Aunt Bessie Remembers

by Diana Xarissa

  Chapter 11

  Bessie woke up the next morning eager to talk to Elizabeth. There was no point in ringing Thie yn Traie at six o’clock, however. The girl would still be in bed, probably for hours yet. Breakfast was porridge, something Bessie didn’t really like but tried to make herself eat at least occasionally. She was feeling virtuous but grumpy when she put the box back in the cupboard. A little extra sugar in her tea helped improve her mood as she got ready to go for her morning walk.

  The skies were overcast, but it was dry as Bessie headed towards the water. When she reached it, she turned and began a slow stroll down the beach. There was no one else outside, although Bessie saw a few people getting breakfast in the holiday cottages as she walked. While she felt as if she could walk for hours, she turned back towards Treoghe Bwaane not far past Thie yn Traie. As Bessie walked back, she noticed the young police constable at the bottom of the stairs was leaning against them and seemed to be asleep. Bessie was considering whether she should wake the man or not when she saw someone coming down the steps.

  Elizabeth caught Bessie’s eye from several feet above the beach. She looked at the constable and then laughed quietly. Bessie frowned as the girl sneaked around the man and leaped to the ground without disturbing him.

  “Anyone could get up or down those stairs,” Bessie said. “We need to wake him.”

  “He’s fine,” Elizabeth replied airily. “Everyone in the house is fast asleep, and Daddy hired extra security after that reporter tried to get in the other night. If anyone appears at the top of the stairs, they’ll have a welcoming committee.”

  Bessie thought about arguing further, but Elizabeth took her arm and began walking down the beach towards Bessie’s cottage. “We need to talk,” she told Bessie. “I’m sure one of my friends must have killed that poor man and I don’t know which one.”

  Inside Treoghe Bwaane Bessie put the kettle on. “Have you had breakfast?” she asked the girl.

  “No, I didn’t want anyone to know that I was up,” Elizabeth replied. “I’d rather my friends didn’t know I was speaking to you, you see.”

  “Why should they care if you want to visit me?”

  “Daddy was telling them stories last night after dinner. We were all bored, so he started talking about the island and some of the things that have happened here since we’ve been here. Then he started telling them Aunt Bessie stories, all about all of the dead bodies you’ve found and how you’ve helped the police solve a dozen or more cases. At first no one seemed to believe him, but after the fifth or sixth story, they all started to come around.”

  Bessie sighed. “And now they’ll all avoid me,” she sighed.

  “Probably, which is why I’m here. I thought if I told you everything that I know about each of them that you’d be able to work out which one is the killer.”

  “I doubt I can do that, but I’m happy to hear about them. I will have to repeat everything you tell me to John, though.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “I told him a little bit about them all, but, well, it felt odd talking to the police about my friends. I don’t mind talking to you, though, even if you’ll share what I’ve said with the police anyway.”

  Bessie didn’t try to work out the logic in the girl’s thinking. It seemed highly likely that there wasn’t any.

  “But you haven’t had any breakfast. I have cereal, or I could make you some toast or something.”

  “A few slices of dry toast would be perfect. And coffee, if you have it.”

  Bessie set the coffee brewing and then made toast for her guest. When it and the coffee were both ready, she poured herself a cup as well, in spite of the just boiled kettle. Then she joined Elizabeth at the table.

  “I thought about asking them all to come and talk to you, like we did the last time, but there are more of them this time and I wasn’t sure I could come up with enough reasons to send them all here,” Elizabeth said after a few bites.

  “I hope it won’t come to that,” Bessie said. “Although John is talking about another reconstruction.”

  “Yes, he said something to Mum about that. She wasn’t thrilled, but it was very effective last time.”

  “It was indeed,” Bessie agreed.

  “Anyway, that might be later today, so you need to know everything before it happens.”

  “Today? I didn’t realise John was planning it that quickly.”

  “Maybe I misunderstood, but I know he isn’t worrying about starting at the exact right time or any of that nonsense. He said something to Mum about fitting it in between lunch and dinner today so that no one has to worry about cooking anything for the reconstruction.”

  “That should make things easier for everyone.”

  “Anyway, who should we talk about first?”

  “Vivian,” Bessie suggested.

  Elizabeth made a face. “She’s not really my friend, she’s more a friend of a friend, if you know what I mean. She has dozens of parties every year, so I thought she’d be a good person to invite. I’m hoping to start doing a few little things in London once in a while, you see. Vivian was my ticket into the London party scene.”

  “I hope she won’t hold what happened against you,” Bessie said.

  “The murder won’t bother her, but the badly planned murder mystery might. If she were going to have a party like that, she’d want it to be executed much more successfully. Having all of the guests wandering around the dark, shouting out their names? That wasn’t at all appropriate.”

  “Maybe we should talk about Susan,” Bessie suggested.

  Elizabeth sighed deeply. “I got her name from another friend of a friend, someone I barely know. He said that she’d done a few parties for him, but when I rang him after Saturday and asked him for specifics, he went really vague on me. I suspect he and Susan had some sort of relationship and he lied for her to help her out.”

