An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF

by Diana Xarissa

  Fenella bit her tongue and looked out the window as the glorious scenery. The island really was the most beautiful place she’d ever seen. Paul drove the rest of the journey at a more sensible speed. When he pulled up in front of her building, he frowned. “You don’t have a doorman, do you?”

  “No, we don’t,” Fenella said. “But it’s not a problem. I can just jump out here.”

  “Don’t be silly. I’ll walk you to your door. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do,” he replied. He checked the traffic and then did a U-turn and parked in a spot just across from the building.

  Try as she might, Fenella couldn’t work out how to open the car’s door. Paul opened it for her and then helped her out. “There’s a trick to it,” he said, standing far too close to her for comfort as she emerged.

  Fenella took a step backwards, nearly tripping over the curb. Paul slid his arms around her. “Steady now,” he said in her ear.

  She only just resisted the urge to bring her knee up sharply into his groin. “I’m fine,” she said, quickly stepping sideways away from him.

  “Let’s go, then,” he replied, offering her his arm. She took it out of a sense of obligation and let him lead her across the road and into her building.

  “I have to admit that I’m curious,” he said as the elevator rose. “I’ve heard stories about Mona’s incredible flat. I’ve always wanted to see it for myself.”

  “It’s nice, but I don’t think it’s anything too spectacular,” Fenella told him.

  She opened her door and walked inside, with Paul on her heels. The floor-to-ceiling windows that faced the promenade flooded the room with light. Fenella felt as if she were seeing the place for the first time when she saw the look on Paul’s face.

  “It’s definitely spectacular,” he said as he turned slowly. “And the furniture is special as well. I’m sure nearly all of it is antique.”

  “Maybe,” Fenella shrugged. “I just like it because it’s comfortable.”

  “Whom have you brought home now?” Mona asked from the kitchen doorway.

  Without thinking, Fenella opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted by Katie’s sudden appearance.

  “Merow,” Katie said loudly.

  “You have a cat,” Paul said, sounding surprised.

  “I do. Katie adopted me just a few days after I arrived,” Fenella explained. “I opened the door and she ran inside. I thought someone would come to claim her, but no one has.”

  “She’s lovely,” Paul said. He bent down and ran a finger down Katie’s back. “We weren’t allowed to have pets when I was a child. Mother had enough to worry about with Paula, I suppose.”

  “Do you have any pets now?” Fenella asked.

  Paul stood up and stared at her for a minute. “I don’t,” he said eventually. “The idea simply never crossed my mind. I suppose I think of pets as something you have as children, not something a grown man would have when he lives on his own.” He bent back down and rubbed Katie’s tummy for a moment.

  “That must be Paul Clucas, Junior,” Mona said. “He does resemble his father, although not much, I have to say. He looks much more like his mother, unfortunately. He used to follow me around at parties when he was younger. I always thought he was sweet, but not too bright.”

  Fenella quickly swallowed a laugh.

  “I’m rather too busy with work, of course,” Paul said when he stood back up again. “It wouldn’t be fair to an animal, the hours that I work. He or she would never get fed on any sort of schedule.”

  “That probably rules out a dog, but cats are more flexible,” Fenella said. “Or there are always fish,” she added.

  Paul laughed. “While your little kitten is adorable and I can see the appeal of having one, I don’t think a fish would be anywhere near as satisfying a companion.”

  “Thank you for the ride home,” Fenella said, hoping the man would hear the goodbye in her tone.

  “You’re very welcome,” he replied. “I was coming this way anyway. I have a flat here in Douglas, although it isn’t as nice as this one.”

  “I do love Mona’s apartment,” Fenella agreed.

  “Surely it’s yours now.”

  “Oh, yes, of course, but it still feels like Mona’s to me.”

  “If you ever decide you want to sell it, please give me first refusal,” the man told her. “I’d love to have those views every morning and evening.”

  “I can’t imagine selling it,” Fenella replied. “I love it here.”

