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do you have in mind?”

Greg laughed. “Nothing very romantic. Actually I wanted to know if you would like to come out to the house and see some color sketches of the proposed painting. You could come for breakfast or lunch which ever fits your schedule best.”

“Make it breakfast, if that’s okay with you, Greg. That would fit right in with my schedule. There may be a staff meeting later Friday afternoon.”

“Fine. That will give me time Thursday to finish the color sketches so you can get a better idea what I am proposing. You can also tell me how finished looking the sketches should be that we will show your clients.”

“That will be super.” Christy said rather excitedly. “I’ll be anxious to see the sketches. See you for breakfast Friday.”

Greg decided to take his sketching equipment out into the woods early Thursday morning. He wanted to finalize his ideas of the background setting for the fox and kit and the hawk in the tree. He had an idea exactly where he could find most of what he wanted. He could then come back into the studio and sketch in the animals and the bird.

Early Thursday he had a quick breakfast and took off for the woods. By late morning he had pretty much what he wanted and he headed back for the studio. He worked until about one thirty before he decided he could stop and have a light lunch. That over, he was back in the studio to do the sketches he planned to show Christy. He had decided to do four sketches to show her, with changes in lighting and variation in the action of the figures. He worked into the evening before he was satisfied he had what he wanted. Then he went into the kitchen to prepare his dinner and to get things ready for breakfast with Christy tomorrow. He felt he had put in a full, profitable day.

He was up early the next morning. He knew Christy was an early riser and would probably be out around seven-thirty. She was right on time.

“Did you bring your appetite, Christy?” Greg asked as he greeted her at the door.

“If I didn’t, it just caught up to me, when I smelled those delicious odors coming from your kitchen,” Christy gave Greg a hug and a kiss. “I really didn’t think you would have anything to show me so soon. This is wonderful.”

“Better wait and see what I have to show you, before waxing so enthusiastic. You may not like what you see.”

“Oh, I’m not afraid of that. I’m sure I’ll love it and the client will too.”

“Well let’s eat breakfast first. Then we’ll see what your reaction is.”

They sat down in the nook and started eating.

“I’m going to show you several sketches. We can combine various parts of each sketch to make the final sketch we want to show your client. Or we can take two sketches made from those sketches. Frankly I would prefer to make a decision on what should be in one sketch and take that to them to view. Then they can tell us what they like and don’t like about that one and we can go from there. I took the dimensions you gave me of the unobstructed portion of the wall. I made the sketches to fit that and I made the sketches large enough so we can view them as you would the finished painting on the wall as you enter that foyer. This will give you a better idea of how it would look.”

“When you do things, you do them up right,” said Christy. “It sounds wonderful.”

They finished the meal, cleared the table, tidied up and then went into the studio where Greg had the colored sketches set up on easels for viewing. Christy looked at them. She silently looked at each of the sketches several times before speaking.

“But Greg, they’re all beautiful. I love them all,” she said. Then putting her hands on either side of her head she said. “How can I decide one over the others.”

Greg laughed. “You don’t have to decide one over the others. We just have to decide what we think the strong points of each are, that can, or should be, included in the final sketch.” Greg said. “For instance, should we have the sun streaming through the trees, or should we have it look like the sun is behind a cloud? Should we have the fox with the kit in its mouth running, or shall we have her poised listening? Look at the details in each sketch and think of which strikes you best for the final sketch.”

“ Oh,” said Christy, looking at the sketches again. “I guess I like the fox running and the hawk with its wings spread as if to take off. I do like the sun streaming through the trees like it is in the third sketch.” They went on discussing various aspects of the sketches, going back and forth as to which best fit their collective idea of what the final painting should look like. Greg had set up a tape recorder, to record what they were discussing. He also was taking notes as they talked. Once he had gotten her focused on what was needed, she got into the spirit of trying to figure out what might look best for the final painting. They finally came to a consensus of most of the elements for the final sketch. Greg then began to make a rough sketch of what he thought they had agreed on. Christy watched somewhat in awe as Greg quickly began to fill in the picture.

“This will be a very rough indication of the various elements we thought would make the best scene. This way we can see, if we think they all fit together and they do make the best picture.”

Christy watched as he continued to fill in the scene with color and definition. Then he stepped back.

“I like it. I think that’s it,” said Christy enthusiastically. “I think it will be a wonderful painting and will be just what they want.”

“Well let’s hope they are as enthusiastic as you. I’ll put together a final large color sketch and have you come and view that. Then if you like it we’ll set up a meeting with your client. We can unveil the representative color sketch and see how they react. If it meets their approval, I’ll start on the painting.”

“Sounds great. I’m getting more excited about this all the time.”

They left the studio and went back into the main part of the house. Christy got her coat and started for the door.

set up a meeting. You can let me know at that time what time w “I’ll wait until I hear from you and then I’ll call the client and ould best suit you. Then I’ll work it out with them.” Christy said. Then she gave Greg a kiss and a hug and headed for her car. Greg watched her drive down the driveway and then headed back for the studio. He figured he might as well work on the final color sketch while everything was fresh in his mind.

He spent the rest of Friday working in the studio with only a brief stop for a sandwich and a cup of coffee for lunch. He finished what he wanted to do about seven o’clock. He decided he deserved a good dinner so set about preparing a steak dinner complete with a glass of his favorite wine. After dinner he took a cup of coffee and went in and sat by the fireplace. About a quarter to nine the phone rang.

“Hello, Greg.” an unfamiliar voice said. “This is Jason Timore. I just wanted to let you know, I didn’t have anything to do with the attempted break-in of your house. In fact, no one I had been connected with had anything to do with it.”

“Then how do you know all about it?” asked Greg.

