Aunt Bessie Remembers

by Diana Xarissa

  “I don’t think we’re getting anywhere,” Bessie sighed. “Everything you’ve told me has been interesting, but none of it seems to give anyone a clear motive for murder. Let’s talk about a hidden door between that study and the great room, instead.”

  “There isn’t one,” Elizabeth said.

  “Are you certain?”

  “I’m as certain as I can be. I’ve been living at Thie yn Traie for months and I’ve never stumbled across one. And now, after Saturday, everyone is looking for it. If it is there, it can’t be that hard to find.”

  “Then how did someone get into the study to kill Mr. Rhodes?”

  “They must have come into the corridor and opened the door somehow.”

  “But you were in the corridor with a torch.”

  “I was, well, a little distracted, at least for part of the time.”

  “Really?”

  “Andy sneaked out to join me and we were, um, talking together for a while. I don’t think anyone else came out of the great room, but they must have done.”

  “Where was Susan?”

  “Who knows? She was standing in the doorway when the lights went out and she was there when they went back on, too, but I wasn’t paying any attention to her while it was dark.”

  “It would have been easiest for her to get to the study,” Bessie mused. “I don’t know anything about locks. How do you think the killer got the door open?”

  “Maybe he or she had a duplicate key from somewhere or maybe they were good at picking locks. I don’t know, but I really don’t think there’s any other way into the study.”

  “You said everyone was trying to find a secret door?”

  “The police didn’t really want anyone in the great room at first, but they didn’t actually say we couldn’t use it. Every time I go in there, someone is standing there, tapping his or her way across the wall. There are a few shelves there as well, and everything on them has been taken off and moved around a dozen times or more.”

  “What about the other side, in the study?”

  “The study is blocked off with police tape, so no one has been poking around in there, at least not yet. But if someone did get through a secret door into the study, he or she had to have gone in from the great room.”

  “And if the secret door is that hard to find, how did they manage to find it?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Whose idea was it to put Mr. Rhodes in that room?” Bessie asked.

  “Mine, or rather mine and my mother’s. Once Susan explained how the party was going to work, and I realised that we’d need a place to stash the man while the lights were out, I talked to my mother and we agreed that the study was the best place. We were originally going to use the library, but, well, there are valuables in there. The study was mostly empty. Mum took the key to the library so that I had an excuse not to use it.”

  “So there was no way the killer could have known that Mr. Rhodes was going to be in that room in advance?”

  “Susan and I discussed it. I suppose anyone could have overheard us, but I didn’t notice anyone listening.”

  “The more we talk about this, the more confused I get,” Bessie said. “If we accept that Mr. Rhodes was blackmailing someone, how did that someone know that he was going to be at the party? How did that someone know that he was going to be put into the study? And how did that someone know how to get into the study through a locked door?”

  “Maybe the killer didn’t know any of that stuff in advance. Maybe he or she just got lucky,” Elizabeth suggested.

  “I suppose that’s possible, although it seems unlikely.”

  Elizabeth looked at the clock on the wall. “I should get back. Some of the others will probably be up by now. We were talking about going down to the Laxey Wheel or something today, just to get out of the house.”

  “I thought you said the reconstruction might happen later today.”

  “It might. The Laxey Wheel won’t take long, though. We could all climb up and have a look around and still be home in time for lunch.”

  “Be careful,” Bessie said seriously.

  Elizabeth nodded. “It’s odd to think that one of my friends is probably a murderer, but it seems as if that’s the case. I mean, it isn’t the first time, so I probably shouldn’t be so surprised, but I am anyway. It would be hard to push someone off the Laxey Wheel, though, I think.”

  “Hard, but maybe not impossible. Perhaps you should visit a different site, one with fewer steps.”

  “Or maybe we’ll just stay at home and watch telly or something. I feel as if that might be safer for everyone.”

  “How is your mother holding up?”

