The Green Case (A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novella Book 7) Page 7

  “Gerald is just running late,” Nancy snapped, clearly tired of being asked the same thing repeatedly.

  “And neither of you found men to drag along?” Harriet asked Janet and Martha.

  “I didn’t,” Martha told her. “But then I didn’t even try.”

  “I invited William Chalmers,” Janet said. “He’s working late, but he’s going to try to stop in later.”

  “William Chalmers?” Harriet repeated. She looked around the restaurant and then leaned towards Janet. “He’s been in prison, you know,” she said in a loud whisper.

  “Yes, I do know,” Janet replied calmly. “He maintains that he was innocent, but whatever happened, he’s served his time and is a valuable addition to Doveby Dale.”

  Harriet sniffed. “If you say so,” she muttered. She looked around the table and then sighed. She was going to have to choose whether she wanted to sit near Janet or near Nancy and clearly neither option appealed to her. After an awkward moment she sat down next to Nancy and began to whisper to her.

  Janet thought about interrupting, but instead she started a conversation with Martha.

  “You saw me in the supermarket?” Janet asked her.

  “Yes, I was meeting my brother for lunch in the café. I suppose you didn’t see me,” Martha replied.

  Janet was surprised, and she very nearly blurted out something inappropriate. “Your brother? How nice,” she said after an awkward moment. The pair were chatting pleasantly when Edna arrived with her grey-haired friend in tow.

  “Good evening, everyone,” she said. “This is Donald Harrison, a, um, friend of mine.”

  Janet watched Nancy’s face closely for any signs of recognition, but Nancy just looked politely interested as Edna introduced everyone.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Donald said after Edna had introduced each of the women in turn. “I’m sure Edna is correct that I’ll quite enjoy your company this evening.”

  Edna took a seat next to Janet, and Donald took the seat next to her, which also put him next to Harriet. She gave him a cold look before turning back to Nancy and restarting their whispered conversation.

  “So what brings you to Doveby Dale?” Janet asked Donald.

  “I’ve recently retired,” the man said. “I’ve been travelling a great deal, trying to find a small village that suits me for my retirement years.”

  “And you’ve stumbled upon Doveby Dale,” Martha said. “What do you think?”

  “I think it has a great deal of what I’m looking for,” Donald said. He glanced over at Edna and smiled. “And the people have been very welcoming.”

  “How long have you been here, then?” Janet asked.

  “Several weeks, actually. A friend of mine has a small house about halfway between Doveby Dale and Little Burton and he’s letting me stay there while he’s doing some travelling himself.”

  “That’s kind of him,” Martha said.

  “It is, especially since when I first arrived I told him I would only be staying for a few days,” Donald chuckled.

  “But you were so taken with Doveby Dale that you can’t bring yourself to leave?” Martha asked.

  “Something like that,” he replied, glancing at Edna, who blushed bright red.

  “Is everyone ready to order? Just ready for drinks? Wanting more time to chat before you think about food?” Ted asked with a smile.

  “Oh, I suppose we can order drinks, but we’ll wait to order food until everyone is here,” Nancy said.

  “You’re waiting for two more people?” he checked.

  “William might not be here for an hour or more,” Janet said. “We don’t need to wait for him.”

  “But Gerald will be here any minute,” Nancy said. “We will wait for him, but while we wait, I’ll have some tea.”

  Everyone else ordered drinks, and Ted disappeared into the kitchen.

  “What did you retire from?” Janet asked Donald, hoping he wouldn’t think her nosy, but determined to find out more about the man.

  “I worked for an antiques dealer,” he replied. “I specialised in stamps and rare papers.”

  “How interesting,” Janet said. “We’ve just discovered a box full of papers in our carriage house. If I find anything that looks as if it might be rare or interesting, I’ll have to ring you.”

  “He did say he’s retired,” Harriet pointed out.

  Donald chuckled. “I am, but I loved my job. What I miss most is finding something really rare, especially items with historical value. I won’t mind at all if you want to show me a thing or two.”