“Let me start at the beginning.” said the voice. “Yes I have been connected to an industrial espionage group as you undoubtedly now suspect. The restaurant was started partially as a front for me to find out more about your formula. However, I did not know it was your formula. When I met you and went to your house and realized it was you who was suppose to have the formula, I tried to pull out. Also, we began to figure out it probably was no longer at your place, if it ever was. What threw us was that no one seemed to know you were still doing experimental research. That is except for Gwen Talbot.”

“How does Gwen figure in to this?” asked Greg.

“She doesn’t except for the information that she figured you were still doing some research privately, although you indicated you were through with science. She happened to mention that at a seminar some of our people were attending. We had wind of some valuable formula being developed privately and it was in your field. Our people put two and two together, and came up with you. Another one of our contacts found out from Gwen that you had worked through a certain private research laboratory.” Jason answered.

“So your organization arranged to break into my office there,” inquired Greg.

“Yes, one of our men hired a lab assistant temporarily for the purpose of getting into your files,” said Jason. “From what they found there, convinced me you didn’t have the formula at your place. Some of our other people, didn’t buy that, especially when we got wind a rival of ours had plans to break in to your place. I got caught in the middle, so I left town. I am now suspected of spilling information to this other organization. Don’t ask me where I am because I will be moving again soon. For my own safety.”

“How did that lab assistant end up in Gwen’s lab after he got fired?” asked Greg.

“That firing was hushed up for various reasons. Gwen didn’t know he had anything to do with the break-in of your office. She was offered a nice research grant along with the request to give this lab assistant a spot in her lab. He was a good worker.” Jason continued, “I just wanted to let you know, I had nothing to do with the attempted break-in at your place.”

“Well you were right Jason. The formula hasn’t been at my place for over a month, actually now more like two months,” said Greg. “Incidentally, they never got near the house. It was an exercise in futility for them.”

“In that case, maybe they won’t be looking for me so hard,” said Jason.

“Who hired you to get the formula?” asked Greg knowing he probably wouldn’t get an answer.

“Sorry.” said Jason with a little laugh. “Client confidentiality.” Then he hung up.

Greg decided he had better call the sheriff in the morning. This was concrete enough information. Of course, if they ever caught up with Jason he would deny ever having called and talked to Greg. However he would leave Gwen out of it.

Saturday morning Greg did call the Sheriff and caught him in his office. He gave him the information he had gotten from Jason’s call and from what Penney, Lynn and Margo had found out. However he told the story as if he had done all the research except for Jason’s phone call. He saw no reason to bring Lynn, Penney and Margo into it at this time. He did not mention Gwen’s inadvertent part in this whole scenario. The Sheriff said he would like to come out and sit down with Greg and discuss this whole case as well as the shooting incident. Greg said he would be happy to meet with him sometime in the next week. The Sheriff said he would give him a call Monday to work a time out.

“Why don’t you plan to come out early and have breakfast out here with me. I serve a mighty good breakfast I’m told,” said Greg.

“Well I was planning on bringing two of my deputies with me when I came out.”

“That’s fine. I’m used to having groups out here for breakfast.”

“Come to think of it,” said the Sheriff. “I guess I’ve heard something about that. We’ll work the day out when I call on Monday,” the Sheriff added.

Greg decided to go into Barton to do some shopping. Being Saturday, there would be plenty of people shopping, so he could get lost in the crowd. Everything was going as he had planned until he was about ready to head for home. Then he ran into Mark Janes and Celeste Drewman as he was coming out of a store. He stopped and greeted them.

“Celeste and I were talking about giving you a call to see if we could come out sometime this week.” said Mark.

“Yes, I’m anxious to see those photos of the original place and the progress photos on how you redid the house and grounds.” said Celeste.

“I think the first part of the week is tied up, but we could make it Thursday or Friday. If you could free up a morning, you could come out for breakfast. I suggest the morning because the gardens are usually their prettiest in the morning and I thought you would appreciate that, Celeste.”

“Friday morning would be fine with me. I don’t have a class until later in the afternoon,” Celeste said.

“I’m pretty sure I can free up Friday morning,” Mark said. Then he laughed and said, “Even if I can’t free it up, I trust you two alone together.”

“Trusting soul, isn’t he,” smiled Celeste.

“He really is.” They agreed Mark and Celeste would be out for breakfast Friday morning around eight. Greg said good-bye to them and headed for home. He was glad he had met Mark and Celeste. Now he could say he was busy for the whole week in case someone else called and wanted to meet with him. He figured the next two weeks were safe from any one making a suggestion for a dinner get together of the group.

For the next dinner, he figured he would invite Serena Tellou and his friend, Veterinarian Dexter Broszin. He figured Dexter would fit in easily with the group. Besides he would make a good foil for the beauty of Serena. Dexter was tall, raw-boned, red-haired and freckled. Some women said he was like a big, friendly teddy-bear. He was also a very good amateur Astronomer, which would interest Jeremy Lee. Come to think of it, Christy might find him interesting. He originally was from Australia. He came over to get his DVM and just stayed. He had been married to an American, but that broke up five years ago. He was a real interesting character, Greg reflected. He’d make a good addition to the group, besides helping to equalize the male-female balance in the group. Of course he would get kidded by Lynn, Penney and Christy about that.

He was glad that Gwen had been cleared of any suspicion of complicity in the events that lead up to the attempted break-in. He’d have to remember to tell Lynn and Penney. They were there when he wondered if she could possibly be somehow mixed up in these events. He must make sure they knew Gwen was not. Maybe he’d get together with them for dinner the following week.

Monday morning as promised, the Sheriff called Greg. After a short discussion, they agreed on Wednesday as the day the sheriff and his deputies would come out and meet with Greg. He accepted Greg’s invitation for them to come out for breakfast. Greg thought that would give the meeting a much more relaxed atmosphere. Greg figured it was about time to tell the Sheriff all he knew along with his suspicions and his theories on what was going on. Then he could get it off his chest and let the Sheriff decide what if anything he could or should pursue.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Tuesday Greg did more work on the final color sketch for Christy’s client. As soon as he had it to his satisfaction, he would tell Christy, so she could schedule a meeting with her clients. That evening, he set things up for the breakfast with the Sheriff and his deputies’ tomorrow morning.

