The Armstrong Assignment (A Janet Markham Bennett Cozy Thriller Book 1) Read online

  “So much better, thank you,” Tamela replied. “After very carefully going through everything that my mother left me, I’ve found several accounts about which my uncle knew nothing. It turns out that I’m quite wealthy. I’ve given up worrying about the money that my uncle stole from me. He has enough problems to worry about, anyway.”

  Janet nodded. “I’m so pleased that things have worked out for you,” she told the woman.

  “Welcome to the family,” Margaret Burns, Edward’s sister, said, hugging Janet tightly.

  “Thank you,” Janet said.

  They chatted for a moment before Edward put his arm around Janet.

  “I think that’s everyone,” he said.

  Janet looked around the room. “But what about all of your friends? The men and women in the black suits?” she asked.

  “They couldn’t stay for the party,” he replied.

  Janet opened her mouth to ask a dozen more questions, but she was interrupted by a waiter with a tray of finger foods. As she helped herself to something, Edward handed her the champagne flute she’d put down some time earlier.

  Half an hour later, they all sat down to a delicious dinner. After dinner, they had both traditional wedding cake and a selection of additional puddings.

  “I’m stuffed,” Janet said after she’d swallowed her last bite of chocolate cake. “Everything was delicious.”

  “Thank you,” Bridget replied as she cleared the plates.

  For several hours, the newly married pair drank and danced and talked with their friends and family. Janet giggled every time someone called her “Mrs. Bennett,” and Edward kissed her every time she laughed.

  “It’s getting late,” he said as the clock on the wall struck nine.

  “We have a plane to catch,” she sighed.

  “And it’s an hour later in Paris,” he reminded her.

  She nodded. “We should go.”

  “But you don’t want to leave.”

  “I do want to leave, but I’m also sad to leave. All of my friends are here and I’ve not had a chance to speak to everyone, not as much as I’d like, anyway,” she explained.

  “I can change our flights until tomorrow, if you’d rather stay here tonight.”

  She looked at him and had to blink back tears. “You would, wouldn’t you? You’d change all of our plans just for me.”

  “I made all of our plans just for you,” he said with a chuckle. “I want you to enjoy our honeymoon, and I want to make the rest of our life together one long holiday for both of us. One more day here won’t change anything in our forever.”

  After kissing him, she shook her head. “I want our first night together to be special,” she said. “Paris is the most romantic city in the world. I want to be there with you, and only you, tonight.”

  “Then we really do have to think about leaving soon,” he replied.

  Half an hour later, she and Edward walked out of Ashcroft Hall and into a waiting limousine. Their family and friends waved as the car slowly drove away, heading for a London airport.

  “More champagne?” Edward asked as they settled back in the seat.

  “I think I’ve had quite enough,” she replied with a giggle.

  “Then get some rest,” he suggested. “We’re going to be travelling for hours.”

  They snuggled up together, and Janet let herself doze on and off as they made their way to London. The small private plane was waiting for them when they arrived.

  “I’m not certain about this,” Janet said as she looked at the plane. “You know I’ve never flown before.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Edward assured her. “You know I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

  Janet nodded, but she wasn’t convinced. Inside the plane, the young flight attendant did her best to make Janet feel at ease. The takeoff was nerve-racking, but once they were in the air, Janet felt herself relaxing.

  “It’s actually a bit boring,” she told Edward after a while.

  He laughed. “It is, yes. It should feel more exciting than it does.”

  Another limousine was waiting for them at the other end. Janet greeted the driver in French. Once they were on their way, Edward grinned at her.

  “I’d forgotten how good your French is,” he said.

  “I’m sure I told you that Joan and I spent two years living in France in the early years of our teaching careers. We taught English, but outside of the classroom we spoke nothing but French for those years, even at home with one another. Once we came back to the UK, I taught French until I retired, so I was still able to speak it fairly regularly.”

  “And now you shall be able to speak it every day for a fortnight.”

  She smiled. “I’m looking forward to that, but I’m a bit worried about our fortnight in Venice.”

  “I speak more Italian than French,” he assured her. “We’ll be fine.”

  They arrived at their hotel, a small boutique property near the Eiffel Tower, after midnight.

  “Please sign the register,” the man behind the desk said, handing Janet a pen.

  She wrote “Janet Markham” and then passed the pen to Edward.

  “Have you decided not to take my name, then?” he asked in a teasing tone.

  Flushing, she took the pen back and carefully wrote “Bennett” after “Markham.” As she gave the pen to Edward again, she found herself giggling once more.

  “Congratulations on your marriage,” the man told them as Edward scrawled something illegible on the line under Janet’s neat signature.

  A uniformed bellhop showed them to their room while another followed with a cart carrying their luggage.

  The huge suite gave them a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower and the surrounding area. Janet stepped out onto the balcony as Edward got rid of the bellhops.

  “Happy?” he asked her when he joined her.

  She looked out at the illuminated tower and then back at her new husband. “I’ve never been happier in my life,” she told him.

