Boats and Bad Guys

by Diana Xarissa

  “Mr. Cannell? I’m Elaine Gifford, the doctor on duty tonight. How are you feeling?” she said.

  “My head hurts,” Peter told her. “But lying down seems to have helped with the double vision.”

  “You had double vision?” she asked.

  “Yes, or maybe triple vision,” he told her. Fenella was only half listening as Peter talked about the accident and its aftermath. Her brain was puzzling over the exact nature of Sarah’s relationships with both murdered men and wondering about Peter’s theory. She was startled when the doctor turned to her.

  “I’m sorry, but we’re going to want to keep him overnight,” the woman said. “Someone needs to check on him regularly and I’d prefer for that to be someone with medical training. Head injuries can be tricky and I don’t like to take chances.”

  “That’s fine,” Fenella said quickly.

  “We’ll get him up to one of the wards, then,” the doctor said. “You can visit him in the morning any time after nine.”

  “I expect I’ll come out with our other neighbor, Shelly, first thing, then,” Fenella said. “Do you need anything?” she asked Peter.

  “Headache tablets,” he said grumpily. “But no, nothing else. I think I’ll probably just sleep. You don’t need to come back in the morning. I’ll get a taxi home when I’m discharged.”

  “Nonsense,” Fenella said. “I’ll be here, although we’ll still have to get a taxi home, as I don’t drive yet.”

  Peter tried to smile. “I will get you my friend’s card,” he said. “We’ll get you behind the wheel yet.”

  “Let’s get you better before we worry about that,” Fenella told him. She gave him an awkward hug and then followed the doctor into the corridor.

  “It doesn’t seem too bad, although I’m sure it’s painful,” the doctor told Fenella. “We’ll give him something for the pain and check on him through the night. If nothing changes, he can go home tomorrow, although he won’t be able to drive or drink alcohol for a week, I’d suggest.”

  Fenella checked that Peter had given them her phone number in case of emergencies before she walked back into the lobby where Shelly was waiting. Shelly crossed the room rapidly when Fenella emerged from the back.

  “How is he?” she asked anxiously.

  “He’s going up to a ward for the night,” Fenella told her. “We can visit tomorrow morning and if nothing has changed, he’ll be allowed to go home.”

  “That’s good news,” Shelly said.

  The pair walked outside and found the hospital’s taxi rank. It was nearly midnight and Fenella felt the day’s events catch up to her as they rode back to their apartment building. She was barely keeping her eyes open when they arrived. The fresh air was cold and woke her up enough to pay the taxi driver, but the walk back to her apartment was a blur. She and Shelly hugged in the corridor and then Fenella stumbled into her home.

  “Where have you been?” Mona demanded. “I’ve been worried sick about you.”

  “Peter fell down the stairs at the pub and hit his head,” Fenella told her. “Shelly and I took him to the hospital.”

  “How is he?” Mona asked anxiously.

  “They think he’s going to be fine,” Fenella replied. “But they’ve kept him overnight, just to be sure.”

  “The poor man,” Mona said. “I must go and visit him. Maybe he’s hit his head hard enough that he’ll be able to see me.”

  Fenella was too tired to question her aunt’s words. After dumping a handful of dry food into Katie’s bowl and giving the kitten a pat, Fenella got ready for bed. She was asleep the minute her head hit the pillow and didn’t move again until her alarm went off at seven.

  As the clock buzzed insistently, Fenella tried to remember how to switch it off and why she’d set it in the first place. Katie picked up her head and glared at her owner until Fenella finally found the right switch to silence the noise.

  “I’m sorry,” she said to the kitten. “I don’t even know why I set it.” Katie shrugged and then put her head back down and went back to sleep. Fenella was thinking about doing the exact same thing when her phone rang. Grumbling to herself, she climbed out of bed and padded over to the nearest receiver.

  “Hello?”

