Aunt Bessie Understands

by Diana Xarissa

  “Sounds good,” Doona replied.

  “I saw Maggie Shimmin this morning,” Bessie told her. “She wants to know when John is going to be done with the last cottage. She and Thomas are trying to clear it out while they wait for planning permission to tear it down.”

  “I can ask him about it when he comes in,” Doona replied. “I suspect he’ll say something along the lines of being done when he’s done and not before.”

  Bessie chuckled. “That sounds about right.”

  “Are you asking him to hurry on Maggie’s behalf? If you’re asking him for a favour, I’m sure he’d speed up as much as he can.”

  “Oh, goodness, no. I told Maggie I would ask, but I never offered to try to expedite things. As far as I’m concerned, John should take his time and be absolutely certain that he’s finished before he turns the cottage back over to Maggie and Thomas. Once they start clearing it out, any missed evidence will be lost forever.”

  “I’ll talk to him when he comes in. He’s not starting until ten today because he has a morning meeting with the chief constable.”

  “Is everything okay?” Bessie always worried when the chief constable was involved.

  “As far as I know, everything is fine. He often meets with the chief constable during murder investigations.”

  “So I’ll see you later,” Bessie wound up the conversation.

  “As I said, I should be there around half one.”

  Bessie put the phone down and checked the clock. She had a few hours to fill before she needed to get lunch. Onnee’s letters called her name loudly and clearly.

  “Dearest Mother,” the next one began. Bessie started her transcription on a clean sheet of paper, eager to find out what happened next to the young woman. When she was finished with the sheet, she had tears in her eyes.

  Onnee had written to confirm that she was indeed pregnant again. The letter was full of her excitement as she talked about feeling the baby move for the first time. The rest of the letter was full of sadness, though, as Faith had ended her relationship and was now spending even more time with Clarence. Onnee was certain that they were sleeping together and she hinted to her mother that she might not be only one pregnant with Clarence’s child. It was heartbreaking to read, even though it had all happened fifty years ago.

  Bessie put the letter down and headed for the kitchen. She’d spent longer than she should have with Onnee. Lunch would have to be something quick. As she put her sandwich together, she couldn’t get Onnee out of her mind. Would her own life in America have followed a similar path, she wondered. Her sister had had ten children during the course of her marriage. If Bessie had married Matthew, she may have ended up as mother to her own large brood.

  While she’d been born on the island, soon after Bessie’s parents had made the choice to emigrate to the US. She’d only been two years old when they’d made the sea crossing. Fifteen years later, when they decided to return to the island, she’d wanted to remain behind. Her sister, two years older, had been allowed to marry the man she’d been involved with for years. Katherine had remained behind in the US to raise her family there. Bessie had begged her parents to be permitted to do the same. She and Matthew Saunders had only known one another for a few months, but she was certain they’d be happy together. After much debate and many tears on Bessie’s part, her parents had insisted that she return to the island with them, leaving Matthew behind.

  The sea journey had been long and difficult and the family had struggled with how much the island had changed during their years away. Bessie had been elated when Matthew wrote that he was coming to the island. He told her that he couldn’t live without her. As she had just turned eighteen, there was nothing to stop them marrying and returning to the US, whatever her parents thought. Matthew fell ill on the voyage, however, and passed away not long before the boat he was travelling on docked in Liverpool. Bessie had been devastated, blaming her parents for the loss of the man she’d loved.

  When she received word that Matthew had written his will just before he’d sailed and that he’d left all of his worldly goods to her, Bessie had taken her small inheritance and bought herself her tiny cottage on the beach. It already had the name Treoghe Bwaane, which means widow’s cottage in Manx. That felt appropriate to Bessie as she’d mourned her loss. Now, so many years later, Bessie often wondered how life with Matthew might have been. She still felt sad about Matthew’s untimely death, but she had no regrets about staying on the island and living out her life in her little cottage on the beach. Matthew was very much on her mind when Doona knocked a short time later.

  “Hello,” Doona said, greeting Bessie with a hug,

  “How are you?” Bessie asked.

  “I’m doing better, I think. John is eager to have that evening of Christmas shopping you suggested, anyway. I don’t think he’s realised that it will also give us an evening alone together.”

  “You need it.”

  “We do. Harvey rang last night.”

  “Harvey rang? What’s wrong?”

  “He was a bit vague, but I gather, from what John and the kids said after the call, that Sue has fallen ill. Harvey insisted that it’s nothing serious, but that Sue didn’t want to worry them, so she had him ring instead.”

  “Which is instantly more worrying.”

  “Exactly,” Doona sighed. “For a highly intelligent and well-educated man, Harvey can be incredibly stupid sometimes. From what John said, he didn’t seem to understand why the children didn’t really want to speak to him. Apparently, Sue was sleeping but she’d asked Harvey to ring before she went to bed for the night.”

  “How very odd.”

  “John keeps insisting that everything is fine, but I’m sure that’s for the children’s benefit.”

  “Can he ring Sue directly?”

  “She and Harvey are sharing a mobile phone while they are away. That was deemed the most cost-effective option, apparently. John really doesn’t want to talk to Harvey again. He said it was quite awkward last night.”

