The Osborne Case

by Diana Xarissa

  The woman looked around the cramped kitchen and then laughed. “No, no, this won’t do at all. Come along. Gretchen’s rooms are much more comfortable.”

  Janet glanced at Bessie and then shrugged and fell into step behind their new acquaintance. She led them back down the corridor and then up the stairs. The door at the top of the stairs was locked, but she unlocked it with a key and then pushed the door open.

  “Here we are. This is much better,” the woman said.

  Janet had to agree. This sitting room was bright and airy, with large windows facing the back of the house. There were a few small couches along one wall, with comfortable-looking chairs on either side of them.

  “Sit, sit. I could put the kettle on, if you’d like,” the woman offered, waving them into seats.

  “No, we’re fine, thanks,” Janet told her.

  The woman dropped into a chair and then grinned at her. “But I haven’t even told you my name, have I? I’m Beverly Osborne. I only just moved in downstairs about six months ago. Gretchen has had this upstairs flat for many years.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Janet Markham and these are my friends, Bessie Cubbon and Doona Moore. As I said, my sister and I have Doveby House, but Bessie and Doona are visiting from the Isle of Man.”

  “Really? How interesting. I actually considered moving over there, but I didn’t want to be that far away from my son. It isn’t as if he ever visits, of course, but this way he feels more guilty about not visiting, which is all that I ask.”

  Janet wasn’t sure if the woman was teasing or not. “As I said earlier, we wanted to talk to Miss Falkirk about Alberta Montgomery.”

  “Yes, well, I’m afraid I can’t help you with that. I lived in York until recently. I’ve only been here about a year, maybe a bit less. Anyway, I’m sure Gretchen will be able to help. She’s been in Doveby Dale her entire life.”

  “Yes, well, if you could tell her that I visited, I’d appreciate it,” Janet said.

  “Yes, yes, I can do that. Well, I hope I can. I don’t see her very often, if I’m honest. She’s very busy, is Gretchen. I’m not sure where she disappears to sometimes.”

  “Disappears?” Bessie repeated softly.

  “Yes, exactly that. Although it isn’t often. In fact, it’s only really been once. She was here one day and then, the very next day, she wasn’t here,” Beverly said.

  “But she came back eventually?” Janet asked.

  “Well, no, but I’m sure she will,” was Beverly’s reply.

  “Are you saying that Miss Falkirk is missing?” Doona jumped in.

  “Missing? Yes, I suppose that’s what she is. As I said, she was here one day and then she wasn’t here the next.”

  “And she didn’t tell you she was going away?” was Doona’s next question.

  “No. I’m sure I’d remember if she had. We had tea together one day, maybe Thursday, and then the next day I saw her leaving and I haven’t seen her since.”

  “Today is Saturday,” Doona pointed out. “So you saw her yesterday?”

  “Oh, no, not yesterday. It was a while back.”

  “How far back?” Doona asked in a gentle voice.

  “Let me think,” Beverly replied. “It’s September, isn’t it?”

  “It’s October,” Janet said.

  “Is it? When did that happen? Time does get away from me these days. I do wish it would slow down just a tiny bit. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, Gretchen. Now when did I see her last? When did the fire happen?”

  “Fire?” Janet repeated.

  “Yes, there was a big fire at the grocery shop. I’m sure I didn’t dream it, because the shop is still shut.”

  “That was back in March,” Janet told her. “Are you saying you haven’t seen Gretchen since March?”

  “Oh, no, she left after the fire,” Beverly assured her. “I know because when she left I thought she was going grocery shopping and I knew she’d have to drive all the way to the big supermarket near Derby since our shop was shut. So it was after the fire, but before my son and his wife split up.”

  “Which was when?” Doona asked. She sounded much more patient than Janet was feeling.

  “Just a few days after my son’s birthday. She said she didn’t want to spoil his birthday celebration, being that he was turning fifty and everything, but she left right after that. He’s devastated, of course. I suggested he might want to come and stay with me for a short while, just until he’s feeling better, but he can’t get away from work right now.”

