Friends and Frauds (An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Book 6)

by Diana Xarissa

“Let’s see if he’s available,” Mark suggested. “Do you want to ring him or shall I?”

  “You probably should. The request would sound better coming from you,” Fenella told him. And we sort of aren’t speaking, as well, she added to herself.

  Mark made a phone call. “My office is going to ring him and ask him to meet us here,” he told Fenella when he’d disconnected. “That’s if he’s even on the island at the moment. While we wait to hear back, let’s talk about something else and give your brain a break.”

  “Like what?”

  “Seen any good movies lately?”

  Fenella chuckled. “I haven’t been to the movies on the island yet. Is there anything showing that you would recommend?”

  It turned out that Mark was a huge fan of science-fiction films. He filled half an hour with reviews of a number of movies that Fenella had never heard of and had no interest in seeing. When someone knocked on the door, she was relieved to end the conversation.

  “Are you okay?” Donald asked, his face full of concern as Fenella let him into the apartment.

  “I’m fine. Mark just wanted to talk to you about something I remembered from our dinner the other night,” Fenella replied.

  Donald pulled her into a hug. “Thank goodness. I was called out of a meeting to be told that the police needed to see me at your flat immediately. I came in a taxi because I was too upset to drive.”

  Fenella hugged him back. “I’ll give you a ride back to wherever you need to go,” she replied. “Thank you for dropping everything to get here.” She turned and looked at Mark. “I do think that things could have been handled differently,” she said sharply.

  “Yes, I’ll have a word with my office. They were meant to make it sound important, but they certainly should have offered some reassurances as well,” Mark said, making a note in his phone.

  “But what is this all about, then?” Donald asked.

  Fenella opened her mouth to reply, but Mark held up a hand. “I’d like you to do your best to repeat everything that was said over the dinner that you had with Fenella in Laxey. She’s remembered someone saying a particular phrase that’s of interest to me. I’m hoping you’ll remember the same phrase and that you’ll be able to tell me who said it.”

  Donald nodded. “I can do my best, but it was several days ago.”

  “I understand that. Perhaps you’d like a drink before we begin?” Mark offered.

  “No, no, I’m fine,” Donald said. He sat down on one of the couches and then settled back on the seat. “I’ll begin when the others came in, shall I? I immediately suggested to Fenella that would should move to a different table, but she was happy to remain where we were.”

  “And then what happened?” Mark asked.

  “Neil told us that they were celebrating Lance’s life,” Donald recalled. “Fenella asked how long they’d all known the man.”

  Fenella was relieved that Donald remembered the conversation much the same way she had. Mark took him as slowly as he possibly could through the evening.

  “When the wine came, everyone did a toast of sorts, to Lance,” Donald recalled.

  “Can you remember exactly what was said?” Mark wondered.

  “They were all along the lines of what a good businessman Lance had been, things like that.”

  “Try to recall what each man said in turn,” Mark urged him.

  Donald nodded. “Neil started and said something about the man deserving friends but being stuck with him instead. I believe Adrian went next and said he wished he’d had a chance to get to know the man better. This was before we knew that he wasn’t really Lance Thomas, of course.”

  “Yes, of course. What did the other two say?” Mark asked.

  “Eric said something about how much money he’d made thanks to Lance and Jared said that Lance had almost persuaded him to retire to the island before he’d managed to get himself murdered.”

  Fenella jumped up. “That was it,” she exclaimed. “He said he’d almost decided to retire here before Lance was murdered in his bed.”

  “Is that how you remember it, too?” Mark asked Donald.

  “I truly don’t remember the exact words, but it was something like that,” Donald agreed.

  Mark frowned. “The exact words matter, but at this point I’ll take what I can get. Are you both sure it was Jared who was talking?”

  “Yes,” Fenella said definitely.

  “Pretty sure,” Donald told him. “It was either him or Eric, as I remember what the other two said pretty clearly.”

