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

by Cindy Bell

  Eddy stared at the closed door. He thought about suggesting that Jo get a lawyer, but he wanted to find out how the questioning had gone first. He knew that Jo had enough experience to protect herself and getting a lawyer often antagonized the police. As he waited for the interview to be over he leaned against the wall outside the interrogation room. As officers milled about and phones rang he felt at home for the first time in a long time. Before he retired he had spent most of his life in a police station. The smells, sounds, and surroundings of it were more familiar to him than any place he’d ever lived. The sharp sound of his cell phone jolted him out of his memories. He answered it the moment that he saw that it was Chris.

  “Hey Chris.”

  “I only have a minute to talk.”

  “I’m here at the police station…”

  “No, we can’t be seen together. You’ve got to be careful. I e-mailed the list of names to you. At this time the detective on the case only has circumstantial evidence, but he likes Jo for this, and I don’t doubt he’ll be coming after you next.”

  “I’m not worried about him, he has nothing on me. But Jo…”

  The door to the interrogation room swung open and Jo pushed past Eddy towards the lobby.

  “Chris, I have to go.” Eddy hung up the phone and followed after Jo. She didn’t stop until she was outside the front doors. Only then did she allow Eddy to catch up with her.

  “Jo, are you okay?”

  “No, I’m not. I want to leave, right now.”

  “Jo, we’ve discussed that.”

  “I don’t mean run, I mean I want to get away from this police station. I want to go home.”

  “Okay, let’s go.” Eddy steered her towards the parking lot.

  As soon as they were in the car Eddy started the engine.

  “He thinks it was me, Eddy. I don’t think he’s even considering other suspects.”

  “Don’t worry, pretty soon we’re going to have plenty to give him to consider. Chris sent me a list of people to look into, all we have to do is narrow it down. I’ve already forwarded it to Samantha.”

  “Okay.” She breathed a sigh of relief, but her heart still raced.

  When they reached Samantha’s villa, she was eager to find out who was on the list of people.

  “Jo.” Samantha smiled the moment she walked in. “I’m glad that it didn’t go too badly this morning.”

  “Me too. Now, tell me that we have a better suspect than me.” She pulled a chair up to Samantha’s computer. Eddy sat down on the couch not far from them.

  “I wish I could.” She frowned. “Let me start with the bad news. We have a problem with our main suspect.” Samantha pointed to a picture of David on the monitor.

  “What is it?” Jo leaned close.

  “He has an alibi. Walt told me he had paid a restaurant with his credit card on the day of the murder. At the time of the murder he was at a restaurant, alone, eating dinner.”

  “Maybe that’s just his cover. Is it close enough to the gallery for him to slip out and kill Bruce then get back in time for his meal?”

  “No. The restaurant is about an hour away from the gallery, and I’ve checked with the wait staff they remember him because his order was outlandish. He ordered the highest priced entrée on the menu and then demanded that it be sent back and cooked again. Trust me, the wait staff remembered him.”

  “So, a man who is facing financial ruin went out for a very expensive dinner while his partner was being murdered. It sounds to me like he knew something was going to happen and wanted to create an alibi for himself.”

  “It’s possible that he hired someone to do the job, but we don’t have any proof of that. This explains why the police might not even be considering him as a viable suspect. With an alibi this airtight there’s no reason to keep him on the list.”

  “Which makes me the main suspect.” Jo shook her head. “There’s no one else for them to even look at.”

  “So far. But we have a few other options on our list.”

  “Oh?”

  “This is Lou Conner.” Samantha pulled up a picture on the monitor. “He runs another gallery in town that has been losing money so fast it’s a wonder the doors are still open. The gallery took a nosedive after Bruce and David’s opened. It’s possible he was looking for revenge.”

  “Or trying to make a profit from stealing paintings from Bruce’s gallery to sell on the black market.” Jo snapped her fingers. “That causes Bruce’s gallery to take a hit while boosting his own profits.”

