“Are you sure you should be shopping right now?”
“I promise not to go crazy in Ramsey,” Doona assured her. “I might buy a few more books than normal, or even buy myself the hardcover version of a new release rather than wait for the paperback to come out, but I won’t be any more extravagant than that today.”
“Let’s go, then,” Bessie said with a smile.
Thomas and Amy were standing in front of their father’s house when Doona pulled up. They quickly jumped into the back of the car.
“You didn’t have to wait outside,” Doona told them.
“We were ready to go, and it’s a nice day to be outside,” Amy replied. “I was worried about rain, since we’re planning to go to the park, but it’s lovely.”
“It is nice,” Bessie agreed. “I hope it stays that way.”
Doona dropped the children off at the large park in the centre of Ramsey. “You know how to get in touch with me if you need me,” she reminded them. “We’ll meet you at the café here at midday for lunch. Do you have money for crazy golf or the boats?”
“Yes, Dad gave us both money,” Thomas assured her. “Thanks for bringing us.”
Doona watched them from the car park until they were both inside the park gates. “I know they’ll be fine, but I’m going to worry until we see them again at the café,” she told Bessie as she put the car back into gear.
“Do you want to stay here instead of going shopping?”
“I don’t want the children to think I don’t trust them,” Doona replied. “John gave them permission to spend the morning at the park on their own. He’s their father, so the decision is his, really.”
“He’s also a police inspector. If he thinks it’s safe, he’s probably correct.”
“Yes, I know. It’s very odd, feeling responsible for them, really. It complicates things.”
“Things with you and John?”
“Yeah, that,” Doona sighed, “but I really don’t want to talk about it.”
Bessie bit her lip and tried to work out the best reply. “You know where I am if you ever do want to talk about it,” she said eventually.
Doona nodded. “Let’s go shopping,” she said in an artificially bright voice.
The pair spent far too long at the town’s large bookshop, browsing the shelves for favourite authors and new ones. Bessie ended up buying three books and Doona found five.
“See, that’s my idea of extravagant,” she told Bessie as they put their bags in the car’s boot. “Five new books, and one of them is hardcover. I wonder what the solicitor would say if I told him I didn’t want the money.”
“I’m sure he’d be happy to take it off your hands,” Bessie said dryly.
Doona laughed. “Yes, you’re probably right about that,” she said. “Never mind. I shouldn’t even be talking about it. I really want to put it out of my mind until I can talk to Doncan. If I bring it up again, just tell me to be quiet.”
The pair walked up and down the main shopping street, looking in shop windows and popping into a few shops that looked interesting. Having not found anything else to spend any money on, they headed back to Doona’s car a little early.
“We may as well drive over to the park,” Bessie said. “It’s a bit of a walk to the café and it’s the perfect day to go around the long way.”
The café was situated along the small boating lake in the centre of the park. Bessie and Doona walked slowly from the car park around the lake, arriving at the café only a few minutes before twelve. Thomas and Amy were sitting on a bench near the door.
“I hope we aren’t late,” Doona exclaimed.
“We were early,” Amy replied, “but I was hoping that I could have more time with my friends after lunch. A bunch of them are having a round of crazy golf at one. It should only take an hour.”
“Do you have to be home at any particular time?” Doona asked Bessie.
“No, not at all. I don’t mind spending an hour at the park after lunch,” Bessie replied.
“Maybe I’ll have a round myself,” Thomas said. “Although I’m not sure I want to play alone. Doona, I challenge you to an epic crazy golf battle.”
“Epic battle? I’m not sure I’m quite up for that, but I’ll give it a try,” Doona laughed.
“Bessie, you can join in as well,” Thomas added.
“Thank you, but I think I’ll miss it out and simply take another stroll around the lake,” Bessie replied. “I’ve never been especially good at crazy golf.”
The foursome enjoyed their lunch at the café. When they were finished, Doona smiled at the children. “Ice cream?”
“Oh, yes, please,” Thomas said quickly. Amy’s “Yes, please,” followed a moment later.
“I won’t,” Bessie said, “because I know what will be waiting for me at home.”
Doona stared at her for a minute and then grinned. “Dozens of brownies, that’s right. Maybe I won’t have ice cream either, then.”
“Brownies?” Amy asked.
“I have a friend staying with me at the moment,” Bessie explained. “He’s training to be a chef and while he’s staying at my cottage he’s working on a recipe for brownies. He told me that he’ll be baking several batches today to try different things.”
“Yummy,” Amy replied.
“You’re both welcome to try some of the samples when we get back to my cottage,” Bessie told them.
“Maybe we should skip ice cream too,” Amy said. She looked at her brother. “Nah,” they both said as they shook their heads in unison.
When the ice cream was eaten, Doona and the children headed for the crazy golf course. Bessie sat down on the nearest bench and let out a long sigh. She loved spending time with her friends, and John’s children were incredibly well mannered, but after spending the morning with Andy, she was grateful for some time on her own. After a few minutes, though, she began to get restless. She was never one for simply sitting around.
