The Patrone Case (A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novella Book 16)

by Diana Xarissa

  “Maybe we should leave Sunday night. Monday morning was always going to be a race to get back for work. I’m worried now about leaving it and having trouble.”

  “Let’s talk about it later,” Oscar suggested. “I never had any lunch and I’m starving. Let’s go and have a nice dinner together and worry about everything else tomorrow.”

  Jenny smiled. “That sounds wonderful. I just need to freshen up.”

  Oscar nodded. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

  Jenny left the room and Oscar turned to Janet. “Thank you for looking after Jenny today. I never should have left her alone, but I wasn’t expecting car trouble.”

  “We had fun, or at least I had fun,” Janet told him. “She’s incredibly sweet and more than a little worried about the baby.”

  “She’s worried about the baby? I thought that was just me.”

  Janet laughed. “You two really need to talk.”

  He nodded. “I haven’t been the best at that lately. We planned for the baby, but somehow it all seems to have taken me by surprise.”

  After Janet let the pair out, she went to find Joan, who was, as always, busy in the kitchen.

  “Is our bracelet worth a fortune, then?” Joan asked.

  “The salesman at the antique shop in Little Burton didn’t seem to think so,” Janet sighed. “I suppose we can’t retire to the Caribbean just yet.”

  Joan wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to retire to the Caribbean. I think it would be too hot.”

  “It probably would, but I might like to visit it, at least once.”

  “I believe you’d have to fly to get there,” Joan said with a small shudder. She and Janet were equally reluctant to try flying.

  “I don’t know. If I had enough money, I could probably find a ship that would sail me there.”

  “You’d need a fortune. I suggest you start going through all of the boxes in the carriage house soon.”

  Janet laughed. “You just want me to clear out the carriage house.”

  Joan nodded. “I’ve been saying that since we bought Doveby House.”

  “While we were in Little Burton I saw all three of the people whom William interviewed. Do you think I should ring Robert?”

  “You probably should. You saw them all in Doveby Dale yesterday and then Owen’s window was broken last night. Maybe the vandal is going to target Little Burton next.”

  “Do you think the three of them are working together?”

  “If things were being stolen, that might make sense, but I can’t see any reason why anyone would organise a group to perform random acts of vandalism.”

  Janet put the question to Robert when she spoke to him, in spite of Joan’s reply.

  “I can’t say that I’ve ever heard of this sort of vandalism being organised,” he said. “The things that have happened have caused minor annoyance, but not major damage. If someone was, say, trying to run William out of business, they could do a good many more destructive things than simply throwing a brick through his window.”

  “I just find it odd that I keep seeing all three suspects everywhere I go,” Janet told him.

  “They aren’t exactly suspects, but I know what you mean. Still, Doveby Dale and Little Burton are small communities. It’s possible that you see many of the same people over and over again, but as you don’t know them, you don’t realise how often you see them.”

  Janet thought about that for a minute. “I do see the same woman nearly every day,” she said. “She has a blue car and she’s nearly always at the shops in Doveby Dale. I see her or her car every time I’m there.”

  Robert laughed. “I know the woman you mean. Mrs. Parker is retired and widowed. She goes to the shops every single day for something. She used to visit the local supermarket daily as well, but now that she had to drive to Derby, she only goes three or four times a week.”

  “I used to be quite jealous of her car, but now I think mine is nicer,” Janet laughed before the call ended.

  She and Joan sat up together, talking, while they waited for their guests. Oscar and Jenny were back not long after eight. After making polite conversation for a few minutes, they headed up to their room.

  “Now we just have to wait for Mr. and Mrs. Morris,” Janet said as the Gorhams disappeared up the stairs.

  “It could be a long evening,” Joan replied. “One of us should go to bed at a sensible time.”

  “You go. I’ll wait up. The Gorhams want their breakfast at eight, so you’ll have to get up in the morning.”

  “Of course, we’ve no idea when Mr. and Mrs. Morris will want their breakfast,” Joan sighed.

  They were watching a favourite television programme not long after nine when they heard the front door open.

  “I’ll go,” Janet offered.

  “…ten years and not once have you ever…” Jackie was shouting when Janet walked into the sitting room. She stopped abruptly when Janet appeared.

  “I’m going to bed,” George announced. He stormed out of the room without a backward glance.

  “Is there a decent hotel nearby?” Jackie demanded.

  “Not in Doveby Dale. There’s another bed and breakfast in Little Burton, but I don’t know if they have any available rooms or not. It’s quite late to ring them, as well.”

  Jackie frowned. “I shall have to drive into Derby, then,” she said. She turned and headed for the door, searching her pockets as she went. “He has the car keys,” she said angrily, spinning around and heading for the stairs.

  “We do have other guests,” Janet said. “Sound travels in such an old house.”

  The woman frowned and then took off up the stairs. Janet sighed. She wasn’t sure if she should follow or leave the couple to their argument. A door opened and then closed. Janet waited for the shouting to begin, but heard nothing. After a few minutes of silence, she locked the front door and rejoined Joan in the television lounge.

  “I never found out when they wanted breakfast,” she apologised after she’d told her the whole story.

