“I am sorry,” Shelly said. She took a step backwards, and then as the man advanced, took several more.
Fenella backed up hastily in the opposite direction, nearly knocking over a short man in an ill-fitting suit who was laden down with a very full plate of food.
“Sorry,” Fenella told him. “I was just trying to get out the way.”
“No problem,” the man said, grinning at her. “I’d move fast if he was coming towards me, too.” The man winked and then glanced at Walter and scurried away in the opposite direction.
Walter was noisily inspecting the bottles of wine. “Blah, blah, blah,” he said. “It’s all fancy stuff with posh names. Still, it’s all alcohol, isn’t it?” He grabbed the nearest bottle and filled a glass nearly to the brim.
“You didn’t drive, did you?” Daniel asked as the man took a large swallow.
“Drive? Don’t have a car, do I? Lost my license five, no, six years ago. That’s why I liked living where I did. I could walk everywhere, couldn’t I? Have to find a new place to live now though, won’t I?” Walter replied.
“I’m sure there are agencies that can you find work,” Daniel said.
“Eh, maybe I’ll go back across. Could be interesting, couldn’t it? I could look up me wife and see what’s she’s been doing for the last ten years, couldn’t I? I always hated her constant nagging, but she wasn’t as bad as Mortimer Morrison when it came to complaining, was she?”
“I didn’t realize that Mr. Morrison caused you so much trouble,” Daniel said.
“Mostly I ignored him. Wasn’t that the best way to deal with him? Just found out this morning that I’ve lost my job thanks to him complaining, though. Hardly fair, them letting me go when he’s dead, is it?”
“As you don’t have a car here, perhaps you’d like a ride home,” Daniel offered. “I’m ready to go if you are.”
“Oh, not yet,” the man said. “I don’t know where my next meal will be coming from, do I? I need to eat, drink, and be merry while I have the chance. You know what I mean, right?”
“Maybe we should box up some of this food for you to take home with you,” Doncan suggested. “There’s far more here than we need for the people who are left. Let me find the caterer and have her pack you a box or two for later.”
“Throw in a bottle or two of wine, would you?” Walter replied.
Fenella took another step backwards when one of the catering staff came out and began to pack food into several boxes. She was conscious that Daniel had come to stand between her and Walter and she couldn’t help but feel that he’d done it on purpose.
“Maybe we should just get out of the way,” Peter murmured at her elbow.
“I suppose so,” Fenella said reluctantly. She didn’t want to miss anything interesting, though.
“I’ll come by later, if you’ll be home,” Daniel said in her ear before she began to move away.
“Of course,” Fenella replied softly.
It only took Daniel and Doncan a few minutes to get Walter, with his boxes of food and bottles of wine, bundled out the door. Several people sighed with relief as the door shut behind them.
“That was unpleasant,” Donald said as people began to gravitate back toward the food tables.
“He was upset about losing his job,” Fenella said. “I’m not sure why he came, really.”
“I’m just glad Inspector Robinson was here to deal with him,” Doncan said. “I don’t know him well, but he seems like a real asset to our constabulary.”
“He’s wonderful,” Shelly said. “And very clever.”
“We’re lucky to have him,” Donald said. “And I understand it isn’t going to be easy to keep him. I hear he’s ambitious. I’m not sure that life on a small island is going to suit him for long.”
“He’s going on a training course soon,” Fenella offered.
“I understand those sorts of courses can be excellent places to look for new jobs,” Donald told her. “I should think there are several constabularies in the UK that would like to get their hands on our clever inspector.”
Fenella fell silent, thinking about the man’s words. She didn’t want Daniel to leave the island, but perhaps Donald was right. Shelly and the others chatted together, but Fenella couldn’t stop thinking about Daniel.
“It’s getting late,” Shelly said eventually, breaking through Fenella’s reverie. “It will be time for dinner and we’ll still be nibbling on all of this lovely food.”
“Anything we don’t eat is going to the homeless shelter,” Doncan told her. “They’ll appreciate being able to feast tonight.”
“The service was lovely,” Shelly told the man. “It was a fitting tribute to Mortimer. I just wish I’d known him better.”
“You all signed the book of condolences, didn’t you?” Doncan asked. He smiled when everyone nodded. “I’m afraid that Walter Blake didn’t bother, even though I reminded him twice, but otherwise I think I managed to get everyone.”
“Did Mortimer have any family to pass the book on to?” Shelly asked.
“According to his will, the book is to be given to whoever agrees to keep Fiona,” Doncan told her. “The will also contains a great many instructions with regard to Fiona. I shall have to have a long meeting with Harvey one day soon.”
“Did he leave? I didn’t even notice,” Fenella said, suddenly missing Winston and Fiona.
“He said he needed to walk the dogs,” Peter told her. “I’m sure we’ll probably see them on the way home.”
“And on that note, we should probably go,” Shelly said. “Thank you again,” she told Doncan.
Peter, Shelly, Fenella, and Donald walked to the door together.
“Who drove?” Donald asked as they reached the small parking area.
“We walked,” Fenella told him.
