Guests and Guilt

by Diana Xarissa

  “But none of it was my fault,” Fenella told him.

  “That may be the case, but we can’t afford to take any chances. If we lock you up, we expect the murder rate on the island to plummet,” Mark replied.

  “But I didn’t kill anyone. I would never kill anyone. Ask Daniel. He’s the one who involved me in those cold cases. He’ll tell you.”

  “Daniel has moved to Scotland now. He’s going to be getting married in a few days and settling on some remote Scottish island. I’m afraid he can’t help you anymore.”

  “You can’t arrest me for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  “We let you off the first few times, but it’s becoming too much of a habit with you. We’re prepared to let you keep your kitten in your cell with you, though. That seems a reasonable concession.”

  “Reasonable concession? You can’t just throw someone into prison like this. What about my trial? What about my lawyer? I want to talk to Doncan Quayle right now.”

  “You’ll be allowed to ring your advocate next month. In the meantime, I suggest you settle in and make yourself at home.”

  Mark slid the thick metal door into place and then turned and walked away from the small cell. Fenella sank down onto the rock-hard bed and grabbed Katie. “This isn’t fair,” she said, tears streaming down her face.

  “Meerrooww,” Katie said softly. “Meeroooooowwwww.”

  As the kitten got louder, Fenella could only stare at her.

  “MMMEEERRROOW!” Katie shouted.

  Fenella blinked several times and then woke up with a start. Katie was standing on her chest, glaring at her. Fenella found that she was holding the small animal tightly.

  “Oh, my goodness. I am sorry,” she told Katie. “I was having the most horrible nightmare. Thank goodness we aren’t in prison.”

  Katie shook her head and then jumped off the bed and sauntered away without a backward glance. Fenella checked the clock. It wasn’t quite six, which meant she probably could get another hour of sleep in before Katie would start demanding her breakfast.

  She rolled over and plumped up her pillow. Squeezing her eyes tightly shut, she told herself to go to sleep, but her brain refused to cooperate. The dream kept replaying itself over and over again in her head.

  “Daniel is not getting married and moving to Scotland,” she said loudly, “and even if he is, it’s not any of my business.”

  After fifteen minutes of tossing and turning, she gave up and got out of bed. After a long shower, she took her time putting her makeup on and fixing her hair. By the time she was ready for the day, Katie was ready for breakfast.

  “What do I do now?” she asked the animal as she filled her bowls. “It’s far too early to head to Noble’s.”

  The sun was doing its best to break through some high clouds, so Fenella pulled on a jacket and headed out for a walk. She’d only just crossed the road to the promenade when she heard loud barking from behind her.

  “Good morning,” Harvey Garus called as he and his dogs joined Fenella. “How are you this morning?”

  “Much better now,” she replied, showering first Winston and then Fiona with affection. She’d looked after both dogs some months ago under unusual circumstances. While she didn’t exactly miss having them around all the time, she greatly enjoyed getting to see them again whenever possible.

  “They’re happy to see you,” Harvey said.

  “I’m happy to see them, too.”

  “Happy enough to want to take them off my hands for a few days?” Harvey asked.

  Fenella stopped herself before she said yes immediately. “Are you going away?” she asked.

  “I’m meant to be going to a music festival. I’m sure someone told you that I used to manage bands back in the seventies and eighties. One of the festivals in the US wants to give me some sort of award. I think it’s just for being the last one still alive or some such thing, but they’re really pushing me to come over and accept it in person.”

  “Congratulations. You should definitely go,” Fenella told him.

  “Yes, I suppose I should. It isn’t as if I’m likely to get any other awards, not in this lifetime, anyway. But I can’t take the dogs with me, you see. And I’ve never left Winston with anyone, not ever, not until, well, until I didn’t have a choice. I know Mr. Stone would keep them both, but I don’t think they’d enjoy that.”