  “You don’t intend to go back to the US, then?”

  “No, not at all. I sold my house and all of its contents when I moved. If I did go back, I’d have to start all over again.”

  “You could take all of this with you,” he suggested, waving an arm.

  “Or I could just stay here and enjoy it,” Fenella replied.

  “I hope you do,” Paul told her seriously. “And I really would like to take you to dinner one night soon, if you don’t think Donald would mind too much.”

  “Donald isn’t in a position to mind,” Fenella said.

  “In that case, how about dinner tomorrow night?” the man countered.

  Fenella flushed. “I don’t think I can do tomorrow,” she muttered.

  “Make sure he takes you somewhere extravagant,” Mona said. “Paris is lovely this time of year.”

  “What about this weekend?” Paul suggested.

  Fenella crossed the room and looked at her calendar on the wall. It was depressingly empty. “Friday?” she asked.

  The man pulled out his phone and tapped on it for a moment. “Friday works for me,” he said. “I’ll collect you at seven. Do you have a favorite restaurant on the island yet?”

  “Not really,” Fenella said. “I’m happy just about anywhere.”

  Paul nodded. “There’s a lovely little place in Port Erin with amazing sea views. I know your views are stunning, but I think you’ll like it anyway.”

  Fenella glanced over at Mona, who shrugged. “The food is excellent, but it’s hardly Paris.”

  “That sounds good,” Fenella said. “I’ll see you then.”

  “Excellent,” the man replied. “I’ll make our booking for half seven so I don’t have to drive too fast to get there on time,” he added as he took the necessary steps to the door.

  “I’d appreciate that,” Fenella told him. She reached for the doorknob, but he caught her hand.

  “I’m really looking forward to having a chance to get to know you better,” he said softly. When she looked up at him, he kissed her forehead. “I am terribly sorry about my mother’s behavior.”

  “It’s fine,” Fenella muttered, feeling oddly touched by the gentle kiss. “I’ll see you on Friday.”

  He nodded and then released her hand so that she could let him out. Fenella watched him walk down the corridor and onto the elevator before she shut the door behind him.

  “He doesn’t seem your type,” Mona said as Fenella headed for the kitchen.

  “I didn’t like him at all until he was nice to Katie,” Fenella admitted. “It’s only one dinner, anyway. I won’t have to see him again after that.”

  “I’m not sure he’ll give up that easily,” Mona told her. “But that’s a problem for later. Tell me what Paulette said.”

  Fenella refilled Katie’s bowls while she told her aunt what Paulette had said about her father.

  “I can’t imagine Paul Clucas writing his memoirs,” Mona scoffed. “Nothing interesting every happened to him, although he probably thought his sex life was fascinating.” She yawned. “Quantity is no substitute for quality,” she told Fenella. “And that man was all about quantity.”

  “Poor Phillipa.”

  “I always thought she’d have been much happier if she’d had an affair or two herself,” Mona said. “But she was always busy with her children, especially little Paula.”

  “Until Paula died, anyway.”

  “That was tragic,” Mona said solemnly.

  �
��Paul was telling me about Maxwell Martin,” Fenella said, trying to sound casual.

  Mona laughed. “I did wonder how long it would be before his name came up. I must say, it has taken rather longer than I’d expected.”

  “He owned this building when it was a hotel?”

  “Max owned a great many buildings,” Mona replied. “The hotel here was his most elegant property. That terrible brightly lit lobby downstairs was once the entrance to another world.”

  “And you two were a couple for many years?”

  Mona laughed again. “You could measure our relationship in days or weeks, never more than that. We fought constantly and made up gloriously. He was the only man who ever put a ring on my finger, and less than a fortnight later I threw the ring back in his face.”

  “Paul told me you threw it in the sea,” Fenella countered.

  Mona shrugged. “That sounds like me,” she said. “The details don’t really matter. Max and I were passionately in love some of the time, but we also couldn’t stand one another.”

  “I don’t think I understand.”

