“Yes, but, well, I was hoping to make a few connections and maybe even sort out a couple of deals while I was here. Things simply aren’t falling into place the way I’d imagined.”
“Because of the police investigation?” Shelly wondered.
“Not specifically, more because of Lance’s untimely death. He was an integral part of just about everything we were planning to do on the island.”
‘I thought he was retired,” Fenella said.
“Technically, I think he was,” Adrian laughed. “But men like us never really retire. We’re always looking for another deal. Small businesses are always waiting to be bought up and reimagined, people are always looking for investors to put their ideas or inventions out there, other businessmen are always looking to pull investors into their bigger projects, and more. I could go on all day about the various things that catch my attention.”
“And you and the others were hoping to do some deals with Lance,” Fenella made sure she understood.
“Yes, exactly. Some of the others, most specifically Jared and Neil, were already in the middle of different projects with him, but I came over to talk to him about something completely new.”
“What?” Shelly asked.
Adrian shrugged. “I don’t truly know, but even if I did, I probably wouldn’t tell you, as the project could still happen and secrecy is important in the early stages. As I said, I don’t really know much, anyway. We were supposed to meet the night Lance died to start our discussions.”
“Where were you meeting?” Fenella asked.
“At Lance’s flat. It seemed the best place to avoid being overheard.”
“You must have been planning for a very late meeting, if we were meant to be having drinks with him at seven,” Fenella said.
“We were supposed to be there around nine,” Adrian told her. “But none of us are earlier risers. Starting meetings at ten or even eleven wouldn’t have been unusual for us.”
“You said you didn’t know Lance well,” Fenella said. “What about the others? How well do you know them?”
The waiter arrived with their food before Adrian could reply. Everyone took a few bites before Adrian spoke again.
“I’ve known Neil for some time,” he said. “I’ve said before that I don’t really consider any of them as friends, merely business associates, and that’s true for Neil as much as anyone.” He sighed. “I don’t approve of how he treats women, and if I were a better man, I’d stop doing business with him as a result. As it is, I try to avoid social situations with him. I can’t complain about him as a business partner.”
Fenella nodded. “What about the others?”
“I haven’t known Jared for long, but I’ve heard good things about him from others. The same is basically true for Eric, although Eric had a short relationship with a friend of mine, so I know him slightly better than the others, I suppose.”
“Was it a good relationship?” Shelly asked.
Adrian chuckled. “It was pretty disastrous, but from what I know of both of them, I suspect they should share the blame for that equally. My friend, Ginger, goes through men at a pretty steady rate. Eric isn’t any better, but in this instance I think they both behaved badly.”
“But you’re happy to do business with him?” Shelly wondered.
Adrian flushed and took a long drink of water. “As I said before, I try to avoid social situations with my business colleagues. Many of them seem to treat women differently to the way I was raised to treat them. When I first started out, I swore I wouldn’t do business with anyone like that, but over time, as I met more and more of the same type of man, I found that I didn’t have much choice, not if I wanted to succeed.”
Fenella bit her tongue rather than tell Adrian what she thought. While she might think she’d never compromise her principles in that way, at least he seemed to acknowledge what he’d done. He even seemed embarrassed about it.
“What do you think of Laura?” Fenella asked as she finished her lunch.
“Laura? I’m not sure what to think of her, if I’m honest. She’s obviously very wealthy and well connected on the island. I can’t quite work out what she’s doing with Neil. Then again, I can’t quite work out what Neil is doing with her, either.”
“What do you mean?” Fenella wanted to know.
“I don’t understand why she puts up with Neil, who flirts with other women in front of her and ignores her half the time when they are together. I also don’t understand why Neil keeps taking her to events when he clearly wants to flirt with other women. Every time I see her with him, I wonder why she’s there.”
“I wondered that at the pub last night,” Shelly told him.
“Exactly. Neil rang me and suggested that we meet for a drink last night. I was just bored enough to agree. I thought from the way Neil worded the invitation that it was just going to be the two of us. I was almost as surprised to find Jared and Eric there as I was to see Laura.”
“Did Neil give you any explanation for why the others were there?” Fenella asked.
“He didn’t have a chance. They were already there when I arrived and I didn’t go back after I walked you two home.”
“And you haven’t spoken to him since?” was Fenella’s next question.
Adrian shrugged. “He’s been texting me all morning, but I haven’t bothered to read the messages. I suppose you could say I’m avoiding the man.”
“Why?”
“It’s probably more accurate to say I’m avoiding all of them, really. I’m just tired of them. When we worked together before on various projects, I’d see Neil for an hour or two once or twice a month. I think we’ve just had too much togetherness while we’ve been on the island.”
“Does that mean you won’t be moving here?” Shelly asked.
“I don’t know, really. As everyone has said all along, the tax advantages are considerable, but, well, we’ll see what happens, I suppose. Lance’s unsolved murder is worrying.”
“I’m sure the police will find the killer,” Fenella told him. “They’re very good.”
“I’m sure they are, but as I understand it, the longer it takes the less likely it is that the crime will ever be solved,” Adrian replied.
