“Harvey is another client, so I was notified when he was missing, but luckily he’s turned up safe and sound,” Doncan said.
“And he’s behind you,” Harvey’s voice drifted down the corridor.
Fenella turned around and smiled at the two dogs who almost immediately began to bark excitedly.
“They’re happy to see you,” Harvey said as Fenella gave each dog some attention. “I hope you aren’t too miserable without them. I’m not sure I could give Fiona back to you, even if you wanted her.”
“She’s happier with Winston,” Fenella said. “And I really don’t want a dog, but it is nice to see them both.”
“You can come over any time you like,” Harvey told her. “My door is always open. It’s the least I can do after what you did for me.”
“I may just take you up on that,” Fenella replied.
“If you’d like to go in, there are drinks and light snacks,” Doncan told them all. “Including doggy treats. The service is going to be fairly informal. I expect to start in about ten minutes.”
Fenella and the others made their way into the spacious community room. Chairs and couches lined all four walls. A table had been set up near the windows, covered in the promised food and drink. There were a few people scattered around the space, chatting with one another.
“I’m going to have to circulate,” Peter whispered. “These are all former business colleagues of Mortimer’s, which makes them colleagues of mine as well.”
Shelly and Fenella made their way over to the table as Harvey headed in the opposite direction to greet an old friend.
“I thought Doncan said ‘light snacks.’ That isn’t what I would call this spread,” Fenella said in a low voice.
“It all looks good,” Shelly said. “And there’s wine along with the tea and coffee.”
“I think I’ll stick to a soft drink for now,” Fenella told her. “How much food can I take and not look greedy?”
Shelly chuckled. “Let’s both take the same amount. At least then we’ll look greedy together.”
Fenella filled a plate and then turned and followed Shelly to a couch in one corner. She felt better when she noticed that everyone else was holding a plate, some with considerably more food on than hers.
“Everything is really good,” Shelly said after a moment.
“It’s excellent, and not at all what I was expecting,” Fenella replied.
“Doncan does everything first class,” Shelly told her. “You should have seen the lavish party he threw when Mona passed away.”
“He threw a party?”
“In accordance with Mona’s will, he threw a huge and incredibly extravagant party. We drank champagne and ate gorgeous food and celebrated Mona’s wonderful and unconventional life.”
“I’m sorry I missed it.”
“You’ll be at the next one, anyway.”
“The next one?”
“For Mona’s birthday,” Shelly explained.
“I’m sorry, but what are you talking about?” Fenella asked.
Shelly shook her head. “I just assumed you knew. Doncan told us all that Mona left money in her will for him to throw her a birthday party every year for the next twenty-five years.”
“She did?”
“Apparently. I thought Doncan would have told you about it.”
Fenella thought hard. “He may have,” she said after a moment. “I remember him telling me that some portion of the estate was in trust to meet certain provisions in Mona’s will. He gave me some paperwork about it, but I still haven’t read any of it. I’m going to have to do that, I suppose.”
“Her birthday isn’t until February, so you have some time,” Shelly said.
The couple who walked through the door had Fenella changing the subject abruptly. “Isn’t that Dr. Yates?” she asked Shelly.
“Yes, it is. He’s brought Bernice, as well. I hope she’s having a good day.”
“She looks lovely.”
“She does, but she doesn’t look entirely focused.”
Fenella frowned as she studied the couple who were standing hesitantly in the doorway. The man was looking around the room, as if scanning for familiar faces. The woman holding his arm was staring straight ahead, her gaze vacant.
“I’m going to go and say hello,” Shelly said. “Maybe I can steer them towards the food, and get a second helping while I’m at it.”
Fenella laughed and then rose to her feet as well. “I’ll come, too. I don’t want to sit here on my own, especially as I’m out of food.”
“Dr. Yates, how are you?” Shelly asked as they reached the couple.
“I’m well, thank you, Shelly,” he replied.
“And Bernice, how are you today?”
The woman looked at Shelly and then shook her head. “It isn’t Tuesday, is it?” she asked. She looked at her husband, who patted her hand.
“No, my dear, it’s Saturday. It’s fine,” he said reassuringly.
“This is my friend, Fenella,” Shelly said.
“It’s nice to meet you,” the man replied.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” Bernice said. “I’m Bernice Yates. My husband is Dr. Oscar Yates. He’s one of the most popular doctors on the island. I’m very lucky to be married to him.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Fenella said politely. She smiled and tried to think of something else to say.
“The food is excellent,” Shelly said brightly.
“Food? Oh, I don’t think…” the man trailed off as his wife drew a deep breath.
“I’d like something to eat,” she announced loudly.
“Of course, dear,” her husband said.
They made their way to the food table.
“I think I need a glass of wine,” she said. “White, please.”
“I’m not sure you should be mixing wine with your medication,” her husband said softly.
“I want wine,” she replied firmly.
“Yes, dear, how about a nice cup of tea?” the man offered.
“Bernice, you should get yourself some food. I’ll pour you a glass of wine,” Shelly said. She moved between the woman and the drinks, hiding her actions as she filled a wine glass with a mix of apple juice and water.
