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

by Cindy Bell

  “Thanks Chris.” Eddy shook his head as he hung up the phone. He took a deep breath then turned to look at Jo. “Is there something else I should know about your involvement with Bruce?”

  “Why? What did Chris say?” Jo’s eyes narrowed.

  “Just answer my question first, please.” Eddy set his jaw.

  Jo turned away from him and stared hard out the window. She didn’t want to admit to anything, but she knew that she needed to tell him the truth.

  “We worked together years ago.”

  “Okay,” Eddy said slowly.

  “What about the cameras? Did they see who did it?”

  “The cameras were disabled.”

  “Of course they were.” Jo’s shoulders drooped. “The thief has been disabling the cameras when he steals the paintings.”

  “What thief and what paintings?” Eddy placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m only trying to help, Jo.”

  “There’s nothing you can do.” She sighed. “It’s over now.”

  “What’s over?” Eddy looked between Samantha and Jo. “What are you talking about, Jo?”

  “Look, there’s a bit of history between Bruce and me. I offered to help him figure out who has been stealing paintings from his gallery. He suspected his partner. All I needed to do was catch whoever broke into the gallery at night. Clearly, that did not go well. Now Bruce is dead and I’m going to be the one that they charge with his murder. I have no way to defend myself.”

  “Sure you do. Bruce asked you for help,” Samantha said. “Don’t worry, Jo, it looks bad, but we’ll get it all worked out. The important thing is that you are safe, and we’re going to keep you that way. Right Eddy?”

  “Right.” Eddy rested his hands on her shoulders and patted them twice. “You’re in good hands, Jo, try not to stress about it. Go home, get some sleep, and we’ll go from there.”

  “Okay. Yes, it would be good to get some sleep.”

  As Jo walked back to her villa every move she made was strange, as if it was performed by someone else. She was numb from the inside out. If the cameras couldn’t clear her, and the police figured out her connection to Bruce, she would be locked up in no time. She went through the routine of brushing her teeth as if she was going to bed, but she didn’t change out of her clothes. Instead, she stretched out on her bed fully dressed. She stared at the ceiling and willed it to give her another solution. She’d built a life at Sage Gardens, a life that she’d come to value beyond anything she had in the past. Even though Samantha, Eddy, and Walt, were not family they were the closest to it that she’d ever experienced. Now she was faced with giving all of that up. However, there was no other answer.

  With each hour that slipped past on the digital clock beside her bed, Jo got closer to being arrested. Given her connection to the victim she would arrest herself if she was a cop. Could she really just lay there and wait for the police car to show up? Her mind flooded with memories of being behind bars. She promised herself on the day that she became a free woman that she would never end up there again. All she had to do was tell Bruce no. If she’d done that she wouldn’t be in this position. Instead she’d taken the risk, and the consequence was harsh. There was only one way out. She sat up in bed and looked around her sparse bedroom. There wasn’t much to pack as she never let herself get too attached to things. However, she would miss her garden.

  Jo scribbled a note to her friends and asked Samantha to look after her garden even though she knew that her garden probably had more chance of staying alive without Samantha’s intervention. Then she threw some clothes and other items into a bag and headed out into the early morning air. It was still dark enough that not a single soul would witness her walking away. Within fifteen minutes she was at the bus station. She purchased a ticket for the next bus that would leave the station, then she sat down to wait. As the minutes dragged by she tried not to think about what she was leaving behind.

  Chapter 6

  Eddy glanced at his watch, then looked over at Samantha. “Knock again.”

  “Maybe she’s sleeping, Eddy, we shouldn’t wake her.”

  “I want to talk to her before she has to go down to the station. Knock again.” Samantha sighed but she knocked again. “She’s not opening. She’s probably not here.”

  “I’ve already called her cell phone three times and she didn’t answer. If she’s not home then where is she? The police told her not to leave the area. It’s barely daylight, where could she have gone?”

