Page 98 of Fresh Canvas
Val was helping me investigate.
Were the keycard logs really that unreadable?
But Val was my “Watson.”
Hehad written the condition report on the forgery. He had visited the storage room. He knew how to unlock the coded doors. He had been the first to open its crate.
The grassy park tilted, the hazy edges of my vision swirling. Bile rose in my throat. I was going to be sick.
But, Kendra knew about the painting too.
Was Val covering for her? Why would he do that?
Did Val give up on the investigation once I got too close?
Give up onme?
Although I fought with all my might, the next question slammed into me with the vehemence of a battering ram.
Is Val Kendra’s accomplice?
Istumbled down the grass-lined sidewalk. Kate felt sorry for my sudden bout of nausea, wishing me well as I left the class early. My yoga mat bounced mindlessly against my shoulder blades, the velocity of my thoughts increasing with each step.
I didn’t want to believe it. Ididn’tbelieve it. The man I knew Val to be didn’t fit the mold of someone who would deceive.
But then again, neither had Ryan.
That two-faced liar.
“Man, do I know how to pick em.”
Ryan. Val. Just two sides of the same coin. How much of our relationship had been a lie?
It had been quick. Too quick. It took Ryan over ten years to betray me. Val had achieved that in less than a month.
My ponytail shook back and forth in disgust.
What a ride it must have been for Val. How cunning he must have felt, concealing his crimesandwinning the girl. What a thrill it must have given him, to lie with his lips pressed to mine. My skin crawled at the thought.
Did Kendra know about our mock investigation? Surely Val would have told her by now. Had she been keeping tabs this whole time? I pictured them laughing in her office, plotting how to extort information and send me on wild goose chases. Did Kendra tell Val to cut me off?
Or had he decided that on his own?
Sunlight dappled the leaves overhead. Birds chirped, concealed within green branches. Children’s laughter carried on the breeze as a dog walker passed by.
What a lovely day he ruined.
No, what a lovely day to ruinhim.
Miraculously, my pining for him dissipated like smoky tendrils. The weak thumps in my chest became stronger, and my chin lifted a fraction of an inch. Anger pulsed through me, stitching together every shattered piece Val had left in his wake.
I was now theonlyperson that knew about the forgery who wasn’t trying to hide it. It was all up to me now. Felix Andreas deserved justice.Ideserved justice. The laughable breadcrumbs Val and Kendra had scattered would make for an excellent start.
My heartbreak nurse had been replaced by a bounty hunter.
A seething, door-busting, throw-you-in-jail-within-twenty-four-hours type of hunter.
Liam Neeson was me, and I was Liam Neeson.
