Fatal Brushstroke (An Aurora Anderson Mystery Book 1) Read online

  Veronica stood in front of them, jotting something down on a small pad of paper. Dressed all in black, she’d shed her casual attire and covered up her belly button ring. She’d even changed the streaks of color in her black hair to a more subdued blue. A sudden breeze wafted her perfume in their direction: an explosion of flowers with a slight undertone of nicotine.

  “Since when are you interested in Donald Trump?” Rory asked Liz.

  “I’ve read all his books. They have lots of good advice in them.”

  Veronica put her notebook in her purse and turned to face them. “I understand Julian’s a great fan of Trump, also.”

  “That was a nice piece you did on Hester in the paper,” Rory said to the aspiring reporter as the line moved forward.

  “You saw it?” Veronica blushed at the compliment. “I think it’s some of my best work.”

  “You had a story in the View?” Liz asked.

  “Almost the entire front page was devoted to coverage of Hester’s death including the obituary Veronica wrote,” Rory replied, a little surprised Liz hadn’t seen the articles since she usually read the weekly newspaper from cover-to-cover the day it came out.

  “Sorry I missed it. It’s been a busy week. Haven’t had time to read the paper yet,” Liz said.

  “Did you hear?” Veronica leaned forward and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “Chief Marshall’s on the warpath. He threatened to take Detective Green off the case if he didn’t come up with results...fast.”

  No wonder the detective looked so cranky. Rory felt sorry for him. She knew from personal experience how unpleasant it was to be on the receiving end of the chief’s wrath. “What do you know about Detective Green? I heard his last job was at a very corrupt police department.”

  Veronica nodded. “A half dozen officers were arrested, but he was never accused of taking bribes. In fact, I heard he helped bring the corruption to light.”

  Moments later, they reached the front of the line. Veronica ordered a Perrier from the bartender. While she waited, she said, “I hear the chief’s talking about taking over the investigation himself. That didn’t work out very well for you last time, did it?” She looked pointedly in Rory’s direction.

  Rory nervously checked around to see if the police chief had materialized on the terrace. She turned back, satisfied Detective Green remained the only member of the Vista Beach police department at the service.

  “Don’t worry, he’s not here...yet. But the mayor is. I want to catch her before she leaves. Maybe she’ll give me a short interview.” As soon as her drink was ready, Veronica said a quick good-bye and headed into the crowd.

  Rory looked around for a glimpse of the Vista Beach city official, but got sidetracked by the sight of Kevin tossing back shots in the company of a pair of giggling blondes. Hester’s son certainly had a way with the ladies.

  Even though they’d only recently met him, Rory had already seen him with three different women. She wondered how many more girlfriends he had waiting in the wings.

  Rory had never mastered the art of juggling multiple boyfriends herself, though one of her college roommates had dated three men at the same time. To Rory’s amazement, the young woman had not only kept her dates straight but also kept them from finding out about each other. Maybe Kevin was doing the same thing.

  “I don’t think you have to worry about the chief today. I heard he wasn’t coming,” Liz said to Rory after they’d ordered. “Doesn’t want to answer all of those pesky questions about the murder and what he’s doing to keep the city safe.”

  A wave of relief washed over Rory when she heard the news.

  After getting their sodas, the two young women joined Arika and Nora who were standing near the carving station. Nora’s gaze darted around the terrace, not resting on one spot for long, checking to see if anything needed her attention.

  “...should have done everything differently. I’m not sure it’s worthy of Hester,” Nora said as they walked up.

  “Nonsense. It was a lovely service. Don’t you agree?” Arika appealed to the two newcomers with her eyes.

  “Absolutely,” Rory was quick to respond. “You’ve done a wonderful job organizing this on such short notice. Must have been a lot of work.” Liz nodded her agreement.

  Nora mumbled her thanks, but a worried look soon returned to her face. “I hope there’s enough food.”

