The Kingston Case

by Diana Xarissa

  “I’ll see you two later,” Janet called as she headed out the door. She was really glad now that she’d made other plans for dinner. Seeing Joan so happy was wonderful, but she couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy that her sister was being showered with gifts while Janet was having dinner with a female friend.

  Edna was already sitting at a small table for two in the café when Janet arrived.

  “I’m sorry I’m late,” she greeted her friend. Edna wore her grey hair in a simple bob. Her clothes were classic and understated but had clearly been expensive. She smiled brightly at Janet.

  “I was early,” Edna told her. “And I didn’t mind waiting.”

  The room was about half full and Janet looked around to see if she recognised anyone else. Aside from Ted, the co-owner of the café, she didn’t see any familiar faces.

  “I keep thinking I should know more people than I do,” Janet said with a sigh as she picked up her menu. “We’ve been here for months, after all.”

  “I know what you mean,” Edna agreed. “I didn’t really know anyone in London, but you expect that in a big city. One of the reasons my husband and I wanted to move up here was so that we could live in a community where everyone knew one another, but I don’t feel as if I know anyone yet.”

  “Except for me and other women in the Doveby Dale Ladies’ Club,” Janet said.

  “Well, yes, there is that,” Edna agreed.

  Ted walked over and grinned at them. “Just the two of you tonight? Where is the rest of the club?”

  “We’re not meeting again for a few more weeks,” Janet told him. “We only meet once a month, and only then when everyone is well.”

  Ted nodded. “And you don’t always meet here, of course. I know some of your members like to try different places.”

  “It’s always nice to try somewhere new,” Janet said. “But I keep coming back here because you do the best comfort food.”

  Ted chuckled. “That’s a good way to describe it,” he agreed. “Todd’s a genius with comfort food.”

  Ted was in his early forties. He had ginger hair and a neatly trimmed beard. The café dining room was his responsibility. His partner, Todd, ran the kitchen. Todd was a few years older and had dark curly hair that was always tied back in a ponytail. While Ted was slender, Todd tended to be plump, something that Janet was sure showed that he was a good cook.

  “What are your specials today?” Edna asked.

  “Chicken and leek pie or toad in the hole,” Ted replied.

  “Oh, chicken and leek pie for me,” Janet said, shutting her menu without even looking at it.

  “Me, too,” Edna said. “That sounds wonderful.”

  Ted nodded. “It’s really good,” he told them. “I’ve had two helpings already and I haven’t had my dinner break yet.”

  “You get a dinner break?” Janet asked.

  Ted laughed. “Not really, but I usually grab a bite to eat around seven. That’s still an hour away.”

  “You need more help in here,” Janet said.

  “We’re looking for someone,” Ted told her. “But after the last person we hired turned out to be, well, less than honest, we’re a little worried about adding to the staff.”

  “We’re booked up through the entire summer,” Janet told him. “You’ll probably get a lot busier when the tourist season starts.”

  “I’m sure we will,” Ted agreed. “I’ll just have to learn to work harder.”

  He collected their menus and then headed into the kitchen.

  “I wonder if they’d hire me,” Edna mused.

  “You?” Janet repeated in surprise.

  Edna chuckled. “Is that such a strange idea?” she asked.

  “Well, yes,” Janet told her. “I’m sure it’s hard work, carrying heavy trays of food around all day, and you’d be on your feet for hours at a time as well. I hope everything is okay.”

  “Oh, everything is fine and I don’t need the money, if that’s what you mean,” Edna told her. “I’m just a bit bored and feeling as if I need to do something with myself. The children are both in London. Harry’s planning his wedding and never gives me a thought. Helen, well, she’s busy with her career. I’m sure she never thinks of me, either. I was just thinking the other day that I might like a part-time job, that’s all.”

  “I’m sure there are easier jobs than waiting tables,” Janet said.

  “Yes, I’m sure there are, as well,” Edna agreed. “It would also be nice to get out of the house more and meet people, though. I do think nearly everyone in Doveby Dale eats here at least once in a while.”

