The Osborne Case Read online

  The Osborne Case

  A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novella

  Diana Xarissa

  Contents

  Author’s Note

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Glossary of Terms

  Other Notes

  Acknowledgments

  The Patrone Case

  Also by Diana Xarissa

  About the Author

  Text Copyright © 2018 Diana Xarissa

  All Rights Reserved

  Created with Vellum

  Author’s Note

  It seems fitting somehow that this fifteenth novella would include a visit from Bessie Cubbon to Derbyshire. If you’ve not read any of these stories before, you won’t know that the Markham sisters first appeared in Aunt Bessie Decides, the fourth book in my Isle of Man Cozy Mystery series. The sisters returned to the island in Aunt Bessie Observes, the fifteenth book in that series.

  While you do not need to read this series in order, the characters do change and develop as the series progresses. Similarly, you don’t need to read the Aunt Bessie series in order to enjoy this one, but as I’ve already noted, the characters do visit one another.

  I always open and close these novellas with letters from Janet Markham to Bessie, but I’ve done away with those excerpts for this story. They didn’t make sense this time, as Bessie is in the story.

  I use UK English spelling and terms as the stories are set in a (fictional) village in Derbyshire in the north of England. There is a brief glossary of terms and some other notes in the back of book for readers outside of the UK. I have been living back in the US for several years now, however, and it is probable that more and more Americanisms are sneaking into my writing. I try to correct these when they are pointed out to me.

  This is a work of fiction and all of the characters are fictional creations. Any resemblance that they may share with any real person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Although some shops or businesses in their village may bear some resemblance to real-life businesses, that is also coincidental.

  My monthly newsletter is the best way to keep up with my writing. I invite everyone to subscribe. You can find the link on my website. All of my contact details are available in the back of the book if you’d like to get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.

  Chapter 1

  “I can’t believe that Bessie will be here tomorrow,” Janet said excitedly as she helped her sister make the bed in one of their guest rooms.

  “I’m looking forward to having her here. I think she’ll be the perfect guest,” Joan replied.

  “I’m sure she’ll be better than most of our guests, anyway. At least we’ve had a bit of a break these last few weeks.”

  “Summer was incredibly busy, but we made enough money to see us through a quiet autumn and winter. Perhaps next summer we’ll take fewer bookings.”

  “I hope so,” Janet said softly.

  Buying a bed and breakfast had been Joan’s dream since childhood, but she’d only shared the dream with her sister after they’d both retired from a lifetime of primary-school teaching. An unexpected inheritance had allowed them to buy Doveby House, a beautiful seventeenth-century manor house in the village of Doveby Dale. They’d owned the house for over a year now, but Janet was still adjusting to having guests in the house. During the long summer months both of their guest rooms had been occupied continually, but now that it was late October, things had finally become quieter, something for which Janet was thankful.

  “I’m pleased that Doona is able to come with Bessie as well,” Joan said after a minute. “I’m looking forward to getting to know her better.”

  “She seemed very nice when we met her on the island. I was surprised to find that Bessie’s closest friend is so much younger than Bessie, but it made more sense once I’d met Doona.”

  Joan nodded. “Doona is quite a bit younger than we are, as well. I hope she isn’t bored here.”

  “She isn’t that much younger,” Janet protested. “Only a few years, really.”

  Joan laughed. “She’s not much more than forty, I don’t believe. That makes her something like twenty years younger than you.”

  “Twenty years isn’t much,” Janet said with a wave of her hand. “Bessie is probably twenty years older than I am, but you aren’t commenting on that.”

  “Bessie doesn’t seem any older than we are, really, even though you may be right. But we should stop talking and get our work done. I still need a trip to the supermarket after we’ve finished with the rooms.”

  “I can go to the supermarket if you want. I know you have baking you want to do, too.”

  Joan nodded. “I was going to make a few cakes and biscuits to have in for our guests.”

  “If you have the ingredients to hand, I’ll leave you to do that and I’ll go and get the shopping done.”

  “I do have everything I need for the baking. It’s what I’ll need for cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner for four for the next week that I need from the shops.”

  “Make me a full list and I’ll go once we’re done here,” Janet said.

  It didn’t take the sisters long to get both guest rooms ready for their guests. The busy summer had taught them how to work together quickly and efficiently as they tidied, dusted, and vacuumed the two rooms.

  “You should get some flowers, as well,” Joan said when they were back in the kitchen. She found a pad of paper and a pen so that she could make her list. “I don’t think we have anything left in the garden that would be suitable for our guests.”

  Janet looked out the window at the extensive gardens behind their home. Neither woman had much of a green thumb, so they were fortunate that their neighbour, Stuart Long, was a retired gardener. He’d been looking after the gardens at Doveby House on behalf of the previous owner, Margaret Appleton, when the sisters had purchased the house. They were more than happy to continue the arrangement, which saw them paying him a small stipend and supplying him with unlimited tea and biscuits while he worked.

