Carlita watched as she sized the woman up, guessing that she was comparing her to her irritating sibling. “You must be Dernice. I vaguely remember meeting you some time ago.”
“I’m easy to forget, unlike my sister.” Dernice extended a hand. “Dernice Cobb. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us today.”
“You’re welcome. Please. Come in.” Tori led them into the opulent foyer, past the arched wall cutouts lining the cavernous rotunda.
Dernice paused to admire a work of art. “You have a Zao Wou-Ki piece.”
Tori lifted a brow and stared at Dernice. “I do. I just acquired it a few weeks ago. You’re familiar with his work?”
“Familiar? He’s one of my favorites.” Dernice leaned in as she studied the art. “Never seen one of his works in real life before. This is a magnificent piece.”
“It is.” Tori joined Dernice, and they admired the painting. “In his later years, Wou-Ki was known for his post-war and contemporary art.”
Dernice pointed to the silhouettes of two men in the lower left-hand corner. “This is a brush-and-ink technique. Zao was only twenty-one when he presented his first exhibition in Chongqing.”
Tori slowly nodded. “His formative years were largely influenced by Western modernism and the work of the Impressionists and Expressionists. It was after his move to Paris that his paintings began to shift toward abstraction.”
“He’s been dead almost a decade now.” Dernice sucked in a breath. “What I wouldn’t give to have been able to pick his brain before he died.”
“Are you sure you’re related to Elvira?” Tori joked.
“Elvira dabbles in art too,” Carlita said. “Remember the time she set her apartment on fire, working on a creation?”
“I don’t recall hearing that story,” Tori said.
“It was a bust, and she was using a blowtorch. She set the curtains on fire.”
“I remember you mentioned Elvira setting her apartment on fire, but I didn’t hear the part where she used a blowtorch,” Dernice snorted. “That was dumb.”
“And so was using it inside an apartment building, next to a set of curtains. It was the last straw. I evicted her.”
“Gotta love my sister. My life is complete now that I’ve actually seen a work by Zao.” Dernice shoved her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels. “If you don’t mind me asking, how much did this piece set you back?”
“Set me back?”
“How much did it cost,” Dernice clarified.
“Dernice,” Carlita gasped. “Your question is crass and rude.”
“It’s all right.” Tori waved dismissively. “I purchased this particular piece for seventy-five thousand dollars.”
“Whoa.” Dernice made a choking sound and pressed a hand to her throat.
“Some have cost more. Some have cost substantially less.”
“You have more pieces?”
Carlita thought Dernice was going to pass out.
“As a matter of fact, I do.” Tori resumed her pace and continued down the hall to the study.
Byron was waiting for them at the end and held the door. “Would you like tea service?”
Tori shifted to the side, waiting for her guests to enter the room. “Do you have time to stay for tea?”
“I can,” Dernice answered. “Heck, I would move in here if I could, although I don’t know where I would park my Harley.”
“Harley?”
“My motorcycle.”
Tori burst out laughing. “You are most certainly an intriguing woman.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Dernice squared her shoulders. “I like to pride myself on being learned enough for any situation.”
“Tea, it is.” Byron backed out of the room.
“Let’s sit by the fireplace.”
Dernice and Carlita took the chairs on one side while Tori eased into the one opposite them. “You said you were a suspect in Kim Turbell’s death.”
“I am.” Carlita briefly told her friend how she, along with Dernice, had visited Tybee Island. “Later that day, the woman from Coastal Adventure’s sales office was found dead inside Elvira’s building.”
“I don’t see how this would make you a suspect,” Tori said.
“Because I put my name on a signup sheet to get more information about Coastal’s project, only hours before Turbell’s death.”
“Still not enough for you to be a suspect.”
Dernice spoke. “Except the reason we were on the island was to check out Elvira’s property, which is where the woman’s body was found.”
“That could present a problem.”
“Not to mention Elvira and I are neighbors,” Carlita pointed out.
Tori rested her chin on her hand. “What does Elvira say about all of this?”
“She’s in St. Augustine, Florida, sorting out a mess of her own,” Dernice answered. “Because my sister has been vague on the details, Carlita and I have been trying to piece a few things together. My sister was handling the security for some of the area businesses a few months back, including for Coastal. She knew Atlantic Deep was planning a big project and was in the process of purchasing area properties. She bought one of the properties, my guess is for pennies on the dollar, planning to sell it to them and make a huge profit.”
“You are correct,” Tori confirmed. “Coastal is buying up the properties. There are four left they need to acquire to move forward with their project. Mine is one, Elvira’s is another.”
“Right, but there’s a small glitch,” Carlita said.
“Glitch?”
“Elvira’s husband is part-owner of Atlantic Deep, the company behind Coastal Adventure’s project.”
Tori’s jaw dropped. “Her husband?”
“She thought they were divorced.” Dernice waved her hand. “It’s a big mess. She thought the divorce was final years ago and only recently found out there was a small snafu. Technically, she’s still married.”
Tori pressed the tips of her fingers together. “She buys this property, thinking she’s going to make a killing on it. She discovers her not-an-ex-husband is part owner and won’t sell because...”
“He’s hired a lawyer and is interested
