Aunt Bessie's Holiday (26 page)

“Of course I’m worried about you,” Bessie
replied.
 
“When will you be back
here?”

“Probably not today,” Doona told her.
 
“I’m trying to help the inspector work
out who sent those photos and things to me two years ago.
 
We’re working through a lot of things
and I can’t see us finishing soon.”

“Are you under arrest?”

“No, not officially, anyway.
 
I suspect if I kicked up a fuss about
leaving the inspector would let me go back to Lakeview, but I’m trying to
cooperate.
 
I want Charles’s killer
found at least as much as anyone else does.”

“But we’re supposed to be on holiday,”
Bessie said.
 
She frowned when she
realised she was more or less whining.
 
“Sorry,” she said.
 
“I don’t
mean to moan.”

“It’s fine,” Doona told her.
 
“This certainly isn’t the holiday I was
hoping for, but we didn’t have anything on the schedule for today, did we?”

Bessie glanced at the sheet on the table
where Doona had written down all of their scheduled activities.
 
“No, nothing today,” she said.

“That’s what I thought.
 
If I’m still here tomorrow morning, I’ll
start fussing,” Doona told Bessie.
 
“I don’t want to miss that second watercolour class or our trip around
Torver Castle.”

“John should be here later today,” Bessie
said.
 
“I suspect he’ll be in touch
with Inspector Hopkins when he arrives.”

“I’ll feel better when he’s here,” Doona
said quietly.
 
“Although I do think
Inspector Hopkins is doing a good job.”

“Meanwhile, Andrew and I have been talking
about the suspects,” Bessie said.
 
“He suggested….”

Bessie stopped when Doona suddenly began to
cough violently.
 
It seemed to take a
while before the coughing fit finally died down.
 
“Are you okay?” Bessie asked.
 
“Do you need a doctor?”

“I’m fine,” Doona replied.
 
“Did I mention that the inspector was
kind enough to let me use the phone in her office to ring you?”

“No, I suppose that was nice of her, but….”
This time Bessie stopped herself as she realised what Doona was trying to tell
her.
 
There was a very good chance
someone else was listening to the call.
 
“Anyway, John should be here later,”
Bessie
repeated herself.
 
“Is there
anything you need?”

“No, I’m okay.
 
I can survive another twenty-four hours
or so if I need to,” Doona assured her.
 
“You should relax and enjoy your day.
 
Maybe try out the pool.
 
We haven’t done that yet.”

“Maybe,” Bessie said vaguely.

“I’ll probably see you in the morning,”
Doona told her.
 
“Please try to have
fun and relax.
 
Don’t worry about
me.”

“Easier said than done,” Bessie murmured
after Doona had disconnected.
 
Bessie put her phone down and paced around the tiny cottage.
 
Doona hadn’t sounded too distressed, but
she’d known someone was probably listening to the conversation.
 
Going to the pool held no appeal at all
for Bessie, so she sat down with her book club books and tried to get lost in
their pages.
 
After only a short
time, she was grateful when her mobile interrupted.

“Bessie, it’s John.
 
I’m still working on flights and a hire
car.”

“So you don’t know when you’ll be getting
here?”

“No, but it isn’t going to be today,” he
replied.

Bessie sighed.
 
“I was really looking forward to seeing
you,” she said.

“I know.
 
And I’m eager to get there, but a few
things came up here this morning and by the time I sorted through them all it
seems I’d missed quite a few of the flights for the day.”

“There aren’t as many flights this time of
year as there are in the summer months,” Bessie said.

“And I’d rather not fly into London and have
to drive all the way up there,” John told her.
 
“I was hoping to fly into Liverpool or
Manchester, but I missed both of the morning flights, and the afternoon ones
are both full.
 
I could go to
Ronaldsway and wait and see if there’s a cancellation, but it seemed wiser to
just book a morning flight and go from there.”

“I suppose,”
Bessie
said, trying not to sound as disappointed as she felt.

“Have you heard anything from Doona?”

Bessie filled him in on her brief chat with
Doona and also told him about her conversation with Andrew.
 

