“No, not at all. I love this apartment. I just didn’t realize that you were as wealthy as all of that.”
Mona smiled. “Max was very generous to me over the years. He wasn’t the only one, of course, but he was the most generous. When we first met, I had very little. He helped me invest my savings in a number of schemes that all did very well. And he showered me with gifts, of course. He always wanted to be certain that I was looked after. We never married. When he passed away, his estate went to his business partner and his sister. I wasn’t even named in the will.”
“My goodness,” Fenella exclaimed.
“His sister didn’t approve of me, you see. If Max had left me anything, she would have contested the will. It would have been an ugly mess, because her husband was a solicitor in London. Max didn’t want me to have to deal with all of that, so he made sure that he gave me everything he could while he was still alive. His sister didn’t end up with very much, really, but there was nothing she could do about it.”
“Is she still alive?”
“Oh, yes. I believe she’s too mean to die. She and her husband are in London, making each other miserable, just as they always have.”
“What about Max’s business partner?”
“Bryan? He passed away just a few months after Max died.”
“Was he happy with Max’s will?”
“Oh, yes. Bryan had plenty of his own money, of course, as the pair had been partners for many years. Bryan and his wife never had children. All of their money went to charity when she died a year after Bryan.”
Fenella shook her head. “I need some sleep,” she said.
“But you haven’t told me what you and Donald quarreled about.”
“It was nothing. I was just teasing. Donald mentioned how much money I’ve inherited and I suggested that he was only after me for the money, that’s all.”
Mona chuckled. “As I said, he probably hasn’t much of a sense of humor. I wonder if it upset him because there might be some truth in it.”
“I thought Donald had lots of money.”
“He used to, but never as much as he pretended, of course. But maybe he’s having problems now. Perhaps your money is at least as attractive to him as you are.”
“Or maybe it’s a lot more attractive to him than I am,” Fenella said dryly.
“Don’t sell yourself short. You aren’t even fifty yet and you don’t look a day over forty. Donald would be interested anyway, even if you didn’t have money.”
“Maybe, or maybe he’s hoping to persuade me to invest in one of his companies or something.”
Mona shrugged. “Just tell him that Doncan handles all of that for you. That’s what I always told men who wanted to get their hands on my money. I can’t see Donald doing anything that obvious, though. He’s more the type to marry you first.”
“Marry me?” Fenella squeaked. “I don’t want to marry the man.”
“Ah, but if he took you to bed, you’d probably change your mind. You’re just old-fashioned enough to think that way, I believe.”
“I’m not going to sleep with him and I’m not going to marry him,” Fenella said loudly.
“No need to shout,” Mona told her. “I’m dead, but there’s nothing wrong with my hearing.”
Fenella opened her mouth to reply, but couldn’t imagine what to say. She shook her head and then sighed. “Donald is mad at me, anyway. He’s not likely to propose at the moment.”
“He’s not likely to propose until you’ve slept together,” Mona countered. “While he might be after you for your money, he’s also attracted to you and will want to be sure that if you did marry you would be physically compatible.”
“Whatever. I don’t even want to think about this anymore. I’m going to bed, where I’m going to miss Katie and forget all about men.”
Fenella crawled into her bed a short time later. As she tossed and turned, she realized that she truly was missing Katie, who always slept in the exact middle of the king-sized bed they shared. While Fenella often grumbled about sharing the space with the animal, the bed felt lonely without her. After a restless night Fenella was happy the next morning to find that she couldn’t remember any of her dreams.
“How early is too early?” she asked her reflection as she combed her shoulder-length hair the next morning.
“To start talking to one’s self? I should think one would want to wait until one was old enough to claim that senility was creeping in,” Mona said from where she’d settled on the bed.
Fenella jumped and nearly stabbed herself in the eye with her mascara wand. “I didn’t see you there,” she said as she grabbed a tissue and began wiping away the streak of mascara that ran from her eye to her chin.
“How early is too early for what?”
“To go and get Katie back,” Fenella said. “I miss her terribly.”
“Really? I can’t imagine why. But I know Shelly usually gets up quite early. Why don’t you ring her and see if she’s up?”
“I will, once I’m ready.” Fenella finished her makeup and then rang her friend.
“Yes, you can come and get Katie, if you must,” Shelly said when she picked up the phone. “And you can help me decide what to do about Lance.”
Fenella was at Shelly’s door a moment later.
“That was quick,” Shelly laughed as she let Fenella into the apartment.
“I really missed Katie,” Fenella said sheepishly.
“I’m sorry to say it, but I don’t think she missed you,” Shelly replied.
Katie and Smokey ran into the room. Katie glanced at Fenella and then said a quick “meow” before she disappeared back into the bedroom with Smokey on her heels.
“Yeah, meow to you, too,” Fenella replied.
“Have you had breakfast?” Shelly asked.
“Oh, no, I mean, I was going to make something after I brought Katie home.”
“I gave Katie her breakfast a little while ago. I don’t have a lot of people food in, but I have a lot of cat food.”
Fenella laughed. “We could go next door. I have three or four kinds of cereal, and a loaf of bread that isn’t very fresh but would work for toast.”
