“Blackmail is a nasty business.”
“It is, but murder is worse.”
Bessie nodded. “I don’t know anything about Natasha Harper, except that she’s much better to work with than Christopher Hart was. Mr. Hart accused her of trying to steal his clients when she first arrived at the castle, but she explained that away when I asked her about it later.”
“What have I told you about questioning suspects?” Pete asked.
“Yes, well, we were talking and it came up,” Bessie muttered, flushing.
“I’d really rather you stayed well away from the castle and all of the suspects until the case is wrapped up,” Pete told her. He held up a hand as she opened her mouth to argue. “I know you can’t or won’t do that, but I want you to understand how I feel about the whole matter. Whoever killed Christopher Hart knew what he or she was doing. If the murder had happened anywhere near Castle Rushen, I’d cancel ‘Christmas at the Castle’ to try to keep everyone safe.”
“Nearly everyone I spoke to thinks the killer came from across, just to kill Mr. Hart,” Bessie said. “Have you considered that possibility?”
“Of course; I’m considering every possibility,” he replied. “Getting to the island isn’t the easiest of tasks, though. If someone did come over, they’d have left a trail behind them. The airlines and the ferry service keep records of who travels and when. You need a credit card to check into a hotel, et cetera. If that is what happened, whoever did it probably would have been better off attempting to kill the man in London.”
“But going through all those records takes a lot of time,” Bessie said. “Whoever it was is probably long gone, back where they came from.”
“We have a small number of staff going through flight, ferry, and hotel records as we speak,” he told her. “We’re just lucky it’s December. There’s far less to check through than there would have been in June or July.”
The inspector drained his coffee cup. “I really must get into the office,” he told Bessie. “I really appreciate your taking the time to share your perspective with me, though. And breakfast was wonderful. Thank you.”
“I’m here any time you want to talk,” she assured him. “I just wish it could be all sorted before the grand opening tomorrow night. It’s going to keep us from truly enjoying the evening.”
“I’m doing my best,” he replied. “And I’ll just remind you to leave it all to me. A murder investigation is no place for an amateur.”
Bessie nodded and bit her lip. She’d helped the police with more than one investigation in the past, including one that had been Pete’s case. She wasn’t going to just sit around while the police did their slow and methodical job, not if there was something she could do to speed up the investigation.
“I hope you have a wonderful grand opening, in spite of everything,” Pete said now.
Bessie walked him to the door. “I’m really looking forward to it, in spite of everything,” she told him.
“Helen and I are looking forward to Christmas Eve, assuming I don’t have to work, of course.”
Bessie nodded and then watched him walk to his car. She wondered about the women who fell in love with policemen, or the men who fell for policewomen, at that. It had to be difficult. Police work was demanding and never-ending. Bessie hoped that Helen and Pete would find a way to make their relationship work. She liked them both and thought they were well-suited.
Bessie tidied up the kitchen and then waited for her taxi. She was going to do some grocery shopping with her unexpectedly free day. Her favourite driver, Dave, dropped her off in front of the bookstore.
“It looks really busy today,” he said, frowning. “If you decide you want collecting early or you get held up, ring me directly. That’s easier than ringing through the office.”
Bessie spent a few minutes in the bookstore, but she soon found herself agreeing with Dave. It was far too crowded with Christmas shoppers for her enjoy a leisurely browse. She headed towards ShopFast, thinking she might stop in a few shops along the way, but the street was full of people rushing about, which made it difficult to look in windows. ShopFast was also busier than normal for a Thursday morning. She pushed her shopping trolley through crowded aisles.
“Bessie? How are you?” a friend asked in the bakery.
“I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed,” Bessie answered honestly. “I just came in for a few things, but the craziness of the crowd seems to be contagious. I can’t seem to stop myself adding more and more to my trolley.”
The woman laughed. “I know what you mean. Christmas is still over a week away but I’m buying up food like the shops are going to be shut from tomorrow.”
