Date: 2019-03-15 04:00:00+00:00

The Patrone Case

A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novella

Diana Xarissa

Contents

Author’s Note

Letter to Bessie, part one

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Letter to Bessie, part two

Glossary of Terms

Other Notes

Acknowledgments

The Quinton Case

Also by Diana Xarissa

About the Author

Copyright © 2019 DX Dunn, LLC

All Rights Reserved

Created with Vellum

Author’s Note

We’ve reached book sixteen in this series rather quickly somehow. I believe the stories are best read in alphabetical order, as the characters do develop as the series continues, but each story should be enjoyable on its own if you prefer not to read them all.

Each of these novellas begins and ends with excerpts from Janet Markham’s letters to Bessie Cubbon. Bessie is the protagonist in my Isle of Man Cozy Mystery series. The sisters first met Bessie in Aunt Bessie Decides, and she and Janet have stayed in touch ever since. They do cross paths occasionally, with the sisters revisiting the island and with Bessie visiting them in Doveby Dale, as well. In spite of that, you do not need to read that series in order to enjoy this one.

As these stories are set in England, I use English spellings and terminology. There is a glossary at the back of the book to help readers from outside the UK with some terms that may not be familiar to them. I also include other notes in the back to help explain other things that might cause confusion. I’ve been living in the US for about ten years now, so it is increasingly probable that American words and phrases are creeping into my writing. I do my best to eliminate them, and I do correct them if they are pointed out to me.

This is a work of fiction and all of the characters are fictional creations. Any resemblance that they may share with any real person, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The sisters live in a fictional village in Derbyshire. Although some shops or businesses may bear some resemblance to real-life businesses, that is also coincidental.

I’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch with any comments or concerns. My contact details are available in the back of the book. On my website, you can sign up for my monthly newsletter, which provides information about all of my new releases.

26th November, 1999

Dearest Bessie,

It was such a pleasure having you and Doona here last month. Joan and I are still talking about how much we enjoyed your company. You know you are both always welcome, especially this time of year when we have the house to ourselves for the most part.

After our incredibly busy summer, I was really looking forward to quieter times, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this slow. We had a couple stay for only two nights at the very beginning of November, and then it went quiet again until just recently.

Having two couples to stay the same weekend kept us surprisingly busy for a few days, and that just happened to correspond with yet more criminal activity here in Doveby Dale.

Chapter 1

“I really appreciate this,” William Chalmers told Janet. “I’ve had incredibly bad luck with employees in the past. It will be nice to have someone else’s input into the various applicants.”

Janet shrugged. “I’m happy to help, but you should remember that I’ve never actually hired anyone before. I was a primary schoolteacher. I spent my days evaluating small children, not adults.”

“That’s why I’m sure you’re perfect for the job,” William assured her. “After all those years of teaching, I’m sure you’re a much better judge of people’s characters than I am.”

Janet was flattered, even if she didn’t agree. William had managed antique shops in London for most of his life. Admittedly, a few bad employees had managed to get him arrested and sent to prison through their deception, but he still had a good deal more experience with hiring staff than Janet did. “I’m hoping the choice will be an obvious one,” she admitted.

“It will be good experience for you, anyway. You might want to hire someone at the bed and breakfast one day, mightn’t you?”

“I can’t imagine why. Joan and I managed on our own during the summer months, when both guest rooms were full pretty much every single day. This time of year, we’re lucky to have any guests at all.”

Janet and Joan had purchased Doveby House, an eighteenth-century manor house in Doveby Dale, not much more than a year earlier, after Joan had finally told her sister that her lifelong dream was to own a bed and breakfast. Joan was also a retired primary schoolteacher. The sisters, only two years apart in age, had never married and had worked together at the same school until they’d taken retirement at the same time. Their plan had been to stay in the tiny cottage they’d bought when Janet had finished teacher training and to travel as much as their limited funds would allow.

A few months later, an unexpected inheritance had opened up all sorts of new possibilities. Janet had assumed the extra money would mean additional travel, but for Joan, it had offered a chance to fulfill a dream she’d never expected could come true. Janet had been reluctant to get tied down to a business she’d never been interested in being part of, but she hadn’t wanted to disappoint Joan. Once she’d seen Doveby House, she’d been happier to agree to try the bed and breakfast idea.

Doveby House was beautiful. Stuffed full of antiques that were all included in the sale, it also contained a library full of books. Not only did Janet get her own large and airy bedroom, but she now had an en-suite bathroom. In her early sixties, she was happy to finally stop sharing a bathroom with her sister. That her bedroom also came with a ghost was less appealing, but Janet was learning to live with the spirit that she was convinced was Alberta Montgomery’s. In her spare time she was doing what she could to find out more about Alberta, whose parents had once owned Doveby House.

“Perhaps you might want to hire someone to run the place while you and Joan take a holiday,” William suggested, dragging Janet’s thoughts away from Alberta Montgomery.

“I can’t imagine having anyone else run the bed and breakfast if Joan and I aren’t there. We simply shut when we take holidays.”

“As far as I can tell, you’ve only taken a single holiday in the past year, and that was only for a week. You and your sister are working too hard.”

“We were, in the summer months, but as I said earlier, it’s very quiet now. We could probably shut for a month or more at the moment without anyone noticing.”

“When are your next guests arriving?”

“We do have two couples arriving either tomorrow or Saturday,” Janet laughed. “Thus proving me wrong, but they are the exception at the moment.”

“It’s been quiet here, too, but I’ve decided it’s time to hire someone to help with the shop anyway. I’d like to be able to take a few hours off now and again, maybe even an entire day once in a while. I made enough money over the summer to be able to afford someone on a part-time basis, anyway.”

“That will be nice for you.”

William opened his mouth to reply, but shut it again when the front door swung open and the loud buzzer sounded.

“That’s annoying,” the young woman said with an amused smile as she walked into the shop.

“The buzzer?” William asked. “It helps a lot when I’m working in the back. I’d hate for customers to come in and not find anyone here.”

The girl glanced around. “They could pocket a lot of stuff and simply walk away, couldn’t they?”

Janet exchanged glances with William. If the girl was here about the job, she wasn’t making a great first impression.

“Anyway,” she said after a moment, “I’m Wanda Petrone. I have an interview with William Chambers at nine.”

“I’m William Chalmers,” William told her. “This is my friend, Janet Markham. She’ll be helping me with the interviewing process.”

Wanda shrugged. “Whatever works for you, I suppose.”

“Shall we sit comfortably?” Janet asked.

William led them to the centre of the shop where several large couches were on display. He motioned for Wanda to take a seat. She plopped down and then curled her feet underneath her, earning a frown from William as her trainers dragged across the couch cushion.

Janet sat down opposite the girl, wondering why Wanda had come to a job interview in torn jeans and a well-worn sweatshirt. Wanda blew a bubble with her gum and then popped it loudly as Janet tried to count the earrings in one of the woman’s ears. The ring through her nose was unsettling, so Janet tried not to stare at that.

“Tell me about your current job,” William suggested. He opened a folder and pulled out some papers as he spoke.

“I’m between jobs at the moment,” Wanda replied. “I was working at the antique shop in Little Burton, but that didn’t work out.”

William nodded. “Why not?”

“The guy that owns the place, he’s weird and sort of creepy. If I’m honest, I don’t think he has any idea what he’s doing. Whenever anyone asks him about the antiques, he just tells them anything, or at least that’s how it seems. He never told any two customers the same story twice, anyway, not that I heard. Last week he decided that he didn’t need three people on staff, and he told me not to come back.”

“How unfortunate for you,” Janet said.

Wanda shrugged. “It wasn’t a good job anyway. It was just part-time and the hours changed every week. Besides, we were supposed to get a commission and the entire time I was there, I never sold a single thing. The other two people that worked there did a little better, but really, it was only the owner who sold stuff. That was mostly because there weren’t any prices on any of the items. If someone wanted to buy something, they had to ask us what the price was and then we had to ask the owner. Unless he was with another customer, he’d simply take over at that point and claim the sale for himself after he’d made up a price and then haggled with the buyer.”

“The job here is also only part-time, and the hours will vary sometimes, although I’m happy to agree to a general schedule as long as there is some flexibility occasionally,” William told her. “I will also be paying a commission, but all of the prices here are clearly marked on every item’s tag. If you get the job, you’ll get training on my discount policies so that you’ll be able to take care of closing sales yourself.”

“That sounds good,” Wanda told him. “When do I start?”

“I have several other candidates to interview. I hope to make a decision in the next week or so and expect to be making an offer to the best candidate before the end of the month,” William replied.

“How many people are you interviewing?” she asked.

“Three today. Maybe a few more tomorrow,” he said.

“I’m surprised you found that many applicants in Doveby Dale,” she said.

“I had fifteen replies to my advertisement in the paper,” William told her. “Yours caught my eye because you have recent experience in an antique shop.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if the other two shop assistants from Little Burton applied as well. I mean, I answered the advertisement before I knew that I was going to be let go. I’ll bet the other two are looking for other jobs, too.”

“How much do you know about antiques?” William asked, changing the subject.

“I learned a little bit at the other shop, but not much. As I said earlier, I don’t think Mr. Hamilton-Burke actually knows anything about antiques himself, so he wasn’t much of a teacher.”

“Are you interested in learning more?” Janet asked as William made a few notes.

“Sure, I mean it goes with the job, right?” She leaned over and picked up a glass bowl that was on the table in front of her. “See, this is good,” she exclaimed. “You’ve put all sorts of information on the tag, so I wouldn’t need to know anything, really.”

William sighed. “I would expect you to learn a good deal more about the items in the shop than what’s on the tags. Not all right away, of course, but over time, certainly.”

Wanda made a face. “As long as you aren’t going to give me a bunch of books to study, I suppose I could do that. I’m not much of a reader.”

Janet tried to bite her tongue, but failed. “Reading is one of life’s greatest pleasures,” she blurted out. “You can travel the world or get lost in incredible places that your own imagination would never have been able to create. If you don’t like to read, perhaps you’ve never tried reading the right sorts of books.”

Wanda stared at her for a minute and then looked at William. “Was there anything else?”

He made another note and then smiled at her. “According to your CV, you spent a year travelling after school. Where did you go?”

“Oh, just around the UK, really. I didn’t have much money, so I couldn’t go too far. My boyfriend and I started down in London and just went anywhere we felt like going for the year.”

“What places did you most enjoy visiting?” Janet asked.

The girl frowned. “There was a good shopping mall in Milton Keynes,” she said after a moment. “Edinburgh had some neat shops, too, but everything was really expensive there.”

“What did you think of Edinburgh Castle?” Janet wondered.

“That’s the one on the hill, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“It looked neat, but we didn’t go inside or anything. Are you even allowed to go inside?”

“Yes, you can go inside,” Janet replied, trying not to sound as frustrated as she felt. Imagine going to Edinburgh and not visiting its iconic castle, she thought.

Wanda shrugged. “We didn’t do any of the touristy things. We wanted to see what places were like for real people, not for tourists.”

“You must have missed out on a lot, then,” William said.

“As I said, we didn’t have much money,” Wanda told him. “Otherwise, we might have done more.”

William nodded and then got to his feet. “I think that’s all I need for today,” he said. “Thank you very much for your time. I’ll be in touch in a week or so, once I’ve had a chance to complete my interviews.”

“Yeah, great,” the girl replied. She got up slowly and then stretched. “If I get another job before I hear from you, I’ll try to remember to ring you and let you know.”

“That would be appreciated,” William said. He walked the girl to the door and then stood in the doorway for a moment before rejoining Janet.

“What did you think?” he asked her.

“I think I should reserve judgment until I’ve met the other candidates. Whatever I thought of her, she might be the best you get.”

William shook his head. “I certainly hope not. I wasn’t at all impressed with her. I don’t think she’s the sort of motived self-starter that I was hoping to find.”

Janet nodded. “When is the next candidate meant to be here?”

“Ten o’clock,” William told her. “The third isn’t until two, though. That’s why I told you to plan to be here for most of the day.”

“And I have done. Joan isn’t expecting me back until late. Maybe I should look over the letters and CVs that you received while we wait. I’m curious now why you selected the three you chose for interviews.”

William handed her the folder in his hands. “The top three are the candidates I invited for interviews. If any of the others catch your eye, I can always ring them to see if they’re available today or tomorrow.”

Janet settled back and began to read Wanda’s CV. After a moment she looked up. “I’m going to guess that she had some help writing this. I can see why you interviewed her. She sounds much more interesting and dynamic on paper than she was in person.”

William nodded. “Let’s just hope the other two candidates aren’t the same.”

