Cars and Cold Cases

by Diana Xarissa

  “Okay, but I don’t want you talking with Mel about his wife,” Daniel said. “I don’t think he had anything to do with her disappearance, but I don’t want you to take any chances. I’d really rather you found a different driving instructor.”

  “If I thought a different instructor would make it easier, I’d go along,” Fenella said. “But having thoroughly humiliated myself once, I’d rather not start over again with someone else who doesn’t realize just how incapable I am.”

  Daniel shook his head. “I’m sure you’ll get it,” he said encouragingly. “If you want, we can take my car for a drive now.”

  Fenella stared at him for a moment and then slowly shook her head. “I don’t think you understand just how bad it was,” she said. “We’d be taking your car for a series of very short hops, which probably isn’t good for some part of the engine or another.”

  “Well, the offer is good anytime,” he told her. “Maybe after a few more lessons with Mel, you’ll want a chance to practice. Just let me know.”

  “I really appreciate the offer,” Fenella said. “But I’m going to have to get a lot better before I try driving with anyone other than my instructor.”

  “As I said, I’ll leave the newspaper clippings here for you to look over. Once you’ve read through them, let’s talk again.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re hoping I’ll be able to add to the investigation,” Fenella said.

  “Although I’m an outsider on the island myself, it’s always helpful to have a completely different perspective. When I was working in Liverpool, I often discussed cases with my sister. She lives in London, so she was able to provide an outsider’s view.”

  “I see,” Fenella said, not sure she understood at all.

  “Even if you can’t help at all, sometimes it’s helpful for me to talk about cases with someone outside the police,” Daniel continued. “Investigations are done in a very structured fashion, and sometimes someone outside of the police makes comments or sees things in a completely different way. You offered some interesting insights into the murder investigations you’ve already been involved with, you know.”

  “Thank you,” Fenella said, wondering if she should take that as a compliment or not.

  “And we had a nice meal, as well,” Daniel said with a laugh.

  “We did at that,” Fenella agreed.

  “But I really need to get home,” he added. “I’m working the early shift tomorrow, and at the end of the day I have a meeting with my supervisor to go over the two cold cases as well. It’s going to be a long Tuesday.”

  “No pub, then?”

  “Not this time,” he said. “Maybe next time. We should do this again after you’ve had time to read through the cuttings.”

  “That won’t take long,” Fenella said. “I know I’m meant to be working on my book, but really, I’m not doing anything at all most days. I can read through all of this tomorrow.”

  “Are you free Wednesday evening, then?” Daniel asked.

  “Sure,” Fenella said.

  “Should we meet here or would you rather meet at my place?”

  Fenella hesitated. She was curious to see the man’s house, but she wasn’t sure where he lived. If it wasn’t within walking distance, she’d have to arrange a taxi. “Let’s meet here again, so we can go to the pub after,” Fenella suggested.

  “That sounds good,” Daniel said. “I’ll bring pizza.”

  “I’ll bake something nice for dessert,” Fenella offered.

  “I should be able to be here around six,” Daniel said after checking his phone. “I’ll text or ring you if I get held up.”

  “Perfect,” Fenella replied.

  Daniel got up and walked to the door with Fenella behind him. Katie rushed over and wound herself between his legs as he went. At the door, he bent down and took a moment to scratch behind her ears.

  “She likes you,” Fenella said.

  “I think she likes everyone,” Daniel retorted.

  “Everyone who pays her some attention,” Fenella amended.

  She let the man out and then locked the door behind him.

  “He compared you to his sister,” Mona said with a deep sigh.

  “I wasn’t going to think about that,” Fenella told her. “I was hoping he might try to kiss me when he left, but he was too busy playing with Katie.”

  “She is a nuisance, isn’t she?” Mona asked.

  Katie hissed at her, which only made Mona laugh.

  “Fight nicely, you two,” Fenella said.

  “Merrrow,” Katie replied, turning and walking away. Fenella watched as she disappeared into the master bedroom.

  “We must solve his cold cases for him,” Mona said. “Maybe that will make him take more notice of you.”

  “He’s noticed me,” Fenella replied. “But he seems to regard me as just a friend.”

  “You need to wear something sexy on Wednesday,” Mona told her. “Put some effort into the relationship.”

  Fenella shook her head. “I’m not sure I’m ready for a relationship, anyway,” she said. “I’m still getting over Jack, you know.”

  “You were over Jack about two years before you broke up with him,” Mona said. “You just weren’t ready to admit that to yourself.”

  Opening her mouth to protest, Fenella was interrupted by a knock on the door.

  “Ready for the pub?” Shelly asked.

  “Oh, yes, definitely,” Fenella replied.

  “You look lovely tonight,” Peter told Fenella after she’d grabbed her handbag and locked the door behind herself.

  “Thank you,” Fenella said.

  “Daniel didn’t stay?” Shelly asked.

  “No, he has an early start tomorrow,” Fenella explained.

  “Shelly tells me that you’re helping Daniel with some cold cases,” Peter said.

