An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Collection - ABC

by Diana Xarissa

  “Wow, that doesn’t happen in the US,” Fenella said.

  They made another leisurely circuit of the lake, and Fenella looked again at the miniature golf course. It looked like fun with its odd obstacles and ramps. As the boat turned back toward the dock, Fenella noticed a young couple playing the course. As the man leaned into to whisper something to his companion, Fenella gasped.

  “What’s wrong?” Shelly asked.

  Fenella turned in her seat and watched as the man kissed the top of the woman’s head. “I know those two,” she whispered to Shelly.

  “Who are they?”

  “Justin Newmarket and Sherry Hampton,” Fenella said.

  13

  Shelly drove the boat around the lake another time, giving Fenella a chance to get a better view of Justin and Sherry.

  “They look like a couple,” Shelly said.

  “Poor Harry,” Fenella replied.

  “It’s time to head back to the dock,” Shelly told her after a glance at her watch. “And then I think we should play crazy golf.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Fenella said.

  “Just pretend you didn’t see them,” Shelly said. “Act surprised and see what sort of explanation they offer.”

  Shelly pulled the boat up to the dock, hitting it a little bit harder than she probably should have. The man laughed and then helped them both out of the boat. “Did you have fun?” he asked.

  “It was lovely,” Shelly told him.

  “We’re here all summer,” he said. “Make sure you come back to see me again.”

  Shelly blushed and glanced at Fenella, who wasn’t really paying attention.

  “Do you think he was flirting with me?” Shelly demanded as they walked away.

  “I don’t know, maybe,” Fenella said.

  “He’s probably around my age,” Shelly said. “And he was sort of cute. He’s probably retired and works here in the summer just to get out of the house.”

  “Maybe he’s married and he works here to get away from his wife,” Fenella said. Shelly’s face fell. “I’m only teasing,” Fenella said quickly. “Why don’t we come back again the next time it’s nice and you can talk to him a bit more.”

  “We’ll see,” Shelly said.

  They bought tickets for the golf and picked out clubs and balls.

  “Maybe they won’t notice us,” Fenella said as she put her ball on the first tee.

  “Except the course goes up one side and down the other,” Shelly pointed out. “And they’re just about halfway done.”

  Fenella forced herself to concentrate on playing the game and tried hard to ignore the couple who were now slowly making their way toward her. They were only a few feet away when she looked over and made eye contact with Justin, who had his arm around Sherry. As their eyes met, Justin jumped and then took a large step backwards, nearly tripping over the small stone castle that was an obstacle on his previous hole.

  “Careful,” Sherry laughed. She looked at Justin’s face and then looked over at Fenella. “Oh, hello,” she said lightly.

  “Hello,” Fenella replied. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

  “It’s far too nice a day to be stuck inside,” Sherry said. “Harry had a meeting with his financial advisor, so I told him I was going to come down here and play some crazy golf like I did when I was a kid.”

  “It’s the perfect day for it,” Fenella said.

  “Yes, isn’t it?” Sherry replied.

  Fenella looked over at Justin, who was studying his shoes intently. After a moment, he looked up and found her staring at him. “Oh, I was, um, that is,” he stammered.

  “I rang Justin and asked him if he wanted to meet me for a round of golf,” Sherry said. “We knew each other at school and we have lots of friends in common. In fact, I told him to round up a whole group of people, but no one else was free this afternoon.”

  “Well, enjoy your game,” Fenella said. She put her ball down and lined up a shot, conscious that Sherry and Justin were still watching her. After a moment, though, they went back to their own game. Fenella and Shelly were nearly halfway around the course when Sherry strolled over.

  “You’re friends with the police inspector, aren’t you?” she asked Fenella.

  “I’m not sure that we’re friends,” Fenella replied. “I mean, I don’t know quite what we are.”

  Sherry nodded. “I was just wondering whether Harry is a real suspect or not,” she said. “I mean, he does have a lot of money in the bank. I never thought about it, but I’m not sure exactly where he got it all. He doesn’t seem the type to be involved in anything criminal, but you never know, do you?”