  “It isn’t late, so I’ll be up early enough tomorrow to deal with them whenever,” Joan replied.

  The sisters watched television until ten and then took themselves off to their respective bedrooms.

  Chapter 10

  Whatever their difficulties the previous day, Mr. and Mrs. Gorham seemed very happy together at breakfast the next morning.

  “We’re off to visit a stately home or two,” Jenny told the sisters after they’d eaten. “I hope I have enough energy to do two, but even if we only manage to do one, it should be a fun day.”

  Janet followed them to the door and then locked it behind them.

  “Still no sign of Mr. or Mrs. Morris,” she sighed when she rejoined Joan in the kitchen.

  Joan had already made breakfast for herself and Janet. They’d eaten before the Gorhams had come down. Now she busied herself with tidying the kitchen.

  “I’ll go and get started on the Montgomery Room,” Janet said. “I’ll try to be as quiet as I can, but at some point I’m going to need to vacuum.”

  “Do everything else,” Joan told her. “You can’t vacuum when our other guests are still in bed.”

  Janet made a face. She knew Joan was right, but she was eager to get the day’s work done. The longer their guests stayed in bed, the later it would be before she and Joan could finish for the day.

  It didn’t take long to tidy up the Montgomery Room. Janet dusted and cleaned the en-suite bathroom and then left the room, locking it behind herself.

  “If we don’t get to vacuum, it won’t be the end of the world,” she told Joan when she got back to the kitchen. “They left the room very tidy. They’d never notice if we don’t vacuum.”

  “But we will, because we should,” Joan told her firmly.

  A knock on the front door let Janet make a face as she left the room, knowing that Joan would never see it.

  “Robert, this is a surprise,” Janet said as she let him into the
house.

  “If I didn’t know you better, I’d probably be suspecting you of having a hand in the sudden rash of broken windows in the area,” he replied after they’d exchanged greetings.

  “Me?”

  “A window was broken in Little Burton last night, just as you suggested might happen,” Robert explained.

  Janet flushed. “I never imagined…” she began.

  Robert held up a hand. “I know you didn’t, but I wanted to talk to you about exactly what you saw yesterday. I don’t like coincidences and it seems odd to me that the same three people keep popping up just before a window gets broken.”

  Janet led the man into the kitchen. He’d only just taken a seat when Janet heard loud voices on the stairs.

  “…three times a year, every year, or more,” was the first line that Janet heard clearly. Jackie sounded at least as upset as she had the previous evening.

  “That isn’t true,” George replied. He simply sounded tired.

  “Of course it’s true,” Jackie snapped back. The kitchen door swung open and the pair stormed into the room. “I don’t want any breakfast,” she announced loudly.

  “I’ll have full English,” George said heartily.

  “Robert, as I’m cooking anyway, would you like some breakfast?” Joan asked.

  Robert started to shake his head, but then his stomach growled loudly. He chuckled. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, I’d love some breakfast.”

  Joan began to clatter pans while Jackie and George marched through the room and into the dining room. As the door shut behind them, Jackie began to shout again.

  “If you think I’m going to sit back and let you treat me like this, you’ve another think coming.”

  “If you don’t like the way you’re being treated, I suggest you leave,” George replied, his voice calm.

  “I will, then,” Jackie shouted. The door between the kitchen and dining room opened again and Jackie sped through it. Janet followed the woman as she quickly walked through the house and out the front door. After checking that it was shut properly, Janet rejoined the others in the kitchen.

  While Joan cooked and then served the two men, Janet told Robert everything she could remember about the previous day. He took extensive notes before devouring his breakfast.

  “When did you eat last?” Janet laughed as Joan cleared away his plate.

  “Lunch yesterday, maybe,” he shrugged. “A few things came up last night that kept me from getting dinner and then I got dragged out of bed at two this morning to deal with the broken window.”

  “I hope nothing in Mr. Hamilton-Burke’s shop was badly damaged,” Joan said.

  “The brick was thrown through one of the empty shops windows,” Robert told her. “The only damage was the broken window.”

  “That was lucky for Mr. Hamilton-Burke,” Janet said thoughtfully. “You don’t think…” she trailed off.

  “You should finish that sentence,” Robert told her. “I’m always interested in your thoughts.”

  Janet flushed. “This was an odd one,” she replied. “I was just thinking that maybe Mr. Hamilton-Burke is behind the brick-throwing incidents. Maybe he’s trying to make things difficult for William, but he didn’t want to target just him in case people became suspicious.”

  “He’s a man of some standing in the community,” Robert told her. “There’s a great deal of family money and he has connections to some of the area’s wealthiest families.”

  “That doesn’t mean he’s above the law or even above suspicion,” Janet replied.

  “Of course not,” Robert said hastily. “It simply means that I need to tread very carefully where he’s concerned.”

  “I do wonder why Wanda was in Little Burton yesterday. She told William that Mr. Hamilton-Burke had let her go, but she went into the antique shop,” Janet mused.

  “Maybe she was simply collecting her final paycheque,” Joan suggested.

  “Or maybe she’s being paid to cause some mischief,” Janet said.

