Paintings Can Be Deadly (Sage Gardens Cozy Mystery Book 9)

by Cindy Bell

  Don’t worry, it was just a bunch of kids that set off the alarm. I’m watching.

  Bruce pulled his phone out of his pocket, looked at it, then surveyed the parking lot. Jo flashed her lights just long enough to get his attention. Her phone buzzed with a text in return.

  I see you. Let me know if anything happens tonight.

  Jo fired a text back to let him know that she would. He got back into his car and drove off. She relaxed against the seat and took a deep breath. Now she knew that the alarm worked. That made her job a little easier as she didn’t have to worry too much about someone sneaking in when she wasn’t looking. However, if the alarm was that sensitive she had to wonder how David was sneaking in, and getting the paintings out of the gallery, without ever setting it off. Maybe he was disarming it. If he was using his code surely Bruce would immediately know it was him as there would be a record of it that would easily point to him as the thief. She made a mental note to ask Bruce about how the alarm was bypassed. Maybe David had another way of getting in and out without being detected. There was nothing to indicate a break-in which also made her suspect that David used his key. If he came in the front door in plain view, then she would have no problem spotting him.

  As a few hours slid by Jo’s mind churned over the recent events of her life. She’d settled into a new home in Sage Gardens, she’d made good friends who accepted her despite her past, and there was hope in her future for the first time in a very long time. She was glad she could help out Bruce as it was a fun addition to tending her garden and playing cards with Samantha late into the night.

  As the daylight began to fade into darkness she was relieved to see that the lights in the parking lot clearly illuminated the entrance of the gallery. Since Bruce stopped by she hadn’t seen another car in the parking lot, or any movement on the sidewalk in front of the gallery. Her mind drifted despite her usual ability to focus. Then something made her entire body jolt. She peered through the windshield at the large glass front of the gallery. Even though she hadn’t seen anyone come or go, she was sure that she’d caught a glimpse of movement through the window. Maybe someone had slipped in when she wasn’t looking? But why hadn’t the alarm gone off? She stepped out of the car and crept towards the building. She’d just touched the side door when she heard a gunshot followed by the sound of shattering glass. Her heart dropped as she yanked at the door only to find that it was locked.

  Jo ran around to the back door in time to see a figure in the distance. The person was too far for her to have any chance of catching up. She pulled open the back door and ran inside. A pool of blood spread across the center of the gallery floor. She covered her mouth to stifle a scream as she recognized who it belonged to. How had this happened while she sat outside watching the gallery? She leaned down and touched the side of Bruce’s neck to check if there was a pulse. Her body trembled when she found none.

  “Jo!” She jumped and spun around to see Eddy at the back door. “You’ve got to get out of here, the police are on their way.”

  “Eddy, what are you doing here?”

  “Never mind that, just go. Now!”

  “I can’t, I can’t leave him here like this.” Sirens blared from outside and red and blue lights flashed through the windows. Jo couldn’t move a muscle.

  “You have to, Jo. If you’re caught here it’s going to look very bad.” She took a deep breath and nodded. As she placed her hand on the doorknob, it was ripped away from her, and a police officer barged in with his gun drawn.

  “Hands in the air! Both of you!” Eddy raised his hands in the air and took a slight step back. Jo’s heart raced with panic. She glanced in every direction for a way out that didn’t include handcuffs, but there was no other option. Reluctantly, she raised her hands in the air and stood beside Eddy. “Against the wall.” The officer gestured to the nearby wall. Behind him another officer came in who spoke quickly into his radio. Jo glanced over at Eddy whose face was directed at the wall.

  “What now?” Jo asked.

  “Just keep your mouth closed, don’t say a word. I’ll do the talking.”

  She looked back at the wall and held her breath as the officer came closer to them.

  “We’re unarmed.” Eddy laced his hands behind his head. “We found the body.”

  The officer began to pat down Eddy first, then he moved on to Jo. She cringed and held her breath, she felt so uncomfortable around the police. Paramedics rushed past them to check on Bruce. When the officer commanded it, Jo turned slowly around to face him. She didn’t dare look him in the eye. Her mind flashed back to the years she spent in prison. She couldn’t do that again, not even for a day.

  “What happened here?” The officer took out his notepad.

  “Like I said, we found the guy on the floor.” Eddy shrugged. “Not much more to say than that.”

  “Really?” The officer looked straight at Jo. “Is that your story, too?” Unable to form words even if she wanted to, Jo only nodded.

  “We were just about to report it when you came in. Great response time you’ve got there,” Eddy said.

  The officer narrowed his eyes at Eddy. “And what exactly were you doing so close to the gallery when it was closed? What made you come inside?”

  “We heard a gunshot.” The words slipped past before Jo could think them through.

  “Ah, well that’s important information. What time did you hear the gunshot?”

  “The same time someone called 911 to report one I’d assume.” Eddy crossed his arms.

  “Is there a reason why you’re answering most of my questions?” The officer looked between Eddy and Jo. “Because it seems to me that you two are trying to hide things, which I can’t understand, if you just happened upon this body. Do either of you know the victim?”