  “She’s okay,” Elizabeth replied with a shrug. “Obviously she’s not happy about being caught up in another murder investigation, but having been through it all before, at least we all know what to expect. I’m sure she’ll feel better when the killer is behind bars and my friends are all allowed to leave, though.”

  “Tell her that I’m thinking of her,” Bessie requested. “I may try to ring her later if it turns out that we aren’t doing the reconstruction today.”

  “I’m sure she’d love to hear from you. She actually said something yesterday about sneaking away and staying with you until everything was all over, but she’d never leave Daddy like that. He needs her.”

  “She’s welcome here, and so are you, for that matter.”

  “But not Daddy?” Elizabeth teased. She held up a hand before Bessie could reply. “I know, you like him, but there’s no way his personality would squeeze into your spare room.”

  “If he needs or wants a place to stay, he’s welcome as well. I’m fairly certain he’d be happier at a hotel, though.”

  “Oh, yeah, Daddy is all about luxury. Your cottage is cosy and wonderful, but it wouldn’t suit him.”

  For which Bessie was grateful. “Well, you are more than welcome, as is your mother.”

  “I can’t leave my friends and Mum can’t leave Daddy, but I really appreciate the offer. Maybe once the murderer is behind bars and my friends have all gone, I’ll come over and spend a night. Andy says your spare bedroom is his favourite place in the world.”

  “Andy stayed there quite a bit when he was younger. He didn’t have a very happy childhood.”

  “He doesn’t talk about it much, but it must have been difficult. Imagine being heir to a fortune and not knowing anything about it.”

  “He seems to have grown into a splendid young man anyway.”

  “He is rather splendid,” Elizabeth said with a huge smile. “I know he’ll eventually get tired of me, because I’m nowhere near smart enough for him, but I’m having a wonderful time with him at the moment.”

  Bessie bit her tongue. She was tempted to encourage the girl to go back to school, but she didn’t want Elizabeth to think that that was the key to keeping Andy interested. Elizabeth would have to find her own way to do that.

  “We didn’t talk about Mona Kelly or her incredibly handsome companion,” Elizabeth said suddenly.

  “I believe they’ve both been eliminated as possible suspects.”

  “Really? I could totally see Michael Higgins as the killer.”

  “You could?”

  “He was gorgeous, even though he’s far too old for me. There was something mysterious about him. Ms. Kelly said that he worked for the government. I bet he was a spy. He reminded me of James Bond.”

  “He was very attractive, and he seemed very intelligent as well.”

  “Yeah, I could see him finding a way into the study without anyone noticing. Maybe he’s a hired assassin. If that’s the case, the police may never be able to link him with Mr. Rhodes.”

  “As I said, I believe the police have cleared him.”

  “Maybe he killed Mr. Rhodes for the government. Then the government told John Rockwell to stop investigating him. John wouldn’t have a choice but to agree, right?”

  “I’ve no idea, and it seems pointless to speculate
. If Michael did kill Mr. Rhodes, I suppose he will get away with it.”

  “Ms. Kelly didn’t do it, anyway,” Elizabeth said firmly.

  “Why not?”

  “She simply wouldn’t, not like that, anyway. If she wanted someone dead, she’d get someone like Michael Higgins to get rid of the person for her. I can’t imagine Mona Kelly ever gets her hands dirty doing anything.”

  Bessie chuckled. “There is something almost too perfect about Mona, but I’ve known her for many years and I can promise you that she’s quite capable of mucking in and doing hard work if it’s needed. She’s just been very fortunate in that she’s never really had to do much.”

  “I’d love to know where all of her money comes from,” Elizabeth said. “She lives incredibly lavishly, doesn’t she?”

  “She lives well, certainly, but I’m sure there are people who wonder where my money comes from as well.”

  Elizabeth blinked. “I’ve never thought about that. Didn’t you inherit something from an old boyfriend or something?”

  “It was something like that, anyway,” Bessie told her, “and I was fortunate that my advocate invested my inheritance wisely on my behalf. Perhaps Mona was similarly lucky.”

