“We had a family vacation one year and my father got a new camera for it,” Fenella remembered. “When we got the pictures back, he’d managed to cut off everyone’s heads in every single picture. The new camera didn’t line up like his old one had, and he hadn’t realized it. My mother was furious, as they’d saved up for years for the trip and the camera.”
“Do you still have the photos?”
“Of course we do. They even went into an album. They were the best we could get, so we kept them.”
Shelly laughed. “Kids today will never appreciate albums full of bad photos.”
“Maybe you should dig out John’s old photos and see if you can find any with Lance Thomas in them,” Fenella suggested.
“I probably should, but I doubt I’d recognize him, not after all the work he’d had done.”
“Maybe John or his mother wrote on the back of the pictures?”
“That would be handy, wouldn’t it? I’m not up to it tonight, though. I really just want to get some sleep tonight.”
“I should get out of the way, then,” Fenella said quickly.
“Don’t rush away yet. Come in the kitchen and have a cup of hot chocolate with me. Warm milk helps me sleep and the chocolate can’t do any harm.”
Fenella wondered about adding sugar and caffeine to a bedtime drink, but she didn’t argue. Shelly poured milk into a pan and set it on the stovetop. While she was pulling down mugs, Fenella gave Smokey some love.
“She’s been very affectionate tonight,” Shelly remarked. “I think she can tell that I’m upset.”
“Of course she can, and she’s worried about you, I’m sure.”
“And so are you.”
“And so am I.”
“I know I didn’t have any reason to kill the man, but I wish I had an alibi for this morning.”
“We don’t even know when the man was killed. He was probably alive and well when we were in Ramsey, sailing our way around the lake. Remember, I didn’t get the message from him about meeting at his apartment until after my driving test.”
“Maybe it isn’t even Lance who’s dead, though,” Shelly said as she mixed cocoa powder into hot milk. “Maybe it was one of his friends, and maybe Lance killed him and left the body in his flat.”
“Neil and the others were waiting to talk to the inspector when I finished speaking with him.”
“All of them?”
“Yep, all four of them. I was thinking the same thing until I saw them, actually.”
Shelly sighed and then handed Fenella a mug of hot chocolate. “I wonder who will identify the body,” she said thoughtfully.
“I suppose that will be Neil’s job, unless Lance has family on the island that he didn’t mention to us.”
“You’d think if he had family here that he’d have visited once in a while over the years.”
“There is that. And with the work he had done on his face, anyone he hadn’t seen in a while probably wouldn’t have recognized him, anyway.”
“I wonder if the police have his fingerprints in the system anywhere.”
“Why would they? Do you think he was involved in something criminal?”
“I don’t know. I just know I didn’t like him or trust him. And from what you’ve told me about his friends, I don’t like them, either. That doesn’t automatically make any of them criminals, of course, but it does make me wonder.”
“It would be good if the police did have his fingerprints on file. That would make identifying the body a lot easier.”
“You should ask Daniel about that.”
Fenella shook her head. “I’m not asking Daniel anything,” she said firmly.
“He’s going to want to talk to you about the case.”
“Maybe, or maybe he’ll wash his hands of me and the entire situation. It sounded like he was pretty busy in Milton Keynes.”
“She might just have been a friend.”
“She certainly sounded awfully friendly,” Fenella said bitterly.
Shelly put her mug down and gave Fenella a hug. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I know you really care about Daniel.”
“It’s fine. There’s always Neil.”
Shelly laughed. “That’s the spirit. There are plenty of fish in the sea.”
“And if you see me even so much as looking twice at Neil Hicks, you have my permission to smack some sense into me,” Fenella told her. “I wouldn’t go near that man, not if he were the last man on earth.”
“What about the other one that was flirting with you?” Shelly asked.
“Eric? I’m not interested, at least in part because he was far too persistent. Perhaps I should just stick with Donald.”
Shelly laughed. “Talk about persistent. That man has been chasing after you since you arrived on the island.”
“Yes, but he does it in a much nicer way than Neil or Eric did.”
“I didn’t think you really liked Donald.”
“I do like him. I like him a lot, actually,” Fenella admitted. “But I’ve been pushing him away because I like Daniel a lot, too. If Daniel has found someone else, though, maybe I should give Donald a proper chance.”
“Maybe we both should get some sleep and worry about all of this tomorrow,” Shelly suggested, yawning.
“I think you’re right. I’m far too tired to think straight. It was a very odd day, with far too much stress this morning and far too much wine tonight.”
“Next time you pass your driving test, we’ll just get a glass each with dinner,” Shelly laughed.
“That sounds like a smart plan,” Fenella agreed.
Back in her own apartment, Fenella made sure that Katie had a full bowl of water and then gave her a few treats. “It’s been a very strange day,” she told the kitten.
“Merrow?”
“I passed my driving test. Do you want to go for a ride in Mona’s convertible?”
“Mrreww.”
“Okay, maybe not. And then Daniel called me to congratulate me, which was nice, but some other woman was there, which was not nice. And then Shelly and I found a dead body, although we didn’t know we’d found anything except for an open apartment door that should have been shut.”
