Aunt Bessie Volunteers

by Diana Xarissa

  “I do, too.”

  She put the phone down and then stared at it. Both Meredith and Emma had told her that they’d already spoken to Anna, but she still felt as if she should share what she’d learned with the police inspector. After debating with herself for a minute, she picked up the phone and rang the Laxey station.

  “Laxey Neighbourhood Policing, this is Suzannah. How can I help you?”

  Bessie made a face. Suzannah was a fairly new addition to the station and thus far Bessie hadn’t been impressed with the woman. She knew that Doona didn’t care for her, either, which didn’t make Bessie feel more warmly towards her. “Is Inspector Rockwell available, please? It’s Bessie Cubbon,” she replied. She didn’t have a number for Anna, but John would be able to get Anna a message.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Clubbon, but Inspector Rockwell isn’t in the office at the moment. Would you care to leave a message?” was the unwelcome reply.

  “What about Hugh?”

  “Me? I’m here. I’m not sure I know what you mean.”

  “Not you, Hugh,” Bessie sighed. “Constable Hugh Watterson.”

  “Constable Watterson isn’t in the office either. Did you want to leave a message for him, too?”

  Bessie took a deep breath. “Please ask John to ring me,” she said.

  “John?”

  “Inspector Rockwell.”

  “To ring Mrs. Clorben, yes, of course.”

  “It’s Cubbon. C – U – B – B – O – N.”

  “You’ve missed out the R, Mrs. Crubbon.”

  “There isn’t any R in my name.”

  “No? Maybe you’d better spell it again.”

  “You know what? Never mind. It’s a good thing there isn’t a man standing over me with a knife. By the time you understood me, I’d be dead.”

  “For emergencies, you should ring 999. Do you want me to connect you?”

  “No, I don’t,” Bessie said tightly. “I don’t want you to do anything at all. Thank you anyway.”

  “What about the man with the knife?”

  “There isn’t any man with a knife,” Bessie snapped before she put the phone down. She paced around the kitchen for several minutes, working off her frustration with Suzannah before she sat back down with her book. As she struggled to find her place, she heard sirens. Lots of sirens. Before she could investigate, someone began pounding on her door.

  “Hugh? What brings you here?”

  The young man stared at her for a minute and then pulled her into a hug. Bessie was sure she could see tears in his eyes as he released her. She looked behind him and gasped. There were four police cars, all with lights flashing and sirens blaring, behind her cottage.

  “Whatever has happened?” she demanded.

  “Suzannah said there was a man with a knife at your cottage,” Hugh told her.

  “You must be joking,” Bessie exclaimed. “She couldn’t get my name right, not once, but she managed to send the entire police department here because of a stupid remark I made?”

  Another police car rolled to a stop. John Rockwell’s car was right behind it. He’d barely shut off the engine before he was running towards Bessie and Hugh.

  “Bessie’s fine,” Hugh said quickly.

  John sighed with relief. “What happened to the man with the knife? Who was it? Did you recognise him?”

  “There wasn’t a man with a knife,” Bessie snapped. “That woman is an idiot.”

  John pulled out his mobile phone and punched a number. “It’s all good,” he said a moment later. “Apparently Suzannah misunderstood something.”

  After a moment, he nodded. “Yes, I agree that isn’t surprising.”

  He dropped the phone into his pocket. “Doona,” he told Bessie. “She was notified too, and she wanted to come, but Amy is home because she’s poorly, and Doona is sitting with her. I didn’t want Amy left alone. It took some doing, but I managed to persuade her that I would be more useful against a man with a knife than she would.”

  Bessie didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or cry. “You need to do something about Suzannah,” she said after a moment. “I’ll admit that I shouldn’t have spoken as I did, but I was quite fed up with her inability to listen to me properly.”

  John turned around and looked at the row of police cars behind him. “One minute,” he told Bessie before he walked over and spoke to each of the drivers in turn.

  Hugh had to move his car, as he’d more or less abandoned it in the middle of the parking area. John drove his next to Hugh’s now neatly parked car and then the pair walked into Treoghe Bwaane with Bessie as the others all drove away.

  “Tell me everything,” John said as he settled into a chair.

  Bessie repeated the conversation she’d had with Suzannah. When she was finished, John put his notebook away and grinned at her.

  “I don’t blame you for being frustrated, but it’s never a good idea to tell the police that there’s a man with a knife at your house.”

  “I didn’t tell her that.”

  “No, but she heard it that way and she panicked. She was able to get your address from our system and she sent every available car here as an emergency.”

  “She can get my information from your system?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why can’t she get my name right?”

  John frowned. “I’m not entirely certain how the system at reception works. I’m going to see what I can find out, though. What happened today was unacceptable.”

  “I am sorry,” Bessie said.

  “It isn’t your fault,” Hugh told her. “It also isn’t the first time that Suzannah has sent everyone out on an emergency call that was simply a misunderstanding.”

  “I think I’d be more worried about the opposite happening and her not sending help when it’s needed,” Bessie said.

  “If people need emergency assistance, they should ring 999,” John interjected. “The reception staff at the station have very different training to the 999 staff.”

