The Patrone Case (A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novella Book 16) Read online

  “I’ve no idea,” Jenny said in a nervous voice. “Maybe we should get out of here.”

  “I want to see what’s in that box,” Janet replied. She crossed the table and picked up the box. “It isn’t heavy, anyway,” she commented.

  “I suppose if it were, the ghost would have struggled to move it.”

  “Ghost?”

  “Unless you have a better explanation?” Jenny asked.

  Janet shook her head and then slowly opened the box. It seemed to be full of tissue paper. She lifted out sheet after sheet before stopping.

  “What is it?” Jenny asked.

  “It’s a wooden picture frame.” Janet carefully lifted it out of the box. The handsome man in the photo smiled at her as she turned it over in her hands.

  “I’ve never seen a picture frame with a drawer in the bottom.”

  “That is unusual,” Janet agreed. She slowly started to pull the drawer open. Once again, the light suddenly went out.

  “If the ghost doesn’t want us to see what’s in the drawer, he or she shouldn’t have put the box on the table,” Jenny said loudly.

  Janet found the torch again and switched it on. She handed the frame to Jenny and headed for the light switch again.

  “What’s in the drawer, then?” she asked as she walked back across the room.

  Jenny pulled the drawer open and then shrugged. “It’s a bracelet. It must be fake, though.”

  Janet looked at the sparkly bracelet and nodded. “If those were diamonds, we’d be rich.”

  “We can dream, anyway,” Jenny laughed. She slid the bracelet back into the drawer and then handed Janet the frame. “What are you going to do with it?”

  “I’m going to take the frame and the bracelet inside for now. It’s just possible that the picture is of the carriage house ghost. There are a few people still around Doveby Dale who might recognise the man.”

  “He was rather handsome,” Jenny said.

  Janet nodded. “He was indeed.”

  The door didn’t seem to want to unlock for a moment, but Janet finally made the key turn in the lock. She switched off the light and then locked the door behind them.

  “Are you ready to go inside or would you like another circuit of the gardens?” Janet asked Jenny.

  “I’m ready for inside. It feels chilly out here now for some reason.”

  Janet glanced up at the dark clouds in the sky. “I think it’s going to rain.” The rain began to fall when she was only halfway through the sentence. She tucked the picture frame under her jumper and she and Jenny hurried back into the house.

  “Of course the bracelet is just costume jewellery,” Joan said when Janet showed her what they’d found. “The frame is interesting, I suppose, but not to my taste.”

  “I want to find out who the man is,” Janet told her.

  Joan shrugged. “Maybe it was just the photo that came with the frame when it was purchased years ago.”

  Janet frowned. She hadn’t thought of that. “Maybe we should get the bracelet valued,” she said, changing the subject. “Some costume jewellery is worth more than you’d expect.”

  “Show it to William the next time you see him,” Joan suggested.

  “Maybe I could pop over there now and see what he thinks,” Janet said thoughtfully.

  “If you’re going out, can I come?” Jenny asked. When the sisters turned to look at her, she blushed. “I’m sorry, but I’m just a bit bored and feeling restless. Besides, it would be lovely to be out when Oscar gets back. Maybe he’ll panic and think I’ve gone off to have the baby. It would serve him right after vanishing on me like this.”

  Janet and Joan exchanged glances. Janet didn’t want to find herself caught up in the middle of a fight between the two young people, but she couldn’t possibly make the poor girl sit around Doveby House all afternoon, either.

  “If you don’t need me here, I’m going pop over and see what William can tell me about this bracelet,” she told Joan.

  “I’m going to get started on dinner soon,” Joan replied. “I certainly don’t need any help with that.”

  Janet nodded. Her sister preferred to have the kitchen to herself whenever she could. Janet only helped with breakfast so that guests could be served as quickly as possible.

  “I need to run a comb through my hair,” Janet told Jenny. “I’ll be ready to leave in about ten minutes if you want to come along.”

  “I do,” Jenny replied happily. She followed Janet up the stairs and then disappeared into her room.

