An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF

by Diana Xarissa

  Shelly looked at it and shrugged. “He looks like a little old man,” she said. “I’d probably do better recognizing the dog.”

  “This is Fiona,” Daniel said, holding up his phone again. Shelly looked at the photo for a moment and then nodded.

  “I have seen him around,” she told Daniel. “But I haven’t ever really spoken to him. Not for lack of trying.”

  “What do you mean?” Daniel asked.

  “I’m a friendly person,” Shelly explained “I talk to everyone, especially if I see them on the promenade day after day. I’m sure I tried starting a conversation with this Mortimer Morrison several times, but we never got as far as exchanging names. I didn’t even know the dog’s name.”

  “So he was unfriendly?” was Daniel’s next question.

  “I suppose you could say that,” Shelly said. “If I’m thinking of the right man, the dog is terribly shy and skittish. Usually I stop and give every dog I see a quick pat and then have a short chat with his or her owner, but Fiona didn’t want me to get too close. Mortimer might have been friendly on his own, I suppose, but I never saw him walking by himself without Fiona.”

  “Can I see the photos?” Fenella asked.

  Daniel handed her his phone. “Swipe right for the one of Fiona,” he instructed. Mona came and stood behind Fenella. She felt odd, trying to hold the phone so that her aunt could see the pictures as well, but she wanted to know if Mona knew the man.

  “I’ve spoken to him,” she said after a moment, her tone reflecting her surprise.

  “You have?” Shelly asked.

  “Just before I went away,” Fenella replied. “I was walking on the promenade one morning and he stopped me to ask if I’d seen Fiona. Apparently she’d slipped out of her collar and run off. We only talked for a moment or two. I promised to look out for a small, light brown dog and he told me his address in case I did find her.”

  “She isn’t still missing, is she?” Shelly asked.

  “He found her just a few minutes after we’d talked,” Fenella said. “I kept walking, and by the time I’d turned around to head for home, he had her back on her leash. They’d crossed the road before I had a chance to speak to him again.”

  “It’s because of Fiona that we know that Mortimer is missing,” Daniel said. “He brought her into the veterinary surgery on Friday last week because she wasn’t feeling well. Mr. Stone thought she might have eaten something she shouldn’t have, so he kept her overnight for observation. Mortimer never came back to collect her.”

  “So he’s been missing since Friday?” Fenella asked.

  “We aren’t sure about that,” Daniel said. “Mr. Stone left a message on the man’s answering machine late Friday, telling him that he could collect Fiona on Saturday morning before midday or any time on Monday between nine and five. It’s possible that Mortimer decided to wait for Monday and then disappeared some time later.”

  “Would he want to leave Fiona for that long?” Shelly asked.

  “Mr. Stone told me that he kept Fiona for him from time to time. Apparently Mortimer has family in the UK that he visits occasionally. For some reason he doesn’t take Fiona with him on those visits, so Mr. Stone keeps her at the surgery. He wasn’t at all surprised or worried when Mortimer didn’t turn up on Saturday. He wasn’t even worried on Monday. It was only today, after he rang to check on the man and found that his answering machine was full, that he thought to ring the police.”

  “And there’s no sign of him at his apartment?” Fenella asked.

  “We had the building manager let us in,” Daniel told her. “No one was at home, but it didn’t look as if the man had gone away anywhere. It just looked like he’d gone out to run some errands or something and simply didn’t come back.”

  “Can I be nosy and ask how you can tell such a thing?” Shelly asked.

  “Perishables in the refrigerator, for one thing,” Daniel replied. “Look around here. There are bowls of food out for Katie and Winston and a loaf of bread on the counter. Fenella’s flat looks lived-in, and so did Mortimer’s.”

  Shelly nodded. “That makes sense,” she said.

  “I knew Mortimer,” Mona said quietly from where she was standing next to Fenella. “Not well, but in passing. His little dog is terribly shy. She probably hates it at Mr. Stone’s office.”

  Fenella looked at her aunt and shook her head. The last thing she needed was another dog.