  When Janet opened her eyes the next morning, she was momentarily discombobulated. The luxury suite was clearly not Doveby House, but it took her a moment to remember exactly where she was. A quick glance at her left hand made her smile. The simple gold band that Edward had given her yesterday looked perfect next to the gorgeous engagement ring he’d given her in September.

  Sitting up in bed, Janet looked at the empty space next to her. Edward wasn’t in bed. The door to the enormous en-suite was open. Janet stuck her head inside. No Edward. “Maybe he’s enjoying coffee on the balcony,” she muttered as she slipped on one of the thick bathrobes, which had the hotel’s name embroidered on it. When she pulled open the curtains, though, the balcony was empty.

  A nervous laugh bubbled up inside her. She’d been married for less than twenty-four hours and she’d already misplaced her husband.

  Chapter 2

  Grabbing her phone, Janet sent a quick message to Edward’s number. When they’d first met, he’d given her his phone number, but that number had been disconnected within weeks of his leaving. Over the years, the same thing had happened repeatedly until Edward had finally acquired a special phone, one for which only Janet had the number. He’d told her that his agency didn’t even know about the phone, and he and Janet had been able to speak daily on that device while they’d been apart.

  She hadn’t had to use the number for the past few months, because Edward had been staying at Doveby House and they’d been together nearly constantly. Now she sent the text and then waited for his reply.

  A moment later, a loud buzzing noise came from the bedside table on Edward’s side of the bed. Janet frowned as she pulled a mobile phone out of the drawer.

  Good morning, darling husband. I’m finally awake and ready to see Paris. The message Janet had just sent was on the screen.

  “He’s probably gone to get us some breakfast,” Janet muttered. After a moment’s hesitation, she decided to shower and get dressed. No doubt Edward would be back
by the time she was ready to go out. Hopefully, he’d return with coffee and croissants or maybe tea and pain au chocolats.

  Even empty-handed, he’ll be more than welcome, Janet thought as she stepped into the shower.

  Dressed, with her short bob neatly brushed into place and her makeup done, Janet stepped out of the en-suite and sighed. “Edward?” she called, frowning as her voice quavered.

  “There’s nothing to worry about,” she told herself sternly. But the man was a spy, a little voice in her head whispered. What if someone from his past caught up with him?

  Janet paced around the room and then let herself out onto the balcony. Below her, she could see people rushing around the city streets. Trying not to look as if she was looking, she searched the crowd for Edward. It was a pointless exercise. She was too far away to see faces clearly. After she found herself staring at every man who bore even a passing resemblance to her husband, Janet gave up and went back into the room.

  “This simply won’t do,” she said loudly as she shut the balcony door. After checking it was locked, she walked over to the desk and found the hotel’s stationery.

  Darling, I’m going to the restaurant for breakfast. Please join me there, she wrote. She put the note on Edward’s pillow and then checked that she had her room key before she took the lift to the ground floor. There was a small restaurant tucked behind the lobby.

  “Ah, good morning,” the man at the desk in the restaurant doorway said. “Just one this morning?”

  “My husband may be joining me,” Janet replied, feeling herself blushing over the word “husband.”

  “Very good,” the man replied. He showed Janet to a table for two and handed her a menu.

  She ordered coffee and then breakfast. While the food was good, she found she wasn’t the least bit hungry. After forcing herself to eat half of what she’d been given, Janet had the meal billed to her room and then left the restaurant.

  “Now what?” she muttered as she stood in the lobby. Edward had been in charge of their plans, and she knew he’d arranged for several tours, but she didn’t have any idea where or when any of them were meant to be taking place.

  After a moment’s hesitation, Janet slowly walked to the hotel’s entrance and went outside. As the people around her rushed in every direction, she began to stroll aimlessly down the street. By now she was convinced that something terrible had happened to Edward. There was no way he’d have stayed away so long otherwise. She needed to ring someone and let them know, but she had no idea where to even start.

  “What would you do if you were at home?” she asked herself as she crossed a road. “Ring Robert, obviously,” she replied.

  It only took her a few minutes to find the nearest police station. The young woman behind the desk smiled at her.

  “Can I help you?” she asked in accented English.

  “My husband is missing,” Janet replied, speaking in English automatically. She frowned as a tear slid down her cheek.

  “Oh, dear, I’m terribly sorry. Let me get you someone from missing persons,” the woman said quickly. She took some basic information from Janet and then told her to take a seat. As Janet crossed to the small sitting area, the woman picked up the telephone at her elbow.

  A moment later, the door behind the woman opened and a bald man who appeared to be in his mid-fifties walked out. He was wearing a rumpled grey suit and his glasses were badly smudged. After speaking to the woman at the desk for a moment, he walked over to where Janet was sitting.

  “Mrs. Bennett?” he asked. “I’m Inspector Caron. Please come up.”

  Janet followed him through the door and then into a small lift. When it stopped on the fourth floor, he led her down a corridor and then into a small room. It had a table with four chairs around it as the only furniture.

  “Please, sit,” he suggested.

  Janet sat down as the inspector walked around the table and sat opposite her. He pulled out a small notebook and a pen and nodded at her. “Tell me,” he said.

