The Ellsworth Case (A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novella Book 5) (5 page)

“Janet?” Joan was standing in the
doorway.
 
“I knocked, but you didn’t
seem to hear me,” she said a bit sharply.

“I’m sorry, I was quite lost in this book,”
Janet said, blinking hard as she tried to drag her mind out of the story.

“Is it that good?” Joan asked.

“It’s very interesting,” Janet replied.
 
“It’s a murder mystery, although no one
has died just yet, but there are so many people who seem to deserve to die.
 
No one is very likeable and…
”
 
She stopped as
Joan held up a hand.

“It doesn’t sound like my kind of story,”
Joan said.
 
“Anyway, I just stopped
in to tell you that I’m leaving now for Michael’s.
 
It’s gone seven, so you probably should
come out into the sitting room so you’ll hear the door when William arrives.”

Janet nodded, slipping a bookmark into the
book and standing up to follow Joan out of the room.
 
“What about our guests?” she asked.

“I haven’t seen either couple since they
arrived,” Joan told her.
 
“I do hope
they’ll both be in before it gets too late.”

“Oh, I’ve forgotten the
tantalus
,”
Janet exclaimed as they reached the sitting room.

“You can grab it in a minute,” Joan told
her.
 
“I’d be grateful if you’d
watch me across the road.”

Janet nodded.
 
“I’m happy to,” she assured her
sister.
 
They headed towards the
door, but Janet didn’t get to do the
favour
after
all.
 
As Joan opened the door, both
sisters were surprised to find Michael on the doorstep.

“Ah, I was just coming to collect you,”
Michael told Joan.
 
“It’s quite dark
and I didn’t want you walking over on your own.”

“It’s only a few steps,” Joan
protested.
 
Janet could tell that
her sister was delighted that Michael had been so thoughtful, though.

After she shut the door behind the happy
couple, Janet went back to the library and carefully carried the
tantalus
through to the sitting room.
 
Then she went back and locked the
library door.
 
She was very
protective of the room and she didn’t want William to have any opportunity to
get inside it.
 
He seemed like the
type that might ask for a drink or something and then, when Janet’s back was
turned, try sneaking around the house to see what he could find.
 
Janet shook her head.
 
If she were honest with
herself, that
was exactly the sort of thing she’d like to do
if she had the nerve.

At exactly half seven, she heard a knock on
the door.
 
She forced a bright smile
onto her face and swung the door open.
 
The smile faltered considerably when she
realised
that William Chalmers wasn’t alone.
 

“I told William you wouldn’t mind my coming
along,” Karen Holmes said in an ingratiating voice.
 
“We’ve just been to dinner and he said
you would have tea and biscuits, you see.”

Chapter Five

“You’re welcome, of course,” Janet muttered
just as the silence became awkward.
 
“Do come in, both of you.”

She stepped back and William ushered Karen
into the sitting room.

“Oh, but this is so lovely,” Karen
gushed.
 
“I love all the
antiques.
 
What a gorgeous little
room.
 
The Christmas decorations are
beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Janet said.
 
“But maybe we should go into the kitchen
for tea and biscuits.”

“Is it an old-fashioned kitchen with an old
wood-fired stove?” Karen asked eagerly.

Janet shook her head as she led the couple
through the house.
 
“It’s a thoroughly
modern kitchen with all the latest appliances,” she told the woman.
 
“The previous owner, Margaret Appleton,
had it completely redone when she decided to run the house as a bed and
breakfast.”

Karen looked disappointed as she looked
around the modern and bright kitchen.
 
“It’s been very well done and it even seems to suit the house, but I’m
still disappointed,” she said after looking around the room.

“It’s very practical for our purposes,”
Janet told her.
 
She quickly
switched the kettle on and piled biscuits onto a plate.
 
“Do sit down,” she told the pair.
 

They chatted about nothing much over
tea.
 
William told them about his
first flat in London, which he’d shared with another young man.
 
It had been tiny, expensive and unheated.
 
Karen shared a few stories about a minuscule
flat she’d shared with three other girls when she’d first left home.
 
Janet listened politely, but didn’t have
any of her own horror stories to add.
 
She’d always lived with her sister quite companionably, and while their
previous homes had never been as large as
Doveby
House, she’d always had her own room and enough space to enjoy time on her own
whenever she’d wanted it.