  “Mortimer didn’t care,” Mona continued. “He wasn’t very nice to poor Fiona, really. I don’t think he liked her very much. If I’m remembering correctly, someone gave him Fiona as a present and he kept her grudgingly.”

  “Have you been able to find his family across?” Shelly asked.

  “Gloria went through all of the papers that she could find in his flat, but couldn’t find any contact information for any family. If he has any sort of address book, he must have it with him for some reason,” Daniel said. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I was hoping you might know more about him.”

  “I wish I did,” Shelly said. “I feel terrible for poor Fiona. Do you think Mortimer’s disappearance is connected to Harvey’s?”

  “At this point, we’re investigating them as separate incidents,” Daniel said. “The fact that they live in the same building could be simply coincidental.”

  “And they both have dogs,” Shelly pointed out. “Could that have anything to do with it?”

  “As both of the dogs are accounted for, we don’t think so,” Daniel told her. “It is possible that there is a connection there somewhere, but at the moment I can’t see one.”

  “Maybe they were targeted by someone who met them both at Mr. Stone’s office,” Mona suggested. “Maybe they’re being held hostage for their pensions.”

  Fenella opened her mouth to reply to her aunt and only remembered at the last second that no one else could hear the woman. She snapped her mouth shut and then took a deep breath. “Is there anything we can do to help?” she asked Daniel after a moment.

  “Keep your eyes and ears open,” Daniel told her “If you talk to anyone who knows either man, have them ring me. The more information we can gather about the men, the better.”

  “I’ll ring a few friends and neighbors,” Shelly offered. “Someone must know more about Mortimer than I do.”

  “I’d appreciate that,” Daniel said. “You can ring Gloria if you find out anything. The cases are both hers, rather than mine. I just offered to interview you two to save her the trouble.” He stood up and walked toward the door.

  Winston got to his feet and followed. Fenella gasped. “He’s leaving a trail of sand behind him,” she exclaimed.

  “I’m surprised he didn’t do that yesterday, after his swim,” Shelly said.

  “Maybe I just didn’t notice yesterday,” Fenella said, looking around the apartment. Now that she looked, it seemed as if there was a fine layer of sand on just about every surface.

  “Giving him a bath will be a big job,” Daniel remarked. “I can give you a hand with it later, but it would have to be much later.”

  “I’m not sure I can wait,” Fenella said with a frown. Sand seemed to be dropping off Winston in clumps now.

  “Let’s take him to the groomers,” Shelly suggested. “I’m sure they’ll squeeze him in, as it’s desperate.”

  “I need a shower before I go anywhere,” Fenella said. “But then, yes, I think a trip to the groomers is a good idea.”

  “I’ll get out of the way,” Daniel said. “I may come back later if I have any news.”

  “Just find Harvey,” Fenella muttered as she opened the door to let the man out.

  “Gloria is doing her best,” Daniel assured her. “And I’m doing what I can to help.”

  Fenella nodded and then shut the door behind him. Shelly had taken the broom from the kitchen and was sweeping the kitchen floor. She’d already made a small pile of sand.

  “I’m afraid to check the beds,” Fenella said. “I didn’t even think ab
out it last night, but Winston slept in both beds.”

  “I’ll start a load of laundry for you while you have your shower,” Shelly offered. “It’s the least I can do, having forced this beast on you.”

  Winston “woofed” softly and then dropped down in his spot near the window. Fenella went into the guest bedroom and stripped the sheets from the bed. She could see sand on them as she pulled them off, shaking her head.

  “How did I miss all of that?” she muttered to herself as she worked.

  Shelly was running the vacuum cleaner when Fenella came back out of the bedroom after her shower.

  “You don’t have to do all of this,” Fenella said.

  “I do. It’s my fault you’re stuck with Winston. The least I can do is try not to make too much extra work for you. It’s bad enough you have to walk him a million times a day,” Shelly replied.

  “It isn’t quite a million,” Fenella laughed. “And now that I’ve seen what a mess it makes, I shall be a lot more careful about not letting him in the sea.”

