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“During the summer.”
“Why not more often?” asked Devine.
“I don’t know. You’d have to ask her, and you can’t.”
“When was the last time you saw or spoke with her?”
Alex let out an extended breath and shook her head. “Saw her briefly when she came here during the summer. Spoke to her last? I can’t really remember.”
“Ballpark? Months, weeks, days?”
“Over a month,” said Alex.
“What’d you talk about?”
“Nothing important.”
“You two weren’t close?”
“She had her life and I had mine and they didn’t really mix well. She was off somewhere around the world while I was stuck right here in Putnam.”
“Stuck? By your choice?”
“Bad choice of words. It has everything I want as an artist. Solitude, incredible beauty, haunting images, a place that makes you think. It’s very inspiring.”
“I spoke with your mother. She thought you should be in New York, or California, or Europe.”
“Of course she did.”
“You see her much?”
“Not for years,” said Alex.
“I saw your father, too.”
Her expression grew firmer and seemed to be pulling her inward. “I didn’t know that was possible.”
“Your brother said he goes to visit him.”
“They have that military connection,” she said in answer. “I don’t.”
“I don’t think he has long left.”
“None of us know how long we have left,” she replied.
“So you didn’t know Jenny was in town and you hadn’t seen or spoken with her in a while?”
“That’s right. So I really can’t help you.” She turned back to her canvas. “And I have a lot of work to do. So...”
“Have you started selling your artwork? Your mother didn’t think you were.”
“I have an agent now. Over the last few years I’ve been commissioned to do a number of paintings and sculptures. You can tell my mother that my clients include people from New York and Californiaandacross the pond.”
“You should tell her yourself. I’m sure she’ll be very happy for you.”
“I’m not nearly as sure about that as you appear to be.”
“Are you sad that your sister is no longer living?” Devine had decided to ask this provocative question to get something from the woman that didn’t sound scripted.
