Aunt Bessie Likes

by Diana Xarissa

  Mary had a huge luxury car and Bessie slid into the leather seat with a small sigh. “I think it’s almost as comfortable as my bed,” she murmured as Mary slid behind the wheel.

  “I do love this car,” Mary replied. “It’s comfortable and wonderful to drive.”

  Bessie settled back and watched the world go past as they made their way the short distance to Lonan. The road took them past the entrance to the farm where Susan Kelly had grown up and where her family still farmed. For a moment, Bessie was tempted to ask Mary to drive up to the farmhouse, but she reminded herself sternly that she wasn’t meant to be getting involved in the investigation as the car purred along. Exactly why she’d felt the need to visit Lonan today was something Bessie couldn’t have answered.

  Mary parked in the car park for the café and she and Bessie crossed to the door. There was a short queue waiting for tables, a sure sign that the café was continuing to be a success. When Carol Jenkins, her ponytail bobbing as she hurried back and forth, spotted Mary, she gasped.

  “You should have rung and told us you were coming,” she said. “Let me find you a table.”

  “We can wait,” Mary said.

  Bessie was conscious that everyone in front of them in the queue was now staring at them.

  “But you shouldn’t have to wait,” Carol argued.

  Mary held up a hand. “Really, Carol, it’s fine,” she said firmly. “All these lovely people have been waiting and they aren’t any less hungry than we are. We’ll wait our turn.”

  Carol looked as if she wanted to argue further, but she was interrupted by a couple who were leaving. By the time they’d made their way through the door, Carol was clearing their table. Within moments she’d shown the first couple in the queue to the vacant seats.

  “I hope you don’t mind waiting,” Mary said quietly to Bessie. “You know I hate getting special treatment.”

  “As do I,” Bessie replied. “Of course I don’t mind waiting.”

  While they waited, Bessie watched young Carol as she took orders, delivered food and chatted with customers.

  “She’s a very hard worker,” she remarked to Mary.

  “She is, yes, and so is Dan,” Mary replied, referring to Carol’s husband, who was the café’s exceptional chef.

  “You and George were smart to invest in them.”

  “We were. And they’ve repaid most of the investment now. I’ve insisted that we keep a tiny share in the place, as I love it here.”

  Bessie nodded. “I can understand that,” she said.

  With Carol working hard to clear tables as quickly as they became available, it wasn’t long before she was showing Bessie and Mary to a table.

  “I hope this is okay,” she said, glancing at the kitchen door that was quite close to the newly cleared table.

  “It’s fine,” Mary said firmly. “What is Dan doing today?”

  Carol smiled. “It’s American cuisine day,” she said brightly. “Our sampler platter gives you a small portion of meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy, a piece of boneless fried chicken, a piece of Cajun seasoned cod, and a pork cutlet in barbeque sauce.”

  Bessie’s stomach growled. “Yes, please,” she said quickly. The sampler platters at the café were what the place was known for and she’d never ordered anything else when she’d visited.

  “Make it two,” Mary said. “Should I ask what’s for pudding?”

  Carol laughed. “We’ve kept to the theme,” she told them both. “Our pudding, or rather, dessert, sampler has a hot chocolate chip cookie, a tiny apple pie, a mini brownie with ice cream and a lemon meringue tartlet.”

  “Yes, please, again,” Bessie laughed. “Although I might need it packing up for takeaway.”

  “We can do that,” Carol promised. “I’ll just get your drinks and your food for now.”

  “So how are you?” Bessie asked her friend as they settled back with cups of tea.

  “I’m doing well,” Mary replied. “George has been mostly persuaded that we should move to Laxey and sell the house in Douglas. I think it will be good for Elizabeth to have us under the same roof with her, even if she doesn’t agree.”

  Bessie nodded. “She’s all recovered from what happened on New Year’s Eve?” she asked.

  Mary shrugged. “As far as I can tell,” she said. “She won’t talk to me about it, so I’m hoping she is.”

  The food arrived to change the difficult subject and neither woman spoke for some time as they devoured the delicious meal.