“I’m looking forward to meeting Mr.
Cheatham,” he told Bessie when she’d finished.
 
“He’s quite well known in police circles.”

“Really?”

“He worked for Scotland Yard for many years
and he and his team solved some very difficult cases.”

“I’ve never heard of him,” Bessie said.

“He’s always kept a very low profile, but
he’s very good at investigative work, or he used to be.
 
He’s been retired for many years now, of
course.”

“Did you get a flight booked for tomorrow,
then?” Bessie asked.

“I’m flying into Manchester a few minutes
after ten,” he replied.
 
“I’m still
working on arranging for a hire car, but assuming I get that sorted, I should
be at Lakeview by midday.”

“Let me know if anything changes,” Bessie
requested.

“I will do,” he replied.

It wasn’t until after they’d disconnected
that Bessie wondered why John hadn’t simply taken the ferry.
 
That was something she’d have to ask him
when she saw him, she decided.

It was still only late morning, but Bessie
couldn’t get excited about reading any more in her books.
 
Instead, she headed out to the
Squirrel’s Drey to do some shopping.
 
Maybe she’d cook something for herself and Andrew for dinner that
evening, rather than ordering from one of the restaurants.

Nothing in the small grocery store tempted
her in the slightest, and the smell from the Chinese restaurant had her mouth
watering, so Bessie changed her mind again.
 
She picked up a sandwich and a bag of
crisps for her lunch and then found a quiet bench where she enjoyed her meal.

Somehow she managed to waste the afternoon,
walking around the park, watching boats on the lake and laughing at the antics
of the small children in a huge play area made up of soft foam obstacles.
 
She was back at number eight at half
five, ready for her guest.

Chapter Thirteen

Andrew was right on
time
,
and after a short discussion, they agreed to go and eat at the Chinese
restaurant rather than have food delivered.

“This way we don’t have to clean up after
ourselves,” Andrew said brightly.

“And I think I need to get out of the cottage,”
Bessie told him.

The restaurant was moderately busy, but the
hostess was able to find a table for two in a quiet corner for them.

“Let’s get a bottle of wine,” Andrew
suggested.
 
“We’ll drink it slowly
and just let it relax us.”

“I could do with some relaxing,” Bessie admitted.
 
“Between the murder and Doona’s arrest,
I’m not really sleeping well.”

“Doona hasn’t been arrested,” Andrew told
her.
 
“She’s working with Margaret
on figuring a few things out.
 
Margaret feels that keeping Doona away from Lakeview for the moment is
for the best.”

“Does she think Doona’s in danger?” Bessie
asked.

“I don’t think so, at least not immediate
danger.
 
But you have to admit that
she’s definitely safer where she is.”

Bessie frowned, even as she nodded.
 
“I still wish she were here.
 
And I wish we were just enjoying our
holiday, not dealing with all of this.”

“No one can blame you for that,” Andrew
replied.

The waiter delivered the wine and Andrew
performed the necessary tasting ritual before the waiter filled both of their
glasses.

“To new friends,” Andrew suggested, holding
up his glass.

Bessie touched hers to his gently.
 
“And old friends,” she added.

They ordered far more food than they
expected to eat.
 
“I can put
leftovers in our cabin’s refrigerator for my lunch tomorrow,” Bessie said,
justifying the extravagance.

“Or we can just eat it all tonight,” Andrew
said with a grin.

“So, I take it your friend from home didn’t
manage to get here today, at least not yet,” he said after a moment.

“He couldn’t get a flight today,” Bessie
explained.
 
“He should be here
tomorrow around midday.”

“I understand from Margaret that she might
have something to announce around that time,” Andrew told her.

“Something to announce?
 
What does that mean?”

“I’m hoping for your sake and Doona’s that
it means an arrest,” Andrew replied.
 
“But I couldn’t get her to tell me anything at all.”

“I just hope she isn’t planning to announce
Doona’s arrest,” Bessie said worriedly.

“She isn’t,” Andrew told her in a confident
voice.
 
“She would have warned me if
that were the case.”

“I hope you’re right,” Bessie muttered.

