An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - ABC

by Diana Xarissa

  For several minutes the pair was quiet as they ate.

  “Once you’re finished eating, you need to ask him about the suspects,” Mona said as she crossed the room to stand at Fenella’s elbow. “Ask him who has more money that he or she should have. I still think the widow is a suspect. I’ll bet, if she wasn’t involved in anything criminal, she knew what her husband was up to.”

  Fenella stood up suddenly, forcing Mona to take a step backwards. “Would you like more of anything?” she asked Daniel.

  “Another drink would be great,” he said.

  Fenella glared at Mona as she stepped past her.

  “I think that’s just rude,” Mona said. “You nearly stepped on me. You wouldn’t behave like that if I were still alive.”

  “I wouldn’t be here,” Fenella hissed back.

  “Yes, that’s true, but still,” Mona said. “Ask the gorgeous inspector about Charlotte, too. I never did like that woman.”

  Fenella carried two more cans of soda to the table and filled up the inspector’s glass and her own.

  “I’m sure you don’t want to talk about work,” she said. “So what shall we talk about?”

  Daniel shrugged. “How are you finding the island?” he asked. “I’ve been here for three months or so and I still feel like everyone treats me as an outsider. I’ve been told I can expect that to improve in another ten or fifteen years.”

  Fenella laughed, but Mona shook her head. “Maybe twenty,” she said.

  “It’s different for me,” Fenella said. “I was born here, for one thing, and I don’t get out much, either. Shelly and Peter have been very welcoming and I don’t know very many other people.”

  “Whereas I meet new people every day, usually under the worst possible circumstances,” Daniel said. “I sometimes feel as if they’d be more honest with me if I were a Manxman.”

  “Goodness, I hope not,” Fenella said. “I can’t imagine lying to a policeman simply because he isn’t a local.”

  “I didn’t mean lying, exactly,” Daniel said. “It more like they answer my questions but don’t ever elaborate. I feel as if I’m missing out an a lot of local gossip because I’m a stranger.”

  “No doubt that’s true,” Fenella said. “But surely there are some men and women at the station who are local and don’t have that handicap.”

  “Maybe, but I’m CID,” Daniel explained. “I knew moving to the island would be a big adjustment, but I suppose I’m surprised at how very different it is from everywhere else I’ve ever worked.”

  “I hope you aren’t thinking about leaving,” Fenella said quickly. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she blushed. Goodness knows what Daniel would think of her now.

  “I like it here a lot,” Daniel told her. “The island is beautiful and the crime rates are low. It’s only when I’m in the middle of an investigation like this one that I start to feel like I’m at a disadvantage.”

  “Hopefully, this will be the last murder investigation for a long while,” Fenella said.

  “The murder investigation isn’t as difficult as the investigation into the burglaries,” Daniel replied. “It’s a small island and I can’t help but feel that there must be people who know something about what’s happening, but I can’t get anyone to talk to me.”

  “And now it looks as if whoever is behind the burglaries is eliminating his or her accomplices,” Fenella said.

  “Exactly,” Daniel said. “I knew when we spoke to the men and women who work for the ferry company that someone was hiding something. I actually had a list of three or four people that I was going to talk to again because I was suspicious of them. George Mason was on that list.”

  “How frustrating,” Fenella said.

  “That’s one word for it,” Daniel replied.

  “Not to change the subject, but I have ice cream for dessert,” Fenella said. “I can’t seem to bring myself to call it pudding, as pudding is a very specific thing in the US. I don’t have any of that, although it does sound good, now that I’ve mentioned it.”

  Daniel smiled. “Ice cream sounds good,” he said. “I won’t argue with you, whatever you want to call it.”

  “Mint chip or chocolate chip cookie dough?” Fenella asked.

  “After my day, I think I deserve a scoop of each,” Daniel told her.

  “I think that’s an excellent idea,” Fenella said.