  “That was incredible,” Bessie told Carol as she cleared their plates. “I didn’t think I’d finish it, but everything was so good that I couldn’t stop myself.”

  Carol nodded. “I know what you mean,” she said with a rueful smile. “It’s a good thing we’re busy or I’d weigh twenty stone. Did you want your sweet course now or for takeaway?”

  Mary and Bessie exchanged glances and Bessie laughed. “I’m stuffed, but I can’t resist,” she said. “I’ll have mine now.”

  “Oh, thank you,” Mary said with a laugh of her own. “I wanted to say that, but I didn’t want to seem greedy.”

  “I have something I need to talk to you about,” Carol said, looking nervous. “I’ll join you for a moment when I’ve brought pudding, if that’s okay.”

  “Of course it is,” Mary agreed quickly.

  Carol was back before Bessie and Mary had more than a moment to speculate on what Carol wanted. She set plates in front of them and then pulled over an extra chair. While Bessie dug into her treats, Carol gave Mary an apologetic look.

  “What is the matter?” Mary asked. “I’m sure we can work it out, whatever’s wrong.”

  Carol nodded. “I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if I took some time off,” she said hesitantly.

  “Time off?” Mary echoed. “I mean, of course you can. I assume you’ll find someone to take your place?”

  “Oh, yes, we’re actually interviewing candidates starting today,” Carol told her. “The first one is due any minute now. I was going to ring you once we’d found someone, actually, so you’d be happy we have things under control.”

  “This café is your livelihood,” Mary said. “I’ve absolutely no doubt that you have things under control.”

  Carol blushed and then looked down at the table. “The thing is, Dan and I are hoping to start our family. He thinks waiting tables is too hard work for me if I were to fall pregnant. He wants me to take some time off to focus on that.”

  Mary beamed at the girl. “What wonderful news,” she said. “And Dan is quite right, you shouldn’t be hauling trays full of food around, on your feet all day, if you don’t have to be. You’ve both worked so hard to get the business to this point, where you can afford to hire someone else. I’m proud of you both.”

  Carol looked relieved as she sat back in her chair. “I was afraid you’d think we weren’t still committed to the café,” she said.

  “If you’ve another little mouth to feed, I’d expect you to be even more committed,” Mary replied.

  Carol nodded. Behind her the door to the café opened. Bessie looked up and blinked as she realised who was in the doorway.

  “Carol Jenkins?” the woman asked, glancing around the room.

  Carol stood up and smiled at the new arrival. “You must be Amy Kelly,” she said.

  “I am,” the woman replied. She crossed the room to where Carol was standing and offered her hand. Her eyes met Bessie’s a moment later.

  “If you’d like to come with me,” Carol said, “we can talk in the kitchen.”

  “That’s fine,” Amy agreed. “But after we’ve talked, I’d like a word with Bessie, please.”

  Bessie flushed as Carol and Mary both looked at her in surprise.

  “I’ll wait here for you,” she said to Amy.

  “Thank you,” Amy said.

  Carol looked from Bessie to Amy and back again and then shrugged. She turned and led the other woman out of the room.

  Chapter Three


  “You don’t have to stay,” Bessie said to Mary as the other two women disappeared into the kitchen. “I don’t know how long Amy will be and I’ve no idea what she wants to talk to me about, so I don’t know how long that will take.”

  Mary smiled. “I’ll stay for a little while,” she said. “I can sip my tea and enjoy my extravagant puddings before I worry about anything else.”

  Bessie dug into her apple pie and took a bite. “This is so good,” she said. “The mix of sweet and cinnamon with tart apples is perfect.”

  “It is good, but I like the brownie better,” Mary replied. “I prefer chocolate every time, I think.”

  Bessie laughed and tried her brownie. “Also an excellent choice,” she agreed. “But I can kid myself that I’m eating fruit with the apple pie.”

  “There is that,” Mary conceded. “Which reminds me, or rather it doesn’t, but I’ve just remembered there was something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “I hope everything is okay,” Bessie said quickly.