Chapter 2

Janet was still reading when the shop’s telephone rang a short time later. She didn’t pay much attention as William answered it. He sat down next to her after the call ended.

“That was our ten o’clock interview,” he sighed. “He’s rescheduled for three because of unforeseen circumstances.”

“Really?”

“If I had to guess, I’d suggest that he has a hangover and wasn’t ready to get out of bed yet,” William told her. “That’s just based on how he sounded on the phone, though. I really shouldn’t prejudge the man.”

“That means we’ve nothing to do until two, then, right?”

“I’d like to think that we might have a few customers between now and then,” William laughed, “but nothing beyond that.”

“I forgot this is an actual shop with customers,” Janet told him. “We haven’t had any yet today.”

“Sadly, you’re right about that. I suggest we close up at half eleven if it stays this quiet. We can go and get something nice to eat at the café before the afternoon interviews.”

“That sounds good, although I do hope we get a little busier. This is your livelihood, after all.”

“I can afford a quiet day once in a while,” William assured her.

Today turned out not to be that day, however. As Janet finished going through the pile of CVs, the shop’s door opened. William was busy dealing with a young couple who were hoping to furnish a nursery in antiques when a second couple arrived. Although she wasn’t sure what she was doing, Janet jumped up to help them.

An hour later Janet had sold two bookshelves and a small glass vase. William handled the actual sales transaction, leaving Janet to assist an older man who’d wandered in while she’d been busy with the second couple. It was nearly midday before she and William had the shop to themselves again.

“My goodness, that was fun,” Janet told him as the door swung shut behind the man who’d purchased a large humidor to give his brother.

“I hope it’s quieter this afternoon when we’re interviewing,” William replied. “I don’t really want to shut during the interviews, but I’d rather they not be interrupted, either.”

“I can always do my best with the customers while you deal with interviews. If you think I did okay this morning, that is.”

“You did very well. You sold more than I did,” William laughed. “I’ll write you a cheque for your commission on the sales before you leave.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Janet said quickly. “It was fun.”

“I may not have to, but I will anyway. You earned it.” He told her how much her commission would be and she blinked in surprise.

“That’s much more than I was expecting,” she said.

“As I said, you earned it. Use the money to treat yourself to something.”

“I will. Maybe I won’t mention it to Joan.”

“What about some lunch, then?”

The words were barely out of William’s mouth when the door buzzer sounded again. The woman who walked into the shop looked around and then smiled at them.

“I just moved to the area and I need quite a bit of furniture. I hope you can help,” she said.

William’s eyes lit up. “Of course I can,” he said quickly. “Where would you like to start?”

“Dining room furniture,” the woman replied.

Of course, Janet thought, as I’m starving. She walked around the shop slowly, trying to stay away from William and his customer, while also trying not to think about food. After twenty minutes, she gave up on both things.

“I’m going to pop over to the coffee shop and get a sandwich,” she told William, who was busy making notes as the woman pointed to things. “Do you want anything?”

“Chicken salad,” he told her, “and thank you.”

The coffee shop was just across the car park from the antique shop. It had been under new management for several months now and Janet had heard very little good about the place. Needs must, she muttered to herself as she pushed the shop’s door open.

There were three other people scattered around the small dining room. No one seemed to have any food on his or her table, which was slightly worrying, but Janet crossed to the counter anyway. She read over the menu of sandwiches on offer and then sighed. No chicken salad. She’d have to guess what else William might enjoy. In the end, she had time to choose and then change her mind half a dozen times before the door behind the counter finally swung open.

The man who’d stomped out of the kitchen glared at her. “I told you your food will be out shortly,” he snapped.

“But I haven’t ordered yet,” she replied, feeling confused.

“You ordered tea and a toasted teacake,” he replied.

“I did no such thing.”

He sighed. “Lady, I don’t have time for this right now. Why are you being difficult?”

Janet shook her head. “I’m not being difficult. You seem to have me confused with someone else, that’s all. I just arrived and I want to order some sandwiches.”

A bell sounded from somewhere behind the grumpy man. He spun around and disappeared into the kitchen.

“He’s confused you with me,” a voice at Janet’s elbow said.

Janet looked over at the woman and shook her head. “How is that possible?” she asked. The woman was maybe forty-five, with brown hair that was pulled up into a professional-looking twist. She was wearing a dark blue business suit with matching heels. In contrast, Janet’s grey hair had been worn in the same short bob for more years than she wanted to remember. Her eyes were bright blue and she was wearing black trousers and a red jumper. “We look nothing alike,” she added.

The woman laughed. “He’s probably only eighteen. All women over forty probably look alike to him.”

Janet frowned as the man came back out of the kitchen with the other woman’s teacake.

“Here,” he said, holding it out towards Janet.

“I believe that’s mine,” the other woman said, “but what about my tea?”

“Yeah, it’s coming,” the man replied. He looked from Janet to the other woman and back again. “Did you want something?” he asked Janet.

She swallowed a sigh. “Two ham and cheese toasties packaged up for takeaway, please,” she said.

“We don’t do takeaway,” he told her.

“May I have the sandwiches and a few pieces of foil?” Janet asked, trying to keep her voice pleasant.

“Foil?”

“Yes, then I can wrap them up to take with me.”

“We don’t do takeaway.”

Janet counted to ten and then decided it wasn’t worth the effort. She spun on her heel and walked away.

“Hey, what about your tea?” the man called after her.

She walked as slowly as she could back to the antique shop, using the time to clear her head. As she pushed open the door, her stomach rumbled. She was going to have to go somewhere else and get herself and William something to eat, she decided.

William was still busy with his customer, so Janet headed back outside. Her little red coupe was parked in the car park, and it only took a few minutes for her to drive to the café near Doveby House. Todd and Ted, the couple who ran the café, were wonderful, as ever. Within minutes, she was heading back to the antique shop with two sandwiches, several bags of crisps, and two cups full of hot tea. If William was too busy to eat, at least he could enjoy the tea while he dealt with his customer. His sandwich would keep. He was alone in the shop when Janet walked back in with their lunches.

“I thought maybe you’d abandoned me,” he teased as she handed him his tea.

“The man behind the counter in the café was unhelpful,” she told him. “Apparently they don’t do takeaway, even if I was another customer and not just the woman who’d already ordered the teacake.”

William frowned. “Pardon?”

She laughed and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. This all came from the café, so I know it will be good.”

While they ate, William told her about the woman who’d only just left. “She spent a small fortune on furniture for three rooms, and she’s coming back tomorrow to do more shopping. She’s going to send a truck on Sunday to collect everything.”

“She paid for it all?” Janet asked nervously. While the crime rate in Doveby Dale was generally low, there had been a rush of criminal activity in the past year or so. Janet had learned to be suspicious of nearly everyone.

“She’s paid for everything,” William assured her. “She put it all on a credit card. It was enough to warrant ringing for verification, and it all went through just fine.”

“That’s good news. You’re having a good day.”

“And I’m even more certain that hiring someone to help out is a good idea. Maybe you’d like a part-time job while the bed and breakfast is quiet,” he suggested.

“I’m having fun helping out today, but I don’t want to do this every day. I’m meant to be retired, after all.”

“As am I, really,” William laughed. “I simply can’t imagine not working, though. I love being surrounded by antiques and meeting new people all the time. I don’t know what I’d do with myself if I weren’t running the shop.”

Janet entertained William with the whole story behind his lunch coming from the café rather than the coffee shop nearby. By the time they’d finished their sandwiches and tea, it was nearly two o’clock.

“Here we go again,” William muttered as the door swung open and a young man walked into the shop.

He glanced around and then sighed. “I’m not going to meet single women in here, am I?” he asked.

I’m single, Janet thought, but didn’t say aloud. She knew she wasn’t the sort of woman the young man was looking for, as she’d recognised him as soon as he’d walked through the door. He was still wearing the stained T-shirt with the name of the coffee shop across the front that he’d been wearing when he’d refused to allow her to order takeaway a short while earlier.

“I’m William Chalmers,” William began.

“Oh, great, yeah, that’s who I was told to ask for when I got here. I’m Peter Henson. I’m here about the job.”

“Come and have a seat,” William suggested. He introduced Janet as they all settled onto the couches.

Peter frowned at her. “You look familiar, like one of my mum’s friends or something.”

“I’m fairly new to Doveby Dale,” Janet told him. “I doubt I’ve met your mother.”

He shrugged. “Whatever. Tell me about the job, then.”

William blinked and then gave the man a forced smile. “It would be part-time and with varied hours depending on my schedule. You’d get a commission based on your sales, and I’d expect you to acquire a knowledge of antiques over time.”

“Antiques? I don’t really know much about that sort of thing. I have another job, too, so you’d have to schedule me around that.”

“Where else do you work?” William asked.

“I do odd jobs for my cousin,” Peter replied. “It’s different all the time, the things I do for him.”

“That might make scheduling difficult.”

“Yeah, it might.”

William looked at Janet. “Did you have any questions for Mr. Henson?”

She wanted to ask him why he’d been behind the counter in the coffee shop if he didn’t work there, but decided to take a different approach. “Do you have customer service experience?” she asked.

“Yeah, loads,” he replied.

After a long pause, Janet broke the awkward silence. “Such as?”

“It’s all on my CV, isn’t it?” he shot back.

William pulled a slip of paper out of his folder and stared at it for a minute. “You were a manager for one of the country’s largest furniture chains?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Peter replied.

“Tell us about that,” Janet suggested.

“I sold furniture, yeah? I mean, that’s what you do in furniture shops.”

“As the manager, were you responsible for human resources for the shop?” William asked.

“Nah, corporate did all of that,” was the reply.

“Tell us about your sales targets and how you met them,” William said.

“Are you going to give me sales targets? I mean, how can you expect me to meet targets when there aren’t even any customers?”

William sighed. “I didn’t say I was going to give you targets, but surely, as manager, you had some in your last job.”

“Yeah, sometimes, but, I mean, I was always more about keeping the customer happy, rather than worrying about sales targets,” he said, smiling smugly.

“Why did you leave that position?” Janet asked.

“I moved back to Doveby Dale. They don’t have any shops in Doveby Dale.”

“They have one in Derby. That wouldn’t be a terrible commute for you,” William suggested.

“Nah, it’s too far to drive every day. Besides, I don’t have a car at the moment, so I’m not able to go too far unless my cousin takes me. That’s why I’m doing jobs for him right now.”

William nodded. “I have several other candidates to interview. I’ll be in touch by the end of the month.”

“Yeah? Great. As I said, I’d need you to work around my cousin some, but otherwise, it should work out.”

“Could you give me the name and contact number for someone at your last job?” William asked. “I’m going to be checking references, obviously.”

Peter looked at the ground and then nodded. “Sure, ring Jason Matthews,” he said, rattling off a telephone number. “He was the area manager when I was at the furniture shop. He’s doing other things now, too.”

“Very good,” William said. “Thank you for your time.”

He walked Peter to the door while Janet picked up the papers William had left behind. She read through Peter’s CV as William rejoined her.

“Most of this must be fake,” she exclaimed when she was done. “He doesn’t look a day over eighteen, and according to this he has fifteen years of experience in various retail jobs.”

“After our last candidate, I’m going to ring a few people and check some references,” William told her. “I suspect Mr. Henson hasn’t been completely honest with his CV.”

“He was the unpleasant man behind the counter in the café,” Janet told him. “Somehow that job hasn’t made it onto his CV.”

Chapter 3

“I am so sorry about this morning,” the young man said as he rushed into the antique shop a few minutes after three. “I’d completely forgotten that I had a dentist appointment when I arranged today’s interview. It would have worked out anyway, except I needed a filling and they had to numb my mouth. I’m sure I sounded drunk when I rang you, but I didn’t know what else to do.”

William smiled and held out his hand. “I’m William Chalmers,” he said.

“Oh, goodness, I’m doing this all wrong,” the man laughed. “I’m Bradley Austin. It’s a great pleasure to meet you.”

William introduced Bradley to Janet and then they all sat down together. Bradley was wearing a dark grey business suit. Janet knew enough to recognise good quality fabric and expensive tailoring. It didn’t seem at all as if Bradley needed a part-time job. While she tried to remember what she’d read on his CV, William carried on talking.

“The job here is only part-time and the hours won’t be the same every week, although that’s open to discussion. I’m expecting whomever I employ to spend some time learning about antiques, as well.”

Bradley nodded. “Of course, that’s a reasonable expectation, given the job description. I already know a good deal about antiques, actually, from previous positions I’ve held. I’m not expert, but I do know a few things.”

“That’s good to hear. Where have you worked in the past?” William asked.

Bradley named an antique shop in Derby that Janet had visited once with William. It was much fancier than William’s small shop, with several separate rooms, each presided over by a well-dressed and incredibly knowledgeable sales team.

