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

by Diana Xarissa

  “Why don’t you tell me all about all of your guests?” Robert suggested.

  Janet sighed and then looked at Joan. “You took their booking, I’m sure you can tell him more about Harry and Sue than I can.” She sat back and tried to think as Joan talked about the young couple. What Janet couldn’t decide was what to tell Robert about Margaret Burns and how she’d happened to arrive on their doorstep.

  “And your other guest?” Robert asked when Joan had finished.

  “Is called Margaret Burns,” Janet replied. “She’s the friend of a friend. She’s in her sixties and I can’t imagine she has anything to do with any of this.”

  Robert nodded and added her name to his notebook.

  “What about the other break-in?” Joan asked. “You said there were two besides the garage.”

  “Yes, believe it or not, someone broke into the police station,” Robert replied.

  Janet felt her jaw drop. “Who would do that?” she asked.

  Robert shrugged. “They entered through the back door and had a quick look around, but there isn’t anything to steal there, aside from office equipment. Susan doesn’t even have a computer, and I had my laptop with me. I think she’d have been thrilled if they’d stolen the phone system.”

  “How very odd, breaking into a police station,” Joan said.

  “Yes, it’s definitely that,” Robert agreed. “Now I must get back out there and do some investigating. Thank you for the tea and biscuits.”

  “Let me put a few into a bag for later,” Joan said. She quickly filled a large bag with dozens of biscuits.

  “Thank you so much,” Robert told her. “This should hold me until lunch, at least.”

  They both walked to the door with him. “I hope you’re warning all of the small businesses in the area,” Janet said.

  “I’m going down to the shops in Doveby Dale now,” he told her. “I’ll talk to the chemist and William Chalmers and Donald at the newsagents.”

  “William has a new assistant manager,” Janet said.

  “Does he now?” Robert asked. “I don’t suppose you caught a name?”

  “Paul Nichols,” Janet said promptly. “William said that he’d been in some trouble at home and his father had sent him up here.”

  “Interesting,” Robert said, taking his notebook out again. “I’ll just run him though the computer before I go to the shop.”

  “You should check on his girlfriend as well,” Janet said. “She didn’t seem like a very nice person.”

  “What was her name?” Robert asked.

  “Kara Newstead,” Joan replied.

  “If you two didn’t like her, than I’ll definitely check her out,” he said. “You two seem to be very good judges of character.”

  Janet flushed at the unexpected praise.

  “Schoolteachers usually are,” Joan said. “More often than not, I could tell which children were going to end up in trouble later in life. Adults aren’t that much harder to work out than children.”

  Robert smiled. “You could be right about that,” he said.

  Janet made sure to lock the door tightly behind the man. “Who would break into a police station?” she asked Joan as they sat down across from one another on the sitting room couches.

  “I can’t imagine,” Joan said. “What did they think they’d find?”

  “Maybe they were hoping to get their hands on one of the police computers,” Janet speculated. “Then they could erase their own arrest records or something.”

  “I doubt it’s that easy,” Joan replied. “At least I hope it isn’t that easy.”

  “I hope whoever it was just passing through the area and is now long gone,” Janet said. “I hate the thought of anyone breaking in here or at William’s store.”

  “You’ve developed quite a soft spot for the man, haven’t you?” Joan asked.

  Janet flushed. “He seems to be trying very hard to be a nicer person,” she explained.

  “And he’s here and he’s interested in taking you out,” Joan added.

  “Well, yes, I suppose that’s part of it,” Janet agreed. “You know I’m happy for you and Michael, but I wouldn’t mind going out once in a while myself.”

  “Perhaps Michael knows a nice single man our age,” Joan speculated.

  “Oh, no, no blind dates,” Janet laughed. “I’d rather grow old alone.”

  “You’re not alone,” Joan told her. “You’ll always have me.”

  Janet just laughed again and this time Joan joined her.

  Chapter Six

  “So what are your plans for today?” Joan asked after they’d finished tidying up from Robert’s tea.

  “I don’t really have any,” Janet said. “Aside from spending some time with a good book.”

  “You still have to finish putting the books we brought with us out in the library,” Joan reminded her.

  “Yes, I know,” Janet said. “But there isn’t any rush.”

  Joan made a face, but didn’t argue. “I need to make up the guest rooms,” she told Janet. “Both sets of guests opted for daily service.”

  “I’ll help,” Janet offered. “I’ll do Margaret’s room and you can take care of the Mortimers’ room. Then I’ll buy you lunch at the café. It’s the least we can do to support Todd and Ted.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” Joan said. “Although we have plenty of food in.”

  “It will keep,” Janet said. “Let’s get our work done, shall we?”

  As she unlocked the door to the room where Margaret was staying, Janet reminded herself sternly that she was going in to clean the room and nothing more.

  “No snooping,” Joan called as she pushed the vacuum down the corridor.

  “I wasn’t going to snoop,” Janet told her. “No matter how tempted I might be,” she added quietly to herself.

  It only took Janet a few minutes to wipe down everything in the en-suite. Margaret had left a handful of toiletries on the pedestal sink, but they were basic brands that could be purchased anywhere. Dusting the room itself took even less time. It was the smaller of the guest rooms and Joan kept the rooms spotlessly clean between guests. Janet slid a dusting cloth over every surface, feeling as if she were wasting her time.