  “No, they won’t want to be stuck in the vet’s office while you’re away,” Fenalla agreed. “When would you be going?”

  “Next month. I don’t remember the exact dates, but I can ring you and let you know if you think you might be able to help.”

  “Definitely ring me,” Fenella said. “I have my brother staying with me now, but once he’s gone, I could probably accommodate these two monsters.”

  Harvey laughed. “They aren’t so bad, as long as you keep them well away from the sea.”

  “I think we both live in the wrong place for that,” Fenella laughed. “But have you just come out for your walk now? I can take one of them for you, if you’d like.”

  “Maybe you could take Winston for a run,” Harvey suggested. “I can’t run with him when I have Fiona, so he doesn’t get nearly as much running in as he used to before Fiona came into our lives.”

  Fenella took the big dog’s leash and began to walk at a rapid pace. Winston walked for a few minutes and then gave Fenella a mischievous grin. As he picked up his pace, Fenella increased her own speed. When she finally got back to where Harvey and Fiona were resting on a bench, Fenella was dripping with sweat and breathing hard.

  “I should take him out more often,” she said when she’d caught her breath. “I’m more out of shape than I realized.”

  Harvey chuckled. “You can take him every day, if you’d like. I know Winston would love it.”

  Fenella petted Winston and Fiona for several more minutes before she glanced at her watch. “I need to go,” she told Harvey. “Let me know about next month.”

  “I will do,” he promised.

  Fenella took another quick shower and gave Katie her lunch before she left for Noble’s. “Now don’t eat this until later,” she told her pet. “I’m just not sure how long I’ll be, and I don’t want you to starve.”

  Katie shrugged and took a few bites before wandering into the living room and settling in on one of the couches. “You’re going to eat it all before I get to the elevator, aren’t you?” Fenella asked her.

  Katie didn’t even bother to reply. Fenella was temped to walk to the elevator and then sneak back and try to catch Katie gobbling up her lunch early, but she really didn’t have time for games. James would get grumpy if he had to wait for her.

  “Maybe we could have dinner together one night while I’m here.” Fenella heard James’s voice as she pushed the door to his room open.

  “I’m not meant to get involved with patients,” the pretty brunette nurse replied.

  “But I won’t be a patient in another hour,” James replied. “You can’t expect me to eat dinner with my sister every night for the next twenty nights, surely.”

  The woman looked at Fenella and chuckled. “He’s charming, your brother.”

  “Really?” Fenella replied. “That’s news to me.”

  James frowned. “Hey, watch it, baby sister.”

  Fenella grinned. “You’re the one trying to get away from me.”

  The nurse shook her head. “Siblings,” she said. She handed James a slip of paper. “Ring me once you’re well and truly out of here. If I’m not busy, maybe I’ll let you buy me dinner.”

  James took the paper and tucked it into a pocket. “I’ll be in touch,” he promised.

  “Did he really write a book?” the nurse asked Fenella as she headed for the door.

  “Yes, he did. It’s won a number of awards and it’s very popular with college professors. They keep assigning it to unsuspecting undergraduates year after year.”

  The woman laughed. “I thought maybe he was lying
to me. Now I’m intrigued. I will have to look him up online when I get home tonight.”

  “Don’t believe the negative reviews,” James told her. “They were all put there by jealous competitors.”

  The woman nodded and then left the room, chuckling to herself.

  “I take it you’re feeling better,” Fenella said.

  “Much better, and I really want to get out of here now. I’m sure I could simply go back to the house, as well. I don’t need looking after.”

  “The doctor said you shouldn’t be left alone for a few days. I’m not going to leave you alone, therefore.”

  “Would it do me any good to argue?”

  “No, none at all. It will only be for a few days, and if you’re very good, I’ll even drive you to and from your date with that nurse.”

  “What about the other three?” James asked, his eyes twinkling.

  Fenella shook her head. “Maybe you should be seen to be missing Stephanie, at least for a few days,” she suggested.