  “I feel quite sorry for her,” Janet told Aggie. “I can’t imagine why she doesn’t just text her husband and tell him to come back here, though.”

  Aggie shrugged and then went back to giving herself a bath. Janet combed her hair and added a touch of lipstick to her lips. While she didn’t want William to think she was trying to impress him, she did want to look her best.

  “What a cute car,” Jenny exclaimed as Janet helped her into the passenger seat.

  “Thank you. I love it,” Janet replied.

  The drive to Doveby Dale didn’t take long. Janet frowned as she pulled into the car park. “Nothing appears to be open,” she said.

  “That’s odd. It isn’t that late, is it?”

  “No, not at all. The shops are all usually open at this time of day.”

  She and Jenny crossed the car park. There was a small sign on the door to the antique shop.

  “WTC Antiques and Collectibles will be closed today. Please visit us tomorrow during our normal working hours. We apologise for any inconvenience.” Janet read.

  The chemist’s shop had a similar sign in place. The two women continued down the row, stopped at the newsagent at the end.

  “Good afternoon, Janet,” Donald said cheerfully from behind the counter. “I was just thinking about closing up early, as I’m all alone here.”

  “Where are Owen and William?” Janet asked.

  “They both shut early because someone is coming to fit their new windows this afternoon,” Donald explained. “It’s noisy and messy work, or so I’m told. They were both advised that it would easiest if they shut their shops and just left the men to do the job.”

  “Don’t the window fitters need to get into the shops?” Janet wondered.

  “I gather they can do the job from outside,” Donald told her. “That’s what William and Owen were told, anyway. They’re using the same company to do both windows. He offered them a special price, I understand.”

  “That’s interesting,” Janet murmured.

  “They came highly recommended, anyway,” Donald continued. “They’re the same company that’s rebuilding the supermarket on the edge of the village.”

  “Are they finally getting around to rebuilding that?” Janet asked. “The last time I drove past, it didn’t appear as if anyone had done much of anything since the fire.”

  “It took a long time for the police, the insurance companies, and Simon to reach an agreement,” Donald told her. “I understand it’s been settled, and that rebuilding is going to start any day now.”

  “I suppose that’s good news, anyway. I’ll have to look for William tomorrow, then.”

  “He should be here first thing tomorrow morning,” Donald told her. “He’ll probably be here later today, actually, to check on how the repairs are going. He may well be disappointed, though, if no one turns up soon to get started.”

  Janet nodded and then she and Jenny headed back out to the car. Jenny was nibbling on a bar of chocolate that she’d purchased from Donald as they climbed back inside. “At least it wasn’t a completely wasted trip,” she said as she licked her fingers clean.

  “No,” Janet agreed as she crumbled up her own candy wrapper. “But I still want to find out more about that bracelet. Do you fancy a slightly longer adventure?”

  “I’m full of chocolate now. I’m up for anything.”

  Janet laughed. “Let’s pop over to Little Burton. There’s another antique shop there. I’ll
see what the man who owns that shop thinks of my bracelet.”

  “How far away is that?”

  “About ten minutes.”

  “I should be good for ten minutes,” Jenny told her. “You drive much more sensibly than Oscar, too. I think I only get carsick when he’s driving because he drives so crazily.”

  Janet bit her tongue and put the car into gear. The drive to Little Burton was a pleasant one, but she felt as if she were going to struggle to make polite conversation with the other woman. It wasn’t her place to criticise the woman’s husband, though, she reminded herself firmly.

  Chapter 9

  The small parade of shops in Little Burton shared its large car park with the village’s pub. Janet pulled into an open space. Almost immediately, another car pulled into the space next to hers. Janet glanced over and frowned as she recognised the driver. Peter Henson got out of the car and headed straight for the pub. Janet looked over at the shops.

  “It seems as if Mr. Hamilton-Burke hasn’t yet found anyone to occupy the other units,” she commented to Jenny.

  “All the shops look empty except the antique shop,” she agreed.

