He left the basket on the counter. “Something smells great.”
“It’s spicy beef and black bean soup. All it needs is another hour to simmer and we’ll have a nice hot meal for dinner. What have you got there?”
“Mrs. Bennett has been baking. She thought you might enjoy some Christmas treats.”
Cathy wiped her hands on a dish towel. “That was nice of her, but she’s got enough to do without making things for us.”
“You know what Mrs. Bennett’s like. She’s happiest when she’s in the kitchen. It gives her a lot of pleasure being able to cook for someone else.”
Cathy peeked under the basket’s lid. “The food looks lovely. I’ll call her later to thank her. Would you like a cup of coffee?”
He shook his head. “I can’t stay for long, but thanks for the offer. I’ve got something I need to ask you, but please don’t take offense.”
“Thomas hasn’t been in trouble again, has he?”
“No. It’s nothing like that.” Brett stuck his hands in his pockets. “An oil painting has gone missing from Pat’s home. It’s only small.” Brett held out his hands to show Cathy the size. “Pat hung it to the left of the attic stairs.”
“Do you have a picture of what the painting looks like?”
Brett pulled out a copy of the photograph Hannah had emailed him. “This is it.”
Cathy studied the photo. “It’s a beautiful painting. I don’t remember seeing it while we were there. Do you think Thomas had something to do with its disappearance?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m here. We’ve looked everywhere and can’t find it.”
“I’ll get Thomas. He’s in the garage working on our neighbor’s snow blower.”
While Cathy was gone, Brett looked around the kitchen. There were pictures of Thomas and his sisters on the refrigerator and walls. They all looked happy to be together. In one photo, Thomas was standing beside a man who had the same strawberry blond hair.
“That’s my dad,” Thomas said from the kitchen doorway. He visited us two years ago.”
“You look alike.”
“That’s what mom says, too. I didn’t know you were coming into town today.”
“Neither did I,” Brett said. “Something happened at the ranch and I need to ask you a couple of questions.”
“Is Mr. McConachie all right?”
“He’s fine, but we’ve lost a painting. It showed two little boys playing with their sailboats. It was hanging at the top of the stairs.”
Thomas shook his head. “I don’t know where it’s gone. Have you asked Dave?”
“I did that before I came into town.”
“What about asking Hannah? She moved some of the paintings when she was helping Mr. McConachie with his art collection.”
Brett shook his head. “She doesn’t know where it is.”
Laura raced into the kitchen. “There you are. We need you to be a dragon.”
Thomas frowned. “I’m helping Brett. Then after that, I’m going back to the garage to fix our neighbor’s snow blower.”
“You promised you’d play with us.”
“I helped you find the sheets and move the furniture.”
Laura pouted. “That’s not enough. We’re princesses and we need a dragon.”