Wednesday morning he was up in time to see the sunrise. He even had time to enjoy it by himself with a cup of coffee. The sheriff and his crew arrived punctually at eight. He was a little chagrined at himself when he realized he was a little surprised to see one of the deputies was a woman. If Lynn or Christy knew that, they would never let him live that down. He greeted them at the door and escorted them to the table on the porch and asked if they wanted a cup of coffee. All of them said yes. The young woman asked if she couldn’t help by pouring the coffee. Greg accepted her offer. He finished preparation of the breakfast, which he then served. Then he sat down with them to eat. The young woman deputy turned to Greg and with a smile on her face said.

“You don’t look like a man who would like to cook.”

Greg laughed, “You know, you really aren’t the first one who has said that. And you probably won’t be the last. But I was raised by a single aunt who worked, and I learned very early to cook, so I could help out. She was a very good cook and a very good teacher. As a result I like to cook. That, of course is one of the reasons I have been able to live alone out here. I must admit, though, I do not like to clean the house. I have someone come in and do that for me.”

“Doesn’t it get lonely living out here alone? You don’t even have a neighbors close by,” asked the other deputy.

“Well, I have a streak of hermit in me that likes the solitude. And then, I am free to go and come as I please and I have quite a few friends who love to come out and visit me.”

“You do have a beautiful place here,” said the young woman. “I can see why your friends would like to come out and visit.” The conversation lagged while they finished eating. They cleared the table, then grouped around the table again for their discussion.

Greg said, “Let me first give you everything I know or have found out and my thoughts on the situation. Then you can add what you know and have found out and we can go from there.”

The Sheriff agreed to that idea and so Greg told the three of them everything he knew and what his thoughts and theories were, except for Gwen’s inadvertent part. Then the Sheriff began.

“We told you we found finger prints on the stolen car and so we have a good idea who the two men were who attempted the break-in. Until we find them, we won’t know who their accomplice was who stole the company van. We also have no idea yet who hired them to attempt the break-in and steal what ever they were supposed to steal. We really won’t know what they were after until we find them and can interrogate them. We also have no concrete leads on who rented the house in the subdivision or who cut the electric wires leading into your place. We are now sure, that it was done by one or two people, other than the three or more we know were directly involved in the attempted break-in. In other words, it was suppose to be a well planned out operation. That could give credence to the idea that they were deliberately given false information to make sure their attempt failed. Could your friend Jason be the one who planted the wrong information? We can only speculate on that. Now, going on to the body we found in the vacant house. These are some photographs we took of the body, and some sketches by an artist as to what he might have looked like alive. Do you recognize him.”

“Well he looks somewhat like the young man I saw with a young woman in the cafe in Montrose,” answered Greg. “Several of the people in town said they had been around for about a week. It was the same time as the four men were around. The owner of the motel said they paid in cash. I thought I saw them, driving along the county road that fronts my place, the same day the shots were fired in the wildlife area. Supposedly they had done some walking in that area previously.”

“Incidentally, the person was shot with the small caliber gun,” said the Sheriff, “Same as the shells we found in the woods. We lucked out and found both guns in a small pool in the marshy area near the river.” The Sheriff continued, “We were dragging some of the pools to see if we could find any evidence from the men who attempted the break-in. We are now trying to figure out, if the shadowy figure we saw on your cameras that night, could be the person who ditched the guns in that pool. You remember we thought it looked like it could be a woman at that time. However that still leaves a lot of questions unanswered.”

“You mean like, why would someone shoot someone in such an area, and what were they doing in that area?” asked Greg.

“Among others.” answered the Sheriff. “The more things we uncover, the more questions we seem to raise. We know who got shot, but why and by whom. We actually don’t know who the victim is. We’ve drawn a blank so far on that. We are checking with the people in Montrose to see if they can identify this person. We are also hoping to find someone who could remember the license of the car they were driving.” The Sheriff continued, “We’ll probably find out it was rented like that driven by the four men. The company those four men gave, as the one they represented, was completely fictitious. The name was very close to a legitimate company. That fooled most people.”

“As I told you,” said Greg, “The story Jason told about them looking for a place for the restaurant could be entirely fictitious. I forgot to ask him about that when he called.”

“You mean that they could be part of the group involved in the break-in,” said the Sheriff.

“That is where the plot thickens,” said Greg. “If Jason is telling the truth that he had nothing to do with the attempted break-in, then they might just have been looking over the possibility, but someone beat them to it. I think that’s what Jason was saying.”

“You mean,” said the Sheriff, “that there were two groups trying to get the copy of the formula.”

“That is the impression I am getting. But whether that is true or not is another question.”

“We seem to have a lot more questions than we have answers, at the moment,” said one of the deputies. “Might the young couple, who seemed to be interested in hiking the trails, be connected to the second group?”

“I suppose that’s a possibility,” answered Greg. “From what I heard, they asked a lot of questions about the area. Including, indirectly, my property.”

“If we can find out who that young couple is, and find out if they also rented the house, then we might get some answers to our questions,” said the Sheriff. “That apparently, plus tracking down the men we now suspect of being the ones who attempted the break-in, is the direction our investigations are going to take at this time. We will also be trying to identify the body and trace the guns we recovered. We appreciate your assistance and, of course, the breakfast,” the Sheriff said. “Now I think we will get going and leave you to your writing or painting.” With that they took their leave and headed back into town.