  “No one did,” Mona replied. “I’m not sure Max and I understood it, really. Anyway, it didn’t matter. We were together, off and on, from the time I was eighteen until Max’s death just a few years ago.”

  “But you never married.”

  “Max wasn’t the marrying kind,” Mona told her. “Neither was I, when it came down to it. I suppose if either of us had pushed the issue the other may have gone along, but really we were both happy without the formal commitment.”

  A knock on the door interrupted Fenella’s next question. “Shelly, hello,” Fenella said brightly when she’d opened the door.

  “I just thought I’d come over and ask how last night went,” Shelly said. “Did you have fun?”

  “It was interesting,” Fenella replied. “But let me tell you all about it over a drink or two at the pub,” she suggested.

  “It’s only five o’clock,” Shelly said. “Let me get myself some dinner and then we can go.”

  “I don’t think I can eat another bite,” Fenella told her. “I ate far too many finger sandwiches and cream cakes at tea.”

  “I’ll be back in an hour and we’ll head to the pub,” Shelly said. “You can tell me all about last night over a glass of white wine.”

  “Perfect,” Fenella replied. She closed the door behind her friend and turned back around to ask Mona more about Max. The living room behind her was empty.

  “Where did she go?” Fenella asked Katie.

  The kitten looked up at her and shrugged before she bounced away into the spare bedroom. Fenella sighed. She had many more questions she’d wanted to ask and now she’d have to wait for another opportunity. She filled her hour with mindless television, watching a quiz show from several years earlier, all about news headlines that she didn’t understand. By the time Shelly returned, Fenella was standing at the door with her handbag in her hand.

  “You really need a drink tonight, don’t you?” Shelly asked.

  “I really need someone to talk to,” Fenella replied. “I’ve had a very strange weekend.”

  The Tale and Tail pub was only a few steps away. They stopped right inside the door and Fenella took a moment to look around the huge room. She did that every time she arrived, and she didn’t think she’d ever get tired of the incredible view.

  The pub had once been the private library in the mansion of a very wealthy family. When the property was sold and turned into a luxury hotel, the library had been converted into a pub. A large bar had been installed in the center of the large lower-level room, but very little else had been changed. Most importantly for Fenella, bookshelves still covered nearly every inch of the walls and all of the books could be borrowed.

  As the pair made their way to the bar, a large orange cat streaked past, nearly tripping Fenella. That was another thing that made the pub special. There were half a dozen or so cats that called the pub home. Large cat beds were scattered around the lower level. Sometimes they all seemed to be full of lounging animals, but tonight they mostly looked empty, as cats wandered around the room, getting pats and scratches from the various patrons.

  Fenella and Shelly got glasses of wine and then headed up the spiral staircase to the upper level. There, amid even more bookcases, were tables with chairs and couches around them. The space was mostly empty, so the women had no difficulty finding seats in a quiet corner. As soon as they were seated, a large black and white cat jumped into Shelly’s lap and settled in.

  “I suppose I’ll have to get the next round,” Fenella laughed.

  “I won’t complain,” Shelly replied. “But do tell me what’s been going on that has you so frazzled.”

  Fenella told her friend all about her encounters the previous evening and then about her Sunday afternoon tea. After she’d told her friend about the ride home with Paul, she sighed and sat back in her seat. It had been a bit tricky telling the story without repeating anything that Mona had said. Now that she was done, she felt able to take a big drink of her wine.

  “You have a much more interesting life than I do,” Shelly said.

  Fenella shook her head. “It was Mona who had all of the adventures,” she countered. “Although I seem to have inherited a few enemies from her.”

  “And a few admirers,” Shelly replied. “Paul sounds charming.”

  “I didn’t like him until he started fussing over Katie,” Fenella told her.

  Shelly laughed. “Maybe you’ll feel differently after Friday night,” she said.

  “Did you want a second round?” Fenella asked as they finished their drinks.

  “Not really,” Shelly replied. “I’d really like an early night. I was out with Gordon last night and we’re going to have a late night on Tuesday as well. We can’t come home before the fireworks.”