  “I’ll bet they could take a simple phone message,” Bessie muttered under her breath.

  John chuckled. “But what did you want to talk to me or Hugh about? You now have both of us.”

  “I really just wanted a number for Anna. I’ve spoken to two of the women who were on our list and I wanted to be certain that she’s crossed them both off now.”

  “I wish I’d known that,” John told her. “I was actually in a meeting with Anna when I received the emergency notification. I should have brought her along.”

  “I don’t really need to speak to her,” Bessie said, feeling as if she’d much rather talk to John anyway, especially since he was already there.

  “No?”

  “Meredith Houseman and Emma Gibson both rang me, that’s all. I spoke to each of them for several minutes and I’m satisfied that they were who they claimed to be, which means they are both alive and well.”

  John wrote the names down. “Anna was just telling me that she’d eliminated two women from the list, but she hadn’t had time to explain.”

  “Where have they been and why haven’t they been back?” Hugh asked.

  Bessie flushed. “Neither of them wants their story repeated,” she said. “Obviously, if Anna needs to know, then I’ll tell her, but I don’t believe anything either of them said is at all relevant to the investigation.”

  John nodded. “Unless they can suggest other possible candidates,” he said.

  “I forgot to ask Meredith about that, but Emma is going to talk to a friend of hers who was on the island at the same time to see if they can come up with any names for us.”

  “A friend who was on the island at the same time?” Hugh echoed. “She left with this friend?”

  Bessie nodded. “Please don’t ask anything else.”

  Hugh frowned and then shrugged. “I suppose I’m just being nosy.”

  “Which is a desirable trait in a police constable,” John said. “In this case, though, I think we hav
e to respect Ms. Gibson’s right to privacy.”

  “Yes, sir,” Hugh replied.

  “If that’s all, I need to get back to the office,” John said, getting to his feet. “I have meetings all afternoon, and I believe I need to do some staff retraining, as well.”

  “Maybe you could simply replace her,” Bessie said softly.

  John smiled but didn’t reply. Hugh followed him to the door.

  “I’ll get back to what I was doing, then,” he said. “I’m glad it was a false alarm. I was really worried about you,” he told Bessie.

  She gave him a hug and then let both men out. It was nearly time for some lunch, but after her unusual morning, all Bessie could think about was finishing her book. She sat back down in her chair, determined to ignore the real world until she’d reached the end.

  Twenty minutes later, she was sorry she’d bothered. The author’s solution to the case was not one she’d considered, nor was it a satisfactory conclusion in her opinion. She put the book on top of the pile she intended to donate to charity and then went to get herself some lunch. As she ate, she rewrote the ending in her head until everything was just the way she wanted it to be. While she’d never tried her hand at writing, she was very tempted to write down her alternate ending to this particular book. She could print it out and add it to the book before she gave it away, giving future readers a chance to enjoy what she was sure was a better conclusion. Surely they’d be grateful, she thought.

  As she did the washing-up, finally washing the cups from her tea with Maggie along with the lunch things, she thought about Emma and Meredith. They’d both had to leave the island to find happiness. What might have happened if she’d left the island? A knock on the door cut short her thoughts.

  “I hope this isn’t a bad time,” Anna Lambert said.

  “Not at all. Come in,” Bessie replied.

  “I wanted to hear about your conversations with Meredith and Emma. I’ve spoken to both of them, but I suspect they both told you a good deal more than they told me.”

  Bessie shrugged. “They both also requested confidentiality.”

  Anna nodded. “I won’t take notes, but I’d be grateful if you’d give me a basic idea of what they’ve been doing with their lives since they left the island.”

  After a moment, Bessie decided that sharing the basics wouldn’t hurt. “Meredith simply wanted to get away from her parents and Joe,” Bessie said. “From what she said, she’s been in the Lake District ever since.”

  “Why the secrecy, then?”

  “I think she simply doesn’t like the idea of being talked about.”

  “I can sympathise.”

  Bessie nodded.

  “And Emma?”

  “Went travelling and never came back.”

  “That’s what she told me. I’m sure there’s more to the story.”

  “She went travelling with another teacher, a woman called Janice. They’ve been together ever since.”

  Anna blinked and then nodded. “That would be what her mother wants to keep secret, then, and it explains why she didn’t want to share much with me. Thank you for telling me.”

  “I trust you to keep it all confidential. Emma knows me, which is why she trusted me. I believe I know you well enough to do the same with you.”

  “Thank you,” Anna said, flushing. “The secrecy aspect bothered me, but it makes more sense now, especially in Emma’s case. That’s two names off the list, anyway. Three more to go, unless you’ve any new ones to share with me?”

  “I wish I did, but I don’t. Emma is going to talk to the other teacher and see if together they can remember anyone else who left the island around that time. If they come up with anything, I’ll let you know.”

  “Thank you. I’m working on the other three. They’re proving more difficult to track down, but that isn’t surprising.”

  “Sam Owens can’t help with Joselyn?”

  “Let’s just say he won’t help,” Anna told her. “Maybe you can persuade him to talk. I didn’t manage it.”

  “I don’t think I’ve met Mr. Owens more than once or twice in my life. I can’t imagine why he’d talk to me.”

