The Quinton Case: A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novella

by Xarissa, Diana

  Ted served them mince pies for pudding.

  “Everything was delicious,” Janet said happily.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he replied.

  As they all got up to leave, Todd, the cook, came out of the kitchen.

  “Janet and Joan, thank you for coming in today,” he said. “Just a small token of our appreciation,” he added before handing each woman a small wrapped package.

  Both sisters tried to object, but the men insisted that the gifts were simply tokens of gratitude. Janet wanted to open her immediately, both to confirm that the gift wasn’t anything extravagant and because she loved presents and didn’t want to wait for Christmas.

  “Thank you,” Joan said. “I’ll just repeat one more time that you shouldn’t have. We are grateful, though. They’ll go under the tree to be opened on Christmas morning.”

  “Maybe we could open them now,” Janet suggested.

  Joan frowned. “They’re Christmas presents,” she said, as if that were the last word on the subject.

  Janet thought about arguing, but Roland and Eldridge had already left and Marcus was edging towards the door.

  “Thank you,” she told Todd, giving him a hug. “Merry Christmas to you and to Ted.”

  Eldridge and Roland were standing together next to Roland’s car. As the sisters approached, Roland shrugged.

  “What now?” Eldridge asked Joan.

  “I have more Christmas baking to do,” Joan told him. “Christmas is only a few days away.”

  “We can’t just sit around Doveby House all day,” Eldridge complained.

  “You and Roland are welcome to go and do whatever you’d like,” Joan replied. “The copy of the will should be arriving soon, anyway. Someone should be at the house when that happens.”

  “I’d forgotten about that,” Eldridge exclaimed. “I must ring the office and make sure that it was sent.”

  Janet raised an eyebrow. Surely he should have done that yesterday. In spite of his words, Eldridge didn’t pull out his mobile to ring anyone.

  “I’m going to take the sisters home,” Marcus told the two men. “Perhaps we could go and find a pub after that.”

  “That’s an excellent idea,” Roland said. “The one in the village seems to be shut all the time, but there is one in Little Burton.”

  “If you two want to go ahead, I’ll meet you there,” Marcus offered.

  Roland looked at Eldridge, who nodded. “First round is on me,” Eldridge said as he unlocked his car.

  Janet got back into the gorgeous luxury car and sighed. “I never wanted leather seats before today,” she said softly.

  Marcus chuckled. “They’re one of my favourite things about this car. I do love its performance and handling, too, but you won’t appreciate that unless you actually drive the car.”

  “I’m quite happy on the passenger side,” Janet replied.

  He drove them back to Doveby House and insisted on walking them to the door. “I’m going to go and have a drink with Roland and Eldridge,” he said. “I’ve quite a few more questions for Roland about his relationship with you and with Mildred.”

  “Should we ring you when the will is delivered?” Janet asked.

  “Yes, do,” he replied. He pulled out a silver card case and handed Janet an elegant business card. “That’s my mobile number,” he told her. “Ring if the will arrives. I suspect that when Eldridge gets around to ringing his office, though, he’s going to find that they weren’t able to post it yesterday after all.”

  “They’re the ones who are trying to rush us to reach an agreement,” Janet protested.

  “But they’d much rather you did so without ever seeing the newly discovered will,” Marcus told her. “I’m fairly certain there’s something wrong with it, and I believe they’re hoping that the longer it takes to arrive, the less time you’ll spend looking it over.”

  “We aren’t that stupid,” Janet said.

  “I don’t think they were expecting you to be quite as clever as you are,” Marcus laughed. “It seems likely that they thought you’d be terrified by the threat to your business and simply pay Roland what he was demanding. They underestimated you both.”

  “And our friends,” Janet added, thinking of everything that Robert, Michael, and Edward had done to help.

  “I doubt they expected you to have such influential friends,” Marcus agreed. “But now I must go and join them for a drink. I expect this to be very interesting.”

  “We’ll be here,” Janet told him, “trying not to worry.”