  “Ah, Fenella, it’s Peter,” a voice said. “I was just ringing to let you know that the doctors have assured me that I can go home today. They should be letting me out around ten. Maybe you and Shelly could collect me?”

  “Someone will be there,” Fenella promised.

  “Thank you so much,” Peter said.

  “Are you feeling better?”

  “I am, although I still have a painful headache,” he told her. “The doctor I saw this morning said that I have a very hard head, but that it will be several days before I’m back to normal.”

  “I’m glad it wasn’t anything serious,” Fenella told him. “I’ll see you around ten.”

  “Thank you,” Peter replied.

  Fenella thought about calling Shelly, but decided to leave it for an hour. There was no need for both of them to be dragged out of bed at seven. Ten o’clock was three hours away. She was halfway back to her own bed when the phone rang again.

  “Hello?” she said tiredly.

  “Fenella? It’s Donald Donaldson. How are you?”

  Suddenly feeling wide-awake, Fenella swallowed hard. The handsome and successful businessman had made something of an unpredictable habit out of calling Fenella when she least expected it. He was traveling around the US, taking care of some sort of business dealings, but he called Fenella just enough to keep her from forgetting about him and the handful of kisses they’d shared before he’d left.

  “I’m fine, although I’m tired,” she said honestly.

  “Have I rung you too early in the morning?” he asked. “I’m in California, so it’s late at night and I wanted to catch you before I headed to bed.”

  “I was just up too late last night,” Fenella explained.

  “Doing something exciting or just enjoying our local pub?” he asked.

  “I was at the pub with Shelly and Peter, but Peter fell down the stairs and hit his head,” she told him.

  “Oh, dear, he is okay, isn’t he?” Donald asked, sounding concerned.

  “He’s fine. I just got off the phone with him and they’re letting him go home this morning after a night in the hospital. We took him to the emergency room last night.”

  “Tell him I hope he feels better soon,” Donald said.

  “I will.”

  “You two aren’t getting seriously involved, are you?” Donald asked. “Because I want to ask you for a favor, but I don’t want to upset Peter.”

  “We’re just friends,” Fenella said, not letting herself think about the conversation she’d had with the man in the car on the way to the hospital.

  “That’s good,” Donald said, sounding just a little bit smug. “I’m flying back to the island tomorrow. There’s a huge charity fundraiser on Thursday evening that I simply must attend. I was hoping you would do me the honor of accompanying me to the event.”

  “A charity fundraiser,” Fenella echoed.

  “Yes, at the Seaview in Ramsey. It’s one of those events that everyone who is anyone on the island will be at, and I can’t miss it,” Donald explained.

  “It sounds very fancy and not at all like me,” Fenella said honestly.

  “It is rather fancy, but I promise we’ll have fun,” Donald told her. “Unfortunately, I need to fly back to New York the next morning; otherwise, I’d take you out for a rather more enjoyable evening straight away. Instead, I shall just have to promise you something fabulous in the near future in exchange for your time on Thursday.”

  “What would I wear?” Fenella asked.

  “It’s black tie, so something formal is needed,” Donald told her. “Let me give you my credit card number. You can go shopping and buy whatever you want.”

  “I couldn’t possibly use your credit card,” Fenella said quickly. “I’m s
ure I can find something affordable.” Her eyes wandered over to the wardrobe that was still full of Mona’s gorgeous clothes. Surely her aunt must have owned an appropriate gown.

  “Is that a yes, then?” Donald asked in a teasing voice.

  “I suppose so,” Fenella said, sighing.

  “You don’t sound excited,” he said.

  “I just hope I can get some sleep between now and then,” she replied. “I’m sure I’ll have more fun if I can keep my eyes open.”

  Donald laughed. It was a sexy sound that made Fenella feel slightly tingly. “I’ll see you Thursday night around seven, then,” he said.

  Fenella put the phone down, feeling slightly on edge. There was something about Donald that made her nervous and slightly giddy, but she also worried that she couldn’t trust the man. A night out at a charity fundraiser wasn’t a big deal, she told herself firmly. She took two steps toward the bed when the phone rang a third time.

