The Zachery Case (A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Book 26)

by Diana Xarissa

  “Thanks,” she said, glancing at it.

  “Just ask for me if you ring,” he said, before turning and heading towards the front door.

  Janet got up and followed him, getting to the sitting room just in time to see the door closing behind the man. She went to the window and watched as he crossed the car park and climbed into a black car. As he drove away, she turned and walked back to the kitchen.

  “I’d feel much better if Robert were the one in charge of the case,” Joan said as Janet sat back down at the table.

  “I agree. Inspector Colbert didn’t seem at all interested, really,” Janet replied.

  The foursome talked about the skeleton and the Derby inspector for several minutes without getting anywhere.

  “I’m going to take all of the leftovers out to the carriage house,” Michael said. “I’ll be right back.”

  He consolidated the remaining pizza and garlic bread into three boxes and then disappeared out the back door. Janet and Joan loaded the dishwasher.

  “I’m going to see what work I can get done on the other side of the garden,” Stuart announced. “I’m glad I have my shed, anyway.”

  When the sisters had decided the clear out the carriage house, they’d had a small shed built specifically for Stuart to store his gardening tools that he’d previously kept in the carriage house. Janet was grateful they’d made that change weeks before the body had been found.

  “What are you going to do now?” Joan asked her sister as Janet shut the dishwasher.

  “I’m feeling restless. Maybe I’ll go into the village and do some shopping,” Janet replied.

  “Chemist’s or newsagent’s?”

  “Both. I don’t actually need anything, but I need to get out of the house.”

  “Because of the body or because you’re worried about Edward’s arrival?”

  “The body, really. I’m not exactly worried about Edward’s arrival. I’m a dozen other emotions, but I think I’m mostly excited that he’s coming.”

  Joan stared at her for a minute. “What if he proposes?”

  Janet felt herself blush. “He isn’t going to propose.”

  “Why not?”

  “I very much doubt he’s the sort of person who’d get married. He’s never done it before, after all.”

  “Neither have you, but you’d marry him if he asked, wouldn’t you?”

  “I don’t know and I don’t want to talk about it,” Janet said grumpily.

  Joan shrugged. “I just wanted to put the idea in your head so that you could give it a little thought before Edward arrives, that’s all.”

  “I have enough in my head without worrying about that,” Janet told her.

  Half an hour later, she was in her little car, driving into the village centre. As she reached the small car park for the handful of shops, she changed her mind and kept going. It was a lovely day for a drive, even if it was overcast and drizzling, she decided. Joan was making a chicken for dinner, with apple crumble for pudding, so she knew she had to be back at Doveby House in time for that, but there was nothing to keep her from simply driving around until just before time for dinner.

  The one thing that kept Janet from her long drive was a lack of petrol. She was driving around the outskirts of Derby when she realised she needed to get some and it took her some time to find a petrol station. That cut short the amount of time she had for her adventure. She was back at Doveby House in time to help Joan with dinner.

  “Any news from the carriage house?” Janet asked once they were all seated together, enjoying Joan’s cooking.

  Joan shook her head. “People have been walking back and forth past the window all day, but no one has stopped to ask any questions or tell us anything.”

  “They wouldn’t tell me anything when I took them the pizza,” Michael added. “They wouldn’t let me anywhere near the carriage house, although they were very grateful for the food.”

  “They wouldn’t let me anywhere near the carriage house, either,” Stuart added. “I explained that I needed to weed some of the beds near there, but they told me I’d have to wait for another day.”

  Janet indulged in two helpings of apple crumble for pudding. “I found a dead body today,” she told Joan when Joan disapproved. “I need some extra sugar to help my body deal with the shock.”

  Michael laughed. “It’s a good excuse. I wish I could use it to have a second helping.”

  “You may have a second helping anyway,” Joan told him, patting his arm.

  They all watched television together after dinner. Janet felt very much as if they were simply marking time until they could all go to bed and get what had been a very long day over with.

  “I wish we knew what was happening out there,” Joan said as she switched off the television some hours later.

  “We’ll learn more once Edward gets here,” Janet predicted.

  “I certainly hope so,” Joan told her.

  Convinced that she’d never sleep, Janet crawled into bed with her mobile in case Edward rang. She was fast asleep when he finally did.

  “Hello?” she said sleepily.

  “Good morning, darling,” Edward’s voice came down the line. “You didn’t want me to come yesterday, so I stayed in London and did all the things that needed doing. When I couldn’t sleep, though, I decided to get an early start. I’m in the car park outside. Is it too early for me to check into my room?”

  Janet sat up in bed and looked at the clock. It was just past five. “I’ll come down and let you in,” she said, feeling completely overwhelmed. She hadn’t wanted Edward to see her in her old clothes the previous day, and now he was going to see her in her pyjamas. She ran a comb through her hair and frowned as she pulled on her bathrobe. He was too early. She wasn’t ready.

  Chapter 5

  “Good morning,” Edward greeted her when Janet opened the door.

  “Good morning,” she replied, feeling flustered. She was feeling a great many other emotions after he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

  “I’m sorry that I turned up so early, but, well, murder investigations are serious and I was worried about you,” he said when he raised his head.

