Xylophones and X-Rays (An Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Book 24) by Diana Xarissa

Author:Diana Xarissa [Xarissa, Diana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-11-17T16:00:00+00:00

9

The woman looked around and then frowned at Elaine. She said something to the hostess and then, seemingly reluctantly, allowed the hostess to show her to their table.

“Do I know you?” Diane asked when she reached the table.

Elaine patted the chair empty chair next to hers. “We haven’t met yet, but I wanted to tell you how very sorry I am for your loss.”

Diane’s body stiffened and she took a long, slow breath. “I should expect to be recognized now, shouldn’t I?” she said softly.

“Please, join us,” Margaret said. “We’re actually very nice people, and we won’t ask you any questions. We can talk about anything at all.”

“Including your sadly departed partner, if you want to talk about him,” Elaine added.

Diane looked shocked and then sighed. “There aren’t any other tables available,” she muttered as she slid into the seat next to Elaine.

“I’m Elaine Coleman,” Elaine said. “I grew up on the island and then moved across. I’ve only very recently decided to move back.”

Diane smiled tightly. “Nice to meet you,” she said.

“This is my niece, Shelly Quirk, er, Shelly Blake,” Elaine continued. “Shelly used to teach primary school, but she’s retired now. She’s never lived anywhere other than the island.”

“I’m very sorry for your loss,” Shelly said.

“Thank you,” Diane replied.

“I’m Margaret Woods,” Margaret said. “I grew up in the US, but my father was from the island. My Aunt Fenella moved back here a few years ago, and a few months ago, after coming for a visit and falling in love with the island, I decided to make the move myself.”

Diane nodded. “It’s a lovely island. I can see why you fell in love with it.”

“And I’m Fenella Woods,” Fenella told her. “I was born on the island, but moved away when I was two. I only came back after I’d inherited my aunt’s estate.”

“Ah, of course. I should have recognized you. Your picture is on the front page of the local paper on a regular basis. I’ve only been on the island for six months and I’ve already heard a lot about you and about your aunt, Mona.”

Fenella felt herself blush. “Please don’t believe everything you’ve heard,” she replied.

Diane chuckled. “I feel rather the same way. I’m sure you’ve all read all about me in the local paper. I spoke to their reporter because I didn’t want everyone on the island speculating wildly about me, but now I’m sorry I said anything, really.”

“From experience, I’d suggest that people are going to speculate no matter what you do,” Fenella told her.

“Yes, I’ve come to that same conclusion,” Diane said with a sigh. “And I have to admit that I’m just as guilty of that sort of thing when it involves other people. It’s just difficult when you become the talking point of the entire island. Would you believe that people are actually coming to the grocery store that I manage, just hoping to get a look at me?”

Fenella glanced at Elaine, who took a sudden interest in her menu.

“Maybe it will be good for business,” Fenella suggested.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.