An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF

by Diana Xarissa

  “I don’t know your size, but these might be more comfortable than your clothes,” she said.

  “Do I want to know why you have a supply of men’s pajamas?” Daniel asked as she handed him the seemingly brand new ones.

  “They came with the apartment,” Fenella told him.

  Daniel nodded and then sighed. “I’m not sure I can be bothered to change, but they look comfortable.”

  “Change,” Fenella suggested. “You’ll sleep better. What time do you need to be woken?”

  “I’ll set the alarm on my phone,” he replied. “Hopefully, a couple of hours of downtime will sort me out.”

  “I’ll check on you around noon, then,” Fenella said. “I’ll make you some lunch before you leave.”

  He glanced at the clock on the bedside table. “Make it half twelve,” he said softly. “But you don’t need to bother with lunch. I’m just grateful for the chance to get some sleep.”

  “Lunch isn’t a problem,” Fenella said firmly. “Now go to bed.”

  She turned and left the room, hoping that the man would be able to get the rest he so desperately needed. Making sure the door was shut tightly, she rejoined Shelly in the kitchen.

  “That poor man. He needs to take better care of himself,” she said.

  “He needs someone to look after him,” Shelly replied. “Just like you did just now.”

  “Or you could find yourself a man who can look after himself,” Mona suggested.

  Fenella didn’t reply to either woman. Instead, she poured herself some more coffee and sat down at the counter. “The disappearances have to be the key,” she said softly, almost talking to herself. “If you want someone dead, you kill them. Why would you want to kidnap someone?”

  “Money is almost always what’s behind kidnapping, isn’t it?” Shelly asked.

  “But none of the victims have any money,” Fenella said.

  “Harvey has tons of money,” Mona told her. “He chooses to stay in his flat because it suits his needs, not because he can’t afford anything better. He could buy himself a huge mansion if that’s what he wanted.”

  “You said Harvey worked in the music industry,” Fenella said to Shelly. “Do you think he made a lot of money?”

  “Probably. And he probably still has lots of contacts. Maybe someone wanted him to listen to their music so they kidnapped him,” Shelly said.

  “And the music was so bad that he’s blocked the entire experience from his memory,” Mona suggested.

  Fenella shook her head. “Even if Harvey is rich, the others aren’t, are they?”

  “I don’t know anything about Leonora,” Shelly told her. “There was family money, of course, but she may have spent her way through all of it. Alternately, she may have invested it wisely and left millions to someone.”

  “If someone wanted Harvey to listen to his music, why might they have wanted Mortimer or Leonora?” Fenella asked.

  “Maybe they needed a really good accountant, too,” Shelly said with a shrug. “That would explain Mortimer, anyway. I can’t imagine what Leonora could have added to the equation, though.”

  “Nothing,” Mona said flatly.

  “I wonder what Daniel and Gloria found out about doctor’s appointments,” Fenella said thoughtfully. “We should have asked Harvey about that. Could there be a medical reason for kidnapping someone?”

  “I’ve heard horror stories on the Internet about people being drugged and having their organs stolen, but I’ve always thought they were made up,” Shelly replied.

  “Harvey wasn’t missing anything when he turned up or we would have heard about it. And Daniel would have mentioned it if Mortimer or Leonora had any new scars or anything like that,” Fenella said.

  “They’re too old to be useful for that sort of thing,” Mona insisted. “You don’t harvest organs from eighty-year-old pensioners.”

  “Blood?” Shelly asked. “That’s the only thing I can think of that could have been removed and not noticed.”

  “Next she’ll be suggesting vampires,” Mona whispered.

  “I know vampires aren’t real,” Shelly said. “But sometimes I do wonder.”

  “You’ve been watching too much television,” Fenella suggested.

  “Actually, it’s more books that television,” Shelly said. “There are some excellent vampire novels out at the moment.”

  “Luckily, I think they’re just fiction,” Fenella said. “But maybe we’re missing something. I think we should talk to Harvey about his doctor’s appointments.”

  “Do you want to go and visit him?” Shelly asked.