  “Eddy, you know Jo isn’t going to let anyone keep tabs on her. She has to be beside herself with worry. Maybe she is inside and she doesn’t want to be bothered right now.”

  “I’m going in.” Eddy aimed his shoulder towards the door.

  “Wait, don’t!” Samantha pushed her hands against his arm before he could lunge forward. “I have a key. I don’t think it’s right for us to use it, but if you’re that worried then I trust your instincts.”

  “Okay, open it up.” He tilted his head towards the door. Samantha fished her keys out of her purse and found Jo’s key. She slid it into the lock and opened the door. It made her a little sick to let herself into the home of someone who was so private, but she reminded herself that she did it to calm Eddy’s nerves and make sure that Jo was safe.

  “I’ll take a look around. She could be sleeping.” She put up a hand to keep Eddy from following her. “She is entitled to her privacy.”

  Eddy frowned but nodded. As he lingered by the door Samantha walked through the living room to the closed bedroom door. She knocked lightly. “Jo? Are you in there? It’s Samantha.”

  After a few seconds with no response she opened the door. The moment she did she knew that something was very wrong. Jo’s clothes were strewn on the floor, her closet door hung open with jackets and shoes tossed everywhere. Her heart dropped as she looked towards the bed. To her relief it was empty. On the bedside table was a note. She picked it up and read it over. Her throat grew dry as she recognized the implication of what she’d found.

  “She’s gone, isn’t she?” Eddy stood in the bedroom door.

  “Eddy, I told you to wait outside.”

  “I did. If I waited any longer, would you have hidden that note from me?” He plucked it from her grasp. “I know she’s your friend, Samantha, she’s my friend, too, but she’s also now a prime suspect in a murder. If she takes off, she’s proving her guilt.”

  “I don’t blame her for running, Eddy. She’s scared.”

  “I know, I don’t blame her either. But I have to go get her.”

  “We don’t even know where she is.”

  “She wouldn’t fly, and she wouldn’t drive far, she’d get on a bus. It gives her the chance to be anonymous and gets her where she’s going with minimal security.” He glanced at his watch. “She probably hasn’t boarded yet. I’m going to get her right now.”

  “Wait Eddy, I’m going with you.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Samantha.” He crumpled the note up in his hand. “We’re going to have to move fast if we’re going to catch her.”

  “Let’s go then.” Samantha hurried him out the door to his car. She paused only to lock Jo’s door. That’s when it struck her. If they hadn’t gone inside, she might never have seen Jo again. If they didn’t get to the bus station in time, she would be gone forever. She ran to the car and jumped in the passenger side just before Eddy threw the car into reverse. He floored it out of Sage Gardens, drawing looks of annoyance from those that walked their pets early, and the joggers that never seemed to sleep.

  “Eddy, the speed limit is…”

  “We’re not doing the speed limit today, Samantha.” As soon as he was on the main road he sped up even more. Samantha clutched the handle above the passenger window and did her best not to think about the dangers of his driving. She’d driven a little wild many times in pursuit of a story, but it was rare for her to be the passenger. It was hard to keep from crying out when he narrowly missed a large delivery
truck that he cut off. They reached the bus station far faster than she thought was possible. When he parked he looked towards the bus station. “You’re going to stay here.”

  “What? Why? I want to talk to Jo,” Samantha said.

  “No. I need to talk to her alone.”

  “Eddy, she’s not going to be pushed around.”

  “I have no intention of pushing her around, but she needs someone to give her the hard truth, Samantha. She needs to know what’s going to happen to her if she takes off and becomes a fugitive.”

  “All right, I’ll stay here, but remember she’s our friend, Eddy, not a criminal.”

  “I know that, Sam.” He looked over at her with a soft frown. “I do.”

  Samantha watched him walk towards the bus station with long determined strides. He looked exactly like the police officer that he’d once been. In these matters she did her best to trust him, but she worried that Jo would not react well to his hard-nosed nature.

