“I think the lawyer he consulted in the US told him something along those lines,” Fenella replied. “I hope he’s given up on the idea now.”
“If he hasn’t, and he gets in touch with you to discuss it, have him ring my office. Don’t talk to him about any legal matters.”
“I’ll do my best, but he is my brother.”
“Yes, but he may also be your opponent if he does decide to sue.”
“He won’t,” Fenella said with more confidence than she actually felt. “He can’t afford to sue even if he wanted to, and no matter how much he could use the money, he wouldn’t deliberately do anything to hurt me.”
“What does he do?”
“He’s a failed novelist,” Fenella told him. “He wrote one book, many years ago, and my other brothers insisted that he use his advance to buy himself a little house. He’s been there ever since, working hard on his second novel, but never actually writing anything.”
Doncan nodded. “Let me know if he gives you any trouble. On your way out, make an appointment with my secretary for next week. We’ll get your will sorted out, sooner rather than later.”
Fenella nodded. “That’s probably good.”
She made her way home with her head spinning. A will had never been something she’d even thought about. She was trying not to think about all of the zeros that had been on the sheet of paper Doncan had shown her. Donald’s not so intimidating now, is he, she thought. The idea made her giggle, and within a minute she was laughing hard. I’m like a zillionaire, she thought, or maybe not quite, but near enough that one or two zeros didn’t matter.
Forget the Isle of Man, I could buy my own island, maybe in the Caribbean or somewhere like that, she thought. Maybe I should buy a mansion on the beach or a summerhouse in the south of France. As she walked into her apartment building, she couldn’t stop giggling to herself as she mentally spent her fortune over and over again. When she opened the door to her apartment, Katie raced toward her.
“Merroww,” she said in what sounded like an apologetic tone.
Fenella frowned at her. “What have you done?” Experience told her exactly where to look. She’d forgotten to shut the door to her bathroom when she’d gone out. Katie had obviously taken that to mean that it was time to play with the toilet paper. There were strips of it all over the master bedroom floor. Tiny shredded pieces seemed to cover the bed, and it looked as if the kitten had assembled herself a large pile of squares and then jumped into the center of them, scattering them everywhere.
“That’s brought me back down to earth,” she sighed. “I’ve inherited a fortune and I still have to clean up after you.”
Katie winked at her and then disappeared, leaving Fenella to drag out the vacuum and clear away the mess. “I need to find a better solution than simply shutting the bathroom door,” she told her reflection as she pulled out a new roll of toilet paper. She looked around the large master bathroom. Maybe she should keep the paper in one of the vanity drawers rather than on the holder. It would be a bit of a pain when she needed it, but at least she wouldn’t have to worry about remembering to shut the bathroom door every time she went out. She was still musing over the matter when someone knocked on her door a short while later.
“Did you hear the news?” Shelly asked excitedly as Fenella let her into her apartment.
“Maybe,” Fenella grinned. “What news are you talking about?”
“Doncan Quayle just rang me. He told me that everyone who was at Mortimer Morrison’s memorial service will be getting a portion of the man’s estate.”
“I did hear that news, actually. Congratulations.”
“Yes, and to you, too,” Shelly replied. She leaned closer to Fenella and lowered her voice. “He said it would be a rather considerable sum, as well.”
“Yes, that’s what he told me, too, but I couldn’t really take it in as I was already in shock over how much Mona was worth,” Fenella confided in her friend.
“Mona never worried about money. I doubt she had any idea what she was worth. But I am excited for you. Are you fabulously rich? Richer than Donald, maybe?”
“As I’ve no idea how much money Donald has, I can’t possibly answer that question. But I’m super-mega-extra rich, if that gives you any idea.”
Shelly laughed. “I hope you’ll remember us little people as you climb over your mountains of money.”
“I will try to remember you, uhm, Stacey, was it?”