Greg finished cleaning up and went back into the studio. He planned on doing some more work on the final color sketch. Friday morning, of course, Mark and Celeste were coming for breakfast. Greg would have to get the photos he promised to show Celeste, plus some of the sketches they had made of the alterations they were planning. That would give Celeste a view of how they went about rebuilding and redecorating the place. Of course, she could see the results of the planning and work, in the present house.

Greg was hoping the weather would cooperate for Friday. It did. Friday dawned balmy and bright. Even the flowers cooperated, putting on one of their best shows of the season so far. Although Celeste had the farthest to come, she arrived first. Greg met her at the door with a cup of coffee.

“I want to look at your gardens first. They looked so beautiful as I drove in. Can’t we take a short tour of them first?”

“Of course. Mark can come in the house if he gets here before we come back.” It worked out fine because Mark drove up as they were coming around the corner of the house.

“Greg gave me a tour of his gardens,” said Celeste. “I asked him to, because they look so beautiful as I drove in.

“They really do,” said Mark. “I think they look nicer every year.”

They went inside and Greg finished the preparation of breakfast. Greg gave Celeste the book of photos and the sketches to look at while he worked. He could go over them with her after breakfast. Then he could show her around the house and explain the changes as they went. Celeste asked a few questions, which Greg answered briefly. He would save the more detailed answers until he could go over the pictures and sketches with her. She would understand it more fully that way. What was not included in the pictures and sketches was the basement laboratory.

Actually they had gotten melodramatic with the entrance to the laboratory. It was accessed by steps, which came off from behind a panel beside the big fireplace. It was a secret door that looked like a piece of wood paneling, but actually was a door opened by a motor activated by a hidden button. Greg often thought that it would make a wonderful prop for a mystery thriller. He had not installed that secret door until all the lab had been finished and the equipment moved in and operational. His friend from his hometown and he had installed that door, after his men had finished all the basic work and before he brought in local people to do the finishing work and move in the furniture. It had served its purpose while he worked on the formula project. Now, that was over. He no longer needed it. He would have to decide what he would do after he removed the laboratory. Lynn and Penney hadn’t asked how he got into the laboratory. One of these days they would.

After breakfast, Greg went over the pictures and sketches with Mark and Celeste. Celeste asked a number of questions. Then he took them on a tour of the house and related the various areas in the house to the pictures and sketches. Celeste was very interested in how they had changed the house without destroying the original look of the house. On the outside it still retained the look of a big old classic farmhouse. On the inside, it retained the look of the era in which it was built, with the beautiful woodwork, but with all the modern conveniences. Celeste complimented Greg on a wonderful job.

“I had a good solid basic house to start with, which made the job that much easier,” said Greg. “Then I had a friend for a general contractor, who had restored a number of beautiful old houses, so he knew what he was doing.”

“You did a beautiful job,” said Celeste. “How did you ever find this place.”

“That was sheer luck. Friends told me about the area. I discovered one of the heirs, who were thinking of selling the place, was someone I had known in college. Things just seemed to fall into place and I ended up buying it. That’s when the real work began.”

“Are you happy you bought it?” asked Celeste.

“Definitely,” answered Greg enthusiastically. “I don’t think I could ever have found a place that suited my purposes better. It has been practically ideal.”

“I figured you’d say that,” laughed Celeste. “I would love to find a place like this where I could do my sculpting. I can see where it would be practically ideal for an artist to work in.”

“Unfortunately, I think Greg got the one and only.” said Mark.

“I think you’re right,” agreed Celeste. “But maybe, if we looked hard, we could find something close to it.”

“We can try. But I’m not promising any miracles.”

“You aren’t?”

They began winding down their discussion and Mark and Celeste began making preparations to leave.

“I really appreciate your doing this for us,” Celeste told him.

“Actually, I enjoyed it,” said Greg. “I always love an interested audience.” Mark and Celeste laughed. It was obvious Greg enjoyed showing off his place. Greg escorted them out to their cars and waved good-bye as they drove out the driveway.

He decided to get back to writing on his novel. He was close to finishing it. It was going fairly well. The happenings of the past few weeks had thrown him off a little.

The weekend he stayed close to home and spent most of the time working on his novel. Except for a few phone calls, there were no interruptions. Monday Lynn called and asked if he were free for lunch Wednesday. She said she and Penney wanted to touch base with him. The dead body in the house in the subdivision had hit the media. Lynn was probably curious how that fit the whole picture. She was bringing in Penney to make it seem less like she was looking for a news angle for her newspaper. Penney undoubtedly was interested, but Lynn was definitely interested. Greg didn’t see any reason now to not to tell them everything he knew. The Sheriff hadn’t indicated there was anything he didn’t want mentioned. For that matter, the dead body didn’t fit anything else that was going on except for the mystery of the shots fired in the wildlife area. Even that wasn’t a given.

Tuesday was a quiet day. He was able to make some more headway on his novel. Wednesday he figured he would use to get some things done in town. Thursday he would try to finish up the color sketches so he could call Christy on Friday. That would about take care of the week. Saturday he would go for breakfast in Montrose and see what there was to hear there. If anyone had begun to suspect it was his place that was the target of the attempted break-in, he would soon find it out.

Wednesday was wet. A kind of off-and-on drizzle. Just enough to make it somewhat miserable, without ruining the whole day. It didn’t really bother Greg that much. He went about his business until it was time to meet Lynn and Penney for lunch. He arrived at the restaurant first and was able to get a table in the back by a window. He also was able to see the entrance so he saw when Penney arrived. He caught her attention so she made her way back toward him. She flashed a mischievous smile.

“Hasn’t Lynn arrived yet?” she asked. “I thought she’d be here already.”

“Well I tried to get here before either of you, but I did think Lynn would be right behind me,” answered Greg. “She must have had a last minute crisis at the paper.”

They just settled at the table and were looking at the menu, when Lynn came hurrying in. Greg held her chair for her. She was somewhat excited.

