The Appleton Case (A Markham Sisters Cozy Mystery Novella Book 1) by Diana Xarissa

Little Burton.   It was only an hour ago that I stopped
back at the station and found the box.”
    “What about
the missing child?” Janet had to ask.
    “She was at
her grandmother’s house,” the policeman replied.   “It was all just a big
misunderstanding.”
    “And what
about the little girl from Clowne ?”
    “That child is
still missing,” he said with a frown.   “It’s quite sad and a very difficult case, but that isn’t why I’m here.”
    “No, of course
not, sorry,” Janet said.   “What did
you want to ask me?”
    “Is your
sister at home?”
    “No, does that
matter?”
    “I suppose
not.   Do you mind if I ask where she
is?”
    Janet
frowned.   “I guess not,” she
answered slowly, wondering why the man was asking.   “She’s having dinner with a friend.”
    Robert
nodded.   “As you both were parties
to finding the box, I’d like to hear the whole story from each of you.   I suppose it’s better that she isn’t
home.   I can interview her
separately another time.”
    “So what we
found is important?” Janet asked.
    The man
shrugged.   “I just want to be clear
on how you came to find it,” he said.   “I haven’t gone through the whole box
yet, but at first glance it seems as if some of the contents might be
interesting.”
    “Interesting in
a criminal context?”
    “Let’s just
leave it at interesting, shall we?”
    Janet felt a
hundred questions flood to her lips, but she rejected most of them before
speaking.   “What do you need to
know?” was the question that she finally let out.
    “Where did you
find the box?”
    “It was in the
back of the wardrobe in one of the guest rooms,” Janet answered.
    “Were there
other boxes there, or just that one?”
    “There were
two others, but they just contained paperwork.”
    “Can I have a
quick look at the other two boxes?”
    Janet thought
for a moment, but couldn’t think of any reason not to let the man go through
the boxes.   “Let me go and get
them,” she told him.  
    They’d left
the boxes in Joan’s small sitting room.   Janet carried them both into the main sitting room.   Constable Parsons was sitting exactly
where she’d left him when she returned.
    He quickly took
the boxes from her and then set them on the coffee table.   He sat down and opened the top box.   After only barely glancing inside each
box, he was back on his feet.
    “Thank you,”
he said.   “I think I’ve seen enough
for tonight.   I’ll probably be back
tomorrow to have a better look at what you have there.”
    Janet opened
her mouth to reply, but the man was already leaving.   She hurried behind him, getting to the
door after he’d already pulled it open.  
    “Thank you for
bringing me that box,” he said as he headed across the porch.   “We’ll get everything sorted out
tomorrow, I imagine.”
    Janet shut the
door behind him and sighed.   Get
what sorted out?   And
why tomorrow and not tonight?   What had the man seen in the papers that Margaret had left behind?
    Back in the
sitting room, Janet flipped through the first box, looking for a clue as to
what the policeman had seen.   Nothing in the pile of utility bills and correspondence caught her
eye.   She opened the second box and
looked at the first few sheets.   The
third item in the box caught her eye.
    The paper was
thick and felt expensive.   It was
from “Powell, Brown, Abbot and Grey, Solicitors.”  
    Without her
sister there to stop her, Janet read the letter, which simply confirmed that
Margaret had made an appointment to make changes to her will.   The handwritten note in the margin was
more interesting.
    “Maggie, I know you and Gavin are not
getting along at the moment, but to suggest that he might do anything to harm
you seems extreme.   We’ll talk on
Monday about the changes you want to make.   George”
    The letter was signed by “George Abbot” and his signature
seemed to match the handwritten note.   Janet sat back and