One Grave Too Many

.” She was interrupted by a knock on Jonas’ door. “I hope that’s Korey.”
    Jonas opened the door slightly as if checking credentials before letting anyone in. It was Korey and a petite woman with short salt-and-pepper hair and a face much younger than her gray hair suggested.
    “This is Dr. Allison Onfroi, an art historian from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”
    Diane rose and greeted her. “We’re glad you could come to look at our murals.”
    “I am just mesmerized by them.”
    “So they are authentic Robert Camdens?”
    “Oh, no question.”
    Diane and Korey grinned at each other.
    “These are those wonderful dinosaur and Pleistocene paintings?” asked Jonas. “I go in the rooms sometimes and just sit and look at them.”
    Dr. Onfroi nodded. “I find his work, though some of my colleagues disagree, similar in mood to William Trost Richards. Of course, they both were American Pre-Raphaelites. Richards created such emotion with his realism. Camden does the same for me. Most people don’t know him—he was never in favor in his own time, partly because of his rather strange insistence on inserting those whimsical unicorns in his paintings, juxtaposing the utter realism with the utter unreal. Now people identify with that.”
    “Were wall murals his usual work?” asked Diane.
    “It turned out that way. He had to make a living painting illustrations and murals for buildings. Most haven’t survived. And there weren’t that many of his other works. Your paintings are the best I’ve seen. I’d love to work with Korey on protecting them for you.”
    “Allison had another interesting tidbit of news,” said Korey. “It seems that several months ago, someone from the Heron Museum of Art was asked to have a look at a collection of Camden murals for a museum.”
    “It was all very secretive, as a lot of our work is.”
    “Grayson,” said Diane.
    “I’m sure,” said Korey. “I told Allison about the secret plans to buy the museum building and move us somewhere else.”
    “I wish I could say I was shocked,” said Allison Onfroi, “but I’ve seen a lot of underhandedness going on in the art world. I’m sure the Heron thought it was on the up-and-up. I deal with them a lot, and they’d be shocked to know what they were a party to.”
    “I’ve booked Allison into a Sudwith’s bed and breakfast,” said Korey.
    “Oh, you’ll like that,” said Diane. “Thanks again for coming. I look forward to working with you on this project.”
    Before they left, Korey handed Diane a piece of paper. It was Dr. Onfroi’s appraisal of the monetary value of the paintings. Diane stared hard at it for a moment and put it in her pocket.

Chapter 47
    Andie arrived on their heels, carrying a folder. “Donald made his decision,” she said, handing Diane the folder. “I also brought you the original museum budget for comparison.”
    “Thanks, Andie. How is Donald?”
    “Odd, even for him. I gave him your message and he sat for the longest time, stroking that desk of his. I thought maybe he’d been going quietly nuts all this time and this was somehow the final straw.” Andie shook her head. “I don’t know. He really took your attack hard. Hard enough it made me suspicious of him—but if the attack on you was about the skeleton, I don’t see how that makes any sense.”
    “It might, if he thought it was connected with the Graysons.” Diane told Andie what Mike had related to her about the switched drinks.
    “Why, that flashy, trashy bitch,” said Andie. “Can’t you have her arrested?”
    “For what? Apparently, she’s the one who ended up with the drug.”
    “Serves her right. Why would they go to such lengths?”
    “This.” Diane handed her the paper Korey had given her. Jonas looked over her shoulder. She watched both their eyes widen until they were almost round. Andie, with her remarkably curly hair, looked like Little Orphan Annie.

    Between the sheriff and Korey, Diane was feeling optimistic for the first time in a while. There were still a couple of hours to go before the meeting, so she sat down and relaxed with Jonas and their game of chess. It was a lot more fun sitting at the chess board than E-mailing moves back and forth.
    Korey knocked on the door and came in just as Jonas captured Diane’s queen with his rook.
    “Looks like you’re in trouble, Dr. F.,” said Korey, looking at the chess board.
    “It’s not over until it’s over,” said Diane.
    “Andie sent me to