  Rory followed Nora’s gaze to the tables heavily-laden with all kinds of delicious-looking dishes from salads to side dishes to entrees, including the meat station near them where a chef was carving roast beef and ham to order. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. Looks like there’s enough to feed an army.” Rory tore her gaze away from the food and tried not to think about how hungry she was. “Who’s minding the store, Mom?”

  “I closed it for the service. Not sure how wise that was given the current state of the alarm.”

  “I thought it was fixed,” Liz said.

  “Kevin swore you wouldn’t have any more problems,” Rory added.

  “That’s what I thought until I got a call in the wee hours of the morning.”

  “Another false alarm?”

  Arika nodded. “I’m afraid so. I’ve given up on Vista Beach Security. They’ve had more than enough opportunities to fix the problem.”

  “Now we know why Kevin doesn’t work for his father. He’s incompetent,” Liz whispered so only Rory could hear.

  “H & J Security is very reliable. Jul—Mr. Bouquet—will even pay any fines you incur in the unlikely event a false alarm occurs with his system. If you’d like, I can schedule an appointment for Monday. I’ll give you top priority,” Nora said.

  “That’s very thoughtful. Call me at the store later today and give me the details.” Arika turned to her daughter. “Rory, I could use your help. I want to do a tribute to Hester on the store’s website. Maybe feature her new book.”

  Rory nodded, already mentally redesigning the site to accommodate her mother’s wishes.

  Liz turned to Nora whose lips had begun to quiver at the mention of the tribute. “You must have seen Hester’s new book. What’s it like?”

  A tear trickled down Nora’s face.

  Up until now, the responsibility of keeping the service running smoothly seemed to have kept Nora from springing a leak every time her mentor’s name was mentioned. Rory rummaged around in her purse for a clean tissue, but discovered she’d used them all up herself during the service. She plucked a napkin from a tray carried by a passing waiter and handed it to the crying woman.

  Nora murmured her thanks and took off her glasses to wipe the tears from her eyes. While she regained her composure, the group chatted about the new merchandise Arika had bought for her store, being careful not to mention Hester’s name.

  They were discussing the latest line of DecoArt paints when Arika spotted someone waving at her from across the terrace. “Excuse me, Fern’s calling. Agatha must be talking about her latest health kick. You can only hear so much about the benefits of a good colon cleansing. Give my best to your mother, Elizabeth.” Arika patted Nora on the arm before heading off to rescue her friend.

  An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. Rory was searching for a new topic of conversation when Nora said, “Did you read the nice article about Hester in the paper?”

  “I didn’t realize how many activities she was involved in,” Rory said.

  “She tried to get me to become a docent at the art museum.” Nora sniffled but managed to keep her composure. “I couldn’t talk in front of all those people and give those tours, though. Hester was so good at that...and so giving.”

  “More like a cutthroat bitch.”

  Even though the words were slurred, Rory still recognized the voice. As she glanced behind her to confirm her suspicions, she whispered to Liz, �
�Did he just call his mother the b-word?”

  Kevin staggered forward, carrying a half-full glass of a brown liquid that looked and smelled like whiskey. He squeezed himself between Rory and Liz, draping his left arm around Liz’s shoulder and attempting to place his right arm over Rory’s much higher shoulder.

  Rory stepped aside at the same time that Liz shrugged free. Kevin stumbled, spilling his drink all over the ground.

  “That’s enough! I’m cutting you off!” Julian appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and grabbed the glass out of his son’s hand. Trudy hovered in the background, a worried look on her face.

  “Just because you’re a hypocrite doesn’t mean I have to be.” Kevin bowed to the group. “Ladies.”

  As Julian led his son away, Trudy stepped forward and said, “You’ll have to excuse my godson. He’s distraught with grief.”

  “I’ll bet,” Liz said in a tone that indicated she wasn’t buying the excuse.