  Mark nodded and then made some notes before he continued. “Take me through the rest of the evening,” he told Donald.

  Fenella sat and listened as Donald did his best to recall the conversation. As far as she could remember, he got things mostly right. When he was done, Mark nodded and got to his feet.

  “Thank you both for your time,” he said. “I’d appreciate it if you both stayed away from Neil Hicks and his business associates for the next couple of days. They should be off the island before too much longer, one way or another.”

  “I’m meant to be going sightseeing with Adrian tomorrow,” Fenella said.

  “Yes, well, we’ll see about that,” Mark replied. He strode to the door. “I’ll be in touch,” he said.

  Fenella let him out and then turned to look at Donald, who was on his feet as well. When he reached Fenella, he enveloped her in another embrace.

  “I’ve been telling myself that I didn’t really miss you, that there are plenty of other women out there, and that you were just a passing fancy,” he whispered as he held her close. “And I was wrong on all counts. When I was told the police needed me here, I was convinced that something awful had happened to you.”

  “I’m fine,” Fenella reminded him.

  He squeezed her tightly and then lifted his head. “And I’m well and truly crazy about you,” he said softly before he kissed her gently. As the kiss deepened, Mona began to cough lightly. As Mona got louder, Fenella had to stop Donald.

  “I’m sorry,” she said as she pushed him away gently. “But we need to talk.”

  “Yeah, I know, but kissing is more fun,” Donald replied.

  “I think diamonds are the most appropriate apology, don’t you?” Mona asked.

  “Merrwoow,” Katie said.

  Fenella looked at the clock. “It’s later than I realized. It is time for your dinner,” she told the cat.

  “And mine,” Donald said. “Join me?”

  Fenella hesitated and then nodded. “I’d like that,” she said. “Let’s just hope we don’t run into Neil and his friends.”

  Since Donald didn’t have his car with him, Fenella drove.

  “This is a wonderful car,” Donald said as he settled into the passenger seat. “Let’s go down to Castletown for dinner. The trip won’t take long in this car.”

  Donald was right. Fenella was almost disappointed at how quickly the journey seemed to go. If she hadn’t been so hungry, she might have kept going to Port Erin or even made a compete trip around the entire island.

  The restaurant that Donald had suggested was small and quiet. They got a table in a small nook and settled in.

  “The food is excellent,” Donald told her. “And so is the wine list.”

  “I don’t drink when I’m driving,” Fenella replied.

  Donald nodded. “Very sensible. They have some unique nonalcoholic drinks as well.”

  Fenella settled on a fruit juice concoction that sounded interesting. “It tastes like summertime and sunshine,” she told Donald.

  He laughed. “It tastes like berries and lemons to me, but your description is more interesting.”

  “I’ve really missed you,” Donald told her while they ate. “I hope you can forgive me for behaving like an idiot and give me another chance.”

  “I don’t think you behaved like an idiot,” Fenella said. “You were trying to protect your heart.”

  “Unfortunately for me, I hadn’t realized
that it was already too late,” Donald sighed. “Now that I’ve realized how I really feel, though, I will be putting more time and effort into pursuing you.”

  Fenella wondered what that meant, but was afraid to ask.

  “Perhaps we should celebrate our reconciliation with a trip,” he suggested. “I keep mentioning Paris and you never agree, so how about somewhere else? Venice? Rome? Barcelona? Where would you like to go?”

  “I’m not ready to go away with you,” Fenella told him. “I really want to take things slowly.”

  “We can go away and stay in separate rooms,” Donald offered. “No pressure, I promise. I just want to get to know you better. And when I’m on the island, I seem to end up working all the time.”

  “Let’s not worry about it for tonight. Let’s just enjoy dinner.”

  After dinner, they put the top down on the car and Fenella drove back to Douglas. With Donald’s encouragement, she then kept driving north all the way to Ramsey.

  “It’s a great car,” Fenella said. “I’m so glad I learned how to drive it.”