  Marcus laughed. “I’m fairly certain that you’ve nothing to worry about. I suspect that by the end of the day Roland will have decided not to pursue his claim to Mildred’s estate after all.”

  “I hope you’re right,” Janet said.

  Although she wasn’t much of a baker, Janet followed Joan into the kitchen and offered to help. “I’m too worried to read, the house is clean, and I simply don’t know what to do with myself,” she told her sister.

  Joan laughed. “I’ve plenty of little jobs you can do in here, then. We can get started on tonight’s dinner first. I’m planning on Marcus joining us, but as far as I’m concerned, Roland and Eldridge can fend for themselves.”

  Janet nodded and then got to work peeling and chopping carrots and potatoes. A knock on the door provided a welcome break.

  “I just wanted to see how you and Joan were doing,” Robert Parsons said when Janet opened the door. “I understand that Edward Bennett is working on the investigation now.”

  “Come in and have a mince pie or ten,” Janet offered. “Joan has been baking mince pies to help her deal with the stress.”

  Robert chuckled. “You must have thousands of them.”

  “Maybe not thousands, as I’ve been eating them to help me deal with the stress,” Janet laughed. “We do have quite a few, though, and we’re nearly out of containers for them.”

  “I put the kettle on when I heard your voice,” Joan told Robert as he and Janet walked into the kitchen. There was a plate full of mince pies in the centre of the table.

  Robert sat down and took a pie while Janet made tea for everyone.

  “I’ve done everything I can do and unfortunately I didn’t find anything to help you,” Robert said after a while. “It appears that the person visiting you is indeed your cousin.”

  “What a shame, as he’s not a nice man,” Janet sighed.

  “I wish I could do more, but beyond ringing Edward and suggesting that he take a look, I don’t know what else I could have done,” Robert said.

  “Edward sent someone to help,” Janet told him. “Apparently the man Edward sent is an expert in handwriting and forgeries. When Roland and Eldridge heard that, they both looked nervous.”

  Robert laughed. “It sounds as if Edward has everything under control, then. That’s good to know.”

  The trio chatted about nothing much for a short time, while Robert ate half a dozen mince pies and drank two cups of tea. “And now I really must go,” he said, standing up from the table. “Thank you, as always, for your hospitality.”

  Janet walked him to the door and then watched as he walked to his car. Before she could shut the door behind him, Roland’s car pulled into the car park.

  Chapter 10

  Roland and Eldridge got out of the car and climbed the steps to Doveby House. Marcus’s car slid into the spot next to Roland’s before Janet shut the door behind the other men.

  “How was the pub?” she asked as she waited for Marcus to join them.

  “Fine,” Roland said. He dropped into a chair and frowned. “Where did all of the furniture in here come from?” he asked. “Was any of this Mildred’s?”

  Janet shook her head. “We bought Doveby House fully furnished.” She was sure that Roland looked disappointed at her words. Maybe he’d been hoping to get some furniture from them in addition to the money he’d demanded.

  “I’m sure Mildred must have had some antiques,” he said. “Wh
at happened to her things?”

  “Joan and I let the solicitors deal with settling the estate,” Janet told him. “I believe everything was simply sold at auction.”

  “That’s a shame. It would have been nice to keep her things in the family.”

  Eldridge sat down next to Roland. “I probably should get back to London tomorrow. The next day is Christmas Eve, after all.”

  “I thought you were staying here through Christmas,” Roland protested.

  “I was considering doing so, but as I told you earlier, there are issues in my office that need careful handling.”

  Janet looked at Marcus, who winked at her. “What about Mildred’s will?” she asked.

  “That should be here soon,” Eldridge replied. “My office sent it yesterday with guaranteed delivery before five today.”

  Janet frowned. She’d really been hoping that the will was never going to arrive. An awkward silence fell on the room, leaving Janet feeling anxious.

  “I’m going to get back to helping Joan in the kitchen, then,” she said after a moment.