  “I’m sure it was.”

  “Anyway, we’re both carrying on as if everything is fine, for the sake of the children.”

  “Did John ask Harvey when they might be coming back to the UK?”

  “Harvey gave him a vague answer about the new year, which isn’t any help at all, really. I think the kids handled it all better than John did, really. We’re doing our best to make sure they feel loved and secure here.”

  A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Bessie shrugged as she glanced at the clock. It was quarter to two.

  “I’m so sorry. We’re very early. I couldn’t wait any longer,” the girl at the door said.

  Bessie nodded. “You’re more than welcome, although I have a friend here at the moment. She can move into another room if you want privacy.”

  “I couldn’t care less,” the girl replied before she burst into tears.

  The man behind her in the doorway put his arm around her. “It’s okay,” he said softly.

  She shook her head. “It’s never going to be okay again.”

  Bessie stepped back. “Come in, please,” she invited. As the trio made their way into the kitchen, Bessie studied them.

  The girl had to be Madison Tyler. She was probably quite pretty when she wasn’t crying. Her brown hair had been pulled back into a ponytail, but strands were coming out in every direction. Her eyes were brown, but they were red-rimmed and swollen. She was slender and wearing a black dress that seemed too old for her.

  The man rubbing her back looked to be a few years older than Madison, maybe approaching thirty. A slightly crooked nose kept him from being classically handsome, but gave his face character. Both he and the other man were wearing jeans and sweatshirts advertising different brands of athletic shoes.

  As Doona moved an extra chair into the room, Bessie looked at the other man whom she assumed was Harry Holt. His brown hair was thinning on the top, and his eyes were hidden behind thick glasses. H
e too looked as if he’d been crying, although he seemed to be doing everything he could to keep back the tears as he looked around Bessie’s kitchen.

  “I’m Doona Moore,” Doona introduced herself. “As Bessie said, I’m happy to wait elsewhere while you talk.”

  “You can stay,” Madison said dully after she’d introduced herself. “I’m sure the whole island is discussing my brother’s death. None of us are going to say anything here that hasn’t already been said in the local paper or on the local radio news.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” Bessie told Madison.

  She nodded and then wiped her eyes and blew her nose with a tissue that Bessie provided. “It’s been unbelievably difficult,” she said in a low voice. “I’d be lost without these two.” She glanced at the men and then flushed. “Sorry, this is Luke, my, well, my boyfriend, and Harry Holt.”

  Bessie offered her hand to each man in turn.

  Luke smiled at her. “It’s nice to meet you,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot about you in the short time I’ve been on the island.”

  “How long have you been here?” Bessie asked.

  “Just about three months, just long enough for me to realise that I don’t ever want to leave,” he replied.

  “From where did you come over?” was Bessie next question.

  “Dad was in the army and Mum was American, so I’ve been all over the world, really. The island is the first place that feels as if it’s home, which is odd but wonderful. Maybe some of that is because of the people I’ve met, though.” He rubbed Madison’s back and then rested his head on hers for a moment. Madison managed a weak smile.

  “I was Phillip’s closest friend,” Harry told Bessie. “I let him down because I was too proud to admit that I’d behaved like an idiot. I’m afraid his death was my fault.”

  “How could it have been your fault?” Bessie asked as Madison made a derisory sound.

  “If we’d still been friends, he might have told me that he was coming back to the island for a visit. I might even have met his ferry and given him a ride wherever he was going. He would have been safe with me.”

  “It’s no use speculating about such things,” Madison said emphatically. “I was his sister and he didn’t tell me he was coming for a visit. He probably wouldn’t have told you, either. Anyway, if the killer wanted him dead, it wouldn’t have mattered.”

  “Let’s sit down,” Bessie suggested. “Tea?”

  “Tea would be wonderful,” Madison replied. “Nothing helps, but at least tea gives me something to do with my hands.”

  Doona made the tea and put biscuits on a plate while Bessie sat down with the others.

  “As I said, I’m sorry for your loss. I’m not sure why you wanted to talk to me, but I’m glad I’ve been given an chance to offer my condolences,” Bessie told Madison.

  “This is the first time I’ve ever been involved in a murder investigation, but you do this all the time,” Madison replied. “I know you’ve helped the police find the killer on more than one occasion, too. I want your help working out what happened to Phillip.”

  “I have been involved in several murder investigations, but never intentionally,” Bessie told her, “and I do my best to let the police handle the cases.”

  “I thought maybe, if we just told you everything we could think of about Phillip, you could put it all together and come up with a motive,” Madison told her. “I can’t think of a single reason why anyone would want to hurt Phillip. It simply doesn’t make sense.”

  “I’m happy to listen to anything you want to tell me,” Bessie replied.

  “Phillip was older than me by five years,” Madison began. “In my eyes, when I was smaller, he was almost another parent to me. It wasn’t until I was older, maybe six or seven, that we began to bond as siblings. He was already old enough to have lots more freedom than I did, and I used to beg to be allowed to go with him when he went outside to play or over to visit friends. I’m sure it drove him crazy, but he never once complained when I tagged along with him.”

