The Kingston Case

by Diana Xarissa

  “Maybe he should find Stacey and beg her to come back,” Janet suggested.

  “I saw her last night, actually. She’s working at the café and she seems to love it there. I don’t think she’d come back, even if Richard begged.”

  “Good for her,” Janet said. “I thought she’d be a good fit there.”

  “You were right. She and Todd and Ted seemed to be getting along well.”

  “Out of all of the people you’ve mentioned, the only one I can imagine being behind it is Richard,” Janet said. “But I still can’t see why he’d do it.”

  “I don’t much like the man, but I can’t see him doing something so, well, distasteful,” William told her.

  “Maybe it’s time to go and get ourselves a coffee,” Janet suggested.

  “What are you planning?” William asked anxiously.

  Janet chuckled. “I just thought we might drop a few hints about the letters and see how Richard reacts, that’s all.”

  “That could be dangerous,” William argued.

  “They’re anonymous letters, not actual death threats,” Janet pointed out. “Unless today’s was a death threat?”

  “No. Just another ‘leave or you’ll be sorry’ message.”

  “So let’s go and have a cuppa. I’m not suggesting we accuse the man of anything or even talk to him directly about the letters. I just thought it might be interesting to have a loud discussion about them.”

  “And on the way back here we can drop in on Owen and Donald and do the same,” William suggested.

  Janet was pretty sure he was being sarcastic, but the idea suited her. “Yes, let’s,” she said.

  William frowned. “I’ll just get a coat,” he muttered before he left the room. He locked up the shop, leaving a note on the door for customers to find him at the coffee shop if they needed him.

  A man Janet didn’t know was just leaving the shop as they approached.

  “It’s pretty grim in there,” he told William and Janet. “I don’t think the floors, the counters, or the tables have been cleaned since Stacey left.”

  Janet made a face as she followed William through the door. A glance around the room had her agreeing with the stranger’s assessment. The place was a mess.

  “Hello again,” Richard said from behind the counter. “What do you need today?”

  “William needed to get out of his shop,” Janet said. “He’s upset and needs tea with extra milk and sugar, and something delicious, please.”

  “Upset?” Richard echoed. “I hope everything is okay.”

  “Oh, it’s fine,” William said quickly. He gave Janet a look that clearly said ‘be quiet,’ but Janet wasn’t done.

  “I suppose we shouldn’t really talk about police matters,” she said in a loud whisper, glancing back and forth as if worried about being overheard.

  “Police matters?” the man said, dropping the plate he was holding.

  “Ah, we mustn’t talk about this,” William said loudly. “And I really shouldn’t be out of the shop for long. Robert will be ringing about, well, ringing.”

  “Robert? The police constable?” Richard asked. “Why’s he ringing you, then?”

  “You’d better not,” Janet said to William. “I’ll have a flapjack.”

  “That sounds good,” William said. “Make it two.”

  “And two milky teas?” Richard checked.

  “Yes, thanks,” Janet said. The pair sat down near the counter. Janet carefully folded her hands on her lap to avoid touching the top of the table. It looked sticky, and there were crumbs scattered across it as well, but it wasn’t any worse than any of the other tables in the place.

  They sat in silence as Richard worked behind the counter. It wasn’t long before he delivered everything to their table.

  “Thank you so much,” Janet said. She picked up her tea and took a sip. It was lukewarm, but she wasn’t about to complain. The flapjack was good, at least. She waited until Richard was back behind the counter to speak.

  “Robert said he’d ring you around two, right?” she asked William.

  He looked at her blankly. Janet gave him a gentle kick under the table.

  “Oh, yes,” he said. “Around two.”

  “That’s when the lab was going to finish with their tests, right?”

  William looked at her and then nodded slowly. “Um, yes, that’s right,” he muttered. As Janet tried to work how she wanted to word the next question, William took a huge bite of his flapjack. Janet nearly laughed. Obviously he didn’t want to answer any more questions.

