by Sonia Parin
“You saw something in the studio,” Jill said.
“Probably. I don’t know. What if I saw something but didn’t notice it? There’s a difference between looking and seeing. Now we have three photos, not just one.” Eve punched down the pizza dough, spread it out and pricked it with a fork. “The newspaper article had a photo of the studio. I’m guessing it’s current but predates our visit. You took some during our visit. So we’re going to compare them all with the one I took today.”
“Because...”
Eve shrugged. “There has to be something we missed. The day we went to the studio we didn’t know we should have been looking for clues. Now we do.”
“I don’t think the house guests are losing sleep over all this. In fact, they’re going about their day as if nothing had happened. They must be innocent.”
“Or confident they can get away with whatever plan they’ve put in motion. I bet they have one. They all have an air of entitlement. And I don’t think they’re that happy about the way things are. Remember what Alexia, the gallery owner, said about the mothers not having their children, Mel and Stevie, under control. They’re in a mess because of them. I want to know what Alexia was talking about. What sort of mess was she referring to?”
“Jack needs to know about that,” Jill said.
“He’s a great detective. He’ll sniff his way to the truth.”
“But, what about your input? It might help.”
Eve shook her head. “I can’t be seen to be interfering with the official investigation. Jack and I have an agreement. No snooping around.”
“So what do you call this?”
“We’re talking. He didn’t say anything about talking.”
Jill sighed. “All right. I just don’t want to be in a position where I have to tell you I told you so.”
Eve put the pizza in the oven and wiped her hands clean. “I wonder how Brandon is doing? It can’t be easy for him, living under the same roof with people like Mel.”
“Maybe he doesn’t have a choice,” Jill said.
“I think you’re onto something. You said he walked right past you and didn’t even recognize you. He must have a lot on his mind.”
“Like staying alive and not having the murder pinned on him?”
Eve swung away and paced around the kitchen. “Alexia said Mel and Stevie had messed everything up. The night Brandon came here, they’d chased after him. Let’s say they’ve been putting pressure on Brandon to reveal something? Or tell them what he’s up to. If they’ve been pestering Brandon, then that might have put him on edge. Let’s run with the idea that Brandon is faking Reggie’s art. He’d have to focus. Athletes need to get in the zone to perform. If they’re being badgered, they’re thrown off their game.” Eve stopped pacing. “Hypothetically, Mel wants the Picasso drawing and she’ll stop at nothing to find it. Assuming Brandon has been working closely with Reggie, she thinks he’s privy to inside information and knows where the drawing is.”
“Big assumption.”
“Brandon knows where it is,” Eve continued, “And he refuses to tell them because...”
Jill clapped her hands. “Because it’s a fake and he knows that because he faked it.”
They fell silent.
“That’s a possibility, but... if it’s a fake and Brandon doesn’t want the trail leading back to him, then he would have destroyed the evidence. Once he did, he’d have nothing else to worry about. So, it has to be something else.” Eve checked the oven. “I’m going to set up the photos on the laptop.”
“Can you print them?”
Eve nodded. “Great idea. Mira’s quite the gadget girl. She has everything.”
A half hour later, they were eating their pizza in silence, the three photos spread out in front of them.
“This is the best pizza I’ve ever had. I don’t think I have room for dessert.”
“Good. I didn’t make anything special. There’s only ice-cream.”
“I’d never say no to ice-cream.” Jill wiped her hands. “What’s that?” she asked and pointed to one of the photos.
“What?”
“That cylinder.”
“It looks like the sort of canister I use to store my pasta.”
“Or something rolled up. A canvas. A piece of paper.” Jill leaned forward. “It’s sitting in the middle of the trestle table, but on this other photo, it’s sitting on the edge of the table. That’s the photo I took when we visited the studio. And... and it’s not in the third photo.”
The third photo. The one Eve had taken today.
“So sometime between our studio visit and today, someone removed it.”
Had Brandon taken it the day he’d fled?
And if he had, where was it now?
And...
What was in it?
“Hang on. I’m seeing something else.” Eve gasped. “Look at the canvas. It’s changed from one photo to the next.” She pointed at the last photo. “This is Reggie’s painting, but in today’s photo there are definite changes. In fact, there are slight differences in all of them. Do you realize what this means?” Eve flung her hands up and waved them like pom-poms. “Brandon has been ghost painting.” She jumped to her feet and danced around the table.
Jill sat forward and studied the photos. “You’re right. I think we need to confront him.”
“Jill! I can’t believe you said that.” Eve hugged her.
“Hang around you long enough and your impetuous nature starts rubbing off.” She shrugged. “I was bound to come around sooner or later.”
“We’ll have to corner him tomorrow morning. We’re going to get answers from him, once and for all. All the pieces are starting to fall into place. If word gets out about Brandon doing the painting, the market value on Reggie’s art will take a dive. The jig is up. I need this wrapped up by late afternoon.”
“You’re on a deadline?”
“It’s date night. I told you, nothing can come between me and date night.” Eve checked her watch. “Are you staying the night?”
“It’s too late for me to go home.”
