The Cat That Was Bigger Than You

by Fiona Snyckers

  The local radio station broadcast the all-clear, and the streets filled up with people again. There wasn’t much of the day left, but Fay thought she could still check off a couple of items on her to-do list.

  Working fast, she finished decorating the orange buttercream cakes she had been making that morning and dropped them off in the residents’ lounge for her guests to enjoy for tea. She spent a few minutes chatting to as many of the guests as she could and making sure they were happy with every aspect of their stay. Then she slipped quietly out of the lounge and put on her walking shoes.

  It was four-thirty by the time she hit the village High Street. Most shops closed at five, and she was sure that Sweet’s Candy Store was no exception.

  The candy store was on the opposite side of the road to the flower shop. It’s cheerful pink-and-white-striped awning brightened up the road and attracted tourists like moths to a flame. Sweets sold ice-cream as well as candy, so it was a popular destination for beachgoers looking to cool down in the afternoon.

  Fay peeked inside and saw two women behind the counter. They were clearly mother and daughter. If her information was correct, it was the daughter, Penny, who volunteered at the frail-care unit at Sunset Acres.

  She walked into the shop and said good afternoon.

  “Afternoon, love.” The older woman smiled at her. “You’re old Mrs. Penrose’s granddaughter, aren’t you?”

  “That’s right. I’m Fay. I’d like to choose some candies to leave on our guests’ pillows after their beds have been made up in the morning. At the moment, we’re using mints that we source from a supplier in Truro, but I’d like to start buying them locally.”

  This wasn’t just an excuse to talk to the Sweets. Fay had always been determined to support local businesses as much as possible.

  “That would be lovely,” said Mrs. Sweet. “We already supply several B&Bs and guesthouses on the island.”

  Just then, a family of tourists came into the store. Penny’s mother instructed her to help Fay while she attended to the tourists.

  The younger woman smiled at Fay. “Hi there. My name’s Penny. I’ll help you find something suitable. For mid-size guesthouses like Penrose House, we often find that an individually-wrapped piece of Cornish fudge goes down well. If you come over here, you’ll see our selection.”

  Fay took her time looking at the different flavors of clotted cream fudge. She agreed that they would add a luxurious touch to the guests’ bedrooms but found them rather expensive.

  “Oh no, that’s the individual retail price,” said Penny when she pointed this out. “For an ongoing bulk order, we’d give you a considerable discount. When you’ve selected some options, my mother will run up a quote for you.”

  “That would be great.” Fay looked at her closely. “I’m trying to remember where I saw you recently. Could it have been at the Sunset Acres retirement estate?”

  Penny gave her a sunny smile. “Oh, easily. I volunteer there five nights a week. I bring a trolley of candies and magazines for the patients to buy from, and I like to stop and chat to each one. It cheers them up, you know. It’s a bit like having a visitor. Were you visiting someone there?”

  “Maggie Binnie who services the rooms at the Cat’s Paw had her grandmother staying there while she was recovering from bronchitis. Sadly, she passed away two days ago.”

  Penny Sweet put her hands to her mouth. “I know! That was such a horrible shock. Mrs. Binnie was a lovely lady. I so enjoyed chatting to her. She really seemed to be getting better. I couldn’t believe it when they told me she had passed away.”

  “When you spoke to her on the evening before she died, did she seem fine to you? Not upset or uneasy about anything?”

  “Not at all. She didn’t seem to have a care in the world. She was looking forward to getting back to her cottage. She told me her family had been in to visit her that afternoon. She was in excellent spirits.”

  “Did you see anyone else enter her room while you were there? Either a member of staff or one of the patients?”

  “The doctor went in, obviously. Nothing unusual about that. I’m usually there when he’s making his ward rounds.”

  “Would that be Doc Dyer?”

  “No. I’m talking about the new locum doctor who is standing in for Dr. David Dyer. Dr. Farlow, I think his name is. He does his rounds in the evening. I wouldn’t mind visiting in the morning when Dr. Dyer is doing his rounds, let me tell you. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen him? He looks just like a young George Clooney.”

  Fay smiled. “I can’t argue with that. But did anyone else enter her room?”

  “Mrs. Tribble from the library. We see each other there most nights. She’s also a volunteer. She and Mrs. Binnie had quite a long conversation, as I recall. And then there were the nightshift nurses, Meredith and Rowan. They do their nighttime observations around seven o’clock too. It’s a busy time in the frail-care unit. You’d think it was King’s Cross Station the way everyone is coming and going.”

  “It must be rewarding to volunteer like that,” said Fay. “I bet you get to know the patients quite well.”

  “I do. Some of them get no visitors at all, so it’s nice for them to have me and Mrs. Tribble to chat to in the evenings. Some of the patients get really attached to me. You won’t believe me, but I’ve had patients change their wills to leave me something when they die.”

  Chapter 8

  For a moment, Fay thought she might have misheard.

  “They change their wills?”

  “That’s right. It’s hard to believe, isn’t it? I think they are so grateful to have had some companionship in their last days that they want to express it somehow.”

  “How often has that happened?”

  “Oh, at least three times.”

