The Fenton Case (A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novella Book 6)

by Diana Xarissa

  “So maybe we need to go through all of the nonfiction in the library again,” Joan said.

  “Maybe, or maybe we should just make sure we check over anything that we decide to get rid of,” Janet replied, unable to even consider going back through all the books that she’d already taken down, dusted, sorted and reshelved.

  “Maybe that’s a project for a rainy day,” Joan said. “But look at the time. I need to get something ready for dinner.”

  “You go and do that,” Janet replied. “I’ll see what I can do with our new necklace.” She found a silver polishing cloth in her bedroom and sat down at the small desk there to begin cleaning. She’d only just started when she heard a strange trilling sound.

  “My mobile,” she said when she recognised the sound. “Hello?”

  “Ah, Janet, there you are,” Edward Bennett’s voice came down the line. “How are you, my dear?”

  “I’m fine,” Janet replied, feeling anything but fine as her heart raced.

  “Excellent. I’ve been thinking about you a lot, but haven’t had time to ring.”

  “Perhaps you’re working too hard,” Janet suggested. After his short stay at Doveby House, Edward had told Janet that he worked for the government in some sort of secret capacity. She wasn’t sure that she believed him, but she couldn’t help but want to believe it.

  “I am definitely working too hard,” he agreed. “I can’t even tell you where I am right now, but it’s somewhere quite far away from you, unfortunately.”

  “Yes, well, I never seem to go anywhere,” Janet replied.

  “I can remedy that,” Edward offered. “Just as soon as I can plan a few days off, I can fly you out to join me somewhere exotic. Where would you like to go?”

  “I’m quite happy here, helping Joan run the business,” Janet told him primly.

  “Then I shall have to come and see you there,” Edward replied.

  “You’re always welcome, as long as you book in advance,” Janet said. “Joan is forever filling the guest rooms with people without any warning whatsoever.”

  “Ah, and I was hoping you might be able to accommodate someone this weekend.”

  “You’re coming this weekend?” Janet asked, annoyed with herself when she heard how excited she sounded at the prospect.

  Edward chuckled. “Not for me, unfortunately. “I know someone who needs a short holiday and I thought maybe you could accommodate them, that’s all.”

  Janet hesitated. Edward had told her that he used to send special guests to Doveby House when Margaret Appleton had owned it. From what he’d said, he’d used the seventeenth-century manor house as a sort of safe house for people he needed to hide for a short while. “What sort of someone?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Not that sort,” Edward assured her. “This is strictly a personal favour, nothing to do with my work at all.”

  Janet wondered if she could believe him. She wanted to trust the man, but that wasn’t easy. “When would they arrive and for how long would they want to stay?”

  “Arriving tomorrow and staying through the weekend,” Edward said. “She’d probably get to you some time in the early evening tomorrow and have to leave on Sunday by midday.”

  “She?” Janet asked.

  “Yes, a woman, travelling alone.”

  “I’ll have to ask Joan. She’s in charge of bookings.”

  “I’ll ring you back tonight,” Edward said. “Probably between nine and ten.”

  Janet just had time to agree before he hung up. She put the phone down and frowned at it. She’d been thinking seriously about agreeing to have dinner with William Chalmers before Edward had rung. Now she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do.

  She sighed deeply and then picked up the silver polishing cloth. The mindless repetition of cleaning the links was preferable to thinking about Edward and William. By the time Joan called her down for dinner, she’d finished the whole thing.

  “It’s very pretty,” Joan said when Janet showed it to her. “Not really my style, but quite nice.”

  “It’s my style,” Janet said. “If you don’t like it, I’ll keep it for myself.”

  “I may want to borrow it, for a special occasion, maybe.”

  “Of course,” Janet agreed, trying not to sound as reluctant as she felt. “I think I’ll just put it on,” she added, heading to the sitting room to see how it looked in the small mirror there. It didn’t work well with the neckline of the jumper she was wearing, but she left it on anyway. If Joan was going to borrow it, Janet wanted to make sure she’d worn it first.

