The Chalmers Case (6 page)

“As we’re on
holiday, I don’t think we’ll be looking for breakfast any time before nine,”
Nancy replied.
 
“What time do the
other guests get their breakfast?
 
Maybe we can all eat together and save you some effort.”

“Today they
came down at half eleven,” Janet told her.
 
“And all they wanted was coffee.”

“Or maybe
not,” Nancy laughed.

Janet found
herself smiling happily as she headed down the stairs.
 
The Harrisons were exactly the sort of
guests she’d been expecting them to host when they’d talked about buying a bed
and breakfast.
 

Joan had lunch
ready when she got back downstairs.
 
They ate quickly, while talking quietly about nothing much.
 

“We’re just
off to do some sightseeing,” Nancy said, sticking her head into the kitchen as
the sisters were finishing their meal.
 
“We shouldn’t be out too late.”

“Have fun,”
Janet called.

The sisters
had the house to themselves for the rest of the afternoon.
 
Janet spent a few minutes cleaning the
library and then gave in to temptation and read her book instead.
 
Joan fixed a roast chicken with all the
trimmings for dinner, and the sisters ended up eating it on their own as their
guests didn’t return.

After dinner
they settled in front of the television.
 
Janet found she wasn’t paying attention to the show, as she was too busy
listening for their guests.
 
After
an hour, she gave up.

“I’m going up
to bed,” she told Joan.
 
“I’ll read
up there for a while.”

“I don’t know
what to do,” Joan replied.
 
“It
wouldn’t surprise me if Harold and Mildred turned up and demanded food.”

“You can’t sit
up all night,” Janet pointed out.

“No, but I
think I’ll give them another hour or so,” Joan replied.

“If you need
me, please shout,” Janet told her.
 
“I’ll come down and help without any complaints, I promise.”

Joan
laughed.
 
“I’ll hold you to that,”
she said.

Janet got
ready for bed and then curled up with her book.
 
An interesting and unexpected plot twist
kept her reading for longer than she’d intended.
 
She couldn’t hear the front door from
her room, but she heard the voices and footsteps as their guests headed up to
their rooms.

George and
Nancy were
back
around nine o’clock, and Janet could
tell that they were nearly tiptoeing as they made their way past her door.
 
She heard a whispered exchange, but
couldn’t make out exactly what was being said.
 
After a moment, their room door opened
and then closed again quietly.
 

A few hours
later, just as Janet finished the book, she heard Harold and Mildred noisily
climbing the stairs.
 
When they
reached the top, they began to shout at one another.

“You have the
key,” Mildred told Harold.

“No, you took
it after I opened the front door,” Harold replied.

“I
didn’t.
 
You put it in your pocket,”
Mildred snapped back.
 
“And stop
shouting or you’ll wake everyone up.”

“I don’t have
the key,” Harold hissed loudly.
 
“You put it in your bag.”

Janet sighed
deeply.
 
At least they didn’t sound
drunk, just angry and loud.
 
She
headed towards the door, but stopped when she heard her sister’s voice.

“I believe
you’re looking for these?”
 
Joan’s
tone was icy.

“Where did you
find them?” Mildred asked.

“You left them
in the front door,” Joan answered.
 
“I’d appreciate it if you were more careful with them in the future.”

There was a
short pause and then Mildred began to giggle.
 
“We’re in trouble,” she told Harold.

“Good night,”
Joan said sharply.
 

Janet listened
to her sister’s footsteps going down the stairs as their guests made their way
to their bedroom door.
 
It seemed to
take them several tries to get the key in the lock and Janet changed her mind
about their sobriety.
 
Eventually, she heard the door open and then, a moment later
,
slam shut
.
 

Janet switched
off her light and fell into a restless sleep.
 
A buzzing noise next to her head woke
her suddenly.
 
She lay in the dark
room feeling completely disoriented.

Chapter
Six

Janet sat up
slowly, her brain struggling to process the sound.
 
She glanced at the clock and
frowned.
 
Two o’clock in the
morning.
 
For the past several
months, whenever the moon was full, she’d been woken up by the screaming of one
of the house’s resident ghosts, but the moon wasn’t full tonight.
 
Switching on her bedside lamp, she
looked around the room and then shook her head.
  
On the bedside table, her mobile
phone was buzzing insistently.
 

“You really
should
recognise
your own ringtone,” she said loudly,
hoping to wake up her vocal cords before she answered.
 
She’d
recognised
the number immediately and she knew she was being silly with not wanting the
caller to know she’d been asleep, but she was often silly when it came to
dealing with Edward Bennett.
 

“Hello?”

“I’m sorry to
disturb you so late,” Edward said in a soft voice.
 
“But I just now found five spare minutes
and I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather spend them with.”

“It’s two in
the morning,” Janet pointed out.
 

“I know, and I
am sorry,” Edward said, sounding not sorry at all.
 
“But how are you?”

“I’m fine,”
Janet replied automatically.
 