  “It suits you,” Donald told her.

  “I don’t know about that, but I do love it.”

  Donald walked her to her door. “I’ll say good night here,” he said. “I truly don’t want to put any pressure on you.” He gave her a kiss that made her toes curl. What could he have done if he was actually trying, she wondered as she let herself into her apartment.

  “Did you have a nice evening?” Mona asked.

  “Yes, very,” Fenella replied. “Your car is wonderful.”

  “Yes, I know. Shelly has been over twice, knocking on the door. I don’t know what she wants.”

  Fenella nodded and then headed for the door. She was halfway to it before she realized that she couldn’t simply appear on Shelly’s doorstep without an explanation. Telling Shelly that the ghost of her dead aunt had told her that she’d visited probably wasn’t the best idea. While she was trying to think of an excuse to go next door, someone knocked.

  “Shelly, come in,” Fenella said, giving her friend a hug. “Is something wrong?”

  “Not really, I suppose,” Shelly replied. “I had a text from Adrian, that’s all. He can’t make it tomorrow.”

  “Are you terribly disappointed?”

  “I’m a little disappointed, as I was hoping he could answer some of my questions, but I’m also somewhat relieved, as I didn’t really like him. He’s supposed to text me again when he’s ready to do some sightseeing.”

  “I wonder what happened? He seemed really keen this afternoon.”

  “Is it too much to hope that the police have had a breakthrough on the case and have started arresting Lance’s friends?” Shelly asked.

  Fenella thought back to her conversation with Mark. “It’s possible,” she said. “I know they’re working hard.”

  She let Shelly out and then got herself ready for bed. It had been a very long day, full of many ups and downs. Driving Mona’s car had been the best part, she decided, although dinner with Donald had been pretty good, too.

  Katie was already in place when Fenella crawled into bed. She fluffed her pillows and then settled in, trying to clear her mind. Her dreams were once again full of men demanding her hand in marriage, but this time it was Neil and his friends who were doing the asking. Fenella kept rushing around the room, shouting no at each of them in turn, but they all simply kept asking, over and over again. When Katie woke her by tapping on her nose, Fenella was so happy to escape the dream that she didn’t even complain about the time.

  15

  The local paper didn’t mention Lance or his murder the next day or the day after that. Adrian didn’t text Shelly again, and she and Fenella were both starting to wonder what was going on when Mark paid Fenella a visit. She and Shelly were playing with the cats while Mona looked on.

  “Good afternoon,” he said. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

  “No, not at all. Come in,” Fenella said. “Would you like a cold drink or tea or coffee?”

  “A cold drink would be great,” Mark told her. “I have a few things to share with you. Shelly may as well hear them, too, as you’d probably ring her the moment I left, anyway. It’s all going to hit the local papers tomorrow, and it’s probably already on their website.”

  “What’s happened, then?” Fenella asked.

  Mark took his drink and settled on one of the couches. He stared out at the sea for a moment, while the three women stared at him. When he looked around, he shrugged. “I love your view,” he said. “I could sit here all day.”

  “And you’re welcome to do so,” Fenella told him. “After you’d told me why you’re here.”

  “Ah, yes, well, we’ve arrested Jared Welch for the murder of Lance Thomas, also known as Robert Hanson. It was your comment about someone saying that he’d been murdered in his bed that pointed me in the right direction, so thank you.”

  “I’m glad I could help,” Fenella said as Mona silently applauded.

  “But why did he kill Lance?” Shelly asked.

  “From what Jared has said, it was all to do with a con that went wrong. It seems the group was planning several different things for the island, and almost as soon as Lance arrived, things started going wrong.”

  “You can’t stop there,” Shelly exclaimed. “Not when I was meant to be one of the victims.”

  “I can’t be totally certain that everything Jared has told me is true, but from what he’s said, he was meant to be the man claiming to have known your husband in childhood. The group worked out the cons together, and they were all intertwined. It seems that Lance took it upon himself to use the story Jared had developed on you before Jared got the chance to meet you himself.”