  “Are we talking substantial amounts of money, or just tokens?” Fay realized that this question might seem rude, so she added, “If you don’t mind my asking.”

  “Mostly tokens, although one patient left me a thousand pounds!”

  “There was a patient who passed away earlier this month. His name was Mr. Tait and he suffered a stroke. They say he never got any visitors. Did you know him at all?”

  “Oh, Mr. Tait. I did, yes. I always make a special effort with patients like that. He couldn’t reply to what I was saying because the stroke had affected his ability to speak, but I always stopped to chat to him. We worked out a system so that we could communicate. He would tap with his right hand. Once for yes and twice for no. He could also write simple instructions on a piece of paper.”

  “Do you think he might have left you any money?”

  “I suppose it’s possible. I know he had his lawyer visiting him a couple of times before he died. Normally I only find out about these bequests weeks after the patient has died, and then it’s months before the money is released.”

  “I see.”

  “That’s not why I do it, of course. I just like cheering up the patients. Especially the ones who don’t get many visitors.”

  “Of course.”

  Fay turned her attention back to choosing a flavor of fudge for her guests. When she had settled on some options, she went to speak to Penny’s mother about having a quote drawn up.

  “I’ll email this to you when it’s ready,” said Mrs. Sweet. “I’m sure you’ll find our prices very competitive.”

  “And your guests will love that double-chocolate fudge you’ve chosen,” said Penny. “That’s one of my favorites.”

  “What’s that commotion?” asked Mrs. Sweet as sounds of an altercation drifted in from the street.

  “Where are you taking me?” demanded a woman. “A candy-store? You know I don’t eat sugar in any shape or form.”

  Her accent was American, but that wasn’t the only reason Fay pricked up her ears. She recognized that voice.

  “I thought we could get an ice-cream cone,” said her male companion. “They have frozen yoghurt as well if you …”

  “Frozen
yoghurt? Frozen yoghurt? As though that makes it any better. Don’t you know that, pound for pound, ice-cream and frozen yoghurt are exactly the same in terms of …”

  The woman stopped scolding as they entered the candy-store and she caught sight of Fay. The hectoring tone went out of her voice and she stepped closer to her companion.

  “Dr. Dyer!” Mrs. Sweet sounded delighted. “We haven’t seen you in weeks.”

  “Hello, Mrs. Sweet … hello, Penny.” His eyes flicked to Fay for a moment. “Hello, Fay. We just got back from America. We thought we’d stop in for an ice-cream cone.”

  Mrs. Sweet beamed at him. “You’ve loved my ice-cream cones ever since you were a little boy, haven’t you? What flavor can I interest you in today?”

  “Butterscotch, please.”

  “I won’t have one,” said Laetitia Poynter. “I’d like to speak to Fay, actually.”

  Fay almost dropped her phone. “Oh … uh … sure.”

  “Outside, if you please.”

  Fay had once chased an armed suspect into an unlit alley at night without backup. Up until right now, that had been the most terrifying moment of her life.

  As they stepped outside, she started chatting hard. “I didn’t think you’d be back before Labor Day. I just love Labor Day weekend in the States, don’t you? My family and I go to Amagansett and just laze around on the beach, enjoying the last warmth of summer. There’s nothing like …”

  “David told me what happened.”

  Fay stopped babbling.

  “Oh?” she said cautiously.

  “He told me you kissed him. I want you to know that I won’t tolerate any future …”

  “Wait a minute.” It had taken Fay a moment to process what she had said. “David told you that I kissed him?”

  “That’s right.”

  “That’s not what happened, although I will admit that I didn’t exactly pull away in horror. But the truth is that he kissed me, and he knows it.”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “But it does. David is the most honest person I know. I don’t think he would have lied about that.”

  Laetitia shook her head impatiently. “He kissed you. You kissed him. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to. I don’t care who started it. I’m going to finish it. What?” she demanded when Fay laughed.

  “Sorry. I’m not laughing at you. It’s just that I had a teacher who always used to say that. I don’t care who started it – I’m finishing it. For a second I thought I was back in grade school.”

  Laetitia took a deep breath. “Miss Penrose. Do you deny that you are attracted to my boyfriend?”

  This wiped the smile off Fay’s face.

  “No,” she said after a moment. “I don’t deny that.”

  “I knew it!”

  Fay held up a finger. “But here’s the thing. As long as David is with you, I would never make a move on him, or do anything to undermine you. He’s in a relationship, and I respect that.”

  “That didn’t stop him from making a move on you, apparently.”

  “I really wouldn’t read too much into that. It meant nothing. We had just been through a highly stressful, near-drowning incident together and barely escaped with our lives.”

  Laetitia snorted.

  “It’s true,” said Fay. “Almost dying does strange things to people. I saw it often when I was in the police force. What happened between David and me was nothing but a heat-of-the-moment thing that only lasted a second or two. He regretted it instantly.”

  “That’s what he says.”

  “Then it’s true. The fact that you’re here together suggests that you’ve decided to forgive him, which is a good thing.”

  Laetitia gave a dissatisfied shrug. “Something’s been off between us ever since he arrived in Boston a few weeks ago. It’s like we’re out of sync somehow. We’re getting on each other’s nerves and I don’t know how to make it stop.”

