Aunt Bessie Likes (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 12)

by Diana Xarissa

  “That would be Matthew,” Claire replied. “He was involved with Karen before she disappeared, and that invited all sorts of nasty speculation.”

  “I remember, back at the time, that someone told me Matthew was going to be arrested. I don’t think he ever was, though.”

  “He wasn’t. No one was,” Claire said flatly. “Which is why the investigation has been reopened and why every gossip on the island is talking about my husband’s family again.”

  Maggie flushed and drank some of her tea. Bessie washed down the last bite of the delicious cake before she spoke.

  “I am sorry that you’re all having to go through this,” she said to Claire. “But I’m sure everyone would like to see the case resolved. It must be difficult, not knowing what happened to the girls.”

  Claire shrugged. “It isn’t something I think about often. Sometimes, at the holidays, maybe, someone might say something about having all the brothers and sisters together, and then there’s an awkward silence while everyone thinks about Susan, but that’s really it. But then, Todd and I aren’t close to anyone in his family. I don’t think about any of his brothers or sisters any more or less than I think about Susan.”

  “If something did happen to them, it will be nice to see the person responsible behind bars,” Bessie said.

  “That’s certainly true,” Claire said. “I can’t help but worry just a little bit about that, though. If the girls didn’t simply run away, which still seems like the most likely answer to me, then someone has been hiding a secret for a long time and they aren’t going to want it to come out.”

  “Who were the other suspects?” Maggie asked.

  “I’m sure I don’t know,” Claire said tiredly. “I knew about Matthew because he was friends with Timothy, Todd’s younger brother. Timothy and Todd were sharing a flat when I first met Todd and Matthew came over sometimes to watch telly or whatever.”

  “I’m sure Peter and Jonas Clucas were both suspects,” Maggie said in a low voice. “But they had Donald on their side. I’ll bet the police were paid handsomely to ‘lose’ any evidence they found that pointed to either of them.”

  Maggie put air quotation marks around the word “lose” in case the others didn’t get her meaning.

  “I think I have more faith in our police than you do,” Bessie said.

  “Oh, the force today is top-notch,” Maggie replied. “But in those days, you could buy your way out of all manner of trouble.”

  “Surely not a triple homicide,” Bessie retorted.

  Maggie shrugged. “I just know Jonas got away with an awful lot when he was growing up. He stole cars and crashed them, got into bar fights, and I know more than one woman he went out with who ended up with a black eye or worse when she tried to get rid of him.”

  “I remember him,” Claire said. “He went out with a friend of mine a few times. She said he was great fun, and I remember he spent a lot of money on her as well, taking her out for lavish meals and the like. She never said anything bad about him, except that he broke her heart when he broke up with her.”

  “The key being that he broke up with her,” Maggie said. “It was breaking up with him that was dangerous.”

  “Peter is his cousin?” Bessie asked, hoping to change the sad subject.

  “Yes, his father’s sister’s son, if I’m remembering correctly,” Claire replied. “He was just about as wild as Jonas in those days, and I’m sure the police will have taken a good look at him when the girls disappeared, but he’s definitely changed now.”

  “I don’t even know what happened to him,” Maggie said. “I seem to recall the family moving down south some time in the seventies.”

  “You’re half right,” Claire said. “Peter was in his early twenties when Susan disappeared, and he and Jonas seemed to be having a contest to see who could lead the most dissolute life. Jonas was a year older and he set the bad example for his cousin. Around the same time as Susan left, Peter’s parents separated. Peter’s mum moved to Port Erin and after a while Peter moved in with her. At some point he went back to school, and now he runs the drug and alcohol rehabilitation programme on the island.”

  “Really?” Maggie asked. “That’s quite a turnaround.”

  “It is,” Claire agreed. “He’s very effective when counseling young people, because he can talk from his own experience. I gather he hasn’t spoken to Jonas in years.”

  “So you’ve seen him recently?” Maggie wondered.