  Roland nodded. Marcus grinned at her and then sat down next to Eldridge. No one spoke as Janet left the room.

  “What’s going on out there?” Joan asked as Janet rejoined her.

  “Everyone is back from the pub and they’re having a staring contest,” Janet sighed. “Or maybe it’s just a contest to see who can sit in silence the longest. I’m not sure what’s going on, but the three of them are all just sitting around staring at the walls.”

  “How very odd.”

  “Yes, and uncomfortable, too. I don’t know what happened at the pub, but I’d really like to know.”

  “Perhaps you should ask Marcus to join us in the kitchen.”

  “That’s a great idea. I’ll be right back.”

  Janet walked into the sitting room as someone knocked on the door. Marcus was closest, and he was at the door before Janet could get there.

  “I need a signature,” the man from the delivery company said, handing Marcus a large envelope.

  Marcus scrawled something across the card he was given and then handed it back. Eldridge was at Marcus’s elbow as he shut the door.

  “I’ll take that,” he said, holding out his hand towards the envelope.

  Marcus glanced at the envelope and then handed it to Eldridge. “It is addressed to you,” he said with a grin.

  Eldridge opened it and then pulled out the packet of papers inside. He flipped through them as Joan came into the room.

  “Was that the door?” she asked Janet.

  “Yes, it was the papers that Eldridge requested,” Janet explained.

  Joan frowned and then looked at Eldridge. “Is that the will, then?” she asked.

  “It’s a copy of the will,” he clarified. “Obviously, the original is too valuable to send. That’s in a safe in my office in London.”

  “I’d like to take a look at it,” Marcus said.

  Roland stood up. “I’m not sure about that. Who are you again, and why are you here?”

  “I’m here at the request of a friend,” Marcus replied. “If you’d rather not have me look at the will, that’s fine, but without inspecting it, I’m going to have to suggest to Janet and Joan that they refuse to make any sort of settlement with you over its contents.”

  “I thought we’d reached an agreement about that,” Eldridge frowned.

  Marcus shrugged. “Perhaps you misunderstood me. I came here to protect Janet and Joan and Doveby House.” He turned to Roland. “As their cousin, I’m sure you appreciate that.”

  Roland flushed. “Of course. I never wanted to do anything to hurt my dear cousins, but I also think it’s important to honour our dearly departed aunt’s last wishes. Mildred’s will is quite specific, and according to it, I get everything.”

  “If that is indeed Mildred’s last will,” Marcus said. “That remains to be seen.”

  “Show him the will,” Roland told Eldridge. “I’d really like to get this sorted before you go back to London.”

  Eldridge handed Marcus the papers. “If you look on page six, you’ll find the relevant clause,” he said.

  Marcus flipped through the pages and then spent a minute reading. “This does say that the entire estate should go to Roland Dickerson,” he told Janet and Joan.

  “As I said, in the interest of a quick and easy settlement, I’ll take the amount that Mildred’s house was sold for and we can leave it at that,” Roland said quickly.

  “Do you have a copy of the will that listed you and Joan as beneficiaries?” Marcus asked Janet.

  “We do,” Janet said.

  “I’ll get it,” Joan added before leaving the room. She was back a moment later with the papers.

  Marcus grinned. “Now the fun begins,” he said. “I’m going to need a bright light to work under. I have a magnifying glass in my bag.”

  Janet moved a large light over to the table on the back wall. She moved Susan’s beautifully knitted blankets onto a chair to give Marcus room to work. As he began, Roland sighed.

  “I can’t believe this level of distrust. We’re family,” he said.

  “Would you happily sign over a six-figure sum to one of us without question?” Janet asked.

  “If it were proven that the sum was something to which you were entitled, yes,” he shot back.

  “We’re simply trying to prove your entitlement,” Joan said calmly. “I’m sure you’d hate to see us getting taken advantage of by anyone.”

  Roland began to pace back and forth across the room. Eldridge watched him for a minute and then glanced at his watch. “I need to get back to Derby and check out of my hotel,” he said. “I’d hate to get charged for another night.”