  Fenella hesitated before she replied. Peter was also around her age, attractive, and single. When she did feel ready for a romantic relationship, Peter might be a good prospect. His salt-and-pepper hair and bright blue eyes were an attractive combination, and he kept himself fit and trim. “He wants an outsider’s perspective,” she said eventually.

  “That makes sense,” Shelly said. “If you don’t know any of the people involved, you won’t have any preconceived notions about them.”

  “I think that’s the theory, anyway,” Fenella laughed.

  They’d reached the lobby of the building and crossed it, out into a pleasant spring evening. The pub they were heading for was only a few doors away.

  “It all fell apart almost immediately, though,” she added. “Because I do know one of the people involved in one the cases.”

  “Do you?” Shelly asked. “Who?”

  Daniel hadn’t said she couldn’t talk about the cases, and anyway, everything she knew was from newspaper accounts, so Shelly and Peter probably knew more about the cases in question than she did. Fenella didn’t see any reason not to answer the question.

  “Mel Belsom,” she said.

  “Mel? My friend, the driving instructor?” Peter asked.

  Fenella felt her heart sink as she remembered that Peter was the one who had given her Mel’s name in the first place. Maybe she shouldn’t be talking about the case with him.

  3

  “Yes,” Fenella admitted reluctantly. “But I don’t know if I’m supposed to be talking about anything.”

  They’d reached the door to the pub, and Peter held it open for Shelly and Fenella. The Tale and Tail was Fenella’s second favorite place on the island, after her own apartment. It had once been the private library of a very wealthy family. When the family sold the home, they’d included all of the contents. Most of the building had been turned into a luxury hotel, furnished with much of the original furniture from the mansion. The library had become a pub, with very little alteration.

  The entire room was still lined with shelves full of row after row of books. There was a bar in the center of the space, with a few s
tools in front of it, but most of the seating was on the upper level, accessed by a narrow winding staircase. There, dozens of comfortable couches and chairs were dotted around the room, providing seating for groups of all sizes. The bookshelves on the upper level were filled with paperbacks, and Fenella wanted nothing more than to spend hours and hours exploring the shelves. Pub patrons were permitted to borrow books, one at a time, and thus far Fenella had read her way through a dozen or more titles that she’d stumbled across.

  The other half of the pub’s name came from the cats that called the pub home. There were several large cat beds placed all around both floors, and more than half a dozen animals enjoyed their lives as pub cats. Today, as Fenella entered, a large orange tabby immediately began to wind itself between her legs.

  “My goodness, it’s nice to see you, as well,” she told the cat, bending down to pet the animal.

  “He’s feeling extra affectionate today,” the bartender told Fenella as they ordered their drinks. “He’s been looking for a lap to snuggle into for the last hour.”

  “Well, he’s welcome to mine,” Fenella said with a laugh.

  The trio went up the stairs with the orange cat on their heels. As soon as Fenella dropped onto a couch, the cat jumped into her lap and made himself comfortable.

  “I feel quite left out,” Shelly said with a laugh.

  “I’m happy to share,” Fenella told her. “But you’ll have to explain that to Pumpkin here.”

  “Is that his name?” Peter asked.

  “I’ve no idea,” Fenella replied. “It seems as good a name as any, though.”

  “I suppose Daniel is digging into Kay’s disappearance, then,” Peter said after a moment.

  Fenella nodded.

  “Oh, I remember hearing something about that,” Shelly said. “It was a long time ago, though.”

  “Thirty years,” Fenella told her.

  “Thirty years?” Peter echoed. “I wouldn’t have thought it was that long, but you may be right.”

  “Daniel said she disappeared in 1986,” Fenella told him.

  Peter looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yes, I suppose that’s correct,” he said. “In some ways it seems a very long time ago, but in others it seems quite recent.” He sighed. “So much of life is like that, though, isn’t it?”

  “Remind me of the story,” Shelly said.

  “You tell it as Daniel told you,” Peter told Fenella.

  “Simply put, one night Mel came home and found his apartment door ajar,” Fenella said. “He rang the police, and when they came, they found that his wife and her handbag were missing. Nothing else was out of place.”

  “And she’s never been found?” Shelly asked.

  “No,” Fenella confirmed.

  “The poor man,” Shelly said. “I can’t imagine living with that question mark always hanging over me.”

  “Me, either,” Fenella said. “Did you know Mel in those days?” she asked Peter.

  “Yes, we’d been at school together. We were a few years apart, but we both walked to school along the same road, so we often walked together part of the way, especially after school.”

  “Did you know Kay?” Shelly asked.

  “I did. She lived in the neighborhood as well, although I don’t believe she and Mel were anything more than friends until later,” Peter replied.

  “But they must have married young,” Fenella said.

  “They did,” Peter agreed. “It was something of a whirlwind courtship, really. They’d known each other for many years but had never been a couple. I was shocked when I ran into Mel one day and he told me he was getting married. I was even more surprised when I found out who he was marrying.”

  “How long had they been married before she disappeared?” Shelly asked.

  “Two years, maybe three,” Peter said.

  “Do you think they were happy together?” was Shelly’s next question.

