I was up early the next morning but found that Stephanie and David had both beat me and were sitting outside sipping coffee on the back deck. I opened the door and let Aggie and Rex outside and then poured a cup of coffee and joined them.
“Have you two been up long?”
Stephanie and David both shook their heads.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about Aunt Dixie,” Stephanie said, “so I got up.”
David sipped his coffee. “Me too.” He looked at me. “Is there anything either of us can do before the meeting tonight?”
I was so proud of the caring adults my children had become. I thought for a minute and then turned to David. “I was thinking about that too. Dixon Vannover was having an affair with Naomi Keller. He’s running for office, and I was wondering if you could swing by his campaign headquarters and volunteer to stuff envelopes or something and talk to a few of the workers. Surely, someone must have heard or seen something.”
“My political sensibilities might chafe, but I’ll do it.”
Stephanie turned to me. “What about me? Aunt Dixie has an attorney, so he may not want me mucking about.”
I waved that away. “He seemed like a nice man, and even though you’re not licensed in Tennessee, I’m sure Dixie will want you to be involved.” I paused.
“What?” Stephanie said, leaning forward. “I know that look. You have something up your sleeve. Spill it.”
“Naomi Keller’s husband, Warren, was a divorce attorney. I don’t know where attorneys hang out, but maybe Theodore Jordan, Dixie’s attorney, can point you in the right direction.”
Stephanie smiled. “If there’s a restaurant near the courthouse or, better yet, a bar, then I’m sure I’ll find out all the dirt on Warren Keller there is to find.”
“There’s a bar, but there’s also a small restaurant that has the best barbecue I’ve ever eaten. It’s run by a former football player, Moose Mitchell, and his wife, Renee.”
“Sounds great.” Stephanie smiled. “What about you? I know you have to work, but I find it hard to believe that you’re going to leave all of the sleuthing to us.”
“I’m going to find out what I can about Dixon Vannover. He’s on the board of the museum, and Linda Kay and Jacob will be able to provide some of the information I need.”
I finished my coffee and hurried to shower and dress, leaving Aggie and Rex outside with Lucky.
David dropped me off in the Arts District downtown at Da Vinci’s, the bakery nearest the Chattanooga Museum of Art, which is where I worked. Jacob and Linda Kay wouldn’t need buttering up to spill the beans on Dixon Vannover, but pastries from Da Vinci’s, along with some tea, would certainly keep the conversation going. Before he left, I reminded David that he would need him to pick me up and confirmed that he was up to the task of driving up Lookout Mountain. Part of my heart raced when I realized how excited he was about what I considered a harrowing ascent.
Pastries in hand, I walked into the museum and placed the box on the desk of Jacob Fleming. Jacob was the assistant to the executive director, Linda Kay Weyman. He was in his early twenties, thin, with dark eyes and dark curly hair, which he wore pulled back into a man bun. As always, he was stylishly dressed, with red, rectangular glasses, black skinny jeans, and a black cashmere sweater.
Jacob had unlocked my office door and opened my curtains so I could sit and enjoy the view of the Tennessee River for several minutes before starting my day. I loved working at the museum. The Chattanooga Museum of Art was founded by the Hopewell family and funded through a trust. Linda Kay and Jacob were full-time employees. I had been hired as a temp to straighten out the museum’s finances after the board hired an incompetent Hopewell family member as their accountant. As a temp, I knew my assignment could end at the board’s whim, although I tried not to dwell on that possibility. Nevertheless, it loomed over my thoughts, especially today, because I knew saving Dixie might mean antagonizing one of the board members who held my future in his hands. If Dixon Vannover wanted to, he could fire me or simply cancel my assignment. If he were involved in Naomi Keller’s murder, saving my best friend could jeopardize my future in more ways than one.