The Ellsworth Case (A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novella Book 5)

by Diana Xarissa

  “It’s no imposition,” Janet assured him. “We can’t eat an entire cake between us, but Joan can’t help but bake. You’ll be doing us a favour if you eat a very large slice.”

  Robert protested a bit more, but Janet could tell his heart wasn’t in it. She knew the poor man lived alone and that his family was all in Yorkshire. He probably didn’t get homemade goodies very often, except when he visited Doveby House, of course.

  In the kitchen, Joan put the kettle on for tea and then served a large slice of cake to the man. She and Janet sat down with their tea and joined him while he dug into his treat.

  “This is really delicious,” he said after a few bites. “My mother isn’t very good at baking. She likes to cook and her roast dinners are very good, but she doesn’t eat cakes or puddings herself, so I guess she isn’t really interested in making them.”

  “Next week Joan will be starting the Christmas baking,” Janet told their visitor. “She makes her own mincemeat for the pies and she’s had the Christmas puddings started for ages.”

  Robert grinned. “I’ll have to find an excuse to drop in closer to Christmas, then,” he said.

  “Oh, you’re more than welcome any time,” Janet assured him.

  “And you aren’t having any guests over Christmas, right?” Robert asked.

  “No, at least we aren’t planning on having any,” Joan answered him. “We have two couples here at the moment, but the next booking I’ve taken is for the second week of January. Janet and I will both appreciate the break, I think.”

  Janet nodded. “Having guests is interesting, but I don’t really fancy spending my Christmas with a bunch of strangers.”

  “Yes, I can see that,” Robert agreed. “What about your current guests? What are they like?”

  Janet glanced over at Joan. Was the man just making conversation or was he suspicious of their guests? There was no way to tell, and Janet couldn’t quite bring herself to ask outright.

  “Charles and Lynne Walters seem like a very nice couple,” Joan said after a moment. “I’d guess they’re in their sixties and that they just wanted to get away for a few days.”

  “Do you know where they’re from?” Robert asked.

  “Derby,” Joan replied.

  “Interesting. I’d have thought, if you wanted a holiday, that you’d want to get at least an hour or more away from home.” Robert shrugged. “Maybe that’s just me, but if I were that close to home on my holidays, I think I’d keep popping back for extra socks or to check in with work.”

  “Our other guests are from Derby as well,” Janet told him.

  “Are they now? Do they know one another?”

  The women exchanged glances. “They didn’t seem to when they met at breakfast,” Janet said. “I introduced them, but whenever I was in the room they didn’t act as if they’d met before.”

  “Peter and Paula Ellsworth are a good deal younger,” Joan said. “I’m not sure she’s thirty yet and he can’t be much past it. They seem somewhat better off as well. Her handbags and shoes are all designer brands and his watch is an expensive one.”

  Janet looked curiously at her sister. She hadn’t realised that Joan had paid that much attention to their guests. It also surprised her that Joan recognised designer bags and shoes.

  “They seem nice enough,” Joan added. “But they both seem to be under a great deal of stress. I hope their holiday helps.”

  “Any idea what’s bothering them?” Robert asked.

  “None at all,” Joan replied. “It isn’t our business to pry,” she added, glancing at Janet.

  Janet flushed, knowing the comment was directed at her. She had no intention of prying, but if she overheard something interesting, well, she’d share it with Robert if it was relevant.

  “You must promise to let me know if you have any concerns about your guests,” Robert said. “Not just these guests, but at any time. There is always a small risk, when you open your home to strangers, that you might welcome someone with criminal intent.”

  “Like our guests last month,” Janet said.

  “Well, yes,” Robert agreed. “I would hate for anything to happen to either of you or to Doveby House.”

  “Thank you for your concern,” Joan said.

  Janet could tell from her sister’s tone that Joan was annoyed. Both sisters appreciated Robert’s concern, but wished he’d have more faith in their abilities.