“How
are you?”

Edward
chuckled.
 
“You mustn’t just reply
without thinking,” he told her.
 
“I
genuinely want to know how you are.”

Janet thought
for a moment.
 
“I’m rather tired,”
she said.
 

“Oh, dear, and
now I’ve woken you.
 
I’ll let you go,
shall I?”

“No,” Janet
replied.
 
“It’s nice to hear your
voice.”

Edward had
been their first paying guest, and Janet had been rather overwhelmed by his
sophisticated charm.
 
He’d only
stayed a few days, telling her when he departed that he worked for the
government in some secret capacity.
 

He’d told her
he had been sent to
Doveby
House to find some
paperwork relating to his ties to Maggie Appleton, who’d let him use the bed
and breakfast as a safe house on occasion.
 
Janet wasn’t entirely sure what to believe about the man, but she found
herself attracted to him and she was enjoying their long-distance flirtation.

“Ah, thank you,
my dear,” he said now.
 
“But I’d
rather hear yours.
 
Tell me what’s
going on in your world.”

“William
Chalmers has opened his antique shop,” Janet began.
 
She told him about the shop and the
painting she quite liked.
 
“It’s out
of my budget, but it’s lovely,” she concluded.
 
“But I have much more interesting news
than that.
 
We have guests.
 
In fact, we’re full up with guests.”

“Do tell,”
Edward encouraged her.
 

Janet spent several
minutes telling Edward all about the disagreeable Harold and Mildred and the
rather more charming George and Nancy.
 
He asked several questions about both couples that left Janet curious.

“Did you know
about our guests before you rang?” she demanded.

“Why would I?”

“I don’t
know.
 
You just seem very curious
about them, that’s all.”

“I worry about
you and Joan,” he explained.
 
“This
is all new to you and I worry that you’ll end up with the wrong sort of
guests.
 
There are a lot of
unscrupulous people in the world and I don’t want any of them to take advantage
of you and your sister.
 
When do they
all leave?”

“Soon, I
think,”
Janet
replied.
 
“Joan handled the bookings, so she knows
better than I do.
 
I think the
Harrisons said they would be leaving on Sunday morning, and I’m sure William
Chalmers said the Stones were only going to be here for a few days.
 
It might feel as if they’ve been here
forever, but I know they’ll be gone soon.”

“I’d love to
say I’m coming to visit, but I’m rather tied up in Greece at the moment,”
Edward told her.
 
“But I’ll ring
again soon, if I may.”

“Of course,”
Janet agreed quickly.
 
“Any time.”

After she
disconnected, Janet lay back in bed and thought about what she’d said.
 
Any time before midnight might have been
a better response, she thought now.
 
She switched off the light and eventually fell back to sleep.

The next
morning was much like the previous one had been, with the two sisters ready to
prepare breakfast well before it was needed.
 
The Harrisons finally came down around
ten, full of apologies.

“We meant to
be down for breakfast by nine,” Nancy said.
 
“But we both overslept.
 
That never happens.”

“Would you
like breakfast now, then?” Joan asked.

“Only if it
isn’t too much bother,” George replied.
 
“It’s
close
enough to lunchtime that we can
wait if we must.”

“It’s no
bother at all,” Joan told him.

She got busy
in the kitchen while Janet headed out to the garden to cut some fresh flowers
for the dining room table.
 
She
smiled at Stuart Long, their
neighbour
who looked after
the gardens for them, when she bumped into him in one of the flowerbeds.

“Good morning,
Janet.
 
How are you?” he asked.

 
“I’m very well, thanks.
 
How are you?” Janet replied.

“Oh, can’t
complain,” he told her.
 
“Or rather,
I could, but it wouldn’t do any good.”

“And how is
your lovely wife?”

“Mary’s
good.
 
She’s off visiting with her oldest
son, Paul, and his wife for a fortnight.”

“So Mary’s
children aren’t yours?” Janet asked, flushing when she
realised
that the question was somewhat rude.

Stuart just
laughed.
 
“No, this is a second
marriage for both Mary and me.
 
She
has three sons and she loves spending time with them and all of the
grandchildren.
 
Their wives don’t
necessary appreciate it as much as Mary does, but they put up with her once in
a while.”

Janet
grinned.
 
“I can’t imagine having a
mother-in-law.
 
It must be strange.”

“Mary’s mother
passed away a long time ago.
 
I
never met her, but my first mother-in-law was wonderful.
 
She’s gone now, too, but we stayed close
even after her daughter, my wife, died suddenly.
 
My mother-in-law was a big help with my
little girl.
 
I don’t know what I
would have done without her, really.”

“You have a
daughter?”

“I do.
 
Marie visits once in a while, when
Mary’s out of town, like.”

Janet opened
her mouth and then shut it quickly before another rude question could pop
out.
 
Stuart smiled at her.

“Anyway, with
Mary gone, I’ve been spending extra time on your garden.
 
