The Quinton Case: A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novella Read online

  A second generous divorce settlement had seen her moving to California, but not long after that her mother back in the UK had fallen ill. Amanda had moved back to look after her mother, who had passed away not much more than a year earlier. Janet wasn’t certain exactly what had brought Amanda to Doveby Dale, and she couldn’t help but be suspicious of her. Janet had found herself involved in a number of criminal investigations since she and Joan had moved to the village, which made her extra wary of the people she met.

  “Good morning,” Janet replied. “I hope you’re enjoying your new job and life in Doveby Dale.”

  “It’s lovely here,” Amanda gushed. “The scenery is stunning, the people are so incredibly kind, and William is a dream boss. He’s patient and he explains things to me over and over again until I understand them. I’m so lucky to have found this position. I don’t really need to work, of course, but it is nice to get out of the house. If I stayed at home all day, I’d just bake cookies and then eat them all. We can’t have that, can we?”

  Janet joined the woman in laughter, all the while thinking that Amanda didn’t look as if she ever ate a single thing. Amanda had long blonde hair that was piled into a messy nest on the top of her head. She was dressed all in black, which may have made her look even more slender than she actually was, but Janet wasn’t certain about that. She was certain, however, that Amanda was even thinner than Joan, who had been slender her entire life. As Janet had to be careful about what she ate because she gained weight easily, it hardly seemed fair that Joan and Amanda both loved baking. Janet only loved eating.

  “What can I do for you today?” Amanda asked brightly.

  “I’m looking for a small desk for my sister. If you see her, please don’t mention it.”

  Amanda laughed again. “I’ve not had the pleasure of meeting your sister yet. I hope I don’t say something to her accidentally if I don’t realise who she is.”

  Janet smiled tightly. “Just don’t talk about your customers with other customers and you should be fine,” she suggested. She might have told Amanda that everyone insisted that the sisters looked alike, but she’d never agreed with everyone, so she never told people that. She might have conceded a family resemblance when they’d both worn the same shoulder-length bob, but now Joan had had her hair cut in a much shorter style and Janet thought any resemblance between them was gone, aside from their matching blue eyes.

  “We have a few desks over here,” Amanda said, leading Janet towards one corner of the shop. “Did you have a specific size in mind?”

  “As I said, it wants to be small,” Janet told her. She glanced at the three desks on display. One of them was the right size, but she didn’t like the style. The other two were far too large. “Is William here?” she asked, knowing that he spent a lot of his time visiting other shops in the area. If anyone knew where she could find what she wanted, it would be William.

  “He’s very busy right now,” Amanda told her. “Do you not like any of these?”

  “Not really. Those two are too large and I don’t like the third. I thought maybe William would know where I could find what I wanted.”

  Amanda frowned. “I can go and see if he can spare a minute. Why don’t you have a cookie while you wait? I should try harder to remember to call them biscuits now that I’m back in the UK, shouldn’t I? Anyway, I baked them last night just for the shop, although I did bring a few extras for the nice men who run the other two shops along the way.”

  “Owen and Donald will be happy about that. They both told me you’d brought them cookies earlier in the week.”

  “I’ll probably bring them cookies nearly every day,” Amanda laughed. “I just love to bake, and if I give the cookies away, then I can’t eat them all myself.”

  Janet crossed to the table in the back of the room and helped herself to a chocolate chip cookie. No doubt Amanda had learned to make them in US, Janet thought as she took a bite. Grudgingly, she admitted to herself that they were delicious. She was nibbling on a second one when William came out of the back room.

  “Ah, Janet, hello,” he said, glancing over his shoulder. “I didn’t know you were coming in today.”

  “I’m looking for a desk for Joan,” she explained.

  “I don’t have many desks at the moment. Why don’t you tell Amanda exactly what you’re looking for and I’ll ring a few people when I have some time. I’m sure someone will have what you want somewhere.”

  Janet nodded. “So I’ll just talk to Amanda, then, shall I?”

  “If you could, that would be great. I’m just rather busy with something right now and with the holidays coming up, I have to make sure I stay on schedule.”

  “Sure, thanks,” Janet said. She wasn’t sure that William heard her, though, because he was already heading back to the room at the rear of the shop before she’d finished speaking.

  “Tell me exactly what you need, then,” Amanda said brightly when she rejoined Janet in the shop’s showroom.

  “As I said, a desk,” Janet replied, trying not to sound as upset as she felt. “About this size,” she added, gesturing towards the smallest desk on display, “but more that style.” She pointed to one of the other desks.

  Amanda nodded. She’d carried a small notebook out from the back with her. Now she made careful note of what Janet had said.

  “And what is your budget for this item?” she asked.

  “I have no idea.” Janet hadn’t given that aspect much thought. She glanced at the tags on the two desks she’d referenced. “A price anywhere between these two would work.”

  “Or less, I imagine,” Amanda grinned.

  “Certainly, or less,” Janet agreed.

  Amanda made another note and then put the notebook down. “What else can I help you with today?”