  “Daddy said that she leads a charmed life, so maybe she was. Oh, goodness, I’d better go. I should have been home an hour ago.” Elizabeth got to her feet and then pulled Bessie into a hug. “Thank you so much for everything.”

  Bessie wasn’t sure what she’d done, but she nodded as she followed the girl to the door. Elizabeth dashed away, back down the beach, before Bessie could do anything further. As Bessie shut the door behind her guest, she tried to decide if Elizabeth had said anything that needed repeating to the police. As she wasn’t sure, she rang the station.

  “Laxey neighbourhood policing, this is Doona. How can I help you?”

  “It’s Bessie. Is John around?”

  “He’s not. He’s up at Thie yn Traie. Is it urgent?”

  “No, not at all. I just enjoyed a long chat with Elizabeth, that’s all. I thought I would share what she’d told me with him, but none of it seems particularly important.”

  “I’m sure he’ll still want to hear it all,” Doona laughed. “I’ll send him a text and let him know. Don’t be surprised if he turns up on your doorstep.”

  “Do you know if the reconstruction is going to happen today?”

  “I don’t know yet, but I’m hoping for more information soon. That’s one of the reasons why John went to Thie yn Traie.”

  “I’ll just wait for someone to ring me, then,” Bessie said.

  “I have your mobile number. You don’t have to sit around at home to wait.”

  “I know, but I probably will anyway. I didn’t have any plans for today.”

  “If you’re bored and you want to bake some brownies or something, I’d be happy to help you eat them later.”

  Bessie laughed. “I could make a tray of brownies. If I gave you the whole tray, you could share them with Thomas and Amy.”

  “Or I could eat them all myself,” Doona said cheerfully, “but I’d probably share them with Thomas and Amy. I might even let John have one.”

  Bessie put the phone down and looked at the clock. It was too early to have lunch. She could read a book or bake. While both ideas were appealing, she didn’t want to let Doona down, so she pulled out her cookbook and found the recipe for American-style brownies. It was one that she made regularly, so she only needed to double-check a few ingredients before she got started. The pan had just gone into the oven when someone knocked on Bessie’s door.

  Chapter 12

  “I hope you don’t mind my just appearing on your doorstep,” John said as Bessie let him in. “Doona said you wanted to speak to me and I needed to speak to you as well. This seemed easier than ringing, since I was at Thie yn Traie.”

  “Elizabeth came over for a visit this morning,” Bessie explained. “She gave me a little bit more background on her guests. I don’t think any of it is relevant to anything, but I thought you should probably hear what she had to say.”

  “I definitely should.”

  Bessie put the kettle on. “How are the children?” she asked as she waited for it to boil.

  “They’re fine. They’re enjoying spending time with their friends. I hadn’t realised that they both made quite a few friends during the year they were here, and now they’ve made even more. They aren’t looking forward to going back to Manchester, really.”

  Bessie swallowed a dozen questions as she made the tea. John and Sue would have to work everything out between themselves. This wasn’t the place for other people to meddle.

  “Let me tell you what Elizabeth had to say, then,” Bessie said as she sat down opposite John after serving tea and biscuits.

  He pulled out his notebook and smiled expectantly at her. “I hope this helps,” he said softly.

  When Bessie was finished, he sat back and drained his teacup. “Well, that was all very interesting,” he said.

  “But was it helpful?”

  “Every bit of information is helpful. A case like this is like a giant jigsaw puzzle and every single piece is needed in order to see the whole picture. At this point, I don’t know which little bits go where, but they all matter.”

  “But you said you needed to talk to me. Is something wrong?”

  “Not at all. I just need to ask you to come to Thie yn Traie at two o’clock today. We’re going to be holding the reconstruction at that time.”

  “I’ll be there,” Bessie promised. “Will it be like last time, where you want everyone to do everything exactly the same as the night of the murder?”