Shelly laughed again. “I suppose I should go and talk to Peter instead. I’m sure he’ll be excited about the inheritance from Mortimer. It won’t just be spare change for him like it is for you.”
Fenella shook her head. “It isn’t just spare change to me, even if I have oodles of money. I really can’t even begin to comprehend what I’ve inherited. Doncan said he didn’t want to share the specifics with me until I’d had time to get settled in, but now I think I wish he’d have waited a little bit longer. I’m not sure I’m ready to worry about what to do with all of my money.”
“Surely it’s Doncan’s job to worry about your money. You’re just meant to spend it.”
“Yes and no,” Fenella sighed. “What are you going to do with your inheritance from Moritmer?”
Shelly shrugged. “I was thinking that I might have a fabulous holiday somewhere, but then I started thinking about getting a new car or maybe even buying a larger flat. It’s a lot to think about.”
“Exactly, and I’m having to think about it on a larger scale.”
“What a wonderful problem to have, though,” Shelly suggested.
Fenella nodded. “Except the guilt is already starting. I have four brothers, and it doesn’t seem quite fair that they didn’t get anything from Mona. Maybe I should send them each a check or something.”
“You can’t feel guilty about the money from Mortimer, at least. Maybe we should go on an amazing holiday together.”
“That could be fun. Where would you like to go?”
“What about a cruise?”
“I got badly seasick on the ferry and it never even left the dock,” Fenella reminded Shelly. “I’m not sure I’d enjoy a cruise, even thought they do look wonderful.”
“Isn’t there anywhere you’ve always wanted to go?” Shelly asked.
“Paris, Rome, Venice, Barcelona, Monte Carlo,” Fenella rattled off a short list. “But I’d really need a tour guide in every one of them, one who could help with the language barrier and show me all of the important sights. That would probably be expensive.”
“I think you can probably afford it.”
Fenella laughed. “You’re probably right. It’s going to take some time for me to get used to having money.”
“How was your dinner with Donald last night? Are you going to end things with him now that you have more money than he does?”
“I wasn’t dating Donald for his money,” Fenella said quickly.
“Oh, I didn’t mean to suggest that you were. But I know part of his charm is that he spoils you. Now you can simply spoil yourself.”
“Yes, well, maybe, but anyway, dinner was delicious, but we ended up sitting next to Neil and his friends from across and that was unpleasant. And then, when we got back here, Donald said he doesn’t want to see me anymore.”
Shelly gasped. “I’m so sorry,” she said, pulling Fenella into a hug. “Did he give you a reason?”
“He said it was because he was afraid he was falling for me and he doesn’t want to fall in love again, or something like that.”
Shelly stared at her and then shook her head. “I don’t believe it. That sounds like something a man would say while trying to seduce a woman.”
Fenella giggled. “Yeah, it does, doesn’t it? I don’t know that I believe him, but he didn’t ask to see me again, or even walk me to my door after dinner.”
“Hmm, I wonder what he’s planning now.”
Fenella sighed. “I hate it when men play games like this. Actually, I’ve never had a man play game
s like this with me. Jack was always totally transparent and Chuck, well, he lied and cheated on me, but that was different.”
“Have you heard from Daniel lately?”
“Not since he called to complain about my getting myself caught up in another murder investigation,” Fenella told her.
Shelly frowned. “Maybe we need to find you a new man,” she said thoughtfully. “Gordon has a lot of friends.”
“I met a few of Gordon’s friends at the pub once. They were pretty awful.”
“He has some very nice friends, although some of them aren’t so great, I will admit. The problem is that Gordon is nice to everyone and everyone wants to be his friend, even a few unpleasant people.”
“Whatever, I’m not looking for a man right now. Now that I know that I’m wealthy, I shall have to be more careful about the men I date, as well.”
“Yes, that’s going to be a real worry, isn’t it?” Shelly said thoughtfully.
“I wonder if Mona ever worried that men were only attracted to her because of her money,” Fenella said thoughtfully. And where was Mona, anyway?