“How long were you there?” was William’s next question.

“Just over a year,” Bradley replied. As William made a note, Bradley smiled. “It’s all on my CV, if you don’t want to bother making notes.”

William pulled out Bradley’s CV and nodded. “We’ve been doing this all day,” he explained. “All of the candidates are starting to run together.”

“That’s a shame,” Bradley replied. “I was truly hoping that both my CV and I would stand out.”

“I’ve seen a few excellent CVs,” William told him. “Some of them are so outstanding that I believe they might have been somewhat exaggerated.”

Bradley sighed. “Why do people do things like that? I’ve worked hard to earn the impressive CV I sent to you.”

Janet swallowed a laugh. Bradley seemed awfully arrogant. Of course, William had been much the same when she’d first met him. His arrogance had been a misguided attempt to keep people from finding out about his past. She wondered what excuse Bradley had for his attitude.

“Why did you leave your last position?” she asked.

“I felt as if I were simply a small part of a very large operation,” Bradley explained. “I worked in one room, with seventeenth- and eighteenth-century bedroom furniture, and I wasn’t really allowed outside that space. One day I want to own my own antique shop, and to do that successfully, I need to learn more about all aspects of running the business. I was never going to get that opportunity there, not with the huge number of staff they employ.”

It was a good answer, but Bradley’s expression seemed to suggest that he was well aware that he was saying all of the right things. “I haven’t actually seen your CV,” Janet said, stretching the truth slightly. Truthfully, she’d glanced over it and then forgotten everything she’d read. “Tell me about your education.”

“I was fortunate enough to go to an excellent local school in Chesterfield. I did a year at university after my A levels, but quickly discovered that it wasn’t for me. I didn’t want to waste years of my life sitting in a classroom. I wanted to get out and experience life for myself.”

“I’ll never agree that getting an education is a waste of time,” Janet told him.

“Yes, well, I’m sure it was different in your day,” he replied condescendingly. “Women didn’t have many opportunities to get an education then, did they? Most women probably got married right out of school, didn’t they?”

“I can’t speak for most women, but I went to teacher-training college and then taught primary school for many years. I even went back to university while teaching to earn my master’s degree. I don’t feel as if one single minute of my time in classrooms, either teaching or learning, was ever wasted.”

Bradley smiled at her. “Teaching small children to read and write must have been very fulfilling for you,” he said, his patronising tone grating on Janet.

“It was indeed,” she told him with a fake smile. “I wish you would have had better teachers so that you could have appreciated your opportunities more.”

He shrugged. “As I said, I was more interested in what real life could teach me. I did some travelling for a while before I started working. I’ve worked in various retail shops, trying to learn as much as I can from each new experience before moving on to the next position.”

“That doesn’t sound good,” William told him. “I was hoping to find someone who’ll be around for quite some time.”

“I suppose that would depend on how much I think I can learn from you,” Bradley told him with a smirk.

William nodded. “You won’t mind if I ring someone at your last position to get a reference?”

Bradley flushed, “Of course not,” he muttered. “You may struggle to find anyone who remembers me, though. As I said, it’s a huge operation, and they go through staff at an alarming rate. It’s possible, maybe even probable, that whomever you speak with will simply be able to confirm the dates of my employment.”

“But of course, I would never hire anyone without checking references,” William said.

“Let me give you a better person to ring,” Bradley suggested. “Harold Travers was my manager where I worked before I moved to the antique shop. He’ll remember me. It was a much smaller operation.”

William wrote down the name and number that Bradley gave him. “You might warn him that I’ll be ringing,” he said.

“I will. We’ve remained friendly, even after a year or more. I’m sure he’ll be happy to hear from me again.”

“Excellent. Do you have any questions for me?” William wondered.

“Will I be making a commission on sales?”

“Yes, that would be part of your compensation.”

“That’s good news. I’m much more motivated as a person by financial incentives. That was the one good thing about my previous position. We received a very generous commission on everything we sold. Of course, with so many members of staff, the competition amongst ourselves was cutthroat.”

“That won’t be the case here,” William told him.

Bradley laughed. “No, I didn’t think it would. Actually, I’m a little bit concerned, as I’ve been here for more than half an hour and you haven’t had a single customer. It’s difficult to earn a commission if there isn’t anyone shopping.”

“It has been quiet this afternoon,” William conceded, “but I had a very busy morning. I’ll be paying a fair hourly rate, anyway, so you’ll be compensated for your time whether we have customers or not.”

Bradley nodded “And over time, would you be willing to teach me about the other ins and outs of running such a business?” he asked. “I’m especially interested in learning about the accounting side of things, paying VAT and taxes and all of those issues. I’d hate to get anything wrong once I start my own shop, obviously.”

“Actually, I have an accountant who handles all of that for me,” William told him. “I suggest, when you do start your own business, that you hire one, too. It saves you a tremendous amount of hard work.”

“I’ll remember that,” Bradley said. “Did you have any further questions?”

William looked at Janet, who was still feeling annoyed with the man. She shook her head.

“I’ll be in touch,” William said as he got to his feet. “I plan to make a decision by the end of the month.”

“I look forward to hearing from you with good news soon, then,” Bradley said. He followed William to the door. “Thank you for your time,” he told William. “You, too, Mrs. Marks,” he called to Janet.

“No problem, Bentley,” she muttered in reply.

She grinned to herself as he hesitated in the doorway. After a moment, he nodded at her and then turned and walked away.

“His CV is impressive,” William said as he rejoined Janet, “but I didn’t like him.”

“He was arrogant and rude, and I couldn’t work out what he had to be arrogant about,” Janet complained.

“I need to ring my friend at the antique shop in Derby. I’m sure he’ll remember Mr. Austin. I suspect he won’t be very complimentary about him.”

Janet wandered around the shop while William was on the phone. The only person who came into the shop simply wanted directions to Little Burton. Janet tried to persuade him that he needed a new lamp, as well, but he wasn’t convinced. He left with William’s card and his directions as William walked out of the back room.

“That was fascinating,” he told Janet. “I was right. He did remember our friend, Mr. Austin.”

“That sounds promising,” Janet laughed.

“Let’s just say that Mr. Austin didn’t leave of his own accord. He was asked to go, based on some rather unusual circumstances.”

“Oh? Don’t stop there.”

Before William could speak, a young woman struggled through the door with her pushchair. The baby was screaming and trying to climb out, but the woman ignored that as she smiled at William. “I need a present for my mother-in-law,” she told him. “It should be incredibly ugly, but also incredibly expensive.”

“I’d like to think that I don’t stock ugly things,” William replied. “I do, however, have something that might only appeal to a limited audience.”

Janet paced anxiously as William sold the woman a hideous green vase with orange and purple flowers all over it. Luckily for Janet, the baby’s screams covered up the large gasp that she gave when William told the woman the price.

“It’s perfect,” the woman said as William wrapped it carefully in layers of tissue paper. He put it into a large box with the shop’s name across it and then handed the box to the woman. She slid it into the basket under the pushchair and then headed for the door. Janet got there first and held it open for her.

As the door swung shut, William took a deep breath. “Listen,” he said softly.

Janet sighed. “Silence is such a lovely sound.”

“At least she spent a lot of money and wasn’t here for long. Now, where was I?”

“You were going to tell me why Bradley lost his job.”

“Oh, yes, well, it seems there were several fraudulent credit card transactions in the shop over the course of the year he was there. That isn’t exactly unusual, of course, we all know that.”

Janet nodded. She’d learned a bit about that very subject not long ago.

“Company policy was that the member of the sales team who’d made the sale still received his or her commission on such transactions. The management didn’t feel it was right to blame or punish their staff for someone else’s fraud.”

“That’s very good of them, really.”

“It is. They have a reputation for being an excellent employer, and that sort of policy is one of the reasons why. Anyway, Bradley started in the middle of the year, and it wasn’t until he’d been there for ten or eleven months that anyone noticed that not only were there a lot more fraudulent transactions going through, but a lot of those transactions were Bradley’s sales. Eventually, the sales manager added everything up from the day Bradley had been hired. There had been forty-three fraudulent transactions and thirty-nine of them had been Bradley’s sales.”

“My goodness!” Janet exclaimed.

“They asked Bradley for an explanation, and he denied any knowledge of anything fraudulent, of course. In the end, they offered him a chance to quit, with the understanding that if anyone rang for a reference they would simply confirm this employment dates and give no further information.”

“That hardly seems right.”

“They didn’t have any proof of anything fraudulent. The police were involved, but apparently they couldn’t track anything illegal back to Bradley. I’m not sure how hard they tried, of course. Small-scale credit card fraud isn’t a high priority for them.”

“And it was small scale?”

“Surprisingly small scale,” William told her. “Some of the transactions were for amounts under a hundred pounds, and the highest one was only for a few thousand. At a shop like that one in Derby, that would have only represented a tiny fraction of their sales on any given day.”

“I thought you said they told Bradley they wouldn’t tell anyone what had happened.”

“The man I spoke with is a personal friend of mine, otherwise I wouldn’t have received anything more than confirmation that Bradley had worked there,” William explained. “That would have been a warning anyway, of course, but I wasn’t seriously considering hiring him, not after the way he spoke to you.”

Janet flushed. “He’s just young.”

“That’s no excuse for being patronising and rude,” William countered. “I can’t afford for my staff to treat my customers that way.”

Janet nodded. “They might get away with that in Derby, but here in Doveby Dale you need to be kind to everyone.”

William flushed. “A lesson I needed to learn after I arrived.”

“You’ve come a long way,” Janet teased him.

William shut the shop at five and insisted on taking Janet out for a nice dinner. They drove to a new restaurant that had just opened on the outskirts of Derby. The food was delicious, and Janet enjoyed it and the company very much.

“So, if I had to hire one of them, which one would it be?” William asked her on the drive home.

Janet shook her head. “I wouldn’t hire any of them. Go through the CVs again. There must be a better candidate.”

“I don’t think there is, but I can hope,” William sighed.

He left Janet on her doorstep with a gentle kiss. “I want to do this again soon,” he told her in a low voice. “I’ll ring you.”

Janet let herself into the house. She knew Joan had had dinner plans with Michael Donaldson, their neighbour from the semi-detached houses across the street. Both sisters had been surprised when Michael had first asked Joan to have dinner with him, not long after they’d moved into Doveby House. He was a handsome widower who was a retired chemist. After more than a year, it was beginning to seem normal for Joan to have a boyfriend, the first she’d had in her sixty-odd years of life.

“Meeroow,” Aggie said as Janet locked the door behind herself.

“And the same to you,” Janet laughed. She got Aggie a small treat from the kitchen and then the pair retired to Janet’s room. She was asleep before Joan got back from her night out with Michael.

Chapter 4

“Good morning,” Joan said as Janet walked into the kitchen the next morning.

“I thought you might lie in this morning,” Janet replied, feeling slightly disappointed to see her sister bustling around preparing breakfast.

“I wasn’t out that late,” Joan replied. “I thought we should have porridge for breakfast today.”

Janet made a face. She hated porridge, but Joan always insisted that it was good for them and tried to make her eat it at least once a week. In the shower, Janet had decided that she was going to try some of the toaster pastries that Joan had purchased for a recent guest. The ingredients list read more like a science experiment than a recipe, but Joan had purchased various types, including some that contained chocolate, and Janet was curious about them. She couldn’t bring herself to eat one in front of Joan, though. She knew her sister wouldn’t approve.

As Joan worked, Janet found herself studying her sister’s hair. The two had always worn their hair in almost identical styles. Just recently, Joan had decided to get her shoulder-length bob cut. Her grey hair was now only about an inch long all over her head. By the time Joan put the hated bowl of porridge in front of her, Janet had decided that the new cut suited Joan’s more angular face, but wouldn’t work on her. Even though Joan did all of the cooking, Janet was the one who had to work to keep her weight healthy. She did think that her more rounded cheeks were preferable to Joan’s angles, whatever the hairstyle.

“How was the interviewing, then?” Joan asked as she joined her sister at the table.

Janet took a bite and made a face before she replied. “It was interesting, but I wouldn’t hire any of the candidates we spoke with yesterday. They were all horrible, albeit in different ways.”

While they ate, Janet told Joan about the three people she and William had interviewed. When she was finished, Joan shook her head.

“During our busy summer I started thinking that it might be wise for us to hire some extra help next year. If those three are indicative of what’s available, maybe we’re better off on our own.”

“I’m sure not all job seekers are as bad as those three. It is a small village, though, and Little Burton is even smaller. I suspect most young people move away after school. Shop assistants tend to be younger, really, don’t they?”