  “For goodness sake, the man was telling you all sorts of things about the case and you interrupt for ice cream?” Mona demanded. She stomped back and forth across the kitchen, waving her arms. “Get him talking about the case again. Find out who the main suspects are. I’m dying of curiosity.”

  “You’re already dead,” Fenella said.

  “I’m sorry?” Daniel asked.

  “Oh, I was just, um, fighting with the ice cream, or rather, it’s fighting with me,” she stammered. “It doesn’t seem to want to scoop nicely, that’s all.”

  Daniel raised an eyebrow and gave her a faint smile. Fenella ignored Mona, who was laughing loudly, and got the ice cream into bowls.

  “Here we are,” she said. “After we’ve finished, maybe we should take a walk on the promenade and enjoy the spring weather.”

  “That isn’t nice,” Mona said.

  Fenella smiled at her aunt. It wasn’t her fault that Mona couldn’t come along, was it?

  “I think I’d better head for home after this,” Daniel said between mouthfuls. “I have a very busy day tomorrow, starting with talking to the dead man’s parents.”

  “Oh, dear, that doesn’t sound pleasant,” Fenella said.

  “They’re across in Manchester,” he told her. “Someone from their local constabulary had to share the news with them. Tomorrow I have to question them to see if they knew anything about their son’s job here on the island.”

  “And to see if they knew that he was involved in criminal activity,” Fenella said.

  “Yes, well, I won’t quite put it like that,” Daniel said. “From everything I’ve heard about them, they are a lovely older couple who live very quietly within their means. George was the youngest of three, and from all accounts his older brother and sister are model citizens. I’m just going to ask them a few soft questions about the man’s job and his friends. I’m hoping he might have said something to them about the people he worked with, and maybe he gave them a name or two of people who aren’t ferry company employees.”

  “That would be too easy,” Fenella said.

  “Yes, I know, but I have to try. A lot of police work goes like that. You never know where or when you might get an unexpected break.”

  “You’re certain he was involved in the burglary ring?” Fenella asked.

  “We have several reasons to believe that he was involved in something criminal, not least because he was murdered,” Daniel corrected her. “It’s far too early in the investigation to be certain exactly what he was involved with, though.”

  “Surely someone else must know something,” Fenella said thoughtfully. “The two dead men can’t be the entire burglary and smuggling ring, can they?”

  “We’re pretty sure the murderer is also involved,” Daniel said dryly.

  Fenella laughed. “I’ve been assuming the murderer is the mastermind behind the scheme,” she said. “But there must be other people involved as well.”

  “I suspect so, based on the number of homes that have been hit and the scale of the suspected operation,” Daniel said. “But it’s really all just speculation at this point.”

  “If I were involved and two of my associates had been murdered, I’d be at the police station begging for help,” Fenella said.

  “I can only assume that their fear of the murderer is greater than their desire to see him or her behind bars,” Daniel said. “Or their fear of going to prison themselves is greater than their fear of the murderer.”

  “Prison sounds lovely and safe, really,” Fenella said.

  “But not as pleasant as being free and ab
le to spend your ill-gotten gains,” Daniel pointed out.

  Fenella nodded reluctantly. “I’d still go to the police,” she said.

  “Which is why you’re never going to make it as a career criminal,” Daniel said with a laugh. He got to his feet, gently setting Katie on the floor as he did so. “And now I need to go home and try to get some sleep. Tomorrow is another day.”

  Katie walked between his legs, rubbing her back against him as he headed for the door.

  “I think she likes you,” Fenella said.

  “She’s a sweetheart,” Daniel replied.

  Fenella opened the door for him. He turned and stared into her eyes for a moment. “Thank you for dinner,” he said quietly. “And for the conversation. I feel better about, well, everything now.”

  “I’m glad I could help, although I don’t feel as if I did anything,” Fenella said.

  Daniel smiled and then took a small step closer to her. Feeling as if the whole world had suddenly stopped, Fenella held her breath and waited for the kiss she was sure was coming. The sound of a door opening in the corridor had Daniel taking a step backwards.