  During the summer, it had seemed as if he’d been in the garden almost constantly, but the sisters had been too busy to do much more than wave to him or pass him a plate of biscuits. Now that it was autumn, Stuart still seemed to be spending many hours every day in Doveby House’s garden. Janet simply assumed he was trying to avoid his wife, Mary, whom she found unpleasant.

  “Here you are,” Joan said a short while later. She handed her sister a long, neatly written list.

  Janet read through it, making sure she knew exactly what her sister wanted. Joan had always been the cook in the family. She was two years older than her sister and she seemed to feel that it was her responsibility to make sure that Janet was well fed. Janet had never found a reason to object. The pair had lived together for their entire lives, although never in the sort of spacious accommodations that Doveby House now afforded them.

  “I’ll be back as quickly as I can,” Janet promised her sister.

  “You needn’t rush. I’m having dinner with Michael, as I don’t expect to see him while Bessie is here. I should have put that on the list as well, I suppose. You’ll want to get something for yourself for dinner tonight.”

  Janet nodded. As far as Janet knew, Joan had never even considered a relationship with a member of the opposite sex in her first sixty-four years of life. When their other neighbour from the semi-detached properties across the road, Michael Donaldson, had first asked her to have dinner with him, Joan had very much wanted to refuse. After Janet had accepted on Joan’s behal
f, both sisters had been surprised to find that Joan and the handsome widower greatly enjoyed each other’s company. They hadn’t seen much of one another during the summer, but Janet reckoned she’d been getting her own dinner at least three or four nights a week since their guest numbers had dwindled.

  “I could make you something before I go,” Joan offered.

  “No, that’s okay. I’ll find myself a ready meal, maybe something you don’t like that I don’t normally eat.”

  Joan nodded. “Make sure you get some vegetables to go with it.”

  Janet turned her head before she rolled her eyes. When she did get the chance to cook for herself, vegetables never seemed to make it onto the menu. As she’d been eating alone quite a bit lately, she was starting to feel a bit guilty about that, but not guilty enough to change anything. With Bessie and Doona about to arrive, she’d be eating Joan’s cooking every day for a week, anyway. It wouldn’t hurt her to miss a few veggies, just for tonight.

  As Joan began to pull out flour and sugar, Janet got to her feet. “I won’t rush, then,” she said, “but I should be back before you leave for your dinner with Michael.”

  Joan nodded. “Ring me if you can’t find anything. I have menus planned for every day, so it’s important that you find everything.”

  “What if Bessie and Doona want to go out for a meal or two?”

  “Do you think they will?”

  “I expect so. When we were on the island, we went to several different restaurants.”

  “Yes, I suppose you’re right. Maybe I should only plan on meals for a few days, then. Even if we don’t end up going out, we’ll need another trip to the supermarket later this week. We can get what we need for the rest of the week then.”

  Joan took the list back and crossed off several items. “Okay, try that for today. You’ll still need to ring me if you can’t find anything.”

  “I will,” Janet replied. She dashed up to her room to comb her hair and touch up her lipstick.

  “Meerow,” Aggie said from where she was sitting by the window, watching the birds in the tree right outside.

  “I’m just going to the shops,” she explained to her little mostly black kitten. “If you promise to be a good kitty, I’ll bring you back a treat for later. We can both have a small treat in front of the telly while Joan is out with Michael.”

  “Meeeewww,” Aggie agreed.

  Janet laughed and then grabbed her handbag and headed back down the stairs. Aggie had been a surprise present from Edward Bennett, a handsome and mysterious man who, when he’d stayed at Doveby House, had told Janet that he was a semi-retired spy. More than a year later, Janet still wasn’t sure what to believe about the man. She hadn’t spoken to him in months, but he had a habit of ringing when she was least expecting it, which oddly made her fairly certain he’d ring soon.

  She let herself out of the house and walked down to her small red coupe. The car had been another gift from Edward, and she still hadn’t been able to thank him for his extravagance. Joan kept insisting that Janet had to make the man take the car back. Joan didn’t think it was appropriate for Edward to buy Janet expensive gifts. Janet was less certain about the matter, but then she was the one who loved the little red car that was not terribly practical but was such fun to drive. As she slid behind the steering wheel, she thought that it was a good thing that Joan had cut down her list. If Janet had had to get everything on the original list, she might have struggled to fit it all into the car’s small boot.

  The drive from Doveby Dale to the nearest supermarket didn’t seem to take any time at all in the sporty little car. The grocery shop on the outskirts of Doveby Dale itself had suffered from a fire some months earlier. Janet had initially been eager to see it rebuilt, but now that she had her own car, she was less concerned about the shop. There were rumours that work was going to start soon on the site, but she hadn’t seen any sign of anything actually happening yet.