Getting to her feet, she began a slow stroll around the lake. She waved to Doona and Thomas as she passed them. Amy was in the middle of a crowd of teenaged girls and didn’t notice Bessie as she walked past. At the boat rental end of the lake, Bessie found another bench and sat down for a short while. She watched families and groups of teens renting paddle boats and taking them out for a trip around the lake. It looked like fun, but also like hard work. More than one father came back from the excursion dripping with sweat on the warm day.
There was another bench on the perimeter of the lake opposite the café. Bessie walked that far and then sat down and stretched out her legs. Very few people actually walked around the entire lake and for a moment she felt as if she had the entire park to herself. She could just see the crazy golf course, but the players were not much more than specks in the distance. Doona had promised to ring Bessie when they finished playing, so Bessie didn’t have to worry how the games were going.
She was trying to decide if she wanted to walk further or simply wait there until Doona rang when she heard footsteps approaching her. When she looked around, she was surprised to see Constance Hamilton walking towards her.
“Ah, I should have known someone would already be on my favourite bench,” the woman said as she reached Bessie. “I don’t suppose you’re planning to leave soon?”
Bessie was shocked by the woman’s words, and perversely, they made her want to stay right where she was. “I’m enjoying the view,” she said in the politest tone she could manage under the circumstances. “You’re welcome to join me, though.”
“I suppose that will have to do,” Constance replied. “I don’t want to go any further into the park. I’m trying to stay away from people.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, everyone is sorry, but no one really cares,” Constance sighed. “I’d get off this damn rock if I could, but they won’t let me leave.”
Bessie didn’t doubt that the police wanted to keep Constance on the island. She might have an unbreakable a
libi for the murder, but after she’d lied to them about her relationship with the dead man, it was hardly surprising they didn’t trust her.
“Yep, I’m stuck here,” Constance continued, “even though all I want to do is go home.”
“That’s a shame,” Bessie murmured, not sure what else to say. She wasn’t certain if the woman recognised her from any of the previous times they’d met, but she wasn’t about to remind Constance of them. Bessie was quite happy to play dumb if the occasion called for it. If Constance did remember Bessie from the church hall the night Walter had been murdered, she’d know that Bessie was fully aware of why she was stuck on the island.
“What about you? Do you live here by choice?” Constance demanded.
“Yes, I do, actually,” Bessie replied. “I’ve lived on the island for all of my adult life.”
“Really? And you haven’t died of boredom yet? I mean, you may only be twenty-five and just look older because you’ve nothing to do all day but wait to die, but I’d guess you’re closer to ninety than twenty.”
Bessie gave the woman an icy stare. “My age is none of your business,” she said after a moment, “and I don’t find the island boring in the slightest. It has an incredibly rich history, fascinating museums, all the necessary shops, excellent restaurants…” She trailed off when Constance held up a hand.
“Okay, I get it. You love it here. But then you’ve probably never lived anywhere else.”
“Actually, I grew up in Ohio in the United States,” Bessie told her.
“You grew up in the US and you’re happy here? I’d love to go and live in the US. My last partner and I were talking about doing that, you know. He was going to find us a way to move there before, well, before.”
“Before?” Bessie echoed.
“Before his wife murdered him,” Constance replied.
Chapter 12
“His wife murdered him?” Bessie gasped.
Constance looked around and then leaned closer to Bessie. “The police haven’t quite worked it out yet, but yeah, his wife killed him. I’m sure of it.”
“That’s a very serious allegation.”
Constance shrugged. “I can’t prove it, if that’s what you mean. She was very clever about it. She’s here with her family and some friends as well. I’m sure they’ll all give her an alibi so the police will never be able to charge her.”
“Surely her friends wouldn’t cover up a murder,” Bessie suggested.
“That brother of hers would, for sure. I used to be very good friends with Brandon. He’s a nasty piece of work, that guy.”
Bessie nodded. She certainly agreed with Constance’s opinion of the man. “Maybe he killed Walter, then.”
“Maybe. It was one of them: his wife, her brother, their father, one of them. And now they’re all covering up for one another, and I’m stuck here while the police waste their time looking into Walter’s past indiscretions.”
“Indiscretions?”
“Walter was, well, he didn’t always follow the rules. I’m sure he made a few enemies over the years, too, but don’t we all? No one was angry enough to kill him, except his wife and her family, though.”
“Why were they angry with him?”
“He left Dawn, didn’t he? And he ran away with me, even though Brandon thought we had some sort of a relationship. They couldn’t stand the thought of me and Walter living happily together.”
“But he wasn’t who he claimed to be,” Bessie pointed out. “How long was he planning to stay on the island?”
“We were happy here. Walter was going to start introducing me to people and letting people know that I was more than just the housekeeper. He was hoping to quietly get a divorce so that we could get married and simply stay here forever.”
Bessie wasn’t sure she believed the woman, and even if that’s what Walter had been telling her, she didn’t think those were actually the man’s plans. Was it possible that Constance had learned the truth and been angry enough to kill Walter? Maybe she’d deliberately established her alibi while an accomplice was off murdering the man.
“You haven’t had a chance to meet many people on the island, then?” Bessie asked.