  “Yes,” Claire flushed. “My oldest boy got himself into some trouble. It wasn’t anything too serious, but the police recommended that he talk to Peter. It didn’t take Peter long to straighten my Jacob out, I can tell you. Anyway, we started talking after one of Jacob’s sessions and realised that we’d more or less grown up together. This was all before we heard about the police investigation.”

  “Well, it’s always nice to hear about young people turning their lives around,” Bessie said. “I hope the investigation doesn’t cause him any trouble.”

  “I don’t think he was ever a serious suspect,” Claire said. “I always thought Matthew was the more likely culprit.”

  “I’m afraid I don’t agree with you there,” Maggie said. “Matthew’s okay. It’s Jonas I’d put at the top of the suspect list.”

  “Oh, I know he was wild when he was younger,” Claire said. “But like I said, my friend thought he was wonderful. You should have seen the flowers he used to bring her. I was quite jealous at the time.”

  “I’d still pick him over Matthew or Peter,” Maggie told her.

  “I’d better get going,” Claire said after a glance at her watch. “I have to get to school to pick up the children.”

  She reached for her handbag and began to root around inside it.

  “Today is my treat,” Bessie said firmly. “I’m so grateful to you for introducing me to that sponge that I’m more than happy to pay for everyone.”

  Claire flushed. “I can pay my share,” she said.

  “But you’ll let me treat, because it will make me happy,” Bessie replied.

  Claire looked as if she wanted to argue further, but Maggie interrupted.

  “I’m happy to let Bessie pay,” she said brightly. “We all know Bessie has millions of pounds squirrelled away somewhere.”

  Bessie turned pink and opened her mouth to protest, but Claire spoke first.

  “If you’re sure you don’t mind,” she said hesitantly.

  “I don’t mind,” Bessie assured her.

  Claire thanked her profusely and then made her way out of the café. As soon as she was gone, Bessie turned to Maggie.

  “I don’t mind treating, but I also don’t have millions of pounds tucked away,” she said crossly.

  “I was just teasing,” Maggie said, rising to her feet. “Anyway, it got Claire to agree to let you pay, so you shouldn’t mind.”

  Bessie did mind, but there seemed little point in arguing any further. She stood up and crossed to the counter where Marta handed her the bill. Bessie was surprised at how inexpensive it was even after she’d added a large gratuity.

  “Thanks,” Marta said as Bessie handed her payment.

  “You’re welcome,” Bessie replied. “I don’t get to Jurby very often, but I’ll definitely stop back for more Victoria sponge the next time I do.”

  The other woman nodded as Bessie turned and followed Maggie out. The man at the end of the counter hadn’t looked up from his book once while they’d been there. Bessie wondered idly if they might have become friends if they had spoken. He seemed like her kind of person.

  Bessie and Maggie chatted about the weather and island politics as they made their way back across the island. By the time they’d arrived at Bessie’s cottage, it was nearly time for Hugh’s visit.

  “Thank you for an interesting afternoon,” Bessie told Maggie as the other woman pulled up near Bessie’s door.

  “Thank you,” Maggie replied. “I didn’t mean for you to get stuck with the bill.” />
  “As you did the driving, it was the least I could do,” Bessie replied.

  “Do ring me if you hear anything interesting about the case,” Maggie told her. “I’d love to know who the police suspect, if they really do think something awful happened.”

  “I’d like to know that as well,” Bessie admitted.

  She let herself into her cottage, still turning over in her head everything she’d heard over the past few days. There didn’t seem to be any shortage of suspects in the case, but as far as Bessie knew, the fate of the girls still remained a mystery. Perhaps the girls had simply run away and all this talk about suspects was unnecessary. Feeling a bit sorry for the men whose names were once more being bandied about as possible criminals, Bessie started working on making a pudding for her guests. The Victoria sponge had been delicious, and it left Bessie in the mood for something completely unlike it. Settling on her favourite American-style brownie recipe, Bessie mixed them up and popped the pan in the oven. That job done, she was left with just enough time to read a few chapters in her book before her friends arrived.