  “Yes, that is also possible,” Samantha said.

  “Let’s go have a conversation with Lou.” Jo started to stand up.

  “No, that’s not a good idea.” Eddy placed his hand on her shoulder. “You need to keep a low profile and rubbing elbows with other suspects is not going to do that. Samantha and I will go talk to Lou. Is that okay with you, Samantha?”

  “Sure, that’s fine with me.” She grabbed her purse from the table. “Jo, stay here while we’re gone.”

  “I can go back to my villa.”

  “I’d feel more comfortable if you were here. We still don’t know whether the person who killed Bruce might come after you,” Eddy said.

  “All right, but I don’t need a babysitter.”

  “Good, because we’re going to need Walt, too.” Eddy pulled out his cell phone to give Walt a call as he and Samantha walked out the door. Alone in Samantha’s villa Jo tried not to think about what the next few days might hold for her. If they didn’t find a viable suspect to throw the attention off her she might be faced with the reality of an arrest and a trial.

  Chapter 9

  Eddy drove from Samantha’s villa to Walt’s to pick him up. The scenic foliage that surrounded the road was lost on him, all of his focus was on how to keep Jo out of prison. Walt stood on the front porch ready to go as soon as Eddy arrived. He nodded to Samantha then climbed into the back seat.

  “I’m not sure what you think I can do to help, but I’m willing to do anything that you ask.”

  “Good, because what we need you to do is give us a little class.” Eddy smiled.

  “I’m sorry?”

  Eddy looked in the rearview mirror at him. “I know nothing about paintings.”

  “I know a little, but not as much as you.” Samantha turned in her seat to look at him. “We think that Lou might have been stealing the paintings to sell on the black market. If that’s the case he might have some of them in his gallery and we need you to be familiar with them in case they are. I’ve e-mailed you a list of the paintings that Bruce said were stolen from the gallery.”

  “I’ll take a look.”

  As Walt searched the names of the paintings and studied the images, Eddy and Samantha discussed their approach.

  “It’s best not to tip him off that we are investigating. As far as he knows, you and I are looking for a new painting to hang above our mantle.”

  “Our mantle?” Samantha grinned. “Does that mean we’re married?”

  “I suppose.” Eddy glanced over at her. “No need to go into detail. The important thing is that he will be at ease and think he’s going to make a rare sale. That will give Walt time to look around at the paintings.”

  “If we’re married, then who is Walt?”

  “Our, butler?”

  “Butler!” Walt sat forward in the back seat. “There’s no chance of that.”

  “So we’re married, and rich. I like this little fantasy, I think.” Samantha laughed.

  “Don’t get used to it.” Eddy winked at her. “We’ll be lucky if we can pull it off.”

  “I am not going to be the butler.”

  “Okay, how about my brother-in-law? Samantha is your sister, you’re close and you’re helping us choose a painting.”

  “Fair enough.” Walt nodded.

  Eddy parked right in front of the gallery and the three climbed out to take a look around.

  “Do you see how faded the sign is?” Eddy pointed out t
he sign that hung over the store front.

  “And that front window is in dire need of a good scrub.” Walt scrunched up his nose. “I hope it’s not this dirty inside.”

  “Lou’s definitely living on borrowed time.” Samantha stepped through the door of the gallery, with Walt and Eddy right behind her. “Oh, what is that?” She tucked a finger under her nose for a moment as her stomach swirled in reaction to a very strong scent.

  “Bleach.” Walt cringed.

  “Well, you did hope it would be clean.” Eddy smiled at him.

  “I did, but that is very strong.”

  “Hello?” Samantha walked further into the gallery. “Is anyone in?”

  “Just a minute!” A gruff voice barked from behind a door marked restroom.

  “There aren’t many paintings on the wall.” Walt began to walk around the small gallery.

  “Maybe he is trying to sell off what’s left of his inventory.” Samantha studied the paintings on the wall.

