Darlene Franklin - Dressed for Death 03 - Paint Me a Murder by Darlene Franklin Page B

the fire.” Jenna offered another opinion.
    I groaned. “It’s just like what happened when Vic Spencer was murdered. We weren’t sure if the blackmailer and thief and murderer were all the same person or different people.”
    “That’s why we need you.” Dina grinned. “You did such a good job of figuring things out last time.”
    Junior chose that moment to press on my bladder. “Be right back.” I dashed for the bathroom.
    “You can run but you can’t hide.” Dina’s voice trailed after me. A trill announced a phone call. “It’s Noah!”
    I spent an extra minute in the restroom, tugging a comb through my hair and pulling it back into a bushy ponytail. The puzzle of recent events intrigued me, yes, but I had more important things to think about. “Like you,” I spoke to the elbow that rippled along my belly. I needed what little energy I possessed these days to continue working and not much of anything else. But I had promised Jenna and Dina to do what I could, and whatever else, the Wilde sisters stuck together. The Lord is my strength.
    Jenna was holding court when I returned. “If the attack on Finella and the fire are two separate events, could Brad have been the intended victim of the fire? We’ve focused on who had a motive to kill Finella. What if we’re looking in the wrong place?”
    “Let me play the devil’s advocate for a moment.” I rejoined the circle. “The police might think Brad killed Finella and then set the fire to hide the evidence.”
    Both Audie and Jenna shook their heads. “An artist wouldn’t destroy his own work. No artist I know would do that.” Jenna spoke from experience.
    “I agree.” Audie leaned forward. “And specifically not Brad, not on this project. He had invested too much of himself into making it succeed.”
    Three pair of eyes trained on me, demanding action on my part. I asked the question that occurred to me in the bathroom. “What are you asking me to do? To look for Finella’s murderer? Or to figure out where Brad has disappeared to?”
    “Why stop there?” Audie grinned at me. “Why not look for the arsonist and people with grudges against Brad while you’re at it?”
    I shook a mock fist at him.
    “My priority is to find Brad and get his side of the story,” Jenna said.
    Dina nodded in agreement.
    “Okay. I need a steno pad.” I tried to get up but only collapsed back in the seat.
    “I’ve got an extra. I’ll even give you one of the Herald’s super-duper pens.” Dina pulled the items out of her purse.
    Audie stood and offered me a hand to help me up. “I hate to bring this brilliant brainstorming session to an end, but Mother is expecting us home for supper.”
    “At least give us an assignment,” Dina begged. “I want to do something .”
    “Let me think.” Brilliance escaped me for the moment, and I grasped at straws. “When will you see Noah again?”
    She blushed. “This evening, for supper.”
    “I expect he would tell you more than he would to the rest of us. He and Finella were two of the three Musketeers. See if he has any ideas on who might hold a grudge.”
    “Besides me, you mean?” Jenna laughed. “Okay, Miss Marple, what do you have in mind for me?”
    I was glad I had anticipated the request. “Check your contacts. See if there’s any jealousy floating around about Brad, or if anyone from the art world was near Grace Gulch on Tuesday.” A successful artist must have rivals, but I didn’t expect much to come from that line of questioning. The odds that an outsider would sneak into Grace Gulch and set fire to Brad’s studio at the exact moment Finella lay there unconscious were slim to none. But I couldn’t think of anything else for now.
    “Madame General, what are my orders?” Laughter brimmed in Audie’s beautiful eyes.
    “Mr. Director of the Center for the Arts, the police might let you get into the studio.”
    “You can out-investigate the police at the crime scene?”
    “Not me. You . You