  “That was delicious,” Robert said after he’d swallowed his last bite of cake. He washed it down with tea. “I really should be going, I suppose,” he said, sounding reluctant.

  “You must come back and visit again soon,” Joan said as she cleared his plate and cup. “You know you’re always welcome.”

  “Oh, I’ll be back, and probably sooner than you think,” Robert said with a laugh. “I haven’t had a homemade mince pie in years.”

  The sisters both laughed. “I’ll make sure I put a few away for you,” Joan promised.

  The trio walked towards the front door. “I stopped in WTC Antiques the other day,” Robert said casually. “It seems as if William has a new friend.”

  Janet sighed. “I assume you mean Karen Holmes,” she said. “She and William seem to have become close quite quickly.”

  “She’s very young to have been widowed, I thought,” Robert said. “From what she said, her husband left her quite comfortably off, at least.”

  “Yes, she seems to have plenty of money,” Janet said. “She’s the one who bought Susan’s blanket when she was here the other night.”

  “Why was she here?” Robert asked.

  “She came with William to look at a tantalus that we found in the library,” Janet told the man.

  “I see,” Robert said thoughtfully.

  “You don’t think she’s the counterfeiter, do you?” Janet demanded.

  Robert shook his head. “The police in Derby seem to think they’ve found the person who is supplying those notes,” he replied. “I’m told to expect an arrest any day now. No, I just wondered what she sees in William. She’s quite a bit younger than he is, isn’t she?”

  “He’s an attractive man,” Janet said. “Not my type,” she added quickly, “but maybe he’s Karen’s type. Do you know anything about her husband? I think she said his name was Lester.”

  “Not a thing,” Robert replied. “But I haven’t done any digging, either. I do try not to pry into people’s lives unless I have a reason to do so.”

  Janet grinned. No doubt Robert had access to all sorts of information about every person in the entire United Kingdom. If she was given the same sort of access, she knew she’d be unable to resist the urge to see what she could learn about everyone she met. As it was, she had to rely on local gossip and the small area newspaper for the little details about the other residents of Doveby Dale that she found so interesting. She’d not even met most of them, but she still found herself fascinated by things like house prices and marriage and birth announcements.

  “I’ll have to ask her about the man the next time I see her,” Janet said. “I’d love to know more about him.”

  “You really mustn’t pry,” Joan scolded. “I’m sure she won’t like talking about him. He did pass away, after all.”

  “She didn’t seem that broken up when we met her,” Janet pointed out.

  “Still,” Joan replied, shaking her head.

  Robert grinned at them both. “Thank you again for the tea and the lovely cake. I’ll stop back with an update when the counterfeiter is safely behind bars.”

  As she let Robert out, Janet was surprised to see Charles and Lynne Walters rapidly approaching the house on foot. She stood in the doorway, waiting to let them in if they were heading for Doveby House.

  “Oh, thank you,” Lynne gasped as the pair dashed up the steps. Charles was right behind her and he glanced back towards the road before rushing inside.

  “Are you okay?” Joan asked.

  They were both flushed and Lynne seemed to be struggling to
catch her breath. She held up a hand and took several deep breaths. Charles watched her, his face anxious.

  “I’m fine,” Lynne said after a moment. “Although I think I need some water.”

  Janet glanced at Joan. She didn’t mind getting the woman a drink, but she didn’t want to miss anything else Lynne might say that might explain the couple’s strange behaviour.

  “Why don’t we all go into the kitchen,” Joan suggested. “You can have some water and I’ll put the kettle on as well. A cup of tea might help as well.”

  “It can’t hurt,” Charles said heartily.

  Janet gave Lynne a glass of water and then put out a plate of biscuits while Joan fixed the tea. Charles and Lynne sat at the kitchen table, seemingly glaring at one another while Lynne sipped her glass of water slowly.

  “I do hope everything is okay,” Janet said politely as she joined the couple at the table.

  “It’s fine,” Lynne snapped. She took a deep breath. “We, um, well, we had a bit of car trouble, you see. We had to leave the car and walk back, which we weren’t expecting.”