  Bessie reached over and patted the woman’s hand. “How very difficult for him. When is your son’s birthday?”

  “July fifteenth, no, wait, it’s July seventeenth. My wedding anniversary is November fifteenth and I always get the two dates mixed up.”

  Janet stared at the woman for a full minute before she spoke. “So you haven’t seen Gretchen since the middle of July,” she said slowly.

  “I suppose not. I do hope she’s okay. She’s never been gone overnight before, now that I think about it.”

  “I’m surprised this room isn’t a lot dustier,” Bessie said as she glanced around the space.

  “Oh, that would be me,” Beverly told her. “My rooms are such a mess that I often sneak up here and use Gretchen’s. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind, if I could ask her. After I’m done, I always tidy up, and I dust and vacuum every Monday as well. Just this room and the kitchen, really. I would never even open her bedroom door, not without asking, at least.”

  Janet sighed. “I think we should ring the police.”

  “The police? Why would we do that?” Beverly asked.

  “Because Miss Falkirk is missing,” Janet replied.

  “I know Gretchen is missing, but what do the police have to do with that?”

  “They should probably try to find her,” Janet suggested.

  “Oh, can they do that? I always thought they only looked for criminals, not nice people like Gretchen.”

  “They’ll look for anyone who is missing,” Doona explained. “The fact that you haven’t seen your friend in months is rather worrying.”

  “Is it? I suppose I never thought of it that way. Has it truly been months? I’m sure that can’t be right.” Beverly frowned and seemed to be trying to think. “I remember wanting to tell her about my son’s horrible wife but she wasn’t here to speak with. Can that really have been months ago?”

  “Let me ring my friend, Robert Parsons,” Janet said. “He’s the local police constable for Doveby Dale. You can talk to him about everything that happened.”

  “I’m not sure about talking to the police,” Beverly frowned. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “No, of course not,” Doona said soothingly. “But Miss Falkirk might have been injured or something. Perhaps she can’t remember her name or where she lives. The police will be able to find her and help her recover so she can come home.”

  Beverly looked around the room and sighed. “I will miss using her sitting room,” she said. “It’s so much more comfortable than mine. I hope she isn’t too mad at me when she finds out I’ve been up here.”

  “I’m sure it will be fine,” Janet said, “and I’m sure it will be nice for you to have your friend back where she belongs.”

  “Yes, of course. Her kitchen is nicer than mine, too. I love making tea in her kitchen. Her kettle boils much more quickly than mine. She has a bigger telly, too. You probably didn’t notice, because it’s inside that cabinet, but it’s lots bigger than mine. When she isn’t here, I sneak up and watch all my favourites on her telly.”

  Janet nodded. She was worried about Gretchen Falkirk and she was also worried about Beverly, who didn’t seem quite right somehow. She pulled out her mobile and found the non-emergency number for the local police station. In spite of her worries, she didn’t feel as if calling 999 was appropriate. If Beverly was correct, Gretchen Falkirk had been missing for nearly three months. If it took Robert an hour to arrive, it couldn’t possibly
make any difference.

  Chapter 4

  “Hello, Susan,” Janet said a moment later. “It’s Janet Markham. Is Robert available by any chance?” Susan was Robert’s civilian assistant at the Doveby Dale station. He had another helper at the station in Little Burton. Janet thought he was awfully young to have responsibility for two small villages, but she also thought he did an excellent job policing them both.

  “He’s out dealing with a traffic accident at the moment. I can ring him if it’s urgent,” Susan replied.

  “I don’t know about urgent, but I’d like to speak to him soon. I’m at Gretchen Falkirk’s home, speaking with the woman who rents the other flat in the building. She doesn’t believe that she’s seen Miss Falkirk in some weeks or even possibly months.”

  “Months?” Susan echoed. “I’ll ring Robert. He may just decide to come there. How much longer will you be staying?”