“Sometimes they’re older, maybe even retired.”

“Yes, of course, like Bernard,” Janet laughed. Bernard worked at the large supermarket near Derby. He was in his early eighties and had retired from a career in banking many years earlier. When he’d grown bored with not working, he’d taken the job at the supermarket. He usually worked in the produce department and could generally be found extolling the virtues of various vegetables and encouraging everyone to eat more fruit.

“Summer seems a long way off right now, but we should start thinking about what we want to do differently next year. We both worked too hard this year, although it was nice to build up our bank account.”

“Maybe we should plan on closing for a few days each month next summer,” Janet suggested.

“It’s just difficult because our guests usually want to come for a full week at a time. We’ve already had one inquiry about next summer, actually. We probably need to work out a plan quickly.”

Janet sighed. The bed and breakfast had been Joan’s idea from the start, and while she didn’t mind helping out, even during the busy summer months, she hated helping her sister make decisions about how the business was run. She was grateful, then, when they were interrupted by a knock on the front door.

“I’ll go,” she said, jumping to her feet and rushing out of the kitchen. There were guests due to arrive today, but it was far too early for them to be at the door, she thought as she crossed the large sitting room. Hoping she wasn’t about to be subjected to a lengthy sales pitch for double-glazing or a new security system, she pulled the door open.

“Janet, it’s good to see you,” Robert Parsons said brightly. “I have a few questions for you, if you don’t mind.”

“Questions for me?” she echoed, staring at the young police constable. His uniform was neat and tidy and his brown hair must have been cut very recently. Janet knew he was very good at the difficult job of policing both Doveby Dale and Little Burton. He often visited the sisters, for tea and biscuits as much as anything else. As Janet understood it, he made a habit of visiting many of the village’s residents, gathering information and biscuits in equal measure. “Is something wrong?” she asked him.

“There was a spot of vandalism in Doveby Dale last night,” Robert explained as Janet ushered him into the house. “One of the large windows at the front of William Chalmers’s shop was broken.”

“But I was just there yesterday,” Janet exclaimed. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she flushed. “Not that that has anything to do with anything,” she added quickly. “Was anything taken?”

“William is working through his inventory this morning,” Robert told her. “He actually went in early today to take inventory. He’s trying to keep better track since the incident a while back.”

Janet nodded. Someone had stolen a few small items from the antique shop, and William had only discovered it when Janet had noticed that something was missing. In the weeks since, William had forced himself to put his inventory records into his computer, and now he could simply print out a list of everything he was meant to have on any given day.

“At the moment, he doesn’t think anything was taken, although a few furniture pieces were damaged by the broken glass and the brick that went through the window,” Robert added.

Janet frowned and then led the man into the kitchen.

“I thought I heard your voice,” Joan said as a greeting. “I’ve just put the kettle on, but I have coffee as well, if you’d prefer.”

Robert smiled at her. “Coffee sounds great,” he said as he settled in at the table, where a large plate of biscuits had appeared.

Janet sat down opposite Robert and grabbed a biscuit. She’d eaten porridge for breakfast. She deserved a few biscuits as a reward.

“What brings you here this morning?” Joan asked as she poured out three cups of coffee. “I hope everything is okay.”

“Someone broke a window in William’s shop last night,” Janet told her.

“Oh, dear. I hope no one was hurt and the damage done was minimal,” Joan replied.

“No one was hurt, or at least I believe no one was hurt. I suppose the vandal may have injured himself or herself throwing the brick, but as far as I can tell, he or she didn’t actually go anywhere near the shop after the window shattered,” Robert said.

“So nothing was taken?” Joan checked.

“William is going through his inventory today, but he doesn’t think anything was taken. There was some damage, but it was relatively minor.”

“But who would have done such a thing?” Joan asked.

Robert shrugged. “I don’t like to speculate about anything, but there are a number of possibilities. It may have been an entirely random act by someone walking past who thought it might be fun to break a window, or it could have been a deliberate attempt to hurt William or his business in some way.”

“He interviewed some people yesterday for a job at the shop,” Janet interjected. “Maybe one of them was angry that he or she wasn’t offered the job on the spot.”

“That’s why I’m here,” Robert said. “William has given me his thoughts on the men and woman he interviewed yesterday. I’d like to hear what you thought of each of them.”

“Surely, if they wanted to cause trouble, they’d have waited until after William made his decision. What if he ends up hiring one of them and then that person turns out to have been behind the broken window? I can see being upset if you didn’t get the job, but I don’t think William has made a decision yet. If he has, he hasn’t had time to share that decision with anyone, anyway,” Janet said.

“Unless one of the candidates thought that it would be useful to make extra work for William,” Robert suggested. “Maybe he or she thought that having a broken window would make William rush to hire someone immediately, maybe without checking references, for instance.”

“That could be any of them,” Janet said. “Although I suspect Bradley Austin wanted his references checked the least.”

“Tell me about all three people you and William spoke with yesterday,” Robert said.

Janet told him everything she could remember about the three interviews. When she was done, she shook her head. “I told Joan this morning that I wouldn’t want to hire any of them,” she concluded.

“William said much the same thing,” Robert replied. “He said he’d rather just do the work himself than trust his business to any of those three.”

“Do you think one of them was behind the brick through his window?” Joan asked.

“At this point, it seems unlikely, really. I’m inclined to think that the attack was completely random. It might have been someone young who wasn’t thinking or someone older who had been drinking, maybe. There are many possibilities, and I’m afraid it won’t be easy to find the right solution.”

“Are there any security cameras in the area?” Janet asked.

“There are a few. Owen Carter in the chemist’s shop has one pointed towards his door, and the council has a few aimed at the car park. Unfortunately, none of them seem to have recorded the right area last night.”

“The vandal was lucky.”

“Or smart,” Robert said. “The cameras are all visible, aside from the one in Owen’s shop. It doesn’t take much effort to avoid the car park ones, really.”

“Was the vandal on foot, then? If he or she had a car, wouldn’t he or she have had to drive past a camera or two?” was Janet’s next question. As she asked it, she tried to picture the car park. She’d never noticed any cameras there, but then she’d also never worried about avoiding such things.

“The vandal might have parked a short distance away and walked over,” Robert said. “He or she didn’t park in the car park for the shops, anyway. You’re right; the cameras would have picked up the car if it had been parked in that car park.”

“That makes it sound a good deal more deliberate or planned,” Janet speculated.

“It may have been, or not,” Robert shrugged. “I’m going to go and have a little chat with a few people who have been known to cause trouble in the past. I’m going to make a point of talking to the three people you and William interviewed yesterday as well.”

“Imagine going for a job interview and ending up being interviewed by the police,” Janet said.

“I’m hoping one or more of them might have seen something that will help, actually,” Robert replied. “As far as William could remember, none of them had ever been in the antique shop before. Sometimes people are more observant in new surroundings.”

“What are you hoping they observed?” Janet wondered.

“Anyone seemingly hanging around the area for no obvious reason, for a start,” Robert explained. “I’m also curious how many of them noticed the bricks.”

“There was a small pile of them just by the coffee shop,” Janet told him. “I assumed they were there as part of some renovations at the coffee shop, even though I haven’t actually seen any signs of any renovations happening.”

“It’s interesting you say that,” Robert told her. “The owners of the coffee shop told me that they never ordered the bricks. They were simply there when they came to work one morning. They told me that they just left them there, assuming someone would come and claim them eventually.”

“Can you track down who ordered them or from where they were ordered?” Joan wondered.

“I’m going to try, but apparently they’ve been there for several weeks now. I suspect they were dumped there by someone who was too lazy to take them where they should have gone.”

“People are odd,” Janet laughed.

“I see a lot of that in my job,” Robert agreed.

Janet and Joan walked Robert to the door a short time later.

“Thank you for your time,” he said before he headed out.

“Do you want to go and help William with his inventory, then?” Joan asked as Janet shut the door behind Robert.

“I was thinking I might,” Janet admitted, “but we have guests arriving today, don’t we?”

“I believe Mr. and Mrs. Morris will be here later today, but Mrs. Morris told me they wouldn’t be leaving Liverpool until after her husband finished work for the day, so I don’t expect them until late.”

“It will probably take them two or three hours to get here from Liverpool,” Janet said. “I hope they don’t leave too much after five.”

“Anyway, their room is ready for whenever they get here,” Joan told her. “I made up both guest rooms yesterday, even though Mr. and Mrs. Gorham aren’t due until tomorrow morning.”

“Any idea why either couple is coming here at this time of year?”

“Believe it or not, both couples are coming for an art exhibit in Derby,” Joan told her. “I don’t believe they know one another, as the Gorhams are from Dover, but Mrs. Gorham and Mrs. Morris both told me far more than I wanted to know about the exhibit.”

“Maybe we should go, too,” Janet suggested.

Joan shrugged. “It’s on next weekend as well. Maybe we should go when we don’t have any guests.”

Chapter 5

With Doveby House ready for its guests and Joan happily baking in the kitchen, Janet headed into Doveby Dale to see if William needed any help with his inventory.

“That’s very kind of you,” he told her after he’d greeted her with a warm hug, “but I’m nearly finished. After the last time we had to do this, I’ve made myself be far cleverer about the whole process.”

Janet nodded. “When will someone be able to repair the window?” she asked, trying not stare at the ugly wooden panel that now covered a large section of the shop’s frontage.

“Robert is still writing up the police report. Once that’s done, I can submit it to my insurance and they’ll make all of the necessary arrangements,” William explained. “They already sent the crew that came this morning and cleaned up the mess.”

“I did wonder how you cleared away all the broken glass so quickly.”

“I didn’t do anything. The insurance company sent six people to deal with it, and they had the window boarded up and the broken glass cleared away in less than a hour.”

“That seems very efficient.”

“I pay a lot of money for very good insurance for a reason,” William told her. “The company will be sending a loss adjuster later to look over the pieces that were damaged to work out their value with the damage. I expect to get a cheque to cover the difference between what they were worth before and what I might be able to get for them now.”

“Anything I might like at a bargain price?” Janet asked.

“Everything is in the back room. Go and have a look,” he suggested.

It didn’t take Janet long to go through the items.

“Nothing?” William asked as she rejoined him.

“I suppose I’m rather spoiled, living in Doveby House,” she laughed. “We have such beautiful antiques in every room.”

“If you ever decide to sell the house, let me buy the furnishings. I’ll give you a fair deal, and I’d love to get my hands on a few things for myself, as well.”

“I can’t imagine we’ll ever sell, but I’ll keep the offer in mind.”

“Do you know why the house was sold furnished?” William asked. “I’m sure they could have made a lot of money selling the furniture separately.”

“It was a charity that inherited the estate,” Janet explained. “At the time, we were told that they simply wanted to get everything done as quickly as possible.”

“Their loss is your gain, I suppose.”

As William was waiting for someone from the insurance company, Janet went to the café and brought back lunch for them both again. They both enjoyed their bangers and mash, and William was just finishing his jam roly-poly when the adjuster arrived.

“I’m going to go home and see if Joan needs any help getting things ready for our guests,” Janet told William as the frowning man began to inspect the damaged items.

William followed her to the door and then switched the sign to “closed.” “I don’t want to have to deal with the insurance company and customers at the same time,” he told Janet.

She nodded and then walked out. As she heard William lock the door behind her, she glanced towards the chemist’s shop and gasped. “Wanda? What brings you here?” she asked the woman who was leaning against the building smoking a cigarette.

“I heard that Mr. Chambers had his window broken,” she replied. “I came over to make sure he was okay and to see if he needed any help with anything.”

“That was kind of you. He’s dealing with the insurance company right now, but it shouldn’t take long.”

The girl shrugged. “I have other places to be,” she said, pushing herself off the wall and throwing her cigarette butt into the air. It landed near Janet, and she quickly stomped on it to stop it burning. When she looked back up, Wanda was halfway across the car park.

Janet took a step after her and then remembered that she’d emptied the box of tissues in her bedroom that morning. While Joan kept a supply of such things for the guest rooms, Janet didn’t like to ask her for one. Such things, when used by guests, were a business expense, and Janet knew that Joan kept meticulous records of every penny that she spent on the business. If she gave Janet a box of tissues from her supplies, she’d have to go back in and amend her accounts. It was easier for everyone if Janet bought her own tissues. She preferred a different brand to the one that Joan insisted on using anyway.

“Ah, Janet, how are you?” Owen Carter, the chemist and sole employee of the small shop, asked as Janet entered.

“I’m very well. How are you?”

“A bit concerned about the vandalism, but I’m trying not to let it bother me,” he told her. “I know it isn’t my shop, but I do worry about it, just the same.”