“One of my reporters has learned that they have identified the person that was shot. He was an employee of a large research laboratory in the East. That is all the Sheriff will say at this time,” said Lynn.

“Anything said about a woman?”

“You mean, when a man is shot you just automatically look for a woman,” said Penney.

“Cherchez la femme,” Lynn quickly said then added. “No there was no mention of a woman. Why do you ask?”

“Because I believe the man is the same one I saw in the Rose cafe, the same time I noticed the four men. He was accompanied by a woman, that everyone took to be his wife. I am sure I saw the two of them together, the afternoon the shots were fired in the wildlife area. I saw them driving down the road, past my place, toward the wildlife area. I’m sure the Sheriff will be looking for that young woman.”

“This is beginning to get real interesting,” commented Lynn. “This whole thing may be tied together in some way. Maybe I can get someone on a newspaper in the East on this. But I’ll have to find out who the victim is.”

“Let’s not be pre-empting the responsibilities of the Sheriff,” said Greg. “And let’s not be getting in the way of his investigation.”

“Well why don’t you fill us in on what you now know,” said Penney.

The waitress came and they ordered their lunch. Then Greg filled them in on what he knew. He told them that Gwen was not involved except for inadvertently giving some information to Jason’s group. He said he was sure that Gwen didn’t realize what she said was going to cause any problems. When he was finished, they all sat silent for a moment or two.

Then Lynn said, “Then it is possible that the shooting victim was tied in some way with the attempted break-in.”

“If he was a member of the other group. Yes that is possible. But as yet, there is no proof that he and his female companion were tied into it. Actually, I think the Sheriff is more interested in solving the shooting. It would be nice to tie the whole thing together, but that probably isn’t a high priority. Unless, that is, it helps him solve who did the shooting.”

“Maybe we could help by getting some information on this shooting victim,” said Lynn. “We did get some information on Jason.”

“You’re on your own. I want no part of it. I’ll just let the Sheriff do his work.”

“You’re no fun,” said Penney. “Where’s your investigative spirit.”

“I use that strictly in science. Murder is out of my realm. I’ll leave that to the professionals.”

“How do you know it was murder?” asked Lynn.

“I guess I don’t know,” said Greg. “I suppose I just assumed it was because the body was found in a vacant house, and there was evidence the house was broken into. I assumed the authorities were treating it as a homicide.”

“Actually,” said Lynn, “The only thing the Sheriff told the reporters was that a body was found in an empty house and that the person was identified as an employee of an Eastern research laboratory. The person had worked on some sensitive materials and consequently the FBI had a file on him. They said he died of a gunshot wound, but they weren’t saying anything beyond that. Oh, and incidentally, they did not say the house was broken into.”

“I guess they’re not saying anything more than they have to. I suppose being connected to a research lab, it would seem a logical assumption he was also here because of the formula. Especially as he and his companion seemed to have a great interest in the four men who were part of Jason’s group.” Greg thought for a moment before continuing, “If they were part of a rival group trying to get a copy of the formula, then it would mean that they knew Jason’s group were there with the same idea in mind.”

“Could it be that the second group rushed their attempt to get the copy because they knew another group was in the area with the same purpose in mind?” asked Penney. “That might be the reason it looked like a comedy of errors.”

“But why was that person shot and by whom?” said Greg. “According to my information, violence is usually not a part of industrial/business espionage such as this.”

“Do you like being in the middle of all of this?” asked Lynn looking intently at Greg.

“No, emphatically not,” answered Greg with feeling. “I thought I was home free. This formula was going to be my last hurrah in science. I was going to give it up for good and settle down to a nice quiet life of writing and painting. And enjoying my house and my friends.”

“No romantic interest?” teased Penney.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Ah, but women are trouble,” Lynn reminded him.

“Oh, don’t I know. I just have to remember not to get in too deep.”

“You dreamer, you,” said Penney laughingly. “He’s going to need a guardian, don’t you think, Lynn?”

“Oh, definitely. I always thought so.”

“Hey. You two can be my guardians anytime,” said Greg, and they all laughed. Their lunch arrived and they concentrated on their food. After lunch, Penney and Lynn said they had to get back to the office. They weren’t persons of leisure like Greg. They said, seeing as he had the privilege of lunching with two beautiful and charming women, he should be happy to pick up the check. Greg didn’t raise any objections. Actually he agreed wholeheartedly. Thursday as planned he finished up the final colored sketch he wanted to show Christy.

Friday, midmorning, he gave Christy a call. He caught her alone in her office.

“Hi Christy. The color sketch is finished. When do you want to come out and see it.”

Without any hesitation Christy replied. “How about tonight for dinner.”

“You had better come a little early so you can see the sketch before we start making dinner,” said Greg waiting to hear her reaction to that suggestion.

“That’s what I thought I’d do,” said Christy, again without any hesitation. This should be a very interesting and enjoyable night, thought Greg. Midafternoon, he went into the kitchen to get things set up. He already had set up the final color sketch in his studio so Christy could view it. He was just reviewing everything when he heard Christy’s car pull into the yard. He went to greet her at the door. She came in carrying an overnight bag. She set the bag down as she came in the door. Then she walked into his outstretched arms. Their hug and kiss gave promise of what was to come later.

“This should be a very interesting evening,” said Greg.

“I hope so,” Christy answered with a smile.

Greg picked up her bag and took it into his bedroom. Then he came back and escorted her to the studio. Christy looked at the color sketch he had on the easel.

“It’s perfect, Greg. It’s absolutely beautiful. I’m sure they’ll love it.”

“Let’s hope so. Then I can get busy on the painting. I have the canvas stretched and ready. Now that we have taken care of that, let’s fix dinner. I have it planned out so it shouldn’t take too long.”