  As she was wiping down the front of the wardrobe, the door somehow managed to pop open. Janet shut it quickly, but not before she’d noted that Margaret had hung a few items inside it. Her small suitcase had been neatly placed on the wardrobe floor, right at the back.

  “Here’s the vacuum,” Joan said from the doorway behind Janet. “I just need to go over the en-suite and I’ll be done.”

  “I hope the Mortimers haven’t left you a mess,” Janet said. “Margaret’s room doesn’t even look as if it’s being used.”

  “I was surprised how tidy the Mortimers have left their room, actually,” Joan told her. “They’re young and I was afraid they’d be careless, but everything is stacked neatly in their wardrobe or on the small desk in the corner.”

  “They seem like a very nice young couple,” Janet said. “In spite of appearances.”

  “Yes, well, once you’ve finished with the vacuum, you can take it back downstairs. I won’t be far behind you.”

  It didn’t take long for Janet to finish. Once she was done, she decided to give her own room a quick once-over, then she carried the machine down to its storage cupboard in the sitting room.

  “Did you lock Margaret’s door behind you?” Joan asked when she came downstairs a few minutes later.

  “I think so,” Janet replied. “But I’m not sure I locked mine.” She shook her head at her own absentmindedness when she discovered that she hadn’t actually locked either door. Joan had disappeared into her own suite of rooms to get ready to go out, so at least she didn’t know about Janet’s mistake.

  “Ready for some lunch?” Joan asked when she found Janet in the library a short time later.

  “I’m always hungry,” Janet reminded her.

  The café wasn’t
far away, but as it was raining, they decided to take the car. Joan parked next to the only other car in the small car park.

  “It doesn’t seem too busy,” Janet remarked as they made their way to the door.

  “I suppose it’s off-season for them as well,” Joan said.

  The small dining section was deserted when they got inside.

  “Hello?” Janet called.

  “Ah, Janet, how lovely to see you,” Ted said as he walked out of the kitchen. “So nice of you both to join us today.” Ted had ginger hair, cut short, and a neat beard. He and Todd were both in their early forties, and Ted was slender and over six feet tall.

  “Robert came by and told us about your break-in,” Janet replied. “We thought you could use a bit of extra business.”

  Ted shrugged. “This time of year we can definitely use more business,” he said. “The thief didn’t get much, but we don’t have a lot to spare in the winter months.”

  “Oh, hello,” Todd said from the doorway. “I heard lots of talking and I wondered if Ted was just giving someone directions or something.” Todd had black hair that was long and curly and he always wore it in a tight ponytail. Janet knew that he did all of the cooking in the small café, and she assumed that was why he was rather plumper than his partner.

  “No, we’re here for lunch,” Janet assured him. “And I’m hungry enough for two, I think.”

  Everyone chuckled and then Ted showed the sisters to a large table for four by the window. “Not that there’s much to see, with all this rain. You’re welcome to sit anywhere, really.”

  “This is fine,” Joan assured him.

  “Maybe we’ll move seats in the middle of lunch, just for something to do,” Janet suggested.

  “I think I’ll be able to find you again,” Ted laughed. “We have leek and potato soup today and cottage pie. Can I get you both drinks while you look at the menu?”

  Janet asked for a fizzy drink while Joan opted for tea. While they looked over the menu, the front door to the building opened.

  “Ah, the Markham sisters, this is a surprise,” William Chalmers said as he walked in.

  “Just supporting one of our local businesses,” Janet told him.

  “Yes, that’s why I came as well,” William said. “Especially after their break-in last night.”

  “Exactly,” Janet said.

  “May I join you?” he asked, looking at the extra seats at their table.

  “Oh, please do,” Joan said after a moment. Janet hadn’t spoken, as she wasn’t certain what she’d wanted to say.

  “Have you shut the shop for lunch then, or left Paul in charge?” Joan asked, giving Janet a light kick under the table.

  “Paul’s in charge,” William replied. “It’s pretty slow this time of year, anyway. I’m sure Paul can handle any customers that wander in.”

  “I think it will probably be pretty quiet around Doveby Dale for the next few months,” Ted said as he delivered the women’s drinks. “We usually have a lull until Easter, really.”

  “It’s a good thing we aren’t counting on guests to pay our mortgage,” Janet said.

  “I think just a few guests, only on weekends, would be about right for the next two or three months,” Joan added. “Just enough to keep the business ticking over, as it were.”

  “If you get them, please send them to us for lunch and dinner,” Ted said.

  “And send them to me for antiques,” William added.

  “We’ll do our best,” Janet promised. “We sent a couple here just yesterday,” she told Ted.

  “Ah, the young man with the tattoo and his very young wife, yes. They seemed to enjoy their meals.”

  They all ordered now, with William requesting a sandwich packaged for takeaway as well. “I promised Paul I would bring something back for him,” he told Ted. “He’s running the shop while I’m gone.”

  “What about Kara?” Janet asked. “Should you take something back for her as well?”

