The Bennett Case (A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Book 2) by Diana Xarissa Page A

door.
    “I’m very
well,” Stuart replied.   “I just
wanted to introduce you to someone.   This is James Abbott.   He’s
Mary’s brother-in-law and he’s just here visiting for a few days.”
    Janet smiled
and shook hands with the man.   He
looked to be somewhere in his sixties, with short grey hair in an almost
military-style cut.   His eyes were
brown.   He was around Stuart’s
height, and looked similarly fit and healthy.
    “You’re Mary’s
brother?” Janet asked, not sure she’d understood Stuart.
    “No, I’m her
brother-in-law from her first marriage,” he explained in a soft voice.   “Actually, I’m more like her
step-brother-in-law or something like that, but we’ve never worried about the
finer details.”
    Janet
laughed.   “Today’s modern families,”
she said.
    “Exactly,” the
man replied with a grin.
    “James will
probably be helping me while he’s here, just so he has something to do,” Stuart
told her.   “He worked in the gardens
of a few stately homes over the years, so he’s very well qualified.   Anyway, I didn’t want you to see him poking
around behind your house and worry about who he was.”
    “That’s very
kind of you,” Joan said from behind Janet.   
    After everyone
had been properly introduced, the two men turned towards the garden.   “We’re just going to check on those
weeds,” Stuart told the sisters.   “They might need a second treatment.”
    The light rain
had stopped and the sun was at least trying to dry things out.   Janet and Joan headed back inside.  
    “Another man
around the right age to be the missing criminal,” Joan remarked.
    “Surely he
can’t be if he’s Mary’s brother-in-law,” Janet replied.
    “It seemed a
tenuous relationship, from what he said,” Joan said.   “If they aren’t close, maybe she doesn’t
know about his criminal history.”
    “Or maybe
Edward is the man the police are looking for,” Janet suggested.
    “Or Leonard,”
Joan added.   “Don’t forget to add
Leonard to the suspect list.”
    Janet
laughed.   “You don’t like him much,
do you?”
    “Michael
called this morning and said he was going to take Leonard into Sheffield for
some sightseeing and lunch.   They’re
going to some sporting event later and having dinner at some pub.   He did invite me to join them for the
latter two things, but I politely declined.”
    “He’s only
here for a few days, right?” Janet asked.   “I’m sure Michael will make things up to you once Leonard has gone.”
    “If I give him
the chance to do so,” Joan said grudgingly.
    “But where is
Edward?” Janet asked, suddenly noticing his absence.
    “He was right
behind me when I followed you to the door,” Joan replied.   “I don’t know what happened to him.”
    Janet walked
into the sitting room just in time to watch Edward’s car driving away from Doveby House.
    “I guess he
changed him mind about lunch,” Janet said, feeling hurt.
    “Maybe someone
rang him or something,” Joan suggested.  
    “Maybe.”   Janet shrugged.   “I told him I was busy, anyway.”
    “Why?”
    “He makes me
nervous,” Janet replied.   “And he
could be a conman.   And he was in
the library last night.”
    “What do you
mean, he was in the library last night?” Joan demanded.
    Janet told her
what she’d seen when she’d come downstairs in the middle of the night.
    “Do you think
he took anything?” Joan asked.
    “I think we
should check,” Janet replied.
    In the
library, Janet headed straight to the desk, while Joan scanned the
shelves.  
    “There don’t
seem to be any gaps anywhere,” Joan said after several minutes.   “But I suppose he could have switched
something on our shelves with a different book and we’d never notice.”
    “I will organise the books one day,” Janet said.   “I wasn’t expecting guests, remember.”
    Joan
nodded.   “Let’s not argue about
that,” she said.   “I assumed we
didn’t need to