  “You could be right about that,” Janet agreed.

  Ted brought their drinks. When he was gone, Janet changed the subject.

  “Your son is getting married in August, isn’t he?” she asked Edna.

  “That’s right. Keira and her mother are planning everything, and Henry is paying for it, so I’m rather out of the loop.”

  Janet felt sorry for her friend. She knew that Edna had been planning to move to Doveby Dale with her husband when he retired, but the man had passed away before they’d moved. As they’d already bought the house in Doveby Dale, Edna moved anyway, but Janet was sure the woman was finding it difficult being on her own for the first time in many years in a strange place where she knew no one.

  “You’ll be going down for the wedding, though, won’t you?” Janet asked.

  “Oh, yes, of course,” Edna said. “I’m going down for a fortnight, actually. A week before the wedding to help them with all the last-minute things and then a week after the wedding to recover.”

  Janet laughed. “You’ll need it,” she said. “Or at least I imagine you will. Neither Joan nor I ever married, but it does seem as if weddings are incredibly complicated affairs.”

  “I believe Keira is keeping things simple,” Edna told her. “Only one hundred and fifty guests, a sit-down dinner, and drinks and dancing afterwards.”

  “That’s simple?” Janet gasped.

  “Henry keeps insisting that it’s simple,” Edna said. “Then he adds on something else that Keira simply has to have.” She sighed. “I really do like Keira and I think she and Henry will be very happy together, but I’m starting to worry that this wedding is going to leave Henry penniless.”

  “Maybe Henry should have a talk with Keira about finances before things go any further,” Janet suggested.

  “I mentioned that to him,” Edna replied. “I think a lot of the wedding plans are coming from Keira’s mother, though, and Henry is terrified of her. I’m sure it will all work out in the end.”

  The arrival of their food ended that discussion. Over the meal, which both women thoroughly enjoyed, they talked about the weather and the royal family as well as Janet’s holiday.

  “The Isle of Man sounds lovely,” Edna said after they’d both ordered puddings that they knew they shouldn’t have. “Maybe I shall have to holiday there one day.”

  “You should get the cottage next to ours the next time we go,” Janet suggested. “You and Martha Scott could share, as they all have two bedrooms.”

  “That’s an idea,” Edna said. “I quite like Martha.”

  “We’re hoping to go again in the autumn,” Janet told her. “The bed and breakfast is quite busy through September, but I’m hoping we can sneak away for a few days in early October. The cottages don’t shut for the season until the end of October.”

  “I’ll have to see if I can manage it,” Edna said. “Let me know how your plans develop.”

  Janet promised to do that as they worked their way through large slices of chocolate gateau together. By the time they’d finished their puddings, Janet was feeling full and sleepy.

  “Is it too early to go home and go straight to bed?” she asked Edna as they made their way to their cars.

  “I hope not,” Edna said. “Because that’s exactly what I have planned for the rest of my evening.”

  Janet laughed. “We should do this more often,�
� she said. “Maybe without pudding, though.”

  “I’m not sure I want to do it again if I can’t have pudding,” Edna replied with a grin.

  Janet drove home and let herself in, expecting to find her sister and Michael in either the kitchen or the television lounge. Instead, the house was empty, aside from Aggie, who loudly demanded more food.

  “You’ve had your dinner,” Janet told her. “Now you must wait for breakfast.”

  Aggie’s sad expression had Janet reaching for the box of treats. “Just the one,” she told the animal. “Since I had pudding, you may as well.”

  Janet found a note from her sister on her pillow.

  “Going over to Michael’s to watch telly there. He just got a new telly with a big screen.”

  “The things Joan will do for the man she loves,” Janet told Aggie with a sigh. “She doesn’t even watch telly, really. And now she’s all excited about a bigger screen.”

  “Merow,” Aggie told her.