  “Ah, Daniel, I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Shelly said brightly. “I was just coming to see if Fenella wanted to go to the pub.”

  Fenella sighed deeply. What she really wanted was to have two more minutes alone with Daniel.

  “I was just leaving,” Daniel explained. “I came over to get Fenella to sign her statement.”

  “Which I never did,” Fenella reminded him.

  Daniel flushed and put his hand in his pocket. He pulled out a folded sheet of paper and handed it to Fenella. She read through the brief statement that said nothing more than that she did not know George Mason and had been alone and asleep in her residence the previous evening. “I’ll just find a pen,” she said, retreating into her apartment.

  “Are you sure we can’t persuade you to join us for one drink?” Shelly asked Daniel as he waited. “I’m buying, as I have spring fever.”

  “Thank you, but no,” Daniel said. “I’m exhausted.”

  “You do look rather tired,” Shelly said, sounding concerned. “I was hoping you’d have this latest murder solved by now, but I suppose you haven’t.”

  “There was a second murder today,” Daniel said tightly.

  “Are they connected?” Shelly asked.

  “We believe so,” Daniel said.

  “My goodness, what is this island coming to?” Shelly demanded. “I can’t remember the last time we had a murder before those awful ones last month, and now two more? I do hope Fenella hasn’t brought bad luck to our beautiful little island.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Fenella said as she handed Daniel her statement.

  “I didn’t mean it,” Shelly said quickly. “It’s just so unfortunate that you’ve been caught up in both cases. I can’t imagine how awful you must feel. Which is why you need to come with me to the pub.”

  Fenella grinned. “I’d come with you to the pub anyway,” she said. “But after today, I really feel that I could use a drink.”

  “Thank you for this,” Daniel said, sliding the folded paper back into his jacket pocket. “I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

  Fenella swallowed a sigh at his words. No doubt he would have said something else if that kiss had actually happened. She couldn’t blame Shelly, though. The other woman couldn’t have known what was happening in the corridor, after all.

  “Ready for the pub?” Shelly asked brightly.

  “Give me two minutes to touch up my makeup and find some shoes,” Fenella told her.

  “I’ll just go and see if Peter wants to come as well,” Shelly told her.

  Fenella pushed her door shut and turned around to head to the bedroom. She jumped when she saw Mona was right behind her.

  “You should have kept the door shut until after he kissed you,” Mona said.

  “I didn’t know he was going to kiss me,” Fenella argued. “And anyway, maybe he wasn’t going to kiss me.”

  “Oh, he was definitely going to kiss you,” Mona told her. “Now, don’t make the same mistake with Peter. Have him come in for a coffee after the pub and let him kiss you in private.”

  “I’m not trying to get Peter alone for a kiss,” Fenella said crossly. “And I think you should stay out of my love life.”

  “If you had a love life, maybe I’d try to stay out of it,” Mona told her. “As it is, I’m simply trying to help you get one.”

  Fenella didn’t answer. Instead, she went into the bedroom and shut the door behind her. It was a pointless gesture, as Mona seemed to be able to materialize wherever she wanted in the apartment, but it made Fenella feel better. She brushed her hair, added a fresh coat of lipstick to her lips, and spritz on a light spray of perfume. That will do for the pub on a Tuesday, she told herself. Especially as you know Daniel won’t be there, a little voice teased. She ignored the little voice as she found comfortable shoes. Her handbag was on the table near the door. Grabbing it, she pulled the door open, startling Shelly, whose hand was poised to knock.

  “Oh, goodness,” Shelly gasped. “There you are.”

  “Here I are,” Fenella agreed ungrammatically.

  “And here I are,” Peter added as he locked his door behind him. Fenella was quick to follow suit and then the trio headed for the elevators.

  “It’s definitely getting warmer,” Shelly remarked as they made their way the short distance to the Tale and Tail.