  “That’s right, which means you can get a great discount. See anything you like?” Lou stepped out of the bathroom and the scent of bleach followed him. “Sorry, I was just cleaning.”

  “No problem.” Eddy locked eyes with him. “My wife and I are looking for a painting for our living room. Her brother’s got a little experience in these matters.”

  “I see.” Lou nodded and looked over at Walt. “See anything you like?”

  “There’s not much to choose from. What happened to the rest of your paintings?”

  “I’ve sold them, and I don’t intend to buy more. I just want to shut the place down.”

  “That’s a shame. I would love to be surrounded by such beautiful art all of the time.” Samantha lingered in front of one of the paintings.

  “Look, I just opened the business because there weren’t any other galleries in the area. Now there are and I can’t compete. So once I get rid of what I have I’m shutting the doors. It’s a disappointment, but you’ll benefit from it. You can’t beat close-out prices.”

  “You’re right about that.” Samantha smiled. “I’ll see if there’s anything that catches my eye.” As Walt and Samantha began to walk around the gallery Eddy remained close to Lou.

  “Tough business, huh?”

  “It’s tough, especially when you’re in competition with criminals.”

  “Oh?” He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Aggressive sales or something?”

  “No, I mean real criminals. They steal the art, then sell the art. Pure profit.”

  “And they get away with this?”

  “Well, I can’t prove it, but I know that something isn’t right. Anyway, it’s not my problem anymore. I’m ready to start a new business.”

  “It’s good that you can land on your feet like that.”

  “I made sure I had some money socked away in case the gallery failed. Otherwise I’d be out of luck.”

  “This other gallery that you mentioned, do you know the owner?”

  “No not personally, I’ve only heard about him. I heard that something bad went down there though.”

  “Like what?” Eddy shifted from one foot to the other and moved closer to the man.

  “A murder. I don’t know who yet, but I saw some posts about it on social media this morning. Like I said, criminals. The gallery is run by a bunch of thieves, and they have to face the danger that comes with that.”

  “You don’t sound too sympathetic.”

  “I’m not. It’s bad guys killing bad guys. Nothing to grieve about.” He shrugged.

  “Still, he could have been a good guy. Maybe he changed his ways.”

  “If he did, then why is he dead?” Lou locked eyes with him. “Regular guys like us, we know what it’s like to work hard to earn an honest living. Men like that, all they know is how to cheat and con people.”

  “What if it was the owner of the gallery that was dead? Would you keep this place open with your competition gone?” Eddy searched his eyes.

  “No. It doesn’t change anything. I’m tired of seeing the snobs that glide through here. They think they’re something great and want to prove it with the right painting on their wall. It disgusts me.”

  “Well, that’s no way to sell paintings.” Eddy chuckled. “After all, I am here to buy one.”

  “You’re not like these people though. Maybe your brother-in-law is a little bit, but not you, I can tell. You’ve been in the trenches.”

  “I guess you have been, too.” He glanced up as Samantha walked towards him. “Did you find anything you like, darling?”

  “No, I’m afraid not.” She sighed. “We’re going to have to go to another gallery.”

  “Nothing?” Lou shook his head. “I know there’s not much left to choose from.”

  “What you have are some quality paintings.” Walt paused beside the three of them. “However, my sister’s taste is a bit more modern.”

  “Understood.” Lou nodded his head towards the door. “Good luck in your search.”

  “Thanks Lou.” Eddy held out his hand to him. “Sorry we couldn’t help you out.”

  “Don’t be. Like I said, I’m closing either way.” He shook Eddy’s hand. As they walked out of the gallery Samantha leaned close to him.

  “Did you find out anything?”

  “I don’t think he’s our guy. But he knew that Bruce and his partner were criminals and believed they still are. That might be something to go on.”

  “What makes you think it wasn’t him?” Walt settled in the car. Eddy pulled open the driver’s side door.

  “He’s bitter, that’s for sure, but he acted like he was going to close either way. What motivation would he have to kill Bruce?”