  “I think that will be quite enough, thank you,” Janet replied. She was back in the car heading for Doveby House a few minutes later, feeling slightly annoyed with herself. Amanda hadn’t done anything other than being prettier and thinner than Janet. There was no reason for Janet to dislike her, really, but she still did.

  “Did William have anything different?” Joan asked over lunch.

  “Not really, unless you count Amanda.”

  “How is she finding Doveby Dale, then?”

  “She thinks it’s wonderful,” Janet said sourly.

  “You don’t like her.”

  “I’m suspicious of her,” Janet countered. “I’m afraid she’s after William’s money.”

  “Does he have much?”

  “I’ve no idea. He has that fancy antique car that he drives sometimes and he said something to me about having other antiques in storage. He may be a good deal wealthier than we realise.”

  “Regardless, he should be capable of looking after himself,” Joan said firmly.

  “He nearly fell for that horrible woman last year, “Janet reminded her.

  “Yes, but now he has you in his life.”

  “But does he? He’s been too busy to spend any time with me in ages. I don’t think he’s truly interested in me at all.”

  “And that makes you angry or sad?”

  “Yes.”

  “It wasn’t a yes or no question,” Joan said with a gentle smile. “I’m not sure how you feel about William.”

  “I’m not sure how I feel about William, either,” Janet sighed. “Maybe I should be grateful that he has another woman in his life, especially with Edward coming to visit next month.”

  Joan frowned. “If he truly is coming, of course,” she said. “You know I don’t trust Edward. I’m not sure that you should trust him either.”

  “I know, and I try not to, but he’s very convincing.”

  Joan looked as if she wanted to argue further, but instead she changed the subject. “I’ve written a reply to Roland Dickerson,” she said. “I’ve told him that he’s welcome for Christmas and suggested that he ring me to finalise his plans.”

  Janet made a face. “Welcome is overstatin
g things a bit. ‘We’re willing to put up with you because you’re a distant relative’ is more accurate.”

  “I’m not going to be rude to him. I don’t expect you to be rude either.”

  Janet had her chance just a few days later when the telephone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Is that Janet or Joan?” an unfamiliar voice asked.

  “This is Janet.”

  “Ah, Janet, my dear cousin, it’s Roland Dickerson here. Joan asked me to ring to let her know my travel plans. I was nervous about ringing out of the blue, hence the initial letter, but Joan was so incredibly welcoming in her reply that I feel much better about my impending visit.”

  “Great,” Janet muttered. “Let me get Joan for you.”

  “I’m so looking forward to meeting both you and your sister in a few weeks,” Roland continued. “I was so pleased to discover that I had relatives after all, you see. I thought I was alone in the world after my parents died. They never mentioned any family, although that may have been because they were as unaware of your existence as I was.”

  “Let me get Joan,” Janet repeated herself. She set the phone down and went to find her sister.

  “You could have just taken the details about his trip,” Joan hissed as she reached for the kitchen extension.

  “I’d already spoken to him quite enough,” Janet told her before she left the room. In the sitting room, she picked up the phone off the table and moved to hang it up.

  “Janet sounded sweet,” she heard Roland say. She lifted the receiver to her ear.

  “I dare say we’re both looking forward to meeting you,” Joan replied. “We didn’t realise that we had cousins on that side of the family.”

  “I’m so looking forward to seeing Doveby Dale, as well,” Roland said. “I’ve been finding out as much as I can about the place and it sounds lovely.”

  “It’s a very beautiful part of the country.”

  “I wish I could stay longer than a fortnight, but perhaps I can return for a second visit later in the new year. I’m sure you have lovely summers in Derbyshire.”

  “We do, but they are also very busy. We’re usually fully booked through the summer months. I’m sure you can understand that we generally can’t turn away paying guests, not even for family.”

  “I do understand, of course, dear cousin. I shall be arriving on the twentieth of December, and I shall depart on January the third.”

  “I’m awfully sorry, but we have guests arriving on the first of the new year,” Joan told him. “Both guests rooms are fully booked for the entire month of January, actually.”

  “Really? My goodness. I didn’t realise that January in Derbyshire was in such high demand.”

  “Many of our guests visit us frequently. The guest who is coming for the month of January has visited twice before, for example. This time, he is bringing friends who will occupy the second guest room.”

  “It sounds as if your little business is quite lucrative, then. Congratulations. I’m afraid I’ve always had to work for others to make my living. Having my own small business has always been a dream of mine, though.”

  “We didn’t buy Doveby House until after we’d both retired from a lifetime of teaching,” Joan told him. “Maybe after you retire, you’ll be able to chase your dream as I did.”

  “I’m hoping that when I retire I’ll be able to move somewhere sunny and warm and never work another minute of my life,” he laughed. “There’s a house in Portugal with my name on it, I think.”

  “If that’s your dream, I hope it comes true.”

  “Ah, thank you, dear cousin. As I said before, I’m really looking forward to meeting you and Janet.”

  Janet waited until she heard the clicks of both other phones being put down before she set down her own. She hadn’t been eavesdropping, exactly, but she didn’t want Joan to misunderstand the situation.