  Janet made her way around the shop, carefully collecting everything that Joan had requested. If a few extra, mostly chocolate items slipped into her shopping trolley, well, that was only to be expected, really. At the car she managed to fit everything except one bar of chocolate into her boot. Obviously, she had little choice but to eat the bar on the drive back to Doveby Dale.

  “I got everything on your list,” she told her sister as she carried the bags into the kitchen. “I also bought myself a healthy ready meal for my dinner.”

  “Really? That’s not like you,” Joan said dryly.

  Janet laughed. “It’s chicken in a tomato sauce with peppers and onions. That’s three vegetables in every bite.”

  “And the mashed potatoes?”

  “Technically, potatoes are also a vegetable.”

  Joan didn’t bother to reply. While Janet unpacked the shopping, Joan pulled a tray of biscuits out of the cooker.

  “Those smell good,” Janet told her.

  “I thought I’d try one of the recipes that Bessie gave me. It’s one from her sister in America.”

  As Joan slid the biscuits onto a rack to cool, Janet helped herself. “Delicious,” she said a moment later.

  “Leave the rest for our guests.”

  Janet thought about arguing, but she’d bought herself a nice microwavable chocolate pudding for after her dinner. She could live without the biscuits for tonight.

  Joan left a short while later for her dinner with Michael. Once she was gone, Janet heated her food, which she ate at the table in the kitchen. Aggie kept her company, munching her way through her own dinner as Janet chatted to her.

  “It will be nice to see Bessie again, but you must remember that she isn’t terribly fond of cats. Try not to annoy her, please. Doona seemed to like you, but I don’t really know her well.”

  “Mmeerrew,” Aggie replied.

  “They’ll be here for a week, and you’ll have to get used to being on your own a bit more than usual, as Joan and I plan to do some sightseeing with them while they’re here. Bessie hasn’t ever been to this part of the country before, so she’s looking forward to visiting all of the stately homes.”

  Aggie stared at her and then blinked and went back to her dinner. Janet finished her meal and then put her dishes into the dishwasher. Once that was done, she heated her pudding and filled a small bowl with Aggie’s favourite treats.

  “Come on, then. Let’s see what’s on the telly.”

  The pair curled up together and watched an old movie while they waited for Joan to get home. As Janet crawled into bed a few hours later, she grinned at her pet. “I’m almost as excited as if I were the one going on holiday,” she said. “I hope Bessie and Doona get good weather for their ferry crossing and don’t run into too much traffic.”

  “Yoowwll,” Aggie replied.

  Janet frowned. She really hoped that Aggie wasn’t hinting that the ferry was going to be delayed.

  Chapter 2

  It turned out that Aggie was correct. The ferry didn’t leave the island until an hour after its expected departure. Bessie rang the sisters to let them know about the delay.

  “We should still be there before midday,” she told Janet, “but maybe not much before.”

  “Joan thought cold sandwiches would be best for lunch,” Janet replied. “It won’t much matter then if you’re a bit later than planned.”

  Joan had made a wise choice. It was nearly one o’clock when the sisters finally heard a knock on their door.

  “Bessie! Doona!” Janet exclaimed. “We were starting to worry about you.” She stood back to let the pair into the house.

  Bessie was of a similar height to the sisters, not much over five feet tall. She’d always been slender, and she wore her grey hair in a short cut that seemed to flatter her grey eyes. No one who knew Bessie would ever have dared to ask her her age, but Janet knew Bessie was some years older than she and Joan were. Doona was many years younger. She had short brown hair with highlights and bright green eyes.

  “Welcome to Doveby Ho
use,” Joan said. “I hope the journey wasn’t too unpleasant.”

  “The ferry wasn’t bad, just late,” Bessie replied. “Doona can tell you about the drive from Liverpool to here.”

  Doona shrugged. “I haven’t driven much in the UK for a while, so it took some time to adjust to all the traffic and motorways, but it wasn’t terrible.”

  “Do you want to go up and freshen up before lunch?” Joan asked.

  “Yes, please,” Bessie said. “Mostly, I just want to walk up the stairs. I feel as if I was sitting in one place for far too long.”

  Doona carried both bags up the stairs, following behind the others. Joan stopped at the first guest room.

  “This is Doona’s room. We call it the Alberta Room,” she said, opening the door and then handing Doona the key.

  Doona stepped inside and then smiled out at them. “It’s lovely.”

  “And Bessie, you’re staying in the Montgomery Room,” Joan said, opening the other door.

  Bessie walked inside and then back out again. “It’s beautiful. I can see now why you bought the house. I’d have been tempted myself, and I can’t imagine ever moving away from the Isle of Man. But this is truly lovely.”

  “We’ll give you a proper tour after lunch,” Janet promised.

  She and Joan went back down the stairs to give their guests time to settle in. Bessie and Doona joined them in the kitchen just a few minutes later.

  “I wasn’t expecting such a modern kitchen,” Bessie said as she looked around the spacious room.

  “Margaret Appleton completely remodeled it,” Joan explained.