  Janet glanced at the clock. It was only three, so they had several hours before they needed to worry about their dinner booking. “I’m here with some friends. We’ll stay until I hear back from you or Robert.”

  “Excellent. If he isn’t heading there straight away, I’ll ring you back.”

  Janet slipped her phone back into her bag.

  “Are the police coming, then?” Beverly asked.

  Janet thought the woman looked nervous. “Maybe. The constable is currently dealing with a traffic accident, but he will probably come here after he’s done there.”

  “You won’t leave me alone with him, will you? I’m rather frightened of the police,” Beverly said.

  “Robert is a very nice young man,” Janet assured her. “You’ve no need to be frightened of him.”

  “Not even if I’ve been naughty?” Beverly asked.

  “Have you been naughty?” Janet couldn’t stop herself from asking.

  Beverly flushed and looked at the ground. “Gretchen might not be happy that I’ve been using her rooms,” she said softly. “They’re so much more comfortable than mine, you see.”

  Janet looked at Bessie and Doona. She wasn’t sure how to respond to the woman.

  “Perhaps we should move downstairs, in that case,” Bessie suggested. “You must tell the police that you’ve been using the rooms, but it might be best if you weren’t using them when the constable arrives.”

  “Yes, that’s probably a good idea,” Beverly sighed. “Come on, then. We’ll go down to my rooms and I’ll try to move things around so everyone can sit down. Maybe if I put all of the boxes in the bedroom there will be room to sit.”

  By the time Robert arrived about half an hour later, the four women had managed to clear off two of the couches and a pair of chairs. Boxes and piles of papers were precariously balanced in stacks in Beverly’s tiny bedroom at the back of the house, but at least there was now room for everyone to find seats in the sitting room.

  Janet walked with Beverly to the front door and greeted Robert as he entered the house.

  “This is the policeman?” Beverly asked. “He doesn’t look old enough to be a policeman.”

  Janet grinned. She knew that Robert was in his mid-twenties, but he wasn’t terribly tall and at the moment his brown hair badly needed cutting. She could see Beverly’s point, even though the man was wearing a police uniform.

  “I can assure you that I’m quite old enough for my job,” he told Beverly, smiling kindly at her.

  “If you’re sure,” she said, shaking her head and then turning and leading him and Janet down the corridor.

  In the sitting room, Janet introduced the man to Bessie and Doona.

  “I know Janet and Joan have both been looking forward to your visit,” Robert said as he shook hands with them in turn. “I was hoping I’d get a chance to meet you, but I didn’t expect it to be under these circumstances.”

  “Janet has told me a lot about you,” Bessie replied. “From everything she’s said, it seems you do a very difficult job extremely well.”

  Robert flushed. “I don’t know about that, but I work hard and I love what I do.”

  “Good for you,” Bessie smiled.

  “I’m going to ask you a few questions,” Robert said to Beverly. “Would you prefer to speak to me privately?”

  Beverly blinked at him and then looked at Janet and the others. “Privately? Why would I want to speak to you privately?”

  “I simply wanted to give you the option,” Robert replied.

  “My friends and I should probably be going anyway,” Janet said.

  “Oh, no, please don’t go yet,” Beverly told her. “I’d much rather have you here while I’m speaking to the police. It’s rather scary, really.”

  Janet smiled. “Robert isn’t the least bit scary, but we’ll stay if you’d prefer.”

  “Thank you. But everyone should sit down,” Beverly said, waving at the now uncluttered chairs and couches.

  Robert looked over the fragile-looking old furniture and then sat down carefully in one of the chairs. He pulled out a notebook and gave Beverly an encouraging smile. “I understand your friend, Gretchen Falkirk, is missing?”

  “Oh, no, I don’t think so,” Beverly replied. “Missing sounds so, well, sad and scary. I’m sure she’s just off somewhere having a holiday.”

  Robert looked over at Janet and raised his eyebrows. Janet shrugged. “You told us you didn’t know where she was,” she said to Beverly.