  “Maybe he just didn’t like the guy.” Samantha buckled her seatbelt.

  “He didn’t seem to know him well. He also didn’t seem to have much of a temper. I think we should put him on the back burner.”

  “All right, but I’m sure that’s not what Jo is going to want to hear,” Samantha said.

  “I’m sure you’re right.” Eddy sighed as he drove out of the gallery parking lot.

  Chapter 10

  Jo stopped pacing and stared hard at the wall. She couldn’t let her friends do all of the work. They didn’t understand the type of people that they were dealing with. She had a connection with most of the people they were meeting with. In fact, she was sure that if she saw David face to face he wouldn’t be able to lie to her as easily as he would be able to lie to the police. Without thinking much more about it she grabbed her purse and headed out the door. She’d looked up all of David’s information when she began to investigate him. She knew where he lived. If she got a look inside his house she might be able to figure out whether he stored the stolen paintings there. Even if he wasn’t the killer, she was sure that he was still a thief.

  Jo got into her car and drove towards David’s house. She turned off the main street and parked a few blocks away from his house so that he wouldn’t notice her car. He might have seen her the night that Bruce died, he might have killed Bruce. He might have known about everything.

  Jo locked her car and walked down the street to the house. She noticed that there was no car in the driveway. As she approached the house she glanced around for neighbors. Nobody watering the lawn, and nobody walking their dog. Once she thought it was safe she knocked on the door. Satisfied that no one was going to answer it, she went to work picking the lock. She hunched forward to hide what she was doing. A moment later the door opened. Only, she hadn’t turned the knob yet. Her stomach twisted as David stared at her with only an inch of space between them.

  “Jo, I thought I’d be seeing you soon.” He looked down at the tools that she still clasped tightly in her hands. “You don’t have to break in. You’re welcome to come inside.” He took a step back and held the door open for her. She stared past him into the neat living room. She hesitated. It was a risk to be alone with the man she believed might have murdered Bruce. But if he was going
to kill her, wouldn’t he have already?

  “Maybe we should talk out here.”

  “You don’t have to be afraid, Jo.” He smiled. “I’m not going to hurt you. I know why you’re here. You want to know if I killed Bruce, right? Or if I’m going to kill you next?”

  She searched his eyes. The David she’d met in the past was an intelligent man that wanted nothing to do with her. His only focus was the job. As far as she knew he wasn’t close to anyone. Bruce had only met him shortly before she was arrested.

  “I just want the truth, David.”

  “Then come inside. I’m not going to hurt you.” He waited with the door held wide open. Jo took a breath and braced herself, then she stepped inside. He closed the door behind her. “I’m glad you stopped by, to be honest. I’ve been wanting to meet with you, but I wasn’t sure how to do that without implicating myself, since, as you probably know, you’re the main suspect.”

  “Did you kill him? Did you kill Bruce?” She studied him.

  “I couldn’t have. As I’m sure you already know I was out to dinner the night that Bruce was killed. I had nothing to do with his murder.”

  “Okay fine. Maybe you didn’t, but maybe you know who did.” Jo studied him for a moment. She didn’t know him well, but she guessed that if Bruce trusted him enough to open a business with him there had to be a reason for that trust. “Don’t you want to know who murdered him?”

  “Of course I do.” He narrowed his eyes. “I’m not convinced it wasn’t you.”

  “I wouldn’t hurt Bruce.” She crossed her arms. “He saved my life once.”

  “Oh, I know. He told the story a million times. He was so enamored with Jo, the thief, as if you were some kind of superhero. But you never bothered to lift a finger to help him or repay him, did you?”

  “I was in jail. When he needed help I offered it. Now, I am the main suspect in his murder. What else did you expect me to do?”

  “I think that you had plenty of motive to go after Bruce. He was someone from your past that could out you.”

  “And I think that you had plenty of motive to go after Bruce, after all, he asked me to prove that you were stealing from the gallery.”