Free Aunt Bessie Finds (An Isle of Man Cozy Mystery Book 6) by Diana Xarissa Page B

convenient height
next to a small door.
    “The door opens into the post room,” Alan told her.   “Only the postman has a key to the room,
so he can go in and distribute the post and nothing can be tampered with.   It’s very secure.”
    “Indeed,” Bessie replied.
    “This would be your postbox,” Alan told her, gesturing towards the
box labeled “10.”   He inserted a key
from the ring that Nigel had given him and pulled open the box door.   The small box was empty, which was to be
expected, Bessie supposed.   She
glanced inside and made what she hoped was an appropriately appreciative noise.
    “Right, then, let’s head up to the flat, shall we?” Alan said with
much more enthusiasm than Bessie felt.
    “Certainly,” Bessie said to his back as he strode away.
    It only took three steps for her to catch up to him at the tiny
lift.   It took several minutes for
the lift to arrive, during which Alan kept up a steady stream of comments about
the amenities of Douglas.  
    “Of course, the island’s only hospital is here,” he told her.
    “There’s a hospital in Ramsey,” Bessie pointed out.
    “There is?”
    “Only a small one,” Bessie explained.   “But it is quite useful for the people
who live in the north of the island.”
    “Well, Douglas has the best shops, of course, being the island’s
capital.   And we have…. ”   Bessie tuned
him out as he droned on.   She’d
lived on the island for more years than he’d been alive.   She was well acquainted with everything
Douglas had to offer.
    The lift, when it finally arrived, smelled peculiar.
    “What is that smell?” Bessie asked as Alan punched the single
button that made the car travel between the two floors.
    “I don’t smell anything,” he said.
    The lift rose slowly before the doors gradually slid open.   Alan stepped out quickly, tripping over
the two-inch difference between where the lift had stopped and the actual first
floor.   He nearly fell over, just
barely catching himself.   Bessie
decided to ignore the muffled curse she heard as she carefully followed him out
into the corridor.
    Number ten was the first flat on the right, and Alan had the door
open quickly.   “In we go, then,” he
said, holding the door open so that Bessie could walk through.  
    The flat appeared to be identical to Bahey’s ,
as Bessie had been expecting.   She
walked in slowly, studying the main living space with a critical eye.
    The walls were that particular shade of cream that builders and
estate agents seem to love.   The
floor was covered with wall-to-wall carpeting that matched the walls
exactly.   The curtains that covered
the windows were the same bland shade and Bessie felt slightly disoriented by
the sheer relentless lack of colour .  
    “It’s just been redecorated to a very high standard,” Alan told
her.   “The carpets and drapes are
new and the walls were just painted.”
    “Who buys paint in this non- colour ?”
Bessie asked, shaking her head.
    “It’s a lovely neutral shade,” Alan replied.   “The carpets and walls would complement
any furniture you chose to put in here.”
    Bessie didn’t bother to argue.   For all she knew, he was right, but it was incredibly boring.   She strode to the largest window and
pulled back the curtains.
    “Of course, the views are excellent,” he told Bessie.  
    She looked out at the back of the hotel on the promenade and
sighed.  
    “You can see the sea,” Alan told her.   He pointed to the gap between buildings
where Seaview Terrace ran.   Bessie could see the promenade, and if
she worked at, she could just about see the water as well.
    “Of course, the tide is out,” Alan said.   “You’ll have a better view when the tide
comes in.”
    Bessie bit her tongue and walked over to the side window to see
what she could see from there.   Bahey’s flat was in the middle of the row of three, so she
didn’t have a side window.   Bessie
pushed back the curtains and