  In the kitchen, Joan served up generous portions of shepherd’s pie and steamed vegetables. Janet smiled at her sister as she slid into a seat at the small kitchen table.

  “That smells wonderful,” she said.

  “I’ve been baking all afternoon for our guests,” Joan told her. “So there are lots of different types of biscuits for pudding.”

  Janet’s smile grew. “There are some advantages to having guests,” she said.

  “They do pay us as well,” Joan pointed out.

  “Yes, but I’m not convinced that they pay enough to cover the cost of the baking you do for them,” Janet replied.

  Joan didn’t reply, which suggested to Janet that she was close to the truth. Janet focussed on enjoying her dinner. Joan was responsible for running the business and she was meant to be making sure they were making money from their guests. Janet didn’t mind helping when the guests were in residence, but she was happy to leave all of the other worries to Joan.

  After dinner and several biscuits with tea, the sisters headed to the television lounge at the back of the house.

  “Is there anything worth watching on tonight?” Joan asked as Janet picked up the remote control.

  “Probably not,” Janet said. “But I’m sure we can find something to fill an hour or two, anyway.”

  “I should finish the tidying up for our guests,” Joan said, settling comfortably onto one of the couches.

  “That reminds me,” Janet exclaimed. “Edward Bennett rang. He was hoping we might accommodate a friend of his who wants a weekend away.”

  Joan frowned. “I’m not sure about that,” she said slowly. “I’m not sure I trust that man or his friends.”

  “We’ve no reason to doubt him,” Janet argued. “He paid handsomely for his room when he was here.”

  “And then he filled your head with some nonsense about being a spy before he disappeared.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t nonsense,” Janet argued. “Anyway, I can’t see what difference it makes. If we have room for another guest, we might as well welcome her.”

  “Her?” Joan asked.

  “Yes, apparently the guest in question is female,” Janet replied.

  “Another former girlfriend, like Maggie Appleton,” Joan said darkly.

  “Edward told me that he and Maggie were just friends and business associates,” Janet replied.

  “Edward could tell you anything he liked since Mrs. Appleton isn’t around to argue,” Joan shot back.

  “Yes, well, whatever his relationship with Doveby House’s former owner, I’ve no reason to believe that the woman he’s sending here is anything more than a friend.”

  “I think you’re too trusting of Mr. Bennett,” Joan said.

  “Maybe, but that’s my problem, not yours,” Janet replied.

  “It’s my problem if his friend turns out to be a difficult guest.”

  “She’ll be fine,” Janet said with false enthusiasm.

  “Did you wonder, if he is a spy, if he’s sending this woman here to hide her from someone or something?” Joan demanded.

  “He said she’s just a friend in need of a holiday,” Janet replied.

  “But he would say that, wouldn’t he?”

  “I don’t know, maybe?” Janet sighed. “Should I tell him we’re fully booked?”

  “No, no doubt, with his connections, he could find out if that’s true or not. I’d rather not lie t
o the man.”

  “So I’ll tell him it’s okay?”

  “I suppose,” Joan sighed. “If we’re having guests, one more person isn’t much more work.”

  Before Janet could reply, they heard a knock on the front door.

  “Don’t tell me she’s turned up a day early,” Joan hissed as the pair headed towards the door.

  “Hello?” Janet said, smiling politely at the young man on their doorstep.

  “Ah, good evening,” he replied. “I’m Mack Fenton.”

  The sisters exchanged glances. Neither of them had any idea who he was. He looked to be in his early twenties, with dark brown hair and light brown eyes. Janet couldn’t help but think that he looked pleasant enough, but as he was around both medium height and weight, she felt he was somewhat unmemorable. Could she have simply forgotten him from somewhere?

  “It’s nice to meet you,” she said, struggling not to turn the phrase into a question.