“Are your parents still hassling you?” She watched Jill nod, but something told her Jill had other reasons for staying over. She must be worried about leaving her alone in the house. Eve hugged her again.
“What was that about?”
“You’re giving up your painting time to be with me. Sorry, I short-changed you today. I left out the anchovy, it’s never been my favorite pizza topping. I’m going to have to bake you a super large pizza with all your favorite toppings.”
“I must have missed my rise and shine wake up call,” Jill said as she strode into the kitchen the next day, her arms stretched out in front of her, her eyes half closed as she followed the sweet aroma of freshly baked muffins.
“I was about to give you a bugle call,” Eve said.
“The muffins beat you to it. What flavor... no, don’t tell me. Let me guess.” Jill sniffed. “Blueberry.”
“That’s a given.”
“Wait. Wait. There’s something else. Chocolate.”
“My back-up muffins.”
Jill took a step back. “Why do you need back-up muffins?”
“What do you mean?”
“You didn’t just bake muffins to please me.” Jill wagged her finger. “I know you. Or at least, I think I’ve come to know you and your very peculiar ways. You’re brewing something. You’ve been plotting. You want something.”
“Coffee?” Eve asked.
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I’m not. Coffee and muffins go hand in hand.”
Jill drew out a chair and sat down. “You’re going to make me guess or I’ll find out what you’re up to when it’s too late and I’m right in the thick of it.”
“Would I do that to you?”
“Yes. Without a second thought. You’ve changed your plans. Last night, you said you were going to corner Brandon.”
Eve sat opposite her and smiled. �
��Okay. I’ve been thinking.”
“Here comes trouble.”
“Please don’t jump to conclusions and hear me out. So far, we’ve been putting bits and pieces together from a distance. And we’ve done very well. I think it’s time to up the ante. We need to get up close and personal. We need to infiltrate the group. One by one.”
“Infiltrate?”
“Okay, that’s too strong a word. I thought we might start by offering condolences. We’ve been quite remiss.”
“Probably because you were suspected of killing Reginald. Going over to offer your condolences would have been in poor taste.”
“I’ll think of a reason. It’ll be a simple matter of approaching—”
“I doubt they’ll welcome you with open arms at the lighthouse.”
“It doesn’t necessarily have to involve a visit to the lighthouse. There should be ample opportunities for us to accidentally bump into someone and start a conversation in town.”
“Right, because we all know how famous you are for starting conversations with people without incensing them.”
“My run-in with Reggie was inevitable. He had a true artist’s temperament and very poor people skills. Jill, we have to do this. Divide and conquer. We’ll try and get to each one of the house guests individually...”
“I’m going to shut up now and focus on the lovely breakfast you prepared for me. That way I can’t be held accountable for your actions or be accused of encouraging you.”
“Here’s my plan. We want to be thorough and talk with everyone, but we need to be smart about this and prioritize. We’ll do that by using the information we have at hand. We know Mel is after something. We also know there is a canister, and we’re assuming it contains something important. We can safely assume that’s what Mel is after. The lawyer is also at the top of my list. Then the art critic. Followed by Reggie’s drinking buddy. I realize we might not be able to approach them in that order, but we’ll take what we can get.”
Jill rolled her eyes.
“We have to start somewhere, Jill.” Eve sat up straighter. “I suggest we confront Mel... in a nice way. We start up a conversation and let her know that we know she’s looking for the canister. We’ll have to feel our way through the rest. She could call our bluff or she could jump at the chance to hear what we have to say, at which point, I’ll... I’ll make something up. It’s all about setting the bait. What do you think of my plan?”
Jill snatched another muffin and sunk her teeth into it, chewing it slowly. “Isn’t tonight date night?”
“Yes. But we’re doing this during the day. We’ll wrap it all up in time for me to come home and get ready for Jack.” Eve took a sip of her coffee. “Actually, I’m feeling a bit guilty about tonight. You’ve been so good about staying with me all these days, I feel I’ll be abandoning you.”
“I do feel as though you’re giving me the brush off. And of course, I’ll be forced to go home and deal with my parents.”
“You could stay here the night but—”
“Can I? Oh yes, please.”
“You don’t mind staying here alone?”
“We could swing by my place and get the boys. Mischief and Mr. Magoo can keep me company. They’re great guard dogs and will let me know if anyone’s lurking around the place.”
“Are you sure?” Eve asked.
“It’s either that or be ambushed by my parents who are now talking about driving all the way across to Seattle.”
“I’ve been thinking. We could be mistaken for sisters,” Eve said as they waited for their coffee at The Chin Wag Café. They both had brown hair and similar build. Eve had always wanted a sister...
“And your point is?”
“Just saying.”
Jill covered her face with her hands. “Great. Just great. Now I risk being mistaken for you. I’ll have to grow a set of eyes in the back of my head.”
“What are you rambling on about?”
“Trouble keeps finding you and I seem to be making a habit of being near you when it does. Please don’t go around cultivating enemies. I beg you. Otherwise I’m going to have to rethink our friendship.”