“I don’t know. Since I’ve been on the island, the police have solved a few thirty-year-old cold cases. They never give up, you know, especially not on murder cases,” Fenella told him.
“I hope they don’t expect us to stay here for thirty years,” Adrian said. “I have a life to get back to across.”
“I’m sure you’ll be free to go soon,” Fenella said. “It would be good if they could solve the murder before you go, but you won’t have to stay if they don’t manage to do that reasonably quickly.”
“I wouldn’t mind staying so much if we could spend more time together,” he replied. Then he flushed and shook his head. “That came out wrong. I don’t want either of you thinking that I’m anything like Neil or Eric when it comes to women. All I meant was that I’m enjoying your company. I much prefer it to spending time with Neil and the others. But I suppose if I were you two I’d want to avoid all of us, and I can’t say as I blame you.”
“Have you done any sightseeing since you’ve been here?” Shelly asked. “The island has two amazing castles, a few excellent museums, and some other fascinating historical sites.”
“I went to that party at Peel Castle, but I didn’t get to see anything other than the inside of a few marquees,” the man told her. “What I could see of the castle by moonlight looked interesting, though.”
“You should go and do some sightseeing while you’re waiting for the police to finish,” Shelly told him. “You’ll appreciate the island a lot more once you’ve seen more of it.”
Adrian nodded. “You’re probably right, but I’m afraid I’m probably too lazy to do anything on my own. Neil was going to arrange a few tours for us, but with everything else that has happened, he’s probably forgotten all about it. I don’t suppose you
could suggest a good tour guide?”
Shelly looked at Fenella and then shrugged. “I’ve lived on the island my entire life and I used to teach elementary school. I’ve been around every site at least a hundred times, I’m sure. And Fenella has a PhD in history. Between us we should be able to tell you everything you need to know about every site.”
“Is that a serious offer? Because I’ve nothing else to do with myself for the next few days. I’d love to see a few sights with you ladies.”
Shelly looked at Fenella, who shrugged. She didn’t have anything on her social calendar and Adrian was easily the nicest of the men Neil had brought to the island. Seeing a few sites with him might be interesting.
“Let’s not make any firm plans for now,” Adrian said. “I’m sure you both will need to check your calendars and whatever. How about I text one of you later today? Maybe we could do something tomorrow morning or afternoon?”
“Maybe,” Shelly agreed. She wrote her mobile number on a paper napkin and handed it to Adrian. “Text me tonight,” she told him. “Fenella and I will check our schedules and talk about where it might be best to take you, as well.”
“I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate this,” Adrian said as he got to his feet. “It goes without saying that wherever we go, I’ll be paying for lunch or dinner or snacks or whatever. That is assuming you won’t let me pay you for your time.”
“Of course we won’t,” Shelly laughed. “And we can argue about meals later.”
Adrian grinned. “At least I’m buying lunch today,” he said as the waiter handed him the bill.
Fenella and Shelly both objected, but Adrian insisted. After he’d paid, they all made their way out to the street.
“Thank you both for your company,” he said. “I’ll text you later. It would be wonderful if we could arrange something for tomorrow, but I will understand if you are busy.”
“We should be able to manage something. Start thinking about what you’d most like to see,” Shelly told him. “A castle? A museum? A beach?”
“I’ve seen enough beaches in my life,” Adrian laughed. “I think I’d like to start with one of the castles. Whichever is your favorite is fine with me.”
“Fenella and I will discuss it,” Shelly promised. “And see what time works for us. Don’t forget to text.”
“I definitely won’t,” Adrian assured her.
14
Shelly and Fenella walked home silently. While Fenella felt sorry for Adrian, Shelly seemed far more enthusiastic about seeing the man again than she was. Still, a day of sightseeing at one of the castles was always something to look forward to, no matter who her company was.
“I hope you didn’t mind my volunteering us to show him the sights,” Shelly said as the pair boarded the elevator in their building. “I felt sorry for him, stuck here with those awful friends. He seems like the only decent person in the group.”
“Which is worrying in its own way,” Fenella replied. “If I were him, I wouldn’t want to be associated with Neil and the others. He even admitted that he doesn’t approve of them, but he’s still willing to do business with them. That bothers me.”
“I’m not planning on getting involved with the man,” Shelly assured her. “I just thought we could show him around the castles. Surely there’s no harm in that.”
“I suppose not, as long as you remember that we don’t actually know anything about the man.”
“Oh, I’ll remember that. I’m just hoping he might tell me more about Lance,” Shelly admitted. “I want to know where Lance found out about me and John and how he knew that John didn’t like surprises.”
Fenella gave Shelly a hug as the elevator doors slid open. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’d forgotten how upsetting this all must be for you.”
“It isn’t that bad,” Shelly assured her. “Especially now that I know for sure that Lance didn’t know John. It’s just, well, odd, that he sought me out and seemed to know so much about me and my marriage. I want to find out how that happened, if at all possible.”
“And Adrian could help with that,” Fenella said.
“He’s the only one out of that group that I’m prepared to spend any time with,” Shelly said. “So let’s hope he can answer my questions.”