  “I’m sorry, but I’ve no idea who the police suspect,” Fenella said. “Inspector Robinson doesn’t discuss police business with me.”

  “Sure, but you must get some interesting pillow talk. I just want to know if my husband is going to be arrested or not.”

  Fenella shook her head. “We aren’t that good of friends,” she said emphatically. “Maybe you should be having this conversation with your husband. Perhaps you should ask him where all of his money came from.”

  “He’ll just fob me off with the same answer he always gives. He never stops banging on and on about how hard he and his wife worked for their entire working lives. He seems to think that I should go out and get a job to bring in even more money. It gets quite tiresome.”

  “A job would get you out of the house,” Fenella pointed out.

  Sherry shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not sure I’m well-suited to marriage anyway. And I don’t really think Harry would miss me if I went. The problem is, he isn’t going to want me to take any of his money with me.”

  “I can see his point,” Fenella said dryly.

  “Anyway, I’d better get home. He’ll be done with his financial advisor by now. I’m hoping his investments are doing well and he’ll be in a generous mood. I saw this gorgeous bracelet in the jeweler’s window…” she trailed off and walked away, leaving Fenella staring after her.

  “Poor Harry,” Shelly murmured.

  They finished their round of golf and then headed for home. While Fenella wasn’t actually worried about Peter, she knew she’d feel better once she and Shelly had checked on him again.

  He answered her soft knock within seconds. “I gave you a key,” he reminded her. “I’m sure I didn’t dream that.”

  Fenella laughed. “I didn’t feel right just barging in,” she said.

  “You’d have been welcome,” he said. “I had a nap and I was just getting fed up with the drivel on daytime telly. Your timing is perfect.”

  “I hope you’re also getting hungry,” Shelly said. “We’ve been at the park and all that fresh air has given me quite an appetite.”

  She went to work in the kitchen, getting the shepherd’s pie ready for the oven while Peter and Fenella chatted in the comfortable living room.

  “Tomorrow you can cook,” Shelly said to Fenella as she settled onto the couch next to Peter. “Tonight’s dinner is in the oven.”

  “I wish I could, but tomorrow night I’m meant to be going to some fancy charity fundraiser with Donald,” Fenella replied.

  “Donald Donaldson?” Peter asked. “I didn’t realize he was back on the island.”

  “He’s flying in today for the event tomorrow,” Fenella explained. “And then he has to leave again, I understand.”

  “Wow, must be nice to be able to afford to fly back and forth for just one day,” Shelly said.

  “Is it the event out at the Seaview?” Peter asked.

  “I think that’s what he said,” Fenella replied.

  “Oh, that’s very posh,” Shelly said. “Only a few very select people get invited to that.”

  “I was invited,” Peter said. “I used to go sometimes, but this year, I decided not to spend the money. Tables run into the thousands of pounds and there are other charities that I’d rather support.”

  “What should I wear?” Fenel
la asked Shelly.

  “You’ll have to raid Mona’s wardrobe,” Shelly told her. “After dinner, I’ll come over with you and help you choose, if you’d like.”

  “Oh, yes, please,” Fenella said quickly. “Donald said long gowns were appropriate. I’m not sure Mona even had anything like that.”

  Shelly looked at Peter and they both laughed. “Mona had some of the most gorgeous gowns I’ve ever seen,” Shelly told her. “She went to a great many very fancy events over the years. I’ve no doubt you’ll find several things to choose from in her wardrobe.”

  The shepherd’s pie was delicious and the threesome chatted easily about nothing and everything as they ate. After dinner, Peter decided that he was too tired for company and headed for bed. Shelly and Fenella went back to Fenella’s apartment to look at Mona’s dresses.

  The light was blinking on her answering machine as Fenella let herself and her friend into the apartment.

  “It’s Donald. I just wanted to let you know that I’m in New York now and should be back on the island around eleven tomorrow morning. I plan on sleeping from then until time to get ready for the party. I’ll see you around seven,” was the first message, which made Fenella smile.