  “The owner is Jonathan Hamilton-Burke. I’ve met him several times, but he never seems to remember me. As far as I can tell, he doesn’t really know anything about running an antique shop,” Janet said as the pair got out of the car and approached the building.

  She pulled open the door and then stepped back to let Jenny walk in first. A man in his forties wearing a bright blue suit was dusting furniture in one corner.

  “Ah, good afternoon,” he said. “Welcome. What can I help you find today?”

  “I was hoping to get an idea of what something might be worth,” Janet told him. “I found a bracelet, you see, and I don’t know if it’s valuable or not.”

  “We don’t really specialise in jewellery here, but I can at least have a quick look and give you a very rough idea of its value,” the man replied.

  Janet pulled the bracelet out of her pocket and handed it to him. He frowned and then spent several minutes studying it.

  “I’m very sorry, but I believe this is simply costume jewellery,” he told her. “It may be worth a few pounds, but not much more. It’s very pretty, though.”

  “Thank you,” Janet replied. She slipped the bracelet back into her pocket. When she turned around, Jenny was on the other side of the room, looking at a small white wardrobe.

  “This would be perfect for the baby’s room,” she told Janet, “especially if it’s a girl.”

  “It’s one of my favourite pieces,” the shop clerk said. “We haven’t had it long and I’m sure it’s going to sell very quickly.”

  Janet frowned. She was fairly certain she’d seen that wardrobe in the shop every time she’d visited. The tag simply said “wardrobe,” which was no help at all. “It doesn’t look terribly old to me,” she said.

  He shrugged. “I believe it’s nineteenth century.”

  Janet nearly laughed out loud. Jenny, however, seemed excited by the idea.

  “We don’t own any antiques,” she said. “How much is it?”

  “I’ll have to check the book. I’ll be right back.”

  Janet waited until he’d left the room before she spoke. “There’s no way that’s nineteenth century,” she told the girl. “If you really want to buy antiques for the baby’s room, I can take you several places where you’ll be able to get genuine antiques for a fair price.”

  Jenny shrugged. “It’s a cute little wardrobe, though. I’ve not seen one this tiny before. I love that it’s been painted white, too. I could stencil some flowers on the doors.”

  The shop door swung open. Janet looked over and was surprised to see Bradley Austin in the doorway. He glanced around the room and then frowned when he spotted Janet.

  “I just need directions,” he said loudly. “I seem to have missed the turning for the main road into Derby.”

  Janet gave him the directions he needed.

  “Thank you so much,” he said. “I’m still waiting to hear back from Mr. Chalmers. Do you think he’ll make a decision soon?”

  “I haven’t spoken to him today. Someone threw a brick through his shop’s window. I believe he’s dealing with that at the moment.”

  Bradley nodded and then turned and left. Janet was still puzzling over his unexpected appearance when the salesman came back.

  “Mr. Hamilton-Burke has that listed for seven hundred pounds, but if you buy it today, I’m prepared to forgo my commission and let you have it for six-fifty.”

  Jenny stared at him and then shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t have that sort of money to spend right now. Thank you anyway.”

  “You drive a hard bargain,” he chuckled. “Six hundred, but that’s truly the best I can do.”

  “Sorry, but I can’t,” Jenny replied. She turned and began to walk towards the door with Janet on her heels.

  “Five hundred,” the salesman shouted after her. “Just don’t tell Mr. Hamilton-Burke.”

  “Don’t tell me what?” a loud voice demanded.

  Janet sighed as Jonathan Hamilton-Burke strode into the room from the back. He was of a similar age to that of his salesman, but his suit was dark grey and had obviously been a good deal more expensive than the other man’s. His dark brown hair flopped over one eye and even though they were indoors the man was wearing sunglasses.

  “I was just making this young woman a very fair offer on that little wardrobe,” the salesman said.

  Jonathan looked at the wardrobe. “That was my baby sister’s wardrobe,” he said with a catch in his voice. “I probably shouldn’t be selling her things. I miss her terribly, you understand.”

  “Yes, well, luckily for you I can’t afford it,” Jenny told him.

