Aunt Bessie Likes

by Diana Xarissa

  “Yes, well, I keep the kitchen clean, anyway; let’s go in there,” the woman suggested.

  Bessie followed her down the short corridor to the small kitchen at the back of the house. As she walked, Bessie thought that it was easy to see why Hugh looked as young as he did. His mother didn’t look a day over forty, although Bessie knew she was at least a decade older. As Bessie joined the woman at the table that just about filled all of the floor space the room provided, she realised with a start that she couldn’t remember the woman’s first name.

  “Oh, look at me, sitting down like I’m the guest,” the woman laughed, jumping up. “I just made sandwiches and the like and I have some soup as well.”

  Within minutes the woman had filled the limited counter space with plate after plate of dainty-looking sandwiches, scones and biscuits. Bessie’s mouth was watering as she considered the various options.

  “Do try one of everything,” Hugh’s mother urged. “Or, better yet, two or three of everything. I’ve no idea what I’ll do with the surplus. Hugh’s father won’t eat fussy things like this.”

  Bessie loaded up a plate with as much as she thought she could manage and then sat back down at the table. “It all looks wonderful,” she said as the other woman joined her.

  “I do hope so. Hugh always talked about your cooking and baking and I always felt like I simply couldn’t compete.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the woman turned fuchsia. “I didn’t mean that quite like it sounded,” she muttered as she jumped back up as the kettle boiled.

  “I never meant to cause any trouble between you and Hugh,” Bessie said apologetically.

  “Oh, the trouble was never between me and Hugh,” the woman replied, waving a hand. “His father isn’t the easiest man to live with. I should know, if anyone should. Anyway, I was always glad he had your cottage to head to whenever he and his father had a disagreement. I’m pretty sure Hugh would have been in a great deal more trouble if he didn’t have you to look after him.”

  “He’s a very good person and you and your husband should be very proud of him,” Bessie said firmly.

  “We are. Edward is especially proud of him now that he’s getting married. We both think Grace is delightful.”

  “She’s lovely, and I think she’s very good for Hugh,” Bessie agreed.

  “Obviously, Edward and I wish we could help more with the wedding and everything, but, well, we talked to Hugh and Grace and they felt they’d rather have some money towards the deposit on their first home than have a big fancy wedding.”

  “Which is very sensible,” Bessie said. “With the way house prices are rising every day, they should get on the property ladder as quickly as they can.”

  “But what did you want to talk to me about?”

  Bessie swallowed a bite of sandwich and washed it down with tea. “Everything is excellent,” she told the woman. “I must tell you that before I forget.”

  “Oh, it’s nothing much,” the other woman demurred. “But thank you.”

  “I wanted to talk to you about the honeymoon,” Bessie said.

  “Yes, I was disappointed that they’re only going to get to Ramsey, but like Edward said, we only went down to Douglas for a weekend for our honeymoon and it didn’t do us any harm.”

  Bessie smiled. “I’m sure it didn’t, but I’d really like to see Hugh and Grace have a special honeymoon, and so would my friend, Mary Quayle. We were wondering what you and Edward might think if we surprised them with a week in Paris as a wedding present?”

  “A week in Paris?” the woman asked. “It sounds expensive to me.”

  “I thought I would pay for the flights and Mary offered to pay for the hotel,” Bessie explained. “We’re hoping maybe a few of their other friends might be willing to contribute towards the cost of meals and the rest.”

  The woman sat back in her chair, a bemused look on her face. “What an idea,” she said.

  “But is it a good idea?” Bessie asked.

  “It’s a lovely idea. It would really mean a lot to both Hugh and Grace if they could have a really romantic break. I’m not sure why you’re asking me about it, though. Unfortunately, we can’t contribute.”

  “Oh, no, that wasn’t it at all,” Bessie said quickly. “Mary and I both felt that we needed to talk the idea through with both families before we started making bookings, that’s all. We’re hoping to surprise Hugh and Grace, you see. Mary is going to talk to Grace’s parents, and the first thing we need to know is whether they both have valid passports or not.”