  “It’s nice to meet you as well. You must be Janet Markham. Robert described you both, you see.”

  Janet nodded uncertainly. “Did he now?” she murmured.

  The man laughed. “He said that you looked very much alike, which is true, but he told me that you wore your hair a bit longer than Joan’s.”

  Janet glanced over at her sister. She’d never really noticed that her hair was longer than Joan’s, but now that the man mentioned it, there was a slight difference. The sisters were about the same height, and both wore their grey hair in a straight and short bob, but Janet knew that anyone describing them would be more likely to mention that Joan was slender where Janet had generous curves. She gave Mack Fenton credit for remarking on their hair, rather than that more obvious difference.

  “I assume you’re talking about Robert Parsons,” Joan said.

  Janet frowned. She should have realised that the man was referring to their local police constable.

  “I am, yes,” Mack agreed. “He told me all about all of the residents of Doveby Dale, well, the ones I’d be interested in meeting, anyway. He told me he’d come by and tell you about me as well. I’m guessing, by the blank looks on your faces, that he hasn’t managed to find time to do that yet.”

  “We haven’t seen Robert in over a week,” Janet replied.

  “Oh, I do feel awkward now,” Mack said with a laugh. “Let me start again. I’m Mack Fenton and I’ve just purchased the little car repair business on the outskirts of Doveby Dale,” he explained. “I’m planning on renaming it, but I haven’t decided on a name yet. Anyway, I wanted to come over and introduce myself. I’m hoping that you’ll help support my shop, and in return, I’ll do what I can to support your business, as well.”

  “I’m not sure what we can do,” Janet said. “But we can try.”

  “I’d be grateful if you’d refer any guests with car trouble to me,” the man replied. “And I’d appreciate your business for routine maintenance, if possible.”

  “Of course,” Janet said, secure in the knowledge that the car had just been given a thorough tune-up. By the time it needed another one, they would have heard any number of reports on the service at Mack Fenton’s garage.

  “Would you like to come in for a cuppa?” Joan asked.

  Janet flushed. “Where are my manners?” she muttered. “Do come in.”

  “Oh, I don’t want to be any bother,” the man replied.

  “It’s no bother,” Joan insisted. “Come in and tell us all about yourself and how you’ve ended up in Doveby Dale.”

  It turned out to be a fairly short story. Mack had grown up in Derby and had known from a young age that he wanted to work on cars for a living.

  “I was never very good at history or writing papers,” he told them. “But cars talk to me. There’s nothing I like better than making them as good as new again.”

  “Will you be selling cars at your garage?” Janet asked.

  “I’d like to,” Mack said. “It may take me a few months to get that part of the business up and running, but I’d like to carry a small inventory in second-hand cars eventually.”

  “Our car is fine,” Joan said.

  “Yes, but I was thinking I might like a car of my own,” Janet told her. “Sharing was fine when we both worked at the same place, but it isn’t as easy now that we’re trying to run a business together.”

  “We’ll have to talk about that,” Joan said sternly.

  Janet sipped her tea and didn’t reply. She still had some money left from her half of the sale of the house they used to own. Joan couldn’t stop her from buying a small car if she wanted one.

  After learning about Mack’s three younger brothers and two younger sisters and his uncle who’d emigrated to Australia in the 1970s, the sisters gave the man a short history of their lives.

  “So you just bought this place on a whim?” he asked when Janet was finished.

  “I wouldn’t put it that way,” Joan said coolly. “I’d been giving the idea a great deal of thought for years.”

  “Well, good for you,” Mack said. “It’s a beautiful house. I’m living in the flat over the garage for now. My whole flat is smaller than this room, I think.”

  Joan insisted on packing up a small box of biscuits for the man to take home with him.

  “I can’t thank you enough,” he told her. “I haven’t had anything homemade in years. Mum keeps promising to send me something, but she’s rather busy with the other kids and never seems to get around to it.”