  Janet didn’t go straight to bed, but she didn’t stay up for very much longer, either. Curling up in bed with a good book was one of life’s great pleasures. Joan wasn’t home by the time Janet decided to get some sleep. Aggie had already been sleeping by her side for some time when Janet switched off the light.

  Chapter 4

  Joan was singing softly to herself as she made breakfast the next morning.

  “I take it you had a nice evening with Michael,” Janet teased from the kitchen doorway.

  Joan flushed. “It was very nice, thank you,” she said, a touch stiffly.

  “Did he get you anything nice?” Janet asked.

  Joan opened her mouth and then shut it again. After a moment, she chuckled. “He bought me so many things, it’s hard to say,” she told Janet. “He gave me a present for every day that I was gone, plus a couple of bonus gifts for days when he missed me even more than normal.”

  “That’s either very romantic or a little bit weird,” Janet said. “As you are the one on the receiving end, you can choose which it is.”

  “I think it was very sweet and romantic,” Joan said firmly.

  And also weird, Janet added to herself.

  “He told me he got you a little something as well,” Joan said.

  “A box of very fancy chocolate truffles,” Janet told her. “I suppose I could share them with you, if you didn’t get any.”

  “You keep them and enjoy them,” Joan told her. “It was kind of him to think of you as well.”

  “It was, yes,” Janet agreed, feeling that little pang of jealousy again. She squashed it firmly as Joan put breakfast onto plates.

  “Do you have plans for today?” Joan asked Janet as they finished eating.

  “Not really,” Janet said with a shrug. “I really need to ring Gretchen Falkirk, but if there is something else that needs doing, that can wait.”

  “I thought I might drive into Derby,” Joan said. “I was thinking of having a look around the big shopping mall there.”

  Janet tried not to look as surprised as she felt. Neither sister was a huge fan of shopping malls. “Really? Do you need something?” she asked.

  “I could do with a few more nice outfits for evenings out with Michael,” Joan replied. “I think he’s already seen me in everything I own.”

  “I’ll come along,” Janet said impulsively. “But only if we can have lunch there.”

  Joan frowned. “I wasn’t planning to stay there all day,” she complained.

  “We have to drive over and fight with the car park,” Janet said. “By the time we’ve done that, it will be nearly time for lunch anyway.”

  It didn’t take much more effort to persuade Joan. Janet went back upstairs to comb her hair and touch up her makeup before they left.

  “You be a good kitten,” she told Aggie, who was bouncing around on Janet’s bed. “I’ll put some lunch out for you now, but you should wait a while before you eat it.”

  Aggie looked at her for a moment and then went back to bouncing.

  Janet checked her appearance in the mirror. “So much for starting to eat more sensibly today,” she muttered. “Another restaurant meal? You shouldn’t, really.” Her mirror image stuck out its tongue, making Janet laugh.

  The drive into Derby was uneventful and the sisters were relieved to find the car park at the shopping mall was half empty. Janet followed her sister through a dozen or more shops while Joan tried on and rejected several different dresses.

  “I just can’t find exactly what I want,” she told Janet when they’d walked the entire mall and purchased nothing aside from the freshly baked cookie that Janet couldn’t resist.

  “Maybe we should go and have lunch and then start over again,” Janet suggested. “Maybe you’re just too hungry to focus on what you really want.”

  “I know exactly what I want,” Joan protested. “Something simple, elegant, and classic. Why all the shops are full of trendy dresses designed for twelve-year-old girls is beyond me.”

  Janet swallowed a laugh. “Come on. We’ll go somewhere nice for lunch. You’ll feel better after you’ve eaten.”

  Janet dragged her sister to the restaurant section of the mall. After a short debate, they agreed on a restaurant. Fortunately, it wasn’t busy and they could be seated almost immediately. They ordered their food and settled back to chat.

  “Janet and Joan Markham, you’re far from home,” a voice said at Janet’s elbow.

  “Owen Carter?” Janet replied as she looked at the very tall man in his late forties. He had brown hair and eyes, although his eyes were mostly hidden behind thick glasses. “But what are you doing here?”