  The second message made her less happy. “Yes, Ms. Woods, it’s Jessica Harris from Isle of Man Ferries. As the last meeting we had with you had to be cut short, Captain Howard would appreciate your attending another session on Friday at one o’clock. This time the police will also be in attendance. Please let me know if you can not attend.”

  Deciding to simply ignore the message for now, Fenella led Shelly into her bedroom and threw open the doors to Mona’s wardrobe. She kept meaning to go through everything in it, but it felt intrusive, especially with Mona’s ghost wandering in and out all the time.

  “This one,” Shelly said, pulling a long red dress off of the rack. “Or no, this one,” she said quickly, adding a blue gown to her hand. “Or you could go with classic black,” she added, pulling a third dress from the wardrobe.

  “Oh, goodness,” Fenella said. “How can I ever chose?”

  “Try them all on,” Shelly suggested. “And while you do that, I’ll see what else I can find.”

  Fenella took the dresses into the adjoining bathroom and slipped into the red one. It fit perfectly.

  “I look glamorous,” she said to Shelly as she walked out of the bathroom.

  “You look amazing,” Shelly cooed. “That one would be perfect, but try the others, too.”

  Fenella changed into first the blue and then the black dress. While they both fit her well, neither made her feel as gorgeous as the red one had.

  “It’s the red one,” Shelly said definitely, after she’d seen the other two options. “Although I did find a few others, if you’re interested.”

  Fenella glanced at the dresses on Shelly’s arm and shook her head. “I think I’ll just go with the red one. I feel fabulous in it, even though I didn’t shave my legs today. Imagine how wonderful I’ll feel tomorrow night with smooth legs.”

  Shelly laughed. “There are some fabulous silver shoes in here that will be perfect with that dress,” she said. “And a matching evening bag.”

  “That was easier than I thought it would be,” Fenella said a short time later. She and Shelly were curled up on the couch sipping soft drinks, with Katie between them.

  “Are you excited about seeing Donald again?” Shelly asked.

  “Excited? I don’t know. Nervous might be a better word. He’s out of my league, really.”

  “He isn’t,” Shelly laughed. “And don’t you let yourself think that way. He’s rich, but that doesn’t make him any better than you.”

  After Shelly left, Fenella got ready for bed. She gave Katie fresh water and a handful of dry food and then switched off the lights in the kitchen.

  “I loved that dress,” Mona said softly from somewhere behind Fenella.

  “It’s beautiful,” Fenella said, after her heart rate returned to normal.

  “I wore it for several very special occasions, including the wedding of a man who’d treated me very badly,” Mona said. “His wife-to-be nearly didn’t go through with the ceremony when she saw me.”

  “I’m just going to a charity fundraiser with Donald,” Fenella said.

  “You’ll be the best dressed there,” Mona predicted. “And the subject of a great deal of conversation.”

  “Why?”

  “Donald is well-known and important on the island,” Mona told her. “Who he chooses to spend his time with is of interest to many people with nothing else with which to entertain themselves.”

  “It’s going to be awkward and awful, isn’t it?” Fenella asked.

  “You must simply rise above it,” Mona counseled her. “Spend time with Donald, have fun, and ignore the looks and the whispering.”

  “I’ll try,” Fenella said.

  “Channel your inner Aunt Mona,” Mona advised. “I never went anywhere without getting talked about. It can be quite fun in a way. Just act as if you don’t care, and after a while you’ll find that you actually don’t.”

  “Did you go and visit Peter?” Fenella asked.

  “I told you I was going to,” Mona replied.

  “But he could see you,” Fenella said. “And I thought you couldn’t go anywhere outside of the apartment, anyway.”

  Mona sighed. “I really don’t have the time to explain the entire spirit world to you right now,” she said. “There are limits to where I can go, but a quick trip to Noble’s to see Peter didn’t use up too much energy. And it was worth it. I miss him and Shelly quite a lot.”