  Eddy pulled open the door to the bus station and looked through the few faces that waited for the early bus. It wasn’t long before he pinpointed Jo in the corner with her back to the wall. He ducked behind a partition before she could spot him in return. After a deep breath he walked towards her. Within a few steps she noticed him.

  “Go home, Eddy.”

  “No.” He sat down beside her. “I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you.”

  “Eddy, you can’t stop me.” She set her jaw and stared at the other people that waited in the bus terminal. “I have to do what’s best for me, and that’s to get as far away as fast as I can.”

  “You can’t do that, Jo. It will only make you look guilty.”

  “I don’t need to make myself look guilty. I already look guilty. The cameras were off, Eddy. There’s no way to prove that it wasn’t me that killed Bruce. Even you asked me if I did it.”

  “I asked you that because I’m an old cop, and it’s just in my blood to ask the hard questions. I shouldn’t have asked, but I did. It doesn’t mean that you can’t trust me.”

  “Well, then what does it mean? That you think I could possibly be a murderer?” She locked eyes with him.

  “No, that’s not what I thought. I thought maybe Bruce attacked you and you defended yourself. But I knew that you would never have hurt him without reason. I know you better than that.”

  “You say that, but you know about my past. I’m sure it crossed your mind that I might have killed him.”

  “No.” He looked straight back into her eyes. “Not for a second. What I do know is that you’re afraid of going back to prison and that you’re about to make the stupidest decision that you could make. The moment you get on that bus, you’ll have no chance of defending yourself.”

  “Like I will if I stay?” She blinked back tears and shook her head. “They’re going to lock me up without a second thought.”

  “That’s not how it works.”

  “It will be for me. It’s a second offense, and a worse crime than the one I was imprisoned for. No judge is going to care that I’ve turned my life around.”

  “So we don’t rely on the judge. The easiest way to prove that you’re not guilty is to find the person who is. But we’re going to need your help in order to do that. You’re the one that knew Bruce, and who his contacts might be.”

  “Eddy, I think my best bet is getting on that bus. Are you really going to stop me?”

  “Yes, I am.” He put his hand over hers. “I can’t not stop you, Jo. You’re going to ruin your life if you flee. You will lose all credibility in the eyes of the judge.”

  “How can I have any credibility once he looks into my past?”

  “He’s also going to look at the life that you live now, Jo. He’s also going to see how you’ve stayed out of trouble all of this time. That counts, too. But not if you take off now when you need to stay and defend yourself.”

  “I don’t know if you’re right about that, Eddy. It feels more like I’m a sitting duck.”

  “Maybe it feels that way to you, but I’m going to make sure that’s not what happens. I know that I’m asking you to take a risk, I’m asking you to trust me.”

  “I do trust you, Eddy.” She sighed and looked towards the bus that pulled up outside the terminal. “I guess the easy answer isn’t always the right answer. That’s one thing I’ve learned throughout my life.”

  “I can agree with that. Your life, the one that you’ve built here is worth fighting for.”

  “Yes, it is.” She stood up from the bench. “I don’t want to give it up without a fight.”

  “Let me take you home. Samantha’s in the car, she can take your car home.”

  “Are you afraid I’m going to bolt again?”

  “Shouldn’t I be?” He offered a half-smile.

  “I’m starting to think that you know me too well, Eddy.”

  “Maybe I do.” He held out his arm to her. She took it and let him lead her out of the bus station. Samantha rushed up to both of them the moment they stepped outside.

  “Are you okay, Jo?”

  “She will be, once I get her home. Can you drive her car back?” He held out Jo’s keys to her.

  “Sure. Jo, I’ll see you soon.” Jo nodded at Samantha then climbed into the passenger seat of Eddy’s car. As soon as the doors were closed Eddy started the engine.

  “So now that we have agreed that you’re going to fight, let’s talk about a plan of action.”

