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

  “I can’t stay long, so please don’t tempt me with tea or biscuits,” he told her. “I just wanted to share some news.”

  The pair went into the kitchen, where Joan insisted on making tea. Robert made another token protest and then chatted easily about the weather and local politics until the tea was ready. He took a sip and then ate a biscuit before he spoke again.

  “We’ve made an arrest in the vandalism case,” he told the sisters.

  “Wanda,” Janet guessed.

  Robert nodded. “She claims that she was being paid by Jonathan Hamilton-Burke to cause some trouble. We’re very carefully trying to prove her claims.”

  “I knew I didn’t like that man,” Janet said.

  “I should add that his father is cooperating with our investigation,” Robert said.

  “Does that mean that he doesn’t like Jonathan, either?” Janet laughed.

  “I believe that Mr. Hamilton-Burke has been in trouble before,” Robert replied. “A reporter from Derby has been gathering information about him. The reporter suggested to me that Mr. Hamilton-Burke was sent up here because his family had had quite enough of dealing with him. I don’t know how much of that is true, but there’s going to be an article about Mr. Hamilton-Burke and his family in the Derby papers today.”

  “Interesting,” Janet said. “Will Wanda be in much trouble?”

  “That’s for the courts to decide, not me,” Robert told her.

  Janet walked him back to the door and let him out. The postman was just coming up the steps as she did so.

  “Lots of post today,” he remarked as he handed her a pile of envelopes.

  Janet took them into the kitchen and then sorted through them quickly. “Electricity bill, bank statement, advertisement for double glazing, supermarket flyer…” she trailed off as she came to the last envelope in the pile.

  “What is it?” Joan asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Janet replied. She turned the envelope over in her hands. It had been delivered by the postman, but it didn’t have a stamp on it. “For Official Government Use Only” was printed across both the front and back of the envelope.

  Janet slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the sheet of paper inside.

  Janet,

  Can’t wait to see you. Further instructions will be forthcoming. Hope this covers everything.

  E.

  Janet read the note twice before she read it out to Joan. When she looked at the cheque that had been attached to the note, she did a double take.

  “You look surprised,” Joan remarked.

  “It’s a cheque for twenty-five thousand pounds,” Janet told her.

  “Let me see,” Joan demanded.

  Janet handed her the cheque.

  Joan stared at it for a minute and then slowly shook her head. “This is far too much money for just January. I can’t imagine what Edward was thinking.”

  “I don’t know, but I suggest we put it in the bank quickly,” Janet told her. “The next time he rings, I’ll tell him that we’ll keep the place empty for January and February for that much money.”

  “We have bookings for February,” Joan said, sounding slightly dazed.

  “We have a booking for January now, too,” Janet laughed.

  Joan and I are still trying to work out exactly what to do with our sudden windfall. It isn’t a fortune, but it’s a good deal more than we were expecting to make in January. I’m still waiting to discuss things with Edward. Of course, he never rings when I actually want to speak to him.

  We’ve no bookings for December at all, which makes me very happy. Joan would probably be more upset if we hadn’t had the cheque from Edward, but even she will admit that it’s nice to have a break from guests. Mr. Morris actually rang a few days after their visit to ask if he could book a room for the first weekend in December, but Joan told him we were fully booked. I’m not sure if he and his wife are back together or if he was planning to bring someone else, but Joan and I agreed that we’d rather avoid seeing him again.

  Meanwhile, Robert has managed to prove that Mr. Hamilton-Burke bought the bricks that were left outside the coffee shop. Robert believes that he had them delivered there in the hopes that local troublemakers might make good use of them. When that didn’t happen, it seems he hired Wanda to cause trouble. I’ve taken to calling the whole sad affair “The Patrone Case,” as Wanda was the guilty party. Robert already had some suspicions about Mr. Hamilton-Burke after he’d reported that silver letter opener stolen previously. It seems it was never actually taken. Mr. Hamilton-Burke just reported it as stolen to try to get an insurance payout. Things are still unfolding, but the antique shop in Little Burton has now closed and the whole shopping parade is up for sale again. It will be interesting to see who buys it next.

  Joan and I are looking forward to Christmas. I’m trying to persuade her that we should each buy ourselves something extravagant with the money from Edward, but she hasn’t agreed yet. I haven’t given up, though!

  With warm wishes as it gets colder,

  Janet Markham (and Aggie)

  Glossary of Terms

  bin - trash can

  biscuits - cookies

  booking - reservation

  boot - trunk (of a car)

  car park - parking lot

  chemist - pharmacist

  chips - french fries

  cuppa - cup of tea (informal)

  CV (curriculum vitae) - resume

  fizzy drink - carbonated beverage (pop or soda)

  fortnight - two weeks

  high street - the main shopping street in a town or village

  holiday - vacation

  jacket potato - baked potato

  jumper - sweater

  lie in - sleep late

  midday - noon

  pavement - sidewalk

  pudding - dessert

  puds - puddings (informal)

  pushchair - stroller

  queue - line

  saloon car - sedan

  shopping trolley - shopping cart

  telly - television

  till - checkout (in a grocery store, for example)

  torch - flashlight

  trainers - sneakers

  Other Notes

  In the UK, dates are written day, month, year rather than month, day, year as in the US. (May 5, 2015 would be written 5 May 2015, for example.)