“If you’d ever met Mona, you wouldn’t ask that question. She was so beautiful and vibrant and, I don’t know, alive, that men flocked to her and would have done so even if she’d been penniless,” Shelly told her.
“Merroww?” Katie asked.
“Is it time for dinner already?” Fenella exclaimed. She looked at the clock and then shook her head. “It isn’t really,” she told the kitten. “You’ve another half hour to wait.”
“Meerrreeeeeeewww,” Katie complained.
“I’ll meet you in the middle. I’ll get your dinner for you in fifteen minutes.”
Katie looked as if she wanted to argue further, but after a minute she nodded and disappeared into the spare bedroom.
Shelly laughed. “Smokey is probably complaining to my empty flat. But what are you doing for dinner? I feel as if I want to celebrate my unexpected windfall.”
“We should go somewhere extravagant and I should treat.”
“I won’t object just this once, as you’ve only just learned the extent of your fortune,” Shelly said. “But only just this once. After tonight we go back to paying our own way when we go out. I always insisted on that with Mona, you know.”
“But where would you like to go?” Fenella asked.
“Do you think we could get a table at the really fancy place on the promenade?”
Fenella thought for a moment. “Oh, you mean the little place with the amazing chef from across? Donald took me there once. The food was incredible.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’ve heard, but it’s really expensive, too.”
“I wouldn’t know. My menu didn’t have any prices on it.”
Shelly laughed. “I suppose if you have to ask, you can’t afford it. But you can afford it, right?”
“I can and we should go there before I start feeling guilty about my newly discovered wealth and stop wanting to be extravagant.”
“They’re probably booked solid, though,” Shelly sighed.
“Maybe we can bribe someone to get a table,” Fenella suggested. “I’ve never tried it, but how hard can it be?”
Shelly giggled. “I’m not sure I’d be able to bribe anyone without messing it up, but maybe they’ll have had an unexpected cancellation or something.”
“We can hope. Let’s try, anyway. With everything else that’s happened today, it may be our lucky day.”
“There is that. And there are plenty of other restaurants near there if they can’t accommodate us.”
Shelly went home to feed Smokey and change into something more appropriate for the elegant and expensive restaurant. Once Fenella had filled Katie’s bowls, she opened Mona’s wardrobe and began searching for the perfect outfit.
“Where are you?” she said loudly as she did so. “I need help finding something to wear.”
Katie stared at her and then jumped into the wardrobe and began to paw excitedly at one of the dresses.
“You like this one?” Fenella asked, pulling the dress out and holding it up. “I mean, it’s pretty, but I don’t know.”
“Meeoooooooowwwwwww,” Katie replied, sounding offended. She jumped out of the wardrobe and stalked out of the room with her tail in the air.
Fenella sighed and then tried on the dress in question. As soon as she’d fastened the zipper, she knew Katie had been right. It was a gorgeous dress and was perfect for dinner with Shelly. She found the matching shoes and handbag and then fixed her hair and makeup. When Shelly knocked a few minutes later, Fenella was ready to go.
The restaurant was only a short walk away. As Fenella and Shelly approached the door, Shelly gave Fenella a worried glance. “It’s very busy,” she murmured.
Fenella looked at the long line of people who were obviously waiting for tables. The doorman caught her eye. “Ms. Woods?” he said. “Table for two, or do you have others joining you?”
“Um, just two,” she replied, caught by surprise by his greeting.
The man opened the door behind him and escorted Shelly and Fenella into the restaurant. “Enjoy your meal,” he told them before he shut the door.
“Why do you get such special treatment?” Shelly asked.
Fenella shrugged. “Maybe he remembers me from when I came with Donald,” she said.
“Ms. Woods, right this way,” another man said. He led Shelly and Fenella to a table in a quiet corner and assured them that their waiter would be right with them. He’d only gone a few steps when the waiter himself appeared.