  “It has a long way to go, though,” Peter said as a cool breeze blew through them.

  The pub was mostly empty. After the friends got drinks, they headed for the comfortable couches on the upper level. The windy spiral staircase always felt almost magical to Fenella. It seemed like something out of a storybook, rather than something that was used daily in a local pub.

  “So who was murdered today?” Shelly asked after they’d settled in.

  “Oh, dear, was someone else murdered?” Peter asked. He took Fenella’s hand. “Don’t tell me you found another body.”

  “No, I didn’t,” Fenella assured him. “But the police think today’s murder is connected with Robert Grosso’s, so I had to answer more questions.”

  “At least it was Daniel who was doing the asking,” Shelly said. “I’d be quite happy talking to him for hours, even though he’s quite a bit too young for me.”

  “I didn’t mind,” Fenella said. “But it was sad.”

  “Of course it was,” Peter said, squeezing her hand. “If you don’t want to talk about it, Shelly and I totally understand.”

  “I totally don’t,” Shelly argued. “I want the skeet.”

  “Skeet?” Fenella asked.

  “It’s the Manx word for gossip or news,” Peter told her.

  “I see,” Fenella said. “But I don’t know how much I’m allowed to share of what I know.”

  “Let’s talk about the football,” Peter suggested. He squeezed Fenella’s hand again, which was oddly comforting to her, and then launched into a twenty-minute discussion of football scores for teams that Fenella had never heard of. Shelly made a few comments, but Fenella was silent. While she appreciated what Peter was doing on her behalf, she couldn’t help but wish that he’d chosen a different subject, maybe one that she could talk about as well.

  “I believe it’s my round,” he said as he finished the last of his glass of wine. “You two sit tight. I won’t be long.”

  He was gone before Fenella could object. She had come out intending to stop after a single glass of wine, but maybe a second one would help her sleep. She definitely didn’t want any more nightmares.

  It was unusual for people to use the spiral staircase to go down. Most people went up the stairs and then took the elevator down, having had a few drinks along the way. That was probably why Peter wasn’t expecting to bump into anyone on his way back up with the second round of drinks. The young man who was going down also clearly wasn’t expecting there to be anyone in his way. He went down
the stairs far too quickly, and Fenella and Shelly could only watch in horror as he collided with Peter at around the halfway point.

  Fenella was on her feet, rushing to Peter’s aid, almost before he’d hit the ground. People were coming from every direction to try to help, and Fenella found herself caught on the stairs, unable to reach her friend.

  “Fenella, come back up and we’ll take the lift down,” Shelly called to her.

  Pushing her way through the people behind her on the stairs, Fenella made her way back up and then followed Shelly to the elevator. A few moments later they were able to see for themselves what had happened to their friend. He was lying on the floor surrounded by broken glasses and spilled drinks. The young man who had run into him was standing next to him.

  “I’m so sorry,” he kept muttering over and over again.

  Peter groaned and then tried to push himself into a sitting position.

  “Maybe you should lie still and we should get an ambulance,” one of the waitresses suggested.

  “I’m fine,” Peter said in a weak voice. He cleared his throat and tried again. This time the “I’m fine” sounded slightly stronger.

  “You’ve a huge lump on your head,” the waitress told him. “You need to get that checked out.”

  Peter put his hand up to his head and winced. Fenella took a step closer.

  “It is a big lump,” she said. “I think you need a doctor.”

  “I’m really, really sorry,” the young man said. “Are you his wife? I didn’t mean to run into him. You can’t see anyone on the stairs, because of the twists and turns. I shouldn’t have been going so fast, though. I’ve not even been drinking, you see. My sister is having a baby and she just texted me to come to the hospital and I just ran as fast as I could. I’m going to be an uncle.”

  Fenella stared at him for a minute. She wasn’t sure he’d taken a breath during the entire monologue. “Congratulations,” she said after a moment.

  “But I can’t leave, not after I’ve caused all this trouble,” the man said anxiously.