The Donaldson Case Page 5

  “Tomorrow I’ll finish cleaning the upstairs,” Joan said over a lunch that wasn’t much better than breakfast had been. “Then Saturday we can go and do the shopping for the beginning of the week. I don’t want to buy too much until we find out what our guests are going to want for breakfast each day.”

  “That sounds good,” Janet replied. “Maybe Sunday we can head into Derby and visit poor Owen in hospital, then.”

  “We’ll have to work out a good reason for doing so,” Joan mused. “It isn’t like we actually know the man, after all.”

  “Maybe Michael will have some ideas,” Janet suggested.

  “I don’t really want, that is, I’m not sure,” Joan took a deep breath and then shook her head. “I’m not sure I want Michael to know that we’re doing a bit of, well, snooping,” she said eventually.

  “But we need him to tell us where to find all of the suspects,” Janet pointed out.

  “Maybe we can find a way to get the information from him without him suspecting what we’re up to,” Joan said.

  Janet couldn’t imagine how they’d manage that, but she didn’t voice her doubts to her sister. Joan was obviously finding the whole thing very stressful. The scorched soup at lunch proved that. Janet didn’t want to do anything to add to her sister’s upset.

  Joan tried Michael’s number a dozen more times during the afternoon, but with no luck.

  “You don’t suppose he’s been arrested?” she demanded eventually.

  “We’ll have to ask Robert that when he’s here,” Janet replied.

  Only a few minutes later, Robert rang them. “I’m awfully sorry, but I’m not going to be able to come and see you this afternoon,” he told Janet. “I’m just too busy. I’ll stop and see you soon, though.”

  “What’s he so busy doing?” Joan asked when Janet repeated the conversation.

  “Let’s go and visit the police station and see if we can find out,” Janet suggested.

  Joan turned pale for a moment and then smiled. “We can visit with Susan and pay her for the blankets that you and I bought.”

  The sisters had agreed to try to sell some of the woman’s knitted creations at Doveby House, but aside from buying a blanket each for themselves, they hadn’t sold anything yet.

  “Exactly,” Janet replied. “And see if she knows anything.”

  Janet drove again, parking right outside the tiny police station. She took a deep breath of crisp autumn air before walking into the former cottage that made her feel quite claustrophobic.

  “Good afternoon, ladies,” Susan said from her usual post behind the small reception desk. She was, as ever, knitting something.

  “Good afternoon,” Janet replied.

  “We’ve brought you payments for the blankets that Janet and I bought,” Joan told her.

  “I was hoping you’d sold out by now,” Susan said with a laugh.

  “We haven’t really had very many guests,” Joan replied in an apologetic tone. “We’re still quite new to the whole bed and breakfast thing. If you’d rather have your things back, we’ll return them. I don’t know how much we’ll sell, especially as we’re only taking a booking here and there.”

  “Oh, goodness, no,” Susan said. “You keep what you have. I’ve been working up a storm since then and I’ll soon have as much again. There was a sale on knitting wool, you see, so I stocked up.”

  Janet laughed. “We have guests arriving on Monday,” she told the woman. “We’ll do our best to get them to buy something.”

  “Thank you for this,” Susan said, taking the money from Joan. “I suppose I should put it away for a rainy day, but I suspect I’ll soon be back at the shop buying up more wool.”

  “We tried to stop at the chemist earlier,” Janet said, trying to sound casual. “I don’t suppose you know why it’s shut?”

  Susan smiled. “Owen, that’s the chemist, had some surgery a while back. I gather they’re having trouble finding someone to fill in on a regular basis, so the head office just decided to shut for a few days until they can sort it out.”

  “Really?” Janet asked, surprised by the story she knew wasn’t totally true.

  “Well, that’s what I was told,” Susan replied.

  “We should ask Michael,” Janet said, keeping her tone thoughtful. She watched the other woman’s face, wondering if the man’s name would spark a reaction.