  “It was obvious on Saturday night that she didn’t know what she was doing.”

  “Yes, I realise that. I should have insisted that we stop and simply have drinks and dancing or something rather than trying to carry on, but I kept thinking that things were going to get better.”

  “Except you were the killer in the pretend murder, right?”

  “I was meant to be, but I told Susan that that didn’t work, because I wasn’t in the room when the victim died. She insisted it didn’t matter and that the inspector would work it all out.”

  “Without bothering to mention that the inspector was her father,” Bessie added.

  “And not an actual police inspector. I feel I’m an idiot for believing anything that woman said.”

  “I hope you didn’t pay her very much.”

  “I paid for her flights and also for her father’s, but that was all. I was meant to pay her a great deal for running the party, but I tore up her cheque after the mess she made of everything.”

  “I’m sure she wasn’t very happy about that.”

  “She wasn’t happy, but she couldn’t really argue. I suggested that if she wanted to discuss it further, I’d be happy to do some digging into her background, and she shut up about the money.”

  “Do you think she has a criminal record?”

  “Probably. I can’t help but wonder if she was planning to steal some things from the house before she left, but surely she’d know she couldn’t get away with that.”

  “Do you think she had any motive for killing her father?”

  “If she did, it was probably to do with money,” Elizabeth said. “I know she was furious when her father’s wife turned up at Thie yn Traie. She’s still insisting that the woman isn’t who she claims to be and that her father wasn’t married when he died.”

  “I’m sure the police are investigating Clara’s claims. It will be up to them and the solicitors to work out who inherits anything that Jerome Rhodes left behind.”

  “Susan said something about being glad she’d had the locks changed at her father’s flat recently. I got the impression that he ke
pt something valuable there, something Susan is worried that Clara might get her hands on.”

  “Clara told me some things that suggest that her husband might have been blackmailing people,” Bessie told Elizabeth.

  “That wouldn’t surprise me. I didn’t like him and I didn’t like the way he kept staring at everyone all night long.”

  “Maybe he was just trying to stay in character.”

  “Or maybe he was hoping he’d see something that he could use to blackmail one or another of my guests.”

  “He was drinking very heavily, though.”

  “Yes, but I suspect he was used to doing so. He didn’t seem all that drunk when I took him into the study. He managed to make a few rude suggestions to me as we went, anyway.”

  Bessie shook her head. “He wasn’t a very nice man.”

  “No, he wasn’t, and I can certainly see him as a blackmailer.”

  “Maybe he has a notebook at home with all the details about the people he’s been blackmailing,” Bessie suggested.

  “If I were Susan, I wouldn’t want any part of that. If we’re right, something in that notebook may well have led to the man’s murder.”

  Bessie nodded. “I wonder if John can have the flat searched? I shall have to ask him.”

  “If Clara knew what her husband was doing, she may be in danger, too.”

  “John has her somewhere safe.”

  “That’s good. I didn’t much like her, either, but I don’t want anyone else to get murdered.”

  “Can you think of any reason why Vivian might be being blackmailed?”

  “Vivian? I can’t see her caring about anything enough. She jumps from man to man at an astonishing rate, really. The only reason she hasn’t slept with both Richard and Sean while she’s been here is because Richard isn’t interested and Sean is too interested. I suspect she had a fling with Ernest years ago, because she hasn’t paid him any attention and he’s the only other single man around.”

  “There’s Andy,” Bessie pointed out.

  “Yeah, she did try. He was polite but emphatic when he turned her down. I’m sure she’ll keep trying if she gets more chances, but for right now I’m doing what I can to keep the two apart.”

  When Bessie looked surprised, Elizabeth laughed. “I do trust Andy completely, but I don’t trust Vivian in the slightest. I’m simply trying to save Andy from having to fight her off.”

  “Perhaps someone should suggest to Sean that he stop chasing her and wait for her to chase him.”

  “I think it’s too late for that. Vivian isn’t big on second chances, and he was far too obvious from the start. As I understand it, he was mooning after her for months from a distance before they even met. By that time all of their friends knew how he felt.”

  “I’m starting to feel quite sorry for him.”

  “He’s old enough to know better. He has a habit of falling for women who treat him like dirt. Most of them manage to get him to spend a fortune on them before they dump him. Vivian has enough of her own money that she couldn’t be bothered to do that, at least. But give him a month or so and he’ll be chasing after some other beautiful, spoiled, vain woman who will happily trample all over him until he runs out of money or she gets bored.”

  “My goodness, the poor man.”

  “The poor man is thirty-three and ignores every opportunity to spend time with nice, normal women who would be good for him,” Elizabeth said tightly.

  Bessie recognised bitter experience in the girl’s tone. So she’d fallen for Sean at some point and been ignored. That was interesting.

  “Can you think of anything that Mr. Rhodes might have been using to blackmail Sean?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “It would have to be something to do with his job, I would think. He works in international banking. Maybe he’s embezzling millions or something like that.”