  “I didn’t see them often,” Peter replied. “Mel was just starting his business and he had to take jobs whenever they came up. A lot of people wanted lessons after normal working hours, which meant Mel rarely found time to drop by the pub for a drink. Kay worked at ShopFast and she mostly worked days, so she used to come to the pub on her own once or twice a week. She’d always have one drink, chat to everyone she knew from the old neighborhood, and then leave.”

  “Presumably she wouldn’t have complained about Mel, even if they weren’t getting along, if you were all Mel’s friends,” Shelly remarked.

  “Possibly not,” Peter replied. “I can tell you that I never heard either of them say a bad word about the other. They were still practically newlyweds, of course.”

  “What do you think happened to Kay?” Fenella asked.

  Peter frowned and took a long drink from his glass. “I’ve always thought something bad must have happened to her,” he replied eventually. “She’d been born and raised on the island and it was all she knew. She was married to a good man, they had enough money coming in to support themselves, and her parents were here. I could never see her leaving voluntarily.”

  “Especially if no one has heard from her in thirty years,” Shelly added. “You’d think she’d have been in touch with her family or friends at some point if she could have been.”

  “Even if she and Mel weren’t getting along, she had no reason to run away and hide from him,” Peter said. “He would have given her a divorce if she’d asked for one.”

  “I was hoping her disappearance might have a happy ending,” Fenella said with a sigh. “The other case definitely won’t.”

  “What’s the other case, then?” Peter asked.

  “The murder of someone called Christopher Manderly,” Fenella replied.

  “I knew him,” Shelly said. “In fact, my husband had some investments with his company.”

  “I understand he was good at making money,” Fenella said.

  “Well, I certainly can’t complain,” Shelly told her. “When he died, hubby left the account with Christopher’s brother, Carl. It did very well for us over the years, and now I’m enjoying my early retirement in a large part due to that money.”

  “Do you have any theories on what happened to Christopher?” Fenella asked.

  “I always thought his wife was involved somehow,” Shelly told her. “But that’s probably because I never liked her.”

  “Why not?”

  “She was, well, they used to have parties several times a year for all of their clients. Carl still has them, actually, although only once a year now. We’re all getting old; once a year is enough,” Shelly said.

  “You aren’t old,” Fenella said quickly.

  “Let’s say older, shall we?” Shelly laughed. “Anyway, Sophia was a terrible flirt. She used to drape herself on someone’s husband early in the evening and then move on to another one every half hour or so. She had a way of monopolizing the men, hanging on their every word and making them feel as if they were the only man in the room. At least that’s how my husband described it after she’d done to it him once.”

  “Oh, dear,” Fenella said.

  “The next time we went to a party, I cornered Sophia and told her to stay well away from my husband or we’d be moving our money to another investment company. She didn’t like it, but she knew which side her bread was buttered on, at least.”

  “Good for you,” Peter said. “I doubt very many women have ever stood up to Sophia Manderly. Or men for that matter.”

  “You know her?” Fenella asked.

  “It’s a small island,” he replied with a shrug.

  Fenella frowned at the evasive reply. Shelly demanded more.

  “Did she ever flirt with you?” she demanded.

  Peter smiled and finished his drink. “Shall I get another round in?” he asked, getting to his feet.

  “Oh, goodness, it’s later than I realized,” Shelly exclaimed. “I’ve a very early morning appointment with the vet tomorrow. I think I’d better call it a night.”


  “Is Smokey okay?” Fenella asked.

  “She’s fine,” Shelly assured her. “I’m just having her checked over from head to toe and getting her micro-chipped.”

  “I still need to do that with Katie,” Fenella said. “But I know that when I ring the vet, they’re going to nag me about having her spayed.”

  “Which you need to do, and soon,” Shelly said. “It’s for her own good, you know.”

  “I know, but I hate the thought of her having surgery,” Fenella said with a sigh as she got to her feet.

  “Ring them tomorrow morning and get it arranged,” Shelly said as the trio headed for the elevators. While the spiral staircase was the easiest way to get up to the second floor, after a drink, the elevator was the safest way back down.

  “I should,” Fenella said.

  “Promise me you will,” Shelly nagged.

  Fenella sighed. “Okay, I promise,” she said.

  It only took them a few minutes to walk back to their building. The night was almost warm and the skies were clear.

  “I’m just going to take a short walk down the promenade,” Fenella told the others at the door to the apartment complex. “I don’t want to waste this beautiful evening.”

  “I’ll stop at your flat tomorrow to hear how you got on with the vet,” Shelly told her.

  “Great,” Fenella muttered.

  “Would you like some company on your walk?” Peter asked.

  “Um, sure,” Fenella said, surprised by the offer.

  They crossed the quiet road and began a slow stroll along the wide promenade toward the Sea Terminal building in the distance.

  “Shelly was right about Sophia,” Peter said after a few minutes of companionable silence. “She had a way of making you feel as if you were the only person in the world that mattered.”

  “That must have been difficult for her husband,” Fenella suggested.

  “He encouraged her,” Peter countered. “She was good for his business, you see. He’d invite a few prospective investors to his house for dinner and then let Sophia convince them that they should give Christopher all of their money.”