  “Invite him here,” Mona said quickly. “Have him bring the dogs. I rather miss them.”

  “I don’t want it to feel like an inquisition,” Fenella replied. “Maybe we should take a stroll on the promenade. If we walk for long enough, he’s bound to turn up, isn’t he?”

  “And when he does, you can bring him back here for a chat,” Mona suggested.

  “We can try,” Shelly said. “I got an awful lot of lovely exercise when you had Winston and Fiona. Now I feel like I haven’t been out for a walk in ages.”

  “We did walk to the memorial service yesterday,” Fenella reminded her. “And the pub last night.”

  “Hardly more than a few steps either time. We need a proper walk, from one end of the promenade to the other,” Shelly said firmly.

  “I won’t disagree. It looks like a lovely day for it,” Fenella replied. “Give me some time to grab a shower and get dressed. I’ll leave a note for Daniel.”

  Shelly went next door to change into more comfortable shoes and get her handbag. In her bedroom, Fenella got ready as quickly and quietly as she could. After taping a note to the guest bedroom door that simply read “Gone for a walk with Shelly. Will be back by twelve,” she met Shelly in the corridor.

  “We have to be back by twelve,” she told her friend. “I want to get lunch ready before Daniel wakes up.”

  “That gives us plenty of time for a long walk. What are we going to do if we don’t see Harvey, though?” Shelly asked.

  “Try again after lunch?” Fenella suggested.

  They needn’t have worried, though. They’d walked as far as the Sea Terminal and were just turning around when Fenella heard a familiar bark.

  “There’s Winston,” she said.

  Shelly looked where Fenella was pointing and nodded. “Fiona is there as well, and they seem to be coming this way. That’s good.”

  The women quickened their pace, eager to intercept Harvey and the dogs. Fenella wasn’t sure if she was more interested in talking to Harvey or in having a chance to play with Winston and Fiona again. As she greeted the animals, she decided that whatever Harvey had to say couldn’t be as interesting as seeing the dogs.

  “They’re happy to see you,” Harvey laughed as both animals demanded attention from Fenella.

  “I’m happy to see them as well. They were hard work, but I miss them,” Fenella replied.

  “You know you’re welcome to visit them anytime,” Harvey said. “Especially if you want to take them for walks. I love doing it, but I think Winston would walk all day, every day, given the opportunity.”

  Harvey turned and fell into step with the women. The dogs seemed happy enough to turn back as well.

  “Let me take one of them for you,” Fenella offered.

  Harvey handed her Winston’s leash. As soon as Winston realized the change, he began to pull on the leash, eager for a run.

  “Go and run for a bit,” Shelly urged her. “Winston will be grateful.”

  Fenella and the dog jogged easily for several minutes, until Fenella began to feel out of breath. She walked back to the others, who had stopped to sit on a bench.

  “I was just telling Harvey how we’ve been talking about his disappearance again,” Shelly told Fenella when she arrived. “He didn’t know Leonora, but he heard on the morning news that she’d been missing and, um, found.”

  “Sad thing,” Harv
ey said. “But I can’t see what it has to do with me. I didn’t even know the woman.”

  “But she disappeared, just like you did,” Fenella pointed out. “Shelly and I were wondering if the disappearances might be connected.”

  “Yeah, that’s what Shelly said. She said she thought Mortimer might be connected as well, but I can’t see how,” Harvey told her.

  “You said something to the dog groomers about needing to see the doctor a great deal,” Fenella changed the subject abruptly. “I hope you’re okay.”

  Harvey blinked and then shook his head. “I don’t remember saying any such thing,” he said. “I was seeing Dr. Yates twice a week for a short while, but I don’t remember mentioning it to anyone.”

  “Do you mind me asking why you were seeing him so often?” Fenella asked.

  Harvey shrugged. “I take a few different tablets to keep everything in good working order, but I had some trouble with one of them. Dr. Yates had to change some of my prescriptions around to help.”

