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

  It was time to get up to make breakfast far too quickly for Janet’s liking. She rolled out of bed, annoying Aggie who was vocal with her disapproval.

  “We have guests,” Janet explained. “I can’t lie in on a Saturday when we have guests.”

  Aggie gave her an angry stare.

  “You can lie in,” she told the kitten. After a long moment, Aggie batted at the pillow she’d been sleeping on and then lay back down. Before Janet was halfway across the room, she was back to sleep.

  “It’s okay for some,” Janet muttered to herself as she stood under the hot shower. Downstairs, Joan was waiting for her and their guests. Peter and Paula were right on time.

  “I wish we could live here,” Paula said over her full English breakfast. “I’m sure I’d gain a stone or more if I ate breakfast like this every morning, but it would be worth it.”

  “It isn’t breakfast that worries me,” Peter said. “The biscuits you gave us last night were so good. I could eat dozens of them in a sitting and then we’d both be up a stone.”

  “But we’d be very happy,” Paula laughed.

  “We’re happy anyway,” Peter told her, squeezing her hand.

  Some minutes later the pair headed out for their day of visiting stately homes and Janet helped Joan give their room a quick clean.

  It was just about time for dinner when William stopped by.

  “I just wanted to come over and apologise for missing last night,” he told Janet when she answered the door. “And I can’t even stay now and take you to dinner to make it up to you, as I have to deliver a few pieces to a client near Derby.”

  “It’s fine,” Janet told him.

  “I hope you had a pleasant evening,” William said.

  “It wasn’t too bad,” Janet replied. “Although Gerald Butler-Smythe never showed up. He’s Nancy’s friend, but I suspect he’s stolen her money and disappeared with it.”

  “Oh, dear. I hope you’re mistaken about that.”

  “I do, too,” Janet said. “A friend of yours was there, though,” she added.

  “A friend of mine?” William asked.

  “Yes, Donald Harrison. He used to deal in stamps and rare papers or some such thing.”

  “Donald Harrison? Did he say he knew me?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “The name doesn’t ring any bells,” William said. “Describe him to me. Maybe that will jog my memory.”

  “He’s probably about six feet tall, with grey hair and a grey beard and moustache,” Janet said.

  William shrugged. “You’ve just described most of the men who work in antiques,” he told her. “I’m exaggerating slightly, but only slightly.”

  “I’m sure you’ll meet him soon enough,” Janet said. “He said he was going to stop to see you. In fact, he said he might see if you needed any help with the shop. Apparently, he quite misses working now that he’s retired.”

  “What’s he doing in Doveby Dale?”

  “He said he’s been going around the country looking for a small village to retire to,” Janet told him. “Apparently, a friend of his owns a house between Doveby Dale and Little Burton and he’s been staying there while the owner is away.”

  William frowned. “I have a friend with a house between Little Burton and Doveby Dale,” he said. “George Schattner is a former antique dealer who’s on holiday in America at the moment. He’s the reason I ended up here, actually. He encouraged me to come up here after I was released from prison. Once I was here, I realised it was the perfect place for me to start over again.”

  “It must be the same friend,” Janet said. “It’s too much of a coincidence otherwise.”

  “I didn’t realise that George was letting anyone stay at his place at the moment,” William said thoughtfully. “I think I might have to ring him and ask him about Donald Harrison.”

  “I thought you said he was in America,” Janet said.

  “He is, but he left me his mobile number in case I needed to reach him,” William explained. “It will probably cost him an absolute fortune if I ring, but I’ll feel better if I check.”

  “Do let me know what you learn,” Janet said.

  “I’ll ring him tonight, when I’m back from Derby,” he said. “And then I’ll ring you.”

  “That sounds good. I’ll talk to you later.”

  Janet watched him walk back to his car and then shut the door. “That’s strange,” she said to Joan.

  “What is?”

  “The whole situation with Donald and William’s friend and all of that,” she replied.

  “Maybe it isn’t the same man,” Joan said.

  “That would be strange, too.”

  Joan laughed. “You’re always looking for trouble,” she said. “Maybe Gerald really is an investment banker and maybe there’s no connection between William’s friend and Donald’s friend, and maybe real life isn’t anything like the crime fiction you read all the time.”

  “Bessie’s life is like my crime fiction,” Janet retorted.

  “And every time you get a letter from her, I’m grateful we don’t live closer to Bessie,” Joan replied.

  “I like Bessie,” Janet said. “I wouldn’t mind living closer to her. Maybe we should have bought a bed and breakfast on the Isle of Man.”

  “I doubt we could have afforded that,” Joan pointed out. “Doveby House was quite reasonably priced, especially when you consider that we bought it fully furnished and with a library full of books.”

  “And lots of other surprises,” Janet said. “We still haven’t had those coins properly valued. Maybe they’ll make us enough money that we can stop having guests altogether.”

  “I doubt they’re worth that much,” Joan replied. “But even a little bit of extra money would be welcome.”

  “Indeed,” Janet said. “Did I tell you that Nancy suggested last night that she’d wanted to buy Doveby House herself?”

  “You didn’t mention it. If she wanted to buy it, why didn’t she?”

