Esteban raised a brow at this degree of frankness.
“Lucky for whom?” Juliet asked wryly. “I’d prefer that she live.”
“You’ll need to make a full statement tomorrow,” Browne said, getting to his feet. Bryant followed. “But this was self-defense so don’t worry about any kind of assault charges being filed. And get that arm looked at. You don’t want an infection.”
Juliet nodded, ignoring Bryant’s curious stare. The damn hand was hurting and she couldn’t wait to get out of her blood-soaked dress. Bryant would just have to remain puzzled about why Browne was so certain that there would be no legal reprisals for the fight. That was usually for the D.A. to decide. At the very least there should be a hearing. That Browne was so sure nothing would happen had to mean that her old employer had already intervened in some way.
Just the thought of the NSA made Juliet sigh.
Esteban helped her to her feet and they went out the basement door and over to Esteban’s car. The back lot was empty except for the cold drizzle. She was relieved that no paparazzi were still lingering on the grounds.
“Well, looking on the bright side,” she whispered, turning her face up into the rain.
“Yes?”
“The museum is getting one hell of a lot of free publicity.”
Esteban opened the passenger door and tucked her inside. He reached across her and fastened the seatbelt.
“Bella, this publicity they could have done without.”
“Even so,” she said.
Chapter 8
“Painting, n.: the art of protecting flat surfaces from the weather, and exposing them to the critic.”
—Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary
Juliet and Esteban were back in Bartholomew’s Wood, though Esteban would be leaving shortly for San Diego. He had a missing persons case, an animal trainer who had disappeared somewhere between the wildlife park and her home three miles away.
The police cleared them to leave after they had made formal statements Sunday morning, and they had opted to pass on the formaldehyde and flower ritual for Vickie Bremen since the press would be there. And it would have been in bad taste anyway since Juliet had been the instrument of death for the Bremen’s last child, and she couldn’t imagine what she would say to the parents anyway. Maybe it’s best this way—at least she won’t have to stand trial for murder.
Herrick and the rest of the staff were attending though, as was Celeste. Meyers, the opportunist, had donated one of his masterpieces for her to be buried in. Browne said that this had changed the Bremen’s mind about burial. They had been leaning toward cremation and a quiet scattering of ashes out at sea. Instead they would have a circus. They could afford it. Collectors had rushed in and bought out all Vickie’s hair jewelry. It was apparently chic to have a mourning broach made by a killer.
At least the guard was alive, though he would have one heck of a scar and a bar story for the rest of his life. He also had a job. The museum had done well enough with its opening and in the days following that some of its financial worries were eased.
Juliet’s hand and arm were still wrapped but she was healing nicely and able to do some sketching. The emergency room nurse who had stitched her up made hand-stitched baby quilts as a hobby and had done a beautiful job with her tiny, even stitches. There wouldn’t be much of a scar and she had full mobility of her fingers.
Marley was curled up in her lap, belching out rough purrs, letting her know that she was forgiven for deserting him and leaving him to waste away to skin and bones. Juliet didn’t feel too guilty because she had seen the pyramid of empty tuna cans on Raphael’s counter and could feel his enormous weight on her legs. The cat was getting fat.
“Lemon cake or streusel? I stopped at the bakery this afternoon,” Raphael asked. They were having tea by the stove. The fog had rolled in early and the night was chilly enough to justify a small fire.
“Lemon cake, thanks. I had a terrible craving the whole time we were in L.A. With a couple of exceptions, the food was just awful. In fact, except for Esteban’s puppets, the whole stay was rather beastly. It is good to be back home.”
“Esteban tells me that he has received several orders for his puppets from a collector in Bolivia.”
“Yes, and he was reviewed favorably in the Los Angeles Times art section. Apparently the puppet show was a great hit with the reporter.”
She was sorry that she had missed it.
“And what is next for you, since you missed your chance to go to the textile show with Rose?”
“Thank God for small favors,” Juliet muttered, accepting a lemon cupcake. “Actually, I need to start work on my trick-or-treat bags. Halloween is only six weeks away. And I am wondering about volunteering at the zoo. I saw in the paper that they are looking for volunteers.”
“They need docents and it would give me a chance to sketch the wildlife. That seems wonderfully peaceful.”
Raphael nodded.
“They also do a modern art show there in November. It’s really more of a popularity contest since the public votes on the display, but there is lots of publicity and I think you would do well there. I know the man who organizes it.”
Juliet shook her head.
“Let me think about that. I may have had enough of art shows for a while.”
“Juliet, not every art show ends in murder,” Raphael chided.
She shook her head some more.
“Actually, so far they have.”
Author Note:
As always, I love to hear from you. On the web, I can be found at http://www.melaniejackson.com or at Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorMelanieJackson .
eBooks by Melanie Jackson:
The Chloe Boston Mystery Series:
Moving Violation
The Pumpkin Thief
Death in a Turkey Town
Murder on Parade
Cupid’s Revenge
Viva Lost Vegas
Death of a Dumb Bunny
Red, White and a Dog Named Blue
Haunted
The Great Pumpkin Caper
Beast of a Feast
Snow Angel
Lucky Thirteen
The Sham
Murder by the Book
Make Over
On the Beach
Camp Chaos
The Butterscotch Jones Mystery Series
Due North
Big Bones
Gone South
Home Fires
Points West
The Wedding
Wild East
Still Waters
The Wendover House Mystery Series
The Secret Staircase
Twelfth Night
On Deadly Tides
Pieces of Hate
Miss Henry Mystery Series
Portrait of a Gossip
Landscape in Scarlet
Requiem at Christmas
Impression of Bones
Blue Period
Memento Mori
Mayhem Mansion
Death in a High Place
Wildside Series
Outsiders
Courier
Still Life
The Master
The Saint
The Book of Dreams Series:
The First Book of Dreams: Metropolis
The Second Book of Dreams: Meridian
The Third Book of Dreams: Destiny
Medicine Trilogy
Bad Medicine
Medicine Man
Knave of Hearts
Club Valhalla
Devil of Bodmin Moor
Devil of the Highlands
Devil in a Red Coat
Halloween
The Curiosity Shoppe (Sequel to A Curious Affair)
Timeless (Sequel to Club Valhalla)
Nevermore: The Last Divine Book
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