  “I’m fine,” Janet told him. He was still holding her close and she found she quite liked being in his arms.

  “I know you are, but now I’m here and I don’t have to worry any longer,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “I don’t want to overwhelm you, but I’m rather hoping we won’t be spending any more time apart.”

  Janet wasn’t certain how to respond to that, so she changed the subject. “The inspector for Derby doesn’t seem to think that the body will ever be identified,” she said.

  “Harold Colbert? I’ve met the man. He’s an adequate investigator, but he’s lacking in imagination. Sometimes difficult cases require thinking outside the box, and Harold doesn’t do that very successfully.”

  “Oh, dear.”

  Edward chuckled. “I’m here, though, and Robert is also on the case. Between us, we’ll discover who died, and how the body got into the carriage house as well.”

  Janet nodded. She had complete confidence in Edward and Robert, whatever Harold thought.

  “But it’s far too early to be solving murders right now,” Edward said. “I’m certain that I woke you. I think you should go back to bed.”

  “What will you do?”

  “If I can have my keys, I’ll get settled in my room. I may even take a short nap. Otherwise, I’ll rest in the library or somewhere until time for breakfast.”

  “You can have your keys. I’ll just get them,” Janet told him. Joan kept the guest room keys in a drawer in the kitchen. It only took Janet a moment to get the ones that Edward needed. Then she led him up the stairs to his room.

  “Breakfast at eight?” he asked in front of his door.

  “Joan won’t be expecting you, but that won’t matter.”

  “There won’t be enough room at the kitchen table for everyone.”

>   “You and I can eat in the dining room,” Janet replied.

  Edward pulled her into another embrace before he let himself into his room, dragging his large suitcase behind him.

  “If he’s planning on staying for a while, he should have brought more than one suitcase,” Janet muttered to Aggie as she slid back into bed.

  “Merroow,” Aggie told her before squeezing her eyes tightly shut again.

  Janet growled at her alarm when it went off a short while later. A shower helped, but she was eager to get some coffee as she headed down the stairs just before eight.

  “Good morning, my dear,” Edward said, handing her a mug full of coffee as soon as she walked into the kitchen.

  She took a sip and then smiled at him. “Good morning.”

  “Edward had the coffee brewing before I got into the kitchen this morning,” Joan said. “It was a lovely surprise.”

  Janet hid a grin. A few months earlier, Joan would have been upset that Edward had made himself at home and started coffee, but since she’d been married, Joan had begun rising later in the mornings, and had become somewhat less possessive of the kitchen as well.

  “Full English breakfast for everyone?” Joan checked as she got out frying pans.

  “I’m going to skip breakfast today,” Stuart said from the doorway. “I didn’t get anything done yesterday, not with the police everywhere. I need to get three beds weeded before nine if I’m to get everything caught up today.”

  “You need fuel if you’re going to work that hard,” Joan argued.

  “I have some cereal bars,” Stuart told her. “That’s what I used to have for breakfast most days, before you started spoiling me.”

  Joan looked as if she wanted to argue further, but Stuart rushed through the room and out the back door before she could say anything.

  “I was worried about where everyone would sit,” Janet said, gesturing towards the small table with just enough room for the four chairs around it.

  “We’ll have to eat in the dining room now that Edward is here,” Joan said. “It isn’t exactly a hardship, as it’s a lovely room.”

  “The kitchen is just more convenient,” Janet said, sliding bread into the toaster.

  Edward and Michael chatted about the weather and national politics while Joan and Janet made breakfast.

  “Tomorrow, Michael and I should make breakfast to give you a break,” Edward suggested as Joan put plates of food on the table.

  “I don’t mind cooking,” Joan told him. “I’m certain Janet would let you make the toast, though.”

  Janet laughed. “It isn’t a difficult job, but you’re welcome to it if you want it.”

  They talked about the skeleton in the carriage house while they ate, but everything was pure conjecture as not even Edward had any new information.

  “I’ll need a word with Inspector Colbert when he arrives today,” Edward said as he stood up to put his empty plate in the dishwasher. “Hopefully, he’ll be happy for me to help in some way with the investigation.”

  “I should imagine he’ll be here bright and early,” Janet said. “I just hope he’ll know more than he did yesterday.”

  Expecting the inspector to arrive at any moment, Edward and Janet went out into the garden to wait. They walked along the various paths, admiring the last of the beautiful flowers that had bloomed all summer.

  “I’ve missed you,” Edward said. “I hope I never have to miss you again.”

  “I’ve no idea how to reply to that,” Janet blurted out.

  Edward chuckled. “It’s a bit dramatic of me, really, but I want you to understand how I feel. I’ve travelled the world and I’ve met a lot of people. I’ve never met anyone quite like you before. You’re very special and you’ve become very important to me.”

  Janet flushed. “I’ve never met anyone quite like you before, either, but I’ve led a much less interesting life. Teachers don’t often meet secret agents.”

  They made another circuit of the garden while Edward told Janet stories from his past. As they walked by Stuart for the third time, he looked up from his flowers.

