Foxden Hotel (The Dudley Sisters Saga Book 5) by Madalyn Morgan (ebook reader ink txt) 📕

Bess went to the chest of drawers and took a Reserved sign from it. ‘This is your table, then,’ she said, handing him a menu. ‘Dinner is served from seven for guests who have pre-ordered. If you decide what you want now you’ll be served then, or just after. If you order when the dining room opens at six forty-five, you’ll have a wait for your meal. The meat is already in the oven, for obvious reasons, but everything else is cooked fresh.’

‘Home-made vegetable soup, and lamb casserole,’ the inspector said.

‘Good choice. I’ll give your order to Chef. If you’d like to go up to the smoking lounge. Have a look at today’s newspaper, perhaps?’

‘I was wondering if I could have a word with you and your husband in private?’

Bess’s heart plummeted, but she said, ‘Yes, of course,’ and on the way to the office, popped her head round the kitchen door. ‘One more for dinner tonight, Chef. Vegetable soup and lamb casserole. Is that all right?’ The chef put up his hand. ‘If you need me to help with the washing up later, let me know. I’ll be in the office.’

‘Do you have to work in the kitchen as well?’ the inspector asked.

‘Only when Chef’s short staffed - and he is tonight, he has just lost his washer-upper.’

Inspector Masters stopped at the reception desk. ‘I won’t be a moment,’ he said, ‘I wasn’t sure I’d be welcome, so I only made a temporary booking for tonight. I had better confirm.’

Bess pointed to the door with brass plaque on it that said Private and left the inspector with Jack.

‘Inspector Masters wants to talk to us.’ Bess kissed her husband as she passed him and sat down at her desk.

‘Now what?’

‘No idea, but I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. He has just ordered dinner and now he’s in reception booking a room for tonight. He wouldn’t be doing that if he was going to accuse either of us of murdering David Sutherland, would he?’

‘I suppose not. I wonder why he’s staying here?’

‘He said the Denbigh was full.’

‘That doesn’t surprise me. Henry was saying there’s a Masonic do on somewhere. He said the town’s heaving. Apparently Freemasons from all over the county have descended on Lowarth for the weekend.’

Bess wrinkled her nose. ‘Oh, and Chef has sacked Mrs Sharp.’

‘What for?’

‘Gossiping. She saw McGann leave this morning, then she saw me in tears. She heard me say, he knows, and decided I meant McGann knew I’d killed Sutherland. I’m only telling you because I might have to do a stint of washing up later.’

‘It’ll be all over Woodcote by this time tomorrow,’ Frank said.

‘Tomorrow? You underestimate Mrs Sharp’s ability to spread bad news.’

‘Does Chef have a replacement in mind? We’re busy next week.’

‘No idea.’ Bess groaned. ‘I had to kiss Chef’s backside earlier - metaphorically speaking. I’ll probably have to do the same to Mrs Sharp to persuade her to come back, if Chef can’t find anyone to do her job. Washing greasy dishes isn’t exactly a sought after career.’

There was a knock at the door and Frank got up and opened it. He shook Detective Inspector Masters’ hand. ‘What do you want with us, Inspector? After the hell Sergeant McGann put my wife through earlier today, I’d have thought you had all the information you need.’

‘I have no intention of asking any more questions about David Sutherland. I am satisfied that neither you, your wife, or Miss Dudley - I mean, Mrs Burrell - had anything to do with his death.’ Bess looked quizzically at the inspector. ‘I arrived back from London a few hours ago and went to the Denbigh to drop off my case. As you know, Mrs Donnelly, I wasn’t able to do that because I no longer had a room. While I was there, however, I bumped into Henry Green. He told me that McGann had been here today and that he had interrogated you, so I went to see him at the police station.’

The inspector turned at the sound of chatter and laughter on the other side of the office door. A second later, Claire and Ena came giggling into the room followed by Henry.

‘Excuse me, Inspector,’ Bess said. Jumping up she ran to her sisters and hugged them.

‘Is Aimee with you, Claire?’ Frank asked.

‘She’s in the car asleep. Would you fetch her?’ Claire gave Frank her car keys and when he had gone, turned on Inspector Masters. ‘What are you doing here? Can’t you give my sister a moment’s peace?’

Masters put his hand up in a friendly gesture. ‘I am not here to interview Mrs Donnelly, I am here to apologise for Sergeant McGann’s behaviour today.’

‘Inspector Masters knows the score, Claire,’ Henry said. ‘Go on, Inspector.’

‘After speaking to Henry earlier, I went up to Lowarth police station. McGann had clearly been waiting for my return because before I’d had time to take off my coat, he began making excuses for coming here today, and gabbled out the most preposterous lies.’ The inspector turned and looked at Bess. ‘As I said, I came here to apologise to you, Mrs Donnelly. And,’ he looked at Henry and laughed, ‘the Denbigh really did let my room to someone else.’

A dull thud on the door told Bess that Frank wanted to come in but had his hands full. Claire stood up, but it was the inspector who got to the door first and opened it. ‘I’ll take her up and put her in our bed,’ Frank said, ‘until you get a room sorted out, Claire.’

‘What if she wakes up? She won’t know where she is,’ Bess said.

‘I’ll stay up there. I need to finish that paperwork,’ Frank motioned with a nod of the head