The shop had once belonged to Michael Donaldson, but when he’d decided to retire, he’d sold it to a large chain. Owen had been working for the chain for many years, but the shop in Doveby Dale had given him his first management position.

“I’d hate to think that someone was going to start throwing bricks through windows regularly,” Janet replied.

“I’ve been redoing my window displays, just in case,” Owen told her. He gestured towards the front of the shop. Where one window had been full of jars of baby food, it now contained boxes of rubbish bags. The other window had showcased a large and very expensive pushchair. That had been replaced by neatly stacked boxes of tissues.

“Hopefully, an unnecessary precaution.”

“Corporate isn’t happy about it, because my windows are supposed to be the same as the displays in every other shop in the chain. I’ve promised them I’ll switch everything back in a week if nothing else happens.”

“That seems fair,” Janet said as she handed him two boxes of tissues. He rang them up and then put them into a bag for her. She handed him the money and then picked up her bag. Turning to leave, she stopped when the shop’s door swung open.

“Hey, how long is the antique shop going to be closed for?” the man in the doorway demanded.

“I didn’t realize it was closed,” Owen replied, looking flustered.

The man shook his head. “You’re not much help, then,” he snapped before he spun around and disappeared.

“Such a disagreeable young man,” Owen sighed. “I’ve stopped trying to get food at the coffee shop across the car park because of him.”

“Is he always there?”

“He always seems to be there when I go, anyway,” Owen replied.

That made it even odder that Peter Henson hadn’t mentioned the job on his CV, Janet thought as she walked out of the shop. She dropped her tissue boxes into the car’s small boot and then slid behind the wheel. As she started to reverse carefully out of her parking space, a horn stopped her. A sporty black car driving far too quickly through the car park sped past her. Janet watched as Bradley Austin parked across two parking spaces and then climbed out of the car. He was standing in front of the antique shop, frowning, as Janet drove away.

Hours later, Janet sighed. “Maybe they changed their minds about arriving tonight,” she said as the clock in the sitting room chimed ten.

“Mrs. Morris said she’d ring me if their plans changed,” Joan told her.

“I thought she also said she’d ring you if they were going to be later than nine.”

“Yes, well, perhaps they’re stuck in traffic somewhere where her phone doesn’t work,” Joan speculated.

“I hope not, as that would mean they’d still be some distance away,” Janet frowned.

“You go to bed. I’ll wait up for them.”

“You should be the one who goes to bed,” Janet countered. “You’ll have to get up and make breakfast tomorrow, whatever time they arrive.”

“If they’re very late, they probably won’t want breakfast until later in the morning.”

“Maybe, but it still makes more sense for me to wait for them, just in case. What time do I turn off the lights and assume they aren’t coming?”

“I told Mrs. Morris that if they hadn’t arrived by ten, they would have to make other arrangements for the night,” Joan replied with a frown. “I’d hate to leave them stranded, though.”

“If they’re running late, they should have rung. They probably decided not to come until tomorrow and simply didn’t bother to ring.”

The sisters were still debating what to do when someone knocked on the front door.

“That better be our late guests,” Janet muttered as she got to her feet. She followed Joan to the door.

“Good evening,” the pretty blonde on the doorstep said. “George is just bringing the bags.” She breezed through the doorway and glanced around the room. “This is adorable,” she cooed.

A moment later, another knock had Joan letting an equally attractive young man into the house. “We’re only here for three nights,” he told the woman. “You’ve brought enough for a week.”

“I wasn’t sure what our plans were for every day. I wanted to be sure I had the right outfit for anywhere we decided to go,” she replied.

“I’m Joan Markham and this is my sister Janet,” Joan said. “I’ll just get your keys, and then I do ask that you pay in advance for your stay.”

As she left the room, the blonde spoke. “George, pay the woman.”

The man nodded and then put the bags down heavily. He dug through his pockets, eventually finding his wallet. “How much?” he asked Janet.

“Joan deals with that. You’ll have to wait until she returns to check with her,” Janet replied.

Joan was back a moment later. “You’ll be staying in the Alberta Room,” she told the couple.

George repeated his question. Joan told him the rate for each night and then totalled their stay for them.

“Are you quite sure of your math?” the woman asked. “I thought, when I rang, that you told me less than that.”

“Feel free to check my math on a calculator,” Joan said stiffly. “I don’t make a habit of trying to cheat our guests.”

George counted out twenty pound notes and then added several pound coins, counting aloud until he reached the correct amount. “Here you are,” he said.

Joan counted the money carefully and then put it into her pocket. “I’ll just show you to your room,” she said.

“It’s early,” the blonde replied, wrinkling her nose. “Where can we get a drink?”

“A drink? There’s a pub in the village, but it may be shut now,” Joan told her. “Doveby Dale is a very quiet village, really.”

“Maybe this wasn’t the best choice,” she sighed. “George, can we go somewhere else?”

“I just paid for three nights here,” he snapped. “I’m going to bed.”

The woman sighed again and then rolled her eyes. “We’ll work it out in the morning, I suppose.”

“Let me show you to your room, then,” Joan said. Janet could hear the tension in Joan’s voice.

She let Joan lead the couple from the room and then followed them all up the stairs.

“It’s very small,” the woman sniffed as she stood in the doorway to the Alberta Room.

“It’s fine,” her husband told her. “We’re just going to sleep here.”

“If there aren’t any pubs nearby, we may have to have a few drinks in here at night, too,” the girl replied.

“Let’s worry about that tomorrow, too,” George suggested. He pulled their bags into the room and then shut the door behind himself and his wife.

“I don’t like them,” Janet whispered to Joan as the sisters walked back down the corridor.

“Neither do I,” Joan sighed. “I did think we were due some nice guests after all the awful ones we’ve had lately.”

“What time do I need to be up tomorrow?”

“Oh, goodness, I never asked them what time they want breakfast,” Joan sighed. She turned and walked back down the corridor. Janet followed, more out of boredom than for any other reason.

“Breakfast?” the woman frowned at the question when she’d answered Joan’s knock. “I don’t know, eight? Nine? Maybe somewhere in between. I’d ask George, but he’s in the shower.” She pushed the door shut in Joan’s face.

“That was helpful,” Janet said, forcing herself to see the funny side of the situation. It was clear from the look on Joan’s face that her sister hadn’t seen a funny side to the conversation.

“Please be down by half seven,” Joan said. “No doubt whatever time they decide to get up, I’ll want your help.”

Janet unlocked her bedroom door and walked inside. Aggie was already curled up on her pillow next to Janet’s in the large bed. She opened one eye and then scowled at Janet.

“Yes, I know. It’s very late. Our guests don’t seem to be able to tell time very well. They also don’t know when they want breakfast tomorrow. I shall have to be up early to help Joan, although mostly I think I’ll be tasked with keeping her from shouting at the guests rather than helping make breakfast.”

It was obvious that the kitten wasn’t actually interested in what Janet was saying, so she stopped talking and got herself ready for bed instead. When Janet crawled under the covers a short while later, Aggie didn’t move.

“Good night, then,” she told the kitten. Aggie reached out and patted her arm with her paw, reminding Janet of just how much she loved the little pest. Aggie had been an unexpected but very welcome gift from Edward Bennett. The man had been their first guest after they’d purchased the bed and breakfast. He’d romanced Janet during his stay and then surprised her by telling her before he departed that he worked for some secret government agency. According to Edward, he’d sometimes used the house as a safe house while Margaret Appleby had been the owner. Janet still wasn’t certain whether Edward had been telling her the truth or not, but she’d become used to his infrequent phone calls and occasional gifts.

The large painting on her bedroom wall had come from Edward, as had the little red car she loved so much. One of these days he was going to ring again and give her a chance to discuss that car with him, she told herself. That was her last thought before she fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 6

Aggie was patting her arm again when Janet opened her eyes. “What time is it?” she asked the animal.

Aggie shrugged and then curled back up on her pillow. Janet looked at the clock. It was six and well before she had to get up. Why had Aggie woken her? When her mobile rang a moment later, Janet sighed. No doubt Aggie wanted her to know that Edward was about to ring.

“Hello?”

“Janet, darling, how are you?” Edward asked.

“I’m fine, thanks. How are you?”

“Far too busy, but thinking of you a great deal.”

“You shouldn’t have bought me a car.”

Edward chuckled. “Do you still have it?”

“Yes, of course I still have it. It’s a wonderful little car, but you must make me pay you for it.”

“I won’t argue. We can discuss it in person, actually, or rather I hope we can.”

“You’re coming to visit?”

“I’m hoping to come to visit, maybe in January. It’s complicated, though, and I probably won’t be coming alone.”

“What does that mean?”

“I may be bringing a friend with me, that’s all. Don’t worry about it for now. We’ll talk again in a few weeks. Can you ask Joan to not book any guests for January, though, please?”

“The entire month?”

“Yes, the entire month. I’ll pay for both guest rooms for the month, so don’t worry about lost business. I just need to know that the rooms will be available when I need them.”

“We may already have bookings for January.”

“Let me know what you have the next time I ring, please, and don’t take anymore. I know I’m asking for a huge favour, but I have my reasons.”

“It isn’t really a favour if you’re paying for the rooms,” Janet argued.

“There may be more to it than just that.”

“What does that mean?”

Edward chuckled again. “You know I’d tell you everything if I could. For now, just block out January for me. I hope you’re looking forward to seeing me?”

“I don’t know. I hate the secrecy, you know.”

“I am sorry. If I could turn back time, I’d have moved up north back when you were twenty-five and courted you then,” he told her. “I’d have taken some boring desk job and spent the next forty years making you happy.”

Janet flushed. The words were sweet, but she told herself not to believe them. “I lost the combination to the safe,” she told him.

The house’s library had a built-in wall safe that Janet and Joan had discovered during Edward’s first visit. While he’d been there, he’d actually opened the safe, but since then he usually made excuses for not giving the combination to Janet.

“I don’t have that paperwork with me here,” he told her. “The next chance I get, though, I’ll track it down. Watch for a card or a letter with the combination soon.”

“Promise?”

“I can only promise to do my best,” he sighed. “There are issues here.”

“Are you still in the US?”

“I’m in Cyprus,” he replied. “Tomorrow I’ll be heading to Switzerland and then I’m off to Moscow for a few days. As I said, there are issues. Tell me what you’ve been doing lately, though. What’s new in Doveby Dale?”

“Someone broke a window in William Chalmers’s shop. That’s the only excitement here.”

“That’s unfortunate. I assume Robert is investigating?”

“Yes, of course. William had just interviewed a few people for a job in the shop, as well. I can’t see why any of them would want to hurt William’s business, but they seem to be on Robert’s list of suspects.”

“Presumably the ones William didn’t offer the job to will be higher on the list than whomever William is going to employ.”

“That’s just it, though. William only interviewed them on Thursday and the window got broken that night. He hasn’t offered anyone the job yet.”

“Do you know anything about the people he interviewed?”

Janet felt herself blush. “I was there for the interviews. William thought it might be interesting for me, and he wanted another opinion, as well. Who knows, one day Joan and I might want to hire someone to help out here.”

“Did you find it interesting?”

“It was different, anyway. I didn’t like any of the candidates and if I were William, I wouldn’t hire any of them.” She told Edward all about the three people William had interviewed.

“I believe I can see why the three of them are on Robert’s list of suspects,” he said when she was done. “I wonder who else is on the list.”

“I’ve no idea. Obviously, Robert doesn’t discuss such things with me.”

“I wonder if he’d discuss them with me,” Edward said thoughtfully.

“Surely you have better things to do than worry about a random act of vandalism in Doveby Dale.”

“I do, but I also worry a good deal about Doveby Dale. The amount of criminal activity worries me. Even small things like random acts of vandalism contribute to the safety and security of the village. Someone rather important to me lives in Doveby Dale, you see.”

Janet flushed again. “Yes, well, I’m sure Robert has everything under control.”

“I certainly hope so. Is the bed and breakfast quieter now that summer is over?”

“It’s very quiet, although we do have two couples booked for this weekend. One of the couples arrived last night, actually.”

“From the tone of your voice, I suspect you aren’t too happy about that.”

“They seem as if they’re going to be difficult,” Janet replied. “So many of our guests are difficult, it seems.”

“Tell me about the new arrivals, then.”

Janet told him all about Mr. and Mrs. Morris. “I don’t suppose they’re wanted by MI5 or something and someone can come and take them away this morning?” she asked at the end.

Edward chuckled. “While they sound disagreeable, they don’t sound like criminals. Hopefully, they’ll spend most of their time outside of Doveby House. They leave on Sunday?”

“I think they’re staying until Monday morning,” Janet sighed. “That probably means a very early start on Monday as they’ll want breakfast before they head back to Liverpool.”