Bernice put a few things onto a plate and then turned back to Shelly. “Wine?” she asked.
“Here you are,” Shelly said, handing the woman the glass. “Try the spicy chicken bites. They’re delicious.”
Bernice took a bite of something and then a sip of her drink. “Delicious,” she said in a flat tone.
Dr. Yates had been watching closely, and now he mouthed “thank you” to Shelly as he took his wife’s arm. “Let’s go and sit down,” he suggested. “I think Doncan is about to start the service.”
“I’m tired,” the woman complained as they crossed to the nearest couch.
“You can have a nap once the service is over,” the man told her, patting her arm.
Shelly and Fenella sat down together on a couch and watched as Doncan moved into the center of the room.
“Thank you all for coming,” he said. “My father, who was Mr. Morrison’s advocate for many years, would like to say a few words to start us off.”
A distinguished-looking gentleman rose to his feet and took a step forward. Before he could speak, the door behind Fenella suddenly swung open violently, hitting the wall. Fenella spun around.
“Am I late?” Walter Blake asked from the doorway. He took a few steps forward, staggering slightly. “I didn’t mean to be late, but something came up at the office. I can’t be blamed for that, can I?”
Fenella frowned. The man seemed more than a little intoxicated to her.
“We were just getting started,” Doncan said easily. “Sit anywhere.”
“Oh, there’s food and drink,” Walter said. “I’ll just help myself, shall I?”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d wait until the service is finished,” Doncan said. “It won’t be long.”
/> “Maybe just a quick glass of wine,” the man muttered, heading toward the tables in the corner.
“Mr. Blake, I think you should sit down for now,” Daniel Robinson said. Fenella hadn’t even noticed his arrival, but now he walked out from a corner of the room and took Walter’s arm. “Doncan is ready to start.” Daniel led the man to a couch. Once Walter was seated, Daniel sat down next to him.
Doncan’s father told everyone a few short anecdotes about Mortimer before turning the proceedings back over to his son.
“I’d like to invite Harvey Garus to share some of his memories of Mortimer with everyone, please,” Doncan said.
“I can’t really tell you much about Mortimer,” Harvey said with a shrug. “You all knew him or you wouldn’t be here. He kept to himself, really. The only thing I know for sure about the man was that he cared deeply for his little dog, Fiona.” He gestured toward the dog who was happily munching her way through a bowl of treats.
“She’s adorable,” Bernice Yates said loudly.
“Mortimer told me once that he didn’t really want a dog, but he knew she was good for him,” Harvey continued. “But I saw them together and I can tell you that he really did care about her and her well-being. There’s no doubt in my mind that they improved each other’s lives, and I’m happy to say that I shall be looking after Fiona for Mortimer now that he’s no longer with us.”
He sat back down. As if recognizing her cue, Fiona stopped eating and jumped into Harvey’s lap. A ripple of applause broke out around the room.
“She clearly knows where she belongs now,” Doncan said. “Now, if anyone else would like to say a few words about Mortimer?” He glanced around the room. After a moment, one of the men on the opposite side of the room told everyone about his years working with Mortimer. That seemed to break the ice and once he was finished, several others shared their own memories of the man.
“He was brilliant with numbers,” Donald Donaldson said from the doorway behind Fenella. “I’m sorry I’m late,” he added as he glanced around the room. “I was in London when my secretary told me about the service. I flew back immediately and I’m glad I arrived in time to share a little story. About thirty years ago, I purchased a small company that had been keeping their own accounts for years. By the time I bought them out, the accounts were a complete mess, which was just the sort of challenge that Mortimer loved. I dropped off their books to his flat and asked him to let me know what he found. By the time I’d driven home, he’d left three messages with my secretary. I can’t remember everything that he’d found, but I do recall him saying, with shock in his voice, ‘every time they turned over a new page, they accidently added in the page number.’”
Everyone chuckled appreciatively as Donald moved into the room and sat down in a chair next to Fenella.
“That was Mortimer,” he said. “Diving right into the challenge and appalled at other people’s mistakes. In all the years I worked with him, I never found a single mistake in any accounts he did for me.”
“He would probably like that as his epitaph,” Doncan said. “Does anyone else want to speak?”
“He complained a lot,” Walter said in a booming voice. “He wanted everything to be perfect all the time. I do my best, but I have limited resources, you know? Anyway, he finally cost me my job, and he isn’t even around to celebrate, is he?”
“I’d like to ask everyone to make sure to sign the book of condolences,” Doncan said as Walter lapsed into silence. “Thank you all very much for coming today.”
“Who gets all his money?” Walter demanded.
“His estate will be handled in accordance with his will,” Doncan said.
“Yeah, but who’s in that will?” Walter asked.
“That information will become public knowledge at an appropriate time,” Doncan replied.
“If it’ll be public knowledge, you can tell us now, can’t you?” Walter challenged.
Doncan’s smile never faltered. “I’m sorry, but I’m not prepared to discuss that today.”
Walter opened his mouth, but Daniel put a hand on his arm. “I think that’s enough questions for now,” he said firmly.
For a moment Fenella thought the man was going to argue with Daniel, but after a short time he shrugged and then looked around the room. “There’s food,” he said, as if noticing it for the first time. “I didn’t get any lunch, did I?”