  “I’m going to try to keep this a little less formal. I’m mostly interested in going through what happened after dinner, so we’re going to start there and go through things very slowly. I’ve done several walk-throughs with a team of constables, but that hasn’t achieved the results I want. I hope to do better with the actual people involved.”

  Bessie nodded. “You don’t really need me, then,” she suggested. “I was just sitting in a corner watching everything by that point.”

  “I’m hoping you might notice someone or something out of place,” John replied. “You and Mary were best placed to spot something like that.”

  “I’ll do my best,” Bessie assured him.

  “And now I need to get back to Thie yn Traie to make sure everything is ready for two. I’ll be taking Mr. Rhodes’s place in the reconstruction, by the way.”

  “That makes sense. Will we be sitting in the dark again?”

  “There aren’t any curtains on the great room windows, so no, you won’t be in the dark. We are going to turn off the power again, just as it was done on Saturday night, but with all those windows, the great room should be quite bright. If we don’t get any results from this attempt, we might try again after dark to recreate things more accurately, but I’m hoping we won’t need a second try.”

  Bessie let the man out and then looked at the clock. It was time for lunch, but now she was full of tea and biscuits. Perhaps a short walk on the beach would stimulate her appetite, she thought. The beach, however, was crowded with families enjoying the day, which had turned sunny. After being nearly run into by a sobbing toddler, and then accidentally wandering into the centre of a spirited game of beach volleyball without a net or seemingly any rules, Bessie turned around and headed for home. She perched herself on the rock behind her cottage and enjoyed the sunshine herself for a short while before going back inside.

  Tea and sandwiches were enough for lunch, and she ate them slowly while reading a book. By the time she’d finished the washing-up, it was time to leave for Thie yn Traie. Because of the crowds on the beach, Bessie decided to walk to the mansion along the road for a change. The large gates at the entrance were shut when she arrived.

  “It’s Bessie Cubbon,” she said into the phone at the gate.

  “I’ll be right there,” a voice replied.

  Hugh Wa
tterson strolled out of the house a moment later. “We’re keeping the gates shut to keep out reporters,” he told Bessie. “They all seem to have disappeared again, but they keep coming back.”

  “I didn’t even think about that,” Bessie replied. “The beach was crowded, so I thought this would be easier. I would have hated to get here and find reporters waiting, though.”

  “John was going to have me drive over and collect you, but when I rang to tell you, you’d already left.”

  “I left early to allow extra time for walking on the road,” Bessie explained.

  Hugh opened the gates and then locked them again behind her. “Everyone is assembling in the great room,” he said, offering his arm.

  Bessie took it and let Hugh lead her into the house. He remained at the door while she continued on into the great room. Mary rushed over to her as soon as she entered the room.

  “I would have sent a car for you, but John said he was going to do so,” she told Bessie.

  “I left early to walk along the road, so I missed Hugh. You know I enjoy walking, though.”

  “Everyone is trickling in slowly,” Mary told her, “and they’re all obsessed with that wall.”

  Bessie grinned as she saw that most of Elizabeth’s friends were standing together, tapping and knocking on the wall between the great room and the study. “No one has found a secret door yet, then?”

  “No one has found anything,” Mary sighed.

  “I really would love a closer look myself,” Bessie admitted. She crossed the room and smiled at the group that had gathered. “Nothing yet?”

  “Nothing at all,” Richard said from where he was stretched out on the floor. “I had this brilliant idea about there being something in the skirting boards, but if there is, I haven’t found it.”

  “There aren’t any cracks or anything that could be a door,” Sean said.

  “I don’t think there’s anything here,” Madison whispered.

  Bessie ran her hand along the wall. It was textured, which made it difficult to work out whether there might be a door there or not. Several shelves were affixed straight to the wall and Bessie found them all impossible to move in any way. The various items that had been on the shelves on Saturday night had all been removed. Before Bessie could get down on the floor to inspect the skirting boards, Elizabeth swept into the room.