“When I’m there in January, we’ll have to talk about a proper holiday for you. Where would you like to go?”

“Goodness, I’ve no idea.” She wasn’t exactly sure what the man was suggesting, either. If he were hinting that she might want to go away with him for a weekend, well, that was out of the question. She knew she was old-fashioned, but she wouldn’t be travelling with any man without a wedding ring on her finger. As soon as the idea popped into her head, she almost laughed out loud. Getting married at her age was a ridiculous notion, really.

“Have you done much travelling in the past?” Edward interrupted her train of thought.

“I spent time in France, teaching English, and Joan and I enjoy holidays on the Isle of Man fairly regularly. Beyond that, we try to visit different cities when we can. We’ve been to Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, Manchester, and probably a few others as well.”

“Aside from time teaching in France, how much of the Continent have you visited?”

“We did a few short trips when we were in France. We spent a weekend in Rome and another in Amsterdam. I think that’s about it.”

“My dear girl, I long to show you the world. You’ve never been to America? I do think that’s a country worth visiting at least a few times.”

“I don’t like to fly.”

“Why not?”

“It just seems unnatural.”

“You’ve not had a bad experience, then?”

“No, um, I’ve never flown,” she admitted in a low voice.

Edward chuckled. “Once I get through a few more little jobs, I’m going to show you the world,” he said. “I promise you, flying isn’t bad. It’s mostly boring, which is true for nearly all types of travel. Of course, if you’re adamant about not flying, we could always sail over to the US. It takes ages, but it’s a wonderful way to travel.”

“I have a business to run.”

“Yes, we’ll have to sort that, won’t we,” Edward said, sounding unconcerned. He sighed. “I must go. Duty, as ever, calls. Remember what I said, though. Once I’m able to properly retire, I do want to show you the world. I’ll ring again soon about January. Don’t forget to block out the month for bookings, please. I’ll put a cheque to cover the costs in the post to you in the next day or two.”

Janet opened her mouth to reply as the phone went dead in her hand. “Nice talking to you, too,” she muttered as she put the phone down and glanced at the clock again. If she didn’t hurry, now she was going to be late. Sighing, she got out of bed and headed for the shower.

“The entire month of January?” Joan asked, staring at Janet.

“That’s what he said. He said he’d put a cheque in the post to cover it.”

“I’ve half a mind to keep taking bookings until the cheque arrives. Knowing Edward Bennett, we’ll never see the money and he’ll never turn up.”

Janet sighed. “Do we have any bookings for January?”

“No, not yet, but we could get some any day now. We already have bookings for February, after all.”

“That’s just because of Valentine’s Day,” Janet replied. “Peter and Paula Ellsworth booked for next year when they were here for Valentine’s Day this year.”

“We have another couple booked for Valentine’s Day weekend, too,” Joan told her. “I believe they know Peter and Paula.”

“So there aren’t any bookings for January?”

“Harry and Sue Mortimer were going to come in January,” Joan said. “Sue rang last week to tell me that they’re going to have put their visit off until later in the year, though. They’re both busy with work and other things.”

“I’m glad they’re busy, but it would have been nice to see them again.”

“They’ll be here, just not for their wedding anniversary. She said something about trying to get here for Harry’s birthday in May.”

“I suggest that we block out January for Edward, then,” Janet said. “If the cheque he promised doesn’t arrive in a week, we can always reconsider the decision.”

Joan hesitated and then nodded. “I suppose we could do that. I wouldn’t agree if he were asking for June or July, but January doesn’t seem as if it’s going to be very busy.”

“It would be nice to be paid for the whole month and not have any guests at all. I think I could learn to love the bed and breakfast if that happened every month.”

Joan laughed. “It will almost be like our summer holidays when we were teaching, except we still did a lot of work during the summers, making lesson plans and those sorts of things. Having a month off will be a treat, especially if we actually do get paid. Are you looking forward to seeing Edward if he does manage to come?”

“I’ve no idea how I feel about that,” Janet sighed.

“What did he say about the car? I suppose he might have argued that the car was his payment for at least a month at the bed and breakfast.”

“He told me that we’ll discuss it when he’s here. I’m not sure what that means, but I shall be saving my pennies from now until then so that I can offer him the market value for the car.”

“You’ll have to ask Mack about that.”

Janet nodded. Mack Fenton ran the garage from which the car had been purchased. He’d know exactly what Edward had paid for it. Janet just wasn’t certain she was ready to learn how much that had been.

The sisters ate breakfast while they talked about upcoming bookings, of which there were very few.

“Of course, I’m not letting anyone book Christmas week,” Joan said. “I was going to leave the first week of January free as well, but now I shall have to pencil Edward into that week.”

Before Janet could reply, Mr. and Mrs. Morris strolled into the room.

“Coffee,” Mrs. Morris said.

Janet got up and poured them each a cup of coffee.

“What can I make you for breakfast?” Joan asked. “I usually do a full English breakfast for our guests, but I can do other things if you’d prefer.”

“Full English sounds good to me,” George said. “Jackie, what do you want?”

The woman made a face. “I’m not much of a breakfast eater, but since we’ve already paid for it, I’ll have the same.”

Joan got busy at the cooker while Janet began making toast. “You’re welcome to eat in here or in the dining room,” she told the couple as she worked.

“Oh, let’s go in the dining room,” Jackie said quickly. “We don’t want to be in the way.”

Janet showed them into the rarely used room next to the kitchen and then went back to help Joan. It only took the sisters a few minutes to prepare breakfast for their guests. Janet delivered the plates and then helped Joan clear up the kitchen.

“We’re off,” George announced a few minutes later as he and Jackie swept through the room.

“What time should we expect you back?” Joan asked.

“Oh, goodness, you can’t expect us to know that. We’re on holiday. We’ll be back when we run out of money or energy and not before,” Jackie told her.

Janet followed the pair to the door to make sure they locked it properly behind themselves. Of course they didn’t, which meant they would probably forget to do it when they came home that evening as well. Sighing, she rejoined Joan in the kitchen.

“She didn’t even touch her breakfast,” Joan complained as she carried the plates back in from the dining room.

“She did say she didn’t eat breakfast.”

“Then why ask for anything? What a horrible waste.”

“As she said, she did pay for it.”

Joan took a deep breath and then scraped everything off the plate into the bin. “It’s still a terrible waste,” she said tightly.

Janet nodded. “Do you need any help down here or should I go and see what sort of mess they’ve left behind in their room?”

“If you can go and get started there, I won’t be far behind you,” Joan promised.

Janet took a few steps and then stopped when the phone rang. As she was standing next to it, she answered.

“Janet? It’s Robert Parsons. I’m just ringing to see if you and Joan will be home for a while. I’d like to talk to you both about something.”

“What’s wrong?”

“A window was broken at the chemist’s shop last night,” he replied. “I’m spending the rest of today visiting all of the businesses in Doveby Dale to make sure everyone knows what’s happening. I’d hate to think that this sort of vandalism is going to continue, but I want to be sure that everyone has been warned.”

Chapter 7

Mr. and Mrs. Morris had left their room tidier than Janet had hoped. “They weren’t here for more than a few hours, of course,” she said to Joan as they remade the bed and cleaned the en-suite bathroom. “I’m sure we’ll have a lot more to do tomorrow.”

“Not if they stay out until the wee small hours of the morning,” Joan said unhappily.

“We’ve been very fortunate, really. Most of our guests have kept very reasonable hours while they’ve been staying here. I suppose we should expect guests to want to be able to have late nights once in a while. They are on holiday, after all.”

“If they want late nights, they’d be better off staying closer to Derby. There are pubs and clubs in Derby, after all. I’m not sure that our little pub will suit Mr. and Mrs. Morris.”

“If it’s even open when they get back from their day out,” Janet grinned. “I’ve never been there, but from what I’ve heard about the place, it’s only open when the landlord can be bothered to be open, which isn’t often.”

“Yes, I’ve heard the same. Michael and I were going to get a drink there one night after dinner, but it was shut. He told me that when his wife first died he used to have a drink there most nights, but the landlord usually closed around nine. Apparently he likes an early night.”

“It seems an odd way to run a business.”

“Michael didn’t think the landlord cared very much about having customers. He told me a few stories about the man and the pub, but I don’t know if any of them are true.”

“You can share them with me anyway,” Janet said eagerly.

“Maybe after I vacuum,” Joan replied before she switched on the machine.

Janet added water to the vase of flowers on the bedside table and then went into the other guest room to check that the flowers there were still fresh. After adding water to them, she headed down the stairs. With the vacuum running, it was probably best if she were somewhere she could hear if anyone knocked. Robert hadn’t said exactly when he was going to visit, and she’d hate to miss him.

When someone knocked a short while later, though, it wasn’t Robert at the door.

“Ah, good morning,” the tall and very slender man said. “I hope we aren’t too early. I’m Oscar Gorham. My wife, Jenny, and I are here for a two-night stay.”

“Welcome to Doveby House,” Janet told him. “Please, come in.”

“I’ll just get Jenny,” he replied. He turned and hurried back down the steps to the car park.

Janet dashed up the stairs to warn Joan, rushing back so that she was at the door when the man returned, escorting a petite brunette who appeared to be ten months pregnant.

She looked at Janet and laughed. “I know. I look as if I’m going to burst, don’t I? Believe it or not, I have another month to go, or so the doctors tell me. I’ve not even gained all that much weight. This is all baby.” She patted her stomach affectionately.

“Congratulations,” Janet told her.

“Oh, thank you,” the woman replied. “I’m at the point now where I just want to get this all over with, but it’s still very exciting. I think we’re ready to meet Baby Gorham, though, aren’t we?” she asked her husband.

“Yes, of course,” he replied.

Janet thought he looked less certain about that than his wife did. Of course, at the moment he wasn’t having to do much of anything towards looking after the baby. All of that would change once the baby arrived, but for now it was only Jenny who was having to deal with the impending new arrival.

“I hope you’re okay to climb stairs,” Joan said once everyone had been introduced.

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m supposed to be getting exercise,” Jenny told her. “Oscar and I both thought a little trip away before the baby arrives would be good for us, but I didn’t anticipate being quite this unwieldy by this stage. We’re meant to be visiting an art exhibit in Derby, but we may just explore what Doveby Dale has to offer instead.”

“We have all sorts of information about many different things to see in the area,” Janet told her.

The woman nodded. “Right now, I just want to have a lie-down, if that’s okay. The drive here took more out of me than I was expecting, and I got carsick, too, which has never happened before.”

Joan showed the pair to the Montgomery Room, which was the larger of the two guest rooms. She’d only just rejoined Janet in the sitting room when Oscar appeared in the doorway.

“Is everything okay?” Joan asked.

“I’ve left Jenny to have a nap,” he explained. “I thought maybe I’d go and do some exploring on my own while she sleeping. Maybe I’ll be able to find a few places to take her later, when she wakes up and is feeling better.”

Janet spent a few minutes telling Oscar about nearby sights and then circled a few on a map for him. He thanked her before he headed out the door.

“Let’s hope Jenny doesn’t suddenly go into labour,” Janet muttered as the door shut behind him.

“She said she has a month to go.”

“She doesn’t look as if she has a month to go.”

“He wouldn’t have left her if he thought she was going to have the baby today.”

“I hope you’re right. I think he seems the type to leave precisely because he thinks the baby might come today.”

Joan shook her head. “I’m sure he’s incredibly nervous about the baby, but he wouldn’t have abandoned his wife here. I’m sure of it.”

Whatever Janet was going to say in reply was cut off by a knock on the door. She opened it to Robert.

“Come in,” she invited him. “I think it’s just about time to put the kettle on.”

The trio settled in the kitchen. Joan piled biscuits onto a plate while Janet made tea.

“I hope there wasn’t too much damage to Owen’s shop,” Janet said as she sat down opposite the police constable.

“It wasn’t too bad. He’d recently changed the display, and before he left for the night he covered everything in plastic sheets. Once we were done with our photos, he was able to simply roll up the sheets. Nearly all of the broken glass was contained.”

“That was smart of him,” Joan remarked.

“He’d only started doing it yesterday, after the broken window at the antique shop,” Robert explained. “He told me that he hoped he was being overly careful.”

“But he wasn’t,” Janet sighed.

“If I didn’t know Owen as well as I do, I might have found his behaviour suspicious,” Robert said. “As it is, I was surprised that he wasn’t already covering his window displays at night. He’s usually a very meticulous person and I was surprised the idea of a broken window had never occurred to him.”

“I’m sure there were never any broken windows there when Michael had the shop,” Joan said.