“That’s more than I have, actually. I missed my usual day for shopping this week and never got around to making it up.”
“So how was the party last night?” Shelly asked as Fenella slid slices of bread into her toaster a few minutes later.
“It was interesting, I suppose,” Fenella answered. “Lance was there.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that?” Mona demanded as she took a seat next to Shelly at the breakfast bar in the kitchen.
Fenella only just remembered in time not to reply to her aunt.
“Why was he there?” Shelly asked.
“He was with someone called Neil Hicks and some other men who were introduced to me as some of his business associates from across,” Fenella explained.
“Neil Hicks is not a nice man,” Mona said. “Max only worked with him once and swore he’d never work with him again.”
Fenella sipped her coffee to stop herself from replying to Mona.
“I’m sure I’ve heard of Neil Hicks,” Shelly said thoughtfully. “And I don’t believe that what I heard was very nice.”
“Donald worked with him many years ago, but hasn’t done anything with him lately,” Fenella told her.
“Then he’s really crooked,” Mona said. “Donald doesn’t mind projects that get dangerously close to the edge of what’s legal or ethical. If he won’t work with someone, they’ve gone over that edge.”
“What did Donald say about him?” Shelly asked.
“Not much. He wouldn’t give me a firm answer as to why he’d never worked with the man again, but he suggested that Neil wasn’t entirely honest.”
“And he and Lance are friends?”
“I believe one of them said that they were business associates before Lance retired.”
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have given Lan
ce my phone number.”
“Okay, so, the thing is, I mean…” Fenella began. Shelly and Mona were both looking at her as if she’d lost her mind when she trailed off.
“What’s wrong?” Shelly demanded.
“I’ve agreed to meet Lance for lunch today,” she replied. “He’s hoping I’ll be able to persuade you to join us, as well.”
“No,” Shelly said. “I won’t do it.”
“Fair enough. At least I can tell him that I tried.”
“You’re still going to have lunch with him?”
“I told him I would. It sounded like a better idea when we were talking about it last night.”
Shelly sat back in her chair, frowning as the toaster popped. Fenella slid slices of toast into the toast rack and put it on the counter next to Shelly. She added containers of butter and jam and then topped up Shelly’s coffee. By the time she’d put her own bread into the toaster, Shelly was done thinking.
“I’ll go,” she said as she buttered her toast. “But only because you’re going to be there. Hopefully we can chat politely for twenty minutes and then go our separate ways, and I’ll never have to see the man again.”
“He may be a very nice man,” Fenella suggested. “I know you were shocked when he turned up on your doorstep, but maybe you should give him a chance.”
“I don’t trust him,” Shelly replied. “John and I were married for a very long time, and we didn’t keep secrets from one another. I can’t believe that John never mentioned Lance, not once, even though Lance claims they wrote back and forth for years. I certainly don’t remember John getting any letters from anyone at home, aside from his mother, who often wrote to him when we were first married.”
“You should ask him to let you see the letters,” Fenella suggested.
“He’ll have an excuse as to why he can’t produce them,” Mona said.
“Yes, I’ll do that,” Shelly agreed. “And I’m going to try to trip him up again. Maybe he just got lucky and guessed that I was lying about John loving surprises. I’ll have to come up with some better ways to catch him out.”
“Have you given any thought as to why he might be lying?” Fenella asked. “What might he gain by telling you that he was John’s friend?”
“I suspect he’s after my money,” Shelly said with a shrug. “John had good insurance, and we’d paid off our mortgage years ago, so the house was mine as well. I suppose I might be a target for men looking for wealthy widows.”
“That was my first thought, as well,” Fenella told her. “It’s about the only thing I can think of, actually.”
“Too bad for him that I don’t find him the least little bit attractive. His face was odd,” Shelly said.
“He told me about that, actually. Apparently he was in a car accident and had to have surgery to cover some of the scars.”
“Really? That’s rather sad, actually,” Shelly frowned. “I don’t want to feel sorry for the man.”
“So don’t believe him,” Fenella suggested. “I’m not sure that I do.”
Shelly nodded. “There is that. If he’s lying about knowing John, he’s probably lying about everything. His name probably isn’t really even Lance Thomas.”
“What if he passes all of your tests? Will you feel differently about him if you know he did know John?”
Shelly gave her a thoughtful look. “Maybe,” she said eventually. “John was always a good judge of character. If he was friends with Lance, even years ago, then perhaps we’ve misjudged him.”
“I know I’m extra suspicious of everyone because of all of the things that have happened since I’ve been on the island.”
“Yes, and I’ve picked up on that from you,” Shelly sighed. “If Lance had turned up here six months ago, before you’d found your first dead body, I probably would have believed everything he told me without giving it a second thought.”
“I wouldn’t have,” Mona said. “But I’ve never been a very trusting person.”
Fenella bit her tongue and then nibbled on her toast. “We’re meeting him at noon at the Chinese place,” she told Shelly.
“That’s a great choice. It should be quick. I’d like to spend as little time as possible with him.”