“I know I’m right,” Andrew said.
 

“So who is she going to arrest?” Bessie had
to ask.

“I don’t know,” Andrew admitted.
 
“I don’t even know if she’s going to
arrest someone.
 
She might be
announcing something else altogether.”

“Like what?”

Andrew shrugged.
 
“We could go around and around all
night, trying to work it out,” he said, “but it would be a waste of time and
energy.
 
I can think of a great deal
more interesting topics to discuss.”

Bessie wasn’t sure she agreed, but she
didn’t object.
 
She couldn’t see any
way their conversation would help Doona, so she let Andrew choose a subject.

For the next two hours, they ate more food
than Bessie had imagined they could, sipped their way through the bottle of
wine and told one another all about their lives.

“I must come and see the Isle of Man for
myself,” Andrew said eventually.
 
“You make it sound incredible.”

“It’s home and I can’t imagine living
anywhere else,” Bessie said simply.

“I’ve never felt that way about anywhere,”
Andrew mused.
 
“I travelled a great
deal in my army days, and then once I was married and the children were
arriving, we moved every few years into bigger and bigger houses in different
parts of London to accommodate them.
 
London is a great city, but it never felt like home to me.”

“I haven’t been to London for many years,”
Bessie said.
 
“I’m not fond of big
cities.”

The waiter arrived to take their sweets
order, but both were too full to even consider a pudding.

“I wish I could,” Bessie said as she glanced
down the menu.
 
“Everything sounds
delicious, but I’m quite full.”

“We can pack something up for you take back
to your accommodation,” the waiter suggested.

“Oh, don’t tempt me,” Bessie said with a
laugh.

He brought them their bill, along with two
fortune cookies.
 
Andrew quickly
handed the man his credit card.

“Dinner is on me,” he told Bessie
firmly.
 
“And you get first choice
of fortune cookie as well.”

“Would it do me any good to argue?” Bessie
asked.

“I’ll chose a cookie first, if you prefer,”
Andrew replied, deliberately misunderstanding her.

Bessie thought about challenging him, but
decided against it.
 
Instead, she
picked up a cookie from the plate.
 
She broke it open and found her fortune.

“You have many good and true friends,” she
read.
 
“Well, I hope that’s true.”

Andrew opened his cookie and smiled.
 
“New friends add new spice to life,” he
read.

“I don’t suppose either of us can complain
about our fortunes, anyway,” Bessie said.
 
“Or about the food here.
 
That was excellent.”

“It really was,” Andrew agreed.

They both got to their feet as the waiter
returned with Andrew’s card.
 
“Thank
you, sir,” he said as Andrew handed him the signed credit slip.

“Let’s walk back the long way around the
lake,” Andrew suggested, as they exited the Squirrel’s Drey.
 

“I think I need to walk off all that food
and wine,” Bessie agreed.

They walked slowly in a companionable
silence for several minutes.
 
Bessie
suddenly felt as if she didn’t want the evening to end.
 
She felt relaxed by the good food, excellent
company and the alcohol she’d consumed.
 
The last thing she felt like doing was going back to her empty cabin to
worry about Doona more.

“Let’s play crazy golf,” Andrew suggested as
they reached the far side of the lake.

“Crazy golf?” Bessie echoed, certain she was
hearing things.

“Sure, why not?”

Bessie looked at her watch.
 
It was nearly nine o’clock and it felt
too late to be out playing games.
 

“When was the last time you played?” Andrew
asked her.

Bessie thought for a minute and then shook
her head.
 
“I don’t know if I’ve
ever actually played crazy golf,” she told him.
 

Andrew sighed.
 
“You’ve missed out on so much,” he
said.
 
“Come on.”

Still shaking her head slightly, Bessie
followed Andrew to the small stand at the entrance to the crazy golf courses.

“You’ll only be able to play one course for
tonight,” the young man behind the counter told them.
 
“Last entry is at nine.”

“One course will do,” Andrew assured him.

The man handed them each a club and a ball
and then handed Andrew a small score card and tiny pencil.
 