“Let’s go. I’m hungry in more ways than one,” and she snuggled into his arms as they walked to the kitchen. Christy had brought some wine along to go with the dinner, although she knew Greg had a more than adequate wine cellar. Dinner was an intimate and romantic affair. The evening continued that way with an after-dinner drink in front of the fireplace and then to bed. Unlike Penney, Christy did not slip out early the next morning, but stayed for an intimate breakfast before she took her departure. Christy said she would get back to Greg after she worked out possible dates for a meeting with her client.

Sunday morning, on the spur of the moment he decided to go into Montrose for breakfast, even though it would not be as good a day to catch the local gossip. As he neared Frank Casson’s farm, he saw Serena Tellou walking by the side of the road. He stopped the car and rolled down the window.

“Out for a stroll before breakfast?”

Serena, turning and seeing who it was, said, “Yes, I was. Where are you heading so early on a Sunday morning.”

“I was heading for the Rose cafe in Montrose for breakfast. Would you be interested in coming along?”

“If you will drive me up to house first so I can get some more appropriate clothes on, I would be happy to come.” Serena came over to the car and got in and Greg drove her up to the house. He waited while Serena went inside to change clothes. Then they drove into Montrose. They parked a short distance from the cafe and walked toward it.

“You realize this is going to start all kinds of rumors,” said Greg.

“That thought just crossed my mind, too,” said Serena, laughing at the thought. “All the single girls will be mad at me, an interloper coming in and snatching up the most eligible bachelor.” Both of them laughed at the thought. As they walked into the cafe, everyone in the cafe looked at them. Greg could just imagine their minds at work. Then he thought with chagrin that this might wreck his chances of learning if anyone had begun to suspect the break-in attempt was aimed at his place. Well he couldn’t do anything about that now. They lucked out and found a booth that had just been vacated. The waitress came over to clean it off.

“Good morning, Dr. Manart. How are you this fine morning?” the waitress said.

“I’m wonderful, Gretchen,” Greg said. “How are you, or isn’t that a fair question seeing as you have to work this morning?”

“Oh, I don’t mind working this morning seeing as I have the afternoon off,” was the reply. “What are you having this morning?” Both Greg and Serena gave her their orders.

“I noticed you got the friendly greeting, Greg, but I got all but ignored. I was right wasn’t I.”

“The funny thing is that Gretchen has a very steady boyfriend who she plans to marry this summer, according to my informants.”

“But I’m an outsider, and you belong to them. That’s the way people think. I’m moving in on their territory. Even to Frank and Edna, you are part of the local community. You’re one of them, consequently you belong to them. Especially if you’re an eligible bachelor.”

“That never even occurred to me. It’s nice to be considered part of a community, but it looks like it can be inconvenient at times.”

“Oh, not for you. And besides, unless I act like an old witch to everyone, I’ll soon become part of the community just like you.”

“Now that you bring it to mind, it isn’t just women who act like that.” said Greg.

“Oh, no,” said Serena. “Men are just the same, and sometimes even worse, because they’re less subtle.”

“Well, with you now building a place on your uncle’s farm, you should become a member of the community.”

“Only if I work at it, and it still takes time. Oh it’s not going to bother me. I’ve knocked around too much. I can wait. I’m patient when I have to be.” she added. “Besides, it’s not important that I get instant acceptance in the community. I’m coming here because I think it’s a great place to do my writing. Oh I’ll work at being accepted in the community, just like I expect you did. It can make the whole experience more pleasant.”

About this time their breakfasts came and they concentrated for the moment on enjoying their breakfast. After they had finished, a few good friends of Frank and Edna’s stopped to talk to Serena. Several other people stopped to talk to Greg. Nobody mentioned they figured out that Greg’s was the place the break-in was attempted. He expected, if someone had figured that out, they would be asking him about it. That basically gave him the information he was looking for, so it was a profitable trip. Besides he had very pleasant company. He decided, his thought to invite Serena along with Dexter to the next dinner gathering, was a valid one.

Greg paid the bill and took Serena home. Greg asked her if she would like to come to the next dinner gathering, and Serena said she would love to do so. He told her he would call her and let her know as soon as a date was set.

Tuesday Greg got a call from Christy. Her clients suggested a meeting a week from Wednesday at their headquarters. They thought that would give Greg a chance to see where the painting would be hung. Christy said they could fly out Tuesday evening and the client would get them rooms at a hotel in their city. They could show the sketch in the morning, have lunch with the client and be on their way home Wednesday afternoon or early evening. Greg said that was fine with him. He didn’t have anything pressing that week. He said the timetable seemed fine also as it would only keep him away for one day. The sooner he got the okay on the sketch and got back to his studio, the quicker he could start work on the oil painting. He was getting anxious now to get started on the painting.

Wednesday Greg got a call from Mark Janes.

“Greg,” said Mark. “Do you think the group would have any objection if Celeste joined me in being a host of a dinner?”

“I don’t think anyone would object. I think we all expect Celeste to be a part of the group anyway. Do you have a time in mind?” Greg asked.

“We thought about a week from Friday, if that’s all right with you?”

“That should be fine. Any idea who you’ll get to act as co-hosts?”

“I thought I’d check with Tim and Gwen Talbot. I’ll let you know.”

“Oh, by the way, I thought we might invite Serena Tellou and Dexter Boszin.” said Greg. “I think you know Dexter. He’s a Veterinarian.”

“Yes, I know Dexter. I think he’d make a good candidate for the group. I suppose we’ll be inviting Andy and Margo back also?”

“I haven’t heard any reason not to invite them.”

“Good. I’ll get back to you soon,” said Mark.

The weather was starting to warm up. Greg wondered if he’d have to have the air-conditioning going for the dinner. For a dinner for a large group, the kitchen might get a little warm. Well he’d just have to see what the weather brought for that day. It was over a week away. However he’d better let Serena know as soon as he knew it was on for sure. That would be when Mark called and let him know he had two other co-hosts. They always tried to make it four so it would be less work for everyone.

