Aunt Bessie Finds

by Diana Xarissa

  Bessie frowned and continued down the hall towards the lift. She was certain she’d put the mat the other way around and she knew that that mirror hadn’t been there when she’d gone to bed the night before. Perhaps Bahey was right. Perhaps there was something mysterious going on at Seaview Terrace.

  In spite of feeling slightly out of place on the unfamiliar beach, Bessie greatly enjoyed her walk. Although the beach was strange, the sea was an old friend and Bessie felt invigorated by the fresh salty air that she filled her lungs with as she strolled. The beach was still very quiet at this hour, though Bessie did nod and smile at a few other earlier morning walkers.

  When she went back into her building, she peeked down the corridor on the ground floor. The mirror that had been outside Simon’s flat was missing. Back upstairs, Bessie turned her welcome mat back around and then found a pen in the handbag she’d taken with her. She took down the mirror and quickly made a small mark in a corner on the back of the mirror’s frame. She rehung it and then let herself into her flat.

  She’d had toast and tea before her walk now she brewed herself some coffee, feeling as if the extra jolt of caffeine would be welcome after her restless night. As her time in Douglas was meant to be a holiday, Bessie decided to spend the day playing at being a tourist. She headed back down to the promenade and bought a ticket for the horse trams. She joined several families as they rode up and down the street behind “Matthew,” who didn’t seem the least bit bothered by the weight he was pulling.

  Bessie briefly considered a short trip on the electric railway, but as that would take her out of Douglas, it didn’t appeal. Instead, she made her way into the city centre, spending hours window shopping and buying herself tea at one of the town’s small cafés. An hour in the new bookstore rounded out the day nicely and Bessie returned to her flat feeling almost as if she were on a proper holiday.

  She fixed herself a light meal, still feeling quite full after her afternoon tea, and then settled in to read until she was tired enough to sleep. Her sleep was restless, as she still hadn’t become used to the strange noises in her new home. By six the next morning she was ready to be up and about.

  After her walk, while she waited for Bahey, she made a shopping list of everything she thought she would need for the party the next afternoon. She would have snacks and drinks, she decided, rather than proper food. That way it didn’t matter if people arrived all at once or just a few at a time. By the time Bahey knocked on her door, she had the list finished.

  “Ready to go?” Bahey asked her friend.

  “I am,” Bessie replied. She followed Bahey down to the car park and Bahey led her to Howard’s car, where he was waiting.

  “Bahey said you’re getting ready for Saturday,” he said after they’d exchanged greetings. “Are you going to be able to get everything you need at ShopFast?”

  Bessie shrugged. “I hope so,” she replied.

  “Well, I haven’t anything better to do today, so if you need to stop anywhere else, just let me know,” Howard told her.

  The drive was a short one and the trio split up in the store, each with their own lists. Bessie smiled as she watched Bahey pull a paper list from her bag, while Howard headed off, presumably with nothing but a mental list to shop from.

  An hour later, Bessie met the others at the tills. “I think I got everything I need,” she told Bahey. “I hope so, anyway, since I’m tired of shopping and probably broke as well.”

  Bahey laughed. “Well, your trolley is just about overflowing, so I guess that means it’s time to stop shopping.”

  For a moment Bessie wasn’t sure that everything was going to fit in Howard’s boot, but he managed to squeeze it all in. They made the short drive back to the apartment building and then Howard insisted on carrying everything in for Bessie and Bahey.

  “You two go on up and get the kettle on,” he said cheerfully. “I’ll be done before it’s boiled.”

  “Should we do tea in your flat or mine?” Bahey asked Bessie as they made their way into the building.

  “Oh, let’s do mine,” Bessie replied.

  With Howard following with some of Bessie’s shopping, they made their way into the lift and up to the first floor. Bessie quickly opened her door and went inside, with Howard following, with the heavy bags.