“Surely we don’t need to keep score,” Bessie
said.

“We don’t have to,” Andrew agreed.
 
“But I’m keeping the tiny pencil for my
granddaughter.
 
She’ll love it.”

Bessie laughed and followed Andrew into the
enclosed crazy golf area.
 
Aside
from a family of four who were just finishing the last hole on one course, they
were the only people there.

“Do you want to do the ‘rabbit’ course or
the ‘squirrel’ course?” Andrew asked in a serious voice.

“What’s the difference?” Bessie asked, looking
around in confusion.

“The ‘rabbit’ course is a par 36, which
means they expect you to sink every ball in two shots.
 
The ‘squirrel’ course is a par 38, which
means two of the holes must be slightly trickier.”

“Oh, in that case, I think we’d better try ‘rabbit,’
if it’s easier,” Bessie said.

“’Rabbit’ it is,” Andrew told her.
 
He led her over to the first hole,
designated by a small flag with a number “1” on it.
 
“I’ll go first, shall I?
 
You can just follow what I do.”

Bessie nodded and watched as Andrew set his
ball on the ground and then carefully hit it down the short green.
 
There were a few small bumps along the
side of the green, but nothing hindered the ball’s progress right down the
centre.
 
It stopped just short of
the hole and Andrew easily tapped it in.

“Your turn,” he said with a smile.
 

Bessie put her ball down and then
shrugged.
 
“I’m not even sure how to
hold the club,” she confessed.

Andrew quickly showed her and Bessie found
herself lining up her shot, feeling incredibly foolish.
 
She hit the ball gently and watched,
amazed, as it rolled down the green towards the hole.
 
It took her two additional shots to
actually sink it, but she felt exhilarated when it fell in.

“I did it,” she exclaimed in surprise.

“And in only three shots,” Andrew said.
 
“That’s excellent for your first try.”

An hour later, Bessie felt as if she’d
laughed more in the previous sixty minutes than she had in several years.
 
The holes got “crazier” as they went
along, with various obstacles to get around, over or through.
 
Andrew patiently coached her through
different techniques for dealing with each one and Bessie ended the round
feeling as if she hadn’t totally humiliated herself.

“You did very well,” Andrew told her as they
returned their clubs.

“It was actually rather fun,” Bessie said,
surprise in her voice.

Andrew laughed.
 
“It’s meant to be fun,” he told her.

“Have a nice evening,” the man behind the
counter told them both.
 
As soon as
Bessie and Andrew took a few steps away, he was quickly turning off lights and
shutting down for the night.

“The poor man was just waiting for us to
leave,” Bessie whispered.
 
“I should
have played more quickly.”

“We didn’t do too badly.
 
I walked past last night at half ten and
there were still a dozen people playing,” Andrew told her.
 
“I’m just glad you had fun.”

“It was wonderful to do something out of the
ordinary.
 
It took my mind off everything.”

“And now, hopefully, you’re tired enough to
sleep well tonight.”

Bessie nodded.
 
“I feel as if I will,” she said, pleased
with the idea.

Andrew walked her to her cottage door.
 
“Thank you for a very pleasant evening,”
he told her.
 
“I hope your friend
gets here safely tomorrow, and that you no longer need him to be here.”

“Oh, I do hope so, too,” Bessie said with
alacrity.

Inside the cabin, she got ready for bed and
then grabbed her pile of book club books.
 
She wasn’t more than half way through any of them and the club was
meeting in only two days.
 
At least
she’d read
Emma
before, although now
that she was rereading it, she was surprised to discover that she’d forgotten
much of the story.

Now she curled up in bed with the book and
read until her eyes began to close.
 
After she switched off the light, she fell into a deep and restful
sleep, not waking once until the next morning, a little bit past her usual
time.

After showering, Bessie fixed herself a bowl
of cereal with milk for breakfast.
 
It was raining a steady and soaking rain outside, so she wasn’t in any
hurry to take her walk.
 
After she
ate, she finished reading
Emma
,
sighing with satisfaction as Austen tied up all the loose ends and gave
everyone his or her happily ever after.