Chapter 23
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Doreen was let in by Danny’s wife, who pointed down the hallway.
“He’s in the studio. You can go back there on your own.” As the animals passed her by, her lips curled.
Doreen nodded. “I guess you’re on the same page with your brother-in-law.”
She looked at her, startled. “What?” she asked, her gaze going outside, then back at her.
“Not that brother-in-law,” Doreen clarified. “The husband of your murdered sister-in-law, Alice. Randol hates animals too.”
She nodded. “That’s right. He does. He was bitten as a child. To hide his fear, he tends to snap first,” she explained, “though he’s really not very dangerous. He looks rough, and he talks a big game, but he’s really not that bad.”
“Really?” Doreen asked, frowning at her.
She nodded. “He likes to give that impression, but he’s really more of a teddy bear.”
“And a blackmailer.”
She snorted. “He’s lazy as all get out,” she muttered. “Alice really struggled with that. He always wanted money, money, and more money.”
“I think he still does, and I think he was there that night, looking for money.”
“That would be him. They had some arrangement, but he wouldn’t stick to it and was forever going back after more money.”
“Would he have killed Alice for it?”
She stared at her and shook her head. “Oh, God no. That would be like killing the golden goose for him. Even now, I’m sure he’s panicking.”
“And the restaurant, shouldn’t it come to your husband now, after Alice’s death?”
“Maybe, though I don’t really know. You can’t really trust that woman either. She was a viper.”
“Your sister-in-law? Alice?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “She was all about the business, all about money, all about everything except being nice.”
“I’m sorry. That makes it tough if you don’t have anyone you can count on, not even family.”
“There is nobody for me,” she stated, with a sharp look in Doreen’s direction. “Nobody you can count on in this family. Just a word of warning.”
“Got it,” Doreen said, as she headed toward the studio. “You do realize nobody has anything good to say about you either.”
The woman looked at her in astonishment and then shrugged.
“I’m sure they don’t, but the difference between me and them is that I really don’t care.
” Then she turned and slammed the front door.
Doreen quickly headed to the studio, and, as soon as she stepped inside, the animals raced over to say hi to the painter.
He bent down as much as he could and cuddled them.
“You are truly blessed to have them,” Danny said, with a bright smile.
“I know,” she murmured. “They have been a blessing all around.”
“And that’s why I’m a little worried that I may not have done them justice.” He frowned as he looked down at them. “It would really be hard to not have their personalities shine through.”
“Let’s see what you’ve got.”
“It’s not quite finished.”
“I understand. Let me see anyway. … I doubt it’s as bad as you seem to think it is.”
“Maybe so, I don’t know,” he muttered. “I absolutely enjoyed doing it, but, … well, you’ll just have to see what you think.” Then he rolled over to where the canvas was and pulled back the cover.
Doreen gasped in shock and in absolute delight because he had captured the animals in a way that she hadn’t even imagined possible.
Danny didn’t even look at the canvas. He just watched her face. “You really do like it, don’t you?”
“It’s beautiful,” she cried out, as she walked closer to study the details. He had literally captured Thaddeus standing on Mugs’s head, as if he were king of the castle, and Goliath snuggled alongside Mugs. “You’ve done a fabulous job.”
She heard the sigh in his voice. “Thank you. I’ve lost my confidence in my artwork.”
“And why is that?”
“Because nobody likes it, and everybody, everybody, tells me that I should just give it up.”
“Oh, please don’t,” she replied, studying the picture. “You really are gifted, and this? … This is fabulous.” She laughed as she took in more and more of the details and the colors and whispered, “This is truly wonderful. Are you sure it’s not done?”
“It’s not quite finished yet, but I should have it done in another day or so.”
“That would be lovely,” she said, staring back at the portrait, “but, to me, it looks to be done already.”
“No, it’s not,” he insisted, followed by a sigh. “I also wanted to ask, do you have any answers on my sister’s murder?”
“No, I don’t yet,” she shared, “and you’re about the only one who hasn’t talked to me about it.” He glanced at the door, and Doreen nodded. “Your wife’s upset with me already.”
“That’s par for the course, and, when you poke your nose into the business around here, she can get pretty upset.”
“I heard that she doesn’t contribute very much.”
“No, and I think she was always very disappointed that I wasn’t part of the restaurant.