  Over the next few days, as William didn’t ring her back about the desk, Janet started looking around for other ideas. Edward was very much on her mind as she found herself not at all eager to visit William again. All too quickly, December twentieth arrived, and after breakfast both sisters found themselves pacing around the sitting room as they waited for Roland to appear.

  Chapter 3

  “Maybe we should have lunch,” Janet suggested as the clock struck twelve.

  “He said he’d be here in the morning,” Joan replied.

  “It isn’t morning any longer.”

  Joan sighed. “Maybe he’s changed his mind about visiting, although I would have expected him to ring if he had.”

  “Is it too late for us to go away?”

  The knock on the door kept Joan from replying. Janet walked towards it with her heart racing. There was no real reason for her be nervous, she reminded herself, but that didn’t stop her hand from shaking slightly as she reached for doorknob.

  “Good morning, good morning,” the man at the door said loudly. “Are you Janet or Joan, then?”

  “I’m Janet,” she replied. “You must be Roland.”

  “That’s right. It’s so wonderful to meet you.” He gave her a beaming smile that Janet returned with as much enthusiasm as she could muster.

  She took a step backwards and waved him into the house.

  “But this is lovely,” he exclaimed as he dragged his large suitcase over the threshold. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.”

  Janet looked at Joan and raised her eyebrows. Roland dropped his bag and rushed forward to pull Joan into a hug.

  “You must be Joan,” he said happily. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you. But I didn’t hug Cousin Janet.” He spun around and grabbed Janet in an unwelcome embrace.

  When he released her, he flushed. “I am sorry. I’m probably overreacting, but you can’t imagine how exciting it was for me, discovering that I actually have family. I felt so alone, you see, before I discovered your existence.”

  Janet nodded and then looked at Joan.

  “Why don’t I show you to your room,” Joan suggested. “You must want to freshen up after your journey.”

  “Oh, yes, that would be wonderful. The drive from London was longer than I’d been expecting. There was more traffic than I’d anticipated, as well.”

  Joan nodded. “If you’d like to follow me?”

  Roland picked up his bag and followed Joan to the stairs. As they climbed, Janet told herself that she should go along, too, but she couldn’t muster up the energy to do so. Instead, she dropped back onto the nearest chair. Roland was not what she’d been expecting, she thought. His hair was dark, with only a few grey strands sprinkled through it. From the family genealogy that he’d sent, she knew he was sixty, but he didn’t look it. He was probably close to six feet tall, considerably taller than herself and Joan. Really, everything about him seemed rather average, from his build to his clothing to his appearance. If she’d passed him on the street, she wouldn’t have given him a second glance.

  Joan was back a minute later. “I thought you’d come along,” she said. “You usually do when we have guests.”

  “I was afraid he’d hug me again.”

  Joan frowned and then nodded. “He’s very, um, affectionate.”

  “I can’t imagine not knowing I had any relatives and then finding some, though,” Janet admitted. “Maybe I’d be as excited as he is under those circumstances.”

  “It’s difficult to imagine, as we’ve always had each other.”

  Roland came thundering down the stairs before Janet could reply.

  “My room is splendid,” he all but shouted. “Now I want to see all of Doveby Dale and then all of Derbyshire. I hope you have time to show me everything?”

  “Maybe we could start by getting lunch somewhere,” Janet suggested.

  “Oh, I got lunch at a motorway services an hour ago,” Roland replied carelessly. “I’m all ready to start seeing the sights.”

  “As Janet and I have not yet eaten, perhaps you’ll
be patient with us while we have some lunch,” Joan said. Janet could hear tension in her sister’s voice, but Roland didn’t appear to notice.

  “Oh, I suppose I can wait,” he said. “I’m just so very excited, you understand. I’ve never been this far north before.”

  “Feel free to go and do some exploring,” Janet suggested. “There isn’t much to see in Doveby Dale, really, just a few shops and a couple of places to eat. If you follow the main road that you came in on, you’ll find those quickly enough.”

  Roland shook his head. “I didn’t come all this way to spend time exploring on my own. I’m always on my own, you understand. I came here to spend time with my cousins. I’ll sit with you while you eat. You can tell me all about your lives and how you came to buy this wonderful house.”

  He followed the sisters into the kitchen. Joan put sandwiches together for herself and Janet while Janet made tea. While Roland sipped tea and ate a few biscuits, the sisters ate their sandwiches.

  “Tell me everything about your lives, then,” he insisted once they were all sitting together at the table.

  “We were both primary schoolteachers,” Joan replied. “We were fortunate enough to be able to retire not that long ago.”

  “Neither of you ever married?” Roland asked.

  “No, at least not yet,” Joan told him, earning a surprised look from Janet.

  Roland laughed. “Are there many single men your age out here in Derbyshire?”

  “A surprising number,” Joan replied.

  “But what happened after you retired?” Roland demanded. “How did you come to own Doveby House?”

  “After we both retired, we were going to start doing some travelling, but I’d always dreamt of owning my own bed and breakfast,” Joan explained. “When I saw the brochure for Doveby House in the estate agent’s window, I knew I had to have a look at it.”