  “I think that’s wise,” Shelly told her. “Although I’ve picked up most of the sand in here. I still have to do the bedrooms.”

  “Maybe we should wait and do the rest after Winston has had his bath,” Fenella said as she watched the dog walk across the room. She knew she was imagining the cloud of sand that she felt she could see around him.

  “Let’s get him to the groomers, then,” Shelly said. “I rang the doggie salon that’s next door to Mr. Stone’s office. They’ve promised to squeeze Winston in.”

  “Excellent,” Fenella said. “Let’s go.”

  She gave Katie a quick pat and filled her water and food bowls before snapping Winston’s leash on him again. “We’ve left a trail in the corridor,” she whispered to Shelly as they boarded the elevator.

  “That might have been from when you came in,” Shelly pointed out.

  “That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Fenella replied.

  It only took the women a few minutes to make the short walk. Winston clearly wanted to walk farther, but he followed Fenella into the groomers without much complaint.

  “It’s Winston,” the girl behind the counter called loudly as they entered.

  “Not again,” another voice shouted back. A second girl stuck her head through the door behind the reception desk and looked out at Fenella and Shelly. “He’s been splashing in the sea again, hasn’t he?” she asked.

  “He has,” Fenella said. “I gather he does that regularly?”

  “He does. He loves the water, does Winston,” the girl confirmed.

  “I hope he loves having a bath as well,” Shelly said. “He really needs one.”

  “He’s actually one of our best clients,” the girl at the desk told them. “Harvey brings him in at least once a week, and he’s never any trouble. But where’s Harvey?”

  Shelly exchanged glances with Fenella. “He’s, well, he’s missing,” she said eventually. “We found Winston running on the promenade yesterday and rang the police. They’re looking for Harvey.”

  “Oh, dear,” both girls exclaimed at the same time.

  “Harvey is wonderful,” the girl behind the desk said. “I hope he’s okay, but I can’t imagine anything that would get him to leave Winston behind. Those two are devoted to one another.”

  “When did you see him last?” Fenella asked.

  The girl shrugged. “Let me check.”

  “While you’re doing that, I’ll take Winston back and get started,” the other girl said. She took Winston’s leash from Fenella and led the dog into the back room of the shop.

  “He was here on Thursday, the ninth,” the girl told Fenella. “He didn’t have a regular booking; he just brought Winston in whenever Winston had been in the sea. He always insisted that Winston managed to get away from him, but I’m pretty sure he lets him go in the water. He knows how much that dog loves the sea.”

  “And he didn’t say anything about going away or not feeling well or anything?” Fenella asked.

  “He was exactly the same as always,” the girl said. She frowned and then shook her head. “He did say something about having an extra doctor’s appointment in the near future. I wasn’t really paying that much attention, though. The phones were ringing and we had a noisy beagle here who was barking constantly.”

  “Can you think about it and see if you can remember anything else?” Fenella requested. “It might be important.”

  The girl nodded. “If I remember anything, I’ll tell you when you come back. Cassidy needs about an hour with Winston.”

  “We’ll be back,” Shelly said.

  The pair walked out and turned back toward home. “Do you want to go home or grab a coffee somewhere while we wait?” Shelly asked.

  “Oh, coffee,” Fenella said quickly. “I can’t even remember if I had any yet today. It’s been an odd morning.”

  Winston looked wonderful when the women returned. “He’s even more gorgeous than I realized,” Fenella said as she ran her hand along the dog’s now silky fur.

  “He’s beautiful and good-natured,” the girl behind the desk agreed. “Do you want me to put today on Harvey’s account?”

  Fenella looked at Shelly and then sighed. “I think I’ll just pay for today,” she said, feeling sad.

  The girl nodded. “I really tried hard to remember what Harvey said when he was here last week,” she told her as Fenella dug out her wallet. “It was something like ‘I’m seeing my doctor almost as much as I’m seeing you these days,’ but I don’t think I have it exactly right.”

  “Would you mind talking to the police about it?” Fenella asked. “It probably doesn’t matter, but it could be important.”