  “Oh, everything is fine,” Mary assured her. “But George and I have been invited to your young friend Hugh’s upcoming nuptials. I think Hugh may have felt he had to ask us, as we were there to help celebrate the engagement. Anyway, George and I want to do something special for the pair of them, but I don’t feel I know them well enough to get it right. I was hoping you might have some ideas for me.”

  Bessie nodded and sipped her tea while she thought. An idea had been turning around in her head since yesterday but she wasn’t completely convinced that it was a good one. She nibbled her way through her chocolate chip cookie while she thought. Mary worked on her own selection of treats while she waited for Bessie’s reply.

  “I’ve been thinking,” Bessie said eventually, “but I’m not sure if I’ve had a good idea or a bad one.”

  “I’m intrigued,” Mary replied.

  Bessie laughed. “I don’t know that it’s intriguing, but I was talking to Hugh last night and he was saying that he was sorry he can’t take Grace away on a proper honeymoon. They’re booked into the Seaview for a week, but that isn’t exactly the most romantic of getaways.”

  “No, Ramsey wouldn’t be on my short list for a honeymoon,” Mary agreed quickly.

  “I was thinking that I’d love to send them to Paris for a week,” Bessie continued. “I’m sure flights won’t be too dear, but then there is a hotel and meals and drinks and sightseeing and souvenirs. I wouldn’t want to send them to Paris only for them to not be able to properly enjoy themselves.”

  “It’s perfect,” Mary said. “If you can manage the flights, I’m sure George and I can find them a nice little hotel. Actually, a few years ago we stayed in the perfect place. It’s centrally located and small enough to be cosy but large enough to allow for some privacy. They had a gorgeous honeymoon suite with a huge en-suite with a jetted tub. It will be ideal.”

  “It sounds wonderful,” Bessie said. “Do you think we should talk to Hugh about it or try to surprise them both?”

  Mary thought for a moment. “I’d rather surprise them both at the wedding, if we can,” she said eventually. “It will be so much more fun that way.”

  Bessie nodded. “It just seems like a huge undertaking, planning all of it without letting either of them know.”

  “Do you know Hugh’s parents? Or Grace’s?”

  “I know Hugh’s, at least in passing,” Bessie said. “I’m afraid I don’t know Grace’s family at all.”

  “Then it’s time to meet them,” Mary said. “They live in Douglas, don’t they? Maybe I should talk to them while you deal with Hugh’s side of things?”

  “Are you sure?” Bessie asked. “I don’t want to add more work to your very busy life.”

  “This will be a distinct pleasure,” Mary assured her. “I don’t know Hugh all that well, but I like him a lot. He’s a fine young man and Grace is a lovely young woman. As my Elizabeth isn’t showing any signs of settling down soon, it will be nice to plan something exciting for a young couple in love.”

  “I’ll ring Hugh’s mum later today or tomorrow and see if she wants to meet for tea,” Bessie said. “The first thing we need to do is make sure they both have passports.”

  Mary laughed. “That would rather nip things in the bud, wouldn’t it?” she agreed. “If we pay for the hotel and you pay for the flights, do you think some of their other friends would be willing to contribute towards meals?”

  Bessie nodded. “I’m sure Doona will, and maybe she can get everyone at the station to help out. I don’t want anyone to feel like they have to contribute, though, if they already had a gift in mind.”

  “But Hugh’s had his own place for a while now, surely he has all the household things he needs,” Mary pointed out. “I know I didn’t have any idea what to get them.”

  “Both sets of parents are helping with the deposit on their first house,” Bessie said. “That’s why Hugh and Grace are paying for the wedding themselves.”

  Bessie scraped the last of her pudding up with her spoon. After she’d washed it down with the last of her tea, she sighed deeply. “I ate too much, but it was totally worth it,” she told Mary.

  “Snap,” Mary laughed.

  Carol was there to clear the dishes only a moment later. “Amy is talking to Dan now, so I thought I’d better get back out here,” she said as she gathered up plates and cups. “Would you like more tea or anything else?”

  “No, I think we’re both quite full up,” Mary said. “I hope you don’t mind if we wait here until Amy is ready to talk to Bessie.”

