7b2696c981e3d60fa8abbc841c83ccf4

Veronica nodded.“So I asked Dave what his plans were. Usually I don’t bother with the work of his foundation, but this struck me as odd, so I insisted to know the reason for this sudden lavishness. He told me that Jayme Ziccardi was very talented, and he had decided to groom her as his successor. Which caused all kinds of alarm bells to go off in my head, especially when I found the girl on Facebook and saw she was exceptionally pretty. So when my husband was out last week, I went through his stuff in his studio upstairs, and found a bunch of drawings the Ziccardi girl had made, all tucked into a file, with a couple of snapshots of her and her grandma, and also a bunch of legal documents. So I took pictures of everything, and took them to Waldo, and he confessed that Dave was in the process of drawing up a new will, leaving his entire estate to Miss Ziccardi. Which is when I knew Dave had fallen head over heels in love with this dreadful girl.”

“And what did you do when you found out?” asked Chase.

“Like I said, I confronted him, but he denied having an affair with her. He said she was just a very talented young artist, and claimed his interest in her was purely professional. Of course I didn’t believe him, so then I went over to that art school Dave has set up in town and confronted the girl herself, warning her to stay away from my husband.”

“This was on Saturday, correct?” asked Odelia.

Veronica nodded curtly.“She must have realized the gig was up, and that I was going to have that will contested and destroyed. So she decided to kill my husband before that could happen. Not knowing that by doing so, she effectively nullified the will.” A grim expression stole over her face. “I hope she rots in jail for the rest of her miserable life.” For a moment, her harsh words hung in the air, then she abruptly got up. “And now I think it’s time for you to leave. My husband is dead, and you’ll excuse me for wanting to mourn his passing in peace.”

“Of course,” said Chase. “Please accept my sincerest condolences, Mrs. James.”

“Thank you, detective,” said Veronica, then directed a stern look at the gardens. “Now if you could please ask the Ziccardi girl what she did with Tollie, I’d be much obliged.”

Chapter 11

We were back with the banker, and this time he didn’t seem as jolly as he was before. In fact he looked a little distracted when Odelia and Chase sat down in front of his desk.

“So how can I help you?” he asked nonetheless.

“You probably heard what happened to your client,” said Chase, opening the interview.

Waldo rearranged his features into an appropriately sad look.“A tragedy,” he intoned. “An absolute tragedy. Dave James was a genius, and a giant of the comic strip community, and he will be sorely missed. The world has lost a fine artist and a great human being.”

“You’ve probably also heard that Jayme Ziccardi was arrested and charged with Dave’s murder?”

“Yes, a very unexpected development, I must say. I can’t believe she would be capable of such a heinous act of gratuitous violence.” He scooted forward on his chair a little and said, with a certain degree of eagerness, “Is it true that Dave was murdered with an ax?”

“I’m afraid we can’t divulge any details about the investigation,” said Chase.

“No, of course not,” the banker murmured with a touch of disappointment.

“So I talked to Dave’s lawyer,” said Chase. “And he told me Dave had drawn up a new will leaving his entire estate to Jayme Ziccardi. What can you tell us about that?”

“Well, it’s true,” the banker confirmed. “He came to me for advice about a month ago or so, and we discussed the matter at length. You see, Dave was at an age when it becomes imperative to select a successor. He wanted Tollie the Turtle, which he considered his life’s work, to go on afterhis death, and so he’d started looking for someone who could take over. In fact the first time he mentioned this to me was two years ago, when he turned seventy. But then he got busy with other stuff. Also, no man likes to think about his death, especially a person as vital and full of life as Dave, and so he kept putting off the decision to a later date. Until a year ago, when Fernleigh Cabanes, who runs the Gardner Institute of Art for us, showed us some drawings a potential student had made. Dave thought they held promise, and personally decided to grant her a scholarship and followed her progress ever since. He had a great eye for talent, and was convinced she’d be able to carry on his work and safeguard his legacy.”

“But didn’t he have a studio of artists working for him?” asked Odelia.

“Oh, yes, he did, but apparently he didn’t find what he needed with those artists—fine craftspeople though they all are, of course.”

“And what about the inheritance?” asked Chase. “Why suddenly settle his entire estate on Jayme? Just because she could draw well? That doesn’t make any sense.”