I dug out that bed at the back that was
always struggling and planted some new things that I hope
will
cope better with the amount of shade that bed gets.”

Janet
nodded.
 
She loved their beautiful
garden, but she wasn’t especially interested in the details.
 
“Joan is just making breakfast for some
of our guests.
 
If you haven’t
eaten, I’m sure Joan could make something for you, too.”

“I made myself
a huge breakfast,” the man confessed.
 
“But I’ll stop by for tea and biscuits later, if I may.”

“You know
you’re always welcome,” Janet assured him.
 
While they paid him a nominal amount for taking care of the gardens, he
mostly did it because he loved the work.
 
The sisters always made sure to keep him supplied with biscuits and tea
so that he knew how much his efforts were appreciated.

With her arms
full of flowers, Janet returned to the house.
 
George and Nancy were just tucking into
their breakfast.
 
She was surprised
to hear footsteps on the stairs as she arranged the flowers.

“Good
morning,” Harold said as he and his wife wandered into the dining room.

“Good
morning,” Janet replied.
 
“Are you
ready for some breakfast?”

“We told your
sister what we wanted,” Mildred told her.
 
“She said we should come in and meet your other guests.”

Janet quickly
introduced the two couples and then headed into the kitchen to help Joan.
 
When she brought Mildred and Harold
their plates, the foursome were chatting away like old friends.

“Janet, have
you been to this antique store that Harold was just telling us about?” Nancy
asked.
 
“Because he makes it
sound like a wonderful little find
.”

“It’s a nice
little shop,” Janet replied.
 
“Mr.
Chalmers has some lovely pieces and some interesting artwork as well.”

“Then that
will be our first stop today, then,” George said.

“Excellent,”
Mildred said.
 
“William will be so
pleased.”

Janet cleared
away dishes and refilled coffee cups while the guests talked about this and
that.
 
Once everyone had eaten, the
two couples headed out together, apparently on their way to WTC Antiques.
 
Janet carried the last of dirty plates
and cups into the kitchen.

“They seem to
be getting on incredibly well,” she told her sister.

“Who?”

“The Harrisons
and the Stones,” Janet replied.
 
“Harold and Mildred talked the Harrisons into paying William a visit at
his ‘charming little antique shop’ right after breakfast.”

“They’re very
different sorts of people,” Joan said thoughtfully.
 
“Anyway, I’m sure William will
appreciate the customers.”

“I just hope
they don’t feel as if they have to buy something just to be polite,” Janet
said.

“I’m sure
they’ll be fine,” Joan told her.
 
“Anyway, there were lots of little bits and pieces that weren’t terribly
dear.
 
I’m sure they’ll be able to
find something affordable if they do feel that way.”

“We didn’t buy
anything,” Janet said suddenly.
 
“I
suppose we really ought to have.”

“You were too
taken with that painting to look at anything else,” Joan reminded her.

“I was
rather,” Janet admitted.
 

“I must say, now
that you mention it, I feel quite guilty for not at least buying a useless,
dust collecting something or other to help poor William with his business,”
Joan said.

“But we don’t
like William,” Janet retorted.

“No, but he sent
business our way, even if the Stones aren’t our
favourite
guests.
 
I should have thought to
purchase something from the man.”

“The guests
are all out.
 
We could run down now
and buy something if it will make you feel better,” Janet suggested.

Joan thought
for a moment and then nodded.
 
“I
really do think we should,” she said.

Janet wasn’t
sure she agreed, but she didn’t argue.
 
“Give me five minutes to change into something appropriate for going out,”
she told her sister.
 

In her room,
she quickly changed and then picked up her handbag.
 
Dropping her phone into it, she remembered
the middle of the night conversation with Edward.
 
Why had he rung?
 
What did he really want?
 
She couldn’t help but think that he’d
rung to find out about their guests.
 
The idea made her feel very uncomfortable.

She locked her
bedroom door and then checked both guest rooms.
 
They were both locked.
 

“Are we
supposed to make up the guest’s rooms for them every day?” she asked her sister
when she got back downstairs.

“No.
 
I told them both that we’d do as much or
as little as they’d like, and both couples opted to have us stay out of their
rooms until they’ve gone.”

“Is that
normal?” Janet asked.

Joan looked at
her for a moment and then laughed.
 
“I’ve no idea,” she replied.
 
“They’re our first guests.”

Janet
sighed.
 
“This bed and breakfast
thing is turning out to be harder than I expected.”

“It’s harder
than I expected, too,” Joan admitted in a quiet voice.
 
“There are so many things to think
about.”

“Still, it is
a good deal more interesting than teaching primary school, isn’t it?” Janet
asked.
 

“I’m not sure
interesting is the right word,” Joan muttered.
 
“I certainly got more sleep when we were
teaching.”

“They’ll all
be gone in a few days and then it will be just us again,” Janet said.
 
“Unless you’ve taken more bookings that
I don’t know about?”