Free The Chalmers Case by Diana Xarissa Page B

agreed.   “Are you done working
all those long hours now?” she asked.
    “I am,” he
said happily.   “The regular chemist
is back from his surgery and he’s doing very well.   I don’t know that I’ll take anything
that demanding again.   I ’m meant to be retired and I really don’t miss working.   But that’s enough about me.   What’s going on over here?”
    Janet wandered
into the kitchen and put the kettle on.   She could hear her sister and Michael chatting together as she dug out
biscuits and put them on a plate.
    “Come and see
what you think,” Joan called after a few minutes.
    Janet walked
into Joan’s small sitting room.   Joan was in her bedroom, looking happily at her new lamps.  
    “They’re
perfect,” Janet exclaimed.
    “They really
are,” Joan said.  
    “I put the kettle
on,” Janet told the others.   “Let’s
have tea and biscuits.”
    “Just a few
biscuits,” Joan cautioned.   “It’s
nearly time to start dinner.”
    “I thought
maybe I could take you out,” Michael said to Joan.   “To make up for being away so much
lately.”
    “We’re doing
evening meals for some of our guests,” Joan explained.   “I can’t leave Janet with that much
work.”
    Michael looked
so disappointed that Janet almost found herself offering to deal with Harold
and Mildred herself.  
    “Why don’t you
join us for dinner here?” Joan suggested, saving Janet from making an offer she
was certain to regret later.
    “I don’t want
to make even more work for you,” Michael protested.
    “It won’t be,”
Joan assured him.   “I’m making
spaghetti Bolognese.   It isn’t any
trouble to throw in a bit more pasta and a few extra tomatoes and herbs.”
    “If you’re
sure, I’d love to stay,” Michael said happily.
    “I’m quite
sure,” Joan said firmly.
    “I’ll leave
you two to get on with the cooking, then,” Janet said.   “I’ll take my tea and biscuits to the
library.”
    She didn’t
really feel like cleaning, but she wanted to give her sister and Michael some
privacy.   After drinking her tea she
cleared another shelf and gave it a half-hearted wipe while nibbling on a
biscuit.   While she was dusting each
book to return it to the shelf, she stumbled across a book she’d never read by
an author she knew she liked.   Knowing her sister was busy with Michael, she sat down and began to
read.   Before she knew it, Joan was
calling her for dinner.
    “No sign of
the guests, yet?” Janet asked as she joined her sister and Michael in the
kitchen.
    “No, but
everything is ready, so I thought we might as well eat.   If they turn up while we’re eating, we
can take turns serving them,” Joan replied.
    The food was
excellent and Janet was delighted when they finished without interruption.
    “I know you
offered to stay up tonight,” Joan said when Janet had finished loading the
dishwasher.   “But Michael and I want
to watch a bit of telly and catch up.   You can head up to bed if you like.”
    Janet thought
about arguing, but there was no point in both of them sitting up until the
guests arrived home.   She headed to
bed, curling up with her book until she could barely keep her eyes open.   The guests still weren’t back when she
finally switched off her light and snuggled under the duvet.  

 
    Chapter
Eight
    On Saturday, when
Janet woke up to her alarm, her first thought was that their guests must have
stayed out all night.   She showered
and dressed quickly and then headed down to the kitchen, where Joan was already
fixing breakfast for herself and Janet.
    “Did the
guests come in last night?” Janet asked, feeling confused.
    “They did,”
Joan confirmed.   “And Michael
escorted them to their rooms.   I
believe they were all a good deal more quiet last night than they had been the
previous evening.”
    “They were
indeed,” Janet said.   “I never woke
up.”
    “That’s good,”
Joan said.   “They were both back
fairly early as