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That had been before Dan had revealed his secret. His gift had erected an awkward barrier between him and his parents, and their relationship had been strained ever since.
There were days when Dan’s gift felt more like a curse.
Gary expelled a breath. “I’ve seen some of her work online. It’s even more impressive in real life.”
Senator Cain nodded, his smile faltering. “She was an amazing artist.” He indicated the wall behind them, where four paintings hung on long thin chains. “And that’s another.” It was a portrait of the senator, but this time he sat alone, and the style was more casual.
Dan stood and walked over to get a better look. “She really captured you.” What he liked most was the senator’s relaxed pose, the warmth in his eyes.
The same warmth Dan had seen when Senator Cain spoke of Cheryl.
“Yes, she did.” The senator joined him. “She used to visit my art collection at the house in Lenox. She grew up there of course. And as she got older, her artistic talent developed, and I did my best to encourage her.”
“Her father says you paid for her studies,” Gary commented.
“I was glad he accepted my help. Someone as gifted as Cheryl…. It would have been a crime if she had not been able to study art.”
That tremor was evident once more.
Dan turned to gaze at him, his heart aching for the senator’s loss. “You cared for her.”
Senator Cain stared at his portrait. “She was a beautiful human being.” He scowled. “I cannot begin to tell you how angry I was when someone assaulted her. Cheryl never harmed a soul.”
Gary stared. “You knew about that?”
“She confided in me. That lowlife—”
“And yet that ‘lowlife’ did work for you at the house in Lenox.”
There was no mistaking the shock in his eyes. “What? As if I’d have let him set onetoeon my property.”
Gary nodded. “In 1992. You had a pool house constructed, didn’t you?”
He frowned. “Yes, I remember that, but—”
“Aiden Reynolds was one of the laborers sent to work on it.”
The senator’s mouth fell open. “I had no idea. Not that I would have paid much attention to workmen. And Cheryl couldn’t have seen him. She’d have mentioned it.”
“You went to great lengths to find her when she disappeared,” Dan remarked.
“Pete was distraught, and there was a limit to how much he could do. I simply gave more weight to his efforts.”
“Which included applying a little pressure to the police department,” Gary said with a twinkle in his eyes.
Senator Cain coughed. “Oh. You know about that. Not that it got us anywhere. I just felt they weren’t doing all they could to find her.” He glanced at Gary. “No disrespect intended to my present company. I even offered a reward, but nothing came of that either.” He returned his gaze to the portrait. “I come in here often to look at her work. If she’d lived, who knows what she might have achieved? Her father had no idea where her talent came from.” He smiled. “He certainly had no idea to what use she put it the last five years of her life before she disappeared.” His smile faltered. “Cheryl didn’t think he’d approve.”
Gary frowned. “What do you mean?”
Senator Cain pointed to another painting. “That’s also her work.”
Dan stared at the painting of a young woman in a cream dress, seated at a musical instrument, a gold wrap around her shoulders. His brain would not compute. “But… that’s a Vermeer.”
The senator nodded. “Yes, it is. The original is in the vault at my bank. My grandfather bought it in 1947, and since then its value has increased tremendously. I didn’t feel happy having it at the house, so I commissioned Cheryl to produce a copy.” He held up one finger. “You will note she didn’t sign it. She never intended such works to be forgeries, but clearly copies.”
“‘Works’?” Gary pulled his notepad from his pocket and peered at his scribbles. “Her father says she had a job as an art conservationist and that her portraits were a sideline.”
Senator Cain nodded. “And so they were.” He indicated the copy of the Vermeer. “This, however, became an even more lucrative sideline. I think she produced three, maybe four such copies before she… disappeared. But as I said, her father didn’t know about those.”