  “You aren’t staying, then?” Roland asked.

  “As I said, there are reasons why I need to get back to London,” Eldridge replied. “I can come back up after Christmas if you need me.”

  “I was hoping to have Mildred’s estate sorted before I left,” Roland said. “I’ll need you to draw up the settlement paperwork.”

  “If a settlement is agreed upon, I can do that from London just as easily as from here,” Eldridge countered. “I really must go.”

  Roland was still protesting as Eldridge headed for the door. He followed Eldridge out of the house and into the car park. Janet crossed the room and watched as the pair had what looked to be a heated discussion before Eldridge finally got in his car and drove away.

  “It’s a shame your friend had to go,” Janet said when Roland returned. Trying to sound sincere was a bit of a struggle.

  Roland just looked at her for a minute and then dropped back into a chair.

  “The signatures on both wills do seem to match,” Marcus said suddenly.

  “I told you,” Roland snapped.

  “My issue is with the date of the newly discovered will,” Marcus added. “As this is just a photocopy, it’s difficult to be certain, but it appears to me that the date has been altered on the new will.”

  “What do you mean?” Roland demanded.

  “Have a look,” Marcus suggested. He spent several minutes discussing fonts and spacing and document alterations until Roland was frowning and shaking his head. “You’re suggesting that we changed the date, are you?”

  “I’m suggesting that someone changed the date,” Marcus countered. “I’ll need to inspect the original of the will in order to be certain, but if I’m correct, then efforts will have to be made to work out the correct date for this document. It’s possible that this will predates the one that was presented for probate, in which case this will is invalid.”

  “How can you determine that for sure?” Roland asked.

  “Now that I have a copy of the will, I can start doing some research,” Marcus said. “I’ll start with the solicitor who drew up the document. Once I determine the years in which he was working in London, I’ll have a date range in which to work. After that, I’ll have to try to track down the witnesses. If e
ither of them is still alive, they may be able to date the document. If they’ve both passed away, we may learn something from the dates of their deaths.”

  “All of this is going to take time and money,” Roland sighed.

  “It won’t cost you any money,” Marcus told him. “I’m mostly retired now. I’m happy to do the work pro bono, as I find it fascinating, so it won’t cost Janet and Joan anything either. It will take time, of course. I’ll need to start with the original of the will and work from there.”

  “What if we don’t have the original?” Roland asked. “I mean, what if all we found was a copy?”

  Marcus frowned. “The courts generally insist on having originals rather than copies. I wouldn’t recommend trying to take this copy to court, anyway, as the date is clearly questionable.”

  Roland frowned. “I’m going to ring someone,” he said. He walked out of the house with his mobile in his hand. Janet and Joan exchanged glances.

  “Now what?” Janet asked Marcus.

  “I suspect you may not have Cousin Roland visiting for much longer,” Marcus said softly.

  When Roland walked back in a moment later, he looked miserable. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve spoken to Eldridge and we’ve agreed that it’s in everyone’s best interests if we forget all about Mildred’s other will. I never meant to upset anyone, obviously, and I apologise if I caused any distress or worry.”

  “I think you should leave,” Joan said, her voice slightly shaky. “You invited yourself to visit and then showed up here demanding a huge sum of money from us on the flimsiest of evidence. We’re fortunate that we have good friends who were able to help us deal with your ridiculous demands. I’m sure you expected us to be much easier targets than we actually were.”

  Roland began to protest, but Janet held up a hand.

  “Joan is right. You should just leave,” she said firmly.

  “But it’s nearly Christmas,” he protested.

  “Shall I help you pack?” Marcus asked. He took a step closer to Roland, his hands curling into fists.

  “I am quite capable of packing myself,” Roland replied stiffly. He turned and headed up the stairs. Janet felt like giving Marcus a high five or dancing for joy, but the tension in the house hadn’t lifted enough yet. When Roland came back down a short while later, Marcus stopped him.