  “Keep me informed if you do talk to anyone,” Anna said sternly as she stood up. “I should say anyone else. Let me know if Emma has any ideas, too.”

  “I don’t have a number for the Peel station.”

  Anna nodded and pulled a business card out of her pocket. She used a pen to write a number on the back. “That’s my mobile number. Ring me anytime. You won’t be interrupting anything important.”

  “Thank you. I’ll ring you if I hear anything interesting.”

  “Ring me even if what you hear is boring,” Anna replied. “Sometimes cases are solved by the most boring of details.”

  Bessie took herself for a long walk while she thought about what Anna had said. Her answering machine light was blinking when she got back home.

  Chapter 9

  “It’s Doona. Would you like to get dinner with me tonight? There’s nothing to eat at my house and I’m too exhausted to shop,” the message said.

  Bessie rang her friend back at home. “I’d love to go out tonight. Where do you want to go?”

  “How about the café in Lonan? I haven’t been there in ages,” Doona suggested.

  “I never say no to going there,” Bessie agreed.

  Knowing that Doona was going to be there at half five gave Bessie some extra motivation to get some work done. She had a small pile of unpaid bills that needed sorting, and some correspondence to reply to as well. As she sealed up her letter to Janet Markham, Bessie wondered again if Edward Bennett could help John. She hadn’t mentioned anything to Janet about Sue in her letter, but she could always ring Janet if Andrew was unable to assist. With those little jobs out of the way, Bessie pulled out Onnee’s letters and began to work on the next one.

  When Doona arrived, right on time, Bessie was ready.

  “How are you?” she asked Bessie.

  “I’m fine, I suppose,” Bessie replied.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Onnee had her baby.”

  “Oh, dear. It didn’t go well?”

  “There were complications. The baby survived, but the doctors have told Onnee that she could lose the little girl at any time. The letter was full of so much pain that it was difficult to read.”

  “I am sorry.”

  Bessie nodded. “I know this all happened over fifty years ago, but I still feel incredibly sorry for Onnee. Her husband sounds quite dreadful, too. He’s spending nearly all of his spare time with his former fiancée, as she’s unwell. Onnee is on her own with the baby, feeling alone and friendless.”

  “Perhaps she needs to make more of an effort to find new friends,” Doona suggested.

  “She doesn’t drive and apparently there isn’t any public transportation in the small town where they live. She talks of walking to the local library, but apparently the only people she’s met there are older. She needs to meet other new mothers.”

  “What’s wrong with the baby?”

  “She isn’t specific, at least not in the letter that I read today, but there were problems with the delivery, whatever that means. She’s been told that, even if the baby survives for a while, she won’t ever be able to do much. It sounds as if they suspect brain damage.”

  Doona wiped a tear from her eye. “I can’t believe I’m crying over something that happened so many years ago.”

  “You should read the letters. I’ve been in tears all afternoon.”

  “No, thank you. It’s bad enough hearing about them from you.”

  Bessie shook her head. “Let’s find other things to talk about over dinner,” she suggested.

  “Yes, and let’s go. I’m starving,” Doona replied.

  The drive into Lonan didn’t take long. The small car park for the café was already half full when they arrived. There was a sign on the door that read “Under New Ownership Beginning First of February.”


  “I didn’t realise they’d sold the place already,” Bessie said as Doona pulled the door open.

  “I heard that Jasmina, from the café at the Laxey Wheel, was going to take over. I hope that’s right, as she’s wonderful,” Doona replied.

  “That is right,” the girl at the door told them. “Jasmina is taking over on the first of February. She’ll be doing her home-cooked specialties and puddings while Dan and Carol will be making their sampler plates at their new location in Onchan.”

  “Splendid,” Bessie said. “I’ve loved having Dan and Carol so close to home, but they need more room, and so does Jasmina. She only has four tables in her current location.”

  “I know,” the girl laughed. “I’ve been there loads. She’s an amazing cook. I can’t wait to see what she does with a proper kitchen.”

  “Will you be working for her here?” Doona asked.

  “I will. She was kind enough to hire all of us, even though she isn’t certain how successful she’ll be here.”

  “We’ll have to make a point of coming in regularly once she opens,” Bessie said.

  “Table for two tonight?” the girl asked.

  “Yes, please.”

  “Right this way.” She led them to a small table in the corner.

  “What has Dan prepared today?” Doona asked.

  “It’s a celebration of pork today,” she was told. “Our main course sampler contains a grilled pork chop, a serving of pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon, a pork sausage, and a slice of gammon. For pudding, he went with apple, as that pairs so nicely with pork. You’ll get a tiny apple tart, half of a baked cinnamon apple, a portion of Eve’s pudding, and a scoop of Dan’s homemade apple and cinnamon ice cream.”

  “Yes, please, to all of that,” Doona laughed.

  “Me, too,” Bessie added.

  After taking their drink order, the girl walked away.

  “How are you?” Bessie asked Doona as they both sat back in their chairs.

  “I’m hanging in there. John is pushing the kids to try to get back to normal, or at least as much as they can, which means I’m spending less time with them. It’s odd, because I find that I miss them.”