  “You should have rung for a taxi,” Janet said. “There are a few taxis in Doveby Dale and Little Burton. You shouldn’t have had to wait long.”

  “I just hate to spend the money,” Lynne replied. “It didn’t seem like a long walk, really. But it definitely felt like one.”

  Janet nodded. “But what about the car?” she asked. “Did you have it towed somewhere?”

  Lynne looked over at Charles and he shrugged at her. After a moment, he replied.

  “We’ll get it sorted in the morning,” he said. “It’s too late to try to find a garage tonight.”

  “There isn’t one in Doveby Dale at the moment,” Janet told him. “We had a little repair shop, but it’s no longer open.”

  “I guess we’ll have to try Little Burton or maybe just get the car towed back to Derby,” Lynne said.

  “I might be able to tinker with it a bit,” Charles muttered. “Get it going enough to get us home, anyway.”

  “I hope that doesn’t mean you’re planning to leave early,” Janet said.

  “Oh, we might just have to,” Lynne replied. “We’ll have to see what tomorrow brings.”

  “I’m ready for bed,” Charles announced, standing up from the table. “Good night.”

  He left the room quickly, leaving Janet and Joan staring after him. Lynne swallowed the last of her tea and then disappeared after him, muttering something inaudible at the sisters as she left.

  “That was strange,” Joan said.

  “They were strange,” Janet retorted. “I’m not sure I believe that they had car trouble.”

  “But if they didn’t, why did they walk back from town?”

  Janet shrugged. “I wish Robert had seen that,” she said. “Maybe we should ring and tell him about it.”

  “I don’t know,” Joan said. “It isn’t like they did anything wrong. Even if they didn’t have car trouble, there’s nothing that says they can’t walk here from town if they want to.”

  “It just feels odd to me,” Janet replied. “Like they’re hiding something.”

  The sound of the house’s front door opening stopped their conversation. Janet quickly made her way to the front of the house.

  “And again it’s all my fault,” Paula was shouting at Peter as Janet entered the sitting room. “Everything is my fault, isn’t it?”

  “That isn’t what I said,” Peter replied, his voice slightly calmer than his wife’s.

  “You didn’t have to say it, I know you thought it,” she snapped back.

  “Your mind reading talents are impressive,” he replied dryly.

  “Did you have a nice evening?” Janet asked loudly.

  Paula gasped, and both of them turned to look at Janet.

  “I’m sorry,” Paula said, her eyes filling with tears. “I just, that is, everything is so overwhelming right now.” Her eyes moved from Janet to Peter and back again. “I think I need some sleep.”

  “We can make you a cuppa, if you’d like,” Janet offered.

  “No, I’m okay,” Paula replied. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  She headed up the stairs, leaving Peter behind.

  “I’m awfully sorry,” he told Janet. “We’re both under so much stress. We’ll try harder to behave.”

  Janet smiled at him. “Would you like a cuppa?” she asked.

  He hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. “I’d love one,” he said. “But I really need to be with Paula. She needs me.”

  Janet watched as he walked up the stairs, and then she went back into the kitchen.

  “They’re certainly not happy with one another,” Joan remarked as Janet helped her tidy the space.

  “No, they really aren’t,” Janet agreed. “I wonder what they’re so worried about.”

  “Yes, well, that isn’t our business,” Joan replied.

  “Unless it’s to do with the counterfeit money,” Janet said. “They might still pay with fake notes.”

  “Robert said they had a suspect and were ready to make an arrest,” Joan reminded her.

  “Maybe Peter and Paula are the suspects,” Janet said. “You never know.”

  Joan shook her head. “That seems highly unlikely,” she replied.

  “But it is possible,” Janet insisted. “Of course, it’s also possible that Charles and Lynne are the ones. Maybe they saw the police at their car and ran away,” she suggested.