“Now, let’s see that
tantalus
,”
William said after he’d wiped his fingers carefully.

“I’ll just help you tidy up,” Karen offered.

“Oh, no, just leave everything where it is,”
Janet replied.
 
“I’ll simply put
everything in the dishwasher once you’ve gone.”

Back in the sitting room, Janet pointed out
the
tantalus
.
 
“I’m sure it isn’t hugely valuable,” she said.
 
“But it’s lovely and we were curious.”

William looked the piece over without
touching it before carefully twisting and removing one of the decanter
stoppers.
 
With that out of the way,
he was able to remove the decanter as well.
 
He repeated the process with the second
bottle.
 
Inside that one was the key
to the small cabinet.
 

“I love the little drawers in the
centre
,” he said as he carefully turned the key.
 
Janet leaned in so that she could see
what was in the drawers.
 
On
William’s other side, Karen did the same.
 
Janet drew a breath and then held up a hand.

“You know, I think we should wait for Joan
before we open the drawers,” she said, pushing shut the drawer that William had
been slowly pulling open.

“Oh, but I’m dying to see what’s inside,”
Karen said.

“Me, too,” Janet agreed.
 
“But it doesn’t seem right to do it
without Joan here.”

William didn’t say anything; he simply
turned the key, locking the cabinet again.
 
Then he carefully turned the whole
tantalus
over in his hands.

“It’s very heavy and extremely well made,”
he said after a moment.
 
“I’m going
to have to do some research into its value.
 
I’ve never seen one quite like it
before.”

“Do you think it’s terribly valuable?” Karen
asked.

Janet frowned.
 
Its value was none of the woman’s
business.
 
Before she could speak,
William answered.

“It could be, but it could also not be.
 
That’s why I have to do some research,”
he said with an enigmatic smile.

Karen sighed and then looked around the
room.
 
“But what do you have there?”
she asked, crossing to the long table that stood along one wall.
 

The table was covered with beautiful knitted
items.
 
A small, framed sign listed
prices for the articles.

“Aren’t they lovely?” Janet asked.
 
“Susan Garner, a local woman, makes them
and we display them and try to sell them to our guests,” she explained.

“Is that the woman who works at the local
police station?” William asked.

“Yes, that’s Susan,” Janet said.

“She does beautiful work,” Karen said,
studying a blanket closely.
 
“I used
to knit, when I was married and had time on my hands.
 
I never did anything this complex,
though.
 
How much is this blanket?”

Joan found it on the price list and told
her.
  
Karen wrinkled her nose.

“That’s a bit dear.
 
Can you do any better on the price?”

Janet shook her head.
 
“We don’t set the prices, Susan
does.
 
I wouldn’t feel right taking
a penny less.”

Karen put the blanket back down and
sighed.
 
“Perhaps I should get my
needles and wool back out and try again,” she said.

William picked up the blanket.
 
“It is quite nice,” he said as he turned
it over in his hands.
 
“Of course,
I’ve no idea what I’m looking at,” he admitted.

Karen and Janet both laughed.

He turned to Karen.
 
“If you truly love it, I’d like to buy
it for you,” he told her.
 
“Just a
small something to make you feel more at home while
you’re
travelling.”

Janet pressed her lips tightly together to
avoid saying something she’d regret.
 
She didn’t approve of William buying what was a fairly expensive gift
for the woman he’d only just met, but it really wasn’t any of her business.

Karen looked at him for a moment and then
smiled.
 
“Oh, no,” she said
softly.
 
“I couldn’t possibly let
you spend that sort of money on me.
 
We’ve only just met.”

She took a step towards the door and then
stopped and looked at the blanket again.
 
William was still holding it, and she took it from him.
 
“It’s too beautiful, to pass up,” she
said with a sigh.
 
“But I shall buy
it myself, with my own money.”

William tried to protest, but Karen silenced
him with a look.
 
She pulled a small
wallet from her handbag and carefully counted out the correct amount.
 

“Please tell Mrs. Gardner that I love her
work,” she told Janet as she handed her the notes.
 
“I might have to come back for a few
little things for Christmas gifts as well.”

“I’m sure she’d be delighted,” Janet told
her as she slipped the money into her pocket.

“We’ll just be off, then,” William
said.
 

