Read Vultures at Twilight for Free Online

and they’re contentious, which is why the probate judge ordered the estate liquidated.’
    â€˜That’s different from the will?’ he asked.
    â€˜Yes and no. The will had a provision where the heirs could take turns selecting items from the house, but one of the sons said he just wanted the money and the other two wanted the same item first and then there are the grandchildren who wouldn’t know Sheraton from Shinola. The judge tried, but after two hours, he couldn’t take the bickering and asked me – as the executrix – to go ahead and liquidate.’
    â€˜Out of curiosity,’ he asked, ‘which is the piece that the two sons wanted?’
    â€˜I’ll show you,’ Ada said, and we followed her into the living room.
    There, behind a hyperactive philodendron and a potted palm, hung a gilt-framed painting of three women in Victorian dresses and picture hats at a seaside picnic.
    â€˜Oh my!’ Tolliver stared at the painting. He stepped over the plants to get a closer look. He ran the tips of his fingers gently across the surface of the large canvas. He pulled out a pair of half glasses and studied the red-paint signature in the corner. ‘Unless they are in a huge hurry, we should consign this to either Christie’s or Sotheby’s.’
    â€˜What is it?’ I asked, having never really given much thought to this particular painting hidden behind Evie’s indoor jungle.
    He sighed. ‘It’s an extremely desirable work of American Impressionism. The painter was a man named Childe Hassam. He was part of the artist community in Old Lyme, so it’s not unheard of for one of his canvases to turn up like this. Still, this appears to be in pristine condition and was painted at the height of his popularity; it’s spectacular. It has everything you want in a Hassam painting; beautiful ladies, the beach, gorgeous sky, lots of impasto. To get top dollar, it should go to one of the New York houses.’
    â€˜What’s it worth?’ Ada asked, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
    â€˜Hard to say. I wouldn’t be surprised if it brought three hundred thousand, maybe more. It’s clearly the single most valuable thing here.’ He smiled in our direction. ‘Unless you know of any other American masterpieces hidden in the cupboards?’ The corners of his eyes crinkled pleasantly and dimples formed in his cheeks.
    It was hard not to like him, and I could tell that Ada felt the same. He knew his business, and thus far my antennae hadn’t been alerted to any underlying fraud or attempt to put one over.
    He finished his inventory, and as he set to leave, he handed each of us a heavy cream-colored card. ‘You might want to do something about that painting,’ he cautioned. ‘I don’t see a security system, and human nature being what it is, I’ve seen things like that go missing.’
    â€˜You don’t think . . .’ Ada started.
    â€˜It wouldn’t hurt to get an insurance rider and put it in storage. Whether or not you decide to go with us, I’d be happy to show you how to do that.’
    â€˜That’s good of you,’ Ada said. ‘I’ll be in touch either way.’
    We shook hands all around and then watched from the doorway as he headed out to a sporty black BMW convertible.
    â€˜He seemed respectable,’ I commented.
    â€˜First of the bunch,’ she said, checking the clock. ‘Let’s put some water on before the next one gets here.’
    â€˜You don’t just want to go with Tolliver?’ I asked.
    She sighed. ‘I’d love to,’ she replied, heading to Evie’s rooster-themed kitchen. ‘But if I don’t get three quotes, someone is going to raise a fuss. And don’t have a fit, but number two is Mildred Potts.’
    â€˜You didn’t . . . Oh, Ada, after the auction?’
    â€˜I know, but no one was