  “I got married yesterday,” she said. “We flew to Paris last night, and when I woke up this morning, my husband was gone.”

  “How long has he been missing?”

  She shrugged. “It’s nearly midday. I woke up around nine. I don’t know what time he went out, though.”

  “So, three hours,” the man said. He put the pen down and sighed. “Perhaps the man went for a walk and lost track of the time. Perhaps he found an old friend in the city, unexpectedly even, and they went for coffee. There are many reasons why a man may spend a few hours on his own, even in Paris, even on his honeymoon.”

  Janet nodded. She’d already decided that she couldn’t tell the police about Edward’s former job, but that didn’t mean she was simply going to give up, at least not yet. “He didn’t take his mobile phone,” she said.

  Inspector Caron raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps he has a second phone. Some people have more than one, maybe one for work and one for personal things.”

  “So you won’t do anything?” she asked, feeling another tear slide down her cheek.

  “I can take your name and his name,” he said. “If he is still not returned by tomorrow, we can do more.”

  “I’m Janet Markham Bennett,” she said. “My husband is Edward Bennett.”

  “And your hotel?”

  Janet named it.

  He looked up at her. “I’m told it’s a lovely hotel,” he said. “And very expensive.”

  She shrugged. “Edward made all of the arrangements.”

  “And this Edward, he is older or younger?”

  “Than me? He’s older, but only by a few years.”

  “And the money, it is his?”

  She nodded. “He’s paying for the honeymoon.”

  “I see,” the inspector said, making a note.

  Janet felt herself blushing under his scrutiny. He couldn’t possibly be suggesting that she’d married Edward for his money, could he?

  “And you married just yesterday?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “Where was the wedding?”

  “In Doveby Dale in Derbyshire,” she replied. “That’s where I live.”

  “Derbyshire?” he repeated. “Some distance from London, then. How did you get to Paris?”

  “Edward had a car take us to Heathrow and we flew to Paris from there.”

  “And then another car met you at the airport here?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “And you went to bed together?”

  Janet blushed and looked down at the table. “Yes.”

  “Was there any arguing between you, either yesterday or today?”

  Janet shook her head. “We didn’t argue last night, and Edward was gone when I woke up this morning.”

  He made another note. “You have been married before?”

  “No, never. Edward had never been married before, either.”

  “That’s unusual at your age,” the man said, scribbling something on his paper.

  Janet thought about explaining how much she’d loved her job and how, when she’d been younger, women were expected to quit working once they’d married. She’d simply never met a man who’d been able to persuade her to give up the career she loved. Instead, she shrugged and then went back to staring at the table.

  “I will get more information from you tomorrow,” he said, getting to his feet. “For today, I think I should speak to the manager at your hotel.”

  Janet stood up. “The manager at the hotel?” she echoed.

  He nodded. “He may be able to help.”

  He escorted her back to the lift and then out of the building.

  “How did you arrive here?” he asked her.

  “I walked.”

  “Then we can walk back,” he suggested. “It’s not too cold for December.”

  She nodded and then turned and began a slow stroll back towards her hotel. Inspector Caron fell into step next to her.

  “So how did you mee
t her husband?” he asked.

  His tone was casual, but Janet still felt as if the policeman was formally interviewing her. “He came to stay at the bed and breakfast that my sister and I own,” she told him.

  “How long ago was that?” was the next question.

  “Two and a half years ago or so.”

  “That’s quite a long courtship.”

  She shrugged. “He was still working, mostly in London, for most of that time. He didn’t propose until after he’d retired.”

  “And what did he do before he retired?”

  Janet frowned. There was no way she was going to tell the policeman that Edward had been a spy. “He worked for the government,” she said after an awkward pause.

  “And here we are,” Inspector Caron said, stopping in front of the hotel where Janet was staying. “Let’s see if the manager can help in any way.”

  “Ah, good afternoon,” he greeted the man behind the desk.

  Janet was surprised to see that it was the same man who’d welcomed her and Edward the previous evening. “But you were here last night,” she exclaimed.

  He nodded. “One of our front desk staff is unwell. I’ve been working nearly around the clock lately.”

  “So you were here when this lady arrived last night?” the inspector asked.

  “Yes, of course. Ms. Markham arrived some time after midnight,” he replied.

  “And she arrived with her husband?” was the next question.

  The man behind the desk frowned. “Ms. Markham arrived alone,” he said, sounding confused.

  Janet gasped. “I most certainly did not,” she said stoutly.

  The inspector and the man behind the desk exchanged glances.

  “Are you quite certain she was alone?” the policeman asked in French.

  “Yes, definitely,” was the reply, also in French.

  The pair had a lengthy conversation, entirely in French, presumably assuming that Janet couldn’t understand them.

  They seemed to be agreeing between themselves that Janet either was confused or that she’d done something horrible to her husband before she’d arrived in Paris and was now trying to report him missing there to make herself look innocent. The man behind the desk argued that poor Janet was simply tired and confused, alone in a country where she didn’t speak the language. The inspector, on the other hand, seemed increasingly certain that Janet was up to no good.