  “Yes.” Jo closed her eyes for a moment. “His name is Bruce, he owns the gallery.”

  Eddy nudged her foot with his, but she ignored him.

  “You knew him?” The officer searched her eyes. She didn’t know how to respond to his probe. If she lied it would incriminate her, if she told him the truth it would incriminate her. It wouldn’t take long for them to figure out that not only was she helping out Bruce, but she had once worked with him on a heist. Once they put two and two together she would be behind bars. Maybe, if she could talk her way out of it for the moment she would have a chance to escape.

  “Not exactly. He was going to show me a piece of artwork after hours. But when my friend and I showed up to see it we heard a gunshot from outside. We rushed inside and found him like this,” Jo said.

  “Okay, I’ll need you to give a complete statement, but for the moment I’m going to have you go outside with another officer. We need to make sure that the shooter isn’t still in the building.”

  “I saw someone running away as I was coming inside, but they were already at the end of the street.” Jo pointed in the direction the person ran.

  “We still have to be sure.”

  Jo nodded. She turned and followed the officer without even looking at Eddy. Once they were outside the officer occupied himself with roping off the crime scene area.

  “What happened to keeping quiet, Jo?” Eddy tried to meet her eyes, but she avoided them.

  “You don’t know what’s going on here, Eddy. I’m in a lot of trouble.”

  “You’ll be fine, Jo. You didn’t kill him, you’re innocent, the evidence will prove that.”

  “No, it won’t.” She wiped a hand across her face. “I wasn’t completely honest. I do know Bruce well. In fact, we knew each other pretty well in my old life.”

  “Your old life? Oh.” Eddy’s voice dropped.

  “Yes. It’s only a matter of time before they figure out our connection. None of this will look good.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I can talk to them. I’ll explain that it was all just a coincidence.”

  “Eddy, that’s sweet, and I know that you think you still have influence in police work, but the cops will w
ant to make a collar, they are not going to care about what you have to say.”

  “What about security? Did your friend have cameras in the gallery?”

  “Yes, he did.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “Maybe that will clear me.”

  “I’m sure it will. But for now, don’t volunteer any more information. No matter what he asks you, do your best to be polite but evasive.”

  “Don’t you think that will make me look more suspicious?”

  “You are going to be looking suspicious no matter what. Let them be suspicious. As long as they don’t have anything to prove that you were involved it won’t matter.”

  “Okay.” She took a deep breath and nodded again. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Good.” He patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, Jo, you’re not alone in any of this.”

  She swallowed hard. She wanted to believe him, but it was hard to, when she was so used to being alone. Another officer walked over to them.

  “I need to check your hands.”

  “For gunpowder residue.” Eddy frowned and held out his hands. Jo followed suit.

  “Okay, you’re both clear and neither of you had a weapon on you. At this time you’re free to go, but please remain in the area. We will be contacting you for more information.”

  “Yes, we will cooperate in any way that you need.” Eddy offered his hand to the officer. “We only want to help.”

  “Good.” The officer shook his hand, then offered his hand to Jo. Jo took it in a quick shake and turned away. Her body flared from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Just having a police officer close to her was enough to set off a panic attack. Eddy curled his arm around her shoulders and steered her back towards her car.

  “Just act casual. If you start to melt down, the police are going to be even more suspicious.”

  “I’m not going to melt down, Eddy. What are you even doing here? Did you follow me?” She glanced over at him. His jaw tensed and he nodded.

  “Yes, I did. I know you’re probably upset with me about that, but this is not the place to argue about it.” He opened her car door for her. “Meet me at my villa and we can discuss it.”

  “No, I don’t want to go to your villa, Eddy. I want to know why you followed me here.” Jo sat down in her car.

  “Fine, then Samantha’s.” Eddy nodded to her then closed the door. He adjusted his hat as he walked away from her. She noticed that he walked all the way to a parking lot at the end of the street before getting into his car.

  Chapter 5

  As Jo drove back to Sage Gardens she considered whether to just go back to her villa. She felt like she needed time to herself to comprehend what had happened. But she was too annoyed. She wanted to know why Eddy thought he needed to spy on her. She parked at her villa, then walked over to Samantha’s. By the time she reached it Eddy pulled into the driveway right behind her. He got out of the car and jogged slowly after her.

  “Jo wait, I want to explain.”

  “Go ahead.” She crossed her arms as she turned to look at him. Eddy took a slight step back in reaction to the harshness of her stare.

  “I was worried about you. I just wanted to make sure that you were safe.”

  “You knew, didn’t you?”

  He grimaced and glanced away from her. “I didn’t at first, but I overheard Walt and Samantha discussing the man you asked them to look into. When I did a background check on David I discovered what he was involved in. I followed you because I wanted to make sure that you weren’t in over your head.”

  “I can handle myself, Eddy, you know that.”

  “Is that why Bruce is dead?” He searched her eyes. “Jo, if he came after you, and you did what you had to do, I understand that. You need to tell me the truth now, while we can still get ahead of this.”

  “If I what?” She stared hard into his eyes. “Are you asking me if I killed him?”

  “I’m just letting you know that either way, I’m going to do whatever it takes to protect you.”