  Chapter Five

  Hugh knocked on her door a few minutes early. Bessie was just taking the brownies out of the oven when he arrived.

  “I’m probably a little bit early,” he said apologetically, as he handed her a box full of takeaway containers. “It didn’t take as long at the Chinese place as I thought it would. I was going to drive around for a little while, but the food smelled so good, I had to stop.”

  Bessie chuckled as she began unpacking the box. “It does smell good,” she agreed.

  “I’ll just go and get the other box,” Hugh told her.

  “There’s another one?” Bessie replied to the empty room. Hugh was back only a moment later with a second box that was at least as full as the first.

  “How many people did you invite?” Bessie asked as Hugh began unpacking his box.

  “Just John and Doona,” he replied. “But I’m really hungry. I didn’t get much lunch today.”

  “I made brownies for pudding, but I don’t think we’ll have room.”

  “Oh, I will,” Hugh said with a grin. “I always have room for your brownies.”

  Bessie pulled down plates while Hugh set knives and forks on the table. They were discussing drinks when John and Doona arrived together.

  “Oh, it’s so good to see you,” Bessie told John, giving him a hug. “I feel as if I haven’t seen you ages.”

  “It has been a while,” John said a bit sheepishly. “Things are busy at the station, but I really must start making more of an effort to stop in once in a while.”

  “You know you’re welcome any time, but I do understand about your work. I’m just glad you’re here tonight.”

  John was a handsome man in his mid-forties. He was fit and trim with bright green eyes and brown hair that was just beginning to go grey at the temples. It made him look distinguished rather than older, Bessie thought.

  She gave Doona a hug as well and then passed out plates. Everyone was quick to fill them with piles of steaming rice, vegetables and meats. Once they were all sitting around the table, Bessie served drinks and then joined them.

  “It’s nice to all be all here without anyone having found any dead bodies,” Doona remarked.

  “I am treating the Kelly disappearances as potential murder cases,” Hugh pointed out.

  “Yes, but they aren’t definitely murder, at least not yet,” Doona replied. “And they might turn out to be nothing at all. Maybe all three girls are living happily in Canada, with lumberjacks for husbands and maple syrup every day for breakfast.”

  Bessie looked at her friend. “Are you feeling okay?” she asked.

  Doona laughed. “Sorry, this afternoon on my lunch break I was reading a murder mystery set in Canada. The heroine was a transplanted Brit who’d met a lumberjack while she was on holiday and married him after a whirlwind romance. Aside from finding a dead body and showing up the rather inept local police, she also seemed to have maple syrup on every page.”

  “Didn’t that make them stick together?” Bessie asked.

  Everyone laughed and dug into their dinner. Bessie ate far more than she’d thought she could manage, but even so, she still found room for a small piece of brownie at the end.

  “These are so good,” Doona sighed over her pudding. “I’d ask you for the recipe, but I’m afraid I’d get it wrong.”

  “They aren’t difficult,” Bessie told her. “I’ll copy the recipe for you before you leave.”

  “Maybe you could share it with me, too,” John suggested. “The children are coming over for the February half-term and I’d love to do some baking with them. I’m trying to think of lots of things we can do that aren’t too expensive.”

  “I’m happy to share the recipe,” Bessie said. “Don’t forget a lot of the historical sites are open during the winter months as well. It would be nice if they could appreciate the island more.”

  John and his wife, Sue, were in the middle of a very friendly divorce. Sue and the pair’s two children had moved back to Manchester following the split. Neither Sue nor the children had enjoyed the time they’d lived on the island, which Bessie thought was unfortunate. She loved the island and hoped that at least the children would come to appreciate it, given time.

  “I think Amy misses it,” John told her. “When I rang the other day she said she was looking forward to coming. Although that may be more about not getting along with her mum than anything else. She’s at a tough age, really.”