I think maybe she saw herself as the hostess of the evening, you know, coming in every night, talking among the patrons, drifting her way through in fancy gowns,” he described, followed by a laugh. “But the reality is so much different.”
“Of course it is. Did you ever have anything to do with the restaurant?”
“Oh, I did early on. But, after my accident, not very much at all. I just hole up here and play with my paints.”
She smiled and pointed a finger his way.
“You need to get rid of that attitude very quickly. You aren’t playing with your paints here,” she declared, as she faced the portrait beside him.
“You’re creating a masterpiece. In fact, I should take this home right now.
I’m worried about somebody ruining it before I can get it. ”
“That won’t happen.”
“Are you sure? You should know that I’m upsetting a lot of the family right now. I don’t want anybody to see this, realize it’s for me, then have them come in here and destroy it.”
He stared at her in shock. “Oh, good God, that would break my heart.”
“And mine,” she added, with a long look at the painting. “And,” she said, now staring at Danny, “while we’re at it, … do you have any suspects in your head as to who would have killed your sister?”
“Her husband, for one.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because he’s a greedy lowlife.”
“And I understand your wife and Zev have also known each other a long time.”
He snorted. “I’m surprised she didn’t leave me for him years ago. He moved to Alberta after we were married, and it’s only recently that he’s come back to Kelowna. … I’ve wondered if it would start up again.”
“Was there an actual affair?”
“Yeah, there sure was,” he confirmed. “Just after my accident. I think she was planning on leaving me then, and Zev was upset about it. Anyway he took off without her, and I think that devastated her.”
“I presume, in her mind, she didn’t sign up for this,” Doreen suggested, as she motioned at the wheelchair.
“No, in her world she didn’t sign up for any of this. Neither did I. It’s just silly fools like me who get caught up in a wheelchair and never amount to anything,” he said sadly.
“Which, as we both know very well, is absolutely incorrect,” Doreen declared, “because this is not nothing.” She pointed at the portrait he had done for her and Nan.
He looked at it and smiled and asked, “Do you really think it’s okay?”
“Oh, it’s so much more than okay,” she replied. “It’s absolutely brilliant. A lot of people will see this.”
“Will they though? Your grandmother lives in a retirement home, doesn’t she?”
“Ah, you’ve heard about her, have you?”
“Of course. I searched for you on Google, and she came up as part of Doreen’s Devils, or whatever the heck their name is,” he shared, with a laugh.
“Doreen’s Deputies. They are also devils for sure, but they’re also very beloved,” Doreen replied, “and they have been a big help trying to solve some of the cold cases that I’ve worked on.”
“Of course, and anything that keeps that generation happy and engaged is amazing.”
She smiled and nodded. “Now, how much longer do you really need, because I want to take this home with me today.”
He looked at her. “Really?”
She nodded. “Really. I don’t want to risk having anything happen to it.”
He frowned at that.
She turned to him and added, “When three members of this family have already been murdered, I can only advise you to please take care of yourself.”
He winced and nodded. “I did consider that already.”
“And, if you did, who is it that you think would be the one to kill you?”
“I know my wife hates me,” he said softly, “and that’s a very hard thing to admit. Yet I don’t think she would kill me.”
“And yet, if the restaurant comes to you, and you are out of the picture …”
He nodded. “She might think it would go to her. However, it only goes to anyone born a Burgon.”
“Even if she somehow got the restaurant, would that make her happy?”
“Only if she has somebody to run it.”
“And who would that be?”
“Maybe my niece Jillian. I don’t know. According to Zev, the girl is quite gifted.”
“I’ve heard that,” Doreen agreed. “The trouble is, I have too many suspects. And, of course, Zev’s one of them.”
He turned to her and asked, “Why?”
She shrugged. “He happened to be in place every time. He was in Alberta when your sister Katie was killed. I’m not saying he was at the restaurant the night your sister Alice was killed, but he was here in Kelowna.”
“But he was there.”
She turned slowly to face him. “He was?”
“He was. He stopped in, had an argument with Alice, and took off, but definitely some words were exchanged. Of course, it was earlier that day, not exactly the time she was killed.” He frowned and added, “I’m not even sure which night it was now.”
“Good to know,” she muttered, staring at him. “That is something I don’t think Zev has admitted to anybody.”
“Nobody’ll admit anything in a murder investigation, will they? They want to keep everything quiet and try to keep themselves out of the limelight.”
Doreen nodded. “But, at some point, that doesn’t work out so well.”