  Janet smiled at him. “I suspect the box will be full of old bills and notes from former guests of the bed and breakfast, but you never know.”

  Ted delivered the drinks and Janet was grateful for the distraction. Donald seemed like a very nice man who was quite interested in Edna, but that didn’t explain what he was doing with Nancy the other evening. Janet mentally shook her head. She wasn’t even sure that Donald was the man who’d been Nancy’s companion the other day.

  Feeling as if she’d grilled Donald quite enough for the moment, Janet didn’t interrupt when the conversation turned to the weather, local news, and then moved on to a brief discussion of some minor members of the royal family who were behaving badly. Janet found herself checking her watch several times, feeling a bit bored with the whole evening. Ted came back periodically, but Nancy always sent him away.

  “Nancy, we’ve been sitting here for nearly an hour,” Harriet said as the minor royals ceased to be of interest to anyone. “The next time Ted walks by, I’m ordering some food.”

  “I’d ring Gerald, but I’m sure he’s driving back from Derby just now and I don’t want to disturb him,” Nancy said.

  “Maybe there’s heavy traffic or roadworks,” Martha suggested. “He might be held up for a very long time.”

  “I suppose the rest of you can order,” Nancy said grudgingly. “I’ll wait for Gerald, of course.”

  No one objected to that course of action and Janet was thrilled when Ted came past not long after. Orders were quickly placed by very hungry people who’d had an hour to study the menu. When Ted had taken orders from everyone but Nancy, he looked at her expectantly.

  “Oh, I’m waiting for my friend,” she said.

  “Are you sure you don’t want a little something while you wait?” Ted asked.

  “Maybe just something small,” Nancy wavered.

  Ted suggested a salad or half of a sandwich and Nancy finally settled on a small salad. “Just to keep everyone else company while they eat,” she said. “I’ll have my proper dinner when Gerald arrives.”

  “Did you say you worked in London?” Janet felt enough time had passed that she could ask another question of Donald.

  “I don’t think I said, but I did,” he replied.

  “Is the world of antique dealers a large one?” Janet asked. “I mean, does everyone know one another?”

  “It is a large world, but I know just about all the major dealers, anyway.”

  “Have you met William Chalmers, then?” Janet asked.

  “I have,” Donald said. “I worked with him on a couple of occasions before he had his, um, trouble.”

  “He’s a friend of mine,” Janet said. “He might be joining us later.”

  “I’d enjoy seeing him again,” Donald said. “I never thought he was responsible for the problems in his shop. He just made bad choices in who he trusted to help him run his business.”

  “He has a little shop here now,” Janet told him.

  “Does he? Maybe he could use a hand, just now and again. I really miss the business.”

  “If you decide to stay in Doveby Dale,” Harriet pointed out.

  “Yes, that’s true,” he agreed, looking at Edna.

  Edna blushed and looked away.

  Ted chose that moment to start delivering the food.

  For several minutes everyone was silent as they enjoyed their meals. Nancy finished her small sal
ad before everyone else was done.

  “As you’re all enjoying your meals, perhaps I should tell you a bit about Gerald,” she said.

  “Oh, please do,” Janet told her.

  “Gerald is a retired investment banker,” Nancy said.

  “Not another man from London who’s retiring to Doveby Dale,” Harriet said. “It’s been years since anyone moved here from the south and now we’ve had William Chalmers, Donald and Gerald all at once.”

  “William has been here for months,” Janet pointed out.

  Harriet waved a hand. “It’s just odd, that’s all,” she said.

  “I’m sure we all love Doveby Dale enough to be able to understand why people would want to move here,” Martha said. “It’s such a beautiful small village.”

  “I know my sister and I love it,” Janet said. “We’re both so happy we found Doveby House.”

  “You were lucky to get it,” Nancy said bitterly. “If I could have, I’d have snapped it up.”

  “We feel fortunate every day,” Janet told her.

