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

Joan.
    “Indeed,” Joan
murmured.
    Joan set the
dishwasher running and the trio walked out of the kitchen and into the sitting
room.
    “It’s too a
nice an evening to stay inside,” Edward said.   “Let’s take ourselves down to the pub or
something.”
    “I have a few
things I need to do around here, and then Michael might be stopping by,” Joan
said.   “You two go, though.”
    A knock on the
door interrupted Janet’s flustered attempts to get out of the trip.   She rushed over and threw the door open.
    “Mr.
Chalmers?   What can we do for you?”
she asked, surprised to see the man back on their doorstep.
    “I was just
visited by a police constable,” the man said angrily.   “What do you mean sending the police to
my store?   He asked all sorts of
incredibly prying questions.”
    “We didn’t
send the police to your shop,” Janet said firmly.
    “As you’re the
only people I’ve spoken to about my new business, it must have been you,” the
man retorted.   “This constable
person knew far too much about me.   You must have told him everything I said when I was here.”
    “Do you have
something to hide?” Edward asked, coming up behind Janet.
    “Who are you?”
    “I can’t see
why that’s any of your business,” Edward said smoothly.   “But the name is Edward Bennett.   And you are?”
    “William
Chalmers,” the other man replied.   “In
answer to your question, I’ve nothing to hide, but I also don’t want everyone
in town talking about my new business.   Not yet, anyway.   It’s going
to take some time to get everything arranged exactly right before I can open.   If another, similar shop were to open
between now and then, it would be catastrophic.”
    “Perhaps you
shouldn’t be going around telling people about it, then,” Edward suggested
mildly.
    “I’m not,”
William replied hotly.   “I told two
people.   I certainly didn’t expect
them to call the police about it.”
    “We didn’t
call the police,” Janet protested.   “Constable Parsons was here to see us about something else and we
happened to mention your visit, that’s all.   We certainly didn’t send him to question
you and we haven’t mentioned you at all to anyone else.”
    “Yes, well,
see that you don’t talk about me,” the man said haughtily.   He turned on his heel and stomped back
down the steps.   Edward and Janet
watched him walk to the small car park and climb into a fairly new estate
car.  
    Janet winced
as the man accelerated out of the car park at high speed.   He turned onto the main road, nearly striking a car that was coming towards him.   Janet shook her head and then shut the
door.
    “What an
unpleasant man,” she said.
    “Another man
who’s hiding something,” Edward commented.   “Or hiding from someone.   He
was very upset that the police came to speak to him.”
    “I almost wish
we had sent Robert Parsons to see him,” Janet remarked.   “I do hope he doesn’t come back again.”
    “Don’t let him
in,” Edward said sternly.   “I don’t
trust him.”
    And I don’t
trust you, Janet thought sadly.  
    A ringing
noise startled them all.  
    “My mobile,”
Edward explained as he reached into a pocket.   He disappeared down the corridor with
his phone in hand.   A few moments
later he was back.
    “Sorry, we’ll
have to do the pub another day,” he told Janet as he headed for the door.   “Something’s come up rather suddenly.”
    He was out the
door and down the steps before Janet could reply.
    “Well, that
was rude,” Joan said as Janet shut the door behind
Edward.
    “It was,
wasn’t it?” Janet said thoughtfully.   “He keeps pointing out how other people are hiding things and then he
behaves mysteriously himself.”
    “I like him,”
Joan told her.   “But I’m not sure I
trust him.”
    “I like him as
well,” Janet admitted.   “And I’m
very sure that I don’t trust him.”
    The sound of
the bell on the French doors