  “I hadn’t even thought about that,” the woman said. “But yes, Hugh has a passport. It’s here, actually, with his other important papers. He got it about two years ago when he went on a holiday with some mates to Italy.”

  Bessie nodded. “That’s good to know. They’re getting married on a Sunday, so it’s probably best if they don’t fly out until Monday morning. I’d hate for them to have to leave the party early.”

  “That sounds about right,” the other woman agreed. “And now I’m getting quite excited for them. I’ve never been abroad.”

  “I’m excited for them as well,” Bessie admitted. “I’ve never been to Paris, although I’ve always wanted to go.”

  “Maybe one day,” the other woman sighed.

  “You should have Edward take you for your next wedding anniversary,” Bessie suggested.

  “Right now we’re putting away everything we can to help Hugh and Grace,” she replied. “Maybe once they’re settled, we can talk about it.”

  With that conversation out of the way, the pair settled into a comfortable chat about nothing much. Bessie was quite full when she left the cozy home at half one.

  “We should do this again one day,” Hugh’s mother said on the doorstep.

  “Next time at my cottage,” Bessie countered.

  “I’d like that,” the woman replied.

  Bessie was halfway home before the woman’s name suddenly popped into her head. “Harriet,” she said aloud, startling a man who was walking his dog. Bessie thought about trying to explain, but decided she couldn’t be bothered. Let the man think she was prone to randomly shouting people’s names in the street. It simply didn’t matter.

  Back at home, she had only a few minutes to freshen up before Maggie was due. She combed windblown tangles out of her hair and touched up the little bit of makeup she’s applied earlier before heading back to the kitchen to watch for Maggie’s car. It wasn’t long before a shiny new sporty-looking car pulled into the parking area outside. It wasn’t at all the sort of car Bessie would have expected Maggie to drive, but the woman climbed out of the driver’s seat and headed for Bessie’s cottage.

  Bessie grabbed her handbag and hurried to meet her friend. “What a lovely car,” she said as she greeted Maggie.

  “It was my treat to myself after the long summer season,” Maggie replied. “All that running around, fetching groceries and whatnot for our guests, was exhausting. I told Thomas that once it was all over I was going to buy myself a totally impractical car just for fun.”

  “Well, you’ve certainly done that,” Bessie laughed as she tried to work out how best to get inside the vehicle. It seemed much lower to the ground than what Bessie was used to.

  “Getting in and out isn’t easy,” Maggie admitted. “But it is really fun to drive.”

  Bessie finally turned around and plopped herself backwards into the car. With her bum on the seat, she was able to swing her legs in as well. “You may have to help me out,” she told Maggie.

  “It isn’t too bad, really,” Maggie replied. “As I said, it’s really fun to drive. Of course, once summer gets here and I’m back to running endless errands for our guests, I’ll have to go back to my old car. That one isn’t fun to drive, but it has a huge boot.”

  “Does this one even have a boot?” Bessie asked, trying to look behind her.

  “A tiny one that is totally useless,” Maggie said cheerfully. “Here we go.”

&n
bsp; The engine roared to life and Bessie felt like she wanted to grab something to hold onto as the car sprang forward. Within minutes she was able to relax, though, as the windy roads of Laxey didn’t really allow Maggie to drive very fast.

  “I hope you don’t mind the car,” Maggie said after a while. “It’s such long boring drive to Jurby, I thought it would be just what we needed.”

  “Of course I don’t mind,” Bessie replied politely. “I’m just happy for you and Thomas that the cottages are doing so well.”

  “They’re doing much better than I ever expected,” Maggie said frankly. “I thought Thomas was crazy when he started talking about buying a property on the beach and building holiday cottages, but he was right, there is a real demand for such things.”

  “I didn’t realise they’d be as popular as they are,” Bessie admitted. “But you’re full to capacity for months on end.”

  “I hope our guests don’t cause you too much bother,” Maggie said, glancing sideways at Bessie. “I’m sure your cottage was much more peaceful before we built the holiday homes.”