Friday, Mark called. “Greg, is there something going on with Gwen and Tim that I’m not aware of? I talked to them yesterday and they were different. They said they couldn’t co-host and they wouldn’t be there. They made it sound like they were dropping out.”

“That surprises me.” said Greg. “I don’t know of anything that has happened that would cause them to drop out. But I haven’t seen them for a while, come to think of it. They gave no reason?”

“No. They just kind of cut me off, and that’s not like them.”

“I wonder if I should call them.”

“I don’t think I would,” said Mark. “I got the definite impression they didn’t want to talk. Anyway, I talked to Anton and he said he’d be happy to be a host. Then I saw Lynn at the bank this morning, and she said she would but she couldn’t get there real early Friday afternoon. I told her that was no problem, because Celeste and I would be out early to start the process and Anton said he could be also.”

“Good.” said Greg. “I’ll check with Serena and Dexter and let you know about them.”

“We’ll take care of letting the rest know. I’ll be talking to you during the week.”

Next week was going to be somewhat hectic. Tuesday, he and Christy would be leaving town and not coming back until Wednesday night. Then Friday the group would gather at his place for dinner. That was okay because then he could block out the next two weeks for work on the painting and his novel. If there were any breakfasts or dinners in there they would be one-on-one affairs.

Saturday morning he took off for the woods. It was a beautiful warm day with the sun shining brightly. He really loved the woods on days like this. The birds were singing, and the animals were frisking about. Even his presence didn’t seem to bother some of them. The squirrels sat up in the trees and scolded him for invading their turf, but they weren’t running away. These wanderings through the woods really relaxed him. It was wonderful therapy.

When he returned to the house, he had a message from the Sheriff to call him sometime next week when it was convenient. The Sheriff probably wanted to go over the latest developments in the cases and get his reactions and his thoughts on the developments. It might be that he wanted to see if Greg could add anything, or shed some additional light, that would help them in their investigation. He would either try to call Monday afternoon or wait until Thursday. Maybe he would wait until Thursday. The Sheriff didn’t seem to indicate it was urgent.

That evening, after dinner, he poured himself a Drambue and went and sat in front of the fireplace, to reflect on the happenings of the past several weeks. Things had really got all messed up. He began to wonder what had happened to Gwen and Tim. He tried to make up his mind whether he should follow Mark’s suggestion or not. Of course he didn’t know if there was anything wrong. That was Mark’s analysis. He decided to wait and see if one of them would call him, or if someone else in the group reported the same situation. He put any further consideration of that problem on hold and went to bed.

Sunday, he went into Barton to church, and then to a restaurant close-by for lunch. He met Lynn there. She was with a friend. She told him she was going to be one of the co-hosts and he told her that he would be out-of-town on Wednesday. Monday morning he called Serena and told her there would be a dinner on Friday and she was invited. She told him she was having lunch with Claire Gordon, and Greg said to greet Claire for him.

“No other message?” asked Serena.

“No. Just give her my love.” Serena laughed.

“Is that your message to all your women friends?” asked Serena.

“Only the beautiful ones.”

“Oh. I thought all your women friends were beautiful.”

“They are.”

“Wasn’t it Lynn that said you hadn’t lost any of your blarney?” said Serena laughingly. Greg just laughed and didn’t reply.

“I’ll talk to you before Friday.” said Serena and hung up.

Greg put in a call to Dexter Broszin to inform him of the dinner, tell him he was invited, and explain a little of what, these dinner get-togethers were all about. Dexter said it sounded interesting and he would be there. Greg didn’t have to explain where he lived because Dexter had been to his place several times over the past years. In addition, Dexter had roamed the wooded area next to Greg’s place numerous times.

Later that day Anton called to report that if the two guests were coming, there would be fifteen for dinner on Friday. He didn’t mention Gwen or Tim Talbot. Greg decided not to say anything either. That they seemed to be dropping out, bothered him though. Gwen was an old friend and Tim had done an occasional small legal job for Greg. Besides, he had introduced Gwen and Tim to each other. If they didn’t call within the next two weeks, he would have to call them. He couldn’t just forget it. They had been members of the group for too long.

Tuesday was spent making sure everything was in order for his trip that evening with Christy. He made sure the colored sketch was well protected, and that he would have appropriate clothes for the Wednesday morning meeting. He wanted to make sure he made the right impression for Christy’s sake. For himself, he tended to ignore convention in dress. This, however, could be important for Christy and he was not about to mess it up for her. He had Christy make sure certain props and equipment would be available for the showing. He picked Christy up, and made sure they arrived at the airport in plenty of time. When she saw Greg, Christy let out a little whistle.

“You really look sharp, Greg.”

“I thought I should look the respectable escort for such a beautiful young lady.”

“You flatterer, and I love it,” she said.

The trip was uneventful. At dinner, they discussed their plan for the presentation. They decided Christy would handle all preliminary introductions and explanations. Then Greg would explain the idea behind the picture then handle the unveiling of the large colored sketch with explanation of the dimensions and their relationship to the finished painting. They agreed on a time to meet for breakfast, when they would go over how they were going to handle things and make contingency plans in case something went wrong. The company was sending a car to the hotel to pick them up in the morning.

The meeting in the morning started without a hitch. Christy went through her pitch like the pro she had become. Greg picked it up easily and went through his presentation smoothly. He unveiled the large colored sketch, and explained the relationship of it to how the finished painting would look. The CEO looked at it with a happy smile on his face.

“That is exactly what I was hoping for,” he said. “I think it is exactly what we need on that wall as the first thing they see when they walk into our building. In other words, I think it’s perfect. I’ll be anxious to see the finished painting. Do you have a ball park figure as to what it will cost for the finished painting.”