Katie looked at her for a minute and then strolled out of the kitchen.
“Yes, I know it’s time for bed,” Fenella called after her. “I’m just feeling too wound up to sleep right now.”
Katie didn’t reply, and when Fenella followed her a minute later she found the small animal curled up in the exact center of Fenella’s king-sized bed.
“It’s okay for you. You don’t need to brush your teeth or wash your face,” Fenella told the animal. Katie didn’t move.
Still grumbling, Fenella washed her face and rubbed in some moisturizer before she brushed her teeth.
“Your phone needs charging,” she reminded her reflection in the mirror. She’d noticed that the battery was low when she’d rung the police earlier. It seemed as if everyone she knew used his or her phone all the time to play games, shop, and goodness knows what else. Fenella tended to use hers to make phone calls and send text messages and not much else. That meant it could go several days between charges, which meant she usually forgot to charge it at all.
Her phone always managed to find its way into the very bottom of whatever bag Fenella was carrying. She dug it out now and then took it into the bedroom. Her charger was plugged in next to the bed.
“I wonder where Mona is tonight,” she said to Katie as she plugged the phone in.
Katie opened one eye and then squeezed it shut again.
“I thought she’d still be here, waiting to hear more about the murder,” Fenella said thoughtfully.
Now that the idea was in her head, Fenella began to worry about Mona. She paced around her living room for several minutes before dropping onto a couch and staring out at the sea. “She’s probably off drinking and dancing with Max and not giving me a single thought,” Fenella said to herself. She watched as a few cars mad
e their way up the promenade, and then sighed. “I should try to sleep, at least,” she sighed as she stood up.
Fenella was in her bedroom doorway when her mobile began to ring. Katie jumped and then leaped off the bed, shouting angrily. Fenella picked up the phone and checked the display.
“It’s Daniel,” she told Katie anxiously.
9
“I probably should apologize for ringing so late,” he began when Fenella answered. “But I was pretty sure you’d still be up.”
“I am,” Fenella replied.
“Perhaps you could tell me what’s going on, then,” Daniel said tightly.
Fenella wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry or shout at the man. “Surely you’re in a better position to know the answer to that than I am,” she said, struggling to keep her voice steady.
“All I know is that I was called away from dinner to be told that you’d found another dead body.”
“All I found was an open apartment door. We didn’t go inside. We didn’t find the body.”
Daniel sighed. “You’re splitting hairs. Mark is concerned and I see his point. You do seem to stumble across more than your fair share of dead bodies.”
“It isn’t my fault,” Fenella snapped, feeling like she’d rather hang up than talk to Daniel right then.
“I’m not suggesting it is, but surely you can see how it must look to Mark.”
“No, I can’t. I know a lot of sad, awful, horrid things have happened to me since I’ve been on the island, but none of them have been my fault in any way. You know that as well as I do.”
“Let’s not argue,” Daniel sighed. “I was just ringing to make sure that you’re okay. I’m sure finding another body was stressful for you.”
“Yes, it was,” Fenella replied coolly.
“So are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Great. I have to go. I have an early class tomorrow.”
He disconnected before Fenella could reply. She stared at the phone in her hand for a minute before dropping it back on her bedside table. Tears threatened to start, but she ignored them and curled up in bed, trying to think about anything other than Daniel. Katie climbed over top of her and settled up against Fenella’s chest. Not wanting to disturb her pet, Fenella laid very still, listening to Katie’s breathing. What felt like a moment later, Katie began tapping her on the nose.
“It can’t be morning already,” Fenella said as she opened one eye.
“Merrow,” Katie replied.
A glance at the clock showed Fenella that not only was it morning, but that Katie had let her sleep until eight o’clock for a change.
“Thank you, darling kitty,” Fenella said as she climbed out of bed. She gave Katie a treat and then her breakfast before she took a long and hot shower. She washed a few painkillers down with her coffee to get rid of the headache that was probably the result of too much wine the previous evening. By the time she’d finished off a bowl of cereal with milk, she was feeling pretty good. It helped that she was completely blocking any thoughts of Daniel and the murder out of her head, of course.
“Good morning,” Mona said in a low voice as Fenella was loading the dishwasher with her breakfast dishes. “How are you this morning?”
“Me? I’m fine, thanks. How are you?” Fenella replied.
Mona frowned at her. “I’m fine, as always,” she said. “But what’s happened? You’re upset.”
“I found a dead man yesterday,” Fenella reminded her aunt.
“Yes, but that isn’t what’s upsetting you. You were okay when I left last night.”
“Yeah, and then I went and talked to Shelly, and when I got home, Daniel called.”
“Did he have his own list of questions for you about the murder?”
“No, he just called to remind me that I’m on the top of Mark Hammersmith’s list of suspects,” Fenella replied.
“You are? That doesn’t make any sense at all. What exactly did Daniel say?”
“He just pointed out that Inspector Hammersmith is worried because I keep finding dead bodies,” Fenella sighed. “He made it sound as if I’m doing it on purpose.”