“You’re hardly my doppelgänger. But there are enough similarities... Hey, bingo. Here she comes.”
Jill sat back and crossed her arms. “This is the part I’ve been waiting for. I’ve been wondering how you planned on engaging Mel in conversation.”
“Easy.” Eve stood up and put herself in Mel’s path. “Hi, I’m Eve Lloyd. We met a few nights ago when you came looking for Brandon McKay.” Eve didn’t give the girl the chance to back away. She drew out a chair and said, “Join us.”
The girl looked at Jill and then at Eve. “What’s this about?”
Eve gestured for her to sit. “Mel, is it?”
“Yes.” Mel sat down on the edge of the chair suggesting the slightest provocation could send her running for her life.
“Did you ever find Brandon?”
Mel waited a few seconds and then gave a slight nod.
“Of course you did. After all, you’re all staying at the lighthouse.”
Mel’s expression shifted from cautious to impatient. “What’s this about?”
“I wondered if you’d found what you were looking for,” Eve said. She hadn’t stressed any of the words but she could tell Mel had picked up on her choice of words. Mel’s face stiffened. “We know Brandon has what you want,” Eve continued.
Mel tapped a finger on the edge of the table. “I see.”
Eve wanted to clap her hands. She’d dangled the bait. Now she wanted more than a nibble...
“Or rather... Brandon had what you want.” If Mel took the bait, she’d want to negotiate.
“And you know he no longer has it because...”
Eve did a silent happy dance. Mel had been after the canister and whatever it contained. It had to be the canister. “It’s a long story.” Eve knew dangling a tantalizing bait wouldn’t be enough. She had to draw Mel out into the open, so to speak. Set a trap. Something to lure her...
“I have time.”
Eve made a point of checking her watch. “I’m afraid I don’t.” Nor did she have a long story to tell, certainly not one she could make up on the spot. “I can only say the canister is in safe hands.”
This time, Mel put both her hands on the table. “What do you want?”
They’d hit the jackpot. Or as Jill would say, cha-ching.
Mel had been after the canister. And if Brandon still had it, Mel would have found it. How many hiding places could there possibly be at the lighthouse?
More than ever, Eve suspected Brandon had hidden the canister somewhere well away from the lighthouse.
Eve wondered if she could somehow wrangle more information out of Mel. Such as, the contents inside the canister...
As much as she wanted to get to the bottom of this, Eve knew she had to push the right buttons and force Mel into doing something desperate.
“I’m afraid we have to go now. Why don’t we get together tomorrow and talk some more?” Eve suggested. When she’d said nothing could interfere with her date tonight, she’d been... deadly serious.
Chapter Fourteen
“You look pleased with yourself,” Jill said as she settled Mischief and Mr. Magoo in the back seat of Eve’s car. After their encounter with Mel, they’d driven out to Jill’s house to collect her dogs and a change of clothes for her.
“I’m still doing a happy dance. Mel fell for my bait. I can really relax now and enjoy my date with Jack. I might even share our news with him, but I’ll have to be careful how I phrase it. I don’t want him to think we’ve been snooping around. Maybe I could drop a few hints and let him reach the same conclusions we did. I’m not after kudos. He can take all the glory.”
“And here I was thinking you were competing for a place on the winner’s podium.”
“Who? Me? I don’t have a competitive bone in my body. The only reason I got mixed up in this is because they dragged
me into it by trying to frame me. Don’t for a moment think I forgot about them using Mira’s life buoy. Someone’s going to pay for that.” Eve looked over her shoulder. “Are the boys all secured?”
“Yes, tails wagging. Tongues lolling.”
“I think I have enough time to cook something for you guys tonight.” She drove off at a sedate pace, all the while thinking about Brandon and where he might have stashed the canister.
“Eve. Why are you tapping your fingers on the steering wheel?”
“Habit.”
“The habit of trying to put two and two together? What are you thinking about?”
Eve pushed out a big breath. “Well, if you must know, I’m trying to figure out what Brandon did with that canister. I doubt he hid it somewhere between the lighthouse and Mira’s place. Anyone could find it. People stray away from the path all the time and dogs like to sniff things out. Besides, Brandon had been frantic that night. I don’t think he would have picked a spot off the path. What if he forgot where he put it?”
“Great. Now you’ve got me thinking about it.” Jill nibbled the edge of her lip.
“Whatever comes to mind spit it out. No matter how far-fetched it might sound. We can toss it around and play with it. We could try to recreate that night. Maybe we missed something. We’d both been drinking. Let’s focus. We heard someone running toward the house. Then they slowed down. And then they came to a full stop.”
Jill leaned back and closed her eyes.
“Did I put you to sleep?”
“I’m trying to picture it all in my mind.”
“Good thinking. Well?”
“Give me a minute.” Jill drew in a big breath. “We heard the steps. Then nothing. I’m thinking he stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked around the veranda. Then we heard the heavy breathing. When you run, you rarely notice how hard you’re breathing. It’s only when you stop that your breathing becomes a little more labored because you’re trying to catch your breath.” Jill gave a firm nod. “So, while Brandon was trying to catch his breath, he...”