  “I told you how it was between me and Stephanie. We had more of a working relationship than a romance. I mean, I do miss her, but that doesn’t mean I can’t notice other women.”

  The door behind Fenella swung open and a middle-aged man with what looked like a permanent scowl on his face strode in. “Ah, Mr. Woods, I hope you’re feeling better today,” he said.

  “I’m feeling great and ready to go home.”

  The man nodded and then made a few notes on the sheets on his clipboard. “I was going to keep you for another day or two,” he said, “but in order to feel truly justified, I’d have to keep you for three months, and that would be a stretch.”

  “I’m sorry?” James replied.

  “When I was at university, I thought it would be a good idea to do a semester at a university in the US. I took a few classes there, including one on American literature,” the doctor said.

  Fenella hid a smile as she realized where the story was going. James sighed deeply. “You’ve read my book,” he guessed.

  “Oh, no, I didn’t just read your book. That’s far too simple. I studied your book, analyzed your book, scrutinized every single word of your book. I wrote a ten-page essay on why your main character had eggs for breakfast every morning. It was symbolic and just one of the many hidden meanings buried in that stupid book.”

  James flushed. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I never intended for my book to be studied at all. It was just something I wrote because I had to get the words out of my head.”

  The doctor nodded. “So tell me. Why did your main character eat eggs for breakfast every day?”

  “Because I like eggs,” James said softly.

  The doctor stared at him for a minute and then began to laugh. He laughed until tears ran down his face. Fenella looked over at James, but he wouldn’t let her catch his eye.

  “I’m sorely tempted to write to my American literature professor and tell her that she can disregard the ten pages of pointless analysis that I wrote,” the doctor said once he’d composed himself. “I could have simply written ‘the author likes eggs’ and been one hundred percent correct.”

  James shrugged. “I dropped out of college to avoid having to write those sorts of papers.”

  The doctor laughed again. “I’d love to tell her that as well, but she probably wouldn’t believe me. Actually, she’s probably passed away by now. I’m sure she was sixty when I had her and that was twenty years ago.”

  “I am sorry,” James told him.

  “Then I’ll let you go,” the man replied. “The nurse will be in shortly with a list of instructions for you. You need to pay attention to your body very carefully for the next few days. Head injuries aren’t to be taken lightly.”

  “I’ll make sure he takes it easy,” Fenella assured the man.

  “What did you think of his book?” the doctor asked.

  “Ah, he won’t let me read it,” Fenella replied.

  “Lucky you,” the man said, laughing again.

  A few minutes later a nurse stuck her head in the doorway. “Knock, knock. Are you ready for your instructions?”

  Fenella paid careful attention to everything the woman said while James yawned and seemingly ignored her. When she was done, she handed Fenella a pile of papers.

  “Everything I’ve just gone over is also in this packet,” she said. “I just have one question for you before you go.”

  “What’s that?” Fenella asked.

  “What did you say to Dr. Shaw? I’ve been working with him for fifteen years and I’ve never even seen him smile. He was laughing when he came out of here, laughing and muttering something about eggs.”

  Fenella looked over at James, who sighed. “He has a strange sense of humor, your Dr. Shaw,” he said.

  The nurse insisted that James be taken out of the hospital in a wheelchair. Fenella went and got her car, driving it right up to the main hospital entrance. As soon as she stopped, the nurse helped James into the passenger seat.

  “Ring us if you have any questions or concerns,” she told Fenella. “The number is on the paperwork I gave you. Someone is always available.”

  “Thank you,” Fenella replied.

  The drive back to the promenade didn’t take long. James was silent on the journey and Fenella didn’t push him to chat. They were going to be together a lot over the next few days. There was plenty of time for conversation later.

  Fenella slid her car into one of her assigned spaces in the garage under the building and then took James’s bags out of her trunk. He was standing next to Mona’s little red sports car when she shut the trunk.