  “It was more peaceful, but awfully quiet,” Bessie replied. “Although a few of your guests can get a bit noisy, for the most part I don’t mind them at all. Anyway, they’re only here for a few months of the year. This time of year I have the beach all to myself.”

  “I went to school with Claire,” Maggie changed the subject. “I’m not sure where she met Todd, but they’ve been married over twenty years now.”

  “So they got married after Susan’s disappearance?”

  “Did they?” Maggie asked. “When did Susan disappear?”

  “Nineteen-seventy. That’s nearly thirty years ago.”

  “I didn’t think it was that long ago,” Maggie said with a sigh. “Time moves much too quickly, doesn’t it?”

  “It truly does.”

  “Maybe Claire and Todd have been married longer than I thought,” Maggie said thoughtfully. “I’ll have to ask her.”

  “She does know I’m coming along, doesn’t she?” Bessie asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know if I mentioned it or not,” Maggie replied. “Oh, look at that bird. Do you know what it is?”

  Bessie looked in the direction Maggie was pointing but didn’t see anything aside from fields. She bit back a sigh. So Claire didn’t know Bessie was coming with Maggie. Bessie could only hope things wouldn’t be awkward or uncomfortable.

  “I hope you don’t mind the long drive to Jurby,” Maggie said after a few minutes. “Claire doesn’t like to go too far from home during school hours, just in case one of the children needs her.”

  “How many children do they have?”

  “Three, but they had them quite late, really. The oldest is eighteen or nineteen and on his own now, but they middle one is only sixteen and the baby is twelve. The youngest has some medical issues that keep Claire busy and make her reluctant to leave Jurby.”

  “How nice for her to have a chance to have tea with her old friend, then. Do you two get together often?”

  Maggie shook her head. “We’re both busy. But I thought, with the case being reopened, she might need someone to talk to, so I rang her up.”

  Bessie nodded. Maggie was the opposite of a fair-weather friend. She’d be the first to ring whenever anything went wrong, eager to gather as much gossip as she could and offer her own firm opinions on what should be done next. Bessie just hoped that Claire knew what she was letting herself in for.

  The sporty car seemed to make the journey in record time. Maggie carefully parked it across two spaces in the mostly empty car park. “Can’t be too careful with my baby,” she explained as she shut off the engine. “I’d be furious if anything happened to it.”

  Bessie pushed open her door and took a deep breath, ready for the job of getting herself out of the car. Maggie was right, though. It wasn’t as difficult as Bessie had feared it might be.

  As the pair approached the small café, Bessie looked around. It had been years since Bessie had been here and nothing seemed to have changed much. The café looked as if it needed a fresh coat of paint and its windows needed washing. As Maggie pushed the door open, even the small bell sounded tired. There was a long counter across the back of the room, with a dozen tables scattered around the floor.

  The woman behind the counter looked up from a magazine and sighed. “Sit anywhere,” she called to them.

  Maggie and Bessie exchanged glances and then Bessie followed her friend as Maggie chose a table in the corner. There was a man sitting at the far end of the counter sipping a cup of tea and reading a book. He was the only other customer in the place.

  “Menus are on the table,” the woman at the counter called. “I’ll be over in a minute.”

  “We’re waiting for a friend, so there’s no rush,” Maggie shouted back.

  Bessie picked up the slightly sticky menu and read down the short list of offerings. “I haven’t been here in many years,” she said quietly. “What do you suggest?”

  Maggie laughed loudly. “I think the tea should be safe enough,” she hissed to Bessie. “I’m not sure I’m brave enough to try anything else.”

  The café’s door swung open and Bessie watched as a middle-aged woman strode into the room. She glanced around and then crossed to them.

  “Maggie? I’m not sure I would have recognised you if there was a crowd in here,” the woman said in a low voice.

  Maggie stood up and greeted the new arrival with a hug. Bessie noticed that the woman was too thin. She wore thick glasses and her long hair hung down her back in a thick plait. Bessie knew she was in her mid-fifties, but the woman looked older as she awkwardly returned the hug.