  “What happened when you had trouble?” Fenella asked. She flushed when Shelly gave her a questioning look. Maybe she was being a bit personal, but the answer might matter. “I mean, did you have dizzy spells or memory problems?” she asked, trying to soften the question, but feeling like she wasn’t doing a good job of it.

  Harvey shrugged. “A little dizziness, yes, but no problems with my memory. I talked to Dr. Yates when I was in hospital and he didn’t think my memory loss while I was missing was a result of any of the medications I take. He thought I must have had a blow to the head.”

  Fenella nodded. “And you haven’t had any dizziness or problems since you’ve been back?”

  “Not a single problem,” Harvey said. “Dr. Yates changed my medications again, just in case, but I’ve been absolutely fine.” He sighed. “It’s very frustrating, really, not knowing what happened, but I have to believe that someone looked after me, someone who doesn’t want any credit for their kindness. I’m too old to spend my time trying to work out what happened. I just want to enjoy my life and whatever time I have left. I’m sorry if that seems odd to you.”

  “I understand,” Fenella told him. “And I wouldn’t mind at all if Mortimer and Leonora hadn’t both disappeared as well. If there’s any connection between the cases, you might be the key to solving them all.”

  Harvey shook his head. “I’m not the key to anything. I’m just an old man who bumped his head and forgot who he was for a few days. Whatever happened to Mortimer and Leonora is nothing to do with me.”

  The dogs were getting restless from the long break, especially Winston. Fenella smiled at him. “You’ve been very patient,” she told him, patting his head.

  “I’d better get off before they start barking at the seagulls or something,” Harvey said. “Again, remember that you can come visit whenever you’d like.”

  Fenella nodded. She and Shelly sat and watched the man walk away with the dogs. For a moment neither woman spoke.

  “Maybe we need to talk to Dr. Yates,” Shelly said eventually.

  “I was thinking the same thing,” Fenella admitted. “I wonder if Harvey is fully aware of the possible side effects of the various drugs he’s taking.”

  “We should probably have lunch first,” Shelly suggested. “It’s nearly time for Daniel to get up.”

  14

  Fenella made soup and sandwiches for everyone, finishing the last sandwich as Daniel walked out of the guest room.

  “You look a little bit better,” she greeted him. “But still exhausted.”

  “It will have to do,” he replied. “I have to go into the office after lunch.”

  “Hopefully not for long,” Fenella said. “You need an early night.”

  “I’m having a consultation with the Ramsey CID about Mortimer and Leonora,” he told her. “Then I’ll probably go home and go to bed.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Shelly said.

  The trio ate their lunch quickly. Daniel managed to eat several sandwiches and two bowls of soup.

  “Your color is better now that you’ve eaten,” Fenella said, feeling reassured.

  “I really appreciate both breakfast and lunch,” the man replied.

  Shelly loaded the dishwasher while Fenella walked Daniel to the door. “We talked to Harvey this morning,” she told him. “He said he was seeing his doctor because he was having trouble with his medications. Shelly and I were wondering if anything he takes might have caused his memory issues.”

  “I suppose that’s possible,” Daniel said with a shrug. “I’m not sure that it matters, really, though.”

  “We thought we might go and have a chat with Dr. Yates this afternoon,” she told him. “Maybe he can tell us more about the side effects of the drugs that Harvey is on.”

  “Except there is such a thing as doctor-patient confidentiality,” Daniel said. “He can’t discuss the matter with you.”

  “Has anyone from the police spoken to him?” Fenella asked.

  “To him or to the doctor who treated Harvey at Noble’s, yes. They would have run tests to see what drugs were in his system when he arrived, as well,” Daniel replied.

  “I don’t suppose he’d been taking the same thing as either Mortimer or Leonora?” she asked.

  “He probably was,” Daniel said. “As I understand it, the older people get the more medications they tend to need. All three of our missing people may well have been taking the same prescription medications.”

  “I never took any prescription drugs, and I was healthy right up until my untimely death,” Mona interjected.

  Fenella sighed. “I’m sorry. I was hoping maybe we were on to something.”

