The Irwin Case

by Diana Xarissa

  “Only just,” Robert replied.

  Joan put the kettle on while Janet filled a plate with biscuits. It wasn’t long before the three were settled in around the kitchen table.

  “So, what can we do for you?” Janet asked the man.

  “I wanted to thank you for letting me know about the problem that William Chalmers had,” Robert began. “I haven’t been able to track down the gentleman who’d wanted to purchase the painting, but I’m working on it.”

  “Do you think his card was stolen as well?” Janet asked.

  “At this point, I’m reserving judgment,” Robert replied. “It just seems an awful coincidence.”

  “There were two declined credit cards at the supermarket this morning,” Janet said. “I don’t know if you know about them?”

  “I don’t,” Robert sighed. “And I don’t know if that’s unusual or not, either. I’ll need to ring their local constabulary and have them send someone over to talk to the manager.”

  “Surely it must be unusual,” Janet said.

  “I don’t know. Since yesterday I’ve investigated three separate incidents like the one you reported. In one of the cases, the person’s card details had been stolen and the card had been charged to its limit. In the second case, the cardholder’s wife had exceeded their limit and neglected to mention it to her husband.”

  “Ouch,” Janet said.

  “Yes, rather,” Robert agreed. “In the third instance, the cardholder had skipped his last two payments and the card was frozen. It seems as if there are a great many reasons why credit cards get declined, and only a small fraction of them are cause for criminal investigation.”

  “But Jacob and Harriet Mills did have their details stolen?” Janet asked.

  “Yes, they definitely did,” Robert told her. “We’re still checking into their case.”

  “I suppose it’s just as well they left when they did,” Janet remarked. “We’ve had two new couples arrive today.”

  “I didn’t realise you had midweek bookings this week,” Robert said.

  “We didn’t,” Joan told him. “Both couples arrived without bookings.”

  “Is that unusual?” Robert asked.

  “Actually, it’s very unusual,” Joan told him. “We haven’t had more than one or two other occasions where people have simply turned up on our doorstep and asked for a room. We aren’t that easy to find, if you don’t know that we’re here.”

  “Did you ask either couple how they’d found you?” Robert asked.

  “We should have, but no, we didn’t,” Joan replied.

  “Charles said something about Doveby House being recommended by a friend,” Janet recalled. “Apparently his friend stayed here some years ago, when Maggie Appleton was running the bed and breakfast.”

  “I think I might have to do some checking into him, then,” Robert said. “Maggie Appleton had some interesting guests over the years.”

  “Interesting?” Janet asked.

  “Yes, I think that’s the best way to describe them,” Robert said. “As far as I know, none of them ever did anything criminal, in Doveby Dale, anyway.”

  “It seems as if there’s been something of a crime wave since we’ve settled here,” Joan commented.

  “There have been more issues lately than normal,” Robert agreed. “But such things often come in odd waves. No doubt things will settle back down before too much longer.”

  Robert asked the women for as much information as they could provide on their new guests. Joan told him what she could.

  “It isn’t much,” she said when she was finished. “I usually know a great deal more about our guests before they arrive.”

  “I wonder how the Dolyes found you,” Robert said. “You might ask them tomorrow over breakfast.”

  “You don’t think there’s anything wrong with letting them stay, do you?” Janet asked anxiously.

  “I’ve no reason to believe that they are anything other than what they seem,” Robert said. “I’m just curious, that’s all. They sound like the type of couple who would book themselves into somewhere posh when they go on holiday. Not that Doveby House isn’t lovely, but it’s not a five-star hotel in the city centre.”

  “No, it’s definitely not that,” Janet agreed.

  “And we aren’t all that close to Derby,” Robert added. “I’m sure there must be quite a few other places to stay between here and there.”

  “And this time of year, it’s highly unlikely that they’d all be full,” Joan said.

  Robert nodded. “I’d appreciate it if you’d let me know what they tell you,” Robert said. “Thank you for the information about the supermarket. I hope this credit card thing is just something random.”

