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“And the edges,” Ravi says, reaching up for it, taking it back from Lucy. “The edges are a match. Someone took it out of its frame and photographed them.”
“It’s bad this has happened now, the day before a gala,” Lucy says. “The gala preparations only widen the spectrum of suspects.”
“Well, it’s not anyone in the Thrash family,” Ravi says. “Or the Yellan family, or the Vanders family. We all know about the pinprick.”
“Except that an argument could be made that you’d leave the pinprick out,” Lucy says. “If the forgery had the pinprick, but was discovered, in some other way, to be a forgery, we’d know the forger was a Thrash, Vanders, or Yellan.”
“Well, I know it wasn’t,” Ravi says stubbornly.
“Yes, all right, Ravi,” says Lucy, with a sudden flash of impatience. “I’ll be sure to include your sophisticated analysis in my investigation. Honestly, I still can’t believe it. You’re absolutely certain this is a forgery?”
Ravi answers her with a wet sniffle, then picks the folding knife up and returns it to Jane. “Where’s Kiran?” he says. “Have any of you seen her?”
“She’s in the winter garden,” Lucy says, “playing cards with Phoebe and Colin.”
Leaving the forgery and its frame strewn on the floor and his freaky Monet propped against the wall, Ravi stands. “I have to tell her,” he says, gliding toward the service staircase. The door swings shut behind him.
After a moment’s silence, Jane says, “Wow.”
Lucy’s eyes narrow on Mrs. Vanders, then on Jane, sharp and dark. In that moment, Jane can imagine Lucy sitting down with drug dealers and duping them into handing over a priceless masterpiece.
She knows it’s Lucy’s job, but really, it’s too absurd, that Lucy could imagine she has anything to do with it.
Still, Jane gets it, because her view on every other person in the house has also changed. Until she can work her mind through every possibility, she’s not going to trust anyone either.
Since that includes Mrs. Vanders and Lucy, Jane says, “Good-bye, then,” and goes to her rooms.
* * *
Jasper is waiting outside her door. When she lets him in, he burrows under the bed. Soon his soft snores emerge, which is cozy, and helpful somehow, like fuel.
Outside the morning room windows, she sees Mr. Vanders digging in the gardens in the same area the little girl was digging yesterday. He works with a trowel in a slow and graceful manner, as if the act of digging is the point, rather than achieving holes. He stops for a moment to sneeze. Jane wants to lean out and yell at him that nothing’s ever going to grow out there if everyone keeps hacking at it.
She turns back to the room of umbrellas, not really looking at them, her thoughts circling the forged Vermeer. On the one hand, it’s a relief that a house mystery is coming into the light, for everyone to know and to talk about. On the other hand, the more she learns, the less things make sense. And she really doesn’t want all of this to lead to the revelation that Ivy’s mixed up in art theft somehow.
Though if Ivy, or anyone, is mixed up in art theft, Jane supposes it’s better to know.
Dammit.
She snatches up a sketchbook, flips past umbrella sketches to a blank page, and begins a list, starting with the most blatantly suspicious.
Patrick Yellan
Philip Okada
Phoebe Okada
— Philip sneaking around with a gun. All three of them talking about the Panzavecchias? Philip seen in a back room in the attics, now gone someplace mysterious, lying about being a germophobe. Phoebe lying about Philip. Patrick “has something to confess” to Kiran but never actually confesses. Broods. Has easy access to boats. Was out late with Ravi.
Gritting her teeth, Jane adds the next name.
Ivy Yellan
— Keeping something from me. Says she’s taking photos of the art but is she? Has blueprints of the house including the art and decoration. Says she knows all the house’s secrets. Is “saving up” for college. Seems to resent Mrs. Vanders.
Now she decides she may as well round out the servants.
Mrs. Vanders
— Total control freak. Likes to control what everyone does and doesn’t know, where everyone goes, whom everyone talks to, and what they talk about. She’s Patrick’s boss. Was being cagey about admitting her forgery suspicions to Ravi. Why?
— On the other hand, she’s the one who pointed the forgery out to me, making her an unlikely suspect.
Mr. Vanders
— Seen with a small child yesterday. Seen with blueprints today. Evasive. Currently digging in the garden. (Can a painting be buried safely?)
Cook
— Never around.
Random gala staff
She moves on to the other residents and guests.
Lucy St. George
— Art PI, so she knows a lot about how heists work. Her father, Buckley, is an art dealer (as are her cousin and boyfriend). Recently lost a Rubens. On-again, off-again with Ravi. (Any bad feelings there? Revenge?)
Colin Mack
— Also knows a lot about the art world/art theft. Buckley is his uncle. Kiran doesn’t seem to like him even though they’re dating (but Kiran doesn’t seem to like anyone else either). Was being a jerk to Lucy, his cousin, at breakfast.
Kiran Thrash
— Unhappy. Mad at everyone. Hates the house, hates the art. Would she do something to act out?
Ravi Thrash
— Loves the art. The Vermeer is his favorite, he slept under it as a kid. Loves it enough to steal it? Is he a good actor? Why was Mrs. Vanders being evasive around him—does she suspect him?
Octavian Thrash
— Doesn’t seem to care about the missing Brancusi.
[NOTE TO SELF: The missing Brancusi! Surely this matters more now that the Vermeer is gone too!]
— His wife has disappeared. Seems depressed and antisocial. Mad at Ravi. Keeps vampiric hours. Are the Vermeer and the Brancusi insured? Don’t rich people fake thefts sometimes to collect on insurance?
Charlotte Thrash
— Mother may have been a con artist. Was drawing floor plans of a Vegas casino when Octavian met her—suspicious? Has been missing for a month, which is super-weird. When was the Vermeer forged? Could she have taken it with her? (When was the Brancusi last seen?)
Jane chews the end of her pencil, contemplating her list, trying to decide if anyone in the house is safe for her to talk to. Jasper, droopy-eyed and curious, waddles into the room.
Jane adds:
Jasper Thrash
— The only individual in the house (besides me) who’s definitely innocent.
She turns to a new page. She writes:
What to do?
Possibilities:
— Talk to Mrs. Vanders, who’s got to be innocent. Find out whom she suspects. Ask her probing questions about Ivy.
— Talk to Lucy St. George, who probably has inspirations about what’s going on.
— Confront Ivy.
“What do you think, Jasper?” she says.
He comes closer and leans against her boots, gazing up at her with what Jane decides is resolution.
“Personally,” she says, “I like the first two ideas better than the third.”
Jasper leans harder.
“Ready?” Jane says. “Let’s go.”
* * *
She heads toward the center of the house, figuring she’ll check the kitchens for Mrs. Vanders.
As she approaches the stairs, she hears voices in the receiving hall, then sees Kiran and Colin standing together. Kiran has her arms crossed tight, as if in self-defense.
Jane starts down toward them.
“I don’t know,” she hears Kiran say. “It sounds like Mrs. Vanders was looking at it a
