Chapter thirty-one

Jenny drove in silence. The plan they discussed was simple, but it would at least keep them busy. Maybe help, too. Molly sat quietly in the passenger seat, categorizing every weapon she’d ever had aboard her beloved Hullabaloo. She wished she had at least one of them now.

Parking at the end of the block of retail stores, Jenny popped open the Jeep’s back hatch and pulled out a few of her larger paintings.

Molly went in first. She was greeted by a harried Lisa, wisps of hair escaping the loose bun on the top of her golden head.

“Welcome to Blue Moon,” said Lisa, immediately walking toward her. “I meant to lock that door. I’m about to leave for a little while. Could you please come back later?” Lisa was trying to be courteous, but her agitation showed through the façade.

“Oh, dear, I really need to find a gift for my friend,” Molly improvised. “She recommended your shop, you know, and since she invited us down for the summer, I just have to get something for her before we show up on her doorstep. I promise I won’t take long.”

Molly moved quickly through the door and off to the side to “study” the paintings on the wall. “This is lovely! Please tell me about this one.”

Lisa’s eyes rolled, but she walked over to Molly just the same and began a discourse on the contemporary work in front of her. Mid-sentence, she stopped at the sound of the entrance bell again.

Jenny struggled to get into the door, her arms full of paintings. She gently placed the brown craft paper-wrapped treasures against the opposite wall from where Molly and Jenny were standing and called out to Lisa.

“Hello, Lisa. I hope I haven’t come at a bad time.” Jenny waved a rolling five-finger wave.

“Hey, Jenny.” Lisa excused herself from Molly and walked over to Jenny. “I’m glad to see you out and about. I was planning to call you in a few weeks. Now is not really a good time.”

Jenny ignored her wave off. “I won’t take long. I wanted to leave these with you so you could look at them when you have a chance. I hope they’re up to the standards of the other works you represent. Like this one. This is gorgeous.”

Jenny strolled along the wall to a signed and numbered Claude Howell print of one of his famous paintings and waited for Lisa to follow. The coral coloring of the blocky fishermen’s nets looked stunning against the gallery’s pale green walls.

“I am such a big fan of his. I didn’t know you had his work.”

“A few,” Lisa replied flatly as she looked around for Molly, now nowhere to be seen. “This really is not a good time, Jenny.”

Jenny feigned hurt. “Oh. Well, of course, I should have called first. I can see you are really busy here.” Jenny made a sweeping gesture with her hand.

“It’s not that. I was just heading out for a little while. I have an appointment.”

“Looks more like a delivery, if you ask me.” Molly stepped back into view from the gallery’s office. In one hand was a small red leather carry-on suitcase. In the other was the handle of a matching rolling suitcase.