  “What?” she said this time, feeling quite fed up with all of her callers.

  “Maggie? Are you okay?” Jack asked.

  “I’m fine,” she said, feeling even more exhausted.

  “It isn’t like you answer the phone like that,” he said. “Are you quite sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m just tired. A friend of mine had an accident last night and I spent several hours in the emergency room with him. I didn’t get home until well past my usual bedtime.”

  “Him?” Jack said. “What sort of accident?”

  “He was accidently knocked down a flight of stairs,” Fenella said. “But he’s fine now. In fact, I have to leave soon to go to the hospital to pick him up.”

  “Why isn’t his wife doing that?” Jack asked.

  “He isn’t married,” Fenella replied.

  “How old is he?”

  “He’s a few years older than me, he’s single, he’s good-looking and we’ve been on a few dates, but it isn’t anything serious,” Fenella told the man.

  “I don’t think you should be dating other men,” Jack said. “It doesn’t seem fair to them, really, seeing as you’re still recovering from our break up.”

  Fenella nearly laughed out loud. “That’s a decision for me and for Peter,” she said after a moment. “And Donald and Daniel,” she added impulsively.

  “You’re dating three different men?” Jack asked, his voice rising to an angry squeak.

  “Jack, what do you want?” she asked.

  “I want, well, that is, I was calling to see how you are,” Jack said. “I worry about you, and clearly for good reason.”

  “Yes, well, you’ve no real cause to worry about me. I’m fine and I’m enjoying life, thank you very much.”

  “Yes, well, I suppose I’m happy for you, although I think it would be more seemly if you were a little bit more upset about the unexpected demise of our relationship,” he said stiffly.

  “I hope you’re moving on as well,” Fenella said. “How are Hazel and Sue?”

  “They aren’t speaking to one another,” Jack said, sounding bewildered. “Hazel brought some homemade cookies to my office yesterday, and while she was there Sue stopped by with a box of chocolates that she thought I might like. They started shouting at one another, and in the end the dean had to step in to separate them. I don’t know what they were fighting about, really. Something to do with buying affection with laundry, from what I could make out.”

  Fenella thought about trying to explain it all to the man, but she simply couldn’t find the energy. “It might be safer if you stopped accepting presents from both of them,” she suggested. “And stopped getting them to do your laundry and grocery shopping.”

  “Yes, well, I don’t know. It’s ever so much easier this way.”

  “Well, good luck, then,” Fenella said. “I have to go.”

  “Wait,” he said quickly. “It’s the middle of the night over here and I simply couldn’t sleep. I had this idea, you see, that it’s my sister’s birthday soon, but I can’t remember exactly when.”

  “Your sister’s birthday is in June,” Fenella said.

  “Oh, so I haven’t missed it? Excellent.”

  “It’s your mother’s birthday that’s in April,” she added. “You did remember to send her a card, didn’t you?”

  “When in April?” Jack asked.

  “The tenth,” Fenella said. “You’ve missed it.”

  Jack sighed. “I can’t believe that you abandoned me like this,” he said. “How am I meant to keep track of such things?”

  “You know the calendar in the kitchen?” she asked the man. “The big one on the wall next to the refrigerator?”

  “Yes,” he replied.

  “Before I left I wrote the birthdays of everyone you know on that calendar,” she said.

  “Oh,” Jack said.

  “I have to go,” Fenella told him. “It’s nearly time for me to head to the hospital.

  She hung up the phone before he could protest. Every time Jack called she wondered again why she’d stayed with him for so long. And she remembered why they’d each had their own little houses rather than moving in together. While she’d sometimes stayed at his home and he’d often stayed at hers, that was as far as she’d been willing to go. “And that should have told you something about the relationship,” she said to her mirror image. Her reflection stuck out her tongue, making Fenella laugh.