  Bessie filled her kettle with water and switched it on. While Howard made several trips back and forth to his car, Bessie worked on putting away the shopping he’d brought up for her. Then she piled biscuits onto a plate and pulled out her tea things. By the time Howard had finished by bringing up the handful of bags that were his and Bahey’s, the kettle had boiled. Bessie filled the teapot and set it on the table.

  “Shall I be mother?” Bahey asked as Howard came in and sank into one of the chairs.

  “Please do,” Bessie said. She carried the plate of biscuits over to the table, along with small plates for each of them. Bahey poured the tea and everyone ate and drank quietly for a moment.

  “I needed that,” Bessie said, after she’d finished her tea.

  “I did as well,” Howard told her. “Shopping is very tiring.”

  “Especially when you have to carry in the shopping for three people,” Bessie suggested.

  “I didn’t mind a bit,” Howard insisted. “I’m always happy to help.”

  “Well, I’m hugely grateful,” Bessie replied. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to get all that shopping bought and into the flat. I’m far less worried about tomorrow now.”

  “What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Bahey asked.

  “I’m hoping to talk to all of the neighbours,” Bessie told her. “I want to see if anyone else has noticed anything strange.”

  “I don’t know,” Bahey said. “Now that I’ve dragged you down here and made you move house and everything, I’m starting to think that I’m imagining things after all.”

  “Well, the mirror outside my flat isn’t imaginary,” Bessie told her. “And I didn’t put it there. And I’m certain someone turned my welcome mat around as well. They’re harmless enough things, but they’re strange.”

  “I’m relieved it isn’t just me that’s seeing these things,” Bahey told Bessie. “But now I’m worried that I’ve invited you into some sort of trouble.”

  “I’m only going to ask a few questions,” Bessie said. “If I think there’s anything other than a few odd pranks going on, I’ll be straight on to the police.”

  Before they could talk further, Bessie’s phone rang. She hadn’t brought her answering machine with her, so she felt she had little choice but to answer it.

  “Ah, Bessie, it’s Mary. I don’t suppose you were just sitting around feeling bored and would like nothing better than to come and spend the afternoon with me?” Mary Quayle said in answer to Bessie’s tentative hello.

  “I thought you’d be busy getting ready for the barbeque,” Bessie said, trying to give herself some time to think before answering.

  “George’s assistant hired some sort of party planning person and she’s done all of the work. All I have to do is turn up at four, ready to play at being the hostess,” Mary said.

  Bessie could hear dissatisfaction in her friend’s voice. “That makes it nice and easy for you,” she said.

  “Yes, easy and boring and makes me rather unnecessary,” Mary retorted.

  “I’m just in the middle of putting away some shopping,” Bessie said. “Give me a few minutes to finish that and I’ll grab a taxi and head over.”

  “Don’t do that,” Mary said. “I’ll send a car. He’ll be there in fifteen minutes or so.”

  Mary hung up before Bessie could reply. She looked at the receiver in her hand and sighed deeply. She liked Mary a lot, but sometimes the woman could be a little bit too high-handed.

  “Are you going out now, then?” Bahey asked.

  Bessie sighed again. “I guess so,” she said with a frown. “Mary and George Quayle are having a barbeque later this afternoon and I guess Mary is a bit bored waiting
for it to start. She’s sending a car to collect me.”

  “How very posh,” Bahey said with a laugh.

  “She’s very wealthy,” Bessie said, “but I don’t think she’s very happy.”

  Bahey nodded. “We both know money can’t buy happiness,” she said. “When I think about the Pierces, well, it’s just very sad, that’s all.”

  Bessie nodded. “It does often seem as if the wealthiest of families are the least happy,” she said as Howard and Bahey helped her tidy up the tea things.

  “I guess I should be grateful I’ve never had to worry about having money,” Bahey laughed.

  “My sister married into a quite wealthy family,” Howard interjected. “They all hate each other and most of them haven’t spoken in at least a decade. All over money, of course.”