  “You might be,” Daniel said. “But I’m too tired to work out exactly what.” He sighed. “Let me know what Dr. Yates says, okay? I’ll come back later today.” He took a step forward and then stopped. “Maybe I’ll come back tomorrow. I think I’m too tired to do much of anything today.”

  Fenella nodded and then let the man out. After she locked the door behind him, she turned to Shelly. “Where can we find Dr. Yates?” she asked.

  “I’ll ring his surgery,” Shelly replied. “It’s just up the road in Lonan.”

  “Surgery? Does he perform operations there?” Fenella wondered.

  “No, that’s just what we call it,” Shelly said with a grin.

  “You’d call it a doctor’s office,” Mona told her. “Your mother and I had a long chat about it once. She didn’t think it should be called a surgery unless someone was actually doing surgery there. That, of course, is best done in hospital.”

  “Where is Lonan?” Fenella asked.

  “Just up the coast a bit, between here and Laxey,” Shelly told her. “It’s a lovely little village. I’ll ring and see if we can get a booking for this afternoon, shall I?”

  Fenella nodded, wondering what excuse the woman would use for making the appointment. She was surprised when Shelly didn’t bother with an excuse at all, simply asking if she could come and see the doctor.

  “He’s free after three o’clock,” Shelly told her. “From what the receptionist hinted, he isn’t very busy at the moment.”

  “Is that normal?” Fenella asked. “Is there a surplus of doctors on the island?”

  “No, it isn’t really normal,” Shelly replied with a frown. “Maybe that’s something else we should ask him about.”

  “That seems a bit rude,” Fenella said. “Maybe he’s not a very good doctor.”

  “I used to see him,” Shelly reminded her. “I liked him a lot, actually. I only switched when I moved in here because he’d closed his Douglas surgery.”

  With a bit of time to fill before they had to be in Lonan, the women decided to head into the city center to do some shopping. After a quick dash up and down the high street, they made their way to ShopFast to get some groceries. Fenella was wandering through the bakery when she spotted a familiar face.

  “Mr. Blake, this is a surprise,” she gree
ted the man.

  He looked at her and frowned. “Who are you again?” he asked.

  Now that she was standing next to the man, she could smell alcohol on his breath. His eyes seemed to be struggling to focus. A glance in his shopping cart revealed several bottles of cheap gin and a single bottle of tonic water.

  “I’m Fenella Woods. I’m friends with Harvey, and I saw you at Mortimer Morrison’s memorial service.”

  “Don’t say that name,” Walter said in an icy voice. “That man ruined my life. If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him, wouldn’t I?”

  Fenella felt a chill run through her. “I’m sorry,” she said hastily. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “He cost me my job, you know,” the man told her. “I was doing me best, working me hardest, keeping the place up as best I could. He didn’t have to keep complaining all the time, did he? Maybe I did shout at him a bit, but he didn’t have to go and send a video to the owners, did he?”

  “A video?” Fenella echoed.

  “Yeah, a video of me shouting at the man to stop bloody complaining all the time. Oh, I knew he’d taken it. He did it on his fancy phone, didn’t he? I can’t afford a phone that fancy, but he had all kinds of money, did Mortimer. Kept it hidden and pretended to be broke, but he had plenty of money when he needed it, didn’t he?”

  “Did he?” Fenella murmured.

  “Oh, yeah. He bought that fancy phone for just one reason. Then he came into my office, my private office, and started a fight, didn’t he?”

  “When did all of this happen?” Fenella asked.

  “Oh, about a week before he turned up dead, wasn’t it? I tried telling the owners that he was dead, but they didn’t care, did they? They still said I had to go, and where does that leave me?”

  “I don’t know. Where does that leave you?” Fenella retorted.

  “Homeless,” the man yelled. “That’s where I am. Oh, not yet, because they’ve given me a week to find somewhere to go, but after that I’m homeless. Where am I meant to go? I don’t have any family or friends on the island, do I? I should go back to Liverpool, but can I afford it? And what would I do there, anyway? There aren’t any jobs there, any more than here, are there?”