Greg laughed. “I don’t work by the hour, so yes, I can tell you what I will charge you to do the finished painting.” Greg named a figure, which he knew was somewhat less than they would be figuring they would have to pay him. There was a look of surprise on the CEO’s face.

“I’m probably shooting myself in the foot, but I did expect to have to pay you more than that,” he said.

Greg laughed. “I knew that I probably could have charged you more than what I quoted, but it is sufficient to pay me for my time and effort.” Then Greg added, “I ordinarily do not accept assignments like this, and I probably won’t again. So this is going to be one of a kind. Besides, as an artist, I am in the enviable position of not having to depend on my painting for my livelihood. So that is the price I will charge you for the finished painting once it is delivered to you. I expect to have it finished by early Fall, at the latest. I will let you know through Ms. Jorgenson, when you can expect the finished painting.”

The CEO smiled happily. “In that case let’s wrap this up and go to lunch. We have had a very successful morning. I congratulate you Ms. Jorgenson on doing such a superb job of communicating our wishes. And of course, you Dr. Manart, for translating that into this beautiful color rendition.” Greg and Christy just smiled and nodded their thanks. The lunch was a relaxed and upbeat one. Obviously Christy was very pleased with the results of the morning meeting. As Greg had said, it was going to be a real feather in her cap with the agency.

After the lunch, Greg and Christy returned to the hotel and checked out. They were able to catch an earlier flight that brought them into Barton in the early evening. Greg considered asking Christy if she would like to go to dinner before going home, but decided against it. He dropped her off at her townhouse and headed for home. He dropped off his suitcase in his room and headed for the kitchen. The phone rang as he walked into the kitchen. A lilting voice greeted him.

“Did you just get home? I called you earlier. I said I’d talk to you before Friday,” Greg recognized Serena’s voice.

“Yes I did just get home, Serena, and I was about to fix myself something light for dinner.”

“What if I brought over the makings for a couple steak sandwiches?” inquired Serena.

Greg hesitated being taken somewhat by surprise. Now, what, he wondered. However, gentleman that he was, and curious also, he said, “Fine. I’ll put dinner on hold until you get here.”

“It will only take me a minute.”

A short time later Greg heard her car pull into the yard. He met her at the door.

“Just to set the record straight right away. I’m not planning to stay over night,” Serena said with a slight smile on her face. “I have something I want to ask your opinion on.” Greg was on the verge of saying something about that he preferred to be the aggressor the first time, but thought better of it and instead asked,

“And it couldn’t wait until tomorrow?”

“Oh, yes. But it was such a nice night, it was a pity to waste it sitting at home. I thought you might not mind the company.”

“Oh I’m delighted with the company. I didn’t want to give the impression that I wasn’t.”

“Well now that we have gotten over the sparring and the pleasantries, shall we fix the steak sandwiches.” said Serena. Greg laughed and began getting things ready to prepare the steaks and make the sandwiches. Then he selected a bottle of wine and poured two glasses for them. They busied themselves preparing the sandwiches then sat down at the table to eat. After a few bites, Greg looked at Serena and asked,

“What was it that you wanted my opinion about.”

Between bites and sips of wine Serena said, “Aunt Edna thinks I should continue living in their house, which you know is very nice, and build a place that would serve more as a place in which to just do my writing.”

“What’s your feeling on that? Do you think it would work for you? It would not be like having your own place.”

“That is what I immediately thought,” said Serena thoughtfully, “but she does have a point in that it would free me from fixing meals and all the chores that go with that. In addition, it would free me from some of the cleaning tasks.”

“Would it cramp your style?” asked Greg with a smile. Serena laughed.

“Well the place I plan to build is not that far away from their house, and Aunt Edna could always watch to see who came and how long they stayed,” said Serena with a smile and Greg laughed.

“What you’re saying is that you’d have to conduct your affairs someplace else, anyway.”

“That’s putting it rather bluntly.” Serena smiled at Greg.

“But we’re getting away from the question, aren’t we,” said Greg. “Should you build a complete house where you can live and work, or should you build essentially a building to write in and continue living with your aunt and uncle.”

“Yes, that’s it exactly. I’m not sure at this point in time, which I should do, or maybe I should say which I want to do.”

“Well, which one would you be perfectly comfortable with? Or maybe I should rephrase that to, which one would you be most comfortable with?”

“What if I’m not completely comfortable with either?”

“Then, according to my thinking, you shouldn’t be building the place at all. Don’t you think it would tend to affect your ability to write, under those circumstances?” asked Greg.

“You’re saying I may not have found my answer.” Serena looked intently at Greg.

“I don’t really know. It’s your question to answer. I can only speculate.” He looked at Serena. She did really look genuinely confused by this problem.

“Why don’t I pour us another glass of wine which we can take into the other room by the fireplace and you can cogitate on this problem for a few minutes. It works for me,” said Greg. He did as he suggested and they went in and sat by the fireplace.

“It is peaceful, isn’t it,” said Serena, after a moment. They didn’t say anything for several minutes but just sat there watching the fire. Then Serena said thoughtfully, “I could build a complete house, but then live with them and work in my house to see how that would go. If that didn’t work out, I could then move into the house I built.”

“And what if there were problems with that?” asked Greg glancing sideways at Serena.

“You are playing the Devil’s Advocate aren’t you.” said Serena looking quietly into the fire. “I have feeling you think I should make up my mind now.”

“I think you would be much happier that way. I think your Aunt Edna is beginning to see you as the daughter she never had.”

Serena looked at him rather startled. “Do you really think so.” Then she added almost at once, “Why didn’t I see that. I think you’re right.” She fell silent and Greg sat there waiting for her to speak first. “I had better build the complete house. Establish my own base. I could still be the daughter that lives close by and visits regularly.”

“I think that might be the best solution. I think it would eliminate some possible problems.”