“I’m happy to drive you home,” he told her. He glanced at the others. “I’m happy to drive you all home,” he amended himself.
“I think I could do with the walk,” Fenella replied. “Some sea air might clear my head.”
“You have been awfully quiet in the last half hour,” Shelly said. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Fenella insisted.
“I’ll walk with you,” Shelly told her. “Goodness knows I need the exercise after all that lovely food.”
“You can drive me home,” Peter told Donald. “I know that wasn’t what you were intending, but I’d appreciate it, if you don’t mind.”
Donald shrugged. “No problem,” he said. “I’ll ring you later,” he said to Fenella. “I’m flying back to London in the morning to spend Sunday with Phoebe, but I’ll be back to the island again on Monday.”
Fenella nodded and then she and Shelly crossed the road and began a slow stroll down the promenade together.
“Want to talk about it?” Shelly asked after a moment.
12
“It’s nothing, really,” Fenella replied.
“I know you better than that,” Shelly said. “But we don’t have to talk about what’s bothering you. I’ll be here whenever you decide you need to talk, just remember that, okay?”
Fenella nodded and then sighed. “It’s just me being silly,” she told her friend. “Donald’s comment about Daniel not wanting to stay here surprised me, that’s all.”
“Because you quite like Daniel and you quite like the island as well.”
“Exactly. Now that I’m here, I can’t imagine living anywhere else, but, well, I don’t know. Daniel is going away soon, anyway. Maybe he’ll find another job or meet someone special while he’s away. I’m letting myself get all worked up over nothing.”
“You can’t help how you feel,” Shelly told her. “For what it’s worth, if I were a few years younger, I think I’d be chasing after Daniel myself. He’s gorgeous but he doesn’t seem to realize it. He’s smart and he’s kind, and did I mention how attractive he is?”
Fenella laughed. “You aren’t making me feel any better.”
“When does he leave for his course?”
“At the end of the month.”
“And how long will he be gone?”
“Eight weeks,” Fenella could hear a hint of whimpering in her tone. She swallowed hard. “Which isn’t long, of course,” she said briskly.
“Maybe it will be long enough for you to work out things between you and Peter and things between you and Donald,” Shelly suggested.
Fenella flushed. “You make it sound like I’m going out all the time with different men,” she said.
“You are, really,” Shelly replied.
Fenella sighed again. “Daniel said we should see other people while he’s away. Do you think he wants to see other people?”
“You two barely know each other,” Shelly said. “You only met a few months ago and you’ve been seeing other people during that time. I don’t know if he has been as well, but he certainly could be.”
“You’re right, of course,” Fenella said. “We’re just friends, really, and I’m blowing the whole thing out of proportion. Like I said, it was Donald’s remark that upset me. I’d never thought about Daniel’s career or whether he intended to stay here for the rest of his life or not. The idea does rather complicate things, though.”
“It really doesn’t,” Shelly argued. “Not at this point. You need to worry about it when Daniel pulls out a ring and not before.”
Fenella opened her mouth to disagree, but thought better of it. Shelly might have been exaggerating slightly, but overall she was correct. There was no point in worrying about forever when she and Daniel were just friends. At her age, she’d pretty much given up on dreaming of living “happily ever after” anyway. She should concentrate on enjoying spending time with all three of her suitors and stop worrying about imaginary futures that might never happen.
She stopped walking and pulled Shelly into a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered to her. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but thank you for helping me to see how crazy I was being.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy. I think you’re falling in love,” Shelly countered. “But for now, I also think you need to slow down.”
Fenella took a deep and slightly shaky breath and then nodded. “I definitely need to slow down,” she muttered.
They walked a bit further before Shelly stopped. “We’re nearly home. Do you want to walk more or not?”
“I think I’ve walked far enough for now,” she replied. “Daniel said he might stop by. I don’t want to miss him.”
“It’s nearly time for dinner. Do you have plans?”
“Not really. I ate a lot at the memorial service, so I’m not starving. Now that I don’t have the dogs, I feel like I should take advantage and go out somewhere, but I can’t imagine where.”
“What about something from the Indian place on the corner?” Shelly asked. “I have their menu in my flat. I’ll bring it over and we can order, and then I’ll walk over and collect it, if you need to stay at home in case Daniel comes by.”
“He didn’t give me any hint as to what time he might stop by,” Fenella said. “If he misses me, it will be his own fault.”
The words were hardly out of her mouth when her mobile beeped. She read the text message and laughed. “He’s going to be on his way soon and suggested that he could bring Indian food when he comes.”
Shelly laughed. “He’s read our minds, then,” she said.
Fenella texted back and for a moment messages flew back and forth between them. By the time she and Shelly were in the elevator in their building, the evening ahead was arranged.
“Are you sure Daniel doesn’t mind my joining you for dinner?” Shelly asked for the third time when she brought the Indian restaurant menu to Fenella’s apartment a few minutes later.
“He doesn’t, and even if he does, I think we could use a buffer. I’m afraid I’m getting too fond of him.”
Mona made a noise from the couch where she was sitting, but Fenella ignored her.
Fenella read through the menu and made her choices. Shelly called the restaurant and placed the order.