The VIP treatment continued through three courses and a bottle of wine as Shelly and Fenella enjoyed delicious food and each other’s company. As Fenella washed down the last of her chocolate soufflé with what was left of her wine, she sighed.
“That was one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten,” she said. “It was worth every single penny, whatever it costs.”
Shelly grinned. “Mine was gorgeous, too. We’ll have to start coming here more often now that you’re rich and I’ve inherited a windfall.”
Fenella nodded. “We should treat ourselves more. We’ve both been careful with money our whole lives.”
“Was there anything else tonight?” the waiter asked as he cleared their table.
“Just the bill,” Fenella told him.
“Everything has gone on Mr. Donaldson’s account,” the man replied.
“Oh, but that isn’t right,” Fenella protested. “I don’t want Donald paying for our meal.”
“You’ll have to take that up with Mr. Donaldson,” the man told her. “I’m just following his orders.”
Fenella frowned at Shelly, who began to laugh. “It isn’t funny,” Fenella protested.
“No, it isn’t really, but this is exactly what used to happen whenever I went anywhere with Mona. Whenever she’d ask for the bill, someone else would have already paid it for her. I never could work out how she did it, but I never saw her actually spend any money.”
Fenella was tempted to call Donald and insist that he let them pay for their own meal, but things were awkward enough between them at the moment. She’d wait and talk about it when she next saw him in person, she decided.
“Let’s go to the pub,” Shelly suggested as they left the restaurant, walking slowly past the long line of people who were still waiting to get inside.
“We already had a bottle of wine,” Fenella reminded her.
“Yes, but we took our time over dinner. We were in there for nearly three hours.”
“We were?” Fenella looked at her watch and then shrugged. “I suppose we could pay a quick visit to the pub, then.”
“I’m just going to have a fizzy drink anyway. I just want to see all the cats and maybe look for a book,” Shelly told her.
“That sounds about right,” Fenella agreed.
The pair got sodas from the bar and then made their way up the spiral staircase to the upper level. The lower level of the pub had been nearly empty, a
nd the upstairs wasn’t much busier. Fenella headed toward a quiet corner, but she had only taken a few steps when she heard her name.
“Fenella, what a lovely surprise,” a loud voice called across the room. “Come and join us.”
Fenella turned and looked at Neil Hicks. He and his friends were sitting at one of the small tables.
He waved. “Come on over and chat,” he said. “We were just discussing Lance and some of the lies he told.”
12
Fenella looked over at Shelly, who raised an eyebrow. “Neil and his friends,” she whispered.
“Maybe we should talk to them,” Shelly suggested. “Especially if they’re talking about lies and Lance.”
“Yeah, we probably should, but I really don’t want to,” Fenella sighed.
Shelly winked at her. “Maybe we can solve the murder and then you’ll have a good reason to ring Daniel.”
“I don’t want to call Daniel.”
“Of course you don’t.”
Fenella flushed and then wished that she’d ordered a glass of wine instead of a stupid soda. She took a sip, and then she and Shelly crossed the room to where Lance and the others were sitting. She was surprised to see Laura siting next to Neil.
“Hello,” Neil said, smiling at Shelly. “I’m Neil Hicks.”
“Hi, I’m Shelly Quirk.”
“Ah, you’re the infamous Shelly,” he exclaimed. “I’ve been wanting to meet you, especially after everything that Lance said about you.”
“And you were just saying he was a liar, weren’t you?” Shelly replied.
Neil laughed. “But meet the others, and then we’ll talk,” he said. “This is my dear friend, Laura Munroe.”
Laura nodded at Shelly. “Another of Mona’s dresses?” she asked Fenella.
“Yes,” Fenella admitted, blushing. “She had such wonderful things, I can’t help but want to wear them all.”
Laura nodded. “I would do the same in your shoes. Of course, they aren’t your shoes, are they? They were Mona’s as well, weren’t they?”
Friends and Frauds (An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Book 6) Page 18