Bessie looked down at her trolley and sighed. “I just hope I manage to eat it all,” she said.
There were long queues at the tills, but because she hadn’t bothered with any other shopping, she walked out of the store more or less on time to meet Dave.
At home, with the shopping all put away, Bessie had a light lunch and then decided to take a long walk. When she reached Thie yn Traie, she spotted Mary coming down the steep steps.
“I’ve been watching your cottage from my windows all day,” Mary told her when she joined her on the sand. “I was sure you’d be out for a walk before too long. The weather is too perfect to miss.”
Mary was right; it was a surprisingly mild day for December. “Let’s hope the good weather continues through Christmas,” Bessie said. “There will be a lot of disappointed people if the ferries can’t sail.”
“Including me,” Mary told her. “I’ve ordered a whole feast from across.”
“Will you be celebrating Christmas at Thie yn Traie?”
“I wish,” Mary told her. “We haven’t quite completed the purchase yet, although Daniel Pierce has told us we can move in anyway, if we want to. He and George were business associates for a few years and we all know how badly they want rid of the house.”
“You are definitely buying it, then?”
“Oh yes, and we’ve already started redoing it all. I’m hoping we can have enough of it finished in time to have a small New Year’s Eve party. You will come, won’t you?”
“Of course,” Bessie told her. “Although New Year’s Eve parties can be difficult. You always feel rather stuck until midnight, even if you aren’t having a nice time.”
Mary laughed. “I promise you’ll enjoy yourself. If nothing else, you can stay in the library until quarter to twelve.”
“I didn’t know Thie yn Traie had a library.”
“It does. I don’t know that anyone ever read any of the books in it, but it’s very well stocked with both fiction and non-fiction. I’m going to have to hire someone to catalogue it and then we’ll have to check that against the catalogue from our library in Douglas. I imagine we’ll have a lot of books to get rid of, once we’ve done that. You’ll have to help me find good homes for them.”
Bessie smiled. “That sounds like a wonderful job,” she said. “But you said you were watching for me,” Bessie recalled. “I hope nothing is wrong.”
“Oh, no, I was just bored,” Mary admitted. “Natasha is hard at work on various plans, so I need to be here to consult with her, but mostly she’s working on her own and I’m just sitting around.”
The pair chatted for a few minutes longer and then Bessie headed back to her cottage. She enjoyed the quiet day after all of the hard work she’d put into “Christmas at the Castle,” but after dinner she found she was quite restless. After all of the time and effort, she was ready for the grand opening.
Chapter Six
Bessie woke up early the next day, feeling like a small child on Christmas morning. “This is silly,” she told herself as she tried to get back to sleep. “It’s only a charity fundraiser.”
But she’d been involved in “Christmas at the Castle” from the very beginning and she was very proud of what they’d accomplished at Castle Rushen. She’d never held down a paying job, but she was sure she felt much like
someone would when a huge project finally came to fruition. Giving up on getting back to sleep, she showered and then patted on the rose-scented dusting powder that reminded her of the man she’d loved and lost when she had been much younger. If she’d married Matthew, she would have left the island and her life would have been completely different.
“You’ve ended up exactly where you ought to be,” she told her mirror image. “Now quit talking to yourself and get moving.”
Laughing at herself, Bessie fixed breakfast and then packed a few sandwiches into a bag. She wasn’t sure she would have time for a proper lunch later. The grand opening reception was going to be catered, but she didn’t want to be starving by the time that was ready.
Mark was a few minutes early. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep last night and I ran out of things to do to kill time this morning.”
Bessie just laughed. “I know what you mean,” she replied.
“This is the biggest project I’ve done for MNH, and having a murder happen right in the middle of it hasn’t done much for my confidence,” he confided. “I sure hope everything goes right today.”
“It’s going to be wonderful,” Bessie said. “We’ve worked too hard to see it all fall apart now.”