  They walked home together in companionable silence. Alone in her apartment, Fenella got ready for bed. She checked that Katie had fresh water, and then washed her face and combed her hair. Feeling slightly restless, she found herself a good mystery novel from Mona’s extensive collection and curled up to read. She was startled when someone knocked on her door a short time later.

  “Shelly?” she said in surprise.

  “I was just heading to bed,” Shelly said, glancing down at her pajamas and coloring slightly. “I switched the radio on to see if I could hear a weather forecast for Tuesday and I caught the end of the news.”

  “What’s happened?” Fenella demanded.

  “I’m not sure I have the name right,” Shelly said. “But I thought one of the women you spoke to last night was Anne Marie Smathers.”

  “That’s right.”

  “She’s dead,” Shelly said tersely.

  5

  Fenella pulled the other woman into her apartment. They sat together on the nearest couch. “What happened to her?” Fenella asked, her heart racing.

  “They just said it was a road traffic accident,” Shelly replied. “They didn’t give any details. They said something like ‘the body of the woman killed in the road traffic accident early this morning has been identified as Anne Marie Smathers, aged eighty-one, of Ramsey.’ I think that’s about right.”

  “So it was an accident,” Fenella said, sitting back against the couch cushions.

  “I suppose so. It just seems an awful coincidence that you were just talking to her last night and now she’s gone.”

  “Just because I’ve stumbled into a few murder investigations since I’ve been on the island doesn’t mean that everyone around me is being murdered,” Fenella told her.

  “I know,” Shelly said quickly. “And I probably shouldn’t have even come over to tell you, but it was just, well, odd.”

  “Life is full of coincidences,” Fenella said. “She was at a large party last night. She would have spoken to a great many people. No doubt all of us will feel that it’s a bit strange.”

  “I just thought you should know,” Shelly said, get
ting to her feet. “I suppose it could have waited for morning, though.”

  “I’m glad you came over and told me right away,” Fenella assured her. “I just wish I could call Daniel for more information.”

  Shelly made a face. “If it was murder, I’d feel much better if Daniel were the one investigating it.”

  Inspector Daniel Robinson was a Douglas-based member of the island’s constabulary. He was currently in the UK on a training course that still had several weeks to run. Shelly and Fenella both liked the intelligent and handsome man. He and Fenella had taken a few tentative steps toward a romantic relationship, but he had pulled back abruptly when he’d found out he was going on the course.

  Fenella missed him more than she wanted to admit to anyone, especially herself. The thought of being caught up in a murder investigation while he was away was especially unpleasant, though.

  “They said it was an accident,” Fenella reminded Shelly. “Anyway, she was from Ramsey. If there is a police investigation, someone from there would be in charge, even if Daniel were here.”

  “But he would be able to find out what was really going on and keep us informed.”

  “He isn’t meant to do that,” Fenella said. “And it really isn’t any of our business this time, either. I only spoke to the woman for a few minutes and had no plans to ever see her again. I’m sorry to hear about her sudden death, but I’m not involved in any way.”

  Shelly nodded and headed for the door. “I probably should have waited to tell you until morning,” she said again. “But I was too surprised to sleep.”

  “I hope you can sleep now,” Fenella told her. “Thank you for telling me.”

  She let the other woman out. The book she had been reading had lost of all its appeal, so she crawled into bed next to Katie and tried to get comfortable. Her brain kept insisting on replaying her conversation with Anne Marie over and over again as Fenella tossed and turned. Eventually Katie jumped off the bed and took herself to the guest room to sleep. A short while later, Fenella managed to fall into a restless sleep.

  “I’m not awake,” she moaned as Katie began to pat her gently on the nose. “I only just fell asleep,” she added as Katie began to accompany the taps with soft meows. When Katie didn’t give up, Fenella sighed and climbed out of bed. She’d just get some breakfast for the animal and then try to get some more sleep, she promised herself.