“Which would be silly with Daniel away. If you’re going to find dead bodies, at least do it while Daniel is here to do the investigating. I mean, Inspector Hammersmith is reasonably attractive, if you don’t mind that he looks like a used car salesman, but he’s far too young for you.”
“I don’t want to find any more dead bodies ever again. Not even if that means never seeing Daniel again,” she said firmly.
“Now you don’t mean that. You’re just upset with Daniel right now. I’m sure you’ll be able to work everything out eventually.”
“Maybe.”
“Let’s talk about something else, then,” Mona said. “Do you like my new dress?”
Fenella looked over at the woman. “I suppose so. It doesn’t look that different from what you normally wear.”
Mona sighed. “I know. The style choices for ghosts are unbelievably limited. I was wondering if I could look up Timothy and see if he could make me something splendid like he used to, but I’ve no idea where to start looking for the man.”
A dozen questions sprang to Fenella’s lips, but there was little point in asking any of them. Mona probably wouldn’t answer and even if she did, she’d be just as likely to make up her reply as tell the truth. The phone rang before she could work out a proper reply.
“My darling Fenella, how are you?” Donald’s voice came down the line.
“Fine,” she replied, unsure of what he’d heard about Lance.
“I’m still in London, but I’ll be back tonight. I woke up this morning and realized that I never rang yesterday to ask how your driving test went, though.”
Perhaps he hadn’t heard anything about Lance, she thought before she replied. “I passed.”
“Ah, excellent. Well done. Are you free for dinner tonight? I’d love to take you somewhere special to celebrate.”
“I could do that, assuming I’ve not been arrested.”
“Arrested? What do you mean?”
Fenella sighed. “Nothing, really. Shelly and Peter and I found a dead body yesterday, that’s all. I’m afraid Inspector Hammersmith might think I had something to do with the murder.”
“I’m sorry. Could you repeat all of that?”
“Do I really have to?”
“No, I suppose not, but, well, it just wasn’t the reply I was expecting. And sadly, I don’t have the time to hear the whole story right now anyway. I’m already late for a meeting. I’ll collect you at six tonight and you can tell me all about it over dinner, okay?”
“I don’t think I’ll want to talk about it, but dinner sounds good.”
“We’ll talk about whatever you want to talk about,” Donald assured her. “I can always get my local news from other sources.”
Fenella put the phone down and sighed deeply.
“An evening with Donald is exactly what you need,” Mona said. “Make sure he takes you somewhere fabulous to celebrate your success. Drink too much wine and flirt outrageously and you’ll forget all about Daniel and the dead man.”
“I wish it were that easy.”
“It is that easy. You just have to keep telling yourself that.”
Fenella didn’t bother to argue with her aunt. Mona probably could push unpleasant things out of her mind, but Fenella didn’t find it that easy to forget about her uncomfortable conversation with Daniel or about the dead man.
“You should go and get the local paper,” Mona suggested a short time later. “Maybe you’ll learn something about the body you found.”
“I didn’t find it,” Fenella snapped. But Mona was right. She needed to see what she could learn from the local paper. She’d already tried checking the local news sites on the Internet, but they were oddly quiet about the discovery.
“They probably don’t know anything about anything,” she muttered under her breath as she found her shoes an
d her handbag. “Anyway, the paper probably went to press before we even found the open apartment door.”
Mona didn’t bother to reply. She was sitting on the couch, staring out at the sea, with Katie by her side. Fenella was grateful that the pair seemed to be getting along better, anyway. “I’ll be right back,” she said as she let herself out of the apartment.
“Do you always tell Katie that?” Shelly asked as Fenella literally bumped into her in the corridor.
Fenella blushed. She hadn’t been talking to Katie as much as to Mona, but she couldn’t tell Shelly that. “Only when it’s true,” she said after a moment.
Shelly laughed. “I tell Smokey when to expect me home,” she said in a confiding tone. “I know she can’t tell time, but I don’t feel as if I can simply walk out and not give her any explanation.”
“How are you this morning?” Fenella asked.
“I’m okay. Still a little shaken up about, well, everything, but otherwise, I’m okay. How are you?”
“Much the same,” Fenella replied. The pair headed for the elevator together. “Daniel called me last night, just to make sure I was okay, actually.”
“That was kind of him.”
‘Yes, I suppose so.”
“What does that mean?”
“He pointed out that I’ve found a lot of dead bodies since I’ve been on the island,” Fenella sighed. “As if it was my fault or something.”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean it that way,” Shelly exclaimed. The doors slid open and the women walked into the elevator car. “Inspector Hammersmith had probably just said something similar to him, so the thought was on his mind or something.”
“Maybe, or maybe he thinks I’m bad luck to everyone who meets me.”
“You haven’t been bad luck for me,” Shelly told her. “I’m delighted that I’ve met you and I think of you as one of my dearest friends.”
“Thank you,” Fenella replied. She gave Shelly a hug as the elevator doors opened into the lobby. “Where are you off to?” she asked.
“I’m meeting Gordon for a walk and then some lunch. Do you want to come?”
“No, thanks,” Fenella replied, not wanting to intrude on Shelly’s plans.
An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF Page 61