At the castle doors, the pair parted. “I have a lot of last-minute paperwork to sort through,” Mark told Bessie. “Make sure you’re in the banquet room at midday, though, and bring everyone who’s around with you.”
Bessie spent her morning wandering around the beautifully decorated castle, checking on everyone else. It seemed to her as if everyone was in high spirits, anticipating a very successful opening night. The only person who wasn’t happy was Carolyn Teare.
“Oh, Bessie, thank goodness you’re here,” she exclaimed as Bessie peeked into the room Carolyn was decorating. “I’ve had ever so much trouble getting staff down here to help with this. You’ll give me a hand, won’t you?”
“For a short while,” Bessie replied, looking around at a room that was still mostly empty, aside from a stack of boxes in the very centre. “It’s nearly half eleven and we all have to be in the banquet room for midday, but I can work with you until then.”
“Excellent,” Carolyn said. “If you could just decorate that tree, I’d appreciate it.” She pointed to a large white artificial tree that was standing alone in one corner. It was completely bare. “There’s a box of decorations next to it,” she said in a helpful voice.
Bessie opened the box and shook her head at the stark black baubles that were inside. She began to hang them on the tree, but was soon interrupted.
“Oh, I do think the tinsel should go first,” Carolyn called from the corner of the room.
Bessie looked over and saw the woman sitting on a chair. She had her mobile out and was frowning at the display. As Bessie took the ornaments back off the tree, Carolyn punched numbers on her phone.
“Ah, hello, darling. I just wanted to see how you were this morning,” the woman cooed into her phone.
Bessie didn’t like to eavesdrop, but Carolyn made no attempt to lower her voice as she chatted. Half an hour later, Bessie knew far more than she wanted to know about Carolyn’s marriage. It had quickly become apparent that Carolyn was talking to her husband, Richard, and from what Bessie could hear, Carolyn sounded madly in love and deeply devoted to the man. Bessie was surprised at what she heard, given the other woman’s suggestion that her husband had murdered Christopher Hart, but she kept her thoughts to herself as she wound black tinsel around the tree and then added ornament after ornament in the same colour.
“You’ve done quite well,” Carolyn said when she finally put her phone away. “Only another ten to go and we’ll be ready.”
Bessie stared at her for a moment. “I don’t see how we’ll get another ten done before we have to start getting ready for tonight,” she said after a moment.
“We’ll have to get the whole committee in here to help, that’s all,” Carolyn said with a shrug.
“I think most of them have other things to do this afternoon,” Bessie pointed out.
“You’ll help, won’t you?” Carolyn pleaded. “Only Richard is quite cross with me and he won’t let me bring my staff down to help out. I was trying to make up to him, but he won’t change his mind. I simply can’t do it all on my own.”
Since I haven’t seen you do anything, that’s hardly surprising, Bessie thought to herself. “Let’s see what happens after the meeting,” Bessie said noncommittally. “We’d better get over to the banquet room now, though.”
Bessie left the room before Carolyn could object. She wasn’t sure what Mark had planned for their meeting, but she didn’t want to be late. As she got closer to the room, her mouth began to water. Something smelled like tomatoes and garlic. She quickened her pace.
In the banquet room, two large tables had been set up. One was nearly full with serving platters of food. The second was covered in a linen tablecloth with wine bottles in the centre.
“I think just about everyone is here,” Mark said as Bessie and Carolyn walked into the room. “I just wanted to take the time to thank each and every one of you for all of your hard work over the last month. We should have allowed a lot more time for planning, and we will in the future, but this time we managed to get the job done and I’m grateful to you all.”
“We had a great leader,” Bessie said loudly.
“Thank you,” Mark said, blushing. “Anyway, lunch today is my thank-you gift to you all. There’s plenty of wine to go around as well, but do keep in mind that we still have a lot to get through tonight. Anyway, help yourselves and enjoy.”
