Free Fatal Brushstroke (An Aurora Anderson Mystery Book 1) by Sybil Johnson Page A

said.
    “Did you hear?” Veronica leaned forward and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “Chief Marshall’s on the warpath. He threatened to take Detective Green off the case if he didn’t come up with results...fast.”
    No wonder the detective looked so cranky. Rory felt sorry for him. She knew from personal experience how unpleasant it was to be on the receiving end of the chief’s wrath. “What do you know about Detective Green? I heard his last job was at a very corrupt police department.”
    Veronica nodded. “A half dozen officers were arrested, but he was never accused of taking bribes. In fact, I heard he helped bring the corruption to light.”
    Moments later, they reached the front of the line. Veronica ordered a Perrier from the bartender. While she waited, she said, “I hear the chief’s talking about taking over the investigation himself. That didn’t work out very well for you last time, did it?” She looked pointedly in Rory’s direction.
    Rory nervously checked around to see if the police chief had materialized on the terrace. She turned back, satisfied Detective Green remained the only member of the Vista Beach police department at the service.
    “Don’t worry, he’s not here...yet. But the mayor is. I want to catch her before she leaves. Maybe she’ll give me a short interview.” As soon as her drink was ready, Veronica said a quick good-bye and headed into the crowd.
    Rory looked around for a glimpse of the Vista Beach city official, but got sidetracked by the sight of Kevin tossing back shots in the company of a pair of giggling blondes. Hester’s son certainly had a way with the ladies.
    Even though they’d only recently met him, Rory had already seen him with three different women. She wondered how many more girlfriends he had waiting in the wings.
    Rory had never mastered the art of juggling multiple boyfriends herself, though one of her college roommates had dated three men at the same time. To Rory’s amazement, the young woman had not only kept her dates straight but also kept them from finding out about each other. Maybe Kevin was doing the same thing.
    “I don’t think you have to worry about the chief today. I heard he wasn’t coming,” Liz said to Rory after they’d ordered. “Doesn’t want to answer all of those pesky questions about the murder and what he’s doing to keep the city safe.”
    A wave of relief washed over Rory when she heard the news.
    After getting their sodas, the two young women joined Arika and Nora who were standing near the carving station. Nora’s gaze darted around the terrace, not resting on one spot for long, checking to see if anything needed her attention.
    “...should have done everything differently. I’m not sure it’s worthy of Hester,” Nora said as they walked up.
    “Nonsense. It was a lovely service. Don’t you agree?” Arika appealed to the two newcomers with her eyes.
    “Absolutely,” Rory was quick to respond. “You’ve done a wonderful job organizing this on such short notice. Must have been a lot of work.” Liz nodded her agreement.
    Nora mumbled her thanks, but a worried look soon returned to her face. “I hope there’s enough food.”
    Rory followed Nora’s gaze to the tables heavily-laden with all kinds of delicious-looking dishes from salads to side dishes to entrees, including the meat station near them where a chef was carving roast beef and ham to order. “I don’t think you have to worry about that. Looks like there’s enough to feed an army.” Rory tore her gaze away from the food and tried not to think about how hungry she was. “Who’s minding the store, Mom?”
    “I closed it for the service. Not sure how wise that was given the current state of the alarm.”
    “I thought it was fixed,” Liz said.
    “Kevin swore you wouldn’t have any more problems,” Rory added.
    “That’s what I thought until I got a call in the wee hours of the morning.”
    “Another false alarm?”
    Arika nodded.