  “Really, you must stop suspecting our guests of criminal behaviour,” Joan said sharply. “I think you need to stop reading all those detective stories and start reading something that will improve your mind.”

  “My mind is just about as improved as it can be,” Janet said. “It’s just tired. Good night.”

  Joan replied in kind and Janet headed to bed. Upstairs, she could hear both sets of guests talking loudly in their rooms, but she couldn’t make out any words, not to suggest that she was standing outside their rooms with her ear pressed to the doors or anything. She got ready for bed and then curled up with an old favourite by Agatha Christie. Already knowing who the killer was didn’t dampen her enjoyment of the story one bit. She read far later than she should have, but still managed to drag herself out of bed in time to help her sister with breakfast the next morning.

  Chapter Eight

  The next morning at eight Joan and Janet were working in the kitchen when they heard the front door open and close. Janet quickly made her way to the front door and pulled it open. She watched as Charles and Lynne disappeared up the road, walking quickly.

  “So I guess they don’t want breakfast,” Joan remarked when Janet told her what she’d seen.

  “Maybe they have a tow truck scheduled to pick up the car or something,” Janet said.

  “They could have at least told us,” Joan replied. “Watch them come back in an hour and want breakfast then.”

  “We’ll have to see, won’t we?” Janet said. “I’ll burn their toast if they do, okay?”

  Joan smiled. “I know I need to learn to stop stressing about such things,” she admitted. “But I do wish our guests would make more of an effort to stick to a convenient schedule.”

  “They are on holiday,” Janet pointed out.

  A few minutes later they heard the door again. Janet wasn’t sure what to expect as she checked the sitting room. This time she was just able to see the back of Peter and Paula’s car as it drove away up the road.

  “Just me for breakfast today,” she told Joan. “I’m sure I can eat at least two breakfasts, though, if that helps.”

  Joan laughed. “What a kind offer,” she said. “But I think just one breakfast will be plenty for you.”

  The buzzer for the back door off of the conservatory sounded as Janet was taking her last bite. Joan was eating more slowly, so Janet got up.

  “I’ll go; you still have half your breakfast to finish,” she told her sister.

  Stuart Long, the neighbour f
rom the other side of the semi-detached house across the street was standing at the door.

  “I just wanted to ask if I could store a few things in the carriage house,” he told Janet. “Mary wants to do a big clear out when she gets back.”

  “Is she away?” Janet asked.

  “Yes, she visiting her oldest and his family for a few days. When she gets back, she’ll want to start cleaning and decorating for Christmas, and she’s determined to do things differently this year. She wants me to get rid of a bunch of boxes of my things from years ago, but, well, it’s difficult.”

  Janet nodded, even though she wasn’t sure she understood. “I suppose you can store some boxes in the carriage house,” she said. “You already use it for the gardening things, anyway.”

  Stuart was a retired gardener who had loved his job. Now he looked after the extensive gardens at Doveby House for the sisters in exchange for a small salary and a great many biscuits.

  “Just make sure your boxes are clearly marked,” Janet told him. “I want to start going through the boxes in the carriage house soon.”

  Stuart nodded. “I’ll label them,” he told her. “And I’ll stack them all in one place, as out of the way as I can. Thank you.”

  “It’s no problem,” Janet told him.

  “It’s just, well, some things I think my daughter might like one day,” he said as he turned away. “Things from her mother and the like. Mary doesn’t, that is, she’s not, I mean...” he trailed off. “Thank you again,” he said after a moment.

  Before Janet could reply, he was walking away. She shook her head and returned to the kitchen, wondering again about how people made their marriages work, and why they bothered.

  “You don’t mind if Stuart stores a few boxes in the carriage house, do you?” she asked Joan.

  “I suppose not,” Joan replied. “We aren’t using the space at the moment. As long as we can tell his things from ours, I guess I don’t care.”

  Janet nodded. “I told him to label everything,” she assured her sister.

  With their breakfast out of the way and no guests to cater for, Janet decided to spend some more time in the library. She was heading there when she stopped short.