  “This is gorgeous,” he said. “Who does it belong to, and do you think they’d let me take it for a spin?”

  “You don’t have a valid driver’s license,” Fenella said.

  “I can drive on my US license,” he replied. “I checked that before I left home, just in case Stephanie and I wanted to get away, just the two of us, sometimes. I even looked into renting a car, but the forms online wouldn’t take my US address.”

  “Let’s make sure you’re fully recovered from your head injury before we worry about you driving anywhere. The nurse said you could still lose consciousness unexpectedly.”

  “I’m fine,” he snapped, “and I won’t be treated like a baby.”

  “Grab your bags and follow me, then,” Fenella told him, spinning on her heel and striding across the garage as quickly as she could. When she reached the elevator, she pushed the call button and then turned around. James was struggling toward her, pulling one bag and trying to carry the other two in his other hand.

  “Would you like me take one?” she offered, feeling guilty about leaving him with all three, even if he was being annoying.

  “I’ve got it,” he snarled.

  The ride up to the sixth floor was a tense one. James put the bags down and spent most of the journey shifting them around, muttering under his breath. When the elevator stopped, Fenella stepped off and then waited while James gathered his things.

  “This is me,” she said brightly as she opened the door to her apartment.

  James followed her inside and then whistled loudly. “Wow, this is something else. Mona must have done really well for herself to have been able to afford this place. What did she do, anyway?”

  “Tell him I was an undertaker,” Mona suggested from her seat near the windows. “Or better yet, tell him that I wrote erotic fiction under several pen names. That would be fun.”

  Fenella ignored both of them as she opened the door to the spare bedroom. “This is your room,” she told James. “I hope you’ll find it comfortable.”

  He dragged his bags into the room and glanced around. “Yeah, it looks great, actually. Thanks.”

  “Meerroow,” Katie said in an inquisitive tone.

  “This is James, my older brother,” Fenella replied. “James, this is Katie.”

  James looked over at the cat and then sat down on the bed. “Come here, then, Katie,”
he said.

  Katie jumped up on the bed and then climbed into James’s lap. She curled up under his hand and began to purr loudly as he stroked her back.

  “She’s lovely,” he said after a moment. “If I’d known about her, I would have asked to stay here from the start.”

  “I didn’t know you liked cats,” Fenella said.

  “I like all animals. I’ve always wanted to have pets, but I’ve never felt ready for the responsibility.” He looked at her and then shook his head. “I’m sixty years old. If I’m not ready now, when will I be? I should get a dog.”

  “Yooowwlllll,” Katie protested.

  James chuckled. “Maybe a cat would be a better idea.”

  “Mmmeeewww,” Katie told him.

  “I’d take you home with me if I thought I could,” he added.

  “That’s not happening,” Fenella said firmly.

  James nodded. “She is a lovely little thing, though. I’m quite jealous.”

  “Well, you can enjoy her company for the next two and a half weeks, anyway. Maybe she’ll keep you from getting so restless while you’re recovering.”

  “I’m sure she’s already lowering my blood pressure.”

  “How about some lunch?”

  “That would be great. The food in the hospital was not very good. Oh, I ate it anyway. I’ll eat anything that I don’t have to make myself, but it will be nice to have something other than hospital food.”

  “I’m afraid I wasn’t planning on anything extravagant for lunch. I thought maybe cold sandwiches and some salad would do.”

  “Even that sounds good, if I can make my own sandwich the way I want it. They gave me something yesterday that was like a sandwich, but I didn’t recognize any of the fillings and the bread was stale.”

  “I have fresh bread and your choice of fillings,” Fenella assured him.

  Fenella spread everything out along the kitchen counter and they made themselves sandwiches before they sat down at the table together.

  “The view from here is incredible,” James said. “I could sit and watch the water all day.”

  “As your doctor wants you to rest, I suggest that’s what you do for the next week or so.”