Robert nodded. “You’re right, of course. Vandalism has never really been an issue in Doveby Dale. We’ve had odd incidents, of course, but nearly all of them were attributable to young men and women from other areas simply causing a bit of trouble. Mostly, in the past, we’ve only had to deal with graffiti. That’s less of a concern than broken windows.”

“Was it a brick again?” Janet asked.

“Yes. We believe the second brick came from the same pile as the first. The owners of the coffee shop are going to move the bricks indoors today. Hopefully, that will help, although whoever is behind the attacks could have taken several extra bricks from the pile. As no one knows where the bricks came from, no one seems quite sure how many there were when they were first delivered.”

“I can’t believe no one knows where they came from,” Janet said.

“It’s possible that Mr. Kingston, the former owner of the café, ordered them for some reason before he, um, before he left Doveby Dale,” Robert said.

Janet nodded. The man had left the village in back of a police car and no one in the village had been sorry to see the disagreeable man go.

“He’s been asked, and he denies any knowledge of them, but I’m not sure he can be trusted,” Robert added.

“Why would he lie?” Joan wondered.

“I suppose it rather depends on where the bricks came from,” Robert told her. “If he arranged with someone to buy bricks that had, say, fallen off the back of a lorry, then he might not want to admit to that now.”

“If you’ve asked the coffee shop owners to get rid of the bricks, does that mean you expect the vandal to strike again?” Janet asked.

“Unfortunately, it’s a possibility. When it was just the antique shop that had had an issue, I thought maybe someone had a problem with William Chalmers, but now it seems more likely that someone is simply determined to cause trouble. They may be targeting that parade of shops or they may be simply hitting random targets.”

“You don’t think we’ll be a target, do you?” Joan asked worriedly.

“As I told Janet, I’m warning all local businesses, but it seems more likely that they’ll target other businesses in the centre of Doveby Dale rather than venturing out here,” Robert told her. “For one thing, Doveby House is occupied. Thus far they’ve confined themselves to damaging shops that are shut and empty for the night.”

“The cameras didn’t pick up anything?” Janet asked.

“Not a thing. We believe whoever it was either walked from home or parked on a nearby street. They didn’t use the car park for the shops, anyway.”

“What happens next?”

“Derby police are going to be helping me step up patrols around the shops,” Robert replied. “We’re hoping a heavier police presence after hours will discourage whoever was behind the attacks. In the meantime, we’re doing what we can with what little evidence we have.”

“Does that mean you don’t have any suspects?” Janet wondered.

“We’re still looking at the three people who were interviewed on Thursday at the antique shop. We’re also talking to the other dozen or so men and women who replied to William’s advertisement but were not interviewed.”

“I suppose those people might have a reason to be angry with William, but I can’t see what Owen did to upset anyone,” Janet remarked.

“These sorts of random acts often don’t have proper motives behind them,” Robert told her. “Someone from the area might simply have been bored the other night. If that someone went out for a walk and spotted the pile of bricks, perhaps he or she just thought it might be interesting or clever to try throwing it through a window. I understand such experiences can be exhilarating. Perhaps having done it once, whoever it was couldn’t resist the temptation to do it again.”

“Let’s hope twice was enough for them,” Joan said.

“Obviously, I hope that as well, although it may be easier to catch the culprit if he or she tries it again. Sooner or later the cameras will catch something or one of our patrols will be in the right place at the right time. The vandal has been lucky so far, really,” Robert replied.

“I can’t understand why any of the three job candidates would want to cause trouble,” Joan remarked.

“They’re only on my list because they were all in the area on Thursday just before the first attack. I’ve no reason to suspect them more than anyone else,” Robert said.

“They were all there yesterday, too,” Janet interjected.

“Where yesterday?” Robert asked.

“I saw all three of them at the shops in Doveby Dale yesterday,” Janet explained. She told Robert about her visit to the shops.

“Interesting,” was his verdict when she was finished. “I may have to pay all three of them another visit.”

By the time Janet had walked the man to the door, it was time for lunch. Joan made sandwiches for both of them.

“I’m going to make cottage pie tonight,” she told Janet. “I believe we’re overdue for a nice pudding as well.”

“You know I’m not going to argue with that,” Janet laughed.

“Apple crumble or Victoria sponge?”

Janet laughed again. “You already know what I’m going to say.”

“Apple crumble it is,” Joan told her.

Janet smiled at the news. Apple crumble was her favourite pudding and Joan made the best apple crumble in the world.

“I’m sorry, but do you know where Oscar has gone?” a low voice said from the kitchen doorway.

Janet smiled at Jenny. “He went out to look around the area a little bit,” she told the woman. “He said he wanted to find places to take you later, once you’d had some rest.”

Jenny nodded and then burst into tears. Janet jumped to her feet and led the woman to the table.

“Are you okay?” she asked as she helped her into a chair.

“I am, really,” Jenny replied. “I’m just very emotional at the moment. Being pregnant is hard work. I didn’t realise, that is, I never knew it was going to be like this. I wouldn’t be surprised if Oscar has left me, really. I’m not any fun any longer, and he deserves better.”

“Nonsense,” Janet snapped. “It’s his baby, too, after all. You’re full of hormones and exhausted by the effort of growing a whole person. I’m sure he understands all of that.”

Jenny shrugged. “If I’d known it was going to be like this, I’m not sure…” she trailed off and then sighed. “It doesn’t matter now, of course. The baby is here, well, not exactly here, but almost here. And I’m excited and thrilled about that. It’s just incredibly difficult, too. Oscar seems to be getting cold feet about the whole thing, and I simply don’t know what to do.”

Get rid of Oscar, Janet thought. She bit her tongue. “He’ll probably be fine once the baby arrives. For the moment, the baby is more of a theory than a reality to him. You’re the one getting kicked and dealing with fluctuating hormones and everything else. He’ll probably be thrilled once the baby gets here and he starts to have a real role in his or her life.”

Jenny nodded. “I hope you’re right. He’s been really odd lately. This last-minute trip was all his idea. He wanted us to have one last romantic weekend together, as a couple before the baby arrives, but it won’t be very romantic if he disappears, will it? Did he say when he’d be back?”

Janet glanced at Joan and then shook her head. “He should be back soon, though,” she added quickly.

Jenny sighed. “Or not.”

Chapter 8

Joan insisted that Jenny have some lunch while they all waited for Oscar to return. When he still wasn’t back after Jenny had eaten, Janet suggested a walk around the house’s large gardens.

“This is lovely,” Jenny said as they strolled along one of the paths that wound its way through the gardens.

“It’s much better in the summer months, of course,” Janet told her, “but it looks lovely all year long.”

“It must take a lot of upkeep?” Jenny made the statement a question.

“One of our neighbours takes care of the gardens for us. He was a professional gardener and he still enjoys the work.”

“What’s this, then?” Jenny asked, stopping in front of the small carriage house.

“It used to be a carriage house, but at some point the larger doors were replaced with just a simple door.”

“It’s lovely. What’s inside?”

“We just use it for storage. It was already full of boxes when we bought the house and we’re still taking our time going through them.”

“How exciting. Your own little treasure hunt right in your back garden.”

Janet laughed. “Except all we’ve found so far have been decades-old textbooks and piles and piles of paperwork. I don’t think twenty-five-year-old electricity bills count as treasure.”

“I’d love to see inside,” Jenny told her shyly.

“I can go and get the key,” Janet offered.

“If you truly don’t mind, I’m really curious now.”

Jenny sat on one of the many benches that were scattered around the garden while Janet went back into the house to get the key for the carriage house. She also grabbed a torch.

“There’s no power inside?” Jenny asked when Janet rejoined her.

“There is power, but sometimes the wind blows the door shut and that makes the light switch off.”

“How very odd.”

Janet had thought all the way into the house and back about warning the young woman about the ghost, but she’d decided against it. The poor woman had enough on her mind without worrying that the carriage house ghost was going to lock them inside the building in the dark. Janet had taken the necessary precautions of bringing a torch and a second key. It would be better for Jenny if she simply thought the wind was the issue, Janet thought.

She turned the key and then pulled the door open and switched on the light. Jenny took a few steps into the room and then clapped her hands together.

“I’m sure there’s treasure in some of these boxes,” she said excitedly.

“Feel free to open a few and see what you find,” Janet offered.

“Really? I can open some boxes?”

Janet laughed. “Please do. Joan is always nagging me to go through them all. Find a few with exciting things in them, please.”

Jenny walked slowly around the room, or at least as much as she could with the piles of boxes that were everywhere. Finally she stopped. “This one,” she said, putting her hand on a box.

Janet helped her move the two boxes that had been on top of it onto other piles and then put the chosen box on top of a handy table near the door.

Jenny started to open the box and then giggled. “I feel like a little kid at Christmas,” she said. “I’m expecting to find the Crown Jewels, or at the very least a map to the Holy Grail or something equally exciting.”

“I used to feel that way when we first bought the house, but now I know better,” Janet told her.

Jenny slowly pulled the lid off of the box. Janet watched as her face fell. “Books,” Jenny said sadly.

“Books can be wonderful,” Janet said quickly. “Although these don’t look particularly appealing.”

“The Care and Feeding of Infants and Small Children,” Jenny read the title off of one of the books.

“Considering the book is probably older than you are, I wouldn’t put much stock in its advice,” Janet told her.

“Oh, no. I’m sure you’re right. I have about a dozen books at home and I’ve read them all cover to cover. I don’t need to read any more books. I just need the baby to get here.”

She pulled another book out of the box and then laughed. “Housekeeping Hints and Tips,” she told Janet. “I could probably use this one, but I’m really not interested.”

Janet took it from her and flipped through it. “Imagine setting aside an entire day to do laundry. Everything had to be washed by hand, and after a dozen other steps, it had to be hung out to dry. We should be more grateful for our washing machines and tumble dryers, I suppose.”

Jenny nodded. “And microwaves. I love my microwave.”

Janet put the books back in the box and moved the box back into its pile. “Did you want to open another box?” she asked.

“I don’t know. That was rather disappointing.”

As the last word left her lips, the door suddenly banged shut. A split second later, the light went out. Jenny screamed as Janet reached into her pocket for the torch.

“I did warn you,” she told the girl. “Just stand still.”

Janet switched on the torch and then headed towards the door. It only took her a second to turn the light back on. She tried the door, but it was locked. Patting the pocket with the key inside it, she turned back to Jenny. “Did you want to look through another box?” she asked.

Jenny shook her head and then frowned at Janet. “Did you put that box there?” she asked.

Janet looked where she was pointing. A small box was sitting neatly in the centre of the table next to Jenny. “I just moved the box off of that table,” Janet said slowly. “Where did that box come from?”

“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 Hamilton-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.”

“Maybe we should leave Sunday night. Monday morning was always going to be a race to get back for work. I’m worried now about leaving it and having trouble.”

“Let’s talk about it later,” Oscar suggested. “I never had any lunch and I’m starving. Let’s go and have a nice dinner together and worry about everything else tomorrow.”

Jenny smiled. “That sounds wonderful. I just need to freshen up.”

Oscar nodded. “I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

Jenny left the room and Oscar turned to Janet. “Thank you for looking after Jenny today. I never should have left her alone, but I wasn’t expecting car trouble.”

“We had fun, or at least I had fun,” Janet told him. “She’s incredibly sweet and more than a little worried about the baby.”

“She’s worried about the baby? I thought that was just me.”

Janet laughed. “You two really need to talk.”

He nodded. “I haven’t been the best at that lately. We planned for the baby, but somehow it all seems to have taken me by surprise.”

After Janet let the pair out, she went to find Joan, who was, as always, busy in the kitchen.

“Is our bracelet worth a fortune, then?” Joan asked.

“The salesman at the antique shop in Little Burton didn’t seem to think so,” Janet sighed. “I suppose we can’t retire to the Caribbean just yet.”

Joan wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to retire to the Caribbean. I think it would be too hot.”

“It probably would, but I might like to visit it, at least once.”

“I believe you’d have to fly to get there,” Joan said with a small shudder. She and Janet were equally reluctant to try flying.

“I don’t know. If I had enough money, I could probably find a ship that would sail me there.”

“You’d need a fortune. I suggest you start going through all of the boxes in the carriage house soon.”

Janet laughed. “You just want me to clear out the carriage house.”

Joan nodded. “I’ve been saying that since we bought Doveby House.”

“While we were in Little Burton I saw all three of the people whom William interviewed. Do you think I should ring Robert?”

“You probably should. You saw them all in Doveby Dale yesterday and then Owen’s window was broken last night. Maybe the vandal is going to target Little Burton next.”

“Do you think the three of them are working together?”

“If things were being stolen, that might make sense, but I can’t see any reason why anyone would organise a group to perform random acts of vandalism.”

