led them through to the rear of the gallery, past shelves stacked with blocks of drying timber awaiting their time to be transformed. Bree noted a small area, blocked off with screens, behind which the foot of a double bed could just be seen.
In the middle of the large workroom was a workbench where gauges and chisels, the tools of trade for a woodworker, were neatly arranged.
Seated at the bench and working at a block of oak, was a young man of impressive size. The muscles in his back and arms stood out as he hunched over his work, guiding the gouge over the wood and raising a curling shaving from the model of a horse he was creating.
As they moved towards him, the rear door opened and a tall, strikingly beautiful woman entered, with a painting under each arm. She walked to where another two paintings were propped against a cupboard and added these latest two to the stack.
‘Oh good, you’re both here,’ said Mrs Green.
As Toby Brown looked up from his work the breath caught at the back of Bree’s throat. He was gorgeous!
Sam didn’t notice. He was more interested in the blonde with the paintings. Jade Green introduced them.
‘This is Toby Brown, who created all the figurines outside, and this is Lana Reynolds who painted all the wonderful pictures. Perhaps, together, they may be able to come up with something for you.’
She passed Bree’s card to Toby.
‘These people are from the Save the Country Fund. They’re looking for a suitable logo for the fund.’
‘What country are you saving?’ asked Lana.
Bree could see this was going to be the standard question whenever the name of the fund was mentioned. She wished the powers that be had picked a more specific name. It was going to become very frustrating.
Sam had moved off to one side, taking more photos, leaving her to answer all the questions.
‘As I explained to your assistant here, we seek to encourage the eco-sustainability of the urban landscape.’
‘Is that what you said before?’ asked Mrs Green.
‘It’s a general terminology only,’ replied Bree, trying desperately to remember just what she had said.
‘So what you’re after is something that reflects nature, as a back yard,’ offered Lana.
‘That’s it exactly,’ said Sam, even though he had no idea.
Lana and Toby looked at one another and tried to decide if these people were serious. They certainly didn’t seem to know what they wanted.
‘Maybe we should start with the wood,’ suggested Toby.
‘What sort do you want?’
‘What sort of wood do you have?’ asked Sam.
Toby looked at Mrs Green with a bemused expression. ‘I’ve got cherry, pine, larch, fir, yew, sycamore, alder, maple, walnut, cedar, oak …
‘Oak!’ interrupted Bree. ‘Oak. Back yards have oak trees.’
Toby said: ‘OK. Oak it is. I have a nice big cross-section back here. I’ll just get it out,’
Lana said: ‘What sort of design do you want Toby to etch on to it?’
‘Perhaps you could suggest something,’ said Sam.
‘Well it’s a back yard, so what’s in a back yard?’
‘Kids,’ offered Sam.
‘Trees of course,’ said Mrs Green.
‘Pets,’ suggested Sam again.
Lana held up her hand. ‘Just a minute.’ She moved off to the gallery to get a piece of paper and pen just as Toby returned with the almost circular cut of oak.
‘Will this be big enough?’
‘That will be perfect,’ said Sam. He had absolutely no idea what size they needed.
Lana returned with pen and paper and began to draw a stylised tree with an animal and a child beneath it. The tree could have been any type, the child any sex, and the animal anything from a mouse to a horse.
‘That’s perfect,’ said Bree. ‘How much will that cost?’
Toby looked at them and named a price. He had learned a lot about ‘asking’ prices since starting his own business and was surprised when Sam immediately produced his wallet and paid the ten per cent deposit there and then in cash. They hadn’t even tried to talk him down.
Mrs Green escorted Sam and Bree back into the gallery where she wrote down their address and promised the completed plaque would be delivered.
As Bree and Sam left the building, Lana turned to Toby and Mrs Green. ‘I’ve never heard of that group before, but they certainly appear to be well funded.’
‘I thought they would have wanted me to do it for nothing as my contribution to the ecology.’
‘A very strange fund,’ opined Mrs Green.
Chapter Four
Bree and Sam were more than pleased with their efforts. They had successfully been able to scrutinise their target from very close quarters and had met two of her closest friends. Plus all the photos – not only inside and outside the gallery but also Toby Brown’s private workshop and living quarters. It couldn’t have gone better.
In his bedroom back at the pub, Sam downloaded the photos on to his laptop, storing a further copy on disc for safe keeping.
While he worked on the photos, Bree was at work on her own computer, recording the conversations and any observations that might be of relevance to the investigation. She also read further into the backgrounds of the people who were close to Jade Green.
After tea, they returned to Sam’s room where Bree studied Sam’s photos while he reviewed her notes, amending and adding from his own observances.
‘We’re going to have to be extremely careful who we talk to in this village,’ said Bree.
‘Lots of gossiping,’ commented Sam.
‘Even worse than that, I’ve reviewed some of the files. Although it looks like Toby Brown spends a lot of his time at the gallery, his latest address on official documents is Jade Green’s home address. So he lives with her and works with her. On top of that, Lana Reynolds, who we just met and who displays her paintings at Toby Brown’s gallery, lives next door to Jade Green.’
‘So they’re all one big happy family.’
‘You haven’t heard the best bit yet. Lana’s husband, Brian Reynolds, is a new junior partner at Grant and Associates and his office is above the gallery.’
Bree brought up the relevant photo