It took him a moment to haul himself off of the couch and onto his feet. While he was doing that, some of the other mourners left their seats. While one or two headed for the door, most of them were quick to help themselves to more food. Wine bottles seemed to be emptying at a rapid pace as Fenella stood up.
Peter, who’d taken a seat on the opposite side of the room when the service began, rejoined them. “That was interesting,” he murmured to Fenella. “Did I understand Walter correctly? Has he been let go from his job?”
“That’s what he said,” Fenella replied.
“And not a moment too soon,” Donald said softly. “He’s allowed that lovely old building to fall into an appalling condition.”
“Perhaps you should buy the freehold and restore it to its former glory,” Shelly said.
“I’d only be interested in doing so if I could also buy out all of the current leaseholders,” Donald replied. “I’d want to redo the entire building and I doubt some of the leaseholders would want to go.”
“What’s a leaseholder?” Fenella asked, feeling confused.
“A lot of properties on the island are sold on a long-term lease basis,” Shelly explained. “You buy the use of the property for ninety-nine years, for example.”
“And after ninety-nine years you own nothing?” Fenella asked.
“Oh, no. You just extend the lease for longer, which you can do any time, really,” Shelly told her.
“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Doncan said, grinning at Shelly.
“Are our apartments on leasehold?” Fenella asked.
“The flats in your building were, generally speaking, sold on ninety-nine year leases,” Doncan told her. “Your flat is an exception. Mona owned the freehold to your flat, which passed to you when she died.”
“She really did get special treatment,” Shelly said.
Fenella had been told that her aunt had been very close to the man who’d owned the building. This just seemed to reinforce that fact.
“What is this?” an angry voice yelled.
“The wine you asked for,” Oscar Yates replied to his wife, patting her arm as he spoke.
“This isn’t right,” Bernice said crossly. “This tastes like apple juice.”
“Perhaps it was a different wine that you had earlier,” the man said. “Maybe we should just go. You said you were tired.”
“I’m not tired. I want a glass of wine,” the woman said, stomping her foot.
“Let me get you more of what you had earlier,” Shelly said, crossing the room to where the couple were standing. “I’m sure I remember which bottle it was.”
Knowing that Shelly was going to have to work some sort of magic as Bernice stared at her, Fenella joined her friend.
“That’s a lovely necklace,” she said to Bernice. “Such an unusual design.”
Bernice turned to Fenella, her hand going to her neck. “Thank you,” she said softly. “It was a gift and it’s one of my favorites.”
“It looks especially nice with that neckline,” Fenella told her, keeping an eye on Shelly.
“Here you are,” Shelly said in an artificially perky tone. “Exactly what you had earlier.”
The woman took the glass and immediately took a drink. “Thank you,” she said to Shelly. “I think that man is trying to poison me,” she whispered, nodding toward her husband.
“Oh, surely not,” Shelly replied. “He probably just picked up the wrong bottle.”
“How very difficult for you,” Fenella said quietly to Dr. Yates.
“It is, rather,” the man said with a
shrug. “I sometimes think it would be easier if I didn’t love her so very much. We’ve been together since I was eighteen and she was twenty-five.”
“That’s a long time. Congratulations.”
“Thank you. I won’t try to tell you that it was always easy. I went away to university, and Bernice, well, she was beautiful and very popular. I’m sure she could have had her choice of suitors, but she waited for me. In the early days, when I was just starting out and money wasn’t abundant, she never complained.” He sighed. “These were meant to be our years for traveling and enjoying life. I was going to work less and we were going to see the world. Instead, I’m working less so that I can be with her as much as possible. Traveling is out of the question, though. She’d never be able to cope with that much change.”
“I’m sorry,” Fenella told him.
He nodded. “Everyone is sorry, but no one has any practical answers. I would do anything that would help, experimental treatments, whatever, but no one can offer me anything but sympathy.”
“Oscar? Where are we?” Bernice asked suddenly, blinking her eyes and looking around in confusion.
“We’re just visiting with some friends,” he told her in a soothing voice. “But I do believe it’s time to go home and rest.”
“I think I could use a nap,” the woman replied. “It’s been so very nice meeting you all,” she called, waving a hand. “We should do this more often, shouldn’t we?”
The doctor smiled sadly and took her arm. “Good afternoon,” he said to Fenella and Shelly. Fenella watched as he walked away with Bernice on his arm.
“Thank you for distracting her,” Shelly said. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage mixing up more watery apple juice while she was watching.”
“It’s all very sad,” Fenella replied. “I feel very sorry for Dr. Yates.”
“I know. It must be especially frustrating for him, being a doctor and not being able to help her,” Shelly said.
“That was a neat bit of sleight of hand,” Peter told Shelly as he joined them. “I wondered what you were planning.”
“I made her a drink earlier,” Shelly explained. “Her husband didn’t want her drinking alcohol because of her medication, but she was insisting.”
“You’re in the way,” Walter Blake said belligerently. He stood and glared at Fenella and Shelly, who were between him and the table full of bottles of wine.
An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF Page 18