  The sound of breaking crockery made Janet jump.

  “Sorry, I just dropped a cup,” Richard said, frowning.

  And you’re incredibly nervous, Janet thought. Surely this stupid plan of mine isn’t working. “Are you okay?” she asked the man.

  “Oh, fine,” he said quickly. “I’m just a little overworked at the moment, that’s all. Having to do all of the work around here myself is taking its toll. Maybe it’s time to think seriously about turning the coffee shop into something else.”

  Janet frowned. Maybe that was the key. Maybe Richard wanted to get rid of William so that he could turn the coffee shop into an antique shop. “What would you put in here instead?” she asked.

  “Oh, maybe a card and gift shop,” he replied. “Something that’s a lot less hard work, that’s for sure.”

  Janet swallowed the last of her tea as her mind raced. She looked over at William, who was washing down the last of his flapjack.

  “I know this has all been stressful, but at least you know Robert’s close to working it all out,” she said to him.

  William nodded. “Shouldn’t be long now,” he agreed.

  Janet watched as Richard fumbled with the cup he was holding. He only just managed to set it on the counter safely.

  William pushed his chair back. “I’d better get back to work,” he said.

  “Yes, before Robert rings,” Janet agreed. She stood up as well and began to walk towards the door. “Wasn’t it lucky, Robert getting that fingerprint off the last letter,” she said loudly as she went.

  A cup crashed to the ground behind them. Janet turned around and stared at Richard. All of the colour had drained from his face.

  “I think you might be unwell,” she said in a concerned tone. “Can I do anything to help?”

  “No; I’m fine,” Richard snapped. “I may close up early, though. It isn’t as if it’s busy.”

  Janet nodded and then followed William out of the shop and back across the road.

  “I don’t think we need to bother Owen or Donald,” she said.

  “He was acting awfully guilty, wasn’t he?” William asked.

  “I really think my plan worked,” Janet replied. “I really didn’t expect it to, but I’m glad it did.”

  Back in William’s shop, he rang Robert. Before he could tell Robert the whole story, Robert insisted on coming over.

  “He’s just at the station,” William said. “He’ll be here soon.”

  Janet thought the young constable must have run, as he was at the door well before she was expecting him. Both William and Janet started talking at once.

  “Stop,” Robert said. “I want to hear the whole story, but I can only listen to one of you at a time.”

  “You tell it,” William said to Janet. “It was your plan.”

  Robert took notes and frowned a great deal while Janet was talking, but he never interrupted. “You took a huge risk doing that,” he said when she’d finished. “What if he’d realised he’d given himself away and decided to get rid of both of you?”

  “We were right next door to the police station,” Janet pointed out. “We could have run for help if he started to get angry.”

  “It was still dangerous,” Robert insisted. “Next time, ring me with your crazy plans before you do them.”

  “But you wouldn’t have let me do it, and I think we’ve identified the culprit,” Janet said.

  “You
may have,” Robert conceded. “But I’ll take it from here.”

  “Richard just locked up the coffee shop and put up the closed sign,” William reported from where he was standing near the window.

  “I’d better go and see if I can catch him,” Robert said. “Although I do know where he lives, of course.”

  Janet watched anxiously as the man walked over to the coffee shop and knocked on the door. After a moment, Richard opened the door and spoke to him. Janet turned away when Richard stepped backwards and Robert went into the shop.

  “You don’t think Robert is in any danger, do you?” she asked William.

  “He rang for reinforcements,” William told her, nodding towards the window.

  A police car pulled into the coffee shop car park and two uniformed men climbed out. Janet watched as they walked into the building. A moment later her mobile rang.

  “Are you going to be back by three?” Joan asked. “I thought you might like to be here when our guest arrives.”

  Janet looked at the clock. It was later than she’d thought. “I’ll leave now,” she said.

  “Let me know what happens over the road,” she told William as she walked to the door.