  “I don’t know,” Janet said. “But she seemed a little angry with me for our having bought it.”

  “Well, that’s just silly. It was on the market for months. She had plenty of opportunity to buy before we ever even knew it existed.”

  “I know you’re right, but now I feel as if she doesn’t like me,” Janet complained.

  “Do you like her?”

  “Not really.”

  “Then it doesn’t matter.”

  Janet laughed at her sister’s practicality. “I suppose you’re right,” she conceded.

  “Of course I am,” Joan said.

  The smile on Joan’s face made Janet wonder if Joan was serious or not, but Janet didn’t question her.

  A few hours later, William rang. “I’m home and I’ve just spoken with George,” he told Janet. “He isn’t letting anyone use his house now and he doesn’t know anyone else in the area that used to work in antiques.”

  “How strange,” Janet said. “Have you rung Robert Parsons?”

  “I’m not sure we need to ring the police,” William replied.

  “Did you ask George if he knows Donald?”

  “I did, and the name wasn’t familiar to him, either,” William replied. “You said he was going to stop to see me. Maybe, when I meet him, I’ll recognise him.”

  “I would have thought you’d know the name, though,” Janet said.

  “Maybe he called himself Donnie or Don or even by his middle name when he was working,” William said. “I’m not always good at names, anyway. I’m much better with faces.”

  “I still think you should ring Robert,” Janet said. “There’s something strange about the whole situation.”

  “I would think Robert is busy, tracking down Gerald,” William replied. “I feel quite sorry for Nancy. I hope she’s hasn’t lost too much money.”

  After the call ended, Janet couldn’t stop thinking about Donald Harrison. While the whole situation felt odd to Janet, she couldn’t see what
he could be hoping to accomplish by courting Edna, though.

  As she changed into her nightgown and brushed her teeth, her mind was racing. She knew it wasn’t really any of her business and that she had nothing to report but her own sense that something was wrong, but she finally decided to ring Robert herself.

  Of course the police station was shut and the woman at the central dispatch service wouldn’t give Janet Robert’s mobile number.

  “I can ask the constable on duty to ring you, if you’d like,” she said.

  “I don’t know,” Janet replied. “Who is the constable on duty?”

  “It’s Constable Vincent, from the Derby area station.”

  “Oh, goodness, no,” Janet exclaimed. “I don’t want to talk to a total stranger.”

  She put the phone down and paced around her bedroom. Robert had given the sisters his mobile number once, but Janet couldn’t remember where they’d put the slip of paper with the number on it. Then she remembered Susan, the receptionist at the station. Susan had given the sisters her home telephone number, in case they wanted to talk to her anytime about her knitting. Janet headed back downstairs, pulling her bathrobe tightly around herself.

  In a drawer in the kitchen, she found the slip of paper with Susan’s number. Before she could talk herself out of it again, she quickly rang.

  “Susan?”

  “Yes?”

  “It’s Janet Markham. I’m sorry to bother you at home, but I was speaking to William earlier and I have the strangest feeling that something just isn’t right. I would really like to talk to Robert about it.”

  “Tonight?”

  “Yes, if that’s possible. I’m really sorry.”

  “I’ll ring him and have him ring you back,” Susan promised.

  Janet disconnected and then paced around the kitchen, feeling as if she’d made a horrible mistake. Robert rang only a few minutes later.

  “I’m really sorry to bother you,” Janet said, before she launched into the shortest possible account of what she’d learned from William.”

  “I know George Schattner,” Robert said when she’d finished. “I think I’ll take a short drive past his house and just make sure everything is secure.”

  “I’m probably just imagining things,” Janet said.

  “I certainly hope so,” Robert told her. “But just in case you aren’t, I’ll check.”

  “Thank you,” Janet replied.

  She put the phone down feeling better about the whole situation. When she turned to head back to bed, she nearly screamed when she saw someone standing behind her in the kitchen.

  Chapter Ten

  “Don’t shout,” Joan said. “It’s only me.”

  Janet put a hand to her heart. “You scared the dickens out of me,” she said.

  “I didn’t mean to,” Joan replied. “I heard your voice and came to see what you were doing up so late.”

  “I was just ringing Robert,” Janet said.

  “You were just sticking your nose in, you mean.”

  “I still think it’s a strange situation,” Janet said. “And Robert agreed. He’s going to drive over to William’s friend’s house right now.”

  “Or at least that’s what he told you,” Joan suggested.

  “He wouldn’t lie to me.”

  “He might, if he wanted to placate you. He can tell you tomorrow that he drove past and everything was quiet and that will be the end of that.”

  “We’ll see,” Janet said.

  “We will indeed,” Joan replied. “Now we both need to get some sleep, I think.”

  Janet couldn’t argue with that.

  Sunday morning was sunny and unseasonably warm. Janet helped Joan make breakfast while listening to Peter and Paula talk about all the sites they’d visited the previous day.

  “So what are you planning for today?” Janet asked them when they’d finished eating.

  “It’s Valentine’s Day,” Peter said. “We’re going to have a quiet and romantic day. As the weather is fine, we’re going to do some walking in the Dales. We’ll find a little pub for lunch and then be back here in time to get ready for dinner at the French restaurant in Doveby Dale.”