  Susan shrugged. “I know he fills in sometimes. It was such a nice little shop when he had it, you know. It just isn’t the same now it’s part of that chain.”

  The sisters both nodded.

  “Well, thank you for your time,” Janet said, feeling discouraged.

  “Stop by any time,” Susan replied with a laugh. “I’m always here, and always knitting.”

  The sisters were silent on their way back to Doveby House. Janet was trying to come up with a plan, and she knew her sister was fretting.

  Chapter Six

  Back at home, Janet was delighted to see Michael’s car parked in front of his house.

  “Michael’s back,” she said happily.

  “I’ll just ring him and see if he wants to come over early,” Joan replied.

  Janet went into the kitchen to put the kettle on while Joan was on the phone. A moment later her sister joined her.

  “He’ll be here at six,” she told Janet. “Although he took a lot of persuading. He’s very upset about this whole thing.”

  “I don’t blame him,” Janet replied. “You’ll have to try to cheer him up over dinner.”

  “I wish you weren’t going out tonight,” Joan said.

  Janet went into the sitting room and played through the messages on their answering machine and then laughed. “Your wish just came true,” she told Joan when she rejoined her in the kitchen. “My meeting has been cancelled. Nancy has the flu.”

  Joan smiled slightly. “I’m sorry for you, but pleased for me,” she said quietly.

  Considering her sister’s current mood, Janet decided it was the perfect night for her to help out with dinner. They kept it simple and Janet watched carefully and kept pots turned up or down as needed, so that by the time Michael arrived the food was ready and nothing was spoiled.

  “I’m not really in the mood for company tonight,” Michael said as a greeting. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry,” Janet said. “You’re worried about the mess at the shop. That’s totally understandable.”

  “I’m trying to put it out of my mind,” Michael said sadly. “But I’m failing miserably.”

  “So let’s talk about it over dinner and see if we can’t work anything out,” Janet said.

  Joan gave her an angry look, but Janet ignored it. She knew Joan didn’t want Michael to know they were investigating, but they couldn’t do much of anything without some help from the man.

  “I’d rather talk about just about anything but the shop,” Michael said.

  “I think everything is ready,” Joan interrupted. “Let’s eat.”

  “You two sit down and I’ll serve,” Janet said firmly. Joan looked as if she might argue, but after a moment she sank down onto one of the chairs at the small kitchen table. Michael sat down next to her and sighed.

  “Let me open a bottle of wine,” Janet suggested.

  While none of the three drank often, wine sounded like exactly when they needed tonight. Janet dug a bottle of red out of the small cupboard in the corner and opened it quickly. She poured and served the wine before passing around a large bowl of salad.

  The conversation felt stilted at first, but gradually everyone began to relax. Janet mentioned a television programme she’d seen a few nights earlier and the trio settled into a chat about the quality, or lack thereof, of television these days. Janet served generous portions while the conversation ebbed and flowed and the wine disappeared.

  “I didn’t make a pudding,” Joan said as Janet cleared the dinner plates.

  “We can have ice cream,” Janet suggested. “There are a few differe
nt types in the freezer.”

  “Ice cream sounds good,” Michael agreed easily. “Do you have chocolate?”

  “Chocolate or chocolate with chocolate chips,” Janet answered. “I love ice cream,” she added as he considered the choices. “There’s mint chip as well, and vanilla.”

  “Just plain chocolate is fine with me,” he said with a smile. “And not too much, as I ate an awful lot of dinner.”

  Janet spooned several scoops of ice cream into a bowl for him, fixing herself a bowl of mint chip and then putting a single scoop of vanilla into another bowl for her sister.

  “Thanks,” Joan mumbled as she took the bowl and the spoon Janet offered.

  “Shall I open another bottle of wine?” Janet asked as she topped up Michael’s glass with the last of the first bottle.

  “I don’t think so,” Joan said. “I think we’ve had enough.”

  “Joan’s right,” Michael said with a grin. “This ice cream will finish me off nicely and then I’ll be ready for bed.”