  “If I hear anything,” William promised. “And good luck with Alice.”

  Chapter 10

  When Janet got home, she told her sister all about her afternoon.

  “Robert won’t be very happy that you interfered in his investigation,” Joan said.

  “I didn’t mean to,” Janet replied. “I didn’t really think that Richard was involved.”

  “You could have put yourself in danger,” Joan scolded.

  A knock on the door let Janet off the hook. She rushed to open it.

  “Ah, good afternoon,” the woman on the porch said brightly. “I’m Alice Chalmers. I have a booking.”

  Janet stepped back to the let the woman into the house, studying her as she did so. Alice looked younger than Janet had expected, maybe in her mid-fifties. She was petite and blonde with bright green eyes. The business-type suit she was wearing looked as if it had been expensive, and Janet recognised her shoes and handbag from photos she’d seen in a glossy magazine.

  “I’m Joan Markham and this is my sister, Janet,” Joan said as she stepped forward.

  “It’s a great pleasure to meet you both,” Alice replied. “I’m sooo happy to get out of London for a short break. I know I work too hard, but I can’t seem to help myself.”

  “Well, we both hope that you’ll enjoy your stay. Let me show you to your room,” Joan said.

  “Do I have a kettle?” Alice asked. “I’m absolutely gasping for a cup of tea.”

  “You do,” Joan told her.

  “But why not drop off your suitcase and then join us in the kitchen for some tea and biscuits,” Janet offered, eager to talk to the woman.

  “That sounds delightful,” Alice said.

  “I’ll go and put the kettle on,” Janet replied.

  Joan and Alice joined her in the kitchen only a few moments later.

  “There’s Victoria sponge if that appeals,” Joan told their guest as the woman sat down.

  “Oh, I can’t eat anything that indulgent,” the woman laughed. “Maybe just one biscuit with my tea, though.”

  Janet put a plate of biscuits in the centre of the table while Joan made the tea. Then the sisters sat down with their guest.

  “So I have to ask,” Alice began after a moment. “Do either of you know William Chalmers? He owns an antique shop here, I gather.”

  “We both know William,” Janet said. “Doveby Dale is a small village.”

  “Ah, so if you’ve seen him lately, you probably already know that he and I were married once,” Alice said.

  “Yes, he did mention that,” Janet told her.

  “How is he?” Alice asked.

  “As far as I know, he’s fine,” Janet replied, not wanting to bring up the anonymous letters. If William wanted the woman to know about them, he could tell her himself.

  “Is he happy up here? Has he made himself some friends? Do you know if he’s seeing anyone?” Alice laughed and held up a hand. “I don’t mean to throw a bunch of questions at you, but I do worry about the man.”

  “I believe he’s happy,” Janet said. “And I think he has some friends. You are planning to visit him, aren’t you? You can ask him yourself about such things.”

  “I am planning to visit him,” Alice agreed. “But I’m trying to work out whether he’s happy here or not before I see him.”

  “You want him to move back to London,” Janet suggested.

  Alice laughed. “Is that what he told you?” she asked. She sighed deeply. “Herbert told me not to come. He said that William would get the wrong idea, but I had to come anyway. I didn’t want him to hear things second- or third-hand.”

  “What sort of things?” Janet asked, ignoring the look that Joan gave her. Janet knew she was asking rude questions, but she didn’t care.

  The woman sighed again. “This is difficult,” she said. “I loved William, I truly did, but he was very, well, possessive is probably the best way to describe him. I don’t know if he’s truly over our relationship or not. I don’t want to hurt him, you see. But, well, I don’t quite know how to tell him that I’m getting married again.”

  “You are?” Janet blurted out. “I mean, congratulations,” she added quickly.

  “Thank you,” Alice smiled. “Herbert is wonderful. Nothing like William, of course, although William was wonderful in his own way. Still, I decided that I needed to tell William myself, in person, before we put the announcement in the papers. Now that I’m here, though, I’m afraid I’m getting cold feet.”