  “I don’t, but that doesn’t mean anything, really. She may have simply not bothered to tell me,” Beverly shrugged.

  “Did she normally tell you when she was going away?” Robert asked.

  “That’s just it. She’d never gone away before. I should say she’d never gone away before since I’ve been living here. I suppose it’s possible that she always travels a lot, but I didn’t know about it because I was living in York.”

  “When did you move in here?” Robert asked.

  “Oh, not long ago,” the woman replied with a wave of her hand. “I’m still unpacking, you see.”

  “Can you be a bit more specific?” Robert requested.

  “I moved in after Christmas,” Beverly told him.

  “So you’ve been here for about ten months?” Robert checked.

  Beverly frowned. “That doesn’t seem quite right. What is the year again?”

  Robert made a quick note and then smiled at Beverly. “It’s 1999,” he told her.

  Beverly sighed. “Time goes so much more quickly than it used to. I thought I moved in right after Christmas in 1994, but I can’t possibly have been here for that many years, can I? I must have the dates wrong.”

  “Perhaps you could go through your papers and work out how long you’ve been paying rent here,” Robert suggested.

  “I suppose so,” she said, looking around the room. “I’m not sure where I’ve put anything now, though.”

  “You can look for them later, after I’ve gone,” Robert suggested. “For now, let’s focus on Miss Falkirk. In all the time you’ve been here, however long that has been, how many times has she gone away?”

  “Just this once,” Beverly replied. “She was always here, every day, right until she went away.”

  “Which was when?” Robert asked.

  Beverly frowned. “What did I say earlier?” she asked Janet. “Right around my son’s birthday, wasn’t it? Some time in July, therefore. She was going to the supermarket, I think.”

  Robert made a note. “And why do you think she was going to the supermarket?”

  Beverly frowned. “Because that was just about the only place she ever went, really. I mean, she sometimes went into the village to the chemist’s, I suppose. But usually when she went out, she was going to the supermarket.”

  “So you don’t know for certain exactly where she was heading?” Robert checked.

  “Well, no, not for certain. But where else could she have been going? She always went to the supermarket on Monday mornings around nine. When we had the local shop, she used to go on Fridays as well, but s
he didn’t like the extra drive, so she started only going once a week.”

  “The last time you saw her was a Monday morning, then?” Robert wondered.

  “Was it? I’m not sure about that. Let me think,” Beverly sighed.

  Janet exchanged glances with Bessie. Robert didn’t seem to be getting any further with the woman than they had.

  “I’m sorry,” Beverly said eventually. “I simply don’t remember. It was before my son’s birthday party, but I don’t know exactly when.”

  “Do you have a calendar where you note appointments and things? Perhaps you made a note of it.” Robert suggested.

  “Perhaps I did,” Beverly said. She got to her feet and then disappeared into the kitchen. When she came back, she was carrying a wall calendar. “I keep it next to my telephone so I can check it whenever anyone rings,” she told Robert.

  “Very sensible,” he murmured as he made another note.

  Beverly sat back down and looked at the calendar. “Are you quite certain it’s October?” she asked.

  “Yes, quite,” Janet replied.

  Beverly sighed. “I was sure we still had another month to go before October. Anyway, you wanted me to look at June, didn’t you?”

  “I’d like you to try to work out when you last saw Miss Falkirk,” Robert told her, “whatever month that was.”

  Beverly nodded and then slowly turned back the pages on the calendar. “August, July, June,” she muttered to herself as she went. When she reached January she shook her head. “I may have missed something,” she told them.

  “Take your time,” Robert told her.

  Janet was sitting just close enough that she could see the calendar pages as Beverly went through them. From what she could see, there was nothing written on any of them.

  “I’m sorry. I suppose I simply didn’t bother to write it down because I didn’t know it was going to be important,” Beverly said after she’d been back and forth through the calendar about five times.

  “Never mind,” Robert told her. “Do you have a key for Miss Falkirk’s flat?”