  When Michael had sold his chemist’s shop to a large chain, Owen had been sent to Doveby Dale as manager. He’d fallen ill a short while later, and the sisters had visited him while he’d been in hospital. Now that he was well again, he could nearly always be found behind the counter in the shop. It was in the small parade of shops in the centre of the village, in the same row as William Chalmers’s antique shop and a newsagent’s. The sisters probably visited the shop at least once a week for one reason or another.

  “We had a regional planning meeting here this morning,” Owen explained. “Believe it or not, we’re starting to think about Christmas.”

  “Christmas?” Janet echoed. “But it’s only May.”

  “But it’s nearly time for our buyers to start placing orders for the things we’ll be stocking this Christmas.” He laughed. “No pun intended, obviously.”

  “Who’s minding the shop if you’re here?” Joan asked.

  “No one,” Owen replied. “They actually had me close for the morning. I really must get back, really. I hate having the shop shut.”

  With that, the man was gone. “That was rather odd,” Janet said as they watched Owen walk away.

  “He’s a somewhat unusual young man,” Joan said.

  “I can’t imagine why they closed the shop just for a meeting,” Janet said. “Surely Michael would have covered for him?”

  “Michael had other plans for today,” Joan replied, sounding slightly cross.

  “What’s he doing, then?” Janet asked.

  “He’s having lunch with his sister-in-law and his nephew,” Joan said.

  “His sister-in-law?”

  “Yes; his wife’s sister and her son,” Joan clarified.

  “Oh, I see,” Janet said, wondering how Joan felt about the idea. Michael didn’t talk about his wife very often, but from everything she knew, she believed that they’d been very happily married before the woman’s untimely death. If she were Joan, she wouldn’t want anyone around Michael that might remind him of his first marriage.

  “They get together about once a month,” Joan said.

  Janet could hear tension in her sister’s voice, even as she tried to sound nonchalant. “How nice for Michael,” she said after a moment.

  The food’s arrival interrupted the uncomfortable conversation. Janet dug into the chicken with rice and vegetable
s, feeling relieved.

  It was hard work, but Janet managed to persuade her sister to share a slice of jam roly-poly with her for pudding. Joan only ate a few bites of the sweet treat, but as far as Janet was concerned, they’d each had half.

  “Now we shall start again with fresh eyes and find exactly what you want,” Janet announced after they’d paid the bill and were leaving the restaurant. “Let’s try that shop right where we parked. I’ve never been in there, but the outfits in the window are lovely.”

  “I’m sure it’s terribly expensive,” Joan hissed as they stood outside the shop in question.

  “Maybe they’re having a sale,” Janet said optimistically.

  They were having a sale, one that made their unbelievably high prices almost low enough to be considered. After a few minutes of looking, Joan found a dress she loved and a second that she quite liked.

  “Try them on,” the shop assistant urged her.

  “I don’t know,” Joan replied. “I don’t usually spend this much on myself.”

  “Try them on,” Janet said. “If they don’t fit or you don’t like the way they look on you, then you won’t feel bad if you don’t buy them.”

  Both dresses fitted Joan’s slender figure perfectly, though. “The blue one is more flattering,” Janet said. “But I like both of them.”

  “I do, too,” Joan admitted. “But I can’t justify spending that much money today.”

  “Every second item is an additional fifty per cent off,” the shop assistant told them.

  “Sold,” Joan said quickly.

  “We should put that bag in the car before we shop any more,” Janet suggested as they walked out of the shop with Joan’s purchases.

  “I think I’ve had enough for today,” Joan replied. “I have two lovely new dresses that are far nicer than what I normally buy. I think we should head home before I realise how much I actually spent.”

  “You got both dresses for less than the regular price of either one of them, thanks to the sale,” Janet pointed out.

  “But I never would have paid full price for either of them,” Joan said. “I never spend that sort of money on clothes.”

  “Perhaps you should,” Janet said. “Not all the time, but once in a while, maybe you should spoil yourself.”