Framed Shadows: Shadows Landing #6, Kathleen Brooks [great novels of all time TXT] 📗

hurried into the gallery and was surprised to find it empty. “Paxton?” she asked as she moved into her office only to find it also empty. The sound of the door opening had her smiling. She couldn’t wait to tell him about her lunch. Well, some of it. Girl code prevented full disclosure.

“Paxton! You wouldn’t believe lunch,” Tinsley called out as she walked quickly into the gallery only to stop short.

“Who’s Paxton?” Maurice asked.

“He’s my delivery man and he also helps out around the gallery.” Tinsley smiled at him and tried to calm her nerves. She’d been amped up because of lunch and now she needed to calm down and think straight. “Speak of the devil, though, I was just going to call you.”

“Did it have anything to do with your lunch?” Maurice asked as he flashed what was supposed to be a flirtatious smile. Only it came across as predatory.

“Yes, it does. My buyer wants to purchase your painting. We just need to settle on a price. Congratulations, Maurice.”

Maurice nodded and his smile widened. “That’s very good news, Tinsley. I’d like to meet with the buyer for the negotiation. I’d like to see you work the sale in person.”

Tinsley kept her smile in place only with the grace of Southern manners. “My buyer usually prefers to negotiate over the phone. Don’t worry, I can put it on speaker and as soon as we reach a deal, I can email them the contract. The money will be wired as soon as they send the contract back.”

“Maybe for future sales, but I need to see how this works. It’ll make me feel better to know it’s on the up and up. The best way to do that is face to face.”

Tinsley’s smile almost slipped. Was the criminal really questioning her ethics?

“Of course, Maurice. I’ll make it happen.”

“Tomorrow, here, two o’clock. This is a very promising start to what I hope is a long relationship, Tinsley. As I’ve said, my grandmother has a very large collection with some paintings by history’s best artists. You seal this deal and we could make our own history together.”

“I’d rather make money,” Tinsley giggled. Where the hell was Paxton?

“That’s why we make a good team. I’ll see you and the buyer tomorrow.”

Tinsley smiled and waved goodbye as Maurice left. The second he was out the door, she had her phone out and was calling Paxton. She heard the ring over the phone and then she heard it echo through the gallery.

“Paxton?” No answer, but the ringing continued. She walked past her office calling out his name, as the sound of ringing grew closer. In the small kitchen in the back she saw a half-eaten fried chicken sandwich from Stomping Grounds.

“Paxton!”

“Tinsley? Call for help!” Tinsley heard Paxton’s muffled voice coming from outside. The back door to the small courtyard was closed, but she was sure that’s where his voice had come from.

Tinsley ran to the door and yanked it open. Paxton’s back was up against the twelve-foot brick wall. There were two ways out of the courtyard. One, the door Tinsley had just opened. And two, a decorative metal gate directly to her right that led to a small parking area and beyond that, down to the river. The only trouble was Bubba the alligator had parked himself right between both doors. The large gator’s mouth was open as he hissed every time Paxton moved.

“What did you do to get Bubba mad at you?” Tinsley asked.

“He has a name?”

“Yeah. Everyone knows Big Bubba. You’re lucky it wasn’t Mean Abe or Bitchy Bertha,” Tinsley told him.

“Will he bite me? I haven’t moved in over an hour,” Paxton asked while he eyed the massive gator.

“Um, maybe.”

“Maybe?” Paxton was freaking out and Tinsley was highly amused.

“How did you become stuck with Bubba back here anyway?” Tinsley asked as she pulled out her phone and sent a text to Gator to help with a Bubba removal.

“I grabbed a chicken sandwich from the diner up the street. I was sitting in the back eating it when I heard a knock on the door. I went to open it, but no one was there so I took a step outside and bam! Bubba went after me. He was pressed up against the wall and cut off my escape back inside the second I stepped out. He almost bit me and I’ve been using this little statue to keep him back.” Paxton held out the two-foot tall cement fairy Tinsley had painted when she was twelve years old.

“He probably smelled the fried chicken. It’s his favorite. Gator’s on his way. He’ll remove him,” Tinsley said before turning back inside.

“Where are you going?” Paxton shouted.

“To get him the rest of the sandwich. Maybe he’ll leave if he’s eaten.”

Tinsley grabbed the sandwich and stood in the doorway looking out at Bubba. Bubba’s nostrils flared and Tinsley tossed the sandwich. Bubba snapped the sandwich out of the air with a chomp so loud it echoed.

“Damn,” Paxton muttered before looking up at Tinsley. “Maybe? Maybe he’d bite me? The damn thing would snap me in half!”

“Don’t be so dramatic. It’s just an alligator.” Tinsley paused as Bubba made a low throaty growl. “Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh? What does that mean?” Paxton was near frantic as he pulled out his gun.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Tinsley warned. “Bubba doesn’t like guns.”

Sure enough, Bubba turned into a raging T-Rex as he growled.

“Okay, okay, I’m putting it away.” Paxton slid the gun back under his shirt, but the damage had been done.

Bubba charged, Paxton shrieked like a soprano and just as he hit High C, Tinsley pounced. She landed with a thud on Bubba’s back. The boney, spiky scutes running down his back jabbed her bare legs and poked into her stomach and arms as she wrestled with him. Tinsley heard Paxton yelling, but she was too focused on not getting hit by Bubba’s tail to pay attention to what he was yelling.

Tinsley squeezed her legs as she crawled up Bubba’s