“Interesting.” Inspector Lambert sounded anything but interested. “I’ll check his statement once he’s given it. I’ll need yours as well, of course. I’d prefer to take that myself, once the crime scene team arrives.”
It was pointless to argue with the inspector, so Bessie simply nodded and then sat back on the bench. Hopefully, Mark wouldn’t leave without her. Otherwise she’d have to ring for a taxi to get home. Bessie had never learned to drive, relying on buses and taxis to get around her island home. She was fortunate to have many friends who often took her where she wanted to go, but she always had the number for her favourite taxi company ready to use when needed.
Inspector Lambert got up and spoke briefly to the first arrivals from the crime scene team. As they went to work, she gave some instructions to the pair of uniformed constables who arrived next. Then she sat back down next to Bessie. The pair were silent as they watched the investigators work. After several minutes, as Bessie began to shiver in the cold, the inspector sighed deeply.
“Let’s go find this storage area, then,” she said begrudgingly. “You can warm up with some tea while I take your statement.”
Bessie got to her feet and followed the other woman across the grass. When they walked into the room, Mark was sitting with a uniformed constable.
“We’re just about done here,” the constable told the inspector as he jumped to his feet.
“I hope you’ve been thorough,” she replied.
“Yes, I have, I mean, I hope I have,” he said.
She shrugged. “Mr. Blake, you can leave. We’ll have people on site for at least the next twelve to fourteen hours. MNH will need to send someone to lock up the site tomorrow morning.”
“I need to stay and take Bessie home,” he replied.
“I’ll make certain that Bessie gets home safely,” the inspector countered. “Off you go.”
Mark raised an eyebrow and then looked questioningly at Bessie. She shrugged. There was no way she was going to challenge Anna Lambert’s words.
“Thank you for all of your help today,” Mark said to Bessie as he headed for the door.
“I was happy to help, right up until the end,” Bessie replied.
“You can go,” the inspector told the constable as the door shut behind Mark. He nodded and followed Mark out of the room.
“Sit,” the inspector told Bessie.
Bessie dropped back into the same hard chair she’d used earlier. It wasn’t any more comfortable now than it had been before. The inspector took a seat on the opposite side of the table and made a face.
“These chairs are horrible,” she complained.
“Yes, they are.”
“I don’t suppose it would do any good to complain. They probably don’t have any other chairs out here.”
“There’s one in the ticket booth that’s marginally more comfortable,” Bessie told her.
“It doesn’t matter. Tell me why you’re here. What brought you to Peel Castle today?”
“Mark brought me. He rang me last week and asked me if I’d be willing to come and help out for the day.”
“When did he ring?”
“I’m not sure, maybe Wednesday or Thursday. I can try to recall more exactly if you really need to know.”
“I may, but let’s not worry about it for now. What did Mark want you to do?”
“He wanted someone familiar with MNH to be here to help him identify the things he knew he was going to find in the various boxes. There were a lot of old plates and cups and things from old promotions and nothing was dated.”
“Why does it matter?”
“I believe he wanted help determining what was worth keeping and what could safely be discarded. It’s always helpful to have another pair of eyes looking over everything.”
“He had four other people here with him, besides you.”
“Yes, but they’re all young and fairly new to MNH. He asked me to help because I know more of the history.”
“And no one who works for MNH knows its history?” The inspector sounded incredulous.
“Henry Costain probably knows it best, but he’s at home recovering from flu. There are others who could have helped, but some have retired and moved across and others were probably busy when Mark rang.”
“You believe you weren’t his first choice, then?”
“You’d have to ask him that. I’ve no idea who else he might have spoken with about helping. We just worked together for over a month on Christmas at the Castle. I may have been the first person he thought of when he decided to start on this project.”
“Take me through your day.”
Bessie did her best, starting with breakfast and working forward. She didn’t bother to mention everything that was discovered in every box, but she tried to identify the highlights. She was just about to talk about the last tower when the inspector held up a hand.
“Wait. Tell me again what you found in the various boxes. I want as complete an inventory as you can give me.”
Sighing, Bessie did her best to remember everything. The inspector seemed to be making a list of each item as Bessie spoke.
“Right, so that takes us up to the last tower, correct?”
“That’s right,” Bessie agreed. “We were all pretty cold and tired by that time, and Mark told the others that they could leave if they wanted to get back to Douglas.”
“Why didn’t they go? Who was behind the idea of staying?”
“I don’t remember who said what about staying. I believe it was just a general feeling that they’d come so far, they should stay and finish the job.”
“Tell me what happened next, then.”
Bessie told her about the stubborn padlock and Mark’s solution before explaining what had happened when he’d found the body.
“You deliberately took a look inside the space, even though you knew what you’d find?”
“I thought maybe the two men were mistaken about what they’d seen. I’ve had a bit more experience in that area.”
“Yes, well, I can’t argue with that,” Inspector Lambert replied dryly. She had Bessie start at the beginning again, from when they’d found the padlock that Mark couldn’t open. After Bessie had told the story for a third time, the inspector finally shut her notebook.