  “Of course not,” Carol replied. “It’s quiet now; you’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

  Bessie and Mary chatted a bit more about their plans for Hugh and Grace while they waited. It wasn’t long before Amy walked out of the kitchen, looking happy. Carol met her as she reached Bessie and Mary.

  “Dan has asked me to work a few days as a trial,” she told Carol. “I’ll start with dinner tomorrow night, if that’s okay with you.”

  “It’s more than okay with me,” Carol said. “Lunch was busy, but dinner can get crazy, even on a Wednesday. I’ll be happy to have the help, but you need to work out whether you could handle the job on your own.”

  Amy nodded. “That’s exactly what Dan said,” she replied. “But I love a challenge.”

  “Good,” Carol laughed.

  “If I could just have a few minutes of your time,” Amy said to Bessie. “I hope it won’t take long.”

  “I’m going to go over the road to fill up with petrol,” Mary said. “I’ll check back in here before I’m ready to head back to see if you’ve finished.”

  Bessie nodded. “But don’t feel as if you need to wait for me,” she told Mary. “I can get a taxi. It won’t be a problem.”

  Mary nodded and then made her way out of the café, waving to Carol as she went. “I’ll settle the bill when I get back,” she called.

  Carol waved and shook her head. “It’s on us,” she said.

  “It isn’t,” Mary retorted, disappearing though the door before Carol could reply.

  “Have a seat,” Bessie told Amy, gesturing to the chair that Mary had just vacated. “Would you like tea or coffee or something?”

  “No, I’m fine,” Amy said. She took a deep breath and then looked down at the table.

  “What can I do for you?” Bessie asked quietly.

  “I know you’re friends with Inspector John Rockwell and Constable Hugh Watterson,” Amy said after an awkward pause. “Everyone knows that you’ve been involved in some murder investigations with them.”

  “I have,” Bessie replied, wondering where the conversation was going.

  Amy took another breath and then looked up at Bessie. There were tears in her eyes. “Please, ask them not to reopen the investigation into Helen’s disappearance,” she said.

  Bessie hoped her face didn’t show how surprised she was. She sat back in her chair and studied the other woman.
Amy had been a pretty young woman, but she’d aged since Bessie had last seen her. Bessie did the math in her head and realised with surprise that Amy had to be over sixty now. In spite of the lines that stress had added to her face, she didn’t look that old to Bessie.

  “Why?” she asked softly.

  “For the first month after she disappeared I was convinced that she was going to ring me every day,” Amy replied, tears beginning to slowly flow down her face. “I kept waiting for the phone to ring, for the door to burst open, for something. The police kept asking questions, acting like they thought something terrible had happened, but I didn’t, I couldn’t believe it.”

  She stopped and Bessie quickly dug in her handbag for some tissues. Amy took one silently and wiped her eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” Bessie said, feeling ineffectual.

  “After a while, the police stopped asking questions,” Amy continued. “Everything went back to normal, except that Helen wasn’t there anymore. Because she had lived with her father mostly, before the disappearance, I could simply tell myself that she was with him and forget, at least some of the time. Forgetting was the only way I could function.”

  Bessie had never felt like she’d missed out on anything by not having children, but now she felt oddly grateful that she’d never had to deal with the sort of grief she could see in Amy’s eyes. “I wish I knew what to say,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

  Amy nodded. “Thank you. Some people have never even said that. Harold and I were divorced and I let him have custody. Some people thought that allowing him custody meant that I didn’t love my children. Giving up custody was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I did what was best for Helen and Henry. They deserved continuity and stability and there was no way I could offer them that, not under the circumstances I found myself in. But I never stopped loving my children. I saw them as often as I could and was as much a part of their lives as I could be.”

  Bessie patted the woman’s arm. “But surely you want to know what happened to Helen?” she asked.

  “I really don’t,” Amy replied emphatically. “It’s been nearly thirty years. If she were able to, she would have contacted someone by now. They say not knowing is harder, but I don’t want to know. She must be, that is, she can’t still be…” Amy trailed off and looked down at her hands. They were tightly clenched.