  After she’d let Bahey and Howard out, Bessie changed into a summery dress and added a touch of makeup to her face. After combing her hair, she rang Doona at the police station in Laxey to let her know about the change in plans.

  “I don’t need you to pick me up,” she told her friend. “You can just go straight to the Quayle mansion after work. I’ll already be there.”

  “I was going to ring you anyway,” Doona replied. “It looks like I might have to work later than I’d planned. I should be at the barbeque by half five, but probably not any earlier.”

  Bessie made sure that her friend knew exactly where she was going, and then rang off. She was going to check her hair again when someone knocked on her door.

  The uniformed chauffeur made Bessie feel slightly uncomfortable, but she quickly had him chatting about his childhood and his family as he drove her to the Quayle mansion. He’d grown up in Port Erin, and Bessie ran through a list of everyone she knew in the south of the island until they found a few mutual acquaintances.

  “Thank you kindly for collecting me,” she told him when he pulled up to the front door of the enormous home.

  “Happy to do it,” the man replied with a bow. He helped Bessie from the car and then escorted her up the handful of steps to the front door. “Enjoy your evening,” he said, winking at her before he headed back to the car.

  The front door was pulled open by Mary herself. “Oh, there you are,” she said, sounding anxious. “I’m just a bundle of frizzled nerves for some reason.”

  Bessie gave her a hug and then followed her into the house. “Let’s have a walk in the garden and chat,” she suggested. “Maybe a glass of wine would help as well.”

  Mary laughed uncertainly. “That sounds great,” she said. She led Bessie through the foyer and down a long hallway, ducking into a huge kitchen that was full of gleaming appliances. Bessie couldn’t imagine what some of them were even for.

  “Can we open a bottle of wine, please?” Mary asked one of the kitchen staff.

  “Of course, ma’am,” the woman said smartly. “What would you like?”

  Mary shrugged and looked at Bessie, who laughed. “White?” Bessie asked. “I don’t know anything about wine, really, but generally I prefer white to red.”

  Mary smiled and then had a short conversation with the woman about wine types that Bessie didn’t understand. After a moment the woman nodded and disappeared. She was back only a few seconds later with a bottle of wine in her hand.

  “Would you like to taste it before I pour?” the woman asked Mary.

  “Oh, good heavens, no,” Mary laughed. “We’re going to take a walk around the grounds, so maybe you should put it into large glasses.”

  The woman nodded and then poured the entire bottle of wine into two huge glasses. Mary picked them both up off the counter and handed one to Bessie.

  “It isn’t the most elegant way of serving it,” she admitted after her first sip. “But this way we don’t have to worry about topping up our drinks.”

  Bessie took her glass gingerly. She’d never been given half a bottle of wine in one glass before and she wasn’t sure how much of it she actually wanted to drink. She took a cautious sip and then smiled at Mary. “This is delicious,” she said, surprised at how crisp and refreshing it tasted.

  “Let’s walk,” Mary said, leading Bessie back into the corridor. At the very far end of it, there was a door to the outside. Mary pulled it open and Bessie followed her out into the huge garden. It was meticulously manicured and felt almost too perfect to be natural.

  “It’s lovely,” Bessie said.

  “It’s overdone,” Mary said with a sigh. “George pays a small army of men a fortune to make sure that every leaf and flower grows in exactly the right place. Nothing is allowed to just go crazy and grow as it pleases.”

  Bessie made her way down the brick path that meandered through the shrubs and flowers. She sipped her wine and sighed. Maybe being very rich did have its advantages, she thought, as she wound around into another section of the grounds. Here everything was flowering and as Bessie looked from left to right, the colours moved from white, though the lightest of pinks, darker and darker until, at the walled edge of the section, dark red flowers bloomed.

  “The next section does something similar in shades of blue and purple,” Mary told her in a bored voice. “And then there’s a rainbow section. That’s where the barbeque is being held.”

  “How wonderful,” Bessie said, feeling slightly breathless.