  “Bessie Cubbon, this is my friend, Claire Kelly. Claire, I was telling Bessie yesterday that I was meeting you here for tea, and she mentioned how she’d been wanting to try the café up here for a long time. I hope you don’t mind my bringing her along.”

  Claire looked at Bessie for a moment and then shrugged. “Makes no difference to me,” she said. “You’ll be glad you came if you try the Victoria sponge,” she added as she dropped into the chair opposite Bessie’s.

  “Victoria sponge?” Bessie asked, glancing back down at her menu.

  “It’s the only thing here worth eating,” Claire whispered. “They buy everything else from some UK supplier, but Marta makes the Victoria sponge herself. It’s really good.”

  “What can I get you all, then?” the woman from behind the counter had crossed the room and now she stood next to the their table, a notebook and pencil in hand.

  “Tea and Victoria sponge for me,” Claire replied.

  “I’ll have the same,” Bessie told her.

  “Just tea for me,” Maggie said.

  “Be a few minutes,” the woman muttered before she turned and walked back behind the counter. Bessie watched as she switched on the kettle and then went back to her magazine.

  “Why did you want to see me?” Claire asked bluntly.

  Maggie flushed. “I just thought, with everything going on, you might like someone to talk to. Sometimes it’s nice to see old friends, isn’t it? We’re so busy all summer long with the holiday cottages that this time of year is my only chance to do anything like that.”

  “That’s so kind of you,” Claire said. Bessie thought she could hear a trace of sarcasm in the woman’s voice, but Maggie didn’t seem to notice.

  “I wish I had more time for all of my old school friends,” Maggie said. “How are you coping with the new investigation?”

  “Well, it’s nothing to do with me, really, is it?” Claire replied. “I’d been seeing Todd for a while when Susan disappeared, but we weren’t even engaged yet. We were both living in Douglas when it happened. Neither one of us were able to help with police at all with the investigation way back then and we certainly can’t help them now.”

  “It must have been a terrible shock for Todd, having his sister vanish like that,” Maggie said.

  “He was upset, but
at the time we all thought she’d just gone across for some reason. He wasn’t really close to Helen. She was the baby of the family, more than ten years younger than him. He was out of the house before she’d hit her teens.”

  “So what did he think happened to her?” Maggie asked.

  Bessie tried not to look as shocked as she felt. Maggie’s questions felt awfully rude. The waitress interrupted before Claire replied.

  “Three teas and two cakes,” she said, setting her tray on the table with a bang. Claire quickly began to remove things from the tray and Bessie and Maggie followed suit. Bessie’s mouth began to water as she served herself a plate with a thick slice of cake on it.

  “Shout if you want anything else,” the woman told them before she walked back behind the counter.

  Bessie took a sip of tea and then cautiously tried the cake. “This is really good,” she said, embarrassed at how surprised she sounded.

  Claire laughed. “Yeah, as I said, it’s the only thing here worth eating, but it’s really worth it.”

  “The tea isn’t very hot,” Maggie sniffed.

  “Mine is,” Claire told her. “But do let Marta know. I’m sure she’d be happy to make you fresh.”

  Bessie glanced at the woman, who was again flipping desultorily through her magazine. Bessie doubted that anything they did would make the woman “happy.”

  “It’s fine,” Maggie muttered, taking another sip.

  “To get back to your question,” Claire said after a moment. “Todd doesn’t have any idea what happened to his sister or the other girls. We talked about it yesterday before the police constable came over to question us and we don’t have any better ideas now than we did in nineteen-seventy.”

  “How well did you know Susan?” Maggie asked.

  “I didn’t,” Claire said shortly.

  Maggie frowned. It seemed clear to Bessie that Maggie wasn’t getting nearly as much information from the other woman as she’d hoped.

  “I’m sure I remember there being several suspects,” Maggie said. “One of the other Kelly cousins was questioned, I think.”

  “That would be Matthew,” Claire replied. “He was involved with Karen before she disappeared, and that invited all sorts of nasty speculation.”