  Bessie thought about the girl, who was just entering her teens. “It is a difficult time,” she agreed. “But you’ll all get through it, eventually.”

  John laughed. “Eventually sounds like a long time from now,” he said.

  When everyone had finished eating, Doona insisted on doing the washing-up. “You start talking about the case,” she told the others. “I don’t know anything about it at all, so I can’t contribute to the conversation anyway.”

  “So where do we start?” Bessie asked the two policemen.

  John looked over at Hugh and shrugged. “This is Hugh’s case. It’s up to him.”

  Hugh flushed and then cleared his throat. “Thank you, sir,” he said briskly. “As you both know, I’ve been talking with as many of the involved parties as I could over the past two days. The experience was interesting, but I don’t think it was particularly useful.”

  “I read the article in today’s local paper about the case,” Doona said from the sink. “So I think I have the background. The three girls all had the same surname, but they were just cousins, right?”

  “Yes, all three girls had the same paternal great-grandfather, and Helen’s father and Susan’s father were brothers. There are a lot of interrelated Kellys in Lonan,” Bessie told her.

  Doona nodded. “And the three girls vanished over two consecutive weekends and no trace was ever found of any of them. Is that right?”

  “It is,” Hugh confirmed.

  “The paper said that a number of suspects were interviewed and eliminated over the years,” Doona said. “Does that mean you don’t have any suspects?”

  “At the moment we don’t even know if we have a crime,” John said levelly. “We have witnesses, but it isn’t fair at this point to call anyone a suspect.”

  Doona nodded. “But you do have suspects, right?” she asked.

  Hugh grinned. “We do,” he conceded. “Maybe even a few too many.”

  “Who’s on the list, then?” Bessie asked.

  “At this point, just about everyone,” Hugh said with a sigh. “I may have mentioned that some of the interview notes have gone missing over the years. I’m sure that statements were taken from people for whom I don’t have statements. And after all this time people’s memories are not the clearest. Inspector Harris might have eliminated a number of possible suspects during his investigation, but at this point I can’t say for certain that anyone who was connected to the case in any way is in t
he clear.”

  “I saw Amy Kelly in Lonan yesterday,” Bessie told him. “She doesn’t want the case reopening.”

  “I know,” Hugh said. “She made that very clear to me when I spoke to her.”

  “Which one is she?” Doona asked as she rinsed the last of the plates.

  “She’s Helen’s mother,” Bessie replied.

  “Oh, the divorced one?” Doona asked. “Along with announcing the reopening of the case, the paper reprinted a couple of its articles from the time. They made a huge big deal out of the fact that Helen’s parents were divorced and that Helen lived with her father rather than her mother.”

  “It was pretty unusual in those days,” Bessie said. “But whatever their domestic arrangements, Amy was still devastated when her daughter went missing.”

  “Of course she was,” Doona agreed. “I would have thought she’d have spent the years since pestering the police to keep the investigation open.”

  “She’s afraid that the truth will be bad news,” Bessie explained. “She’d rather not know than find out that her daughter is dead.”

  Doona shook her head. “I’m sure I’d rather know than be left wondering forever.”

  “I don’t know,” Bessie said. “Right now she can imagine that her daughter ran away, got married, had children and is living a very happy life somewhere. I can see the appeal in that.”

  “I suppose,” Doona said. “Does that mean she isn’t helping with the investigation?”

  “No,” Hugh said. “I can’t repeat what she told me, but she was as helpful as she could be, or at least that’s how it seemed. She was far more cooperative than some people, at least.”

  Bessie nodded. “And you can’t tell us who didn’t want to cooperate,” she said.

  “I can’t,” Hugh agreed. “But I’d love to hear what Amy told you.”

  “She didn’t tell me much,” Bessie began. She closed her eyes and replayed the conversation in her head, telling the others everything that seemed at all important. When she was done, she sat back in her seat. “So, is Jonas Clucas a suspect?” she asked Hugh.