  “But I was talking about Gerald,” Nancy said. “As I said, he’s a retired investment banker. He still has numerous friends in London and he’s working with one of them on a new project. He’s been kind enough to allow me to invest in this project. If you’re smart, you’ll consider investing as well.”

  Alarm bells rang in Janet’s head. She was sure she wasn’t imagining it when she saw Robert sit up and tilt his head towards Nancy.

  “I’m sure you’ve thoroughly investigated his background,” Harriet said. “But I wouldn’t give anyone a penny of my money until I’d done the same.”

  “Gerald would welcome such an investigation,” Nancy said stoutly. “He isn’t trying to hide anything or cheat anyone.”

  “I hope you haven’t given him much money,” Martha said quietly.

  “That isn’t any of your business,” Nancy said sharply.

  “No, but I do worry about my friends,” Martha replied.

  “You’ve no need to worry about me,” Nancy said. “Gerald has already made me a nice tidy sum, and there’s more where that came from as well.”

  “How nice for you,” Edna said. “I’m afraid I haven’t any money to invest anywhere, or I might be tempted.”

  “I’m in the same boat as Edna,” Janet said. “My sister and I spent all of our savings on Doveby House.”

  Nancy shrugged. “I was just trying to help you all, that’s all. Gerald is a genius with money.”

  Everyone except Nancy ordered pudding. She was still busy insisting that she was waiting for Gerald. Donald’s mobile rang as Ted was serving an extra round of coffee and tea to everyone.

  “I’m afraid I have to dash away,” he said apologetically. “Just a small issue, but it needs my immediate attention.”

  Edna stood up with him.

  “Oh, you stay,” he urged her. “I’m sure one of your friends can drive you home later.”

  “I can do that,” Janet offered. “It’s no problem at all.”

  Donald’s exit was the start of a mass exodus.

  “It’s getting late,” Harriet said. “I’m sure Gerald is desperate to cheat, er, sorry, meet us all, but I have better things to do than sit around here all night waiting for him.”

  “We’ll have to reschedule for another day,” Nancy said.

  “Why don’t you ring us all once you’ve spoken to Gerald,” Martha suggested as she got to her feet. “I quite liked Donald, by the way. As far as I’m concerned, he’s a welcome addition to our group.”

  Edna flushed and looked down at the table. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

  “No point in voting on letting men in until we’ve met them all,” Harriet said quickly. “And that isn’t going to happen tonight. Ring me when you’re ready to reschedule.”

  Harriet swept out with Martha on her heels. Janet smiled at Nancy.

  “I can wait a little bit longer, if you want me to,” she offered. “Unless Edna needs to get home,”

  “I’m fine,” Edna replied.

  “Oh, no, you two go,” Nancy said tiredly. “I’ll ring you both to reschedule soon.”

  Janet and Edna made their way out into a crisp evening. “Donald seems very nice,” Janet said as she made her way out of the car park.

  “He does,” Edna agreed. “But I’m not sure I’m ready to start seeing someone again. My husband and I had a very happy marriage.”

  “Well, he seems quite keen on you,” Janet said.

  “He does,” Edna agreed. “I’m just not sure if that’s good or bad.”

  Chapter Nine

  When Janet finally got home, much later than anticipated, she rang the antique store.

  “It’s Janet,” she said. “I just wanted to let you know that we’re done at the café.”

  “Unbelievably, I’m still tied up here,” William told her. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

  Paula and Peter Ellsworth were in the television room.

  “Janet, there you are,” Paula said, jumping up to give her a hug.

  Hugging the young woman tightly, Janet waved to Peter over Paula’s shoulder. “It’s so good to see you again,” Janet said when Paula finally released her. “You look much happier than when I saw you last.”

  “I am,” Paula said. “And no, I’m not pregnant, I’ve just stopped obsessing over the whole matter.”

  “Good for you,” Janet said.

  “We’ve started investigating all sorts of alternatives,” Peter said. “We’re determined to be parents one day. Exactly how that happens is less important than making it happen.”