  “I didn’t kill him, Eddy. I would never…” She lowered her eyes. “I didn’t tell you the details because it wasn’t supposed to be dangerous.”

  “But it was. What if whoever killed him decided to kill you, too?”

  “You being there wouldn’t have changed that. Eddy, I appreciate that you care about me, but you have to let me have my privacy.”

  “Fine.” He nodded. “But if I wasn’t there you would have still been standing over Bruce’s body when the police walked in.”

  “Maybe.” She brushed a hand back through her hair and stared down at the driveway. “I was in shock.”

  “You probably still are. Let’s get inside.” He knocked on the door. Samantha opened it with a surprised smile.

  “Eddy, Jo, what’s going on?”

  “We need to talk.” Eddy tipped his head towards the door. “Can we come in?”

  “Of course.” She stepped back. As Jo walked past her she gasped. “Jo, you look terrible. Are you okay? What happened?” She ushered them both into the living room.

  “I was on the stakeout and someone managed to get past me into the gallery. Whoever it was killed Bruce, and the police arrived shortly after I got inside.”

  “Oh Jo, I’m so sorry. You were friends with Bruce.”

  “Knowing that I might go to jail for his murder makes it a little worse. Do you mind if I clean up in your bathroom?” Jo asked.

  “Of course not, go right ahead.” Samantha sat down on the couch beside Eddy.

  “I’ll fill her in while you’re gone,” Eddy said.

  Jo nodded, but didn’t say a word. She was still a little annoyed that Eddy followed her. Every time she thought he trusted her, he proved that he didn’t. She looked in the mirror and washed her hands. She splashed water on her face. Her mind flicked with thoughts of Bruce. How could she have missed him and his killer going into the gallery? Maybe he thought he was safe, because she was outside. She closed her eyes for a moment as she processed the memory of finding him in the gallery. Was there something she had overlooked?

  When she returned to the living room Samantha and Eddy were sitting on the couch. Samantha looked up at Jo.

  “How frightening that you were so close when this happened. I’m so glad that you’re okay.”

  “That remains to be seen.” Jo wiped her hands dry on her jeans and sat down in a chair across from them. “I’m pretty sure I’m the police’s number one suspect.”

  “That may be true, but it won’t be that way for long. The cameras will clear you.” Eddy stood up. “If they thought you did it, you wouldn’t be sitting here in Samantha’s living room, you’d be sitting in an interrogation room.”

  “They have to have something to make an arrest right?” Jo shrugged. “Give them time.”

  “Jo, you can’t think so negatively about this. Try to focus on the positive,” Samantha said.

  “You sit in a prison cell for years, and tell me to focus on the positive.” Jo winced as soon as the words left her mouth. “I’m so sorry, Samantha. I didn’t mean that. I’m just a little on edge.”

  “No you’re right. You have a right to be scared. I know what’s on the line for you. But we’re here to make sure that nothing bad happens. For the record, I had no idea that Eddy was following you.”

  “It was Walt’s idea.” Eddy frowned. “He told me I should just keep an eye on you in case you needed a little back-up.”

  “Walt?” Jo shook her head and smiled. “I should have known. He’s always doing something from behind that curtain of his.”

  “Curtain?” Samantha raised an eyebrow.

  “Walt presents this docile image, but behind it he’s quite clever and stubborn.”

  “I can agree on both counts.” Eddy chuckled.

  “Look Eddy, I’m not upset with you for being there, I just think it’s important that you trust me enough to be able to handle myself.”

  “I do trust you, Jo. I also value you, which is why I wante
d to make sure that you were safe. Heck, if I was on a stakeout I’d bring you with me to keep me safe.”

  “Or me.” Samantha smiled.

  “Yes, or you.” Eddy smiled in return. “My point is, it’s not about you being a woman if that’s what you think, Jo. It’s that you’re a lone wolf that never asks for help, even when you think you might need it.”

  “You have me there.” She nodded. “I guess we’re going to find out more about all of this in the morning.”

  “You can sleep here tonight, Jo.”

  “Thanks Samantha, but I’d rather go home. I just need to sort some things out in my mind. I want to make sure I’m ready for the interview with the detective tomorrow.”

  “That’s a good idea. But don’t worry, they’ll have the surveillance tapes by then and all of this will be a bad memory.”

  “I hope so.” Jo bit into her bottom lip. As they spoke Eddy’s cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen.

  “It’s Chris. I asked him to look into things for me at the station and let me know when there was any news on the case.” He put the phone to his ear. “Chris, what do you have for me?”

  “It’s not good, I’m afraid.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, the tapes you were waiting for don’t exist.”

  “How is that possible? Jo said there were cameras all around the gallery, inside and out.”

  “And there were, but they were all disabled during the time of the murder. There’s nothing on the tapes. The fact that Jo knew they were there only means that she might have disabled them.”

  “Oh, this just keeps getting worse, doesn’t it?”

  “Just try to keep your friend calm. I can tell you that there are some other reasons to suspect her, so be prepared for that.”

  “What other reasons?”

  “I don’t know exactly. I just know that she’s suspect number one at the moment.”