  “Harry, you didn’t know Phillip in those days, did you?” Bessie asked.

  Harry shook his head. “We met on our way to uni. Neither of us knew anyone else going to the school we’d chosen, so we quickly became good friends, united by a sort of shared history of growing up on the same small island.”

  “Phillip was the perfect older brother and I was inconsolable when he went away to uni,” Madison continued. “I used to count down the days until he’d be home on breaks and I actually counted down the entire three years until he’d graduate, as well.”

  Luke patted her arm. “I was thrilled when my sister went away to school,” he said. “She and her friends used to fill up the entire house all weekend long, laughing and talking about things that I didn’t understand. I’m eight years younger, and the gap meant that we never really became friends, although I love her dearly now.”

  Madison nodded. “I was thrilled when Phillip finished school and came back to the island, although I was disappointed that he decided to get his own flat rather than move back into the family home. Of course, I headed off to uni myself not long after that. I used to ring Phillip every Sunday evening just to chat. I’d ring Mum and have a long talk with her about classes and exams and all the boring things, and then ring Phillip and tell him the really interesting things that were happening. He heard about the boys and the late-night parties.” Madison laughed. “At the time I thought I was doing outrageous things, but now when I think back, all of it was pretty tame, at least compared to some people.”

  Luke shrugged. “She’s saying that based on a few stories I’ve told her about my days at uni,” he admitted. “I did two years in the US and two years here. The US years were by far the wildest. I joined a fraternity, and we did a lot of drinking and partying. My marks were so bad that my parents made me transfer to a university in the UK where they could keep an eye on me. I’d learned my lesson, anyway, and once I got there, I knuckled down and worked hard.”

  “And after school you moved back to the island?” Bessie asked Madison.

  “I did. I rented a flat in the same building where Phillip was living, and we used to spend a lot of time together.”

  “So much so that I got jealous,” Harry admitted. He shrugged. “I barely knew Madison when she first moved back, and then once I got to know her, well, I sort of had a thing for her for a while. Phillip told me that he didn’t want me going out with his sister, which made me angry.”

  Madison flushed. “I never knew that,” she said. “I once asked Phillip if you were available and he told me that he didn’t think we were right for one another. I never thought about it after that.”

  Harry sighed. “We could have had a great romance,” he said lightly.

  Madison looked at Luke. “If things don’t work out, I have options,” she teased.

  “Things are going to work out,” he replied seriously, sliding his arm around her. “I’m not losing the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  Harry frowned and then looked down at his teacup. Bessie wondered if Harry was still carrying a torch for his friend’s younger sister.

  “Anyway, I came home and got a job and life was good,” Madison said. “Then Phillip met Nicole.”

  “Cue the villainous music,” Harry said.

  Madison nodded. “I never liked her, although she seemed nice enough at first. I never thought she was genuine, though. There was just something about her, something unpleasant or untrustworthy.”

  Bessie reached for a biscuit as Madison drew a deep breath.

  “I’m not being fair. That’s hindsight talking. When Phillip first brought her home, she seemed lovely. In the first few months they were together, Nicole and I became friends. We used to go shopping together on a Saturday afternoon once in a while. Eventually, after she’d moved in with Phillip, that stopped, but it wasn’t for any specific reason. We were just busy with other things, or at least, that’s how it seemed. I didn
’t realise that she was busy sleeping with other men.”

  Luke took her hand as Harry growled. “I wish I’d known what she was doing. When it all came out later, she’d been cheating for over a year. Phillip wouldn’t have been as upset if he’d found out in the early days.”

  “He might have been,” Madison said. “He was already crazy about her, even from the first few months.”

  Harry nodded. “I barely saw him once he’d met her, actually. We went from spending every Saturday together to seeing each other once or twice a year, almost overnight. I didn’t like Nicole for that reason, but I never imagined that she was cheating, not until much later.”

  “So what happened?” Doona wondered.

  Bessie got up and topped up everyone’s tea and refilled the biscuit plate. As Madison had said, the refreshments were giving everyone something to do with their hands, if nothing else.

  “Phillip was talking about proposing,” Madison replied after a moment. “He wanted to get married and start a family. It was when he started dropping hints to Nicole that their problems started.”

  “He mentioned marriage and she told him that she didn’t think she was ready,” Harry interjected. “Then she told him that she had to go away for work for a few days. That wasn’t unusual. She travelled a lot for work, mostly for training. This time, though, after she’d left, Phillip realised that she’d forgotten her passport.”

  “Where was she meant to be going?” Bessie asked.

  “She’d told Phillip she was going to Paris. When he rang her mobile, she claimed she was in Paris having a boring time at meetings. When he asked about her passport, she told him some elaborate story about not needing it because she was with a group from the same hospital or some such thing. After Phillip put the phone down, he rang Noble’s and found out that no one else was away.”

  “He moved his things into my flat before she got back,” Harry said. “He couldn’t stand the thought of seeing her again, but he couldn’t bring himself to throw her out, either. That was at the same time as the charity in the UK started trying to recruit him.”