  “We were thinking of making a trip into Derby on Sunday,” Janet said, trying to sound offhand. “Is Owen still in hospital there?”

  “He is,” Michael confirmed. “Why?”

  “I thought we might stop by and see how he’s doing,” Janet said with a shrug. “He always seemed like such a nice man and I thought you said once that he hasn’t any family here.”

  “He doesn’t,” Michael agreed. “He married quite young, but his wife died only a few years later. They never had children and he never remarried. I don’t suppose he’s had any visitors, aside from the police, of course.”

  Joan flinched when Michael said the word ‘police,’ but Janet ignored it. “So he might be quite happy to see us,” she said. “It seems like something we should do for our local business colleague.”

  “I suppose so,” Michael said, but he looked doubtful.

  “In the meantime,” Janet pressed on, “I’m out of a few things and the local shop is shut. Where is the next closest chemist shop?”

  “There’s a lovely little shop in Little Burton,” Michael told her. “Ethan Bailey is actually working there at the moment, covering for their regular man who’s taken an extended holiday.”

  “We’ll have to try to get there tomorrow,” Janet said, almost to herself. “I’m nearly out of headache tablets.”

  “If you can wait, George Hawkins is covering at a shop in Derby. You could get your tablets when you go to visit Owen,” Michael said.

  “I’ll just write down the details for both shops and we’ll see how we get on,” Janet said. Michael gave her the names and addresses for the two shops and Janet wrote them down.

  “I suppose I should get home,” Michael said after he’d eaten the last of his ice cream.

  “Why don’t you two watch a bit of telly together,” Janet suggested. “I’m going to have an early night.”

  She headed up the stairs before either her sister or Michael could object. From the way the conversation had gone, Janet felt sure that Michael knew exactly what she and Joan were up to, and she didn’t trust herself to keep quiet about their intentions if she spent any more time with the man. In her room, she curled up with a book and read until she was tired enough to sleep.

  The sisters spent most of Friday cleaning and tidying Doveby House for their guests. Janet didn’t ask Joan what she and Michael had discussed the previous night. She assumed that Joan would share what she felt she should. By the time they sat down to their evening meal, the house was just about ready.

  “I think we’ve earned a day off tomorrow,” Joan said as they put their dinner dishes into the dishwasher.

  “Let’s drive up to Little Burton and see what Ethan Bailey has to say for himself,” Janet said.

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Joan agreed.

  The weather was cool but dry as the sisters left Doveby House the next morning. Little Burton was only a short drive away, but they’d decided to make a day of it and explore not only the chemist shop, but also the other shops the small village offered.

  Janet drove, easily finding a parking space in the small village centre car park when they arrived.

  “I wonder if they have any shops that might have artwork by local artists,” Joan said as they walked along the short shopping street.

  “This looks like the best bet for that,” Janet remarked. She was looking into the window of a small antique and collectables shop.

  Janet reached to open the door, but it was locked. “They aren’t open,” she said in surprise.

  “On a Saturday?” Joan said. “Are we too early?”

  Janet read the sign on the door. “Apparently they are only open regularly in the summer months. If we want to shop, we’ll have to book an appointment.”

  Joan shook her head. “That seems a strange way to do business,” she said. “But what do I know?”

  There were only a few other shops to explore and the sisters soon felt as if they’d exhausted pretty much everything that Little Burton had to offer, aside from the shop they’d come to visit.

  “I suppose we should visit the chemist shop, then,” Joan said as they stood at the far end of the street, opposite the shop in question.

  “There’s a bank,” Janet said, pointing down a side street. “Let’s try that first.”

  The girl behind the desk at the bank was very kind, but she was certain that the key they’d found wasn’t from one of their boxes. “Ours are only three digit numbers, as well, even if the key did look like one of ours, which it doesn’t,” she said.

  With nothing else left to do, the sisters headed in to see Ethan.

  “Ah, good morning,” the man behind the counter told them.