  “It sounds as if it might be,” Janet said.

  “Yes, so far, anyway,” Robert agreed. “And with that, I’d better get going. I need to ring a lot of people this afternoon.”

  After Robert left, Joan got started on the chicken casserole, while Janet made a few phone calls of her own. She really wanted to find out more about Alberta Montgomery. She started with Martha Scott.

  “Martha? It’s Janet Markham. How are you?”

  “Oh, it’s good to hear from you,” Martha said. “I’m fine. How are you?”

  “I’m fine, too. I have a question for you, though. You grew up in Doveby Dale, didn’t you?”

  “I did, yes, but I left when I was eighteen and only came back recently.”

  “I was wondering if you knew anything about a woman named Alberta Montgomery,” Janet said.

  “Oh, my,” Martha replied. “I haven’t heard that name in years.”

  “So you do know who she was?”

  “I do. Such a tragic story, really.”

  Janet felt her heart race. “Tell me the story, please.”

  “Why don’t we have dinner together and I’ll tell you then?” Martha suggested. “It’s too involved to go over on the phone.”

  Janet thought about the chicken casserole that she could smell bubbling away in the kitchen. “I can’t do tonight,” she said. “What about tomorrow night?”

  “That would work for me,” Martha said. “I so rarely have plans.”

  “Where would you like to meet?”

  “How about the local café? I like Todd and Ted, and I try to eat there as often as I can.”

  “That sounds good,” Janet replied. They agreed on six o’clock.

  “I’m going to ring a few people that probably know the story better than I do,” Martha told Janet. “I’ll find out as much as I can before tomorrow.”

  “Thank you,” Janet said.

  She put down the phone, feeling excited. “I’m going to have dinner with Martha tomorrow,” she told Joan. “She’s going to tell me all about Alberta.”

  “How nice,” Joan said. “Perhaps I’ll see if Michael is free tomorrow night.”

  “You’re welcome to join me and Martha,” Janet told her. “She won’t mind, and then you can hear all about Alberta, too.”

  “I think I’d rather spend my time with Michael, if you don’t mind,” Joan said. “You’ll tell me all about Alberta, won’t you?”

  “Of course I will,” Janet laughed. “And maybe I’ll read her letters and diaries, too.”

  Joan frowned. “I’m not sure that’s appropriate,” she said.

  “I’ll talk to Martha first,” Janet said. “Then we can discuss it.”

  “I’m going to curl up with a book for a short time,” Joan said. “Dinner can look after itself for a while, and I can’t think of anything else that needs doing.”

  Janet wasn’t about to argue with her sister when she suggested something enjoyable. They both settled in the library and read until it was time for Joan to add the finishing touches to their evening meal.

  “I’ll call you in a few minutes,” she told Janet as she left the library.

  Janet nodded, her attention on her book far more than on her sister. She reached the end of the chapter and sig
hed. She really ought to go and help Joan with the meal. Putting the book on the nearest table, she got up and stretched before heading to the kitchen. The front door opened as she walked through the sitting room.

  “Ah, I didn’t expect there to be anyone in here,” Charles Irwin said as he and Carla walked in.

  “I was just passing through on my way to the kitchen,” Janet explained.

  “Well, your tea smells good, anyway,” Carla said.

  “Joan is a good cook,” Janet told her.

  “I don’t suppose she could feed us as well?” Carla asked. “We’ve no idea where to get a meal around here.”

  “I’m sorry,” Janet said. “But we weren’t expecting guests for dinner. Joan will have only prepared enough for the two of us. I can recommend the café that’s just up the road, though. They do good food at good prices.”

  “That sounds like what we need,” Charles said.

  “Yeah, sure,” Carla said. “Let’s just go and get something before I starve.”

  The pair turned and walked back out of the house, leaving the door unlocked behind them. Janet locked it before she joined Joan in the kitchen.

  “Did I hear the front door?” Joan asked.