“No, not really, and now I’m not interested in doing so. Without Walter, I don’t really want to be here. I’d have left already if the police would have allowed it.”
“You had some friends visiting from across the night that Walter died?”
“Yeah, I only told a few people where we were going when we left the UK, but one of them was already planning a week’s holiday over here. She managed to persuade a handful of others to join her, some I knew, and some I didn’t. Obviously, none of them knew that Walter was living here under a different name. That’s one of the reasons why he didn’t come to Douglas with me that night. We couldn’t afford to see any of his Laxey parishioners, could we?”
“That would have been awkward,” Bessie agreed. “Your friends knew that Walter was here, though?”
“None of them knew Walter, just that I’d moved here with a man. Anyway, I told them that we’d had a huge fight and he’d moved back across. I told them that I’d found a job as a housekeeper for the vicar in Laxey. They weren’t really interested in what I was doing, anyway. People would always rather talk about themselves.”
Including you, Bessie thought but didn’t say. “Of course, Walter’s wife didn’t know he was here, either, did she?” she wondered.
“She did,” Constance replied. “I, well, I may have said something to Brandon about our plans, you see. We were, well, very good friends for a time, and when Walter and I decided to go away, I, well, I mentioned to Brandon that we were leaving. Brandon and I stayed in touch. He was actually going to meet me in Douglas that night, but there was some sort of problem with their accommodations and he never managed to get away.”
“Or that’s what he’s telling you,” Bessie remarked thoughtfully.
“Oh, I believe him. He’s never been able to lie to me,” she said smugly. “He told me all about having to fill time while they waited for their cottage to be ready and then getting drunk with his mates. The only thing he’s evasive about is where his sister was while all of this was going on.”
“What about his father?”
“Lucas? He’s okay. I’m sure he was angry that Walter left Dawn, but as long as Dawn wasn’t planning to go back to him, I don’t think Lucas would have cared. He hated Walter, but all he was concerned with was keeping Dawn away from him.”
“Do you know either of Brandon’s friends?” Bessie decided to simply pepper the woman with questions. So far Constance hadn’t objected, even as Bessie had grown increasingly direct.
“Horace and Mike? They’re both dumb as rocks, really. Horace and I were friendly for a while, but it never went anywhere. Mike bought me dinner a few times, but I was never actually interested in him. I’m sure they’re both chasing after Dawn now that she’s a widow. Horace has been pinning for her for years, actually.”
“Can you imagine either of them as the murderer?”
Constance stared at her for a minute and then laughed. “What a question,” she exclaimed. “No, I can’t imagine either of them as the killer. Neither of them hated Walter. While Horace would love to get together with Dawn, there’s no way he’d actually kill anyone to accomplish that. He and Mike simply aren’t the type.”
“But Dawn and Brandon are?”
“Dawn is a vicious, nasty woman who was scorned, and her brother is cruel and brutish. I can see either of them killing Walter if they accidently came across him, and anyway, they knew he was here.”
“Brandon did, anyway.”
“Oh, he shares everything with his sister, or he would have told his father and Lucas would have told Dawn. Either way, I’m sure Dawn knew and planned the whole thing. She’s...”
Constance stopped talking when Bessie’s mobile began to ring. Bessie frowned as she answered the call.
“We’re ready when you are,” Doona
said brightly.
“I’ll meet you at the café in a short while,” Bessie replied tightly.
“Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine.” Bessie ended the call and dropped the phone back in her bag. “You were saying?” she said to Constance.
“Probably too much,” the woman replied. “I should be going, really.”
Before Bessie could react, Constance got to her feet and walked rapidly away. Bessie sighed deeply and then stood up and headed back towards the café. She’d learned a great deal more than she’d expected to learn, but she was still frustrated that Doona had interrupted the conversation.
“Is everything okay?” Doona asked again as Bessie joined her and the children on the bench in front of the café.
“I was talking with Constance Hamilton,” Bessie replied. “She had some interesting things to say.”
“And I interrupted,” Doona sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t know. She got up and left right after you rang me, so she probably wasn’t going to say anything more, anyway.”
Doona frowned. “I am sorry, though.”
“It’s fine. Let’s get home and see if there are any brownies ready.”
“Yay!” Amy shouted.
Thomas grinned. “I get Doona’s share, because I beat her at crazy golf.”
“That doesn’t seem quite fair,” Bessie said.
“That was the bet we made, though,” Doona told her. She winked at Bessie. “Maybe you can distract him long enough that I’ll be able to at least sneak a few crumbs or something.”
As they drove back to Laxey, Bessie got a hole-by-hole rundown the entire golf game between Thomas and Doona. By the time Doona had parked at Bessie’s cottage, Bessie felt as if her head were spinning.
“How was your game?” she asked Amy as they all climbed out of the car.
“We didn’t bother to keep score,” Amy replied with a shrug. “We were just having fun.”
Bessie grinned. She was sure that all three of the trio had had fun, but it seemed as if Doona had enjoyed herself the most. As she pushed open her cottage’s door, she breathed in warm chocolate and something else. The kids were already exclaiming happily about the smells as they all walked inside.
Aunt Bessie Questions (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 17) Page 18