Everyone applauded lightly. The charity volunteers insisted that the committee members fix their plates first, and Bessie quickly found herself pushed to the front of the queue. For a moment she wasn’t sure where to start. There was grilled chicken, pasta with tomato or Alfredo sauce, grilled vegetables, salad, garlic bread, and a huge tray of pastries and cakes for pudding.
With a very full plate, Bessie took a seat at the empty table and let Mark pour her a small amount of wine. Mary Quayle and Marjorie Stevens soon joined her.
“I was late,” Marjorie said after a sip of wine. “So I came straight up here the back way. Are all of the rooms ready to go?”
“We put the finishing touches on everything this morning,” Natasha said as she slid into a chair opposite Mary. “I’m really pleased with how it has all turned out.”
“My room isn’t done,” Carolyn said loudly as she moved to the head of the table. She put her plate down and then grabbed the nearest wine bottle. She poured herself a full glass of wine and then took a large drink. “I need everyone’s help this afternoon,” she added, nearly shouting. “I’ve barely started in my room. I’ve only managed to get one tree decorated.”
That would be the tree I decorated, Bessie thought but didn’t say.
“I’m afraid a lot of us have other things to do this afternoon,” Mark told Carolyn. “Marjorie and I will be doing press preview tours most of the afternoon and all of the charity representatives are meant to be at the press conference later.”
“You can’t do press previews,” Carolyn wailed. “My room isn’t ready.”
“We can’t reschedule them,” Marjorie said firmly. “We’re relying on getting a lot of publicity for this to sell out Christmas Eve. We need the press to come through today.”
“But what about my room? What about my tribute to Christo? I want it to be perfect before it’s seen.”
“We’ll have to shut the door while the press is here,” Mark said. “At least then they won’t see it before it’s finished.”
Carolyn frowned and drained her wine glass. “But that doesn’t solve the problem,” she said. “I suppose I don’t mind if the press can’t see it, but it needs to be ready for the grand opening.”
“I’ll help,” Michael Beach shouted from the other end of the table. “My room is done and ready to go. My car in the shop, so I took a taxi this
morning. I’ve no interest in paying their exorbitant rates to get back home and then back again for tonight. I was just going to wander around Castletown, but I can help you instead.”
“Thank you,” Carolyn said happily. “Now, who else can help?”
In the end, just about everyone agreed to spend their afternoon working on Carolyn’s room. Henry offered to send one or two of the younger members of the paid staff up with a ladder to help with hanging things. Bessie was tempted to make up an excuse, but with everyone else helping, it sounded like it might be quite fun, really. With very full tummies, the group eventually made their way back to Carolyn’s room.
“Now, before we start, let me share my vision,” Carolyn said from the doorway. “Christo wanted to celebrate some of the things we usually shy away from, like death and murder. I don’t want to take things quite that far with my tribute, because he was actually murdered. There will be eleven white Christmas trees with black decorations in a circle in the centre of the room. The walls will be draped in black crepe. Instead of a nativity scene, on the table in the centre of the room, we’ll have the four horsemen of the apocalypse.”
Carolyn opened a box and held up a small ceramic figure. “He’s meant to be a wise man, but I thought, if we put horses with him, people will understand the symbolism.”
Bessie turned her head and bit her lip. The four wise men of the apocalypse, more like, she thought. She was just grateful that the press weren’t going to see this room. Maybe they could forget to open the door tonight as well.
No one said anything; they all just exchanged glances and then began to assemble white Christmas trees. As Bessie began to decorate one, she heard raised voices.
“It’s close enough,” Michael was saying. Bessie looked over to see him standing next to a very lopsided tree. “Once everyone sees the apocalypse in the centre, they aren’t going to care about a few crooked trees.”
“I’d like it done correctly,” Carolyn said tightly.
“Have some more wine,” Michael suggested. “Then you won’t be so bothered.”
Aunt Bessie Joins Page 9