They stopped at Fenella’s apartment and checked her calendar. “As I thought, there’s nothing on it,” Fenella laughed. “You can arrange whatever you like with Adrian and I’ll be able to come along.”
“Excellent. I have a doctor’s appointment in the morning, but I’m free for the afternoon. Let’s have lunch together, just the two of us, and then meet Adrian around half one in the lobby here. I can drive us to whichever castle you’d prefer.”
“Oh, goodness, I don’t mind which we do,” Fenella said. “Although we did just visit Peel Castle a few days ago.”
“I was thinking about that,” Shelly said. “Maybe that gives us an advantage. We’ll be on familiar ground, as it were.”
“It’s entirely up to you. I’d offer to drive, but we wouldn’t all fit in Mona’s car.”
“I don’t mind driving,” Shelly replied. “But now I’m going to go home and start going through John’s old papers. I kept everything because he didn’t leave much, really. He wasn’t very sentimental.”
“What are you looking for?”
“Any mention of Lance Thomas or any of the other men involved in the case,” Shelly said. “Also any old photos of John as a child. Maybe I’ll recognize someone in a photo with him.”
“Do you think Lance’s story about knowing John in childhood had anything to do with his murder?” Fenella asked.
Shelly shook her head. “I can’t begin to imagine how it could have, but I suppose anything is possible.”
“Be careful,” Fenella urged her friend. “If you find anything even slightly suspicious, call Inspector Hammersmith.”
“I’ll ring you and we can ring the inspector together,” Shelly told her.
Fenella nodded and then let her friend out. She watched as Shelly let herself into her own flat, and then both women shut their doors.
“What do you think of that?” she asked Katie, who simply looked at her and then curled up and went to sleep.
“I should try that,” Fenella sighed. With nothing else to do and feeling slightly annoyed by the sleeping animal, Fenella decided to clean her apartment. Katie shouted at her when she started up the vacuum cleaner, but it was a chore that genuinely needed doing. By the time she’d finished cleaning the bathrooms, Mona had appeared in the living room.
“You were making enough noise to raise the dead,” she commented as Fenella dropped onto the couch next to her.
“Ha, ha. I certainly didn’t mean to wake you.”
Mona smiled. “I wasn’t sleeping. But then, I never do. But you only clean when you have something on your mind. What’s wrong?”
“I clean whenever the apartment needs cleaning,” Fenella objected.
“Really? Then the flat only needs cleaning when you have something on your mind. How odd.”
Fenella shook her head. “I’ve nothing on my mind, really, although I am a little bit worried about Shelly.”
“What’s wrong with Shelly?”
“She’s cultivating a friendship with Adrian Graves in the hopes that he can tell her how Lance knew about her and John.”
“That seems sensible. Lance may well have told at least one of his friends about his plans. If it wasn’t Adrian, perhaps Adrian can ask the others on Shelly’s behalf.”
“Maybe, but, well, I don’t trust Adrian.”
“You shouldn’t trust any of them. Lance was a conman who was planning to try to cheat Shelly out of her money. As the others were all business associates of the man, it stands to reason that they are all conmen, too.”
“I hadn’t really thought of it that way.”
“Well, you should.”
“What about Neil, though? He doesn’t have a great reputation on the island, but
I don’t believe anyone has ever accused him of being a conman.”
“Perhaps he saves his cons for when he’s in London,” Mona suggested. “It would make sense for him to do so. He’s too well known on the island to get away with anything here.”
“I wonder if he knew John when they were younger.”
“I don’t believe they grew up in the same part of the island, but anything is possible,” Mona said. “He would be a logical place for Shelly to start if she truly wants to find out how Lance knew about her and John.”
“But he’s not a nice person. Adrian at least pretends to be nice.”
Mona laughed. “Actually, I’d much prefer to deal with Neil. You know where you stand with Neil. As you said earlier, you don’t trust Adrian, even though he seems nice. You know for sure that you can’t trust Neil.”
“It’s all just a big mess,” Fenella sighed. “I wish Daniel were here and we could talk it all through.”
“Ring him.”
“I can’t.”
“Then you’ll just have to talk it all through with me,” Mona suggested.
“We did that yesterday and didn’t get anywhere,” Fenella reminded her. “Maybe I’ll take a nap.”
“Maybe you should go for a drive. That always used to clear my head.”
“Yeah, or maybe not,” Fenella replied, remembering her shock when her aunt had joined her earlier.
Before Mona could reply, the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“I’ve been trying not to get involved,” Daniel said. “But Mark isn’t getting anywhere, and I’m willing to bet you’ve spoken to the main suspects at least twice since the murder took place.”
Fenella flushed. “I haven’t been out looking for them or anything.”
“But you’ve spoken to them just the same, haven’t you?” he demanded.
“Maybe once or twice,” Fenella muttered. She dropped into a chair and switched the phone to speaker mode. Mona smiled her thanks as she moved closer to Fenella.
“Go on, then, take me through everything that’s happened since the murder,” Daniel told her. “I’ll take notes and I won’t interrupt you. Start with finding the body and take me back through that, if you don’t mind.”
An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - DEF Page 69