  “I thought the police would be here by now,” he said. “I started with the bed closest to the carriage house so that I wouldn’t be in the way.”

  “Yes, I was expecting Inspector Colbert by now,” Edward said. “No doubt something more important has arisen.”

  “What could be more important than a murder investigation?” Janet demanded.

  “Maybe a more recent murder?” Edward speculated. “We’ve no idea when our skeleton died, but it was certainly some time ago.”

  Janet couldn’t argue with that. “So what do we do now?” she asked as they walked past the carriage house again. The police seal on the door meant that Edward couldn’t take a look inside.

  “Let’s go and explore a stately home or something,” Edward suggested. “Inspector Colbert can track me down when he’s ready to talk to me.”

  Back inside, Janet combed her hair and grabbed her handbag. When she walked back into the sitting room, Edward was on his mobile. He smiled brightly at her and then dropped his phone into his pocket.

  “I rang Robert to find out what was happening,” he explained. “Except Robert doesn’t know any more than we do. Inspector Colbert hasn’t filed any reports yet. Apparently, there were a number of arrests last night in Derby related to a burglary ring. Robert believes that Inspector Colbert may have had to help with that and put the investigation here on the back burner.”

  Janet sighed. “I suppose I can understand our case being a lower priority than some others, but it’s frustrating anyway.”

  Edward nodded. “I’ll ring a few more people later if we still haven’t heard anything.”

  They walked to the door and Janet opened it. Inspector Colbert was standing on the steps with his arm in the air, poised to knock.

  “So lovely to see you again,” he said to Janet as she took a flustered step backwards.

  “Hello, Harold,” Edward said.

  The inspector looked over at him and frowned. “Edward Bennett? I wasn’t expecting to see you here. I hope you aren’t still using, er, but maybe I shouldn’t be talking out of turn.”

  “You’re fine,” Edward replied. “I don’t have any secrets from Janet.”

  “None?” the inspector raised an eyebrow. “That surprises me.”

  “I’m retired, as of yesterday, in fact,” Edward told him. “I’m at Doveby House now simply so that I can spend some time with someone who has become important to me.”

  The policeman looked from Janet to Edward and back again. “I see,” he said after a moment. “I suppose you know why I’m here.”

  “The skeleton in the carriage house,” Edward said.

  “Yes, exactly, although just between us, I’m wasting my time,” Harold replied. “We’re highly unlikely to learn enough from what we’ve found to ever identify the remains, let alone work out what happened to him or her.”

  “I think you’re being unduly pessimistic,” Edward told him. “The experts can do a great deal with crime scenes these days. What have they learned thus far?”

  Harold shook his head. “If you’re retired, then I probably shouldn’t be discussing the case with you, should I? You’re as much a civilian now as Janet and her sister.”

  Edward frowned. “Technically correct, although I still have connections that can get me whatever information I need.”

  “I think you should focus on enjoying your retirement and leave me to worry about the case,” Harold said coolly. “There are a number of interesting tourist attractions in the area. Go and visit a stately home, maybe.”

  “That’s just what we were going to do, actually,” Edward replied. “Did you have more questions for Janet before we go?”

  “I simply stopped to let someone know that we’ll be in and out of the carriage house again today. Someone should be here shortly, actually, to start sorting through the boxes that remain. We’re hoping we might b
e able to date the remains based on the contents of the boxes,” Harold told him.

  Edward nodded. “We’ll let Joan and Michael know. I believe they’re going to be home for most of the day. Janet and I have plans.”

  “I hope you enjoy your retirement,” Harold said. “I expect we’ll finish with the carriage house today, although we may not be able to let you back into it for a short while longer. Someone will let you know.”

  Before Janet or Edward could speak, Harold spun around and walked back down the steps. Janet watched as he turned to follow the path around to the back of the house and then she slowly shut the door.

  “He doesn’t seem the least bit interested in solving the case,” Janet complained.

  “He’s only a few years away from retirement. I suspect he prefers cases that can be solved quickly and easily. This one seems as if it could drag on for years, which means piles and piles of paperwork.”

  “I’m sure the poor dead person didn’t mean to be an inconvenience.”

  Edward patted her arm. “Don’t get angry with me. I’m determined to work out whom you’ve found and what happened to him or her. Let’s go and have our day out. I’d hate for Harold to think that I’m interfering, after all. Once we get back, I’ll ring a few friends and see what I can learn.”

  “I wonder if Gavin Appleton could help,” Janet said thoughtfully.

  “Maggie’s son? He’s still in prison, but I can probably arrange a phone call.”

  “Would he talk to you?”

  “We got along reasonably well when I used to visit when Maggie owned the house. I can’t see why he wouldn’t, unless he knows more about the skeleton than he should.”

  “Could he have put it there?”

  “He never struck me as a killer, even though he didn’t mind breaking the law to suit himself. He was all about personal financial gain rather than anything else.”

  “But if he was doing something illegal and someone caught him at it, maybe he would have eliminated that someone.”

  “I’ll have to ask him about that, won’t I?” Edward said with a grin. “You go and tell Joan that the police are back, while I see about having a chat with Gavin.”