  Joan laughed. “You have a very suspicious mind,” she told her sister.

  “But she is often right about these things,” Robert interjected. “I’m going to go and have another talk with Ms. Patrone. Knowing that she was in Little Burton yesterday should make for an interesting conversation.”

  “You expect her to deny it?” Janet asked.

  “I don’t expect her to mention it, anyway,” Robert replied. “She wasn’t terribly forthcoming about her whereabouts previously. I could be wrong, but there’s something about her that bothers me.”

  Janet followed Robert to the door and let him out. When she went back into the kitchen, George Morris was talking to Joan.

  “…nearby, but not too close, maybe closer to Derby?” he asked.

  “Janet, can you get Mr. Morris the list of area hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts, please?” was Joan’s reply.

  While they didn’t generally want to send guests to their competitors, the sisters often found themselves making suggestions for other accommodations. With only two guest rooms, they sometimes had to turn away larger parties or help future guests find nearby rooms for their friends or family members.

  “Here you are,” Janet said, handing George a sheet of paper.

  He glanced over it and then nodded. “If my wife asks, please don’t give her the same list,” he said. “I’d rather she didn’t find me.”

  With that, he left the room. Janet heard him climbing the stairs. A short while later, he stuck his head through the kitchen door.

  “I’m off now,” he said. “Thanks for everything.”

  Janet followed him to the door and locked it behind him. Joan was already halfway up the stairs as Janet headed for the staircase.

  “It looks as if he’s moved out, then,” Joan said after she’d opened the door to the Alberta Room.

  Janet looked inside. While she could see some of Jackie’s things scattered around the room, nothing of George’s was visible. “You’ll get cross if I check the wardrobe, won’t you?” she asked her sister.

  “Yes, I will,” Joan replied.

  Janet had to settle for a quick glance into the bathroom. Jackie’s makeup and other items seemed to be everywhere, but there was no evidence that the room had ever been shared with her husband. A single toothbrush looked lonely in the cup on the sink.

  “I’ll start in here if you want to finish the other room,” Joan told Janet.

  She nodded and then went and got out the vacuum cleaner. By the time she’d run it through the Montgomery Room, Joan was ready to use it for the smaller guest room.

  “In spite of the arguing, both couples aren’t making too much work for us,” Janet said as Joan put the vacuum away when they were done.

  “I’d rather have a bit more work to do and happy guests,” Joan replied.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Gorham seemed happier today.”

  “Yes, but I’m not sure what’s going to happen with the Morrises.” Joan sighed.

  William rang just as the sisters were sitting down to lunch.

  “I was wondering if you’d like to help me interview a few more people,” he told Janet. “I’ve arranged a few interviews for Tuesday and I’d appreciate your input.”

  “Sure,” Janet agreed.

  The rest of the day passed without incident. Janet read a new book that she’d bought on a recent trip into Derby while Joan reread her favourite Jane Austen novel. After dinner, they sat together in the sitting room, chatting about nothing much. Mr. and Mrs. Gorham were back before seven.

  “How was your day?” Janet asked.

  “Exhausting, but wonderful,” Jenny told her. “Now I need to lie down for twelve hours or more, though.”

  It was nearly nine when Jackie Morris returned to the bed and breakfast. She nodded at Janet and Joan but ignored Janet’s polite question about her day. They heard her climb the stairs. A moment later, a door slammed on the first floor.

  “I suppose we can head to bed,” Ja
net said.

  “I don’t imagine Mrs. Morris will want breakfast in the morning,” Joan muttered as the sisters got to their feet.

  Mr. and Mrs. Gorham were down for breakfast at nine.

  “We should have left an hour ago,” Jenny sighed, “but I couldn’t seem to drag myself out of bed.”

  “It will be fine,” Oscar assured her.

  Janet followed them to the door.

  “We’d love to come back one day,” Jenny said on the doorstep. “Do you have cots for babies?”

  “Um, no,” Janet replied, surprised by the question. “We’ve never had guests bring babies. I suppose that’s something we should think about.”

  “We’ve already bought a travel cot, anyway, for when we go to stay with my mum,” Jenny replied. “We can bring that if we come back here. You wouldn’t mind us coming with the baby, would you?”

  “Of course not,” Janet said, feeling uncertain.

  Jenny smiled and then waved as the couple made their way to the car park.

  “Do you mind if the Gorhams come back with the baby?” Janet asked her sister a moment later.

  Joan stared at her for a minute. “I may have to think about that,” she said eventually.

  Janet laughed. “That was sort of how I felt, too.”

  When she heard footsteps on the stairs a short while later, Janet walked back into the sitting room.

  “No breakfast this morning?” she asked Jackie Morris.

  “No. I don’t eat breakfast,” Jackie told her. “Which is one of the many reasons why I told the man I’m unfortunately married to that I didn’t want to stay here. I’m going now.”

  Janet was still trying to work out an appropriate reply as the woman swept out of the house. Jackie had left the door wide open, so Janet moved to shut it.

  “Good morning,” Robert said brightly from the top of the stairs to the door.

  “Oh, good morning,” Janet laughed. “I didn’t see you there.”