Janet put the question to Robert when she spoke to him, in spite of Joan’s reply.

“I can’t say that I’ve ever heard of this sort of vandalism being organised,” he said. “The things that have happened have caused minor annoyance, but not major damage. If someone was, say, trying to run William out of business, they could do a good many more destructive things than simply throwing a brick through his window.”

“I just find it odd that I keep seeing all three suspects everywhere I go,” Janet told him.

“They aren’t exactly suspects, but I know what you mean. Still, Doveby Dale and Little Burton are small communities. It’s possible that you see many of the same people over and over again, but as you don’t know them, you don’t realise how often you see them.”

Janet thought about that for a minute. “I do see the same woman nearly every day,” she said. “She has a blue car and she’s nearly always at the shops in Doveby Dale. I see her or her car every time I’m there.”

Robert laughed. “I know the woman you mean. Mrs. Parker is retired and widowed. She goes to the shops every single day for something. She used to visit the local supermarket daily as well, but now that she had to drive to Derby, she only goes three or four times a week.”

“I used to be quite jealous of her car, but now I think mine is nicer,” Janet laughed before the call ended.

She and Joan sat up together, talking, while they waited for their guests. Oscar and Jenny were back not long after eight. After making polite conversation for a few minutes, they headed up to their room.

“Now we just have to wait for Mr. and Mrs. Morris,” Janet said as the Gorhams disappeared up the stairs.

“It could be a long evening,” Joan replied. “One of us should go to bed at a sensible time.”

“You go. I’ll wait up. The Gorhams want their breakfast at eight, so you’ll have to get up in the morning.”

“Of course, we’ve no idea when Mr. and Mrs. Morris will want their breakfast,” Joan sighed.

They were watching a favourite television programme not long after nine when they heard the front door open.

“I’ll go,” Janet offered.

“…ten years and not once have you ever…” Jackie was shouting when Janet walked into the sitting room. She stopped abruptly when Janet appeared.

“I’m going to bed,” George announced. He stormed out of the room without a backward glance.

“Is there a decent hotel nearby?” Jackie demanded.

“Not in Doveby Dale. There’s another bed and breakfast in Little Burton, but I don’t know if they have any available rooms or not. It’s quite late to ring them, as well.”

Jackie frowned. “I shall have to drive into Derby, then,” she said. She turned and headed for the door, searching her pockets as she went. “He has the car keys,” she said angrily, spinning around and heading for the stairs.

“We do have other guests,” Janet said. “Sound travels in such an old house.”

The woman frowned and then took off up the stairs. Janet sighed. She wasn’t sure if she should follow or leave the couple to their argument. A door opened and then closed. Janet waited for the shouting to begin, but heard nothing. After a few minutes of silence, she locked the front door and rejoined Joan in the television lounge.

“I never found out when they wanted breakfast,” she apologised after she’d told her the whole story.

“It isn’t late, so I’ll be up early enough tomorrow to deal with them whenever,” Joan replied.

The sisters watched television until ten and then took themselves off to their respective bedrooms.

Chapter 10

Whatever their difficulties the previous day, Mr. and Mrs. Gorham seemed very happy together at breakfast the next morning.

“We’re off to visit a stately home or two,” Jenny told the sisters after they’d eaten. “I hope I have enough energy to do two, but even if we only manage to do one, it should be a fun day.”

Janet followed them to the door and then locked it behind them.

“Still no sign of Mr. or Mrs. Morris,” she sighed when she rejoined Joan in the kitchen.

Joan had already made breakfast for herself and Janet. They’d eaten before the Gorhams had come down. Now she busied herself with tidying the kitchen.

“I’ll go and get started on the Montgomery Room,” Janet said. “I’ll try to be as quiet as I can, but at some point I’m going to need to vacuum.”

“Do everything else,” Joan told her. “You can’t vacuum when our other guests are still in bed.”

Janet made a face. She knew Joan was right, but she was eager to get the day’s work done. The longer their guests stayed in bed, the later it would be before she and Joan could finish for the day.

It didn’t take long to tidy up the Montgomery Room. Janet dusted and cleaned the en-suite bathroom and then left the room, locking it behind herself.

“If we don’t get to vacuum, it won’t be the end of the world,” she told Joan when she got back to the kitchen. “They left the room very tidy. They’d never notice if we don’t vacuum.”

“But we will, because we should,” Joan told her firmly.

A knock on the front door let Janet make a face as she left the room, knowing that Joan would never see it.

“Robert, this is a surprise,” Janet said as she let him into the house.

“If I didn’t know you better, I’d probably be suspecting you of having a hand in the sudden rash of broken windows in the area,” he replied after they’d exchanged greetings.

“Me?”

“A window was broken in Little Burton last night, just as you suggested might happen,” Robert explained.

Janet flushed. “I never imagined…” she began.

Robert held up a hand. “I know you didn’t, but I wanted to talk to you about exactly what you saw yesterday. I don’t like coincidences and it seems odd to me that the same three people keep popping up just before a window gets broken.”

Janet led the man into the kitchen. He’d only just taken a seat when Janet heard loud voices on the stairs.

“…three times a year, every year, or more,” was the first line that Janet heard clearly. Jackie sounded at least as upset as she had the previous evening.

“That isn’t true,” George replied. He simply sounded tired.

“Of course it’s true,” Jackie snapped back. The kitchen door swung open and the pair stormed into the room. “I don’t want any breakfast,” she announced loudly.

“I’ll have full English,” George said heartily.

“Robert, as I’m cooking anyway, would you like some breakfast?” Joan asked.

Robert started to shake his head, but then his stomach growled loudly. He chuckled. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, I’d love some breakfast.”

Joan began to clatter pans while Jackie and Philip marched through the room and into the dining room. As the door shut behind them, Jackie began to shout again.

“If you think I’m going to sit back and let you treat me like this, you’ve another think coming.”

“If you don’t like the way you’re being treated, I suggest you leave,” George replied, his voice calm.

“I will, then,” Jackie shouted. The door between the kitchen and dining room opened again and Jackie sped through it. Janet followed the woman as she quickly walked through the house and out the front door. After checking that it was shut properly, Janet rejoined the others in the kitchen.

While Joan cooked and then served the two men, Janet told Robert everything she could remember about the previous day. He took extensive notes before devouring his breakfast.

“When did you eat last?” Janet laughed as Joan cleared away his plate.

“Lunch yesterday, maybe,” he shrugged. “A few things came up last night that kept me from getting dinner and then I got dragged out of bed at two this morning to deal with the broken window.”

“I hope nothing in Mr. Hamilton-Burke’s shop was badly damaged,” Joan said.

“The brick was thrown through one of the empty shops windows,” Robert told her. “The only damage was the broken window.”

“That was lucky for Mr. Hamilton-Burke,” Janet said thoughtfully. “You don’t think…” she trailed off.

“You should finish that sentence,” Robert told her. “I’m always interested in your thoughts.”

Janet flushed. “This was an odd one,” she replied. “I was just thinking that maybe Mr. Hamilton-Burke is behind the brick-throwing incidents. Maybe he’s trying to make things difficult for William, but he didn’t want to target just him in case people became suspicious.”

“He’s a man of some standing in the community,” Robert told her. “There’s a great deal of family money and he has connections to some of the area’s wealthiest families.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s above the law or even above suspicion,” Janet replied.

“Of course not,” Robert said hastily. “It simply means that I need to tread very carefully where he’s concerned.”

“I do wonder why Wanda was in Little Burton yesterday. She told William that Mr. Hamilton-Burke had let her go, but she went into the antique shop,” Janet mused.

“Maybe she was simply collecting her final paycheque,” Joan suggested.

“Or maybe she’s being paid to cause some mischief,” Janet said.

Joan laughed. “You have a very suspicious mind,” she told her sister.

“But she is often right about these things,” Robert interjected. “I’m going to go and have another talk with Ms. Patrone. Knowing that she was in Little Burton yesterday should make for an interesting conversation.”

“You expect her to deny it?” Janet asked.

“I don’t expect her to mention it, anyway,” Robert replied. “She wasn’t terribly forthcoming about her whereabouts previously. I could be wrong, but there’s something about her that bothers me.”

Janet followed Robert to the door and let him out. When she went back into the kitchen, George Morris was talking to Joan.

“…nearby, but not too close, maybe closer to Derby?” he asked.

“Janet, can you get Mr. Morris the list of area hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts, please?” was Joan’s reply.

While they didn’t generally want to send guests to their competitors, the sisters often found themselves making suggestions for other accommodations. With only two guest rooms, they sometimes had to turn away larger parties or help future guests find nearby rooms for their friends or family members.

“Here you are,” Janet said, handing George a sheet of paper.

He glanced over it and then nodded. “If my wife asks, please don’t give her the same list,” he said. “I’d rather she didn’t find me.”

With that, he left the room. Janet heard him climbing the stairs. A short while later, he stuck his head through the kitchen door.

“I’m off now,” he said. “Thanks for everything.”

Janet followed him to the door and locked it behind him. Joan was already halfway up the stairs as Janet headed for the staircase.

“It looks as if he’s moved out, then,” Joan said after she’d opened the door to the Alberta Room.

Janet looked inside. While she could see some of Jackie’s things scattered around the room, nothing of Bradley’s was visible. “You’ll get cross if I check the wardrobe, won’t you?” she asked her sister.

“Yes, I will,” Joan replied.

Janet had to settle for a quick glance into the bathroom. Jackie’s makeup and other items seemed to be everywhere, but there was no evidence that the room had ever been shared with her husband. A single toothbrush looked lonely in the cup on the sink.

“I’ll start in here if you want to finish the other room,” Joan told Janet.

She nodded and then went and got out the vacuum cleaner. By the time she’d run it through the Montgomery Room, Joan was ready to use it for the smaller guest room.

“In spite of the arguing, both couples aren’t making too much work for us,” Janet said as Joan put the vacuum away when they were done.

“I’d rather have a bit more work to do and happy guests,” Joan replied.

“Mr. and Mrs. Gorham seemed happier today.”

“Yes, but I’m not sure what’s going to happen with the Morrises.” Joan sighed.

William rang just as the sisters were sitting down to lunch.

“I was wondering if you’d like to help me interview a few more people,” he told Janet. “I’ve arranged a few interviews for Tuesday and I’d appreciate your input.”

“Sure,” Janet agreed.

The rest of the day passed without incident. Janet read a new book that she’d bought on a recent trip into Derby while Joan reread her favourite Jane Austen novel. After dinner, they sat together in the sitting room, chatting about nothing much. Mr. and Mrs. Gorham were back before seven.

“How was your day?” Janet asked.

“Exhausting, but wonderful,” Jenny told her. “Now I need to lie down for twelve hours or more, though.”

It was nearly nine when Jackie Morris returned to the bed and breakfast. She nodded at Janet and Joan but ignored Janet’s polite question about her day. They heard her climb the stairs. A moment later, a door slammed on the first floor.

“I suppose we can head to bed,” Janet said.

“I don’t imagine Mrs. Morris will want breakfast in the morning,” Joan muttered as the sisters got to their feet.

Mr. and Mrs. Gorham were down for breakfast at nine.

“We should have left an hour ago,” Jenny sighed, “but I couldn’t seem to drag myself out of bed.”

“It will be fine,” Oscar assured her.

Janet followed them to the door.

“We’d love to come back one day,” Jenny said on the doorstep. “Do you have cots for babies?”

“Um, no,” Janet replied, surprised by the question. “We’ve never had guests bring babies. I suppose that’s something we should think about.”

“We’ve already bought a travel cot, anyway, for when we go to stay with my mum,” Jenny replied. “We can bring that if we come back here. You wouldn’t mind us coming with the baby, would you?”

“Of course not,” Janet said, feeling uncertain.

Jenny smiled and then waved as the couple made their way to the car park.

“Do you mind if the Gorhams come back with the baby?” Janet asked her sister a moment later.

Joan stared at her for a minute. “I may have to think about that,” she said eventually.

Janet laughed. “That was sort of how I felt, too.”

When she heard footsteps on the stairs a short while later, Janet walked back into the sitting room.

“No breakfast this morning?” she asked Jackie Morris.

“No. I don’t eat breakfast,” Jackie told her. “Which is one of the many reasons why I told the man I’m unfortunately married to that I didn’t want to stay here. I’m going now.”

Janet was still trying to work out an appropriate reply as the woman swept out of the house. Jackie had left the door wide open, so Janet moved to shut it.

“Good morning,” Robert said brightly from the top of the stairs to the door.

“Oh, good morning,” Janet laughed. “I didn’t see you there.”

“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 Doveby 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: Diana@dianaxarissa.com

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