AllFreeNovel
Share Us
33
EMMA’S ON THE ROAD BEFORE SEVEN THE NEXT MORNING,headed to White Plains to meet Kyle. Traffic is as bad as she’d anticipated, bumper-to-bumper in spots, but she manages to reach the café at eight on the dot.
Kyle is already inside when Emma enters, and though several two-tops are free, he’s parked himself at a table for four.Of course, she thinks, plopping down across from him. He’s always hijacking the biggest table possible, getting as much of the pie in life as he can lay his hands on.
“So are you finally going to tell me what got your knickers in a twist?” he asks.
She ignores the ugly wording and breaks the news without any preamble—that according to an old email she’s suddenly become privy to, the Rothko painting that passed to him after Derrick’s death and has since been willed to a museum might be a forgery. She purposely leaves Lilly out of it, as well as the art dealer, who hasn’t yet gotten back to her.
Kyle’s expression remains blank as he listens, but she can see his nostrils flare.
“Oh, I get it,” he says after she finishes. And then shakes his head dismissively.
“Meaning what?”
“It’s a smoke screen, isn’t it, Emma? A feeble attempt to deflect suspicion from yourself and your silver fox for killing my brother?”
This is the first time Kyle’s ever done more than insinuate and it stings like a fast slap on her face. She wants to pick up and leave, but fights the urge. She needs him togetthis.
“I’m not throwing up a smoke screen, Kyle,” she says evenly. “For one thing, I’m trying to help you. You and your sister need to have all the paintings appraised to see if they’re the real deal or not. And wehaveto take this to the police. Even if it’s an outside chance, there’s a possibility that Derrick’s murder is linked to it.”
“What do you mean?” he asks bluntly.
“I’m just spitballing here, but think about it for a second. The timing feels significant. It might all be a coincidence, of course, but what if Derrick contacted the dealer who sold the paintings to your parents, and the call set off an alarm, making someone feel really threatened?”
A few beats of silence follow.
“My god,” he says finally. His whole tone has shifted and there’s concern in his voice now. As he presses a hand to his mouth, she realizes her question has triggered a memory. She waits, holding her breath.
“When Derrick and I spoke that Friday,” he continues,“he asked if I knew the name of the dealer our parents had used. I assumed he wanted to buy some art and I told him I’d locate the contact info when I had a chance. It seemed so irrelevant, I never brought it up with the cops.”
“You told them he sounded stressed, though.”
“Yeah, but I had no idea it was related to that. Shit.”
“Kyle, what do you know about the dealer?
“Just what I learned from my parents as their executor. He’s a private dealer, last name Cohen. I can’t recall his first name off the top of my head.”
“He needs to be investigated. If he sold forged art intentionally, it might not be just the Rothko that’s a fake. Derrick’s other painting might be, too. And...”
He rears back in his chair. “What you’re saying, of course, is that my sister and I might be fucked as well.”
“Maybe.”
For a brief second, shealmostfeels sorry for him.
“You’re right, we need to tell the cops,” he says, visibly distressed. “But I want to do a little digging myself first. Can you give me until Monday? If you’re game, maybe we can even arrange to speak to that detective together, which might make her take it more seriously.”
Kyle as her ally? That’s certainly a new twist, but at least it’s better than having him as her adversary, making all kinds of insinuations.
“Of course, good idea. But when you’re digging, it’s probably best not to have a conversation with the dealer yourself. He might be dangerous.”
“Yeah, I’m not about to do anything stupid. What about the email you mentioned? I should probably take a look at it.”
“I can tell you that it was written by someone knowledgeable who saw the painting and suspected a problem. For now, I need to protect that person’s privacy.”
He shrugs and gulps down the rest of his coffee, making her realize that she never took a moment to go to the counter and order one for herself. At least there’s no reason to have to linger.