  “I’m sure William will be happy for you,” Joan said.

  “Oh, I do hope so,” the woman replied. “He’s often hinted that we should reunite, you see, whenever I speak to him. But maybe time and distance have finally healed his broken heart. I suppose I should go and see him right away. There’s no point in dragging it out, is there?

  “You’ll enjoy your holiday away from London more if you get the difficult part over with first,” Joan said.

  “Yes, I suppose you’re right. Unless William takes it very badly.” She sighed. “I do worry about his health, you see. He’s had three heart attacks, you know.”

  “He has?” Janet said in surprise.

  “Oh, yes, but maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned it,” Alice said. “Doctors do get things wrong sometimes. Perhaps he does have more than a year or two left in his heart. We can all hope.”

  Janet stared at the woman, not sure which question to ask next. Joan spoke before Janet could decide.

  “I believe he shuts his shop for the day at five,” she told Alice. “If you wanted to catch him there, you’ll probably want to hurry.”

  “Oh, yes,” Alice said, glancing at her slender gold watch. “I should go now, I suppose. Thank you for the tea and the biscuit. I’ll see you later.”

  Janet walked her to the door, supplying her with directions to William’s shop, then watched as the woman climbed into a battered old hatchback and drove away.

  “I don’t like her,” Janet told her sister as they tidied away the tea things.

  “She seemed pleasant enough,” Joan replied.

  “Nothing she said matches with what William told me,” Janet said. “One of them must be lying.”

  “For your sake, I hope it’s Alice,” Joan said gently.

  “I need to work out how I can find out the truth,” Janet said. “I wish I could be a fly on the wall in William’s shop right now.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t even think of an excuse for you to go over there,” Joan said. “We don’t need anything from any of the shops.”

  “I could go and get some headache tablets or something,” Janet said.

  “We have several boxes of headache tablets,” Joan reminded her. “Anyway, you don’t want it to look as if you’ve just made up an excuse to check up on William.�
��

  “You’re right, I don’t want it to look that way. I do want to check up on William, though,” Janet said with a sigh.

  Janet was restless all afternoon and early evening as she wondered what was happening in William’s shop. Joan made all of her favourites for dinner, including apple crumble, which distracted her slightly.

  “Thank you for dinner,” she said to Joan as she helped clear the table. “Everything was delicious, especially the pudding.”

  “I’m going to settle into the sitting room with a good book,” Joan told her. “I’ll wait for the guests to get home. You can go and watch some telly or something if you’d like.”

  “I don’t know,” Janet said. “There probably isn’t anything on worth watching. Anyway, I’m all wound up. Maybe I should just go for a drive or something.”

  “And just happen to drive past the antique shop,” Joan suggested. “And maybe just happen to hear a strange noise from the engine and have to stop?”

  Janet shrugged. “It could happen,” she said.

  “Why don’t you just ring William?” Joan asked. “You could tell him you wanted to know if he’d heard anything about Richard and the letters.”

  “I could, couldn’t I?” Janet asked happily. She hadn’t quite reached the phone when the front door opened.

  “Ah, good evening, good evening,” Brock Banner said brightly. “We’ve had such a lovely, lovely day, haven’t we, darling?”

  Helen smiled. “We have. You live in a very beautiful part of the world, you know.”

  Janet nodded. “We are very fortunate,” she said.

  “But now we’ve worn ourselves out completely,” Helen said. “We need an hour of television and then an early night, I think.” The pair wandered off to the television lounge while Janet picked up the telephone. The front door opened again behind her before she could dial.

  “Good evening,” Alice Chalmers said from the doorway.

  Janet turned around. “You look as if you’ve been crying,” she blurted out without thinking.

  Alice flushed. “I had hoped to simply sneak in,” she said in an apologetic tone. “I didn’t want anyone to see me this way.”