied. “I’ll have a word with the gardener. He’s the expert, isn’t he?”
“Ah, there you are,” a voice said loudly behind them.
Winston began to bark and Fiona quickly joined in. “Hush,” Fenella said, trying to smile at the new arrival and silence the dogs at the same time.
“My goodness, I know estate agents have a bad reputation, but I’m really a nice person,” the man said, flashing a huge toothy smile at Fenella and the others.
“Clive, this is my friend Fenella,” Gordon said. “And her dogs.”
Fenella shook hands with the man, frowning as he held hers for a moment longer than she liked. He was around fifty, tall and slender, with dark hair and matching eyes. His suit had obviously been expensive and it had been tailored to fit him perfectly. While Gordon introduced him to Shelly, Fenella took a step away from him. There was something unpleasant about the man, although she wasn’t sure what it was.
“I know the garden here isn’t much, but at least it’s an outdoor space. You have the promenade, the beach, and the sea on your doorstep, so you’ve no need to be out here, anyway, do you?” Clive asked as he began to guide Gordon back toward the building. “You aren’t buying the flat for the building’s amenities, anyway, you’re buying this flat for the location.”
Fenella couldn’t really argue with the man’s logic, but she still didn’t like him. He kept up a continuous round of sales talk as the group rode the elevator to the third floor.
“This is the first flat that’s available,” Clive said as he paused outside of a door. “Don’t be put off by the amount of work it needs. It’s a great price for the location and you’ll be able to put your own individual stamp all over it once you move in.”
He pushed the door open and then stood back. “You go and take a look around. I’ll wait out here so I’m not overwhelming you with sales talk. Just remember to keep an open mind and look for possibilities. Don’t get hung up on the cosmetics of the place.”
Gordon and Shelly walked into the apartment with Walter on their heels. Fenella took a step forward, but Clive caught her arm.
“Why don’t you and I stay out here with the animals?” he suggested. “It isn’t a huge flat to begin with. If all of us crowd in there with the dogs as well, it will feel even smaller.” He smiled smarmily at her, his hand still resting on her arm.
Fenella hesitated and then gave the man a bright smile. “I’ve promised Gordon that I’ll give him my honest opinion,” she said. “You keep the dogs out here and I’ll just pop in and have a quick look around.” She handed the two leashes to the man before he could react and dashed into the apartment. She could hear Shelly and Gordon talking with Walter as she glanced around the small living room.
It only took her a minute or two to form an opinion and she didn’t even bother sticking her head into the bedroom.
“I hope they weren’t any bother,” she said sweetly as she took the dogs’ leashes back from Clive.
“No, not at all,” he said, smiling. “How long have you had them?”
“Only a few days,” Fenella said. “I’m just watching them for a friend, actually.”
The other three rejoined them before Fenella could say anything further.
“What did you think?” Clive asked, looking from Shelly to Gordon and back again.
“It needs far too much work,” Shelly said firmly. “Gordon wants to relax and enjoy life. If he buys this flat, he’ll have to live in a construction zone for six months or more.”
“It isn’t that bad,” Clive said. “The structure is sound enough and there’s a lot of space. Most of the work needed is cosmetic.”
“Some of it isn’t,” Fenella interjected. “There’s a large crack on the exterior wall behind the wardrobe, which was completely out of place in the living room. There’s also quite a bit of water damage in the kitchen, especially under the sink. I had to move a dozen boxes of tissues that were being stored under there for some reason or another in order to find it, though.”
Clive flushed. “You were more thorough than I was,” he said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Perhaps the other flat will better meet everyone’s expectations.”
He turned on his heel and marched back to the elevators, leaving the others to follow.
“You’re good at this,” Shelly whispered as they walked back down the corridor.
“I love house-hunting,” Fenella replied. “I used to help all of my friends find homes. It took Jack three years to find a house he liked that I approved of, although I’m sure some of the delay was because he kept expecting that I’d give in and let him move in with me.”
Shelly laughed. She’d heard a lot about Fenella’s former boyfriend. She knew that Fenella had never once considered actually living with the man, even though they’d been a couple for ten years.
“Of course, the other flat that’s available is somewhat more costly,” Clive said once they were all on board the elevator car. “Not only is it in better condition, but it’s also a floor higher, which means it has better views.”
This time he didn’t object as Fenella followed the others into the apartment. While Shelly and Gordon looked around, Fenella made her way over to Walter. “I’m surprised you don’t recognize the dogs,” she said as casually as she could.
“Recognize them? Why should I?” he asked.
“They both live in this building, or at least they did,” Fenella explained.
“Really? I didn’t realize.”
“Surely you know Harvey Garus? This is his dog, Winston.”
The man scratched his head. “Harvey Garus? That does sound familiar, but I’m not…” he trailed off and then snapped his fingers. “He’s gone missing, hasn’t he? He was one of the men that the police were asking me about. Him and Mortimer Morrison, although I understand Mortimer has turned up, um, well, no longer with us, if you will.”
“He has,” Fenella said sadly. “This is his dog, Fiona.”
“I knew he had a dog, but I’m not sure I ever saw them together,” the man told her. “This was his dog, was it?”
“Yes. You knew Mortimer?”
“Oh, aye, he was a complainer, was Mortimer, wasn’t he? Er, not to speak ill of the dead or anything, you understand.”
“What did he complain about?”
“Everything and nothing,” the man told her. “He was always in my office telling me that a light bulb had burned out somewhere, or that the telly in the exercise room wasn’t working. His neighbors were too loud, the lifts were too slow, and when it rained, the garage roof leaked on his car. What didn’t he complain about?”
“Oh, dear,” Fenella said.
“Everyone complains sometimes, but if he didn’t come in at least twice a week, I’d have worried about him,” the man said. “Last week he was in three times, moaning about every little thing. I have other things to do, you know?”
“When did you see him last?” Fenella asked.
“Friday morning, wasn’t it? He came in to tell me that one of neighbors had been cooking with onions and garlic and it had made his flat stink. He wanted me to develop some sort of official policy on the use of strongly scented foodstuffs. I didn’t think he was ever going to get out of my office, but luckily he had a doctor’s appointment. Not lucky for the doctor, though, was it?”
“He had a doctor’s appointment?” Fenella asked.
“That’s what he said, wasn’t it?” the man replied.
“Have you told the police all of this?” Fenella asked.
“Probably,” the man shrugged. “I mean, I told them he came in and complained a lot. And that I’d seen him on Friday. The rest isn’t important, is it?”
“It might be,” Fenella said. “It might be very important indeed.”
“So, what do we think?” Clive asked brightly as Gordon and Shelly walked out of the bedroom together.
“It’s better than the first one,” Gordon said. “But it still isn’t exactly what I want.”
“But you could make it what you want,” Clive said insistently. “It’s the perfect location, after all. Look at those views.” He waved an arm toward the small and dirty windows at the front of the apartment. There was no denying that the views over the promenade to the sea were lovely, though.
“The windows are rather small,” Fenella remarked. “And the whole apartment feels tired.”
“It needs some work, sure,” Clive said. “But you’d be amazed what a coat of paint and some new window treatments would do for it.”
“Maybe the current owners should paint and invest in some curtains,” Shelly suggested. “That might make the flat more tempting.”
“I’ll suggest it to them,” Clive said, sounding cross.
“Maybe we need to look at a different building,” Gordon said. “I’m not sold on this one, even though the location is excellent.”
An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF Page 11