  “The food there is wonderful,” Janet said. Edward had taken her there during his stay, and Janet still remembered every bite. She wasn’t quite sure how the restaurant did enough business in tiny Doveby Dale to stay in business, but she did know that everyone in the area went there for birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and the like.

  “We’ll have to leave very early tomorrow morning in order to be back at work by nine, but it’s worth it,” Paula added. “I sleep so much better here than anywhere else in the world.”

  As Janet followed them out, she was surprised to see a florist’s van pulling into the small parking area for Doveby House. She watched as the driver climbed out and opened the back. He pulled out two huge bouquets of flowers and then turned and walked up the path towards Janet.

  Janet imagined that one of them must be for Joan, from Michael. Perhaps the other was for Paula and she’d only just missed the delivery.

  “Janet Markham?” the man asked as he climbed the steps.

  “Yes?”

  “You’re very popular,” he told her. “These are both for you.”

  Janet felt herself blushing bright red. “Thank you,” she said, feeling awkward. She carried the two bouquets into the house.

  “My goodness, what’s all this?” Joan asked.

  “Apparently, they’re both for me,” Janet said, blushing even more. She could see the disappointment on her sister’s face.

  A knock on the door left Janet looking helplessly at Joan. Joan shook her head at her sister’s very full arms and stomped over to the door.

  “Joan Markham? Flowers for you,” the delivery driver smiled at Joan. “I’m awfully glad you two moved in here. I was missing all of the business that Maggie Appleton used to generate.”

  Joan took the flowers. “Thank you,” she said.

  “Of course mine must be from Michael,” Joan said. “But who are yours from?”

  “I don’t know,” Janet said, thinking that she could guess, but it would easier to simply read the cards. “I think we need to get everything in water, though.”

  In the kitchen the women dug out every spare vase they could find. Janet always insisted on keeping fresh flowers in the guest rooms and on the kitchen and dining room tables, so most of their vases were already full.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day, Michael,” Joan read out her card as she opened her flowers.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day. Thinking of you, Edward,” Janet read the first card. She arranged that bouquet and then started on the second.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day, William,” Janet read. “None of them are very romantic, really, are they?” she asked Joan.

  “Not really,” Joan agreed. “But they are all very kind.”

  “Yes, I suppose they are,” Janet agreed.

  “I must ring Michael and thank him,” Joan added. She turned and headed to her room, presumably to do just that.

  “I suppose I should ring William,” Janet said to no one. She went into the sitting room to use the telephone there.

  “Thank you so much for the beautiful flowers,” she said when he answered.

  “You’re very welcome,” he replied. “It’s been many years since I sent a woman flowers for Valentine’s Day. I hope you enjoy them.”

  “I’m sure I will,” Janet told him.

  “I couldn’t stop thinking about Donald Harrison last night,” William told her. “I think I’ll ring Robert later today and tell him about George’s house. I think Robert should check on it, just in case there is something strange going on.”

  “I rang Robert last night,” Janet told him. “I told him the whole story and he was concerned enough to say that he was going to drive by George’s house before he went to bed.”

  “I wish I’d known that last night,” William said. “I would have slept bette
r.”

  When the call ended, Janet wondered about ringing Edward. So often when she rang, the number she had would turn out to be disconnected. Every time he rang her, Edward would give her a new number to use, but it would only work for a short time. Feeling that she needed to make the effort, at least, she went up to her room and found the number.

  “I can’t answer the phone right now,” Edward’s voice said. “Please leave a message.”

  “Thank you for the beautiful flowers,” Janet said. “And Happy Valentine’s Day.”

  She went back downstairs and picked up the two vases of flowers. The guests and the public spaces already had flowers. Hers would go in her room. She found the perfect spots for them, temporarily displacing her new teddy with the rocking chair, and then went back down the stairs. Thinking it was just about time for a new book, she turned towards the library. A knock in the door stopped her.

  “Robert? Do come in,” Janet said.

  “I can’t stay long,” Robert told her. “I have to head over to Derby to deal with all of the paperwork for the arrest I made last night.”

  “Donald?” Janet asked.

  “Yes, although that isn’t his real name,” Robert told her.

  “Robert? How nice to see you,” Joan said as she entered the room. “Do you have time for tea and biscuits?”

  “For once, I’m going to have to say no,” Robert said, clearly regretfully. “I have to get to Derby.”

  “He’s arrested Donald,” Janet said smugly.

  “Really? Whatever for?”

  “For starters, he was staying at George Schattner’s home without permission,” Robert said. “I suspect there will be other charges to add later on.”

  “But what was he even doing here?” Janet asked.

  “It will probably be a day or two before we get the whole story,” Robert replied. “I’ll stop back and share more details when I have them.”

  Janet nodded. “But what about Gerald?” she asked.

  “We’re still looking into Gerald,” Robert told her. “All I know at the moment is that he’s back in Doveby Dale.”

  “Well, that’s worrying,” Janet said as she locked the door behind Robert.

  “Why? As far as we know he hasn’t done anything wrong.”