“Right, now you’ve had some time to think. Whom have we found?”
“I wish I could tell you, but I’ve no idea. As I said, I need some idea of a date with which to work if I’m to have any chance of helping.”
“I’ll have to talk to the crime scene team and the coroner. I’ll be in touch, once they’ve done all that they can. After everything that I’ve seen since I’ve been on the island, I’m pretty sure you’re going to be the key to solving this case.”
“As you said earlier, if the person was from Peel, I may be no help at all.”
“It’s a small island. Whoever put the body in there is probably getting quite nervous about now. I’m assuming, of course, that the island’s gossip chain is hard at work, spreading the news that a body has been found at Peel Castle. Once you get home, you should ring a few people and start stirring things up, don’t you think?”
“I’m not certain I want to stir things up, not yet. There are a lot of people out there who have been looking for their missing loved one for years. I’d rather not raise false hopes for anyone as to whom we may have found.”
“Surely you’d be doing the opposite of raising their hopes, if you tell them that you’ve found a dead person.”
“I believe the not knowing is harder than dealing with the loss,” Bessie countered.
Inspector Lambert shrugged. “Suit yourself, but I’ll be coming to see you soon. I’m expecting great things from you, especially after all you did for Hugh.”
“A certain element of luck played into that case.”
“I could do with some luck right about now. I need to solve a case, the more difficult the better.”
Bessie wondered what the inspector mea
nt by that, but she didn’t want to ask for clarification. “Are we finished, then?” was the question she did ask.
“Yes, I suppose so, for now. As I said, I’ll be in touch.”
Nodding, Bessie got to her feet. The inspector had promised Mark that she’d make sure Bessie got home safely, but as Bessie headed for the door, she assumed that Inspector Lambert had forgotten.
“Hugh should be here by now to collect you,” the inspector said as Bessie pulled the door open.
“Hugh?”
“I thought you’d prefer to see a friendly face after your long day. I believe he’s always happy to work a bit of overtime, as well, with a new baby at home.”
“Yes, I believe you’re right,” Bessie replied, feeling surprised. She walked to the front of the castle grounds and found Hugh chatting with one of the uniformed constables at the entrance.
Hugh Watterson was a young man in his twenties, although to Bessie he still looked closer to fifteen. Bessie had known him his entire life. As she’d never had children of her own, she’d acted as something of an honourary aunt to the boys and girls of Laxey. Hugh had spent many nights during his teen years in Bessie’s spare bedroom after arguments with his parents about his future. He’d wanted to join the police from the time he’d been a very young boy, but his parents hadn’t approved. Over time, as Hugh had worked hard at his chosen career, they’d come to respect his decision, and now that Hugh was married and had made them grandparents, the three had become much closer.
Hugh greeted Bessie with a hug. “I couldn’t believe it when Inspector Lambert rang me and said you’d found another body.”
“I couldn’t believe it either,” Bessie said dryly. “This one has been there for a good long time, though. I’ll be surprised if it’s anyone I knew.”
“No doubt the inspector has already asked you to start thinking about anyone who might have gone missing in the past.”
“She has, but that job will be a good deal easier once I have some idea of a date and also of gender.”
“Ready to go home, then?” Hugh asked.
Bessie nodded. “More than.” It had been a very long day and she was exhausted. She knew she’d been quite spoiled in her younger years, as she’d never needed a paying job, but she’d done quite a lot of volunteer work. It had been some time since she’d worked for as many hours as today had turned out to require, though. As she settled into the passenger seat of Hugh’s car, she sighed deeply. Her feet hurt, her back ached, and she was starving.
“Want to tell me about it?” Hugh asked as he started the car’s engine.
“There isn’t much I can tell you, really. We were clearing out the various little spaces that are all over the site, and in the very last one we found a skeleton.”
“So whoever it was, he or she has been there for a while.”
“Unless it’s a prop from an old display or something. I imagine that’s the first thing Inspector Lambert will have to determine.”
“I believe she’s fairly certain that it’s a genuine skeleton. She’s treating it as a crime scene, anyway.”
“If there was a crime, it happened a long time ago.”
“Someone hid the body in there. That’s a crime, even if the victim died of natural causes.”
“Is it? Maybe it’s an ancient burial that we’ve just discovered.”
“I’m not sure there would be any bones left from that long ago.”
Bessie sighed. “I hope it’s an ancient burial. If it’s Viking era, there won’t have to be an investigation.”
“Was it still partially buried or resting on top of the ground?”
“It was mostly on top of the ground. I only took a very quick look, mind you, but I could see a lot of it.”
“I don’t understand how it could have been undiscovered for all these years, then. I wonder if someone moved the body there more recently.”
“Mark couldn’t open the padlock. He didn’t have the right key. He said all of the locks were changed years ago so that they all use the same key. Clearly, that one was missed for some reason.”
“Doesn’t MNH take regular stock of everything on the site?”