  “Aurora, what a nice outfit,” Trudy said. “I gave away one just like it to charity recently. Too out-of-date for me, but it suits you to a T. And Nora, I didn’t realize Julian had already cleared out Hester’s closet. Is that the rose pin you demoed at the last convention? No one expected you to actually wear it!” Under her breath, but still loud enough everyone in the small group could hear, she said, “Hester attached hers to a key chain. She wouldn’t be caught dead with that pinned to her breast.”

  Nora’s face turned red as she fingered the wooden rose keeping her scarf in place.

  “Trudy, how do you keep that fabulous figure?” Liz said, trying to keep the woman’s focus off Nora who now looked as if she was about to collapse.

  “Exercise and staying away from fatty food. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.” Trudy stared pointedly at Nora. “Some people simply don’t have the discipline.”

  Nora’s face turned a deep shade of purple and strange sounds emanated from her throat. Rory hastily reviewed CPR procedures in her mind just in case they were needed.

  “Still working on those insipid designs of yours, Nora?” Trudy continued, oblivious to the woman’s suffering. “Hester was always saying how juvenile they were.”

  Rory was getting more and more worried about the situation when she heard the sound of a slap against skin. A shocked silence fell over the group as well as everyone standing nearby. Nora stared in horror at her hand as if it had acquired a mind of its own. Trudy fingered the injured spot on her face and, seemingly incapable of uttering a word, drifted off without comment, a flowery scent that reminded Rory of the gardenia plant in her mother’s garden trailing in her wake.

  Shortly after, Nora mumbled an apology and ran from the terrace.

  “Should we...?” Rory said to Liz.

  “Let her be. She’s embarrassed enough. And I don’t think we have to worry about T & A. She’s already found someone to comfort her.” Liz nodded at the other side of the terrace where Trudy seemed to have forgotten about the slap and was flirting with Detective Green.

  Rory wondered if flirting was one of the methods of interrogation taught at the police academy or if the detective had learned it on his own. He could use some pointers on technique, though. Even with a beautiful woman paying attention to him, the man didn’t crack a smile. Maybe he’d been married so long he was out of practice, though she’d never noticed a wedding ring on his finger.

  “Did you see those shoes?” Liz said in an excited voice, breaking into Rory’s thoughts.

  “Shoes?” Rory said a little vaguely, still wondering about the detective’s marital status.

  “Never mind. I’m going to find out where she bought them.” Liz threaded her way through the crowd in search of the owner of the footwear that had caught her attention.

  Once she was alone, Rory grabbed a plate and walked over to one of the serving stations. She was dishing out pasta salad when a man, half a foot shorter than Rory and almost as wide as he was tall, stepped in front of her.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” Chief Marshall said in a gruff voice. Out of uniform and in a rumpled suit, the man appeared less intimidating than usual until she looked into his eyes, as devoid of warmth as ever. His collar didn’t quite hide the scar on his neck.

  Behind the man’s brusque manner and expressionless eyes lay a pain Rory could only imagine. Sadness enveloped her as she pictured a younger version of the policeman trying, but failing, to rescue his wife and two-year-old daughter from the burning building.

  Rory averted her gaze. “Chief, I didn’t think you were coming. I mean, I didn’t see you earlier at the service,” she managed to squeak out.

  “Hester was a friend. I belong here.” He pulled a handkerchief out of his inside jacket pocket and wiped the sweat off his bald head. He took his time returning the white cloth to its place, carefully folding it into a perfect square. Rory’s heart beat faster at the long pause in the conversation. When she couldn’t stand the silence any longer, the chief looked her squarely in the eyes and said, “We’ve got quite a bit of evidence already. It’s only a matter of time before we have enough to convict. And running won’t help, either. Remember that.” He turned around and headed back into the crowd.