  “I’m not sure how Mr. Rhodes would have been able to find out about such a thing,” Bessie said thoughtfully.

  “That’s a good point. I doubt Mr. Rhodes knew anything about international banking.”

  “What about Richard Long?”

  “He knows all about banking,” Elizabeth began. Then she laughed. “You mean what about him a suspect, sorry. I don’t know. He seems like a nice person, but he’s, um, reserved. I’ve known him for maybe a year or more and I don’t think we’ve ever done much more than exchange pleasantries.”

  “Do you think he’s hiding something?”

  “I didn’t before, but now that you’ve mentioned it, maybe.” She made a face. “No, I don’t really think so, actually. I think he’s just happy in the background. This party wasn’t really typical of the sorts of places I usually see Richard. It’s much smaller and more intimate than a typical night out in London. I’d never really noticed how reserved he is when we’ve been in larger crowds.”

  “Vivian seems interested in him.”

  “She’s just chasing him because she’s bored and because he so clearly isn’t interested in her.”

  “He seems interested in Madison.”

  Elizabeth sighed. “I never should have invited that girl. I didn’t want to, but Norma suggested her and I couldn’t find a polite way to get out of it.”

  “She and Norma are good friends?”

  “I don’t really know, but I suppose they must be. I was telling Norma that I wanted to invite lots of people, especially the sort of people who might be interested in having the same sort of party, and she suggested Madison. Apparently Madison has been talking about having more parties in the next year or so, now that she’s inherited some money.”

  “Is there a story behind that?”

  “Not really. Her grandmother died when Madison was a child and left money in trust for all of her grandchildren. They weren’t allowed to have the money until they finished university or turned thirty. Madison didn’t bother with university, so she had to wait to get her inheritance until a few months ago when she finally turned thirty.”

  “And was it a lot of money?”

  “I’ve no idea. From what I’ve heard, Madison didn’t need the money, but she’s happy to have it. As I said, Norma suggested that she’ll be using the money to have parties, rather than to meet any expenses or anything like that.”

  Bessie shook her head. It was impossible for her to imagine frittering away large sums of money on parties, but Elizabeth’s friends were quite unlike anyone that Bessie knew. “If she’s that wealthy, I’m surprised she doesn’t do more to look glamourous.”

  “She quite deliberate in her appearance. I think she likes standing out for looking plain and dowdy in the middle of a crowd of women in short skirts and tons of makeup. I know a number of men who’ve fallen for her, in spite of her appearance although her fortune may play a role in that.”

  “Do you think she’s interested in Richard?”

  “Not even the tiniest bit. Richard isn’t old money, his father owned a chain of retail shops, and Richard worked for his dad for a while before he moved into banking. Madison is a snob.”

  “Poor Richard,” Bessie sighed.

  “I suspect he’s only chasing her to get Vivian’s attention. I don’t think Vivian would be at all interested in him otherwise. She can be a bit of a snob, too.”

  “Can you think of any reason why any of them might be being blackmailed?”

  “I’m sure Madison has secrets, probably lots of them, but I can’t imagine how a man like Jerome Rhodes would have discovered them. As for Richard, I’ve no idea. He never talks about his family or his past, so there could be something there, I suppose.”

  “Who is left to discuss?”

  “Norma and Ernest. They’re an odd pair, really. I invited them because Norma has been talking for ages about coming to visit me. This seemed the perfect occasion to bring her over to see the island. I was also hoping she or her brother might be interested in having a similar party. They host a lot of parties, those two.”

  “They seem very close fo
r siblings.”

  “Yeah, they’re weirdly close, but maybe that’s a twin thing and maybe it’s to do with their upbringing. Their parents are somewhat unusual, and from some remarks I’ve heard over the years I suspect their childhood was difficult. They seem to have had to rely heavily on each other to get through it. Maybe that’s just become habit.”

  “It must make relationships difficult,” Bessie suggested.

  “Ernest goes through women very quickly, but the endings are always civil and often incredibly friendly. Norma was in a relationship with another of my friends for about ten years, but it seems to have just fizzled out about a year ago.”

  “Any idea why either might be blackmailed?”

  “None at all.”

  “What about Leonard and Liza?”

  “I don’t like him, but he and my father have common business interests.”

  “Why don’t you like him?”

  “He always looks at me as if he’s taking off my clothes in his head,” Elizabeth replied, shuddering. “He’s never actually said or done anything inappropriate, but I just feel as if he would if he thought he could get away with it. I may be totally wrong about him, but I find him slightly creepy.”

  “And Liza?”

  “She’s arrogant and rude. She and Leonard both seem to think that money is the answer to everything, and I can’t imagine they’re overly bothered by morals or ethics.” Elizabeth shook her head. “I’m probably being unfair, but I really don’t like either of them. That doesn’t mean I’m right, of course.”

  “It sounds as if you think either of them could have been being blackmailed.”

  “I suspect either or both of them have secrets they’d like to keep. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Leonard cheats on Liza. I doubt she cheats on him, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have other secrets.”