  In the UK, when describing property with more than one level, the lowest level (assuming there is no basement; very few UK houses have basements) is the “ground floor,” and the next floor up is the “first floor” and so on. In the US, the lowest floor is usually the “first floor” and up from there.

  When telling time, half six is the English equivalent of six-thirty.

  A “full English breakfast” generally consists of bacon, sausage, eggs, grilled or fried tomatoes, fried potatoes, fried mushrooms and baked beans served with toast.

  A semi-detached house is one that is joined to another house by a common center wall. In the US they are generally called duplexes. In the UK the two properties would be sold individually as totally separate entities. A “terraced” house is one in a row of properties, where each unit is sold individually (usually called a row house in the US).

  VAT is “value added tax,” roughly equivalent to sales tax in the US. It is a standard percentage across the UK (currently 20%). Some goods and services are free from VAT (such as food and children’s clothing) and some are charged at a reduced rate (such as car seats).

  Something that has “fallen off the back of a lorry” has been acquired without being paid for properly.

  Acknowledgments

  Thanks to my wonderful editor, Denise. I’m also grateful to my beta-reading team for their efforts on my behalf. Special thanks to my readers, who are a wonderful group of people.

  The Quinton Case

  Release date: July 19, 2019

  It’s nearly Christmas, and Janet and Joan Markham have been looking forward to having Dov
eby House to themselves for a fortnight. Joan promised not to book any guests into the bed and breakfast through Christmas and New Year. When Joan gets a letter from a distant cousin who wants to visit, though, the sisters can’t bring themselves to turn him away.

  Roland Dickerson turns out to be a fairly unpleasant man who expects to be entertained during his visit. While the sisters do their best, they feel considerably less hospitable when Roland informs them that before he arrived he’d discovered a newer will written by the sisters’ great-aunt Mildred. Janet and Joan had used the money they’d inherited from Mildred to buy Doveby House.

  When Roland’s solicitor, Eldridge Quinton, arrives, he and Roland suggest a settlement that would see the sisters paying their cousin far more than they can easily afford.

  But is Roland truly their distant cousin? Is the newly discovered will actually genuine? Will the man’s visit ruin Christmas for the sisters, or can their friends help them out of a difficult situation?

  Also by Diana Xarissa

  Aunt Bessie Assumes

  Aunt Bessie Believes

  Aunt Bessie Considers

  Aunt Bessie Decides

  Aunt Bessie Enjoys

  Aunt Bessie Finds

  Aunt Bessie Goes

  Aunt Bessie’s Holiday

  Aunt Bessie Invites

  Aunt Bessie Joins

  Aunt Bessie Knows

  Aunt Bessie Likes

  Aunt Bessie Meets

  Aunt Bessie Needs

  Aunt Bessie Observes

  Aunt Bessie Provides

  Aunt Bessie Questions

  Aunt Bessie Remembers

  Aunt Bessie Questions

  Aunt Bessie Solves

  Aunt Bessie Tries

  Aunt Bessie Understands

  The Isle of Man Ghostly Cozy Mysteries

  Arrivals and Arrests

  Boats and Bad Guys

  Cars and Cold Cases

  Dogs and Danger

  Encounters and Enemies

  Friends and Frauds

  Guests and Guilt

  Hop-tu-Naa and Homicide

  Invitations and Investigations

  Joy and Jealousy

  Kittens and Killers

  The Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novellas

  The Appleton Case

  The Bennett Case

  The Chalmers Case

  The Donaldson Case

  The Ellsworth Case

  The Fenton Case

  The Green Case

  The Hampton Case

  The Irwin Case

  The Jackson Case

  The Kingston Case

  The Lawley Case

  The Moody Case

  The Norman Case

  The Osborne Case

  The Patrone Case

  The Quinton Case

  The Isle of Man Romance Series

  Island Escape

  Island Inheritance

  Island Heritage

  Island Christmas

  About the Author

  Diana grew up in Northwestern Pennsylvania and moved to Washington, DC after college. There she met a wonderful Englishman who was visiting the city. After a whirlwind romance, they got married and Diana moved to the Chesterfield area of Derbyshire to begin a new life with her husband. A short time later, they relocated to the Isle of Man.

  After over ten years on the island, it was time for a change. With their two children in tow, Diana and her husband moved to suburbs of Buffalo, New York. Diana now spends her days writing about the island she loves.

  She also writes mystery/thrillers set in the not-too-distant future as Diana X. Dunn and middle grade and Young Adult books as D.X. Dunn.

  Diana is always happy to hear from readers. You can write to her at:

  Diana Xarissa Dunn

  PO Box 72

  Clarence, NY 14031.

  Find Diana at: DianaXarissa.com

  E-mail: [email protected]