  “Yes, it was just Charles and Carla, coming in to complain about being hungry,” Janet said. “I sent them over to the café.”

  “Good,” Joan replied. “I’m sure I have enough casserole for them, but I’m not in the mood to entertain guests at dinner.”

  “Are you okay?” Janet asked, concerned.

  “Oh, I’m fine,” Joan assured her. “But I’m feeling a bit cross about having unexpected guests, that’s all. I much prefer when guests make proper bookings and arrive on schedule. It’s bad enough I’ll have to wait up for them tonight. I don’t want to feed them, as well.”

  “Maybe they’ll come home after the café and have an early night,” Janet said hopefully.

  “Maybe they’ll come home and sit in the television lounge for hours,” Joan replied.

  “Perhaps we ought to consider putting televisions in the guest rooms,” Janet suggested.

  “As you’d be the one who would have to hear them if the guests turned them up too loud, I’ll leave you to decide on that,” Joan said.

  Janet made a face. “You’re right,” she said. “No doubt they would put the volume up and then shout at one another over the noise. I think I’m happier with only having telly in the lounge down here.”

  “I did wonder about putting a telly in my private sitting room,” Joan said. “Then you or I could watch something in there if the guests were using the telly in the lounge.”

  “As we both watch so much telly,” Janet said.

  Joan laughed. “I watch with Michael,” she said. “But we watch what he likes, because I never know what else to suggest.”

  “I only watch telly when I’m not in the mood to read,” Janet said. “And that only happens once in a rare while.”

  Joan served up bowls full of delicious chicken casserole, with apple crumble for pudding.

  “Ice cream, as well?” Janet asked as her sister put her crumble in front of her. “What have I done to deserve this?”

  “Like I said, I just feel bad that I haven’t been here for the last two nights,” Joan told her. “Of course, you’re out tomorrow night, so maybe I shouldn’t feel so guilty.”

  “You shouldn’t feel guilty at all,” Janet said. “I’m a grown adult and I can feed myself if I have to. I want you to enjoy your time with Michael, not feel guilty about it.”

  “I do, when I’m with him,” Joan assured her. “It’s only before and after that I feel bad.”

  “I should be happy you do,” Janet said after a mouthful of crumble. “This is delicious.”

  Joan laughed. “I make you apple crumble even when I’m not feeling guilty,” she said.

  “But not with ice cream,” Janet replied.

  With the dishes all safely tucked into the dishwasher, Joan got the kitchen ready for breakfast the next morning. Janet was helping when they heard the front door again.

  “Ah, Janice, wasn’t it?” Gary Doyle asked as Janet went to investigate.

  “It’s Janet, but you were close,” she replied.

  “We’re dying of starvation,” Roberta told her. “Can you suggest somewhere nearby that does fast food?”

  “There’s a lovely little café just around the corner,” Janet said. “I wouldn’t call it fast food, but they are reasonably quick.”

  “Perfect,” Gary said. “We’ll go there.”

  They were out the door as soon as Janet gave them directions. She locked up behind them and then went to the library for her book. With both sets of guests at the local café, perhaps they would get an early night after all.

  Chapter 8

  In the end, Charles and Carla were back at Doveby House before seven, and Gary and Roberta returned just before eight. While both couples watched television for a short while, it seemed that no one could agree on what to watch, so both couples headed up to bed shortly after nine. Janet and Joan locked up behind them and happily took themselves off to bed as well. Aggie was already fast asleep in Janet’s bed by that time.

  Both sisters were up early, and they ate their breakfasts together, chatting about nothing much and enjoying the peace and quiet while their guests slept. Gary and Roberta came down for their breakfast at exactly nine o’clock.

  “I feel as if I could have slept for another eight hours,” Roberta told the sisters as she slid into a seat at the kitchen table. “The bed is very comfortable.”

  “I’m glad you like it,” Joan replied. She cracked eggs and fried bacon while Janet made toast.

