The Appleton Case (A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novella Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

morning.”
    “What’s he
after?” Janet asked.
    Both men
shrugged.   “It certainly isn’t
letters,” the policeman told her.   “I’m Robert Parsons, by the way.   I’m the village constable, but I’m only here part of the time, as I also
cover the next village.   Usually one
constable is more than enough between the two places, but Gavin is making me
work hard at the moment.”
    The sisters
introduced themselves.
    “Well, ladies,
it’s nice to meet you, and welcome to Doveby Dale.   I hope this is the last I
ever see of you,” Robert said, smiling.
    “Indeed,” Joan
said crisply.   “I can’t imagine us
needing a police constable in the future.”
    “I’ll just
give you my card, in case you are bothered by Mr. Appleton any further.”
    The sisters
each took one of his cards before he headed back towards his car.  
    “Sorry about
that,” Henry said as they turned to look at him.   “I believe I mentioned yesterday that
there were some difficulties with the previous owner’s son.”
    “You did,” Joan
said.   “I do hope it’s all sorted
now.   Did you say our offer has been
accepted?”
    “It has,” the
man confirmed.
    Janet and Joan
exchanged glances.   They hadn’t
really been expecting the trust to agree to their low offer.   They’d thought that reaching an agreement
would take rather more time.   Now it
seemed as if they were about to own a bed and breakfast, ready or not.
    They took
their time going back through the property.   Janet found herself seeing it with
different eyes, as they had now agreed to purchase it.   By the time she’d made two complete
circuits of the home, she was very happy with the decision she and Joan had
made.
    “It’s just
about perfect,” she told Joan as they joined Henry in the conservatory.   “I think I love everything about it.”
    “Yes, well,
we’ll need to do a great deal of painting and decorating,” Joan said.   “And we’ll have to recover some of the
furniture.”
    “I love my
bedroom just the way it is,” Janet said.   “I don’t want to paint it or change any of the furniture.”
    “We’ll have to
get rid of your current bedroom furniture, then,” Joan pointed out.
    “Or we could
use it in one of the other bedrooms, where the furniture isn’t as nice,” Janet
said.   “Let’s not worry about that
for today.   I want another look in
the coach house and then I want to meet the neighbours .”
    Henry let them
into the coach house and then remained outside while the two women had a quick
look around.
    “What did you
want to see in here?” Joan asked after a moment.
    “I don’t
know,” Janet admitted.   “I just felt
as if I wanted another look.”   They
both headed towards the open door just as the light went out.
    Joan grabbed
Janet’s arm.   “I didn’t think that
single bulb was providing that much light,” she said as they both stood still
in the suddenly very dark room.
    “No, it seemed
quite ineffectual until it went off,” Janet agreed.  
    The pair moved
cautiously towards the open door that seemed brightly lit compared to the
darkness within the space.   Janet
tripped once on a broken piece of furniture and Joan slipped on a piece of paper
that managed to get under her foot, but eventually the two made it more or less
unscathed to the door.
    Henry was
sitting on a bench in the garden, talking on his phone, apparently unaware of
the situation.
    “Did you turn
off the light?” Joan demanded of him when he jumped up.
    “Turn off the
light?   In the
coach house?   Why would I do
that?   You were still in there.”
    “Well, someone
turned it off,” Joan told him.  
    Henry walked
over to the door and found the light switch.   He pushed it and the bulb inside the
coach house flickered on again.
    “I was sitting
right here the whole time,” he told the sisters.   “No one has been anywhere near that
door.”
    Joan looked at
Janet and rolled her eyes.   Perhaps
young Henry was