  “She can find her own lunch,” William growled. “All she does when she’s at the store is distract Paul, and he isn’t usually paying that much attention anyway.”

  “I’ll go put your order in,” Ted said.

  “If you don’t mind talking about it, I’d like to hear about the break-in,” Janet told him. Joan gave her an angry look. “Just so we can make sure we take the necessary precautions,” she told her sister.

  “I’m sure Ted doesn’t want to discuss such things,” Joan said stiffly.

  “Ah, I don’t mind,” he replied. “There isn’t much to tell, anyway. I’ll come right back.”

  “You’re being nosy again,” Joan hissed at Janet as Ted walked away.

  “I’m a concerned business owner,” Janet whispered back.

  “As am I,” William said. “If Janet hadn’t asked, I would have.”

  Janet smiled at William, and then felt herself blushing as he winked back at her.

  Joan pressed her lips together and didn’t speak. Ted was back a moment later with William’s tea.

  “I don’t think there’s really anything I can tell you,” he said as he put the cup down. “We locked up around nine last night and went home to bed. When we arrived here at six this morning to open up, the back door wasn’t closed properly.”

  “And you’re certain you locked it last night?” William asked.

  “Actually, I’m more sure than I normally would be,” Ted said. “You know how you tend to do such things automatically and then afterwards you can’t remember if you’ve done them or not?”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Well, last night we locked up and started for home. Then Todd suddenly thought that he might have left the cooker switched on. We had to come back and check that, but we parked out front and came in through the front door. While he was checking the cooker, I took out a bag of rubbish that I was going to leave for morning. I distinctly remember opening the back door, taking out the bag, and then walking back in and locking the door behind me.”

  “You’re sure you locked it?” William checked.

  “Yes, because we usually park in the back and lock the front door from the inside and then go out through the back and lock that door with the key. I remember thinking, as I locked the back door from the inside, how strange it was to be doing things backwards.”

  Janet nodded. “So what happened this morning?” she asked.

  “We rang the police and Robert came right over. He told us to wait outside, so we did. When he arrived, he went through the building before he would let us come in.”

  “I wouldn’t want his job,” Janet remarked.

  “No, me either,” William agreed.

  “No, I’m quite happy running the café,” Ted said. “Todd and I were arguing about who should go in first before Robert got here. We were both relieved when he insisted it should be him.”

  “But the burglar was long gone?” William asked.

  “I don’t know about long gone, but certainly gone,” Ted replied. “After Robert checked everywhere, he let us in and we went through the whole place, trying to work out what was taken.”

  “And what was taken?” Janet had to ask.

  “Just the spare change in the till,” Ted replied. “I think there was about thirty quid in there. We try not to leave much more than that lying around.”

  “What he means is that whenever we have more than that we spend it on something frivolous like heat or electricity,” Todd interrupted. He delivered plates full of steaming food to the table.

  “I didn’t hear you shout,” Ted said apologetically.

  “I didn’t bother,” Todd replied with a shrug. “I decided I might as well deliver the food myself and join in the conversation. As long as it’s so quiet, I don’t need to stay in the kitchen.”

  “Was the lock on the back door broken?” William asked as he added salt and pepper to his plate.

  “No,” Ted replied. “Robert reckoned that whoever broke in must know something about picking lock
s.”

  “It wasn’t a very good lock,” Todd said a touch sheepishly. “We never worried about it, as we couldn’t imagine anyone ever breaking in here. The one on the front door is better, but only because it was already in place when we bought the building.”

  “Will you be putting in better locks now, then?” William asked between bites.

  Ted looked at Todd and both men shrugged. “A bit late in the day for that, really,” Todd said. “I don’t know that it would be worth the expense.”

  “I was wondering that myself,” William said. “My shop has decent locks, but they aren’t great. Most of the valuable pieces in the shop are too big to just carry away though, and I never leave cash in my till.”

  “I can’t imagine changing the locks at Doveby House,” Janet said. “But I also can’t imagine how awful it would be if someone broke in.”

  “I can’t think what anyone would want to steal from Doveby House,” William said. “You don’t have any small and easily pocketed valuables, and you don’t keep cash on hand, do you?”

  “No, not at all,” Joan said. “If guests pay with cash, we take it to the bank immediately.”

  Or put it in the safe in Joan’s wardrobe, Janet thought to herself. Anyone breaking into Doveby House would have to put some effort into searching to find the safe, though, as it was hidden behind several hat boxes and piles of clothes. And the man in the store where they’d purchased it had assured them it was virtually impossible to get open without the combination.

  Everyone was surprised when the front door to the building swung open again. A large group of men came streaming into the café.

  “We’re doing some emergency road repairs on the main road into Derby,” one of the men said. “This is the only café we could find for miles that’s actually open. I hope you can feed fifteen hungry men.”

  “We’d be more than happy to,” Ted said.

  Todd headed back to the kitchen while Ted moved tables around to accommodate the large group. Joan, Janet, and William focussed on their lunches as the noise the men were making made further conversation virtually impossible.

  Some minutes later, Ted brought them their bills. “Sorry about the noise,” he said. “I’m not sure they’d hear me if I asked them to be quieter.”