  “We’re just off to spend the day in Derby,” Gary said. “We’re going to meet our friends for lunch and then do some shopping. Can you suggest anywhere near here for dinner tonight? I think we’d like something nicer than the café, although the food was good there.”

  “There’s a nice French restaurant near the centre of the village,” Janet told him. “I thought the food there was excellent, and we lived in France for some time when we were younger.”

  “That sounds good,” Roberta said. “Let’s go there.”

  Gary nodded. “We’ll need breakfast at eight tomorrow, I’m afraid,” he said. “We need to get away before it gets too late.”

  “Eight is fine,” Joan assured him as she put plates of food on the table. “I can manage earlier, if that works better for you.”

  “Oh, no,” Roberta said with a shake of her head. “I don’t want to be up by eight. I definitely don’t want to be up any earlier.”

  Gary chuckled. “She’s lazy,” he told the sisters. “It’s one of her better qualities.”

  Roberta laughed. “I don’t know why I put up with you,” she said to the man, her tone affectionate.

  “I don’t, either, but I awfully glad you do,” he replied, giving her hand a squeeze.

  Once they’d finished and left and the breakfast dishes were cleared away, Joan sat down at the kitchen table and sighed.

  “I can’t believe I have to wait for midday for our other guests,” she complained.

  “They’ll probably be up before that,” Janet said encouragingly. “They were probably exaggerating.”

  “I’m not sure if I should clean the Doyles’ room now, or wait until later,” Joan said. “The vacuum is sure to disturb Charles and Carla, isn’t it?”

  “If it does, you won’t have to wait for midday to feed them,” Janet pointed out. “It’s nearly ten o’clock. They should be awake by now.”

  Joan nodded and then sighed again. “I can’t do it,” she said. “I can’t bring myself to vacuum when I know they might be sleeping.”

  “I’ll do it,” Janet offered. “I have that doctor’s appointment this afternoon. If you want my help with the rooms, we need to do them this morning.”

  “I forgot your appointment was today,” Joan said. “Maybe we should get at least one room done before y
ou leave.”

  It was just a regular appointment to have her eyes checked, which wouldn’t take long, but Janet hadn’t found anywhere nearby to have it done, so she was driving back to the same place she’d gone for years before they’d purchased Doveby House. That meant a drive of about an hour each way, which turned the whole errand into something that would take most of the afternoon.

  Janet found herself creeping up the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible on her way to help with the cleaning. Joan was behind her, also tiptoeing her way up the creaky stairs.

  “This is silly,” Janet whispered outside the Doyles’ door. “The must be awake in there.” She nodded towards the other guest room door.

  “Whether they are or not, we should be quiet,” Joan hissed. “Or as quiet as we can be running a vacuum cleaner.”

  Janet chuckled and then walked over to the small cupboard where they kept the cleaning supplies. She wheeled the vacuum into the guest room and plugged it in as Joan began running a duster over every flat surface.

  “Here goes nothing,” Janet muttered. She switched on the machine. It seemed louder than normal as it roared to life. While she didn’t mean to, she was aware that she was working much more quickly than she usually did as she ran the vacuum over the floors in the bedroom and adjoining en-suite. When she turned the machine off, she was almost expecting to hear Charles or Carla shouting a complaint at them.

  “Well, that wasn’t too bad,” Joan said a few minutes later as they descended the stairs. “We got through the room quickly, anyway.”

  “It helped that there wasn’t anything out of place,” Janet said. “I wonder if our other guests are keeping their room as tidy?”

  “I wonder if they’ll complain about the noise when they come down.”

  “While we’re wondering things, I wonder if they’ll be down before midday,” Janet said, laughing.

  It was actually a few minutes past twelve when the couple finally made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

  “Ah, good morning,” Charles said. “Do you have coffee?”

  Joan nodded. As she was busy starting breakfast for the pair, Janet poured them each a cup of the steaming hot liquid.

  “That’s better,” Carla said.