  After a shower and some breakfast, she called Shelly, who sounded far more awake than Fenella felt. They agreed to go together to pick up Peter from Noble’s. Fenella did a bit of tidying around her apartment while she waited for Shelly. When the other woman knocked, Fenella was quick to lock up and follow her to the elevator.

  “I’m so glad Peter is okay,” Shelly said as they rode down to the parking garage. “It could have been so much worse.”

  “Yes, he sounded pretty good on the phone this morning,” Fenella said. “I just hope he takes it easy for a few days until he’s back to normal.”

  “I’m not sure Peter was ever normal,” Shelly said with a laugh.

  The day was sunny and bright and the drive to Noble’s didn’t seem to take long at all.

  “I hope he can walk a bit better than he was doing last night,” Shelly said once she’d found a parking space. “It’s a long walk to the car park here.”

  “But it’s a beautiful day for walking,” Fenella said. Spring was finally in the air. Fenella was wearing a light jacket, and for the first time in a long while, she didn’t feel chilled when a breeze blew past.

  “We need to get out this afternoon and enjoy this weather,” Shelly said.

  “I’m up for a long walk on the promenade,” Fenella said.

  “Oh, let’s do something more interesting than that,” Shelly replied.

  They’d reached the front door of the hospital now and took turns to get through the slowly revolving door.

  “Did Peter tell you where to find him?” Shelly asked.

  “No, and I didn’t think to ask,” Fenella said.

  The woman behind the reception desk was happy to point them in the right direction. “Take the lift to the second floor and follow the signs,” she said cheerfully.

  A few minutes later, they were greeting their neighbor who was sitting in a chair in his room.

  “Someone is supposed to be here any minute now to give me my instructions and let me go,” he told the women. “I hope you don’t mind waiting.”

  “Of course not,” Shelly said. “But how are you feeling?”

  “Quite a bit better,” Peter said. “And I’m only seeing one of each of you, as well.”

  “That is good news,” Fenella laughed. “I do think one of me is quite enough, anyway.”

  “Before I forget, I must tell you about the very strange dream I had,” Peter said. “Your Aunt Mona came to visit me.”

  “Did she?” Fenella asked.

  “Yes, and I have to say, she looked wonderful. She didn’t look a day over thirty. It’s odd that I dreamt of her
being younger, as I didn’t know her in those days, but it was definitely her.”

  “How nice,” Fenella said faintly.

  “We had a lovely long chat, all about you,” Peter continued. “And that was odd as well, because she knew all about everything you’ve been doing since you arrived on the island. Isn’t it strange what the brain does when it’s asleep?”

  “Especially after a bump on the head,” Fenella said.

  “Yes, especially then,” Peter agreed.

  The nurse who arrived a moment later had several photocopied sheets of instructions for Peter. Shelly and Fenella waited patiently while she went over them with the man. When she was satisfied that he understood all of the necessary precautions for dealing with his head injury, she smiled.

  “You can go, then,” she said. “I’m sure you’re eager to get out of here.”

  Peter grinned. “I’m sorry to say it, but yes, I am.”

  “Everyone always wants to leave,” the woman said. “I think it’s the food that puts them off.”

  They all laughed. Fenella wasn’t sure how steady Peter was on his feet, but he did well walking to the elevators.

  “I should go and get the car,” Shelly said as they rode down. “It’s miles away.”

  “I’m quite happy to walk,” Peter said. “They kept me in bed all night and most of the morning. Some fresh air and exercise will do me a world of good.”

  “If you change your mind when we’re halfway across the car park, do let me know,” Shelly said.

  The pleasant morning was turning into a very nice afternoon. The sun was shining and it definitely felt like spring or even summer was right around the corner. Although they walked fairly slowly, Peter did well. The drive back to the apartment building didn’t take long and Shelly insisted on dropping Fenella and Peter at the front door.

  “I’ll go and park the car,” she said. “You get Peter up to his flat and get him settled.”