Page 132 of Fresh Canvas
Barbara beamed at him before dropping back behind her computer screen.
I mouthed, “Angel? Seriously?”
Val’s smirk deepened. I rolled my eyes, though a deep breath filled me with strength.
That son of a gun.
He had used humor to ground me, and it worked. I had forgotten how well he truly knew me, despite our short relationship.
So I brightened my tone to match his and said, “Actually, would it be alright if I use your bathroom too? I’m already dreading the drive back.” I coerced a smile, batting my doe eyes.
“Of course. In fact, we’re pretty much done here. You nowknow all my secrets.” She chuckled and pushed back from the desk. “I’ll walk you two out.” She started to rise before Val interrupted.
“Actually, Barbara, I was hoping you could help me as well. You see, I’m having an issue with a new museum partner in Santa Fe. It won’t take long, but it would be a shame to leave without your expert opinion.”
The flattery met its mark. Barbara waved a mindless hand at me as she sat back down. “Go ahead to the bathroom, Amantha. We’ll meet you down there in a minute.”
Following Val’s directions to the kitchen, I crept past it to the darkened stairs and into the basement. Room after room of squeaking hinges and rattling door knobs sent my panic rising. Seconds flowed into minutes—too many minutes.
The floor creaked far above me, footsteps beginning to shuffle about. I gritted my teeth and pushed open yet another door.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as I stepped across the threshold into a luxurious music room. Acoustic red drapery hung across the walls, the floor covered in plush carpet. Languid rays of light from the chandelier reflected off a gleaming maple piano. My blood slowed to a stop in my veins as I inched closer to the black frame above it. Time stopped entirely as I breathed in the beckoning waters of Lake Attersee.
The whimsical lily whispered its secrets to me as its ivory petals ruffled in the breeze. The wooden dock creaked as waves lapped against it, the corner smooth and polished. Layers of oil paint lay atop one another as my spirit soared.
“It’s you,” I breathed. “We found you.”
thirty-eight
AMANTHA
Ipressed record and swept my phone side to side. Lake Attersee rippled through my screen below the brilliant sunset flaming above it. Not a second after I pressed the red icon to finish the video did I hear the footsteps above growing louder.
Val’s booming laughter rang out, too loud to have been natural. It was a testament to the dire situation that I didn’t stop to listen to the sound I had missed so much. Whatever the joke was, I hoped Barbara bought it.
I skittered from the luxurious piano room, taking the steps up to the kitchen two at a time. I vanished into the bathroom just before Val and Barbara clacked down the upper staircase.
Twisting the knob so the latch wouldn’t click too loudly, I locked myself in and released a shaky sigh. It felt like a bird was trapped inside my chest.
I pressed one hand to it and willed my breathing to slow.
The video of evidence played silently over in my palm.
The weight of it felt heavy.
The costly price to right a wrong.
The scandal the museum had unknowingly avoided.
I gripped the pedestal sink and hung my spiraling head.Would the evidence be enough? Why display a stolen painting? Did Barbara also botch the Cormac Padraig robbery?
My chest felt as though it was being shrink wrapped, each scenario of Barbara’s future shrinking it tighter until my heart felt flattened and unrecognizable. Could I plead on her behalf to lessen her sentence? Convince the judge that despite it all, she was a kind person?
With a deep breath and the knowledge that Val would be by my side, I relaxed my expression and stepped out of the bathroom.
Barbara and Val stood in the sitting room across from me, chatting away. I hid my trembling hands behind my back.
“Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us.” I offered a tired smile. “It’s getting late, Val. We should get going.”