“Judging by what we found in some of the boxes we went through today, I don’t think they do. There were boxes of old papers from twenty or more years ago that were waterlogged and ruined. No one would have suggested keeping them if they’d been aware that they were there.”
“So the body could have been in that tower for twenty years or more.”
“It’s a bit of a stretch, calling it a tower. It’s more just a little space in a corner of the outer walls of the site, but yes, I suppose he or she could have been there for that long, or maybe even longer.”
“Let’s hope Inspector Lambert can successfully date the remains, otherwise I can’t imagine how we’re going to discover who you found.”
“Mark found the remains. I just happened to be there.”
“That happens to you rather a lot.”
Bessie sighed. “How’s Grace?” she changed the subject.
Hugh beamed. “She’s doing really well. I can’t believe how well she’s coping with everything on her own.”
Grace was a pretty blonde primary schoolteacher. She and Hugh had been married for almost a year and had recently welcomed their first child together. Bessie knew that Grace’s mother had been staying with the couple for the first weeks after the baby’s birth. Presumably she’d gone home now.
“Grace’s mum is back in Douglas?” Bessie checked.
“Yes, and we’re all happier for it,” Hugh said. He flushed. “Don’t get me wrong. We loved having her stay with us and she was a huge help with the baby for those first few difficult weeks, but having another person in the house was awkward. Grace was always uptight, too, worried that her mother thought she was doing things the wrong way. Now she’s more relaxed, which means Aalish is more relaxed, too.”
“That’s good to hear. Aalish is doing well, then?”
“She’s amazing,” Hugh said happily. “She’s starting to take a real interest in the world now. She seems to listen intently when Grace talks to her. Grace has started singing the alphabet to her and counting her fingers and toes when she dresses her. I’m sure Aalish is going to be very clever.”
“No doubt, considering who her parents are.”
Hugh blushed. “Grace is clever, anyway.”
“You’re very clever when you apply yourself.”
“Yes, I suppose so. Before I met Grace I was, well, lazy I suppose is the word. Now that I have her and Aalish to support, though, I’m doing everything I can to advance my career.” He glanced over at Bessie and shrugged. “I’m going to start taking some classes at the college at night. I want to get a degree eventually.”
“Good for you.”
“I need one if I’m going to move up to inspector one day, and that’s my goal. I’m working all the extra hours I can now so that Grace can stay home for as long as possible.”
“I’m sure Aalish appreciates that.”
Hugh laughed. “I’m sure she does, but Grace might not. She told me the other day that she might want to go back to work sooner than we’d planned. She misses the children, ones that can walk and talk and learn things, and she misses being useful to the world, too.”
“Raising a child is incredibly useful.”
“But maybe not as useful as teaching an entire class of children. That isn’t me talking, by the way, that’s Grace. In an ideal world, I’d rather she stayed home until Aalish is in school, but if Grace will be happier working, then we’ll find a way to make that happen instead.”
“Maybe you could take a year off and stay home with the baby.”
Hugh grinned. “I would love that, but it would hurt my career prospects. John does everything he can to help all of the constables get lots of experience in every type of policing. If I took time off, there’s no guarantee that I’d get a job at Laxey when I came back. I can’t imagine working for anyon
e other than John.”
Bessie nodded. John Rockwell took an almost paternal interest in the young men and women he supervised at the Laxey station. Everything she’d heard about him suggested that he was firm but kind to the constables, pushing them to produce the very best possible results, and anxious to help them correct mistakes or find solutions for problems both on and off the job. Although Bessie had never worked, she imagined that John would have been the perfect person to have had as a supervisor.
“Anyway, Grace isn’t going back to teaching in a hurry. We’re planning on her being home until at least September. If she decides she really hates being home, she can apply for a new position that starts in the autumn or go back to supply teaching.”
“I’m sure some days she’ll want to work and other days she’ll be unable to imagine leaving Aalish with anyone else.”
“Yes, that’s part of the problem. She went out to lunch with her mother the other day when I was home. They were back in twenty-five minutes because she missed Aalish too much to stay away any longer.”
Bessie laughed. “Poor Grace. I can’t imagine how she feels.”
“I can’t either. I mean, I do miss Aalish when I’m at work and I think about her a lot, but I’m out for eight or nine hours every day, plus overtime sometimes. We’d be in trouble if I couldn’t stand to be away from Aalish for more than twenty minutes.”
“I’m sure mums are meant to feel that way in the first few months of the baby’s life. It’s part of what keeps the baby alive.”
“No doubt. I’ve never been more happy to have been born male.”
They were nearly back to Laxey, so Bessie changed the subject again, asking the question that had been on her mind for hours. “When did Inspector Lambert move to Peel?”
Hugh glanced over at her and then looked away. “Maybe a month ago,” he said hesitantly. “I was so busy with the baby and everything that I didn’t really pay that much attention to all of that.”
“All of what?”
“The transfer, that’s all. As it didn’t really concern me, I didn’t pay much attention.”
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