  The chief’s attitude drove home the need for her to find enough evidence to clear her name—and soon. Rory stood stock still, wondering what she should do next, until someone behind her cleared his throat, reminding her to move on. Zombie-like, she visited the other serving stations, barely noticing which dishes she added to her plate. By the time she’d finished the circuit, she’d shaken off the encounter, although she wasn’t as hungry as she’d been a short time before. When she looked around for a quiet place to eat, she spotted two empty seats bookending a dry-eyed Nora who was studying the crowd, hands clasped in her lap. On impulse, Rory grabbed an extra fork and headed over.

  Rory pointed to one of the empty chairs. “May I?”

  “Please,” Nora said. “I wanted to...explain, about earlier.”

  “No need.” Rory sank down onto the seat, placing her plate on her lap. She tucked her purse under her chair and kicked off her shoes. “That’s better.” She held out her full plate to Nora. “Would you like some food? I went a little overboard.”

  “No, thank you, I couldn’t eat a thing.”

  “Come on, you need to keep up your strength. I bet you’ve been too busy to eat. I have an extra fork.” Rory held the utensil out to Nora who, without any further encouragement, grabbed it and took a dainty forkful of pasta salad from the plate.

  After chewing in silence for a few moments, Nora said, “I’m sorry about before. I don’t know what came over me.”

  “You were just upset about Hester. It’s been a trying day, and you have a lot of responsibility here. Trudy can be a bit...much at times. I hardly know her, and I’ve been tempted to slap her myself.”

  Nora gave Rory the faintest of smiles, the happiest Rory had seen the woman since the weekend painting class. “Did you see? That detective’s here, but I didn’t invite him.”

  “He hasn’t bothered you, has he?”

  Nora shook her head. “No, but it still doesn’t seem right. Do you think I should ask him to leave?”

  “No, you don’t want to cause a scene. He’s just doing his job. Besides, the chief’s here, too.”

  “But he belongs here. He’s one of Julian’s closest friends, you know. I saw you talking to him...the chief, I mean. Did he tell you when Hester was mur—” Nora took a deep breath and continued, “Do they know when she died?”

  “He didn’t say. Some time after she finished teaching her class and before I found her, I suppose. My mom said she left the store around nine.”

  “So when I was painting...she was...?”

  Rory patted Nora’s arm. “Do you have a painting partner?”

  “I don’t have an alibi, if t
hat’s what you mean.” Nora put her fork down on the empty seat next to her and sat up straighter. “Since my divorce, well, I’m alone a lot. I’m sure one of my neighbors saw the lights on in my studio, though.”

  “I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just thinking I’d finish more projects if I had someone to paint with on a regular basis.”

  “Absolutely. If you want to improve, regular practice is essential. I paint every day, no matter what.”

  Loud laughter erupted from across the patio where a group of waiters stood talking to each other. Nora frowned. “I specifically told the catering staff to circulate. I’m not paying them to gossip. Excuse me. Thanks for coming over, it was very thoughtful.”

  Nora marched toward the group of young servers. They scattered like a flock of birds who suddenly discovered a cat in their midst.

  Rory took another bite, then handed the plate she’d barely touched to a waiter who was now moving throughout the crowd. Her gaze swept the terrace in search of Liz. Near the meat station, she spotted Chief Marshall chatting with one of her mother’s friends. A hint of a smile on his face gave Rory a glimpse of the happy man he’d once been. Off to one side, she saw Arika deep in conversation with Julian. She was about to join them when Liz walked up.

  Liz gestured toward Arika and Julian. “I wonder if he realizes Nora already made the sale.”

  Moments later, Rory spotted Kevin going into the house followed by Trudy. Rory caught Liz’s eye and nodded at the disappearing figures. Together, the two young women headed toward the sliding glass door that led inside.

  Chapter 12

  Rory and Liz slipped through the sliding glass door into a spacious living room with hallways branching off in two directions.

  “What do we say if someone catches us?” Rory whispered as they wended their way around the furniture, heading for the hallway they thought Kevin and Trudy had taken.

  “We’re looking for the bathroom, silly.” Liz walked under a tin-and-wire mobile suspended from the ceiling.