  “You get to see them nearly every day,” Fenella pointed out.

  “But I don’t get to talk to them,” Mona said. “It was lovely to talk to him. He’s quite taken with you, by the way. You must take care not to break his heart.”

  “As if I could,” Fenella said. “But what did he say about me?”

  Mona didn’t reply. After a minute, Fenella switched the lights back on. Katie looked up from her water bowl but Mona was nowhere to be seen. Frowning, Fenella turned off the lights again and took herself off to bed.

  “Meerrrooowww,” Katie said, patting Fenella on the tip of her nose. “Mmmeeeerrrrrooooowwwwww.”

  Fenella opened one eye and squinted at the clock. It was six and far too early to think about getting up. “Go away,” she muttered to the kitten. Rolling over, she pulled the duvet up over her head and tucked it in around her nose.

  “Yooowwww,” Katie said. A moment later, Katie jumped squarely onto Fenella’s head. When Fenella didn’t move, she began to walk down her neck and onto her shoulder. By the time she reached Fenella’s hip, Fenella was laughing.

  “Okay, you win,” she said. Katie jumped down and Fenella rolled out of bed. After giving the kitten her breakfast, Fenella took a shower and got dressed. She made herself some toast with jam for her own breakfast before wondering if she should check on Peter.

  After several minutes of indecision, she decided to try knocking gently on his door. The door swung open almost immediately.

  “I just wanted to check on you,” she stammered, surprised to see the man fully dressed and looking back to his old self.

  “I’m fine,” he said with a sigh. “But I’m also tired of being an invalid. I want to get out somewhere and do something.”

  “Why don’t we go to ShopFast?” Shelly suggested in a bright voice from behind Fenella. “I noticed yesterday that you were out of nearly everything. If you think you’re up to it, I’ll take you over and you can get what you need.”

  “I think I’m up to it,” Peter said. “And you’re right. I had stale cereal for breakfast.”

  “You should have come next door,” Fenella said. “I have stale bread for toast.”

  “So you need a shopping trip, too,” Shelly said. “We’ll leave in five minutes.”

  It was closer to ten minutes before everyone was ready to go, but the shopping trip itself didn’t ta
ke long. Peter got tired quite quickly, but as it was early, the store wasn’t busy and they managed to get everything on his list before he needed to head for home. Fenella got everything on her list as well, and she felt better a short time later when her shelves and refrigerator were fully stocked.

  “Lunch in my flat at twelve,” Peter told them both as they carried his shopping into his kitchen for him. “I’ll heat soup and put out everything for sandwiches. I just need a short nap first.”

  After lunch Fenella and Shelly took a long walk on the promenade before Fenella returned home to soak in her tub for a while.

  “It’s exactly what you need before your big night out,” Shelly had told her during their walk. “A long, leisurely bath will get you in the right frame of mind for tonight. Take a glass of wine in with you.”

  “I’m only following Shelly’s advice,” Fenella told her reflection as she slipped into her bubble-filled tub with a glass of wine in one hand and a book in the other. Half an hour later, she remembered why she never took long baths. The wine was delicious, but the book was a problem. She didn’t want to get it wet, but holding it above the bubbles made her arms tired. Besides, she kept slipping further into the water and having to use one hand to stop herself, which meant turning pages was impossible. With a sigh, she put the book as far from the tub as she could and settled back to relax.

  “I’m bored,” she said after a moment. “I don’t think baths are really my thing.”

  With that thought in mind, she finished her wine and climbed out of the tub. When she was dry, she watched some pointless television until it was time to start getting ready for the evening ahead.

  The butterflies in her stomach threatened to make her sick as she dropped the red gown over her head. Once she’d fastened the zipper, however, she found that she felt calm and collected. Really, this dress is magical, she thought, as she pinned up her hair and applied her makeup. The silver shoes looked wonderful with the dress and it only took her a moment to move what she needed from her everyday handbag into the small evening bag that matched the shoes. She was ready to go with two minutes to spare.