  He smiled. “Are you having a girl?”

  “We don’t know.”

  “How wonderful. What a lovely surprise you’ll get in the delivery room, then,” he beamed. “I hope I didn’t give the impression that I’d lost my sister. She’s very much alive, just living in America now. She went to university there, you see, and then married an American.” He glanced left and right and then lowered his voice. “She married into a very famous family over there. I don’t like to brag, but if I tell you that the surname starts with K, perhaps you’ll know whom I mean.”

  Janet raised an eyebrow. Was it possible that Mr. Hamilton-Burke’s sister had married into the Kennedy family? It seemed unlikely, but Jenny appeared impressed, anyway.

  “And that was her wardrobe?” she asked.

  “It was, when she was a child. As I said, I hate to sell it, but more than anything I’d like to see it going to a good home. I love the idea of some other little girl getting to use it every day until she, too, grows up and gets married. What price did Dale give you?”

  “He said five hundred, but I can’t afford that,” Jenny said, blushing.

  “I’ll let you have it for four,” Jonathan said, “only because I know it’s going to a good home where it will be loved.”

  Jenny hesitated and then glanced at Janet. Janet shook her head firmly.

  “Perhaps I could bring my husband back later,” Jenny said. “I really should get his opinion before I buy anything.”

  Jonathan frowned. “I can’t promise that the wardrobe will still be here, of course. We do a fairly brisk trade most days.”

  Janet bit her lip to keep from laughing. From what she could see, nothing in the shop had been sold since her last visit months ago.

  “Yes, well, I’m sorry, but I can’t buy it before he’s seen it,” Jenny said firmly. “Thank you, though.”

  Janet stepped around her to open the door and then followed Jenny out of the building. As soon as they reached the car, Jenny pulled out her mobile.

  “What was the owner’s name again?” she asked.

  “Jonathan Hamilton-Burke,” Janet replied.

  Jenny made a quick call. “I want everything you can tell me about Jonathan H
amilton-Burke,” she told someone. “He has an antique shop in Little Burton in Derbyshire.”

  “Should I ask who you’ve rung?” Janet asked as Jenny put her phone away.

  “My father is with Scotland Yard,” Jenny explained. “I want to know if Mr. Hamilton-Burke’s sister really did move to America and marry someone famous.”

  Janet laughed. “I thought you believed everything he said.”

  “I wanted to give him that impression, anyway. I didn’t like him or his pushy salesman, either.”

  Janet put the car into gear and then stopped. Wanda Petrone was walking down the pavement in front of the shops. She went into the antique shop while Janet stared.

  “What’s wrong?” Jenny asked.

  “Nothing, really,” Janet replied.

  She shook her head to clear it and then drove back to Doveby House. When they pulled into the car park, Jenny smiled.

  “Oscar is back,” she said happily.

  Janet bit her tongue, feeling as if she’d be angry rather than happy if she’d been in Jenny’s shoes. Jenny was out of the car as quickly as she could be under the circumstances. Janet climbed the stairs behind her and then opened the door for her.

  “Darling, I was getting a bit worried about you,” Oscar said as he greeted Jenny with a hug.

  “When I woke up, I found that you’d disappeared,” she replied. “I should be quite cross with you, really.”

  “I wanted to go and find some good places to take you,” he explained. “It wasn’t until I was miles away that I realised that I’d left my mobile in my other jacket pocket. Unfortunately, I only discovered that because the car broke down.”

  Jenny gasped. “What’s wrong with it?”

  “Nothing major, just a few little problems,” he told her. “A passing stranger was kind enough to ring a garage for me, and Mack Fenton at the garage towed it in and did all of the repairs in no time at all.”

  “I suppose we should be happy it didn’t break down during the journey here. I don’t know what we would have done if we’d broken down on the motorway.”

  “Mack reckoned that it was the long journey that caused the problems. It is an older car, after all. It’s been years since it went any further than my office and home again. Anyway, he’s repaired all of the problems and checked it over thoroughly. He’s confident that we’ll be fine to get home on Monday morning.”