  “Wow. I don’t feel sorry for Jared, really, but that does seem rather nasty,” Fenella said.

  “Apparently, it wasn’t the first time Lance had done something like that,” Mark said. “In the past he’d always managed to make enough money to placate his disgruntled business associates, but this time Jared felt as if he’d had enough. Or at least that’s how Jared tells the story.”

  “So he killed Lance,” Fenella sighed.

  “But how did they even find me?” Shelly asked.

  “That’s an interesting story, too,” Mark replied. “From what I’ve learned, Adrian actually grew up on the island. As I understand it, he’d been planning to move back here for years. He used to get the island paper when he was in London, and he apparently used it to plan several different cons. When he mentioned his plans to Lance, it seems things snowballed from there.”

  “Why didn’t he approach me, then?” Shelly wondered.

  “Because he was afraid people on the island might remember him,” Mark explained. “That’s why he grew the moustache, to disguise his appearance. Apparently he was quite the troublemaker when he lived on the island and he left behind a few angry former girlfriends as well as some unhappy family members. Adrian Graves isn’t his real name, either.”

  “None of this is making any sense,” Shelly sighed.

  “Have they all been arrested, then?” Fenella asked.

  “Jared has, for Lance’s murder,” Mark replied. “Adrian is being sent back to the UK, where he’s wanted for questioning in connection with several different cases. I’m not sure where that will all end up, but we’ve nothing to charge him with over here. Eric has been allowed to leave the island, but the UK police are taking a good hard look at him and his business practices.”

  “What about Neil?” Fenella demanded.

  “For the moment, we can’t find anything to charge him with,” Mark told her. “The police in the UK have been watching him for a while, and our fraud department has kept a close on eye on him, too. He seems to have just about managed to stay on the right side of the law, even if it’s been a close-run thing more than once. He’ll be back in London tomorrow, and I doubt we’ll see him on the island again in a hurry.”

  “I’m glad you worked out
who killed Lance,” Shelly said. “I’ll sleep better knowing the killer is behind bars.”

  “Thank you again for your help,” Mark told Fenella as he got to his feet. “I hope you won’t take this the wrong way, but I hope I won’t see you again before Daniel gets back.”

  Fenella chuckled. “I don’t want to see you again, ever,” she told the man.

  “Now that’s a bit extreme,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind bumping into you in a restaurant or some such thing, but I’d rather not find you mixed up in any more murders.”

  “I’d rather not get mixed up in any more murders,” Fenella replied firmly.

  “Just a few more weeks until Daniel is back. I was happy to take over from him, but now I’m looking forward to going back to the drugs and alcohol unit.”

  “I’m sure Daniel will be happy to be back, too,” Shelly said.

  “I don’t know about that. He’s already taking a few extra days to go and visit some Scottish island with a woman he met on the course. It sounds even more remote than our little island, and with much worse weather. I suppose if there’s a woman involved, he probably won’t care about the weather, though, will he?”

  Fenella felt as if she’d had the wind knocked out of her. Mona looked concerned as Shelly jumped up.

  “You stay there,” she said to Fenella. “I’ll show Mark out. You should relax and enjoy feeling as if you solved the case for him.”

  Mark nodded. “It would have taken longer without your help, that’s for sure,” he told her.

  Shelly let the inspector out and then rushed back to Fenella. “I’m so sorry,” she said, pulling her into a hug.

  Fenella let a few tears fall before straightening up and wiping her eyes. “We agreed that we could both see other people,” she said. “I can’t blame him for doing so. I’ve been spending time with Donald, after all.”

  “Yes, but, well, I mean,” Shelly stammered. She shook her head. “I’m just sorry, that’s all.”

  “I’m sorry, too, but Daniel has to make his own decisions. I’m sure the woman on his course is perfect for him, too. She’ll understand about police work and all of that.”