  Mary laughed. “I suppose it is,” she said. “I’m rather jaded by now, I’m afraid. When George and I were first married, we lived in a little house and I did all of the gardening. My efforts were amateurish, at best, but I loved our little garden and our little house. This house and these grounds, they suit George, but they aren’t really me.”

  Bessie smiled sympathetically at her friend. “They are rather grand,” she said. “I feel as if I’m visiting a stately home in England, rather than a family home where real people live.”

  Mary nodded. “That’s exactly it,” she said sadly.

  The pair sipped their wine and walked slowly around the beautiful grounds of the estate. Mary seemed lost in her own thoughts and Bessie was happy to let her own mind wander as well.

  “Oh, goodness,” Mary said suddenly. “It’s nearly time for things to get started. I’d better get inside and finish getting ready.”

  Bessie looked at her friend’s gorgeous dress and perfectly done hair and makeup. “You look fabulous,” she told Mary.

  “I’m sure I need a fresh coat of lipstick, and my hair will need combing,” Mary said, running her hand over her hair. “I’ll just leave you in the library for a few minutes, if that’s okay?”

  “It’s more than okay,” Bessie said with a laugh. “You know that.”

  Mary showed Bessie to the library and then rushed away. Bessie sighed happily as she made a slow circuit of the room, pulling out books at random for inspection.

  “Ah, Bessie, tucked up in the library again?” George’s voice boomed from the doorway.

  Bessie slid the book she’d been looking at back into place and turned to greet the man. She smiled brightly at him so that he wouldn’t know how annoyed she was at being disturbed yet again.

  “Good afternoon,” she said. “Are you all ready for your barbeque?”

  “I think so,” George replied. “The staff are handling everything, of course. I just sign the cheques.”

  Bessie smiled, noting that George was carrying a glass with some amber-coloured liquid in it. He took a sip and then shrugged at Bessie.

  “It’s a party,” he said. “I thought a drink was appropriate.”

  “Mary and I have been drinking wine all afternoon,” Bessie replied.

  “I’m glad you were able to spend some time with her,” George said. “She’s ever so worked up about this party for some reason.”

  “I’m sure we’ll all have a wonderful time,” Bessie murmured.

  “Of course we will,” George said firmly.

  A woman in a dark suit now appeared in the doorway next to George.

  “Mr. Quayle, the guests have begun to arrive,” she sai
d.

  “Oh bother,” George said with a sigh. “I guess I have to go and play host, then.”

  He turned and strode away, leaving Bessie on her own to wonder at his words. She’d never known him to shy away from hosting duties in the past.

  Mary dashed in only a few moments later. “People are arriving,” she told Bessie. “Are you ready to come and be sociable? I don’t have a choice, of course.”

  Bessie smiled. “I suppose, as it’s a party, I should make the effort. I’d rather stay here and read, though, really.”

  “Me, too,” Mary said. The smile she gave Bessie looked forced. “Off we go, then.”

  The pair made their way through the house and out the back door again. Now Mary led Bessie down a different path and into a section of the grounds that she hadn’t seen before. They walked through a small gate in a long fence and Bessie felt as if she’d been transported somewhere else altogether.

  “It’s an American theme,” Mary muttered to her.

  Bessie shook her head. A large barn had been erected in the middle of the grass, but it looked as if it were hundreds of years old, with weathered boards that seemed to have been painted a very long time ago. There were gaps between some of the boards and some were missing altogether. The roof looked as if it were only just barely intact.

  She made her way into the barn and looked around. There were tables and chairs set up along one side of the barn and a large platform, presumably for dancing, was in place on the other side. A huge bar was set up in the back of the space. It appeared to be made entirely of bales of hay. Behind it, several young men dressed as cowboys were serving drinks to the small crowd that had arrived early. Through the gaps in the boards on one side of the barn, Bessie could see several large barbeque grills had been set up nearby. She could just smell the smoke as the men behind them fired them up.