The doorbell interrupted Fenella’s reply.
“Happy birthday,” the man at the door said, handing Fenella a huge bouquet of roses.
“It isn’t my birthday,” she countered.
“Oh, happy anniversary?”
“Nope.”
“Well, then, someone must feel as if he owes you a huge apology,” he suggested. “Sign here, please.”
Fenella scribbled her name on the sheet as directed and then shut the door behind the man.
“Ooooh, lovely,” Shelly cooed. “Who are they from?”
“Use the vase in the cupboard to the left of the sink,” Mona instructed her as Fenella put the flowers down on the counter.
She pulled the card out of the bouquet and opened the envelope. “I’m sorry,” was all that it said. The signature was illegible, but the large Ds at the start of both the first and last name were all that Fenella needed.
“From Donald, I assume,” Mona said as Fenella put the flowers into the huge vase that was right where Mona had said it would be.
“Yes,” she replied.
“Yes?” Shelly asked.
“Oh, sorry,” Fenella flushed. “I was having a conversation with myself and just started talking out loud.”
“Are you going to tell me who the flowers are from or not?” Shelly demanded.
“Oh, sorry. They’re from Donald.”
“To thank you for last night? What happened last night that requires four dozen roses the next morning, or shouldn’t I ask?” Shelly said with a laugh.
“Nothing happened last night,” Fenella snapped. As soon as she saw the hurt look on Shelly’s face, she rushed to apologize. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired of everyone suggesting that I should sleep with Donald.”
“I never suggested any such thing,” Shelly replied.
Shelly was right. It was Mona who kept making that suggestion. Fenella drained her coffee cup before she could put her foot in her mouth again. “Donald and I had a small disagreement at the end of the evening last night,” she explained to Shelly. “The flowers are an apology.”
“Gosh, I wish he’d fight with me,” Shelly told her. “They’re gorgeous, and they smell fabulous as well.”
They did smell wonderful, Fenella had to admit. “You should take a dozen or so home with you,” she told Shelly. “I don’t need all of them.”
“Donald sent them to you. I couldn’t possibly take any,” Shelly protested.
“You need to ring Donald and thank him,” Mona said.
“Why?” Fenella demanded.
“I just said, because Donald sent them to you,” Shelly replied, sounding confused.
Fenella shook her head as Mona chuckled softly. “I was arguing with myself, not you,” she told Shelly. “I don’t want to ring Donald to thank him, even though I know I should.”
“If you ring now, you can catch him in his office. Maybe he’ll be too busy to speak with you and you can just leave a message with his secretary,” Shelly suggested.
“What a brilliant idea,” Fenella exclaimed. She grabbed the phone and then frowned down at it. “I don’t have his number,” she said.
“Ring his office,” Shelly suggested. “You can find the number online.”
Fenella pulled out her mobile and did a quick search for the man’s name. “Donaldson Enterprises, is that his company?” she asked.
“Haven’t you ever looked for him online before?” Shelly asked.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Wow. If I were involved with someone, I’d be all over the Internet trying to find out about him,” Shelly told her. “Are you on social media?”
“A little bit, but not much.”
Shelly shook her head. “Maybe I’m a crazy stalker, but I’ve already tried to fi
nd Lance Thomas on all the usual sites.”
“And?”
“And nothing. He doesn’t seem to have accounts anywhere, at least not ones that are public. And yes, that is Donald’s company.”
Fenella blinked at the change of subject and then looked back down at her phone. “I have cold feet.”
“Just ring him and thank him,” Mona said. “As Shelly said, you may get away with leaving a message.”
Fenella dialed the number and then held her breath as the phone at the other end began to ring.
“Good morning, Donaldson Enterprises. This is Jenna. How can I help you?”
“Ah, good morning. I was hoping to speak to Donald, er, Mr. Donaldson.”
“I’m terribly sorry, but Mr. Donaldson is in client meetings all day. I can take a message to let him know that you rang, though.”
Fenella gave Shelly a happy grin. “Yes, please. Just tell him that Fenella said thank you.”
“Fenella? May I ask your surname, please?”
“My surname? It’s Woods.”
“Ah, please hold.”
A moment later Fenella heard a ringing sound again. A moment later Donald’s voice came down the line.
“I behaved very badly,” he said. “And I’m incredibly sorry.”
“Whatever you did, I don’t deserve all of these lovely flowers.”
“You deserve them and more. I knew perfectly well that you were simply teasing and I, well, I needlessly took offense. I will make it up to you, I promise.”
“You already have,” Fenella assured him.
“Yes, well, we’ll agree to disagree on that. I’m afraid I’m in the middle of a very important meeting, otherwise I’d be trying to talk you into having dinner with me tonight. I believe I may have to go to London this afternoon, though. I don’t suppose you fancy a few days in London?”
“Not on such short notice.”
“Yes, well, I’ll be in touch soon,” Donald said. The phone clicked off in Fenella’s hand.
“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Mona asked.
“He’s off to London this afternoon,” Fenella said.
“Did he invite you to join him?” Mona and Shelly both asked at the same time.
An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF Page 54