  “He seemed very nice,” Janet said as she locked up the door behind the man.

  “But awfully young,” Joan said. “I wonder where he found the money to buy the garage. I didn’t realise Gavin Appleton was interested in selling it.”

  “Maybe he needs to raise more money for his legal fees,” Janet replied. As she’d been partly responsible for the man being arrested, Janet changed the subject. “Anyway, it will be nice to have a local garage if we have any car trouble.”

  “Yes, I suppose so,” Joan said. “But what’s this about you wanting a car of your own?”

  The sound of her mobile phone saved Janet from having to answer. “This must be Edward,” she said. “I’ll take it upstairs.” She dashed up to her room before Joan could argue.

  Chapter Three

  “Margaret will be there around six tomorrow night,” Edward told Janet. “She’s looking forward to getting away.”

  “She must have a stressful job,” Janet commented, fishing for information.

  “She’s retired, but I think everyone needs a break from real life once in a while, don’t they?”

  “I don’t think you mentioned how you know her,” Janet said.

  “I probably didn’t,” Edward agreed. “I hope you don’t mind if she stays until late afternoon on Sunday. I can’t see her being in a rush to get back to London.”

  “She’s welcome to stay as late as she likes,” Janet replied. “We don’t have anyone else arriving until the following weekend.”

  “Excellent, I’ll let her know.”

  “Did you happen to find the combination for the library safe?” Janet asked.

  “Ah, no, I forgot about that. I’ll see what I can dig out from my files,” he replied.

  The sisters knew about the safe behind a picture in the library, and they knew that Edward had opened it during his stay. What they did not know was the combination to the safe or what was inside it. Edward had given Janet a combination when he left, but it didn’t work. Now Edward seemed unwilling to divulge the correct combination, something Janet was finding increasingly frustrating.

  “So tell me how you’ve been,” Edward changed the subject. “I want to hear all about your Christmas.”

  Janet filled him in on how she and Joan had celebrated the holidays. “It was fairly quiet, and just us,” she concluded. “Aside from when Michael was here, which was nearly all the time.”

  Michael Donaldson lived in one half of the semi-detached property across the street from Doveby House. He and Joan h
ad begun seeing each other not long after the sisters had purchased the property. Joan had never dated in her youth, and Janet was enjoying watching her sister taking tentative steps into a relationship for the first time. That didn’t mean that she didn’t sometimes resent how much of Joan’s time and attention Michael seemed to demand.

  “Maybe I’ll be able to be properly retired by next Christmas,” Edward said. “Then I can be underfoot as well.”

  “What did you do for Christmas?” Janet asked.

  “I was in America,” he replied. “There were a few meetings I was needed at in Washington. It didn’t feel much like Christmas without mince pies and Christmas pudding, I must say.”

  “We had plenty of both,” Janet told him.

  “And I didn’t send you anything,” Edward said. “I had planned, ah, but never mind. Things simply didn’t work out.”

  “We don’t fuss much about presents,” Janet told him. “Joan and I ended up getting each other quite sensible gifts, really. With all the money we’ve put into the house, neither of us felt like being extravagant this year.”

  “I should have sent you something extravagant,” Edward said with a sigh. “When I’m working, I forget about things like Christmas, though.”

  “We don’t know each other well enough for you to spend a lot of money on me,” Janet told him. “You already bought me that expensive painting and we’ve really only just met.”

  “I intend to remedy that,” Edward replied. “Just be patient for a few more months, please.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Janet told him.

  “How’s William Chalmers?” Edward asked.

  Janet found herself blushing. Did Edward know that the man had asked her to have dinner with him? “I haven’t seen him since before Christmas,” she answered.

  “Good,” was Edward’s reply.

  “We’re going to see him tomorrow, though,” Janet continued. “We’re taking him some books that we don’t want. I doubt they have any real value, but he might want to give us a few pounds for them so that he can use them for his displays.”