  Janet looked at him for a long minute. She could instantly see what Michael had meant. The man had no distinguishing characteristics. He had brown hair and brown eyes and he looked like just about every middle-aged man she’d ever met.

  “I’ve run out of headache tablets,” she said now.

  Ethan walked her over to the display and talked her through the various choices. When Janet finally settled on her usual brand, he led her back to the counter.

  “We usually shop in Doveby Dale,” Janet said as he pushed buttons on his till. “But that shop is shut at the moment.”

  “I’d heard that,” he muttered. “Some problem with staffing, I think.”

  “That’s a shame,” Janet said, digging around in her purse for exact change. “The chemist there always seems so nice. I do hope he’s okay.”

  “Oh, I’m sure Owen, er, Mr. Carter, will be just fine. He’s had a few health problems, that’s all. He’ll soon be back, I reckon,” he replied.

  Janet took her bag and smiled brightly. She couldn’t think of anything else to ask, so she turned and walked out of the shop with Joan following.

  “We didn’t learn anything,” she complained to Joan when they reached the car. “I’m terrible at this. I couldn’t work out what to ask.”

  “You did better than I did,” Joan told her. “I didn’t say a word the whole time.”

  “We’ll have to work out what we want to ask George and Owen before we see them,” Janet said as they began their drive home.

  “I thought we were going to have lunch in Little Burton,” Joan said a moment later.

  Janet laughed. “I forgot,” she exclaimed. “But I’m sure there will be a pub or something between here and home.”

  Joan muttered something under her breath, but Janet ignored it. She knew her sister didn’t really like eating in pubs, but Janet preferred them to the little tea rooms that Joan favoured. She’d genuinely forgotten about their plans to have lunch in Little Burton, but she wasn’t sorry if it meant a nice pub lunch rather than sandwiches at a tea shop in Little Burton.

  Even with their pub lunch, they were back at Doveby House before they’d expected to be. “I suppose we should finish getting the house ready if we’re going into Derby tomorrow,” Joan said as Janet parked t
he car.

  “I suppose,” Janet said without enthusiasm.

  “What shall we do for lunch tomorrow?” Joan asked. “I’m not sure I want to eat in another pub.”

  “Maybe we could try that American chain that just opened a branch in Derby,” Janet suggested. “I understand the restaurant is quite near the hospital.”

  Joan looked as if she might object, but then she smiled “If that’s what sounds good to you, then I suggest we go there,” she said. “It’s the least I can do for you since you’re snooping on Michael’s behalf.”

  Janet grinned. She wasn’t going to argue with Joan, not when Joan was going out of her way to be agreeable.

  The pair worked their way through the house, tidying and cleaning the entire thing. It was time for their evening meal when they’d finished.

  “After that big lunch, I’m not very hungry,” Joan said as she and Janet stood in the middle of their kitchen.

  “Me, either,” Janet agreed. “But we should have a little something. Do we have to go grocery shopping tonight?”

  Joan frowned. “I forgot about the shopping,” she said. “I suppose we should, though I hate going out this late.”

  Janet laughed. “Let’s have something light and then I’ll go into town and get the shopping. You can relax. You’ve had a long day.”

  “If you do the shopping, I’ll finish in the guest rooms,” Joan countered. “They could both do with a little bit more polishing.”

  “They’re perfect,” Janet disagreed. “You’ll wear yourself out trying to make them any better. Just relax.”

  “I can’t relax,” Joan told her. “I’m too worried about Michael. It’s better I keep busy.”

  Janet thought about arguing, but her sister’s frown kept her from speaking. Joan obviously had deeper feelings for their troubled neighbour than Janet had realised. Janet could only hope that she could do something to help.

  After a meal of bread and soup, Janet headed to the nearby grocery store with a short list. After Monday or Tuesday, when they had a better idea of what their guests would prefer, Janet would drive over to the larger and less expensive store on the outskirts of the village. She could stock up then on all of the things they needed.