“Would you like me to find you a carrier bag
to put the blanket in?” Janet asked.

Karen shook her head.
 
“I’ll happily just carry it like this,”
she replied.
 
“It’s lovely and warm
and
cosy
.”

Janet opened the front door.
 
A cool December breeze was blowing, and
she could see the appeal of the warm blanket in the other woman’s arms.
 

“I’ll be in touch about a valuation,”
William reminded her as he helped Karen down the steps.

“Thank you,” Janet replied.

Back inside, she quickly pulled out the
notes that Karen had given her.
 
She
was curiously disappointed to find that none of them had a serial number that
matched the counterfeit.
 
She didn’t
trust the woman and she felt strangely protective of William, who really was
much nicer now that she’d had a chance to get to know him.

Both pairs of guests were back at
Doveby
House before Joan made her way home.
 
Janet had a short chat with each couple,
learning that the Charles and Lynne hadn’t enjoyed their evening meal at the
café they’d visited in Little Burton and that Peter and Paula had loved the
food at the small French restaurant in
Doveby
Dale.
 
Janet was just thinking about
heading to bed
herself
when she heard voices outside
the front door.
 
She quickly picked
up her book and pretended to be absorbed in it.

“Thank you again,” Joan said as she walked
into the house.
 
“I’ll see you soon.”

Janet looked up at her sister.
 
“Did you have a nice evening?” she
asked.

“I did, really,” Joan replied.
 
“If I’d known that dating could be this,
well, pleasant, I might have tried it years ago.”

Janet laughed.
 
“I’m glad you’re having fun,” she
said.
 
“All of the guests are safely
tucked up in their beds.
 
I’ll be
down by half seven to help with breakfast.”

Janet was glad she managed to sleep well,
but the alarm still went off much too early.
 
She showered and dressed automatically,
putting on the first clothes that came to hand, rather than carefully selecting
an outfit.
 
The guests wouldn’t care
what she wore and she had no plans to go out.

“How can I help?” she asked Joan when she
reached the kitchen.

“Everything’s as ready as it can be until
the guests come down,” Joan told her.
 
“Would you like your breakfast now?”

Janet shrugged.
 
“I’m not really hungry,” she
replied.
 
“Maybe I’ll just have
cereal today.”

“Maybe you should wait and eat after the
guests,” Joan suggested.
 
“Once you
see their meals, you’re likely to decide you’d like a full English breakfast
yourself, I think.”

Janet frowned and then laughed.
 
“You’re right, of course,” she
admitted.
 
“Once I see and smell the
eggs and bacon, I’ll be hungry for sure.”

While they waited for the guests, Janet told
her sister that Karen had come with William the previous evening.

“I’m glad for Susan’s sake that you sold
something,” Joan said when Janet had finished telling her about the visit.
 
“I feel as if we’ve had Susan’s things
for ages and we’ve only sold a few items so far.”

“The weather is getting colder now, though,”
Janet replied.
 
“People are going to
be more interested in hats and scarves and blankets as the temperatures drop.”

“Maybe we’ll have a rush now that it’s
nearly Christmas,” Joan said.

Both couples came down just after eight and
once they’d eaten and left for the day, Joan made breakfast for herself and
Janet.
 
With that out of the way,
the pair headed to the nearby grocery store to get a few things.

“It looks rather busy,” Joan remarked as she
parked the car.

“It’s December,” Janet replied.
 
“Everything gets busier with the holidays
right around the corner.”

Inside, the pair quickly filled a trolley
with the bits and pieces they needed.
 
There was a short queue at the tills, and Janet couldn’t help but
overhear the conversation at the till.

“I’m sorry, but we aren’t taking any twenty-pound
notes at the moment,” the sales assistant told the man at the front of the
queue.

“But I want to pay cash,” the man argued.

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to speak to the
manager,” the girl told him.
 
“I’ve
been told not to take any twenty-pound notes.
 
That’s all I can tell you.”

“This is stupid,” the man said angrily.
 
“I just got these from the cash
machine.
 
They’re brand new.”

“I’m awfully sorry,” the manager’s deep
voice broke in.
 
He walked behind
the till to stand next to his employee.
 
“We’ve had a problem with counterfeits lately and we aren’t taking any
chances.
 
When the police take the
fakes away, it isn’t like they replace them with the real thing, you know.”