  “The police? I mean, I suppose I don’t mind, but I can’t imagine that anything I have to say will be at all helpful,” the girl said, flushing.

  “I’m going to have Inspector Gloria Hunt call you,” Fenella said. “She’s the inspector in charge of missing persons.”

  “She has the right name for that job,” the girl smiled.

  “She does indeed,” Fenella agreed. “I’ll tell her what you told me and then she might be in touch.”

  Shelly and Fenella left the groomers with Winston. He started pulling on his leash almost immediately.

  “I’m not letting you anywhere near the water,” Fenella told him sternly. “I don’t want to have to bring you back here again tomorrow.”

  Winston glanced up at her and then began to pull her in a different direction. Fenella looked at Shelly.

  “Where does he want to go now?” she asked.

  “I’ve no idea,” Shelly replied.

  A moment later they had their answer, as Winston stopped in front of Mr. Stone’s veterinary office.

  “I suppose we could pop in and say hello,” Shelly said. “Maybe they’ve heard something about Mortimer or Harvey.”

  Fenella pulled the door open and Winston bounded inside. Bethany Carter, behind the reception desk, laughed when she saw him.

  “Here for your post-grooming treat?” she asked the big dog. Winston “woofed” loudly and was rewarded with a small treat.

  “I wasn’t expecting to see Winston today,” the woman greeted Shelly and Fenella.

  “When we came out of the groomers, he led us over here,” Fenella explained.

  Bethany laughed again. “Harvey always brought him in for a treat after his grooming sessions,” she explained. “We encourage our dog owners to visit us occasionally so their dogs can get a treat and some love. Mr. Stone would prefer that animals not immediately associate coming here with being poked and prodded or even jabbed.”

  “That makes sense,” Shelly said. “Maybe I should bring Smokey for a visit once in a while.”

  “You’d be more than welcome,” Bethany assured her. “We have kitty treats as well.” All while she’d been talking, Bethany had been petting Winston. Now she gave him a second treat.

  “I don’t suppose you’ve heard anything abou
t Harvey or Mortimer?” Shelly asked.

  “Unfortunately, we haven’t,” the woman replied. “And Mr. Stone isn’t quite sure what to do about Fiona.”

  “Why?” Fenella asked.

  “She’s shy and a bit skittish,” Bethany replied. “It hasn’t been too bad since she’s been here, but we have three large dogs coming in for operations today. It’s probably going to get a bit noisy in our recovery room this afternoon. Poor Fiona won’t be happy.”

  “The poor little thing,” Shelly said. “I’d offer to take her, but Smokey doesn’t like dogs.”

  “And I already have Winston,” Fenella said. “I don’t think I could manage another animal.”

  “Ah, good morning,” Mr. Stone greeted them as he walked out from behind the reception desk. He was holding a small dog and stroking her gently.

  “There’s the little troublemaker,” Bethany said.

  “I was hoping you might hold her for a while,” Mr. Stone told Bethany. “She seems even more upset today than she was yesterday. I think she’s missing Mortimer. She was curled up in her box just whimpering when I went in just now and it doesn’t look as if she’s touched her food.”

  Bethany held out her arms and took the dog. “You poor thing,” she murmured. “Are you feeling lonely?”

  Fiona barely opened her eyes as she sank into Bethany’s lap. Winston took one look at the sad creature and barked twice. Fiona’s eyes popped open.

  “Woofff,” she said softly.

  The humans all watched as the two dogs sniffed and snuffled at one another. “Set Fiona on the floor,” Mr. Stone suggested as the small dog stood up on Bethany’s lap.

  “You’re sure Winston isn’t going to eat her?” Bethany asked as she complied.

  Winston immediately laid down and Fiona snuggled up against him. She rested her head on his stomach and shut her eyes again. This time she looked content, rather than depressed, though.

  “I think she likes Winston,” Bethany said.

  “Everyone likes Winston,” Mr. Stone replied. “He’s one of the nicest dogs I’ve ever had the good fortune to look after.”