Inspector Kelly does.”
Bessie frowned. “I don’t want to get between those two,”
she complained. “Anyway, I think my
loyalties should be to Patrick Kelly. He’s a native, after all.”
“Just focus your loyalties on
Hugh here, and don’t you worry about the dueling inspectors,” Doona
suggested. “If you ask me,
Inspector Rockwell is more likely to share the credit if he solves the case
than Inspector Kelly, but that’s just my opinion.”
“Hurmph,” Bessie sighed. “I don’t expect I’ll have anything to
contribute anyway,” she told the others. “Whatever happened out on the beach, I’m pretty sure it didn’t involve
anyone local, so it’s highly unlikely that any gossip I hear will matter.”
“Of course, you are meeting
with one of the suspects tomorrow,” Hugh reminded her. “She might have something interesting to
say.”
Bessie only nodded. The whole topic was beginning to upset
her. It was one thing reading about
murder and mayhem in her favourite books, but in real life such things were
physically and emotionally exhausting.
“I need to get out of your
hair and let you get some sleep,” Doona announced. “Tomorrow is going to be another busy
day for all of us.”
Hugh was smart enough to
start washing up the dishes while Bessie saw her friend to the door.
“Call me the minute you get
done with that woman,” Doona instructed her friend. “I want to know what she said and I want
to know that you’re safe.”
“She’ll be plenty safe
enough,” Hugh answered from the sink. “I’ll be having my lunch right around one o’clock tomorrow and I figure
the picnic tables at the Laxey Wheel are the perfect spot to sit and eat.”
“That’s a great idea,” Doona
enthused. “Maybe I’ll join you.”
Bessie sighed. “For goodness’ sake,” she
exclaimed. “I’m meeting a young
woman who needs someone to talk to. Just because she is very tangentially attached to a murder doesn’t mean
I need a full complement of body guards.”
“I guess I can eat lunch wherever
I want,” Hugh said, giving Bessie a stubborn grin.
“I’ll stay at the station,
then,” Doona told her friend. “But
you still have to call me the second you finish with her.”
Bessie assured her friend
that she would do so and then locked up the cottage’s front door for the
night. While Hugh finished washing,
she grabbed a towel and dried the dishes. When they were all tucked back up in their proper places, Bessie headed
upstairs to bed.
With her face washed and her
teeth brushed, she climbed into her most comfortable nightgown and crawled into
bed. For several minutes she lay snuggled
under the covers, wondering how one man could make so much noise trying to be
quiet. When the banging and
crashing from the lower level finally stopped, she fell into her normal sound
sleep.
Chapter Six
Bessie didn’t bother trying to wake the
loudly snoring constable the next morning. She made herself tea and toast and then waited for his alarm at seven to
do the job for her. Once Hugh was
moving around, albeit slowly, Bessie headed out for a walk on the cool but
mercifully dry day. She didn’t go
far, but she felt like she needed to stretch her legs and get away from
everyone for a short time. She had
lived on her own her entire adult life and having Hugh in residence, even after
just two nights, was already starting to wear on her.
She was slightly disappointed to see that
Hugh was still at the cottage when she returned.
“Not gone to work yet, then,” she said as
soon as she was in the door.
“Ah, I was just going to head out now,” Hugh stammered. “I grabbed a shower here this morning so that I didn’t have to stop at
home.”
“You know you are more than welcome to do
that,” Bessie lied easily, wondering if he hadn’t bothered to stop home because
he knew the message he wanted wouldn’t be there, or if
Bessie frowned. “I don’t want to get between those two,”
she complained. “Anyway, I think my
loyalties should be to Patrick Kelly. He’s a native, after all.”
“Just focus your loyalties on
Hugh here, and don’t you worry about the dueling inspectors,” Doona
suggested. “If you ask me,
Inspector Rockwell is more likely to share the credit if he solves the case
than Inspector Kelly, but that’s just my opinion.”
“Hurmph,” Bessie sighed. “I don’t expect I’ll have anything to
contribute anyway,” she told the others. “Whatever happened out on the beach, I’m pretty sure it didn’t involve
anyone local, so it’s highly unlikely that any gossip I hear will matter.”
“Of course, you are meeting
with one of the suspects tomorrow,” Hugh reminded her. “She might have something interesting to
say.”
Bessie only nodded. The whole topic was beginning to upset
her. It was one thing reading about
murder and mayhem in her favourite books, but in real life such things were
physically and emotionally exhausting.
“I need to get out of your
hair and let you get some sleep,” Doona announced. “Tomorrow is going to be another busy
day for all of us.”
Hugh was smart enough to
start washing up the dishes while Bessie saw her friend to the door.
“Call me the minute you get
done with that woman,” Doona instructed her friend. “I want to know what she said and I want
to know that you’re safe.”
“She’ll be plenty safe
enough,” Hugh answered from the sink. “I’ll be having my lunch right around one o’clock tomorrow and I figure
the picnic tables at the Laxey Wheel are the perfect spot to sit and eat.”
“That’s a great idea,” Doona
enthused. “Maybe I’ll join you.”
Bessie sighed. “For goodness’ sake,” she
exclaimed. “I’m meeting a young
woman who needs someone to talk to. Just because she is very tangentially attached to a murder doesn’t mean
I need a full complement of body guards.”
“I guess I can eat lunch wherever
I want,” Hugh said, giving Bessie a stubborn grin.
“I’ll stay at the station,
then,” Doona told her friend. “But
you still have to call me the second you finish with her.”
Bessie assured her friend
that she would do so and then locked up the cottage’s front door for the
night. While Hugh finished washing,
she grabbed a towel and dried the dishes. When they were all tucked back up in their proper places, Bessie headed
upstairs to bed.
With her face washed and her
teeth brushed, she climbed into her most comfortable nightgown and crawled into
bed. For several minutes she lay snuggled
under the covers, wondering how one man could make so much noise trying to be
quiet. When the banging and
crashing from the lower level finally stopped, she fell into her normal sound
sleep.
Chapter Six
Bessie didn’t bother trying to wake the
loudly snoring constable the next morning. She made herself tea and toast and then waited for his alarm at seven to
do the job for her. Once Hugh was
moving around, albeit slowly, Bessie headed out for a walk on the cool but
mercifully dry day. She didn’t go
far, but she felt like she needed to stretch her legs and get away from
everyone for a short time. She had
lived on her own her entire adult life and having Hugh in residence, even after
just two nights, was already starting to wear on her.
She was slightly disappointed to see that
Hugh was still at the cottage when she returned.
“Not gone to work yet, then,” she said as
soon as she was in the door.
“Ah, I was just going to head out now,” Hugh stammered. “I grabbed a shower here this morning so that I didn’t have to stop at
home.”
“You know you are more than welcome to do
that,” Bessie lied easily, wondering if he hadn’t bothered to stop home because
he knew the message he wanted wouldn’t be there, or if
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