  “And whatever we do, we’re taking a year out first,” Paula added. “We’re selling the big house in the suburbs and moving into a cool flat in the city where we can be surrounded by other young married couples instead of by young families.”

  “That sounds very sensible,” Janet said.

  “I’ve been thinking maybe we should get a cat,” Paula added.

  Peter laughed. “You’ve only been thinking that since we got here and you met Aggie,” he said.

  Paula blushed. “She’s such a sweetheart,” she said.

  From the couch, Aggie waved a paw at Janet.

  “There you are,” Janet said. “I wondered where you’d taken yourself off to.”

  “She’s adorable,” Paula said. “I hope you don’t mind that she’s keeping us company.”

  “Of course not,” Janet said. “I don’t mind sharing her at all, at least not until bedtime.”

  “You can come and get her if you want to go to bed before our programme finishes,” Paula said.

  “I’ll just let you watch your programme, then,” Janet said. “We can catch up properly over breakfast.”

  “We’ve asked Joan for breakfast at eight,” Paula told her. “Then we’re going around as many stately homes as we can squeeze into one day.”

  “Have fun,” Janet laughed. “And I’ll see you in the morning.”

  She headed for the stairs but stopped when she heard someone knocking at the front door.

  “Whoever could that be?” Joan asked as she emerged from the kitchen and met Janet in the sitting room.

  “Only one way to find out,” Janet replied. She opened the door before Joan could object.

  “I am sorry to bother you so late,” Robert said on the doorstep. “I’d just like a quick word, if I may.”

  “Of course, do come in,” Janet said quickly.

  “So what did you think of Donald Harrison?” Robert asked once they were all seated in the kitchen with tea and biscuits.

  “He seemed very nice,” Janet replied. “And very keen on Edna.”

  Robert nodded. “Of course that isn’t a crime,” he said with a smile.

  “No, I suppose not,” Janet grinned.

  “I couldn’t hear everything that was said. Could you tell me what you can remember from the conversation?”

  Janet did her best to recall everything that was said. When she wa
s finished, Joan asked the first question.

  “He knows William?” she asked.

  Janet nodded. “He says he does, anyway,” she replied. “I don’t know if he was serious about asking him for a job, but he did seem sincere about missing his old job.”

  Robert made a few notes in his notebook and then looked up at Janet. “I did hear all of the conversation about Gerald Butler-Smythe. Would you care to share your thoughts on him?”

  “He’s trying to cheat Nancy out of her savings,” Janet said instantly.

  “That was the impression that I got as well,” Robert said, frowning. “I shall have to do some serious investigating tomorrow to see what I can find out about him.”

  “I just hope it isn’t too late,” Janet said darkly. “I’m afraid he’s already gone with all of Nancy’s money.”

  “I’ll be checking that as well,” he said. “For what it’s worth, there was a large accident on the motorway between here and Derby tonight. If he was coming back on the motorway, he may well have been delayed by several hours.”

  “He couldn’t have been involved in the accident, could he?” Janet asked.

  “No,” Robert assured her. “A container lorry carrying cooking oil hit a guard rail and spilled oil all over the road surface. There was something of a pileup behind the lorry, but no one was seriously injured, and none of the victims fit the description I have for Mr. Butler-Smythe. Unfortunately, the road had to be shut for several hours while they cleaned up the mess, though.”

  “I still don’t think he’s coming back to Doveby Dale,” Janet said. “He’s taken Nancy’s money on holiday.”

  “You could be right,” Robert said. “I shall be checking into him very thoroughly, you can be sure.”

  Janet nodded, feeling sorry for Nancy even though she didn’t really like the woman.

  She let Robert out and then helped Joan tidy the kitchen before bed. On her way up to her room, she stopped in the television lounge.

  “I’m off to bed now,” she told Paula and Pete.

  Aggie looked up from Paula’s lap and seemed to give the whole matter some thought. As Janet turned to leave, Aggie leapt onto the floor, raced past Janet and bounced up the stairs.

  “She understood you,” Paula said.

  “She understands far too much,” Janet told her, laughing.