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

“I’m afraid so. I’ve given up on Vista Beach Security. They’ve had more than enough opportunities to fix the problem.”
    “Now we know why Kevin doesn’t work for his father. He’s incompetent,” Liz whispered so only Rory could hear.
    “H & J Security is very reliable. Jul—Mr. Bouquet—will even pay any fines you incur in the unlikely event a false alarm occurs with his system. If you’d like, I can schedule an appointment for Monday. I’ll give you top priority,” Nora said.
    “That’s very thoughtful. Call me at the store later today and give me the details.” Arika turned to her daughter. “Rory, I could use your help. I want to do a tribute to Hester on the store’s website. Maybe feature her new book.”
    Rory nodded, already mentally redesigning the site to accommodate her mother’s wishes.
    Liz turned to Nora whose lips had begun to quiver at the mention of the tribute. “You must have seen Hester’s new book. What’s it like?”
    A tear trickled down Nora’s face.
    Up until now, the responsibility of keeping the service running smoothly seemed to have kept Nora from springing a leak every time her mentor’s name was mentioned. Rory rummaged around in her purse for a clean tissue, but discovered she’d used them all up herself during the service. She plucked a napkin from a tray carried by a passing waiter and handed it to the crying woman.
    Nora murmured her thanks and took off her glasses to wipe the tears from her eyes. While she regained her composure, the group chatted about the new merchandise Arika had bought for her store, being careful not to mention Hester’s name.
    They were discussing the latest line of DecoArt paints when Arika spotted someone waving at her from across the terrace. “Excuse me, Fern’s calling. Agatha must be talking about her latest health kick. You can only hear so much about the benefits of a good colon cleansing. Give my best to your mother, Elizabeth.” Arika patted Nora on the arm before heading off to rescue her friend.
    An uncomfortable silence fell over the group. Rory was searching for a new topic of conversation when Nora said, “Did you read the nice article about Hester in the paper?”
    “I didn’t realize how many activities she was involved in,” Rory said.
    “She tried to get me to become a docent at the art museum.” Nora sniffled but managed to keep her composure. “I couldn’t talk in front of all those people and give those tours, though. Hester was so good at that...and so giving.”
    “More like a cutthroat bitch.”
    Even though the words were slurred, Rory still recognized the voice. As she glanced behind her to confirm her suspicions, she whispered to Liz, “Did he just call his mother the b-word?”
    Kevin staggered forward, carrying a half-full glass of a brown liquid that looked and smelled like whiskey. He squeezed himself between Rory and Liz, draping his left arm around Liz’s shoulder and attempting to place his right arm over Rory’s much higher shoulder.
    Rory stepped aside at the same time that Liz shrugged free. Kevin stumbled, spilling his drink all over the ground.
    “That’s enough! I’m cutting you off!” Julian appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and grabbed the glass out of his son’s hand. Trudy hovered in the background, a worried look on her face.
    “Just because you’re a hypocrite doesn’t mean I have to be.” Kevin bowed to the group. “Ladies.”
    As Julian led his son away, Trudy stepped forward and said, “You’ll have to excuse my godson. He’s distraught with grief.”
    “I’ll bet,” Liz said in a tone that indicated she wasn’t buying the excuse.
    “Aurora, what a nice outfit,” Trudy said. “I gave away one just like it to charity recently. Too out-of-date for me, but it suits you to a T. And Nora, I didn’t realize Julian had already cleared out Hester’s closet. Is that the rose pin you demoed at the last convention? No one expected you to actually wear it!”