  This conversation was way beyond Fay’s pay-grade. “I really don’t know what to …”

  “Sweet’s has always made the best ice-cream in the village.” David came out of the candy store carrying a cone with a double scoop on it. The length of time it had taken him to buy it told Fay that he had been waiting for her and Laetitia to finish their conversation.

  “Well, it was lovely to see both of you,” Fay said quickly. “But I should really be getting along now.”

  “No, no,” said David.

  “Walk with us,” said Laetitia.

  “Um … okay.” Fay hadn’t been expecting that. “I suppose I could, for a little way.”

  Were things so bad between them that they needed a referee?

  “You can walk with us as far as the Royal Hotel,” said Laetitia. “That’s where I’m staying.”

  “Aren’t you staying at the house?”

  “Not since David saw fit to install two scraggy felines there. I’m allergic to cats.”

  Fay managed to keep a straight face. “I’m afraid the blame for the scraggy felines must rest with me. Well, with Doc Dyer and me. We’re the ones who came up with the idea. The cats were part of a litter of four rescues that I was looking to home last month. The surgery seemed like the perfect place for them. I had no idea you were allergic to cats.”

  “Neither did I,” said David.

  “Well, I am. And here’s my home away from home.” They stopped outside the Royal Hotel. “Like everything else on this benighted island, it is backward and parochial, but I suppose it’s fairly comfortable.”

  David leaned forward to kiss her on the right cheek, just as she was presenting her left. Their noses collided in the middle.

  “Ouch!”

  “Sorry, darling. Let me see your nose.”

  “No.” Laetitia pulled herself away from his touch. “It’s fine. Goodbye, Fay. I’ll see you later, David.”

  She turned and marched into the hotel without looking back.

  Fay shot a side-long glance at David. He was rubbing his nose. It had occurred to her that they were probably both heading in the same direction – along the High Street, up Cliff Road, and past the surgery. Fay walked that route every day on her way into and out of the village. She hoped this wasn’t going to be awkward.

  “Shall we?” said David, gesturing for Fay to precede him along the sidewalk.

  She racked her brains to think of a topic of conversation.

  “So, you’re back,” she said eventually. “I bet your father is pleased to have you working in the surgery again.”

  “Actually, I’m only half back.”

  “Oh, are you leaving for America again soon?”

  “No, not that. I just want to take advantage of the fact that we have a locum working in the practice, paid up until the end of the month. It will give me a chance to get some work done on the clinic we’re building.”

  Fay knew it had been his dream to establish a small hospital on Bluebell Island so that the residents could have their medical needs attended to right here, instead of having to take the ferry to the mainland all the time.

  “Oh yes,” she said. “How is that going? Your father told me another major funder had come on board.”

  “That’s right. It was a very welcome injection of cash. We can now afford to add a CT scanner to the clinic as well. I’ll be looking out for a good one while the locum covers my patient load.”

  “Speaking of him, I wouldn’t mind having a chat with your Dr. Farlow if he’s available.”

  David looked down at her. “Uh oh. I know that look. What is poor Dr. Farlow suspected of now?”

  “Have you spoken to your father about what’s been going on around here lately?”

  “No, I haven’t. We just arrived this afternoon. I barely had a chance to say hello to my dad. Laetitia started pitching a fit about the cats and we had to relocate her to the hotel.”

  “I honestly didn’t know she was allergic.”

  “I rather suspect she isn’t,” said David. “I think she just doesn’t like cats very much
and doesn’t want to be in the same house as them.”

  “Oh, well. Maybe she’s more of a dog person.”

  David shook his head. “She doesn’t like dogs either. She doesn’t like animals in general – not even Cheeto.”

  This reference to the goldfish that Fay had recently saddled the Dyers with, in addition to the kittens, made her smile.

  “But he’s so charming.”

  David laughed. “And such a good conversationalist too. Why did you ask whether I had spoken to my father? What’s been happening on the island in my absence?”

  Fay filled him in on the four deaths at the retirement estate in the last month.

  “Maggie’s family have asked me to investigate,” she said. “Obviously, one of the first people I want to interview is Dr. Farlow.”

  David nodded. “He’s an unusual man.”

  Chapter 9

  “Unusual in what way?” asked Fay.

  “You’ll see. I don’t want to influence your opinion of him.”

  “I’m hoping to speak to him later today, so I can assess his level of unusualness for myself.”

  “Speaking of unusual.” said David as a thought struck him. “I overheard some people talking about a lion on the island earlier. I presume they didn’t mean an actual lion.”

  “I’m afraid they did mean an actual lion. You missed an exciting week.”

  “What happened? Was the circus in town? We haven’t had a circus with performing animals on the island in years - not after the village council decided to ban them.”

  “Not the circus,” said Fay. “Remember how Lady Chadwick was trying to come up with a scheme for turning Chadwick Manor into a profit-making venture?”

  “Yes?”

  “And remember how everyone said she should open a tearoom and she was like, ‘No, I’m going to start a safari park?’”

  “I vaguely remember her saying something about …” David stopped walking and turned to stare at Fay. “She didn’t?”