  “I really don’t want to talk about anything right now, Eddy. Can we just drive?” Eddy shifted the car into gear and nodded. During the drive home Eddy peppered a few questions into the silence between them, but Jo only stared out through the window. Her mind raced with all of the reasons she should have gotten on the bus. It was a good thing that Eddy drove her back to her villa, as if she was in her own car she might have headed for Canada instead.

  Chapter 7

  When Eddy parked in Jo’s driveway she was relieved to see her home, but also anxious.

  “Thanks for the ride, Eddy.” She started towards her door.

  “Wait a minute.” Eddy got out of the car and followed after her. “I want to talk to you about this.”

  “Not now, Eddy, I’m tired.”

  “The police already have a head start on us. It’s almost eight, they’re going to be investigating, we need to be, too.”

  “Eddy, you’ve helped enough.”

  Samantha pulled up with Jo’s car and climbed out in time to see Eddy catch Jo’s elbow.

  “I haven’t even begun to help. We need to talk this through.”

  “I said I appreciated your help, Eddy. I can take it from here.”

  “No, you can’t.”

  “Jo? What’s going on?” Samantha walked up to both of them.

  “Samantha, I need some time to properly talk with Jo alone,” Eddy said.

  “What? Why?” Samantha started to move towards Jo’s side.

  “I have my reasons.” He met Samantha’s eyes. “Just let me do what I need to do.”

  “If that’s what it will take to get both of you out of my driveway then fine.” Jo sighed and unlocked her door. She stepped inside and Eddy followed right after her. He closed the door behind him. Samantha stood outside, uncertain of what to do. She trusted Eddy, but she also knew that Jo was the type that didn’t like to be cornered.

  “What do you want from me, Eddy?” Jo turned to face him. “There’s nothing to investigate, you and I both know that.”

  “No, I don’t know that. I’m sure there’s plenty to investigate. But we’re not going to get anywhere with the investigation if you don’t talk to me first.”

  “I don’t know anything. If I knew who killed Bruce I’d tell you.”

  “You know more than you think. You’re the only link here. If we talk it through, you might remember something that can help.”

  Jo sat down on the couch and stared at the carpet beneath her feet. “I guess I just don’t know what to say. I feel s
o responsible for all of this.”

  “I know that you’re upset, but you have to push that out of your mind. We need facts and information right now.”

  “Like what?”

  “Okay, tell me about Bruce. What was he like?”

  “I didn’t know him that well personally. Our connection was only professional.”

  “Professional. What jobs did you do together?”

  “It was only one job. We worked together on a heist. He covered for me and got me out of a very hairy situation. That’s why I was willing to help him out.”

  “It didn’t bother you that he was from your past?”

  “Of course it did, but he turned his life around, just like I did. Who was I to judge him? He asked me to help him because he trusted me. As an ex-con, I know how rare it is to find someone that you can trust to help you. So when we bumped into each other and he told me what was happening I agreed to help.”

  “I hope you know that you can trust me, Jo.” Eddy held her gaze.

  “I know. I know I can trust you, and Samantha, and Walt, but none of you understand what it’s like to be in prison and just how important it is for me to stay out of it. That’s something I hope that none of you ever understand, but it does create some distance between us.”

  “I might not know what it’s like, but I do know how serious it is and how easily a case can go awry. I have your back, Jo, but we have to work together to solve this case.”

  “I’m here. Any information you want, just ask.”

  “What about David? Did you know him?”

  “I met him once a long time ago. I looked into him, as Bruce suspected he was the one stealing the paintings. Bruce’s guess was that David stole the paintings to sell on the black market, and then claim it on the gallery’s insurance.”

  “Double dipping.” Eddy nodded. “That makes sense.”

  “Yes, it does. It’s plenty of motive for him to kill Bruce also. If he thought Bruce was on to him then maybe he decided to kill him so that his crime would never be revealed.”

  “I don’t know.” Eddy frowned. “That’s a big step to take. From a thief to a murderer?”