“We can collect it in twenty minutes,” Shelly told her when she’d disconnected. “And Daniel told them that we would be collecting his order as well, so we’re all set.”
Only a moment later, someone knocked. “That can’t be Daniel already,” Fenella said as she crossed the room. She smiled brightly at Peter when she opened the door.
“Good evening,” he said. “I’m finally caught up on that work project that has been plaguing my life for the last week or more. I was hoping for some company for dinner and then maybe a trip to the pub as well.”
“We’ve just ordered Indian from the restaurant on the corner. If you ring quickly, you can probably add what you want to our order,” Shelly told him.
“I always get the same thing from them,” he said. He pulled out his mobile and pushed a single button. “It’s Peter Cannell,” he said after a moment. “Can you add my usual to Shelly Quirk’s order, please?”
After he slid his phone back into his pocket, he grinned at them. “They’ve said that will add about two minutes to the order. I hope that’s acceptable.”
“It’s Saturday night, let’s open a bottle of wine,” Fenella suggested. She poured the drink into three glasses.
“To Mortimer,” Peter said solemnly.
“To Mortimer,” the women echoed.
“Now let’s talk about more pleasant things,” Peter said after they’d all taken a sip of wine. “It’s been a long week and I really need to relax.”
Shelly filled the next fifteen minutes with all of the details from the latest episode of some television show that she and Peter both watched. Fenella had never seen it, but she listened politely, occasionally exchanging glances with her aunt, who looked equally bemused by the storyline.
“And now we know that Jason is the father of Norinda’s baby, too,” Shelly said in dramatic fashion. “We just have to hope that Duane doesn’t find out, at least not until Norinda gets back from Portugal.”
“Isn’t it about time we went to get the food?” Fenella interjected.
“It is, and I’m done anyway,” Shelly agreed. “I hope you weren’t too bored with all of that.”
“I was fascinated and appalled in equal measure,” Fenella told her.
Shelly laughed. “That’s a good way to describe the program.”
They were back in the apartment a few minutes later, laden down with bags of steaming food. Fenella pulled down plates as Shelly spread all of the cartons across the counter.
“It all smells so good,” Shelly said.
“Should we wait for Daniel?” Peter asked.
Shelly looked at Fenella and then took another deep breath. “I don’t know if I can wait,” she said.
The knock on the door let her off the hook. Fenella let Daniel in while Shelly and Peter began to fill plates.
A few minutes later they were all settled around Fenella’s table with full plates and glasses of wine.
“That does look good,” Mona said, walking over to the table. “I think I shall have to disappear while you eat. Maybe I’ll go and have dinner on cloud nine.” She faded away while Fenella watched. A dozen questions ran through Fenella’s head, but she knew her aunt would never answer them, even if she asked her. Shaking her head slightly, she turned her attention back to the delicious food she was enjoying.
“The memorial service was nice,” Shelly said as everyone was finishing. “I was surprised to see such a good turnout for the man. No one really seemed to like him.”
“Most of the people there were former business colleagues,” Peter said. “Mortimer was good at his job. People went to pay their respects to him on that level, rather than a personal one.”
“I can’t even begin to guess why Walter Blake was there,” Fenella remarked.
“He was probably planning to attend before he lost his job, and simply didn’t bother to change his plans,” Shelly suggested.
&
nbsp; “Or maybe he heard there was going to be free food and drink,” Peter said cynically.
“He took a lot of food home with him,” Shelly said. “And at least two bottles of wine.”
“There’s a funny story there,” Daniel said with a grin. “Somehow, between loading Walter into my car and securing the food safely into my boot, the bottles of wine got left behind. Walter was hugely disappointed, of course, but I’m sure he’ll find a way to get something soon enough.”
“Did he really lose his job because of Mortimer?” Fenella asked.
“He really did lose his job,” Daniel told her. “I’ve confirmed that with someone at the company that owns the building. He has until the thirtieth to vacate his flat, although he’s been relieved of his duties with immediate effect.”
“Did Mortimer have anything to do with it?” Shelly demanded.
“The man I spoke with refused to discuss the matter beyond confirming that Walter’s employment had been terminated,” Daniel replied. “Someone from Ramsey CID is going to go and speak to them on Monday. He’s hoping he’ll be able to get more information from a face-to-face interview.”
“If Mortimer did get him fired, does that give Walter a motive for murder?” Fenella asked.
“I turn my back for two minutes and you start talking about murder,” Mona complained. “It’s a good thing I skipped pudding.”
“That’s another thing for Monday,” Daniel said. “We aren’t clear on exactly when Walter found out he’d lost the job, but it seems likely that he didn’t know that until after Mortimer had died.”
“But he certainly knew that Mortimer complained a lot,” Peter said. “Maybe that was enough to drive Walter to murder.”
“Sadly, people have been murdered for a lot less,” Daniel said. “I think I’ll change the subject. Besides the bottles of wine, a box of chocolate fairy cakes somehow managed to get left in my boot after I unloaded Walter and his things. Who would like one?”
The fairy cakes, cupcakes to Fenella, were delicious.
An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF Page 19